Have you ever started out in one direction only to find out that where you were supposed to go was the opposite way?
I had every intention of talking about consequences today. We are after all still living with the consequences of the birth of Ishmael. God, however had a totally different direction for me. One I was neither prepared for, nor interested in, but if my hearts desire is to be obedient to the Lover of my soul then I must follow Him where ever He leads me.
In my research for Genesis 16, God brought me to Galatians 4:21-31.
Paul was writing to a Church that like most of the that time (and many still today) were struggling with legalism. A group called the Judaizers were claiming that in order for the Gentiles to truly be saved they had to practice the Law. Essentially to become Jewish. Paul, however stands firm against this group and really all people who would force laws onto those who Christ had made free.
"It is for freedom that Christ had set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
In chapter 4 Paul draws an interesting parallel between slavery and freedom and Hagar and Sarah.
"For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise." Galatians 5:22 & 23
Ishmael was the result of human effort. Abram and Sarai couldn't understand how God was going to give them a child and (most likely) in their most sincere and thoughtful consideration having a child through Hagar made sense. They were not willfully disobeying God, they simply thought they had the solution.
Any efforts we make apart from God is absolutely sin, however for many of us, we actually have good intentions, and are simply not waiting on God to show us His way. Many of us have created our own Ishmaels out of the best of intentions.
This is what God called me out on.
In the spring when I started this blog, I knew 100% that it was God's plan. He had been building it in my heart for years but it wasn't until spring that He had all the pieces fit and I stepped out in obedience. I loved it. From the first lesson to the last one I wrote in June before stopping to move, I enjoyed every moment of research, every word He led me to, even the days when the writing part didn't come easy I still loved it. God made it life giving, and I dove head first into it.
It didn't take me long to realize that my idea that I could maintain this blog while traveling or even once my daughter arrived was a bit of a fantasy though. I hadn't however occurred to me that I would just have to stop. So when the move came I had every intention of starting back up as soon as I was settled in my new home.
It had taken longer then I wanted it to, but 3 weeks ago I finally started posting again, but I knew instantly something was different. I love God's Word! I could spend hours or days even studying Scripture, it never gets boring or mundane for me. Yet as I started working on these last few lessons, my heart has been far from it. It has felt burdensome and I have been frustrated with the whole process. Even when I would pray for the words, the direction help of any sort, there was a hollowness. It took this lesson for me to realize that I this time, I have stepped out into this blog alone. This is not where God would have me right now.
I will freely admit that I'm disappointed. I have loved writing the lessons and I have loved teaching God's Word for over 10 years. But I am entering a season in my life where I need to step back, for now, from public ministries and focus on my own home.
I had hoped that I would make it to a somewhat reasonable stopping place but God has said no. Thankfully I trust that if you have been following this then your heart is to follow God and He will lead you to greener pastures and bless you richly for seeking His word.
I don't understand why God would have me start this blog only to end so soon, I am a bit confused as to His reasoning but I have no doubt about His will.
Maybe someday, possibly even sooner then I think, He will bring me back to this blog. Maybe He will transform it into something completely different. What I do know is that it has been a great privilege to teach His word, but obeying God is His highest will for me.
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Giving God a helping hand: Day 2
Depending on what day it is, one of my most favorite names for God is El Roi, The God who Sees.
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13
Our God sees everything!
Like I said it depends on the day whether I love that about Him or not. When I'm having a bad day, I'm mean to my husband, or say something rude to the car that just cut me off, I really like to pretend that God might have missed seeing that ugly moment. But, then there are the times that my heart is aching, I feel lonely, ugly, invisible or down right depressed, when I am hiding from the world, I am so thankful that God still sees me.
He doesn't just see us He sees us. He sees right through us. He knows our thoughts and understands our emotions better then we know our own. He sees us and loves us personally, individually, intimately.
When I was little I loved the story of Zacchaeus. He was a little man, and very unpopular because he had grown wealthy collecting taxes for Rome. All he wanted to do was see Jesus, but as Jesus passed by poor Zacchaeus was too short to see, so he climbed up in a tree to catch a glimpse. That day, lost amongst a huge crowd, struggling to see Jesus, Zacchaeus didn't just see Him, He saw Zacchaeus! Jesus the Savior, saw poor Zacchaeus up in that tree and He knew that what that sad, lost little man needed, to be seen.
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
Genesis 16 is absolutely about taking matters into our own hands, about consequences and miss-steps of faith, but it is also about a God who sees, and loves, and cares for the lost and lonely.
For some reason it is easy to skip over Hagar in this story. Even though she has a major role, since the narrative as a whole is about Abram, she becomes a minor character, a means to teaching Abram a valuable lesson. Yet that is not how God saw her. In fact God was very careful to show that though the story isn't really about her, she is very important to Him.
After running away because Sarai mistreated her, lost in the desert, alone, pregnant and likely scared, Hagar found out that she too was significant.
"The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur." Genesis 16:8
I have to stop here, "The angel of the LORD found her..." He was looking for her! God seeks us when we are lost! How awesome is that.
"And he said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I am running away from my mistress Sarai,' she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel added, 'I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.' The angel of the LORD also said to her; 'You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of you misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and every one's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.' She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me,' Genesis 16:7-13
Hagar wasn't just some slave girl to be used and mistreated, she was loved by the LORD. Though her story was part of a much bigger picture, God still had a purpose just for her. When she was lost and alone, God came and spoke words of comfort (granted some of the words might not have been all that comforting but we'll get to that tomorrow). He saw her misery and reached out to her.
That's who our God is. He's the God who sees our hidden pains. Who hears our silent cries. Hagar might have been a minor character in Abram's story but she was the lead in her own. Just because we don't know that much about her doesn't mean she was any less important to God.
You and I might feel like a minor characters in someone else's story, living our lives in the shadow of our parents, our spouse, our siblings or boss, but God sees each of us as a main character. He sees YOU!
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13
Our God sees everything!
Like I said it depends on the day whether I love that about Him or not. When I'm having a bad day, I'm mean to my husband, or say something rude to the car that just cut me off, I really like to pretend that God might have missed seeing that ugly moment. But, then there are the times that my heart is aching, I feel lonely, ugly, invisible or down right depressed, when I am hiding from the world, I am so thankful that God still sees me.
