15 February 2012

Psalm 101, 109; Gen. 31:25-50; 1 John 2:12-17; John 10:1-18

What a meeting this is.  Laban accuses Jacob of tricking him and depriving both of a grand send-off complete with mirth and songs, tambourine and lyre.  Give me a break, there is no chance that would have been the scene if Jacob had told Laban he was leaving with his wives, Laban’s daughters, his children and all his possessions.  The only matter that Laban raises is the theft of his gods.  Laban seems to be a syncretist, willing to assimilate many gods into his worldview.  He believes that Jacob’s god spoke to him but is concerned about the loss of his other gods, which Rachel has stolen.  Jacob gives credit where credit is due, to the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, an interesting turn of phrase.  Does Jacob choose it to reinforce that there is something to fear in the God who spoke to Laban concerning Jacob?  Laban proposes a covenant between them, here at Mizpah.  Though he wasn’t able to watch over his daughters and grandchildren any longer, the Lord would watch over them.  This is not like the covenant between Yahweh and Abraham, based in trust, this covenant was based in distrust, both had proven themselves less than trustworthy so the appeal was to another to preserve the covenant, God would watch over.

I am the door of the sheepfold.  Anyone who does not come in by the door is not a shepherd and has only evil intentions.  If someone came in the window of my house in the night it would certainly be for no good intent.  Those who do not come in the Name of Jesus are like such a person.  He is also the good shepherd.  There is only one good shepherd, God Himself.  We see that in Psalm 23 and also in the prophetic words of Zechariah and Ezekiel when God says that those who would presume to be shepherds are only in it for themselves, as Jesus would say, a hireling, but in those prophetic words the Lord promises He will come and shepherd the flock.  Jesus, like everyone else, has the authority to lay down His life, but only He has the power to take it up again once laid down.  He is making bold claims here in this passage to equality with God.  The overriding claim here is that He alone is trustworthy, He is the God to whom Jacob appeals in the covenant with Laban.

What does it mean to know God?  Here, John writes to three categories of people, little children, old men and young men.  This isn’t meant to suggest chronological age so much as spiritual maturity.  Children know the forgiveness of sins, the love of the Father,  Older men know Him who was from beginning, the whole story as it were.  The young men know more than forgiveness, they have overcome the evil one, made progress in their spiritual journey, and they are strong because the word of God abides in them, overcoming the evil one.  John says to them that we are not to love the world and its desires for two basic reasons, it is fallen and sinful and because it is passing away.  The first sin was loving things of the world because the fruit was pleasing to the eye, delightful to the taste and to be desired to make one wise, all wordly things.  The taking of that which was prohibited by God was a choice of the world over the creator.  Jacob had a problem with desire most of his life.  Jesus reveals our own nature to us in His choice to always serve the Father no matter what price the world demanded for that decision.  Where are we along that continuum of knowing God?  Do we know Him enough to choose Him consistently over other things?

Consider Psalm 101 as a set of affirmations for your life – a way of defining righteousness

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
   I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
   to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.