My journey through the Word: (Genesis 11)

Genesis 11:4-5

The people said, “let us go up into heaven” God said “let me go down to man.” How typical of our humanity to want to ascend to God’s level. We, both in our actions and in our words, often elevate ourselves to the place of God. Rather than submit our will to his will, and rather than do as wisdom says and acknowledge him in all our ways so that we might receive his direction, we take matters into our own hands as if we are omniscient.

It was the devil that stated,

“I will ascend to heaven;

above the stars of God

I will set my throne on high;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the far reaches of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14, ESV)

Lucifer’s sin from the beginning was rebellion, rooted in the desire to be like God. It is no wonder that when this serpent tempted Eve in the Garden, that he would sow seeds of deception, rebellion, and humanism. He focused her attention on the fact that she could be like God, knowing good and evil. When Eve looked at the fruit of the tree, she noticed three things

1. It was good for food

2. It was pleasant to look at

3. It was desired to make her wise like God

The first two were normal human observations, testimonies to the goodness and kindness of God. The third was a seed of doubt placed by a malicious angel bent on perverting God’s beautiful order. It took root in Eve and she was deceived into thinking she had it wrong, and nothing bad would happen to her. Every other tree in the garden was good for food. Every other fruit in the garden was pleasant to the eye. There was only one thing that separated this fruit from all others. There was only one thing that she noticed, that made this fruit stand out, and it appealed to her. She acted on her desire to be like God and ate the fruit.

What was Adam’s reason? We can really only speculate. However, while woman can claim deception, man cannot. Adam knew the commandments of God, and he also knew the consequences. He was tempted, drawn away of his own internal lusts and enticed by the idea of eating something forbidden to him. He placed himself in God’s stead and lived by his own desire instead of Gods.

Now the devil, who rebelled against God in an attempt to exalt himself as God, has succeeded in sowing seeds of humanism in Adam & Eve. They too desired to be like God and it caused the entrance of sin, and the spiritual death of mankind.

Just like our original parents, we have a tendency to exalt ourselves to the place of master of our own lives. God says yield, and we run the light anyway. God says no, and like a toddler testing boundaries, we say “yes!” The world will tell you that you are the master of your own destiny, but what a morbid destiny it is if there is none greater than us directing it!

There is power in submission. Abraham submitted and God revealed himself as Jehovah-Jireh. Gideon submitted and God delivered a nation. David submitted and defeated the giant. Solomon submitted and exposed the house of Eli. Christ submitted and brought salvation for mankind. Peter submitted and ushered in the church age. Paul submitted and brought this truth to the world.

Oh what wonderful things happen when the people of God are fully submitted. Yet we have so many Christians who try to do things their way. According to the Barna research group, more than 80% of professing Christians do not consider God, nor the Bible, when making major life choices. With such a lack of submission, is it any wonder that the church is fighting worldliness and risks becoming impotent?

Christ asked the question “when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8, KJV)”. When even the children of God ignore faith and exalt themselves as Lords over their own lives, where is the hope for faith?

In contrast, God humbled himself when he clothed himself in the likeness of sinful flesh. He came to earth, not as a king, but as a servant. Not only was he mindful of man, but he actually came down to serve the very beings he created. He washed the disciples’ feet in a show of servitude and humility. He gave himself to meeting the needs of the people of earth. He healed the broken hearted, set at liberty those who were bruised. When his people screamed for a king, he refused. When he perceived that they would take him by force and make him king, he retreated alone and humbled himself in prayer. When the time came, he submitted himself to the agony of the cross!

Other gods demand their people die for them. Our Lord came down and died for us. The one who is Lord of all, became servant of all, so that we may know the power of humility and submission.

My journey through the Word (Genesis 8-10)

I've been sick the last couple of days so I am just now getting back to my journey. The Lord is a great God. I've been reading an apologetics book and it reminds me once again of how remarkable God and his word really are. To think that the God of the entire universe would care to know who I am, would take the time to hear my prayers, and would actually shed his blood so that I may know him in return.

What a marvelous God we serve!

Genesis 8 - 10

Genesis 8:1

The Bible says “But God remembered Noah (ESV).” How comforting it is to be reminded that in our most difficult times, God remembers us. When our world seems flooded with adversity, the one who is our strength knows exactly where we are. He made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. Likewise, if we endure, he will inevitably make his spirit blow across us and renew our strength. For those who wait upon the Lord truly will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not get weary. Sometimes life seems so overbearing. We are drowned by the floodwaters of difficulty. But even in the midst of turmoil, when we feel alone and in a desolate land, we can rest assured, and take comfort in the knowledge, that God remembers us.

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Genesis 9:9-17

God is a covenant making God. I’m not sure that many Christians today understand the importance of this simple fact. No other God of any religion can claim to be a covenant making God. The Hindu gods do not make covenants. Shiva lives only to destroy. The god of the Muslims does not make covenants. Allah fears that such behavior would diminish his absolute authority and make him subject to the very humans he created.

The God of the Jews & Christians has no such fear. Why? Because HE is the one true God. His love compels him to covenant with man like a bridegroom to his bride. He doesn’t fear losing power, because he cannot lose power. He doesn’t fear losing authority, because he cannot lose authority. He doesn’t fear becoming subject to mankind, because he will never face that possibility.

