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God’s message to me: Giving to the Lord is not just an obligation but can also be a celebration.
Promises: God will reveal himself and show us His Great pleasure when we do all He commands.
Commands: Never do something halfway for God. If your doing it for His service be careful to complete every detail. In the New Testament we are told we should always work as if we were working for God. This work ethic, if applied, results in a thoroughness and dedication to our jobs that not only pleases God but brings Him glory by letting Him shine through us. People should see Christians as a cut above the rest and willing to go the extra mile. They should prefer Christians employees because Christians do a better job.
WARNING: I can say from personal experience this leads to being a workaholic. Work should never outrank your service to God and obedience to Him. You still need church. You still need your day of rest.
Working as to God never means ignoring His command.
Timeless principles: The price of sin is quite high.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Tithing is our duty. Some give offerings out of a sense of obligation. Giving out of our abundance and in celebration is pleasing to the Lord as well.
more to learn for in-depth study: “Unclean” is a biblical concept that ranges from simple laws to protect against disease to the need to avoid sin by avoiding those who, unrepentantly wallow in it. The main definition was applied to things which were not Kosher and things which were ritually unclean. Kosher laws were primarily to protect against illness. They made a great deal of sense and still do. By the time God presented the Apostle Peter with non-Kosher foods and told him it was alright to eat them, the practices of farming, food preparation and food preservation had become much more modernized. The Romans invented canning and made great strides in anti-microbial preparations. Ritually unclean things are a matter of Israel’s law. It is wise to take caution with these things but not necessary to avoid them. Some are unavoidable anyway. Someone has to tend to the dead, for example. Someone has to clean up after the livestock too. None of us would think it wise to do either without taking precautions against disease.
Fun Facts: The animal hides(for leather goods)belonged to the priest who offered the sacrifice. The only time leaven was offered with the sacrifices was in a thanksgiving sacrifice which was a celebration. When part of an offering was to be eaten it had to be finished the day of the offering. Leftovers were to be burned up. The one exception was if the sacrifice was voluntary(not part of some defined offering) or part of a vow. In that case it could be eaten on the next day as well but nothing remained for 3 days or it was burned.
Tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 10-12
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Leviticus chapter 4-6
God’s message to me: Covering up the sin of another is sin.
Promises: Unintentional sin can be forgiven if you confess it and ask forgiveness when you learn you did wrong.
Commands: Make atonement for unintentional sin when you learn you have sinned. Be careful not to lead others to sin and, do not help people to cover up their sin.
Timeless principles: Even Unintentional sin is sin and, when that sin becomes known to the sinner he must ask God’s forgiveness for that sin.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Don’t make excuses for unintentional sin. Confess it and ask forgiveness immediately when you realize you have done wrong.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 6 starts with “bunko” and describes various cons that would allow someone to dishonestly gain what wasn’t theirs. Frankly, the victims and most of society just call this theft but the con man often doesn’t see it as theft and looks down on thieves as if they were scum.
Rules for priests: The fire on the alter should be always burning and never be allowed to go out. A handful of each grain offering along with all the frankincense that came with it should be burned and the remainder is to feed the priest and his sons in the tabernacle. The grain offering for the priest must be baked into an unleavened cake and burned on the alter. The sin offering is eaten by the priest and his sons in the tabernacle unless the blood was brought into the tabernacle for atonement in which case it should be completely burned. The pot for boiling meat should be broken afterward and if it is metal it should be thoroughly scoured out and rinsed.
tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 7-9
Promises: Unintentional sin can be forgiven if you confess it and ask forgiveness when you learn you did wrong.
Commands: Make atonement for unintentional sin when you learn you have sinned. Be careful not to lead others to sin and, do not help people to cover up their sin.
Timeless principles: Even Unintentional sin is sin and, when that sin becomes known to the sinner he must ask God’s forgiveness for that sin.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Don’t make excuses for unintentional sin. Confess it and ask forgiveness immediately when you realize you have done wrong.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 6 starts with “bunko” and describes various cons that would allow someone to dishonestly gain what wasn’t theirs. Frankly, the victims and most of society just call this theft but the con man often doesn’t see it as theft and looks down on thieves as if they were scum.
Rules for priests: The fire on the alter should be always burning and never be allowed to go out. A handful of each grain offering along with all the frankincense that came with it should be burned and the remainder is to feed the priest and his sons in the tabernacle. The grain offering for the priest must be baked into an unleavened cake and burned on the alter. The sin offering is eaten by the priest and his sons in the tabernacle unless the blood was brought into the tabernacle for atonement in which case it should be completely burned. The pot for boiling meat should be broken afterward and if it is metal it should be thoroughly scoured out and rinsed.
tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 7-9
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Exodus chapter 40-Leviticus chapter 3
This will be one of the last times that we can simply move from one book to the next without skipping a beat. It's one of those rarities where the next book in line carries over directly from the last book. Studying the books where we can't do this will involve a short study the day the book ends and slightly longer studies for the next few days until we catch up. Rather than making things difficult I move from around 5 pages a day to around 6 pages a day until we catch up.
God’s message to me: God expects my best.
Promises: God appreciates the gifts, tithes and offerings I bring to him.
Commands: Do not eat fat, do not eat blood. Low fat diets are a lovely discovery for modern medicine but God knew the benefits and ordered such a diet thousands of years ago.
Timeless principles: An offering to God should not be out of what’s leftover but given from the best you have and the first fruits.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: First fruits, in terms of money, would be first dollar offerings. This is pre-tax. Tithing should be based on the Gross pay before any money is taken out for taxes, insurance or anything else. If I Earn a $574 paycheck the tithe is not $57.40 I need to look at what I earned before they took out taxes, retirement, insurance and other withholdings and tithe on that amount. In this example it might be more like $1000 gross so that my tithe on that $574 paycheck is actually $100.
more to learn for in-depth study: The tabernacle was a dwelling place for the Lord. As long as the cloud rested on it the Israelites camped and they moved on when it lifted. Moses, their leader and a man God called His friend, could not enter the tabernacle when the cloud was on it. The tabernacle was a holy place meant to be the dwelling of God and tended only by the priests.
The preparation of sacrifices is here and you, once again, see that some of those offerings were meant for maintaining the priest and his family. When grain offerings were brought they were prepared as food, a handful burned to God and the rest given to the priests for food. these offerings, which were made, partly, to feed the priests, were considered most holy. First fruit offerings were not burnt and Grain offerings made as bread were made properly but nit raised since leaven(yeast) was not permitted. All grain offerings included salt. Properly seasoned food was what God called for. This wasn’t junk it was made the same for offerings as it was for the table.
Frankincense was a part of the grain offerings but it was all burned while a portion of the grain offering was burned. Frankincense smells wonderful when burned but, I’m not sure I would want to eat it. Sacrifices, other than sin sacrifices, were partly a burnt sacrifice and partly food. Depending on the type of sacrifice the food portion might be boiled or it might be roasted.
(Fun?) fact?: Some folks don’t realize, probably because they never actually read Dracula, That the vampire practice of eating blood comes from the biblical commands. In Bram Stokers book, Count Dracul begins drinking blood in defiance of God. The blood lust of the real Prince Vlad Dracul was also, in part, a defiance of God because of his feud with the church. Local churches of the time tended to be ruled by politics and they chose to take sides with the invaders rather than Dracul’s army, which was fighting to maintain their independence.
Tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 4-6
God’s message to me: God expects my best.
Promises: God appreciates the gifts, tithes and offerings I bring to him.
Commands: Do not eat fat, do not eat blood. Low fat diets are a lovely discovery for modern medicine but God knew the benefits and ordered such a diet thousands of years ago.
Timeless principles: An offering to God should not be out of what’s leftover but given from the best you have and the first fruits.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: First fruits, in terms of money, would be first dollar offerings. This is pre-tax. Tithing should be based on the Gross pay before any money is taken out for taxes, insurance or anything else. If I Earn a $574 paycheck the tithe is not $57.40 I need to look at what I earned before they took out taxes, retirement, insurance and other withholdings and tithe on that amount. In this example it might be more like $1000 gross so that my tithe on that $574 paycheck is actually $100.
more to learn for in-depth study: The tabernacle was a dwelling place for the Lord. As long as the cloud rested on it the Israelites camped and they moved on when it lifted. Moses, their leader and a man God called His friend, could not enter the tabernacle when the cloud was on it. The tabernacle was a holy place meant to be the dwelling of God and tended only by the priests.
The preparation of sacrifices is here and you, once again, see that some of those offerings were meant for maintaining the priest and his family. When grain offerings were brought they were prepared as food, a handful burned to God and the rest given to the priests for food. these offerings, which were made, partly, to feed the priests, were considered most holy. First fruit offerings were not burnt and Grain offerings made as bread were made properly but nit raised since leaven(yeast) was not permitted. All grain offerings included salt. Properly seasoned food was what God called for. This wasn’t junk it was made the same for offerings as it was for the table.
Frankincense was a part of the grain offerings but it was all burned while a portion of the grain offering was burned. Frankincense smells wonderful when burned but, I’m not sure I would want to eat it. Sacrifices, other than sin sacrifices, were partly a burnt sacrifice and partly food. Depending on the type of sacrifice the food portion might be boiled or it might be roasted.
(Fun?) fact?: Some folks don’t realize, probably because they never actually read Dracula, That the vampire practice of eating blood comes from the biblical commands. In Bram Stokers book, Count Dracul begins drinking blood in defiance of God. The blood lust of the real Prince Vlad Dracul was also, in part, a defiance of God because of his feud with the church. Local churches of the time tended to be ruled by politics and they chose to take sides with the invaders rather than Dracul’s army, which was fighting to maintain their independence.
Tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 4-6
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Exodus chapters 37-39
God’s message to me: God has a perfect and precise plan for everything. Following that plan brings blessing.
Promises: Difficult to find one here other than God’s plan is perfect so stick with it.
Commands: When God gives you specific instructions it is best to follow them exactly.
Timeless principles: Again this is difficult. We are seeing people fulfill God’s design to the letter. God’s plan is perfect
How can I apply what I’ve learned: God is the master and creator of the universe. His plan and will are perfect. Following that plan to the letter will keep you from going wrong.
more to learn for in-depth study: The gemstones in the bible are often a source of confusion because, either the name used is uncommon or people are unfamiliar with the gems. For clarification I am adding the information on the Gems used in these passages.
Sardius sometimes translated as ruby this is a deep red stone sometimes with deep purple mixed in
Topaz Greenish-yellow The gem can be found in many colors but is basically yellow in pure form with flashes of green from it’s facets.
Emerald Green(think Wizard of Oz) This crystal is fragile and pale in it’s natural formwith better color found in purer stones.
Turquoise this blue green stone is a favorite in native American Jewelry from the southwest US.
Sapphire Blue these deep blue stones are beautiful when polished or faceted.
Diamond (are forever) Pure diamonds are clear and flash brilliantly from every facet.
Jacinth sometimes translated as Amber Jacinth is a reddish to orange stone. Amber is the petrified tree sap that you see mentioned in Jurassic Park. Amber is also valued as a gem and is orange to yellow.
Agate tends to have bands of many colors. I have seen it used beautifully in belt buckles and Bolo ties. as well as broaches.
Amethyst a gorgeous purple crystal
Beryl tends to be yellow with hints of Green within
Onyx is typically seen as black with banded colors being common
Jasper is reddish with some yellow and rather opaque. It reminds me of a reddish version of Turquoise.
Chalcedony is a milky crystal leaning towards pale purple in color also found in other colors due to impurities it maintains that milky quality.
Sardonyx alternate red and orange layers
Chrysolite is a fabulous pale green. I know pale green is normally seen as sickly but, do a yahoo image search on the name and you will see what I mean by fabulous.
Chrysoprase a creamy green similar in looks to jade.
We will be entering a difficult phase of our study as we dig into the law. Leviticus is the source of the name Levitical law and is also known as the law of Moses because Moses brought these laws down from the mountain to the children of Israel carved into stone tablets. The book recounts the laws mentioned in Exodus and goes into much more detail on a lot more laws. It is critical to understand that these laws still stand, inasmuch as, God abhors the activities He outlawed in these passages. While many churches prefer to avoid this book and concentrate on stories as the basis of our views, Leviticus gives the authority for Christian teaching against bestiality, witchcraft, homosexuality and many other things which people want to debate endlessly from a philosophical or political view. Philosophy is the refuge for that which is unclear and God is extremely clear in spelling out his view of what is sin. Your next assignment is:
Exodus chapter 40-Leviticus chapter 3
Promises: Difficult to find one here other than God’s plan is perfect so stick with it.
Commands: When God gives you specific instructions it is best to follow them exactly.
Timeless principles: Again this is difficult. We are seeing people fulfill God’s design to the letter. God’s plan is perfect
How can I apply what I’ve learned: God is the master and creator of the universe. His plan and will are perfect. Following that plan to the letter will keep you from going wrong.
more to learn for in-depth study: The gemstones in the bible are often a source of confusion because, either the name used is uncommon or people are unfamiliar with the gems. For clarification I am adding the information on the Gems used in these passages.
Sardius sometimes translated as ruby this is a deep red stone sometimes with deep purple mixed in
Topaz Greenish-yellow The gem can be found in many colors but is basically yellow in pure form with flashes of green from it’s facets.
Emerald Green(think Wizard of Oz) This crystal is fragile and pale in it’s natural formwith better color found in purer stones.
Turquoise this blue green stone is a favorite in native American Jewelry from the southwest US.
Sapphire Blue these deep blue stones are beautiful when polished or faceted.
Diamond (are forever) Pure diamonds are clear and flash brilliantly from every facet.
Jacinth sometimes translated as Amber Jacinth is a reddish to orange stone. Amber is the petrified tree sap that you see mentioned in Jurassic Park. Amber is also valued as a gem and is orange to yellow.
Agate tends to have bands of many colors. I have seen it used beautifully in belt buckles and Bolo ties. as well as broaches.
Amethyst a gorgeous purple crystal
Beryl tends to be yellow with hints of Green within
Onyx is typically seen as black with banded colors being common
Jasper is reddish with some yellow and rather opaque. It reminds me of a reddish version of Turquoise.
Chalcedony is a milky crystal leaning towards pale purple in color also found in other colors due to impurities it maintains that milky quality.
Sardonyx alternate red and orange layers
Chrysolite is a fabulous pale green. I know pale green is normally seen as sickly but, do a yahoo image search on the name and you will see what I mean by fabulous.
Chrysoprase a creamy green similar in looks to jade.
We will be entering a difficult phase of our study as we dig into the law. Leviticus is the source of the name Levitical law and is also known as the law of Moses because Moses brought these laws down from the mountain to the children of Israel carved into stone tablets. The book recounts the laws mentioned in Exodus and goes into much more detail on a lot more laws. It is critical to understand that these laws still stand, inasmuch as, God abhors the activities He outlawed in these passages. While many churches prefer to avoid this book and concentrate on stories as the basis of our views, Leviticus gives the authority for Christian teaching against bestiality, witchcraft, homosexuality and many other things which people want to debate endlessly from a philosophical or political view. Philosophy is the refuge for that which is unclear and God is extremely clear in spelling out his view of what is sin. Your next assignment is:
Exodus chapter 40-Leviticus chapter 3
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Exodus chapters 34-36
The theme of these last few lessons has focused on the commandments. Have you kept the 10 commandments? How many have you broken? Are you good enough? Take the good test and find out
God’s message to me: 34:23-34 God is our protection and we have no need to worry about our protection when we serve Him. When the people of Israel celebrated Holy Days the Levites took up arms and replaced them as guard. In modern times, most of the invasions of Israel came on Holy days when most of the Israeli army was at home on leave. In every case they have found themselves out maneuvered, out gunned and out classed and caught so completely off guard that they often had half the country taken over before they could effectively recall the soldiers to service. In every single case, within days, they have retaken all lost ground and taken over large portions of the attacking country’s territory. Militarily this is impossible and the nation of Israel should have ceased to exist long ago. With God nothing is Impossible and He makes certain His people are safe, even when they are to busy worshiping to be battle ready. God uses those times to bring glory to Himself.
I have asked non believers to explain this and they can’t . I have asked Muslims to show me an example of their people winning and they can’t. I have been asked by Muslims what I will say when their people rush Israel into the sea and I point out the facts I have just shown then ask them to accept God before He destroys them for attacking His people.
Promises: God is willing and able to forgive you if you ask. Most of the Israelites were forgiven for their actions regarding the golden calf. Aaron made the calf, led the worship and then lied about how it was made and was not only forgiven but made High Priest.
Commands: Obey God. Ask forgiveness for you sins. Rely on God.