He doesn't just see us He sees us. He sees right through us. He knows our thoughts and understands our emotions better then we know our own. He sees us and loves us personally, individually, intimately.
When I was little I loved the story of Zacchaeus. He was a little man, and very unpopular because he had grown wealthy collecting taxes for Rome. All he wanted to do was see Jesus, but as Jesus passed by poor Zacchaeus was too short to see, so he climbed up in a tree to catch a glimpse. That day, lost amongst a huge crowd, struggling to see Jesus, Zacchaeus didn't just see Him, He saw Zacchaeus! Jesus the Savior, saw poor Zacchaeus up in that tree and He knew that what that sad, lost little man needed, to be seen.
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
Genesis 16 is absolutely about taking matters into our own hands, about consequences and miss-steps of faith, but it is also about a God who sees, and loves, and cares for the lost and lonely.
For some reason it is easy to skip over Hagar in this story. Even though she has a major role, since the narrative as a whole is about Abram, she becomes a minor character, a means to teaching Abram a valuable lesson. Yet that is not how God saw her. In fact God was very careful to show that though the story isn't really about her, she is very important to Him.
After running away because Sarai mistreated her, lost in the desert, alone, pregnant and likely scared, Hagar found out that she too was significant.
"The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur." Genesis 16:8
I have to stop here, "The angel of the LORD found her..." He was looking for her! God seeks us when we are lost! How awesome is that.
"And he said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I am running away from my mistress Sarai,' she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel added, 'I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.' The angel of the LORD also said to her; 'You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of you misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and every one's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.' She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me,' Genesis 16:7-13
Hagar wasn't just some slave girl to be used and mistreated, she was loved by the LORD. Though her story was part of a much bigger picture, God still had a purpose just for her. When she was lost and alone, God came and spoke words of comfort (granted some of the words might not have been all that comforting but we'll get to that tomorrow). He saw her misery and reached out to her.
That's who our God is. He's the God who sees our hidden pains. Who hears our silent cries. Hagar might have been a minor character in Abram's story but she was the lead in her own. Just because we don't know that much about her doesn't mean she was any less important to God.
You and I might feel like a minor characters in someone else's story, living our lives in the shadow of our parents, our spouse, our siblings or boss, but God sees each of us as a main character. He sees YOU!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Giving God a helping hand: Day 1
You will need your Bible today.
I am not a patient person. If you knew me personally you might disagree with that statement, but believe me I am not patient. You see God has been working to build patience in me for most of my life. For most of the "big" things in life I have had to wait what feels like a ridculous amount of time for.
I meet my husband when we were 16. He had always planned on going to the Air Force Academy for school then going into the Air Force. For me that meant we could not get married until he finished school. I also could not afford to move to Colorado (nor would my parents allow it) to be near him so it also meant 4 years long distance. I had to wait 5 years to be with him, even though God had made it clear to me within the first year of dating that this was the husband He had chosen for me.
After we got married we decided to wait a few years before starting a family. After 18 months we felt we were ready. Eight years later, after too many doctors, drugs and tears, God made clear to us that conception was not how He planned to form our family. He opened the doors to adoption and my husband and I changed gears accordingly. Its now been 5 years since God changed our course, I am as sure as ever that adoption is His best and perfect plan for us, yet we are still waiting for our first child.
I hate waiting, it doesn't so much get easier the longer you wait, it just becomes routine. At least until something comes up that reminds you of how much you want what you are waiting for, or gives you an 'out' to the pain of waiting. That's when waiting become dangerous, yet that is exactly where God tends to put us. He desires spiritual maturity and that means choosing His way even when that means passing over the 'simple solution' to wait for His perfect plan.
This weeks lesson is very personal to me. I can relate to Abram and Sarai in so many different ways that this story always touches a soft spot in my heart, yet God has also used this story as a warning beacon in my life. Lets pray that we all can learn from Abram and Sarai and choose not to take the 'simple solution.'
Please read Genesis 16:1-16.
It seems like only yesterday we were discussing how great Abram's faith was. Only one chapter before this God had calmed Abram's fears with words of peace and reassurance that He would keep His promises. Abram's faith had been counted as righteousness! Now we see him and Sarai falling into fear and lack of faith and taking matters into their own hands.
We have no way of knowing exactly how much time occurs between Genesis 15 and Genesis 16, it could have been several years, a few months or even a few days (We talked before about how quickly our emotions can move us from the mountaintop to the valley). What we do know is that it had been 10 years since Abram first heard the call of God, received the promises (including many descendants) and moved out of Ur. Abram was now 86 years old and his beautiful wife, Sarai was 76. His fertility may have been waning but hers had long past departed.
Even in our world of modern medicine and science, infertility can be devastating. The pain of wanting something that seems so simple and natural for everyone else can very quickly take your mind and emotions to a very ugly place. The feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, and even judgment play on your mind and can very easily push you to the place of "I will do anything to get what I want."
For Abram and Sarai infertility would have been even harder. Childlessness was seen as a curse from the gods, and they would likely have been looked down upon by the people around them. Their infertility was a very public shame. They also had few options.
While today medicine offers a wide variety of treatments, many of which are often highly effective, Abram and Sarai had only 4 options. Abram could have divorced Sarai and found a fertile wife, or he could have taken a 2nd wife. They could have adopted an heir (which was what Abram was thinking at the beginning of chapter 15) or Sarai could choose a slave to bear a child for her.*
Waiting is so hard, and waiting for something you are emotionally invested in is utterly painful. Infertility might not be something you are struggling with but I have no doubt that you have felt the pain of waiting for something. The struggle of waiting is pretty much universal, and so is wanting to take the easy way out.
For Abram and Sarai using a slave to have a baby was a completely viable option in their culture. God had told Abram that he would have an heir from his own body, when that didn't seem to be working out with his wife , plan B seemed like a rational choice. After all God hadn't said that the baby would be from Sarai's body and she was way too old to hold out hope of conceiving. Having Hagar carry a baby for them seemed like a good compromise. The problem was it wasn't God's choice. The simple solution rarely is.
As painful as it can be to wait, God's will is for us to grow through the pain so that when the waiting is over and we have what we have always wanted we will be just a little bit more like Jesus.
