To Have Dominion

 Today's passage is from Genesis 1:28-31 and reads as follows from the ESV

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God blessed Adam and Eve when he first created them.  For some reason I read those words and I wonder.... did they recognize the importance... or perhaps the wonder of being blessed by God?   

I know that my life is fairly good.  God has richly blessed me in many ways. And you know what?   I often fail to recognize it.  I just take my life for granted in WAY too many ways.   I don't stop to seriously consider what if my fellow died?  What if something horrible happened to my lad?  What if our house burned down?   I just blithely go along not seeing God's richest blessings upon my life.   I need to stop doing that. 

But what else does God say in this passage?

The first people are to be fruitful and multiply.  There's a huge world to populate!  Within that command there is also the addendums of "subdue it, have dominion over it". 

He is also very clear.   All plants... tree, green plants, any plant with seed...it's ours to eat.  All the animals could eat them too! 

So why then do we eat meat?   This is not a vegetarian/vegan/meat-eaters debate.  It's a solid question of why?  The short answer is sin.  Sin changed everything, more profoundly I think that we can even imagine.  Plants don't do enough anymore for us, and for many many animals that walk upon the earth.. plants simply aren't enough.  Look at the obligate carnivores like cats!  I wonder sometimes what cats were like before the fall of mankind.  Because I can't imagine my Lizzy being a plant-eater.... Benji maybe cause he literally eats whatever I put in front of him.  :)   But Lizzy is a bit more discerning.... she likes meat!  And her body (as is Benji's) is designed to eat meat.  So it just shows how sin affects on the cellular level doesn't it? 

All that is as it is.  My mind just can't conceive of a pre-sin world and what it would have looked like.  I do know that one day God says, the lion will lie down with the lamb, in peace.  Rather cool eh?

In the meantime... we're to fill the earth and subdue it.   We are to have dominion over it.  Dominion is like to rule you know?  Which means you are higher in authority, in a position to subdue. 

There are lots of ways to subdue you know?

You can beat something into submission or one manipulate and coerce into obedience/submission.  A person can show the benefits in a relationship to make a mutually beneficial status.

For instance lately on my facebook video feed these videos of people working with horses pop up.  People who take the time to listen to their horse (some of them rather scary dangerous) and by doing so, they are able to transform that horse into a gentled animal.  A horse that has been subdued without force.  Its very amazing to see the change in that animals' demeanor.   It doesn't change the fact that the horse is owned by a person, or at the very least under the control (or dominion) of someone. But the relationship is not one of fear, but of cooperation. 

Is that how we are to have dominion?   Do we take a forceful determined approach?  This is what I want and I'll get it however I want?  Or does one take the time to seriously look at the world around us and say, okay, to get to point A, I'll need to do a number of things to get to where I want.  It might take longer, but will be better in the long run for not only the earth but the people using it?  

I think too often we'd rather cut a path straight through a mountain instead of working with the landscape around us, instead of trying to accommodate the animals who share our space.   

Or I think about me and my bunnies.  Did you know there are as many different ways to raise rabbits as there are people raising them?  There are commonalities of course, but in the end, each person makes their rabbit herd work for them.   Some like a colony style, others like individual habitats for each rabbit, and yet others do a combination.  Various feeding styles, watering systems, and out-buildings (or lack thereof) make for some interesting discussions on rabbit boards.   Yet we all have one purpose right?  To make our rabbits comfortable so they want to provide an end product that suits our needs.  This I think is part of the "to have dominion" that God talks about.  

These are just some of my thought processes today.  They've meandered around a bit, but I think I have a deeper understanding of this passage now eh? 

How about you?  What strikes you in this passage?   How do you see the directive to "“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion"?

A trick played and A call to be vindicated

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Gn 43-44 and Ps 26.

Genesis 43-44
Joseph plays a trick on his brothers. Not a bad trick, but a scary one. Threatening to take away their youngest brother...and Joseph sees how the brothers leap to the defense of him and their father. That must have made his heart smile after how they had treated him. And even though I've read the story,... I want to just keep reading to see how the trick plays out. :)

Psalm 26
I read these first few lines of Psalm 26 and my immediate thought was .. I've never prayed to God like this.

