Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: Willful disobedience

Willful disobedience of Esau

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On June 3, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 28:1-9 (KJV) gives the account of Isaac, calling and blessing Jacob, and requesting that he did not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Instead, Isaac sends him off to his father-in -law’s house (the house of Bethuel). He asks Jacob to go to Padanaram where Betheul and his son, Laban lived and asked Jacob that he married one of Laban’s daughters. Then he blesses Jacob with the blessing of Abraham and sent him away.

Now when Esau had seen that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and learned of his father’s request of Jacob to not marry a daughter of the Canaanites, knowing that the daughters of Canaan did not please Isaac, his father, went to Ishmael and willfully disobeyed his father, taking not one but two wives from his uncle Ishmael’s daughters. This gives insight into how much Esau despised spiritual things, once again gratifying his fleshly desires, over the matters of the Spirit.

Points to ponder:
Before we end up judging Esau for his worldly ways, let us take a moment to introspect, for many a times, I find myself to be willfully disobedient to God and his Holy Spirit; in union with the world in more than one way. Jacob obeyed his father unlike his brother Esau. Let us not be willfully disobedient gratifying the desires of our flesh, but instead let us submit to the Holy Spirit and to the will of God, the Father.

Genesis 28:1-9 (KJV)
1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan;
7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

Our Hearts Ye Mend

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On January 1, 2016

In Christian, New Year, New Year's Resolution

At the break of dawn the period we are in comes to an end
and we beseech thee LORD God, to us your ear lend,
and pray that in this new year, to your will, our lives, we bend
forgive us of our secret willful sins; we ask, our hearts ye mend!

Mend us Lord to love you and to love all men
and gather us again as your brood, our mother hen,
delivering us from the evil one, in your sheep’s pen
as we hear your voice and follow you, keeping not just one command but all ten

To our firstborn, you affirmed not once but twice
that you are indeed Jehovah-Rophe, who paid the price,
restoring us all back to spiritual health, to the devil’s surprise,
and that O LORD is the greatest of all wealth, we solely apprise.

To our secondborn, your word was given
that you are his everlasting light, as darkness was driven
when you came into this world, which for salvation was striven
and found that only by your blood, can all of creation be forgiven

To my beloved, your word came
assuring that “Emmanuel” indeed is your Name.
“To fear not or be dismayed”, in life’s game
for you are her strengthener and helper, our God – the same.

You promised me that you will satisfy my needs and be my guide
and I pray that, you in me and I in you, always abide,
lest in the beggarly worldly things I pride and backslide,
O LORD God, over our lives, you solely and sovereignly preside.

At the break of dawn the period we are in comes to an end
and we beseech thee LORD God, to us your ear lend,
and pray that in this new year, to your will, our lives, we bend
forgive us of our secret willful sins; we ask, our hearts ye mend!

From the Author’s/Poet’s Desk:
As we arrived at the beginning of a new year, thinking about the year gone past and looking forward to the year ahead, this poem is an expressions of our hearts, that in the coming year, my family (Sangeetha, Reuben, Ittai and me), focus solely on the Lord God who can mend our hearts to Love him and love all. During the watchnight service on December 31st, at the Austin Christian Fellowship of India (ACFI), we picked promise cards for each one in the family. The poem is written by compiling the verses from our promise cards, as a personal reminder to us, but we pray that you personalize this for yourself by replaced the pronouns and words like “our” with “me” or “my” and any personal pronoun with your name or “I”.

The promise  cards picked for 2016.
For Reuben (our firstborn): 17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. (Jeremiah 30:17)
For Ittai (our secondborn): 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. (Isaiah 60:20)
For Sangeetha (my beloved): 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)
For Mano: 11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11)

Promise Cards 2016

A line-by-line exegesis of the poem [in square brackets] is given below:

At the break of dawn the period we are in comes to an end
[January 01, 2016]
and we beseech thee LORD God, to us your ear lend,
[Psalm 17:6, Psalm 86:10]
and pray that in this new year, to your will, our lives, we bend
[Luke 22:42]
forgive us of our secret willful sins; we ask, our hearts ye mend!
[Psalm 19:12; Ezekiel 11:19]

Mend us Lord to love you and to love all men
[Matthew 22:37-39]
and gather us again as your brood, our mother hen,
[Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34]
delivering us from the evil one, in your sheep’s pen
[Matthew 6:13;John 10:11-18]
as we hear your voice and follow you, keeping not just one command but all ten
[John 10:27; John 14:15]

To our firstborn, you affirmed not once but twice
[Promise verse for Reuben – Jeremiah 30:17]
that you are indeed Jehovah-Rophe, who paid the price,
[Jeremiah 30:17; John 19:30]
restoring us all back to spiritual health, to the devil’s surprise,
[Psalm 23:3; Hebrews 2:14-15]
and that O LORD is the greatest of all wealth, we solely apprise.
[Psalm 71:15-16]

