Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem(4/17/18)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 4/17/18 | left that other site

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

The Shared Meal




(Old Testament)

Genesis 27

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
    and earth’s richness—
    an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[a]? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

39 His father Isaac answered him,

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew of heaven above.
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.”

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.

(End of Scripture Passage)



How easily Jacob lies to deceive his father! Yet...is Isaac really deceived? Look at the Blessing. It is the same Blessing pronounced upon Abraham in Genesis 12, and again onto Isaac who was, in reality, Abraham's second son. Perhaps a dim memory of Ishmael being cast out flitted across Isaac's mind. God predicted that "The Older Would Serve The Younger", and His will would have come to pass, I believe, without the subterfuge.

As we continue to follow Jacob, we will not only see him get his "come-uppance", but we will eventually see him transformed, and we will see him reconciled to his brother.


New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father in Heaven,
How Hallowed is Your Name!
Thank You For Your Creation,
Thank You For Your Precious Gifts!
Thank You For Your Profound Imagination,
Thank You For The Beauty of The Earth,
And Thank You For Your Blessings every day.

We Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem,
According to Your Will and Promise.
We Pray For the People and Leaders of Israel,
that They Will Look to You for the Protection
and Prosperity of their Nation.
We Also Pray For Revival in our own Beloved USA.



We Pray For The Swift and Sure Coming of Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Establish His Kingdom,
and Make All Things Right.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

A discussion on another thread about the cold, rainy, sleet driven Boston Marathon yesterday (and the subsequent injuries of exposure and hypothermia to a number of runners) brought to mind today's story that has nothing to do with Jacob, Esau, or Twins, but DOES have a lot to do with a "Shared Meal."

Boston's Museum of Fine Arts had a special program back in the 60's where selected high school students were allowed to leave school early three days a week to participate in 3 three-hour art classes in the basement of the Museum. Kids from all over the City of Boston were involved, and due to the widespread public transportation, we were able to study with kids from Charlestown, Roxbury, Hyde Park, East Boston, and Southie. It was a great program, and I was very happy to participate in it.

One November day very early in the month, the morning had started out beautiful and remained so for most of the day. However, when we artists, dressed in the latest caftans and hippie-wear, emerged from the basement of the huge granite edifice at 5:30PM, we were greeted with a Surprise Blizzard of epic proportions! Traffic was at a total standstill, because nobody had prepared their vehicles for winter yet. The Surface Trolleys that would take us down the middle of Huntington Avenue to Forest Hills Station were frozen in place and backed up all the way to downtown, and were already full of panicky passengers to bursting.

And so, in our flimsy tie-die T-Shirts and Peasant Dresses, three of us began to walk the twelve miles to Roslindale.

At first it was a fun adventure. We laughed as we watch the frustrated commuters spinning their wheels and screaming at one another. We marveled at the fat pretty snowflakes, turning the gritty street into a winter wonderland.

But then we started to get cold. Soon we couldn't feel our fingers and toes. Then we began to shiver uncontrollably. We knew we HAD to stop somewhere. But all the stores were CLOSED, and we wouldn't dare knock on the door of a private residence.

Then, I saw an old brick building with welcoming lights on. The sign in front said:

ROXBURY HOME FOR AGED WOMEN.

We were let in and given peanut butter sandwiches and tea. Then the elderly ladies swathed us in socks, mittens, scarves, and hats that they had knit and crocheted in the Activities Department, and we were back out on our way home. The next day, the snow was melted, but we three visited the Home that evening, with a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you card.

Years later, as a performing artist, I did a show at the nursing home (Which has since dropped the "Aged Women" part from its name) and I told the story. A very old lady in the audience said; "THAT WAS YOU?" It seems that she never forgot that snowy night with the three hippies!

In today's reading, we see how the shared meal was a very intimate part of receiving the Father's Blessing. It could have been wild game, it could have been lamb stew from the flock, or it could have been peanut butter sandwiches and tea. When we received the Blessings of hospitality from the Roxbury Home, it was a lifesaving event.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

Another of your wonderful stories and the great gift of sharing.

Joining in prayer. God bless.

[NEWwoman]

As I’m reading this, it’s snowing out...after a beautiful spring day, yesterday.

Another beautiful story of hospitality. Perhaps the aged women thought they were receiving angels unaware.

Joining in prayer, left that other site, for the Peace of Jerusalem.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Wow...the Building still exists but has been turned into apartments!

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Here is another view of the building. It is now Assisted Living.

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Louis Foxwell]

I lived in Roxbury in the mid 60’s. My then wife, Dee, and I managed a 60 apt building. Sorry I do not remember the address but it was just off Roxbury Ave. A few aging tenants were Jews who did not move out when the neighborhood changed. I was attending Tufts in Medford so it was a bit of a drive. Lots of memories. Sorry I missed you guys.

[Hiskid]

Amen.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Louis Foxwell, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hiskid, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Maudeen]

Amen!

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Maudeen, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Christ Is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS