My Two Mites

A New Year in Haiti!

2012-01-31T17:20:00.007-05:00

Photo by Robbie Pruitt, © November 2011

A New Year in Haiti!

It seems strange to be writing a letter in January when the sun is shining and it’s 85 degrees outside—one of the many odd moments that come with living in Haiti. Since the beginning of August, we have been enjoying getting to know a new place, new jobs, new friends, and a new culture. It has been an exciting time, and we have been richly blessed.

Just a couple weeks after we arrived, Robbie dove into his work as the Bible teacher for sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school. He started the semester in all of the classes with series of student presentations about 40 of the most critical stories in the Old and New Testaments. As the students presented their stories, Robbie tied them together and showed the students how they connected with the larger story of God’s plan of redemption. Even the students who have grown up in church were amazed at the connections, and told him that much of what he said was new to them. Even in these few short months, many students have grown deeper in their relationship with Christ. Both of us have recently started to lead discipleship groups with high school students, and we are praying that God will use those groups to draw the students into a closer relationship with him.

Irene has also been busy at work as the school’s Guidance Counselor. Part of this role is to help the seniors with their college application process. Most students at QCS study in the US or Canada, and she’s enjoyed helping them discern God’s call for the next step in their life. Many of the students have dreams of returning to Haiti after college, in order to serve in missions or in other organizations—it is truly humbling to realize that we are, in fact, helping to shape the future leaders of Haiti. Another part of Irene’s work is to provide counseling to children and their families. As in the US, many of the children at this school suffer emotionally in many ways—divorce, post-traumatic stress, separation from parents, grief and loss, and child mistreatment. Being able to walk with people through the counseling process has always been a sacred experience for Irene, and it is a blessing for her to be able to serve this community in that way.

These last few months have been full of many other joys and blessings. Living on campus with about 15 other teachers has been a precious and fun experience of Christian community, with frequent worship nights, volleyball games, dinners, and weekend trips. We have also been trying to learn more about Haitian culture, and have started to take more formal Creole classes (Robbie too!). Haiti, for all of its problems, is a beautiful country with many wonderful people, and we have loved starting to get to know it. Both of us have been writing about our reflections and experiences, and you’re welcome to read them on our blogs at www.irenepruitt.com and www.robbiepruitt.blogspot.com.

We are so grateful for your prayers for us over the last several months. We also think about and pray for you often, and ask the Lord to bless you, protect you, and provide for all of your needs.

With much love,

Irene and Robbie

Please pray...

That God would draw us both closer to Himself and continue to transform our lives through His love and power.
That all of the students at Quisqueya would come to know God’s saving grace and forgiveness.
That the Holy Spirit would use Robbie’s teaching to shine truth and light into the students’ lives.
That God would give Irene wisdom in her interactions with students and their families.

Financial Support

Now that we have a clearer picture of our expenses while living here, it has become clear that we need to raise financial support to supplement the partial salaries that the school provides. In order to cover our bills, we need to raise $1000 per month. Would you prayerfully consider supporting our ministry?

You can find a link to our contact and support information page here.

On the Rampart

2012-01-26T20:33:00.006-05:00

Old City Walls...from the outside, Photo by Chad Rosenthal, Chadica, © July 21, 2008

On the Rampart
(Habakkuk Chapters 1-3)

“I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.” – Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk is an Old Testament Minor Prophet, but he is no ordinary prophet. Habakkuk is known as “The People's Prophet.” While most prophets intermediate oracles, or words from the Lord, to His people, Habakkuk seems to take the people’s concerns, and his own concerns, to God. This prophet is full of the questions that we all seem to have deep within us, but we hesitate, or dare even, to ask. In our sufferings and in this fallen world filled with sin, injustice, pride, corruption, and falsehoods of all kinds, we have the “Why?” and the “What?” questions. “Why is this happening to us? Why is God allowing this? What is God doing? What good, if any, can come of this?”

Habakkuk was a prophet as well as a watchman responsible for warning the people of coming danger and judgment. If he failed at his job as watchman, he would be guilty and would have the people’s blood on his hands. The watchman was also responsible for announcing the morning, the dawn of a new day, and the returning of the people to the land. This position held a high responsibility, and exposure and vulnerability to danger. From the ramparts, the defensive walls, the watchman would be the first to see the danger coming and would be the first to be in danger’s path. In Habakkuk’s case, he was watching for the coming judgment and he recognized that he himself deserved what was coming Israel’s way. He was well aware of what was on the horizon at the dawning of a new day, The Judgment Day of the Lord.