Timeless principles: God Knows what you are to do long before you do. When He laid out the design of the temple He didn’t ask for just any willing artisans. He called for the men who were best for the job by name. Ministry isn’t left for just anyone willing to try his hand. It is what God has made you for and called you to. A willing heart is necessary but so is the calling and the gifting.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Ask God for forgiveness of those things I have done, don’t repeat the sins, and trust God to bring me through the tough times.
more to learn for in-depth study: 334:27 god says “write these words” I keep telling you this is a written record.
Exodus 34:6b-7 “The Lord God , merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.”
God is filled with mercy, grace, patience, goodness, and truth. God forgives sin whether it is a mistake or intended evil, when asked for forgiveness.
Contrary to popular belief God is a just God. The guilty are not forgiven without asking for forgiveness and accepting Him. Reject God and the result of your sin is on your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Of course they can get right with God and escape the generational curse.
This is one of those passages that explains the reason for hell to those who “never heard the Gospel.” Visiting iniquity to the 3rd and 4th generation means around 100 years realistically. The idea being, that those who had the message and rejected it would have a difficult time not knowing the message for a long time. Atheists and agnostics can’t claim to not know the message. They simply reject it. Communists fall into this area. Communism suppresses religion to make the state the ultimate power but, both the party officials and the little guy on the street still know the message of God decades after the bible has been banned.
I have heard a number of “philosophies” from native tribesman in parts of the world that had no contact with “Christendom” for hundreds of years. While many are pagan, polytheist ramblings you find world wide there is always at lest one that is the gospel, at least from the Old Testament view. They may not have the message of Christ as risen savior but they have the message He taught from the Old Testament including not only the law but the faith in Messiah yet to come. Unlike those who seek Messiah and reject Christ these people never knew of Christ and converted quickly when they learned of Him. History classes don’t pay much attention to these peoples but they can be found in books and historical documentaries.
Keep in mind we all started in Northern Iraq(Kurdistan)at the foot of Mt Ararat. We all came from the children of Noah. We spread across the earth from there slowly and migrated to the various lands. History is filled with contacts between cultures who knew the events of the New Testament and those who didn’t. Vikings visited the America’s hundreds of years before Columbus. India and China were invaded by Romans. China traded and warred with Japan and the outlying nations like Korea and Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and many others were settled by people from mainland areas and continued to trade and make contact by sea with others.
Before I forget, AGAIN, tomorrow we will cover Exodus chapters 37-39.
God’s message to me: 34:23-34 God is our protection and we have no need to worry about our protection when we serve Him. When the people of Israel celebrated Holy Days the Levites took up arms and replaced them as guard. In modern times, most of the invasions of Israel came on Holy days when most of the Israeli army was at home on leave. In every case they have found themselves out maneuvered, out gunned and out classed and caught so completely off guard that they often had half the country taken over before they could effectively recall the soldiers to service. In every single case, within days, they have retaken all lost ground and taken over large portions of the attacking country’s territory. Militarily this is impossible and the nation of Israel should have ceased to exist long ago. With God nothing is Impossible and He makes certain His people are safe, even when they are to busy worshiping to be battle ready. God uses those times to bring glory to Himself.
I have asked non believers to explain this and they can’t . I have asked Muslims to show me an example of their people winning and they can’t. I have been asked by Muslims what I will say when their people rush Israel into the sea and I point out the facts I have just shown then ask them to accept God before He destroys them for attacking His people.
Promises: God is willing and able to forgive you if you ask. Most of the Israelites were forgiven for their actions regarding the golden calf. Aaron made the calf, led the worship and then lied about how it was made and was not only forgiven but made High Priest.
Commands: Obey God. Ask forgiveness for you sins. Rely on God.
Timeless principles: God Knows what you are to do long before you do. When He laid out the design of the temple He didn’t ask for just any willing artisans. He called for the men who were best for the job by name. Ministry isn’t left for just anyone willing to try his hand. It is what God has made you for and called you to. A willing heart is necessary but so is the calling and the gifting.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Ask God for forgiveness of those things I have done, don’t repeat the sins, and trust God to bring me through the tough times.
more to learn for in-depth study: 334:27 god says “write these words” I keep telling you this is a written record.
Exodus 34:6b-7 “The Lord God , merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.”
God is filled with mercy, grace, patience, goodness, and truth. God forgives sin whether it is a mistake or intended evil, when asked for forgiveness.
Contrary to popular belief God is a just God. The guilty are not forgiven without asking for forgiveness and accepting Him. Reject God and the result of your sin is on your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Of course they can get right with God and escape the generational curse.
This is one of those passages that explains the reason for hell to those who “never heard the Gospel.” Visiting iniquity to the 3rd and 4th generation means around 100 years realistically. The idea being, that those who had the message and rejected it would have a difficult time not knowing the message for a long time. Atheists and agnostics can’t claim to not know the message. They simply reject it. Communists fall into this area. Communism suppresses religion to make the state the ultimate power but, both the party officials and the little guy on the street still know the message of God decades after the bible has been banned.
I have heard a number of “philosophies” from native tribesman in parts of the world that had no contact with “Christendom” for hundreds of years. While many are pagan, polytheist ramblings you find world wide there is always at lest one that is the gospel, at least from the Old Testament view. They may not have the message of Christ as risen savior but they have the message He taught from the Old Testament including not only the law but the faith in Messiah yet to come. Unlike those who seek Messiah and reject Christ these people never knew of Christ and converted quickly when they learned of Him. History classes don’t pay much attention to these peoples but they can be found in books and historical documentaries.
Keep in mind we all started in Northern Iraq(Kurdistan)at the foot of Mt Ararat. We all came from the children of Noah. We spread across the earth from there slowly and migrated to the various lands. History is filled with contacts between cultures who knew the events of the New Testament and those who didn’t. Vikings visited the America’s hundreds of years before Columbus. India and China were invaded by Romans. China traded and warred with Japan and the outlying nations like Korea and Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and many others were settled by people from mainland areas and continued to trade and make contact by sea with others.
Before I forget, AGAIN, tomorrow we will cover Exodus chapters 37-39.
Monday, January 26, 2009
the other resolution.
It was my birthday this week. I avoided cake but was given Cheese Danish for my birthday. It's a weakness of mine. I also am having trouble with the water, primarily because tap water in my house is inconsistent. Fine one day and nasty tasting the next. Bottled water costs so... I am weighing in at 240 pounds. I have about 40 more pounds to lose to reach my goal. Barring complications I average at least 2.5 pounds a week so I have 16 week to my goal and should reach 200 pounds by May 18 which is plenty of time to look good for summer. How are your goals coming?
Exodus chapters 31-33
Somehow, I managed to lose the application portion of the study notes in my last several posts. It has returned in this one and should remain. For clarity and spelling I write these studies on a word processor then paste them to the website. The format for the study is in the word processor and I forgot the “apply what I’ve learned” portion before. Now it’s there so it should remain.
God’s message to me: God is always with me. I need only picture Him resting in the pillar of fire and smoke somewhere nearby to understand that He is always looking over me. This should be my comfort because He is there to protect me. It should be my fear because He will not fail to notice when I sin.
Promises: God does not forget His promises. The children of Israel did an incredibly stupid thing just a few dozen feet from where they could see God was sitting. Despite the fact that they deserved death God spared them to fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In truth, God didn’t need Moses to remind Him of that promise but, the principle of prayer is set here. God does know our need and His own promises but that doesn’t mean we have no need to pray for them to be fulfilled. It maintains a rapport with God.
Commands: Keep the Sabbath. The first chapter of this study is completely about the Sabbath. In fact the Sabbath keeps coming up. God created the world in 6 days and on the seventh day he rested. He made that day a Holy day of rest. He maintained his creation, He designed the livestock so that farmers would still have to milk the cows and collect the eggs, but the serious work, planting fields, building shelters etc. , this work He commanded should cease on the Sabbath that the day be a day of rest.
Timeless principles: 2 points. 1) A day of rest is vital to the body for the purpose of stress relief. By giving ourselves a time to decompress we extend our lifespan. 2) There are 7 days in a week. Each day is 24 hours. That gives us 168 hours in a week. We sleep 7-8 hours a day that leaves 16-17 hours available to work. Giving up that 16-17 hours is giving a tithe of the hours in the week to God.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: FIRST, keep the Sabbath. Second act as if God is nest to me all the time, because He is.
more to learn for in-depth study: SABBATH=Saturday or Sunday? The Sabbath is the last day of the week. The Jewish week begins and ends the same as everyone else’s so the Sabbath is Saturday. The Jewish day begins at Twilight and ends at the next Twilight so the Sabbath begins around 6pm Friday and ends about 6pm Saturday. The Apostles and disciples of Christ began to change the day of worship to Sunday in memory of the resurrection. Matthew 28 “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week... And the angel answered and said unto the women ’Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. he is not here: for He is risen, as He said...”
Some would argue that it is improper to worship on Sunday when the Sabbath is Saturday. For those who cannot reconcile the idea I would argue that it makes a good case for the two day weekend. Resting on the Sabbath and worshiping on the first day, or on both days. Shouldn’t worship be an everyday habit? Remember that the key is God set an example from the beginning of the world. Showing that a day of rest is necessary and commanding us to take one as well. Consider that the priests of Israel and pastors of our churches work on Saturday or Sunday, depending on our religion. The Levites replaced the city guard and military units on the Sabbath so that they could take a day of rest. For these ministers of God, the day of rest had to come at another time so that they could do God’s work on His Holy day.
How Stupid Can People Get: The children of Israel watched as the Lord sent plagues against Egypt. They Were led by God in the form of a pillar of fire and smoke. They watched as He drowned the Egyptian army in the sea. They followed Him, in the form of the pillar, to the mountain where He gave Moses the law. God rested on the mountain so that the mountain appeared to be engulfed in fire and smoke. He spoke to the nation from the mountain so that the entire nation was made afraid and begged Moses to speak with Him and relay the message because they were afraid to hear God. Moses went into the smoke to receive the message of God and while the Fire and Smoke that marked God’s position rested on the mountain and the Light of God’s glory shone within that fire and smoke the Children of Israel decided to make an Idol.
God is with us everywhere and all the time. Nothing we do is hidden from Him, ever. This particular case was especially ridiculous. The Israelites knew God was there. They had heard Him speak and the entire mountain shook at the sound of His voice. They had seen the wonders and miracles. They watched as the Pillar became a smoky cloud for shade in the day and returned to being fire for light and warmth at night. This happened every single day. There was not a reason in the world that they would think anything other than that God was on that mountain looking over them.
Standing at the feet of God(for all intents and purposes), they demanded that Aaron take over(because Moses was gone), that he make them an idol to worship, and that he lead them in worshiping the idol. Then they not only worshiped and had a feast for and sacrificed to a false god and idol but, in the obvious presence of the Almighty God that had delivered them from so much they gave the idol credit for their salvation. No wonder God wanted to kill them all. He settled for having the Levites kill about 3000 of them.
The first copy of the law was written on stone tablets by the hand of God and, having encouraged God not to destroy the Israelites in anger, Moses threw a fit and broke the tablets. The second set of tablets were carved by Moses. In both cases it was a WRITTEN RECORD. Just a reminder that we are not dealing with things that were written hundreds of years after they happened.l.,,,,,,,,
God’s message to me: God is always with me. I need only picture Him resting in the pillar of fire and smoke somewhere nearby to understand that He is always looking over me. This should be my comfort because He is there to protect me. It should be my fear because He will not fail to notice when I sin.
Promises: God does not forget His promises. The children of Israel did an incredibly stupid thing just a few dozen feet from where they could see God was sitting. Despite the fact that they deserved death God spared them to fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In truth, God didn’t need Moses to remind Him of that promise but, the principle of prayer is set here. God does know our need and His own promises but that doesn’t mean we have no need to pray for them to be fulfilled. It maintains a rapport with God.
Commands: Keep the Sabbath. The first chapter of this study is completely about the Sabbath. In fact the Sabbath keeps coming up. God created the world in 6 days and on the seventh day he rested. He made that day a Holy day of rest. He maintained his creation, He designed the livestock so that farmers would still have to milk the cows and collect the eggs, but the serious work, planting fields, building shelters etc. , this work He commanded should cease on the Sabbath that the day be a day of rest.
Timeless principles: 2 points. 1) A day of rest is vital to the body for the purpose of stress relief. By giving ourselves a time to decompress we extend our lifespan. 2) There are 7 days in a week. Each day is 24 hours. That gives us 168 hours in a week. We sleep 7-8 hours a day that leaves 16-17 hours available to work. Giving up that 16-17 hours is giving a tithe of the hours in the week to God.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: FIRST, keep the Sabbath. Second act as if God is nest to me all the time, because He is.
more to learn for in-depth study: SABBATH=Saturday or Sunday? The Sabbath is the last day of the week. The Jewish week begins and ends the same as everyone else’s so the Sabbath is Saturday. The Jewish day begins at Twilight and ends at the next Twilight so the Sabbath begins around 6pm Friday and ends about 6pm Saturday. The Apostles and disciples of Christ began to change the day of worship to Sunday in memory of the resurrection. Matthew 28 “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week... And the angel answered and said unto the women ’Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. he is not here: for He is risen, as He said...”
Some would argue that it is improper to worship on Sunday when the Sabbath is Saturday. For those who cannot reconcile the idea I would argue that it makes a good case for the two day weekend. Resting on the Sabbath and worshiping on the first day, or on both days. Shouldn’t worship be an everyday habit? Remember that the key is God set an example from the beginning of the world. Showing that a day of rest is necessary and commanding us to take one as well. Consider that the priests of Israel and pastors of our churches work on Saturday or Sunday, depending on our religion. The Levites replaced the city guard and military units on the Sabbath so that they could take a day of rest. For these ministers of God, the day of rest had to come at another time so that they could do God’s work on His Holy day.
How Stupid Can People Get: The children of Israel watched as the Lord sent plagues against Egypt. They Were led by God in the form of a pillar of fire and smoke. They watched as He drowned the Egyptian army in the sea. They followed Him, in the form of the pillar, to the mountain where He gave Moses the law. God rested on the mountain so that the mountain appeared to be engulfed in fire and smoke. He spoke to the nation from the mountain so that the entire nation was made afraid and begged Moses to speak with Him and relay the message because they were afraid to hear God. Moses went into the smoke to receive the message of God and while the Fire and Smoke that marked God’s position rested on the mountain and the Light of God’s glory shone within that fire and smoke the Children of Israel decided to make an Idol.
God is with us everywhere and all the time. Nothing we do is hidden from Him, ever. This particular case was especially ridiculous. The Israelites knew God was there. They had heard Him speak and the entire mountain shook at the sound of His voice. They had seen the wonders and miracles. They watched as the Pillar became a smoky cloud for shade in the day and returned to being fire for light and warmth at night. This happened every single day. There was not a reason in the world that they would think anything other than that God was on that mountain looking over them.
Standing at the feet of God(for all intents and purposes), they demanded that Aaron take over(because Moses was gone), that he make them an idol to worship, and that he lead them in worshiping the idol. Then they not only worshiped and had a feast for and sacrificed to a false god and idol but, in the obvious presence of the Almighty God that had delivered them from so much they gave the idol credit for their salvation. No wonder God wanted to kill them all. He settled for having the Levites kill about 3000 of them.
The first copy of the law was written on stone tablets by the hand of God and, having encouraged God not to destroy the Israelites in anger, Moses threw a fit and broke the tablets. The second set of tablets were carved by Moses. In both cases it was a WRITTEN RECORD. Just a reminder that we are not dealing with things that were written hundreds of years after they happened.l.,,,,,,,,
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Exodus chapters 29-30
Sanctify the priests
God’s message to me: God is righteous, holy and just. He cannot abide in the presence of sin. Everything placed before him in the temple had to be consecrated to Him. Cleansed and atoned for then anointed to His service.
Promises: No sin is too great for God to forgive. He has prepared an atonement for our sin and a path to sanctify us to His service.
Commands: That which is meant for God is meant for Him alone. It is not intended for general use by anyone else. Using those things meant for His service and glory in a manner that does not serve and glorify Him is wrong.
Timeless principles: There is an idea I come across pretty regularly. People think that their tithes and offerings can be delayed when they need to use them elsewhere. The idea is that they can always pay it back later. These passages make it clear that these things are meant for God and putting them to other use is wrong. It is difficult to live up to this when the bills are due and the gas prices skyrocket and the kids need new things for school but, Serving God first and foremost will allow God to help you through all the rest.
more to learn for in-depth study: It’s difficult, for us, to understand all the sacrifices and atonement rituals of the Old Testament. God provided rules of atonement and blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of those people. When Christ died on the cross he became the ultimate sacrifice. A sinless man was executed in brutal fashion to make up for all our sins, past, present and future. Because of Jesus Christ, we no longer need all these rituals and devices.
