Hiatus..

As you can tell.. I have not been blogging about my readings as of late.
I promise that I have been reading, but I just haven't had time to blog about every read since I don't always have internet connection or the time to do so while I am doing my DTS.
Sorry to those of you who were reading along with me.. I will hopefully resume after my DTS is over.
Love you all!!
Ehjae

Day 22- Genesis 28

Esau was marrying women from the Hittites and obviously, in chapter 27, we see how much they annoyed Isaac and Rebekah. When Jacob leaves, his father instructs him to marry a wife from their family and blesses him.  

On his way, he stops to sleep.  He has a dream in which God speaks to him.  

"I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.  I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:13-15

When Jacob wakes up, he wakes up a different guy.  For the first time, he acknowledges God. He's still not completely sure about him, and he says that he would only acknowledge God as his God after God watches over him and keeps him safely.   It's kind of like a test.  

It's funny how conditional people are.  It's such a contrast to how unconditional God is.  

God just spoke to Jacob, giving him some huge promises, with no conditions.  We already know from earlier in Genesis that regardless of how hard people try to give him reasons to change his mind, and he doesn't. 

(It's funny how God works) I wrote this at least a month and a half ago, but I think that God had this passage for me today.


I have been struggling with trusting Him lately.  Everything has a condition on it.  "God, I will trust you as long as nothing bad happens."  " I will acknowledge you as long as I am happy, and my life is good." 


How incredibly wonderful that God does not put conditions on our relationship like I do.  How shameful am I.. How despicable am I..
Yet, he just wants me the way I am.. and that means despite my conditions.  What a love, not only would he give up his son, give up his life through excruciating pain, but willingly face our rejections and conditions every day. 


There really is nothing more to say. 

Day 21- Genesis 27

In this chapter, Isaac calls for Esau and instructs him to go out and hunt.  Esau is to catch some wild game and cook some of Isaac's favourite food, and Isaac would in response give Esau his blessing.
Rebekah hears this and convinces Jacob to deceive his father and take his brother's blessing by dressing him in goatskin and cooking Isaac's favourite food.
The whole time that Jacob is in there with Isaac, Isaac suspects that it is not really Esau.  He questions him 4 times. (vs 18, 20,21, 22-24)

In Isaac's blessing for Jacob, God's earlier promises to Rebekah are fulfilled.

"May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.  Be lord over your brothers; and may the sons of your mother bow down to you." vs 29

Esau returns only to discover that the birthright he sold to Jacob had really gone to Jacob.  Because of this, Esau decides that he will kill Jacob after mourning for his father.  Hearing this, Rebekah sends Jacob to live with her brother to save his life.

Once again, we see the disfunction in this family.  In chapter 25, it was about the favouritism, in this chapter, its about the lack of communication in the marriage.  It is also about the favouritism because Isaac and Rebekah pit their sons against each other.  Rebekah must have told Isaac when God told her that "the older will serve the younger."  Isaac knew what God had spoken about his sons.  He probably should have listened to that as a message to acknowledge Jacob as the one who should receive the birthright.
Rebekah should have trusted that God would follow through on his promises, instead of teaching Jacob to be deceitful.
Isaac and Rebekah taught Esau and Jacob deception and dissension, which in the end leads to a chasm between the two brothers and eventually dissension between the nations of their descendants.

Day 20- Genesis 26

Seems that Isaac takes after his father.
Due to a famine, he heads to where Abimelech reigns as king.  When the men there see Rebekah and ask Isaac about her, he answers, "She is my sister" because he was afraid. " The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."
You'd think he would learn from his father's mistakes.
But God is still following through on his promises, and he's blessing Isaac and continuing to follow through on his promises to Abraham by blessing Abraham's descendants.
Eventually, Abimelech asks Isaac to move on because he has become too powerful and successful and that is intimidating.  Especially when you know God is on their side.
"We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; " vs 28

Once again, this reminded me to pray that I learn from my mistakes, and ALWAYS trust that God will take care of me.

Day 19- Genesis 25

Rebekah was barren, just like Sarah had been.

God answered Isaac's prayers and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.  Already at that point, the two boys were fighting within her (vs 22).  So Rebekah asked God why, and he answered her plainly.
"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other, 
and the older will serve the younger." vs 23


Jacob and Esau grew to be opposites.  Esau was an outdoorsmen and Jacob stayed indoors.  You could say Jacob was a momma's boy.  Rebekah loved Jacob and Isaac loved Esau.  Blatant favouritism expressed in families never turns out well.

I've always pictured Esau as a massive redhead.  If you've ever seen this years' "How to Train Your Dragon," the main character's father (who is voiced by Gerald Butler.. of course) is basically what I've always imagined Esau to look like.

Jacob seems more like a skinny, quieter, shy boy, momma's boy..

Esau is the firstborn of the twins.  In those days, the firstborn sons would receive the inheritance, and would be given a blessing by their father.  Esau didn't really care about being the firstborn, or he didn't seem to respect the honor of being the firstborn.
"Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.  He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!' Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look I am about to die,' Esau said. (what a drama queen!) 'what good is the birthright to me?'
Vs 29-32

Jacob understood the honor and importance of the birthright.  There are a few thoughts about Jacob's actions in this passage.  Did Jacob see that Esau obviously despised his birthright, and decided that he would be a more appreciative recipient?
Because Rebekah loved Jacob, she probably told him about God's reply to her earlier inquiry. (the older will serve the younger).  Was Jacob acting this way, trusting that God would fulfill his promise?
Maybe he didn't even care about what God had in store for him at this point of his life, and he was just selfishly trying to take something that had yet to be given to him.

