This morning, Mark looked at Gen 49:1-28, Jacob’s last words to his twelve sons. Jacob was, like Joseph, a dreamer who spoke prophetically on more than one occasion; in this chapter, even though he is close to death, he still speaks prophetic words which had influence and impact on his sons and on the generations to follow.

Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, was the oldest son who is described as ‘my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power.’ (Gen 49:3) However, despite the expected norm that the firstborn would receive all of Jacob’s wealth and blessing, God has been working in this family situation, bringing Joseph to the position of authority, rather than Reuben. Moreover, Jacob’s final words to Reuben are far from pleasant, recalling his sin (Gen 35:21-22) and effectively saying that he will no longer excel. Reuben may have looked strong, handsome and powerful, but he was as unstable as water, proving himself to be unpredictable, having overstepped the mark by sleeping with his father’s concubine at a time when Jacob was grieving the death of Rachel.

Scripture does not tell us if Jacob ever dealt with this matter at the time or if Reuben’s other brothers knew anything at all about this sin. Here, we see, however, that the long arms of sin reach into Reuben’s life, showing us that it is much better to deal with wrongdoing immediately than allow it to fester and ruin our futures. Sin has a way of coming back to bite us if we do not deal with it.

Reuben’s tribe became shepherds, a job that was viewed as quite lowly; our families and future generations can be influenced and either damaged or blessed by our choices during life. Later on in history, we discover that Reuben’s tribe was one which did not want to enter the Promised Land, choosing to remain on the other side of the Jordan. Both Reuben and Gad (see Gen 49:19) seemed content to settle for second best. The Gadites were constantly forced to defend themselves against hostile tribes, lacking the defence of the other Israelites.

This passage teaches us 3 vital lessons:

1. No matter how old we are, God can still use us and speak through us. Jacob spoke prophetically with his dying breath; we too can serve God, even in our old age and infirmity.
2. Sins from the past and present have to be dealt with or they could potentially spoil our future in God. We cannot afford to sweep sin under the carpet and turn a blind eye to it.
3. We should not settle for second best, but need to keep pressing on with the things God calls us to do, understanding that there are crucial choices to be made which affect not only our own lives but the lives of generations to come.

A buttress is ‘a structure of stone or brick built against a wall to support it; a source of defence or support.’

Some buttresses are very elaborate, especially those known as ‘flying buttresses’ which slant from a separate column, typically forming an arch with the wall it supports:

The verb ‘to buttress’ means to increase the strength of something or someone by means of a buttress and figuratively is often used to mean a strengthening support, such as that which God gives to us. A similar idea is found in the phrase ‘to shore up’, where something is propped up by means of a beam or timber that is propped against a structure to provide support.

I have been reading Psalm 89 this week, a long psalm (52 verses) which covers many moods. Eugene Peterson says ‘the psalm as a whole is a study in proportions’, ranging as it does from intense complaint (Ps 89:38-51) to a steadfast witness to God’s promise and His faithfulness and reliability (Ps 89:1-37, Ps 89:52). He says ‘thirteen verses of trouble are buttressed by thirty-nine verses of trust. Devotion offers both trust and trouble to the God brings final blessing in Jesus Christ.’ (‘Praying With the Psalms’)

Very often, we feel shaken and confused by events in our lives, but we need to remind ourselves of God’s promises, character and faithfulness during those times: ‘in the silence You won’t let go/ In the questions Your truth will hold.’ (‘My Lighthouse’, Rend Collective) God becomes our means of support. Interestingly, Paul tells Timothy that the church is ‘the pillar and foundation of the truth’ (1 Tim 3:15), with the word ‘pillar’ having a similar meaning to ‘buttress’. As we gather together in worship, we are reminded of unshakeable truths and are supported and strengthened.

Today we had a sneak preview into some of the activities that will be going on at the Community Open Day next Saturday. The day is sure to be lots of fun for little ones (and judging by the size, not-so-little ones too!)

To find out more, you’ll have to come along! The Open Day runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with the family film night at 6 p.m.

Paul constantly urges believers to grow up.

In 1 Cor 14:20, he says, ‘Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults’ (see also Eph 4:11-16). We are not to be gullible or ignorant about evil (2 Cor 2:10-11, Heb 5:11), but we do not necessarily have to experience every kind of evil personally to be spiritually wise. Paul wants us to shun evil and to grow up in how we think.

