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Category: Genesis Page 20 of 41

Comfort your heart Lord

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On January 12, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:5 reads “And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.” The third of Abraham’s request (plea) was to give him opportunity to “comfort the Lord’s heart”.

It may seem absurd that the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) may need to be comforted. Many a times, we seek comfort for ourselves comfort – comfort from the trials of life.

Points to ponder:
Let us ask for the opportunity to serve the Lord – to serve him so that he will not only be our comfort, but be comforted by our life as well.

Genesis 18:5 (KJV)
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Rest yourself Lord (I pray)

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On January 9, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:4 reads “Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:” The second of Abraham’s request (plea) was for the Lord to “rest” (under the tree)

In this fast paced life that we live in, we usually don’t take time to rest – rest in the Lord, but more importantly we seldom spare God time to rest in our lives. Abraham wanted the Lord to rest. This was his prayer.

Points to ponder:
Jesus said that man was not made for the sabbath (rest), but sabbath (rest) was made for man (Mark 2:27). Jesus who rested (not under but) on the tree (Galatians 3:13) of Calvary, by commending his spirit unto the Father God, and in the tomb until he was resurrected (Matthew 28:1), shows us how we ought to rest in the Lord as well.  But more importantly we must let God to rest in our lives (1 Peter 4:14). Like Abraham, can we pray that the Lord rest in our lives. Rest yourself Lord (I Pray).

Genesis 18:4 (KJV)
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Pass not away (I pray)

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On January 8, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:3 reads “And [Abraham] said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:” The first of Abraham’s request (plea) was for the Lord to “pass not away”, but note how Abraham addresses the visitor, as My Lord and himself as Lord’s servant. Also note how Abraham confirms the Lord’s favor on him. If the Lord was to leave Abraham’s presence and passed by, then Abraham would have known that the Lord’s favor was not on him.

When Jesus is standing by us (as the Lord was standing by Abraham – Genesis 18:2), the favor of God is upon us and like Abraham, we must pray, that the Lord (Jesus) pass not away. Because Jesus became the passover lamb for the Salvation of mankind, God’s favor does not pass away from us and is with us, in and through Jesus who stands by us. Let us therefore pray that the Lord pass not away (from our presence) ever.

Points to ponder:
Let our prayer be, “My Lord, Pass not away from me, your servant. Pass not away, I pray.”

Genesis 18:3 (KJV)
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Standing by (you)

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On January 7, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:2 reads “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,” The text reads that Abraham ran to meet these three men, but did you notice, how the verse reads that these three men stood by him, when he lifted up his eyes and looked.

Many a times, we run to God as if he is somewhere far away, while all the time, he is right there standing by you and me. When we look with eyes of faith, we see that the Lord is standing right by us.

Points to ponder:
No matter where you are in your life or what the situations of your life are, you and I can take solace in the fact that the Lord is standing by you and me, all the time. He has promised to be with us even unto the ends of the age (Matthew 28:20); to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 11:5); and God is standing by (you).

Genesis 18:2 (KJV)
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Run to Worship

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On January 6, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:2 reads “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,” Did you notice, that as soon as Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the three men standing by (one of who was the Lord and the two others angelic beings), he ran to meet them from his tent door and bowed himself toward the ground.

While this may at first seems like a natural reaction, close scrutiny reveals certain hidden treasures in this account. First, when we see someone outside your house or place of dwelling, how often do you and I run toward them and bow down to them? I believe, that though Abraham’s reactions may have been customary in the times he lived, it reveals certain behavior that each one of us should follow when we encounter the Lord. Abraham recognized who it was, just as a friend would recognize another friend (James 2:23), for the next verse reads that he addressed the men as “My LORD”. Additionally Abraham ran from his tent door. A tent is a place of temporary dwelling and while many of us hold on to our temporary residence on earth, Abraham does exactly the opposite and in haste runs towards the Lord. Furthermore, Abraham bowed down to the ground when he came to the Lord in an attitude of worship.

Points to ponder:
When we lift our eyes of our heart and look at the Lord, do we run toward him and fall down before him in worship of him? Think about it. Do we run to worship? If not, we ought to.

Genesis 18:2 (KJV)
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Lift up your eyes and look

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On December 9, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18 begins with the verses – “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:”

While the identity of two of the three men is not explicitly stated in this account, from Genesis 19:1 we can learn that these two were as angels (messengers of God with a mission) and the other first person was the Lord himself.

Close scrutiny of this encounter (experience) reveals a couple of hidden treasures in these two verses. First, the Lord appeared to Abraham (Theophany to Abraham), who sat at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Second, Abraham had to lift up his eyes and look to see three men standing by.

Points to Ponder:
The Lord appears to his people, to you and me, as we search the Bible daily (Acts 17:11) to see glimpses of his infallible, loving and just nature, in the person of Jesus Christ. Many of us are beaten down by the heat of the day i.e., the harsh elements of life itself and our most likely posture is that our faces are down as our spirit is downcast. What we need to do is to lift up our eyes (of understanding – Ephesians 1:18) and look up at the Lord, from whom our help comes from (Psalms 121:1-2)
Are you lifting up your eyes and looking at the Lord? Lift up your eyes and look. Tarry no further!

Genesis 18:1-2a (KJV)
1 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:

Not in line with God’s plans

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On December 3, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

In the book Genesis chapter 17, God reveals to Abraham that through his wife Sarah, God would establish his covenant with their son, Isaac (Genesis 17:19, 21), but Abraham in response asks God, “if only Ishmael, the son born to Abraham’s concubine Hagar, would be blessed by God (instead).” God responds that his covenant shall be with the promised son, Isaac and not Ishmael. However, due to the generous and magnanimous greatness of God, God tells Abraham that Ishmael shall be made fruitful and that God will multiply Ishmael exceedingly as well making him a great nation, through the twelve princes that Ishmael shall bear. And then the Bible says, that God left off talking with Abraham and went up.

