"Greetings Everyone in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Blog Title: "The Deceit of Jacob"
Today's Blog Scripture Reading: Genesis 27:1-29
Today's Key Verse: "Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said "I am."
Genesis 27 contains an ugly but too typical portrait of parental favoritism. Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah Jacob. Rebekah's scheming to advance Jacob was foolish as well as wrong. God had promised in Genesis 25:23 that the"older will serve the younger". Rebekah had no need to lie and cheat to gain what she wanted. The story is rich in irony. In choosing deceit, Rebekah so provoked Esau's hostility that Jacob her favorite, was forced to flee. All her conniving did was take Jacob away from her for 20 years of her life. Ends never justify adopting sinful means. Today's blog will be part 1 of 2 parts of Chapter 27.
Isaac was old, and because of his poor vision this allowed Jacob and his mother to trick him. It was the custom that the father would give the primary blessing to the firstborn yet God worked against contrary to cultural expectations and Isaac's favoritism, because God had already blessed the younger. Isaac desires to give his son Esau his blessing with a savory meal prepared by him. In verses 8-11 we see Rebekah starts her plan to deceive Isaac, even after God had told her earlier that the younger would have precedence over the older.
Jacob then ask his mother how he could pass as his brother since Esau was hairy from his birth. You will note here that Jacob feared that he would be discovered , not that what he was doing was wrong.
In verses 18-20 we now see that Jacob lies to his father when he says, "I am Esau" and then his lie leads him to blasphemy when he tells his father when he asks him, "How have you found it so quickly, my son" and Jacob replies, "Because the Lord your God brought it to me."
We now see at the close of part 1 of this Chapter in verses 21-27 that Isaac has Jacob come to him to feel him, hear him, question him, kiss and smell him before he finally believes Jacob's repeated lies. Even though Isaac heard the voice of Jacob, he now thinks that he is talking to Esau because of Jacob's one lie after the other.
Closing Question and Comment: "How does dishonesty and deceit hurt a relationship with family and friends?" In part 1 of Chapter 27 we have seen how Rebekah schemed with Jacob to get the blessing of Isaac. Even though Rebekah already knew that God had said that the older would serve the younger she still gets Jacob to lie and deceive Isaac. Tomorrow we will have part 2 of this Chapter and see Isaac blessing Jacob and the reaction of Esau to the deceit of Jacob.
Lord, look upon my need, I need You, I need You
Lord, have mercy now on me, forgive me, Oh Lord, forgive me
And I will be clean
Heavenly Father, Thank you for your love and guidance. May we as believers listen to you Lord and follow you to where You would want us to good. May we be honest in our dealings with our family and friends.
Amen
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord, and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Monday, February 7, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Weekend Bible Verse for Sunday 6 February 2011
"Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Weekend Blog Bible Verse for Sunday 6 February 2011: Romans 8:38-39
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Wow!!!!! Absolutely nothing can separate us as believers from God's love. Nothing hard or dangerous, neither death nor life can separate us. If God, the uncreated one, is for us, and no created thing can separate us, then our security in Him is absolute. We are God's loved ones. Nothing can, nor ever will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We stand in awe of Your presence, and we seek Your holiness
For Your love it is eternal, the Living Waters flow from You
Father in heaven, we've come to worship You
Holy Spirit, teaching us to walk in You
Jesus, sweet Savior, we want to glorify You
Heavenly Father, How grateful we are that nothing, nor anything, nor anybody, will ever separate us from your wonderful love, and once we are are in Your hands, nothing can ever pluck us from them. How wonderful it is to have your arms around us, and to feel your love within our hearts.
Amen
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Today's Weekend Blog Bible Verse for Sunday 6 February 2011: Romans 8:38-39
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Wow!!!!! Absolutely nothing can separate us as believers from God's love. Nothing hard or dangerous, neither death nor life can separate us. If God, the uncreated one, is for us, and no created thing can separate us, then our security in Him is absolute. We are God's loved ones. Nothing can, nor ever will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We stand in awe of Your presence, and we seek Your holiness
For Your love it is eternal, the Living Waters flow from You
Father in heaven, we've come to worship You
Holy Spirit, teaching us to walk in You
Jesus, sweet Savior, we want to glorify You
Heavenly Father, How grateful we are that nothing, nor anything, nor anybody, will ever separate us from your wonderful love, and once we are are in Your hands, nothing can ever pluck us from them. How wonderful it is to have your arms around us, and to feel your love within our hearts.