¹ Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
² Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
³For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.

I just don't know that I could. It's like David is giving God a list of his virtues and saying, see God, I do want you want me to, So bless me! Are we supposed to do things like this? I just don't know. It just somehow .... I don't know...

He is a man who loves God, and knows how much that God loves him. Perhaps that gives him to surety to say, God... Help me, bless me. You know how I live my life how I do this, and that. You know that I tell everyone I can about you, so help me, bless me. Hmmm... something to think on more I think....

God can use us regardless and God be Praised!

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Genesis 39-40 and Psalm 24.

Genesis 39-40
So here we have Joseph in Egypt. He's had the dishonour of being sold by his brothers. It would seem that trouble was just a brewing for Joseph. Yet we read this:

² The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

So here he is, a slave, subject to the whims of another, and God is using him. It would seem that circumstances in our life doesn't dictate whether God can use us or not. But troubled plagued Joseph in the shape of his master's wife. She wanted to "lie with him" but Joseph's response was such

How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

He wasn't concerned about disobeying his master so much as he was concerned about sinning against God. Yet he got into trouble none-the-less. She lied, he was sent to jail, where he languished... well...not really languished because

²¹But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²²And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. ²³The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.

So where-ever Joseph went, God made it abundantly clear that he was there. He would help Joseph and so people would find themselves appreciating him. He even helped two people (through the Lord God he helped them) to interpret their dreams. Both interpretations proved true, one died, one was restored, but one failed to remember his promise to Joseph, and so Joseph remains in jail.

Psalm 24.

This is such a nice Psalm. Such a song of praise to the Lord our God! Let's just read it. :)

A Psalm of David.

¹ The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
²for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

³ Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
⁸Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
⁹Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
Selah

Esau's family and Psalm 22

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Gn 36.1-37.1 Ps 22

Gn 36.1-37.1
Genealogies.... this one of Esau. Esau was Jacob's (Israel's) brother. His family became the Edomites. I don't know if all the sons and daughters are listed, my guess is the "important" ones are. Esau moved to Seir because

He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. ⁷ For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. ⁸So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. ( Esau is Edom.)

Ps 22
I read this Psalm and I think to myself...this should be the attitude of a person suffering from depression or who is just going through a difficult time. David was ICK, down the the depths of nothingness...and yet he realized even in the midst of his despair that

³Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
⁴In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
⁵To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
⁷All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
⁸ "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

⁹Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
¹⁰On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
¹¹Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

He knows who God is despite his very own and real frailty. And that is the attitude that will bring us up and out. Remembering who God is and that we can trust him to help us in our weakness, remembering that HE is our very own help in trouble...even if it is difficult.

From God comes my help

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Gn 34-35 Ps 21.

Gn 34-35
You know... I never quite know what to think with passages like the one in Genesis 34. Hamor did wrong in raping Dinah, Jacob's sons did wrong in lying to Hamor about what they would do, Hamor's father and all the men were killed (persuaded as they were by the promise of gold and livestock) which well...isn't right either, and Jacob was concerned about the trouble they would get into now that all those men were killed. What do I do with a passage that has some much WRONG in it? Where do I find Christ in this passage?

in Genesis 35 we learn God's response.
He called Jacob out to come and worship him. Jacob did that, building an altar to God, and he called the place El-bethel. There God changed Jacob's name to Israel and there God reminded Israel of his plans for him.

"I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. ¹² The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you."

He eased the concern of retribution from the mind of Israel.

It did not mean that sadness didn't come to Israel because soon thereafter Rebecca went into labour, and in giving birth to Benjamin she died.

Ps 21
A Psalm of David to the choirmaster. David is King and he praising God for all that he has done for him. But primarily he is praising God for God's strength and the salvation that comes through him.

¹O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

But oh how he is delighted with all God has done for him. God has given him rich blessings, a crown of gold, life, long days, he is blessed, he is joyful to sit in God's presence and he is able to just trust God.

Wow...think about that for a minute here.

⁶For you make him most blessed forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷For the king trusts in the LORD,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

It is GOD from whom our salvation comes. It is God who makes us glad to be with him. It is God who enables us to trust him by virtue of his steadfast love. Think about that for a minute. It's not all my doing...it's all GOD'S doing, God's enabling, God's strength, God's faithfulness, God's steadfastness. It's that a comfort? It is to me...it's like oh...it's not all up to me...all that is up to me is my living in response to what God gives me and he gives me all that I need, he really does. Neat. :)

With David I can say:

¹³Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.

God is indeed our help

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is :Gn 32-33 Ps 20.

Gn 32-33
You know, sometimes I read this OT stories of God meeting with man and stuff happens and I wish sometimes that I could meet with God like that and have stuff happen...and then I think...oh foolish one... wanting to meet with God face to face like that ... yeah, stuff would happen but you would also be changed forever and nothing would be the same. Do you really want that? Moses face shone like the sun, Jacob limped, and life was different for them. They had this surety of faith in God, they KNEW that God was God, and still life changed for them when they met God. Who am I to want to meet with God face to face? I'd rather, when it comes right down to it, just talk with him in my head, or pray to out-loud. But wow...some of those OT stories are rather neat aren't?

in this passage Jacob is coming home, He's been away for years and has gotten married and has children and huge flocks/herds of animals, and now he's going to meet his brother. His brother who should be very angry with him. Jacob is scared. IN that fear he trusts God. He prays to God and figures out a plan. That same night that he prayed to God, he wrestled with him..in a literal sense. he literally wrestled with God and came away with a limp, a name change, and a blessing.

And when Jacob finally meet Esau it was a meeting of joy and all was as it should be. Family with family without lots of fighting between them. God answered Jacob's cry to him.

Ps 20
I find this Psalm intriguing I think would be the right word. Throughout the whole Psalm it seems like a declaration of how much God will help his people, yet the last line makes me query if that is the sole intent of the Psalm. The last lines read

⁹O LORD, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.

I have to wonder, why are is the Psalmist beseeching the Lord to save the king? It's a Psalm written by David as well. Would this be before he was made King or is he praying like many Pastors will pray... for himself to lead the people well? I suspect that it's more the later but I"m not sure as I don't know when it was written .... though I think all the Psalms that David wrote he wrote after he was king, but that's just a thought.

As King he is the leader of God's people, and as he goes, so go the people. So for him to pray that God help him is a fitting prayer. As God helps him (the king), so the people of God are helped. I have to admit, I really like this line

⁷Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Reminds me of who I should really trust in, and it seems like such a bold statement. You believe in thus and such, but WE believe in God! He helps us stand even you can no longer. A good psalm for me to read today. :)

God Protects his People

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is :Gn 18.16-19.38 Ps 12.

Genesis 18: 16-19:38
I have always found this passage interesting. It always strikes me as Abraham bargaining with the Lord. What if 50, what if 45, what if.... and then finally what if 10? and then the Lord stops him there. For 10 people he will not destroy the city of Sodom.

And to think...that 10 were not found. And Lot does as Abraham does...being told to go one place he says no oh, I can't go there...let me go here to Zoar instead...and once again, that bargaining is okay.

It still seems odd to me to be bargaining with God. It's God. You don't say to God, do this instead. Or I don't want to go where you are sending me...send me here instead as it suits who I am better. God says this thing will happen, or this place I am sending you to, and if you are an obedient child of God you simply accept and obey. Hmmm...

I can understand Abraham. He sees this big city of Sodom and knows Lot and his family lives there and doesn't want to see it destroyed...but at the same time he would have known what a wicked city it was and would know that God wouldn't take such a step lightly.

I don't really get it...to me this is always a difficult passage to really understand.

And Lot...didn't really want to leave, but the angels forced him to do so.

¹⁶But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

And then his wife looked back and paid the ultimate price for doing so. Such a sad thing. But shows God's mercy right? Even though he didn't really want to leave and knew that leaving would be a good thing it was still difficult for him to leave his home where he had built his life. We as people cling to things sometimes that aren't so very good for us...and God in his mercy will often draw us away from it.

Psalm 12
wow...this psalm fits in well with today's reading doesn't it?

¹Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
²Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
⁴those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?"

⁵"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise," says the LORD;
"I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
⁶ The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

⁷You, O LORD, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
⁸On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

God protects his people doesn't he? Saving them from the wicked that prowl around.

