Abraham's Testimony to the Lost (Gen. 23:3-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-26-2006

 

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  Abraham’s Testimony to the Lost

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Genesis 23:3-6

 

            Message of the verse:  “3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 ‘I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.’  5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 ‘Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.’”

           

            It can be seen from these verses that the people of the land knew what kind of man Abraham was, and they also knew that he did not worship the gods that they worshiped, yet they had the up most respect for Abraham.  Another thing that can be seen here is that Abraham did not want to bury his dead in one of their graves, for it is possible that that may have had something to do with their religion, and thus Abraham did not want anything to do with it, but rather would buy a place to bury Sarah in, and as it turned out Abraham would be buried there too along with Isaac and Rebecca and also Jacob and Leah.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To have a good wittiness with those who live around me and those that I come into contact with is something that is important.  When I meet someone new it is good to always be looking out for their spiritual welfare, and this can be done one way by treating them with respect.  Another thing is not give up the principles from the Word of God for any reason, thus standing firm on all of the principles that I know are true from the Scriptures and never compromise.

 

The Word of God has been a great challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord with all of my heart and not lean on my own understanding, but to seek the Lord’s direction in all that I do.  To continue to ask the Lord to teach me contentment, and to continue to trust the Lord for what is happening up in Canada.  

The Death of a Princess (Gen. 23:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/25/2006

 

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  The Death of a Princess

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  Genesis 23:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.  2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.”

           

            Sarah is a very famous OT character, who is mentioned in the NT on many different occasions, and all of them are in a good light.  She was called a princess by God in Genesis 17:15, for the name Sarah means princess and it was God who changed here name to Sarah. 

           

            Dr. Wiersbe brings out some interesting things regarding a verse that Solomon wrote concerning death, “A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”  (Ec. 7:1)  In commenting on this verse Dr. Wiersbe points out that when a person is born he is given a name and depending on how the life of that person was after his death will depend on whether the person will be remembered in a “good smelling fragrance, or a bad smelling one, and in the cases of both Abraham and Sarah it is a good smelling fragrance.

           

            As far as Abraham’s tears, this is the first mention of tears in the Scriptures, and they will continue until God wipes them away as recorded in Rev. 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  As seen in this verse there will be no longer any death or mourning or crying or pain at this time either.  Jesus is seen as weeping in the Scriptures at the grave of Lazarus, and other places, so this proves to me that there is nothing wrong with weeping at the correct time, and the death of a loved one is one of those times.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that the one thing that I was taught from this lesson is that I must live my life so that the fragrance of my name will be remembered as something that is sweet smelling because I have followed the Lord throughout most of my life, as I was save at the age of 26.  I can only do this by staying in the Word each day and by applying what I have learned to my life as the Holy Spirit teaches me each day.

 

The Word of God has been refreshing, challenging and convicting as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord through the storms of life, that through them he may cause me to grow in my faith, and to be more and more conformed to the image of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that God would also teach me to be content in all situations and that He would continue to direct my path.

The Welcome of the Bridegroom (Gen. 24:61-67)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-27-2006

 

My Worship Time                                              Focus:  The Welcome of the Bridegroom

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference:  Genesis 24:61-67

 

            Message of the verse:  “61  Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.62 Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev.  63  Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming.  64 Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel.  65  She said to the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" And the servant said, "He is my master." Then she took her veil and covered herself.  66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.  67  Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

 

Rebekah leaves with the servant on this long journey of about one month riding on a camel.  She takes her maids and nurse with her as she goes to meet her husband.

 

Again this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church and so that is the way I will look at this.  Isaac had not been written about since he was in his teenage years where he was going to be a willing sacrifice offered to the Lord by his father Abraham.  This pictures the Lord Jesus Christ going back to heaven after His sacrifice on the cross.

 

The bride, Rebekah, sees Isaac from afar and prepares to go and meet him. The believers of the Church are also to prepare to meet the Bridegroom as they live their lives in obedience to the Lord while on this earth.  The servant give an account of his journey in verse sixty-six and the believers will also give an account to the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ.

 

Isaac takes Rebekah into the tent which the Lord Jesus will do as he takes home his bride at the rapture of the Church, and so we will ever be with the Lord. 