Amen
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Weekend Bible Verse and Hymn for Saturday 5 February 2011
"Greetings Everyone in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Saturday's Bible Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repeatance.
Wow!!!! What a Loving and Caring God we serve, and who is in total control of everything. The delay of God's judgment is not due to slackness, but to the Lord's long suffering attitude toward us. He is not willing that any should perish, and this text does not teach that God actually decrees that all will be saved. The reference here is that God desires that all be saved. It describes a sovereign God's desire that all people turn away from unprofitable lives. God is justing waiting for you to be saved!!! His delay of judgment, is more evidence of His Love for us.
Open our eyes Lord, We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him, and to say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord, and help us to listen
Open Our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Saturday's Bible Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repeatance.
Wow!!!! What a Loving and Caring God we serve, and who is in total control of everything. The delay of God's judgment is not due to slackness, but to the Lord's long suffering attitude toward us. He is not willing that any should perish, and this text does not teach that God actually decrees that all will be saved. The reference here is that God desires that all be saved. It describes a sovereign God's desire that all people turn away from unprofitable lives. God is justing waiting for you to be saved!!! His delay of judgment, is more evidence of His Love for us.
Open our eyes Lord, We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him, and to say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord, and help us to listen
Open Our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Bible Scripture and Hymn for Friday 4 February 2011
"Greetings Everyone in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Blog Title: "Isaac and Abimelech"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 26:1-35
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 26:7 "And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said she is my sister; for he was afraid to say "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold."
With the completion of Chapter 25 yesterday, we are now half way through the book of Genesis. Now we start the second half of Genesis with Chapter 26, where we now see king Abimelech, the Philistine king once again. We will remember, that Abraham has dealings with him in Chapters 20 and 21. This time his dealings are with Isaac.
Chapter 26 opens with the fact that there was a famine in the land, and Isaac goes to king Abimelech the Philistine king. In verse 2, we now see for the first time, the Lord appearing to Isaac and prohibiting Isaac from going to Egypt, as His father Abraham had done. The Lord tells Isaac, that He would bless him, as the Lord had fulfilled His promise to Abraham, He would now establish His everlasting covenant with Isaac.
We now see that Isaac, like his father tells the men that Rebekah was his sister, because of her beauty, and Isaac was afraid, that they would kill him if he said that she was his wife. Since Rebekah was a close relative, but not his sister, Isaac was more deceitful then was his father Abraham. King Abimelech while looking out his window, sees Isaac showing Rebekah affection. The king then shows a sense of moral outrage. Isaac explains to the king, that he had told them that she was his sister, because he was afraid that he "would die on her account."
King Abimelech, then becomes the protector of Isaac and Rebekah, by telling his people that, "He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death." The Lord was blessing Isaac so much, that he became the envy of his neighbors. Back in Chapter 21:21-34 there was a covenant with Abraham and king Abimelech, concerning the rights to the wells, but now there were acts of sabotage on the wells, by filling them up with dirt.
King Abimelech then tells Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are mightier than we." Here we see that God has blessed Isaac, as He had promised, and that the Philistine king was afraid that Isaac's people were becoming mightier than his people, so he tells Isaac to leave the area. Isaac then digs more wells, and gives them the same names that his father had given them. Issac servants dig two wells, and the herdsman of Gerar said that they both belonged to them, so his servants dig a third well, and this time there was no fighting over it and Isaac named the well, "Rehoboth" (spaciousness).
Isaac then moves out Gerar, as the famine has ended and water becomes more available. He then returns to Beersheba, the land of his youth. In verse 24, God appears to Isaac and tells him, I Am the God of your father Abraham. God was faithful and He promised the son, what He had already promised Abraham. Isaac then followed the practice of his father, he made an altar, and called on the name of the Lord.
We see now that king Abimelech, came to stop the fighting between his people and Isaac's, because he saw that God was blessing Isaac. We see that Phichol, the commander of the army (also mentioned in 21:22) and Ahuzzath an associate of the king, come with the king to witness the agreement. "The Lord is with you", was God's design. He wanted to bless Abraham's family, because Abraham and his family followed Him. Then God's great blessings on His people, would attract others to Him. The covenant formally bound both parties. The covenant here was between two equals.
