DAY 5 – BLESSINGS AND BLESSEDNESS

Genesis 13, 14 & 15 and Matthew 5:1 - 26

There seem to be a lot of blessings going around today. Abram is blessed by a new to the scene priest, Melchizedek, Abram is blessed by God with a Covenant, and Jesus tells people that those who do certain things are blessed!

I am not sure I feel blessed today. I certainly feel busy, at times bothered, but blessed…that is going to take some considering.

Genesis 13-15 covers a fair amount of ground. In chapter 13 Abram and Lot divide up the land, with Abram allowing Lot the first choice. God sees Abrams lack of concern and promises him a great deal of land, and Abram’s response is to build an altar thanking God. If I pause right here would I respond that way. Would I, after making a sacrifice to another human, pause and remember all that God has given me, ending with me worshiping God? There is a lesson here for me.

Chapter 14 we enter and intriguing yet seemingly disconnected piece of history. There is a war, Lot gets captured, Abram rescues him, doesn't want any of the spoils of war, and then is blessed by a King and Priest named Melchizedek. My Archaeology Study Bible has a short write up about the goings on in Mesopotamia during this time frame  but I don’t think that is the point. The point is Abram. A godly man, going to rescue Lot, not taking any plunder, and then…don’t miss this…when Melchizedek blesses Abram by “God Most High” we really aren't sure which God (god) Melchizedek is referring to. Abram in verse 22 quickly cites that he worships only one God and has raised his hand and taken an oath to Him. After a powerful victory it would be tempting for Abram to join this group of kings (indeed they seem to be encouraging him to do so) yet instead he remains separate for God. How about me? Do I to easily join the culture of the day, or do I remain separate, holy unto, God? (Is that where the blessing resides?)

Chapter 15 is the wonderful Covenant of God with Abram; count the stars if you can, your offspring will so be. Yet what of the animals being cut in half? There is a Bible video series titled That the World May Know which unpacks this ritual. The short explanation is that what is taking place is how two kings made a treaty or covenant. The animals are split in half and the lesser of the two kings walks through the blood symbolically saying, “may this happen to me (be torn in two) if I do not hold up my end of the treaty.” Remarkably the “smoking pot and blazing torch” symbolize God. God is saying may this happen to me if you do not keep up your end of the treaty. I trust your mind has quickly gone to that terrible hill of Calvary, where God Incarnate was stretched out on a Cross, as if being torn in two, for exactly this reason. From a hill where animals were cut in half to a hill called Golgotha – all because this God that we are merely 15 chapters into reading about is Faithful – we truly are blessed to be one of His stars.

Matthew 5:1-26 contain much to ponder and for me I need to break it apart a bit. First of all Jesus is not describing some philosophical view of the world. If he is then he is wrong. Mourners go un-comforted. I met someone this week exactly in that condition. The merciful are not shown mercy, and so what is Jesus describing? Look closer at Matthew’s story. Jesus has begun his ministry, crowds are following him, and now he begins to teach…to teach them about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Beatitudes’ describe the situation where God’s Kingdom is.

It is why he goes to then tell us we are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” We are to be people who bring the Kingdom of Heaven to a lost and dark world. The Kingdom of Heaven is not is some far off place, it is rather where the Love of Christ breaks into the world. He is clear that we do this by embracing not only the letter of the Law, but the Spirit of it. When we do, then a part of His Kingdom breaks into this world. His words about anger hit me squarely in the eye. When I am angry am I bringing His Light, or darkness? His words about persecution hit me as well.

Do not expect it to be easy; in fact expect to be persecuted. I often read “blessed” and “blessing” as “God will make it easy” – that is a silly notion, but one that somehow is in my head. I need to get it out of head and have my brain rewired. Abram was blessed; he just finished a war. The Prophets were blessed; they didn't have it easy. We just celebrated Christmas, Mary and Joseph were blessed; yet we all know that telling a woman delivering a baby that is it easy is beyond foolish – and Mary in a stable no less.

What then of “blessed”, I started the blog by saying “I don’t feel blessed today.” The readings today seem to tell us that those who seek to do and live in the Will of God are blessed. Today I am running around, but if I am doing His Will, then I am blessed. If we do it long enough we can move from expecting that it will all be fair, and all be easy, to a place of inner peace amid the difficulty that often comes with living in God’s Will.