Friday, January 9, 2009

"I like smiling ... smiling's my favorite!" : )

All right ... I know "some people" want to know my profound reactions/insights on the whole Billy Mays phenomena ... sorry to disappoint ... perhaps another time (that's for Donna ... she evidently is the only person who really reads my blog. Really? You don't have better things to do? :)

In Genesis 33 and following this morning ... what does grace look like?

Most of us are familiar with the whole story of Jacob and Esau ... Jacob (a.k.a. Isreal) steals his bothers birthright by dressing up as his brother and deceiving his aging Father (Isaac) who is obviously blind or blurred (even though it was traded to him by his brother for some stew ... really? Stew?). It was probably easy for Easu to do so seeing as the final choice of who Isaac would bless was up to Isaac ... regardless of what Easu had offered.

So Jacob flees to his Uncle Laban's home in the north and marries Laban's daughters ... a.k.a. his cousins (see previous blog). After 20 years he is told by God to head south ... home.

Along the way he is pursued by Laban and another obscure Bible story that will never make a flannel graph but would be an ideal commercial for Tampax takes place in Genesis 31:25-35. 

... moving on ...

In returning home Jacob knows that he's going to have to deal with his brother Easu (a.k.a. "Edom"). In hoping to appease his brother's wrath he sends a parade of gifts that will meet up with his brother and his 400 men as they prepare to confront Jacob.

The night before the big encounter Jacob wrestles with God (Genesis 32 ... as a result Jews don't eat meat cut from near the hip ... didn't know that). 

Now for the face-to-face ... Genesis 33.

As they see each other from afar (okay ... I know we can all envision two people on either side of a vast meadow running towards each other as soft but dramatic music plays in the background ... typically one is a girl and the other a guy ... but not in this scene ... "not that there's anything wrong with that" ... appropriate Seinfeld quote) Easu runs towards Jacob, embraces and kisses him affectionately (it's a cultural thing ... nuff said).

Easu now meets his sisters-in-law and all his nieces and nephews.

In verse 10 Jacob says these words, "... what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God." [NLT]

I can remember growing up and hearing those dreaded words "wait til your Father gets home" (you too?). The hours of torture that would go by not knowing (but having a really good idea based on past history) what was going to go down ... expecting that you were going to get what you deserved for committing whatever it was you had done ... same here with Jacob.

I can only imagine the relief that was his at seeing Easu respond as he did.

... it was gracious (perhaps a prodigal son moment ... some similarities here). 

... it was like seeing the smile of God :)

I would love to relate the implications of this in my life for the past 18 months ... but I'll refrain ... sorry.

How we long for the "smile of God" in the face of another ... or how others long for the "smile of God" from us (what's that line in Luke 11, "And forgive us our sins - just as we forgive those who have sinned against us" NLT).

My challenge ... be the smile of God today ... offer grace ... grant a pardon ... freely forgive ... even when it's not asked for or deserved (in your book) ... restore a relationship ... mend a wound ... when we do ... we look just like Him.

Maybe we'll think about that every time we post one of these " : ) " somewhere.


Until later ... grace and peace. :)

3 comments:

  1. Now we're talking, smile people! Add in a laugh, and then you're going places...love this post Greg!

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  2. Mark Buchanan's "Your God Is Too Safe" has a great chapter on this story, too...hey, i have a question -- if i remember correctly, you like/liked Max Lucado's books, right?...if so, could you recommend one or two to me and a few of our friends here?...they want to read through an English book and are interested in a book by him -- thanks...i enjoy reading your blogs -- i don't think any "made-for-television" movie of the OT could ever be shown on American television while sticking to the truth of the stories in the Bible -- unless it's on HBO or something...even here in Europe, the violence would be edited out...yeah, "Days of Our Lives" has got nothing on Genesis...

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