This “Day of Judgment” would not be the last word; however, because God had promised Habakkuk that he would do an unbelievable work. God said to Habakkuk in chapter one verse five, “Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you.” God was promising judgment. We know this from the verses that follow, but there was going to be more to come, so much more. Habakkuk assumed that God was being unjust for allowing a pagan nation to judge a “more righteous” nation, Israel, but God would ultimately judge both nations. All people would be judged, and no sin would go unaccounted for or un-atoned for.

As Habakkuk looks at the sins of his people, the sins of the pagan nations, and God’s coming judgment, he dares to ask the hard questions. He dares to seek God out. He bravely goes for the answers and risks what he may find. In Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk stands at his watch on the rampart, waits, and watches for what God may say to him about all his inquiries. He wonders what he may say to God in response to what he may hear when he is corrected. When he is corrected? At the first glance at Habakkuk 2:1, we may miss this, but he does say, “When I am corrected.” It looks as if Habakkuk is taking responsibility for the coming judgment that God is sending, or at least he is taking responsibility for his part in it. It is at the judgment of the Israelite people by the Babylonians that Habakkuk begins questioning God, and now he waits for God’s response and owns what may be coming his way as well.

God assured Habakkuk that no sin would be overlooked, not the sins from the pagan Babylonians who would judge Israel, not Israel’s sins, and not even Habakkuk’s own sins. God promised that he would judge. Habakkuk pleaded with God in Habakkuk chapter three verse two: “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”

God did extend His mercy in the midst of His wrath and judgment. His mercy would indeed come in the person of His own Son Jesus Christ who would ultimately take on the wrath and judgment, which we all deserve because of our sin. God took our judgment in our place. If we are willing and able to see what God has done, we will indeed “be utterly astounded!” God has exercised His wrath and judgment, and in His mercy, God has taken it in our stead; setting us free from our sin; setting us free from ourselves; and setting us free from hiding behind our “defensive walls.”

Having received such forgiveness and freedom, we are able to say with Habakkuk from on top of the rampart, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills (Habakkuk 3:18-19).”

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A. ; Comfort, Philip Wesley: Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (Tyndale Reference Library), S. 1296

Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Hab 2:2

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Hab 2:1

Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1512

Stone and Knee: An Art Review of Jacob Wrestling With God

2011-12-17T19:03:00.011-05:00

Jacob Wrestling With God, Painting © 2011, by Jack Baumgartner
Photo Courtesy of the artist, Jack Baumgartner

To see more of Jack Baumgartner’s work visit his web site here: http://theschoolofthetransferofenergy.com/

In the painting Jacob Wrestling With God, artist Jack Baumgartner paints Jacob wrestling with God in vivid, yet subdued colors, with energy, movement, and drama. As we look at the painting, we see a ribbon scrolling from the top left to the bottom right of the curtains, which two hands pull back revealing the scene. This ribbon and these hands reappear often in Baumgartner’s work, especially in his biblical scenes. They seem to unite the individual works into a singular narrative, as the scriptures themselves are telling a singular tale.

This scene is Jacob wrestling his God for blessing and identity. God reaches out in the painting and grabs Jacob’s ankle reminding Jacob of his desire for blessing and identity, which he once sought through stealing his brother’s birthright and blessing. God is grabbing Jacob’s “wound.” As Jacob is absorbed in this tussle in the torso of God, we see his right knee bent toward a stone at the bottom right of the painting. We are reminded in this stone of Jacob’s vow at Bethel as he makes a stone into a pillar, an altar of worship (Genesis 28:10-22). This same stone was Jacob’s pillow as he dreamed of a ladder connecting heaven and earth, and now it is a marker of worship declaring God’s house, Bethel, and God’s covenant with him. It is at this stone that Jacob bends his knee to God in worship.

Often when Old Testament authors spoke of knees it was in reference to fear and weakness. In this painting, it is as if God is simultaneously grabbing Jacob’s wound as he bends his knee toward the stone revealing Jacob’s fear and weakness and making Jacob submissive to Himself.

If we are familiar with the New Testament scriptures, we may also be aware that Jesus is referred to as the “Cornerstone.” We may also hear Paul’s words from Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. . .” God is wrestling Jacob back into right relationship with Himself, from fear and weakness, to fathered, humbled, and strong, to surety of identity in Him, and to beautiful worship.

Jack Baumgartner is a master at packing in imagery and symbolism into his art, which guides the admirer of his work into depths of beauty and movement, and into “the transfer of energy.” Baumgartner’s work plunges us into the depths of the scriptures to mine for meaning, and to find the common thread of God’s redemption of humanity in His Cornerstone.

For another art review of Jack Baumgartner’s work, Jacob Wrestling the Angel of God, click here.