God acts, God promises

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is : Gn 17 Ps 10

Genesis 17

I found it interesting when I was reading the first 14 verses of this chapter. God made a covenant with Abram (now Abraham) where he said... I will do this

"Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations."

and YOU will do this.

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

He didn't negotiate. He just put the agreement into place and that was that. Not like the legal bickering that goes on nowadays. It was just, I will do this, you will do that. And it was done. That really appeals to part of me. Sometimes things are made SO complicated, everything has to be bickered out, people can't rely on the good intentions of others anymore and so on. It's like...come on folks. Can't we just trust each other?

I suppose not though. Even though God laid out very clearly the behaviours expected... circumcision for all and any that aren't are to be cast out. The people of God still rebelled against him. I suppose that's the way human nature has been affected by sin. We don't like being told what to do. We like being able to do our own thing. And hence the need to spell everything out very clearly and having penalties as part of contracts (covenants) between each other.

and then God promised Abraham a son. A son which would be born to his wife Sarah. And God listened to Abraham's request that Ishmael also be blessed. He did reiterate though, that the blessing of nations would come through Isaac. That Isaac's people would be the people of God.

I can understand Abraham being a bit "HUH? But we're old!!!! We can't have children any more and suddenly now we will?" Ah, that must have been hard for Abraham to believe and trust God in. I can just imagine how incredulous he felt when Sarah got pregnant. OH they must have danced for joy and rejoiced in God keeping his promise to them.

Psalm 10

I read this psalm and I know that it's a cry for God to act out against the wicked. To not let the wicked remain proud in their evilness. BUT when I read it, all I can think of is a young person that I know who doesn't believe that God exists and fights against the knowledge of such a thing. And oh it bugs me. How I wish I knew how to reach this person for God. All I can do is cry out to God like the psalmist did. God... turn him, change him, let him see that you are alive and well and acting in this world of ours (yours). 'Cause quite frankly I don't know what else to say or how to act to show that God is alive and real.

The Divisions of People

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is : Gn 10.1-11.9 Ps 5

Genesis 10:1-11:9

Two things in this passage, the genealogy of Noah and the story of the tower of Babel.

I find it interesting to read genealogies only if they add interesting details. And in this one that mention that Nimrod was the first of the mighty men of God. The details are also added of how each son seemed to found a different people. Like three of the grandsons founded the coastal peoples. AND others into Assyria, Canaan and so forth.

and from one man came all these different people groups.

Which to me makes it sad to realize that from one family will come such huge divisions. Because the Assyrians will cause the Israelites grief as will many of the other people groups. It just seemed rather poignant to me this morning.

And then we get the Tower of Babel where once again it is pointed out to me how one family can become so divided. This time it was God who divided them because this ONE section of the family had become so united in purpose that they would be able to do ANYTHING they wanted, and God didn't want that.

⁶And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech."

I also noted the "let us" go down. A signal again that God is not one, but more than one in one being. Makes me wonder how people can say that God is just one when they read passages like this. How do they explain it? Do they think that God means he and the angels? But that wouldn't make sense because then the passage would say God and the angels instead of saying ⁸"So the LORD dispersed them". Just ponderings...

Next reading is Psalm 5

¹Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
²Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
³O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

⁴For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
⁵The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
⁶You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
¹⁰ Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
¹²For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.

and the lad is up talking so no time to talk further about this passage. Just see how he pleads of God to hear him and then knows that he can take refuge in God. :)

Bible Reading Plan

This plan takes you through the bible in two years, and repeats the Psalms and Proverbs four times if I recall correctly. Jim suggested it as something we read together over the next two years. I thought it a good idea. One reason we like it is that it gives catch up days. :) These are the readings for yesterday and today.

Jan 1 Gn 1.1-2.3 Ps 1
Jan 2 Gn 2.4-4.26 Ps 2

What my plan to do is, read each passage and give a brief thought on it. We'll see how that holds up over time, but that's the plan at least. :)

Genesis 1:1-2:3
In the beginning, God - not in the beginning there was some type of weird explosion, or some force that magically drew things together. In the beginning GOD did something. One of the lad's bible story books is very clear about this. God spoke...things happened. And he did it all in an orderly fashion, and when he was done. He rested. Seems like the logical way to do things doesn't it? A good way to pattern ourselves. Do your work in an orderly fashion, then rest. :)

Psalm 1

for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Those words jumped out at me this morning. God knows the ways of the righteous, the ways of the wicked "eah.. who cares...they just perish". At least that's the impression I get.


