Message

       The Sabbath reading portion for this week is titled Va-y'chi, meaning, "and he lived". This reading portion covers Genesis chapters 47 through 49. The Sabbath reading gave me much food for thought, especially considering the fact that we have just finished celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and we are looking at the end of one calendar year, and the beginning of a new one. In this week's reading, some great old patriarchs of our faith were passing away and leaving a message of instructions for their sons. 

     Our first father in this lesson is Jacob, who, at the age of 130, came to Egypt during a severe famine to be reunited with his son, Joseph. As Jacob was introduced to the Pharaoh that Joseph served, Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" Jacob answered: "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few (me'at/ma'at - littleness, little worth, small matter/diminished, nothing, bring to nothing, gather least) and evil (ra/ra'a - wickedness, trouble, affliction, grievous, malignant, misery, sorrow, unhappy/bad, evil, harm, evil doer, broken in pieces) have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers (which included Abraham and Isaac) in the days of their pilgrimage." (Gen. 47:7-10). This sad testimony was Jacob's message before the king. If we consider the time of "Jacob's Trouble" that comes during the end times, it is prophesied as a time of darkness with an increase of wickedness and sorrows. However, Jacob was a man who had seen a ladder between heaven and earth with God enthroned at the top of it, and angels ascending and descending upon it. Jacob had also been renamed "Israel" (meaning "God prevails, he will rule as God, contender, soldier of God; have power as a prince, persist, to be leader, commander, to be noble") by God (see Gen. 32:28). This is a man to whom God spoke several times. His son, whom he thought was dead, was joyously revealed to be alive and ruling in Egypt, saving multitudes from the famine.  All of these events and more showed the miraculous hand of God in Jacob's life, yet his testimony to Pharaoh was that the days of his years had been small and evil compared to his fathers. Perhaps Jacob's message to Pharaoh regarding his life reflected the prophetic times of great tribulation ahead. Both Jacob, and later, his beloved son Joseph, gave instructions regarding their burials to their sons before dying, and those requests were obediently carried out by their descendants. Jacob also delivered a prophetic message over each of his sons, and the sons of Joseph as well, before he died. His prophetic message over his son, Judah, would call forth the Messiah many generations later.

   In another reading portion from this Sabbath, King David, as he aged, passed a message to his son, Solomon, who would rule Israel after him. He assembled all of the elders and rulers of Israel to bear witness to this message. David told them that it had been his heart's desire "to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it." (1 Chron. 28:1-2).  However, the LORD had told David that he could not build this house because, as a man of war, he had shed blood (v. 3). The LORD said instead: "It is your son Solomon (selomo/salom - peace, peaceable/completeness, welfare, soundness, prosperity, contentment, perfect such as be at peace) who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father." (v. 6). David then provided to Solomon all of his building plans for the house of God, instructions for the service of the priests and Levites, and all of the gold and silver necessary to construct the furnishings of worship for the house: "All this', said David, 'the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans." (v. 19). He then said to Solomon: "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God - my God - will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service for the house of the LORD..." (v. 20, see also Deut. 31:6-8, Josh. 1:9, Mt. 28:20, Heb. 13:5-6). And David prayed to the LORD for his son, Solomon, and for God's people (v. 18-20). When Solomon later completed the house of God after his father's death, he prayed that all could come to it to pray for God's relief, forgiveness and healing (2 Chron. 6). This is the message that David passed to his son, which his son obediently carried out.

     We who believe in Christ are also each being built into the spiritual house of God, and this house is also being built upon a message: "...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5). Peter passed this additional message to those who are obedient: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (v. 9-10, see also 1 Cor. 6:19-20: Glorify God). Here is another part of the message given to us: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of the darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6). Jesus also prayed to His Father about the message to be contained in us: "And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (Jn. 17:22-23). This message given to us is so that "the world may know". Pharaoh represented the world before Jacob, but Jacob's message to him was a very different one, a message of smallness, diminishing glory and evil. We are to bring a different message. Solomon wrote a Psalm about the rule and reign of the Messiah (Christ). In part it proclaims: "...And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed...And blessed be His glorious name for ever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." (Ps. 72:17-19). As this Psalm of Solomon concludes, scripture makes the notation in v. 20: "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended (kala - finished, accomplished, determined, be completed, be fulfilled)." The Psalm of Solomon completed the prayers and message of his father, David.  

     We have just been through the observance of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ/Messiah. As I read the very familiar account of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels, where the angels were delivering a message to all mankind, I thought that it is a message that I, as a believer, should be carrying and living, not just at Christmas, but eternally. The message is very similar to the scriptures we read above: "And behold, an angel of the LORD stood before them (the shepherds), and the glory of the LORD shone around them. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men!" (Lk. 2:9-14).

     I don't want to live as if this message is meant for only one day out of the year. I think this is THE message for all eternity. This message tells all people that though they may be surrounded by the darkness of the night, as the shepherds were, a Savior has come in shining glory. Though we may be in sin, a Savior has come to bring us back to His Father's heart if we will receive Him. Though our hearts may be filled with unrighteousness and unrest, we can come and find the Babe who was sent to die on a cross and rise again by the will of the Father for His glory and for our righteousness. For all of us who will receive THE message, come to the house of God's glory and presence, and be reconciled with your Father through THE message hand-delivered to us all by His Son, Jesus. As Solomon wrote THE message in the Psalm:

                                              "Let the whole earth be filled with His glory!"

     If you would like to walk in the message of praise and glory to God, you can pray with me: "Dear Father in heaven, how You have put a message in my heart and spirit! I want to walk in it, live in it, and show it before all. Like the good fathers of faith in scripture, who handed down their message and instructions to their sons, You also have handed down Your message and instruction to Your sons and daughters, born of Your Spirit. As Your spiritual house, I open my doors to any who seek to be reconciled with You through belief in Your Son, Jesus, to any who desire to be brought out of darkness and into Your light, to any who are not a people, but desire to obtain Your mercy and become the people of God who proclaim Your praises. As David drew up plans for the house of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, fill me also with Your Spirit so that my life may conform to the plans for Your living house. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."