David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 42-43; Psalm 39.

Genesis 43:26-34

When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. ²⁷ And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” ²⁸ They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. ²⁹ And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” ³⁰ Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. ³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” ³² They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. ³³ And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. ³⁴ Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

I am not given to weeping. It’s not something which I am proud of. For reasons that likely go way back to my youth, I just don’t cry easily – especially not because of obvious personal pain.

I have noticed something more recently, however. When I see others experiencing extraordinary beauty, joyful experiences, or rich blessings, I can easily be brought to tears. When someone has suffered greatly and is relieved from that suffering, my heart is touched, and I can tear up.

I think of that when I read about Joseph’s reunion with his brothers – especially Benjamin. Joseph is moved to tears as he sees his brothers fearfully telling of their father and his grief at the thought of losing Benjamin.

I think this is more than just the fact that Benjamin is Joseph’s full brother. He may have thought of his mother’s death at Benjamin’s birth. He might have realized just how sad his father would be if he would not ultimately reveal himself to him and his brothers. Whatever the reason, Joseph must turn away and weep as the brothers return with Benjamin.

Weeping is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of a broken heart and a spirit of humility. And that makes me recall Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Tears are also a sign of a broken and contrite heart – which God will not despise (Psalm 51:17).

Whether we weep in pain and sorrow, or as a sign of humble contrition, or with tears of joy, we can be sure that God sees our pain, rejoices with us in every truly good thing, and will one day wipe every tear from the eyes of those who put their faith in the One who wept at the tomb of Lazarus, and wept over Jerusalem, and wept in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 11:35; Luke 19:41; Hebrews 5:7).

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 37-39; Psalm 37.

Genesis 37:17b-24

Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰ Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

“Here comes that dreamer,” was not a complement. It was, however, the verse chosen by the pastor at my dad’s funeral service. My dad was a dreamer – in the good sense except to the “doers” who might be tasked with taking his dreams and ideas and actually making them work. I’m a bit that was as well. I often recall the time when I shared a ministry idea with a staff member who asked, “Have you thought about who would do this and when and were we could make it happen?” I told her, “I haven’t gotten that far yet.” She was exasperated and said, “That does it! When I come back, I’m coming back as an idea person.” She was kidding, of course, but the message still stands: dreamers and doers don’t operate in the same altitude.

Joseph’s dreams are a bit different. They were from God, and offered a look into the future that the others had no desire to play out. They would bow down to him? This Papa’s Favorite wearing his coat of many colors was going to receive their honor? Surely not! Bitterness grows to ill will, and ill will hardens into hatred with murderous intent. The doers take down the dreamer.

Joseph winds up in a pit. The brothers want to kill him, but Judah intercedes in his behalf. Joseph is sold to Ishmaelite traders for twenty shekels of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt. What will become of Joseph’s dreams? Will his father and brothers actually bow down to him? How will this possibly come about? The path to this fulfillment will be long and challenging. But these dreams are from God, and not for Joseph’s personal glory.

This is a good lesson for us to keep in mind. We will all see hardship, challenge, misunderstanding, and injustice. Yet God has a plan that is worked out according to his providential grace and ultimate will. Romans 8:28 reminds us that in all things God is working for the good of those who love him. The ultimate good is for our salvation, and the vindication of his Son, Jesus Christ. It reaches to whoever believes in him, and vindicates their faith.

Joseph’s dreams will come true. His father and brothers will bow down to him in honor and they will receive far more help from him than they could ever have imagined. He will be a type of Christ who reigns for the good of others and blesses and preserves many lives – a reflection of Jesus’ act of ultimate service and redeeming love.

* [This statue is outside the court of appeals in Valparaiso, Chile. The figure’s scales are at her side and not held high. Her eyes are open, not blindfolded. It is rumored that a French businessman, angry at the local courts for ruling against him in a dispute over a woman, commissioned this statue to intentionally mock the judiciary by portraying justice as sloppy or compromised.]

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 34-36; Psalm 36.

Genesis 36:40-43

These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

Years ago we did a sermon series built around questions people outside the church often ask. I happened to be recovering from surgery on the Sunday we addressed the question, “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?” Our guest preacher began simply by asking the question — and then answering it: “Yes.”

