My Morning Meal

Talk about your un-sung hero . . . your guy in the background . . . the nobody who really was somebody . . . the guy whose name no one remembers, but whose work shaped the course of history. That’s Eliezer of Damascus. Who? Exactly!

I’m reading in Genesis 24. Sarah has passed. Abraham’s well advanced in years, probably in his 130’s (talk about too many candles on the cake!). And Isaac, the son of promise, is probably in his early 30’s, I think. And, the boy needs a wife. But not a bride from the daughters of the Canaanites, but a wife from Abraham’s people back in the old country. And who does Abraham tag for such an important mission? He’s not named in Genesis 24, just referred to as “the oldest servant” of Abraham’s house (24:2). A no name, a nobody, a servant, a hired hand . . . but as you read the interaction between Abraham and this servant you sense there is a bond there . . . that it’s more than just a boss / employee relationship. They’ve been together a long time . . . what Abraham’s been through . . . the servant has been through . . . they’ve both “got the t-shirts” to prove it.

And it’s kind of amazing really when you consider that this servant is probably the same guy mentioned in Genesis 15:2 when Abram says, “Lord God, what will You give me seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” There he is . . . the long serving steward of Abraham’s house. He was with the patriarch before Abram was Abraham. I’m guessing he was with Abram in Egypt . . . and at the rescue of Lot . . . and during the time when Abram acquired wealth and riches . . . and, as he saw his master get older and Sara remain barren, you wonder if he wondered, “If I out live this guy, this could be all mine.” But that wasn’t to be the case . . . God said it . . . Abraham believed . . . and you sense that Eliezer, the servant, believed it too . . . and so, was just happy to serve.

Eliezer’s name means “God is help”. Not a bad name for a servant. The God who had called Abram out of his homeland to a land he didn’t know, had promised to be Abram’s strength, and portion, and help. And a big part of that, it appears, was in the giving of a reliable servant to Abram, one Eliezer of Damascus. A trusted steward . . . a faithful helper . . . and you as you see the two of them interact in Genesis 24, you sense, a longtime friend. Abraham makes Eliezer promise that he will get a wife for Isaac from his family. Eliezer says, “But, what if she won’t come?” Abraham says, “You be faithful. Do your best. If she refuses to return with you, you are released from the promise.” And then to seal the pledge, “the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter” (24:9).

And this no name (who’s probably no spring chicken himself) sets out on what must have been a heart-pumping, adrenaline rushing mission. He arrives at the outskirts of the city of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. By the wells of water he prays that God would give him success and details a plan on how he’d identify “the one.” And “before he had finished speaking” to the Lord (24:24), there she comes. Eliezer knew the Lord. He spoke to Him. And the Lord honored Eliezer . . . answering the servant’s prayer in exact detail. And what does the old, no name servant of Abraham . . . and of God . . . do? “Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the LORD” (24:6). He blessed God (24:48). No, he wouldn’t inherit Abraham’s riches . . . that was for Isaac . . . and Isaac’s bride-to-be which he would soon escort back to Canaan. But he had humbly, faithfully, served the LORD God of heaven and earth (24:3,7) . . . and God had given him success . . . and that would be prize enough. And again, after getting the family’s consent, “he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth” (24:52).

You expect servants to bow a lot . . . humbling themselves before their masters. But to envision this one who personified “God is help” on his face, on the ground, worshiping God, moves the heart to a similar posture. Oh, to release any claim to notoriety . . . to willingly allow others the spotlight . . . to be satisfied with faithfully serving the God of heaven and earth . . . that is heaven’s description of a great man or woman . . . just the sort of people that God will use . . . to do great things. And though no one may know their names, the Father does. And to be used of Him is reward in and of itself. To know answered prayer . . . to recognize that you are in the middle of the hand of God moving . . . what a rush . . . what a joy . . . it’s enough to make you go facedown and worship the God of the no names. For His glory alone . . . amen!

Ok . . . so there . . . he had gone and done it now. No more living “below the radar” in this foreign land. No more just blending in with the scenery. Abram had clearly shown himself to his neighbors. He had rescued Lot, and he had made some enemies . . . and not just any enemies . . . but powerful, king-type enemies (Gen. 14:1-17). In addition, the one king who he might have become an ally with, he may have insulted by not taking payment from him for defeating the other marauding royalty (Gen. 14:21-24). And so, I kind of imagine Abram at some point after the adrenalin rush of battle, alone with his thoughts. And, as he goes over in his mind all that has just happened, his heart starts racing again . . . maybe a bit of panic sets in, as he thinks, “What have I done? They’ll be back, those kings, and will be seeking revenge. The king of Sodom with think me an ingrate and not lift a finger to help me. I’ve put everything at risk. What have I done?”

