Abraham no longer believes that God can do what He promised,
not through weakness on the part of God but on the part of Abraham and
Sarah. The Lord announces that Sarai’s
name is to be changed from my princess to princess because she is to be the
princess of the nation, the matriarch. That
is now too much for Abraham to consider possible, based on the inability of a
man and woman of their age to bring forth life so he laughs at the idea. The child’s name is to be Isaac, or
laughter. The source of that laughter
will be two-fold, based in the laughter of his parents when the announcement
was made and their joy at the fulfillment of the promise. Abraham’s reaction was to plead that Ishmael
be acceptable as the son of promise but God said no. The Lord appreciated Abraham’s prayer for
Ishmael but he would not be the son of the covenant. After the Lord departs why does Abraham have
Ishmael circumcised in addition to all the other males? If circumcision is the sign of the covenant
and God has said no to Ishmael’s being the son through whom covenant was
passed, why circumcise him?
No one believes anything can be done about the dilemma of
feeding this multitude. Philip knows the
real question isn’t where to buy food, it is that there are simply too many
people there that even if there were a place to buy it the amount of money
required to purchase such a supply would cost more than a half-year’s wages so
it wouldn’t make any difference. Jesus,
however, is able to provide out of a very little that a boy had with him. He has them sit in an area where John says
there was much grass, thinking of “He makes me lie down in green pastures”
perhaps? Their belief is that this is
the Prophet (like Moses) who was to come into the world based on providing food
for multitudes, just like Moses. Jesus’
response is to withdraw from the crowds, most of us would bask in the adulation.
The priest offering sacrifices does so in faith that they
are acceptable for sin. Jesus’ sacrifice
comes with the seal of the resurrection as proof of acceptability. We don’t hope our sins are forgiven, the
resurrection tells us that they are if we repent. Confession is the first step in the process
of reconciliation with God that starts when we sin and breach the
covenant. True confession, however,
leads to repentance, what we have done is so terrible to us that we can’t
imagine going back to it. It begins with
seeing things God’s way. We are in covenant
with Him and yet the relationship is ruptured due to sin and the only way to
heal the rupture is to go back to that place and deal with it. We then move on together with a new desire to
live differently. Faith and hope go
together in all things, for as the angel told Mary, all things are possible with
God.
Even down to old age
all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
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