"...We also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God had poured out his love into our hears by the Holy Spirit, whom he had given us." Romans 5:3 & 4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
Whatever you wait for, inevitably there will be a 'simple solution' The human mind is amazing in its ability to rationalize even a the most obviously bad choice when pain is involved. We must be so careful and so prayerful to seek God's will, any other option will only lead to more pain and heartache.
God's plan is not for us to suffer in our waiting, it is to grow. To become spiritually mature. He wants us to rest in Him. To trust Him even when, in our wildest imagination, we can't see what He's going to do. He is likely going to surprise you with a better outcome then you wildest imagination could have ever conceived.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
* Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustarted Bible Backgrounds Commentary Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg. 87
I am not a patient person. If you knew me personally you might disagree with that statement, but believe me I am not patient. You see God has been working to build patience in me for most of my life. For most of the "big" things in life I have had to wait what feels like a ridculous amount of time for.
I meet my husband when we were 16. He had always planned on going to the Air Force Academy for school then going into the Air Force. For me that meant we could not get married until he finished school. I also could not afford to move to Colorado (nor would my parents allow it) to be near him so it also meant 4 years long distance. I had to wait 5 years to be with him, even though God had made it clear to me within the first year of dating that this was the husband He had chosen for me.
After we got married we decided to wait a few years before starting a family. After 18 months we felt we were ready. Eight years later, after too many doctors, drugs and tears, God made clear to us that conception was not how He planned to form our family. He opened the doors to adoption and my husband and I changed gears accordingly. Its now been 5 years since God changed our course, I am as sure as ever that adoption is His best and perfect plan for us, yet we are still waiting for our first child.
I hate waiting, it doesn't so much get easier the longer you wait, it just becomes routine. At least until something comes up that reminds you of how much you want what you are waiting for, or gives you an 'out' to the pain of waiting. That's when waiting become dangerous, yet that is exactly where God tends to put us. He desires spiritual maturity and that means choosing His way even when that means passing over the 'simple solution' to wait for His perfect plan.
This weeks lesson is very personal to me. I can relate to Abram and Sarai in so many different ways that this story always touches a soft spot in my heart, yet God has also used this story as a warning beacon in my life. Lets pray that we all can learn from Abram and Sarai and choose not to take the 'simple solution.'
Please read Genesis 16:1-16.
It seems like only yesterday we were discussing how great Abram's faith was. Only one chapter before this God had calmed Abram's fears with words of peace and reassurance that He would keep His promises. Abram's faith had been counted as righteousness! Now we see him and Sarai falling into fear and lack of faith and taking matters into their own hands.
We have no way of knowing exactly how much time occurs between Genesis 15 and Genesis 16, it could have been several years, a few months or even a few days (We talked before about how quickly our emotions can move us from the mountaintop to the valley). What we do know is that it had been 10 years since Abram first heard the call of God, received the promises (including many descendants) and moved out of Ur. Abram was now 86 years old and his beautiful wife, Sarai was 76. His fertility may have been waning but hers had long past departed.
Even in our world of modern medicine and science, infertility can be devastating. The pain of wanting something that seems so simple and natural for everyone else can very quickly take your mind and emotions to a very ugly place. The feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, and even judgment play on your mind and can very easily push you to the place of "I will do anything to get what I want."
For Abram and Sarai infertility would have been even harder. Childlessness was seen as a curse from the gods, and they would likely have been looked down upon by the people around them. Their infertility was a very public shame. They also had few options.
While today medicine offers a wide variety of treatments, many of which are often highly effective, Abram and Sarai had only 4 options. Abram could have divorced Sarai and found a fertile wife, or he could have taken a 2nd wife. They could have adopted an heir (which was what Abram was thinking at the beginning of chapter 15) or Sarai could choose a slave to bear a child for her.*
Waiting is so hard, and waiting for something you are emotionally invested in is utterly painful. Infertility might not be something you are struggling with but I have no doubt that you have felt the pain of waiting for something. The struggle of waiting is pretty much universal, and so is wanting to take the easy way out.
For Abram and Sarai using a slave to have a baby was a completely viable option in their culture. God had told Abram that he would have an heir from his own body, when that didn't seem to be working out with his wife , plan B seemed like a rational choice. After all God hadn't said that the baby would be from Sarai's body and she was way too old to hold out hope of conceiving. Having Hagar carry a baby for them seemed like a good compromise. The problem was it wasn't God's choice. The simple solution rarely is.
As painful as it can be to wait, God's will is for us to grow through the pain so that when the waiting is over and we have what we have always wanted we will be just a little bit more like Jesus.
"...We also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God had poured out his love into our hears by the Holy Spirit, whom he had given us." Romans 5:3 & 4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
Whatever you wait for, inevitably there will be a 'simple solution' The human mind is amazing in its ability to rationalize even a the most obviously bad choice when pain is involved. We must be so careful and so prayerful to seek God's will, any other option will only lead to more pain and heartache.
God's plan is not for us to suffer in our waiting, it is to grow. To become spiritually mature. He wants us to rest in Him. To trust Him even when, in our wildest imagination, we can't see what He's going to do. He is likely going to surprise you with a better outcome then you wildest imagination could have ever conceived.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
* Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustarted Bible Backgrounds Commentary Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg. 87
Friday, September 10, 2010
Questions and Covenant: Extra Credit
Okay so I have always know that there would never be enough time in each blog to cover everything that I want to share about each chapter and verse in the Bible. Most of the time I follow where God leads me in each lesson and trust that I have done justice to His Word. However Genesis 15 is so full of amazing theology and glimpses of our great and loving Father that even after finishing the weeks study I feel very strongly that there is more to be said.
So I am writing one more post for Genesis 15 with just a few details that make this chapter so much richer and beautiful.
God never wastes a detail! I maintain that even if we won't know the fullest meaning of every detail in Scripture this side of Heaven, every single detail is significant to God. He uses every word of the Bible to give us better insight into Himself and His purpose, both for us as His beloved creation and as each of us individually.
The major theme of Genesis 15 is God giving peace to a worried and wondering Abram. Hidden in the details there is more than salvation through faith alone, and God's strong affirmation that He will be faithful to keep His word.
