Knowledge led to confession (Daniel 9:1-6)
Knowledge led to change (2 Chronicles 34:19; 35:18)
Knowledge led to celebration (Nehemiah 8:9-10)
Knowledge led to communion (Genesis 18:16-33)
Showing posts with label Genesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis. Show all posts
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Joseph's Forgiveness
What enabled Joseph to forgive his brothers the way he did?
It might have been because:
* He recognised God's place (Genesis 50:19)
* He recognised God's plan (Genesis 50:20)
It might have been because:
* He recognised God's place (Genesis 50:19)
* He recognised God's plan (Genesis 50:20)
As Christ forgave you, so also do ye - Col 3:13
The way Joseph forgave his brothers (Genesis 45) gives a beautiful picture of Christ's forgiveness.
Consideration for his brothers (Gen 45:1)
Not wanting his brothers fault to be know by all, he asks all the Egyptians to go out. In Luke 22:61, Christ only gave Peter a private look instead of proclaiming his failure out loud.
Concern for his brothers (Gen 45:5)
Not wanting his brothers to be overcome with grief, he consoles them. Christ was always concerned about the way His disciples were feeling and gave consolation (Luke 5:10 - Fear not; John 14:1 - Let not your hearts be troubled; John 20:19 - Peace be unto you).
Closeness to his brothers (Gen 45:10)
Not wanting his brothers to be far from him, he placed them in Goshen which is near to him. In John 14:3, Christ gave the assurance that where He is, there his disciples will be also.
Care for his brothers (Gen 45:11)
Not wanting his brothers to come to poverty, he said he will nourish them. 1 Peter 5:7 says that Christ cares for us.
Compassion for his brothers (Gen 45:15)
Not wanting any of his brothers to feel left out, he kissed all his brothers without partiality. Christ washed all his disciples feet without partiality (John 13).
Communion with his brother (Gen 45:15)
Not wanting there to be silence, he restores communication by listening and speaking kindly to his brothers (Gen 50:21). Christ restored communion with Thomas and Peter and spoke kindly to them as he did (John 20:26-29, 21:15-17).
Comfort for his brothers (Gen 50:21)
Not wanting them to doubt his forgiveness, he assures them and comforts them. Christ continued assurance found in 1 John 1:9 rings through the years.
Consideration for his brothers (Gen 45:1)
Not wanting his brothers fault to be know by all, he asks all the Egyptians to go out. In Luke 22:61, Christ only gave Peter a private look instead of proclaiming his failure out loud.
Concern for his brothers (Gen 45:5)
Not wanting his brothers to be overcome with grief, he consoles them. Christ was always concerned about the way His disciples were feeling and gave consolation (Luke 5:10 - Fear not; John 14:1 - Let not your hearts be troubled; John 20:19 - Peace be unto you).
Closeness to his brothers (Gen 45:10)
Not wanting his brothers to be far from him, he placed them in Goshen which is near to him. In John 14:3, Christ gave the assurance that where He is, there his disciples will be also.
Care for his brothers (Gen 45:11)
Not wanting his brothers to come to poverty, he said he will nourish them. 1 Peter 5:7 says that Christ cares for us.
Compassion for his brothers (Gen 45:15)
Not wanting any of his brothers to feel left out, he kissed all his brothers without partiality. Christ washed all his disciples feet without partiality (John 13).
Communion with his brother (Gen 45:15)
Not wanting there to be silence, he restores communication by listening and speaking kindly to his brothers (Gen 50:21). Christ restored communion with Thomas and Peter and spoke kindly to them as he did (John 20:26-29, 21:15-17).
Comfort for his brothers (Gen 50:21)
Not wanting them to doubt his forgiveness, he assures them and comforts them. Christ continued assurance found in 1 John 1:9 rings through the years.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Gems from my reading
Every circumstance in Genesis 18 speaks of a righteous man's open communion with God. The Lord and the two angels drew near Abraham in human form. They readily accepted Abraham's service, speech, and friendship. In the realm of divine fellowship, Genesis 18 is in striking contrast to God's disposition towards Lot in Genesis 19. In chapter 19, God does not personally visit carnal Lot, nor do the angels appear as men any longer, but as "angels." Even the angels are standoffish and initially refuse Lot's company and provisions. God is not mocked - our carnality necessitates distance and reduced familiarity with Him.
Warren Henderson in Seeds of Destiny (A Genesis Devotional)
Warren Henderson in Seeds of Destiny (A Genesis Devotional)
Monday, July 02, 2007
More gems from my reading
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. - Genesis 3:4-5
Scripture tells us that we "...are not ignorant of satan's devices." In this passage we see...the enemy's great tactics. Incredibly, they work to this very day...He flat out denies that God's word is true. God told Adam that in the day that he would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die. Here, while speaking to Eve, satan tells her, "... ye shall not surely die." Jesus told the Pharisees that the devil was a liar from the beginning. Here is the lie; whereas God said Adam would surely die, satan says he would NOT surely die. There certainly is a big difference.
