Category: Genesis-BibleTrekToday
Trek through Genesis
The Sound of Laughter
Scripture reading for January 7th: Genesis 15-17
Some people think that God’s people can’t be happy because they live in fear of the Lord. The kind of fear that we have is reverence for God’s person, power, and mercy. This fear leads to true joy and a life of laughter! God Himself likes to laugh! Psalm 2:4 pictures God laughing–at those who would reject His love and law! Today we get in on a positive laugh that God had with Abram and Sarai after they were old and beyond human possibility of child bearing.
When Abram was 99 years old and Sarai was 90, they were again visited by God. God confirmed the covenant that He had made earlier with Abram. He changed their names to Abraham: father of nations, and Sarah: a princess. He promised them fruitfulness, abundant offspring and a relationship with them and their many descendants. God would be their God and they would be His people in everlasting covenant. He told them that they must circumcise every male child as a sign of this covenant. (Genesis 17:10-14) Abraham, himself was to be circumcised.
Then came the shocker, Abraham was told that his wife, Sarah, would have a son. Abraham fell face down in reverence for the Lord, but laughed as he considered their ages. He wondered to himself how this could be. He answered the Lord saying, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing.” (Genesis 17:18) The Lord reaffirmed that Sarah would have a son and told Abraham that his name would be Isaac. This name actually means “the sound of laughter”! The joke would be on them and they would laugh in their old age with God’s promised child reminding them each time they said his name!
God has a sense of humor. He knows how to best accomplish His purposes. He desires us to trust Him and believe His promises. Physical limitations and natural abilities never limit God. As we read these ancient stories, we learn to trust God and believe that we can laugh, knowing that He will bring His promises to pass. Issac had Jacob and Esau. Jacob had twelve sons who became the nation of Israel. Abraham’s son Ishmael multiplied and formed nations as well. God’s word is true and is still producing! Let laughter mark your walk of faith today!
Melchizedek and Jesus
Scripture reading for January 6th: Genesis 12-14
Abram and his nephew Lot were prosperous in the new land God had taken them to. Abram had built an altar to the Lord in Bethel and began to call upon the Lord. (Genesis 13:3-4) Lot and his herdsmen began to quarrel with Abram’s herdsmen. Abram was a peacemaker and decided they should separate. He gave Lot the choice of where he would settle. Lot had his eyes on the fertile plain and the city of Sodom. Sodom was a wicked city and the men there were sinning greatly in the sight of the Lord. (Genesis 13:13)
After Lot had moved, the Lord spoke to Abram, telling him to lift up his eyes and look in each direction. All that he could see would be given to him and his descendants forever! God reaffirmed that He would make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth. God encouraged Abram to walk through the land and survey it. Abram moved his tent near Hebron and built an altar to the Lord there. (Genesis 13:18) God blessed Abram for his faith and willingness to let God lead him to where he was supposed to be. This is a helpful hint for us in our walk. We can be selfish and reach out to take, or we can more wisely worship the Lord and follow Him!
Some time later, we find some kings attacking Sodom and carrying off Lot and his family, as well as the goods of Sodom. Abram took his men and went in pursuit. He recovered all the people plus the goods. (Genesis 14:16) As he returned, both the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem), came to meet Abram. Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High God, met Abram with bread and wine and blessed him. Abram responded by giving a tithe of everything to this mysterious priest and king. (Genesis 14:20)
Jesus Christ is said to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, having the power of an endless life! (Hebrews 7:15-17) As a priest, Jesus intercedes for us before the throne. (Romans 8:34) He served His disciples bread and wine at the Last Supper and told them to do it often in remembrance of Him. (Matthew 26:26-29) He is also King of Kings and will reign in the Jerusalem during the millennium! (Revelation 20:4-5) Jesus alone is worthy of our worship, tithes, and dedication!
