Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” -Genesis 15.4-5
Abram and God are discussing the fulfillment of God's promise, and Abram presents the facts from a human perspective. He has no son, no biological descendant, and so logically, his servant will become his heir. It has been years since the promise was made, and so far the key to that promise has yet to be fulfilled. So much of the promise is dependent upon descendants, and so far Abram has none. He presents God with the facts as he sees them, and then God responds. He assures Abram that he will have a son. God made a promise, and God is a promise keeper.
However, God doesn't do the minimum. He promised Abram a nation, and after reassuring him of the promise of a son, he takes him outside and shows him the stars, inviting him to count them, and promises that his descendants will be the same. God goes above and beyond. As Paul said in Ephesians 3, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
God not only keeps His promises, but God keeps them in a way that is truly a blessing. God blesses in ways that are abundantly beyond what we can imagine. That is who He is, and to Him be the glory.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Promise Keeper
"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.'" -Genesis 15.1
Abram has just been in battle and achieved victory. In the aftermath, he has honored God and refused the rewards of men, so that God may be glorified. In the calm after the battle, God speaks to Abram, and as He speaks, He tells Abram not to fear, that He is his shield, and that Abram's reward will be very great.
God has made promises to Abram that are yet to be fulfilled, and it has been around a decade since the promises were initially made. Abram has allowed his nephew to choose from the land God has promised to give him, been in a battle where he could have been killed, refused an offering from a king for wealth, and still has no son. But here at the beginning of chapter 15, God is about to reinforce the promise that was made.
God begins by telling Abram to not fear, calling him to faith and trust in Him. He then tells Abram that He is his shield. God is protecting him. God made promises to Abram that have not been fulfilled yet, and God is going to watch over Abram and protect. Abram has been in life endangering situations and has come out alive because God is watching over him. Finally, God reassures him that his reward will be very great. The original promise involved land, descendants, and honor, and God is going to do all of it.
The promises of God may take time to fulfill, it could be years as was the case with Abram, but God does not forget His promises. God remembers His promises, and God will fulfill them. He is a promise keeper.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Abram has just been in battle and achieved victory. In the aftermath, he has honored God and refused the rewards of men, so that God may be glorified. In the calm after the battle, God speaks to Abram, and as He speaks, He tells Abram not to fear, that He is his shield, and that Abram's reward will be very great.
God has made promises to Abram that are yet to be fulfilled, and it has been around a decade since the promises were initially made. Abram has allowed his nephew to choose from the land God has promised to give him, been in a battle where he could have been killed, refused an offering from a king for wealth, and still has no son. But here at the beginning of chapter 15, God is about to reinforce the promise that was made.
God begins by telling Abram to not fear, calling him to faith and trust in Him. He then tells Abram that He is his shield. God is protecting him. God made promises to Abram that have not been fulfilled yet, and God is going to watch over Abram and protect. Abram has been in life endangering situations and has come out alive because God is watching over him. Finally, God reassures him that his reward will be very great. The original promise involved land, descendants, and honor, and God is going to do all of it.
The promises of God may take time to fulfill, it could be years as was the case with Abram, but God does not forget His promises. God remembers His promises, and God will fulfill them. He is a promise keeper.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Possessor
"He blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth... Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth" -Genesis 14.19, 22
God is Most High, He is above all else, and He alone is worthy of worship. That is the first identifier attributed to God by both Melchizedek and Abram, but it is quickly followed by a second identifier, possessor of heaven and earth. God is above all, and being above all, He owns and rules everything that exists. Psalm 24.1 states, "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
the world, and those who dwell in it." Everything you see, and everything you don't (everything the light touches, and even that shadowy part) is God's.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God made man in His own image and set him to rule over and care for His creation. God entrusted the world to man. The world is not ours, but God's. In the movie Kingdom of Heaven there is a quote early on in the movie "What man is a man who does not make the world better?" Later the main character is asked, "Would you make the whole world like Jerusalem?" to which he responds "This is my land. What kind of man would I be if I did not try to make it better?"
