Abundant Life

Wilderness Day 8 The Empty Undoing

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 17:15-21
Genesis 18:9-15
Genesis 21:1-7
Hebrews 11:11-16

Wilderness, Day 8

Longing. Waiting. Aching. Barren.

These are not words we think of when we begin following Jesus. We hear about new life, joy, and abundant life, and we are eager to experience them! Yet, in times of wilderness suffering God meets us, reminding us He is faithful and He keeps His promises. 

Imagine you lived in the time of Abraham. You are a wife and expected by everyone in society to take care of your home, bearing and raising children. You wait, year after year, but your womb remains empty. How would you feel?

This is the condition in which we find Sarai in Genesis 11:30. In her culture, a woman who was unable to conceive was subject to shame and disgrace. Children were considered a blessing from God, as well as heirs to their father’s possessions.

In addition, God promised Abram his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. (Genesis 15:5) For Abram, with no street lights to dull the brightness of all the stars, this visual of God’s promise must have been stunning!

. . . And confounding.
How was this possible for a couple who were beyond child-bearing age?

Faced with this apparent impossibility, Sarai attempted to “help” God fulfill His promise by offering her slave girl, Hagar, to Abram, in order to build a family through her, which was a common practice at the time. (Genesis 16) However, Sarai’s plan only created more pain.

But God’s promise was still in place! He met again with Abram, reminding him that He would multiply his offspring through Sarai. As symbols of His promise, He changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis 17:15-21) God promised He would bless her!

Overhearing God’s words, Sarah laughed. (Genesis 18:9-15) I imagine her muttering, “Yeah, like that’ll happen.” Yet, just as He promised, she conceived and gave birth to Isaac, who became the father of Jacob, later named Israel, who would become the father of a great nation. (Genesis 21:1-7)

Can you relate to Sarai’s story?
I’m sure we all can, as we experience difficult, wilderness seasons.
Maybe like Sarah, we long for a child.
Perhaps we’re in a situation where we thought God was giving a direction, but it sure isn’t working out like we planned.

I don’t know what you may be experiencing, but through my own wilderness wanderings, I have learned God is faithful and He keeps His promises.

After giving birth to our first daughter, I knew I wanted more children. I was sure I was made for motherhood, and enjoyed most moments (just being real here, moms!). But I had no idea how difficult it would be to conceive again.

After two years, and multiple negative pregnancy tests, I became discouraged. What was wrong with me? I thought I was a good mom with a happy child, and didn’t the Bible say children are a blessing? I prayed and prayed. I saw the doctor, and tried some medication, praying and hoping it would work.

It did not. The despair I felt was unlike any I’ve felt before, but in my wilderness, God met me. He reminded me that while it seemed He was far away, He was present with me in my excruciating pain. I did not get pregnant in the years following. But that moment of wilderness meeting will always stand out to me.

It would be several years before I would experience motherhood again with the adoption of our youngest daughter. We happily welcomed her into our family, and yet, I’ve also had some pretty sad moments, wishing we could grow our family more. I know the ache. But I also know the joy! In the midst of the struggle, God is so good to comfort and to show me how He has loved me through the years.

In my longing for a baby, I felt barren. Forgotten. However, the Holy Spirit reminded me I am not barren! In fact, God has given us an amazing legacy. Recently, my husband completed nearly 20 years of ministry in our church, and we spent some time in reflection. The Lord brought to mind the faces and names of so many students we have had the honor of knowing over the years.

I have had the privilege of walking through some really hard times with students, parents, and even leaders.
I have had the honor of listening to stories, both of pain and of celebration!

God is good! He knows our hearts and will accomplish His purposes. He is with us in wilderness seasons of sadness and doubt, walking beside us in comfort. Even if life doesn’t look exactly as I imagined, God has blessed me with an abundant life. He can be trusted to bring good out of suffering.

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Wilderness Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Wilderness!

Neighbor Day 12 The Neighbor Who Wounds: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Neighbor Who Wounds!

The Questions

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?

Luke 10:25-37

Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.  Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

Original Intent

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?
In the book of Leviticus, God gave Moses the laws of holiness for the Israelites to follow.  One of them, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), is mentioned again in Luke 10:27 when a teacher of the law suggests to Jesus how he might inherit eternal life by following this law. The teacher mentions this command along with the great command to love God with all your heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5) The Old Testament command to love your neighbor as yourself is very similar to the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Pastor John Piper suggests, “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is the visible expression and manifestation and practical completion and fulfillment of all that the Old Testament was about, including love for God.”  We show God love when we love others with the love of God.  We love God well when we love all those He loves, no matter what.  As author David Guzik explains, “my neighbor is the one who others might consider my enemy. My neighbor is the one with a need right in front of me.”  To love your neighbor as yourself is to treat other people the way you want them to treat you.  It is to reach out to the one near you, no matter what she looks like or what she believes, and give her the same treatment you would hope to receive from her.