Stone and Knee: Theological Reflections

Are we stumbling on stone, or standing on stone? Are we knees knocking, or bowing with bended knee?

Stone

Are we stumbling on stone, or standing on stone?

“Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.” – Genesis 28:18

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” – 1 Samuel 7:12

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” – Isaiah 28:16

One of the first places in scripture where we see the word stone referenced is in an act of worship with Jacob (see Genesis 28:10-22). Stones are often used in scripture in worship, as memorials, or are built into altars for worship (see Joshua 4:1-10). Stones are referenced many different times in scripture and have great significance.

In Psalm 118:22-23 the psalmist says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” This Psalm clearly echoes the prophesy of Isaiah, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily (Isaiah 28:16).”

In the New Testament, Peter speaks about this Old Testament passage as well when he references it in 1 Peter 2:4-8. Peter says that we should come to Jesus, the cornerstone and be ourselves living stones. He says, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5).”

Paul also references the rejected Cornerstone in Romans 9:32 when he speaks of Israel not attaining God’s salvation that the Gentiles received by faith in Jesus. Paul says, “Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.” The Jews were stumbling over Jesus and were seeking righteousness and salvation through the law. Meanwhile, the Gentiles were becoming children of God through their faith in Jesus. As we look at this passage, we can hear echoes of what John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and Sadducees about stones in Matthew 3:9: “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”

Knee

Are we knees knocking, or bowing with bended knee?

“All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.” – Ezekiel 7:17

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’” – Isaiah 35:3-4

In the Old Testament, the word knee or the concept of kneeling, or “knocking knees” is equated with fear or weakness. Even today, the idea of “knocking at the knees” seen as an image or word picture of fear. The New Bible Dictionary emphasizes that people in Old Testament times understood references to knees as “concrete imagery” that “expresses weakness or fear as ‘feeble knees’ (see Job 4:4, Isaiah 35:3, Nahum 2:10, and Daniel 5:6).”

In the New Testament, knees are referenced in connection with bowing in most cases. According to The New Bible Dictionary, “this action may indicate a sign of respect, or subjection (see Romans 11:4 and 14:11).” Simply put, bending your knee is a picture of adoration or worship. It is also a posture of prayer and humility (see Luke 22:41, 1 Kings 8:54, and 1 Kings 18:42).

One of the more famously recognized verses of New Testament scriptures about kneeling is in reference to Jesus’ Lordship. Paul writes to the Philippians, quoting Isaiah 45:23, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).”

Are we stumbling on stone, or standing on stone? Are we knees knocking, or bowing with bended knee?

Works Cited

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Php 2:10-11

Wood, D. R. W.: New Bible Dictionary. InterVarsity Press, 1996, c1982, c1962, S. 657

Waiting on The Gift: Simeon and Anna

2011-12-08T14:45:00.006-05:00

Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord in Jesus

Painting © 1627 by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned. . .” -Isaiah 40:1-2

The message below was given at a chapel service on December 7, 2011 to middle and high school students and teachers. This message is on Luke 2:22-38 and is about Simeon and Anna waiting on The Greatest Gift ever, our Lord Jesus.

Comfort! Comfort!
(Luke 2:22-38)

My eyes to your salvation gaze
To the light that turns my night to days
Behold! Your salvation I see!
Before death, when I taste eternity
Waited, waited, and waited
For comfort to come
In the Temple’s Holy sanctum
I have seen your consolation
For this, and every nation
Our souls to rescue - Save!
You comfort . . .
Our fear we brave!
In your glory we bathe
Comfort! Comfort!
We are not in want
“May I see the consolation of Israel!”
Experience fulfillment of this narrative’s tale
Anna waits in expectancy
And death knows no reality, until mine eyes can see
Salvation which dawns to eternity
Simeon is my name
Waiting until The Lord’s Messiah came
Basking in His glory and fame
Watching as He removes our fallen shame
A light for every Gentile
To Israel and all people; for all the while
Asher waited too
Holding her beauty through and through
Waiting for consolation; Comfort! Comfort!
A patient bride without effort
Daughter of the face of God
Partaking in the journey to Heavenly sod
A beauty fit for Priest and King
Waiting on betrothal’s ring
And the Glory of the song that Heaven sings
The comfort that the bridegroom brings

© Robbie Pruitt, December 2011

Simeon’s Prayer

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.” -Luke 2:29-32

Like What We Worship

2011-11-10T08:45:00.006-05:00

Invoking the gods, Photo by Effervescing Elephant

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.” – Psalm 115:4

The psalmist records a vivid description of idol worship in Psalm 115. The psalmist contrasts false gods, or idols, with the one true God. The descriptions of these idols are of gods who are constructed with hands, gods who are made of silver and gold, inanimate objects. These false gods have mouths, but do not speak. They have eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear. They have noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but cannot handle. They have feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even utter sounds, or mutterings, from their throats. They are dead!

