EDOM’S END

Time with Jesus - 6 Sept 2013

Hi all,

Carrying twins or triplets is not likely to be the desire of many women. From the comments I’ve heard, one at a time “in the womb” is quite sufficient. Rebecca, the first woman on record in the Bible to give birth to twins, confirms this. It seems that Esau and Jacob began their feud before they were born. 

The "Mess of Pottage"

Genesis tells us; ²¹ Rebekah became pregnant with twins. ²² But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. ²³ And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son." Gen 25:21-23 NLT

The Family Tree from Terah

The rivalry and between Esau, her first-born son and Jacob, lasted from the cradle to the grave and beyond. At times it appears that they tried to “bury the hatchet”. It didn’t last. The two sons were too different. Esau could be best described as a “man’s man”. Jacob was not exactly a “mommy’s boy”. 

Edom, Judah and Israel

Rather than seek to coexist in the same land, the descendants of Esau moved south and established the Kingdom of Edom.

Edom or Idumea was located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC, Iron Age kingdom. The name Edom means "red" in Hebrew, and was given to Esau, the eldest son of the Hebrew patriarch Isaac. The Torah, Tanakh and New Testament thus describe the Edomites as descendants of Esau. The Edomites' original country, stretched from the Sinai Peninsula as far as Kadesh Barnea. Southward it reached as far as Eilat, which was the seaport of Edom. On the north of Edom was the territory of Moab. The ancient capital of Edom was Bozrah. Esau's descendants settled in this land after displacing the Horites. It was also called the land of Seir; Mount Seir was strongly identified with them. Selah (Petra) was its principal stronghold, Eilat and Ezion-geber its seaports. (Courtesy Google)

During the exodus from Egypt and prior to them entering the Promised Land, the Lord forbade the Israelites from passing through Edom or attacking the Edomites. Instead they marched round their land.

Although the Edomites controlled the lands to the east and south of the Dead Sea, their peoples were held in derision by the Israelites. Hence the Book of Psalms says "Moab is my washpot: over Edom will I cast out my shoe". Psalm 60:8 NLT According to the Torah the congregation could not receive descendants of a marriage between an Israelite and an Edomite until the fourth generation!

Petra Today

In many respects, the Israelites were contemptuous of Edom and the Edomites. They subdued them during the days of King Saul and controlled the land for many years.

 ±1400 years after the birth of the twins, The Babylonians attacked Judah and took many of the inhabitants captive to Babylon. 

Petra Today

The Edomites sided with the Babylonians and joined in the slaughter. They rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem and murdered many of the people. In particular, they grabbed infants by the feet. Then they smashed their heads, breaking their skulls against the rocks. This was something the Judeans never forgot.

The Hairy arm of Jacob to
Trick Isaac from the Blessing

Judas Maccabeus conquered their territory for a time in ±163 BC. They were again subdued by John Hyrcanus (±125 BC), who forcibly converted them to Judaism and incorporated them into the Jewish nation. This was more or less the end of the Edomites and Idumeans, except for one notable exception. Herod the Great was an Idumean. When the house of Herod finally passed away, Edom/Idumea vanished.

It is one of the ironies of history, that the Herod the Great, the “King of Idumea”, sent his servants to kill Jesus by murdering all the boys under two years of age in the Bethlehem area. Later, another Herod, Antipas son of Herod the Great tried to get Jesus to “perform tricks”. Jesus would not so much as speak to him. 

