James, the son of Zedebee: a man who struggled and yet showed courage in service to Christ

James is one of the first disciples called by Jesus along with his brother, John, and friends, Simon Peter and Andrew. A fisherman working with his brother and their father, Zedebee, James would become a member of the core group with Peter and John for special training as each would play a key role in the early church. Peter would be the great speaker, John the majority writer and James would be the first to die for his faith. While he was chosen to be among the inner circle, little is known about James after the events in the Book of Acts. Who was James, the son of Zedebee? What were his strengths and weaknesses? What is the key lesson we can take from his story?

James is described as ambitious, short-tempered, judgmental and yet deeply committed to Jesus. Ambitious as he, along with John, asked Jesus for a place of honor in his kingdom, specifically a seat on his right and left (Mark 10:37). Jesus rebukes them, telling them both that they do not truly understand what they are asking. As with all the disciples, James did not understand Jesus’s true purpose. They envisioned Jesus overthrowing the Romans and restoring Israel’s to her former glory. Regardless, James knew he wanted to be by Jesus’s side. He had found the right leader; he was just wrong about the timetable. It would take Jesus’s death and resurrection for true understanding. James would have an outburst of temper. In Luke 9:54, he and John asked Jesus if he wanted them to call down first from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village after they refused to welcome him (verses 52-53). He wanted quick retaliation. In Acts, he would speak at the First Council and agreed that Jesus had come for Gentiles as well as the Jews (Acts 15:13-21) as the requirements of faith that we follow are set by God and not by man. 

James would be the first to die for his faith. He was willing as he saw Jesus conquer death and open the doorway to eternal life. James was a man with strengths and weaknesses. His strengths are simple to understand. He was one of the 12 disciples and one of the inner three. He would be the first to die for his faith. However, it is in his weakness that we can see ourselves. His two outbursts indicated that James struggled with a temper and selfishness. When he left a wrong had been committed, he wanted quick payback. A feeling that many of us have experienced from time to time. Something happens which is unfair or undeserving and we want the person to feel the same pain and disappointment that we do. However, in Romans 12:19, Paul reminds us that revenge is the Lord’s, he will play, quoting Deutoronmy 32:35. We are not to overcome evil with evil, but with good (Romans 12:21). And like James, we experience moments of selfishness. It is a part of being human. As selfishness is the root of sin and conflict, we need to actively focus on humility and putting others before ourselves in order to overcome this natural response. Paul writes in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” 

Jesus promised eternal life to those willing to trust him (John 3:16). If we believe in this promise, Jesus will give us the courage to stand for Him and face whatever challenges that come our way, even during the most dangerous times. The key lesson from James’s story is that the loss of life is not too heavy a price to pay for following Jesus. In Matthew 10:17-42, Jesus prepared his disciples, and us, for persecution, in which he says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (verse 39).” Even Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” To live meant to have time to tell others about Christ and to become more like him. To die would be the end of the worldly troubles and to see Christ face to face. As times get harder and the world increasingly puts pressure on believers, will I be able to stand when death would be the result? I don’t know. I can only pray that if (or when) that moment comes, I can say “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” 

In conclusion, James, the son of Zedebee, was a fisherman who left life as he knew it to follow Jesus. Even though he was one of the 12 and one of the inner three, he struggles with his ambitious nature, a temper and selfishness. Through his faith and trust in Jesus, he realized the true mission of Jesus’s life and death, he would spend the rest of his life telling others the good news. He would be the first to die for the faith and he certainly wasn’t the last. James is an example of the courage in service to Christ is important as we spread the gospel. That courage can also make us a target for persecution. We need to be bold for Christ with courage and humility. 

Rachel: a woman who tried the earn the unearnable

This month’s study is on Rachel, the woman Jacob wanted to marry. He worked seven years for her father and his uncle, Laban, to marry her. He would be tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah, first and then worked another seven years to finally marry Rachel. Rachel’s name means ewe as in a female sheep. For the most part, Rachel was manipulated by her father and had very little say over her own life. After all she had to share her husband with her older sister and eventually two servants. However, she learned to be a manipulator herself. She was a schemer and a victim of schemes. What is her story? What were her strengths and weakness we can learn from? What does her story tell us about God’s promises?

Rachel was the cherished wife of Jacob but despite his love and devotion, she felt she had to earn it. She had captured his heart at the well when they first met and he worked for her father, for a total of 14 years, to finally marry her. Despite this obvious devotion, Rachel believes that Jacob does not truly love her because he won’t give her a child (Genesis 30:1) to which Jacob would reply that he has nothing to do with it (Genesis 30:2). Her longing for children ultimately led to her death in childbirth. Her longing and her need to compete with her sister. Leah had a habit of naming her children in a way that emphasized her fertility and Rachel’s infertility. When she couldn’t have children, Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob. Bilhah went on to have two sons. She would claim that the struggle with her sister was over, but their battle was far from over (Genesis 30:6). When Leah stopped having children, she too gave her servant, Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah would have two sons as well. After three more births, Rachel would eventually become pregnant herself. She would have a son named Joseph. She would become pregnant for the second and last time. She would die from childbirth, giving birth to her son, Benjamin.