Genesis 2:4-4:26
Do you ever have it that you read the bible and think you know it all, and then you read it again and you go HOLD ON... I've never read that before? This popped out at me this morning from Ch. 2

"⁵When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— ⁷then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."

No rain on the ground, I had heard someone say once that the flood was so weird for folks because rain came down from the sky for the very first time. That before the flood the world was watered by mist coming up from the ground. And hear the bible says that the world was watered through mist before Adam and Eve were created. NOW... I CANNOT extrapolate from this that this was the state of affairs until the Flood occurred, but I just find it interesting reading. :)

I also find this interesting:

¹⁸Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³Then the man said,

"This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."

God had made a choice to make Adam a helper fit for him, and then Adam named all the animals.

So often children's bible stories read that Adam named the animals and then complained that all the animals had partners, but there was nothing for him and then God responded to his complaint and made him a partner. This passage doesn't read like that. God made the choice, it wasn't a complaint based decision, which wouldn't make sense in the first place because sin wasn't yet in the world so Adam wouldn't have been a complainer yet would he? It seems more fitting that GOD made the decision..it more fitting seeing that God made the universe don't you think?

Psalm 2
What comes out to me in this Psalm is very basic... plot against the Lord and you will incur his wrath. Serve the Lord, and you can take refuge in him. Very simple, very basic.

By Faith - Abraham and Sarah

Wow...this is NOT a good thing. Last time I had sit down devotions was in September. We talked about Abel, Enoch and Noah. Today we'll talk about Abraham and Sarah.

⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

The verses above come from Hebrews 11.

Abraham and Sarah were husband and wife.
God told Abraham to leave his land and go to a land that he would show him. From Genesis 12 we read:

¹Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing...

I have to admit, I do wonder sometimes, how did God show Abraham were to go? We don't read of pillars of fire or cloud...so how did Abraham know which way to go. But overall that's a non-issue, the fact is God said go and Abraham obeyed even though he had no clue about where he would end up. He ended up in Canaan.

Why did he take this trip at God's command? For the simple reason that he was looking forward ...he looked forward "to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God". He knew that God had something more in store for him. That takes faith, to see beyond the present and to know that there is something more out there. Abraham knew that God was real and therefore obeyed him.

Sarah for her part did not try to stop him from going, and she was able to have a baby in her old age. Even though she laughed, she still had a child by Abraham as per God's promise to her.

¹⁰The LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?"

And later we read

1The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." 7And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Sarah born a child, she had that distinct pleasure that it is to have a child of your own. Her shame as a woman was removed from her (in those days to be a woman and not be able to have a child was a shameful thing).

By faith in God, marvellous things happened to Abraham and Sarah. They obeyed him, their lives were forever changed.

May my faith in God be as abiding as was the faith of Abraham and Sarah.

By Faith - Abel, Enoch and Noah

Last time I had a chance to sit down and do devotions I had started in Hebrews 11, today I get to continue that study. :)

⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By Faith - Abel
Abel and Cain, one of the first stories we find in the bible. Cain kills Abel because he's jealous and angry. God disciplined him for doing so and he's forced to wander the earth forever. But in this passage God speaks not of Cain, but of Abel. Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice. As we read in Genesis:

Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. ³In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.

Because Abel brought the right sacrifice to God, he was commended as righteous, so even though he died for it, his action still speaks to us today.

As some of you know, I raise rabbits. ah...but I do like my bunnies. they are fun, challenging, help provide some income and such like. And sometimes I ponder...what would it be like to give up...just give it up the best of what I have, the one that I've longed for. Butcher and present to the Lord the firstborn of what you have raised. Not so easy I think, yet Abel did it...and from what I read he did so willingly. A hard thing. I have a rabbit in my herd that I bred her myself and I've people wanting to buy her...but I'm so inordinately proud of that rabbit. Sell her? Ah...that's a tough one, but give her up willingly...naw...that's not something that would be so easy to do. And farmers would have a tough time with that too. The first born..the one that shows what you're doing, you're doing right, and then to sacrifice that to God. That shows a truly thankful heart. Abel's action declared him righteous to God. I want my heart to be that willing.