That answer is clearly taught by Jesus himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The apostles echo the same truth: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I sometimes like to turn the question around and ask, “Did anyone else die for you?” But even more telling is this: if there was another way besides Jesus, why did the Father not remove the cup of bitter suffering and death when Jesus prayed, “If possible, remove this cup from me”? Either God is cruel for allowing Jesus to die on the cross when another way existed — or the cross was necessary because there is no other way.

Still, the question remains difficult, especially when we consider the Jewish people. How do we square the New Testament’s claim that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ and through faith in him with passages like those that carefully list the kings of Esau’s clan? Two chapters are devoted to that genealogy, and there is little condemnation — nothing that explicitly says, “But they were not God’s people.”

This is where faith comes to the fore. Salvation is not based on lineage, ancestry, or the moral arithmetic of good outweighing bad. Scripture reminds us that God has no grandchildren — only sons and daughters. All who believe in Jesus are the true sons and daughters of Abraham, the father of faith.

I will not second-guess God — whether in his dealings with nations and tribes, or in his decision to give his own Son for our salvation. Instead, I rejoice in his promise that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. And that promise is better than any ethnic, cultural, or religious pedigree.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 31-33; Psalm 35.

Genesis 32:22-31

The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. ²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. ³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” ³¹ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Maybe you have wrestled with God in prayer. It might be as intense and urgent as Jacob here, before he crosses the Jabbok. More often my prayers are not as intense and urgent. But you have to admire Jacob’s relentless declaration, “I won’t let go of you until you bless me.” In fact prayer can too easily become proforma exercises that fail to capture the true urgency of our need for God’s blessing.

Not every prayer needs to be an angel wrestling match. We can surely go to God in humble faith. We don’t always have to have our prayer intensity turned up to 11. But I wonder whether we take for granted God’s invitation to prayer, or too quickly figure out how to make things work out on our own – and in so doing forfeit greater blessings.

This was a pivotal time in Jacob’s life. He was on his way back home and soon to meet his estranged brother. There had been bad blood between the two, and Jacob was returning as a very wealthy and successful man. Would Esau be resentful? Would he be greeted by an angry brother? Only God knew, and only God held Jacob’s future in his hand.

Jacob does not walk away from the Jabbok as a spiritual champion. He walks away wounded, renamed, and blessed. He does not defeat God. God defeats Jacob’s self-reliance and leaves him clinging to grace alone. And that is where this story finally points us – not to our grip on God, but to God’s grip on us.

The God who wrestled Jacob in the darkness would one day enter our darkness fully, not just for a night, but all the way to the cross. There, Jesus would not limp away. He would be wounded far more deeply than Jacob — pierced, crushed, and laid in a tomb. And yet through that suffering he secured the blessing Jacob longed for and could never earn: peace with God.

That changes how we hear Jacob’s words, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” For us, the blessing is no longer uncertain or withheld. In Christ, it has already been given. Prayer is not a struggle to wring something out of a reluctant God. It is the cry of those who know where blessing is found – in the wounded Savior who still bears the marks of his love for us.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 28-30; Psalm 34.

[Note: I will not record my blog posts every day this week. I look forward to providing recorded versions once again next week.]

Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Psalm 34:1

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

The story of Jacob’s ladder is not necessarily the best known Old Testament story. But it is an important one nonetheless. Jacob falls asleep as he is on his way to Paddan-aram to find a wife. He has the incredible dream of a ladder let down from heaven, with angels climbing up and down on that ladder. He recognizes the presence of the LORD in that place, and calls the place Bethel – the house of God. God showed up in a very unusual manner, and Jacob took note.

In the New Testament, Jacob’s ladder takes on a clear and Christ-centered meaning. What was first given as a dream becomes, in Jesus’ own words, a revelation about who he is and how God now comes to us.

Jesus explicitly identifies himself with Jacob’s ladder in John 1:51. There Jesus says to Nathanael: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus is the means by which God comes to us, and we go to God.

But notice the important shift.

That language deliberately echoes Genesis 28, where Jacob sees a ladder (or stairway) reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending. But Jesus makes a decisive shift: The angels are no longer ascending and descending on a ladder. They are ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Jesus himself is the ladder.