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as Rebekah was obedient to her husband in coming to him and just as the servant was obedient in all that he did for his master Isaac, so I am to be in my service to the Lord so that when He comes for me that I will be able to give a good report of the things that I did for him while in the flesh on this earth.

 

The Word of God has been both a challenge to me and also it has been convicting to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord as He continues to work in this trial or storm that He has sent my wife and me into.  Continue to pray that Satan will be defeated as he tries to stop the work of the Lord to accomplish His will in all of this.  

The Willingness of the Bride (Gen. 24:50-60)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-19-2006

 

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  The Willingness of the Bride

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Genesis 24:50-60

 

            Message of the verse:  “50  Then Laban and Bethuel replied, ‘The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.  51  ‘Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.’  52  When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the LORD.  53 The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.  54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, ‘Send me away to my master.’  55  But her brother and her mother said, ‘Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.’  56  He said to them, ‘Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.’  57  And they said, ‘We will call the girl and consult her wishes.’  58  Then they called Rebekah and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ And she said, ‘I will go.’  59  Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men.  60 They blessed Rebekah and said to her, ‘May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.’

 

As said in an earlier SD, this whole chapter is a picture of how the Holy Spirit works in the life of a person to become part of the bride of Jesus Christ, and so that is the way that I will look at this.

 

The decision was finally given to Rebekah as to whether or not she would go with Abraham’s master to become the bride of Isaac, and she chose to go and be his bride.  Her family wanted her to stay with them for ten days or so, but the servant did not want there to be any delay.  Dr. Wiersbe says, “That when the Lord is at work, that is the time to keep going.”  If Rebekah would have said that she wanted to stay then this could have been a big mistake on her part, and she may have never gotten another chance, yet this is not how the Lord had this planned and so she did go to be Isaac and the rest is history.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The portion that I read in my devotional book this morning almost jumped off the page at me, and that is “That when the Lord is at work, this is the time to keep going.”  This has much meaning to me, for God is surely at work in our investment problems, as seen by the result of the trial that took place last Thursday and the ruling that the judge gave in it, for this was an answer to prayer and I am praising the Lord today for his work in this trial that many of my friends are going through with me.

 

The Word of God has been refreshment to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to work out His plan as far as how this trial will turn out, and to continue to as the Lord to teach me contentment through this trial, and throughout the rest of my life, for contentment is something that I surely need to learn.  To ask the Lord to continue to direct my path.

The Family (Gen. 24:29-49)

SPIRITUAL DIARY For 10-17-2006

 

My Worship Time                                                                                 Focus:  The Family

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference:  Genesis 24:29-49

 

            Message of the verse:  “29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring.  30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, ‘This is what the man said to me,’ he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.  31 And he said, ‘Come in, blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?’

32 So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.  33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, ‘I will not eat until I have told my business.’ And he said, ‘Speak on.’  34 So he said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant.

35 ‘The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys.  36  ‘Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has.  37 ‘My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38  but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’  39 ‘I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’  40 ‘He said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’  42  ‘So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; 43 behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar’; 44  and she will say to me, ‘You drink, and I will draw for your camels also’; let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’

45 ‘Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 ‘She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also.47 ‘Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.  48 ‘And I bowed low and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.  49 ‘So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.’”

           

            This is a long story in a very long chapter and the emphases is on the servants master and also on the master’s son, and of course on Rebekah, the hopeful bride to be.

Rebekah’s brother Laban is also in the story, and he shows the kind of man that he is, a man that is very much interested in the riches of the master’s servant, but probably not interested in the master at all.

           

            The bidding of Abraham’s servant is a picture of the Holy Spirit working in the life of a person, calling him to the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The servant only speaks of his master and he gives gifts as a down payment to the bride to be, and tells her of the riches of his master.  He does not pressure her, but only tells the facts, and this is how I am to wittiness to a person too, only telling them the facts and then allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work of conviction in the heart of the person that I am witnessing to.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have a propensity to be impressed with people who seem to be rich in this life, and not so impressed with people who will be rich in the next life, and this has gotten me into trouble on more that one occasion.  My Master in heaven is richer by far than any person is or ever will be on this earth, and I must think of that and not on being rich in this life, where I probably would not be able to handle it, as I have proven in the past with the little that I had be entrusted with. It is better to be like Abraham’s servant who only had a desire to serve his master.

