Command To Abraham

Genesis 22. This chapter becomes one of the key chapters in all the Bible. First, it is confirmation of the all important Abrahamic covenant. Note the following sequence:

• Genesis 12--The Initiation of the Covenant
• Genesis 15--The Ratification of the Covenant
• Genesis 22--The Confirmation of the Covenant
  

Second, we see the test of Abraham's faith. Note the outline of the chapter:
1. Abraham's Sorrow 22:1-8

• The Order: 22:1-2. Here we see the test of Abraham's faith. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. This test did not come out of the blue. Gen.22:1 says, "After these things..." After what things? After all the years of God stretching and growing Abraham's faith. After all the years of surrender. After all the years of trusting in God. And with each step his faith grew. Now comes the ultimate test. "Abraham, take now your son, your only son Isaac whom you love...and offer him..."
• The Obedience: 22:3. Along with Isaac and two servants, Abraham heads out for the land of Moriah. Mount Moriah is a ridge system of mountains. The highest peak in this system is a place you're familiar with--Golgotha.
  
• The Ordeal: 22:4-8. We see in verse seven Isaac's question: "Father, where is the lamb?" And Abraham answers in verse eight: "God will provide a lamb my son..."

2. Isaac's Submission 22:9-10: Isaac allows Abraham to bind him on the altar. [don't miss the typology in this chapter: Isaac is a type of Christ "obedient to the point of death" Phil.2:5-8. Abraham is a type of the Father who "did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" Rom.8:32; John 3:16. The ram, a type of substitution--Christ offered as a burnt offering in our stead -Heb.10:5-10.]
3. God's Substitute 22:11-24

• The Nature of Abraham's Offering: 22:11-13. He is commanded to offer up a nearby ram instead of Isaac.
• The Name of Abraham's God: 22:14. "Yahweh Yireh" "the LORD Will Provide".
  
• The Number of Abraham's Descendants: 22:15-19. Numerous as the stars....
• The News Concerning Abraham's Family: 22:20-24

What has God done here? He has tested Abraham's faith. See Heb.11:17-19. Abraham has passed the test. See James 2:21-24. What was the test? 1) Abraham, are you faithful? 2) Abraham are you grateful? Abraham was faithful (did what God told him to do), and Abraham was grateful (when he saw the ram. Look at John 8:48-59, paying close attention to John 8:56.
APPLICATION: What does God want to know about you? 1) Are you faithful? 2) Are you grateful? The answers are up to you. The test in life will bear out the answers.

Celebration of Abraham

Genesis 21 is a celebration of birth. The promise of a son is now fulfilled. Isaac is born. His name means "laughter", and this time it was not laughter of unbelief (Gen.18:9-15). The birth of Isaac revealed the power of God. That was the reason God waited so long: He wanted Abraham and Sarah to be "as good as dead" so that their son's birth would be a miracle of God and not a marvel of human nature (Rom.4:17-21). Abraham and Sarah experienced God's resurrection power in their lives because they yielded to Him and believed His Word. Truly, faith in God's promises releases God's power (Eph.3:20-21; Phil.3:10).
Paul expounds on Isaac's birth in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 4:28-29, Paul makes it clear that Ishmael represents the believer's first birth (the flesh) and Isaac represents the second birth (the Spirit). Ishmael was "born of the flesh" because Abraham had not yet 'died' and was still able to begat a son (Gen.16). Isaac was "born of the Spirit" because by that time his parents were both 'dead' and only God's power could have brought conception and birth. Ishmael was born first, because the natural comes before the spiritual (1 Cor.15:46).
When you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you experience a miracle birth from God (John 1:11-13), and it is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8). Abraham represents faith, and Sarah represents grace (Gal.4:24-26), so Isaac was born "by grace...through faith" (Eph.2:8-9). This is the only way a lost sinner can enter the family of God (John 3:16-18). And joy results when lost sinners repent and come to the Lord (Luke 15:7, 10). That's a celebration!

Carnality of Abraham

Genesis 20. This chapter teaches us that believers do sin. Of course we found out yesterday that Lot was a believer (from the NT- 2 Pet.2:7-8), but he was so carnal he looked like the world. Abraham, on the other hand, is a believer of character and integrity. When you meet him you know instantly that he is a believer. You walk away from Abraham knowing, without any doubt, that he is a Yahweh worshiper. But this chapter shows us once again that genuine believers do have laspes in faith.
What did this one lie cost Abraham? First, it cost him character. He also lost his testimony. How could Abraham talk to his pagan neighbors about the God of truth when he himself had told a lie? Lot lost his witness in Sodom, and Abraham lost his witness in Gerar. He also lost his ministry, for instead of being a source of blessing (Gen.12:1-3), he was the cause of judgment. While Abraham was in Gerar, no babies were born (Gen.20:17-18).
What did Abraham do? He repented of his sin. The fact that God answered his prayer for Abimelech is evidence that Abraham confessed his sins and that the Lord had forgiven him (Psalm 66:18-20). We must deal with our sins humbly and honestly, confessing them to God and forsaking them, and then claim His promises of forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Micah 7:18-19; Isaiah 55:6-13). Abraham and Sarah made a new beginning and so can you.

