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.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Genesis 7
Genesis chapter 7
God bids Noah and all his family to enter into the ark. There is no safety or guarantee outside of God's love and his son's Salvation. The ark represents God's love and safety. The ark represents escape from this world and sin. The ark represents life, while living in the world with an eminent doom represents death. God is calling everyone lost in sin to the safety of his Son's sacrifice and love.
Notice that Noah and his family are being delivered because of their righteousness and faith, not chance or happenstance. So God tells Noah once again what is expected of him and what he has to do to live. God is not leaving our details and he also reiterates that he will destroy all life from the planet.
After Noah puts his family and all the animals on the ark, the rain and floods start after seven days just as God had said. Be certain that God will fulfill and bring to pass all his promises. Now for forty days and nights it rains and causes this flood. No doubt this was a rain that would cause fear in our hearts if we were to see it. What makes it worse for that time was the fact that they had never seen it rain at all, must less a downpour of this magnitude.
Everything on earth is destroyed in the flood; all life, all civilization, everything dies.There are no homes, no people, no animals. After seeing the evil that is in our own time and God has so far spared us, to imagine the evil that existed then must almost purely evil. God must have had to protect Noah while he built the ark if such evil existed.
After it rained for forty days, the Bible says that the water prevailed for another one hundred and fifty days. Nothing could survive this but what was delivered by the hand of God. It will be no different for us.
God bids Noah and all his family to enter into the ark. There is no safety or guarantee outside of God's love and his son's Salvation. The ark represents God's love and safety. The ark represents escape from this world and sin. The ark represents life, while living in the world with an eminent doom represents death. God is calling everyone lost in sin to the safety of his Son's sacrifice and love.
Notice that Noah and his family are being delivered because of their righteousness and faith, not chance or happenstance. So God tells Noah once again what is expected of him and what he has to do to live. God is not leaving our details and he also reiterates that he will destroy all life from the planet.
After Noah puts his family and all the animals on the ark, the rain and floods start after seven days just as God had said. Be certain that God will fulfill and bring to pass all his promises. Now for forty days and nights it rains and causes this flood. No doubt this was a rain that would cause fear in our hearts if we were to see it. What makes it worse for that time was the fact that they had never seen it rain at all, must less a downpour of this magnitude.
Everything on earth is destroyed in the flood; all life, all civilization, everything dies.There are no homes, no people, no animals. After seeing the evil that is in our own time and God has so far spared us, to imagine the evil that existed then must almost purely evil. God must have had to protect Noah while he built the ark if such evil existed.
After it rained for forty days, the Bible says that the water prevailed for another one hundred and fifty days. Nothing could survive this but what was delivered by the hand of God. It will be no different for us.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Genesis 6
Genesis chapter 6
From the last chapter we have the 'righteous' line of Seth. We get that from the last verse of the forth chapter that says 'men began to call upon the name of the LORD. Now it appears that between the other children that Adam and Eve had, Cain's offspring, and even those from Seth's line, that evil people begin to embrace sin and therefore are destroying themselves and the world through their sin.
A lot has been said about the 'sons of God' and giants, men of renown, but we can infer that these were ordinary people, but that even the best, brightest, boldest of all earth married who they would and intermingled with whomever they wished. There were hardly any righteous left. This disgusted God and he repented that he had made man. Notice just after this though, that God had mercy and shows favor to Noah.
There are two things I'd like to point out here. When God destroyed the world the first time, when Christ was born upon the Earth, and when the Lord returns, it will most likely be the same. There will only be remnant left that truly serve God. Also, notice that God is ALWAYS patient and long suffering. Even though man had disgusted him, he yet had mercy on those that serve him. God will always have mercy for those that love him if only the mercy when we receive eternal life in heaven.
Noah is given instructions for his deliverance. Has not God given us the exact instructions for our redemption? Noah no doubt showed faith throughout the building of this ark. You know that he was mocked because the Bible says it had never rained upon the earth. So with faith following instructions Noah was delivered. It will be no different for us.
From the last chapter we have the 'righteous' line of Seth. We get that from the last verse of the forth chapter that says 'men began to call upon the name of the LORD. Now it appears that between the other children that Adam and Eve had, Cain's offspring, and even those from Seth's line, that evil people begin to embrace sin and therefore are destroying themselves and the world through their sin.
A lot has been said about the 'sons of God' and giants, men of renown, but we can infer that these were ordinary people, but that even the best, brightest, boldest of all earth married who they would and intermingled with whomever they wished. There were hardly any righteous left. This disgusted God and he repented that he had made man. Notice just after this though, that God had mercy and shows favor to Noah.
There are two things I'd like to point out here. When God destroyed the world the first time, when Christ was born upon the Earth, and when the Lord returns, it will most likely be the same. There will only be remnant left that truly serve God. Also, notice that God is ALWAYS patient and long suffering. Even though man had disgusted him, he yet had mercy on those that serve him. God will always have mercy for those that love him if only the mercy when we receive eternal life in heaven.
Noah is given instructions for his deliverance. Has not God given us the exact instructions for our redemption? Noah no doubt showed faith throughout the building of this ark. You know that he was mocked because the Bible says it had never rained upon the earth. So with faith following instructions Noah was delivered. It will be no different for us.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Genesis 5
Genesis chapter 5
In this chapter of Genesis we have all the generations of Adam to Noah. There are some noteworthy names in this chapter, but I want to cover the ages involved in this book. At the beginning of time, when sin had not done the damage to man and all living creation like it has done now, it is logical and easy ( for me anyway) to understand how men and women could live so long. We see now thanks to better diets and medical developments that the age of people does steadily creep upward. I realize that is a long way from hundreds of years old, but then again, sin has had thousands of years to shorten men's lives. To believe such things may be a matter of faith for you; it is for me.
It says in the forth chapter that starting with Enos people started to call upon the name of the Lord. For years and what must have been many of Adam and Eve's offspring, there was continued sin. Now, with this line of people, they decide to serve the Lord. This is not different than any other time in the bible or any other time in human history, it is the minority that serve God.
Enoch does something that only one other person in the bible does, and that is walk with God in such a way as to have God take him. We find out more about Enoch in the new testament, that he was faithful and a preacher. Then his son Methuselah is the longest living soul on earth. Methuselah wasn't taken by God, but he lived a long life that must have been a blessing for his service to the Lord.
After just a generation, we come to Noah and his sons. Notice also that is doesn't take long for the years a man lives to shorten quickly, and after Noah it becomes quicker still. Noah has a special name, evidently his father new that something had to change and he prophesied of some to come by naming his child Noah.
Just as thousands of years ago, it is also the same today that God blesses and smiles upon those that serve and love him. This will never change.
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