Those who construct these idols put their trust in them and become like them, according to the psalmist (115:8). The psalmist is saying that we become like what we worship. If we worship dead inanimate objects, then we, in effect, become dead and inanimate ourselves. We become lifeless like the false gods of our own making. Verse 17 echoes this sentiment when it declares, “The dead do not praise the Lord.” The psalmist urges Israel to trust in the Lord, the one true God, and says that it is God who is their help, and it is God who is their shield (115:9).

As we come to know the one true God, we will become more and more like Him. Part of the reason many Christians do not look like Christ is that they do not know Him as they should, or see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 says that “we are children of God” and “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” The more we see and know God, the more we will be like Him and the more we will be as we are supposed to be. Knowing God leads to worshiping God and leads us to life transformation and animation.

Are we like what we worship? Are we alive? Do we like what we are worshiping? Are we animated, or are we lifeless? What are we like? Do we look like our Lord Jesus, or do we resemble lesser loves?

Would we live lives of worship, transformation, and animation! May we see God as He is and be more and more conformed into the image of Jesus.

Nephilim: Lessons from Babel

2011-10-03T22:23:00.005-04:00

Escher's Tower of Babel, Photo By twak

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” - Genesis 11:4

In the well known account of the Tower of Babel, in Genesis 11:1-9, the people of Babel sought to build a tower to reach heaven, to make a name for themselves, and to protect themselves from being scattered over the face of the earth. God comes down and confuses the language of the people so that the building project ceases and their efforts are thwarted. Most of us are familiar with this story as a rationale for why the human race has different languages and cultures. What we may miss is that this account is about so much more.

The Tower of Babel is about sin and its consequences and the continuation of the fallen nature of humankind in the world after The Garden of Eden, and after Noah and the flood. When we read about Babel, we see humankind in the same condition as they are after the fall, and as we continue to be today. Many of us look at Babel with the same confusion that defines the name “Babel” itself. We think, “What’s the big deal? What is God’s problem? What is wrong with wanting to be in heaven? What is wrong with unity? Why can’t I have a decent name for myself?” Okay, we may concede, on a good day, that making a name for ourselves may be vain and arrogant, but what about the rest of this?

Here are three lessons we can learn from Babel:

A heaven without God is no heaven at all.
There is only one name we should be concerned with, and it is not our own.
Unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.

Let us look at this quest for heaven first. Notice the people of Babel do not say that they are attempting to get to God. Genesis 11:1-9 does not mention any concern by the people of Babel for God. In fact, they never mention God at all. We get the impression that this tower is to be “giant” and impressive and reach into the sky, not that it will “achieve God,” or reach God’s “Heaven.” The Hebrew word used for heaven here, (H8064) shamayim, has the root meaning, “to be lofty.” It is most likely the first definition of (H8064) shamayim, “heaven, or heavens, the sky; the visible heavens, as abode of the stars, as the visible universe, the sky, or the atmosphere (Strong).” The heaven here is one of “their own making.” This is a Godless heaven, if you will, and a heaven without God is no heaven at all.

Next, let us look at what is in a name. The quest for a name for ourselves is a quest of identity, belonging, and trust. It can also be a quest for adoration. This was the issue with Adam and Eve trusting God in the Garden paradise. Adam and Eve did not trust their identity in God. Adam and eve wanted to “be like God,” knowing good from evil. They felt they could love themselves better than God could. They did not trust that God had their best in mind and they sought out their own best. They sought their identity and existence outside of God, out on their own. They did not trust God. Adam and Eve sought to love themselves over and beyond loving God in obedience. Their love for self left no love for God. In effect, they made themselves their own gods.

There were people in ancient Biblical times named Nephilim. The Nephilim were giants that lived in the land before Noah and the flood. These giants were notorious and the people of Babel wanted to be just like them, “Giant.” The people of Babel arrogantly wanted to make a name for themselves. The irony is that the land of Shinar that the people of Babel were settling in to build their tower is also thought to be the same location of the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve sought to be “Giant” as well; all alone, and without their God.

Adam, Eve, and the people of Babel’s names became more important than the name which is above every name. As Paul said, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 10-11).” This focus on our own names and ourselves leads us to destruction. It led to Adam and Eve’s deaths and the world being fallen, it led to the destruction of Babel, and it will lead to our own demise. There is only one name we should be concerned with, and it is not our own.

