Going On From the Past

“Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:” (Ge 19:19 AV)

This is Lot’s request upon hearing he was to flee to the mountains so God could destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  Rather than go to the mountains, Lot suggested another city. A very small city.  God gave him liberty to do so, but LOT ended in the mountains anyway.  Lot’s fear of the mountains is not without merit.  Many years ago, before he had a family and children, he was kidnapped by five kings and taken to these same mountains.  He was looking at the end of his life.  Abraham led and empowered by God, allied with five other kings.  He invaded the base camp of Lot’s captors rescuing Lot from an untimely end.  So, when the LORD told Lot to flee to the mountains, he had flashbacks of that incident in his life.  He was fearful of the mountains because of the cruelty and threat of death that he faced there.  He felt cities offered him better safety.  That turned out not to be true either.  Lot had to trust God.  He could not allow the scars of the past to affect his present faith.  History may not repeat itself.  It could be that if he trusts the LORD, then things will turn out just fine.

We see this most often in relationships.  Someone suffers great loss and they have a hard time committing to another one.  If it happens more than once, chances grow even greater that the single person will remain single.  We find that with Lisa’s cancer, we also suffer from the same dilemma.  Every CT or PET scan brings us back to the first one.  There is a part of us that expects another shoe to drop.  We anxiously await the news that we think is coming when in reality, it is not coming.  When we suffer a traumatic experience, it is hard to get used to the fact it may never happen again.  It is like getting punched in the face.  Every time we see the bully who did that, we are on our guard and any move whatsoever sees us flinching in anticipation of another blow.  It is natural for us to think this way.  In most cases, it might even be the wisest thing to do.  This helps us to protect ourselves against the blow that is coming.  We can deal with the pain and anxiety a bit better.  The problem is, if we always expect the worst, then we can never experience the best.  At some point, we have to trust the LORD.

Lot and his daughters were with child because, in part, the fear and anxiety of Lot transferred to his daughters.  One night, the two girls devised a plan to get their father drunk and then sleep with him.  They feared that God would judge all the cities and there would be no men to betroth them, marry them, and raise children to their father’s name.  So the first night saw one of the daughters sleep with her father and the other followed the second night.  All this happened because Lot flinched.  He did go to the mountains.  But he did so out of fear and not out of trust.  This flinching at the word of the LORD because of past trauma will affect more than Self.  It will affect all those who follow.  At some point, we have to leave the past in the past.  At some point, we have to believe in the grace and goodness of the LORD.  At some point, we have to stop fearing shadows of what might be and trust in the God who is.  Lot failed to do that.  He failed to allow himself to heal and go on.  He lived in fear.  Fear that the past would repeat itself.  This led to some serious mistakes and trouble for those who would come from his loins.  Leave the past in the past and trust God for the present and future.

Immediate Obedience and Faith

“In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.” (Ge 17:26-27 AV)

This puzzles me.  Not the facts of the passage, but rather, our need to know that Abraham circumcised his entire household on the same day.  All came under the covenant on the same day.  There was no rest between.  Because men who are circumcised as adults experience discomfort that can last up to three days is even more interesting.  The pragmatic mind would have spaced it out so the family was not laid up for three days and vulnerable to attack.  Abraham did not do that.  God gave him the sign of circumcision as a sign of the covenant between He and Abraham. Abraham did not delay in keeping his end of the bargain even though there was risk involved.  He saw the favor of God and immediately Acted upon it so as to not bring into jeopardy the grace of God.

Prioritizing obedience and faith is always wrong.  When my children were little, I taught them immediate obedience.  What I did was to chasten them according to how quickly they obeyed. If they obeyed immediately, there was no chastening.  There was gratitude for the respect they showed me.  However, If I had to tell them more than once to do or not do something, then there were consequences.  I was never that parent who ‘counted to three’.  No need.  They either obeyed or suffered consequences.  The more they ignored my instruction, the more harsh the consequences.  I never got angry, upset, or frustrated.  The consequences were the motive for learning immediate obedience.  I did this for their own good.  If they were headed down a dangerous path, I needed them to heed my voice lest they suffer far worse consequences than my chastening.  I needed them to trust me.  I needed them to follow me so they would stay out of harm.  But this character trait of immediate obedience is not limited to issues of safety.  They can also be necessary to take advantage of an opportunity.  An opportunity may only happen once and be there for a very short time.  If one does not hop on it, it will be gone forever.  Immediate obedience and faith are always rewarded.