The earth is God's. Every unique, beautiful, and dangerous corner of it belongs to Him. He has entrusted its care to us, and it is our responsibility to do so. We are to protect the earth, not strip it for its resources. We are to care for God's possession, not worshiping it, but honoring the one who alone is worthy of worship by taking care of what He has entrusted us with.
God Most High is the possessor of heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord's and all that it contains.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God is Most High, He is above all else, and He alone is worthy of worship. That is the first identifier attributed to God by both Melchizedek and Abram, but it is quickly followed by a second identifier, possessor of heaven and earth. God is above all, and being above all, He owns and rules everything that exists. Psalm 24.1 states, "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
the world, and those who dwell in it." Everything you see, and everything you don't (everything the light touches, and even that shadowy part) is God's.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God made man in His own image and set him to rule over and care for His creation. God entrusted the world to man. The world is not ours, but God's. In the movie Kingdom of Heaven there is a quote early on in the movie "What man is a man who does not make the world better?" Later the main character is asked, "Would you make the whole world like Jerusalem?" to which he responds "This is my land. What kind of man would I be if I did not try to make it better?"
The earth is God's. Every unique, beautiful, and dangerous corner of it belongs to Him. He has entrusted its care to us, and it is our responsibility to do so. We are to protect the earth, not strip it for its resources. We are to care for God's possession, not worshiping it, but honoring the one who alone is worthy of worship by taking care of what He has entrusted us with.
God Most High is the possessor of heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord's and all that it contains.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Most High
"He blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand... Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have sworn to the Lord God Most High'" -Genesis 14.19-20, 22a
Abram has just been in battle, and has emerged as the victorious savior. Melchizedek, a priest/king, comes to meet Abram, as well as the king of Sodom. Tribute is offered and denied, and God is identified as Most High for the first time in Scripture. Three times, and by two different men, God is identified in His proper place, God Most High.
God is above all. He is Most High which means that no one and nothing, can be above Him. God is to be praised and worshiped because of who He is. He is Most High, and alone worthy of praise. Melchizedek twice identifies God as Most High. Abram follows this up with a third identification putting God in His proper place.
As the new year begins, let us begin by realizing who God is, and acknowledging Him in His proper place as God Most High.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Abram has just been in battle, and has emerged as the victorious savior. Melchizedek, a priest/king, comes to meet Abram, as well as the king of Sodom. Tribute is offered and denied, and God is identified as Most High for the first time in Scripture. Three times, and by two different men, God is identified in His proper place, God Most High.
God is above all. He is Most High which means that no one and nothing, can be above Him. God is to be praised and worshiped because of who He is. He is Most High, and alone worthy of praise. Melchizedek twice identifies God as Most High. Abram follows this up with a third identification putting God in His proper place.
As the new year begins, let us begin by realizing who God is, and acknowledging Him in His proper place as God Most High.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Good Blessings
"The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, 'Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.'" -Genesis 13.14-17
God makes a promise to Abram which results in a journey of faith. God spoke and Abram responded. Along the way he made some of his own decisions without seeking God, but because of God's faithful promise, God was with him. Now Abram is getting a glimpse of what God has promised him, and we see that the blessings of God are good.
God tells Abram to look around him in every direction, and to take in the view of the land that will be given to him and his descendants. I don't know exactly where Abram is standing, but Israel is not the most mountainous region, and from a high point on a clear day you can see a great distance. The land is good, it has the largest source of fresh water in that part of the world, it has coastal access, fertile valleys, and is the crossroad of the known world, connecting three continents. It is a good land, and God tells him to walk through it and see it's goodness.
Secondly, God tells Abram that his offspring will be like the dust of the earth, so great that they are unable to be numbered. Abram is old and childless, but God promises not only the land, but that the land will be filled by his offspring. Abram will be given a piece of ground, and those to pass it down to. God is giving him a legacy.
Both of these blessings are good, and they are good because they are from God. The promises of Genesis 12 are all about what God will do, and that message continues here. God will give the land, God will make numerous offspring. God gives good blessings.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God makes a promise to Abram which results in a journey of faith. God spoke and Abram responded. Along the way he made some of his own decisions without seeking God, but because of God's faithful promise, God was with him. Now Abram is getting a glimpse of what God has promised him, and we see that the blessings of God are good.
