9 February 2010
Psalm 78:1-39; Gen. 26:1-6,12-33; Heb. 13:17-25; John 7:53-8:11

Isaac begins to experience the blessing of the Lord but, like his father before him, does not completely trust the Lord in at least one matter. A famine comes which requires a relocation but the Lord tells him not to go to Egypt (that will come in two generations), but like his father, the Lord will show him the land where he is to settle and the promise is renewed with Isaac. The Lord protects Isaac and Rebekah from their own foolishness and blesses them abundantly, to the extent that Abimelech notices and says, “You are now the blessed of the Lord.” We don’t know whether he knows the Lord specifically, but he sees that God is with Isaac due to his continued blessings in material wealth and that everywhere he dug seems to turn up water. The people of the land were not without a witness to the Lord. Their sins that eventually have them ejected from the land are not simply sins of ignorance.

Where is the man with whom this woman was caught in adultery? The whole thing smells. There almost certainly was a set-up in order that this group might catch her in the act, someone must have known where to be and when to be there. She is guilty and Jesus doesn’t shy away from that fact. If these men had known what was going to happen, they too are guilty as they failed to do anything to stop it although they have a duty under the law in that regard. Jesus shows great mercy here as there is one without sin in the crowd, Jesus, and instead of throwing the first stone he forgives her.

Here at the end of the epistle, the writer encourages the people to obey their leaders, pray for him and then prays that the Lord may make them complete in everything good so that they may do His will. In the first instance of leaders he does not use the term shepherd but speaks of them in language “they are keeping watch over your souls” that is intended to bring that image to mind. In speaking of Jesus he calls him that great shepherd of the sheep. The work of a leader in the church is at least partially to watch over the souls entrusted to him or her. Sometimes that requires confronting sin in order to restore someone to the Lord. It is always, for me, the most difficult thing I have to do. In these first two lessons we see Abimelech confronting the sin of Isaac who lied about his wife and Jesus confronting the sin of the woman as well as the mob. Sin needs to be confronted and dealt with in the community and yet we tend to be defensive and self-justifying. If we understood the motive of love behind the confrontation and the desire for forgiveness, reconciliation and personal growth it would all be easier.

Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers;
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou for the name of thy Majesty;
praised and exalted above all for ever.