Lessons from Balak (Feasting at the Table edition)

Numbers 22:15-17

WEB

They came to Balaam, and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me.

KJ21

for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me. Come therefore, I pray thee, curse for me this people.’”
CJB
I will reward you very well, and whatever you say to me I will do. So please come, and curse this people for me.’”
TLB
They came to Balaam with this message: “King Balak pleads with you to come. He promises you great honors plus any payment you ask. Name your own figure! Only come and curse these people for us.”

Balak sent more honourable and prestigious men to Balaam and  also promised Balaam promotion but it is only God that can truly  promote us (Psalms 75:6). Rather than the fee of divination which he sent the first time, Balak asks Balaam to name his price. He refused to take no for an answer.As a king , he may have encountered so many religious people and his experience might be that everyman had a price .He may have also thought to himself that Balaam said No because the price was not right.

We see the persistence of the enemy and sometimes we could learn from this to just keep on keeping on. It was persistence that made the man who came tio his friend at night that his friend got up to ask for bread or the widow who went to see the unjust judge . this woman kept persisting till the unjust judge decided to give the woman justice so that he is no more disturbed

But why was Balak so persistent? It was because he knew that this was a battle he needed to win ,that the stakes were very high , hence he could swallow his pride, repackage himself more for what he really wanted.

Is it possible  that we are not really getting what we want because we have failed to persist long enough, Unlike Balak, are we really ready to revamp, to put in more energy to that goal that seems further away from us, Balak did more for him to get what he wanted, he persisted at it. If we are going to get to our destination, we may as well learn from Balak and not take no as an answer sometimes.

Remember that time was crucial for this man, right in his front were his perceived enemies who could take out he and his people at any time and to stop this, he was ready to double his efforts , he sent more numerous men, more prestigious, he increased his price and did all in his power to ensure that the solution to his problem came. I see in him not just a stubbornness but a rigid doggedness that refuses to take no for an answer and child of God maybe it is time to ask ourselves it, is there need for me to double my efforts or use all I how bad do I want it, what I am asking God, am I putting my all to get have got ,not only in terms of money but even in terms of relationships, Balak throws all into the battle,in order to secure victory.

I see the leadership of Balak shown  actively for the protection of his people and his persistence. I know we are dealing with the errors of Balaam but this King Balak teaches us a lesson in persistence which is worth emulating.

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

“The Error of Balaam” is being run now as the current Bible Study series on “Feasting at the Table” on Peace &Joy Radio @11am every Saturday with a Rebroadcast on Tuesday@7pm

The Error of Balaam 4b-Feasting at the Table edition

AMP Numbers 22:15

Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and [men who were] more distinguished than the first ones. Numbers 22:15 AMP Amplified Version  

CJB Numbers 22:15

Balak again sent princes, more of them and of higher status than the first group.

CEV Numbers 22:15

Then Balak sent a larger group of officials, who were even more important than the first ones.

ESV  Numbers 22:15

Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these.

VOICE  Numbers 22:15

But Balak wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. He sent another, bigger contingent of even more highly esteemed men to solicit Balaam’s help.

We still continue to reiterate the fact that Balaam was being tempted and did not handle it very well.The  more numerous and more prestigious men  that were sent the second time  posed a greater temptation to Balaam. It is important to realize that these men came back and it was not just coming back the next day. Considering where they were coming from, it must have taken a minimum of another 30 days before they went back to Balaam if we take into cognizance  the  journey  from  Pethor and  a return  to Moab before Balak sent another contingent. Maybe this next contingent left almost immediately but  it definitely would have taken some time for them to have prepared and set out on another journey, armed greatly. This is actually the way and manner that temptations  come to us .There is never a time we are left alone for a long while without being tempted.

And we may not really know  what happened in Balaam’s mind when these men initially left the first time.Did he have further financial pressures when they left ? Was it possible that his children’s school fees were waiting to be paid , that his wife quarrelled with him for not making use of the opportunity that came along the way and perhaps while he was regretting his decision, behold these men come again and Balaam is not about to miss his chance.

TLB

They came to Balaam with this message: “King Balak pleads with you to come. He promises you great honors plus any payment you ask. Name your own figure! Only come and curse these people for us.”
MSG
Balak sent another group of nobles, higher ranking and more distinguished. They came to Balaam and said, “Balak son of Zippor says, ‘Please, don’t refuse to come to me. I will honor and reward you lavishly—anything you tell me to do, I’ll do; I’ll pay anything—only come and curse this people.’”

¹⁸ And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.

¹⁹ Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.

The very thing Balak is asking for is the very thing God has asked Balaam not to do and we will see who he really calls God because the person who he eventually obeys is the one that is really his god. Obeying another voice is to put it before it before  God which in itself is idolatry.

Balak raises the stakes higher and gives Balaam a blank cheque this time. In essence, he tells Balaam to name his price and that temptation is too much for Balaam   and so he decides to renegotiate with God. Rather than asking the men to go back or using this opportunity to correct the wrong he previously did by not declaring the whole truth, he takes another detour and ask the men to spend yet another night so he can enquire further .