The last thing the people of Babel sought was security and comfort in their unity. This was “safety in numbers” taken to the extreme. Instead of seeking unity, security, and comfort with and in their creator and worshiping God, they sought unity with each other. The people of Babel began to worship one another in essence. They were worshiping the creation, and they worshipped at the altar of humanity instead of worshiping the creator who made them and in whom we have all things (Romans 1:24-25, all).

Timothy Keller talks about the way we make idols out of others and ourselves when he says, “Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially 'deify.' We will look to it with all the passion and intensity of worship and devotion, even if we think ourselves as highly irreligious (Timothy Keller).” When our unity becomes our security, our unity becomes our god. When other people and our unified relationships with them become our comfort, or our identity, then God is not our comforter or our identity, and our comfort and our identity do not come from God. We in effect create idols out of one another and ourselves. This unity we should never seek out. Unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.

The confusion of Babel is not over. We are still tempted to be Nephilim, “giants.” We seek heaven on our own terms; we seek to make a name for ourselves; and we seek security and comfort in unity, all apart from the God who is Nephilim. It is God who is Giant! May we seek God and worship God alone realizing a heaven without God is no heaven at all, that there is only one name we should be concerned with, and it is not our own, and a unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.

Works Cited

Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H8064

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Ge 11:1-9

Jacob Deceiver

2011-09-13T09:45:00.010-04:00

Photo Courtesy of the author Jack Baumgartner

Jacob Deceiver

Guest post by Anna Rose O’kelley, © September 7, 2011

Genesis 32: 22-32: Wrestling with God

“And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.”

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Ge 32:22-32

Jacob Deceiver

This story is one of the stranger stories in the Bible. It’s one that I think is skimmed over a lot. But I would like to share what I think it means.

The story of Jacob starts when Rebekah and Isaac have two twin boys. The eldest son is named Esau who is born moments before his younger brother Jacob. Jacob’s name means deceiver. From the time he is born, Jacob has a certain identity thrust upon him by his own parents. From the very second that he came out of his mother’s womb he was called by the name of “Heel Grabber,” or “Supplanter,” or “Deceiver.” That was his identity, someone who takes the place of another. As Jacob grows up, he doesn’t trust that God could possibly have anything else in mind for him. He takes on the responsibility of his destiny by himself. He doesn’t trust that God might have a different identity than the one that the world has been taunting him with since the moment he was born.

Living up to his name, Jacob deceives his own brother out of his birthright. He deceives his own Father out of his blessing that was meant for the eldest son, and Jacob seeks to take the place of his older brother. This all comes back to haunt him, however, when Jacob is deceived by his own future Father in law when he is trying to marry his future wife Rachel. Jacob gets the older daughter instead of the younger, in an ironic twist of fate, and has to work another seven years for Rachel. Jacob later tricks his Father-in-law and steals his wealth and flees, enacting revenge and again living up to his name.

Jacob is consumed by this deception identity that he has been given. He is painfully aware of his name. This leads us to one fateful night. One night a man comes to Jacob and he and Jacob begin wrestling together. They fight and they fight until daybreak. When “the man” sees that Jacob is not giving up, he supernaturally touches Jacob’s hip and miraculously dislocates it, yet Jacob still will not give up. The man says to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak!” but Jacob says, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” By now you may have guessed that the person Jacob is wrestling with is God. Jacob also recognizes that this is God he is wrestling with.

After this life of accepting people’s opinions and titles for him and people’s false identities for him, Jacob is now face to face with God and saying “I will not let you go until I receive your blessing and until I receive my identity from you!” God looks at Jacob and he asks a simple question, He says, “What is your name?” There is a long pause, I imagine, and the word comes out with a bitter taste and a sigh… “Jacob…” Jacob says… “My name is Jacob. My name is deceiver, liar, and coward. My name is Jacob and this is who I am.” And with that, God looks lovingly at Jacob and says, “Because you have struggled with your identity in man, and now you have struggled with God, you have overcome. Now I will give you a new name. Your name is…Israel.” This name means struggling with God.

As the account draws to a close, we watch as Jacob shakes off the judgment that has clouded over him his whole life. He finally takes on the identity that God had for him all along. And as he lets go of his old name, a peace that he has never felt before floods over him and he is transformed by the renewal of his mind.

