Leah's Eyes And Rachel's Looks

 "And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored." Gen.29:16-17

These verses contains one of the mysteries of the Bible. The question of what was wrong with Leah. The King James says that she was tender eyed. Bible commentators struggle to decipher what that means. The NKJV says that Leah's eyes were "delicate". The Living Bible says there was no sparkle in Leah's eyes. The NIV says that Leah had weak eyes.

The Hebrew word tender is the word "ralz", for which there is not inclination as to what the writer meant by using it. This word is translated as gentle, tender, weak, or soft. The word for eyes is the common word for eyes.

I wonder if this verse had nothing to do with Leah's vision. We use the phrase, easy on the eyes, not talking about literal eyes, but a person not hard to look at.

First, who is telling this story? Is Laban speaking here? In verse 15 Laban is speaking, but in verse 16 someone seems to be talking about Laban. If Laban is speaking, maybe he did not have high regard for the elder sister. Maybe he was frustrated by her still being single. Maybe she had turned down her father's choice and he thought that she had poor vision concerning men. So as far as Laban was concerned, Leah had weak eyes. Maybe that was a common way of talking back then.

The other thing is the context of the story. Obviously, there is a comparison between Leah and Rachel. Leah was plain, Rachel was pretty. Leah couldn't attract a man, Rachel had no trouble getting attention. Leah was getting older, Rachel was still a teenager. Whoever wrote this could see the difference between these two sisters. Leah was not ugly, but no one could compare to Rachel.

The story of Leah and Jacob is an interesting one. Rachel had the looks, but not the character or the personality. Leah was a good wife, and Jacob seemed to finally understand what a treasure she was. In the end, Leah had the children, and Jacob is buried next to her. Rachel is buried alone by herself.

There is a lesson here for that church you attend. You may not be the biggest or have the fanciest building. But if you are winning souls and planting churches you are a great treasure.

A Challenge

 I don't know who you are. One thing that you can do is give to the Prescott church. Give what the Lord told you to give.  Give it now. Amen.

Prescott Potters House

What Is Jesus Doing Now?

 I was watching one of the conference sermons today and I heard the pastor say how we must preach Jesus, who He is, and what He did. That statement caught my attention. There is a style of preaching that focuses on the Bible and what God did back in ancient days. We go to a lot of work to expound on scripture and to tell the good news of the Gospel and of Christ and what God used to do. We seem to have no trouble believing that God did things and that in the future He will do amazing things. What I want to know is, what is God doing today?

In Matthew 16 we read in verse 18 these words. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." And we believe that as a wise builder Jesus is building His church today.

I wonder if we avoid talking about what Jesus is doing now because that puts pressure on us to perform. If we say the Jesus heals we better be ready to heal the sick. If we say that Jesus saves we better be ready to get people saved. It's is important to know what Jesus did. We also need to experience what Jesus does today.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Mat.16:19

This last verse is forward looking. It talks about what we will do with what He gave us.

One more thought. What would you do if you knew that you had 15 years left?

"And I will add to your days fifteen years." 2Kings 20:6

Hezekiah's life was over but God gave him 15 more years. What would you do with 15 more years? Not 15 minutes or 15 days or 15 weeks or even 15 months. Fifteen years is a long time. It is enough time to do something. What greater work than Jesus will you do for Him?

Reasons Not To Have a Television in Your Home.

 I remember when not having a tv in your home was a criteria for being involved in ministry. Back then it was a moral issue. People could watch soft core porn on their tv. That is still an issue I suppose, but I can think of other reasons why it is better to not have a tv in your house.

1. It is a time waster. My mother is turning 90 soon. She lives in a senior housing complex. She cannot do what she used to do, and now she spends a lot of time watching tv. It has become her companion. What is your excuse? Why do you waste hours a day passively watching tv shows? Is there nothing else you could be doing?

2. Watching tv affects our ability to concentrate. It makes it hard to pay attention. Tv news does not make you think, it lulls you into accepting what they say. Tv news makes you invest in issues that are contrary to Biblical thinking.

3. Tv is a conduit to this present evil world. It is a world where sodomy is accepted and promoted. Is is a world where the nuclear family is attacked and discredited. It is anti-marriage, anti-Bible, and anti-Christ. 

4. Watching tv makes you think that you have experienced things that you never experienced. Watching tv makes you think that you are smarter than you are. Watching tv makes you arrogant towards those who do not watch.

5. Finally, the world of tv is a fake world full of fake people and fake news. The medium is the message, not the message or the content.

Why is it that, when people backslide and leave church, the first thing that they do is buy a big tv? And one of the first things that new converts get rid of is their tv. Learn a lesson from real life.

Maybe it is time for our Fellowship to stop streaming our services. Streaming is just another word for watching TV. Watching is a poor substitute for being in church.

Prescott Conference Thoughts

 Prescott Conference begins soon. Here are my thoughts about it.

I wonder if anyone truly misses the big tents? The dirt parking lot. The big tent heaters. The tiny plastic chairs.

I wonder if Prescott will plant any churches this conference. I always wonder that.

I wonder if conference is better now than it used to be? I guess it depends on who you ask.

I still wonder why the biggest event happening in Prescott next week is ignored by the city of Prescott.

People here do not understand why I am not going to Prescott conference. Really? Why would I go?

I have great memories of serving during conference. I miss what is gone forever.

Pray for the Prescott church this week. They carry a heavy load. 

Pray for pastor Greg especially. He is making decisions that will change people's lives this week.

Sinners Earn Money For Us

"...but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." Prov.13:22b

I have no problem watching lucky rich folks earn more money than they know what to do with or could spend in 100 lifetimes. They are not laying it up for themselves. They are storing up wealth for their grandchildren. And for all of us who are righteous and who pay our tithe on what little we get.

God keeps good books. He knows how much they make. He knows how much we need. God can do what He promised to do; using sinners to bless the saints. 

You cannot buy your way into heaven. But you can give a substantial offering to our churches and our families and us who serve the Lord. 

God loves a cheerful giver. But He will take money from an old grouch like you, too.

Leave a comment and I can tell you where to send it.

A Great New Years Sermon

 "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing..." Isa.43:18-19

Pastor preached an excellent message last night from this text.

Some people that I talk to seem to live in the past. I'm not sure if this is a condition that older folks tend to embrace. I'm not sure if they think that their best years are behind them. But. like I have written before, you cannot go forward while looking backward. Memories have value, but they are not a good place to live. When the prophet tells us not to remember the former things, it is not a call to be ignorant of the past, but rather a call not to live with past failures or past victories. It's a new day.

Pastor mentioned the poor old ostrich last night. Did you know that ostriches do not hide their heads in the sand? That is an old wives fable. They are large, flightless birds that can run fast but, they never hide their heads in the sand. Nor are they cowardly. Yes, I did a little fact checking this morning.

Pastor's final point had to do with worship. In verse 21 it says that we are saved to worship. Not the excessive, concert style worship of some churches. But honest, heart felt praise from a grateful heart. When we come together to sing and to praise and to speak in tongues in worship we glorify God in Heaven. And, worship in spirit and in truth changes us.

Life is like the turning of a page. His compassions are new every morning.