God tells Abram to look around him in every direction, and to take in the view of the land that will be given to him and his descendants. I don't know exactly where Abram is standing, but Israel is not the most mountainous region, and from a high point on a clear day you can see a great distance. The land is good, it has the largest source of fresh water in that part of the world, it has coastal access, fertile valleys, and is the crossroad of the known world, connecting three continents. It is a good land, and God tells him to walk through it and see it's goodness.
Secondly, God tells Abram that his offspring will be like the dust of the earth, so great that they are unable to be numbered. Abram is old and childless, but God promises not only the land, but that the land will be filled by his offspring. Abram will be given a piece of ground, and those to pass it down to. God is giving him a legacy.
Both of these blessings are good, and they are good because they are from God. The promises of Genesis 12 are all about what God will do, and that message continues here. God will give the land, God will make numerous offspring. God gives good blessings.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, December 22, 2016
God Will
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" -Genesis 12.1-3
In Genesis 12 the focus of the story shifts. Up until this point the Bible has focused on humanity as a whole. The Bible starts with creation and then moves to man's ever increasing wickedness. God destroys the world with a flood, giving man a fresh start, but the corrupt and sinful heart of man has not been dealt with and so man once again falls into sin. In Genesis 12 God begins the specific work that will lead to the redemption of the hearts of men. Here God selects one man who will become a nation, and from that nation the Savior will be born.
In Genesis 12 God speaks to Abram, telling him to go from all that is safe and familiar into the unknown. God will show him where to God, and God will do many other great things for him. God will make one man into a great nation, and give him renown. God will bless him, and make him a blessing. God will protect him, blessing and cursing others based on their attitudes and actions towards him. God will make him a blessing to all the nations of the earth. God will do all of those things.
Abram has one job to do, to go. His only responsibility is to trust God and follow His leading. Everything else is up to God. The one making the promises here is God. God will show him the way, make him a great nation with a great name, God will bless him and make him a blessing. God will.
As I think about this passage, the command to go and the promise of God's presence I am reminded of another command to go. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28.19-20)
Jesus is commanding His followers to go to an unspecified place and promises to be with them until the end of the age. In Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, and the Great Commission of Matthew 28 is the command to fulfill this final promise to Abram in Genesis 12. Jesus commands His followers to go, and as they are going to teach those around them to obey everything that He has commanded, and He promises to be with them always.
God will do everything that He says He will. The only role we have is to step out in faith and follow His leading. We follow and obey, God fulfills His promise. God will.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
In Genesis 12 the focus of the story shifts. Up until this point the Bible has focused on humanity as a whole. The Bible starts with creation and then moves to man's ever increasing wickedness. God destroys the world with a flood, giving man a fresh start, but the corrupt and sinful heart of man has not been dealt with and so man once again falls into sin. In Genesis 12 God begins the specific work that will lead to the redemption of the hearts of men. Here God selects one man who will become a nation, and from that nation the Savior will be born.
In Genesis 12 God speaks to Abram, telling him to go from all that is safe and familiar into the unknown. God will show him where to God, and God will do many other great things for him. God will make one man into a great nation, and give him renown. God will bless him, and make him a blessing. God will protect him, blessing and cursing others based on their attitudes and actions towards him. God will make him a blessing to all the nations of the earth. God will do all of those things.
Abram has one job to do, to go. His only responsibility is to trust God and follow His leading. Everything else is up to God. The one making the promises here is God. God will show him the way, make him a great nation with a great name, God will bless him and make him a blessing. God will.
As I think about this passage, the command to go and the promise of God's presence I am reminded of another command to go. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28.19-20)
Jesus is commanding His followers to go to an unspecified place and promises to be with them until the end of the age. In Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, and the Great Commission of Matthew 28 is the command to fulfill this final promise to Abram in Genesis 12. Jesus commands His followers to go, and as they are going to teach those around them to obey everything that He has commanded, and He promises to be with them always.