Jacob Wrestling the Angel of God - Art Review

2011-09-10T10:30:00.005-04:00

Courtesy of the artist, Jack Baumgartner

To see more of Jack Baumgartner’s work visit his Web site here: http://theschoolofthetransferofenergy.com/

Jack Baumgartner - Jacob Wrestling the Angel of God, 2009
Art Review by Robbie Pruitt, © September 2011

Jack Baumgartner's Jacob Wrestling the Angel of God is a compelling work of art that draws the viewer in. There is an enticing motion that circles about in the way this lithograph is constructed. We can see the movement and can almost feel it. The wrestling match is in full swing and we get a glimpse into the scene as hands from either side draw back the curtain revealing the wrestler and his God. One hand points to what is transpiring before us as the curtain is held. It is as if the author of scripture is opening up this time and place to us. We are not just watching the wrestling match; however, we also see a reminder of God’s other dealings with Jacob in the ladders that are crisscrossing the rear of the scene. In the ladders we get a flashback to Jacob’s dream of the ladder bridging heaven and earth, and a foreshadowing the cross, our Jacob’s ladder. A closer look also reveals God’s grip on Jacob’s ankle. God has placed His grip on Jacob’s wound. Jacob has been grasping for blessing and identity ever since he grabbed at his brother Esau’s ankle from their mother’s womb. Now, Jacob is pulled back by his ankle, in a twist of fate, as if God desires to go before him to affirm a new identity in God’s own self. But for us, we never see the end of the wrestling match in Baumgartner’s work. What we do see is movement that is almost perpetual, as if wrestling matches with God and man never end. Jack Baumgartner captures movement, beauty, and the narrative of scripture in his work. He does the scriptures justice and helps them come alive.

Be Strong and Courageous

2011-08-29T23:10:00.004-04:00

Photo by dryhead

Joshua 1:5-7

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

The message below, “Be Strong and Courageous,” is from a staff devotional for teachers on August 29, 2011. I was blessed to be able to give the devotional on the verses above from Joshua 1:5-7. Be strong and courageous is this year’s theme.

Do You Know What You Are Reading?

2011-08-12T08:39:00.008-04:00

Photo: On the platform, reading, by moriza

Recently I purchased a Haitian cell phone so that I could communicate while in Haiti. To my surprise and dismay, I discovered French instructions to the phone when I cut it on. I don’t read French. At that point, the phone might as well have been a paper weight. It was useless to me. I knew what I was looking at was a welcome screen. I even guessed what it was probably saying, but I had no idea of what the actual message was. I was confused.

This got me thinking about the Bible. Many of us are looking at our Bibles this exact same way, and we are confused. We sit there with our “glorified paperweight” and we have no idea of the magnitude of the message we have before us.

Just as I did not understand my phone message and its instructions, many of us do not understand what we are reading when we read the Bible. As a matter of fact, one of the most common responses to the question “Why don’t you read your Bible?” is “I do not understand what I am reading.” Maybe you have felt like this before. I know I have. Not just with my Haitian cell phone, but with my Bible as well.

In Acts chapter eight, there is a wonderful record of Philip encountering an Ethiopian eunuch through the nudging of an Angel of the Lord. As Philip was traveling, he was instructed to go down the road toward Gaza. While traveling in this desert area, Philip came across the eunuch who was reading Isaiah. Acts records the account like this: “So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:30-31).”

This is an amazing occurrence of spontaneous Bible teaching from the scriptures. The outcome is equally amazing. Philip entered the eunuch’s chariot and explained to the eunuch that what he was reading in the Old Testament scriptures was in fact about Jesus. The passage, from Isaiah 53:7-8, was a prophesy of Christ’s crucifixion. “The eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him (Acts 8:34-35).”

When I was fumbling with my cell phone and nothing was making sense to me, a friend of mine, who also happened to know French, came to my rescue. He took my phone, understanding what it said, and made some adjustments so that I too could comprehend what it was saying. On a much grander scale, this was what occurred between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. It was at the hearing of the explanation of God’s word that everything changed for the eunuch. The account continues with the eunuch becoming a follower of Jesus. He responded: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37).” Then, he was baptized.

Understanding what we are reading in scripture is vital! Do you understand what you are reading? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Tips for understanding what you are reading in scripture:

Before you read scripture, ask God to reveal Himself to you by His Spirit.
Seek Jesus within the pages of the Bible.
Read the Bible with someone more knowledgeable than you are and discuss it.
Go to Bible studies at a local church or look up lectures online from a credible church.
Ask questions of the scriptures and other people who are wiser than you.
Go to the Bible with a dictionary in your hand and look up words that you don’t know.
Use the internet and go to online resources that are dependable like: http://www.biblegateway.com/, http://www.blueletterbible.org/, http://www.e-sword.net/, http://www.followtherabbi.com/, www.gotQuestions.org, and there are many others.

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Acts 8:26-40

A Problem with Reading the Bible

2011-08-08T07:08:00.007-04:00

Flikr3032, photo by flikr

One of the biggest problems we face in reading scripture is missing Jesus.

