Monthly Archives: February 2009

Genesis 22:8-14

8Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

When Isaac asked Abraham where the animal for sacrifice was, Abraham replied that God would provide the lamb.After God stopped Abraham from actually killing Isaac, a ram was found in the thicket. The LORD had provided.

So Abraham called the place where he was to sacrifice Isaac and where God provided a ram, “the Lord will provide”. A saying arose – “on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

And Jesus carried His cross to Mount Calvary and provided there the once and for all sacrifice for the salvation of all His people and not one of them shall be lost.

Moses, the writer of this account, had no idea that Jesus would provide Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Nor did Abraham when he named the mountain. Neither did the people who used the saying “on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided”. But there is no doubt that God worked this whole episode as a picture of what He was going to do to save people. To not see Christ in this account is to miss the whole point of it.

He indeed has provided and all believers will sing of it for eternity. He has provided and you are invited to benefit from His provision.

Today, marvel that the work of Christ is the main point of all the Bible. And pray to be able to relate to someone, that the Lord has provided and the death and resurrection of Jesus is still powerful to save.

Psalm 146:1-4

1 Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

Psalm 146:3f – Put not your trust in princes… . In the face of the election of Barack Obama, and problems all over the world that need great wisdom to address, what a needed word this is.

Not even the most gifted charismatic, intelligent, … leader is worthy of our ultimate trust. We need good, intelligent, perhaps even charismatic political leaders, but they do not deserve our hope for a better world. Far too often both we and those we elect believe that the ability to make things better lies in the right political philosophy, the right person, the right people in the right job at the right time.

God laughs at such arrogance. It is no place for the believer to jump on the same band wagon that the rest of the world jumps on when a popular figure gets to the head of state. We are to see all elected officials as ordained of God to reward the good and punish the evil. And we must see that living non-conformed in this world means not hoping in lesser things than God for our well being.

We should pray that our leaders fulfill the purpose God put them into office. Pray that they acknowledge that God has put them there. Pray that they make laws that benefit the most needy among us. Pray that religious freedoms be recognized. Pray for wisdom for them.

But put your ultimate hope in the One who put them in office.

Proverbs 6:6-9

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

There is such a thing as laziness and in our day of seeing indolence as the natural result of forces upon a person over which he has no control, we should see it as it is – laziness – moral failure, sin.

There are many people who are poor and oppressed and overwrought by horrendous circumstances who do not stay in bed late or complain that their luck has been all bad or look for reasons to do nothing. People do need help.

But some people, and not just the unemployed and poor, are lazy, and the help they need is to be taught the value of honest work and the ability not to allow the difficulties to defeat them.

Believers in Jesus Christ must never be lazy. We have the assurance that we are called by God to do something that matters for eternity. We know that what we do to draw attention to Him, no matter how insignificant in the eyes of the world, matters. We know there is a reward awaiting those who were faithful in their service to their King, who used the gifts God gave them for the purposes He gave them. We know that God can make great things come out of little things done for Him. And we know that “little is much when God is in it”.

Today, do what is set before you to do with great joy and energy. God, who knows everything, has given it to you to do for His glory. Be the very best employee a business can have because you represent Jesus to the world. What God has given you to do today matters. Do it with all your might.

Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child – well done!”

Psalm 146:1-3

1 Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

None of us knows how much time God has given us to live on this planet. It is therefore very important for us to use however much time we have in the best way that we can. Procrastination in anything that we should be doing is sinful. Procrastination in living for the praises of our God is positively idolatrous. God is the Author of our lives and the time we have. We best use them for the reasons He says we should.

Living for the praises of God does not mean being in a constant state of singing and corporate worship mode. It does mean living in a manner that pleases God. It means having motives that desire for Jesus to be seen in us. It means being the best we can be at whatever calling in life we are involved in. It means saying “no” to what the Bible prohibits and diving in with great joy into everything that God has given us to do. It means being fully human in every way possible. It means a commitment to art and music that seeks to demonstrate the glories of God (no, not the usual Christian music industry stuff). It means being awestruck with the world God has made. It means all that and more. It means, most of all, living in great gratitude for the undeserved grace that God has lavished on us in Christ.

Today, live your best, with your eyes firmly fixed on Him and a lover of the life that God has granted you.

On this “Family Day ” consider the following texts and note what they say about family:

Genesis 18:17-19
17The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

Psalm 127
1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Ephesians 5:22 – 6:4

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3″that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

I Peter 3:1-7

1Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- 4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

7Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Let us remember that family is the creation of God and we direct it to our own ruin when we ignore what He teaches us about it.

Sin in husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, children, siblings,  haunts families. What they need is grace that comes from God through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 22:9-14

9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

What are tests of faith about? Was the point of this test of Abraham’s faith, (we are told that this is what this whole episode is [verse 1]), to show God that Abraham really was a giant of faith? Was it to demonstrate to Abraham such things as the faithfulness of God, his own heart, how to battle temptation, how to trust when the going really gets tough?

There are a myriad of possibilities. When God intervenes so that Abraham does not actually kill Isaac, God says “… now I know that you fear God…”. Why does God say this? Was it for Abraham’s benefit? Was Abraham not yet ready for the starkingly shocking truth that God causes all things that happen?

It seems that the best answer is that God is using language that Abraham can relate to. He is not saying “now I have found out something that I did not know before”, but rather “I see the validity of your faith”.

God enjoys seeing His children defeat the tendencies to desertion that we all have. He puts us in tests knowing full well what the outcome will be because He finds pleasure in the test and our struggles and eventual victory. He enjoys it because it points to the greatness of His grace in those who can not say no to no sin on their own. He enjoys it because it is good for us.

A test of faith is a declaration to the evil one of the power of God’s grace, the success of His plan, the utter failure of Satan’s. How this feeds our souls, and that is what God is doing with Abraham here. And how it causes the hosts of heaven to declare His praise in even greater wonder. And how it makes the evil one flee.

Today, resist the temptations that come at you and win over them by at least focussing on the fact that saying no to sin wins the smile of God, makes the devil flee, and gives testimony to others that there really is something big inside us.

Remember Ephesians 3:9-10

8To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Genesis 22:4-8

4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

When Isaac asks where the animal for the sacrifice is Abraham responds that God will provide one. This a typical parent answer to a difficult question asked by a child. It avoids the issue while satisfying the child. All parents do it.

But if we fail to see the theological impact of what Abraham says here we miss the point why this record was given to us. God will provide the Lamb. There is no doubt that this is intended to be a reference to Jesus Christ.

What son of what father is an adequate sacrifice for sin? There is only one, and that is Jesus Christ Himself. What son, sacrificed for any reason would be the aroma that is acceptable to God? There is only One. And we must never forget that it was never God’s intention for Isaac to be killed but it was always His intention for the Son of God to be.

God does not call us to do things that will have absolutely no power or fruit and that is exactly what all our efforts and sacrifice would produce in terms of fitting us for communion with God. How this should make us bow today.

God calls us to live in sinless perfect obedience to all His commandments. The penalty for disobedience is death. We are all sinners and cannot do anything to escape the just punishment for our sins. We are rebels from God. We do not want Him and even if we did, we could not reach Him. So He reaches us. That reach is Jesus Christ (Isaiah 59:16)

Our lives are a complete dependency upon Him. And that is a safe place, secure and sure. Bask in this today. He has provided the Lamb.

Genesis 22:1-5

1After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

God directs Abraham to the place that He will show him. Verse 4 says that on the third day Abraham saw the designated place afar off. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son and then has him travel three plus days to get to the place.

What must that journey have been like for Abraham? Was it agony or resolve? Was he taking the opportunity to enjoy these last days with his son or was he rejoicing in the promise of God made so many years ago that Isaac would be the father of a great nation.

Hebrews 11 offers an answer. Hebrews 11:19 – Abraham reasoned that God was going to raise Isaac from the dead. Now there is great faith. Abraham is still wrestling with the fact that he is going to have to plunge a knife into the heart of his son and that was no pleasant thing, but he believed that Isaac was going to live again if he killed him.

What promises from God do we have that the circumstances of life seem to be telling us will not come true? We may not understand how the promise can be kept in view of the crisis and we may, like Abraham, come up with a scenario that is not right on in terms of how God is going to keep the promise. But of this we can be sure. God will keep His promises to us – all of them.

We also must not forget that the promise Abraham is trusting God to keep is that he will be the father of a great nation and that Isaac is the first step toward that. The ultimate Son to fulfill that promise was Jesus Christ. See all the events in the Old Testament that threatened to prevent the promise of a child to save the world. All they did was further the promise into being realized.

Consider the events that transpired to bring you to faith in Christ. That was God keeping His promise to Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)

Our faith is going to be tested, but God will not let it fail and He will not deny Himself. Today, in whatever trial God has seen fit to allow you to travel, find courage in the faithfulness of God to Himself and to you. He will not lie to you. He will bring it to pass.

Genesis 22:1-2

1After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

“God tested Abraham” Far too many Christians hold to dualistic theology. Dualism believes that the world is led by two great powers who are duking it out for the souls of people. While the Christian version of dualism usually holds to the belief that God will win in the end, it also believes that Satan is making great progress and wins his share of the ensuing battles between God and evil.

When it comes to Abraham’s call to sacrifice Isaac, everyone acknowledges that the whole set up regarding the sacrifice of Isaac was God’s idea to prove the genuineness of Abraham’s faith (and foretell the death of Christ).

But many would not see that in their own situation. If you found yourself in a position of having to choose faithfulness to God or the safety of your children would you say that this dilemma had come from God? Would you be more prone to say that this was the work of the devil? There is little doubt that the devil was at work on Abraham when God called him to kill Isaac. A major part of the account is to demonstrate his faithfulness. But let us be very clear. God was in charge of this scenario from beginning to end.

The devil is the most colossal loser in all the created order. We should never allow ourselves to think that in some situations he is winning. Everything works together for his destruction, just as surely as everything works together for our good.

Today, in whatever situation you find yourself, no matter how horrifying (and this is not meant to diminish the horrors of some of the things that people are called to endure) do not divert from the Word of God in the least bit. Even this will work out for your good, whatever it is. God is testing you. Prove the genuineness of your faith. You shall come forth as gold.