Men I Love

I love the characters of several men in the Bible. In my recent preaching assignments I found one interesting commonality of three such men-personalities in the Bible. They are Job, Moses and Jesus (the God who came in human form). What do they have in common?

Job
There may be several traditional learnings from Job. But I am attracted to the mention of his children in the last chapter. When Job got his blessings restored God gave him seven sons and three daughters. I love the way the daughters are named here. It is very uncommon to see the sons not named here. The lesson for me however is in V.15 where we find Job giving equal inheritance for both his sons and daughters Jemima, Keziah and Karen. I still wonder how a man who lived in Pre-Mosaic times (when the law was not yet given) could respect women, here his daughters!

Moses
The next hero I adore is Moses. Look at the story where he met his wife in Midian in Exodus 216-19: Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to draw water and fill the troughs in order to water their father’s flock. When some shepherds came and drove them away, Moses came up and defended them and then watered their flock. So when they came home to their father Reuel, he asked, “Why have you come home so early today?” They said, “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds, and he actually drew water for us and watered the flock!” We see Moses as a defender, provider, rescuer of women in a difficult situation. No wonder, the girls’ father found it easy to give Zipporah, one of his seven girls to Moses as his wife.

When the issue of the five daughters of Zelophehad came up in the exodus journey with regard to inheritance rights for girls we see Moses as a person who did not drive them away, but it is said: Moses brought their case before the Lord (Numbers 27:5). The God of justice granted the girls’ request. While I appreciate the five girls Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah for their fight for justice, Moses needs an applause for taking their case to God. Moses’ respect for women is mind-blowing.

Jesus
Jesus is the champion of women’s rights, the perfect model for us to follow. From the virgin birth narrative of Mary till the mission mandate of Magdalene Mary, the gospels record various instances of how Jesus respected women. He undid all the curses that were laid upon women and redefined the laws regarding adultery, divorce and other social stigmas. There is much to write about Jesus. I will take that up in another blog-article in the future. This thing is true: Jesus respected women.

On this International Men’s Day I commend men who already reflect this particular Godly character of respecting women like these great personalities in the Bible. Wishing my men-friends all the best!

Dewy Blessings

Dew is an important source of moisture in the air. It surrounds the plant, the leaves for approximately two to three hours past sunrise. The 1816 Encyclopaedia Britannica says that dew is a fluid of the purest and most translucid nature. It can remove all spots and stains and impart to the skin the bloom and freshness of virgin beauty. It extends human life. Have you ever thought of a sustaining blessing that carries us every day? It is the dewy blessing given to his children in the Bible.  

"Dew" appears almost 35 times in the Bible, often rendered as "dew from heaven." It is primarily seen as a blessing from God. One of the Bible's best-known blessings is in Genesis 27:28 when Isaac blesses Jacob: May God give you heaven's dew and earth's richness-- an abundance of grain and new wine. About Joseph, Jacob said: "May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below."(Deut. 33:13) The dewy blessing transcended to generations as seen here from Isaac to Jacob and then to Joseph.

I love this particular blessing to Israel that includes us the spiritual Israelite today. God said: I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:5,6) God provides moisture as rain, but sometimes rain can be destructive if it is too heavy. We see that from the days of Noah till day. But dew just shows up, gently appearing each morning to provide life-sustaining moisture to crops. Dew is a gentle and a daily blessing! It is refreshing, energizing, life-sustaining.

Dew Can Be Withdrawn And Withheld

Withdrawal of dew is regarded as a curse from God ( 2 Samuel 1:21 ; 1 Kings 17:1 ). God said: You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. (Haggai 1:9-10) This is a word of warning to do what is expected of us by God in the holy Scriptures. We need to turn to God in repentance. But if God withholds a blessing, he can always release it back!

God’s Words Are Like Dew

Deuteronomy 32:2 says: Let my (God’s) teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. Let us consume this dew, the word of God as much as possible and do as it says. God’s word will sustain us, refresh us and guide us through. Let the beauty and dewy blessings from God above be seen in us and attract others to the Giver of all blessings.

Dewy Personalities

There are dewy personalities around. They are our daily blessings from God, the people who provide for us and help us like the farmers, the laborers, the drivers and the resourceful people like our parents, pastors and teachers. Think about that and thank God for these dewy people every day! God is also encouraging us to be a "dew" for those around us, to refresh them. Can we be relied upon by our family and the society around as a dewy personality?

More Dewy Blessings

There are many dewy blessings in the Bible. I am quoting a couple of them and ending with the Jewish prayer for dewy blessings:

…your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew. (Psalm 110:3)

It (God’s people living together in unity) is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalm 133:3)

The Jewish Prayer / Blessing for Dew

May dew fall upon the blessed land.
Fill us with heaven’s finest blessings.
May a light come out of the darkness to draw Israel
to you as a root finds water from dew.
May you bless our food with dew.
May we enjoy plenty with nothing lacking.
Grant the wish of the people – that followed you
through the desert like sheep – with dew.
You are Adonai our God,
who causes the wind to blow and the dew to fall,
For blessing and not for curse.
Amen.

Argula: A Woman, A Reformer, A Writer

As we celebrate Reformation in this week, we should be also aware that there were many women involved in the process of reforming churches. Valerie Abraham lists five among the many remarkable women of the Reformation: Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549) – The Diplomat, Marie Dentiere (1495-1561) – The Lightning Rod, Argula Von Grumbach (1492-1554) – The Debater, Olympia Morata (1526-1555) – The Scholar, Jeanne d’Albert (1528-1572) – The Politician. Here I would highlight on Argula Von Grumbach, a mighty woman of God, who was threatened to have her two fingers amputated to stop her from writing. Writing has always influenced people living in all centuries and it a threatening tool. The pen is mightier than a sword! Argula became the first protestant woman writer and she used it as a reforming tool.

Argula Von Grumbach was born in 1492 in Bavaria in the Reformation Era which saw the “Rediscovery of Scripture” through Sola Scripture (Scripture Alone). Despite the warning from anti-reformers, her parents encouraged her to read and study the Bible. In 1517, in the year in which Luther hammered his ninety-five thesis on the church door in Wittenburg, Argula married Friedrich with whom she had four children. Friedrich died in 1530. But no situation could deter Argula in her stint with Reformation leaders. She encouraged the nobility of her native Bavaria to take on the ideas of the Reformers. She also travelled extensively for this cause. In doing so Argula broke a number of taboos. She assumed a public role, which was unheard of for a woman of her time.

She was a theological writer and exegete of Scripture. She promoted the cause of Reformation through writing of pamphlets. She read Scripture for aspects of both ecclesial and social lives.  She argued strongly for the independence of the church from secular authority when it came to spiritual matters such as the understanding of the Scripture. She understood herself as called and led by the Spirit of God to read and understand the Scriptures. She was a prophetess in her calling!

Argula had the audacity to address the university leaders of the day. Her wisdom, her logic and her use of Scriptures was stunning. She boldly spoke up for the supremacy of Scriptures and priesthood of all believers including women. Reformer Balthasar said about her: Argula, a pious woman knows the divine Word better than clergy, like Deborah and Huldah in the Old Testament, and the daughters of Philip in the New Testament.

I hope and believe that the present state of church worldwide will be reformed when women like Argula and men like Luther rise and stand for the Scriptures, for its rightful interpretation, and use their writings to impact the world that is so small these days using technology and by all modern means!

Source: Women in Church and Society, Compiled by Zubeno Kithan

You Are Special!

Are you hurt? Here is good news! In my recent meditation of the Scripture, I was greatly blessed reading a passage in Luke 8:40-56.

I loved Jesus calling a woman as his ‘daughter’, which I find as the one and only occasion in the gospel account. All the synoptic writers have given space to this incident which should be a great encouragement to a child of God feeling discouraged or disheartened. Similarly, in only one occasion we see Jesus mentioning a man as ’son’ which again is recorded by all the synoptic gospel writers. Both of them were sick people, the woman was haemorrhaging and the man, a paralytic. However, as a woman I am attracted to the narrative of the bleeding woman closer to my heart.

Not a Contamination!

Added to her physical issues like anaemia and exhaustion, this woman would have faced terrible spiritual and social ostracism. Bleeding made her unclean (Lev 15:19–27) and anyone who touched her or anything she had been in contact with would be considered unclean too and would have to perform certain rites to cleanse themselves. She had to live a lonely life without her family and friends. She was in debt after depleting all her resources paying to doctors. Knowing that Jesus is in town this desperate woman mustered her courage and managed to touch the cloak of Jesus in the crowd. What a contamination as per law! But it was not so for Jesus.

What an Extravagance!

Interestingly this story is sandwiched between the part where Jairus, a synagogue ruler pleaded with Jesus to heal his dying daughter and later, when the little girl died. Let us look at Jairus now.  As leader of the synagogue he was well respected. He could go up to Jesus and ensure he got his request heard by falling at his feet, touching him and begging him to heal his daughter. In contrast, this nameless woman could only approach Jesus stealthily from behind and touch the back of his clothes. Jairus’ daughter had a father to fight her corner; this poor woman had none. How moving, then, are Christ’s words to her calling her ‘Daughter’. Whereas, Jairus got his daughter resurrected later, Jesus gained a daughter earlier that day. He applauds her as a woman of faith and declared peace and healing to her. What an extravagant outpouring of grace and mercy!