There are some basic principles that still exist today. The Tithes and Offerings we bring to God at our churches are to be used for the maintenance of our church and to provide for our ministers. In later portions of the Old Testament we will see that the temple is neglected as the priests tend their fields and businesses to provide for their families and them selves. This was a result of the failure of the people to bring their offerings to God and thereby support their ministers.
It is true that some churches are small and don’t have the budget to provide for the ministers needs. In this case it is incumbent upon believers, not only to find more ways to support their ministers but, also, to grow the church so that it can better support them. God didn’t call them to a life of poverty and the constant need to find other ways of supporting themselves. He called them to serve Him, teach His word, Lead His people and build His church. God calls the church body to provide for the needs of it’s ministers so that they can concentrate on their jobs.
Your pastors teach the word, manage the church and it’s finances, pray with and tend to the sick, perform your weddings and funerals, lead the prayer ministries, oversee the efforts of the other teachers and workers in the church, and continually go to God in prayer and study to better serve you by serving Him. Is it to much to ask that they have a nice home for their family, good clothes to wear when they are representing God and your church family, Food on their table and provision for the ministries they oversee?
Does your church provide food or supplies to the needy? Does it have outside ministries in the hospitals and prisons? Do they provide Sunday school and other teaching programs? Do they have fellowship meals and socials for the fellowship of the saints? How do you expect these common ministries to be fulfilled if your pastor has to do all that and hold down a full time job to feed his family? How can the church prosper if the pastor is working 40 hours a week to provide for his family and another 40 to keep up the church? When is your minister supposed to spend time with his children?
The most important message here is that we are to support the church and the ministers so that the body of believers can be properly served.
God’s message to me: God is righteous, holy and just. He cannot abide in the presence of sin. Everything placed before him in the temple had to be consecrated to Him. Cleansed and atoned for then anointed to His service.
Promises: No sin is too great for God to forgive. He has prepared an atonement for our sin and a path to sanctify us to His service.
Commands: That which is meant for God is meant for Him alone. It is not intended for general use by anyone else. Using those things meant for His service and glory in a manner that does not serve and glorify Him is wrong.
Timeless principles: There is an idea I come across pretty regularly. People think that their tithes and offerings can be delayed when they need to use them elsewhere. The idea is that they can always pay it back later. These passages make it clear that these things are meant for God and putting them to other use is wrong. It is difficult to live up to this when the bills are due and the gas prices skyrocket and the kids need new things for school but, Serving God first and foremost will allow God to help you through all the rest.
more to learn for in-depth study: It’s difficult, for us, to understand all the sacrifices and atonement rituals of the Old Testament. God provided rules of atonement and blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of those people. When Christ died on the cross he became the ultimate sacrifice. A sinless man was executed in brutal fashion to make up for all our sins, past, present and future. Because of Jesus Christ, we no longer need all these rituals and devices.
There are some basic principles that still exist today. The Tithes and Offerings we bring to God at our churches are to be used for the maintenance of our church and to provide for our ministers. In later portions of the Old Testament we will see that the temple is neglected as the priests tend their fields and businesses to provide for their families and them selves. This was a result of the failure of the people to bring their offerings to God and thereby support their ministers.
It is true that some churches are small and don’t have the budget to provide for the ministers needs. In this case it is incumbent upon believers, not only to find more ways to support their ministers but, also, to grow the church so that it can better support them. God didn’t call them to a life of poverty and the constant need to find other ways of supporting themselves. He called them to serve Him, teach His word, Lead His people and build His church. God calls the church body to provide for the needs of it’s ministers so that they can concentrate on their jobs.
Your pastors teach the word, manage the church and it’s finances, pray with and tend to the sick, perform your weddings and funerals, lead the prayer ministries, oversee the efforts of the other teachers and workers in the church, and continually go to God in prayer and study to better serve you by serving Him. Is it to much to ask that they have a nice home for their family, good clothes to wear when they are representing God and your church family, Food on their table and provision for the ministries they oversee?
Does your church provide food or supplies to the needy? Does it have outside ministries in the hospitals and prisons? Do they provide Sunday school and other teaching programs? Do they have fellowship meals and socials for the fellowship of the saints? How do you expect these common ministries to be fulfilled if your pastor has to do all that and hold down a full time job to feed his family? How can the church prosper if the pastor is working 40 hours a week to provide for his family and another 40 to keep up the church? When is your minister supposed to spend time with his children?
The most important message here is that we are to support the church and the ministers so that the body of believers can be properly served.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Exodus chapters 25-28
The temple This first temple was completely mobile and designed to be put up wherever His people camped and taken down for transport when they moved.
God’s message to me: Give with a willing heart.
Commands: Give with a willing heart.
Promises: God doesn’t ask for anything He didn’t give you. The Israelites left Egypt with piles of precious metal, precious stones, valuable fabrics and skins, and clothing. God requested some of it be donated to build a temple for him so that he would have a dwelling place among them.
Timeless principles: God asks that our offerings be given with a willing heart and not out of obligation. No one was forced to give the gifts that were used to make the temple. Moses was told to request the supplies from those who were willing.
more to learn for in-depth study: The temple is an in-depth study of it’s own and holds detail that I lack room to go into. I recommend anyone who wants to learn more should check the library and the internet for more info. SEEING CHRIST IN THE TABERNACLE by Ervin N. Hershberger is a 100 page book you can probably find at the bible bookstore which studies the construction and the items in the temple to explain how they apply in prophecies of the Messiah.
Fun Facts: The ark of the covenant was 45inches long 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. That’s 3ft 9in by 2 ft 3 in by 2ft 3in. It was made from acacia wood( a thorny shrub found all over the world.) and covered in gold inside and out. This passage also describes the lamp stand with 3 branches on each side.
God’s message to me: Give with a willing heart.
Commands: Give with a willing heart.
Promises: God doesn’t ask for anything He didn’t give you. The Israelites left Egypt with piles of precious metal, precious stones, valuable fabrics and skins, and clothing. God requested some of it be donated to build a temple for him so that he would have a dwelling place among them.
Timeless principles: God asks that our offerings be given with a willing heart and not out of obligation. No one was forced to give the gifts that were used to make the temple. Moses was told to request the supplies from those who were willing.
more to learn for in-depth study: The temple is an in-depth study of it’s own and holds detail that I lack room to go into. I recommend anyone who wants to learn more should check the library and the internet for more info. SEEING CHRIST IN THE TABERNACLE by Ervin N. Hershberger is a 100 page book you can probably find at the bible bookstore which studies the construction and the items in the temple to explain how they apply in prophecies of the Messiah.
Fun Facts: The ark of the covenant was 45inches long 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. That’s 3ft 9in by 2 ft 3 in by 2ft 3in. It was made from acacia wood( a thorny shrub found all over the world.) and covered in gold inside and out. This passage also describes the lamp stand with 3 branches on each side.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Exodus chapters 22-24
More Laws
God’s message to me: God provides what you can handle. He promised to deliver Canaan a piece at a time until the nation of Israel was large enough to handle it, not all at once so that the land would go wild and be unmanageable.
Promises: Following God’s laws brings blessings. He promised the Israelites health, wealth, long life and property.
Commands: Plenty of laws are mentioned below but a general theme is shown. Don’t involve yourself in that which is unjust. Spreading rumors, false testimony(even if you think it serves the right ends), lynching, not being impartial and anything else that might pervert justice is wrong. Keep in mind that we serve a just God. There is a societal responsibility to adjudicate criminal matters for mutual protection. To many people make it personal and press for someone to be punished even if the law doesn’t support it. This perverts justice. Remember that the ones we can’t catch, God will, and knowing that we can accept our losses in court.
Timeless principles: Justice must be impartial to be just. All to often a demand for “justice” is a demand for revenge and such demands don’t involve a demand that the right people be punished. It does no good to avenge the crime if you take out the wrong criminal. When that happens the real criminal is left to continue his crimes.
more to learn for in-depth study: Note Exodus 24:4 once again it points out that Moses wrote these things down. I know I’m repeating myself on this subject but I have heard more than enough from the folks who claim none of this was written until hundreds of years later. To many Christians have tried to tell me that nothing was written until the Babylonian captivity over 1000 years later. It’s nonsense and proves they don’t read their bibles. It was just after this that God carved the law into stone tablets for Moses to bring to the Israelites.
Let’s avoid becoming a law book and hit the highlights
Killing a burglar is not a crime and not punishable civilly. That seems like common sense but the US is only beginning to understand the principle after more than half a century of punishing the homeowner for protecting his family and property.
Accidental losses are paid for and restored from the best available but only the loss is restored. This is not a problem for the civil courts except for things that depreciate. The bible calls for the loss to be restored from the best available to the person that caused the loss. Depreciation is an excuse that leaves people with a little cash but unable to replace the thing they lost. Theft is repaid double triple or more. That would clear the jails and lower crime even if we had to put all the thieves on chain gangs to earn the money they owe. Rented property is expected to receive wear and risk damage. The rental payment is owed but not more even if it is damaged. Why is it the renters responsibility to insure the rented property? Shotgun weddings were the rule and paying the dowry was required even if the girls father wouldn’t let you marry her.
Sorcery=bad, bestiality= bad, Sacrificing to other gods= bad, any of these things could end in a death sentence and they are still a bad idea today, though the penalty is less.
Treat the stranger(resident alien)well. The Children of Israel were resident aliens in Egypt. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were resident aliens in Canaan. The pilgrims were resident aliens in Holland before coming to
America. We all want to be treated well away from home and so we should treat others well also. Treating the widows and orphans and children of single mothers well should be expected but, too often it is not. What we know of welfare was meant for them but the welfare state that expands it’s use has made us cynical.
Lending to the poor is fine, charging interest is not, nor is taking security. Never delay your tithes.
Don’t spread falsehoods, don’t testify to a lie, don’t help to pervert justice, don’t show partiality in disputes, help the one who needs it even if you don’t like the guy. Don’t kill the innocent, avoid being involved in false matters, TAKE NO BRIBES.
You have 6 days to work, God expects you to rest on the seventh as he did and to let all the people and animals that work for you rest as well. The land gets a Sabbath rest every 7 years. Work the fields for six years and let them rest on the seventh. It’s a formula to avoid topsoil erosion, replace soil nutrients and ensure good crops.
The feasts of Passover, Harvest, and ingathering are appointed holidays.
From the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and from the desert in the south to the Euphrates river, these were the boundaries of the promised land
God’s message to me: God provides what you can handle. He promised to deliver Canaan a piece at a time until the nation of Israel was large enough to handle it, not all at once so that the land would go wild and be unmanageable.
Promises: Following God’s laws brings blessings. He promised the Israelites health, wealth, long life and property.
Commands: Plenty of laws are mentioned below but a general theme is shown. Don’t involve yourself in that which is unjust. Spreading rumors, false testimony(even if you think it serves the right ends), lynching, not being impartial and anything else that might pervert justice is wrong. Keep in mind that we serve a just God. There is a societal responsibility to adjudicate criminal matters for mutual protection. To many people make it personal and press for someone to be punished even if the law doesn’t support it. This perverts justice. Remember that the ones we can’t catch, God will, and knowing that we can accept our losses in court.
Timeless principles: Justice must be impartial to be just. All to often a demand for “justice” is a demand for revenge and such demands don’t involve a demand that the right people be punished. It does no good to avenge the crime if you take out the wrong criminal. When that happens the real criminal is left to continue his crimes.
more to learn for in-depth study: Note Exodus 24:4 once again it points out that Moses wrote these things down. I know I’m repeating myself on this subject but I have heard more than enough from the folks who claim none of this was written until hundreds of years later. To many Christians have tried to tell me that nothing was written until the Babylonian captivity over 1000 years later. It’s nonsense and proves they don’t read their bibles. It was just after this that God carved the law into stone tablets for Moses to bring to the Israelites.
Let’s avoid becoming a law book and hit the highlights
Killing a burglar is not a crime and not punishable civilly. That seems like common sense but the US is only beginning to understand the principle after more than half a century of punishing the homeowner for protecting his family and property.
Accidental losses are paid for and restored from the best available but only the loss is restored. This is not a problem for the civil courts except for things that depreciate. The bible calls for the loss to be restored from the best available to the person that caused the loss. Depreciation is an excuse that leaves people with a little cash but unable to replace the thing they lost. Theft is repaid double triple or more. That would clear the jails and lower crime even if we had to put all the thieves on chain gangs to earn the money they owe. Rented property is expected to receive wear and risk damage. The rental payment is owed but not more even if it is damaged. Why is it the renters responsibility to insure the rented property? Shotgun weddings were the rule and paying the dowry was required even if the girls father wouldn’t let you marry her.
Sorcery=bad, bestiality= bad, Sacrificing to other gods= bad, any of these things could end in a death sentence and they are still a bad idea today, though the penalty is less.
Treat the stranger(resident alien)well. The Children of Israel were resident aliens in Egypt. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were resident aliens in Canaan. The pilgrims were resident aliens in Holland before coming to
America. We all want to be treated well away from home and so we should treat others well also. Treating the widows and orphans and children of single mothers well should be expected but, too often it is not. What we know of welfare was meant for them but the welfare state that expands it’s use has made us cynical.
Lending to the poor is fine, charging interest is not, nor is taking security. Never delay your tithes.
Don’t spread falsehoods, don’t testify to a lie, don’t help to pervert justice, don’t show partiality in disputes, help the one who needs it even if you don’t like the guy. Don’t kill the innocent, avoid being involved in false matters, TAKE NO BRIBES.
You have 6 days to work, God expects you to rest on the seventh as he did and to let all the people and animals that work for you rest as well. The land gets a Sabbath rest every 7 years. Work the fields for six years and let them rest on the seventh. It’s a formula to avoid topsoil erosion, replace soil nutrients and ensure good crops.
The feasts of Passover, Harvest, and ingathering are appointed holidays.
From the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and from the desert in the south to the Euphrates river, these were the boundaries of the promised land
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Exodus chapters 19-21
God’s message to me: God created all law, both criminal and civil, understanding His law makes other laws understood and give you a basis to judge those laws for their good or evil.
Promises: Honoring your father and mother brings the blessing of long life.
Commands: 10 Big Ones
1) You shall have no other gods before me
2) You shall make no carved image to bow down to
3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5) Honor your father and mother
6) You shall not commit murder
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) You shall not steal
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10) You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s
There is more, I put it in the in-depth study
Timeless principles: Everyone claims to want God to speak to them. When they do hear Him they fear Him. Most will prefer to have someone else pass His message to them because they can’t handle hearing them themselves. The fact is, it’s a lot easier to ignore the message from a man without fear. When you hear it directly from God the penalty for ignoring it becomes all to clear. People can’t handle the that idea. That’s why they go to church on Sunday morning then let their bible collect dust all week. It’s easy to forget what the preacher said when your out doing things you shouldn’t. Ignoring God is much harder. Preachers might misinterpret, they might be overzealous, they might be just plain wrong. When you hear it directly from God you are (as a friend wrote on his blog) without excuse.
more to learn for in-depth stdy: Guod neither needs nor desires any icons. In fact He commands us not to make any image to be with him. He went so far as to command that the alter of sacrifice be made of dirt and not carved ornately. Any stone alter was to be made of uncut stone with no engraving. nothing was to be made ornate or symbolic for worship because of the potential of making the symbol more important than God. This problem continues today as great works of architecture and art are created with the goal of Honoring God and end up being admired and worshiped above God. How many times have you heard about people praying to a statue or image because it appeared at random or the statue cried. The second commandment condemns this.
Slavery was a 6 year term at best. On the seventh year the slave was freed unless he chose to stay . if he chose to stay he was, essentially, part of the family. A man selling his daughter did so as a bride. if the purchasing man did not take her as wife he had to give her back and had no right to sell her to anyone but her family. If he took her for his son then they followed tradition. She might go to another son and if she had no opportunity to raise up an heir with one of the boys then she would live as if she had been widowed. Multiple wives was common enough in those days but all the wives had to be treated equally. Fail to treat your earlier wife as well as before and she had the right to leave. No payment, no divorce no nothing, just split because you treated her unfairly.
Homicide is Homicide. Kill a man and you will be killed. The death penalty dates back to Cain and Able, though God gave Cain a reprieve. If it wasn’t a planned ambush you might find appeal in a city of refuge but, if premeditation is proven, the appeal is lost and you get killed. Kill your servant/slave. You’re still facing punishment. Cause a miscarriage or premature birth ending in the death of the child, you get put to death.