In Genesis, the ladder marked a place — Bethel — where heaven touched earth. In the New Testament, that meeting point is no longer a location but a person. Jacob’s ladder in the New Testament is no longer a dream, symbol, or location. It is Jesus himself — God’s gracious, decisive connection between heaven and earth, given not to the worthy, but to sinners, by grace.

The Old Testament is prelude to the New Testament, and the New Testament is commentary on the Old Testament. That is never more clear than here in this passage.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas.This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 25-27; Psalm 33.

Genesis 25:19-26

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, ²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. ²¹ And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. ²³ And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
    the older shall serve the younger.”

²⁴ When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

Raising four sons provided us with occasional opportunities to witness energetic physical relational interactions. Some people call them fights. And once in a while I would say, “Hey! You’re gonna hurt your brother!” I don’t recall the look or the reply, but I can imagine the testosterone-fueled thoughts: Yeah! That’s exactly what I’m trying to do! Boys fight. Some have suggested that girls bond relationally by sharing. Boys do so by competing. Our experience would tend to bear that out in the latter case.

But our boys’ energetic physical relational interactions pale in comparison to the bitterness and rivalry between Esau and Jacob. From the moment of their birth Jacob is vying with his older brother. Then comes the lentil stew incident, ensuing deception between Jacob and his father aided and abetted by the boys’ mom. Their family is a relational mess!

Perhaps we can gain some comfort when we compare our family’s relational challenges. If they made it into the Bible as a family of God’s blessing, there may be hope for my family! That is true for all of us, for if God worked through, blessed, or used only perfect people, what hope would any of us have?

But that is a thin victory, and a pale reflection of hope. For scripture makes the point again and again, that he does not nod at sin. God actually requires perfection. The soul that sins will die. If you keep the whole law and break only one part, you are guilty of breaking the whole law. You must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. (Ezekiel 18:4; James 2:10; Matthew 5:48)

Of course we have a perfect brother – one who is completely obedient to his Father, willing always to receive those who come to him in faith, one who is our true big brother. This is the basis for all relationships within the body of Christ. We may draw comfort from the knowledge that God used people like Jacob, Esau, Rebekah, and Isaac for his good pleasure and considered them part of his broken families. This should never, however, be an excuse for treating or brothers or sisters in Christ with anything other than kindness, respect, grace, and mercy.

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Pardon this departure from my normal Sunday practice of posting Psalms for praying on the Lord’s Day. I noticed that Psalm 32 is part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas appointed for today. So I take this opportunity to post this reflection on that psalm alone. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 22-24; Psalm 32.

Psalm 32

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹ Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 32 is a beautiful reminder of the richness of God’s love and grace. He forgives our sins. He gives us life and salvation. He does that through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and his suffering and death and resurrection.

Jesus’ death provides the forgiveness we need more desperately then we realize. His resurrection brings us life, for Jesus is the firstfruits of all who die in faith. And when he comes again on the Great Last Day, we will fully experience his salvation.

My normal practice is to post psalms corresponding with the day of the month on Sundays. Today it would have been Psalm 1; 31; 61; 91; 121. Those are beautiful and worthy psalms to pray on this Lord’s Day. But Psalm 32 (the appointed psalm for our Follow the Word is worthy as well. I commend you to both the appointed psalms, as well as to this beautiful one.

God’s invitation through this psalm is in the last verse:

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! – Psalm 32:11

We are upright in heart and righteous only through faith in Jesus. So let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation through faith in his Son – this day and every day.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 16-18; Psalm 30.

Genesis 16:1-8, 15-17

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, ² that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ⁸ And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

¹⁵ And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

When I think of the story of Abraham and Sarah and God’s promise that they would have a son, I think of Sarah laughing in the tent when the Lord visited them and promised that within the year she would bear a child.

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:13–15)

This encounter is no laughing matter — whether we focus on Sarah’s laughter or remember that Abraham himself first laughed at the Lord’s seemingly impossible promise. It is no laughing matter because this is an encounter with the LORD — with Yahweh himself — who comes in the form of three men. One cannot help but glimpse the mystery of the Trinity in this moment.

Some biblical scholars see the pre-incarnate Christ in the appearances of the Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament, and there is much to commend this view. The Angel of the LORD speaks with divine authority, receives worship, and bears the very name of God — things no created angel may do. He appears distinct from the Father, yet fully identified as God, anticipating Christ, who would later take flesh as the visible, speaking presence of God among his people. The Angel of the LORD appears earlier to Hagar as she flees from Sarah in Genesis 16.

