03 LEKH L'KHA (Go out); Gen. 12:1-17:7, Mat. 5-7

[Bruce Bertram]

Get yourself out, or go out.
Gen. 12:1-17:27; Is. 40:27-41:16; Mat. 5-7

The blessing at the beginning of Genesis 12 is very key to understanding not only God's plan in general as it is revealed in the rest of the Word, but to specific events such as the Exodus also. To recap, we had creation where everything was pronounced "good" or "very good," then the flood and a new start with Noah, and now a different kind of start with Abram. In between these major episodes the Word tells us that wickedness was mostly the name of the game except for a few individuals. Perhaps God is thinking that the founding of a nation through Abram will stem the tide of wickedness, or it could just be that the promise in Genesis 3:15 is finding a path through Abram. In any event, Abram leaves his hometown with Lot and travels down through the land of the Canaanites moving on toward Egypt. On the way he builds a couple of altars at Shechem by the oak (or terebinth) of Moreh and on a mountain east of Bethel (means house of God). As he enters Egypt he convinces Sarai his wife to pretend to be his sister (she's actually his half-sister) so the Egyptians won't kill him to take her. The Pharaoh's people do indeed see her and take her to be a wife for Pharaoh after compensating Abram. However, plagues afflict Pharaoh"s household and he finds out that it is because Sarai is Abram's wife, so he chastises Abram for lying and gives back Sarai, asking Abram to leave Egypt.

Abram goes back to Bethel in the land of Canaan through the Negev desert and sacrifices at the altar he had built there. Sometime after that disputes break out between his herdsmen and Lot's herdsman, so Abram tells Lot to pick out a nice place so they can separate. Lot chooses the plain of the Jordan where Sodom and Gomorrah are, and Abram goes the other way, east, and further into Canaan. A note is made that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are very wicked and sinning against the Lord, a precursor for what is to come. Abram settles at the oaks of Mamre and builds another altar to the Lord there. Along the way God reaffirms the blessing given earlier, building on it a little to tell Abram that his descendants with be numerous. In chapter 14 there is war between nine different kings, Sodom and Gomorrah are on the losing side, and Lot is taken captive with all of his family and possessions. Abram hears of it from an escaped person, and takes 318 trained men from his household (and apparently some from Mamre, Eschol, and Ener who were his allies living near him) and defeats the victorious kings up around the area of Dan, bringing Lot back. Upon his return he meets with the king of Sodom and gives most everything back to him except for the shares earned by his allies in the contest, saying he never wanted it said that anyone from Sodom made him rich. He also gets a blessing from the king of Shalem called Melchizedek (king of righteousness) who was a priest of God, eats some bread and wine, and gives Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils.

In Genesis 15 Abram gets down to brass tacks with God over his heir. God promises reward to Abram, but Abram at first isn't impressed because he has no son and thinks he will have to give everything to Eliezer in Damascus. However, God says that Abram will have a son from his own body, and his descendants will be as sand or stars.

6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 NASB95)

To give the promise even more credence, "God cuts a covenant" with Abram by having him cut some animals in half and walking between them in the form of a torch and firepot. God says that Abram's descendants will be numerous and spend 400 years as slaves in a land not their own, but will be delivered by God after He judges the nation that holds them in servitude. The land that Abram is in will be the land that his descendants inherit. Chapter 16 gives us the account of Sarai and Hagar her slave girl, given to Abram for a wife so Sarai can get a child. Hagar gets pregnant then despises Sarai because she can have kids and Sarai cannot, so Sarai complains to Abram and he tells her to do what she wants with Hagar. Sarai gets rough with Hagar so Hagar takes off into the wilderness where God finds her and convinces her to return and submit to Sarai. God further says that He will bless the child and make his descendants many, and that she is to call the child Ishmael. So she returns to Abram, who is 86 years old, and bears a son to him.