When God told Abram to prepare for the covenant ritual He commanded 5 very specific animals to be brought, 3 even had age requirements. According to Number 19 the sacrifice of a heifer was for purification and cleansing. A goat was the levitical sacrifice for unintentional sins. When a leader was made aware of his sins he was to bring a male goat and sacrifice it before the LORD. If a member of the community sinned unintentionally, when he (or she) was made aware then they were to bring a female goat (note the higher cost for those in leadership).* The ram was sacrificed as a guilt offering. When some one broke the law in regard to the holy things of God or lies, cheats or steals, they were to bring a ram as an offering.** I find the birds to be the most interesting.
"If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring 2 doves or 2 young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for his sin- one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering." Leviticus 5:7
The 2 birds were a substitionary sin offering. If you couldn't afford the price of your sins, God had a back up plan.
I certainly cannot unequivocally say that God was pointing to Jesus in Genesis 15:9, but clearly God was looking forward to the sacrificial system that He would set up on Mount Sinai several 100s of years later. That sacrificial system points to directly to Jesus. God always indicated that there would have to be a substitute for our sins. How cool is that!
Another part of Genesis 15 that I didn't have time to talk about is verses 12-16. As the sun set God put Abram in to a deep sleep (in fact its the same kind of deep sleep He put Adam in when he took his rib to make Eve), then He prophesied over him. We all hope for only good things to come, but the reality is that God often uses tribulation to accomplish His will. There is something about suffering that brings us to our knees so that God can stand up for us. Pain might not be how we want to grow in Christ but you just can't argue that it is the most effective and efficient way to get there.
Abram was told that though he would die happy and old in the land of Canaan, his descendants would spend 400 years enslaved in a foreign land, but would return to Canaan with lots of stuff.
These verses will become very important when we get to the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus, where they begin to find their fulfillment. Its so awesome to me that long before the Israelites were enslaved by Egypt, God had already promised them that it would not last forever and that He would punish the nation that enslaved them. Not that 400 years is not daunting but God gave His word there would be freedom.
One last thing about God's prophesy is sorta hidden at the end of verse 16.
"In the 4th generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
Now I'm not going to pretend I actually understand exactly what that meant. I have no idea what the Amorites were up to at this time, nor do I have any clue as to what how God determined when their sins would "reach its full measure", but what I do know shows a loving and patient God.
The Amorites were one of the tribes that lived in Canaan. Amorite was also used as a generic name for all the people living in Canaan.*** Whether God was referring to the tribe or all the tribes in general, God was clearly giving them time before He took their land and gave it to the Israelites, and He took their land, not arbitrarily but because of their sin.
Its easy to think that because the Old Testament is about the Israelites that God did not care or was not involved with anyone else on Earth at the time. We may not see that He was wanting repentance from Canaan, but His patience in punishing them demonstrates His love. Remember, the Bible is the complete history of all God has done, it is a Love Letter, showing us how to know Him.
The last thing that I want to marvel at from Genesis 15 is what happened after the sun went down.
Abram was fast asleep while the LORD prophesied over him and he was still asleep when "a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces."
There is some debate over what the firepot and torch actually were (not all Hebrew words have clear meanings in English), and what exactly they symbolize, however two things are clear. However they represent Him, the elements represent the LORD and He walked alone among the pieces.
At first it might not seem super important that Abram played no real role in the covenant but if you think about how a covenant ritual was to be preformed it becomes striking that God did it alone. Abram didn't agree to the terms, he didn't make any promises or set any conditions, he was completely passive. God on the other hand, set the terms and conditions and made all the promises. God promised Abram the land (and by extension all of the promises of Genesis 12:1-3) without requiring anything from Abram. God alone would fulfill His promises.
There are definitely times in the Bible where God required something from someone. Later God would require Abram to be circumcised, He required the Israelites to no intermarry with the Canaanites (and there were heavy consequences for their failure to obey). Most of Deuteronomy is a list of blessing for obeying God's covenant and curses for disobedience. However all of these covenants (that I can find) have to do with living a God honoring life. There about obeying God, but when it comes to salvation, entering into the covenant of relationship with Him our role is completely passive. He set the terms and conditions, Jesus took our sins on the Cross and was raised again on the 3rd day to give us eternal life with Him. He made the promise, that we could have an intimate, loving relationship with Him, the God of the Universe. All we do is accept that He's already done it all. God alone fulfills His promises.
I hope that by adding an extra lesson to Genesis 15, you can see how utterly loving and patient our God is. He wants us to have peace, trusting that He will always do what He has promised to do. He provides the plan, we just have to step out in faith.
Genesis 15 is probably the most important chapter in the Old Testament (maybe the whole Bible), so much of the rest of Scripture is rooted in this one chapter.
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write then on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Hebrews 8:10
* Leviticus 4:22-35
**Leviticus 5:14- 6:7
*** Courson, Jon. Application Commentary: Old Testament Vol. 1. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson. 2005. pg. 72
So I am writing one more post for Genesis 15 with just a few details that make this chapter so much richer and beautiful.
God never wastes a detail! I maintain that even if we won't know the fullest meaning of every detail in Scripture this side of Heaven, every single detail is significant to God. He uses every word of the Bible to give us better insight into Himself and His purpose, both for us as His beloved creation and as each of us individually.
The major theme of Genesis 15 is God giving peace to a worried and wondering Abram. Hidden in the details there is more than salvation through faith alone, and God's strong affirmation that He will be faithful to keep His word.
When God told Abram to prepare for the covenant ritual He commanded 5 very specific animals to be brought, 3 even had age requirements. According to Number 19 the sacrifice of a heifer was for purification and cleansing. A goat was the levitical sacrifice for unintentional sins. When a leader was made aware of his sins he was to bring a male goat and sacrifice it before the LORD. If a member of the community sinned unintentionally, when he (or she) was made aware then they were to bring a female goat (note the higher cost for those in leadership).* The ram was sacrificed as a guilt offering. When some one broke the law in regard to the holy things of God or lies, cheats or steals, they were to bring a ram as an offering.** I find the birds to be the most interesting.
"If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring 2 doves or 2 young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for his sin- one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering." Leviticus 5:7
The 2 birds were a substitionary sin offering. If you couldn't afford the price of your sins, God had a back up plan.
I certainly cannot unequivocally say that God was pointing to Jesus in Genesis 15:9, but clearly God was looking forward to the sacrificial system that He would set up on Mount Sinai several 100s of years later. That sacrificial system points to directly to Jesus. God always indicated that there would have to be a substitute for our sins. How cool is that!