If we read the Bible and do not see Jesus within the pages, we have missed the message completely. Jesus speaks to this in John 5:39-40 when he was addressing the Jews and their understanding of the Old Testament scriptures, or Torah. Jesus said to them, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life (John 5:39–40).”

The Jews had familiarized themselves with the scriptures and were even looking for salvation by reading them, but they missed Jesus within the pages. Jesus pointed out that the Jews thought they would have salvation in the pages of scripture. They gave themselves to the scripture, but not to the message. They committed a sort of “Bible-Idolatry” by worshiping the text instead of God revealed in the text. When it is clear, the scriptures are pointing to Jesus. The Bible is literally calling His name and calling us to Him. If in reading the Bible we do not come to Jesus for the life He offers us, we have read the Bible in vain and we have read it wrongly.

In the gospel of Luke, chapter 24, Jesus reveals Himself after His resurrection to two men walking on the road to Emmaus. The men were talking about all that had happened in Jerusalem concerning Jesus and were confused and sad. As the men were talking, Jesus approached and inquired about what they were talking about, but the men did not know it was Jesus. They told Jesus all about the crucifixion and they were distraught. They said that they had “hoped” Jesus would redeem Israel. They missed Jesus.

Jesus responded to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:25-27).” The men did not understand what the scriptures had said of the crucifixion and resurrection and they did not understand that they were talking and walking with the Risen Lord Jesus. They had missed Jesus in scripture and were missing Him in the flesh, until He opened their eyes.

Jesus’ explanation of the scriptures to the men on the road to Emmaus is important. He was instructing them, and is instructing us, that all the scriptures concern Himself. One of the greatest resources that have come out in a while is The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The subtitle of this book basically echoes what Jesus told the men on the road to Emmaus: “Every Story Whispers His Name.” This is the Bible in its essence. The Bible is about Jesus. Every account in scripture points to Him. If we miss this, like the Jews in Jesus’ day from John 5, then we will completely miss God’s message to us.

May we hear every story in scripture whisper the name of Jesus and would we find our life in Him.

Here are some basic facts that allow us to read and think about the Bible rightly:

If we miss Jesus in the pages of the Bible, we have missed the message
All of scripture leads us to Jesus
We must not value scripture above Jesus
The Old Testament, the Torah and the Prophets, point to Jesus
Old Testament prophesies and the writings of Moses are fulfilled in Christ
The New Testament reveals the Old Testament telling the singular narrative of salvation in Christ
It is better to look at the Bible, not as the “Old” and “New” Testaments, but as a “Whole Testament”

The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 5:39–47). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The Trustworthiness of Scripture

2011-08-07T09:23:00.007-04:00

Torah, photo by Lawrie Cate

The apostle Peter denied Jesus three times (Mark 14:66–72). Many remember this monumental failure on Peter’s part. Jesus even forewarned Peter that this would happen before He went to the cross (Matthew 26:34). However, we see a completely different Peter than this in the book of Acts when Peter leads about three thousand to Christ publicly (Acts 2). Where once we saw Peter looking out for himself or looking at lesser things, we now see him looking at Jesus.

The account of Peter’s faith is not perfect, but it is real. If you were making up a story, you wouldn’t want to include a lot of what Peter did and said. Peter walked on water, but then began to sink because he looked away from Jesus (Matthew 14:25-33). Peter even cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear in the garden when Jesus was being arrested and he was rebuked by Jesus for doing so (Matthew 26:51-52). Peter tried to stand in the way of Jesus going to the cross in another account and Jesus told him “Get behind me Satan (Mark 8:33)!” Yet, Jesus chose Peter to “be the rock upon which He would build His Church (Matthew 16:13-20).”

When Peter wrote First and Second Peter, we also see a different Peter. We see his faith in the risen Lord. In 2 Peter 1:16 Peter recalls seeing the deity of Christ first hand when he witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus on the “sacred mountain” with James and John. There the disciples heard the voice of God and saw Jesus radiate with the light of His Glory and Holy Spirit. This event help solidify for Peter who Jesus is (Matthew 17:1-9). Peter recalled, “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Not only is Peter an author of scripture, he is also an eye witness with a firsthand account of Christ and His ministry. As he continues to write his letter 2 Peter, Peter goes on to say this about the scripture: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).” Peter is acknowledging that the scriptures were written by Holy men of God who were led by His Holy Spirit.