 

The Word of God has been convicting to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment, and not to be so concerned with the riches of this world.  To trust the Lord to direct my path, and to also make me a better servant of His.    

God Answers Prayer (Gen. 24:15-28)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-16-2006

 

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  God Answers Prayer

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference:  Genesis 24:15-28

 

            Message of the verse:  “15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder.  16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up.  17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar.’  18 She said, ‘Drink, my lord’; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink.  19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ‘I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.’  20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.  21 Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.  22  When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23  and said, ‘Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?’  24 She said to him, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.’  25 Again she said to him, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.’ 26 Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD.  27 He said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.’  28 Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.”

           

            Even though it is not always a good idea to put God to the test by putting out a “fleece,” however that is how it happened in this case and Abraham’s servant was thankfull that the Lord had answered his prayers.

           

            It seems that the servant was looking at Rebekah to see if she would make a good wife for Isaac, but asking her for a drink and then finding out that she would also water his camels.  There were ten camels and it is possible that she had to draw at least 400 gallons of water to water all of his camels, so that would mean that she was not only a strong girl, but also she was dedicated too.

           

            The servant then asks about her family and finds out that she was indeed the daughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor, and that means that she would be acceptable to Abraham, for he wanted a girl from his family to marry Isaac.

           

            In verses 27-28 the servant began to praise the Lord for his kindness for making his journey a successful one, and for leading him to the daughter of Abraham’s brother, and finding a wife for Isaac.  He did this right away, not forgetting to show thankfulness to the Lord who was the One who gave him success in his journey.

 

            Let me say that the Law had not been given for Israel was not a nation at this time and so some of the things that happened before the Law were ok to do.  I don’t mean that it was alright to murder someone, but things like marrying a cousin which Rebekah was to Isaac was certainly ok to do, for after all Abraham was married to his half sister.  Once sin came into the world in Genesis chapter 3 the world was going through what I like to call de-evolution, that is things were getting worse as the years past.  The gene pool began to continually get worse and worse in humans, animals, and also the ground that crops were grown in. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe quotes an unnamed writer in his book, which seems to have a great deal of meaning for this section of Scripture:  “Make every occasion a great occasion, for you can never tell when someone may be taking your measure for a larger place.”  This is exactly what the servant was doing to Rebekah and she did not realize it and therefore was acting in her normal way, not really trying to impress this man, yet that is exactly what she was doing. 

            I have thought about this on a number of occasions, in my relationship with the Lord, as I never know exactly what it is that the Lord has for me to do, or who that I may be doing it with, and it is always a good idea to live my life so that it will be pleasing to the Lord. 

 

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart and also it has been refreshing to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I have been waiting for the next step in this long test from the Lord to take place, and it seems now that it is in the hands of a judge or justice in Toronto Ontario, Canada, who must decide whether or not Andrew Lech will be allowed to get out of jail to prepare for his criminal case, and then hopefully, have the time to get the money together to pay back his investors and thus purge himself of any wrong doing.  It has been over three and a half years since we have received any money from these investments, and it has been three and a half years of learning to trust the Lord and hopefully growing in the Lord, realizing that my trust should be in the Lord who gives good gifts and not the good gifts that the Lord has given to me.  I continue to trust the Lord in this trial, yet I must admit that it would surely be a let-down if things did not work out at this time, for Ann has said she does not know where to go from here is this does not work out.  My prayer is that justice will be served to David Mackenzie in this case for the part that he has played in all of this, and that I would continue to grow in the Lord and trust His promises and not the circumstances around me.     

 

Abraham servant's Faithfulness (Gen. 24:10-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/12/2006

 

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  Abraham’s servant’s Faithfulness

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Genesis 24:10-14

 

Message of the verses:  10  Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.  11  He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.  12  He said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.  13  ‘Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14  now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’— may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.’”