Carnality of Lot

Genesis 19. There is a great contrast in the characters of Abraham and Lot. These two men are representative of the spiritual and worldly (carnal) believer. Abraham was a friend of God. Lot was a friend of the world. Abraham was a pilgrim and stranger, only passing through this world, but Lot had gradually abandoned his tent and settled down in Sodom. Instead of keeping his eyes on the heavenly city (Heb.11:10, 14-16), Lot looked toward Sodom and began to walk by sight (Gen.13:10-11). Then he moved his tent near Sodom (Gen.13:12), and finally he moved into Sodom (Gen.14:12). Now if Lot had of gone to Sodom because God had directed him to do so, his being there would have fulfilled divine purposes. After all, God put Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, and Esther in Persia, and their presence turned out to be a blessing. Worldliness is not a matter of physical geography but of the attitude of the heart ( 1 John 2:15-17). Lot's heart was in Sodom long before his body arrived there. Lot was conformed to the world (Rom.12:2). And in the end, all that he lived for went up in smoke and was buried somewhere in the area around the Dead Sea today.

Lot is a warning to all believers today not to love the world, become friendly with the world, or be stained by the world (James 1:27), because the day of reckoning finally comes. Because of his carnal lifestyle, Lot had no godly influence on anyone. Remember, if God could have found just ten righteous people in Sodom, He would have spared the city. But Lot had not won anyone to the Lord outside of his family. Lot is so worldly it's hard to even tell if he himself was saved. Had it not been for the New Testament, we would have never known that Lot was even a saved man. When he vanishes from the O.T. Scriptures, we see him drunk in a cave committing incest with his daughters. But the N.T. calls him "righteous Lot" in 2 Peter 2:7-8. How is your testimony? Where does your heart long for? This world or that heavenly city? Are you being conformed to the image of Christ or are you being conformed to this world? Meditate on these things today.

And one final note to think about. Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Because of homosexuality? Wrong. Wrong? Yes, wrong answer. It goes deeper than that. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because the city and city government condoned, legalized and even promoted (in your face) homosexuality. Homosexuality is a sin and always has been and always will be. In fact Billy Graham once said that if homosexuality was okay, then God would have to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize. But what I want you to see and think about is this fact that this wicked city legalized and promoted this gross sin. And then I think about our own country with the push for "same sex marriages". I cringe when I think about the day when our government will legalize and promote this. God is the same today, yesterday and forever. God does not change. Pray for our nation. The Christian remnant in this nation is the only dam holding back the judgment of God. Let's intercede on her behalf. Pray for revival!

Compassion of Abraham

Genesis 18. In this chapter we see the compassion and intercession of Abraham. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked (Gen.13:13), because the men of these cities were given over to sexual practices that were contrary to nature (19:5; Jude 7; Rom.1:27). The words "sodomy" and "sodomize" come from the name of this city.

And what do we see Abraham doing? He is interceding on their behalf. Why would Abraham want God to spare such wicked people? Of course, Abraham's first concern was for his nephew Lot and his family. But even apart from Lot's situation, Abraham did not want to see all those people die and be lost forever. God is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9), and He "desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim.2:4). The people of this city were lost in their sins and the "wages of sin is death" (Rom.6:23) and that means eternal death. But Abraham is an intercessor, and intercessors have compassionate hearts; and, like God, they desire that all men be saved and that no one should perish.

What about you? Are you interceding on behalf of your lost family, friends, co-workers, classmates? Remember, before you talk to your lost friends about God, talk to God about your lost friends. Pray for them. Intercede on their behalf. Charles Spurgeon said, "If they [lost sinners] will not hear you speak, they cannot prevent your praying. Do they jest at your exhortations? They cannot disturb you at your prayers. Are they far away so that you cannot reach them? Your prayers can reach them. Have they declared that they will never listen to you again, nor see your face? Never mind, God has a voice which they must hear. Speak to Him, and He will make them feel. Though they now treat you despitefully, rendering evil for good, follow them with your prayers. Never let them perish for lack of your supplications". [Metropolitan Pulpit, vol.18, Spurgeon]

One final note on intercession. Not only does intercession involve compassion, lack of intercession is a sin. See 1 Sam.12:23. There Samuel said, "...far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you;...." Neglected prayer is sin. Let's intercede on behalf of all those who are perishing.