By Faith - Enoch

⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

By faith, Enoch didn't die. God took him straight up to heaven. Why? Because he pleased God. Simple reason. Why did he please God? He had faith.

Faith is what is necessary to please God. Faith is what is necessary to draw us closer to God and to want to seek him out.

Wow...is that ever speaking to my heart this morning. Faith is what causes ME to seek God. Even as I stumble, doubt myself, doubt my relationship with God it all comes back to this.... my faith in God's existence, in who God is, is what causes me to seek after him. This God finds pleasing. Wow....my faith pleases God.

By Faith - Noah

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Noah obeyed God without seeing the cause for it. In reverent fear he built an ark. This huge boat and he built it because God told him to. He saved his household but condemned the world. Laughed at, mocked, for years (100 or so they think it took him) he simply obeyed God and built an ark. That's perseverance, that's faith, that's holy fear of the Lord.

Makes me wonder....what will I do for God? What might God ask of me? And what in faith will I be willing to endure?

Fallen into Sin, and Cast Out from God's Presence

So we are staying home from Church today, Justin and I.

Jim will be preaching with a sore throat on Genesis 3:1-24 .

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14The LORD God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel."

16To the woman he said,

"I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you."

17And to Adam he said,

"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
'You shall not eat of it,'
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."

20The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" 23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Jim entitled his sermon: Fallen into Sin, and Cast Out from God's Presence.

A crafty serpent.

People who chose to listen to the crafty beast instead of to God.

People choosing to make something else more important than God their king.

Sin entered the world.

God, despite of our actions, chose to promise us deliverance.

To him be all the glory!

Just who is Melchizadek?

We've had references in the past to Jesus and Melchizedek. Today in Hebrews 7 we learn a bit more about this. We won't do the whole chapter today, but we will look at a big chunk of it.

1For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

4See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

We learn the story of Melchizedek and Abraham in Genesis 14. Lot was captured and Abraham rescued him. Melchizedek who was king of Salem came out

18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19And he blessed him and said,

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

So we learn the Melchizedek was king and priest. He was a king of righteous (by translating his name) and King of peace (translating his position). He is a forever priest. And from this verse sounds like he was created by God.

3He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

At least I have no other explanation for it. We know that he isn't God so it's not like he's been around forever...but that he has no genealogy suggests to me that he was created by God like Adam and Eve were.

The next we hear of Melchizedek is in the Psalms were I think we find a foreshadowing of Christ. Parts of Psalm 110 seem to fit David, but parts of it seem to be more applicable to Christ. Here is verse four we read

4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
"You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek."

Christ was made to be in the order of Melchizedek. He is our high priest forever.

Looking at this passage in Hebrews is a wee bit of a challenge. The author talks about how Abraham gave a tribute - he gave him a tenth of everything. Then the author goes on to say how all priests (since they descend from Levi who descended from Abraham) gave tribute to Melchizedek as well...since they were still in the loins of Abraham (and therefore part of him). Therefore Melchizedek is greater than all other priests. His order is special.

but I don't get this section, the section in bold just causes me to be lost.

6But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

If anyone has any insight I would be most pleased to hear it. Thanks!

I do know that the rest of this chapter is devoted to teaching us how just as Melchizedek is a special priesthood and better than other priesthoods, Christ is better/greater still. Won't that be interesting to read about tomorrow?

And God rested

okay, this is a bit of a pain...my "copy" feature has gone missing. How do I clip and paste now? Okay...that is just weird...I thought okay..I'll do my devotions using scribefire and opened up that window and voila! my Copy feature suddenly worked again. Weird.........

Anyways, Jim got the order of worship done early this week so I figured I'd look at Sunday's passage today. :) Genesis 2:1-3.

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

God has just finished making the world. it was all finished. It was the seventh day and God rested. This day he made holy because he had finished all this work and had rested on that day.