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’ ” — Genesis 15.1

Those are the words that caused me to pause this morning. Apparently, this is the first mention of “the word of the Lord” coming to someone. The fact that it is in “a vision” has some believing that it is the Word of the Lord, the Second Person of the Trinity. Regardless of how God exactly “called this audible” with Abram, the message is one of supreme comfort and assurance. Do not be afraid . . . I am your shield . . . I am your beyond measure reward.

For the believer, how much of dealing with life’s “panic attacks” is the reminder of who God is and that He has, in His Sovereign purposes, chosen to have relationship with us. As such, we need not fear . . . for He is our shield. He is our protection. He is our defense. We might engage in the fight, but the battle is the Lord’s. We might go toe-to-toe with enemies but really it’s not by our might, nor our strength, but by the Spirit of the living God within us (Zech. 4:6). Sometimes we’re too weak to even lift engage the enemy . . . and then, He stands in the breach and by His grace, and for His glory, He defends the defenseless . . . helps the helpless . . . gives strength to the weary. Do not be afraid, Abram . . . I am your shield.

And then, this word that comes to Abram in this vision, promises so much more. It would have been enough just to rest in His protection and salvation, but, he also promises great reward . . . and that reward is intrinsically interwoven with the “God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:19, 22), Himself. That’s the prize . . . that’s the goal . . . that’s the reward . . . God, Himself. Everything else beyond that is just gravy. To be in relationship with God Most High is exceedingly great reward. Do not be afraid . . .

Abram was told that God’s promises were sure . . . that His blessings were beyond number . . . and Abram “believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to Him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). As Abram continued to talk with the Lord, his thoughts turned from “What have I done?” to “He can be trusted!” His panic subsided as the peace of God prevailed. Fear gave way to faith.

There would still be battles to be faced . . . mistakes to be made . . . more fear and panic to be experienced . . . but the bottom line is that Abram believed the Lord . . . His shield . . . His exceedingly great reward . . . and the rest, as they say, is history.

Father, thank You for the reminder this morning that in You is my reward. That knowing You is the treasure. That one day being with You is the prize. And that, until that day, You are my shield . . . my Protector . . . my peace. For Your glory, amen?

It’s the stuff of motivational speakers . . . from mom to the executive coach . . . “There’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it!” Funny how things come to mind . . . as a kid I believed I was the fastest thing on two feet . . . I had the “blue ribbons” from “sports day” as evidence . . . I can see my mom at the finish line cheering me on . . . my aunt even called me “Speed” as a kid. Nothing but potential . . . pure potential in front of me, I thought. And that’s part of how God wired us, isn’t it? But what happens when that wiring is no longer submitted to the Master Builder’s direction . . .

I’m reading in Genesis 11 this morning . . . post flood by a few generations . . . and, from a human perspective, things are looking pretty good. The whole earth has one language and one speech (11:1) . . . a prevailing sense of unity . . . and a capability to design and build such that, somehow, collectively they decide to assert the power and glory of their humanity. They are going to build a city unlike any city every built . . . with a tower that will reach into the heavens . . . a testament of their power . . . of their capability and glory . . . of their determination to not lose the unity they had worked so hard for.

And God comes down to the city and sees the tower and says, “Look at that! They are all pulling together . . . they are able to share data easily through their common language . . . and this is what they begin to do. Build for themselves and unto themselves. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!” (11:5-6). Not too surprising, after all. They were made in the image of God . . . the Creator of all things . . . the one who is a God of order . . . and, given enough time, order can be analyzed and decoded . . . nothing that can’t be done by people made in God’s image who share information and work towards a common purpose. Kind of explains the wonders of our technological world, doesn’t it? That which we know about genetics and how to manipulate them . . . it’s because we are made in the image of God . . . and have a common language. “There’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it!”

But . . . there was a problem . . . a big problem. This God-wired potential was governed by a humanistic agenda . . . the Creator had been excluded from the discovery of creation . . . the Sovereign had been de-throned and man was sitting where only God had the right to be. And so God says within the fellowship of the Trinity, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (11:7) . . . and “the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth” (11:9) And, for millennia now, man has been working his way back to a united community . . . a common language . . . and, as we’ve seen in our lifetime, the ability to achieve things that reflect again the image of God in them. But, tragically, without the authority of God guiding them, nor the wisdom of God indwelling them, this knowledge has really been beyond their ability to rightly handle in so many cases.