To our secondborn, your word was given
[Promise verse for Ittai – Isaiah 60:20]
that you are his everlasting light, as darkness was driven
[Isaiah 60:20; 2 Corinthians 4:6]
when you came into this world, which for salvation was striven
[Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; Romans 8:22]
and found that only by your blood, can all of creation be forgiven
[Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22]

To my beloved, your word came
[Promise verse for Sangeetha – Isaiah 41:10]
assuring that “Emmanuel” indeed is your Name.
[Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23]
“To fear not or be dismayed”, in life’s game
[Isaiah 41:10; Luke 1:30]
for you are her strengthener and helper, our God – the same.
[Isaiah 41:10; Hebrews 13:8]

You promised me that you will satisfy my needs and be my guide
[Promise verse for Mano – Isaiah 58:11]
and I pray that, you in me and I in you, always abide,
[John 15:2-5 {the Church’s theme verse for 2015}]
lest in the beggarly worldly things I pride and backslide,
[Galatians 4:9; Galatians 6:14]
O LORD God, over our lives, you solely and sovereignly preside.
[Psalm 47:8; Colossians 3:15]

At the break of dawn the period we are in comes to an end
[January 01, 2016]
and we beseech thee LORD God, to us your ear lend,
[Psalm 17:6, Psalm 86:10]
and pray that in this new year, to your will, our lives, we bend
[Luke 22:42]
forgive us of our secret willful sins; we ask, our hearts ye mend!
[Psalm 19:12; Ezekiel 11:19]

Man cursed (for the first time)

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On October 17, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 4:11-12 reads “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.”

Close scrutiny of these verses reveal a hidden truth in it. For the very first time in all of history, God pronounces a curse on man. God tells Cain, “And now art thou cursed …” and then tells him that he would need to labor and toil for the produce of the ground and that he shall be a fugitive and vagabond. Even when Adam, Cain’s father, disobeyed God, Adam (the man) was not cursed. Instead God cursed the ground for man’s sake. Then why did God curse Cain?
The answer is hidden in plain sight in this very chapter of the Bible although it warrants a little bit of diving deep to unravel it.
1. Cain was given a chance to do what is right and not let sin rule over him. (Genesis 4:7)
2. Cain willfully chose to ignore God’s warning and opportunity to do right, instead he talked his brother into leading him to slaughter. (Genesis 4:8)
3. Cain acted on his pre-mediated evil thoughts to sin against God and his brother and willfully sinned by murdering his own brother, (not loving his own – 1 John 3:11-12), ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit of God. (Genesis 4:8)
4. Furthermore, when God asked Cain, what he had done, he lied to the Holy God, deserving death as did Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10), instead of admitting (confessing) to his sin. (Genesis 4:9-10).
5. Finally, Cain goes one to counter-question God shrugging off his responsibility without any remorse or penitence. (Genesis 4:9)
But still, did Cain deserve to be cursed? The Bible states that anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit of God commits the unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:31). To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit of God is continued unbelief, rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God, who convicts the world of
– sin (Cain’s act of committing murder and letting sin rule over him),
– righteousness (found only in Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God, who was slain before the foundation of the World – for Adam, and Cain, and all of mankind) and
– judgment (Cain’s punishment).
Those who reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit have no means to Salvation and are hence accursed. This is why, God has to tell Cain, that cursed he was.

Points to ponder:
After we have the foreknowledge of the Salvation found solely in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, if we continue to keep on sinning willfully, without remorse or repentance, there remains no more sacrifice by which we can be saved, but a fearful looking forward to the indignation of God (Hebrews 10:26-27). For by willfully sinning, we trample the Son of God under our foot, treating the Holy blood of his covenant of love and grace as an unholy thing (Hebrews 10:29).
If we, like Cain
– allow sin to rule over us
– willfully choose to ignore God’s warning and voice
– willfully act on our sinful lusts and desires, ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit
– refuse to admit (confess) when convicted by the Holy Spirit
– shrug off our responsibilities to bring glory to God, without remorse or penitence
then we, like Cain
shall be cursed.

If we love God (Jesus), we shall keep his commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). This means that we shall not let sin rule over us (Genesis 4:7). And any one who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ is accursed i.e., let him be Anathema Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22).  Let it not be so, that God has to tell of us, “And now art thou cursed.”

Genesis 4:11-12 (KJV)
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Hebrews 10:26-29 (KJV)
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Nahum 3:19 – To be spared or not to be (that is the question)

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On September 11, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

The latter part of Nahum 3:19 poses a question – “Upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?” While the direct reference here is to the city of Nineveh and its wicked king, it can be extrapolated that the Assyrian king is a reference to the devil, as stated by prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 14:25). By beguiling Eve and through her Adam (2 Corinthians 11:3; Genesis 3), the deceiving serpent (the devil) subjected the entire creation to become sinful and be subject to death (Romans 5:12) and in that sense, the wickedness of the devil has passed over all continually since the willful disobedience of men.