In the end, he consented to the crucifixion of Jesus. In this way, the son of Herod consented to the death of the Son of God. A spike through the heels held Jesus in position until He died.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 06 September 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	EDOM’S END
Schooldays. They are now distant memories. One thing that’s worth mentioning this morning is Brother Florian. He was our skinny science teacher whom we called “Bones” because, as I’ve heard said, “there’s more fat on a greasy chip”. One of the science instruments he used was a finely balanced scale to “weigh” small things. It was kept in a small glass covered box to exclude drafts. Things would be placed in the one pan and a variety of precise weights were placed in the other to establish the exact “weight” of the object. This “balance scale” reminds me that God is the only One who has the right to put our lives in the balance and establish our “value”. A similar exercise is referred to by Henry W Longfellow in a short couple of lines, the first of which I’ve included in today’s meditation. THOUGH the mills of God grind slowly, Yet they grind exceeding small / Though with patience he stands waiting, With exactness grinds he all. I’ve been told that it was originally a Chinese proverb but can’t confirm this. The Scripture we focus on this morning is the one from Isaiah 21. This prophetic word refers to the judgement God would bring on Edom in the Mt Seir region. Edom consisted primarily of Esau’s descendants. The descendants of Israel (Jacob) were their distantly related twin brothers, Esau and Jacob. These two were not really on good terms. Esau had given Jacob his birth-right; that of the first born son. Jacob had tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing of the first born son. This difficult relationship had developed over some 1000 years into outright antagonism. Edom “automatically” sided with Israel’s enemies. So when the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem, Edom was there to celebrate. The atrocities committed by the Babylonians and probably also by the Edomites on Judah and Jerusalem is recorded for us in the Psalms in vivid detail. 7 O LORD, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. "Destroy it!" they yelled. "Level it to the ground!" 8 O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! Psalm 137:7-9 NLT The context of this lament took place in Babylon and is expressed in the first verse of the Psalm. 1 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. Psalm 137:1 NLT (Remember Bony M’s song?) God was fully aware of what had happened. Furthermore He knew all about the Esau/Jacob squabble. It was right that Jacob’s descendants be brought to book for what had happened all those years ago. But laughing and rejoicing as the Babylonians took them captive and led them away was further than God intended. As for the slaughter of the innocent babies. This was taking the old Esau/Jacob dispute to extreme lengths; further than should have gone. The prophet Isaiah foresaw God’s judgement on Edom years before it would actually happen. His words are, to some extent a lament, asking Him when His judgement would fall on Edom. Today, the Edomites are dead and gone. All that’s left is the “town” of Petra, a favourite visiting place for tourists in Jordan. Some think Herod the Great descended from the Edomites. Perhaps this is why he hated Jesus? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			11 A Message concerning Edom: A voice calls to me from the Seir mountains in Edom, "Night watchman! How long till daybreak? How long will this night last?" Isaiah 21:11 MSG	Isaac and Rebecca had two sons who were twins. They were in a conflict; in which nobody “wins”! The elder brother Esau was whom Isaac preferred. Jacob was a schemer. Today we’d say, “a nerd”. The blessing and the birth-right, to Esau should have gone. By scheming and deception, Jacob was the one, Who got his father’s blessing. Then Jacob ran away, To be with uncle Laban, whom he worked for without pay! First he married Leah, then took Rachel as a wife. This is where the problems began for him in life. Twelve sons and a daughter, by wives and concubines. Twelve sons who became the tribes of Israel’s blood lines. Finally the time had come to go back home again. But what about the brother? He’d caused him so much pain. How would he receive him? It had him worried sick. He thought that in his homeland, his brother then would pick, A fight that would destroy him and all his family. And squash him like a little bug that has no right to be. But Esau wasn’t interested. He was a wealthy man. And in the end decided that he would make a plan. This ended at Mount Seir; Edom was the name, By which all his descendants acquired there ugly fame. Israel and Edom were not the best of friends. The Esau / Jacob quarrel did never really end. Every opportunity the Edomites could find, Were used to stir up trouble and be terribly unkind. For something like a thousand years this trouble came and went. They sided with their enemy and lots of time was spent, Trying to get even for what happened long ago. When Nebuchadnezzar came, they sided with the foe. They laughed and sneered at Israel ; they grabbed the babies feet, And smashed their heads against the rocks. Revenge for them was sweet. But God was an observer of what had taken place. And said He would wipe Edom, completely off the face Of earth. They would be massacred and vanish like a mist! And that is just what happened. They no longer exist. The mills of God grind slowly but they grind very fine. And Edom had offended the One Who is Divine. It’s not a happy story. In fact it makes me weep. Leave all vengeance to the Lord. His judgements are so deep. And He will bring in righteousness. Don’t think it is delayed. The day in history will come when all the debts are paid! Jim Strickland Written 6th Sept 2012
			11 You know the times in which we are living. It's time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. Romans 13:11-12 GW
			32 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all those things happening, you know that the end is near. It is right at the door. 34 What I'm about to tell you is true. The people living at that time will certainly not pass away until all those things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:32-35 NIrV
			5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. Psalms 130:5-6 ESV
			20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 NLT
			13 "So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return. Matthew 25:13 NLT