Rachel’s greatest accomplishment in her story is the birth of her sons, Joseph, and Benjamin. Joseph would be a particularly important figure later. However, like her husband and her father, Rachel was a schemer and was a victim of schemes. She was tricked by her father. She viewed her children as weapons in her struggle with her sister. The lessons of treachery and competition were passed to the next generation as Joseph would suffer at the hands of his brothers (Genesis 37:23-28). Her story is also marred with weaknesses. Her envy and competitiveness marred her relationship with both her husband and her sister. She was capable of dishonesty when she stole her father’s idols and then lied when he looked for them (Genesis 31:34-35). She failed to realize that Jacob’s devotion was not dependent on her ability to have children. From her life, we can see that loyalty must be influenced by what is true and right, not just familial bonds. And love is accepted, not earned. Her attempts to earn the unearnable is a portrait of us doing the same with God’s love. Many people believe that they must be good to receive God’s love. There is nothing we can do to earn it; it has always been there. His love has no beginning and no end. It is incredibly patient. All we need to do is respond.

Through the schemes and plots, God remained faithful. Step by step, in ways impossible for use to foresee, God was using people with their mixed motives and confused desires to reveal his grace and mercy. Genesis 30:22 says that God remembered Rachel, but he never really forgot her. The word “remembered” doesn’t mean God suddenly went “Oops! I forgot all about Rachel!” The Bible used it to express God’s love and compassion for his people. It serves as a reminder that God’s promise is never to abandon us or leave us without support or relief. He will never forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:8 says “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” He will never forget us. Isaiah 49:15-16 says "I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hand I have written your name." He will always remember us. There is never a moment that God forgets us. He is present, attentive, and aware of our deepest desires and concerns even when we are certain he has forgotten us. Isaiah 41:10, one of my favorite verses, says "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

In conclusion, Rachel was a woman of loyalty and love. However, she let her envy and desire for a child strain her relationships. While the tragedy in her story is her ultimate death in childbirth, her greatest joy is that her husband loved and cherished her. Rather than dealing with a difficult situation with creativity, she behaved like a perpetual victim, responding to wrongs with more wrongs. It is a common feeling to hurt others as they have hurt us. It is human nature to retaliate but is not what God wants. First Thessalonians 5:15 says “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” We should do good to those we treat us badly. Love those who hurt us and God will take care of the wrongs they have done.

 Picture Credits

2. William Dyce (1806-1864) Public Domain

3. PAINTING: A BIBLE LOVE STORE BETWEEN JACOB AND RACHEL

Creator: Alex Levin

Copyright: Copyright @ Art Levin Studio, Inc.

Information extracted from IPTC Photo Metadata.

https://artlevin.com/product/yakov-and-rachel/

4. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) Public Domain

Hagar and the God who sees

Hagar was an Egyptian slave to Abraham and Sarah. A slave with little power to resist when Sarah gave her to her husband in order to have a child through her. Despite being a slave, her pride overtook her, and she paid dearly for that mistake. As soon as Hagar discovered her pregnancy, she began to lord it over Sarah, who in turn, mistreated her so badly that Hagar ran into the vast desert to escape. Her story is told in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:8-21. What is her story? What were her strengths and weaknesses? What are the lessons we can take from her experience?

Her story begins as a slave, given to Abraham and Sarah when they left Egypt. It was a common practice in which slaves were often captives from war, given to pay debts, purchases and in some cases, voluntary. Sarah must have had some affection for Hagar in order to chose her as her surrogate. What was her reaction to Sarah’s plan? Was she disgusted? Abraham was an old man and she was a young girl. Was she afraid? She may have thought about the consequences if she too couldn’t conceive. I don’t know if her reaction would have been happiness or joy. She may have wanted to say no and resist but having very little power, she would ultimately have to going along with Sarah’s plan. The pregnant Hagar began to despise Sarah, although the Bible doesn’t tell us why, but I think we could speculate her reasons. Perhaps her lose of control. She was having a child that she didn’t chose to have and technically wouldn’t be hers to raise. He or she would be raised as Abraham’s and Sarah’s child, not Abraham’s and Hagar’s. Although, ultimately, she raises her son, Ishmael as Sarah would send them away once Isaac arrived (Genesis 21:10). She is last seen in Scripture, securing a wife for her son (Genesis 21:21).

Hagar’s main strength is she obeyed God’s voice as soon as she heard it (Genesis 16:13) as she recognized that God is the one who sees her and now, she sees Him. One of Hagar’s main weaknesses is that she ran when things got tough. She ran when Sarah began to mistreat her.  Running away into a barren and unpopulated desert shows her desperation to escape. Anything or anywhere was better than being mistreated by Sarah and, by his indifference, Abraham (Genesis 16:6). Escape is usually our most tempting solution to life’s problems. To run and hide with the hopes that with time, they will disappear. Escape is only a temporary fix, ultimately, we all must turn around and face the music. Although Hagar’s problem was caused by someone else, she couldn’t run from it. Another weakness, her pregnancy, and later her son, brought our strong feelings of pride and arrogance that she was mistreated by Sarah and later banished with her son from the camp (Genesis 16:4 and Genesis 21:8-10).