The meal expressed the new relationship between the two peoples and Isaac sent them away in peace, as they ought to, between two contracting parties. In the closing verses of Chapter 26, Esau marries two Hittite women, who believed in many different gods. His parents wanted him to marry a woman who worshiped the living God, and verse 35 says, "And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah."
Closing Question and Comment: "In times of trouble do you trust God with all aspects of your life?" In this Chapter, we saw for the first time God appearing on record to Isaac. We saw that like his father Abraham, he pretended that Rebekah was his sister, because also like his father he was fearful of his death, if they thought that Rebekah was his wife. King Abimelech tells Isaac to leave the area, since his people were more mightier than his, but then we see him back petal, because he sees God blessing Isaac, and wants to make peace with him. Isn't it wonderful that God always keeps His promises to those who belong to Him. Just like today, as in Isaac's day, if we trust and obey God, He will provide for us, and keep us unto Himself.
In His time, In His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord, please show me everyday, As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say in Your time
In Your time, In Your time, You make all things beautiful in Your time
Lord, my life to You I bring, May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing in Your time.
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "Isaac and Abimelech"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 26:1-35
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 26:7 "And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said she is my sister; for he was afraid to say "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold."
With the completion of Chapter 25 yesterday, we are now half way through the book of Genesis. Now we start the second half of Genesis with Chapter 26, where we now see king Abimelech, the Philistine king once again. We will remember, that Abraham has dealings with him in Chapters 20 and 21. This time his dealings are with Isaac.
Chapter 26 opens with the fact that there was a famine in the land, and Isaac goes to king Abimelech the Philistine king. In verse 2, we now see for the first time, the Lord appearing to Isaac and prohibiting Isaac from going to Egypt, as His father Abraham had done. The Lord tells Isaac, that He would bless him, as the Lord had fulfilled His promise to Abraham, He would now establish His everlasting covenant with Isaac.
We now see that Isaac, like his father tells the men that Rebekah was his sister, because of her beauty, and Isaac was afraid, that they would kill him if he said that she was his wife. Since Rebekah was a close relative, but not his sister, Isaac was more deceitful then was his father Abraham. King Abimelech while looking out his window, sees Isaac showing Rebekah affection. The king then shows a sense of moral outrage. Isaac explains to the king, that he had told them that she was his sister, because he was afraid that he "would die on her account."
King Abimelech, then becomes the protector of Isaac and Rebekah, by telling his people that, "He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death." The Lord was blessing Isaac so much, that he became the envy of his neighbors. Back in Chapter 21:21-34 there was a covenant with Abraham and king Abimelech, concerning the rights to the wells, but now there were acts of sabotage on the wells, by filling them up with dirt.
King Abimelech then tells Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are mightier than we." Here we see that God has blessed Isaac, as He had promised, and that the Philistine king was afraid that Isaac's people were becoming mightier than his people, so he tells Isaac to leave the area. Isaac then digs more wells, and gives them the same names that his father had given them. Issac servants dig two wells, and the herdsman of Gerar said that they both belonged to them, so his servants dig a third well, and this time there was no fighting over it and Isaac named the well, "Rehoboth" (spaciousness).
Isaac then moves out Gerar, as the famine has ended and water becomes more available. He then returns to Beersheba, the land of his youth. In verse 24, God appears to Isaac and tells him, I Am the God of your father Abraham. God was faithful and He promised the son, what He had already promised Abraham. Isaac then followed the practice of his father, he made an altar, and called on the name of the Lord.
We see now that king Abimelech, came to stop the fighting between his people and Isaac's, because he saw that God was blessing Isaac. We see that Phichol, the commander of the army (also mentioned in 21:22) and Ahuzzath an associate of the king, come with the king to witness the agreement. "The Lord is with you", was God's design. He wanted to bless Abraham's family, because Abraham and his family followed Him. Then God's great blessings on His people, would attract others to Him. The covenant formally bound both parties. The covenant here was between two equals.
The meal expressed the new relationship between the two peoples and Isaac sent them away in peace, as they ought to, between two contracting parties. In the closing verses of Chapter 26, Esau marries two Hittite women, who believed in many different gods. His parents wanted him to marry a woman who worshiped the living God, and verse 35 says, "And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah."
