Hadad
14 Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. 15 Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. 17 But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. 18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food. 19 Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh's own children. 21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me go, that I may return to my own country." 22 "What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?" Pharaoh asked. "Nothing," Hadad replied, "but do let me go!"(I Kings 11: 14-22)
I thought I'd share my opening text for tomorrow's sermon with you all. I love the OT and haven't had a chance to get into it for a while. So I'm cheating a bit to include this, but it does make a point.
My topic surrounds the idea of our Heavenly citizenship. Hadad's story interests me for a number of reasons, but chiefly because of his desire to go home. In Egypt he had it all. And yet, he wanted to return to the country and the people he knew as a boy. (Who does that remind you of?) He lived most of his life as an Egyptian, but his heart never left the land of Edom.
Where is your heart? Do you long for home? Or has Earth become your home? I think of it as mine all too often. I long...to long...for my own country.
posted by Thurman8er @ 6:43 PM
3 Comments:
Sorry I'm missing it. Sounds like its going to be really good. Grace and Peace with you tomorrow morning, Thurm.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my son this past week. He was wondering if we’re going to get “bored” in Heaven as we praise God constantly. I think Greg’s point is well taken.
I was reminded of an astute line in the movie, "Sleepless In Seattle", "...but it was like no home I've ever known before..."
It's hard to comprehend a "home" (heaven) which defies all descriptions of "home" as we know it...and I cannot imagine what "perfection" is all about.
It's also difficult to re-think some of the things I was "taught" about heaven when I was growing up...it felt like my chance of "getting there" was pretty much "slim to none".
We know Paul saw a glimpse of heaven, and we know what his response was.
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