Rev. Steve Karma
Both inside and outside of the Church, there is so much mis-information and half-truths about the person of the Almighty God. That has been the justification of slavery and the slaughter that comes from war, not to mention the guilt and shame and arguments and powerlessness and chains that arise from not knowing God as He really is or what He expects of you and me.
I think one of the most alarming things in our time is fake news. In fact, Pope Francis said that fake news began in the Garden of Eden with the serpent. And then went on to say:
Pope Francis
“The strategy of this skilled ‘Father of Lies’ is… mimicry, that sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments.”
Although I can’t say that about every issue, but on this, I think I am in complete agreement with the Pope. But do you know where fake news is at it’s most prevalent and it’s most dangerous? It is in the area of the person of God.
Both inside and outside of the Church, there is so much misinformation and half-truths about the person of the Almighty God. That has been the justification of slavery and the slaughter that comes from war, not to mention the guilt and shame and arguments and powerlessness and chains that arise from not knowing God as He really is or what He expects of you and me.
In fact, in hearing people describing the One they worship. It should leave you saying “That’s Not my God.”
I have just been led to share some four popular misrepresentations of God from Genesis 28, but before I do that, let me quickly set the scene.
We’ve got a family; the dad is called Isaac and he’s the son of Abraham. He was the one who was willing to be sacrificed. Who is bed-bound, has his eyesight failing and thinks he’s going to die.
Then we have a mother called Rebekah who, in her younger days at least, was hot. And they were madly in love, but her husband tried to pass her off as his sister because he was afraid, he might be killed. Their relationship becomes ugly and she becomes incredibly controlling. They have twin sons; Esau the firstborn, who is a hunter and because of his hairiness looks like Chewbacca. He’s his dad’s favourite: because he is a hunter and probably because his dad only wished he would have had Esau-like-courage when he needed it.
And Esau is married to two non-believers from the people of the Hittites who drive his parents crazy. And to try and make up for it he marries a third from the Ishmaelites – Basically 3 pagan women.
However, Jacob is the opposite he is 77 years and single. And the NLT version of the Bible says was “the kind of person who like to stay at home.” Because the bible paints them as opposites, Jacob probably struggled to put on facial hair, and loved nothing more than baking cupcakes with his mum and listening to The Spice Girls.
They have twin sons; Esau the firstborn, who is a hunter and because of his hairiness looks like Chewbacca. He’s his dad’s favourite: because he is a hunter and probably because his dad only wished he would have had Easu-like-courage when he needed it.
And because he is easy to push over and because of a prophecy that he would inherit the nation blesser/serpent crusher blessing he is his mother’s favourite. But he’s no angel as he steals his psycho brother’s blessing from his elderly father. [With a little help from mum]. So Esau decides he will kill him. His mum, not wanting to see the death of Jacob, and the LORD’s consequences for his murder fall on Esau, convinces Isaac to get him to do the 550-mile journey back to Paddan Aram, to her brother’s family, to find a good wife, just like her.
So Jacob, who is 77 remembers and has never left home, is on the run from his brother who not only wants to kill him, but who tracks down wild animals for fun. So every twig that snaps and every wolf that howls brings him to a state of paranoia and fear.
God Only Speaks Through the Word (Genesis 28:10-12)
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran [60 miles in – we notice he is retracing the journey of Abraham in reverse].
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it [It as if they were clocking on and clocking off].