Interestingly though, just as the last verse in the book of Nahum, an oracle against the city of Nineveh, ends with a question, so also the book of Jonah, which concerns the city of Nineveh, ends with a question – a question posed by God. The question is “Should I not spare Nineveh, the great city, its people and even its cattle?” God spared Nineveh, a little over 150 years ago (during the time of Jonah around 780 to 750 BC) but Nineveh had willfully chosen to revert to its wicked and evil ways, bringing God’s judgment on them, and this time, it was not going to be spared (during the time of Nahum around 615 to 612 BC).

Points to ponder:
The question is “Has not the wickedness of the evil one (devil) passed over us?” In other words, “Are we sinful?” All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And with sin came death for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one righteous, no not even one (Romans 3:10) meaning that all deserve death. Though the wicked (sinful) deserve to die, God is a God who spares, for he spared not his own Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:32). Jesus Christ willfully accepted to become the sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12) and paid the wages of sin by his death (John 19:30).  Jesus was crucified in our place. So everyone who believes in him has eternal life (John 3:16).

And those who have believed, let us not revert back to our sinful ways (as did the people of Nineveh), drawing back into perdition (Hebrews 10:39). for if we keep on willfully sinning after having received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation of the Lord (Hebrews 10:26-27), which shall devour his enemies (friends of the world – James 4:4).

Have you believed in Jesus Christ to be spared? If you have, are you living according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Romans 8:1)?
To be spared or not to be – that is the question.

Nahum 3:19 (KJV)
19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

Jonah 4:11 (KJV)
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Hebrews 10:26-27 (KJV)
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Romans 8:1 (KJV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Aprons of fig leaves – FAIL

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On June 21, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

After Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, disobey God, they became aware (their eyes were opened) of their folly and they realized that they were exposed and unclothed. So they make a vain attempt to sew fig leaves together and made themselves the first aprons (clothes) to cover their shame. Then they hear the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. (Genesis 3:6-8)

When this account is viewed cursorily, one tends to miss out certain key aspects of the consequences of sin and some characteristics of God. First, sin brings with it nakedness and shame when exposed. Can you even fathom telling  your closest friend or family member, all of the sins that you have committed or are still committing? It creates a shameful situation, doesn’t it? When we disobey God, we are naked before him for there can be no secret (hidden) sins (Psalm 90:8). Second, in their effort to cover their shame that resulted from their willful disobedience, Adam and his wife attempted to cover their sinful state, with their own human efforts – sewing themselves the first aprons from fig leaves. But when they hear the Lord God walking in the garden, they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, implying that their efforts to cover their sin was insufficient (an epic FAILure) to cover their sinful state of shame. Third, we see that in the cool of the day, God came to visit man as a Father seeking his lost son, and his voice was heard.

Points to ponder:
First, when we sin we are naked before God – in a state of sinful shame that needs to be covered. Since all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), we are all exposed before God. Second, no human effort can cover sin. In fact, the very attempt of man to achieve salvation on his or her own efforts is cursed. Remember, how Jesus cursed the fig tree which had no fruit but just leaves (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:13-14) – leaves that could be sewn to make aprons to cover sin (Genesis 3:7).  The remission of sin takes the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22; Matthew 26:28) and it takes a sacrifice to cover the shame of sin. God had to shed blood to cover man with a hide that could hide God’s wrath from man (Genesis 3:21).It takes the blood of Jesus alone to cover our sinful state. Third, no amount of sin can keep God away from us. His beckoning call as an eager father seeking his lost son, is ever present and his voice heard, asking us to repent, irrespective of our sinfulness. If we believe in Jesus Christ, whom God the Father gave out of his love for us, to be THE SACRIFICE to cover our sin and shame, we have no reason to hid ourselves from the presence of the Lord God. If we don’t believe, then we have absolutely no covering whatsoever, in heaven or earth or in it, to protect us from God’s holy judgment and wrath. Let us believe and not have the need to sew aprons, to hide ourselves from the presence of a loving God, I beseech you.

Genesis 3:6-8 (KJV)
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

 

Independence Series :: Liberty not License

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On July 8, 2011

In Christian, Independence Series

Unfortunately, today, many take the grace of God and trample it under foot, by willful disobedience and a lifestyle that displeases God. I will be the first to admit, that I have been guilty of the same. Often we hear sermons, on the grace of God and the fact that there is no condemnation in Christ, but seldom are we told that the suffix to the “no condemnation in Christ” assurance, is that one ought to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. But sadly, the Liberty we experience in Christ, becomes a license to sin. We get churned into a wheel of sin – ask forgiveness – sin – ask forgiveness – ad infinitum.  Although everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10: 23) and the Liberty we have in Christ is one that must be exercised with restraint, especially if it could end up becoming a stumbling block to someone else.

Point(s) to ponder:
We may be free in Christ, but we are not at liberty to do what we please, even if it is permissible, when it hampers (becomes a stumbling block) another person’s ability to experience that same freedom in Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV)
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

Hebrews 10:26-29 (KJV)
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

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