Another part of Genesis 15 that I didn't have time to talk about is verses 12-16. As the sun set God put Abram in to a deep sleep (in fact its the same kind of deep sleep He put Adam in when he took his rib to make Eve), then He prophesied over him. We all hope for only good things to come, but the reality is that God often uses tribulation to accomplish His will. There is something about suffering that brings us to our knees so that God can stand up for us. Pain might not be how we want to grow in Christ but you just can't argue that it is the most effective and efficient way to get there.
Abram was told that though he would die happy and old in the land of Canaan, his descendants would spend 400 years enslaved in a foreign land, but would return to Canaan with lots of stuff.
These verses will become very important when we get to the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus, where they begin to find their fulfillment. Its so awesome to me that long before the Israelites were enslaved by Egypt, God had already promised them that it would not last forever and that He would punish the nation that enslaved them. Not that 400 years is not daunting but God gave His word there would be freedom.
One last thing about God's prophesy is sorta hidden at the end of verse 16.
"In the 4th generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
Now I'm not going to pretend I actually understand exactly what that meant. I have no idea what the Amorites were up to at this time, nor do I have any clue as to what how God determined when their sins would "reach its full measure", but what I do know shows a loving and patient God.
The Amorites were one of the tribes that lived in Canaan. Amorite was also used as a generic name for all the people living in Canaan.*** Whether God was referring to the tribe or all the tribes in general, God was clearly giving them time before He took their land and gave it to the Israelites, and He took their land, not arbitrarily but because of their sin.
Its easy to think that because the Old Testament is about the Israelites that God did not care or was not involved with anyone else on Earth at the time. We may not see that He was wanting repentance from Canaan, but His patience in punishing them demonstrates His love. Remember, the Bible is the complete history of all God has done, it is a Love Letter, showing us how to know Him.
The last thing that I want to marvel at from Genesis 15 is what happened after the sun went down.
Abram was fast asleep while the LORD prophesied over him and he was still asleep when "a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces."
There is some debate over what the firepot and torch actually were (not all Hebrew words have clear meanings in English), and what exactly they symbolize, however two things are clear. However they represent Him, the elements represent the LORD and He walked alone among the pieces.
At first it might not seem super important that Abram played no real role in the covenant but if you think about how a covenant ritual was to be preformed it becomes striking that God did it alone. Abram didn't agree to the terms, he didn't make any promises or set any conditions, he was completely passive. God on the other hand, set the terms and conditions and made all the promises. God promised Abram the land (and by extension all of the promises of Genesis 12:1-3) without requiring anything from Abram. God alone would fulfill His promises.
There are definitely times in the Bible where God required something from someone. Later God would require Abram to be circumcised, He required the Israelites to no intermarry with the Canaanites (and there were heavy consequences for their failure to obey). Most of Deuteronomy is a list of blessing for obeying God's covenant and curses for disobedience. However all of these covenants (that I can find) have to do with living a God honoring life. There about obeying God, but when it comes to salvation, entering into the covenant of relationship with Him our role is completely passive. He set the terms and conditions, Jesus took our sins on the Cross and was raised again on the 3rd day to give us eternal life with Him. He made the promise, that we could have an intimate, loving relationship with Him, the God of the Universe. All we do is accept that He's already done it all. God alone fulfills His promises.
I hope that by adding an extra lesson to Genesis 15, you can see how utterly loving and patient our God is. He wants us to have peace, trusting that He will always do what He has promised to do. He provides the plan, we just have to step out in faith.
Genesis 15 is probably the most important chapter in the Old Testament (maybe the whole Bible), so much of the rest of Scripture is rooted in this one chapter.
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write then on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Hebrews 8:10
* Leviticus 4:22-35
**Leviticus 5:14- 6:7
*** Courson, Jon. Application Commentary: Old Testament Vol. 1. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson. 2005. pg. 72
Questions and Covenant: Day 3
You will need your Bible today.
Sometimes the Old Testament can be challenging to read and understand because the things that took place thousands of years ago are so foreign to us. Sacrifices, covenants, cleanliness and dietary laws have little if any resemblance to any modern day counterparts. However as strange as some of the Old Testament stories are, with a little background and a little foreground (thank God we have the Whole Bible) we can begin to see their importance and relevance.
Today's text, by any modern standard, is a bizarre account. There is much debate over the importance and meanings of each detail, but one thing should become crystal clear, God takes His promises very seriously.
Please read Genesis 15:7-21.
What was Abram's concern?
How did the LORD respond to him?
Once again (actually within the same conversation) Abram is concerned with one of God's promises to him. Since he was just commended for his faith in verse 6, it seems unlikely that Abram doubted that God would fulfill His promises, but maybe he was having a hard time wrapping his head around how all this was possible (I find both interesting and telling that God responded, in both cases, gentlely but firmly and in neither case does He actually give Abram the blueprint. God simply promised Abram that He was trustworthy).
To prove His faithfulness, God told Abram to bring Him 5 very specific animals, which Abram gathered together, cut in two (except the birds) and laid out across from eachother. It's kind of a grotesque picture, Abram standing in the desert with halved animal carcasses strune about, but God was speaking to him in a way that Abram would no longer need to worry about the "how".
Though there is some debate about the exact nature of this covenant ritual (in Genesis 15), it is clear from history that the concept would not have been foreign to Abram, in fact he was likely familiar with this process of making a contract in his culture.
According to tradition, when men needed to make a binding contract they would take an animal and cut it in half. After working out the terms and conditions of the arrangement they would walk together between the pieces, reciting the terms of the of the contract. The idea was that if either partner broke the pact it would be to them as it was to the animal, death.* This was a very serious oath and no one entered into it lightly.
In fact in Jeremiah 34 we learn the gravity of going back on a covenant of this kind.
The king of Judah had made a covenant with his people, before God, that they would all free their slaves, which they did. However after a while the people who had made the covenant began to enslave once again the people they had set free. God did not take this lightly.
"Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. So I now proclaim 'freedom' for you, declares the LORD- 'freedom' to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priest and all the people of the land who walked beween the pieces of the calf, I will hand over to their enimies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth." Jeremiah 34:17-20
When Abram asked the LORD for confirmation that someday the land would actually be his, God responded by have Abram prepare a covenant ritual to show the seriousness of His promises. Certainly God did not need to preform this ritual, He is incapable of lying or failing to follow through. He was hardly saying to Abram that if He failed to give him the land He would die. Yet God chose this ritual, that symbolized the most serious agreement that men could enter into because He knew that Abram would understand the gravity of the agreement. Without understanding the "how" Abram would be able to rest knowing God would fulfill His promise.
