Genesis chapter 12 & 13
Not long after we meet Abram he is told to talk himself and his possessions and leave everything he has ever known. Anything that God asks us to give up in this world is not to be compared with the glories he has in store for us. Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Abram does as he is told and steps out by faith. God promises him that he will be the father of a blessed people. God is quick to show us what is in store if we will only listen and obey.
As Abram leaves Haran and goes out with just his family and his nephew Lot, he quickly finds the land of the Canaanite which we know are the descendants of Ham. Abram wastes no time to build and altar and make a sacrifice to the Lord for his mercies. We should all be quick to go to God in prayer and not only pray for those in need, but to give thanks for the many wonderful blessings he gives us.
As God would do again years later to show himself strong, a famine sends Abram and his people down to Egypt.While their, Abram fears that someone will take his wife because of her beauty and thinks up a lie to protect her. It turns out that is is not the lie, but the hand of God that protects her and brings her back safely to Abram. So it will be in our lives as well; it is not our own doing but the hand of God that will deliver us.
In the thirteenth chapter Abram is leaving Egypt and we hear that he has great possessions. He returns to Bethel (which is a place and theme that will also be visited again years later) and builds and alter again for the Lord. Thanking God once would only suffice if he only was good to us once but God's mercies are renewed every day and we should be thankful everyday, building many private alters of prayer to God.
With all this great possession comes great problems. Lot and Abrams servants can not get along and they need to put distance between their property. Make sure that we may from time to time need time and space from other people. We may need time alone in solitude, but we are never to separate ourselves from God at anytime. Here Abram separates himself from Lot but not from God. Lot seems to separate himself from both Abram and his God.
Abram gives Lot the choice of the land he wants to dwell in and Lot takes the easier more pleasant land. Make no mistake, that we can live in the best of times and with the best of intentions and still not serve God. Abram takes the harsher land and still lives and increases in the Lord.
Lot chooses the land closer to the wickedness of Sodom. Abram, after making the better choice, is reminded by God of the covenant. If we stay in close proximity to God, he will remind us and encourage us of the promises that are yet to come. So the chapter ends with Abram doing what he always does, and that is sacrificing to God for his blessing and the promise to come.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Genesis 10 & 11
Genesis chapter 10 and chapter 11
We start out with learning some of the descendants of Noah's Children. We have their names, where they lived and in some cases, what the people were known for. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and the cities of Babel, Nineveh, Asshur, and Cush are all built. We here about many of these cities in our history books, and no doubt, these are the earliest cities on earth since they were created after the flood.
At the end of the chapter, we noticed that the people were united with one tongue. We know that if you are going to accomplish anything great you need unity. The Church needs unity with each other and the Holy Ghost, and the world needs unity to accomplish endeavors as well. This all ends soon because of mans sins.
Man is never satisfied with what God gives him. There was the Garden, then man's dominion over earth, and not after a fresh start man needs to create a tower to Heaven. While on this earth, the best way to get close to God is through prayer and obedience.
While the tower is under construction God causes the people to have different languages which causes great chaos and stops the construction of the tower. Man is scattered across the earth because man can no longer be in unity. Out of this disorder comes the line of Shem that goes on to bring us Abram. Here, early on in the Bible we have the 'father of faith', and the start of his journey in obedience.
We start out with learning some of the descendants of Noah's Children. We have their names, where they lived and in some cases, what the people were known for. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and the cities of Babel, Nineveh, Asshur, and Cush are all built. We here about many of these cities in our history books, and no doubt, these are the earliest cities on earth since they were created after the flood.
At the end of the chapter, we noticed that the people were united with one tongue. We know that if you are going to accomplish anything great you need unity. The Church needs unity with each other and the Holy Ghost, and the world needs unity to accomplish endeavors as well. This all ends soon because of mans sins.
Man is never satisfied with what God gives him. There was the Garden, then man's dominion over earth, and not after a fresh start man needs to create a tower to Heaven. While on this earth, the best way to get close to God is through prayer and obedience.
While the tower is under construction God causes the people to have different languages which causes great chaos and stops the construction of the tower. Man is scattered across the earth because man can no longer be in unity. Out of this disorder comes the line of Shem that goes on to bring us Abram. Here, early on in the Bible we have the 'father of faith', and the start of his journey in obedience.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Genesis 9
Genesis chapter 9
The chapter starts off with the commandment for Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. If these remnants of mankind did not want to reproduce, then man was certainly doomed. With this also came some changes with eating. In my humble interpretation it appears that they are given a command to eat animals for the first time. With this though, they are not to eat things raw, and they are to hold life precious and not waste what God has blessed them with.
They are instructed to hold human life precious as well. In what some might consider contradictory, God tells Noah that anyone that takes human life, they themselves will have their life taken. I don't find this contradictory at all. If there is someone who has no regard for human life enough to take another life, than to have that person around is a danger to all living individuals. Almost as if treating a malignant cancer, all those that would take innocent life must themselves be die for the good of the living.
By the eleventh verse we come to the important covenant with mankind. God uses the rainbow to let man know that he will never again destroy this world with water. This covenant seems all the more real and true because the Bible says it had never rained before the flood, which also means they have never seen a rainbow before. This covenant is a forerunner to the covenant of eternal life through Christ Jesus. There is no life, no deliverance, no safety without the hand of God.