Changing of Names

Genesis 17. In this chapter God reveals Himself as Almighty God. The Hebrew name is El-Shaddai, and this is the first time it occurs in Scripture. "El" means God and speaks of power (eg. Elohim). "Shaddai" literally means a mountain or breast. Metaphorically, a mountain is a "breast" that rises up from the plain, and certainly a mountain is a symbol of strength. But the name goes beyond just strength and power. The name also means to to enrich and to make fruitful. This is no better illustrated than in the first occurrence of the name here in chapter 17. To a man ninety-nine years old and "as good as dead" (Heb.11:12), God said, "I am Almighty -El-Shaddai- God...I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly...I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you and kings shall come from you..." 17:1-6. Now, why would God reveal this name to Abram at this time, at the close of thirteen years of silence? Because the Lord wanted Abram to know that He is the God who is all-sufficient and all powerful, and that nothing is too hard for Him. God says "I will" twelve times in this chapter. He is about to do the miraculous.
Now what did this new revelation from God change for Abram and Sarai? It changed their identity. God changed their names. Abram now becomes Abraham and Sarai becomes Sarah. Abram meant "high father". Now Abraham means "the father of a multitude". Sarai possibly means "contentious". Her new name, Sarah, now means "princess". This new revelation has changed their identity.
That's what happens to us. When our spiritual eyes are opened and we see our great sinfulness and His great mercy...we receive Christ as our Savior and we become a child of God. Our identity changes. We're no longer lost. Now we're saved. We're no longer an enemy of God (Rom.5:10); we're now a child of God. We have become a new creation in Christ ( 2 Cor.5:17)!
Before you leave this chapter, make one other important note. The only one in this chapter whose name did not change was Ishmael. Why? Because he is the product of flesh (remember, yesterday's reading, trying to help God out...in the flesh). His name did not change. Why? Because that which is born of flesh remains flesh and cannot be changed. Meditate on these things today. God bless.

Compromise of Abraham

Genesis 16. Turn on the news any time, any year, any decade, and conflict in the Middle East will be in the headlines. Whether it's Israel fighting Hamas or Hezbollah, or Palestinians, it's Israel fighting somebody. And as seen in this last confrontation in Gaza, the terrorist organizations always provoke the fight. Why is this? Well, it all goes back to Genesis 16 and Abram's lapse into unbelief. When Abram was 85 years old, his wife Sarai basically said, "Look, I'm barren. We're never going to have children at this rate. We're not getting any younger. So take my maid Hagar and go in and have children by her." Abram did, and Hagar became pregant and gave birth to Ishmael.

This one compromise by Abram has led to conflict between Jews and Arabs for several millennia. Later Abram, [then he'll be Abraham] and Sarah will have a son Isaac. Isaac becomes the father of Israel while Ishmael becomes the father of the Arabs. And these two half-brother nations have been fighting ever since. Add more fuel to the fire, Muhammad came from the line of Ishmael, and it was Muhammad who founded the world religion of Islam. All of this because of one compromise; one laspe into unbelief. One attempt to "help God out".

The proverbial story of the bar burning down comes to mind. A church was praying for a local bar to close its doors. It seemed that their prayers were never going to be answered. Then one morning, they woke up to the news that the bar had burned to the ground. Later two ladies of the church were chatting over the news, and one lady said she wondered why God took so long. The other lady (now arsonist) said, "Well, honey, sometimes you've got to put feet to your prayers."

While it's true that prayer combined with inaction is presumption upon God. Prayer with wrong action is sin against God. Be careful in trying to help God out. If your actions violate God's Word or contradict Scripture in any way, then it's wrong. And, as we learn from today's chapter, any compromise has great and grave consequences. How about let's do this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on you own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6. The Message renders this passage this way: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything own your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track." Life is far too complex to figure it out by ourselves. Let's simply trust God and leave the rest up to Him! God bless.

Covenant with Abraham

Genesis 15. We'll break this chapter into two parts:
1. Abram's Faulty Assumption: 15:1-3
Here we find the first 'fear not' (KJV) ever mentioned in the Bible. God tells Abram, 'do not be afraid.' Abram had just completed a daring rescue of Lot in chapter fourteen. Fear after a battle is not unusual, but fear and faith cannot live very long in the same heart. God assures Abram, "I am your shield." 'Do not be afraid because I am going to protect you' is what God is assuring him. But not only does Abram fear. He doubts God's promise. Abram complains that upon his death that all his goods will be passed on to Eliezer, one of his servants from Damascus. Eliezer will then become the heir to the covenant.