Honor they father an mother goes farther here. Curse or Hit your mom or dad and you face the death penalty.
Civil penalties are covered. If you hurt but don’t kill you owe the man for lost time when he recovers.
Cause a premature birth but don’t kill the baby. The husband gets to decide your punishment in addition to the judge fining you. If the baby is harmed but not killed, the eye for an eye principle. Any harm done to the baby will be done to you.
Mess with a bull and you get the horns but, the bull gets stoned to death. if the bull was in the habit of attacking and the owner didn’t try to keep it secured then the owner can get the death penalty. He may avoid the death penalty by paying a redemption. Whatever amount is ordered, that is what he pays or else he dies. Slaves can be redeemed for 30 shekels of silver.
If you dig a hole and don’t protect it you are liable for the cost of animals that fall in it. If Your bull kills another animal you split the money for the live bull and split the remains of the dead animal. If you didn’t restrain a bull known to attack then, you must replace the dead animal.
Reading assignment: Exodus chapters 22-24
Since I forgot to mention it yesterday, look at Exodus 17:14. As you can see God commanded Moses to put things in writing even before He wrote the 10 commandments. Oral tradition is not the only history the Israelites had.
Promises: Honoring your father and mother brings the blessing of long life.
Commands: 10 Big Ones
1) You shall have no other gods before me
2) You shall make no carved image to bow down to
3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5) Honor your father and mother
6) You shall not commit murder
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) You shall not steal
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10) You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s
There is more, I put it in the in-depth study
Timeless principles: Everyone claims to want God to speak to them. When they do hear Him they fear Him. Most will prefer to have someone else pass His message to them because they can’t handle hearing them themselves. The fact is, it’s a lot easier to ignore the message from a man without fear. When you hear it directly from God the penalty for ignoring it becomes all to clear. People can’t handle the that idea. That’s why they go to church on Sunday morning then let their bible collect dust all week. It’s easy to forget what the preacher said when your out doing things you shouldn’t. Ignoring God is much harder. Preachers might misinterpret, they might be overzealous, they might be just plain wrong. When you hear it directly from God you are (as a friend wrote on his blog) without excuse.
more to learn for in-depth stdy: Guod neither needs nor desires any icons. In fact He commands us not to make any image to be with him. He went so far as to command that the alter of sacrifice be made of dirt and not carved ornately. Any stone alter was to be made of uncut stone with no engraving. nothing was to be made ornate or symbolic for worship because of the potential of making the symbol more important than God. This problem continues today as great works of architecture and art are created with the goal of Honoring God and end up being admired and worshiped above God. How many times have you heard about people praying to a statue or image because it appeared at random or the statue cried. The second commandment condemns this.
Slavery was a 6 year term at best. On the seventh year the slave was freed unless he chose to stay . if he chose to stay he was, essentially, part of the family. A man selling his daughter did so as a bride. if the purchasing man did not take her as wife he had to give her back and had no right to sell her to anyone but her family. If he took her for his son then they followed tradition. She might go to another son and if she had no opportunity to raise up an heir with one of the boys then she would live as if she had been widowed. Multiple wives was common enough in those days but all the wives had to be treated equally. Fail to treat your earlier wife as well as before and she had the right to leave. No payment, no divorce no nothing, just split because you treated her unfairly.
Homicide is Homicide. Kill a man and you will be killed. The death penalty dates back to Cain and Able, though God gave Cain a reprieve. If it wasn’t a planned ambush you might find appeal in a city of refuge but, if premeditation is proven, the appeal is lost and you get killed. Kill your servant/slave. You’re still facing punishment. Cause a miscarriage or premature birth ending in the death of the child, you get put to death.
Honor they father an mother goes farther here. Curse or Hit your mom or dad and you face the death penalty.
Civil penalties are covered. If you hurt but don’t kill you owe the man for lost time when he recovers.
Cause a premature birth but don’t kill the baby. The husband gets to decide your punishment in addition to the judge fining you. If the baby is harmed but not killed, the eye for an eye principle. Any harm done to the baby will be done to you.
Mess with a bull and you get the horns but, the bull gets stoned to death. if the bull was in the habit of attacking and the owner didn’t try to keep it secured then the owner can get the death penalty. He may avoid the death penalty by paying a redemption. Whatever amount is ordered, that is what he pays or else he dies. Slaves can be redeemed for 30 shekels of silver.
If you dig a hole and don’t protect it you are liable for the cost of animals that fall in it. If Your bull kills another animal you split the money for the live bull and split the remains of the dead animal. If you didn’t restrain a bull known to attack then, you must replace the dead animal.
Reading assignment: Exodus chapters 22-24
Since I forgot to mention it yesterday, look at Exodus 17:14. As you can see God commanded Moses to put things in writing even before He wrote the 10 commandments. Oral tradition is not the only history the Israelites had.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
new policy
I've noticed a weakness in this study program. You don't know the specific study section until I post the study. Since I would like you to read it first and draw your own conclusions before reading mine, I will begin to tell you the next section of study at the end of your current study. In this case:
Thursday, January 22 we will study Exodus chapters 19-21
I hope you will be able to come to some conclusions of your own and I encourage you to share some of those conclusions so that we can learn from each others insights.
I just checked the date to make this post. I didn't realize it was already the 21st. My birthday is the 23rd. I should know I'm getting old when my birthday can sneak up on me like that.
Thursday, January 22 we will study Exodus chapters 19-21
I hope you will be able to come to some conclusions of your own and I encourage you to share some of those conclusions so that we can learn from each others insights.
I just checked the date to make this post. I didn't realize it was already the 21st. My birthday is the 23rd. I should know I'm getting old when my birthday can sneak up on me like that.
Exodus chapters 16-18
God’s message to me: I don’t need to see the solution to know that it is there. What looked like frost on the ground turned out to be the bread of God. What looked like solid rock became the spring the watered a nation. An impassable sea became a safe path for His people and a death trap for their oppressors.
Promises: “I will provide your needs”, God says. “I will give you your daily bread.”
In an age where we are so dependent on having much and when we are always frightened for the future it is often difficult to remember this principle. The Lord’s prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread”. God taught us to pray this way so that we would learn to trust him as the Israelites had to learn. He can provide for us enough to last for years without work, or he can provide for us each day as we need. For those that place their faith in him it is a matter of walking before you run. Until we learn to trust Him for our daily needs, we have no right to expect Him to trust us with more.
Commands: Obey God’s command. When God first said “I will see if they will follow my law” He hadn’t written one yet. He simply referred to His commands. He commanded they gather manna and quail for that days need and not keep any overnight. Some of them disobeyed. Later He commanded they take 2 days portion on the sixth day and not go out to gather on the Sabbath. Some of them disobeyed that command as well. It didn’t take long for God to see who was and wasn’t following his command/law. They showed themselves in the first week.
Timeless principles: People tend to depend on what they understand and give no faith to what they don’t. God brought horrible judgments on Egypt but they didn’t trust Him to defeat the Egyptian army. God sent them from Egypt with piles of treasure in clothing, supplies, gold and silver and other precious commodities but they didn’t trust him to provide food. God gave them manna, which covered the earth like frost each morning and sent quail into the camp for them to cook at night but they didn’t trust him for water.
DON’T TRY TO HELP GOD! When God says He will provide that is all you need to know. It will be there. You don’t need to help Him. You couldn’t help Him if you tried. Helping Him is an act of pride and mistrust. Well meaning pastors teach “pray as if it all depended on God and work as thought it all depended on you”. These pastors are WRONG! and there is no scripture to back their words. Scripture teaches the opposite.
God gives us the ability to do things and when He does He expects us to do them. When we lack the ability to deal with a problem that is God’s signal that He is teaching us trust. The key to ending stress: If you can handle the problem do so. If it’s not your problem forget it, you can pray for the person whose problem it is. If it is your problem and you can’t fix it or handle it, give it to God and trust Him to deal with it. Pray over it and move on. Christ asked, “which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit(18in) to his height?” A silly question to be sure, but the point is made. Worrying accomplishes nothing.
more to learn for in-depth study:
Fun Fact: The Children of Israel were to gather 1 Omer of manna each day. That’s a little more than the size of a 2 liter Pepsi bottle. 1 Omer to feed 1 person for 1 day along with the quail that were sent at evening. For those who don’t know, a quail is a small game bird that, when cooked, is like a small flavorful chicken. 1 Quail will make a decent supper for a person.
God inspired Jethro, Moses’ father in law, to propose the first appeals court process. Think of it this way:
The rulers over tens - small claims court
The rulers over fifties - Court of Common Pleas
Rulers over hundreds - Court of Appeals
Rulers over thousands - Federal Appeals court
Moses - US Supreme Court
Names of God: Jehovah Jirah - The Lord Provides (Genesis 22:14) Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner (Exodus 17:15)
Promises: “I will provide your needs”, God says. “I will give you your daily bread.”
In an age where we are so dependent on having much and when we are always frightened for the future it is often difficult to remember this principle. The Lord’s prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread”. God taught us to pray this way so that we would learn to trust him as the Israelites had to learn. He can provide for us enough to last for years without work, or he can provide for us each day as we need. For those that place their faith in him it is a matter of walking before you run. Until we learn to trust Him for our daily needs, we have no right to expect Him to trust us with more.
Commands: Obey God’s command. When God first said “I will see if they will follow my law” He hadn’t written one yet. He simply referred to His commands. He commanded they gather manna and quail for that days need and not keep any overnight. Some of them disobeyed. Later He commanded they take 2 days portion on the sixth day and not go out to gather on the Sabbath. Some of them disobeyed that command as well. It didn’t take long for God to see who was and wasn’t following his command/law. They showed themselves in the first week.
Timeless principles: People tend to depend on what they understand and give no faith to what they don’t. God brought horrible judgments on Egypt but they didn’t trust Him to defeat the Egyptian army. God sent them from Egypt with piles of treasure in clothing, supplies, gold and silver and other precious commodities but they didn’t trust him to provide food. God gave them manna, which covered the earth like frost each morning and sent quail into the camp for them to cook at night but they didn’t trust him for water.
DON’T TRY TO HELP GOD! When God says He will provide that is all you need to know. It will be there. You don’t need to help Him. You couldn’t help Him if you tried. Helping Him is an act of pride and mistrust. Well meaning pastors teach “pray as if it all depended on God and work as thought it all depended on you”. These pastors are WRONG! and there is no scripture to back their words. Scripture teaches the opposite.
God gives us the ability to do things and when He does He expects us to do them. When we lack the ability to deal with a problem that is God’s signal that He is teaching us trust. The key to ending stress: If you can handle the problem do so. If it’s not your problem forget it, you can pray for the person whose problem it is. If it is your problem and you can’t fix it or handle it, give it to God and trust Him to deal with it. Pray over it and move on. Christ asked, “which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit(18in) to his height?” A silly question to be sure, but the point is made. Worrying accomplishes nothing.
more to learn for in-depth study:
Fun Fact: The Children of Israel were to gather 1 Omer of manna each day. That’s a little more than the size of a 2 liter Pepsi bottle. 1 Omer to feed 1 person for 1 day along with the quail that were sent at evening. For those who don’t know, a quail is a small game bird that, when cooked, is like a small flavorful chicken. 1 Quail will make a decent supper for a person.
God inspired Jethro, Moses’ father in law, to propose the first appeals court process. Think of it this way:
The rulers over tens - small claims court
The rulers over fifties - Court of Common Pleas
Rulers over hundreds - Court of Appeals
Rulers over thousands - Federal Appeals court
Moses - US Supreme Court
Names of God: Jehovah Jirah - The Lord Provides (Genesis 22:14) Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner (Exodus 17:15)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Exodus chapters 13-15
God’s message to me: When you are doing God’s will and you find your enemies hot on your heels it is time to rejoice. Through the power of their hands and their minds they expect to overcome you but, God is about to show them where the real power lies. He will show their power is nothing before your eyes and theirs and gain honor by defeating them in their hour of victory.
Israel had had this position since it was reformed in 1948. Every time they are attacked it is by a force so overwhelming that they stand no chance of victory or even survival. in every case they are found victorious and in control of much of their enemies territory in a matter of a couple of days to a week. The Lord gains honor each time in the eyes of those who pay attention because there is no way these victories could occur without Him.
Promises: God will protect you. He will provide all your needs. God will heal you and keep you from sickness.
Commands: Obey God and follow his laws and precepts.
Timeless principles: Freedom isn’t free. Liberty is an elusive goal in most countries because the people seek apparent security at the expense of liberty. Our founding fathers noted that those who would sacrifice liberty for the sake of security deserve neither. The people of Israel gained their freedom from Egypt. They watched as God brought one judgment after another on their oppressors while they suffered none of it. They saw God kill all the firstborn of Egypt without touching them. They left Egypt with a fortune in treasure, and livestock and food and clothing. Even with all that, the moment they saw a threat they complained that they should have been left in slavery where they were safe.
more to learn for in-depth study: There is a popular theory that the Israelites did not cross the red sea. Some say the name in was wrong and so it was another sea. Many say exactly what God said Pharaoh would say, “they are bewildered by the land”. In other words they were lost and didn’t know what body of water was before them. In Exodus 14:2 we see the truth. They knew precisely where they were. Imagine you set camp before Arlington, VA Between Fairfax, VA and the river. When you turn to enter Washington, DC, How likely are you to think you are crossing the Anacostia, south of DC? How likely are you to confuse DC with Alexandria even if you haven’t been there? The simple fact is they knew where they camped and what locations were around them so they would also know precisely where they crossed.
For those who are still scratching their heads, the Potomac runs North and south while the Anacostia branches East off of the Potomac and runs along the southern side of the capitol city.. Arlington and Fairfax are west of the city and, forming a triangle with Arlington in front of you and Fairfax on one side with the river on the other means your heading north and the only body of water in sight is the Potomac.
Israel had had this position since it was reformed in 1948. Every time they are attacked it is by a force so overwhelming that they stand no chance of victory or even survival. in every case they are found victorious and in control of much of their enemies territory in a matter of a couple of days to a week. The Lord gains honor each time in the eyes of those who pay attention because there is no way these victories could occur without Him.
Promises: God will protect you. He will provide all your needs. God will heal you and keep you from sickness.
Commands: Obey God and follow his laws and precepts.
Timeless principles: Freedom isn’t free. Liberty is an elusive goal in most countries because the people seek apparent security at the expense of liberty. Our founding fathers noted that those who would sacrifice liberty for the sake of security deserve neither. The people of Israel gained their freedom from Egypt. They watched as God brought one judgment after another on their oppressors while they suffered none of it. They saw God kill all the firstborn of Egypt without touching them. They left Egypt with a fortune in treasure, and livestock and food and clothing. Even with all that, the moment they saw a threat they complained that they should have been left in slavery where they were safe.
more to learn for in-depth study: There is a popular theory that the Israelites did not cross the red sea. Some say the name in was wrong and so it was another sea. Many say exactly what God said Pharaoh would say, “they are bewildered by the land”. In other words they were lost and didn’t know what body of water was before them. In Exodus 14:2 we see the truth. They knew precisely where they were. Imagine you set camp before Arlington, VA Between Fairfax, VA and the river. When you turn to enter Washington, DC, How likely are you to think you are crossing the Anacostia, south of DC? How likely are you to confuse DC with Alexandria even if you haven’t been there? The simple fact is they knew where they camped and what locations were around them so they would also know precisely where they crossed.
For those who are still scratching their heads, the Potomac runs North and south while the Anacostia branches East off of the Potomac and runs along the southern side of the capitol city.. Arlington and Fairfax are west of the city and, forming a triangle with Arlington in front of you and Fairfax on one side with the river on the other means your heading north and the only body of water in sight is the Potomac.
Monday, January 19, 2009
TIMELINE
The timeline gets a little tricky around the time of Abraham and downright difficult around the time of living in Egypt but this should give you some sense of scale.
Adam is created in year 0. His son Seth is born in year 130. Enosh is born in 235. Cainanl is born in 325. Mahalalel is born in 395. Jarad is born in year 460 followed by Enoch in year 622. Methuselah is born in 687 and will live until the time of the flood, entering the record books as the man who lived the longest. Lamech is born in 874 and will be the father of Noah.
Adam dies in year 930 before any of the people above die. He lives to see 8 generations beyond himself and shares 243 years on the earth with Methuselah. For those interested in oral history this means Adam could have taught Methuselah everything he needed to know about the history of the world directly. There is archaeological evidence suggesting that writing existed in this time period. The building of cities and craftsmanship of tools would imply mathmatics. use of musical instruments shows music and the arts. The most accurate oral histories are musical. Even the Hebrews, who had written histories, used music to more easily memorize stories. This is why the bible is written "in verse", or as poetry.
Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him. Enoch left earth in 987. Seth died in 1042 and Noah was born in 1056. Enosh died in 1140 and Cainan died in 1235. Mahalalel died in 1290. Jared died in 1422. Finally, Noah's son Shem was born in 1558.
Lamech died in 1651, 5 years before the flood. In 1656, shortly before the flood, Methuselah died. He shared 98 years on the earth with Noah's son Shem. Plenty of time to pass on the history. Now we have history passed from Adam, who was created at the beginning, to Methuselah, who lived the longest, to Shem, who would carry it through the flood to the rebirth of civilization.
The flood began in 1656 and lasted into 1657. Shem's son, Arphaxad, was born after the flood in 1658. Then came Salah in 1693. Eber is born in 1723. Peleg is born in 1757. Reu is born in 1787. Serug is born in 1819. Nahor is born in 1849. Terah is born in 1878. By 1948 Abram is born and will later be renamed Abraham by God. Peleg dies in 1996 so that Shem lives to see the death of his Great, great-grandson. The death of Nahor, in 1997 adds the death of his great-great-great-great-great-grandson to Shem's memory. Noah dies in 2006.
Salah, Shem's grandson, dies in 2026. Ishmael is born to Abraham by his wife's maid, Hagar. in 2034. Abraham's wife, Sarah, give birth to Isaac in 2048 and Shem's G-G-G-G-grandson, Serug, dies in 2049. Terah, the G-G-G-G-G-G-grandson of Shem, dies in 2083. Isaac returns to the land of Abraham's family and marries Rebekah in 2088. In 2096, Shem sees the death of his son, Arphaxad. Rebekah gives birth to Jacob and Esau in 2108. Abraham finally dies in 2123, Shem is still alive. Shem's Grandson, Salah dies in 2126. Finally, Shem dies in 2158. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob each returned to their homeland to take wives. Each had the opportunity to learn history from Shem. Shem shared at least 50 years on the earth with Jacob and Jacob spent at least 20 years in his Great-great-grandfathers homeland working for Laban. The history can pass from Adam to Methuselah to Shem and to Jacob.
At this point dependence on oral history would not make sense. Written records were being kept by nearby civilizations with which everyone involved would have had contact. Sanskrit, one of the earliest known languages, originated in this region. In addition, the 3 patriarchs had regular contact with Egypt where written histories could be found on papyrus, carved in stone and molded in precious metals in the form of Hieroglyphs. The first 5 books of the bible are called the books of Moses because he originated them. The idea that an educated prince of Egypt would depend on Oral tradition to pass on the knowledge he sought to teach would be ludicrous. Furthermore the bible makes it quite clear that God ordered Moses to make those records in written form on several occasions. The records were carved in stone and written on some form of paper.
Joseph, too, was a prince of Egypt. His job as a record keeper and treasurer of the kingdom make it unlikely that he would leave the important history of his people to the vagaries of Oral tradition. This gives us 5 generations of oral transmission at the maximum and probably less.
Ishmael died around 2171. But further timing of his line is unavailable.
Eber died in 2187. Joseph would have been born around 2198. The story of tattling on his brothers at age 17 places that event around 2115. Issac died in 2223 but it's not clear if Joseph had been sold into slavery yet. In 2226, Joseph was in the Pharaohs prison and interpreted a the dreams of the Pharaohs chief butler and chief baker. he would be in prison another 2 years before Pharaoh's dream reminded the butler about him.
In 2228, at the age of 30, Joseph stood before Pharaoh. Having interpreted the dream and warned Pharaoh of what was coming he was immediately made prime minister and began to store the grain through the 7 years of plenty.
The Famine began in 2235 Joseph's brothers would have come for the first time by 2236 and made their second trip by 2237 so that Abraham/Israel would have moved his family to The land of Goshen in Egypt by 2238. The famine would end around 2242. In 2255 Jacob dies and is mourned by his family and the whole of Egypt because his son provided the way for Egypt to survive and prosper in the famine. The Children of Israel and an honor guard of Egypt escorted Abraham's remains to Canaan to be buried in the tomb of the patriarchs.
Joseph died in 2308. If we assume that the 430 years in Egypt is counted from the time Abraham moved his family to Goshen then the story of the Exodus begins with the birth of Arron in 2585 and the birth of Moses in 2588. Moses was 80 years old when he told Pharaoh to free God's people so that the escape from Egypt would be in the year 2668.
I don't know what year it is on a Hebrew calender. I do know that they began counting years from the time they left Egypt and Zola Levitt often commented on the Israelites having been around about 4000 years so, Based on the timeline so far, the earth is around 6500 years old or so.
That's about as accurate as I can get for now. There isn't a lot of detail on timelines and lineage until the book of Numbers.
2668
Adam is created in year 0. His son Seth is born in year 130. Enosh is born in 235. Cainanl is born in 325. Mahalalel is born in 395. Jarad is born in year 460 followed by Enoch in year 622. Methuselah is born in 687 and will live until the time of the flood, entering the record books as the man who lived the longest. Lamech is born in 874 and will be the father of Noah.
Adam dies in year 930 before any of the people above die. He lives to see 8 generations beyond himself and shares 243 years on the earth with Methuselah. For those interested in oral history this means Adam could have taught Methuselah everything he needed to know about the history of the world directly. There is archaeological evidence suggesting that writing existed in this time period. The building of cities and craftsmanship of tools would imply mathmatics. use of musical instruments shows music and the arts. The most accurate oral histories are musical. Even the Hebrews, who had written histories, used music to more easily memorize stories. This is why the bible is written "in verse", or as poetry.
Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him. Enoch left earth in 987. Seth died in 1042 and Noah was born in 1056. Enosh died in 1140 and Cainan died in 1235. Mahalalel died in 1290. Jared died in 1422. Finally, Noah's son Shem was born in 1558.
Lamech died in 1651, 5 years before the flood. In 1656, shortly before the flood, Methuselah died. He shared 98 years on the earth with Noah's son Shem. Plenty of time to pass on the history. Now we have history passed from Adam, who was created at the beginning, to Methuselah, who lived the longest, to Shem, who would carry it through the flood to the rebirth of civilization.
The flood began in 1656 and lasted into 1657. Shem's son, Arphaxad, was born after the flood in 1658. Then came Salah in 1693. Eber is born in 1723. Peleg is born in 1757. Reu is born in 1787. Serug is born in 1819. Nahor is born in 1849. Terah is born in 1878. By 1948 Abram is born and will later be renamed Abraham by God. Peleg dies in 1996 so that Shem lives to see the death of his Great, great-grandson. The death of Nahor, in 1997 adds the death of his great-great-great-great-great-grandson to Shem's memory. Noah dies in 2006.
Salah, Shem's grandson, dies in 2026. Ishmael is born to Abraham by his wife's maid, Hagar. in 2034. Abraham's wife, Sarah, give birth to Isaac in 2048 and Shem's G-G-G-G-grandson, Serug, dies in 2049. Terah, the G-G-G-G-G-G-grandson of Shem, dies in 2083. Isaac returns to the land of Abraham's family and marries Rebekah in 2088. In 2096, Shem sees the death of his son, Arphaxad. Rebekah gives birth to Jacob and Esau in 2108. Abraham finally dies in 2123, Shem is still alive. Shem's Grandson, Salah dies in 2126. Finally, Shem dies in 2158. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob each returned to their homeland to take wives. Each had the opportunity to learn history from Shem. Shem shared at least 50 years on the earth with Jacob and Jacob spent at least 20 years in his Great-great-grandfathers homeland working for Laban. The history can pass from Adam to Methuselah to Shem and to Jacob.
At this point dependence on oral history would not make sense. Written records were being kept by nearby civilizations with which everyone involved would have had contact. Sanskrit, one of the earliest known languages, originated in this region. In addition, the 3 patriarchs had regular contact with Egypt where written histories could be found on papyrus, carved in stone and molded in precious metals in the form of Hieroglyphs. The first 5 books of the bible are called the books of Moses because he originated them. The idea that an educated prince of Egypt would depend on Oral tradition to pass on the knowledge he sought to teach would be ludicrous. Furthermore the bible makes it quite clear that God ordered Moses to make those records in written form on several occasions. The records were carved in stone and written on some form of paper.
Joseph, too, was a prince of Egypt. His job as a record keeper and treasurer of the kingdom make it unlikely that he would leave the important history of his people to the vagaries of Oral tradition. This gives us 5 generations of oral transmission at the maximum and probably less.
Ishmael died around 2171. But further timing of his line is unavailable.
Eber died in 2187. Joseph would have been born around 2198. The story of tattling on his brothers at age 17 places that event around 2115. Issac died in 2223 but it's not clear if Joseph had been sold into slavery yet. In 2226, Joseph was in the Pharaohs prison and interpreted a the dreams of the Pharaohs chief butler and chief baker. he would be in prison another 2 years before Pharaoh's dream reminded the butler about him.
In 2228, at the age of 30, Joseph stood before Pharaoh. Having interpreted the dream and warned Pharaoh of what was coming he was immediately made prime minister and began to store the grain through the 7 years of plenty.
The Famine began in 2235 Joseph's brothers would have come for the first time by 2236 and made their second trip by 2237 so that Abraham/Israel would have moved his family to The land of Goshen in Egypt by 2238. The famine would end around 2242. In 2255 Jacob dies and is mourned by his family and the whole of Egypt because his son provided the way for Egypt to survive and prosper in the famine. The Children of Israel and an honor guard of Egypt escorted Abraham's remains to Canaan to be buried in the tomb of the patriarchs.
Joseph died in 2308. If we assume that the 430 years in Egypt is counted from the time Abraham moved his family to Goshen then the story of the Exodus begins with the birth of Arron in 2585 and the birth of Moses in 2588. Moses was 80 years old when he told Pharaoh to free God's people so that the escape from Egypt would be in the year 2668.
I don't know what year it is on a Hebrew calender. I do know that they began counting years from the time they left Egypt and Zola Levitt often commented on the Israelites having been around about 4000 years so, Based on the timeline so far, the earth is around 6500 years old or so.
That's about as accurate as I can get for now. There isn't a lot of detail on timelines and lineage until the book of Numbers.
2668
The other resolution
It's Monday again. I weighed in at 237.4. I have to admit I haven't been good about getting my water but I did get through the week without using to many flex points. About 7 of them actually. If I got the water right I'd probably loose even more. I'll be beck for this one next week.
note for the bible blog:
The timeline is due and I'm working hard to get it right. I noticed a small mistake on one of the birthdates for the last one I published and I want to get this one right. It should be up by the end of the day.
note for the bible blog:
The timeline is due and I'm working hard to get it right. I noticed a small mistake on one of the birthdates for the last one I published and I want to get this one right. It should be up by the end of the day.
Exodus Chapters 10-12
God's message to me: Revenge is in God's hands. As He punished the land of Egypt for it's oppression He will punish those who wrong me.
Promises: He will deliver me from the worst conditions and see that I come out in prosperity.
Commands: Do what God commands even if it doesn't make sense to you. His plan sees beyond what you can and will work for the good in the end. (Caveat: God will not command you to do anything that violates his previous command. If you feel led to do something which the bible forbids then you are not led by God but by your own mind, your own heart, or by the enemy.)
Timeless principle: In this case the principle is expressed in writing. The Passover feast has been held by practicing Jews from the time of their escape from Egypt until this day. Easter is set on our calenders and isn't always consistent with theirs but, will always fall with a short time of passover. Christ was Crucified just before the passover and rose from the grave just after. The blood on the doorposts and lentils is prophetically symbolic of the crucification. The command against breaking any bones of the passover lamb is symbolic of the fact that none of Christs bones was broken.
Passover is a feast of remembrance for the people of Israel so they do not forget their escape from Egypt. It is doubly significant to the Messianic Jew who know what it prophesied and can look back on the deliverance from Egypt and the deliverance from sin by Christ. For those who feel that Easter has to many pagan trappings, perhaps you should consider the time of passover as the appropriate time to celebrate Christs deliverance of your soul.
more to learn for in-depth study: Why did God harden the heart of Pharaoh? Why did he force Pharaoh into doing things that brought such horrible judgments? The answer is in the text.
The father of this particular Pharaoh had taken the children of Israel from the position of honored friends of Egypt to the position of slaves. The Egyptians went along with this for the most part. Exceptions, like the midwives who spared the children from being killed by Pharaoh's command, were rewarded by God. Most were complicit in the oppression of God's people. This continued until the Pharaoh's son, and Moses' adoptive brother, took the throne and he continued the oppression.
For the crime of oppressing His people, God brought judgment on the Egyptian people. He hardened the heart of Pharaoh because he was their leader. Through his actions God could demonstrate his justice by punishing Egypt. God could demonstrate His power, by reminding everyone of the terror He could bring when His commands are disobeyed. God could demonstrate his grace by freeing His children and bringing them to prosperity.
It's a basic rule that society has no real, long term, memory. God could have made Pharaoh free the Jews the first time he was asked. If he had done that the Egyptians would have missed their slaves, they would have sent them away with nothing, they would have probably come to retake them, and they would have forgotten the incident inside a generation. Instead the people of Egypt have never forgotten the plagues brought on them for their actions against the Jews. They went from being among the most powerful Empires on the earth to being lucky to find food in 1 year. They were made so afraid of God and so impressed by His works on behalf of the Jews that they gladly gave their treasure to the Israelites when they asked for it.
Think of it in terms of today. The history of this country isn't learned very well but most people can tell you a few facts. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and so was JFK. Terrorists smashed the twin towers of the World Trade Center with Airliners full of people. We fought a civil war between our northern and southern states and that war ended in the elimination of slavery. WWI and WWII Brought the whole world to war. An event called the Great Depression caused great financial turmoil when banks failed and no jobs could be found for years. Finally, most people know that we got into a war because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in a sneak attack. We remember that which went very, very wrong. Few manage to remember the pleasant events.
We remember the hostages in Iran but few remember Reagan sending Carter to greet them when they were freed. He gave the former president credit for weathering the storm and standing watch for those poor people for so long. We forget the overwhelming outpouring of help to the survivors of the world trade centers and Katrina. We forget the Joy when early Amber Alert systems resulted in recovery of stolen children. We remember our deepest losses and our greatest and most hard won victories. Everything else is background noise.
Promises: He will deliver me from the worst conditions and see that I come out in prosperity.
Commands: Do what God commands even if it doesn't make sense to you. His plan sees beyond what you can and will work for the good in the end. (Caveat: God will not command you to do anything that violates his previous command. If you feel led to do something which the bible forbids then you are not led by God but by your own mind, your own heart, or by the enemy.)
Timeless principle: In this case the principle is expressed in writing. The Passover feast has been held by practicing Jews from the time of their escape from Egypt until this day. Easter is set on our calenders and isn't always consistent with theirs but, will always fall with a short time of passover. Christ was Crucified just before the passover and rose from the grave just after. The blood on the doorposts and lentils is prophetically symbolic of the crucification. The command against breaking any bones of the passover lamb is symbolic of the fact that none of Christs bones was broken.
Passover is a feast of remembrance for the people of Israel so they do not forget their escape from Egypt. It is doubly significant to the Messianic Jew who know what it prophesied and can look back on the deliverance from Egypt and the deliverance from sin by Christ. For those who feel that Easter has to many pagan trappings, perhaps you should consider the time of passover as the appropriate time to celebrate Christs deliverance of your soul.
more to learn for in-depth study: Why did God harden the heart of Pharaoh? Why did he force Pharaoh into doing things that brought such horrible judgments? The answer is in the text.
The father of this particular Pharaoh had taken the children of Israel from the position of honored friends of Egypt to the position of slaves. The Egyptians went along with this for the most part. Exceptions, like the midwives who spared the children from being killed by Pharaoh's command, were rewarded by God. Most were complicit in the oppression of God's people. This continued until the Pharaoh's son, and Moses' adoptive brother, took the throne and he continued the oppression.
For the crime of oppressing His people, God brought judgment on the Egyptian people. He hardened the heart of Pharaoh because he was their leader. Through his actions God could demonstrate his justice by punishing Egypt. God could demonstrate His power, by reminding everyone of the terror He could bring when His commands are disobeyed. God could demonstrate his grace by freeing His children and bringing them to prosperity.
It's a basic rule that society has no real, long term, memory. God could have made Pharaoh free the Jews the first time he was asked. If he had done that the Egyptians would have missed their slaves, they would have sent them away with nothing, they would have probably come to retake them, and they would have forgotten the incident inside a generation. Instead the people of Egypt have never forgotten the plagues brought on them for their actions against the Jews. They went from being among the most powerful Empires on the earth to being lucky to find food in 1 year. They were made so afraid of God and so impressed by His works on behalf of the Jews that they gladly gave their treasure to the Israelites when they asked for it.
