Jeffrey Zhou, a member at JCA, went to Emory University and is going to start at Reformed Theological Seminary in the spring. He runs Eden Learning, a tutoring center for middle school/high school students.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“When Brokenness Meets Absolute Sovereignty”
Genesis 27:30–41
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. [31] He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” [32] His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” [33] Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” [34] As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” [35] But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” [36] Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” [37] Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” [38] Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. [39] Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. [40] By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.” [41] Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
“Build your ark, the flood is coming.” That’s what I constantly heard in prayer during junior year of college. Little did I know that my family doesn’t look much different from Isaac’s. I saw my family as a typical Chinese-American family where we all be independent, only talking when the topic was money or grades. It wasn’t great, but I was comfortable. Then, my mother called saying that my father was having an affair for two years. I was shaken. I had just raised my head above the flood waters of my depression and now this. I couldn’t understand what God’s plan was, but God showed me that He could redeem human failure and paint a glorious picture. It wasn’t ideal, but for the first time, I was able to talk to my parents honestly. I opened up to my mother and counseled her through the story of God’s faithfulness in my depression. I was upset with my father, but I saw that the brokenness he exhibited is the same depravity God saves all of us from.
Isaac’s family was also seriously broken. Jacob and Rebekah deceived the other two members of the family. Isaac and Esau deliberately disobeyed God’s command. Each individual had rampant selfish desires fueling their actions. When Isaac and Esau realized that Jacob had just deceitfully taken the birthright, they had vastly different responses. Isaac began trembling violently because he realized that God’s hand was at work. He had a fear of God and submitted to God’s authority. Esau, on the other hand, would not let go of his desire for the birthright. He wanted to kill Jacob and refused to accept God’s authority. Hebrews 11:20 calls Isaac a “man of faith,” while Hebrews 12:16 labels Esau as “unholy.” We all have brokenness, but God beckons us to trust Him more than the hurt of our failures.
Broken people become desperate people. Brokenness leaves us hopeless and leaves us blind to a greater future that God has masterfully designed. When you’re faced with your brokenness, will you respond like Isaac—with a fear of God, or like Esau—holding onto your depravity?
Prayer: God, help us to see our brokenness for what it truly is. Show us a healthy fear of the Lord. Help us to have faith that You can redeem our most atrocious sins and use our stories to paint a picture of Your perfect glory. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 46
Lunch Break Study
Read: Daniel 4:28–37: All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. [29] At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, [30] and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” [31] While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, [32] and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” [33] Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. [34] At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; [35] all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” [36] At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. [37] Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Questions to Consider
- Why may have God put Nebuchadnezzar through this wilderness experience?
- What did Nebuchadnezzar realize after God had put him through that experience?
- What do we learn about the absolute sovereignty of God and the fallen human condition? How may you be holding onto your own desires instead of submitting to the Lord?
Notes
- Nebuchadnezzar was extremely prideful and impenitent. God had used Daniel to interpret the dreams, but Nebuchadnezzar failed to recognize that God is absolutely sovereign over man. Nebuchadnezzar was given a chance to repent, but failed to do so; thus, God placed him into this humbling experience.
- Nebuchadnezzar lost all that he believed he earned by his own work. God had taught him that his entire kingdom could be lost rapidly, and that all of its’ glory was in no part due to Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness. Nebuchadnezzar finally submitted and learned this lesson, proclaiming that nobody can question God’s work or command Him to do anything.
- The outstanding part of this is that God demonstrates his glory through the fallenness of a pagan, a direct opposer of God’s people. We learn that God can use anyone and anything, despite how broken or sinful it or he or she is. God is always in control and able to work all things for His good.
Evening Reflection
Proverbs 19:21, 23 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. [23] The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”
Spend some time meditating on these two verses. Pray over brokenness that you saw today, and ask for God’s redeeming work to be done.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Jennifer Kim. Jennifer, a graduate of Boston University, spent a year in Shanghai as one-year intern from 2013-14. She is currently serving as a staff at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey), while attending Alliance Theological Seminary.
I have a vivid memory of when I was six years old, being filled with so much pain and confusion as I saw my dad leave on a cab headed to the airport. My parents had made the decision to open up a new branch of their business in Brazil in hopes of fulfilling the American dream for their kids, while my mom continued to run their business in New York and taking care of my ten-year-old brother and myself. Looking back, my parents could never have imagined the cost of their decision: a family divided for over two decades with consequences that our family is still overcoming.
The AMI QT Devotional for today is written by Pastor Andrew Kim at Tapestry Church. Andrew is currently studying (M.Div.) at Fuller Theological Seminary. He and Jessie were married in 2014.
