But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
Like his ancestor Adam, Abraham wanted more than God's company. He wanted to share it. Adam would find satisfaction in Eve and her gift of mothering "all the living." Abraham would be satisfied with a son of Sarah, his own wife, and the promise of more descendants than there are stars in the sky -- a number which has grown exponentially in the last few centuries.
Moses too, wanted more than deliverance from Egypt. He would not be satisfied unless future generations remembered and retold the stories of God's mighty works as he delivered them from Egyptian bondage to the freedom of God's children. Should they forget, they might as well return to Egypt; their slavery to their own desires would be worse than the service of Pharaoh.
Salvation has always included more than oneself. Why would anyone want to enter eternity without their familiar loved ones? Could the loss of children, siblings, and parents be called bliss?
But I have met people who said they believed in God but had not introduced their children to that belief. "I let them choose for themselves!" they said, as if they'd also let their children choose what language they spoke, and the options of clothing, shelter, education, and protection. Without the knowledge of God's saving works, their children are doomed to endless frustration.
Nor is that knowledge "Bible trivia;" it must be assimilated like food and drink, like the flesh and blood of Jesus. If parents want all their children at the table, does not God want all his children to join the feast?
Take to heart these words which I command you today.Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. (Dtr 6:6-7)
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.