Think of it in terms of today. The history of this country isn't learned very well but most people can tell you a few facts. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and so was JFK. Terrorists smashed the twin towers of the World Trade Center with Airliners full of people. We fought a civil war between our northern and southern states and that war ended in the elimination of slavery. WWI and WWII Brought the whole world to war. An event called the Great Depression caused great financial turmoil when banks failed and no jobs could be found for years. Finally, most people know that we got into a war because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in a sneak attack. We remember that which went very, very wrong. Few manage to remember the pleasant events.
We remember the hostages in Iran but few remember Reagan sending Carter to greet them when they were freed. He gave the former president credit for weathering the storm and standing watch for those poor people for so long. We forget the overwhelming outpouring of help to the survivors of the world trade centers and Katrina. We forget the Joy when early Amber Alert systems resulted in recovery of stolen children. We remember our deepest losses and our greatest and most hard won victories. Everything else is background noise.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Exodus chapters 7-9
God’s message to me: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the fee exercise thereof” You didn’t really think the founding fathers came up with that amendment by accident did you?
Promises: God differentiates between his people and the ungodly. The next time you here someone claim that some disaster is a judgment from God, ask them if God’s people were spared. The people of Israel lived in the flood plain known as Goshen and were separate from the rest of Egypt because Egyptians found animal shepherding to be distasteful. Goshen was not effected by the plagues hitting just up the road.
Commands: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Bless God’s chosen people, Support the nation of Israel and never stand against it.
Timeless principles: It’s easy to beg for God’s protection and blessing and relief in your hour of trouble but all to easy to forget him when things get better.
more to learn for in-depth study: Continuing with the theme of relief. How many stories have you heard in which a tornado wiped out a town and left only the church standing? How many times have things happened that caused many deaths and when you here from the survivors they are giving the glory to God for their survival? These are stories in which you might be able to claim the judgment of God. The twin towers was an attention grabber but it was pretty random in who got killed and who didn’t. How many stories of priests and preachers losing their lives while praying with the dying do you need to hear to know it effected all. Katrina wiped out everything in it’s path. While it’s tempting to call it judgment when you hear of the behavior of survivors, you should also examine the fact that churches and synagogues were wiped out two. People of faith died with the pagans. Another random act.
Have no doubt that judgment will befall the corrupt, the Satanist, the pagans, the criminals and all the other evil doers in a place like New Orleans. Katrina was not that judgment. If anything, I would say their political leadership qualifies as their punishment. While the Christians and Jews turn to God for their help the rest turn to a government that steals more than it pays in wages and pays far more in wages than it provides in benefits to the community. This is a judgment which spares the righteous.
Promises: God differentiates between his people and the ungodly. The next time you here someone claim that some disaster is a judgment from God, ask them if God’s people were spared. The people of Israel lived in the flood plain known as Goshen and were separate from the rest of Egypt because Egyptians found animal shepherding to be distasteful. Goshen was not effected by the plagues hitting just up the road.
Commands: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Bless God’s chosen people, Support the nation of Israel and never stand against it.
Timeless principles: It’s easy to beg for God’s protection and blessing and relief in your hour of trouble but all to easy to forget him when things get better.
more to learn for in-depth study: Continuing with the theme of relief. How many stories have you heard in which a tornado wiped out a town and left only the church standing? How many times have things happened that caused many deaths and when you here from the survivors they are giving the glory to God for their survival? These are stories in which you might be able to claim the judgment of God. The twin towers was an attention grabber but it was pretty random in who got killed and who didn’t. How many stories of priests and preachers losing their lives while praying with the dying do you need to hear to know it effected all. Katrina wiped out everything in it’s path. While it’s tempting to call it judgment when you hear of the behavior of survivors, you should also examine the fact that churches and synagogues were wiped out two. People of faith died with the pagans. Another random act.
Have no doubt that judgment will befall the corrupt, the Satanist, the pagans, the criminals and all the other evil doers in a place like New Orleans. Katrina was not that judgment. If anything, I would say their political leadership qualifies as their punishment. While the Christians and Jews turn to God for their help the rest turn to a government that steals more than it pays in wages and pays far more in wages than it provides in benefits to the community. This is a judgment which spares the righteous.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Exodus chapters 3-6
God’s message to me: Never worry about what you will say to share the Gospel. When the time comes, God will give you the words. This was one of my more foolish arguments with God. When called to the ministry I argued I wasn’t knowledgeable and couldn't’ express the ideas. God brought me to a friends house as the friend was witnessing to a Muslim. God guided me through the bible to the prophecies of Christ and the passages which answered his questions and arguments. It was more than a year later before he came to be saved but, by guiding me to so many passages I hadn’t realized I had learned, God showed me he could put the words in my mouth and the knowledge in my hand that I would need when the time came.
Promises: My job is just to be a messenger. God will change the hearts. That is His job.
Commands: Deliver God’s message. No matter what. No matter how often the message is ignored, no matter how much ridicule and oppression I receive for giving the message, I must do my job.
Timeless principles: “I AM” God is the uncaused cause. Creator of everything and not created himself. God has always been and always will be. Philosophy and logic do not apply to this concept. They only confuse and obscure it. Many theories have been given as to how the universe came to be but none, when carried to their logical conclusion, can deny that it began with the conscious will of a supreme creator. One who was there all along and not created by another.
more to learn for in-depth study: It’s just about time for another time chart. We are coming to the end of Egyptian captivity. In order to understand the timing, the history, the fulfillment of prophecy and the documentation of the history I will be adding a timeline with some explanation in the next few days. Many of the details will be filled in in from today's study but, specific timing goes on through the entire book of Exodus until the 40years in the wilderness. From there we will take a break from timelines until Joshua except to clarify a few points of the line in the book of Numbers, which is a census and genealogy of Israel.
Promises: My job is just to be a messenger. God will change the hearts. That is His job.
Commands: Deliver God’s message. No matter what. No matter how often the message is ignored, no matter how much ridicule and oppression I receive for giving the message, I must do my job.
Timeless principles: “I AM” God is the uncaused cause. Creator of everything and not created himself. God has always been and always will be. Philosophy and logic do not apply to this concept. They only confuse and obscure it. Many theories have been given as to how the universe came to be but none, when carried to their logical conclusion, can deny that it began with the conscious will of a supreme creator. One who was there all along and not created by another.
more to learn for in-depth study: It’s just about time for another time chart. We are coming to the end of Egyptian captivity. In order to understand the timing, the history, the fulfillment of prophecy and the documentation of the history I will be adding a timeline with some explanation in the next few days. Many of the details will be filled in in from today's study but, specific timing goes on through the entire book of Exodus until the 40years in the wilderness. From there we will take a break from timelines until Joshua except to clarify a few points of the line in the book of Numbers, which is a census and genealogy of Israel.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Genesis Chapter 50-Exodus chapter 2
The Cross-over. I won’t be able to do this very often. Most books of the bible are different enough that crossing the end of one book and starting another would lead to confusion of subjects. the Torah(the first 5 books of the bible)is an exception. Written together to go together they cross over easily. In fact, in the fine old Hollywood tradition, Exodus is a sequel. In point of fact it is the continuation of a story that wasn’t finished in Genesis. Genesis takes us from the beginning of the world to the beginning of a nation. Exodus will tell us about the birth of that nation and remind us of the rough time it had as a toddler.
God’s message to me: God rewards those who do right in the face of oppression. The midwives were given a direct order from the king. In that time such orders were law. The ignored and unjust and evil law and were rewarded by God. God tells us to submit to government but he has never told us to ignore His law in favor of political power. When the government gives unjust or evil laws we are bound to ignore them for the sake of obeying God. Slavery and segregation were such laws. Any law which violates God’s law or prevents worship qualifies.
Many of God’s servants violated local laws and international treaty to bring the word of God to the Soviet Union. In the last Olympic games we heard a lot of rumors about Christians violating the law to bring the word to China. Others have been at risk in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many are in danger in countries we aren’t politically involved with for the same reason. When we here of missionaries in danger for teaching the word we must pray for them and stand up for them. Regardless of government policy or popular sentiment they must be held as heroes. Our government cannot be allowed to harass them or abandon them and Governments who oppress them must be opposed and fought.
Americans have the freedom to practice religion and the responsibility to spread that freedom. Those who fail to do so deserve to lose that freedom and be forced in to secret worship like those who they do not defend. Notice that the bible never speaks a word against those who lie to protect actions that are right. The midwives lied to protect lives and avoid being replaced by those who would follow Pharaohs law. God rewarded them for protecting his children.
Promises: God remembers his promises even in the darkest hour. Under 2 Pharaohs, the children of Israel were oppressed and then God began to make their way out, as he had promised and prophesied.
Commands: Do what God would want you to do no matter what. No law should prevent you from doing God’s will. No oppressor should push you into doing the wrong thing. No amount of fear or public pressure should make you ignore God’s way.
Timeless principles: God raises up leaders to bring us out of harms way. No leader is perfect and most have a skeleton or two in the closet. To ignore a good leader because of a checkered past is to give up on leadership altogether. Abraham slept with his wife’s maid. Jacob was a polygamist, Joseph was accused of rape, Moses was a murderer, king David was a murder and a polygamist and stole a man’s wife. Solomon worshiped false Gods and had over 900 wives. The list goes on to the modern day. I have my problems with Pres Bush and I know he was a drunkard in his youth. He freely admits it. I also know he takes time to pray with the families of anyone who comes to him with problems and he never makes decisions without first bringing them to God in prayer. The same can be said of a lot of presidents from both sides of the isle.
God can use the selfish sinner even in the depths of his depravity but, when such a man gives himself to God and drops his selfishness in favor of God’s plan, he can turn that person into the greatest among us. Whenever you hear rumors of the past indiscretions of potential leaders you need to look at what they are doing. Some exchange one set of evils for another. Many have their pasts dragged out to discredit the good they are doing. How many true heroes have we ignored because someone found a mistake in their past that we didn’t like. You many people with an indiscretion in their past were kept from doing great good in the present because we were turned against them. When was the last time you dropped your support for a good person because you found out he or she did something in the past that you did and were ashamed of.
more to learn for in-depth study: God blessed Joseph mightily. The Egyptians, respecting his upbringing, honored Josephs father as they would the father of a king. When Israel(Jacob) died all the land of Egypt mourned his death for 70 days and the royal honor guard sent with his sons to Israel's funeral and burial in Canaan mourned him greatly another 7 days in Canaan so that the people of that land changed the name of the place in honor of the great mourning that went on there. Joseph was promised by God that his body, too, would be buried in Canaan, like his father was.
Archaeological note: The bible has just given an evidence of the past. The tomb of the patriarchs, the land purchased by Abraham for their burial, and the proof of the story telling how Israel became the heirs to the land they live on can be shown by finding the 2 Egyptian mummies. Both Jacob and Joseph were mummified in the traditional manner of Egypt and, having been a prince of Egypt until his death, the coffin in which Joseph was placed is likely to be the type of sarcophagus we are used to seeing in association with Pharaohs and other key figures from Egypt.
Prophecy tells us many things will occur in that land in the end times. The sacrifices will begin at the temple again. This cannot happen until the ark of the covenant is recovered and the temple rebuilt. It is unlikely the temple will be rebuilt without the Muslims giving up Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock being removed. The discovery of these mummy’s along with the recovery of the Ark would be major steps in that direction.
Archaeologists are busy on many fronts in Israel. Israeli and Christian archaeologists seek proof of Israel's past, like the mummies and ark, to prove the national claim. Muslim Archaeologists are actively trying to hide these proofs. When the secret vault under the temple mount was believed to be found the Muslims buried it behind over 20feet of reinforced concrete. They turned Solomon's stables into an underground mosque to prevent study that might find evidence of his kingdom. Bombings of digs, theft of artifacts and building mosques and the like on major finds to prevent study are a regular activity of the Muslim “historians”. Finally there are secular archaeologist who are just there because so much of civilization originated in the region and they want to learn. These are often our greatest allies because, without agenda, they prove our points. It was non-aligned Archaeologists who found the evidence proving the Philistines were seafaring warriors like the Vikings who controlled outposts near the cost but rarely, if ever, traveled more than a couple of miles inland and never controlled the Land of Israel as a whole.
God’s message to me: God rewards those who do right in the face of oppression. The midwives were given a direct order from the king. In that time such orders were law. The ignored and unjust and evil law and were rewarded by God. God tells us to submit to government but he has never told us to ignore His law in favor of political power. When the government gives unjust or evil laws we are bound to ignore them for the sake of obeying God. Slavery and segregation were such laws. Any law which violates God’s law or prevents worship qualifies.
Many of God’s servants violated local laws and international treaty to bring the word of God to the Soviet Union. In the last Olympic games we heard a lot of rumors about Christians violating the law to bring the word to China. Others have been at risk in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many are in danger in countries we aren’t politically involved with for the same reason. When we here of missionaries in danger for teaching the word we must pray for them and stand up for them. Regardless of government policy or popular sentiment they must be held as heroes. Our government cannot be allowed to harass them or abandon them and Governments who oppress them must be opposed and fought.
Americans have the freedom to practice religion and the responsibility to spread that freedom. Those who fail to do so deserve to lose that freedom and be forced in to secret worship like those who they do not defend. Notice that the bible never speaks a word against those who lie to protect actions that are right. The midwives lied to protect lives and avoid being replaced by those who would follow Pharaohs law. God rewarded them for protecting his children.
Promises: God remembers his promises even in the darkest hour. Under 2 Pharaohs, the children of Israel were oppressed and then God began to make their way out, as he had promised and prophesied.
Commands: Do what God would want you to do no matter what. No law should prevent you from doing God’s will. No oppressor should push you into doing the wrong thing. No amount of fear or public pressure should make you ignore God’s way.
Timeless principles: God raises up leaders to bring us out of harms way. No leader is perfect and most have a skeleton or two in the closet. To ignore a good leader because of a checkered past is to give up on leadership altogether. Abraham slept with his wife’s maid. Jacob was a polygamist, Joseph was accused of rape, Moses was a murderer, king David was a murder and a polygamist and stole a man’s wife. Solomon worshiped false Gods and had over 900 wives. The list goes on to the modern day. I have my problems with Pres Bush and I know he was a drunkard in his youth. He freely admits it. I also know he takes time to pray with the families of anyone who comes to him with problems and he never makes decisions without first bringing them to God in prayer. The same can be said of a lot of presidents from both sides of the isle.
God can use the selfish sinner even in the depths of his depravity but, when such a man gives himself to God and drops his selfishness in favor of God’s plan, he can turn that person into the greatest among us. Whenever you hear rumors of the past indiscretions of potential leaders you need to look at what they are doing. Some exchange one set of evils for another. Many have their pasts dragged out to discredit the good they are doing. How many true heroes have we ignored because someone found a mistake in their past that we didn’t like. You many people with an indiscretion in their past were kept from doing great good in the present because we were turned against them. When was the last time you dropped your support for a good person because you found out he or she did something in the past that you did and were ashamed of.
more to learn for in-depth study: God blessed Joseph mightily. The Egyptians, respecting his upbringing, honored Josephs father as they would the father of a king. When Israel(Jacob) died all the land of Egypt mourned his death for 70 days and the royal honor guard sent with his sons to Israel's funeral and burial in Canaan mourned him greatly another 7 days in Canaan so that the people of that land changed the name of the place in honor of the great mourning that went on there. Joseph was promised by God that his body, too, would be buried in Canaan, like his father was.
Archaeological note: The bible has just given an evidence of the past. The tomb of the patriarchs, the land purchased by Abraham for their burial, and the proof of the story telling how Israel became the heirs to the land they live on can be shown by finding the 2 Egyptian mummies. Both Jacob and Joseph were mummified in the traditional manner of Egypt and, having been a prince of Egypt until his death, the coffin in which Joseph was placed is likely to be the type of sarcophagus we are used to seeing in association with Pharaohs and other key figures from Egypt.
Prophecy tells us many things will occur in that land in the end times. The sacrifices will begin at the temple again. This cannot happen until the ark of the covenant is recovered and the temple rebuilt. It is unlikely the temple will be rebuilt without the Muslims giving up Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock being removed. The discovery of these mummy’s along with the recovery of the Ark would be major steps in that direction.