PRICELESS LIVING WATER

Time with Jesus - 5 Sept. 2013

Hi All,

In 1957, one of our English “Set books” was King Solomon’s Mines. The book was first published in September 1885 amid considerable fanfare, with billboards and posters around London announcing "The Most Amazing Book Ever Written". 

It became an immediate best seller. H Rider Haggard wrote the novel as a result of a five-shilling wager with his brother, namely whether he could write a novel half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The book was a novelty. When, published, it became the year's best seller; (Courtesy Google)

The book was a “hit” with the Standard 8 schoolboys. It had all the ingredients needed to capture the imagination of youngsters in school. Some of us were familiar with “Allan Quatermain”. He had featured in other Rider Haggard books. It included intrigue, treachery, some knowledge of African history and geography, hardship, thirst, “magic tricks”, a total eclipse of the sun, a male / female love affair and the restoration of a throne to its rightful owner.

Carrying Water in the Desert

In the early chapters of the book, the party crosses the desert on the way to “Kukuanaland”, located behind two mountains known as Sheba’s Left and Right Breasts.

The image of the terrible thirst the party experienced crossing the desert, trying to locate an oasis shown on a map which may or may not have been reliable, is vivid. From there across the mountains to the Kraal of Twala the ruthless king and on to their ultimate victory and restoration of the royal throne to Ignosi was the “stuff” to catch the imagination of 15 year old boys!

Although South Africa does not have a plentiful water supply, the people have succeeded in living in our somewhat arid conditions. Dams and water conservation measures have so far succeeded in satisfying the thirst of our people. However, on many occasions, water has been a scarce commodity.

A Modern Fountain

In Biblical times, the only way to obtain water, away from rivers, was by digging wells. The book of Genesis refers to wells on 29 occasions. A well was a pit or hole sunk into the earth to provide water. Many different types of wells are mentioned in the Bible. These include a cistern dug in the ground; a spring; a fountain, also called a living spring; and a pit or hole. All the Patriarchs obtained well water for personal and animal consumption at some time in their journey through life.

Things were not grossly different in the days of Jesus. Usually, women transported water from the well to their home or tent. Young girls learned how to carry water pitchers on their heads much the same way as African women learn to carry vessels on their heads. It’s an acquired skill which they master while comparatively young.

It would not be unusual for a number of women to set off to the well, collect the water and return home in a group. Nevertheless it was hot, tiring work which may have had to be repeated more than once per day, depending on circumstances. 

Travelling together in a group would be safer and they could help each other when water was being drawn up from a well. Those who were regarded perhaps as “unsavoury”, such as girls of bad reputation and prostitutes, would generally travel in the middle of the day. This way they could keep to themselves

The story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4, introduces us to the Jesus who has a high regard for women, regardless of the opinions of others. Here at Sychar, the woman, a “hated Samaritan” arrived at the place known as “Jacob’s well”. There she had an encounter with Jesus which changed her life forever. 

Basically, Jesus was thirsty and asked her to give Him a drink. A dialog then developed between the two of them. She could only provide Him with water from the well. He offered her “living water”; water from the Holy Spirit. When the conversation concluded, she established she was talking to the Messiah. So convinced was she, she became the world’s first evangelist for Jesus!

