Prayer: Father, enlighten me this morning. Help me understand the difficulties which brothers have with living in peace. Amen.
Reading: Ezekiel 35 key: vs. 10-13 ““Because you said: ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine! We will possess them’—though Adonai was there— “therefore, as I live”—it is a declaration of Adonai— “I will deal with you with the same anger and envy that you had because of your hatred against them. I will make Myself known among them, when I judge you. You will know that I, Adonai, have heard all your blasphemies that you uttered against the mountains of Israel saying: “They are laid desolate—they are given for us to devour!” You have magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth. You multiplied your words against Me. I heard it.” TLV
Attention: I have a biological brother who is eighteen months younger than me. We had our typical boyhood banters and fights. I was oblivious to him living in my shadow. I was just living my life within the structure of a typical 50’s nuclear family; a biological male (father), a biological female (mother), and two boys (biological males) and twin sisters (identical biological females).
Years later, after all my siblings had left home and established themselves in careers and married. My brother went through some crisis in life, and it was then that I first was aware of his individual struggles with life. We were raised in the same house, same parents, same religious (church) experiences, same public schools, and yet, he announces to everyone in the family, “I was born into the wrong family. I had the wrong parents, wrong brother, and wrong sisters.”
We will never understand scripture, if we do not understand who the characters are who are being discussed. In today’s scripture focus, Mt. Seir and Edom are referenced. Sounds like just names of an area or location. But upon investigation, we discover that Mr. Seir and Edom are often combined or spoken of as one. Edom or Edomites were known as the descendants of Esau. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob later renamed Israel, the father of the twelve tribes (brothers) of Israel. There was history between Esau and Jacob, as they were born (Genesis 25:19ff), as they grew up, and continued until the time they were fathers, and it continues today.
The narrative of antisemitism is not new. The seeds of Jewish hatred were planted by Abraham and Sarah’s decision to give God a plan B. The hatred of God’s people will continue till Messiah returns.
Action: I choose to embrace the Jewish nation of Israel with biblical understanding.
Yield: I choose to submit to Adonai, the God of Israel.
Engage: I choose to engage with the biblical narrative of God’s covenant people.
Relationship: I choose to live in intimate relationship with Adonai.
Prayer: Father, I pray for my brother today. I have prayed for his restoration to You and my family for years. May he no longer resist Your love and surrender to You. Amen.
Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Aim for restoration, encourage one another, be of the same mind, live in shalom—and the God of love and shalom will be with you.” TLV
Music Video: DG Songs—Brothers and Sisters (Jacob’s Song) https://youtu.be/0xBzwN521GU?si=WY3BhNQyxPwqgYvE
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”