To: en & more
From: Su Min
Subject: Twins
Hi,
We read today Genesis 25:19-34. As I read of these twins, I think of the twins I know and other sibling pairs, and I see how the word of God depicts the rift of sibling rivalry if we are not careful to maintain a correct relationship with God!
Young and beautiful Rebekah from Padam Aram is called a "Aramean". Young and beautiful Rebekah remains barren for 20 years, and in response to answered prayers is doubly blessed with twins.
The last clause in God's promise in vs 23 is something very characteristic of the paradigm shift and paradox that God wants us to understand. "The older will serve the younger".
Paradox - seemingly self contradictory (OED).. many choice examples...
- The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation Isaiah 60:22
- Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matt 5:3
- Blessed are those that mourn for they will be comforted Matt 5:4
- Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth Matt 5:5
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled Matt 5:6
- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matt 5:10
- Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matt 5:11-12
- Do not think I have come to abolish the law of the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them Matt 5:18
- For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven Matt 5:20
- Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you Matt 5:44
- Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead. Matt 8:22
- Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Matt 10:34
- Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matt 10:39
- My yoke is easy and my burden light. Matt 11:30
- Though seeing they do not see though hearing they do not hear or understand Matt 13:13
- What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean but what comes out of his mouth that is what makes him unclean Matt 15:11
- Whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matt 16:25
- Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18:4
- Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first Matt 19:30
- So the last will be first and the first will be last. Matt 20:16
- Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, whoever wants to be first must be your slave Matt 20:26-27 .
- Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, whoever wants to be first must be slave to all Mk 10:43-44.
- The greatest among you will be your servant. Matt 23:11
- Whosoever exalts himself will be humbled and whosoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matt 23:12
- For everyone who has will be given more and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him Matt 25:29
- But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Mk 10:31
- I come to bring fire on earth. Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. Luke 12:51
- He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11
- For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14
- For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. John 9:39
- The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25
- The Lion who was a Lamb - Rev 5:6
- The Lamb who will be the Shepherd Rev 7:12
- The first and the last, The alpha and the omega, The beginning and the end - Rev 22:12
- So we learn from this the serving nature of the Saviour, and the behaviour we are to emulate. "The older will serve the younger".
- When we look at the behaviour of Esau and Jacob, we see they are far from being like two peas in a pod. Indeed it would seem that one was a hunter (Gen 24:27) while the other lived in a tent, and probably was a farmer. Reminds me of Abel and Cain. Abel kept flocks while Cain worked the soil (Gen 4:2)
- Isaac loved Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob (Gen 24: 28): While God loves each of us, it is human nature for parents to shower more love on one child than the other and we pray to God for their understanding and tolerance in this area, that the child who feels less loved will not grieve but accept this with God's grace.
- The selling of his birth right for a bowl of stew (Gen 29-34) has a great theological significance, in that Esau looked at only temporary physical pleasure and not to things eternal. Hebrews 12:16 says "Afterwards, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessings with tears".
- So too,for us, if we refuse to accept the Lordship of Christ, and instead will to be our own lords, there could be a situation when it is too late: when we want to inherit this blessing, we may be rejected, not able to bring about a change of mind, though we seek the blessings with tears. So we should stick to the straight and narrow, and begin our right relationship with God now, today, before it too late.
- "We fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is not seen. For what is seen is temporal, but what is not seen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18)"
Let us pray
Thank you father for your word today
Bless it to our understanding, that we may serve you better.
In Jesus' name
Amen
Love dad
For any comments or enquiries please write to Dr. Lim Su Min