God will do everything that He says He will. The only role we have is to step out in faith and follow His leading. We follow and obey, God fulfills His promise. God will.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
God's Will be Done
"The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth." -Genesis 11.5-9
The flood is over, God has re-issued His command for man to fill the earth, and yet again, man disobeys God. Rather than doing what God has instructed them to do, they gather together in one place and begin building a tower. Rather than spreading out, they gather together. Rather than filling the earth, they stay in one place. Rather than making God known to creation, they seek to make their name great. They have their plans for their own security and advancement, and neglect the will of God.
God see what is happening and knows what has to be done. He confuses their language and scatters them over the whole earth. Man was given the whole world to care for and rule over, make God's name known, and yet they find a place where they can gather together and exalt themselves. It doesn't get much more contrary than this, everything God has commanded they are doing the opposite of. God will not stand for this. God's will must be done.
God comes down, steps in, and confuses the language of the people so they will spread out. He causes their world to fall apart so that they can fulfill the purpose they were meant to fulfill. I believe God still works this way today. God is sovereign, take than in for a moment. He is the creator and king of the Universe. Not a country, not the world, but the Universe. I'm going to get side tracked for a moment (I usually do when I get on this subject because space fascinates me) but we don't know how big the Universe is and the Bible says in Isaiah that God measures it in the span of His hand (Is. 40.12). He holds the Universe that so far we haven't found the edge of, in His hand. That means three things, one the universe is finite, two God is really big, and three, God is in charge.
God has a plan and His plan is perfect. He made the world and everything functioned as it was intended to. There was no sickness, pain, or death, and man disobeyed, had a desire to be God, and messed it up. God sent the flood, destroying evil on the earth, giving man a sort of fresh start, and again, man disobeyed and messed it up. After the initial fall, God set His ultimate plan of redemption in motion, a plan that will be further unfolded in Genesis 12.
Here in Genesis 11, man is once again trying to be sovereign, trying to exalt himself over God. Because God is God, He is the only sovereign and must be exalted, and so He makes man's plans crumble and sets him on the path that obeys God's will. I realize this may sound like God is a tyrannical dictator, as I've been writing this I've found myself deleting and re-wording a lot of things, but I'm now at the point where I can't avoid this issue. God has a plan, and His plan is what is best for us. We do have the choice to obey or not, disobedience brings punishment and consequences. Every time man seeks to be God, to be exalted above God, there is punishment that puts man back in his proper place. Man was cut off from the tree of life, the source of eternal life. Man's language is confused, cut off from fellowship and community. Sometimes your world needs to fall apart so that you can finally get on the path God intended for you to be on, and sometimes even that doesn't work.
God's plan is perfect, and it brings blessing and fulfillment. Apart from His plan are hardship and isolation. Let God's will be done.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
The flood is over, God has re-issued His command for man to fill the earth, and yet again, man disobeys God. Rather than doing what God has instructed them to do, they gather together in one place and begin building a tower. Rather than spreading out, they gather together. Rather than filling the earth, they stay in one place. Rather than making God known to creation, they seek to make their name great. They have their plans for their own security and advancement, and neglect the will of God.
God see what is happening and knows what has to be done. He confuses their language and scatters them over the whole earth. Man was given the whole world to care for and rule over, make God's name known, and yet they find a place where they can gather together and exalt themselves. It doesn't get much more contrary than this, everything God has commanded they are doing the opposite of. God will not stand for this. God's will must be done.
God comes down, steps in, and confuses the language of the people so they will spread out. He causes their world to fall apart so that they can fulfill the purpose they were meant to fulfill. I believe God still works this way today. God is sovereign, take than in for a moment. He is the creator and king of the Universe. Not a country, not the world, but the Universe. I'm going to get side tracked for a moment (I usually do when I get on this subject because space fascinates me) but we don't know how big the Universe is and the Bible says in Isaiah that God measures it in the span of His hand (Is. 40.12). He holds the Universe that so far we haven't found the edge of, in His hand. That means three things, one the universe is finite, two God is really big, and three, God is in charge.
God has a plan and His plan is perfect. He made the world and everything functioned as it was intended to. There was no sickness, pain, or death, and man disobeyed, had a desire to be God, and messed it up. God sent the flood, destroying evil on the earth, giving man a sort of fresh start, and again, man disobeyed and messed it up. After the initial fall, God set His ultimate plan of redemption in motion, a plan that will be further unfolded in Genesis 12.
