Sat.’s Devo - New Wine Skins

Read: Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10
God had blessed Isaac and his troop so much that the Philistines were jealous and told them to leave. They tried to curse him by stopping up all the wells that Abraham had dug. Every time Isaac’s servants struck water, the Philistines would claim it as theirs. After the third well was dug and was uncontested and he could feed his flocks.
Isaac took his people and left and went to Beersheba where God spoke to Isaac and confirmed the covenant he had made with Abraham to make them into a mighty nation. Isaac built an altar and dug a well. Abimelech and his friends came and found Isaac and wanted to make a covenant of peace with him. They couldn’t discount the blessing they had seen upon Isaac and they wanted him on their side. Isaac made a treaty with them.
Isaac grew old and knew he was about to die so he called for Esau to give him his blessing. He sent him out to kill meat and prepare it for their ceremonial meal before the blessing. Rebekah heard the conversation and sent for Jacob and told him her plan to switch him so he would get the blessing.
It worked and now Jacob had the blessing and the birthright. Esau returned to find out he had lost out again and was distraught. He made Isaac eek out a blessing which was hardly what he wanted to hear. Esau planned to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died. Rebekah sent Jacob back to her family to live with Laban, her brother.
In Matthew, Jesus always had the appropriate response that would teach a much deeper lesson. Paralysis was thought to be the result of sin and maybe in this instance it was true. Surely it was the sin of the fall that brought all sickness into the world. Jesus addressed the sin and forgave it and then the man was able to walk. We will never walk the Christian walk without first having our sins forgiven.
Jesus gave the law keepers who condemned him for eating with sinners some homework. They were to meditate on what God meant when he said, “I want compassion rather than animal sacrifices.” He reminded them that he didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners. They thought they were already righteous so they wouldn’t be called.
Jesus gave them the example of new wine in freshly prepared wineskins. They prepared old wineskins from cracks by rubbing oil on them and softening the skins. The Pharisees were the old cracked wineskins who had not prepared their hearts to receive the new wine of the Messiah. But, the true followers had allowed their hearts to remain soft and could put the new gospel into their hearts.
Lord, help us to remain freshly prepared wineskins to receive anything you have to show us.