Genesis 26:17-27:46
Matthew 9:1-17
Psalm 10:16-18
Proverbs 3:9-10
II've always had so much sympathy for Esau, and have never understood how Jacob was able to get away with so much. Where was the compassion when his brother was hungry? Where was the honesty when his father was old and dying? Where was the courage to face the consequences of his actions when he ran away to his uncle? Jacob certainly does not seem like someone God would use. But then again, neither is Matthew. I mean, really - a tax collector? Weren't they all crooks? And what about the fishermen? What did they know? And what's up with hanging out with the sinners? It turns out, God had - has! - his purposes, whether or not we understood them, or agreed with them.
As flawed as Jacob may have seemed, God had a purpose for him, as He did Matthew and the other disciples. It didn't matter that they were sinners - as Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." And the psalm today tells us the Lord hears the cries of the sick, the afflicted, the burdened - "You hear, o Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."
What a blessed reassurance that God not only has time for, but seeks out, sinners like me. And how exciting it is to realize that He doesn't just come to forgive me, He comes to use me, to use all of us, for the furtherance of His kingdom. May my response be to "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." Although I must confess to some vested interest - after all, He does promise me that if I do so, then "your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
May we learn to recognize our sinfulness, and then to take heart in His mercy, and then put ourselves and our resources at His disposal, that we might receive His abundant blessing, His "indescribable gift".
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