When we looked at the topic of growing up in God, we looked at different characteristics of maturity and immaturity. Eleanor Roosevelt defined a mature person as one ‘who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably.’ Certainly, the Corinthians, with their over-emphasis on the unusual gift of speaking in tongues, were not acting in mature ways

Maturity means that we allow the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest in our lives, showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in all we do. It means accepting the responsibility of our actions without making excuses or blaming others and learning to accept ourselves as God sees us and working with others without looking down on them or feeling inferior to them. Having ‘adult thinking’ means we can see beyond our immediate needs (and wants!) and evaluate things with calm and poise, letting God search us and know our innermost thoughts and feelings (Ps 139:23-24). Paul urges us to let our thinking be transformed as our minds are renewed by God (Rom 12:2). This is not easy. We have a lifetime of wrong thinking to correct and for many of us, our wrong thinking has led us into evil and a whole host of consequences which are difficult to unravel. We can be encouraged, however, because God brings out the best in us and is working to develop ‘well-formed maturity’ in us. It’s clear from Paul’s command in 1 Cor 14:20 that we are not simply at the whim of our thoughts. We are not, as Christians, duty-bound to follow the path of childish thinking; we are free to trample down the overgrown maize fields and think in new ways as we follow God’s ways and allow His Spirit to transform us.

Paul tells us that spiritual gifts are given to the church ‘for the common good’ (1 Cor 12:7) and expands on that in 1 Cor 14:3 by saying that they should build up, encourage and comfort the church. Building up (strengthening, edification) is a common theme in Scripture (see 1 Cor 14:5, 12, 26; Eph 4:11-13, 29; Rom 15:21).

All of us should look for ways we can build people up, rather than tearing them down (see 2 Cor 10:8), with Eph 4:29 reminding us that one of the key ways we can do this is through what we say. Prov 16:24 reminds us ‘gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones’; Prov 12:18 says ‘the words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’ Words are incredibly important in building people up, and we need to be extremely careful about how we use speech, as James makes clear (James 3:9-12) – something I long for people who use social media to consider more!

The call to encourage others is described as a spiritual gift in Rom 12:8; the word ‘encourage’ is derived from the same Greek word as the name ‘Paraclete’ for the Holy Spirit (translated ‘Comforter’ or ‘Advocate’ in many translations.) Encouragement literally gives courage to people; it strengthens and helps in ways we cannot always see. As prophets, Judas and Silas endeavoured to strengthen and encourage local congregations (Acts 15:32) and Paul concludes his second letter to the Corinthians with the command, ‘strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.’ (2 Cor 13:11) It is much easier to knock people down than to encourage them, but God wants us all to be like Barnabas, whose name means ‘son of encouragement.’

Comfort and consolation are also key parts in strengthening people. We live in a society which often seems to trample over others with little thought, but Christians are urged to comfort others with the comfort they themselves have received from God (2 Cor 1:3-5). It can be incredibly helpful to know that others have gone through the same trials we experience and have come out the other side, stronger and enriched by God! Let’s not underestimate the power of building up, encouraging and comforting each other through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tonight’s Bible study looked at 1 Cor 14:1-25, the first part of Paul’s specific instructions to the Corinthian church regarding the spiritual gifts of tongues, interpretation and prophecy. Having urged the Corinthians to use the different gifts given by God in love (1 Cor 12-13) and to eagerly desire these gifts (1 Cor 14:1), Paul gives practical advice on how these gifts should be used in public meetings.

The importance of the right use of these gifts cannot be over-emphasised. Paul definitely does not forbid speaking in tongues (see 1 Cor 14:4-5, 18) and sees the personal use of this gift as a way of building up the believer (1 Cor 14:4, 17), but he is more concerned that spiritual gifts in public gatherings are used in such a way as to strengthen, encourage and build up the whole congregation. (1 Cor 14:3) Speaking in tongues without interpretation leads to confusion, and it is clear that Paul wants the edification of the church to be through intelligible words, hence his instructions that tongues should be used with interpretation so that meaning is clear (1 Cor 14:9-17) and his comments that prophecy is ‘greater’ than tongues (1 Cor 14:5).

Spiritual gifts can have an impact on both believers and unbelievers. The revelation of God through these gifts can convict both believers and unbelievers of sin and make them acutely aware of God’s presence, since the knowledge revealed through these gifts could only be known to God. (1 Cor 14:24-25) Wayne Grudem comments ‘Prophecy functions in evangelism to reveal the secrets of an unbeliever’s heart and thereby to amaze him with the power of God at work and to convict him of his sins. In doing this, prophecy also serves as a certain indication (sign) that God is present and at work in the congregation to bless it and cause it to grow.’ (‘The Gift of Prophecy in the NT & Today’, P 154) In the rest of the chapter, Paul goes on to give further instructions about how the gift of prophecy can be weighed and used in church gatherings, but it is clear that he sees these gifts as a vital way of building up the church, as should we.