Genesis 26 - Day 26 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 26:1-11 Observation: God appears to Isaac (Theophany) and affirms his covenant with Abraham. Like deja vu, a famine strikes the land and Isaac moves to Gerar and when the men who lived there asked him about his wife, Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." Application: As I mentioned yesterday, our children become like us - both good and bad. They absorb everything so openly confess your sins and turn to the Lord (repent) and teach them that it's ok to be human but give them the hope that you hold on to - Jesus and be sanctified through the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer: Lord have mercy (on me a sinner). Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. Complete Your will in and through me with Your Holy Spirit. Genesis 25 - Day 25 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 25:27-34 Observation: Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife. The Lord answered Isaac's prayers (take note of the timeline) and Rebekah gives birth to twin boys. Isaac loved Esau, the firstborn but Rebekah loved Jacob. Jacob, whose name means "seizing by the heel, supplant, circumvent" exploits his brother's character flaws and acquires the birthright of the firstborn. Application: Our children become us. Our grandchildren will become like our children. Be intentional and love them to Jesus. Prayer: Lord, I consecrate my children to You and ask for Your grace and mercies to be extended to them. Holy Spirit, please fill them with Your love and draw them closer to You. Genesis 24 - Day 24 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 24:12 12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. Observation: Abraham's trusted servant prays to God on behalf of his master. Application: Our relationship with God should influence everyone around us, but especially those closest to us. Abraham's oldest servant has been with him for decades and has witnessed firsthand how God has miraculously provided for all of his needs. Hence, Abraham's servant was comfortable approaching God for the benefit of his master. Who am I influencing today? Prayer: Lord, help me to be faithful in all that I do and say so that I represent You as Holy and blameless. Genesis 23 - Day 23 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 23 Commentary: After Eve, Sarah is the first woman of importance to tread the stage of Genesis. From Cain to Babel, the primeval history preserves an almost exclusively male orientation; women are rarely mentioned except as adjuncts to their husbands. But with Sarah we meet a woman of heroic proportions, worthy grandmother of the nation of Israel. Her life was far from easy. She suffered the shame of childlessness till she was ninety. Twice she was trapped in a foreign king’s harem by her husband’s unbelieving folly. Twice she was provoked beyond the breaking point by her slave-girl Hagar or her son Ishmael. Once she had seen her own son leave to be sacrificed by his father. From the way her husband treated her sometimes, one might wonder whether he really cared about his wife at all. Was he not most interested in preserving his own skin, and sometimes in serving God? The stories of the expulsion of Ishmael and the sacrifice of Isaac highlighted Abraham’s deep affection for his sons. So this story makes plain Abraham’s sincere love for Sarah and the honor he bestowed on her. Abraham mourned for his wife in the conventional way, but he went much further. With great skill and determination, he purchased a large and expensive piece of land in which to bury Sarah. The business negotiations with the Hittites dominate this chapter to such an extent that it is easy to lose sight of Abraham’s motives, his determination that his wife must be buried in an inalienable family grave where she may enjoy undisturbed peace. The negotiations proceed in three stages. First, he asks the native inhabitants of Hebron, the Hittites, whether they as a body will allow him, a mere foreigner, to have a burial plot for his wife. With a great show of sympathy and open-heartedness, they invite him to use whichever of their graves he fancies to bury his wife. However, they did not actually offer to sell him land for a grave plot. But deliberately overlooking this small point, Abraham takes up their willingness to allow him the use of their graves and asks if Ephron would sell him the cave of Macpelah, so he can use it for a burial ground. Ephron responds with apparent warmth to this suggestion, offering to give Abraham not just the cave but the surrounding land. Maybe this was more than Abraham wanted, but in one sense it was less. For land merely given, as opposed to bought, might be taken back or impose on the recipient other unwanted obligations. So Abraham astutely takes the offer to give as an offer to sell, which may well have been Ephron’s intention anyway, and he insists that he name his price. At last Ephron does, and the heavy price of four hundred shekels is paid. Even if Ephron did overcharge Abraham, the price paid suggests Sarah’s burial ground was quite extensive. As befits the mother of the nation, her grave was impressive, a worthy memorial to a great woman. Furthermore, it was in a place associated with some of her happiest memories. It was at Mamre that the Lord had promised her that she would give birth to a child within the year (18:1–15). Indeed, most of the great promises of land, descendants, and covenant blessing seem to be associated with their years in Mamre, according to 13:14–18:15. And in a sense the purchase of the plot of land at Macpelah was a first step toward Abraham and his descendants’ acquisition of the whole land of Canaan. For this reason, Genesis draws attention twice to the rather obvious point that Hebron is in the land of Canaan (23:2, 19) and repeatedly insists that the negotiations and payment for the land were conducted publicly before the elders of the city (vv 10, 13, 16, 18). There was no doubt that this part of Canaan justly belonged to Abraham and his heirs. Wenham, G. J. (1994). Genesis 16–50 (Vol. 2, pp. 129–130). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. Application: As followers of Jesus we are to be different than the rest of the world. Yet, in order to be heard and make a difference, we need to know the customs and act accordingly. Prayer: Lord, help me to reflect Your light and glory in the world today. Genesis 22 - Day 22 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19 Observation: God tests Abraham's faithfulness by instructing him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Application: Even though we live in a different world than Abraham did, it's still hard to believe that God would test him by instructing him to sacrifice his son. Unless God already knew what would happen. I guess that's the benefit of being omniscient. So, if God already knew that Abraham would faithfully obey His instructions, then what was this story all about? Who actually benefited from this escapade? Yes Abraham, but more so Isaac. In verse 7 we see Isaac question his father about the sacrificial offering and Abraham answered, "God will provide..." In verse 9, Abraham ties his son on the altar on top of the wood, and Isaac doesn't resist. In verse 13 Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket - God has provided. And Abraham trusted God because that's what happens over a lifetime of being in a relationship with someone you respect and care for. That's why Abraham confidently told his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back." Prayer: Thank You Lord for providing so abundantly for all my needs. |
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January 2024
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