God almost never gives us the detailed blueprints of our lives. I'm not sure it is because the faith it takes to walk with Him one step at a time gives Him glory (which of course it does) or because if we knew what was coming we'd still have doubts and fear. Either way what God does want is for us to be able to rest in Him. We can trust Him.
The more sure we are that He will keep His word to us the less we have to wonder about how. I'm a big fan of journaling (though I've slacked off a bit recently). When you write down your prayer requests, your struggles and what you hear from God you can always look back on them and see the how.
Years ago I was really struggling with wanting to serve God, but we had just moved and didn't really know how to find a place to serve. In a matter of a few weeks, God put me in a place where was able to help out with a youth group and a church we had just started going to. Within a few months I quit my job, and began working as the Youth Pastor's secretary. It became the best job I've ever had (to date) and one of the most blessed seasons in my life. The fact that I journaled then has given me a great reminder that God has a plan, I just need to trust Him.
"God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19
*McGee, Dr. J. Vernon. Audio Commentary on Genesis 15:6-21. www.blueletterbible.com
Sometimes the Old Testament can be challenging to read and understand because the things that took place thousands of years ago are so foreign to us. Sacrifices, covenants, cleanliness and dietary laws have little if any resemblance to any modern day counterparts. However as strange as some of the Old Testament stories are, with a little background and a little foreground (thank God we have the Whole Bible) we can begin to see their importance and relevance.
Today's text, by any modern standard, is a bizarre account. There is much debate over the importance and meanings of each detail, but one thing should become crystal clear, God takes His promises very seriously.
Please read Genesis 15:7-21.
What was Abram's concern?
How did the LORD respond to him?
Once again (actually within the same conversation) Abram is concerned with one of God's promises to him. Since he was just commended for his faith in verse 6, it seems unlikely that Abram doubted that God would fulfill His promises, but maybe he was having a hard time wrapping his head around how all this was possible (I find both interesting and telling that God responded, in both cases, gentlely but firmly and in neither case does He actually give Abram the blueprint. God simply promised Abram that He was trustworthy).
To prove His faithfulness, God told Abram to bring Him 5 very specific animals, which Abram gathered together, cut in two (except the birds) and laid out across from eachother. It's kind of a grotesque picture, Abram standing in the desert with halved animal carcasses strune about, but God was speaking to him in a way that Abram would no longer need to worry about the "how".
Though there is some debate about the exact nature of this covenant ritual (in Genesis 15), it is clear from history that the concept would not have been foreign to Abram, in fact he was likely familiar with this process of making a contract in his culture.
According to tradition, when men needed to make a binding contract they would take an animal and cut it in half. After working out the terms and conditions of the arrangement they would walk together between the pieces, reciting the terms of the of the contract. The idea was that if either partner broke the pact it would be to them as it was to the animal, death.* This was a very serious oath and no one entered into it lightly.
In fact in Jeremiah 34 we learn the gravity of going back on a covenant of this kind.
The king of Judah had made a covenant with his people, before God, that they would all free their slaves, which they did. However after a while the people who had made the covenant began to enslave once again the people they had set free. God did not take this lightly.
"Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. So I now proclaim 'freedom' for you, declares the LORD- 'freedom' to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priest and all the people of the land who walked beween the pieces of the calf, I will hand over to their enimies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth." Jeremiah 34:17-20
When Abram asked the LORD for confirmation that someday the land would actually be his, God responded by have Abram prepare a covenant ritual to show the seriousness of His promises. Certainly God did not need to preform this ritual, He is incapable of lying or failing to follow through. He was hardly saying to Abram that if He failed to give him the land He would die. Yet God chose this ritual, that symbolized the most serious agreement that men could enter into because He knew that Abram would understand the gravity of the agreement. Without understanding the "how" Abram would be able to rest knowing God would fulfill His promise.
God almost never gives us the detailed blueprints of our lives. I'm not sure it is because the faith it takes to walk with Him one step at a time gives Him glory (which of course it does) or because if we knew what was coming we'd still have doubts and fear. Either way what God does want is for us to be able to rest in Him. We can trust Him.
The more sure we are that He will keep His word to us the less we have to wonder about how. I'm a big fan of journaling (though I've slacked off a bit recently). When you write down your prayer requests, your struggles and what you hear from God you can always look back on them and see the how.
Years ago I was really struggling with wanting to serve God, but we had just moved and didn't really know how to find a place to serve. In a matter of a few weeks, God put me in a place where was able to help out with a youth group and a church we had just started going to. Within a few months I quit my job, and began working as the Youth Pastor's secretary. It became the best job I've ever had (to date) and one of the most blessed seasons in my life. The fact that I journaled then has given me a great reminder that God has a plan, I just need to trust Him.
"God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19
*McGee, Dr. J. Vernon. Audio Commentary on Genesis 15:6-21. www.blueletterbible.com
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Questions and Covenant: Day 2
You are going to need your Bible today.
I've often heard people say that if someone had told them years ago that they would be where they are now they would never have believed it.
Imagine someone saying to you that in 5 years you will be a missionary in Senegal (that's in Africa). It's possible that some of you might be thinking "bring it on!" but most of us would have a hard time wrapping our brains around the idea. If we look around at our lives it would be hard to believe that we would quite our jobs, move or leave our families and friends and travel half way around the world to a country that we know very little (if anything) about. In fact some of you (like myself) are incredibly thankful that this is a hypothetical situation because it's more then a little scary.
Lets read Genesis 15:2-6.
At 75 years old Abram had been told that he would become a great nation, a great man, he would be blessed and he would be a blessing (I love that God always seems to start off a little vague in His promises. It's so much easier to say "Okay, God's gonna do something with me." than it is to believe He going to make you a missionary, or a preacher). Now Abram is somewhere in his 80s (maybe 90's I'm not sure) and God tells him that he's going to father a child.
I have no problem imagining that Abram stood there a little stupidly trying to comprehend what God had just told him. He had been resigned to the idea that his most trusted servant, Eliezer would inherit his estate since clearly he and Sarai were past their fertile prime. Being told that a son from his own body would be his heir must have been hard to wrap his brain around.