Today’s meditation consists of 5 poems. The first three are different. The final two are in the same style. It’s an attempt to give variety within the poetry section.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 5 Sept. 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	PRICELESS LIVING WATER
Dad used to say “A change is as good as a holiday”. So here’s a change for me. Four different writing styles. Hopefully you will find the content helpful and perhaps I can have a holiday? The Jimmet originated from Jeremiah’s comments by the Lord concerning the things His people had done. In Jeremiah 2, The Lord was speaking to the prophet about His people. He was commenting on the fact that His people had abandoned Him and pursued other gods, which were not gods at all. They were images the people had dreamed up. This portion of Scripture came from the period before the Babylonians invaded Judah and Jerusalem and carried off His people to Babylon. Actually, the Babylonians attacked on three separate occasions with ±10 years between each invasion. The first time was in ±606BC. Jeremiah’s ministry began in ±627BC. It follows that these words recorded by Jeremiah must have been in ±620BC. The Jimmet focuses on the words of God through Jeremiah. It is a brief summary of those times and reflects something of God’s attitude to the people’s unfaithfulness in “chasing after” foreign gods and idols. This is followed by an interpolation of Psalm 37 7-9. This, my “standard” poetry style, contrasts with the Jimmet and focuses on the goodness of God. Our total dependence on and need for God includes references to Paul’s words to the Athenians in Acts. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.' Acts 17:28 NLT In this portion of our meditation I’ve tried to show the need for our utter dependence on Him. Jesus’ words to the woman at the well are referred to in the next few lines of verse. The astonishing dialog between Jesus and this woman! In those days, Jews didn’t speak to Samaritans. For a Jewish Rabbi to speak to a Samaritan woman of questionable morals at that time was unthinkable. But this was the Lord Jesus. This dialog in John 4 must have done more to elevate the status of women in those days and subsequently, than we will ever appreciate in the 21st century. Jesus showed the men the way in this regard. In His own unique way Jesus led the way to the liberation of women that few people realise. The final two poems are in a very simple four/four style. The first refers to words written by Isaiah. They are God’s invitation to the thirsty to come and drink from His abundant supply. Notice that no cost would be involved. It sounds like an evangelical 21st century appeal! The final short verse is taken from the end of the book of Revelation. It seems to reflect the words of Isaiah! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 "For My people have done two evil things: They have abandoned Me--the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! Jeremiah 2:13 NLT	1 - Jimmet -  Jeremiah 2:13 NLT My people have just done two evil things.                           The first is that they have abandoned Me. The only One who living water brings; Dug their cisterns which are water free! Cracked and empty, they’re dry as bones. Not a trace of moisture anywhere! Why is it they leave their God alone, When I Am the only One who cares? Sadly this is how it’s always been, Searching for a god when there is none. Images to look at and be seen. But the fact is, I’m the only One! They prefer the idols of their mind. And reject the One who’s good and kind. 2 -  Psalms 36:7-9 TNIV How priceless Your unfailing love. O Lord in Thee we hide.      In the shadow of Your wings is where we all abide. Feast on the abundance, which only You supply. From delightful rivers, we drink and are not dry. Lord You have provided this. You are the source of light. The fount of living water You give us day and night. Without You there is nothing. Not one of us could be. You are our existence. We live and move in Thee. You feed us when we’re hungry. Warm us when we’re cold. Give us all we’ll ever need. Our silver and our gold, Is what You provided back when You shaped the land. So that we could find it as from Your mighty hand. 3 - John 4:14 GW       Water from a reservoir a man must drink to live;            In order that his thirst, he can contain; Whoso drinks the water that I, alone, can give,          He will never ever thirst again! That which I provide is like a flowing, bubbling spring,          Gushing up and flowing from inside. Streams of Living Water will flow from deep within,          And everlasting life will thus abide!" 4 - Isaiah 55:1 NLT It won’t cost you anything        Not the water which I bring.       Wine and Milk I give for free,      . If you’ll come and follow Me!      5 - Revelation 22:17 NLT The Spirit and the Bride say come.                      To your thirst, do not succumb. Anyone who’s parched and dry Come! Drink freely! I’ll supply! Jim Strickland Written 5th Sept. 2012
			7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Psalms 36:7-9 TNIV
			13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; Isaiah 65:13 ESV
			14 But those who drink the water that I will give them will never become thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give them will become in them a spring that gushes up to eternal life." John 4:14 GW
			39 (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.) John 7:39 MSG
			1 "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk--it's all free! Isaiah 55:1 NLT
			17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. Revelation 22:17 NLT