           

            Abraham’s servant was introduced in yesterday’s SD, and there seems only one thing on his mind and that is to do the will of his master no matter what it takes.  He was given his marching orders in the earlier verses and he will follow them just as they were given to him and not deviate from them one bit, even if it meant that he would be unsuccessful in his journey.  It can be seen from these verse that he was depending upon God to give him a successful mission, as he prays and asks God to make this task one that will be successful for his master.  In his prayer he puts out a “fleece” just as Gideon would do years down the road, and this is probably not the wisest thing for believer to do today, although there have been times when I have done this, but not lately and not too many times.  Believers are to walk by faith and not by sight, and when putting out a fleece it could be that one would be walking by sight and not by faith, however this was the way that Abraham’s servant prayed and as will be seen in the next SD, Lord willing, he was completely in the will of God with his prayer, and it was being answered even while it was being prayed.  Daniel had the same experience in the ninth chapter of his book.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: Pastor Jacobs was saying that Abraham’s servant was a picture of the Holy Spirit going out to get a bride for the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is sent out by the Father to accomplish this task.  This whole scene is a wonderful picture of Christ and His bride, the Church.

            Humanly speaking to obey my Master and Lord the way that Abraham’s servant would be a wonderful testimony to have, and I am sure that there are times when I do this, and times when I have been unfaithful in serving the Lord.  For the times that I have not been faithful, I am thankful for the grace and mercy that my Lord has given to me, yet it certainly grieves my heart when I fail my Lord.

 

The Word of God has been both convicting to my heart along with challenging me and it also has been refreshment for me too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do not know what the outcome of the hearing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada will be today, but I would pray just as Abraham’s servant prayed that it will be successful, and that Andrew will get out on bail so that he can begin the process of paying back the money that he owes to many, many people, and that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified through all of this.  However if this is not in the Father’s will for this to happen then I would pray that God will give all of those involved in this the grace to go on, and to continue to trust Him no matter how this comes out.

The Will of the Father (Gen. 24:1-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2006

 

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  The Will of the Father

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 24:1-9 

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.  2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ‘Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4 but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.’  5 The servant said to him, ‘Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?’  6 Then Abraham said to him, ‘Beware that you do not take my son back there!  7  ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.  8 ‘But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.’  9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”

           

            The identity of this servant is not known for sure, but he was the chief servant of Abraham and therefore a trustworthy man.  As far as placing his hand under his thigh, this was just a way of swearing that he would do as Abraham had requested him to do.  Abraham gave him three orders to follow:  1.  Abraham did not want his servant to take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites; 2.  He wanted him to take a wife from his own relatives; and 3.  He did not want him to take Isaac on the journey with him to select a wife for him.   

           

            There is a real picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church seen here, as His Father has chosen a bride, the Church, for Him (The Son)  and one day,(hopefully real soon), Christ will present His bride to His Father.

           

            It was Abraham’s will to get a bride for Isaac, and it was because of Abraham’s faith in the Lord that he believed that the proper wife would be selected for his son.

           

            This is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis, and it has many parallels, as said before, to the selection of the bride for the Lord Jesus Christ in it.  It may seem a bit strange that it only took thirty-one verses in the creation chapter and sixty-seven verses in this chapter, or story of selecting a bride for Isaac, but that is the way God did it.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as Abraham believed in the promises of God, I must do the same thing in my life each and every day.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells the story of trusting the Lord:  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

 

The Word of God has been refreshing and challenging to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To do as the proverb says, and to hold on to the promises of the Lord in the trials and tests that He sees fit to send me through, which are for my good and for His glory.  

Looking Forward to what God has for you (Gen. 22:15-24)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/09/2006

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Looking forward to what God has for you

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                 Reference:  Genesis 22:15-24

 

            Message of the verse:  “15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16  and said, ‘By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17  indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18  ‘In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’  19  So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

20 Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, ‘Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:  21 Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram 22 and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.’  23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.  24  His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.”

 

The Bible talks in a number of places about the afterwards of the trials that believers have gone through and I want to quote some of these verses here.  The first one is from Hebrews 12:11, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”  The next is 1 Peter 5:10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”  The last one I want to quote is from the book of Job, for Job is an example to all who have or to all who are suffering from a trial.  Job 23:10:  “But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

 