Why does God choose Jacob? Why does he tell Rebekah that the older will serve the younger? Is it because God is all-knowing and he knew that Esau would reject his birthright?  God's ways are not the ways of the world, is it because he sometimes chooses the unexpected person to fulfill his promises and carry out his will?

This passage brings up another question..
We are heirs with Christ, so what birthrights are we willingly forfeiting because we are stuck in the moment thinking about "what I want/need RIGHT NOW"?

Day 18- Genesis 23+24

Sarah dies at the age of 120.  Abraham asks for a burial place for his wife, and the response is quite remarkable. 

"Sir, listen to us, you are a mighty prince among us.  bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." vs. 5,6

Why are they so willing to have Abraham take their burial grounds that they have for their own families? My guess would be that they had witnessed Abraham's success and the fact that God was with him, so they desired to be on his good side.  In those days, quite similar to nowadays, people wanted to be buried in the land of their fathers, with their families. Abraham was acting in faith- declaring this to be the land of his descendants. 

After Sarah's death, Abraham is starting to feel his age and calls on his chief servant.  He asks the guy to stick his hand under his thigh, close to his- you-know-what, and has him swear that he will bring back a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own family.  Abraham does not want Isaac to return to the land where Abraham's family was because God had led them out of Mesopotamia into the land that had been promised to Abraham's descendants. 

Because Abraham did not want Isaac to return, the woman had to be willing to go without even seeing her future husband.  Through this, not only is Abraham ensuring that his son would remain where God had brought them, but he was also ensuring that Isaac would have a God-fearing, faith-filled woman.  She would trust God with her life enough to head into a foreign land to marry a man she had never met. 

I love how the servant prays for such a concrete, literal sign.  If a woman comes out and offers him something to drink, and then offers water for his camels- he knows that it is a sign from God that this is the woman that God has chosen.

Rebekah comes out and offers water to the servant and to pull up water for his camels.  When he discovers that she is Abraham's brother's granddaughter, he is ecstatic! 

Her father and grandfather hear the entire story relayed through the servant, and at the end, 

"This is from the LORD, we can say nothing to you one way or the other.  Here is Rebekah.." 

Vs. 50,51

Her brother and mother don't seem too keen on letting her go so quickly, so they ask for more time with her.  The servant is pressed for time, because he wants to return to Abraham with Rebekah before Abraham's death. 

So they call for Rebekah, and let her decide.  

"I will go."

No questions, no compromises, just, "I will go." I really respect Rebekah for her bravery and active faith. What a step! Going with a strange man to travel to a foreign and pagan land to marry a stranger, trusting that God was taking care of her and providing for her.  

Before she leaves, Rebekah`s family blesses her saying,

"Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands.

May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies." vs 60

Without realizing it, they blessed her in accordance to what God would be fulfilling through her in God's promises to Abraham. (22:17)

Rebekah had a strong faith in God, and was willing to act in her faith and go to the land where she had been called to go.  It was so clear through the signs that God had given through the servant.  She is an example to me of the faithful life I should live.  

May we be challenged through Rebekah's life to be willing, faithful followers when God calls us to go. 

Day 17- Genesis 22

Testing, testing, 1..2..3...

When I was in school, tests sent me into panic/stress/freak out mode.  I would often feel sick to my stomach at the thought of a test.   What I dreaded was discovering whether I passed or not. (I must admit that lower than a 70 in my mind was a fail.)  I also dreaded the "blank-out."
Everyone's had at least one experience with the "blank-out" You know you know it, but there is the question- right in front of you and nothing is coming to mind.
So, the thought that God would test us does not bring me much comfort.
Here in chapter 22 of Genesis, that is what God does to Abraham.
  "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." vs 2

Just as we saw in chapter 21 with Ishmael and Hagar, Abraham immediately obeyed God's command, despite the sadness it brought him.  He packs up his son, and heads off towards the mountains with a heavy, heavy heart.

It is in those moments, the journey towards the challenge where I begin to question God.
I have been learning a lot about active faith in the past few months.  It is easy to believe in God, but to trust and obey him? Easier said than done.
This upcoming fall, I will be attending Bible school.  After calculating costs.. I am starting to feel the stress.  However, when this journey first began, I felt God pushing me towards this and I trust that he will provide.  I am also slightly confused, because I am leaving a place where I felt God placed me.  It was a wonderful, challenging time full of love, growth and God's grace. Now, I feel like I am being led away from a place which brings me peace, happiness and I felt like I was serving God's kingdom.
However, I feel a little like what I imagine Abraham might have been feeling. God promised him a son, blessed him with a beautiful son- and then suddenly He asks Abraham to give up his son.  What is God doing?
Well He's testing Abraham's faith.

  "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2: 17b

You know what the great thing about this story is? God provides :) Today, this chapter is God's word of encouragement to me.  God is giving me a chance to put my faith into action, trust him... He will not lead me up a mountain without providing. He can't provide if I don't begin the trek upwards, and allow myself to have a need. 

