preaching again

Good afternoon friends,
I hope your weekend is going well. Today's reading is Paul's sermon, which we skipped over in our reading in church this morning. It's interesting because it is all about explaining what God is doing in Jesus Christ to people who know the Old Testament.

Blessings,
Sam

Acts 13:26-41

26 ‘My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. ²⁸Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. ²⁹When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead; ³¹and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. ³²And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors ³³he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm,
“You are my Son;
   today I have begotten you.”
³⁴As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“I will give you the holy promises made to David.”
³⁵Therefore he has also said in another psalm,
“You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.”
³⁶For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; ³⁷but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. ³⁸Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; ³⁹by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sinsfrom which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you:
⁴¹ “Look, you scoffers!
   Be amazed and perish,
for in your days I am doing a work,
   a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.” ’

a good story needs a good foundation

Good morning friends,
I hope it was a great weekend for you and that the week is off to a good start. Today we continue the story of Stephen on trial. He left off the last paragraph talking about how God brought Joseph and then all of Israel to Egypt to avoid a famine. In our reading for today we see that the initial welcome in Egypt didn't last.

 We know the story, but Stephen's technique is helpful. He's really talking about Jesus, but he lays the groundwork carefully. The story of Jesus doesn't start with Jesus; it starts with the God's relationship with God's people from the beginning. Jesus is the next step in the story of Abraham, Moses, prophets, freedom and exile. Stephen is making the story clear by laying the foundation in events that his audience know well.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 7:17-29

¹⁷“But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied ¹⁸until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. ¹⁹He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. ²⁰At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; ²¹and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. ²²So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

²³“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites. ²⁴When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. ²⁶The next day he came to some of them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?’ ²⁷But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.

telling the story

Good evening friends,
As we read yesterday, Stephen's faith got him into trouble with the religious leaders. They accused him of blaspheming against God and of speaking badly about the traditions of his religion. In response, Stephen starts his story with the root of that religions, which is the call of Abraham. Everything Stephen says shows how well he understands scripture and the story of his faith. The better our own understanding of our faith is, the better we are able to see the world and our faith together.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 7:1-16

Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” ²And Stephen replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’ ⁴Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.

After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. ⁵He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. ⁶And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years. ⁷‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹“The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, ¹⁰and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. ¹²But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. ¹³On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; ¹⁵so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, ¹⁶and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

famine and family

Good evening friends,
I'm sorry these readings have been so inconsistent the last month or so. Our reading for today is a big jump forward. On Sunday we talked about God calling Abram to leave his home and go to a land God would give to his descendants. As always, God kept his promise: Abraham and Sarah had a son named Isaac, who married and had twins, Jacob and Esau. God changed Jacob's name to Israel and Israel had 12 sons, who became the 12 tribes of Israel. In jealousy the sons sold their brother Joseph into slavery in Egypt, but God's wisdom enabled Joseph to become Pharaoh's right hand man. With God's wisdom, Joseph administered Egypt's agricultural policy during seven years of abundant harvest to prepare for seven years of famine that God told him were coming. Because of this wise planning, Egypt survived the famine and Pharaoh consolidated power.

Our story picks up from there with Jacob/Israel hearing that there is grain in Egypt while the famine raged in Canaan. All these years he has believed his son Joseph was dead. We're poised for a dramatic reunion that eventually leads Jacob's whole family to take refuge in Egypt as Pharaoh's honored guests. Blessings on your evening,
Sam

Genesis 42:1-8

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at one another? ²I have heard,” he said, “that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” ³So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. ⁵Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan. ⁶Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

⁷When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” ⁸Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

 

Hagar and Ishmael

Good evening or morning brothers and sisters,
Today we continue our theme of mothers and children looking at the trouble story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Both before and after God called Abraham and Sarah to leave their home for the promised land, Sarah was unable to have children. That was a problem not only because wanting to have children and being unable to is heart-breaking, but especially because God had promised to make Abraham's descendants into a great nation. That promised felt like a dead end without any kids. At one point Sarah proposed the idea of having Abraham sleep with Sarah's slave Hagar so they could have children that way. The trouble was when Hagar did conceive she and Sarah stopped getting along. When God's promise of a son through Sarah finally came true, Sarah wanted to make sure her son wouldn't have a rival for his inheritance. That's where our story takes off. God's love works even when our injustice seems worst.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 21:9-21

⁹But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. ¹⁰So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” ¹¹The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. ¹²But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. ¹³As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. ¹⁵When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. ¹⁶Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.

¹⁷And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. ¹⁸Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” ¹⁹Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. ²¹He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

long stories and hard blessings

Good morning brothers and sisters,
A conversation yesterday reminded me that this story we're reading can feel very disconnected from our lives and also sometimes feels like it's going on for ever. The Book of Genesis is the story of beginnings: the beginning of the world and the beginning of God's chosen people, Israel. This long family story we've been following tells us how we get from one couple's calling (Abraham and Sarah) to a nation called by God to be special. As we follow the twists and turns of Abraham and Sarah's children and now grandchildren's lives we see that God's calling doesn't run in a straight line. The story matters to us because when God called Abraham God promised that through Abraham not only his descendants, but the whole world would be blessed through him. We believe that this promise is fulfilled in Jesus, who took a message to a particular people and opened it up to everyone.