Hmmm... I read that and said to myself....so? What can I learn from this today? I already know this so what is new? Or am I just to be reminded of this? And how on earth is Jim going to preach for 20-25 minutes on this? I know...I'm probably being too honest here........

Hmmm.....
God finished his work.
God then rested.
Because he rested, that day was declared holy.

This is what these verses tell us.

Okay, The sabbath used to be Saturday, Sunday is the new sabbath. Changed I think because of Christ. oh my....did a search on that and found all sorts of reasoning for the change. The biggest being the Jews worship on the Saturday (old sabbath) and Christians wanted to show their difference from them and therefore worshiped on Sunday. Here are some of the sources I found. Religious Tolerance, Got questions, and Rev. Ken Collins.

In a nutshell I really have to ask, does it really matter? Work for 6 days, rest for one. Whether you start or end the week it doesn't really change anything. One has still worked for 6 and rested for one.

But as I thought about this I realized something... God's work was DONE! He was done...he rested. Clear and simple.

And it got me thinking.... as I prepare for worship and rest on Sunday... is my work done? Am I able to set aside my "I need to get to this that and the other thing" so that my focus can be where it needs to be? My focus needs to be on worshiping God and resting (because we are called to be like him) and not on "other stuff".

Each week God allots me so much time to get things done... I'd best use that time wisely hmm? :)

And it was very good

This Sunday's Sermon will be based on Genesis 1:26-31.

26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The world has been made. :) God spoke the words and thus it was so.

Now we come to the creation of mankind. Here we have introduced the idea of "us" as God. God isn't a "one" he is an "us". The implies plurality in the midst of oneness. The bible doesn't specifically talk about a trinity/triunity, but it does talk about God the father, God the spirit and God the son. We know that God is one, so the differences show God's uniqueness...how he can be three in one. Don't ask me to explain it, it's one of those mysteries of God that I can't fully explain, I just know it to be true. :) We see all three aspects present at Jesus' baptism.

But God said "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." And so he did.

And this is the charge that God gave to man

• Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
• subdue it
• have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth
• plants were given as food

Hmm...hadn't really noted this before, but God also gave plants as food to every creature that moved on the earth as well. Any thing that had the breath of life in it had plants (and what plants produce) as food.

Hmm.....That makes me think some. God created all creatures, so you're talking cats, dogs, pandas, dinasours, chickens, rabbits etc..... God made them so they could survive on food. YET these animals will eat meat as well....well...I'm not sure about pandas as they do the bamboo thing, but they eat meat. Is that then the result of sin in the world? Those advocates of raw-feeding for dogs and cats who insist it has to be meat and meat alone for their animals, are they in actuality doing less by their pets to not feed them plants material at all? OR has sin so intrinsically changed the animals that God created so that they MUST have meat in order to live? Has sin permeated their very genetic code?

I know that people sin as a matter of being. That sinful behaviour has been part of us since the day Adam and Eve rebelled against God's own word. I've just never seriously thought about that in regards to animals so much. hmmm......just makes me think....and is it something then we aught to as believers work against? I have to admit though I just can't fathom putting Sassy on an all plant diet. I just don't see her going for it.

ANYWAYS, God made man and he said "it is very good". He added that word. Everything else he made it said it was good. But for mankind...it is very good. We were/we are the pinnacle of his creative abilities. :) He made the world ready for us, and then he pronounced it all very good. I don't know, but somehow I just really liked reading that today.

I welcome your thoughts.

And God said.....so it happened

Jim's passage for this week Sunday is Genesis 1:14-25

14And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 21So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

And God said....Let there be light. Light to show the seasons. Light for the night. Light for the day. Light and Dark were separated. And it was so.

And God said....Let there be water creatures. Let there be air creatures. And it was so.

And God said... Let there be earth creatures. And it was so.

God said it. It happened.
I just think it's so cool. God's word was sufficient.

And God saw that IT WAS GOOD.

And it is, isn't it? When you look at the world around you, can't you see the goodness of God. Despite the effects of sin, it is good isn't it?

I am sometimes amazed at the sheer creativity that God displayed.
Who would have imagined a platypus? Or a giraffe? Whales? Frogs that can change their sex? It's just amazing.