This simple, yet profound, attribute of God reveals his monopleuric character in that he is willing to descend and make a covenant with mankind, a race of beings so much lower than himself. Not only is he willing to stoop to our level, but his covenants are dipleuric in that we have free choice of whether or not to enter in. No other religion gives such a choice.

God never wanted a robot bride. He values freedom of choice. He wants us to love him by our own will. He has made with us a covenant that we can freely enter into, in order to declare his love for us. He does not fear becoming subject to us, rather he willing put on flesh and became a servant to mankind.

Allah refuses to make a covenant because he is unwilling to lower himself to our level. Jesus Christ, Lord of ALL, willingly came in the image of like sinful flesh, so that he could model servitude. Imagine, the God of the entire universe, being so humble in his majesty that he would become servant to the very beings he created. Allah & Shiva loath such thoughts, it is beneath them. Yet God made it reality. He formed a covenant with man so that we may be saved. He condescended so that we may ascend. How beautiful the idea of God’s covenant really is. He is the only God willing to have a real relationship with us.

My journey through the Word - (Genesis 1-7; Matthew 1-3)

I love reading the Word of God. It seems like every time I open it's pages, it shows me something I haven't seen before. There is definitely a wealth of treasure found in the Word of God.

I'm starting something new that I would like to share. I have decided once again to make my way from Genesis to Revelation and take a journey through the Bible. This time, I will make it a point to write down what inspirational thoughts God gives me as I journey, and share them here on my blog. While I will not claim any great revelation, or scholarly insight, I do hope these nuggets of gold will bless someone and give you something to glean from. Who knows, maybe something said on this blog will inspire a sermon, give a word of wisdom, or simply cause someone to think about something in a way they haven't considered before.

In addition, I would also like to encourage YOU to make your own journey, and blog about what God shows you. Let's start a trend!

Imagine the repository of insight we could accumulate if people would make it a point to dig deep into the Word of God and share what nuggets of truth they unearth. If you do decide to start your own journey, please send me a notice, comment, or email. I'll link your blog to mine, and we can create a network of commentary that might prove even more beneficial to those that read them!

Now, for my thoughts from today.

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Genesis 1-7; Matthew 1-3

Genesis 3:22-23

Man had made the mistake of disobedience. He ate of the tree from which God commanded him not to eat. How typical of our human nature! Often times we find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what God commands. Truly Paul says it well. There is a war within us. Those things that I want to do, I do not. That which I don’t want to do, that is what I do. Such is the way of dirt. It is not easily contained, often makes a mess, and is easily carried away by every wind of doctrine.

God feared that Adam, in his fallen state, would reach out and also eat of the tree of life. This would have sealed his fate. Had he eaten of the tree of life, he would have been sentenced to his fallen condition for eternity. It was God’s mercy, not his judgment that drove man out of the Garden. If Adam would have eaten of the tree of life, and forever remained fallen, where would be the hope of redemption later? The wages of sin is death. If death wasn’t allowed in the world, how could Christ be offered as payment for our sins? God drove Adam out of the garden so that he might have hope of a future redemption.

Likewise, God’s mercy compels him to reach out to us in our fallen state. Sometimes God must drive us out of our place of comfort in order to open the door for his redemptive work. What may feel like God’s judgment could actually be his mercy. The Lord chastises those he loves. Like a parent disciplines their child so that the undesirable behavior will be corrected, God at times must correct us so that we might have a better outcome. The next time we feel like we are in judgment, let’s stop and examine our situation. We may find ourselves in the middle of God’s mercy.

Genesis 3:24

God drove out the man (ESV) God has a way of driving out our humanity if we let him. The person who humbles himself before God will find that he can transform our very nature.

The Bible says that God placed a flaming sword in the east of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life. What fantastic imagery of the Word of God! The writer of Hebrews called it a sharpened two-edged sword. Jeremiah said it was fire shut up in his bones. Truly this flaming sword guards the way to life. When you read it, it breathes life into your soul. The very words on the page are life. The sword was in the East (qedem), literally the “front” of Eden. When you keep God’s word before you, it will give you answers when you have questions, and hope when you’re desperate. The Word of God is a lamp and a light when you sit in darkness. It brings joy to the joyless, and purity to those who need cleansing. The Word of God establishes, it corrects, it reproves, it teaches, and it makes wise the simple. This flaming sword guards life! Those who keep it before them, who always place it first, will find safety and life, and joy in its pages.

Matthew 1:5

The genealogy of Christ records that the harlot of Jericho later became a descendent of Jesus. What could take a harlot and make her a member of the family of Christ? Faith! Hebrews 11:31 says that by faith Rahab received the spies in peace. Likewise it is our faith that causes us to rise above our own past and take our place in the family of Christ. Three women are mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Tamar, who was wronged by her father in law, Rahab who was a prostitute by trade, and Ruth who was abandoned without a family. What a beautiful redemptive story is found in the lineage of the one who died to bring redemption to ALL mankind. It doesn’t matter what past you have, whether you were abandoned, wronged, or drowning in sin, you have your place in the family of God!