Closing Question and Comment: "In times of trouble do you trust God with all aspects of your life?" In this Chapter, we saw for the first time God appearing on record to Isaac. We saw that like his father Abraham, he pretended that Rebekah was his sister, because also like his father he was fearful of his death, if they thought that Rebekah was his wife. King Abimelech tells Isaac to leave the area, since his people were more mightier than his, but then we see him back petal, because he sees God blessing Isaac, and wants to make peace with him. Isn't it wonderful that God always keeps His promises to those who belong to Him. Just like today, as in Isaac's day, if we trust and obey God, He will provide for us, and keep us unto Himself.
In His time, In His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord, please show me everyday, As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say in Your time
In Your time, In Your time, You make all things beautiful in Your time
Lord, my life to You I bring, May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing in Your time.
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Bible Scripture and Hymn for Thursday 3 February 2011
"Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Blog Title: "Jacob and Esau"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:19-34
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 25:23 "And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the other shall serve the younger"
Chapter 25, opens with Abraham taking a new wife. We are told that Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, but he also gave appropriate gifts to the sons of the concubines, and to protect Isaac's inheritance after his death he send them away.
In verse 7, after God had given him a long life as promised, Abraham dies and was buried in the cave of Machpelah along side his wife Sarah. Abraham was 175 years old when he died. James 2:23 says, "Abraham believed God, and it accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God." Wow!!! Isn't it great as a believer, to be called a "Friend of God".
We read that after Abraham's death, that God blessed Isaac, because He had already established His everlasting covenant with him.Verses 12-21 deal with the genealogy of Ishmael and Isaac.
In verse 21, we read that Isaac pleaded (prayed) passionately for his wife Rebekah. Rebekah, was experiencing a period of infertility just like Sarah. We now see that the Lord answers the plea or prayer of Isaac as Rebekah becomes pregnant. . What a joy it is to know, that we can go to the Lord and pray, and He listens to us as we plead to Him.
Rebekah's pregnancy was difficult. It would appear that the two children within her, were battling each other. Rebekah prayed to the Lord and the Lord told her that two nations would come from this birth, and He tells her the older would serve the younger.
Rebekah now gives birth. The first out was red and hairy and was called Esau (which means hairy), the second came out grasping his brothers heel, and was given the name Jacob (He Who Grasps at the Heel). As the boys grew Esau became a skillful hunter, while Jacob was a mild man dwelling in tents. We now see the Isaac and Rebekah illustrates the folly of parental favoritism. Isaac loved Esau because he would eat of Esau's hunting's and Rebekah loved Jacob more because of his mildness.
In verse 29, we see that Jacob was making a stew and Esau came in from the field, and he was really hungry and asked Jacob to feed him with that red stew. Because of his desire for red meat, and his reddish complexion, Esau's name was changed to Edom, meaning "Red". Jacob tells him, that he will give him some stew, if he sells his birthright to him. Remember, Esau as the firstborn, had a birthright to a double portion of everything. He also would inherit from Isaac the privilege of an everlasting covenant with God. Esau decides that what good is a birth right to him, if he dies because of hunger. So Jacob had him swear it, and he did, and this was a formal oath, even though unwitnessed, would have been regarded as binding. So as the Chapter closes, we see that Esau has now has sold his birthright to Jacob, for food and drink.
Closing Question and Comment: "How do you treat your family members?" We have learned today, that Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright, for the immediate pleasure of food. He acted an impulse, satisfying his immediate desires, without pausing to consider the long range consequences, of what he was about to do. We can fall into the same trap. Sometimes when we see something that we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel satisfied and sometimes even powerful, because we have obtained what we set out to get. But immediate pleasure often causes us to lose sight of the future. We can avoid that mistake, by comparing the short-term satisfaction, with its long range consequences, before we act.
Lord, You are more precious than silver,
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You.
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "Jacob and Esau"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:19-34
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 25:23 "And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the other shall serve the younger"
Chapter 25, opens with Abraham taking a new wife. We are told that Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, but he also gave appropriate gifts to the sons of the concubines, and to protect Isaac's inheritance after his death he send them away.
In verse 7, after God had given him a long life as promised, Abraham dies and was buried in the cave of Machpelah along side his wife Sarah. Abraham was 175 years old when he died. James 2:23 says, "Abraham believed God, and it accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God." Wow!!! Isn't it great as a believer, to be called a "Friend of God".
