The house is quiet for the moment. I want to try to tell you what I learned the other day. I think that I'll attempt to do it succinctly, rather than in some kind of brilliant prose, as I had previously planned. No doubt God's word will be better without me in the way.
So. The study is from Beth Moore. For the record, I heart her. I do.
Beth is always pointing out that God does not waste words. He doesn't tell us things we don't need to know, and he always tells us things that we do. This is a profound thought for someone like me, someone for whom the Old Testament was a dry, dusty wasteland of boredom. (Please note use of the past tense form of is.) She says this again as we're reviewing Genesis 18, verses 17-19, and 20-21.
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
God does not waste words. Why did He tell us that He talks to Himself? I thought it had something to do with the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and it very well might, but Beth said that God is showing us that He always does what He says He will do. Look, he does just that:
20 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
And then she points to Jeremiah 29:11.
I heart Beth Moore too. And I heart you more. Love the post...thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen!! What an honor for YOU to ready my blog...Thanks...Please don't check my gramma, punctuashon, or speling...HA! I don't write very well, but have such a passion inside of me for JESUS, I just have to tell...LORD bless..
ReplyDeleteDeAnn- I heart you, too!
ReplyDeleteDenise, silly girl. The honor is all mine, and since you don't live in my house, I will not correct your grammar (unless you ask me to). I love your passion!
Oh Karen! I JUST READ this passage last night with my family (they indulge me and humor me and play the attentive congregation when I get worked up about spiritual matters)! I thought I'd share the little insight that the author of this book we're reading shared: he said that God's contemplation -- and His sharing His contemplation with us in His Word -- demonstrates how He's constantly thinking of us... constantly thinking of our relationship with Him. Like when something funny happens and we think, oh! Won't it be fun to tell so-and-so about this later! Or, Hm... I wonder if I should share this bit of information with so-and-so.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just thought it was so cool that the writer sees this passage as God demonstrating that God experiences life... and wants to share His thoughts about it with us.
Of course, this totally goes along with what Beth Moore shared, too. And... I sooo enjoy Beth Moore also!! How cool that not only does He experience life, share it with us, but that He knows how He's going to handle it and He follows through!!