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Twin Deer
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith - 7/22/19
"When her days to give birth were completed, behold,
there were twins in her womb." - Gen. 25:24
Jo and I have watched these two fellows on our property since they were fawns and are still quite young with undeveloped antlers and awkward movements. But there will come a time after they mature, when hormones kick in, that each will go on its own way. But for now, they are inseparable. They rest together, eat together, and explore their new world together. They are twins, but they are not alike. One is much more timid than the other and has already exercised his dominance over the other. They may look alike, but they are in many other ways quite different. Scripture tells us the story of a couple of twins in order to illustrate the sovereignty of God. Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, bore twins - Esau and Jacob. Esau came first and as the first born he was to have the blessing and birthright from his father. But, through deceitfulness, Jacob received what was rightfully Esau's. The story is told in Romans chapter 9 to make the point that God chooses and gives blessings to whomever he wishes. God has mercy on whom he has mercy. We humans are repulsed by that thought because we think we should get what we deserve, what we have earned. What we fail to realize is that the last thing we ought to want from God is to get what we deserve. What we deserve is condemnation because of our sinfulness. Salvation is a gift of God. Grace, if earned in any sense, is no longer grace. If you are a child of God, it is because God in his mercy has chosen to save you. This is a humbling, pride-crushing thought. But we ask, aren't there some things we are supposed to do? Of course there are. But those things are the evidence, not the cause, of our new birth. One of these young bucks may escape death because it is smarter or more fortunate than the other, but the only way we will escape the second death the Bible warns us about is because God, in his mercy, has chosen to rescue us. Indeed it is amazing grace that saved a wretch like me (and you). Thank God for that. - John
- Twin_Deer.pdf (398.31 kB)