This in itself is another error. Although clearly stated and informed by God what to do , Balaam is still asking again and we all do this , I call it the error of checking again. The word of God is extremely clear on some matters but rather, we love to apply it to ourselves with a reason or several reasons for it not to apply or be applicable in our lives. We try to justify why we shouldn’t obey something to the latter, giving reasons why it is possibly best for us not to heed strictly or perhaps feel that certain aspects of the scriptures are not for us.

We need to be wary of hearing the Word of God and using it as a camera which just takes us as we are, with no view to a change .Rather we should use the Word as a mirror ,to correct our defects so we can reflect more of the glory of God.

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

“The Error of Balaam” is being run now as the current Bible Study series on “Feasting at the Table” on Peace &Joy Radio @11am every Saturday with a Rebroadcast on Tuesday@7pm.

The Error of Balaam 4a - Feasting at the Table edition

"Then Balak sent a larger group of officials, who were even more important than the first ones"- Numbers 22:16 . CEV

"Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these."- Numbers 22:16 ESV

"But Balak wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. He sent another, bigger contingent of even more highly esteemed men to solicit Balaam’s help. "-Numbers 22:16 VOICE

Last week we looked at the two other errors of Balaam  where we saw Balaam answering why instead of who and the fact that we all sometimes do this in one way or the other  and the second error we found was the fact that Balaam did not deliver the whole counsel of God. We see Balaam refusing to tell Balak’s emissaries what God had said to him, hiding  the fact that the mission was impossible and that the Israelites cannot be cursed. He refused to tell the whole truth and simply told them that the Lord refused him to go with them .

Just in the same way that Balaam did not give all of the message, the messengers  who returned to Balak  also gave  an incomplete message.This boomeranged and Balak somehow got the message that Balaam could be bought and that somehow there was a need to change the price. It was perhaps just a case of raising the stakes higher and seeing that there could be a compromise.

We look at the life of Balaam and wonder, what was the price ?.This was a man who had already been told by God “not to go”. Balak decided to do what the enemy usually does.-he raised the stakes higher and it worked.

Let us remember that it was the previous error of Balaam when he  didn’t deliver the whole counsel of God that made the next error possible. T was easy for the enemy to come knocking again.

Recently I was reading a survey that was done in America some years ago when people were  asked how much they would be paid before they could sleep with a total stranger and the response varied for men and women with the men saying it could only take as low as $10 to sleep with a total stranger woman and for the women, it was about a $100,000 as the highest amount to sleep with a total stranger. There was another survey I saw in the internet where they featured the 10 most expensive virginities hat were sold. Ladies gave up their virginities to total strangers for different causes  .Some of course had reasons why they did it, they were trying to pull through their education, raise funds for medical bills and so many causes but that does not rebut the reason that what they did was Balaam as we see from this story starts to consider again what he shouldn’t do when there was a greater price attached to it . He definitely had a problem with money as we shall see in this series wrong.

So let us consider, as is it very  possible for us to compromise when  the stakes are raised higher, the things that we would not normally do, maybe circumstances present and cause our minds to sway .

If there is a change in price and that poses a greater threat,then  it is a  temptation. Temptation actually occurs because somehow it is something we desire. So before we even blame the devil, James tells us that we are tempted when we are drawn away with our own lusts  and what is temptation to  Mr A  may not be temptation to Mr B . It is important for us to know the things that are a temptation to us so that we don’t put ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Someone said to me recently that she heard her Pastor say to know your strength is a strength in itself.

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

“The Error of Balaam” is being run now as the current Bible Study series on “Feasting at the Table” on Peace &Joy Radio @11am every Saturday with a Rebroadcast on Tuesday@7pm.

The Error of Balaam - Feasting at the Table edition

Having completed the very enlightening" On the Way to the Palace"& the "Why" series, I feel led that we should begin to consider yet another  biblical character. We have looked at two examples that are worth emulating and now begin on our radio programme "Feasting at the Table" to look at a character that the Bible actually warns us about.

It is quite unfortunate that although this man has a lot of credentials and in his day , he would have been regarded as one having some sort of spiritual status considering the fact that he heard from God, he unfortunately did not end well and the Bible being true to itself, fails to shield from us the errors of the men that we sometimes tag as heroes.

I still remember clearly the first time I heard the name Balaam as a high school student. Most likely I had been taught in Sunday School about a talking donkey but my first awakening with Balaam came after I honoured an invitation from a neighbourhood friend to her school Christian Union fellowship. That day, the brother who was exhorting us took his passage from the book of Jude with the emphasis on verse 3 which encouraged us to fight earnestly for the faith following which it began to give us examples of apostates warning us not to go in their same direction as doing such was bound to land us in where they unfortunately landed .

The story of Balaam is seen in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers chapter 22-25  and is what we will be considering as we begin this series on the radio. I have decided to highlight some previous lessons and the new ones that light is being shed upon .As you may be aware, whenever we study God's word , there is always a new light.