Babel Went Up. God Came Down
Scripture reading for January 5th: Genesis 10-11
I love to build things and organize. God designed us that way! In the days following the flood, the descendants of Noah had a fresh opportunity to obey God by being fruitful, multiplying and repopulating the earth. Shem, Ham, and Japheth had a whole new world that needed care and tending. They each had a wife and could begin again to obey God’s simple command. (Genesis 9:7)
Genesis 10 records the genealogy of these three descendants of Noah. Note that one of Ham’s descendants, Nimrod is given particular attention. He was a mighty warrior and hunter before the Lord. He built the cities of Babylon and Nineveh. (Genesis 10:8-10) His brother Canaan was the father of the Canaanite tribes that inhabited Israel in the time of Abraham and beyond. Note also that Shem was the father of Eber. (Genesis 10:21) Eber’s descendants included Abram and the “Hebrew” people derive their name from him! (Genesis 11:27)
Nimrod and his family group decided to settle on the plains of Shinar, which is modern day Iraq. There they organized all or most of the family to build a tower to heaven and make a name for themselves. They particularly did not like the idea of being scattered over the whole earth. (Genesis 11:2-4) There is some implication that Nimrod forcibly organized this rebellion and hunted down those who would not comply. He also organized a humanistic religion that worshiped the work of man’s hands and the creation, but not the Creator!
God came down to see this city and stated that nothing would be impossible with this kind of unity. They had unified in opposing the plans and purpose of God. He took action and confounded their one language so that they couldn’t understand one another. In the days of Peleg he scattered them across the earth and then divided the earth. (Genesis 10:25) He created the nations from these three families.
God wants to dwell with His people and desires fellowship with them. He longs to have a people willing to be under His rule and protective covering. We can learn from these records of God’s dealing with those after the flood. He is merciful, but demands obedience. Take a few minutes today and thank Him for His mercy and His plan of reaching all with the Gospel. God came down in Jesus Christ and is here now in His church!
“Noah Found Favor in the Eyes of the Lord”
Scripture reading for January 4rd: Genesis 6-9
Oh how dependent we are on God’s grace! We are all bound up in sin’s grip and the wrath of God is being released against all ungodliness daily. (Romans 1:18) It is only by His grace that we are saved. The people of Noah’s day were caught up in continual wickedness and sin. God was grieved that He had made man and was preparing judgment. It was by grace that Noah and his household found favor in God’s eyes. (Genesis 6:8)
Sin always brings judgment. God has decreed that sin brings death. But man, in his blindness to God’s truth, thinks that life is going on just fine. Everything is like it has always been. People seem to get by and all die eventually. Why not live as you please and do what feels good before you are dead too? Those with no fear of God block out the knowledge of God and suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God’s mercy and patience are ignored and the sin piles up to heaven and tips the scales of judgment suddenly on a day no one expects! (Revelation 16:15)
This happened in Noah’s day. Because he found favor, God warned Noah of the coming judgment. Noah was instructed to build an ark and took 120 years in this saving endeavor. Noah’s faith was tested by the building process and the long wait. When the ark was finished, God told him to gather the animals and get his family and himself inside. God shut the door and Noah and the animals waited seven days. Noah obeyed. (Genesis 7:1-5) Then the rains came down and the flood broke upwards as the fountains of the deep opened up. It was in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life in the second month and on the 19th day that this happened.
What do we learn from this story? First, sin brings judgment and God doesn’t forgive unless there is repentance. He may delay the judgment and offer more time, but those who sin will be held accountable. God spoke to Noah and he in turned warned that generation. At the appointed time, the judgment fell suddenly. Those who were obedient and prepared were saved. Those who delayed or did nothing died!
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to your timetable for me and our nation. May I find favor in your eyes today!
Sunday Rest and Reflection
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this first day of rest of 2010! We are beginning a new year and a new decade. Time is ever marching on and it shows no partiality to anyone! Be sure to take time to rest and reflect on what you have read from God’s word and what you heard preached at church. If you are not taking time to gather with God’s people, think about your priorities today. You are missing out on a blessing and are also disobedient to the Lord! (Hebrews 10:25)
Our theme for this year is the promise of Jesus Christ that He will return soon! This is an event related to time and our understanding of time. What does ’soon’ mean to you? Does that mean in the next few minutes? Could it be yet today? Will it be in the first month of this new year? Will 2010 be the year that Jesus comes? The important thing is not exactly when He is coming, but being ready when He does come.