Dr. Wiersbe has pointed out five blessings that Abraham received from this trial or test that he went through and I will list them here.  1.  Abraham received a new approval from God, Gen. 22:12, “He said, ‘Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’”  2.  He received back a new son.  Isaac was now a living sacrifice, (Romans 12:1-2)  God gave Isaac to Abraham and then Abraham gave Isaac back to God.  “We must be careful that God’s gifts do not take the place of the Giver.”  3.  God gave Abraham new assurances, (Genesis 22:16-18).  Even though these seem to be  repeated from what God had told Abraham before they came to him after a great trial and they must have really meant more to him then.  Spurgeon has said that  the promises of God never shine brighter than in the furnace of affliction.  4.  Abraham learned a new name for God, (Genesis 22:14) 5. And finally, Abraham came away from this trial with a deeper love for the Lord.  Jesus spoke of this kind of love in John 14:21-24, and Paul also prayed that the Ephesian believers would experience this kind of love as seen in Eph. 3:14-21, “  14  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  20  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21  to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Today 06-22-2020:  Yesterday in our church service Dr. Gary Anderson was speaking and he told a story that to me, seems to go along with what happened to Abraham and Isaac.  A missionary lady who was serving the Lord in another country lost her husband, now when I say lost I mean that her husband went to be with the Lord.  This lady stated that we are never to hold on to tightly to the gifts that God has given to us for He may want them back.  The words “don’t hold onto the gifts to tightly that God has given to us” are words that stuck in my heart and mind.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is a trial coming up this Thursday in Toronto Ont. Canada that will surely have an effect on, not only my family, but many families who have invested money with Andrew Lech, and in the past few days as I have been studying this episode of Abraham and even Isaac’s lives I have been able to relate to is in a small way because of the trial or test that we are going through.  The one thing that I have learned that seems to shine above the other things that I have learned through this trial was written in this book that I am using to aid my study of God’s Word, and the fact is that God revealed this to me even before I read it in a book, and that is that I am to trust the Giver of the gifts and not the gifts that the Giver has given to me.

 

The Word of God has been very refreshing to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Giver of the gifts and not the gifts that the Giver has given to me.

Depend on God's Provision (Gen. 22:6-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/05/2006

 

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Depend on God’s provision

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Genesis 22:6-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.  7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’  8 Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.  9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’  12 He said, ‘Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

14 Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.’

           

            This story of Abraham and Isaac is one of the most remarkable stories that we find in the Bible and by reading this over it has increased my faith and caused me to have much more respect for Abraham and for Isaac.

           

            As said in the last SD this has many pictures of Christ and His Father in it.  In Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary he quotes Martian Luther and I would like to write his quote here:  “When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what they are in comparison of the sufferings of my blessed Savior Christ Jesus.”  This quote was given in the part of the book that was explaining how Abraham and Isaac’s life was a type of Christ’s.

           

            Here are some more quotes for the book:  “1. Where does the Lord provide our needs?  In the place of His assignment.  2.  How does God provide for us?  In ways that are usually quite natural.  3.  To whom does God give His provision?  To those who trust Him and obey His instructions.  4.  Why does God provide our every need?  For the great glory of His name!  Hallowed be Thy name is the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer and it governs all the other requests.  God was glorified on Mount Mariah because Abraham and Isaac did the will of the Lord and glorified Jesus Christ.  We must pause to consider this important truth.”

 

            Today is Father’s Day 2020 and every time I think about being a father to a son and thinking about what Abraham was going to do to his son Isaac I find it very difficult if not impossible to think that I could ever do that to my son.  Thanks be to God the Father who did not hold back His only Son to pay for my sins and all those who will accept that provision so that I would never have to do what Abraham was willing to do.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can only say that I totally agree with Martin Luther in saying that all of my trials and tribulations are very small in comparison with those of Jesus Christ, yet I want to have the attitude that when I go through trials that it is for the glory of the Lord and not in any way complain and ask why.

 

The Word of God has been a great challenge to me and has also been conviction to me and at the same time has been refreshing to me.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord as He sends me through the tests that He has chosen for me to go through, and to bring glory to His name by going through them.  To trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment and to direct my path.

 

           

Focus on God's Promises and not Explanations (Gen. 22:3-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/04/2006

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Focus on Promises, not Explanations

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  Genesis 22:3-5

 

            Message of the verse:  “3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.  5 Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.’”

           

            Genesis 22:5 is one of the most remarkable verses in all of the Scriptures when you consider exactly what is being said there and the amount of faith in God’s promises is being shown there by Abraham.  Abraham said to his servants that he and his son would go and worship and return to these men.  Even when God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son that the promise of the covenant rested upon, Abraham was thinking about worshiping God, and that is very, very remarkable to me.