We read that after Abraham's death, that God blessed Isaac, because He had already established His everlasting covenant with him.Verses 12-21 deal with the genealogy of Ishmael and Isaac.
In verse 21, we read that Isaac pleaded (prayed) passionately for his wife Rebekah. Rebekah, was experiencing a period of infertility just like Sarah. We now see that the Lord answers the plea or prayer of Isaac as Rebekah becomes pregnant. . What a joy it is to know, that we can go to the Lord and pray, and He listens to us as we plead to Him.
Rebekah's pregnancy was difficult. It would appear that the two children within her, were battling each other. Rebekah prayed to the Lord and the Lord told her that two nations would come from this birth, and He tells her the older would serve the younger.
Rebekah now gives birth. The first out was red and hairy and was called Esau (which means hairy), the second came out grasping his brothers heel, and was given the name Jacob (He Who Grasps at the Heel). As the boys grew Esau became a skillful hunter, while Jacob was a mild man dwelling in tents. We now see the Isaac and Rebekah illustrates the folly of parental favoritism. Isaac loved Esau because he would eat of Esau's hunting's and Rebekah loved Jacob more because of his mildness.
In verse 29, we see that Jacob was making a stew and Esau came in from the field, and he was really hungry and asked Jacob to feed him with that red stew. Because of his desire for red meat, and his reddish complexion, Esau's name was changed to Edom, meaning "Red". Jacob tells him, that he will give him some stew, if he sells his birthright to him. Remember, Esau as the firstborn, had a birthright to a double portion of everything. He also would inherit from Isaac the privilege of an everlasting covenant with God. Esau decides that what good is a birth right to him, if he dies because of hunger. So Jacob had him swear it, and he did, and this was a formal oath, even though unwitnessed, would have been regarded as binding. So as the Chapter closes, we see that Esau has now has sold his birthright to Jacob, for food and drink.
Closing Question and Comment: "How do you treat your family members?" We have learned today, that Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright, for the immediate pleasure of food. He acted an impulse, satisfying his immediate desires, without pausing to consider the long range consequences, of what he was about to do. We can fall into the same trap. Sometimes when we see something that we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel satisfied and sometimes even powerful, because we have obtained what we set out to get. But immediate pleasure often causes us to lose sight of the future. We can avoid that mistake, by comparing the short-term satisfaction, with its long range consequences, before we act.
Lord, You are more precious than silver,
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You.
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ
Cindi
Bible Scripture and Hymn for Wednesday 2 February 2011
"Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Blog Title: "Isaac and Rebekah"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:28-62
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 24:51 "Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be your master's son wife, as the Lord has spoken."
This is part 2 of of Genesis 24. In part 1, we saw how an unnamed servant of Abraham, (which is believed to be Eliezer mentioned in 15:2), prayed a special prayer to God, to help him to find the wife for Isaac. We saw that as he was praying, God answered his prayer with the arrival of Rebekah at the well, and how she did what the servant prayed for as a sign of who would be the wife for Issac. Now we begin the rest of Chapter 24.
In verse 28, after the servant had given Rebekak the nose ring and bracelets, that she ran back to her family and told them of what has happen. Laben (whom we will read more about later in Chapters 29-31 and his dealings with Jacob) runs out to meet the man at the well. Here at the well, Laban appears to be a gentle servant of God, because he recognizes Abrahan's servant, and treats him with great hospitality.
Laden at the well, takes the servant of Abraham back to Rebekah's family, and there he tells them who he is, and why he was there. He tells them of the prayer that he had made to God concerning finding the woman for Isaac, and how no sooner had he spoken the prayer that Rebekah appeared at the well and did what he had prayed for.
You will note that Bethuel, the father of Rebekah, was not involved much in the proceedings. Laban, her brother was the main focus of these discussions with the servant regarding Rebekah. It would appear that with the words of, "The thing comes from the Lord" in verse 50 that the family of Bethuel and Laben also worshiped the Lord. Both Laban, and his father recognize the work of God, and they respond graciously and immediately by saying, "Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken." Wow!!! What faith and trust to Believe God and his direction for our lives.
We see now that before anything else happens, Abraham's servant worshiped the Lord by bowing down to the earth, and by giving public testimony of God's provisions. Then the servant gave to costly gifts of jewelry first to Rebekah, and then the family.