While it may seem that the request of Abraham to include his son Ishmael may speak of Abraham’s fatherly concern, we must not fail to recognize that such a request was not in line with God’s plan and God leaves the conversation.

Points to ponder:
Many a times we, like Abraham try to tell God what we think is best and step out of God’s plan, when it is not in line with his plan. Doing so can make God leave the conversation he has with us. Let us pray to accept God’s plan for our lives, no matter how improbable or impossible it may seem. Let us resolve and work toward always being in line with God’s plan.

Genesis 17: 18-22 (KJV)
18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Abraham Laughed

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On December 1, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Many a times, we hear about how “Sarah” the wife of Abraham laughed when she was told that she would be blessed with a child in her nineties, and seldom realize that it was not only Sarah who laughed, but her husband, Abraham did as well. Genesis 17:17 records that God told Abraham, that he would be blessed with a child and that his barren wife would become the mother of nations and kings would come from her. At this, Abraham fell upon his face and laughed as he mused as to how a child shall be born unto him who was a hundred years old and his wife Sarah who was ninety years old then.. So Abraham laughs.

This was something that not only seemed improbable, but impossible as well, because of their age, which in a sense could justify Abraham’s response of laughter, but it does not discredit his sense of doubt. However, notice that Abraham fell upon his face, implying that he was in a posture of submission and worship, despite his doubt.

Points to ponder:
God’s promises to us may seem incredulous at times and may even evoke a response of laughter, because in our humanness, we tend to doubt God, but what is important is that despite our doubt, we ought to submit to God for doubting without submitting is no laughing matter. God is sovereign and the improbable and impossible things of life are in fact certainties, if God wills.

Genesis 17:17
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

With God – The renaming of Sarai

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On November 26, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 17:15-16 gives the account of God telling Abraham that he was to rename his wife from Sarai to Sarah and that God will bless her with a son. Sarah shall become a mother of nations and kings of people shall come from her. While this conversation may seem, on the surface, as merely a rechristening one, a close look at the Bible reveals, certain hidden treasures in this account.

First, note the timeframe when God gives this promise to Abraham. Sarai was childless still but Sarah shall not be. Sarah would be become a mother to many nations as from her son, Isaac, would be begotten Jacob, from whom the twelve nations (tribes) of Israel would come. We also see that of her children, down the line, many kings would arise (as God had promised of her), the most notable ones being king David and king Solomon of Israel and through David, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, himself. Second, the name Sarai means one who is contentious (quarrelsome), which we see evident in the life of Sarai as she dealt with Hagar and Abram, blaming Abram for what she had asked him to do. Sarah on the other hand, in Biblical Hebrew, means a crowned head (a princess) and so we see God renaming Sarah to possibly remind her of who she is in his sight – a princess. Third, this account expresses that God would include Abraham’s wife into the blessings he was blessing Abraham with – thereby establishing that God is a “family” God.

Points to ponder:
With God, someone who is childless can become the mother of nations from whom kings shall rise.
With God, a quarrelsome person can become a queen.
With God, our loved ones are included in his blessings of us for God is a ‘family’ God.

Question that remains to be answered then is “Are you with God?”

Genesis 17:15-16 (KJV)
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

How to stop being stiff-necked (practically)?

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On November 25, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

As we go through the Bible, in Genesis 17, we learn about the covenant of circumcision, God instituted with Abraham. Interestingly, the Bible uses the word stiff-necked to describe an uncircumcised heart. A couple of instances where there is observed is in Deuteronomy 10:16 and Acts 7:51.

Deuteronomy 10:16
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Acts 7:51
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

A stiff-neck is a condition that occurs when the muscles that attach the neck to the spine have been strained or  sprained or as a result of some cervical spine disorder. A person suffering from a stiff neck usually experiences pain and is unable to turn their neck in any direction without some discomfort. It is highly likely that you have experienced this condition at some point in time of your life. The most common reason for this is poor posture while working or poor position when resting (sleeping in an angle).

From a Christian perspective, there are many stiff-necked Christians. I often find myself stubborn in my willful ways and sins and can empathize with Apostle Paul, where he says, the things I do not want to do, I do and the things I do want to do, I do not do (Romans 7:19). It is likely that you can relate with me on this. In other words, we all suffer from stiff-neck syndrome during the course of our Christian walk with God. So what can we do to address this? How can we stop being stiff-necked practically?

As a warm up in our Shaolin Do Kung Fu class, one of the exercises that our Son, Reuben Paul and I do, at the beginning of our class is to stretch the muscles of the neck. We do this by slowly looking up and then looking down and then we turn the neck left to right and in all directions.

A Christian remedy to stiff-neck can be extrapolated from the world of Kung Fu. To stop being stiff-necked as a Christian,
– We ought to look up toward the heavens and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)
– We ought to look down and bow down, kneeling before the Lord our God, our maker, for he is our God (Psalm 95:6-7)
– We ought to look around (left and right and in all directions) at people, with compassion in our eyes i.e., look at our neighbors, whom we must love as ourselves (Mark 6:34; Matthew 22:39).

Points to ponder:
Are you stiff-necked? Are you willing to look up at God, bow down to him and look at his people around us, with compassion in your eyes, just as Jesus did (Mark 6:34) and teaching them about the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for his sheep (you, me and the whole world) (John 10:11).

The right posture and position for stop being stiff-necked is to be with bowed heads and raised eyes, on our knees.
Let us stop being stiff-necked!

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psalm 95:6-8 (KJV)
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Mark 6:34 (KJV)
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

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