Here in Genesis 11, man is once again trying to be sovereign, trying to exalt himself over God. Because God is God, He is the only sovereign and must be exalted, and so He makes man's plans crumble and sets him on the path that obeys God's will. I realize this may sound like God is a tyrannical dictator, as I've been writing this I've found myself deleting and re-wording a lot of things, but I'm now at the point where I can't avoid this issue. God has a plan, and His plan is what is best for us. We do have the choice to obey or not, disobedience brings punishment and consequences. Every time man seeks to be God, to be exalted above God, there is punishment that puts man back in his proper place. Man was cut off from the tree of life, the source of eternal life. Man's language is confused, cut off from fellowship and community. Sometimes your world needs to fall apart so that you can finally get on the path God intended for you to be on, and sometimes even that doesn't work.
God's plan is perfect, and it brings blessing and fulfillment. Apart from His plan are hardship and isolation. Let God's will be done.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, November 28, 2016
Theology
"These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood." -Genesis 10.32
The genealogies of the Old Testament have been used to try and piece together a timeline in an attempt to date creation and assign an age to the earth. However, this is impossible to do because these genealogies are not exhaustive lists. They do not contain the names of every person in the line of Noah, in the case of Genesis 10, simply the major players so that God can show how He is at work to bring about His plan of redemption.
I read this quote a few weeks ago in the book Genesis in Space and Time,"It is to theology, as such, a matter of entire indifference how long man has existed on the earth." Theology is the study of God, not of man. Therefore, theology does not care at all how long man has walked the earth or even how long the earth has existed. Theology is only concerned with learning who God is, and that is all. The genealogies of the Bible serve to show how God is working through the very people who need Him, to bring about what they need.
God is the focus. God is the subject. The Bible revovles around who God is. It is a book of theology, and theology is the study of God. Everything contained within its pages is meant to teach us about the divine author. As we look at everything it contains, our intention must be to know God more.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
The genealogies of the Old Testament have been used to try and piece together a timeline in an attempt to date creation and assign an age to the earth. However, this is impossible to do because these genealogies are not exhaustive lists. They do not contain the names of every person in the line of Noah, in the case of Genesis 10, simply the major players so that God can show how He is at work to bring about His plan of redemption.
I read this quote a few weeks ago in the book Genesis in Space and Time,"It is to theology, as such, a matter of entire indifference how long man has existed on the earth." Theology is the study of God, not of man. Therefore, theology does not care at all how long man has walked the earth or even how long the earth has existed. Theology is only concerned with learning who God is, and that is all. The genealogies of the Bible serve to show how God is working through the very people who need Him, to bring about what they need.
God is the focus. God is the subject. The Bible revovles around who God is. It is a book of theology, and theology is the study of God. Everything contained within its pages is meant to teach us about the divine author. As we look at everything it contains, our intention must be to know God more.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Covenant Maker
"Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 'Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.' God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.' And God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.'" -Genesis 9.8-17
After the flood God institutes the practice of covenant making. This is an unbreakable commitment, a promise that cannot be undone. God promises Noah, all of his descendants, and all animals that the world will never again be destroyed by a flood. To accompany the covenant is a sign, with the Noahic covenant the sign is the rainbow. Every time the rainbow appears in the sky, it is a reminder of God's promise. There will be rain, but it will not destroy all life on the earth.
Covenants are serious business. When a covenant was broken, usually death was the punishment. God is establishing this covenant, and He is the one who is capable of breaking it, because the only promise is that He will not flood the earth again. God makes the covenant, and He will not break it.
This is the first covenant the appears in the Bible. Some of them have conditions that man must live by, but all of them have a divine element that is the root of them. God is at work to restore His creation, and He establishes covenants with His people in the process. God, the covenant maker, is faithful to do all that He says. The final covenant is established in Christ, and it is under that promise of hope and redemption that we now live. God has been faithful to every covenant He has established, and He will be faithful to this one.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
After the flood God institutes the practice of covenant making. This is an unbreakable commitment, a promise that cannot be undone. God promises Noah, all of his descendants, and all animals that the world will never again be destroyed by a flood. To accompany the covenant is a sign, with the Noahic covenant the sign is the rainbow. Every time the rainbow appears in the sky, it is a reminder of God's promise. There will be rain, but it will not destroy all life on the earth.