So how do we know if the Bible is trustworthy? According to 2 Peter, we can rest in the following facts about how we can know that the Bible is trustworthy:

The Bible is not a list of made up “stories,” myths, or fables
First and Second Peter, and many other books of the Bible, were written by eye witnesses
The Bible did not come about through private interpretation
It was not through the will of man, but was the will of God that the Bible came into being
God moved people to write and led them by His Holy Spirit

It is extremely assuring to rest in the scriptures with the knowledge of these facts. It is even more assuring to realize that the “messiness” of the accounts in scripture actually lend themselves to the Bible’s credibility. As evidenced in the life of Peter, the Bible is indeed trustworthy. It is trustworthy not only because it gives us the high points, but it gives us the low ones as well. The Bible gives us the whole story. It gives us the whole truth. It is indeed trustworthy.

The New King James Version. 1982 (2 Pe 1:16–21). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Why Study the Bible?

2011-08-06T15:50:00.010-04:00

photo by Jan Tito on Flickr

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Stilleven met bijbel, 1885,
Still life with bible

I remember when I first started reading the Bible back in middle and high school. It was complicated for me at times to understand what I was reading. I asked God in prayer to help me understand what I was reading. Sometimes I did understand and other times I didn’t.

I specifically remember reading 2 Timothy. In 2 Timothy 3: 14-15, Paul is writing to young Timothy and was instructing and encouraging him in his faith. Paul, in chapter 3 verses 14-15, says to Timothy: “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul was reminding Timothy of all that he had learned and how he had grown in his faith. Most importantly, he was reminded of how he had learned through the scriptures of God’s salvation. It was in that salvation found in scripture, Paul asserted, that Timothy was made wise through his faith in Jesus.

As a high school student, I didn’t quite understand all of this and the verses that followed in 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 really threw me off. Here Paul tells Timothy that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3: 16–17).”

What was Paul saying here? At first, and in my ignorance, I thought he was saying that it was profitable to correct scripture. This was probably due to the fact that as a teenager I thought the world revolved around me. This was the exact opposite of what Paul was saying to Timothy. Paul was actually telling Timothy that the scriptures are profitable for correcting him. This is also what these verses were saying to me and this is what they are telling us today.

As I look forward to teaching Bible to high school students in Haiti, I can’t help but look back on my own youthful understandings and misunderstandings of scripture. My hope is to learn even more about God’s word and to handle it and teach it rightly by God’s grace and by His Holy Spirit. Hopefully I can teach these basic concepts that Paul was teaching his young student about the Bible.

Here is some of what I hope to teach students about the Bible, what I hope is reinforced in me, and what Paul wanted Timothy to know about scripture in 2 Timothy 3: 14-17:

The Bible helps us learn of our salvation and ensures us of our salvation
The Bible makes us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
God has given us the Bible so that we can hear from Him
The Bible is profitable for doctrine (or a set of guiding principles)
The Bible is profitable for reproof (or warning)
The Bible is profitable for correction (God will make improvements on us)
The Bible is profitable for instruction in righteousness (or right or moral living)
The Bible ensures that a person is complete (or whole; integrated)
The Bible helps to totally equip a person for every good work (preparation)

The New King James Version. 1982 (2 Ti 3:14–17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Idiot

2011-07-31T22:46:00.003-04:00

Photo from the Web

I used to read the account of the Rich Young Ruler in the gospels with much pride. This account, in Matthew 19: 16-30, tells of a rich young ruler who was asking Jesus what he must do to be saved. Jesus replies in Matthew 19:21–22: “Go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” The scripture goes on to say, “That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.”

I used to think, “What an idiot! This young guy would rather hold on to his riches than follow Christ? I’m glad I’m not like that!” You see, I thought that I was above riches keeping me from following Jesus. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think that I was rich. As the old song goes, “I am a man of means by no means.” At least this is what I thought, until it was Jesus asking me to “sell everything and follow Him.”

I didn't know how much I had, because I took so much of it for granted. I took the comforts of life for granted. I took running water and food for granted. I took my job, my house, material goods, technology, and all the other “basic” luxuries that I have for granted.

When God led my wife and me to sell our home and belongings and quit our jobs and follow him to Haiti, I had a staggering and sobering realization; “I am that idiot.” As it turns out, I am rich. It’s not just that I am rich. It’s that I would rather, by default and in my sinfulness, hold on tight to my “many things,” rather than follow Jesus.

Thank God that He empowers us to follow and obey despite of ourselves and even when we do not obey, God is faithful. Having sold our possessions and set up our move to Haiti, we have discovered and experienced that what Jesus has told us is true: “A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15)." Our lives do not consist of what we have or do not have. Nor do they consist of what we do or do not do. We find our lives hidden in Christ Jesus (Colossians 3:1-4). Yes! Even we idiots find our lives in Him.

Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Mt 19:21–22). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.