There are two lessons we can take from Hagar’s story. First, God is faithful to his plan and promises, even when humans complicate the process. Abraham and Sarah were promised a child (Genesis 15:4) and when it didn’t happen on Sarah’s timeline, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Even though Ishmael wasn’t the promised son, He did promise Hagar that her son would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 21:18). Second, God shows himself as one who knows us and wants us to know Him. After she became pregnant and ran from Sarah, God sent an angel who told her God’s plan for her child, a son to be named Ishmael (Genesis 16:11-12). God called out to Hagar again after she and Ishmael had been banished from the camp. He repeated his promises that Ishmael would be the father of a great nation and opened her eyes to a well in the desert so that they may survive (Genesis 21:17-19).

In conclusion, Hagar was a woman who had very little say or power in what happened to her. As a slave, she couldn’t refuse her mistress’s demands and when things got tough, she ran from her troubles. She was also a woman who heard God’s voice and responded immediately. She had great faith in Him when everyone around her had failed. From her story, we learn that God is faithful to his plan and promises. God also sees and knows us and wants us to see and know Him. The same God who saw Hagar in the desert and recused her, not once but twice, is still the God who sees you today.

For further study,

I recommend Hagar: Rediscovering the God who Sees Me

by Shadia Hrichi

which is available in paperback and eBook

Lessons and examples of the story of Eve

Many people know who Eve is in the Bible. Eve is the first woman mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis, she is made from Adam’s rib as a companion and helper with him in the Garden of Eden. As Genesis 2:18 says “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Her name means “life giving” or “mother of all who have life.” She is also the one who is first tempted by the serpent. Is there more we can know about Eve and her story? There are lessons we can learn from her story. What can be learn from her sorrows and joy? What were her strengths and weaknesses?

Eve’s story begins in the Garden of Eden with Adam. There were no shadows, no disorder, and no discord or fear. Perfect harmony. She was in peace with God and her husband. She did not know the meaning of embarrassment, misunderstanding, pain, envy, bitterness, grief or guilt. Until one day, Satan disguised as the serpent (often depicted as a snake but was mostly likely a large lizard) came and she allowed doubt and desire to persuade her to eat from the forbidden tree. Suddenly, there was no more harmony in Eden and darkness and death entered the world. God punishes Eve and Adam with banishment. Eve is cursed with pain in childbirth and Adam is cursed with a lifetime of hard labor. After they leave the garden, Eve gives birth to a son, Cain, who would later murder his brother, Abel, with jealousy in his heart. When the Bible last speaks of Eve, she is a woman in anguish as she gives birth to another son, Seth (Genesis 4:25). Her death is not recorded in the Scriptures.

Her main sorrow was she and Adam were banished from Paradise and the presence of God. She would know anguish as her eldest son killed his younger brother in jealousy. But joy? What joy did Eve have? God promised that her offspring would eventually destroy her enemy. Genesis 3:15 says, “And I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” Imbedded in this verse is the promise of a Redeemer, a Savior. This verse is a foreshadowing of Jesus as God reveals his plan to defeat Satan and offer salvation to the world. The phrase, “you will strike his heel,” refers to Satan’s repeated attempts to defeat Jesus during his lifetime and “he will crush your head” refers to Jesus’s defeat of Satan by rising from the dead. Even after their punishment, God still cared for them and formulated a plan to undo their sin. The lesson here is that despite our sin and our inevitable physical death, God’s grace and mercy are the most beautiful gifts. Despite being at our lowest, suffering from the consequences of our sin, God’s grace is still at work within us.

We know Eve’s strengths as the first female. The first wife and mother. She recognizes that life is in God’s control as she proclaims, “With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man” (Genesis 4:1). She had a relationship with God and with her husband as she had co-responsibility over creation with him. Unfortunately, she is better known for her mistakes. She allowed her contentment to be undermined. She was willing to accept Satan’s argument without checking with God. She ignored what she knew God had done and focused on what he withheld. Sound familiar? How often do we focus on what we don’t have and rail against God instead of focusing on praising Him for what He has provided? Our desires, the “I’ve got to have it now” feeling keeps us very manipulated and easily influenced by factors other than God. When confronted by God for her sin, she blamed others, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13), rather than take responsibility for her actions. 

In conclusion, Eve is an example of how we can be deceived when we take our eyes off God and His promises. How much our lives can be misled when we turned to ourselves instead of turning to Him. She is also an example of the great promise God gave us in Jesus. A Redeemer to rid ourselves and the world of Satan’s deceptions. Eve is an example of when godly people do ungodly things. That despite knowing better, their desire, their lack of judgment or they let their emotions overrun their rational thought and they do things they knew they shouldn’t do. Eve is an example of what happens we let our guard down and let Satan whisper in our ears and hearts.