Up to this point in all this excitement, nothing had been said about Rebekah's desires. Then in verse 58 her family says to her, "Will you go with this man", and she replies, "I will go." Rebekah remains with her family for her few days, so that the family could give her a formal blessing on her upcoming wedded life.
We now see that as the Rebekah and her maids approach, Isaac was in the field mediating, when he saw the caravan of camels in the distance. Rebekah also notices him and asks, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" When the servant told her that it was her master, "she put on a veil and covered herself." In that time, wearing a veil would have been appropriate behavior for a young unmarried woman to do, in the company of a man.
I can imagine the excitement of the servant, as he was telling Isaac all that had happened on his journey regarding Rebekah. In the close of this chapter, we now see that Isaac brings Rebekah to his mothers tent, a public act and become his wife and that he loved her. Isaac's sense of grief with the death of his mother was now replaced by the joy of married life.
Today's Closing Question and Comment: "What unexpected good thing has God done for you lately?" Rebekah had physical beauty, but she also had inner beauty. Appearance is important to us, and we spend time and money improving it. But how much effort do we put into developing our inner beauty? Patience, kindness, and joy are the beauty treatments that helps us become truly lovely on the inside. The story in Genesis 24 is lovely as it stands, a dramatic portrayal of God's kind providence toward us His people. It also shows us, that answers to prayers deepen our awe of God. As we see God work in our lives, we are moved to praise and to worship him.
It is good to praise the Lord, It is good to gaze upon His majesty;
To proclaim His love in the morning, and His faithfulness at night.
Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "Isaac and Rebekah"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:28-62
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 24:51 "Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be your master's son wife, as the Lord has spoken."
This is part 2 of of Genesis 24. In part 1, we saw how an unnamed servant of Abraham, (which is believed to be Eliezer mentioned in 15:2), prayed a special prayer to God, to help him to find the wife for Isaac. We saw that as he was praying, God answered his prayer with the arrival of Rebekah at the well, and how she did what the servant prayed for as a sign of who would be the wife for Issac. Now we begin the rest of Chapter 24.
In verse 28, after the servant had given Rebekak the nose ring and bracelets, that she ran back to her family and told them of what has happen. Laben (whom we will read more about later in Chapters 29-31 and his dealings with Jacob) runs out to meet the man at the well. Here at the well, Laban appears to be a gentle servant of God, because he recognizes Abrahan's servant, and treats him with great hospitality.
Laden at the well, takes the servant of Abraham back to Rebekah's family, and there he tells them who he is, and why he was there. He tells them of the prayer that he had made to God concerning finding the woman for Isaac, and how no sooner had he spoken the prayer that Rebekah appeared at the well and did what he had prayed for.
You will note that Bethuel, the father of Rebekah, was not involved much in the proceedings. Laban, her brother was the main focus of these discussions with the servant regarding Rebekah. It would appear that with the words of, "The thing comes from the Lord" in verse 50 that the family of Bethuel and Laben also worshiped the Lord. Both Laban, and his father recognize the work of God, and they respond graciously and immediately by saying, "Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken." Wow!!! What faith and trust to Believe God and his direction for our lives.
We see now that before anything else happens, Abraham's servant worshiped the Lord by bowing down to the earth, and by giving public testimony of God's provisions. Then the servant gave to costly gifts of jewelry first to Rebekah, and then the family.
Up to this point in all this excitement, nothing had been said about Rebekah's desires. Then in verse 58 her family says to her, "Will you go with this man", and she replies, "I will go." Rebekah remains with her family for her few days, so that the family could give her a formal blessing on her upcoming wedded life.
We now see that as the Rebekah and her maids approach, Isaac was in the field mediating, when he saw the caravan of camels in the distance. Rebekah also notices him and asks, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" When the servant told her that it was her master, "she put on a veil and covered herself." In that time, wearing a veil would have been appropriate behavior for a young unmarried woman to do, in the company of a man.
I can imagine the excitement of the servant, as he was telling Isaac all that had happened on his journey regarding Rebekah. In the close of this chapter, we now see that Isaac brings Rebekah to his mothers tent, a public act and become his wife and that he loved her. Isaac's sense of grief with the death of his mother was now replaced by the joy of married life.