Covenants are serious business. When a covenant was broken, usually death was the punishment. God is establishing this covenant, and He is the one who is capable of breaking it, because the only promise is that He will not flood the earth again. God makes the covenant, and He will not break it.
This is the first covenant the appears in the Bible. Some of them have conditions that man must live by, but all of them have a divine element that is the root of them. God is at work to restore His creation, and He establishes covenants with His people in the process. God, the covenant maker, is faithful to do all that He says. The final covenant is established in Christ, and it is under that promise of hope and redemption that we now live. God has been faithful to every covenant He has established, and He will be faithful to this one.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Values Life
"Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man." -Genesis 9.6
The flood is over, and the ark is empty. Noah has built an altar and made sacrifices to God, and God has promised never to destroy the earth by flood again, no matter how bad things get. He knows that from youth the intentions of the hearts of men are evil, but in spite of that, He still values human life. God puts a value on the life of humanity, and that is life itself. Whoever kills a man must be killed because life is a precious thing. Men bear the image of God, and are to be treated with dignity and respect.
God values life. Every life matters to God, and everyone who takes life will be held accountable to God for that life. I feel that I need to say this, life begins at conception, and the lives of the unborn matter to God because they are alive. The Bible says, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139.13-14a). At the moment of conception God begins to form a baby into His image. Life is to end only when God decides it is over. God gives man the breath of life, and until He decides to take it back, life is to be treated with dignity and respect.
The unborn, the young, and the old, all matter to God, because all bear His image. Life matters because it is God given, God sustained, and God valued.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
The flood is over, and the ark is empty. Noah has built an altar and made sacrifices to God, and God has promised never to destroy the earth by flood again, no matter how bad things get. He knows that from youth the intentions of the hearts of men are evil, but in spite of that, He still values human life. God puts a value on the life of humanity, and that is life itself. Whoever kills a man must be killed because life is a precious thing. Men bear the image of God, and are to be treated with dignity and respect.
God values life. Every life matters to God, and everyone who takes life will be held accountable to God for that life. I feel that I need to say this, life begins at conception, and the lives of the unborn matter to God because they are alive. The Bible says, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139.13-14a). At the moment of conception God begins to form a baby into His image. Life is to end only when God decides it is over. God gives man the breath of life, and until He decides to take it back, life is to be treated with dignity and respect.
The unborn, the young, and the old, all matter to God, because all bear His image. Life matters because it is God given, God sustained, and God valued.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Restoration
"Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.'" -Genesis 8.13-17
After more than a year on board the ark, the water is gone, land is dry again, and Noah, his family, and the animals, are led out of the ark. God gives the same command here that He gave to Adam and Eve at the beginning of creation, be fruitful and multiply on the earth. God has flooded the earth, washing away the abundant wickedness, and has given His creation a fresh start. They have been given a second chance. God has brought restoration.
God is a god of restoration. His creation had disobeyed Him and lived as far from Him as they could, only one man on earth is said to have been faithful and righteous. God destroys the wicked, washing their evil from the earth, and gives the righteous man a fresh start. The flood narrative shows elements of the original creation, and it points ahead to the final redemption of creation. God made the earth good, and man messed it up. God flooded the earth, destroying wickedness and starting with a righteous, but fallen man. Since that time, man has not improved the situation, wickedness and rebellion to God is abundant. God sent Jesus, who through the cross, provided the "ark" of salvation for all who will believe. The "flood" is coming, at which point evil will be eradicated forever, and God will bring about complete restoration of His creation.
God is a god of restoration. There is nothing that He cannot redeem. With Noah, man saw what the result of wickedness was, but he has not learned. Even greater destruction awaits, but so does an even greater restoration. All who board the "ark" of Christ, will be saved from destruction, and enjoy the perfect restoration of creation where evil will never taint it again. That is what God is going to do.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
After more than a year on board the ark, the water is gone, land is dry again, and Noah, his family, and the animals, are led out of the ark. God gives the same command here that He gave to Adam and Eve at the beginning of creation, be fruitful and multiply on the earth. God has flooded the earth, washing away the abundant wickedness, and has given His creation a fresh start. They have been given a second chance. God has brought restoration.