If there is one thing that this series has in common with the one about Joseph as we looked at on the Way to the Palace is the fact that it was not just one error that Balaam committed, before the main error that we know about Balaam, he made several detours and bad decisions along the way which eventually made it possible for  him to make that error he is so popular for. At several points in the life of Balaam, he refused to repent .He continued headlong with increasing insensitivity to  God.

Balaam is brought into the picture in Numbers chapter 22 after the Moabites and the Midianites decided having observed the success of the Israelites  as they defeated their enemies. Balak the king of the Moabites under the false premonition that his land was the next to be attacked decided that it was a battle that would need spiritual forces and as such, he was ready to send for Prophet Balaam who lived across international borders.

One of the lessons we first learn from Balak is not to make decisions based on fear , also there is a lesson there for not assuming things as the Israelites had no intention to attack Moab having been warned by God not to do so since they were relatives . I also learnt from Balak the need to realize what we can and cannot do. Balak knew that this battle was not one he could handle on his own. He knew that it was not just a battle his country could fight alone and that there was a need for a spiritual dimension. Once again, dear reader I ask if we are aware of the battles we are in and the various strategies that are needed. Are we fighting a "we" battle using an "I" strategy or perhaps , are we just engaged in a needless battle like the Moabites and the Midianites here  as revealed in this story. To follow the lesson properly, it would be great to reread the story of Balaam as outlined in Numbers 22-25.

Throughout this season, I  encourage you to listen to the Broadcast and or the Rebroadcast, note the new things , ask questions and do not forget to share as I am also keen to hear .

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

“The Error of Balaam” is being run now as the current Bible Study series on “Feasting at the Table” on Peace &Joy Radio @11am every Saturday with a Rebroadcast on Tuesday@7pm

A man SENT from God

I hope you had a great Easter. Mine was really filled with some outreaches that I am grateful  to God were successful. While we were discussing the “Why series”, under the “Why he came”, one of the reasons we looked at for the coming of Jesus was the fact that Jesus came because he was sent.. This question of being sent is seen all over Scriptures. Several of the prophets were ordinary men who the word of God came to and they heeded the call. Today ,I would like us to consider a man who was described in the scriptures as “sent from God”.

The name of this man is John who happens to be Jesus’s relative. His birth was foretold (Luke 1:8-17) and he was an answer to the prayer of an aged couple who the Bible described as righteous although they had found  themselves in the predicament of childlessness because Elizabeth was barren(Luke 1:7). His father, Zachariah was a priest while his mother was a daughter from the lineage of priest (Luke 1:5-6). This Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary (Luke 1:36), the mother of Jesus and as such John was Jesus’s cousin. The name John means ”Jehovah has been gracious”.

Several years ago when I studied the life of the father of John, I was greatly encouraged that the Bible records some positive things about his life. The first of these is the fact that he and his wife were said to be righteous. Yes, they did have a problem which may have made the society look at them with disdain as barreness was seen as a curse those days( and a sign of disapproval from God. But in the midst of their own pain, I am deeply challenged by the fact that this couple continued in the right ways and Zachariah was introduced as still serving in the temple. He still went around ministering even though there was no hope that his needs would ever be ministered to, he is a typical case of though he slay me(Job 13:15) . He is also a reminder of Habakkuk’s cry that” though the fig tree does not blossom,…yet will I rejoice in God my rock” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

“There  was a man sent from God whose name was John .He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him all might believe .He himself was not the light, he came only as a witness to the light ..”-John 1:16-18 NIV New International Version

This John was sent and he had a sense of vison and purpose. This two things defined who he was and what he did.When the Pharisees sent people to ask him if he was the messiah, he clarified that he was not and then they asked him why he did the things he did. He also informed them in reply that he did those things because those were the instructions he received from whom had sent him ( John 1:19-28) .

John teaches us in his conversation with the Pharisees that the man who has been sent is one whose life is shaped by purpose and sometimes when we do not know these, people will want to define us and give us their own ideas of what we would be doing. John was sent to reveal Jesus  and in order to do this, he had to go baptizing (John 1:31).

The lives of Zachariah and Elizabeth was attractive enough for God to entrust them with someone he sent on a special mission. Their problems did not stop them from serving and their wait on the Lord was not in vain. John teaches us several things that we must learn and have if we are sent from God . He challenges us to go beyond our comfort zone but still allow our lives and works  to be shaped by our purpose as received from him.

We will continue this discussion in our next posts.

 In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Why he rose 2

Wjhy he came 5

When we were much younger, there was this popular saying of “do what I say but not what I do “. This was used to describe people who doled advice they would not generally use and as such, were judged for the hypocrisy of their words. Somehow if God did not come in human form, we could accuse him of demanding from us what he has not been through himself and as such the coming of Jesus in addition to providing a platform for identifying with humanity also served to show us  an example.