Do you have an assurance based on God’s word that you are ready for Christ’s coming? Do you know what is required to be ready? Are you using your talents and resources to serve the Lord? Do you have a dream from the Lord or a desire in your heart to accomplish something great for the Lord that you have not yet attempted or started? Are you holding on to some besetting sin that has a grip on your life and is holding you back from your purpose? Please know that I’m not asking these questions to make you feel guilty, but rather to stimulate your thinking.
If we knew for sure that Jesus would come back by the end of 2010, what things would you do to prepare? This is the kind of thinking that should help us to have the power to change and attempt great things for God. It should help us get rid of bad habits and sins that hinder. It should cause us to launch out in attempting to fulfill dreams and visions.
Take some time today and write down some dreams that you have, and needed preparations for the coming of Jesus Christ. Begin to think about this year as if it were the last year you had on earth before the rapture. Ask the Lord to lead you in changing attitudes and actions to reflect your new priority!
In His Love, Pastor John
Forbidden fruit!
Scripture reading for January 2nd: Genesis 3-5
I love fruit! There’s nothing like a crisp, tart apple to make me smack my lips! When I see a tree with ripe apricots, I have sweet thoughts of one of my favorite fruits! Fresh cherries, juicy and sweet or tart pie cherries draw my attention quickly! We always had fruit trees on the farm where we lived and have planted them everywhere we lived. The times of ripe fruit are always anticipated with joy and delight!
Adam and Eve were placed in a beautiful garden planted for them by God. They were given responsibilities to tend and keep the garden. They could eat any of the fruit that they wanted, except the fruit of one tree–the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! (Genesis 2:15-17) They enjoyed their work and freely ate the delicious fruit.
One day, the serpent came and tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit. He drew her attention to it. It looked good for food and was pleasing to her eyes. (Genesis 3:6) He implied that God was withholding something that would be good for her and that God had not spoken the truth. The woman was deceived and took the fruit and ate it, hoping to become wise and satisfied! She gave some to Adam who also ate in spite of knowing God’s command! And so the deception brought death as God had spoken. Man was plunged into darkness with the knowledge of sin and evicted from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:22-23)
Forbidden fruit still temps all of mankind. We have in us a desire to rebel against the word of God and to experience what is forbidden. We think it looks good and pleasant and will satisfy us. The very fact that God has said “no” drives us to desire and partake. We find that what is forbidden actually may initially taste and feel good. Afterward, it leads to slavery, bondage, and ultimately to death.
But God provided a remedy for those who ate the forbidden fruit and for us today as well. He took an animal and clothed Adam and Eve with the bloody skins. He covered their shame and nakedness so they could stand before Him. (Genesis 3:21) For us He provided something better! The “seed of woman” that God spoke of is none other than Jesus Christ! (Genesis 3:15) He provides our covering and makes it possible for us to stand before God as forgiven children! Praise His Name forever!
Sunday Rest and Reflection
Sunday, January 18th, 2009
Each Sunday, it’s good just to take time to think back on the week’s reading. It just so happens that we have finished the book of Genesis in the last three weeks since January 1st. Genesis began with God. He is the central figure! He is creating, working and enjoying! It was good! Man placed by God in a Garden, walking with God in the cool of the day! Man made special and in God’s image, male and female. Man ruling over creation and tending it with God’s blessing!
Genesis is so foundational to our worldview as Christians. Without Genesis we wouldn’t understand where the universe, earth, and solar system came from. Without Genesis we wouldn’t know about the serpent and how sin entered along with death. Without Genesis we wouldn’t know about our special creation and purpose on the earth. We wouldn’t understand why the world was flooded and where the rainbow came from and what it testifies about!
We wouldn’t know how we got all the nations or languages either. We would not know where the nation of Israel came from or the special significance of the lands of Israel and the middle East. We would not understand the conflict in the Middle East that pits millions of Arabs and Ishmael’s decendants against the Jews and Christians. We wouldn’t understand the old conflict between the Serpent and the Seed of Woman. We wouldn’t know about faith as God’s way of making men and women righteous again. We would miss all the rich stories of the fathers of faith as they struggled to walk with God, wrestled with Him, and followed Him through famine, imprisonment, threats and their eventual death. The lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Esau, Rachael, Leah, Joseph, Judah, and numerous others are chronicled. We read about their successes and failures; their loves and their quarrels; about births and deaths. They were just like us!
