The Story

Scripture Reading: Genesis 35:16-29

The juxtaposition of life and death here is striking. Rachel dies while giving life to Benjamin. Her corpse has barely gone cold before her father-in-law, Isaac, joins her in death. Isaac passes away but leaves behind Jacob, and more importantly, a dozen grandsons out of whom would rise the nation of Israel.

Even as the darkness of death was dimming Isaac’s eyes, the dawning of hope for The Promise being fulfilled seemed to be creeping over the horizon. Yet, even in this, clouds rolled in to try and block that light. Reuben gave in to lust. His father, Israel, knew and did nothing.

Light and darkness.

Life and death.

There is a lot of living and dying going on down here.

As it is here, in all of it a story is being told. It is The Story. We can look back on this and from the perspective of history as explained through the pages of Scripture, we can see that Abraham was leading to Isaac, and Isaac to Jacob, and Jacob to his twelve son, and particularly his son Judah. Judah would give rise to King David. He would be the precursor of the Great King, Jesus.

It would be easy amid all the living and dying to succumb to the temptation to conclude it is all meaningless and vanity. But a story is being written. It is God’s story. It is the story of creation, the fall, redemption, and new creation.

And our living and dying are a part of that story. The fact that there is this story means it has meaning.

Your life, your death, all of it has meaning. Live with that in mind.