This reason of his being an example affords us the privilege of a role model. Paul while speaking to  the Galatian church asked them to imitate him as he imitated Christ ( 1 Corinthian 11:1).There are several instances Jesus served as an example to us.

There was a song we used to sing about prayer in the Sunday School “Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer, prayer is the master key”. Jesus showed an example to us by laying a pattern of consistent prayer (Mark 1:35). Even with increasing popularity, he often withdrew himself to pray (Luke 5:16). He prayed so much that his disciples actually asked him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1).We are told he prayed out of reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7).

Jesus also showed us an example in going to a place of worship regularly. He was taken to the temple as a child ( Luke 2:21-40), as a boy(Luke 2:41-52) and even on Sabbath days( Luke 4:16) and the book of Hebrews enjoins us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25).Whenever we gather with other believers, power is released (Obadiah 1:17, Psalms 84:7,Hebrews 12:22).

He was also an example of what it meant to be a good citizen by paying his taxes and to be a good church member by paying the temple tax.

Jesus was not too busy to be sociable as we see him attending a wedding party (John 2:1-12 ). He even performed his first miracle there. .He was friendly and had friends,( John 11), and had time to play and touch little children  who were brought to him(Matthew 19:14).Jesus also showed us an example of what it means to be a real man, he was man enough to cry (John 11:35) when he lost a friend.

Another example Jesus showed us was the need to be able to cross barriers and treat people equally. He crossed  cultural and racial barriers by talking with the Samaritan women (John 4), ate and drank with tax collectors who were regarded as outcasts in his days ( Matthew 11 :19).He knew the art of delegation and at one time sent seventy disciples out to preach Luke 10 :17-19).

These are just a few examples I have mentioned but studying the life of Jesus personally will cause us to see how he was

Lest I forget, Jesus showed us an example of what it is to provide for our families. While he was on the cross, he provided life insurance for his widowed mother whom he told the John to take home as his own mother (John 19 :25-27) .

We really do celebrate the coming of Jesus as we have come to see that his coming was in no way accidental, he came because he was sent and so as to fulfil prophecy, he also came as part of the redemptive plan of God, identifying with us humans while showing us examples of how to live our lives.

I am so glad that Jesus came, what about you?

In His Service.

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Why he came 4

“For the Son of man , came to seek and save the lost “-Luke 18 :10 -NIV New International Version

“But go and learn what this means ,I desire mercy and not sacrifice For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”--Matthew 9:13  KJV King James Version
“For this reason, whe had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful priest in service to God that he might make atonement for the sins of the people”- Hebrews 2:17 NIV New International Version
 “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are tested”- Hebrews 2:18 NLT New Living Translation

The third reason we would consider why Jesus came is the fact that Jesus came to redeem man. It was part of God’s redemptive purpose which required that man be restored (1 John 4:10).

Jesus came to redeem us, he came to save us (Matthew 9:13). In his days, Jesus was misinterpreted. He was accused of eating with sinners(Mark 2:17-18) but this company he kept was actually defined by his mission as this were the very people he was sent to.For anyone to work in divine purpose, not all company will be right and we must see this being far beyond physical company.

In this redemptive purpose of God, Jesus came to remove us from just existing to truly living (1 John 5:12).He declared that he had come to give us abundant life(John 10:10).Another part of the redemptive purpose of God was for Jesus to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

The next reason we will consider for his coming is that Jesus came so as to identify with humanity. It was necessary for Jesus to come to earth to identify with us. Right where he was in the heaven, he could not redeem man because the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 talked about the “seed of the woman”. God could not fully identify with man until he became man (1 Timothy 3:16) and as such was able to serve us in the redemptive purpose (Mark 10:45).

In identifying with man, Jesus came to reveal the father to us (John 17:25-26) .He started this with his disciples whom  he could not have related to properly without being human.

If Jesus did not identify with us by being made a human being, he would never have really been able to empathize with us , hence we see that in becoming fully human ,in every way, he is able to be a merciful and faithful priest(Hebrews 2:17).

The fact that Jesus came to identify with us brings a lot of comfort to me and I would like to look at several things that Jesus experienced that we experience today, yet he was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus knows what it is to have suffered the pain of mockery and insults ( Matthew 27;31&1 Peter 2:23). He is well acquainted with the pain of being misunderstood(John 10:30-33) and misintepreted .Even his family members thought that he was crazy (Mark 3:21).He knows what it is to be betrayed even by close friends (Luke 22:48) and to be left alone or even denied when the chips are down by people who he felt were his best buddies.(Luke 22:54-62).

Jesus has also felt the sting of being despised as his neighbours retorted that he was just a carpenter (Matthew 13:55).While identifying with us, Jesus is fully aware of what it feels like to be forsaken by God ( Matthew 27:46  ) and he knows, O this one has brought me great comfort in the past few weeks, he knows what it is to be falsely accused .Having gone through a season of being falsely accused with many times just lying down on the bed and crying, I have drawn comfort from the fact that Jesus knows what it is to be falsely accused and he can share my pain .

