Sovereignty and Blessing

06Jul09

Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.” ~ Gen. 25:21-23

This good husband prayed on his wife’s behalf. I love that! And I think God did too. Certainly God’s promises for Isaac were going to come to pass, but it was fitting for Isaac to remind God of his waiting in faith. When Rebekah was concerned about her babies, she went to the Lord. His answer was specific, and indicative of His sovereign will reigning supreme in the affairs of mankind.

Filed under: Author: Moses, Authority, Blessing, Choice, Death, Deception, Envy, Faith, Faithfulness, Faithlessness, Family, Fear, Genesis, Grief, Hate, Hunger, Love, Marriage, Multiplying, Obedience, Parenting, Peace, Persecution, Prayer, Promise, Prosperity, Reality, Reaping, Rebellion, Rejection, Resurrection, Righteousness, Self-Worship, Sovereignty, Sowing, Strife, Unbelief, Waiting, Wisdom, Worship   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abel, Abimelech, Abraham, Abraham's Bosom, Altar, Beersheba, Birthright, Cain, Canaan, Clay, Covenant, Edom, Egypt, Esau, Gaza, Gerar, God's Word, Heaven, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Jesus, Jews, Keturah, Messiah, Nations, Oath, Philistines, Potter, Rebekah, Seed, Stars, Water, Well

A Time to Worship, Weep, and Wed

05Jul09

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ~ Gen. 22:1-2

Filed under: Author: Moses, Blessing, Comfort, Death, Faith, Faithfulness, False gods, Family, Fear, Genesis, Gladness, God's will, Kindness, Knowledge, Love, Marriage, Mercy, Modesty, Mourning, Multiplying, Obedience, Power, Prayer, Promise, Prophecy, Provision, Reality, Resurrection, Sacrifice, Sin, Sovereignty, Substitution, Trust, Truth, Victory, Weeping, Worship   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abraham, Altar, Bethuel, Burnt Offering, Camel, Donkey, Father, Fire, God, God's Word, Gold, Heart, Hebron, Isaac, Jesus, Laban, Lamb, Lodging, Master, Mesopotamia, Milcah, Moriah, Mountain, Nahor, Nations, Pitcher, Ram, Rebekah, Sand, Sarah, Seed, Servant, Son, Stars, Third day, Vessel, Water, Well, Wife, Wood

Learning to Trust and Obey

04Jul09

Even though the time of judgment was imminent, Lot lingered. Was he thinking about the daughters he had to leave behind? Or was he worrying about the important business deals he had to abandon, his costly slaves and animals in Sodom, or the collection of fine furnishings in his home? But the angels literally took hold of Lot and his family and physically pulled them outside the city. The words of the angel reveal that Lot and each person in his family had reached a crossroads. They had to make a choice. In essence, the angel was telling them that to save their spiritual lives, they had to be willing to relinquish everything that belonged to this earthly life. Let’s compare this to the words of our Lord.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:24-26

Filed under: Abundance, Author: Moses, Condemnation, Death, Evil, False gods, Fear, Foolishness, Genesis, Guilt, Homosexuality, Hospitality, Idleness, Innocence, Integrity, Judgment, Kindness, Power, Pride, Respect, Self-Worship, Selfishness, Strife, Trinity (Godhead), Truth, Uncleanness, Ungodliness, Unrighteousness, Unthankfulness, Violence, Wisdom, Wrath   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abimelech, Abraham, Angels, Circumcision, Creation, Dream, Egypt, Feast, Gomorrah, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Lord's Prayer, Lot, Pillar of Salt, Sarah, Silver, Sodom, Unleavened bread, Water, Wilderness, Zoar

Blessings of the Covenant

03Jul09

And the Angel of the LORD said to her:
“ Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the LORD has heard your affliction.
He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
~ Gen. 16:9-12

Filed under: Author: Moses, Blessing, Doubt, Genesis, Name, Plan, Promise, Prophecy, Reality, Sovereignty   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abraham, Abram, Angel of the LORD, Circumcision, Covenant, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Laughter, Sarah, Sarai, Time Magazine

God’s Promise to Abram

02Jul09

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. ~ Gen. 15:1-6

Abram was so confident in his fellowship with the Lord that when God told him, I am your “exceedingly great reward” (and what more could you ask for), Abram expressed his personal concerns! He wanted to know where the child of promise was. Who would be the “appointed seed” in this generation? With God’s reassurance, Abram believed in what he could not see, and this gave him a righteous standing before God. Bible scholars call this “imputation” and it is found ONLY in Christianity. In no other religion is “grace… through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) the only way to attain righteousness before a holy God.

Filed under: Author: Moses, Blessing, Compassion, Confidence, Cursing, Faith, Fellowship, Genesis, Grace, Humility, Imputation, Judgment, Obedience, Peace, Promise, Rejection, Righteousness, War   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Abram, Bread, Canaanites, Covenant, Egypt, Euphrates, Hebron, Israel, King, Lot, Mamre, Master, Melchizedek, Mesopotamia, Palestinians, Priest, Promised Land, Prophecy, Reward, Salem, Seed, Servant, Slavery, Sumeria, Tithe, Ur, Vision, Wine

Who to Trust?

01Jul09

Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. ~ Gen. 8:11

The dove with the olive branch has always been a symbol for peace. Maybe this symbolizes the end of the ritual cleansing of the Earth and therefore the initiation of restored fellowship between God and man. Peace between heaven and earth.

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” ~ Gen. 9:12-13

Filed under: Author: Moses, Compassion, Confusion, Faithfulness, Fellowship, Genesis, Peace, Trust, Worship   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Africa, Babel, Babylon, Covenant, Dove, Hammurabi, Noah, Olive branch, Rainbow, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Yemen