Abraham had bound Isaac on the altar and had gotten out his knife to kill his son, but an angel of the LORD stopped him.  At that moment, he looks and he sees a ram to be sacrificed. 

He then names the place "The LORD will provide." 

That's a good reminder for me today. 

The Lord will provide.

AMEN.

Day 16- Genesis 21

God is faithful to his promises.
A year after God appeared to Abram and changed his and Sarai's names to Abraham and Sarah, Sarah becomes pregnant. Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90.

At this point, Ishmael, the boy born to Sarah's slave girl when Sarah and Abraham tried to take the matter into their own hands, is 14 years old.   Since he is the firstborn, he seems like a threat beside Sarah's vulnerable newborn baby.  So Sarah demands that Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away.
Sarah's name really seems to suit her.  She acts so selfishly throughout Genesis.  First, she forces Abraham to have sex with Hagar.  (Hagar was a princess of Egypt, so what a lifestyle change! To become a slave who is treated like that?)
Then, when Hagar accomplishes what Sarah wanted, Sarah hates her.  Hagar runs away, God told her to return, and now here she is, being sent away into the desert with her son. Basically to their death.
At least Abraham cared.  God told him to send her off, but that he would "Make the son of the maidservant into a nation also because he (was his) offspring." vs 13

It relieves me to see that God is just. (I should know this already, right?)
 When I look at Hagar's life, it seems unfair. She was a princess in a strong and powerful nation.  Her father gave her to a foreign woman as a slave. She was treated pretty fairly until Sarah got that notion of getting Hagar pregnant.  Culturally, because Hagar was her property, it would be as if Abraham had gotten Sarah pregnant.  But how weird is that?! Hagar was definitely not on board, because when she finds out she is pregnant, she despises Sarah.  Now after all of that, Sarah decides to dispose of them.  Seemingly, God is on board with that. However, we know that when he says he will take care of Hagar and Ishmael, that it will be done.
Ishmael's descendants do become a nation. His descendants today make up the Arab nations which struggle with the Israelites over control of Abraham's tomb.  They both claim to be descendants of Abraham, and they both are.

This is a reminder to me that I need to trust that God knows what he is doing.  If he promises that he will do something, he will.  Not in our time, or in our ways, but in his time and in his ways. "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.'declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8
It is really easy to get a mindset that we can do things on our own.  Culturally, that is what is exalted- independence and self-gain. We can only accomplish so much on our own, but "nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

May we be independently dependent on God.

Day 15- Genesis 20

Abraham moves again, and lives in a place called Gerar.

Now, remember chapter 12? Abraham is in Eqypt and lies about Sarah because he is worried for his life.

Fast forward, and here we are again.  It would seem that Abraham has forgotten that God provided for him in chapter 12.

Abimelech, the king of Gerar sends for Sarah because Abraham tells people that she is his sister. (vs 2) It is interesting to know that Abraham and Sarah did not lie.  They truly are brother and sister, sharing a father but not a mother.  However, they were definitely intentionally deceitful.

It's cool to read about how God was protecting Sarah and to watch his just nature in this chapter.  "I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me.  That is why I did not let you touch her.  Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.  But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die."

This is interesting to me because it seems like this is a story where God intervened.  We always say that he gives us freedom of choice, and freedom in our actions.. and yet this seems to speak of his intervention in preventing Abimelech from sinning.
Does he intervene today? Do people who have clear consciences prevented from acting in sin unwittingly? Do people have clear consciences? How did God keep Abimelech from sinning?

Abraham had to pray on Abimelech's behalf because God had closed up every womb in his household because of Sarah. Even though Abimelech was not aware that he was doing something wrong, it was still wrong.

What was going through everyone's minds?
Abraham: "If I just tell them she's my sister, they won't kill me"
Sarah: "If I tell them he's my brother, I'll be taken to the king.  He'll want me to be his wife."
Abimelech: "What a hot 70+ year old babe, I gotta have her!"

Seriously? Doesn't that just seem weird to you? Everything is so blase to them.. Somedays, I just don't understand people at all.

What a challenge to us in our daily lives to remember the lessons of our pasts, and to trust that God truly is faithful and that he is just to ALL people.. not just his own people.. but all people.

May our lives be active examples of trusting that God provides, protects and prevails.

i +blog= epic fail

Sorry.. I am trying to keep it updated, but failing miserably.

Thanks for being patient

Day 14- Genesis 19

I have to be honest.

Reading Genesis Chapter 19 makes me so incredibly sad and angry!  Just in 38 verses, there is so much evil, faithlessness, doubt and immorality. It seems like no one knows how to make the right choice.

The two angels from chapter 18 arrive at Lot's house, and all the men from all over the city- young and old surround Lot's house and demand to have the "men" brought out so that they can have sex with them!

Wait, WHAT?

ALL of the men from EVER part of the city.. that means married men, fathers and sons, leaders in the city, and I assume that includes supposed religious leaders as well- EVERY man.  They surround Lot's home because they heard of the arrival of strangers, and the men in the city intend to rape these newcomers? This story has always baffled me. Hospitality is a huge thing in these days.. and the men are acting this way towards men.  Not that it would be better if it were towards women.. or would it be?

