Introduction:
Life is all about good directions! There are moments in our lives when we choose to direct our paths, neglecting God in the process, only to end up in that predictable outcome, the usual train wreck. The Proverbs gives us a good reminder of the most important directions to follow: Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [b]direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)
Wisdom: Psalm 5-
David wrote this psalm as a morning prayer seeking the Lord for strength and guidance through another rough day dealing with adversaries. The prayer is vital to David because we see it in v. one and at the beginning of v. two three direct times, as David is actively seeking the attention of the Lord. After all, he desperately seeks the Lord’s guidance and strength for his upcoming day, which I'm sure was filled with extreme spiritual warfare. This is a great morning prayer in our daily walks with Jesus.
The New Testament: Gospel - Matthew 5:21-42
Matthew 5:21-26- Murder begins in the heart:
Righteousness is illustrated by Jesus when He teaches that murder begins in the heart of a person. In the Bible, two places tell us in the scriptures that there is no sinful anger (Psalm 4:4 and Mark 3:5). Here, we see Jesus forbidding sinful anger and identifying this behavior with murder. In v. 22, Jesus uses the expression “Raca!” This expression in Greek, “raka,” means empty or worthless. It was a term used to degrade an individual, like spitting on them. In Hebrew (Aramaic origin), “req” means vain, empty, or vain person or individuals. It seems extraordinarily degrading, and that's why Jesus brought it up: we must treat one another respectfully, even when we are angry.
Matthew 5:27- 30: Adultery begins in the heart.
Jesus’ subsequent teaching of direction is how adultery b, begins in one's heart. I am God-given, and mutual attraction between a man and a woman is not the issue; instead, Jesus is talking about the selfish promotion of lust. Humanity doesn't sin by nature, but humanity can distort nature for self-indulgence. Do we sin when involuntary thoughts enter our minds? They are temptations that can become sins if they are held and entertained.
Matthew 5:30-31- Marriage is binding and sacred.
Jesus contrasts the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law; divorce was misused in those days, and our LORD repeatedly condemns the action of divorce (see Matthew 19:8-9), and our LORD emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage. Divorcing over sexual immorality shows us how a marriage can be destroyed by sin.
Matthew 5:33-37: Jesus Forbids oaths:
Our Lord is directing us to the truth that trust cannot be secured by simply swearing a simple oath and by swearing things that are not even in humanity’s possession. Still, as Christians, we are called and directed to live a simple life on integrity.
Matthew 5:38-42: Go the second mile.
Jesus is directing us not to resist evil with evil because the truth is evil can only be overcome by our witnessing, and our good deeds help keep us free from compromising with the devil, which can help bring our spiritual enemies under the yoke of God’s love.
Our Lord directs us to this understanding: We sin voluntarily and involuntarily in word, thought, and deeds. There is no partiality with God; all must repent.
Old Testament: Genesis 11:10-13:18
Genesis 11:10-31- The Genealogies of Shem and Terah
Genesis 11 finishes up explaining the Genealogy of Shem in vv. 10-26, and the Genealogy of Terah in vv. 27-32. The genealogy of Shem is the carrier of Christ’s genealogy down to Abraham. The true unity of our human race is in Christ Himself.
Genesis 12:1-9: God’s Promises to Abraham
Imagine being Abraham, being directed by God, and leaving all you have ever known behind. Here is a beautiful summary by St. Paul, who wrote, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying, ‘In you, all the nations shall be blessed” (Galatians 3:8). Abraham is known as the father of all the faithful (Romans 4:11). Abraham built an altar of worship, so an altar is part of his faith. Bethel (v. 8) means “house of God” and is said to be a foreshadowing of the Church as the house of God. The altar is central to worship, and at the altar, the Church calls on the name of the LORD, just like Abraham.
We see in v. 17 that the LORD protected Sarah’s virtue and the Incarnation. Abraham and Sarah begot Isaac, through whom the promise of Christ was made (Romans 9:7).
Genesis 13:
This chapter begins with Lot and Abraham parting ways. It was Canaan and not Egypt that was the land of promise. Abraham never lost his focus in Egypt on God’s promise in both the gospel of salvation and the land of promise. Note that all those with the same faith as Abraham focus on God’s plan for our lives.
In vv. 6-9, Abraham is a peacemaker, “Blessed are the peacemakers, / For they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Abraham had a unique ability to overcome strife with others.
In vv. 10-13: Lot, unlike Abraham, was attached to the beauty of the landscape. Lot also walked by sight and not faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Lot’s issue was his lack of maturity in faith.
In vv. 14-18: We see Lot “pitched a tent” in Sodom (v. 12), but Abraham, on the other hand, builds an altar (v. 18), and this is a notable difference between these two men.
Conclusion: Lot trapped himself in this fallen world and its environment. Abraham, on the other hand, focused himself on the Lord.
In Christ, love Jared
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