Here in Genesis 18 we encounter not the Angel of the LORD, but three men — and yet they act in the same manner. One of the three speaks and acts with the authority of the Lord himself, receiving Abraham’s reverence and making divine promises. The other two are later identified as angels, underscoring that the Lord is uniquely present among them. Together, this scene offers a profound glimpse into God’s triune life, with the Son appearing before his incarnation while the fullness of the Trinity is quietly implied.

Perhaps God’s startling promises still make us chuckle — whether in delight or disbelief. And yet in Jesus, God has shown up in real and personal ways. He brings promises that sound impossible and reveals a God who is full of grace and truth. Jesus is the Righteous One who stands between us and Satan, sin, and every kind of evil. In Christ, God himself steps into our story and keeps every promise he has made. And that’s no laughing matter.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 14-15; Psalm 29.

Genesis 14:18-20

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). ¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ and blessed be God Most High,
    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Melchizedek appears suddenly in Genesis, blesses Abram, and then disappears. But he leaves behind a pattern. He is a king who brings peace. He is a priest who blesses God’s people. His is a righteousness not rooted in law, lineage, or achievement. He just shows up, blesses Abram, and leaves. But before Melchizedek leaves Abram gives him a tenth of all he has.

God waits centuries to tell us why all this matters. Hebrews 5–7 uses Melchizedek to explain who Jesus is and why his priesthood matters.

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. ³ Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. ⁴ And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

⁵ So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,

“You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you”;

⁶ as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    after the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 7:1-6

Years ago one of our sons made a comment about my sermons – respectful, thoughtful, and meant in love. “Dad,” he said, “it seems no matter what the text or topic you preach on, you always manage to end up talking about Jesus.” “Well,” I told him, “that’s on purpose Son…” The Old Testament is a prelude to the New Testament. And the New Testament is a commentary on the Old Testament. So, yes, here we come again to Jesus. In Jesus, the pattern is fulfilled. He is the true King of righteousness and peace, and the priest who intercedes for us forever. He is worthy of our praise, our prayers, and our offerings.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Genesis 12-13; Psalm 28.

Genesis 12:1-9

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Abraham is known as the father of faith, and he shows it here in his response to God’s call. God gives Abram a great challenge, a clear call, and a great promise.

Think of the challenge. It comes out of the blue. It’s as if the LORD said, Get up and go to a place I will show you. But it’s even more, for God admits that he is asking Abram to leave ancestral home, his family, and the country where he lived. It would be a lot. Even a nomad might balk at the idea of pulling up stakes and moving at a single command.

Then comes the clear call. God will lead him to the land he will show him. But that’s all he has to go on. There is no pillar of fire, no paper map folded 40 times, a more convenient AAA TripTick, and certainly no Garman GPS, or Google maps to follow. There is no telling where he is to go. Had Abram been out of his own country before? Does he know the possibilities and lay of the land in various places? Perhaps he does. Maybe he doesn’t. But in either case God is calling him to an adventure of faith: Follow me. I will lead you.

God adds a promise – or better yet, he states what the future will hold. When God said, “Let there be light,” there was light. God’s word is not just a matter of verbs, adjectives, nouns and grammar. God’s word creates worlds. He calls the stars out and names them. He sets the limits. He determines boundaries. So when God says, “I will make of you a great nation,” it’s gonna happen.

Abram is not yet Abraham. Abram means Exalted Father. Abraham means Father of Many Nations. God will re-name him in due time. Abram will go as God leads him. Abram does not negotiate the terms. He does not ask for a guarantee. Nor does he delay until he understands.

Faith is like that. It is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is focused on the One who makes the promise and on what he promises, even though we have not yet seen it. Abram will stumble more than once as he waits for God’s promise to become reality. But God does not stumble. His word is as certain as our fumbles and foibles are real. And that word is fulfilled in Jesus, who calls us to follow him.

Abram builds altars along the way and calls on the name of the LORD – a phrase indicating worship. That’s a great example for us as well – to build altars of praise to God and to worship him who is the object of our faith – Jesus Christ our Lord.