God Has No Grandchildren

The bumper sticker read: “If I’d known grandchildren were so much fun I would have had them first.” With grandchildren we have no parental responsibility and can send them home when we’re tired.

But to be a grandchild of God is a vulnerable place. My commitment to God when I was ten years old was a meaningful decision. But my father’s conviction of his faith bolstered my assurance of faith. He clearly expressed his belief and confidently preached it.

As long as confidence in some-one else is our assurance of faith, we are God’s grandchildren. If we rely on some-one else’s belief, our own faith may falter and our confidence is undermined.

Jacob is a prime example. Early in life, his confidence was in the God of his father Isaac: he referred to “the Lord your God” in Genesis 27:20. But later he met God at Bethel and the Lord became his God. For the rest of his life, his personal relationship with God—tenuous at times—became his mainstay.

Joseph came to that place much earlier in life. He lost all contact with his family and those who knew God. His adversity drove him to seek God for himself.

There is nothing wrong with leaning on others during a time of incubation and maturing of our faith. But a systematic knowledge of God’s word, and experience of God’s involvement in our lives, will make our faith our own. Then we are able to “give the reason for the hope that you have,” 1 Peter 3:15. Where are you on this journey?

Egypt's "Abortion" Program

After reading again the story of Pharaoh's purge of the Hebrew male children, it occurred to me that he would have preferred abortion to infanticide, but they could not abort without knowing the child’s sex. Thus, the midwives were told to kill male children “on the delivery stool”; the closest thing to abortion.

It appears that the midwives excuse for not killing the male children—that Hebrew women were more vigorous than their Egyptian counterparts and “give birth before the midwives arrive,”—maintained male births and the Hebrew nation continued to flourish.

Developing nations, where the birthrate is high, commonly practice population control by abortion—often pressured by wealthier nations. But abortion in developed countries reduces the birthrate to well below the replacement rate of 2.4 live births per couple. Quebec leads the way with a birthrate of only 1.4.

China and India have a disproportionate male population due abortion or infanticide of females as male children are preferred. This shortage of marriageable women leads to bartering and kidnapping girls for marriage.

Birth is simply a growing event in life, like puberty, the first sexual experience and sickness. Thus there is only a fine line between abortion and infanticide, the latter growing in western nations.

Killing children is recognized as the most heinous of crimes and those who prey on children are the worst pariahs of society. The unborn are the most defenseless of all, yet they are often disposed of with the least regret. In the “Christian” west, we cannot point too many fingers at the king of Egypt.

Polygamy and Adultery

Legalization of gay marriage opens the door to other marriage relationships—in particular, acceptance of polygamy. 

At the time of writing, polygamy exists in the province of British Columbia and it is not pursued by the police. This is partly because to do so would provoke a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Approval of one alternate form of marriage reduces the defence against others.

Polygamy was practised in Old Testament times, but this and other readings indicate that it was not very satisfactory, recall Hannah and Peninah, 1 Samuel 1:1–7. Both of Jacob’s wives were unhappy, Leah because she was not loved and Rachel because she was barren. While tolerated in the Old Testament, it was illicit by New Testament times when Jesus repeated the creation ideal of one man and one woman, Matthew 19:4–6. 

Polygamy may not yet be a serious issue, but adultery is rampant and repeats all the problems of polygamy—humiliation, jealousy and possible abandonment. The problem, unfortunately, is not restricted to the married partners. It has its effect on their children. 

Hagar’s child Ishmael copied the scorn of his mother, Gen. 16:3–4; 21:8–9, and rival children from David’s wives turned to violence and murder. Similarly, children in adulterous homes often suffer lifelong trauma, and may develop habits of their adulterous parents in adult life. 

The greatest security we can give children is a home that is secure in its parental relationships—where two parents of opposite sex love and respect each other.

See You Next Week

Well, time has just got away, and I'm not inclined to run after it on my day of rest. Besides, Canada won, what else is there to say?

In the meantime:

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;
The LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." 

Num. 6:24-26

Be My Valentine

If it didn’t seem so frivolous, I would say that God is my Valentine. The frivolousness of that idea reflects the trivial nature of love portrayed by Valentine’s Day. I am compelled to quote The Christians Journal of Contemporary Christian History, for Friday February 14, 2014.

To think that Valentine, or any other saint, approved of any two mortals “falling madly, hopelessly in love” and “living only for each other forever” would be quite wrong. In fact, no culture has ever approved of it until now, because it so easily overpowers both marriage and religion. And the disarray today of marriage and religion probably leaves St. Valentine shaking his head.

Until now, all human cultures—both Christian and pagan—saw marriage as a rational and calculated business to unite particular families and clans through allocation of property and the procreation of children of known parentage. Romance was a distraction. Marriage was a duty.

Of course it was always hoped that the couple would come to love each other. But . . . the idea that marriage should happen only if and after a couple “falls in love” was, until fairly recently, ridiculous.

Hey, that’s not to say I’m not a romantic. I fell in love at first sight sixty four years ago and I’m still married to the same girl. And that desperate sense of longing that love inspires provided an initial foundation for our marriage.

But In the mid fifties, love was for marriage and the nurture of subsequent children; not simply a self-satisfying recreation, but a God-ordained means of furthering and cultivating the human race.

Of greater significance, love and marriage is an extension of God’s nature, immersed in eternal love within the Trinity. So He fashioned the triune family: father, mother, and children, and this love between humans should reflect the love that God offers.

What is that love like? Even asking the question shows how far we have come from knowing or understanding it. Here is a testimony of a friend finding His love so unexpectedly.

I knew God as Creator and had absolutely no feeling of separation from Him, having been fed a diet of liberal theology. I knew since God had created me He would redeem me. The song “Holy, Holy, Holy,” meant nothing to me since I had no sense of sin in my own life.

[My friend] Marcella’s pastor proceeded to tell me that salvation was free, and I could be assured of eternal life through accepting Jesus as my Saviour. He showed me the Scripture in Ephesians 2:8: “for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

 

That was a new concept to me. . . . I listened while he explained the doctrine of salvation. When he asked me to accept God’s free gift through prayer, I did so.

Well, it wasn’t long before I was experiencing a new range of emotions. First, remorse for past incidents which in the natural I wouldn’t have imagined were sinful; then a peace and a joy, words which were meaningless to me until then. Finally, a love and compassion for others I wouldn’t have believed possible.

“Dead in trespasses and sins,” was an apt description of my previous life, and I hadn’t even known I was dead! When I read John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly,” I knew experientially what the apostle was talking about. How thankful I am that God showed me my need and I responded.

Can our love for our Valentine inspire him or her the same way?

 

Find God's direction in the Norford's Marriage Devotional, HappyTogether, Available in paperback or kindle from Amazon.