Archaeologists are busy on many fronts in Israel. Israeli and Christian archaeologists seek proof of Israel's past, like the mummies and ark, to prove the national claim. Muslim Archaeologists are actively trying to hide these proofs. When the secret vault under the temple mount was believed to be found the Muslims buried it behind over 20feet of reinforced concrete. They turned Solomon's stables into an underground mosque to prevent study that might find evidence of his kingdom. Bombings of digs, theft of artifacts and building mosques and the like on major finds to prevent study are a regular activity of the Muslim “historians”. Finally there are secular archaeologist who are just there because so much of civilization originated in the region and they want to learn. These are often our greatest allies because, without agenda, they prove our points. It was non-aligned Archaeologists who found the evidence proving the Philistines were seafaring warriors like the Vikings who controlled outposts near the cost but rarely, if ever, traveled more than a couple of miles inland and never controlled the Land of Israel as a whole.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Genesis Chapters 47-49
God’s message to me: The last shall be first and the first shall be last. This theme keeps playing through the bible as God chooses the youngest child to lead in place of the oldest. (Tradition holding that the oldest holds the birthright to get the chief inheritance and have family leadership passed to him.) God uses these things to show us that the least of us will be brought to power and prosperity through him. No matter how low you go and how bad things get, God can bring you to the top.
Promises: God will give us all we need and more. No matter how low our position at the start we can be brought to the highest point by Him.
Commands: BLESS YOUR CHILDREN. This isn’t the first example or the last. Look at the most successful people in our country and you will see a lot of Jews. Why? Because the children of Israel understood from the beginning the importance of blessing their children. Each generation from Abraham down has received spoken blessings from their fathers and this is something Jewish fathers understand as being spiritually important to this day.
Gentile comedians make endless jokes of the curses we give our children. the classic example is “The mothers curse” which says “I hope you grow up and have children that behave just like you”. Strangely enough we usually do. In turn our mothers get a lot more gray hair worrying about their grandkids than they did worrying about their kids. Jewish families pray blessings over their children instead and are careful not to place such curses. I it any wonder they prosper? God honors the prayers of parents for their children. The proof starts in the first book of the Old Testament and continues to Steven Spielberg and beyond.
Timeless principles: I can’t reiterate this enough. BLESS YOUR CHILDREN. Isaac Asimov, Gertrude Stein, Neil Simon, Herman Wouk, JD Salinger, Carl Sagan, Judy Blume, Steven Spielberg, Leonard Nimoy, the list goes on into hundreds and thousands. check here for more. Even if you don’t like them you can’t deny their success and do you really think so many successful Jews is an accident. Follow the ages of the people on this list and you will see that many of them became successful before they had a country with land. They were the scattered children living in foreign lands.
more to learn for in-depth study: The blessings of the sons of Jacob are also prophetic in showing what will become of these tribes in the future. The tribe of kings, the lineage of Christ, the wars and strife arising from their activities will all play out as we read.
It’s also worth noticing who is buried in the grave of the patriarchs. Jacob had 4 wives but was buried with the first, Leah. He had intended to marry Rebecca and was tricked into his first marriage. He loved Rebecca from the moment he saw her and never gave much attention to Leah except as the mother of some of his children. Rebecca died first of his wives. She was buried near what would become Bethlehem. Leah received the honor of being buried with her husband.
Fun Fact: Rameses was Pharaoh when Joseph was prime minister. There were several Rameses on the throne of Egypt over the years but this gives us a clue to timing. So does the fact that Jacob was 130 years old when he met Pharaoh, God gave prophecy that the people of Israel would be in Egypt for 400 years, and the family line. 2 of Jacob’s grandsons died before going to Egypt, 66 members of the family and their wives came to Egypt and Joseph sent for his father to come to Egypt 2 years after the famine began.
Before the famine, 1/5th or 20% of the produce was taken to the storehouses to provide for the future. Under Joseph’s leadership this provided enough to feed all of Egypt and Canaan for the 7 years of famine and made Egypt the richest nation at the time. As the Famine came to a close this savings became the law. This created an effective 20% income tax as the way to keep Egypt intact. That remained the tax for hundreds of years afterward and was sufficient to maintain one of the richest and most culturally developed empires of the time even with the great projects they created. The Great Lighthouse, the Pyramids, The Sphinx, and many other wonders were created on just 20% taxation across the board.
Promises: God will give us all we need and more. No matter how low our position at the start we can be brought to the highest point by Him.
Commands: BLESS YOUR CHILDREN. This isn’t the first example or the last. Look at the most successful people in our country and you will see a lot of Jews. Why? Because the children of Israel understood from the beginning the importance of blessing their children. Each generation from Abraham down has received spoken blessings from their fathers and this is something Jewish fathers understand as being spiritually important to this day.
Gentile comedians make endless jokes of the curses we give our children. the classic example is “The mothers curse” which says “I hope you grow up and have children that behave just like you”. Strangely enough we usually do. In turn our mothers get a lot more gray hair worrying about their grandkids than they did worrying about their kids. Jewish families pray blessings over their children instead and are careful not to place such curses. I it any wonder they prosper? God honors the prayers of parents for their children. The proof starts in the first book of the Old Testament and continues to Steven Spielberg and beyond.
Timeless principles: I can’t reiterate this enough. BLESS YOUR CHILDREN. Isaac Asimov, Gertrude Stein, Neil Simon, Herman Wouk, JD Salinger, Carl Sagan, Judy Blume, Steven Spielberg, Leonard Nimoy, the list goes on into hundreds and thousands. check here for more. Even if you don’t like them you can’t deny their success and do you really think so many successful Jews is an accident. Follow the ages of the people on this list and you will see that many of them became successful before they had a country with land. They were the scattered children living in foreign lands.
more to learn for in-depth study: The blessings of the sons of Jacob are also prophetic in showing what will become of these tribes in the future. The tribe of kings, the lineage of Christ, the wars and strife arising from their activities will all play out as we read.
It’s also worth noticing who is buried in the grave of the patriarchs. Jacob had 4 wives but was buried with the first, Leah. He had intended to marry Rebecca and was tricked into his first marriage. He loved Rebecca from the moment he saw her and never gave much attention to Leah except as the mother of some of his children. Rebecca died first of his wives. She was buried near what would become Bethlehem. Leah received the honor of being buried with her husband.
Fun Fact: Rameses was Pharaoh when Joseph was prime minister. There were several Rameses on the throne of Egypt over the years but this gives us a clue to timing. So does the fact that Jacob was 130 years old when he met Pharaoh, God gave prophecy that the people of Israel would be in Egypt for 400 years, and the family line. 2 of Jacob’s grandsons died before going to Egypt, 66 members of the family and their wives came to Egypt and Joseph sent for his father to come to Egypt 2 years after the famine began.
Before the famine, 1/5th or 20% of the produce was taken to the storehouses to provide for the future. Under Joseph’s leadership this provided enough to feed all of Egypt and Canaan for the 7 years of famine and made Egypt the richest nation at the time. As the Famine came to a close this savings became the law. This created an effective 20% income tax as the way to keep Egypt intact. That remained the tax for hundreds of years afterward and was sufficient to maintain one of the richest and most culturally developed empires of the time even with the great projects they created. The Great Lighthouse, the Pyramids, The Sphinx, and many other wonders were created on just 20% taxation across the board.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Genesis Chapters 43-46
God’s message to me: God prepares the way to preserve us in disaster
Promises: All things work together for the good to those who serve God
Commands: Forgiveness is a virtue. Be virtuous.
Timeless principles: If God brings you to it He will also bring you through it. Josephs service provided a safe home for his family in the time of need.
more to learn for in-depth study: Joseph played a few tricks on his brothers but when Judah offered himself in place of his younger brother Joseph could no longer hide himself. He forgave his brothers and explained their action was used by God to ensure the family would survive the drought.
God placed Joseph in the right place at the right time so that the Children of Israel would have a place to grow into a nation. He gave Joseph such favor in the eyes of Pharaoh that the ruler of Egypt ordered Josephs family be treated as the family of royalty.
It seems I need to fall behind to get ahead. I had an early morning planning music with the pastor. He is also working on a funeral for a family member of one of our members. Being late today I started the studies for the next couple of posts. I'm Sorry for the late post today.
Promises: All things work together for the good to those who serve God
Commands: Forgiveness is a virtue. Be virtuous.
Timeless principles: If God brings you to it He will also bring you through it. Josephs service provided a safe home for his family in the time of need.
more to learn for in-depth study: Joseph played a few tricks on his brothers but when Judah offered himself in place of his younger brother Joseph could no longer hide himself. He forgave his brothers and explained their action was used by God to ensure the family would survive the drought.
God placed Joseph in the right place at the right time so that the Children of Israel would have a place to grow into a nation. He gave Joseph such favor in the eyes of Pharaoh that the ruler of Egypt ordered Josephs family be treated as the family of royalty.
It seems I need to fall behind to get ahead. I had an early morning planning music with the pastor. He is also working on a funeral for a family member of one of our members. Being late today I started the studies for the next couple of posts. I'm Sorry for the late post today.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Genesis chapters 41-42
God's message to me: God has things planned out far in advance. Joseph was 17 when tattling on his brothers and dreaming of them bowing to him caused them so much anger. It was more than 20 years later when those dreams became real.
Promises: God's promises never fail. His timing is his own. 2nd, He makes a way in the darkest hour. 7 years of drought would be deadly detestation but the 7 years of plenty provided surplus to be saved against that drought and God warned it would come.
Commands: Everything you do is because God works through you. He deserves the credit because without Him you are nothing.
Timeless principles: BE PREPARED. Saving for your lean times is a universal principle. If you ever wondered about how much to save this is a good guide. God gives us all years of plenty. When the surplus is there we are to save. In the case of Egypt they saved 20% and used it to survive and thrive in disaster.
How can I apply what I've learned: When finances are available, save 20% towards times of need.
More to study: When Joseph was taken from prison to meet pharaoh he looked the part. Before seeing the king he bathed, shaved and put on clean, new clothes. Doing so was respectful of Pharaoh's position.
We Go before the King of kings whenever we pray. We are honored to be granted audience at his throne whenever we wish. Do we do so with the due respect?
Reuben makes another great move in this passage. To ransom his brother he offers the lives of his sons as ransom for the safety of his youngest brother. He Asks that his own sons be killed if he fails to protect his baby brother. He also chastises his brothers for their plot reminding them that the problems befalling them are no doubt due to their sin against Joseph.
Joseph has gone from bratty little brother to slave, to chief butler of a local leader, to prisoner, to prison trustee, to prime Minister of Egypt. When Pharaoh said he was giving Joseph all power he proved it by giving him his signet ring. This ring was the royal seal and a written decree bearing that seal was considered the order of the king. Keep in mind that Egyptian Pharaohs were considered the descendants of the gods by their people. A royal command was instantly and fully followed without question. The authority to give those command had just been given to a foreigner a few hours after he had been removed from the kings prison. Now that's a Cinderella story that only God could make happen.
Promises: God's promises never fail. His timing is his own. 2nd, He makes a way in the darkest hour. 7 years of drought would be deadly detestation but the 7 years of plenty provided surplus to be saved against that drought and God warned it would come.
Commands: Everything you do is because God works through you. He deserves the credit because without Him you are nothing.
Timeless principles: BE PREPARED. Saving for your lean times is a universal principle. If you ever wondered about how much to save this is a good guide. God gives us all years of plenty. When the surplus is there we are to save. In the case of Egypt they saved 20% and used it to survive and thrive in disaster.
How can I apply what I've learned: When finances are available, save 20% towards times of need.
More to study: When Joseph was taken from prison to meet pharaoh he looked the part. Before seeing the king he bathed, shaved and put on clean, new clothes. Doing so was respectful of Pharaoh's position.
We Go before the King of kings whenever we pray. We are honored to be granted audience at his throne whenever we wish. Do we do so with the due respect?
Reuben makes another great move in this passage. To ransom his brother he offers the lives of his sons as ransom for the safety of his youngest brother. He Asks that his own sons be killed if he fails to protect his baby brother. He also chastises his brothers for their plot reminding them that the problems befalling them are no doubt due to their sin against Joseph.
Joseph has gone from bratty little brother to slave, to chief butler of a local leader, to prisoner, to prison trustee, to prime Minister of Egypt. When Pharaoh said he was giving Joseph all power he proved it by giving him his signet ring. This ring was the royal seal and a written decree bearing that seal was considered the order of the king. Keep in mind that Egyptian Pharaohs were considered the descendants of the gods by their people. A royal command was instantly and fully followed without question. The authority to give those command had just been given to a foreigner a few hours after he had been removed from the kings prison. Now that's a Cinderella story that only God could make happen.
Monday, January 12, 2009
New years Resolutions
I started this blog as a New Year Resolution. I've been through the bible several times in the past and done it in under 11 weeks. This time I am pacing it so that others have a pattern to follow in their resolution. I wanted a place where people could follow a simple plan and study together. I hope that it will lead to our gaining insight from each other.
Another popular and useful resolution is weight loss. Diabetes's is all to common in my wife's family and carrying extra weight isn't helping me deal with my back injury so we have decided to drop the extra pounds together.
I don't want to distract from the bible study but, taking care of our bodies as the temple of God is important so, I hope my updates will encourage others. We are using the Weight Watchers point system. I don't know my wife's goal but mine is to get down to 200 pounds which is a pretty healthy weight for me. The fact is I have already lost about 10 pounds but I started back around Thanksgiving. Holidays are a rough time to lose.
My wife keeps asking what I lost and I haven't told her so let's see how long it takes her to notice these posts. My current weight is 239.8 pounds. for the next couple weeks I'm making things easy on myself. 2 Slimfast type shakes(I like the Wal*Mart equate shakes better for taste) at 4 points a piece, a yogurt averaging 3 points, string cheese for 2 points and "free" veggies. Some vegetable don't have a point value as snacks. Favorites are green bell peppers and carrots. Celery and tomatoes and Lettuce and other salad fixings are also free but the peppers and carrots cut into sticks like fries are an easy and tasty snack. That takes 13 of my 28 points leaving 15 for a big dinner or, a reasonable dinner and snacks with points, like popcorn which I love with a movie.
I'll post on Mondays with my weigh-in because Sundays are when I end up at family dinners or fellowship meals at the church. Saving the flex points to deal with these weekend splurges keeps me on track and I start over on flex points Monday morning. The best part about staying on track is that you don't feel like overdoing it at social functions because your just not used to over eating.
If your on track to lose some pounds I'd love to hear your plans. Maybe the things that work for us will encourage those who aren't doing as well. You might be giving others good Ideas, offering new, light recipes, or just telling us about your success but, any comments could be encouraging.
See you soon,
Carl
Another popular and useful resolution is weight loss. Diabetes's is all to common in my wife's family and carrying extra weight isn't helping me deal with my back injury so we have decided to drop the extra pounds together.
I don't want to distract from the bible study but, taking care of our bodies as the temple of God is important so, I hope my updates will encourage others. We are using the Weight Watchers point system. I don't know my wife's goal but mine is to get down to 200 pounds which is a pretty healthy weight for me. The fact is I have already lost about 10 pounds but I started back around Thanksgiving. Holidays are a rough time to lose.
My wife keeps asking what I lost and I haven't told her so let's see how long it takes her to notice these posts. My current weight is 239.8 pounds. for the next couple weeks I'm making things easy on myself. 2 Slimfast type shakes(I like the Wal*Mart equate shakes better for taste) at 4 points a piece, a yogurt averaging 3 points, string cheese for 2 points and "free" veggies. Some vegetable don't have a point value as snacks. Favorites are green bell peppers and carrots. Celery and tomatoes and Lettuce and other salad fixings are also free but the peppers and carrots cut into sticks like fries are an easy and tasty snack. That takes 13 of my 28 points leaving 15 for a big dinner or, a reasonable dinner and snacks with points, like popcorn which I love with a movie.
I'll post on Mondays with my weigh-in because Sundays are when I end up at family dinners or fellowship meals at the church. Saving the flex points to deal with these weekend splurges keeps me on track and I start over on flex points Monday morning. The best part about staying on track is that you don't feel like overdoing it at social functions because your just not used to over eating.
If your on track to lose some pounds I'd love to hear your plans. Maybe the things that work for us will encourage those who aren't doing as well. You might be giving others good Ideas, offering new, light recipes, or just telling us about your success but, any comments could be encouraging.
See you soon,
Carl
Genesis Chapters 38-40
The up and down life of Joseph.
God's Message to me: God uses everything in life to prepare you for the future. This message is quite personal. When God called me to the ministry I argued. I felt I didn't have the education, skills or background to do the job. He showed me how he had used the path of my life to teach me the necessary skills. I have learned accounting, management, teaching, business, counseling, leadership, faith and so much more through the jobs I have held in my life. From construction, to stocking shelves, to Driving across the country, to managing a truck fleet my life has been a continuous school to prepare me for the job God intended. You'll see the same in Josephs life.
Promises: God can make you prosperous no matter how low things get.