When the men demand to have Lot's two visitors, Lot offers his virgin daughters.

"No my friends, don't do this wicked thing.  Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man.   Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them." vs 7-8

WHAT?

I don't think Lot wins the Father of the year award there.  I understand that women were not necessarily considered very important.. that still seems like a terrible thing to say.  It definitely emphasizes Lot's sense that these two visitors were extremely important.

Then, Lot's wife turns around and turns into a pillar of salt- even when she has been told NOT to turn around.  

Lastly, Lot escapes with his two daughters and they lived in a cave.  Then, the older of the two daughters comes up with a brilliant plan,  Hey, "Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father." vs 32

They believe that it is so crucial to continue the family line (Which really was a big deal, but did not overrule the fact that they were doing something very, very wrong.) and so they decide that getting their father drunk and taking advantage of him while he is drunk is the best way to do so.

The sons born to each daughter become the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites- the two nations that become bitter enemies of Abraham's descendants.

WHAT?!

Seriously, I feel very dirty after having read this chapter.  And yet, I feel challenged to remember that I am no better of a person than they were.. I simply have been redeemed from my mistakes and I have a chance to learn from their mistakes.  I pray that I will remember this chapter and will make the right choice in the moment.

Day 13- Genesis 18

  God in human form?

We know that Jesus came as God in human form. But when I read Genesis chapter 18, it seems that he also appeared before Abraham in human form.

"The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was siting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.  Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. " Genesis 18:1-2

Now if we read ahead (vs16-33), we'll see that one of the men is the LORD.  The LORD then uncovers his plans for the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Once he tells Abraham, the two men accompanying him then turn towards Sodom and leave.  If we read ahead again (ch. 19) we then find out that the two men with him are angels.  Who else would be accompanying God?
There are so many questions in my mind.
Did he really appear in human form? YES.
If we read vs 7-8, we read how Abraham runs to prepare a choice calf, milk, curds and they ate what he had prepared for them.  Abraham didn't even sit with them, he stood near the men as they ate.  My point is that they ATE.  They were in human form.

Why did God appear in human form?
The only thing I can come up with is that because of his special relationship with Abraham, God desired to meet with him in person (No pun intended) to bring news of his fulfillment of his promise. This was also a deeply embedded desire that ached within Abraham and his wife; to have a child.
He also used this time to inform Abraham of the pending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I find the back and forth conversation between Abraham and the LORD an interesting one to imagine in my head.  It's almost laughable.. and yet so encouraging.. God was listening to Abraham, and allowing Abraham to have input with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  We forget how powerful our prayers and petitions to God can be.  We don't possess the power to change the outcome, but asking the One who does pleases Him.

Angels today?
We've heard the stories.. people being saved by mysterious strangers who disappear... mysterious strangers who speak truths at odd times in odd places, never to be seen again.. etc
I've always found the stories intriguing, and when I felt inclined, I liked to wonder about angels and their roles on earth.  Now I feel compelled to wonder...

What do you think?

I'll keep contemplating.. Genesis 19 will continue the topic. I just don't want to overload my brain with too much to think about.  I like to soak in little bits at a time...

Be Blessed by His presence today :)

Day 12- Genesis 17

More promises from God.  He loves his promises.
Then comes Abram's part...

"As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.  This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male must be circumcised." Vs 10

OUCH.

Ok, so I'm a girl, and I don't fully understand the whole ramification of what that demand from God entails, but Abraham was ninety-nine years old, his son Ishmael was thirteen and every other male in his household was also circumcised.  That is quite the follow through, because back in those days they didn't have anesthetic... so ouch.  But Abraham knew that when God asked for something, he needed to follow. 

I wish I could know for certain when God is asking for something. And yet, sometimes I think we really do know.  The spirit within each of us speaks to us.  When he asks for something that entails sacrifice, we suddenly become uncertain that it is truly God's will and fight as hard as we can. 

I have yet to experience God asking me to do something as invasive as modify my own body, yet every sacrifice seems like he is asking for an arm and a leg. My perspective is so skewed.  Why can't I be just like Abraham and follow through when God asks?

The new names for Abraham and Sarah hold a deep significance.  In ancient times, children were named by their parents based upon circumstances surrounding the birth. God would sometimes reveal a name to the child's parents before birth, signifying a divinely established role that their child would play in history.  

"You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." vs 3-5

Abram became Abraham, which means "exalted Father" in Hebrew.  God was indicating to Abraham that he would follow through on his promises and Abraham would be a Father to many, many nations.


"As for Sarai, your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.  I will bess her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." vs. 15-16


Sarai became Sarah, which means, "Princess" in Hebrew.  God was exalting Sarah above other women because from her would come a heritage of mighty people who would inherit Canaan and God's blessings over their nation.  


As we know, God follows through on his promises, and the nation of Israel is raised up and blessed constantly blessed.  However, Abraham never lives to see his descendants live in Canaan, and that just reminds me that we are all only a small part of God's plan for the world.  


Now I need to spend some time in prayer and discern what God is calling me to in my life, because I know it calls for some sacrifice.  


Be blessed today.  Know that you are an heir of God's promises and his call.

Day 11-Genesis 15

"Look up at the heavens and count the stars- if indeed you can count them... so shall your offspring be." Genesis 15: 4-5

"Abram believed the LORD , and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6

This verse just stuck out to me so vividly. It's so simple, and yet so complex to us. Why? Simply believe that what God has promised is true, sure that sounds easy. But it doesn't! God takes Abram outside and shows him the stars and promises that Abram will have as many offspring as the stars.
Sometimes is so hard to accept the simplest promises.
Shortly after his belief is credited to him as righteousness, Sarai brings her maidservant to Abram in hopes of conceiving a child in that way.  They take the matters into their own hands.  How very human of them. To worsen it, once this poor woman is pregnant- which if you need a reminder, is what Sarai had hoped for- Sarai begins to despise her servant.
That bugs me. Why is it that vulnerable people are used and then abandoned so easily. Sarai, angered by what she forced Hagar into, mistreats Hagar and causes her to run away.

I hate this story for the cruelty and the sense of worth that is so obviously not applied to all life.

I also love this story.

After Hagar departs, an angel of the Lord finds her near a spring in the desert.

"You are now with child, and you will have a son.

You shall name him Ishmael,

For the Lord has heard of your misery.

Genesis 15:11

Ishmael means "God will listen"

He will always listen to our prayers, to our frustrations, our misery.. He will listen.

This is my favourite part in this story. 

 "You are the God who sees me, I have now seen the One who sees me." Genesis 15:13

Women were considered property.  Maidservants were property. Listen to what Abram says to Sarai, after He took a huge part in the whole pregnancy thing! "Your servant is in your hands.. do with her what you think best." v. 6

 Hagar, this mistreated, used human being who no one even considered worthwhile was seen by God. 

What a beautiful reminder from the Old Testament.  Even then, God saw every one of his children and loved each one. 

How many Hagars are in our world? Millions. God sees each one. He loves each one.  In our own ways, each of us is Hagar. Vulnerable, broken, alone, running away from our fears, hurts,.. perhaps used and disposed of by people that we trusted.

God Sees YOU. 

He Loves YOU.

He Yearns for YOU to know him. 

God sees you. He hears you.  You are not invisible. You are not unloved. You are not alone. 

I have been incredibly encouraged by this passage of scripture and it is my prayer that you will read it for yourself.

Day 10- Genesis 12-14

"Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.  All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."Genesis 13: 14-17

God's promises just keep coming.  Abram allowed Lot to have his pick of the land.  We all know Lot because of his narrow escape from destruction that we have yet to read. He chose to live dangerously close to Sodom and Gomorrah.  We see in verse 13 that "The men of sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord."
He was playing with fire.


What a contrast between Lot and Abram; one chose greedily, and the other chose to trust God and waited for God to reveal his plan to him.  Abram was blessed because of his patience and trust that God would follow through on his promises.  Not only that, but God added to his former promises. 


In chapter 12, after God's first set of promises, Abram built an altar.  Here in chapter 13, he built another one after God's second set of promises.  Noah also built an altar in chapter 8, but it is before God's promises to him.  
Altars have a significant meaning throughout the Old Testament.  
Altars were a reminder.  Not only for those who built it, but for any who encountered it.  All who saw the altar were reminded of God's faithfulness and goodness.  Building altars were a response to God's faithfulness (living through the flood in the ark and God's promises to Abram, and as we read on through the Old Testament- we will see more examples)

This was an act of worship. 

We have an altar in our church, and it is just a piece of furniture. We treat it as just a piece of furniture.  The worship teams puts water bottles on it, there's a big old school bible with yellowed pages nicely placed upon it.  It's never read.  During Christmas time, the advent candles are lit upon the altar.  It sits in front of the cross.  Sometimes, people even step on it to adjust the cloth on the cross.


What a wasted opportunity to be reminded of God's promises, his faithfulness to his children, and His greatness!


When I thought of this piece of furniture sitting in my church, I began to reflect on my life.  What are the altars in my life? Have I even made an effort to have altars? What responses have I made in worship and thankfulness for God's faithful love and mercy to me? 


If I have made an effort to make an altar, it eventually becomes like the altar in my church.  It just sits there meaninglessly, and I put God's faithful acts on that altar and distractedly step on them as I reach for the meaningless things I strive for.  


It's way too easy to forget God. 


How quickly we forget.


What faithful acts and gifts of love and mercy from God have you forgotten? Choose to be reminded of His eternal love and faithfulness today. 

Day 9- Abram in Egypt

Because of a famine, Abram took his family to Egypt.

Before they entered Egypt he says to Sarai, his wife, "I know what a beautiful woman you are.  When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'this is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live.  Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you. " 12:11-13

First off- this woman was 65 years old by this time! It's incredible how different the age span was then, for her to be in the prime of her life at the age of 65..

We just read God's promises to Abram, and He still needs to learn that God will protect him.  How quickly we forget!

As a girl, I wonder what was going through Sarai's mind at that point.  Could you imagine if you husband came up to you and said, "I know you're beautiful, please tell them you're my sister so that they will take you in the Pharaoh's harem so that I can live and be treated well."
Scripture doesn't say anything about what happened to Sarai while she was in the Pharaoh's palace.  Abram received gifts, cattle, sheep, and servants from the Pharaoh because Sarai was there.  I can't even imagine what that would've been like. Harems were not always about sex.  It was also about status.  The man owned the most beautiful ladies in the country.  There are so many questions...How long was Sarai there? Was she terrified? Was she mistreated by the other women?

I read the stories in the bible and am reminded to be grateful to live in modern day Canada.  To imagine living in a time and a place where women are basically considered property, and are treated as such...
I just can't.

As Sarai is in the Pharaoh's palace, God follows through on his promise to protect Abram and his family.  He inflicts diseases on Pharaoh and his household. I love how God reveals the truth to the Pharaoh.  The Pharaoh  summons Abram and challenges him, "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?" v18
The Pharaoh then sends them on their way.  This Pharaoh was smart- he knew not to mess with God.  I wish there was more respect for God's power nowadays.  It seems that we forget that He not only created the world, but He also wiped out humankind except for one man and his family because of the world's wickedness.
The richness of the awe and respect for God in the Old Testament is something that I find refreshing.

Some people call it legalism when in fact, it's really the fear of the Lord. We should have more of it in our bones. We forget who He is. We should not forget his mercy and grace- and delve into a life of works, but we should not sit back and pretend that God is like our golden retriever dog who loyally protects, loves and follows us. Yes, He loves us unconditionally;  He sent his son to be executed in a gruesome way so that we could accept his mercy and grace.  He did that because He is so great and good, that we are not worthy without Jesus.

God is all knowing, ever present and all-powerful.   Don't forget the awe- in Awesome God.

Day 8- Genesis 12

It has been a while since I blogged about my readings.  My deepest apologies, I'll try and catch you up on each one!

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Genesis 12:1

A clear message. One without a specific destination- only one command: Leave.

It reminds me of my year in Bible School.  As the year drew to an end, I had been planning to either continue on or pursue further biblical education through YWAM. I prayed and prayed for guidance.  What did God want from me? I really wanted to go back to CLBI.

One thing was clear. "Don't go back to CLBI"
It wasn't because it was a bad school, or a place where God surely was not.  I couldn't sort it out. And I spend the whole summer wrestling through what I would end up doing. Everything was unsure, but the only thing that was clear was that I wasn't to go back.

It is one thing to be called to leave one place to arrive at another.  It is another thing to be called to leave a place with no destination in mind.

This is what Abram did!

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. " Hebrews 11:8

 And of course, we look at the promises from God that come right after his command to leave and why wouldn't he go?

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.  

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will surely curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 

Genesis 12:2-3


(An interesting note is that this covenant can be broken into seven parts. The perfect and whole number.
Also note that there is no condition on Abram's part of this covenant.  These are unconditional promises from God.)

The city where Abram was living at that time, Ur, was a highly advanced city.  It was very settled and would have had the opportunities and benefits of being a modern and advanced city. 

It also had all the evils and temptations of a city consumed by greed and idols.  Abram's father, Terah, worshipped the idols in that city. 

*(As I travel through the Old Testament, I have been putting together parts of Jesus' story that have always been there and I never connected them.  We know that Jesus' ancestry comes from Abraham, which means that in Jesus' lineage, we have Terah- the idol worshipper as well.)  

Living in the setting of a wicked and depraved city, with a patriarch who worshipped false gods, Abram could've lived a very different life.

Yet God called him. 

May you find encouragement today in knowing that God does not call people and bless them according to where they are from, but because of where they are going. It's not about where you've been, but where God is taking you.

What is He asking you to leave today?

Day 7- The Tower of Babel

Chapter 10 of Genesis lists the Genealogy of Noah's sons, which leads into the story of the Tower of Babel in chapter 11.
I remember this story from sunday school, and I remember thinking how cool it would be if heaven could actually be reached and if people could actually build up to heaven.  I also remember thinking how silly those people were to think that God worked that way.
Once again, I see this repetition in the fact that humans are always seeking glory, to be famous;

"Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we many make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:4

Since the beginning, we continuously pursue glory and want to make ourselves gods.  Wanting to be like God is what brought the fall of man in the first place.  Now, we watch as people are scattered and all the different people groups and languages are created in Genesis chapter 11.
Who do we think we are?
What Tower of Babel am I building in my life?

My prayer is that in everything I do and say that it would be drenched in humility.

Please let me know if I go off the path, because God knows I do.

Day 6- Genesis 9

Once again, going back a little bit today.
This is part of the reason I have decided to revoke the 365 day challenge, and simply make it a challenge to read each day.  I want the focus to be on God's word, completely soaking it in and hearing from each passage. I don't want the focus to become following a timeline.

There are three things that stuck out to me in Chapter 9 today.

1. Meat
In 9:2+3, God tells us that "all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants (Genesis 1:29), I now give you everything."
So many people are horrified by eating meat.  I know several vegetarians. There are different reasons for people to not eat meat.  Some are medical, some are political, some just follow the fad.
I want to be clear on something, I'm not down on vegetarians, and I'm not going to argue for or against it in this entry.  I just read this passage and I found it interesting.  With sin came violence and a curse upon the ground.  So is that why God appointed meat into the diet? What changed? In Genesis 1, humans were vegetarian. Now after the flood, "everything that lives and moves will be food for you."


2. Alcohol
Alcoholism is a rampant disease that is taking over our world. The first man to make alcohol was the man that God had previously proclaimed as the only righteous man on earth.  Noah drank and excess of wine, and we watch as even the righteous fall when alcohol is involved.  I will give it to Noah that he was the first man, and that they didn't know the effects of alcohol yet, but it was his human nature inspired by greed and gluttony to intake an excess, which then led to problems. Alcohol is one of the largest issues in our world today, and one of the reasons for that is that no one recognizes that there is an issue.
I simply found it intriguing that the very first account of alcohol in the Bible is one of shame and disgrace.




3. Murder

"from each man, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 

Whoever sheds the blood of a man,

by man shall his blood be shed;

for in the image of God,

has God made man."

Genesis 9:5b-6

Execution. Capital punishment is not supported in Canada.  But out of 50 US states, 35 of them have capital punishment statutes, along with the US federal government and the US military.

"Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.  However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate.  But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death." Exodus 21:20

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to comment those who do right." 1 Peter 2:13-14

I struggle with this. 

I used to stand firmly upon my view that God is the ultimate judge, and thus, we have no right to take someone's life.  I still stand firmly upon the fact that God is the ultimate judge, but I'm not so sure about what I think about execution.

Where is the line? We are called to submit to the governing authorities and trust that God is still the ultimate power.  We are so human.  How do we make the decision that someone's life is so far gone that they should die for their mistakes? What makes one sin greater than another? What makes one life worth more than another?

The very first murderer on earth is granted his life. (Genesis 4:15) I'm so confused by this verdict.  

It feels like everything points to execution with no mercy.  Yet, I know that God is a merciful God.  I know that we have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus.  

I was looking through the many men who were tried during the Nuremberg trials (World War 2 War Crimes).   

Many people felt that justice was done when these men were sentenced to death.

I am angered by the things that these men did, the thousands of lives that they deemed worthless, and treated so inhumanely.  But part of me cries out for them.  I pray that before they died, they had a chance to hear the good news.  They were so deceived.  Satan had them so wrapped in his lies. Perhaps it's horrific for me to care about those people, but doesn't God love them too? Didn't He cry the day that each man died?

It is too easy for us to push these things aside and choose to not care.  I don't know what I think yet, but my prayer is that I will continue to wrestle through it, and seek to hear God's voice.  Too often, we leave it to other people to decide for us.

My fellow brothers and sisters, get out of your seats, off of your butts and think for yourselves! We are too apathetic.

My prayer for you today is that you would be compelled to be people of action.  Allow God to convict and move you towards a life of discomfort, compassion, and to be delegates for the Truth.

Day 5

"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

As long as the earth endures, 

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night 

will never cease."

Genesis 8:21-22

After Noah and his family spent over a year in the ark, this is the promise that God makes to Noah. Something about this passage speaks deeply to my heart.  I can't quite put my finger on it, and I wish I could.  In the five days I have been doing this, I feel like I haven't really thought of anything very interesting.  I wish I had some deep thoughts to share about some sort of revelation that had come or discovery that I had made.  All I can say is that as I read, I see affirmation about God's faithfulness and love for all people- the people who continuously reject him and screw up.

"I establish my covenant with you; Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood.  Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. " 9:11

I've always wondered about this passage.  God makes a specific covenant with Noah that a flood will never wipe out the earth.  It brings me back to all the thoughts I've had about God and the earth back then.  Why was God so specific about the flood?  He didn't promise that He wouldn't wipe out the earth, just that He wouldn't do it with a flood.   But then, I wonder if I am putting too many human attributes on God- that he would somehow be so specific as to leave an opening for that to be a possibility again?

Even so, with our current day salvation being in Jesus, who came long after the flood.. I believe that the situation is completely different. Before the new covenant, burnt sacrifices were needed to satisfy for one's sins.  According to what I've seen thus far of the scriptures, Noah makes the first sacrifice as an offering to God.(8:20) And the scent is pleasing to God.  This passage reminds me of 2 Corinthians 2:15.  "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. "

Praise God that we are in Christ, a pleasing aroma to God the Father through the sacrifice that Jesus so willingly became for us.

Day 3 and 4

I went back into chapter 6 of Genesis to the beginning of Noah's story.

This is one of those Sunday School stories that you come back to and begin to actually realize the whole story and about how crazy it really is.  

http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/profiles/blogs/working-replica-of-noahs-ark

A dutch man built an ark, following the measurements given in the Bible. I went online to try to find the link, and you wouldn't believe the amount of controversy it has created.

Warning** Tangent Follows**

I read comment after comment.  People were arguing for the Bible; against the Bible; some were simply slinging mud at each other with no intent other than to hinder.  It reminded me of all the different posts I've seen online written by supposed Christians who simply make Jesus look bad.  They claim to follow him, and then proceed to say stupid things like, "well judging from your profile, you are living in a life of immorality that is displeasing to God, repent of your evil choices and He will forgive you."

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!

I totally agree that we are called to speak truth, but the commandment that we are to follow is "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbours as ourselves." That comes first.  Unless you are speaking the truth in love, you might as well be speaking in tongues. (1 Corinthians 13)

Back to the Bible...

Many of the questions regarding the story of Noah are valid in my mind. How did the food last that long? How did Noah manage to build such a huge building without the help of hundreds of men? How was the earth re-populated after the flood? Were some of the aquatic animals wiped out as well with the flood? Or how was that balanced out? Where did all of the water come from?

In my years of being a Christian, and working through these questions, I have come across several somewhat satisfactory answers.  (Example: an explanation for the origin of all the water is that before the flood the atmosphere surrounding the earth was somewhat like a greenhouse.  Oxygen was trapped inside much more by the high water density of the atmosphere, which also led to longer life-span. When the flood came, we read in 7:11 "the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened."  We see how water burst forth from the sky and from the ground) 

 But I can see how it would raise potentially thousands of questions.  Especially for people who doubt the validity of the Bible itself.

My faith has brought me to a point where asking these questions is simply a matter of interest.  I know my identity in Christ and I believe He is who He is proclaimed to be.  Because of that, I believe that the word of God is truth, regardless of what I think.

With this story, I also find it very easy to take the humanity aspect out of this story.  To follow God through probably hundreds of years of being ridiculed; To believe the world was basically going to end and wanting your friends and family to repent and be saved from that; and then hearing their horrified cries as the floods come and you and your family are safely inside the ark.. and they aren't.

I don't think i could even imagine.  This flood is the hugest catastrophe in human history, wiping off all mankind except for one man and his family.  I think about the earthquake in Haiti, and I'm trying to imagine: "What if I knew this was going to happen, and I couldn't do anything to save them?" 

I know it's not really the same, but what a traumatic experience.  It's easy as a reader to look at that and go, "Good, now all of evil mankind is done with.  Well done God, that needed to be done." If I were Noah, I would definitely struggle with that.  It would be so hard to believe that God was fair in his judgment, and yet know that He is a fair and just God.  

I know that I said that this challenge was to read the Bible in 365 days.. however, I am revamping that.  My challenge is now to make sure I intentionally continue to read through the Bible each day, but without the time stamp of a year.  Putting that emphasis on a limit of time is keeping me from fulling ingesting and letting each passage sit heavily in my heart and on my mind.  Each day, I will continue on from where I left off and read as the Spirit leads.

I pray that you will continue to join me on this journey and that it will bless you in your life wherever you may be and however it may speak to you.

Be Blessed!

Day 2- Genesis 2-6

I have always found this part of the Bible particularly intriguing. I'm not sure what it is exactly. I've probably read through it dozens of times. There are so many questions that I can't seem to answer, and so many interesting tidbits of information to eat up.

I've always wondered what it must feel like to be feel no shame. 2:25 "The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame." I'm not saying that I wonder what it would be like to live in a nudist colony, although I do wonder if we have any in Saskatchewan. If so, kudos to them.

This verse is referring more to their moral innocence; having no shame because at that point there was no sin. These people are the only people besides Jesus in the history of the world to not have anything to be ashamed of. Well at least for a short while that is.

In chapter 2, we are told about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Did God honestly make trees that granted instant knowledge and eternal life? Adam and Eve are banished from Eden because God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

It's so easy to blame others when things go wrong. We watch as Adam and Eve both push the fault onto each other, the serpent and even on God! "the woman YOU PUT here with me." It’s even easy for us to blame Adam and Eve for our present day sins and mistakes. “We would be in Eden if it wasn’t for them.” But, I think we have to realise that we are all human. If not Adam and Eve, then it would have been you or me.

This passage also leads me to the long standing question, is Eden on earth? Where is it? This also brings me back once again to the question of the Tree of Life. If it was metaphorical, is this passage with the cherubim guarding the entrance also metaphorical? It seems to point to the fact that there truly is some physical tree, somewhere. I wish I knew more about the archeological, scientific, historical aspects of the Bible.

If you want to start a good debate, open up to Genesis 6. "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and they married any of them they chose."

Some people believe that this actually refers to fallen angels who came to earth and children were conceived from their relationships with human women. While I think this idea seems too greek-mythological, if this is indeed what happened, it supplies somewhat of an explanation for the flood for me. If there were creatures on earth walking around as half man-half fallen angel (Supposed Nephilim), that would be cause to start over again. Beyond the fact that God promised that it would never happen again, I always wondered what was so incredibly evil about the world then that wouldn't be the same for now.

On the other hand, I am more inclined to go with the idea that the 'sons of God' are godly men from the line of Seth who chose women from the wicked people from the line of Cain. ('women of men'). The Nephilim show up later in the Bible (Numbers 13:31), so the idea that the flood was to not only rid the earth of wicked people but also the offspring of fallen angels seems to proven false by that. (It is still a very interesting topic.. )

"The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all th time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth- men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7

I read this passage and it grieves me to the core of my heart, because I hear this and think of our present day world. I wish I could believe that humankind learned from the flood, and that God's promise aside, he hasn't felt inclined to destroy all of mankind again. Looking at our world; the things that we glorify; the people we worship; the things we run after; I can only fall on my knees in shame and cry out for forgiveness. We are so incredibly blessed that our God is good, that He is faithful to his covenants that he has made.

Thank God that He sent His son so that God would not have to destroy all mankind again. I am overwhelmed by the extent of this gift. Sometimes I look at this passage and become overwhelmed with despair and hopelessness because it seems like we are heading down the same path. I look at our world and I think, "this is what God thinks of us now too."

But then I remember His love, Jesus, and the promise that we are not bound to this earth and I am then completely overwhelmed by His love and faithfulness.

Praise God for His love, mercy and faithfulness to us.