           

            Abraham was focusing upon the promises of God and not on any explanations as to why was this happening to him or his son, he only was trusting upon the promises of God that God had spoken to him and is now recorded in the Word of God.  This is how his faith grew, that is by believing on the promises and obeying the Word of God.

           

            Dr Wiersbe points out that “our faith is not really tested until God asks us to bear what seems unbearable, do what seems unreasonable, and expect what seems impossible.  Whether you look at Joseph in prison, Moses and Israel at the Red Sea, David in the cave, or Jesus at Calvary, the lesson is the same:  We live by promises, not by explanations.”

           

            Here are some of the reasons why believers go through trials:  1. to purify our faith (1Peter 1:6-9), 2.  Perfect our character) James 1:1-4), 3.  To protect us from sin (2 Cor 12:7-10). 

           

            The promises that Abraham believed came from Genesis 21:12, “in Isaac shall thy see be called.”  Hebrews tells us that in a sense Abraham truly did receive Isaac back from the dead.

 

            Since I wrote this SD I heard that Jewish tradition states that Sarah, Abraham’s wife never spoke to him after what he did in chapter 22.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To live by the promises of God, and not ask for explanations from Him is truly a difficult thing to do, but in order for my faith to increase it is something that truly has to be done.  I cannot think of a promise in the Scriptures that says that God will return my investments to me at some point in time; however I can live by the promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me, and that is a difference maker to me.  My faith in the Lord would not be as strong as it is at this point in my life without this test that He has sent my way, and for that I can worship the Lord.

 

The Word of God has been challenging to my heart along with being refreshment to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

 My Steps of Faith Today:  To focus on the promises and not on any explanations.  To trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment, and to direct my path. 

Expect Tests from God (Gen. 22:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-02-2006

 

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  Expect Tests From God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 22:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, ‘Here I am.’  2 He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’

           

            As Abraham grew more mature in his faith in the Lord, God sent him another test, which is the greatest test that he would ever face, and that is to offer his only son as a burnt offering to the Lord on MT. Moriah.

           

            As one looks at this test that Abraham was to face there are similarities to when God the Father was to offer His only Son on the cross for the sins of the world, however I want to look at this as a test of Abraham and learn from it for my own life, and learn what God would have me to learn for my life.

           

            I am to expect tests from the Lord, and there is a huge difference between tests and temptations, for God tests to make me better, while the devil tempts to make me worse.  There are some differences between tests and temptations.  Temptations come from the desires within us (James 1:12-16).  “12  Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”  Sometimes my own disobedience causes the pain or disappointment, as when Abraham went to Egypt (Gen. 12:10ff) and to Gear (Gen. 20).  Sometimes my hurts are simply a part of normal human life:  As I grow older, friends and loved ones relocate or even die, life changes around us, and we must make painful adjustments.

           

            Temptations come from my own desires within, while trials come from the Lord who has a special purpose to fulfill.  Temptations are used by the devil to bring out the worst in me, but trials are used by the Holy Spirit to bring out the best in me.  Temptations seem logical while trials seem very unreasonable.  Why would God give Abraham a son and then ask Abraham to kill him?

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To learn between the temptations of life, which are there to harm me, and the tests of life, which are there to make me grow in my faith.  Pray over decisions that have to be made, and trust the Lord to give me His direction (Pr. 3:5-6).  Pray about things with my wife so that we can get each others input.

 

The Word of God has been a very big challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to direct my path, and trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment.

 

 

God and Hagar: Promise and Provision (Gen. 21:12-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09/29/2006

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God & Hagar:  Promise & Provision

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Genesis 21:12-21

 

            Message of the verse:  “12  But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.  13  ‘And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.’

14 ¶  So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.  15  When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes.  16  Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, ‘Do not let me see the boy die.’ And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.  17  God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.  18  ‘Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’  19  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.  20  God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.  21  He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”

 

As I read this section of Scripture it may seem a bit harsh as to what Abraham did to Hagar and Ishmael, yet it was what God wanted him to do, for if they would have stayed with Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac there would have been in more trouble, and as I look at it for Paul’s writings in the letter to the Galatians I can see that this was what the Lord wanted done.

 

This seems like it would be a test for the real test that Abraham would go through that is recorded in the next chapter, that of offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord.  Abraham was very distressed over what he had to do to his son Ishmael, yet the Lord had told him to do as Sarah wanted done.

 

Earlier in the book of Genesis Sarah was being mean to Hagar and she left them and was about to die in the wilderness, but the Angel of the Lord came to her and made a promise to her that her son would be the father of a great nation, and now as she had to leave Abraham and goes into the wilderness and runs out of water, she seems to have forgotten that promise.  She must have told the story to the Ishmael for he seems to be praying and the Lord answers the prayer by reaffirming the promise that He had made earlier to Hagar about Ishmael.  The Scripture says that because Ishmael was a son of Abraham, that is why the Lord would make a great nation out of Ishmael, and he is the father of the Arabs, for he too had twelve sons who were the father of all of the Arabs of today.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look around at the world situation today it has very much to do with the descendents of Ishmael, the Arabs, and all of the trouble that they are causing has affected most every country in the world today and I wonder why the Lord has allowed all of this to happen.  Yet I know in my heart that God has a plan, and there are many times when I, as a believer in Him, do not know all of the details of that plan, yet I know that cannot make any mistakes, and there is no one who will cause the plans of the Lord to change, so because of all of this I can have faith that the Lord will care for me as He has promised and so I must trust Him to keep His promises.

 

The Word of God has brought great challenges to my heart as I read and studied His Word this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust in the promises of the Lord, that He will never leave me nor forsake me, that He will not do harm to me, and will provide for my wife and myself.  These are days of great instability for me as I look at the situation that I find myself in with the situation at Ford and the situation of our investments, yet I must believe that the Lord will never leave me nor forsake me, and has everything in His hands.

 

 

Sarah and Hagar: Grace and Law (Gen. 21:9-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09/28/2006

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  Sarah & Hagar:  Grace & Law

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Genesis 21:9-13

 

            Message of the verse:  “9 Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.  10 Therefore she said to Abraham, ‘Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.’  11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son.  12 But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.  13 ‘And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.’”

           

            Sarah was wrong to have Abraham marry Hagar, but she was right in sending her   and Ishmael out of the camp.  The Apostle Paul picks up on this in an allegory which describes the Law under Moses and the grace of God.  The lesson is simply that God’s children are to live under the blessings of grace and not the bondage of Law.

           

            Dr. Wiersbe gives five facts about Hagar in order to understand the relationship between Law and grace in the Christian life.

1.      Hagar was Abraham’s second wife.  God’s dealing before the law was with grace, as He dealt with Adam and Eve, but the Law was added alongside just as Hagar was added along aside Abraham.

2.      Hagar was a servant. The Law was God’s servant (a “schoolmaster,” or “child tutor”) to keep the infant nation of Israel under control and prepare them for the coming of the Redeemer. (Gal. 3:24-25; 4:1-5)  The law was given to reveal sin, but not redeem us from sin.

3.      Hagar was never supposed to bear a child.  The Law cannot give what only Jesus Christ can give: life, righteousness, the Holy Sprit, or an eternal inheritance.

4.      Hagar gave birth to a slave The Christian walk cannot be lived when a believer is living under the Law, for the Law brings about bondage, and slavery, where grace brings about the freedom to worship the Lord Jesus Christ freely, and not with the types of sacrifices that are required by the Law.  The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the ceremonial Laws with His work on the Cross, so it is unnecessary for believers to practice those.

5.      Hagar never married again.  The Law was given only to the nation of Israel, and not to the Church nor to the Gentiles.  This was a big issue in the early Church, as can be seen in Acts chapter fifteen, where the issue of following the Law as a Gentile was discussed and the result was that Gentile believers, and for that fact Jewish believer were not to follow the Law, but live under grace.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This whole thing between Law and grace has been very confusing to me for a long time, and this helps to clear it up.  I suppose that the normal reaction is to be confused about the word “freedom” and how it is used in this context of describing a believer’s freedom while living in grace.  Freedom is that a person does not have to do all of the things that were required by the Law in order to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, for He has fulfilled the Law and the curtain was torn down by the Lord when Christ died to show that all true believers now have direct access with the Lord without going through the rituals of the Law, and for that I am surely glade.

 

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart and it has also been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To use my freedom that I have in the Lord Jesus Christ to worship Him in a way that will be pleasing to Him.  To continue to learn contentment, and to seek the Lord so He can direct my path.