Sin never seems to be far behind even for those that serve and love the Lord. This goes to show that we are to be serious and sober in our days because we don't know when temptation or sin is there to stop us. Noah plants a vineyard and enjoys the fruits of it a little too much. It appears that Ham mocks and ridicules the naked state of Noah. Noah was a good man who got drunk. Ham on the other hand appears to possess some contrary ways about him. We can speculate if more happened, but I think it does a disservice to the message being conveyed. Ham's heart was not right and his brothers took pity on their father and covered up his discretion. Is this not the example we should also have when fellow saints sin? We should do much to remedy the situation and not advertise it abroad and make it worse.
We find out that Ham is going to be cursed by the words of Noah's prophecy. That his descendants will be servants to his brothers. So many times we think our sin is a victim-less crime, but later we see that many others are usually involved in our mistakes. We need the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help us along our Christian walks.
The chapter starts off with the commandment for Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. If these remnants of mankind did not want to reproduce, then man was certainly doomed. With this also came some changes with eating. In my humble interpretation it appears that they are given a command to eat animals for the first time. With this though, they are not to eat things raw, and they are to hold life precious and not waste what God has blessed them with.
They are instructed to hold human life precious as well. In what some might consider contradictory, God tells Noah that anyone that takes human life, they themselves will have their life taken. I don't find this contradictory at all. If there is someone who has no regard for human life enough to take another life, than to have that person around is a danger to all living individuals. Almost as if treating a malignant cancer, all those that would take innocent life must themselves be die for the good of the living.
By the eleventh verse we come to the important covenant with mankind. God uses the rainbow to let man know that he will never again destroy this world with water. This covenant seems all the more real and true because the Bible says it had never rained before the flood, which also means they have never seen a rainbow before. This covenant is a forerunner to the covenant of eternal life through Christ Jesus. There is no life, no deliverance, no safety without the hand of God.
Sin never seems to be far behind even for those that serve and love the Lord. This goes to show that we are to be serious and sober in our days because we don't know when temptation or sin is there to stop us. Noah plants a vineyard and enjoys the fruits of it a little too much. It appears that Ham mocks and ridicules the naked state of Noah. Noah was a good man who got drunk. Ham on the other hand appears to possess some contrary ways about him. We can speculate if more happened, but I think it does a disservice to the message being conveyed. Ham's heart was not right and his brothers took pity on their father and covered up his discretion. Is this not the example we should also have when fellow saints sin? We should do much to remedy the situation and not advertise it abroad and make it worse.
We find out that Ham is going to be cursed by the words of Noah's prophecy. That his descendants will be servants to his brothers. So many times we think our sin is a victim-less crime, but later we see that many others are usually involved in our mistakes. We need the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help us along our Christian walks.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Genesis 8
Genesis chapter 8
'And God remembered Noah', God will not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6 and other places). Man had grievously sinned against God, but man had mercy on Noah. God's wrath was upon the earth to destroy it, but his anger was kindled and he extended grace to Noah and his family. I don't want to read too much into things and make something that is not there, but it says the 'fountains of the deep' as well as the windows of heaven stopped. There seems to be water coming from every direction, but God stopped them all up in his mercy.
After a hundred and fifty days the ark rested on mount Ararat. For another two months they waited until the waters receded enough for them to get out. First Noah sent a raven to find a place to live and then a dove but they came back. After another seven days he sent the dove again and it found an olive branch. Another seven days later Noah sent out the dove again and it finally found a home. Is not all of this an example of our prayer life. That whether we receive and answer the first prayer or the second, we should pray continually because God will hear our prayer. Psalm 6:9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
After the ground is dry, God tells Noah to remove himself and his family from the ark. After Noah and all his family and all the animals are out of the ark, Noah builds and altar and sacrifices to God. This is also an example for all of us to give thanks for the Lord's Salvation, his mercy, his deliverance, his Grace, his Holy Spirit and his Word. Where would we be without the Gospel message?
After the Lord receives this sacrifice from Noah, he makes a vow that the world will continue to have seasons until the end of earth's time. God keeps his vows.
'And God remembered Noah', God will not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6 and other places). Man had grievously sinned against God, but man had mercy on Noah. God's wrath was upon the earth to destroy it, but his anger was kindled and he extended grace to Noah and his family. I don't want to read too much into things and make something that is not there, but it says the 'fountains of the deep' as well as the windows of heaven stopped. There seems to be water coming from every direction, but God stopped them all up in his mercy.
After a hundred and fifty days the ark rested on mount Ararat. For another two months they waited until the waters receded enough for them to get out. First Noah sent a raven to find a place to live and then a dove but they came back. After another seven days he sent the dove again and it found an olive branch. Another seven days later Noah sent out the dove again and it finally found a home. Is not all of this an example of our prayer life. That whether we receive and answer the first prayer or the second, we should pray continually because God will hear our prayer. Psalm 6:9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
After the ground is dry, God tells Noah to remove himself and his family from the ark. After Noah and all his family and all the animals are out of the ark, Noah builds and altar and sacrifices to God. This is also an example for all of us to give thanks for the Lord's Salvation, his mercy, his deliverance, his Grace, his Holy Spirit and his Word. Where would we be without the Gospel message?
After the Lord receives this sacrifice from Noah, he makes a vow that the world will continue to have seasons until the end of earth's time. God keeps his vows.
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