Probably another area we can all identify with is the pain of seemingly unanswered prayers (Matthew 26:39,Luke 22:42). Yes ,Jesus also did not have all his prayers answered as he would have loved them to be. And if we find ourselves grieving, we can also be sure that he understands, having lost even a close friend. We are told he wept. But in all of these, Jesus still did the will of the father and was without sin (Hebrews 4 :15 ) .

Jesus came to redeem man and in doing so, he died in our place. He also came to identify with us, knowing what it is to be human so he can fully help us. We can freely approach him for mercy and grace in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16) He has been there, gone through and nailed it to the cross.

In His Service.

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Why he came 3

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life”- John 3 :16  KJV King James Version

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his son ,born of a woman ,born under the Law “-Galatians 4:4 NIV New International Version

The second reason we would address in these series is the fact that Jesus came because he was sent. Jesus was humble enough to be sent (Philippians 2:5-8 ).Although a member of the Godhead(John 1;1-3), he was obedient enough to be sent. Jesus was willing to take the place of a messenger (Isaiah 6:8). He did not come of his own accord but was sent. One of the most famous Bible verses (John 3:16) tell us that this was because of the love of the Father.

Jesus himself  was sent  and so did not come to advance his own purpose. Rather he came to do the will of God who sent him(John 6:38). On one occasion, he commented that he did the things he had seen his father do (John 5:19-20) in the true spirit of servanthood.When Jesus prayed finally in the Garden of Gethsemane , he prayed that only the father s will be done(Luke 22: 42).This inevitably is  the mark of a true and faithful servant who has been sent.

Jesus came because he was sent and we also have been sent by God to preach the good news, baptize and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20 ;Mark 16:15-16). Someone has rightly commented that this is the Great Commission and not the Great suggestion.

As we consider in this season that Jesus came because he was sent and indeed fulfilled the reason for which he was sent, we need to reflect on how well we are doing with what God has sent us to do. Let us also pray that the Lord will send labourers to the harvest field   Matthew 9 38 ) and “Lord, please start with me”.

In His Service,

Grace Tom -Lawyer

Why he came 2

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign ,Behold a virgin shall conceive,and bear a son , and shall call his name Immanuel “-Isaiah 7:15 KJV King James Version

“Now all this was done ,that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying ,”- Matthew 1:22 KJV King James Version

“For we are his workmanship ,created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time for us to do”- Ephesians 2:10 CSB Christain  Standard Bible

I do not know how familiar you are with Lego blocks but there are several and sometimes our children try to build things using Lego blocks. However if you  have ever watched a child build things successfully using lego, you would probably have noticed that there are usually some foundational blocks they use before they are able to continue  to build .When we started  this series “Why he came”. To reiterate these, the coming of Jesus was not an afterthought but was properly planned by God and the second of these is that the coming of Jesus to the earth was not the beginning of his existence.

Moving on from this, the first reason to consider is the fact that Jesus coming was a fulfilment of prophecy. Long before he ever appeared on the scene, even before he was born, it was predicted that a virgin will bring forth a son (Isaiah 7:14).

Matthew writes the gospel that bears his name to the Jews and as such kept referring to the Old Testament with an emphasis of “that it may be fulfilled” and when he records the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1 :18-25, he repeatedly used the same phrase “that it may be fulfilled” .This prior prophecy was what the angel pointed out to Joseph the betrothed husband of Mary during his time of confusion after Mary informed him of her pregnancy. The coming of Jesus was a fulfilment of prophecy given almost six hundred years before he was born(Isaiah 7:14) .

Even after  Jesus was born, when his parents took him in obedience to the temple to be dedicated, there were two witnesses who confirmed that the coming of Jesus was what they were waiting for . The first of this air was Simeon(Luke 2 :25- 26).When he saw Jesus, he was able to ask God to release him to go as he has seen the salvation that was promised  promised to Israel (Luke 2:2:29-33).

The other individual who confirmed this was Anna who was a widow and had been serving God with fasting and prayer in the temple(Luke 2:36-37).This woman’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit enabled her to be there when Jesus was dedicated(Luke 2:38).

So for today, as we examine the fact that Jesus came so as to fulfil prophecy, we need to ask ourselves in this season “what prophecy am I fulfilling? Sometimes we may become daunted by the fact that some people had things written about them specifically but if we study our Scriptures very well, we would see that we too, as long as we have been recreated in Christ have a prophecy we are supposed to fulfil. It is something that God has planned for us to do which the next verse states so plainly,

 “God planned for us to do good things  and to live as he has always wanted us to live .That is why he sent Christ to make us what we are”-CEV Contemporary English Version

“God has made us what we are in Christ Jesus. God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned or us to do “-ERV English Revised Version   

Although these good works do not guarantee salvation, they are the product and fruit of our salvation. Jesus came to fulfil prophecy and we are also here to fulfil prophecy. May the Lord help us to fulfil what he has called us to .