2. God's Faithful Assurance: 15:4-21
God tells Abram that the promised heir will be Abram's own son and that Abram's descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. God's promise to Abram was one to stagger the imagination. Yet it was not impossible. A God that can create numerous galaxies and innumerable stars can certainly give Abram countless seed. Note v.6. Abram was counted righteous, not when he believed the promise that took him out of Ur of the Chaldees, but when he believed the promise regarding the Seed (see Rom.4:3; Gal.3:6 and James 2:23). Abram had faith, but faith in what? Faith in the promise of the Seed. We are saved by grace through faith; faith in Jesus Christ the Seed (Gen.3:15-the Promised Seed). Christ is the Seed. It is not mere faith that saves--but faith in Christ that saves! Sing with me:

"We have heard the joyful sound; Jesus saves, Jesus saves;/ Spread the tidings all around; Jesus saves, Jesus saves;/ Bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves;/ Onward tis our Lord's command; Jesus saves, Jesus saves!"

Find you a hymn book or pull up the lyrics online and continue singing. God bless!

Courage of Abraham

Genesis 14. Whereas chapter 12 revealed the Call of Abraham and chapter 13 revealed the Conflict of Abraham, chapter 14 reveals the Courage of Abraham. A coalition of kings, including the king of Sodom, rebelled against the king of Elam and his allies. Abram's nephew Lot was taken captive along with the other citizens of Sodom. When Abram heard that his nephew was taken away as a prisoner of war, he armed his 318 trained servants to go on this rescue mission to get Lot back. The 'special operation' was successful and Abram returned victorious. That's when he faced a new battle.
When Abram returned he was met by two kings: Bera, King of Sodom, and Melchizedek, King of Salem. Bera offered Abram all the spoils in return for the people, while Melchizedek gave Abram bread and wine. Abram rejected Bera's offer but accepted the bread and wine from Melchizedek and gave him tithes of the spoils.
Abram had to choose between two kings who represented two opposite ways of life. Sodom was a wicked city, and Bera, its king, represented the dominion of the this world system with its appeal to the flesh. Bera means 'gift' suggesting that the world bargins for your allegiance. But Sodom means 'burning', so be carful how you choose. If you bow down to Bera, everything you live for will burn up one day. That's what happened to Lot.
Melchizedek means 'king of righteousness', and Salem means 'peace'. Hebrews 7 and Psalm 110 both connect Melchizedek with Jesus Christ, the "King of Peace" and the "King of Righteousness". So when Abram rejected Bera and accepted Melchizedek, he was making a statement of faith, saying "Take the world, but give me Jesus". Lot should have made the same decision, but he chose to return to his life of compromise.
Which king are you choosing today? Who will you serve? The 'king' (ruler) of this world or the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt.6:24). Choose Christ today. (1)

(1) Much indebted to Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Bible Commentary OT, vol.1, for these thoughts today.

Backsliding

Genesis 13. After Abram's carnal stint down in Egypt (12:10-20), he returns to Bethel where his altar was. Note vs.1 closely. "Abram went up from Egypt..." Remember, Egypt always represents the world. And Scripture always states that God's children "go down into Egypt" or "up from Egypt". And when you go down into Egypt (world) you can't take your altar with you. The practical lesson here is simple: Never abandon your altar. Stay in fellowship with God no matter what the circumstances may be. If you have disobeyed God and He is disciplining you, go back to the place where you left Him and make things right.
After Abram makes it right with the Lord, his nephew Lot abandoned his altar as well. Strife and conflict arose between Lot's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Abram. Abram graciously told Lot to choose any part of the land to take and graze his animals. As you know, this is where Lot foolishly chose the plain of Jordan that went down near Sodom and Gomorrah. Here we see the backsliding of Lot. It occurs in 3 steps; three steps that took him away from God (and us too).
1. Step One: "He lifted his eyes as saw...." v.10
The first step of sin is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16). "Eve saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes..." (Gen.3:6). Satan tempts us through the "eye gate".
2. Step Two: "Then Lot chose..." v.11
Sin is always a choice. We can't use Flip Wilson's line "the devil made me do it." Sin is a choice. Eve "took of its fruit and ate..." (Gen.3:6). And do understand, that every choice has a consequence. As Adrian Rogers used to say, "you can chose your choices, but you can't choose your consequences."
3. Step Three: "Lot dwelt...(and) pitched his tent even as far as Sodom" v.12
At first Lot just moved in the vicinity of sin (Sodom). But when it was all said and done, he moved within the city limits and pitched his tent there. Later, as we'll see in chapter 19, all of this cost Lot his family.
Lesson: Lot had left his altar and moved into sin. You can't take the altar with you into sin. Lot left God behind and it destroyed his home. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen homes destroyed, families broken, lives destroyed because of this very same thing: Some Christian, abandoning God, and destroying his or her home. What a tragedy. Again, you can choose your choices, but you can't choose your consequences. The neon signs of this world are flashy, catchy and alluring. But don't buy into the devil's lie. Sodom looks good on the outside, but it's nothing but heartache and destruction on the inside. Stay close to God. Stay near your altar. You'll be eternally glad you did!