Today's Closing Question and Comment: "What unexpected good thing has God done for you lately?" Rebekah had physical beauty, but she also had inner beauty. Appearance is important to us, and we spend time and money improving it. But how much effort do we put into developing our inner beauty? Patience, kindness, and joy are the beauty treatments that helps us become truly lovely on the inside. The story in Genesis 24 is lovely as it stands, a dramatic portrayal of God's kind providence toward us His people. It also shows us, that answers to prayers deepen our awe of God. As we see God work in our lives, we are moved to praise and to worship him.
It is good to praise the Lord, It is good to gaze upon His majesty;
To proclaim His love in the morning, and His faithfulness at night.
Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go In Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bible Scripture Reading and Hymn for Tuesday 1 February
"Greeting Everyone in the Name Of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Today's Blog Title: "An Unnamed Servant"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:1-27
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 24:2-4: "So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
I have broken down this Chapter into two parts. Part one will be Titled "An Unnamed Servant" and part two will be titled "Issac and Rebekah".
The passages of Genesis 24, tells of how an unnamed servant of Abraham, found a suitable wife for Isaac. This unnamed servant, has drawn much attention. It is believed that the servant was Eliezer, Abraham's chief steward, who was mentioned in Genesis 15:2. If so, he is one of the Scriptures most admirable men. His hope of inheriting Abraham's wealth, (15:2) was dashed by the birth of Issac. Yet we read, that he faithfully carries out the request of his master Abraham, in finding a wife for Isaac.
As this chapter opens, we read that Abraham was advanced in age and that God had blessed him in all things. Abraham calls in his servant, and makes him swear that he would get Issac a wife not from the Canaanites, but from his family. The Old Testament, consistently calls for God's people to marry within the family of faith. Both partners in marriage, must be committed to the Lord, if they are to experience the blessings God intends to bring through marriage, and if each is to be responsive to God's will.
It was import to Abraham that Issac's wife not come from the Canaanites. This was not a racial issue but an issue that the Canaanites worshipped false gods and not the Living and True God.
After making his vow to Abraham, the servant took 10 camels and started on his journey to Mesopotamia. The possession of 10 camels in this time period, was a sign of great wealth. As the servant approached the city, he had the camels kneel outside the city by a well at the evening time, when the women would come to draw water.
We will see that the servant prays three times: the first time to request a sign (verses12-13), the second time to praise God for leading (verses 26-27), and third time to give thanks for the fulfillment of his mission. The first two we will note in today's readings and the latter we will read more of tomorrow. We will note, as we read these passages the change of posture. He will stand to make the request, bows his head to God's leading and bows down to the ground when it is clear God enabled him to complete his mission. Wow!!!!! What Faith.
No sooner had he requested the sign for the woman who would be Issac's bride, that Rebekah shows up at the well. He then asks her for some water to drink, and she not only gives him water to drink, but also waters his camels which was the sign that the servant had prayed to God about. Wow!!! Here we see the Almighty God answering his prayer request as soon as he had finished it. My Friends, God does answer prayer. It may not be right at the moment like it was here, but He will answer it in accordance with His will.
It is recorded that Rebekah was a woman of beauty. It is also noted, that she was a virgin, and that no man had known her, and she was of the family circle of Abraham. After she had watered his camels, he gives her a gold nose ring, and 2 gold bracelets then asks, "whose daughter are you?" The servant then asks her if there was room to loge at her fathers house, and she replied, "We have both, straw and feed and room to lodge".
Abraham's servant was so overwhelmed by God's grace that he worshipped the Lord. Is it no wonder why Abraham had greatly trusted him. In the the close of part 1 of this Chapter we see that Abraham's servant gave God true, public praise in the Lords utterly unswerving loyalty to his master Abraham.
Closing Question and Comment: "How do you approach difficult tasks?" Was it right for Abraham's servant to ask God for a specific sign? The sign that he requested, was only slightly
out of the ordinary. It was the hospitality in that time, that required women at the well to offer water to weary travelers, but not to there animals. He was just asking God to show him a woman with the attitude of service, someone who would go beyond what was expected. The offer to water his camels would indicate that kind of attitude. Please note that the servant did not ask for a woman with looks or wealth. He knew the importance of having the right heart, and he asked God to help him with that task of finding whom God would select as Isaac's wife. To set aside to serve others, is a singular spiritual achievement.