Commands: Do the right thing, no matter your circumstance, and God will reward you.
Timeless Principles: Learning is a process in which we seek opportunity no matter what.
How can I apply what I've learned: Examine my problems and find the opportunities they contain.
More to learn: One thing you may gather from my posts is that I look up to Newt Gingrich. He is a fan of a book called the Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. I have to say that I find it useful as well.
A couple basic rules from the book:
Ask "What is right for the enterprise?" Joseph was given charge over everything belonging to Potiphar. His master could not even tell someone, for certain, what he owned or how much it was worth, he simply left those matters in Josephs hands because he knew Joseph would do what was best for the prosperity of the household.
Focus on opportunities rather than problems. Dwayne "Dog the bounty hunter" Chapman, tells the story of how he became a trustee in the prison in Texas where he served time. He ran down an escaping prisoner and caught him, preventing the guards from killing him during escape. The Guards began to call him Dog the bounty hunter even before he got out of jail and began that career. He was made a trustee which meant that he had authority near that of the guards despite being a prisoner. I've told this story to explain what happened to Joseph in prison.
Joseph, too, was made a prison trustee. In fact he was in charge of everything second only to the chief guard. The Warden had seen that everything placed in Josephs hands prospered. This not only shows that God was working but that Joseph didn't give up.
Many of us, in that position, would sulk in a cell and give up. Joseph found the opportunities in his problems and exploited them to show he was worthy of trust and respect.
Joseph was sold into slavery and found the opportunity that made him a chief butler in charge of all his masters affairs. He was falsely accused of a rape attempt by a woman who had tried to rape him. He found the opportunity to prosper in prison. We will see soon that these trying ups and downs lead to his final position. He learned to be a manager, a financial manager, a guardian, an interpreter of dreams through God, a leader and more.
God's Message to me: God uses everything in life to prepare you for the future. This message is quite personal. When God called me to the ministry I argued. I felt I didn't have the education, skills or background to do the job. He showed me how he had used the path of my life to teach me the necessary skills. I have learned accounting, management, teaching, business, counseling, leadership, faith and so much more through the jobs I have held in my life. From construction, to stocking shelves, to Driving across the country, to managing a truck fleet my life has been a continuous school to prepare me for the job God intended. You'll see the same in Josephs life.
Promises: God can make you prosperous no matter how low things get.
Commands: Do the right thing, no matter your circumstance, and God will reward you.
Timeless Principles: Learning is a process in which we seek opportunity no matter what.
How can I apply what I've learned: Examine my problems and find the opportunities they contain.
More to learn: One thing you may gather from my posts is that I look up to Newt Gingrich. He is a fan of a book called the Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. I have to say that I find it useful as well.
A couple basic rules from the book:
Ask "What is right for the enterprise?" Joseph was given charge over everything belonging to Potiphar. His master could not even tell someone, for certain, what he owned or how much it was worth, he simply left those matters in Josephs hands because he knew Joseph would do what was best for the prosperity of the household.
Focus on opportunities rather than problems. Dwayne "Dog the bounty hunter" Chapman, tells the story of how he became a trustee in the prison in Texas where he served time. He ran down an escaping prisoner and caught him, preventing the guards from killing him during escape. The Guards began to call him Dog the bounty hunter even before he got out of jail and began that career. He was made a trustee which meant that he had authority near that of the guards despite being a prisoner. I've told this story to explain what happened to Joseph in prison.
Joseph, too, was made a prison trustee. In fact he was in charge of everything second only to the chief guard. The Warden had seen that everything placed in Josephs hands prospered. This not only shows that God was working but that Joseph didn't give up.
Many of us, in that position, would sulk in a cell and give up. Joseph found the opportunities in his problems and exploited them to show he was worthy of trust and respect.
Joseph was sold into slavery and found the opportunity that made him a chief butler in charge of all his masters affairs. He was falsely accused of a rape attempt by a woman who had tried to rape him. He found the opportunity to prosper in prison. We will see soon that these trying ups and downs lead to his final position. He learned to be a manager, a financial manager, a guardian, an interpreter of dreams through God, a leader and more.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Genesis chapters 35-37
God's message to me: When God appoints you the leader, don't expect everybody to like it. Jealousy is a lot more likely.
Reuben sinned, not only against God but against Isaac when he slept with is step-mother Bilhah. Notice there is no retribution from Isaac despite the fact that the next verse says he learned of it. Later Reuben is the one who protects Joseph. Forgiveness is a powerful thing.
Reuben's loyalty to his father and desire to do write after being forgiven for such a wrong is powerful. Reuben knew the price he could have paid. His brothers slaughtered every man in an entire city for such sin with their sister and he had joined the rest of his brothers in plundering that city for the same sin. Make no mistake, Reuben knew to be thankful he was still breathing.
Promises: God fulfills his promises completely. Jacob and Esau remained friendly after Jacob returned. They buried their father together and when their family ranches became to prosperous to share the same land it was Esau who sent in search of other pastures. As with Ishmael, Esau was the father of nations and the Edomites are his descendants. The Ishmaelites are the children of Ishmael. Many became traders roaming throughout the land and living among their brothers in the prosperity of trade. They were nations and tribes of their own and their trade served the needs of their brothers in Israel and Edom.
Commands: I see no direct command here. Doing the right thing is God's desire for us. Reuben got a bad start but he sought to do the right thing. He kept his brothers from killing Joseph and intended to sneak him out of the pit and back to his father when the rest weren't looking. His actions saved Joseph's life and, when he learned that Joseph was gone, he tore his clothes in anguish and mourning for what had been done.
Going along with his brothers would have been easy but Reuben didn't do it. He preferred to take his chances at becoming Joseph's servant to doing the wrong thing. Remember, in all you do, there are only two opinions that count. Everyone else is transient, family can ignore you or even die. Friends can dump you and even spouses occasionally leave. The rest of the world just does not matter. Every morning you have to look yourself in the mirror and be satisfied that you are honorable. Every moment of every day you know that God is with you and will judge your actions. Your's and God's are the only opinions of value.
Timeless Principles: Doing the right thing is not always popular and being God's chosen is not the path to popularity either. Reuben wasn't even consulted on selling Joseph. He had pushed to spare his life in the first place. They weren't interested in his sparing the runt again.
Joseph was chosen to lead. Like his Father and Grandfather he was the youngest and tradition said the firstborn was the heir apparent and the others would serve the oldest. It's telling to note that Reuben was the oldest. Despite Joseph's dreams that said his right would go to the baby in the family, Reuben was still willing to do what was right.
Christ told his Apostles something they should have known from this history. "The last shall be first and the first shall be last."
How can I apply what I've learned: Always seek to do the right thing. Going along with the crowd is easy and safe but going along with God is the key to prosperity. Regardless of the life you lead it is easier to live with yourself if you are doing what's right.
More to learn for in-depth study:
Quick facts:
Rachael died in childbirth when Joseph was born.
The brothers had plenty of reason to hate Joseph. At 17 he tattled on brothers to his father. It was bad enough to get in the historical record. His dad doted on him and even gave him a coat of many colors. Keep in mind that color dyes weren't cheap and multi colored clothing would have been the height of luxury. Just think of how you felt about the "cool kids" in school who always got the latest fashions while you were wearing hand me downs or K-Mart specials.
2 Dreams portrayed Joseph ruling over his brothers and parents. The boys binding sheafs of wheat in the field only to have Joseph's stand tall while the others bowed down to it. The dream of the sun, moon and 11 stars bowing down to Joseph. As the baby of the family and an annoying tattle tale, none of the brothers would have been keen on the idea of being ruled by their baby brother.
Finally, we get to see that Ishmael's children were fulfilling God's promise to become a nation. They were now known as the Ishmaelites and they were traders in the land with their trade routes and caravans serving the needs of their brothers Israel and Edom. While slavery was certainly not the trade most of us would want to be in, The primary business seemed to be trade goods. The bible names camels, spices, lotions and perfume as trade goods they were hauling.
Reuben sinned, not only against God but against Isaac when he slept with is step-mother Bilhah. Notice there is no retribution from Isaac despite the fact that the next verse says he learned of it. Later Reuben is the one who protects Joseph. Forgiveness is a powerful thing.
Reuben's loyalty to his father and desire to do write after being forgiven for such a wrong is powerful. Reuben knew the price he could have paid. His brothers slaughtered every man in an entire city for such sin with their sister and he had joined the rest of his brothers in plundering that city for the same sin. Make no mistake, Reuben knew to be thankful he was still breathing.
Promises: God fulfills his promises completely. Jacob and Esau remained friendly after Jacob returned. They buried their father together and when their family ranches became to prosperous to share the same land it was Esau who sent in search of other pastures. As with Ishmael, Esau was the father of nations and the Edomites are his descendants. The Ishmaelites are the children of Ishmael. Many became traders roaming throughout the land and living among their brothers in the prosperity of trade. They were nations and tribes of their own and their trade served the needs of their brothers in Israel and Edom.
Commands: I see no direct command here. Doing the right thing is God's desire for us. Reuben got a bad start but he sought to do the right thing. He kept his brothers from killing Joseph and intended to sneak him out of the pit and back to his father when the rest weren't looking. His actions saved Joseph's life and, when he learned that Joseph was gone, he tore his clothes in anguish and mourning for what had been done.
Going along with his brothers would have been easy but Reuben didn't do it. He preferred to take his chances at becoming Joseph's servant to doing the wrong thing. Remember, in all you do, there are only two opinions that count. Everyone else is transient, family can ignore you or even die. Friends can dump you and even spouses occasionally leave. The rest of the world just does not matter. Every morning you have to look yourself in the mirror and be satisfied that you are honorable. Every moment of every day you know that God is with you and will judge your actions. Your's and God's are the only opinions of value.
Timeless Principles: Doing the right thing is not always popular and being God's chosen is not the path to popularity either. Reuben wasn't even consulted on selling Joseph. He had pushed to spare his life in the first place. They weren't interested in his sparing the runt again.
Joseph was chosen to lead. Like his Father and Grandfather he was the youngest and tradition said the firstborn was the heir apparent and the others would serve the oldest. It's telling to note that Reuben was the oldest. Despite Joseph's dreams that said his right would go to the baby in the family, Reuben was still willing to do what was right.
Christ told his Apostles something they should have known from this history. "The last shall be first and the first shall be last."
How can I apply what I've learned: Always seek to do the right thing. Going along with the crowd is easy and safe but going along with God is the key to prosperity. Regardless of the life you lead it is easier to live with yourself if you are doing what's right.
More to learn for in-depth study:
Quick facts:
Rachael died in childbirth when Joseph was born.
The brothers had plenty of reason to hate Joseph. At 17 he tattled on brothers to his father. It was bad enough to get in the historical record. His dad doted on him and even gave him a coat of many colors. Keep in mind that color dyes weren't cheap and multi colored clothing would have been the height of luxury. Just think of how you felt about the "cool kids" in school who always got the latest fashions while you were wearing hand me downs or K-Mart specials.
2 Dreams portrayed Joseph ruling over his brothers and parents. The boys binding sheafs of wheat in the field only to have Joseph's stand tall while the others bowed down to it. The dream of the sun, moon and 11 stars bowing down to Joseph. As the baby of the family and an annoying tattle tale, none of the brothers would have been keen on the idea of being ruled by their baby brother.
Finally, we get to see that Ishmael's children were fulfilling God's promise to become a nation. They were now known as the Ishmaelites and they were traders in the land with their trade routes and caravans serving the needs of their brothers Israel and Edom. While slavery was certainly not the trade most of us would want to be in, The primary business seemed to be trade goods. The bible names camels, spices, lotions and perfume as trade goods they were hauling.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Genesis chapters 32-34
God's Message to me: God will fulfill his promises more fully than you can imagine. Jacob would have been happy to come home in peace but God brought him home to find his brother happy to see him and welcoming him back with open arms.
Promises: If God says it you can depend on it. Jacob was protected and made to prosper on his journey and returned home safely and with such wealth that large gifts to his brother and the price of land for his new ranch were pocket change.
Commands: Trust and follow God's commands. Jacob didn't leave Laban until God told him to. When he did leave he left as one of the wealthiest men in the land.
Timeless principles: God will not let you down.
How can I apply what I've learned: Seek God's guidance and follow it when I find it. It does no good to search for truth if you choose to do your own thing anyway. People today place great stock in "situational ethics". They give lip service to the "timeless wisdom of the 10 commandments" but ignore them when the feel that they get in the way. If your going to make up the rules as your going along why learn them in the first place?
More to learn for in-depth study: It is interesting to note that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all took precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them. They did so despite promises from God that they would be protected. They were never rebuked for doing so. In point of fact this is a recurring theme through the entire bible and even Christ himself accepted that the better part of valor sometimes meant escaping to continue another day.
Throughout the bible our heroes have willingly given themselves into the hands of persecutors and killers when God's appointed time had come but, until they knew that was God's plan they made every effort to protect themselves and God prospered them for doing so.
We also see here that pre-marital sex was considered wrong long before the law of Moses. The son of the local ruler ignored that rule and violated Jacobs daughter. Had he come for marriage first it would not have been a violation, on the other hand, Jacob would probably have turned him away anyhow but, it would have been a lot less bloody.
This brings us to war. While Jacob may not have approved of the slaughter by two of his sons it seems clear to me that 2 young men with swords could not wipe out a city without the help of God. The fact that they had the swords in the first place shows the family was prepared for armed conflict. In fact, Abraham led a war against more than one city in order to free the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when they, along with his nephew, were taken as prisoners.
War is never pretty and rarely desirable but it is acceptable. God ordered many wars throughout the Old Testament. Some where surgical, taking out the fighting force but sparing the non combatants. Some where "all out" with orders to destroy everything and leave not even a memory of the enemy. It all depended on provocation and the record of the opponent.
Secondary thought: If God expects us to all live happily in poverty, why did He make so many biblical heroes rich? There is around 3 times as many verses on money management in the bible as there are verses on prayer. God expects you to be a good steward of your finances and, as in the parable of the servants and the talents, wise use which makes it grow will convince God to give much more into your stewardship. "you have been faithful in a little I will make you ruler over much." Jacob arrived with nothing and tended Labens flocks as carefully as if they were his own and ended his work with his uncle with great flocks of his own.
Promises: If God says it you can depend on it. Jacob was protected and made to prosper on his journey and returned home safely and with such wealth that large gifts to his brother and the price of land for his new ranch were pocket change.
Commands: Trust and follow God's commands. Jacob didn't leave Laban until God told him to. When he did leave he left as one of the wealthiest men in the land.
Timeless principles: God will not let you down.
How can I apply what I've learned: Seek God's guidance and follow it when I find it. It does no good to search for truth if you choose to do your own thing anyway. People today place great stock in "situational ethics". They give lip service to the "timeless wisdom of the 10 commandments" but ignore them when the feel that they get in the way. If your going to make up the rules as your going along why learn them in the first place?
More to learn for in-depth study: It is interesting to note that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all took precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them. They did so despite promises from God that they would be protected. They were never rebuked for doing so. In point of fact this is a recurring theme through the entire bible and even Christ himself accepted that the better part of valor sometimes meant escaping to continue another day.
Throughout the bible our heroes have willingly given themselves into the hands of persecutors and killers when God's appointed time had come but, until they knew that was God's plan they made every effort to protect themselves and God prospered them for doing so.
We also see here that pre-marital sex was considered wrong long before the law of Moses. The son of the local ruler ignored that rule and violated Jacobs daughter. Had he come for marriage first it would not have been a violation, on the other hand, Jacob would probably have turned him away anyhow but, it would have been a lot less bloody.
This brings us to war. While Jacob may not have approved of the slaughter by two of his sons it seems clear to me that 2 young men with swords could not wipe out a city without the help of God. The fact that they had the swords in the first place shows the family was prepared for armed conflict. In fact, Abraham led a war against more than one city in order to free the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when they, along with his nephew, were taken as prisoners.
War is never pretty and rarely desirable but it is acceptable. God ordered many wars throughout the Old Testament. Some where surgical, taking out the fighting force but sparing the non combatants. Some where "all out" with orders to destroy everything and leave not even a memory of the enemy. It all depended on provocation and the record of the opponent.
Secondary thought: If God expects us to all live happily in poverty, why did He make so many biblical heroes rich? There is around 3 times as many verses on money management in the bible as there are verses on prayer. God expects you to be a good steward of your finances and, as in the parable of the servants and the talents, wise use which makes it grow will convince God to give much more into your stewardship. "you have been faithful in a little I will make you ruler over much." Jacob arrived with nothing and tended Labens flocks as carefully as if they were his own and ended his work with his uncle with great flocks of his own.
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