Yet he believed God!
The Hebrew word used for believed in verse 6 is aman. It means; to trust, believe, rely, to be enduring.* It meant more then just Abram believed God's Word to be true, but that he believed God's specific word to him was reliable. It was a faith that led to action.** Abram believed not just that God could do what He said, but that He would do it.
"Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6
This verse is a big deal!
This verse it the foundation of Paul's teaching in Romans and Galatians, Salvation through faith alone. It wasn't Abram's works that made him righteous, in fact he wasn't any more righteous than you or I am, it was his faith that that covered over him with righteousness. The Bible says it was "credited" to him.
If you think about it, credit is an advance. When you take out a loan, you are given the money up front, but the intention is that at a certain point the loan will be repaid. Abram was given righteousness "on credit" but instead of him being responsible to repay the debit (which he could never do) Jesus paid the debt on the Cross thousands of years later.
On the other side of the Cross, we draw upon the righteousness that Jesus already paid over 2 thousand years ago. Salvation on both sides of the Cross is through faith alone. Faith that God's Word is True, not just in an intellectual factual way, but in a life altering, changing who I am and how I live kind of way.
"It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." Romans 4:13
"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness'. The words, 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:20-24
How awesome is that! Abram could only look forward to the fulfillment of God's promises, not knowing what exactly they would look like. We have the luxury of looking back on the full revelation of God's love in the form of Jesus nailed to the Cross to pay our sin debt.
Abram was given a glimpse of a future that should have been unbelievable to him. At 80 something years old, with a wife in her 70's it should have been ridiculous to think that he was going to father a child, yet he embraced it! He believed that God could and would keep His promises. That is an awesome kind of faith.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:1 & 2
"Without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6a
* Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible NIV. Chattanooga, TN. AMG Publishers. 1996. pg. 1504
* Arnold, Bill T. Encountering the Book of Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Books. 2008. pg. 93
I've often heard people say that if someone had told them years ago that they would be where they are now they would never have believed it.
Imagine someone saying to you that in 5 years you will be a missionary in Senegal (that's in Africa). It's possible that some of you might be thinking "bring it on!" but most of us would have a hard time wrapping our brains around the idea. If we look around at our lives it would be hard to believe that we would quite our jobs, move or leave our families and friends and travel half way around the world to a country that we know very little (if anything) about. In fact some of you (like myself) are incredibly thankful that this is a hypothetical situation because it's more then a little scary.
Lets read Genesis 15:2-6.
At 75 years old Abram had been told that he would become a great nation, a great man, he would be blessed and he would be a blessing (I love that God always seems to start off a little vague in His promises. It's so much easier to say "Okay, God's gonna do something with me." than it is to believe He going to make you a missionary, or a preacher). Now Abram is somewhere in his 80s (maybe 90's I'm not sure) and God tells him that he's going to father a child.
I have no problem imagining that Abram stood there a little stupidly trying to comprehend what God had just told him. He had been resigned to the idea that his most trusted servant, Eliezer would inherit his estate since clearly he and Sarai were past their fertile prime. Being told that a son from his own body would be his heir must have been hard to wrap his brain around.
Yet he believed God!
The Hebrew word used for believed in verse 6 is aman. It means; to trust, believe, rely, to be enduring.* It meant more then just Abram believed God's Word to be true, but that he believed God's specific word to him was reliable. It was a faith that led to action.** Abram believed not just that God could do what He said, but that He would do it.
"Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6
This verse is a big deal!
This verse it the foundation of Paul's teaching in Romans and Galatians, Salvation through faith alone. It wasn't Abram's works that made him righteous, in fact he wasn't any more righteous than you or I am, it was his faith that that covered over him with righteousness. The Bible says it was "credited" to him.
If you think about it, credit is an advance. When you take out a loan, you are given the money up front, but the intention is that at a certain point the loan will be repaid. Abram was given righteousness "on credit" but instead of him being responsible to repay the debit (which he could never do) Jesus paid the debt on the Cross thousands of years later.
On the other side of the Cross, we draw upon the righteousness that Jesus already paid over 2 thousand years ago. Salvation on both sides of the Cross is through faith alone. Faith that God's Word is True, not just in an intellectual factual way, but in a life altering, changing who I am and how I live kind of way.
"It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." Romans 4:13
"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness'. The words, 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:20-24
How awesome is that! Abram could only look forward to the fulfillment of God's promises, not knowing what exactly they would look like. We have the luxury of looking back on the full revelation of God's love in the form of Jesus nailed to the Cross to pay our sin debt.
Abram was given a glimpse of a future that should have been unbelievable to him. At 80 something years old, with a wife in her 70's it should have been ridiculous to think that he was going to father a child, yet he embraced it! He believed that God could and would keep His promises. That is an awesome kind of faith.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:1 & 2
"Without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6a
* Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible NIV. Chattanooga, TN. AMG Publishers. 1996. pg. 1504
* Arnold, Bill T. Encountering the Book of Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Books. 2008. pg. 93
Monday, September 6, 2010
Questions and Covenant: Day One
You are going to need your Bible today.
Genesis 15 is one of my (many) favorite chapters in the Bible. It is the cornerstone of God's redemptive plan for humankind. I am always amazed at how carefully God planned our Salvation and how creatively and lovingly He wove His plan into Scripture. He could have written a "How to Manual" but He chose to write a Love Letter. The repercussions of what took place in chapter 15 reverberate throughout the entire Scripture. Theologically speaking, it introduces the concepts of faith and covenant, for Abram (and us too) it is the calming of fears. I hope you find this weeks study as wonderful as I do, and that you see the God who wrote it as beyond Awesome.
We're going to start with a very tiny piece.
Read Genesis 15:1.
Look back at Genesis 14, what had just occurred?
It might seem strange that God came to Abram to calm his fears after conquering the 5 kings, but then again from the human perspective he had just made enemies of 5 powerful kings. Abram was no fool, he knew he had won the day because the LORD was with him, but unfortunately that knowledge didn't win over his emotions. Abram had stepped out in faith, he didn't attack the 5 kings completely unprepared, but he also didn't take the time to really think about it (or to talk himself out of it). Afterward, when he looked back on what he had done, it's not surprising that fear would creep into his heart. He and his 318 men had managed what 4 other kings had failed to do, but now there were 5 angry kings and Abram had no way of knowing if they were running home, tails between their legs, or plotting revenge. Hindsight might be 20/20 but sometimes our emotions can distort the view?