In His Service,

 Grace Tom-Lawyer

Ash wednesday-Why he came

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.-John 3:16 MSG The Message

I must confess that sometimes while I am writing or teaching  a particular  series,I am usually not sure about what the next series would be.It is not for lack of content but there are usually so many things going on that I begin to wonder ,”Lord what is the best direction to take the next series” .I do do this quite ahead of time and eventually get something, sometimes it comes  quite close to when the new series is about to begin.

So recently ,it got impressed on my heart to start treating in this Lent season what we will call "The Why Series". The Why series is a look at three questions that relate to Jesus Firstly we will deal with” Why Jesus came”,secondly  “Why Jesus died “and then finally “Why Jesus rose”. Sometimes we may think we do know more than we actually do and that is what I actually discovered as I began to study and the Holy Spirit threw  light on several other Scriptures,I realized that apart from redemption, there were some other reasons why Jesus came and these proved to be of great comfort to me and I sure believe will be to you also .

 So before we delve into these reasons,I would like to establish two things. The first of these is the fact that the coming of Jesus was not an afterthought. It was not a last resort or a fire brigade approach to the fall of man. This fall of man occurred as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God and their sin had to be atoned for by the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22 ).And although physical blood was shed when God made clothes for them (  Genesis 3:21), we are also told in Scriptures  that before the foundation of the world, the lamb himself was already slain (1 Peter 1:20 &Revelation 1:8).

The second of these truths is that the coming of Jesus to  the earth was not the beginning of his existence. There are several Scriptural references that support this pre-existence .Right from the Genesis account, we see God talking in the plural 'let us make man…'(Genesis 1 : 26 ).Also during the building of the Tower of Babel still in Genesis ,it was still the plural term used for let us go and see what man is doing (Genesis 11:1-9 ).

This pre-existence of Jesus is supported by Apostle John who tells us at the very introduction of the book of John : 'In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word is God ….'(John 1:1-3).These very first three verses are very much similar   to the first three verses of Genesis 1(Genesis 1:1-3).He goes further to also tell us in his first letter that there are three that bear record in heaven(1 John 3: ),the father ,the Son and the Spirit And in verse 8 of the same chapter, he tells us that the son of God “appeared”. This fact that he appeared denotes that he was existing somewhere else. This same letter contains the phrase he appeared in both verse 5&8(1 John 3:5,8).

Having established these two important truths as foundation blocks for our series, we will begin to consider in the next post some of the reasons why Jesus came.

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

On the Way to the Palace-Potiphar's house 2

And the midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s  and captain of the guard”-Genesis 37:36 KJV King James Version

“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar , an officer of Pharaoh ,captain of the guard ,an Egyptian ,bought him of the hands of the Ishaemelites which had brought him down thither”-  Genesis 39:1 KJV King James Version

Another salient point we notice in these verses above is that Potiphar is an Egyptian. We have already noticed that this man who bought Joseph from the slave market had close links with royalty. He is an officer of Pharaoh and called the “chief executioner”. In other words, he dealt with the unpleasant business of getting rid of those the king was displeased with.

The fact that he brought Joseph to live in his house tells volumes about Joseph that we should not ignore. It appears that Joseph may have initially started out on the fields before working his way to serve in the household of his master. For Joseph to be able to do this effectively, he would have had to go through the challenges of learning a new language so as to be able to communicate properly. And with the language of the new people he found himself amongst, there was the added burden of learning a new culture in the midst of strangers.

The man on the Way to the Palace is one who must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and be ready to learn and unlearn as the  situation requires. Adaptability is an essential requirement for the man on the Way to the Palace.

It was no coincidence that Joseph was bought by someone who served the King, God had to position Joseph rightly and as such Potiphar’s house served as a training ground for Joseph. In addition to the language and culture of Egypt, he learned the business and politics of Egypt. It is also worth noting that Joseph’s sale to Egypt was all part of fulfillment of prophecy ( Genesis 15:13).

It takes a great degree of humility to be able to learn anything ( Proverbs 11:12;Psalms 25:8-9) .Forced with the estrangement from his father, Joseph decided to not to allow his history deprive him of the current moment or his glorious future. He maximized the moment by getting to know the Egyptian language, culture, business and politics.

In  Conclusion, the man on the way to the Palace  is one who is easily adaptable  and ready to learn new skills.  Refusing to learn and improve ourselves will eventually make us unfit for God’s purposes and getting to the Palace. This new location of Joseph is all part of God’s sovereign plan and on the Way to the Palace, our location is critical    and hence relocation should not be taken lightly or changed solely on economical reasons. He should also be one who is always ready to make the best use of whatever situation he finds himself in (Proverbs 16:4& Ecclesiastes 9:10).

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.

On the Way to the Palace -Potiphar's house 1

“And the midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s  and captain of the guard”-Genesis 37:36 KJV King James Version

“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar , an officer of Pharaoh ,captain of the guard ,an Egyptian ,bought him of the hands of the Ishaemelites which had brought him down thither”-  Genesis 39:1 KJV King James Version

So Joseph,our prototype for the man  on the Way to the Palace  got delivered and pulled out of the pit(Genesis 37:24,28) and just before he could give his testimony of deliverance, he meets yet another challenge. With utter disbelief, he is accosted with the fact that the reason why he was pulled out of the pit was not for rescue but to  be sold  into slavery(Genesis 37:28) .How could God have answered his prayers with such glaring contradiction.

 I believe that as Joseph was sold to the Ishaemelites ( Genesis 37:28) and money exchanged hands ,hot tears flowed freely down his cheeks while he pleaded with  his brothers for mercy. With their grim faces set on seizing the momentous opportunity of getting rid of Joseph and his dreams, they chose to be stone deaf to their younger brother’s cries. 

Wittingly Joseph’s brothers had thought things through and knew that with his coat of many colours in hand, their fabricated story about his possible whereabouts  would  be believed by their father ,Jacob(Genesis 37:31-34  ).They did not mind their father grieving due to heir false evidence(Genesis 37:35). Moreso ,Joseph was almost as good as dead. Out of the way, he finally would no longer serve  as a threat to their father’s love.

Joseph in Egypt

And so Joseph got sold  to Ishaemelites who were travelling down to Egypt. From Dotham to Egypt was approximately  300  miles and could have taken about 15 days. Surely this was not his idea of a visit to that country and not anything that looked like his previous dreams. As a slave, he lost the freedom of what to wear, when to eat, sleep .His position as the favoured son in his father’s house had changed dramatically. He perhaps witnessed some other fellow slaves with him not make it to the market place due to the harsh conditions..Thank fully, we are told he did and he was later bought by Potiphar(Genesis 37:36).

We are told some important facts about Potiphar. In the two verses where Potiphar is mentioned ( Gen 37:36& 39:1), the writer of Genesis is careful to let us know that he is linked to royalty .He was an officer of Pharaoh which was the title for the Egyptian ruler or king. Egypt  was the centre of civilization and Pharaoh was probably one of the most powerful men on the planet at that time. Potiphar was an officer and some translations tell us that he was an eunuch. He acquired Joseph in the slave market and took him home.

The Bible does not shield from  us the fact that men that God  used also had their share of trouble and trying times. On the Way to the Palace, we can expect trouble. James in his letter tells us to welcome trouble  as friends(James 1:2  J.B.Phillips).It is all part of the deal for the man on the Way to the Palace . In short,the Psalmist seemed acquainted with this when he said “The righteous person may have many troubles ,but the Lord delivers him from them all”.(Psalms 34:19 NIV ). God placed Joseph in the house of Potiphar strategically and he continues to do so for every man who will eventually get to the Palace.

Another Joseph 5

Another Joseph 5

Today, hopefully we shall conclude on the life of this “Another Joseph” with the concluding verses of Luke Chapter two.

When Mary and Joseph had completed everything required by the Law of the Lord,they returned to their hometown , Nazareth in Galilee.The child grew up and became strong .He was filled with wisdom and God’s favour was on him  Luke 2 :39-40

According to Scriptures by the time Joseph and Mary had completed all that was necessary, they returned back to their home town with Jesus. The thing that struck me about the next verse is the fact that it says Jesus grew. There was something about the home that Joseph and Mary had that created the  right environment which  fostered growth. There are certain basic things that a child needs to be able to grow and develop properly. If the parents of a child do not provide these basic things, there is a high probability that development will be hampered and this would show up later in the life of the individual as an adult. The progress of Jesus was all rounded and not lopsided.

Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.When he was 12 years old,they went up to Jerusalem according to their custom. Luke 2:40-41

The obedience of this another Joseph is seen with this very next verses. It was required that all men appear three times before the Lord in Jerusalem. These times were during the festival of Unleavened bread - Passover(  Deutronomy 16:16   ), the festival of weeks ( Exodus 34:20,23,24)  and the festival of Booths  (Exodus   23;14,17 ). Even as the years went by, the obedience of Joseph and Mary to this instruction was not hindered. Jesus was not the only child in the family but his parents did not use him as an excuse for absence from the temple or what was commanded.

After the festival was over , they were returning home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t know it. Supposing that he was among their band of travellers,they journeyed on for a full day while looking for him among their family and friends. When they didn’t find Jesus ,they returned  .After three days they found him in the temple .He was sitting among the teachers ,listening to them and putting questions to them ,Luke 2:43-46

It was also in obedience that Jesus was taken to the festival when he was twelve years of age  and the above verses show that after the festival, Joseph and Mary  assumed that Jesus was travelling in the company of friends and relatives when they set off to return. This story also shows us the humanity of Joseph and Mary and the fact that they were not above error. They probably noticed Jesus absence and felt he was still in their company somewhere. It was not too long they found out that they were wrong in their assumptions. Someone has said that assumption is the lowest form of knowledge. And although they missed it initially and traveled for a good one day without their son, when it was noticed , they retraced their steps back.