Call of Abraham

Genesis 12. We now come to the major transition in the book. God pauses His work with the human race and begins working with the Hebrew race, in order to save the human race. The first eleven chapters recorded the origination of the nations-the human race, while chapters 12-50 record the election of the Jewish nation-the Hebrew race. We saw four main events in those first eleven chapters (Creation, Fall, Flood, Nations); now we'll see four main characters: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
And we begin with Abraham. Chapter 12 records the Call of Abraham. His name hasn't been changed yet, so we'll refer to him as Abram, just as the text does. Salvation comes because God calls in grace and sinners respond by faith (Eph.2:8-9). God called Abram out of idolatry (Joshua 24:2) when he was in Ur of the Chaldees (Gen.11:28,31,15:7), a city devoted to Nanna the moon-god. Abram did did not know the true God until God graciously called him.
After a delay in Haran, Abram finally makes it to Canaan Land. You'll note in Abram/Abraham's life that whereever he goes, his life is always marked by his tent and his altar (12:7-8; 13:3-4, 18). The tent marked him as a "stranger and pilgrim" who did not belong to this world (Heb.11:9-16; 1 Peter 2:11), and the altar marked him as a citizen of heaven who worshiped the true and living God. He gave witness to all that he was separated from this world (the tent) and devoted to the Lord (the altar). Note that. Abram never built a house. He always pitched a tent showing that he was a pilgrim just passing through. Whenever Abram abandoned his tent and his altar, he got in trouble.
APPLICATION:
The same holds true for you and me. We are called by God's grace and we respond by faith. That's justification as the NT teaches. Then we are marked by our tent and altar, that is, we're just pilgrims passing through this world, and one day we will lay this old tent of flesh down to take up our new heavenly bodies (see Philp.3:20-21 and 2 Cor.5:1-10)--That's our sanctification and glorification, as the NT teaches. And anytime we abandon our tent and "build a house", in other words, settle down in this world as our home, then we too get in trouble. We then move into carnality. Who or what are you living for today? Are you living for the Lord? Or are you living for this world? Jesus said, "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" -Matt.16:26. What is your life marked by?

Tower Building

Genesis 11. In ch.10 we saw the completeness of man's dispersion with the Table of Nations. Now in ch.11 we see the cause of man's dispersion with the building of the Tower of Babel. Man built this tower as a monument to his own greatness. But God put a stop to this arrogant behavior by causing all the people to speak in different languages. This is what caused the people to scatter all over the earth. This tower could be called a tower of rebellion.
What about your life? Do you build towers of rebellion in your life? If you do, do you know what it will bring? Confusion! Just as God brought confusion to the Babel tower builders, He will bring confusion in your life if you stubbornly build towers of rebellion. Note some towers of rebellion:
1. Tower of Self Advancement: 11:2-3
The tower was built with brick. Brick made of clay is a fitting symbol of our sinful flesh. When you build towers of self-advancement in your life, it is the carnal flesh that says, "I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to tend to my own agenda." The carnal Christian looks just like the world because he is building a tower of self-advancement. He is building up his own kingdom rather than God's kingdom (see Matt.6:33). Whose kingdom are you trying to advance? Yours or God's.
2. Tower of Self Preservation: 11:4 "build a tower"
They had a worldly purpose to build a tower for protection and self defense. They were out to protect themselves, but doing so without God. We are guilty of the same thing in the spiritual realm. When someone wrongs us, we want to wrong them. We want revenge. We want to preserve our name, our reputation or whatever. We end up building towers of self preservation.
3. Tower of Self Assertion: 11:4b "make a name..."
These people wanted to become famous as the giants before the flood. Motivated by pride, they wanted to make a name for themselves. They feared the Lord would scatter them and they would not achieve greatness. They wanted to enhance their fame. It is an attempt to steal God's glory. We often build monuments to ourselves and use bricks of pride, criticism, jealousy, envy, anger, and bitterness. There is a lot of pride in the church today. Everybody wants to be the 'quarterback' instead of a team player. Let's be like Paul and say, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Gal.6:14.
4. Tower of Self Righteousness: 11:4 "reach heaven"
They had a religious purpose for building the city and great tower: to reach heaven by themselves, that is, through their own effort. Man tends to build towers of self righteousness by using bricks of works. But our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We're not saved by works. We're saved by grace through faith (Eph.2:8-9). And with that, I'll leave you with a quote:
"Religions are man's search for God; the Gospel is God's search for man. There are many religions, but one Gospel."
---E. Stanley Jones

70 Nations

Genesis 10-11 closes out our first section of Genesis dealing with the human race. Let's review. We've seen the A) Creation of Man (1-2); B) Corruption of Man (3-5); C) Destruction of Man (6-9); D) Now we see the Dispersion of Man (10-11). The chronological order of chapters ten and eleven have been reversed. The order looks like this:

1. The Cause of Dispersion: ch.11 (Tower of Babel)
2. The Completeness of the Dispersion: ch.10 (Table of Nations)

Seventy nations came from Noah's three sons. Seventy is the number of universality. The number 7 speaks of divine perfection. It is one of God's 'perfect' numbers. The number 10 speaks of Ordinal Perfection. It marks completeness of order. There are 10 commandments containing all necessary duty. 10 is the basis in mathematics of the decimal system. It marks completeness of order, the full round of anything. Take these two numbers (7 and 10), multiply them, and you have 70 nations, symbolizing the whole world of nations--the complete origin of all peoples of the earth. This table of nations is representative of the totality of all peoples. Now read Luke 10:1-16. Jesus sent forth the 70 disciples. The reason, the implication: The Gospel is to be preached unto the whole world! Church, let's obey our divine mandate (Acts 1:8) and proclaim the Gospel to the entire world! Amen!

Rainbows

Genesis 9. Three men in Scripture saw rainbows. Noah saw the rainbow after the storm. But the prophet Ezekiel saw the rainbow in the midst of the storm in the remarkable vision he had in Ezekiel chapter one. The Apostle John saw the rainbow before the storm of judgment broke loose in Rev.4:3. The application for God's childeren is this: In the storms of life always look for the rainbow of God's covenant promise. Like John, you may see the rainbow before the storm; like Ezekiel, you may see it in the midst of the storm; or like Noah, you may have to wait until after the storm. But you will always see the rainbow of God's promise if you look by faith. That's the Old Testament version of Rom.8:28. The rainbow reminds us of God's faithfulness and grace. God hasn't promised that we'll never experience storms in life, but He has promised that the storms won't destroy us. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you." Isaiah 43:2. [For further study on "storms" see Acts 28 and my blog "Storm Stories", Thursday, August 7, 2008 blog.]

Holy Spirit

Genesis 8. If you ever find yourself in a storm of life, then go read Genesis chapter eight, because the major theme of this chapter is rest and restoration after the storm. This chapter records the end of a storm and the beginning of new life and hope for God's people and God's creation. [Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary, Vol.1].
Also, note vs7-9. Noah sent out a raven and a dove. The raven kept going, but the dove came back. The old prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, gives us an explanation. Speaking of the raven first he said, "This foul bird could light on carrion [dead flesh and floating carcasses] just as wicked men find delight in sin. However, the dove [which is a picture of the Holy Spirit] found no rest on polluted things."
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." And in 1 Thess.5:19 he says, "Do not quench the Spirit." We grieve the Spirit by sins of commission, and we quench the Spirit by sins of omission, by not doing what we should do. Both types of sin cause the the dove of the Holy Spirit to not land on you, if you will. Be filled with the Spirit (Eph.5:18), and in order to do that, we must confess our sins before God (1 John 1:9). Then you'll walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal.5:16). For a final passage, read Matt.3:16-17.

Don't Be A Fool

Genesis 7. Here's an excerpt from one of the British commentators: "For a hundred and twenty years the wits laughed, and the 'common sense' people wondered, and the patient saint went on hammering and pitching at his ark. But one morning it began to rain; and by degrees, somehow, Noah did not seem quite the fool. The jests would look rather different when the water was up to the knees of the jesters; and their sarcasms would stick in their throats as they drowned.
So it is always. So it will be at the last great day. The men who lived for the future, by faith in Christ, will be found out to have been the wise men when the future has become the present, and the present has become the past, and is gone for ever....[These scoffers]...will awake too late to the conviction that they are outside the ark of safety, and that their truest epitaph is, 'Thou fool'." [Expositions of Holy Scripture, by Alexander Maclaren].
Christ is coming again, and this earth will be destroyed by fire in a future day. But the scoffers are still with us. "...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that men existed perished, being flooded by water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...." 2 Peter 3:3-7.
I've just quoted a portion of 2 Peter 3. Take the time to read that entire chapter. Man may think that God is not going to return and that He is not going to destroy this old wicked world one day, but he had better think again. Christ is coming and is coming soon! And just like in Noah's day, these scoffers will awake too late to the conviction that they are outside the ark of safety, and that their truest epitaph will read: 'Thou fool!' Don't be a fool. Trust Christ today.

Walking With God

Genesis 6. REVIEW: Thus far, we've seen:
1. The Creation of Man: ch.1-2
2. The Corruption of Man: ch.3-5 (now we see...)
3. The Destruction of Man: ch.6-9

Chapter six will cover the preparation for the flood; chapter seven will cover the protection during the flood; and chapters eight and nine will cover the particulars following the flood.