We tend to prioritize obedience and faith.  We put it in a checklist of tasks or responsibilities and when it fits into our plan, we obey or trust.  If it is not in the schedule, then we put it off.  Not Abraham.  He was a man of implicit trust in God.  When God told him to leave UR, he packed up and did so.  When the LORD told him to offer Isaac, it went to the top of the list.  You never see Abraham dawdling over the word of God.  When God revealed His will, Abraham immediately trusted and obeyed.  This is why he is the father of all those who choose to live by faith.  This is why he is perhaps the best-known of all Old Testament patriarchs.  He did not hesitate.  No matter the risk, if God told him to do it, then he did.  He left the risks up to the LORD.

First Thing Prayer

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.” (Ps 5:3-4 AV)

The purpose of morning prayer is found in the verse that follows.  There is a reason we do our devotions first thing in the morning.  David does not state his perfection as the means by which he approaches God first thing in the morning.  Rather, it is the LORD’s feelings on sin that drive him to the throne before the day starts.  Because God has no pleasure in wickedness, David goes to the LORD before anything else transpires so he might not fall to wickedness that day.  What further bolsters this understanding is David’s mention of what his day might look like.  In particular, he will be surrounded by those who are wicked.  This was part of his kingly duties.  He would have to judge according to the law which meant he would have to deal with wickedness.  Being surrounded by it, he did not want to succumb to it.  Starting our day off with prayer for protection from sin is the way to start a day!

I taught Bible classes many years ago to freshmen and sophomores.  It was a pleasure to teach them basic Bible doctrine, Old and New Testament Survey, and a host of other topics along the way.  My class was designed to leave them with something they would remember.  So, my preparation was not intended to test their memory skills.  What I was aiming for was their comprehension of the material and devising a way wherein the material would stick with them.  Tests and exams were part of the class.  However, what I used more than testing was worksheets.  From these worksheets, I wrote tests and exams.  It was designed to be a system of reinforcement and not a system merely for the intelligent.  The class was designed to be labor-centered rather than purely scholastic.  One of the benefits of teaching at a Christian school was prayer.  Prayer in the classroom was encouraged and expected.  We prayed before each class began.  We prayed for God’s guidance and the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we studied His word.  We especially prayed before each exam and test.  Even if it was an open-book test, we still prayed.  We prayed before we attempted anything.  Why?  Why bother?  You know what you know, right?

We will pray before some of the most important tests of life.  Those we see as life-altering.  But every day is a test.  Every day we get up and the world, the flesh, and the devil hit us head-on.  There is no ducking it.  There is no escape.  The battle is on from the moment we get up until we rest our heads on our pillows.  We know the tests of holiness and faithfulness are coming.  We know the moment we determine to love the LORD with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul adversaries are chomping at the bit to test our resolve.  If we know the test is coming, why don’t we prepare for it?  Why don’t we go to God first thing in the morning and ask for His strength?  Why don’t we seek out the Holy Spirit and beg Him to work through us so that we might not fail the tests that lie ahead?  Why don’t we seek the example of our LORD Jesus Christ and ask Him to remind us what it looks like to live for God?  It is foolish to face a test and not go in prepared.  Prayer is part of that preparation.

Praise God for Abraham's Example

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Ge 12:3 AV)

There is more going on here than meets the eye.  God is giving Abraham a promise that in him, all the families of the earth will be blessed.  This is not limited to physical blessings.  The LORD would and will make a great nation from the descendants of Abraham from Isaac to be specific.  The promise is one of the divine blessing and protection of Israel.  The promise is God’s blessing on those peoples and nations that treat His people with fairness and kindness.  But, again, there is more going on here.  The book of Galatians teaches that all who have trusted Christ by faith are of the lineage of Abraham.  Those who followed his pattern of faith have also imputed the righteousness of Christ upon their souls.  In short, Abraham blessed the world because he chose to set an example of faith that all others could follow.  All the families of the world are blessed by Abraham because he chose to trust and follow God by faith.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Abraham.  One we should repay by doing so to others as he has done for us.  A legacy of faith is the ultimate inheritance one can leave his family.  A lot of what we do is motivated by the examples others leave behind.  Many interests of our children have come from us.  If we express an interest in something, they will explore that same interest.  Spiritually speaking this is also true.  Our children and grandchildren will see what we value and follow in our footsteps.  We can live in faith and obedience the and LORD rewards us with children who do the same.  Or, we could live in self-gratification and ease while we lose our children to the world.  Setting an example cannot be understated.  Just think of the impact Abraham had on the entire world.  So too, do I dare say, that many do not know of the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Yet, they do know what faith looks like.  Many have never heard of the grace that can be found in Christ, but almost all understand some things must be accepted even though we cannot fully understand them.  This issue of faith was settled thousands of years ago by the example of one man who decided to take God at His word and trust Him completely.  We get our example of sin from our first parents.  Adam and Eve set the precedent of self-determination.  They passed down a legacy of failure and tragedy.  Abraham reversed that.  He trusted in God and all who follow have that same opportunity.