Ten years later God and Abram talk again. God blesses Abram with the "many descendants" blessing again, and commands Abram to walk before God and be blameless. God gives Abram the new name of Abraham, saying that this covenant will be perpetual and that kings will come from Abraham's line, and his descendants will live in Canaan. To seal this covenant, God tells Abraham to circumcise his whole household, telling him also that all Abraham's descendants will do this or be cut off. Sarai is also given a new name with an 'h' in it, and God further refines the promise of a son by saying he will come through Sarah. Abraham is a little disbelieving that at 90 Sarah can give birth, and requests Ishmael to be the inheritor of the promise but God declines and re-emphasizes that it will be Sarah who has the heir. So Abraham has all the males in his household circumcised as God instructed, including Ishmael.

Matthew chapter 5 through chapter 7 is often called the Sermon on the Mount, but I prefer the title Sermon From The Mount, part two. The reason is that this is not the first time that the Word of God was given on a mountaintop. Mount Sinai was the location of the other such sermon, and this sermon bears a great deal of resemblance to the one during the Exodus. As well it should, since it is the same person who gives both sermons. What is emphasized in this sermon are the things that should've been seen in the first one, if the heart is not too hard to see them, that is. Verses one through twelve of Matthew chapter five are known as the Beatitudes but do not describe separate people. They are general characteristics of people who are truly children of God. Some similar characteristics can be seen in places like Isaiah 66. Jesus further describes His people as salt and light, in such a way that they affect those around them to be also favorably disposed toward God. Remember that this set of teachings is given in a cultural climate where other people such as Pharisees and Sadducees (or "teachers of the law") were doing the same thing. Jesus, however, is doing it differently, with authority that hasn't been seen in other teachers. The typical way for the other teachers to do this was to quote some rabbi or other that they had learned from. Jesus didn't do this, but made direct statements such as, "But I say to you..."

In teaching this way, Jesus was also interpreting the Torah but doing so in a fashion that upheld it (the meaning of 'fulfill' verse 17) and did not destroy it (the meaning of ‘abolish’). Some say that Jesus is here ‘raising the bar’ and making things tougher in order to show how no one can do it, but this is obviously a false interpretation since everything Jesus says is right in line with all the rest of the Word. All of the moral ‘high ground’ that Jesus suggests we take is straight out of the first Sermon From The Mount. And as for not being able to do it, the Word says differently in places such as Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (“not too hard or too high”) and Deuteronomy 30:19 (“choose life”). To confirm this, Jesus says in verse 18 that His Words will not pass away, and in 19 and 20 that those who keep and teach ‘them’ (Torah) will be great in the kingdom and those who don’t will be least.

Some of Jesus’ corrections to current understanding and teaching of the Law (Torah) cover the subjects of murder, adultery, divorce, vows, equal justice, and loving a neighbor. Murder was thought to be only in the actual commission (actually killing someone wrongfully) but Jesus says it starts in the heart with hate. Adultery was also defined as the actual act, but Jesus says again that lust in the heart is the same thing as acting it out. Divorce was defined as simply giving a woman a certificate and sending her away, but Jesus condemns the whole idea except for infidelity. For vows Jesus points out that it is better to avoid them entirely, and let a ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ be sufficient also. Equal justice is redefined by Jesus according to the Torah as treating other people as you want to be treated, and putting up with some wrongs instead of seeking retribution. The (then modern) teaching of loving a neighbor but hating an enemy is clarified by Jesus to loving everyone, including an enemy. These ideas are what the ‘perfect’ child of God does (perfect being defined as ‘lacking in nothing’). A soft heart looking at the Torah of God frames each of these concepts.

Jesus continues and elaborates these themes in chapter six by cautioning against hypocritical public actions that only serve to gain public acclaim. Giving, praying, and fasting are all better performed so quietly that in giving, for instance, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Trying to draw attention to one’s righteous actions by public displays (or doing the actions for getting praise from men) nullifies those actions and the reward for such is only whatever public recognition is given. But the person who does these things quietly is genuine, and has a better reward direct from God. Jesus gives a framework for praying often called the Lord’s Prayer, but it really is just an outline, not a formula. It doesn’t need to be repeated word for word, but just gives the basic ideas of thanksgiving, asking for daily needs, and forgiveness, along with a recognition of who provides. Praying in general should be without meaningless repetition (as if repetition could ‘make’ God do anything) and in private. In connection with avoiding public displays for obtaining an immediate reward, Jesus further says that the child of God should seek rewards in heaven instead, because where treasure is the heart will be also. To make the rewards in heaven great, Jesus also says that a person should be generous (the meaning of a ‘good eye’) rather than stingy (a ‘bad eye’). If a person tries to serve two masters (God, the heavenly rewarder, or money, which is earthly gain) one or the other will be shortchanged because they are in conflict with each other.

Moving on with the concept of money Jesus deals with some of the motivations in speaking of worry or anxiety. Gaining material possessions is not necessary, because all we need is food and clothes or shelter and it is God who provides. Trying to get more than our ‘daily bread’ is a waste of time.

33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB95)

To worry about food and drink, and seek the wealth that will provide them, is to get things in reverse order, according to Jesus. First God’s righteousness should be sought, which will then cause other things to fall into their proper places. Worries, since they do not have power to affect changes in circumstances such as grey hair or length of life, are a sign of little faith or trust in God, and should be avoided. Likewise judging (meaning in this case to condemn) is another activity that should be eliminated, because the measure a person uses is the one that will be used on them. A brother may have a speck in his own eye, but the log in our own will make it more difficult to help that brother remove his problem, so it is better to remove our own log first. Jesus encourages persistence in asking God for what is right, and stipulates that treating others as we want to be treated is a key to getting what we want from Him. To pursue the behavior that Jesus is describing in these chapters is to choose the narrow way that leads to life.

Jesus continues to caution about those who are in the class of hypocrites but in 7:15 he calls them ravenous wolves who tear up the flock. You will know them, He says, by the fruit that they bear, because bad trees cannot produce good fruit. These people will cry out ‘Lord Lord,’ and point to works such as casting out demons, in order to gain entrance into the kingdom. However, Jesus will refuse to let them enter because of their practice of lawlessness. The people who hear and heed the Words of Jesus such as He is speaking in this sermon are the wise types who build a house on a rock instead of sand. A sandy foundation causes the house to collapse when the storm comes, but the rock foundation saves the wise man’s house.

Shalom

[golfnerd]

Shabbat Shalom all...

One question and one observation...

1. Why is it that when Abram did what Sarai ASKED him to do regarding Hagar that Sarai got mad and blamed everything on Abram?

The torch that passed thru the cuttings is in MHO Yeshua.

[Bruce Bertram]

I assume you are referring to these verses:

4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me."

UPDATE 11/2011
Apparently, in the switch to the new forum software, the database of previous posts did not transfer completely. The section after the quote above, for instance, seems to be missing. There may be other posts that are missing, not only from this thread but other threads too. So I will attempt to reconstruct from memory what I answered here. Of course, depending on a six year-old memory is about as accurate as the database transfer that lost the posts in the first place. Oh well. This probably isn't exactly what I said then, but it's what I would say now.

I think the reason Sarai is not happy with Abram is because Abram is head of the house and responsible for keeping the peace, as well as making the decision to accept Sarai's proposal in the first place. I think this is biblically correct, because even if the husband does something the wife suggests (I'm thinking fruit in the Garden here) he is still responsible for the result.

This should give all of us husbands a long pause. We've got to realize that we are on the hook for everything that happens in our households. It is up to us to steer a course between things of which God will not approve, and head towards the things He will approve. We cannot claim that we didn't know how it would turn out. We cannot dodge responsibility behind the fig leaves of flimsy excuses. We can't say, "She made me do it" or "She wouldn't let up until I gave in." We are the spiritual decision makers. Even the guys who do not believe are still in that position. We will all give an account of our actions.

Does this mean that we have to answer for our wives if front of God at the end of all things? No. That's not what I'm saying. We all have to answer for our own sin. I'm saying we have the position and the authority to keep our charges from straying.

Here's a for instance. I don't want my wife to work. She wanted to work anyway, and goes and gets a job. Now she is in violation of my direct command. I cannot force her to do what I say, but I can lay it down and let her deal with it. When the negative consequences hit (trouble at work, tired, can't get stuff done around the house, money doesn't help all that much) then she cannot come back and tell me it's my fault. The down side is we both suffer the consequences, just as she would suffer consequences with me if I made a bad spiritual decision. However, I still discharged my responsibility to set the direction. It is her responsibility to follow.

Abram could've easily said, "No, I do not think God meant we would have a child through a hand maiden." He could've said, "Let's wait on the Lord." He didn't. When things went sour, he bore the responsibility as head of the household.

Shalom
Bruce

[Bruce Bertram]

1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NASB95)

The promise, also known as a covenant (by some, an unconditional covenant) given by God in Genesis 3:15 and renewed with Noah in Genesis 9, is now passed on to Abram. He gets another form of it in Genesis 15 and further refinement in Genesis 17. God has selected Abram, descendant of Shem and Noah, to make of him a “great nation” and bless all the families of the earth through him. How do we know that the statement by God in Genesis 3:15 is related to the ones in Genesis 9, 12, 15, and 17? For one thing, when God says He will do something it is the same as a promise, whether it’s one-sided (“I will do thus and so”) or two-sided (“I will do thus and so if you do thus and so”). Another word for promise is ‘covenant.’ Lots and lots of Scripture, as usual, back me up on this.

39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39 NASB95)

Paul speaks a lot about a promise or the promise in his writings, seeming to prefer the word ‘promise’ to ‘covenant.’

22“After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’ 23“From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, 24after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. (Acts 13:22-24 NASB95)

32“And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’ (Acts 13:32-33 NASB95)

6“And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. (Acts 26:6-7 NASB95)

8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” (Romans 9:8-9 NASB95)

8For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME.” (Romans 15:8-9 NASB95)

14in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. (Galatians 3:14,16 NASB95)

Do a word search in your New Testament for the words ‘promise’ and ‘covenant’ and see for yourself how promises and covenants are the same thing and how they relate to the seed of the woman and all covenants or promises made to Abraham, Israel, David, Solomon, and many others, all the way down to us.

So the promises have been given, and in Matthew we see that The Promise, the seed of the woman, descendant of Abraham and David, has arrived. The person who is supposed to crush the head of the serpent and remove the chasm of sin that separates us from God; the ‘blessing of the nations’ has finally shown up. What is He going to say? How will He accomplish the crushing of the serpent’s head and deliver us from our enemies? Wait! He is going up on a mount in a similar fashion as Moses! Now here comes the fire and thunder! Boy, you Romans are in trouble now! I can almost hear the hush of anticipation as some of the Jewish people gather to hear Jesus speak. But the hush gradually turns to puzzlement and angry muttering throughout the gospels as the dissatisfaction with the Seed’s message grows.

And what is the source of the upset? The Seed of the Woman’s first recorded message is written down for us in Matthew chapters five through seven, also known as The Sermon on the Mount. But there is no call to arms, no power demonstrated that destroys armies. What does Jesus say? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Huh? What was that? “Bless those who persecute you for righteousness sake.” What’s that again? I could’ve sworn He said we’re supposed to carry the packs of Roman soldiers two miles if they ask for one. What’s up with that? What the heck is this guy doing?

The expectation for a conquering hero like Moses was at an all time high in Israel at that point. Yet what Jesus is teaching doesn’t (at first) resemble the plagues and fire of the Exodus at all. However, anyone who knows the Law and the prophets, following them wholeheartedly, could (and did) tell you that Jesus’ message was no different than any that had been preached to that point. In fact, each and every part of this sermon is based in every other word spoken by God and delivered to Moses and company previously. It’s all in how you look at it.

Some people can look at this sermon and see that God’s followers should all be passive. I don’t agree, but some people make that point. Others see maybe a new form of prayer (but it is really an old form). Many Christians think that Jesus does away with all that has come before and starts something brand new. Not really.

17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 NASB95)

Obviously, Jesus is there to reinforce what was taught by God, and cut through some of the erroneous interpretations and traditions that had grown up around the Law to obscure it. His step by step treatment of commands such as ‘do not murder’ and ‘do not commit adultery’ impart the life to them that they should’ve had in the first place if we weren’t constantly looking for rabbinic loopholes. When He preaches the ‘golden rule’ of Matthew 7:12 (‘treat others as you want to be treated’) it comes right from the heart of the Law in Leviticus 19:18.

18‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18 NASB95)

The things that the Seed is teaching have always been around. They were in the heart of creation and in the center of the Garden when God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the wrong fruit. They are in every Word that God speaks, because He is Life and Light and Love, and all of His words are filled with His character and substance. His Word was ‘breathed into’ Adam and contained all of the things that Jesus is teaching now. No, Jesus is not teaching anything new, just correcting our perception that God’s Words are trivial or for lip service only or mere tradition.

There’s more to deliverance than simply eliminating the Roman army, or anyone else’s army for that matter. If we see God’s Word as for Jews only or as an onerous burden beyond our ability to carry, then we are still in bondage. The key to crushing the head of the serpent and being delivered from his power lies in taking in the Words of God and living them to the fullest extent possible. All the families of the earth are blessed when we take all of God’s Words into our being as if they are the very breath of life. Just like Jesus.

24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25 NASB95)

Shalom
Bruce

[Bruce Bertram]

Genesis 12:1-17:27; Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16; Matthew 5 through 7; Acts 7:1-8; Romans 3:19-5:6; Galatians 3:15-18; 5:1-6; Colossians 2:11-15; Hebrews 7:1-19; 11:8-12

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8–10, ESV)

There are several places in the Scriptures where God calls Abraham a friend (2 Chron. 20:7, Isaiah 41:8). Moses is also called God’s friend (Exodus 33:11 “like a friend”). Oddly, Jesus also called Judas a ‘friend.’

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. (Matthew 26:48–50, ESV)

It’s been said that a true friend stabs you in the front. Judas WAS a friend. Then he turned on God by turning in His Son Jesus to the authorities. He was too friendly with money, and too unfriendly with walking the way of Jesus, to pass up the opportunity to make a little extra coin. At the same time he probably wanted to stop running around camping out in only one set of clothes all the time. But Judas put the value of a slave on his friendship with Jesus, and stabbed Him literally in the front. A true friend, however, doesn’t stab in the front. He doesn’t stab at all.

Why did God call Abraham His friend? In Genesis 12, God (tells, asks, commands) Abraham to leave his homeland to go to another land that will be his home. Abraham does so without seeming to quibble. Now we might look at this and say it’s no big deal. But just think how you would approach it. “Leave my friends? My family? My job? The area where I grew up and love so much? Leave my life, just to wander around in some desert somewhere? I don’t think so. Am I sure this is God talking?” It wouldn’t be so easy. But Abraham did it. He trusted God, and knew God wouldn’t lead Him astray. Later, God makes a more formal arrangement with Abraham in Genesis 15 and again in Genesis 17, promising descendants past counting and blessing for the whole world that would come through him.

But Abraham didn’t see hardly any of it. He had one kid. He might’ve seen some of his grand kids or great grand kids (he lived 175 years), but certainly not enough of them to be called as many as “the stars of heaven.” He buys a burial tomb later, and that’s about it. He got very wealthy, but he still didn’t see that homeland promised to him become his. He looked forward to it, and he knew that one day it would be his (hence the tomb – he knew he was going to be resurrected I think).

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8–10, ESV)

So what is a friend, defined by God? Or more importantly, how do I get to be a friend of God? I’d like to be His friend. He is the source of life, light and love. Rivers of good things flow from Him. He fights for His friends, stands by them in all situations, and will not let the enemy have them. I’d much rather be His friend than His enemy (see for instance Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28).

He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. (Proverbs 22:11, ESV)

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. (Nahum 1:2, ESV)

God doesn’t leave us in the dark about how to become friends with Him. He has told us since the beginning the difference between friendship with Him and friendship with the world. Jesus was one of a long line of people who spoke for God in this and many other things. It just so happens He could give us firsthand information too, because He and God are the same.

The second Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7 is a description of how a friend behaves. It is a retelling of the first Sermon on the Mount in Exodus at Mt. Sinai. Give them a fair comparison and you will find they are exactly the same. A friend of God is one who loves God and does what He says in all things and in all ways.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:12–15, ESV)

There are real friends and fair-weather friends. There are friends who do what friends are supposed to do, and others that just pretend. There are genuine friends of God, those who do what He says. There are others who try to look like they are friends, and do a few of the things God says to do. But they are like the friends of the prodigal son (Luke 15). As long as the money flows, they’re bosom buddies. But when the money runs out, so do they. Lots of people are exactly like that with God. As long as the good things flow, the blessings, the water from the rock, they’re all fine and dandy. But let a little difficulty creep in, like Israel with not finding water in the desert, and they’re off into blaming God for not doing what they want when they want. As if He’s some sort of cosmic sugar-daddy and that’s all He’s good for.

Being friends with God is not the same as friends on Facebook. He is like a rock; He doesn’t change with emotional ups and downs, or even on bad hair days. He’s always there. He never asks me to do things I can’t do (1 Corinthians 10:13). He won’t pull the rug out from under me, even in jest. I’ve had friends, or at least people I thought were friends, that bailed on me just when I needed them most. I’ve been around people who were “friendly,” until they were crossed. Then look out.

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, but he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’ And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’ he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’ (Zechariah 13:4–6, ESV)

These verses are about Jesus, and the wounds He received by the hands of “His own” (John 1:11) supposed-to-be friends. Israel should’ve been friends with Him. I think many were, but they were not in leadership. The leaders took control, and told everyone else how they were supposed to be friends with God. But we can see just how far their friendship went in the events of the crucifixion. Not to mention all the other times of backstabbing by idolatry and other perverse disobedience listed for us in the Word. Remember though, it’s not just Israel. The rest of the world is also skilled at trying to look like they are friends with God, when they are really waiting to stick the knife, or the spear, or the nails in when He turns His back. A lot of times they’re not even waiting till He turns around.

Don’t get me wrong. God really isn’t some kind of cosmic buddy who lets me indulge in harmful behavior. He’ll tell me right away, up front, what is good and what is not. He tells me in His wonderful living Law. And He will not hesitate to let me suffer the consequences of my wrong or lawless actions. He’ll even make sure I don’t escape consequences for a lot of things, just so I’ll remember not to do them again. When I was growing up, it seemed like every time I did something wrong I would always get caught. That was His love and grace in action. The same thing happens even now. He won’t let His friends get away with anything. He loves in all ways – with gentleness when I’m gentle, but He’ll get rough if that’s what it takes. I’ve been to the woodshed with Him a few times, but as painful as it was it still was in love.

Being friends with God makes you enemies with many other people and gods. That’s one of the problems when there are two sides, and one is good while the other is complete evil. You cannot be friends with the world, and with God. Once you become friends with God, it marks you. It sets you up for hammering by what are now your enemies in the evil camp. They don’t like God and don’t want to be friends with Him. So if you’re on His side you are automatically not on theirs. Their hate knows no limits, except the limit of death. But eternally the haters will hate, and will not be content while they are here with your friendship with the pinnacle of their hate.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ (John 15:18–25, ESV)

As always, in ending an article I say Shalom. The peace of God be with you. Because if you are a friend of God you are going to need it. Happily we are at peace with the One who is peace. Peace with the world is not peace at all. It only has the appearance of peace for a little while, like the still surface of a stagnant pond.

Bruce