Have you ever taken a step of faith that turned into a great personal victory only to look back and see all the dangers you could have fallen into if God hadn't been there?
It is unbelievable to me how quickly Satan attacks after a moment of triumph. Fear and pride are so easy to fall into once we've had a moment to think about what just took place.
My husband and I were in a horrific car accident some years back. We were hit head on on the interstate (we were going the right direction). By what was clearly the hand of God, after flipping and rolling into the median we landed on our wheels with no greater injury then some bruises. By all accounts it was a miracle that we were alive let alone virtually unharmed. The next day in Church we praised God for His saving mercy and celebrated with our friends His great love.
I think it was only a matter of day after the accident, when I began to think about it, that the trauma of what had happened hit me. More then the fear that I could die was the realization that my husband could die and leave me. From the moment that fear entered my heart it grew like wildfire. If he was out of my sight (say working to put a roof over our heads and food on the table) I was a mess, terrified that something would happen and I'd be without him.
God had done a miracle in my life by sheltering me and my husband from what could have been a fatal blow yet rather then joy all I had was fear.
God had given Abram a sound victory but he was afraid. He was probably wondering if God was going protect him from the repercussions. How quickly we forget the faithfulness of God.
"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." Genesis 12:3a
From the first time God spoke to Abram, He had promised that He would protect him. Abram had nothing to fear God was on his side. Thankfully God is patient beyond measure and very aware of our human frailties. God knew that fear had crept into Abram's heart so God came to him to bring him peace.
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your very great reward." Genesis 15:1
Can you imagine the LORD in His infinite power, Creator of the Universe, speaking such gentile and loving words to you. He is our shield, our protection, and security. He is our strength when it seems like the world is attacking us. He is also our very great reward, our treasure and our future. What a blessed reminder that He is the lover of our soul, He speaks words of peace into our fears and calms our hearts.
It was God's Word that washed my fears aways as well. A dear friend recommended to me a councilor. This was no sit on a couch and tell her how you feel counceling. I had tapes to listen to, books to read and questions to answer, all of it straight from the Bible. Peace is found in Jesus. God's Word is the only thing that gives us lasting peace and can calm our fears.
Abram may have gotten to hear the voice of God in a vision (and I have to admit that would be amazing) but we have His perfect and complete Love Letter. Every word is straight from His heart to bring nourishment to ours.
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Genesis 15 is one of my (many) favorite chapters in the Bible. It is the cornerstone of God's redemptive plan for humankind. I am always amazed at how carefully God planned our Salvation and how creatively and lovingly He wove His plan into Scripture. He could have written a "How to Manual" but He chose to write a Love Letter. The repercussions of what took place in chapter 15 reverberate throughout the entire Scripture. Theologically speaking, it introduces the concepts of faith and covenant, for Abram (and us too) it is the calming of fears. I hope you find this weeks study as wonderful as I do, and that you see the God who wrote it as beyond Awesome.
We're going to start with a very tiny piece.
Read Genesis 15:1.
Look back at Genesis 14, what had just occurred?
It might seem strange that God came to Abram to calm his fears after conquering the 5 kings, but then again from the human perspective he had just made enemies of 5 powerful kings. Abram was no fool, he knew he had won the day because the LORD was with him, but unfortunately that knowledge didn't win over his emotions. Abram had stepped out in faith, he didn't attack the 5 kings completely unprepared, but he also didn't take the time to really think about it (or to talk himself out of it). Afterward, when he looked back on what he had done, it's not surprising that fear would creep into his heart. He and his 318 men had managed what 4 other kings had failed to do, but now there were 5 angry kings and Abram had no way of knowing if they were running home, tails between their legs, or plotting revenge. Hindsight might be 20/20 but sometimes our emotions can distort the view?
Have you ever taken a step of faith that turned into a great personal victory only to look back and see all the dangers you could have fallen into if God hadn't been there?
It is unbelievable to me how quickly Satan attacks after a moment of triumph. Fear and pride are so easy to fall into once we've had a moment to think about what just took place.
My husband and I were in a horrific car accident some years back. We were hit head on on the interstate (we were going the right direction). By what was clearly the hand of God, after flipping and rolling into the median we landed on our wheels with no greater injury then some bruises. By all accounts it was a miracle that we were alive let alone virtually unharmed. The next day in Church we praised God for His saving mercy and celebrated with our friends His great love.
I think it was only a matter of day after the accident, when I began to think about it, that the trauma of what had happened hit me. More then the fear that I could die was the realization that my husband could die and leave me. From the moment that fear entered my heart it grew like wildfire. If he was out of my sight (say working to put a roof over our heads and food on the table) I was a mess, terrified that something would happen and I'd be without him.
God had done a miracle in my life by sheltering me and my husband from what could have been a fatal blow yet rather then joy all I had was fear.
God had given Abram a sound victory but he was afraid. He was probably wondering if God was going protect him from the repercussions. How quickly we forget the faithfulness of God.
"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." Genesis 12:3a
From the first time God spoke to Abram, He had promised that He would protect him. Abram had nothing to fear God was on his side. Thankfully God is patient beyond measure and very aware of our human frailties. God knew that fear had crept into Abram's heart so God came to him to bring him peace.
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your very great reward." Genesis 15:1
Can you imagine the LORD in His infinite power, Creator of the Universe, speaking such gentile and loving words to you. He is our shield, our protection, and security. He is our strength when it seems like the world is attacking us. He is also our very great reward, our treasure and our future. What a blessed reminder that He is the lover of our soul, He speaks words of peace into our fears and calms our hearts.
It was God's Word that washed my fears aways as well. A dear friend recommended to me a councilor. This was no sit on a couch and tell her how you feel counceling. I had tapes to listen to, books to read and questions to answer, all of it straight from the Bible. Peace is found in Jesus. God's Word is the only thing that gives us lasting peace and can calm our fears.
Abram may have gotten to hear the voice of God in a vision (and I have to admit that would be amazing) but we have His perfect and complete Love Letter. Every word is straight from His heart to bring nourishment to ours.
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
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