A Season for Learning & Sharing

We have all been learning a lot this last month. Many of us have been learning how to shop in new ways. We are learning how to keep ourselves safe and protected when we venture out into public. Some are learning the joys and pains that come with educating their kids at home. Many people are learning new talents, like baking bread or carpentry (as I type this, I can hear the saw of my best friend next door building a playhouse for his son). But above all we are being given an opportunity to learn about God during this unique season of our lives.   

Recently, I was talking to an old college roommate/friend on the phone. Like most of our conversations, this one was centered around what we had been reading in the Bible. He has been reading Genesis and some things were not sitting well with him. One story in particular that was bothering him was the story of Abraham sending his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Specifically, my friend did not appreciate the way Rebekah was treated like an “animal” (his words) in Genesis 24:47. He went on to explain how demeaning it was for the servant to put a ring in her nose.  “That’s what we do to oxen to control which direction they pull the plow.” (Again, his words.) While I didn’t interpret the text the way my friend did, I couldn’t articulate why this “nose ring” wasn’t a bad thing. And then it hit me like a lighting bolt! INNER-BIBLICAL EXEGESIS! I had just learned in a seminary class that later Old Testament authors would sometimes reference previous Old Testament authors and we can use their writings to help us interpret difficult passages of scripture. So I began to explore other places in the Old Testament that may have made references to “nose rings.”

In Ezekiel 16, God is speaking of His love for His people.  His people are described as His bride in this passage. In verses 11 and 12 we read the following, “And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head” (emphasis mine). And there it was, Ezekiel uses the symbol of a ring in the nose to describe how much God loves his bride. That is the love that Abraham’s servant is telling Rebekah that Isaac will have for her!

My hope is that you see two things. First, that God loves you. God loves you the way a husband loves his bride. He showers you with gifts.  It may not always feel like a honeymoon but you have a Savior who has lavishly poured himself out for you. Lastly, I pray you see that God is giving you an opportunity to grow your knowledge of who He is during this season. We are all learning many new things. How about putting God on the top of that list? Then pray that He would give you opportunities to share with others what you have learned. We certainly need more truth being shared in this season!

Author

Chris Chappell is the Youth Pastor at Peninsula Community Chapel