God is a god of restoration. His creation had disobeyed Him and lived as far from Him as they could, only one man on earth is said to have been faithful and righteous. God destroys the wicked, washing their evil from the earth, and gives the righteous man a fresh start. The flood narrative shows elements of the original creation, and it points ahead to the final redemption of creation. God made the earth good, and man messed it up. God flooded the earth, destroying wickedness and starting with a righteous, but fallen man. Since that time, man has not improved the situation, wickedness and rebellion to God is abundant. God sent Jesus, who through the cross, provided the "ark" of salvation for all who will believe. The "flood" is coming, at which point evil will be eradicated forever, and God will bring about complete restoration of His creation.
God is a god of restoration. There is nothing that He cannot redeem. With Noah, man saw what the result of wickedness was, but he has not learned. Even greater destruction awaits, but so does an even greater restoration. All who board the "ark" of Christ, will be saved from destruction, and enjoy the perfect restoration of creation where evil will never taint it again. That is what God is going to do.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, November 14, 2016
Remembers
"But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided." -Genesis 8.1
For forty days it rained, until the highest mountain was fully under water. Then the rain stopped, and all the life left on earth floated on the water, safely in the ark, for six months. God saved their lives, but now they are confined to a wooden box, a little larger than a football field, with three levels. And it's full of animals. There was room, but limited room, and I imagine there was a decent odor. The video I mentioned last week depicted food stores starting to run low. I've seen a live action drama, and in it tempers start to flare as the brothers get on each other's nerves. God didn't save them to let them starve on the ark, or kill each other out of frustration. God remembers Noah and all of the animals, and He begins to make the waters recede so that they can begin to repopulate the earth.
God remembers His faithful and obedient servants. It can be easy to get discouraged. Sure, God saved Noah from a watery grave, but after months on the ark, I'm sure there were times when he thought it would be his coffin. Life happens, we get out of the frying pan only to land in the fire, or so it seems. But God remembers. God saved Noah for a reason and a purpose, and God remembers Him.
When God makes a promise, He doesn't leave it unfulfilled, He can't leave it unfulfilled. When God sets out to do something, He never leaves it incomplete. Paul said in Philippians 1, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." God is at work in your life, and even though it may seem like He has saved you from the flood so that you could die on the ark, He hasn't. God knows where you are, and He remembers you. God knows what He is doing, and when the time is right, He will cause the flood waters to subside and bring you out of the ark. God remembers.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
For forty days it rained, until the highest mountain was fully under water. Then the rain stopped, and all the life left on earth floated on the water, safely in the ark, for six months. God saved their lives, but now they are confined to a wooden box, a little larger than a football field, with three levels. And it's full of animals. There was room, but limited room, and I imagine there was a decent odor. The video I mentioned last week depicted food stores starting to run low. I've seen a live action drama, and in it tempers start to flare as the brothers get on each other's nerves. God didn't save them to let them starve on the ark, or kill each other out of frustration. God remembers Noah and all of the animals, and He begins to make the waters recede so that they can begin to repopulate the earth.
God remembers His faithful and obedient servants. It can be easy to get discouraged. Sure, God saved Noah from a watery grave, but after months on the ark, I'm sure there were times when he thought it would be his coffin. Life happens, we get out of the frying pan only to land in the fire, or so it seems. But God remembers. God saved Noah for a reason and a purpose, and God remembers Him.
When God makes a promise, He doesn't leave it unfulfilled, He can't leave it unfulfilled. When God sets out to do something, He never leaves it incomplete. Paul said in Philippians 1, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." God is at work in your life, and even though it may seem like He has saved you from the flood so that you could die on the ark, He hasn't. God knows where you are, and He remembers you. God knows what He is doing, and when the time is right, He will cause the flood waters to subside and bring you out of the ark. God remembers.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
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