Today's story is what happened the night before Jacob was going to meet Esau. He send his family and possessions ahead and was to follow the next morning. Jacob receives God's blessing the hard way, sometimes we can relate to that.

May God's blessings follow you today,
Sam

Genesis 32:22-31

22The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”



27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

marriage and struggle

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Our Old Testament reading takes us back to the book of Genesis and tells the story of how Abraham's son Isaac got married to continue the family line. Our passage from Romans is a favorite of mine because I can identify with Paul's struggle. We often know what God wants from us, but we have a hard time doing it. Fortunately, we are not on our own.

Blessings,
Sam

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. 37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’



42“I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also” — let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’

45“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.”



58And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” 59So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister, become
thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
of the gates of their foes.”

61Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. 63Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.



*Sunday

Romans 7:15-25a

15I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.



21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

terror and pain

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Remember, today we celebrate our graduates and commission them for the next part of their journey. What a joy to celebrate the gifts of our young people!

Our first passage is terrifying. I always find myself drawn to it because the story is compelling. At the same time I am horrified by the story. We have a Bible that is not afraid of darkness; that is for sure. Our Psalm also picks up on the darkness of life, but in a healthy way. God can take the jagged edges of our emotion.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 22:1-14

1After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.



9When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”



*Sunday

Psalm 13:1-6

1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

terror and pain

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Remember, today we celebrate our graduates and commission them for the next part of their journey. What a joy to celebrate the gifts of our young people!

Our first passage is terrifying. I always find myself drawn to it because the story is compelling. At the same time I am horrified by the story. We have a Bible that is not afraid of darkness; that is for sure. Our Psalm also picks up on the darkness of life, but in a healthy way. God can take the jagged edges of our emotion.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 22:1-14

1After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.



9When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”



*Sunday

Psalm 13:1-6

1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

scary faith

Good morning all,
Our passage this morning continues with more examples of the power of faith. This really is a whirlwind tour of the Old Testament. Abraham continues to be one of the author's favorite example, this time not just for leaving home because of God's calling but for his willingness to offer Isaac in sacrifice to God. I've always felt fascinated and terrified by this story. After years of hoping for the son God promised, after the joy of finally having a son by Sarah and coming to love that son deeply, God called Abraham to take Isaac up to a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. For those of you who are parents, this probably turns your stomach even more than it turns mine; I truly can't imagine the pain. Abraham is getting ready to sacrifice not only his son, but the fulfillment of the promise God made to him. It's terrifying and shocking, but it is also amazing faith.

We also see Moses as an example of faith: both his parents' faith in keeping him safe in defiance of Pharaoh's orders and his own faith in leaving privilege for the sake of solidarity with the oppressed. With Moses too we see someone hear God's calling and struggle with it. Moses doubts his ability to do what God calls him to do, but when he follows, he finds that God can work through him to do amazing things. That's a big part of what faith means: it means trusting that when God sends us somewhere he has our back. It means we are never alone and we aren't relying on our own strength in ministry. God is always with us; the future is in God's hands. Let us go forward in faith.

God bless,
Sam


Hebrews 11:17-28
17By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

20By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. 21By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, “bowing in worship over the top of his staff.” 22By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

23By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

a promise and a curse

Good morning all,
Today Paul continues his argument that we are justified by faith, not by the law. Today's arguments has two prongs. On the one hand he argues that no one can be justified by the law because scripture teaches: "Cursed is everyone who does not observe everything written in the law," which, no one can achieve. So based on that we are all under a curse, but Christ freed us from that curse by taking on the curse of the law: "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."

The other prong of Paul's argument is that the promise to Abraham came hundreds of years before the law, so the law can't cancel the promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him. That promise comes through Abraham to one of his descendants: Jesus. By faith in Christ we become one with him, so we also become children of God and heirs of Abraham's promise. Make sense? So now, by faith in Christ we are God's nation to be a blessing to the whole world. Thanks be to God.

God bless,
Sam

Galatians 3:10-18
10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” 11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” 12But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. 16Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. 17My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

foolishness and faith

Good morning sisters and brothers,
In the last part of chapter 2 Paul argues that if following the law justifies us Christ died for nothing. Today he turns to the Galatians' own experience and gets more aggressive in his argument for faith. He asks them if they experienced God's presence through following the law or through believing in Jesus. Of course, this is a rhetorical question. Paul is probably the one who taught the Galatians about Jesus and who saw them received the Holy Spirit.

Paul also makes an argument based on Abraham, since Abraham is the ancestor of the Jewish people. He looks back to Genesis 15, to God's promise to make Abraham into a great nation. He reminds them that the promise was confirmed for Abraham after Abraham believed God. Later, Paul will discuss how the law came much later and so is clearly less important than Abraham's initial faith. It is that faith that God saw as righteousness; and that's why God tells Abraham that "through him the gentiles (nations) will be blessed. That blessing is the faith the gentiles in Galatia have experienced; for them and for us faith is how we stand before God.
God bless,
Sam

Galatians 3:1-9
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! 2The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4Did you experience so much for nothing? —if it really was for nothing. 5Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

6Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” 7so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” 9For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.