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in answer to a question from a lawyer. If the law says to love your neighbor as yourself, then how do you define neighbor? (Luke 10:29) Jesus tells of a Samaritan who stopped to help a Jewish man beaten by robbers, even though two Jewish religious leaders passed by without helping. The Jews and Samaritans had a long history of hatred between them. As Robert Deffinbaugh explains, “When the Assyrians defeated Israel, they dispersed the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom among the Gentile nations.  They also brought foreigners into the land of Israel to re-populate the land.  The result was a half-breed race (half Jewish, half Gentile) that populated the Northern Kingdom of Israel from then on.”  So, even though Samaritans were hated by Jewish people, the Samaritan in the parable had compassion on the wounded man.  When Jesus asked who was the neighbor in this story, the lawyer answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.” (Luke 10:37) As author Albert Barnes notes, “His Jewish prejudice [against Samaritans] would not permit him to name the Samaritan.”  Why would the Samaritan help when the two Jewish leaders would not?  He helped because he was merciful. It is just as important for us to show mercy in our daily lives, because Jesus has given mercy to us.  As author Scott Sauls notes, “We make it our aim to love as we have been loved by Jesus, to show mercy as we have been shown mercy by Jesus, and to bear burdens as our burdens have been borne by Jesus.”  We love and show mercy because God loves us and is merciful to us.  When we reach out in mercy in the name of Jesus, we are declaring the mercy of our Savior.

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?
In Luke 10:25, we meet a teacher of the law (some versions refer to him as a lawyer) who asks Jesus a question, “Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” According to author Thomas Constable, “the term inherit had a particular significance for Jewish readers distinguishing a special way of receiving eternal life. (Matthew 5:5; Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:34). However, Gentile readers for whom Luke wrote would have regarded it as synonymous with obtaining eternal life (Mark 10:17). Eternal life is the equivalent of spiritual salvation and included entrance into the messianic kingdom.”  Peter Pett echoes this, pointing out that “Canaan had been Israel’s inheritance. But now that inheritance is replaced by ‘eternal life,’ the life of the age to come, life under the Kingly Rule of God. That now was what all Israel sought for.” For Jewish people at this time, gaining eternal life was not about living forever but rather about living a godly life and following God’s laws completely. This is seen in the teacher’s answer when Jesus throws the question back to him in Luke 10:27 by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”  As author Peter Pett explains, “The Scribe points first to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:5), which was repeated twice daily by every pious orthodox Jew, and was borne by many on the forehead in a leather pouch at the hour of prayer.”  The last part of his answer came from Leviticus 19:18.  Jesus knew that there was no way to love God perfectly and love others apart from knowing God, which was why He came to earth.  He came to give us a way to live in His kingdom while we are on earth and when we go to heaven.

Everyday Application

1) How do I love my neighbor as I love myself?
I want to see myself like the hero of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.     After all, I am compassionate and caring, but sometimes I am more like the clergymen who ignored the dying man. Too often I choose not to see some of my neighbors in need.  According to author Christine Caine, loving our neighbor is a “decision we must make to open our eyes, take notice, elevate our thinking, and reach out to meet the needs of those around us.”  We don’t get to decide who God wants us to love, He wants us to show love to everyone! Sometimes it seems easier to love those who look and talk like me, whose ways I understand. John Wesley cautioned us against displaying “insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them is but self- love reflected.” I want to love the neighbor God puts in my path the way I would love myself because I love God. That will not just be the neighbor who is like me or who is convenient to love, though it includes her. While it is not possible to care for the needs of everyone, it is possible to reach out to those around me where I am right now.  That means the widow at book club who is falling into depression, the single mom getting resources from the food pantry, and the refugee family at school who seems overwhelmed and afraid.  If they are within my reach, they are my neighbor.

2) Why is it important to show mercy to others?
Once, as a child, I was playing with two cousins when we had the idea to throw rocks at birds’ nests.  We were having fun until we knocked a nest from a low-hanging branch and found a chirping baby bird inside.  We were devastated! We tried to return the bird and the remains of the nest back to the safety of its limb, but we couldn’t.  We ran crying to our parents, and each child was punished.  I could hear how the others’ punishments were going with lots of yelling and crying.  However, my parents gently discussed with me what had happened and why it was wrong. They could have punished me severely, as my cousins’ parents did them, but instead they showed mercy, though I didn’t deserve it. I deserved to be punished for destroying a bird’s nest and leaving the hatchling with no way to survive.  My parents felt my sorrow had taught me a more valuable lesson than severe punishment could. This reminds me of the fact that “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end.  They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)  When Jesus told the story of the merciful Good Samaritan, He told the listeners to be like the Good Samaritan and “go and do the same”. (Luke 10:37) We must be merciful because people need to know about the merciful Savior who desires to save them from the punishment they deserve. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4-5 that “God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. . .”.  When we show mercy, we are reflecting the love and mercy shown to us by God whose mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:13)

3) What must we do to inherit eternal life, as the expert in the law asked?
The verse in Luke 10:25, can be confusing because the teacher of the law asks what he can do to inherit eternal life.  To me that sounds like he is trying to earn his way to heaven.  It is reminiscent of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17 who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. In Luke, the teacher mentions the two great commandments, to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27) In Mark, Jesus mentions the Ten Commandments and selling all to come follow Jesus. (Mark 10:19-21)  Both answers dismay the petitioners because, as author David Guzik points out, “It is clear enough what it means to love God with all we are, though it is impossible to do completely.”  Jesus is not suggesting the men can earn a spot in heaven with their good behavior.  Instead, He is pointing out the fact that He has come to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) so they do not need to do the impossible, which is to be perfect. In John 5:39-40, Jesus says, “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”  When we accept the life Jesus offers, we have life abundant here on earth and life forever in heaven.  With the help of Jesus, we can love God and love others.  We can give sacrificially and serve God with abandon because of His strength empowering us.  We don’t need to struggle to obey all the rules and follow all the laws because we know His righteousness covers us. We just need to accept Jesus and allow Him to work through us, giving us an empowered life.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with The Neighbor Who Wounds!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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