Being married to a musician with an incredible ear for 29 years has taught me that a copy of an original piece of music is rarely as crisp or clean as the original track. Over the years I've learned to detect what were once obscure differences to my untrained ear. Last night Tom sat at the kitchen table transferring music from one device to another. When one song began to play, Nick, who was playing a video game about ten feet away, asked, "Was that song recorded live?" His ear already picks up the levels of quality between a honed, hour-consuming studio recording and one without all the tweaks. The Bible describes people who lived their lives in personal and original relationship with God as their Lord, Friend, Confidante, and Covenant Keeper. Strung between Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Samuel, Daniel, John the Baptist and Paul were also people living in the shadows of these "giants of faith" who demonstrate copy-cat lives of flimsy, fading faith.
Aaron wanted to lead like his brother Moses and ended up leading the Israelites to worship the wrong god in all the wrong ways. (Genesis 32)
Barak, leader of the Israelite troops against the Canaanites, refused to exert his own faith in God before battle but insisted Deborah, prophetess and judge, go with him. God then allowed the honor of defeating the enemy pass to a woman with a tent stake. (Judges 4)
Eli's sons wore the priestly robes like their father, but the robes failed to cover their lack of love and respect for God and His people. (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25)
Ananias and Sapphira thought they could cloak their greedy hearts by imitating Barnabas' generosity, but Peter busted them and they died in their sin, serving as a warning to others. (Acts 4:36&37; 5:1-11)
Many men wore the crown as kings over God's people but none were men "after God's own heart" like David. No, every other one was more evil than the last, with only occasional bright spots of courage of faith. (1st & 2nd Kings; 1st and 2nd Chronicles)
Abraham enjoyed an intimate, lifetime relationship of trust and action with God to become the father of a nation. But what about his son Isaac? Did Isaac's sons see in their father only a copy, a second-hand and passive relationship with God? There's no record of Isaac sinning, but there's also no record of a faith-walk with God. Jacob's wording in Genesis 31:42 shows he picked up on the difference.
"If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, . . . " Genesis 31:42
Jacob himself was well on his way to a life of leftover faith until God came to him personally in a dream and offered him the same covenant He had made to His grandfather. Only then did God become the God of Jacob.
"Then Jacob made a vow, saying "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that You give me I will give You a tenth." Genesis 28:20-22
Father, reveal Yourself personally to each of us today because none of us want to live a second-hand faith in the shadows of spiritual giants. We want You working in the details of our lives and leading us to become spiritual giants of deep faith.
In the Name of Jesus the Alpha and Omega, the biggest of them all
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