Genesis 16 is, in many ways, the antithesis of Genesis 15. Genesis 15 emphasizes the believing response of Abram to God’s promises. Genesis 16 recounts the unbelieving response of Sarai and Abram to the promises of chapter 15 and sets the stage for the conflict between the two seeds within Abraham’s family- the promised seed of election and the cursed seed of unbelief. Sarai proposes to Abram a surrogate marriage to her Egyptian servant Hagar. After taking Hagar as his wife, she becomes pregnant and begins to look with contempt upon Sarai. Sarai’s harsh treatment of Hagar results in Hagar fleeing into the wilderness where the angel of the Lord promises her a son and a great multitude of offspring. Hagar returns and gives birth to Ishmael. The point of chapter 16 within the book of Genesis is to emphasize the unbelieving response of Sarai and Abram to the promises of God. Various members of Abraham’s family, as we will see, attempt to engineer their own fulfillment of God’s promises. The good news, which we even glimpse in this passage, is that the faithlessness of man does not thwart the faithfulness of God. Even Ishmael will be used in the course of God’s providence for his holy purposes in the world. In time, even the fruit of Ishmael’s loins- those strangers to the covenants of promise- would be brought near to God by the blood of Christ. God’s mercy to the Gentile nations is hinted at in this very chapter as the angel of the Lord encounters and extends mercy to Hagar. In one of our New Testament readings today, a similar encounter takes place with Christ and the Canaanite woman. In both passages, the Lord extends mercy to social and ethnic outcasts- Gentile women outside of the covenant. In both passages, we see the gracious outworking of God’s covenant to Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Key verse: “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me’” (Gen. 16:13).
Nehemiah 5: Nehemiah hears that the Jewish nobles and officials are oppressing the poor- exacting interest and taking them as slaves. He condemns their behavior, demands that it be stopped, and commands them to make restitution. Nehemiah then writes that all throughout his ministry, he did not take the food allowance of the governor. Nehemiah 5 reveals to us that all is not well in the post-exilic Jewish community. While the exiles have returned to the promised land, and while Nehemiah works to protect them from oppression, the people and the land are nevertheless beset on all sides by danger. Who will deliver the people of God from their oppressors? Who will shepherd and care for them? Who will feed rather than starve them, provide rather than cruelly harass them? We learn from our reading today in Matthew (see below) that omnipotence and compassion meet in the person of Jesus. He is the answer to the problem of Nehemiah 5; He is the One who, rather than abusing and robbing his people, loves and feeds them. Key verse: “Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people” (5:19).
Matthew 15: The Pharisees and scribes question Jesus over the issue of unwashed hands before eating. Jesus reveals their hypocrisy, arguing that “for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God” (15:6). He teaches that defilement comes from within a person’s heart. After withdrawing into the district of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus is confronted by a Canaanite woman who asks him to deliver her demon possessed daughter. He responds that he was sent to Israel and that “it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Her response- “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table”- reveals her faith and Jesus heals her daughter. Jesus then heals the crowds that come to him and feeds them- 4,000 men, besides women and children. Key verses: “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (15:17-20).
Acts 15: Men from Jerusalem had come to Antioch and were teaching that salvation was impossible without circumcision. After debating with them, Paul and Barnabas travel to Jerusalem where the apostles and elders gather together to consider the matter. Both Peter and James oppose the circumcision party, speaking of God’s purpose to save the Gentiles. Encouraged by James, the church sends a letter to the church in Antioch demanding only abstinence from things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, that which has been strangled, and from blood. The letter is delivered by Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Judas. While in Antioch, Paul suggests to Barnabas that they visit the believers in the cities where they had proclaimed the gospel. Barnabas wants to take John Mark but Paul does not since he withdrew from them in Pamphylia. Paul and Barnabas separate over the issue- Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus and Paul taking Silas to Syria and Cilicia. Key verses: “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (15:10-11).
The Pastor's Pen 