What a Blessing!

Do you ever feel at a disadvantage? Does it seem as if others have more going for them: better education, wealthier backgrounds, better health, more confidence and more family and friends to support them? Are you letting such things hold you back or cause you to be jealous of others? What matters is not your status before people but your status before God. Do you need to see yourself afresh, through God’s eyes, as his much-loved child?

Who are the equivalents of the woman with a haemorrhage today? Who are the vulnerable and rejected in our society who have no one to stand up for them? Let us identify with them. Let us include them and extend our family boundary. After all we are all the children of our Lord Jesus. He calls us as “My son” and “My daughter”. What a blessing!

Inspired by:

Caroline Fletcher in WordLive, 20 June, 2019

Can Curses be Reversed?

Many religions talk about curses and generational curses. Even the Bible has a lot to tell on these. I would however like to confine to one man in the Bible and the one God of the Bible in this regard. This man named Zerubbabel captured my attention in the recent past. His name appears in the genealogical records of Jesus given by both Matthew and Luke. Who are the forefathers of this man?

Notorious Predecessors

Zerubbabel’s grandfather Jehoiachin also called Coniah was a wicked king of Judah who was taken into captivity and was imprisoned in Babylon (2 Kings 24:8-17). Jehoiachin’s father was Jehoiakim, the son of good and righteous Josiah, my all time favourite king! But Jehoiakim was wicked and notorious enough that he burnt the scroll containing the word of God (Jeremiah 36:23). The wrath of God went to peak towards this king that he pronounced judgement cutting short the covenant He had made with David (Jeremiah 36:30-31):  Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David...Jehoiakim’s tragic death and details was prophesied about earlier in Jeremiah 22: 18-19.

Crucial Chapter

A clue for generational curse/blessing lies in this important chapter in the Bible in Ezekiel 18. The central truth here is: the soul that sins will die. Curses of the past generation can be broken, provided the individual living in the present generation mends his/her life in the light of the word of God. This crucial teaching of the Bible follows the chapter in which we read about another prophecy regarding Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (son of Josiah, uncle of Jehoiachin, forefather of Zerubbabel)  being deported to Babylon. It is in this context that Ezekiel 18 throws hope that even after all such cursed past events, a progeny in the family can mend his/her present life. That was what Zerubbabel did.

Chain of Curse

Zerubbabel came from a very bad past-history. He lived during the Babylonian exile. He was appointed as governor (Zedekiah was the last king of Judah and after which there were only governors of Judah, appointed by their captors). Here are some highlights of a changed life style of Zerubbabel, unlike his ancestors:

• Based on the command given by King Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4), the captor king, a big group of people of Judah returned to Jerusalem and started to rebuild the temple that was demolished by King Nebuchadnezzar, years back.  Firstly, Zerubbabel took lead in restoring the altar and daily worship in the temple. (Ezra 3:1-3)
• He was one of those who rebuilt the temple. (Ezra 3:8)
• He protected the purity of the Lord’s temple. (Ezra 4:2-3)
• He obeyed God’s words that came through the prophets of his time, Haggai and Zechariah. (Haggai 1:12-15)
• He ensured the daily needs of Levites who led the worship. (Nehemiah 12:47)

No wonder, Zerubbabel received a great promise from God which has been recorded in Haggai 2:21-23. The chain of curses reversed as blessings and promises from God! 

The Significant Signet Ring

God had used the very same analogy of a signet ring as a matter of curse earlier to Zerubbabel’s grandfather in Jeremiah 22:24: Even if you, Jehoiachin^, son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.  But later in Haggai 2:23 we read: “‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” What a blessing to Zerubbabel! The finer and fuller fulfilment of this promise was seen in the progeny of Zerubbabel, Jesus!

Blessed Zerubbabel

This is the climax. Zerubbabel’s name appears in both the genealogical accounts of Jesus (Matthew’s believed to be Joseph’s, traced through Solomon, recorded in chapter 1, Luke’s believed to be Mary’s, traced through Nathan, another son of David, recorded in chapter 3). Some scholars say that Zerubabbel’s ancestry also is similar to Jesus. His mother’s lineage comes through Nathan, son of David, and that his father’s comes through Solomon. Zerubbabel was a truly blessed man. A transformed life was all that brought the change in his life.  For all of us today, living on this side of the cross, there are additional promises. Galatians 3:13 can be a tower of strength: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. It is Jesus who helps us to change our bad ways, bad past and to change the curses to a blessing! God Bless!!