And so, I sit here this morning, considering the start of a new year and a new decade. There’s something about a new year that seeds hope of better things to come . . . that causes us to think about new beginnings . . . and new resolve . . . and turns the cup “half full” as we consider the potential. For many of us, we use the new year to believe again that “there’s nothing we can’t do if we set our minds to it.” O, but that we would put God in the center of all that potential . . . that He would have pre-eminence in all the plans . . . that all the resolutions would, at their essence, have the glory of God in mind.

Any potential we possess is because we are made in the image of God. Corrupted by sin and self, that potential is redeemed through faith in the work of Christ on the cross such that God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). Check that out . . . in Christ we posses the potential that comes from being showered with every spiritual blessing from heaven itself. That doesn’t come from a united mankind under a human directed agenda . . . that comes from being united with Christ . . . in His death . . . His burial . . . and, praise God, His resurrection.

You wanna talk about potential? You want to talk about possibilities? I’m not talking prosperity . . . not talking ease . . .not talking making a name for ourselves. But, if God is for us, who can be against us? Through Him who loved us to death, we are more than conquerors! (Rom. 8:31, 37)

O’, that He would be the source of our potential . . . that He would be the guide of our resolutions . . . that He would receive all glory from whatever we set our minds to. Then, it truly would be, regardless of circumstance, a Happy New Year! Amen?

“In the beginning God . . . ” (Gen. 1:1). Doesn’t get much better than that. And with those words I start out again on my morning reading plan. Maybe some year I’ll read the January 1st readings on January 1st . . . but not this year. I usually finish up the plan before Christmas . . . so, to wait until the New Year to get back into the routine is too long. And it’s not just about the routine . . . there really is a sense of anticipation as I start out again to work my way through the Bible over the next year. I’m looking forward to rediscovering those familiar truths which God has been establishing within me over the years. I’m eager to find new stuff . . . stuff that’s always been there, but, for whatever reason, hasn’t really hit my radar in the past. And, there’s a certain amount of excitement as I anticipate again these mornings being a place where the Holy Spirit acts as my Teacher and opens my eyes and heart to God’s word. Really, there is nothing like the spiritual dynamic of interacting with God’s word.

This morning, as I read Genesis 1, it’s God’s creative nature that gives me reason to pause. Three times in this opening chapter I read that “God made” . . . and three times that “God created.” Someone recently shared a little Bible reading tip with me where, if you want to describe what God is like, you take the God “verbs” and turn them into God “nouns.” So if “God made”, then God is a Maker . . . if “God created”, then God is a Creator.

That God “made” the heavens and the earth indicates He’s a Laborer. God does work . . . He brings about an outcome . . . He puts forth divine effort and, to use a business term, produces a deliverable. And, through His labor, God also creates . . . He shapes . . . He forms. He created the heavens and earth . . . He made the firmament, the expanse that separated water above from water below . . . He made two great lights, one to rule over the day, the other, the night . . . He created sea creatures . . . He made the beasts of the earth. How amazing is our God?

And God’s products are of the highest quality. Want to describe the deliverables from the Maker and Creator? One word . . . “Good!” Over and over again in Genesis 1 you read “and God saw that it was good.” You kind of imagine the Creator standing back and admiring His creation and saying to Himself, “Nailed it!” What pleasure does God have in creating? You see the Maker beholding the fruit of His labor with a sense of satisfaction . . . all of it declaring the glories of God. And it wasn’t just good . . . “Then God saw everything that He made, and indeed it was very good” (1:31). Very good . . . that’s kind of stuff the Maker makes . . . the kind of creation the Creator creates.

And in the midst of all that He created was His masterpiece . . . that which reflected not only the labor of His hands and the genius of His creative design . . . but that which reflected God Himself . . . “then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ . . . . So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (1:26-27). Ok . . . so noodle on that for a bit. Made in the image of God . . . a God who talks about “Us” creating man . . . in “Our” image . . . and “Our” likeness. As helpful as it is to take verbs and make them into nouns to describe God, how much more do we get some understanding of God by looking at that part of creation made in His triune image and likeness? Sure, it’s kind of messed up by sin . . . but the Creator has looked after that as well . . .

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2Cor. 5:17). The Creator is still creating . . . new creations . . . fully refurbished . . . redeemed . . . restored . . . and re-enabled to reflect the glory of God. He made me in His likeness . . . and He is re-making me in the image of His Son. He created me for His glory . . . and He newly created me to show forth, in some measure, that glory. By His grace I am the product of the Maker’s hand . . . through His Son I’m a new creation. And God looks at me in Christ . . . and sees that everything that He made in Christ was very good . . . He stands back . . . and says, “Nailed it!” . . .