Praise the name of Jesus, Praise the name of Jesus,
He's my Rock, He's my Fortress, He's my Deliverer,
In Him will I trust.
Praise the name of Jesus.
Tomorrow will be part 2 of Genesis 24 "Isaac and Rebekah" Have a God Filled and Spirit Led day. Go in Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "An Unnamed Servant"
Today's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:1-27
Today's Key Verse: Genesis 24:2-4: "So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
I have broken down this Chapter into two parts. Part one will be Titled "An Unnamed Servant" and part two will be titled "Issac and Rebekah".
The passages of Genesis 24, tells of how an unnamed servant of Abraham, found a suitable wife for Isaac. This unnamed servant, has drawn much attention. It is believed that the servant was Eliezer, Abraham's chief steward, who was mentioned in Genesis 15:2. If so, he is one of the Scriptures most admirable men. His hope of inheriting Abraham's wealth, (15:2) was dashed by the birth of Issac. Yet we read, that he faithfully carries out the request of his master Abraham, in finding a wife for Isaac.
As this chapter opens, we read that Abraham was advanced in age and that God had blessed him in all things. Abraham calls in his servant, and makes him swear that he would get Issac a wife not from the Canaanites, but from his family. The Old Testament, consistently calls for God's people to marry within the family of faith. Both partners in marriage, must be committed to the Lord, if they are to experience the blessings God intends to bring through marriage, and if each is to be responsive to God's will.
It was import to Abraham that Issac's wife not come from the Canaanites. This was not a racial issue but an issue that the Canaanites worshipped false gods and not the Living and True God.
After making his vow to Abraham, the servant took 10 camels and started on his journey to Mesopotamia. The possession of 10 camels in this time period, was a sign of great wealth. As the servant approached the city, he had the camels kneel outside the city by a well at the evening time, when the women would come to draw water.
We will see that the servant prays three times: the first time to request a sign (verses12-13), the second time to praise God for leading (verses 26-27), and third time to give thanks for the fulfillment of his mission. The first two we will note in today's readings and the latter we will read more of tomorrow. We will note, as we read these passages the change of posture. He will stand to make the request, bows his head to God's leading and bows down to the ground when it is clear God enabled him to complete his mission. Wow!!!!! What Faith.
No sooner had he requested the sign for the woman who would be Issac's bride, that Rebekah shows up at the well. He then asks her for some water to drink, and she not only gives him water to drink, but also waters his camels which was the sign that the servant had prayed to God about. Wow!!! Here we see the Almighty God answering his prayer request as soon as he had finished it. My Friends, God does answer prayer. It may not be right at the moment like it was here, but He will answer it in accordance with His will.
It is recorded that Rebekah was a woman of beauty. It is also noted, that she was a virgin, and that no man had known her, and she was of the family circle of Abraham. After she had watered his camels, he gives her a gold nose ring, and 2 gold bracelets then asks, "whose daughter are you?" The servant then asks her if there was room to loge at her fathers house, and she replied, "We have both, straw and feed and room to lodge".
Abraham's servant was so overwhelmed by God's grace that he worshipped the Lord. Is it no wonder why Abraham had greatly trusted him. In the the close of part 1 of this Chapter we see that Abraham's servant gave God true, public praise in the Lords utterly unswerving loyalty to his master Abraham.
Closing Question and Comment: "How do you approach difficult tasks?" Was it right for Abraham's servant to ask God for a specific sign? The sign that he requested, was only slightly
out of the ordinary. It was the hospitality in that time, that required women at the well to offer water to weary travelers, but not to there animals. He was just asking God to show him a woman with the attitude of service, someone who would go beyond what was expected. The offer to water his camels would indicate that kind of attitude. Please note that the servant did not ask for a woman with looks or wealth. He knew the importance of having the right heart, and he asked God to help him with that task of finding whom God would select as Isaac's wife. To set aside to serve others, is a singular spiritual achievement.
Praise the name of Jesus, Praise the name of Jesus,
He's my Rock, He's my Fortress, He's my Deliverer,
In Him will I trust.
Praise the name of Jesus.
Tomorrow will be part 2 of Genesis 24 "Isaac and Rebekah" Have a God Filled and Spirit Led day. Go in Peace, Serve the Lord and Love God More Today.
Yours In Christ,
Cindi
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