This is another quality of the life of “Another Joseph” that is worth emulating. He did not continue going on towards his home town when he discovered that Jesus was not in their company. He was not too proud to retrace his steps to search for his son and most importantly we see his fatherhood exhibited here. Joseph did not ask Mary to go and search for her son rather he followed her back and they went in search of Jesus together .

He did this willingly as we see the persistence with which he continued in the search until they found Jesus seventy two hours later. What an example for godly fathers.

But here in this story is  a point for us to always take heed to as we conclude these series of “Another Joseph “. The whole family had gone to fulfil religious obligation and somehow had not noticed that Jesus was not with them as they journeyed. It may be that you may have been going on doing God’s work, church business, so many good things and did not notice that things have been so crowded that there is no space for Jesus. Jesus is no more in the house, somehow you have left him somewhere. Following what Joseph and Mary did, it is not too late to retrace steps back because like one of my mentors,Selwyn Hughes  who has gone to glory says, “If God seems far away , guess who moved?

It is never too late to retrace your steps back to Jesus, he is patiently waiting for you(Revelation 3:20).There is indeed in everyman a void that only Jesus can fill.

 #Love to hear from you

Grace Tom-Lawyer. 

Another Joseph 4

The various gospels show the birth of Jesus and his early life with different emphasis and for us to fully appreciate this other Joseph we are studying, let us now turn  to Luke’s account as we continue to glean from the life of  “Another Joseph”.

“And all went to be taxed , every one into his own city .And Joseph also went up from Galilee ,out of the city of Nazareth ,into Judea ,unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem  (because he was of the house  and lineage of David )”Luke 2:3-4  KJV King James Version

 

We can comfortably infer that  Joseph, was a  good citizen. He was one who obeyed the laws of the land. This journey back to Bethlehem was not convenient at all and he did have every excuse not to make it. After all, Mary his wife was heavily pregnant(Luke 2:5) but a man on the way to the Palace can learn from this example of responsible citizenship in the life of “Another Joseph”.Apostle Paul in his letters to the churches emphasized the matchless value of the witness of good citizenship and urged his readers to obey the government because they are however God’s agents for maintaining law and order( Romans 13:1-5;2 Peter 2:13-17 ). And it was because Joseph obeyed this government law that Jesus was born in where it was written that he would be born (Micah 5:2&Matthew 2:5-6).

The next verse subtly adds to the character of this man as we read  that he went to be taxed with Mary,his wife (Luke 2;5). This Joseph was able to also command his household to obey the laws of the land. Severally, we see him leading his household to obedience by being a good example(Luke 2:5).

“......And they came with haste and found Mary,and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger” Luke 2:16 KJV King James Version

After the  shepherds were instructed by the angels who shared the good news  about the birth of the saviour, they went and found Mary, Joseph and the baby. This man Joseph was not an absent father. He was involved even when Jesus was an infant and so could witness some of the great moments in the life of his adopted son.

“When the time came to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present to the Lord”Luke 2:22  NCV New Century Version

 Not only do we find this Joseph obedient to the laws of his country, he is also obedient to what has been written in the law of Moses which was the much he knew( Exodus 13;13-16).Every firstborn was to be redeemed. Joseph  did not feel too big to do this rite as commanded. In our days, this action of Joseph could be likened to that of being a good church member. It is also worth noticing that when it was time to bring Jesus to the temple, he did it with Mary. He was not the kind of husband that would send wife and children to church and not be a participant .At various times whenever Luke referred to this family, Joseph is mentioned first showing that he was the leader, even in spiritual things and taking his rightful place as  the priest in his own home.

“And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law , a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons” Luke 2:24 KJV King James Version 

Another thing about this Joseph was the fact that he gave(Luke 2:24). Not only did he bring Jesus to the temple but he offered the sacrifice required. According to the laws given by Moses, God made a provision for offerings to be done according to the financial status of the giver in order to foster compliance and willingness. Joseph did not allow his meagre means  to serve as an excuse for not giving what was required. He offered two turtle doves which was what was required if one was poor (Leviticus 12:6-8 ) and could not afford a lamb. Joseph was a man who gave according to his level without the need to impress.

And it was because he did all these that they were met by two people who gave prophecies: Simon(Luke 2:25-36) &Anna(Luke 2:36-38).

One of the rewards of obedience is blessings and the life of Joseph is full of several examples of this (Luke 2: 34) . When Joseph and Mary got to the temple, they were met by two people who eventually gave prophecies and strengthened their faith. There was definitely something about their promptness to obedience that allowed their paths to collide with the lives of destiny enhancers( Luke 2: 27,28,& 38).

There is so much more we cam cull from the life of this “Another Joseph” if we must eventually get to the Palace. A life of prompt obedience both to God and living in such a way that he could lead his family on different levels does make him worth emulating .As a father , he was present and involved in the life of the little one entrusted to him .I urge you readers to take a few moments to read through again and pray for the lives of your sons, brothers, uncles, husbands and fathers. We sure need a lot of godly male role models these days.

In His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer,