St. John at Patmost; Wikimedia; CCL
Meditation
Monday, Ordinary 16/Proper 11 dealt with the bringing together of the righteous and enemies. In the Old Testament lesson, Jacob, after being told by God to return to the land of promise, had packed up all his family and herds, and departed for Canaan. He had the dream of angels ascending and descending to heaven, with the Lord restating the promise made to Abraham and Isaac. So with that encouragement, Jacob set out for the land God promised him. He sent some servants with a request that his estranged brother Esau—the one he had cheated out of his birthright—accept Jacob and his family.
With all his family and servants in tow, he was terrified when he heard that Esau had 400 men to greet them. Jacob put on his strategizing hat that had served him well when Laban tried to trick him out of sheep stock. He divided his servants and herds into two groups with the idea that if one was attacked, the other could flee and be saved. Then Jacob prayed a desperate prayer asking for God’s protection from Esau. Of course, he repeated the promise of becoming a great nation.
Then Jacob set about preparing a gift for his brother: 200 female/20 male goats; 30 camels and their colts; 40 cows/10 bulls; 20 female/10 male donkeys. He separated the flocks so his servants would be spaced out, giving the ones behind a chance of escape. Jacob and his family stayed the night, camped out, while his servants moved ahead with the instruction that each was to declare the herd was a gift for Esau from his brother, Jacob.
Despite the blessings that Jacob received from Laban; despite the birthright blessed on him by his father, despite the dream where God appeared and reiterated the promise to Abraham and Isaac; despite Jacob having prayed and strategized, Jacob feared his own demise at the hand of his brother.
“Patience. Time will tell.”
Those words have been said often by those who were not in the nail biting phase of waiting. The New Testament lesson in Revelation, said much the same. Rev. 14:12 This means God’s holy people must be patient. They must obey God’s commands and keep their faith in Jesus. NCV. The angel informed John that there would be times that believers would have to endure suffering…and be patient, because it would be hard work in the end times. But the blessings would come after they died. The vision showed that God would ‘harvest’ the saints and like the weeds (tares) in yesterday’s lesson, gather the sinners to destroy them. The blood would run 200 miles long and be five feet deep. A gruesome moment, but the angel spoke of God’s anger. With all the blessings that God offered, those that reject it, inspire anger.
I remember a Longine commercial for one Christmas, where a wife showed off her gold watch gift from her husband to a friend, but then snottily spoke her disappointment, “I was hoping for a Longine.” I was angry at the commercial for suggesting such an ungrateful attitude. I can only imagine the more justified anger that God would feel at such ungrateful attitudes from those who reject the free gift of salvation.
The lessons teach us to be patient in our circumstances; to be reminded of the blessings that come to us from God and to look forward to the great future—be in on earth or in the life beyond.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Click on the Scriptures for links to biblegateway.com, where many translations of the same text enhance the understanding the readings, which come from the (RCL) Revised Common Lectionary – Daily Lectionary
Readings. I add a Daily Prayer to bless you with God’s Favor.
Enjoy the Daily Encouragement and Bible Study and may you be inspired to be your best self for Ordinary 16/Proper 11 .
Ordinary 16/Proper 11
Nearer My God to Thee – Anabaptist Mennonite Choir
John at Patmos
John at Patmos, Wikimedia, Public Domain, CCL
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 16/Proper 11
Come Ye Disconsolate – Indelible Grace
Apostle John at Patmos Receiving the Revelation
John at Patmos, Wikimedia Public Domain, CCL
Ordinary 16/Proper 11
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139:13-18;Genesis%2032:3-21;Revelation%2014:12-20&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;CEV
(multiple versions)
Monday, Ordinary 16/Proper 11
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
King James Version (KJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
King James Version (KJV)
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
James Tissot’s Jacob Sees Esau; Wikimedia Public Domain, CCL
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
Jacob by Tissot, Wikimedia, Public Domain, CCL
19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, thank you for your faithfulness and the many stories in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation how you bring blessings to believers. We know from their experiences that you will work in our lives as you did in theirs. May your name be glorified. In Jesus name, Amen
Ordinary 16/Proper 11
Music
You Raise Me Up — Selah
Ordinary 16/Proper 11 Humor
Death’s Scythe
©Jeff Larson, Used by permission
Before the Throne of God Above — Sojourn
I hope you found a chance to encounter your Creator and experience the Love of God and the joy of Christ in Ordinary 16/Proper 11.
Conclusion
Monday, Ordinary 16/Proper 11 brought us a story from Genesis at the beginning of the Bible, and a Psalm from the middle of the Bible and a New Testament lesson in the last book—the vision of the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, of the end times. In each situation, we glean evidence of the power of God, of the promises of God and the future blessings of God in the lives of believers.
Promises come true, but often they take more time than we expect or might hope for. Promises may require us to be patient, especially in the end times, the angel said to John.
Life will be hard. Most of us know that all too well. But the rewards will be worth every bit of suffering and pain that we will endure. Even if we are fearful as Jacob was with reuniting with Esau, God will be there with us, helping us devise the right things to do and the right time. We can count on the promises of God.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. Please like if it was meaningful. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.Please like if you are blessed and don’t hesitate to comment or contact me. I love hearing from you.
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