Birds that can fly!
Fish that can swim down so far and NOT be crushed by the water above them.
Animals that can live in harmony with each other.
Ants.... Justin's into a book in ants right now. Seeing how they work together and are busy all the time. Who would have created ants?

And it was all God's doing. He said let there be....and there was. It's just very cool.

This Week's Sermon Passage - in the beginning

This week Sunday Jim is starting his series on Genesis.
He starts off with Genesis 1:1-2.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Gen 1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

In the beginning....GOD.
In the beginning....God created.

It wasn't evolution.
It wasn't the "big bang".
It wasn't an accident.
It was purposeful action.

What did he create?
The heavens and the earth.
Not like it is right now. It was just a big old mess. (my paraphrase) :)
It was something brand new.

What was it like?
It was without form and void.
It was darkness covering deepness.
I have to admit.....what I picture is a big swirling mass of confusion. Like when you're mixing a stew and you have bits and pieces of stuff just floating about which may or may not be definable, but ends up being a good thing. But this stew was dark and deep and has God floating over top of it.

AND the Spirit of God hovered over it.

This is what God did in the very beginning of time.
He made a new thing.
How?
I have no clue. He just did it.

It shows that God has been around FOREVER.
It shows that God is the one that started it all.

Think about, no REALLY think about it. It can be mind-boggling.
God made it.
We do ultimately make anything. Without God we'd have nothing to make.
We did not make God.
God made us.

If you want deeper thoughts, go to Jim's blog, he wrote these posts a bit ago. But I re-read them today and thought, yes, there is stuff to be learned here that we often don't think about.

Anyways, this is a mystery to ponder today. :)

Steady to God

I read from Genesis 39 this morning, and was reminded about what Pastor Jim preached about over the past couple of Sundays. How the gospel is what we hold to, the gospel helps us to stand fast. Not the whole passage, just these lines

How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

Joseph has been sold into slavery. He is a member of Potiphar's household. He's a good looking man, and Potiphar's wife has taken an interest in him. Not a comfortable position for a slave to be in. He needs to keep the wife happy, but he also needs to keep the man he works for happy. Joseph points out his value to the wife

"Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

But she doesn't much care about that, she just wants what she wants. And when she couldn't get it, she accused him none-the-less. But Joseph....I do like how he asks her...how can he sin against God in this way?

Joseph wouldn't know it was sin unless he knew God's word. But he knew it. Before he was a slave he was a favourite son in an Israelite family. He would have been taught God's word. And so he stood by what he knew. Doing wickedness was a sin against God.

The rest of the story shows how Potiphar believed his wife. He had Joseph thrown into prison. BUT while Joseph was in prison

the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.

The Lord showed his favour to his faithful servant Joseph.

Devotional ramblings

Do you ever wonder why something was recorded in the bible? I read the bible and I assume that everything in it is there for a reason. Going through genealogies, though they are not my thing, in the hands of the right person can wield vast amounts of information. But today I was reading from Genesis 23 and I stopped after and thought, so why did we need to know this? Why is it important that upon Sarah's death, Abraham refused a gift of land for burying her and insisted (nicely) upon purchasing it? I have to admit, I have no clue. I do wonder if Abraham owning the land was the important part. If it was important that she be buried on land that was not owned by a foreign/non-jewish entity. That would make sense in a way. Anyways, I don't quite get the importance of it all.

Did you know that Paul was a Jewish person who was also a Roman Citizen by birth? That just seems odd to me. I learned this in my reading of Acts 22 this morning. And yes, I knew that before, but it just kinda struck me this morning. Paul was a man between two worlds in a way, born a Roman Citizen, raised a Jew with the best of education. He was smart and zealous for the Lord before and after his conversion. In Acts 22 people listened to because he spoke hebrew. But when they didn't like his message, they turned on him. He would have been beaten, except he was a Roman Citizen by birth....you don't just do that in Roman society. Both world disapproved of him, both worlds listened to him. He was a unique man, chosen by God for such a time as he was in.

We, as believers, are also between two worlds in a way. We live in today's society. We can call ourselves Canadian, American, Dutch and this that and the other thing. BUT as believers, the question is... who do we really owe our allegiance to? And how do we show it?