OVERVIEW of ch.6:
Let me borrow the words of Warren Wiersbe to help us today: "Except for the increase in violence and crime, the times were pretty good. People were 'eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage' (Matt.24:38), and life was going on as usual. When friends met at the market or at a wedding feast, they laughed about Noah and his family ('imagine building that big boat on dry land!')....One day, Noah and his family entered their 'boat' and the rains came. 'It can't go on forever', the people said, 'it'll stop one of these days.' But it rained for forty days and forty nights. ...the water continued to rise, and within five months, the whole earth was under water and everything that breathed was dead. Everything, that is, except Noah and his family, the eight people everybody laughed at." [Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, Vol.1, p.37-38.]

APPLICATION:
What kind of person was Noah? He was the kind of person you and I should be in this present day, wicked world. What kind of man was he? 1) He was a righteous man -v.9. "Just" before God. How was he "just" or "justified" before God? The way anyone of us are justified. He had placed his faith in God and thus, God justified him, saved him. Salvation is always a gift from God (John 3:16). Have you placed your faith in Christ and received the gift of eternal life? Second, 2) He was a blameless man -v.9. The word is "perfect" but it means 'perfected', 'complete', 'whole'; in other words, a man of integrity. If "righteous" describes Noah's standing before God, then "blameless" describes his conduct before people. He was a man of integrity. And finally, 3) He was a man who walked with God -v.9. Note the wording of that carefully. "Noah walked with God". Enoch also walked with God (ch.5:24). Enoch and Noah walked with God. You know what our problem is? Our problem is that we want God to walk with us...go where we want to go. We want God to adjust His agenda to ours. NO! NO! It's the other way around. We're to walk with God! We're to go in His direction! We're to go where He is working! We go where He is blessing! His agenda becomes our agenda! What kind of person is God looking for in these wicked last days? A person of His righteousness. A person of integrity. And, a person who walks with Him! Will you be that one? Yes, the world may laugh at you, but God will smile upon you. Amen.

Tombstone Lane

Genesis 5 is one of the most discouraging and depressing chapters in the Bible. Why? Because it is like walking through a cemetery. Some have called it "tombstone lane". God had told Adam that if he ate the forbidden fruit, then he would surely die. And die we do. This chapter is a list of "so and so begot so and so and lived 'x' number of years and died." The only exception is Enoch, who was caught up by God, which is a picture of the rapture.
The wages of sin is death, and Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, emphasizes this fact as he writes chapter five. We are sinners, and we die. Remember the lie Satan told Eve, that she would become like God? But we are far from becoming like God; we are as mortal as ever. We still grow old and die. For everyone born, everyone dies. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom.6:23).
Have you received the gift of eternal life? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Why not do so now? You have no promise of tomorrow. The Bible says the day of salvation is today (2 Cor.6:2). There's an old story of a monk who told his students to get saved the day before they died. One of the students raised his hand and said, "But teacher, we don't know when that day will be. We don't know the day we're going to die." "Exactly", said the aged monk, "therefore, get saved today!" My friend, don't put off your salvation another minute. Trust Christ today!

Another

Genesis 4. The corruption of man continues. Whereas Adam and Eve's sin was vertical, in that it affected their relationship with God, it now becomes horizontal, affecting relationships with man. Cain rises up and kills his brother Abel. Abel was to have been the direct line to the Messiah. Mankind has not only sinned, now man has done away with the solution for his sin [destoyed the line to the Messiah/Savior]. But look at 4:25. "Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, 'For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.'" You might want to circle that word "another" in your Bible. For you see, God gave man "another" chance. That's the grace of our Lord. When you feel like you've blown it, when you have sinned against God and have let Him down once again, God steps in, and in His amazing grace, gives you another chance. Thank God He gives us "another" chance. This New Year gives us another chance. Another chance to get it right with God. Won't you repent and come back to Him? He's standing with open arms waiting to give you that second chance. Seth went on to father Enosh, and thus the line continued all the way to Christ. [see Luke 3:23-38]. Thank God He gave mankind another chance.

It Is Written

Genesis 3. Chapters three through five now record the corruption of man. This corruption began when man fell into temptation. What was the temptation? What was the one thing that caused Eve to reach out and take the forbidden fruit? What one tactic did Satan use to cause Eve to fall? It was simply to create doubt concerning God's Word. "Has God indeed said....?" In other words, "Eve, did God really say that? Are you sure that's what He meant?" Satan's tactics are the same today. When he tempts us, one of the first things he does is to attack God's Word, thereby creating doubt in our minds. He attacks God's Word in the following manner. First, he gets you to...