What we do, matters.  The example we set matters.  We cannot hope to enjoy godly children and grandchildren if we are not willing to pay the price required to enjoy such a family.  I am so grateful Abraham decided to trust.  He was willing to plunge the dagger into his son to prove God was faithful.  He chose to leave his entire future in the hands of God.  Because he did, we have the comfort that we can do the same.  It is this example-setting that is the point this morning.  If Abraham was willing to trust the LORD in the hardest of times, setting an example for us to follow, then what is hindering us from doing the same for those who will follow us?  Praise the LORD for Abraham.  We owe him our souls.  May the same be said of us who call us Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa.

A Little Comment From God

“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” (Ge 9:13 AV)

Have you ever looked at a rainbow in the sky and thought the LORD was looking through that rainbow right at you?  Rainbows can occur anywhere on the planet where rain, snow, or any moisture might fall.  A rainbow can be seen for hundreds of miles.  Rainbows can occur multiple times all over the planet.  There is virtually no habitable place on Earth where a rainbow can or does form.  Every time one appears, it is a reminder between God and mankind that He will no longer destroy man from off the planet.  A rainbow is the symbol of God’s mercy.  Today, the rainbow is used for those who flaunt their rebellion and perversion.  I wonder how God feels about that?  But, I digress.  The thought occurred to me this morning of how faithful God is and how personal He is.  He didn’t need to put a rainbow in the sky.  His written word would have been sufficient.  But that rainbow is God’s voice of mercy on the entire human race.  A promise He will never go back on.

God does things He doesn’t have to do but does so for our blessing and benefit.  Some things are little things.  Some things are very large and are often considered miracles.  Something simple like a first-place parking spot when my cancer-inflicted wife is not feeling particularly well that day.  To some, that may seem like a small thing.  But to us, that simple parking space is a God-thing.  Finding an ingredient on the shelf when it shouldn’t be there happened to us last week.  My wife was shopping for her secret Santa co-worker and she has a very specific diet.  Her favorite snack is very rare indeed.  We went to our local grocers and almost gave up looking for this snack when low-and-behold, there was one bag left on the shelf in an area it should not have been in.  There was no label on the shelf to indicate that was where it belonged.  In fact, there were no labels anywhere for that particular product.  It was as if there was only one bag of this item left and there it was, on the shelf as we walked by.  God didn’t have to do that.  We would have been just as content as if we could never find this snack anywhere.  Then there are big things like Lisa’s recovery from surgery.  Not only was her recovery a miracle, but the speed at which it happened was as well.  She was down for about six weeks but then right back to life.  That should not have happened.  As extensive as that surgery was, she should have convalesced for at least three to six months.  It was a miracle!

Going back to the rainbow.  Yes, the written word of God is the closest we will ever get to the audible voice of God.  The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts as we read His word.  His word speaks loudly as we internalize the truths contained therein.  In fact, trying to walk with God without reading His word daily is a fool’s errand.  It will never happen.  The written word of God is the source God has left us by which He communes with us.  The written word is God’s manifestation of Himself to mankind.  It is personal.  It is powerful.  Outside of His audible voice, we have no other need for communication with the God who created and saved us.  But then there is the rainbow.  And countless other ways He uses to speak to us.  None are as authoritative as the written word, mind you.  But they are a manifestation of Himself to us.  So, every time we see a rainbow, that is God’s voice of mercy toward those whom He created and for whom His Son died.  It really is too bad the sodomites have ruined the message of the rainbow.  It is meant as a message of mercy which would hopefully turn the lost soul to Christ.  That is the purpose of it.  It is God’s mercy-message written in the sky for those who desperately need that mercy.

Noah Gave Us a Kinder Earth

“And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.” (Ge 5:29 AV)

The comfort that Lamech sought is somewhat of a conjecture.  One writer believes the comfort Noah would bring to his parents is relief from the toils of life by inventing instruments and methods of farming and by taking over the responsibilities of the farm to care for his parents.  This may have been the case because God did not call Noah to build the ark until after the death of his father.  If this commentator is correct, then the words of Lamech went only as far as they would apply to the immediate and temporal existence in which they lived.  However, sometimes words are uttered with one meaning in mind while the truest sense of the words are prophetical in nature.  The speaker is often unaware of the implications of what he just said.  This might be the case with Lamech.  We read in Genesis chapter eight, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.” (Ge 8:21 AV)  This suggests God exponentially cursed the ground for Adam’s sin’s sake yet when the flood came, God ceased to add to the curse that had already been inflicted.  Secondly, we read in Genesis chapter nine, “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” (Ge 9:3 AV)  Man’s diet was no longer limited to what he could till from the ground.  Now, he could live off that which roamed the earth and that which he could domesticate.  Life got a bit easier.  I mention all this because life could be far more difficult than it is.