In today’s passage, we see the beginning of a story marked by deception and lies. As Isaac senses the nearness of his own death (although he would live for another 30-40 years), he feels the need to finish up some family business before he passes. However, the fact that the author of Genesis points out Jacob’s blindness is a hint on how the rest of the story will unfold. He plans on passing down the patriarchal blessing to Esau in exchange for a delicious meal. This seems to signify two things: First, it is comical in one sense to exchange the father’s blessing for a single meal. It seems as though Isaac does not understand the value of what he is passing on. Second, Isaac is apparently blind to the fact that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a meal. The irony of this situation is easily seen. And this is only the beginning of a chapter which exposes the brokenness of all the characters involved.
The AMI QT Devotionals from December 4-10 are written by Andy Kim. Andy, a graduate of Northwestern University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) currently serves as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco. And this past November Andy got married… to Jane. Congratulations.
After a few years of working in corporate America, I felt the Lord calling me to pursue full-time ministry. The conversation I had with my boss would be one to remember. To provide some context, my boss was a devout Hindu who knew I was a Christian—way too devoted to church work. That day, I stepped into her office and gave her my resignation, explaining that I wanted to pursue full- time ministry. After much disbelief and negotiation, she allowed me to work on a flex schedule that gave me enough time to focus on ministry. But more than these benefits, it was her passing remark that I cherished: She said, “Andrew, you put out good work. But more than that, I feel like having you on my team means I have God on my team.” She joked saying that she wanted all the extra good karma possible, but even if it was a joke it meant everything to me.
Moving is stressful because it means finding a place to live in a crazy housing market, adjusting to different cultures, and embracing a new community. In the midst of this chaos, what we deem as non-negotiable keeps us sane: For some it’s an in-unit washer/dryer; the school district; bathroom water pressure; the type of people; nearby friends; etc. The general rule of thumb is that if you can secure what is non-negotiable to you, then you should sign the papers—or else you might lose it. And in the Mosaic period, the most important non-negotiable was a source of water.
Like father, like son—or in the case of my friend, like father, like daughter. To give context, my friend is a 250-pound man who was known to be like a rock—emotionless and unmovable. That was until his daughter came into the picture and found himself crying. Surprisingly, it was not when she was born, but it was the first time she had done something bad. What made him cry was the fact that he saw his own bad habits in his precious little baby daughter. He couldn’t believe how such an innocent child could follow after his own selfishness. Even when he was disciplining her, he felt like he was disciplining an innocent baby, a victim of his own selfishness.
Over the past decade, millennials have gotten a bad reputation, especially from the previous generations. Time magazine writer John Stein describes the stigma of the millennials as the “ME, ME, ME” generation. While previous generations have been built on hard work and sacrifice for the next, millennials expect to simply ride on their coat tails. Stein writes that the consequences are feelings of entitlement and laziness. As a millennial, I feel that these generalizations may be debatable, but we can all agree that there is no such thing as a free ride in our world today.
Over Thanksgiving, we laughed over past memories of my silly childhood and one stood out in particular. My mom would take me to prayer meetings and leave me in the back with the other kids to run around. In one service, the pastor went around praying and laying hands on the heads of the people. The next morning while my mom was praying, she suddenly felt a hand on her head. She had thought it was Jesus! But when she looked up, she was shocked to see her four-year-old son passionately jerking her head yelling gibberish! For many of us, we’ve learned to pray ever since we were young. But over time, such learned prayers can become repetitive and mundane. The danger is that these once faith-driven prayers can become mere afterthoughts.
Every year, America witnesses the inner savage in all humans—we call it Black Friday shopping. In the past, shoppers have actually pulled out guns but people still refused to let go of televisions and computers even as they were getting shot at. This year, a shopper threw a shoe at a poor innocent baby while trying to beat the rush. Suffice it to say, we can all agree that Black Friday shopping has taken over and destroyed the meaning of Thanksgiving. Rather than celebrating with families and friends and thinking of the years’ past blessings, people sit in tents waiting in lines, fighting one another. Over what? Just to save some money on items that will soon be outdated.
The AMI QT Devotionals from December 4-10 are written by Andy Kim. Andy, a graduate of Northwestern University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) currently serves as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco. And this past November Andy got married . . . to Jane. Congratulations.
We have all given up something to be where we are today. For the sake of your career, think about all the fun you gave up with countless hours for that next promotion; for your family, all the sacrifices you made for your kids; for your health, all the sugary carbs with depressing diets and workouts. We call these “opportunity cost”: simply put, it is to give up something for something else usually of greater value.