The reason that this worked is that God often speaks of matters from His own perspective, and always tells the truth. Satan, perhaps knowing God's perspective, tells only enough of the truth to make us think he is right. For, it is true that in the day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree they did not collapse to the ground, and breath their last. But the more important perspective in this matter, the thing about which God was speaking, was spiritual death. From that day forward Adam and Eve ran from God: spiritually dead, not desiring Him or His ways. This desire to run from God and ignore His ways has been passed on to all of their descendants, the whole human race. Physical death is the result of spiritual death. Had Adam and Eve remained spiritually alive, they would also have remained physically alive.
Herm Klingenberger
Scripture tells us that we "...are not ignorant of satan's devices." In this passage we see...the enemy's great tactics. Incredibly, they work to this very day...He flat out denies that God's word is true. God told Adam that in the day that he would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die. Here, while speaking to Eve, satan tells her, "... ye shall not surely die." Jesus told the Pharisees that the devil was a liar from the beginning. Here is the lie; whereas God said Adam would surely die, satan says he would NOT surely die. There certainly is a big difference.
The reason that this worked is that God often speaks of matters from His own perspective, and always tells the truth. Satan, perhaps knowing God's perspective, tells only enough of the truth to make us think he is right. For, it is true that in the day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree they did not collapse to the ground, and breath their last. But the more important perspective in this matter, the thing about which God was speaking, was spiritual death. From that day forward Adam and Eve ran from God: spiritually dead, not desiring Him or His ways. This desire to run from God and ignore His ways has been passed on to all of their descendants, the whole human race. Physical death is the result of spiritual death. Had Adam and Eve remained spiritually alive, they would also have remained physically alive.
Herm Klingenberger
Friday, November 10, 2006
The LORD will provide
...and get thee into the land of Moriah, and there offer him up for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of...[Abraham] went to the place that God had told him of...On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar...And they came to the place of which God had told him. - Gen 22:2-4, 9
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided. - Gen 22:14
The mount on which the Lord provided was the very place that the Lord directed Abraham to, right from the start. Abraham experienced God's providence as he obeyed and found himself at the right place, the place that the Lord led Him to be in. Do I sometimes wonder why I don't experience the Lord's providence in my life? Then I must ask, am I in the right place? Have I obeyed the Lord's directions? Or have I gone astray with eyes looking down and losing sight of that place, that Jehovah-jireh place?
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided. - Gen 22:14
The mount on which the Lord provided was the very place that the Lord directed Abraham to, right from the start. Abraham experienced God's providence as he obeyed and found himself at the right place, the place that the Lord led Him to be in. Do I sometimes wonder why I don't experience the Lord's providence in my life? Then I must ask, am I in the right place? Have I obeyed the Lord's directions? Or have I gone astray with eyes looking down and losing sight of that place, that Jehovah-jireh place?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Honour thy father...
And Shem and Japheth took the upper garment and both laid it upon their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, that they saw not their father's nakedness. - Genesis 9:23
Have always been struck by the way in which these two sons protected the honour of their drunk father. Am reminded of it again. No complains about how shameful Noah's behaviour was. No arguments about whether or not they should do what they did and the effects of Noah's doing on the family. No doubts about their duty to honour their father. Had they chosen not to cover Noah's nakedness, they could have argued that he asked for it, they could have reasoned that he deserved it or they could have rationalised that he had it coming to him. Instead, not only did they cover him so that others would not see his nakedness but they themselves refused to take a glimpse of their father's bareness and vulnerability, refusing to allow their father's flawed character to influence the degree of honour they should give him. Is it not said that love covers all trangressions?
Taking it a step further, here's a father who is but human, weak and sinful, like all earthly fathers. We may give the excuse that they make it difficult for us to honour them. But we who know the perfect Father in heaven, what excuse do we have not to honour Him in our lives? And if we say we honour Him, then wouldn't we honour our earthly fathers as He commanded us to?
Have always been struck by the way in which these two sons protected the honour of their drunk father. Am reminded of it again. No complains about how shameful Noah's behaviour was. No arguments about whether or not they should do what they did and the effects of Noah's doing on the family. No doubts about their duty to honour their father. Had they chosen not to cover Noah's nakedness, they could have argued that he asked for it, they could have reasoned that he deserved it or they could have rationalised that he had it coming to him. Instead, not only did they cover him so that others would not see his nakedness but they themselves refused to take a glimpse of their father's bareness and vulnerability, refusing to allow their father's flawed character to influence the degree of honour they should give him. Is it not said that love covers all trangressions?
Taking it a step further, here's a father who is but human, weak and sinful, like all earthly fathers. We may give the excuse that they make it difficult for us to honour them. But we who know the perfect Father in heaven, what excuse do we have not to honour Him in our lives? And if we say we honour Him, then wouldn't we honour our earthly fathers as He commanded us to?
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