Just imagine!  This world in which we live could be a whole lot harsher.  If one does not count animal-borne diseases fatal to humans, the percentage of animals fatal to humans compared to how many species actually exist is almost statistically negligible.  Think about it this way.  If we were to list all the species of snakes that carry deadly venom to human beings, would could fit them on a small piece of paper.  Yet there are literally tens of thousands of species of snakes.  Of all the felines in the world that could kill man, there are only a few.  Of all marine life that could kill man, they are less than a fraction of those creatures who swim the seas.  When we think of all the invasive weeds or plants on the face of the earth that have no benefit to man, they are a very small fraction of all the plant life that exists.  The fact we can clear a field, plant crops, and maintain that field for future cultivation speaks volumes of how habitable this planet is.  It is the combined number of hazardous animal and plant life that often leads us to think the earth is not a place friendly to human beings.  But think about this.  Because of Noah’s obedience and faith, the flood came.  Because the flood came, the second law of thermodynamics slowed quite a bit.  The curse which God placed on the earth came to a halt.  It was suspended and has remained this way for thousands of years.  If it wasn’t for Noah, our world would be far less forgiving of the existence of mankind.

When we see our beautiful world, we can thank Noah for his faith and integrity.  When we see what God has created and wonder as His handiwork, we can thank Noah.  When we enjoy a long life and the blessing of family, we can thank Noah.  When we sit on a blanket and enjoy a cool summer breeze as we snack from a picnic basket, we can thank Noah.  If we think life is hard now, it would have been immeasurably worse if Noah had not trusted the LORD and built that ark.

Grateful For a Creator God

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Ge 1:1 AV)

 I am so glad God decided to create!  There would be no existence without God creating.  There would be no planets, stars, or moonlight.  There would be no creatures on the face of the planet that do very wonderful and strange things.  There would be no experiences of life; good, bad, or indifferent.  There would be no life.  No eternity.  There would be nothing.  Not one soul for God to love and know.  Not one soul for whom the Son would die.  If God did not create, there would simply be nothing but God.  There would be no expression of His person.  No emotional manifestation of who and what He is poured out on those whom He created.  There is a special bond between the creator and the creation.  One that is intimate and personal.  Without creation, the LORD would not have this unique bond with any of us.  Praise the LORD He decided to create.

I took art classes throughout High School.  We did all sorts of projects.  I also liked tinkering in the basement with my Dad’s tools.  Working with my hands to create was easier than with words or other means of self-expression.  There were a few projects I fondly remember.  One such project was a sight for my recurve bow.  I wanted to make an accurate sight without having to use a range finder or pace off a distance to know how far any given shot was.  So, I sat and thought about it for a while.  I thought and I thought.  Then I realized two constants never change.  There is gravity and the perception of size.  The arrow will fall at a predetermined rate no matter the weight of the arrow.  Second, any given object will appear smaller at a constant rate the further you are from that object.  From there, it was simple math.  I took a small piece of plexiglass and etched an inverted open triangle on the glass.  The points of intersection were marked off at five-yard intervals by holding a ruler to a nine-inch plate taped to the wall.  The farther I got from the plate, the smaller it appeared.  Knowing my arrow would drop so many inches per yard dictated how high of a triangle I etched.  When I mounted it and tried it out, I shot an arrow into an arrow.  All I needed to do was rest that plate inside the triangle and it didn’t matter how far I was, I didn’t need to know the distance and I hit a bullseye every time.

I treasured that sight.  I was proud of it.  But more importantly, it was an expression of myself and those I had an emotional connection to it as well.  What I had created became something I highly valued.  So, I am so grateful God chose to create.  In creating each and every one of us, He manifests His love for us and expresses the desire to redeem us from our sin.  What makes this even more remarkable is God choosing to create with the foreknowledge we would hate Him and reject Him.  He created human souls that would want nothing to do with Him.  The vast majority, too.  But that did not discourage God from making me.  It did not discourage Him from creating you.  He did so despite the multitude of rejection, rebellion, and hatred He would experience.  God felt that even though the sea of humanity would be repulsed by His existence, there would be a remnant who would love Him and know Him.  Thus, He created.  And, He created you!