Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 1

Joel Muddamalle — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 19:40:25 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to preach for him as he was out of the country. Their church has been going through the entire book of Genesis, so I was asked to pick up in Genesis 35. Throughout my research, study, and preparation I was encouraged in so many ways. The most important thing that stuck out to me was the importance of remembrance in the life of the believer. Genesis 35 helps us to develop this theology of remembrance which has such great implications for us today. I’ll break this up into three part’s which reflect my sermon.

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus
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Within Genesis 35 we find Jacob commemorating special conversations with God through the building of pillars and making offerings. The question some may have, is why did Jacob build these pillars? The reason being that remembrance causes us to grow in our affections for God. It is good for us to consider where we came from and what God has delivered us from (Col 1:13). For instance, the New American Commentary states, “The recurring motif of divine guidance appears in the patriarch’s speech to his family: “[God] has been with me wherever I have gone” ”. Therefore, Jacob’s recollection of the goodness of God causes him to remember the promises of God. Jacob is also caused to deal with the reality that God has never been far from him but continues to go with him wherever he journeys.

Further, we see how God causes Jacob to step into a place of remembrance. John Calvin notes, “God chooses and assigns Bethel, rather than any other place, for his [Jacob’s] sanctuary; because the very sight of it would greatly avail to take away terror, when he would remember that there the glory of the Lord had been seen by him ”. This divine direction places Jacob in a situation where he can rely on the both the goodness and promise of God. Jacob is able to trust God not only for his own life, but also for the life of his family.

By remembering the past, Jacob is ready to the face the trials of the future.

Similarly, Charles Spurgeon affirms the importance of remembrance as he states, “A revival of old memories is often most useful to us, especially to revive the memory of our conversion. ”. Spurgeon is expressing how important a recollection of who and what we were apart from God serves as a helpful and needed practice to continually remind of our great need for God. In the same way that Jacob is faced with the reality of how God had delivered him from his turmoil and tragedy when he ventured to Bethel, when we recollect our own conversion experience we can rest in the goodness of God. Our practice of remembrance encourages us to rest safe and secure in the sufficiency of God in the midst of trials we may face in the future.

—

A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 611.

^{^[1]} The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 35:11.

C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), 52.

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4 Ways My Affections For God Were Stirred Through Lucas’ Birth

Joel Muddamalle — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 02:43:14 +0000

It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in a hospital in Roseville, CA waiting for my first son Liam to be born. Fast forward four years and I found myself in a hospital in Bellingham, WA on December 2nd at 8pm waiting for my third son Lucas. And then he came. My wife is incredible. As I learned early on, she is not the norm in terms of child birth. Actually, her first doctor in Roseville said that she was designed to have babies. Brittany’s active labor’s have all been under 10 minutes. This recent one was 7 minutes.

I have been contemplating what occurred in those seven minutes, and found that at the end, in the beginning, and during, my affections for God were stirred. When I say that I mean, I found myself in awe and wonder of God through the process of Lucas coming into this world. Lucas’ birth did following within me:

1. It magnified the creative brilliance of God

It literally blows my mind to consider that two people can come together to produce life. Even more incredible, is that our ability to produce life is predicated on the creative brilliance of God to create us in a way to allow this. Often times we are short sited in our perspective of the incredible. Its incredible that Brittany and I could produce life, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The real magnificence is the one who designed humanity. From conception, 39 weeks of pregnancy, labor, and finally the entrance of Lucas, I can’t begin to imagine that this was not with design. That by chance molecules, genetics, and DNA all came together to allow child birth doesn’t really make sense. Rather, we are forced to consider that there was a master creator that designed all this to work in such a perfect way to allow life come into existence. And it leaves us with a sense of appreciation for the creative brilliance of this creator. Its in these moments that we can relate with the psalmists as they declare

Psalm 8:3-4

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 33:6-9

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host
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.

⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

The creative brilliance of God is constantly on display throughout all of creation. Next time you walk outside take a moment to enjoy the experience. If you are in Chicago in the bitter cold and snow, appreciate the concept of snow, and how cold the environment needs to get to sustain snow. Even, better, have hope for the fading of snow and when the sun shine and warmth returns. Jonathan Edwards was famous for scheduling times in the day to go on walks and horse back riding. These times were devoted to enjoying the beauty around him and to be reminded of the grandeur of God and his creative work.

2. It stirs the affections of human wonder of God

My affection for God were stirred. When I say affections I mean a multitude of emotions. My love, sheer awe, wonder, fear, reverence, respect and so much more. Some of you may find it strange that I include fear in my list. However, it seems right to be in holy fear and reverence of the one who is able to speak existence into being and fashioned man kind in His own likeness and image.

It is not possible to experience the creative brilliance of God at work and NOT be moved
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As my affections are stirred I am reminded of the goodness of God. This remembrance causes me to worship and bring to recollection the goodness of God in all of life. It also causes me to have right perspective of our God. I am reminded of the line in the C.S Lewis novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as the children begin to learn the character and nature of Aslan. The kids did not have a full perspective of who Aslan really was. And when they considered him to be “safe” Mr. Beaver responds,

““Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

C.S Lewis masterfully captures the tension that lies in the goodness of God and his “otherness”. At times we only look at a specific attribute of God and view that as who He is in totality. But God is much more complex. As my affections for God lead to worship, it becomes clear that we need a full perspective of the greatness of God which results in a multitude of emotions (awe, wonder, fear, amazement) as we enter into worship of who He is.

Ready for the next 2 ways? Be on the look out for the next post!