I am thankful for the wonderful record of our origins left for us to read and ponder. I look up at the stars or at the sand on a beach and think of Abraham pondering his offspring and the promises of God! I see a rainbow and I am reminded of God’s mercy to us! I think about Jesus Christ, God’s promised Son, and the one sent ahead to save us from the famine caused by our sins. We are so blessed to read Genesis and have the Holy Spirit revealing truth to us.
“Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5
Don’t Quarrel on the way!
Scripture reading for January 16th: Genesis 45-47
Families and churches are sometimes prone to conflict! I know because I live in a family, have attended churches for many years, and have pastored for twenty years in three different churches. I have experienced conflict in family and church settings and sometimes been responsible for it myself. Sometimes conflict comes from misunderstanding and poor communication. Other times it comes from jealousy or envy. Sometimes it comes from sin and wrong-doing. Everybody wants to blame somebody else and arguments ensue about who is at fault! Have you experienced that to?
In our reading today, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers after a series of encounters with them. The brothers still had guilt from what they did and when Joseph revealed himself to them, they were astonished, speechless, and terrified! (Genesis 45:1-7) Joseph had to reassure them that it was truly him. He understood their feelings. He had probably had to work through these same kinds of feelings himself over the years. God gave him understanding of the greater purpose that was being worked out. Joseph shares this with his brothers to encourage them. “It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
As Joseph sent them away to bring Israel and the rest of the family down to Egypt to save them during the next 5 years of famine, he warned them not to quarrel on the way! It doesn’t appear that repentance had yet taken place. Feelings of guilt and shame are no longer able to control us when we truly repent. He forgives and forgets our sins. (Psalm 103:11-12) Blaming others never helps either. We can only take responsibility for our own sins and forgive others of theirs. When we do that, quarreling is greatly reduced and peace in the family results. God is working out his purposes in our families and homes even amidst the conflict and sin so prevalent in our lives. Often it’s hard to see the big picture.
Jesus Christ was sent before us to save us! He saw God’s big picture and died for our sins. If we confess our sins and repent of them, he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all guilt and shame. He came to bring peace in our own hearts and he says that peacemakers are blessed! (Matthew 5:9) May we be able to heed the ancient warning of Joseph and receive the blessing of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24)
From Prison to Palace in a day!
Scripture reading for January 15: Genesis 41-44
The lottery is a big thing in our land. People play the lottery because they hope to become rich overnight! If their “lucky number” is drawn, they could become an instant millionaire! Of course, some do win but the statistical odds are not in your favor. Those who do win, find that “dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” (Proverbs 13:11) A Christian worldview understands the lie behind the lottery and gambling. There is a something far different than luck behind our hero, Joseph, in today’s reading.
Joseph had been in prison for several years for a crime he did not commit. He had been faithful to God and avoided the seductive trap of Potiphar’s wife but it cost him time in jail. There he had risen to a key helper in the jail. Today we would call him a “Trustee” who could work. He had interpreted the dreams of two other prisoners; the one who was freed had agreed to help him get out but promptly forgot! What “luck”! Two years later, Pharaoh had a disturbing dream that none of his advisers could interpret and the chief cupbearer, formerly Joseph’s fellow prisoner, remembered Joseph’s ability! What “luck” again! Joseph was brought before Pharaoh and he interpreted the dream, giving God credit! ( Genesis 41:16) There is really no luck, only the grace of God that rests on those who fear Him. Pharaoh promotes Joseph to second in command in all of Egypt! From jailbird to Prince by the grace of God!
The lessons from this passage help us to see that it isn’t winning a lottery that will make us rich and famous. Faithfulness to the Lord to serve Him and live for Him brings great reward. Sometimes it takes us on paths we didn’t sign up for, however. Joseph’s time in jail tested his faith and centered him even closer to God. God’s blessing rested on him even in that jail. When God’s time came, the prince came out! Joseph’s dreams came true! Joseph is also a type of Jesus Christ. He was sent before us to deliver us by His suffering. The Word of the Lord has proved Him true too! Our light momentary afflictions are working an eternal weight of glory! Keep on being faithful and He will exalt you in due time!
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took the signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” Genesis 41:41-42
” and he sent a man before them–Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the Word of the Lord proved him true.” Psalm 105:17-19