1. Doubt The Truth: 3:1 "Has God indeed said..." (then, he gets you to...)
2. Deny The Truth: 3:4 "You will not surely die." (then, he gets you to...)
3. Disregard The Truth: 3:5 "you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (and finally he gets you to...)
4. Disobey The Truth: 3:6 "she took of its fruit and ate"

But my friend, we can count on God's Word. His Word is Truth! And we are sanctified by His Truth (see John 17:17). And "there has not failed one word of all His good promise..." 1 Kings 8:56. Therefore, what we need to do is heed the psalmist: "Thy Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:11. You have begun the New Year off right by reading God's Word every day. The one thing Satan will try to do is to tempt you to neglect this; because He knows if you read God's Word daily, you will be victorious. Remember, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the one thing He did to combat that temptation was to quote God's Word to Satan. Three times Jesus said, "It is written...." "It is written..." "It is written..." (see Matt. 4:1-11) When you've got plenty of "It is written..." in your heart, you'll be victorious over Satan's temptations and tactics. It is written; thus, let us read! Keep reading God's Word each day. You'll be glad you did.

Finished

Genesis 2. Chapters one and two both deal with the creation story. Chapter one tells the story with a wide angle lens. Chapter two zooms in for a closer view. Chapter two is a zoom lens dealing specifically with the creation of man. Chapter one is a chronological overview of creation, whereas chapter two is a topical overview. Think of it like placing a specimen under a microscope (ch.1), then by clicking from the weaker lens to a more powerful lens (ch.2), you are able to view certain parts up close under greater magnification. That's what chapter two is all about. It is up close and personal, giving us a little more understanding of the creation of man.
The subject of 2:1-3 is God resting. Note what is different about this day (2:1), when compared to the other six days (ch.1). There is no refrain: "and the evening and the morning..." This is theologically significant because the seventh day had no end, and therefore is viewed as eternal. Whereas the human work week recurs after each Sabbath, the Sabbath rest of God is eternal since creation's work is finished. God didn't rest because He was tired. God rested because creation was complete! He didn't rest because He was weary, but because He was satisfied with the completion of a job well done and completed.
There is a lesson here for us. Few things are as sweet as accomplishment. Proverbs 13:19a says, "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul..." The Hebrew word for "accomplished" is a verb that means "to come to pass; to be done; to happen; to finish". It is akin to our word "thorough." Webster defines "thorough" as "carried through to completion...complete in all respects." What about us? Often we start a task but never finish it. We start a book and quit. We start a new project and quit. We start college and drop out. We start a job and then quit it. We make 'New Year's' resolutions, but give up by February. We start out with good intentions, and then we fail to see it through; we fail to carry it to completion. But Proverbs 13:19 says that if we complete it, be faithful to the end, finish the project, finish the book, complete the course etc., then it is sweet to the soul. Why not dig in and refuse to give up until the task is done? Why not tighten your belt a notch and wade into that unpleasant job with renewed determination, so that you can write "It is finished" over it? And when you accomplish a task thoroughly, satisfaction follows.
Prayer:
"Dear Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom to see what I ought to do, courage to begin it, loyalty to continue it, and strength to complete it. And Father, as I face the task of this day, grant me the faith and fortitude to develop my plans prayerfully and to make my decisions wisely for Your glory and for the good of others; In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
One More Thought:
There was another time when God declared something that was finished. It's found in John 19:30 when, from the cross, Jesus cried, "It is finished." Creation was finished in Gen.2:1. Redemption was finished in John 19:30. God has only one other project to complete: YOU! Romans 8:29 says that He has predestined you to be conformed to the image of His Son... and Philp.1:6 says, "...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Amen!

Dark and Void

Genesis 1. The Bible is about the revelation of God and the redemption of man. It begins with God [In the Beginning God....] and closes with Jesus Christ [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]. I can't think of a better way of beginning the new year than to begin it the way the Bible begins...with God...with His Word. So first we need to look at the big picture:

OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE:

• The Old Testament Records The Preparation For Christ
• The Gospels Records The Manifestation Of Christ
• Acts Records The Propagation Of Christ
• The Epistles Record The Interpretation and Explanation Of Christ
• Revelation Records The Consummation Of Christ

The Old Testament is the Account of a Nation: Israel.
The New Testament is the Account of a Man Whom That Nation Produced: Jesus Christ.

OVERVIEW OF GENESIS:

• The Origination Of The Nations [the human race]: Gen.1-11
• The Election Of The Jewish Nation [the Hebrew race]: Gen.12-50

Genesis 1-2 records the creation of man, while 3-5 records the corruption of man. Then chapters 6-9 records the destruction of man, while chapters 10-11 record the dispersion of man. I realize this has been a lengthy opening for the first day, but we needed to lay a good foundation for the start of a new year.
Now for a devotional thought look at 1:2 again. The earth was dark and void. We too are dark by nature and thus disordered. But it's the Spirit of God that moves and works in the dead heart. If God can fill a void earth, He can fill a void life as well. When you place your faith in Christ, you become a new creation. See 2 Cor.5:17. Is your life void? Do you want to be successful in this new year? Then begin the way the Bible begins--with God 1:1. Begin everyday with God and place your faith in Him, and the Spirit of God will move in you. God bless you all and may you all have a "Happy and Holy New Year!"