Archive for the ‘Genesis-BibleTrekToday’ Category

Scripture reading for January 6th: Genesis 12-14

About 2000 years before Christ or about 400 years after the tower of Babel, God spoke to a man in Ur of the Chaldeans in the land that is now called Iraq.  This man’s name was Abram.  He was about 75 years old and married to a lady named Sarai.  They were childless and already beyond the years of childbearing.

God seems to specialize in doing what seems impossible! God spoke to Abram and gave him eight specific promises: (1) I will make you a great nation, (2) I will bless you, (3) I will make your name great, (4) You will be a blessing, (5) I will bless those who bless you, (6) I will curse those who curse you, (7) All peoples of the earth will be blessed through you, (8) To your offspring I will give this land (Canaan). (Genesis 12:2-3, 7.)   God then asked Abram to leave his home and go to a land that He would show him and Abram obeyed!  With promises like that, who wouldn’t want in on these blessings and future blessings?

In these verses we see the beginning of God’s plan to form a people who by faith would follow Him.  Abram was told that God would make him a great nation before he had even one child.  Abram was told all nations would be blessed through him.  Abram’s offspring carried the seed of the one who would carry the Son of God, Jesus Christ!  Abram believed and acted.  Faith is just that simple.  Faith looks at God who made the promises and chooses to believe that He is able to fulfill them!  (Romans 4:20-21)

That’s exactly what God is calling us to do!  We now trust in Jesus Christ and receive the blessing promised to all peoples of the earth: eternal life in His Name!  Faith is still trusting that God will do what He has promised!  Will you trust and obey Him today?  He has people He wants to bless through you and your testimony!

“Yet he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:20-21)

“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)

January 5th Scripture Reading: Genesis 10-11

God chose Noah to start the population of the world all over again through his three sons and their wives.  Did you ever wonder how we got all the different nations of the world?  Did you wonder where all the languages and nationalities came from?   Genesis 10 and 11 give us insight about the nations.

God blessed Noah’s family and told them to multiply and fill the whole earth.  (Genesis 9:1)  Noah’s grandson born to Ham, Nimrod, led a rebellion around 100 years after the flood.  The rebellion consisted of gathering family members together on the plain of Shinar (Ancient Babylon, current Iraq).  They decided to build a tower that would reach to the heavens and to make a name for themselves instead of filling the earth.  (Genesis 11:1-4)  This seemed harmless enough, except it was against God’s command.

God came down!  Man had built himself a tall tower, in a vain attempt to reach the heavens.  This disobedience was the very  kind of sin that got man removed from the Garden of Eden.  God realized that with one language and rebellious leadership,  nothing would be impossible for them.   He confused their language and  thus scattered them over the earth.

God did one more thing that insured that they would not rebel again.  Genesis 10 is a genealogy of the son’s of Noah.  One of Shem’s grandsons, Eber, had a son Peleg.  The Bible states that “in his time the earth was divided. . “. (Genesis 10:25) Some scientists believe that this is when God might have separated the continents.  Genesis  chapter 10 lists  seventy family groups that formed the nations of the world that we see in existence today.  (see The Genesis Record by Dr. Henry Morris, pages 260-261)(also book review page and sidebar).   A side note is that “Eber” is probably where the name “Hebrews” was derived.  The concentration of genetics in each scattered group could have resulted in the races we see today.  Take time today to thank Him for your heritage and for showing mercy in judgment at the Tower of Babel.

“From one man He (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

Scripture reading for January 4th: Genesis 6-9

As we read this familiar story of Noah and the flood, let’s  listen for God’s heart.  God saw that the man that He had made in His own image had turned to wickedness instead of  the walk of faith God had planned for him.  Man’s sin had caused God’s heart to become grieved and filled with pain.   That same sin had consequences for mankind.  Man has the freedom to choose his own will instead of God’s, but no freedom to choose the consequences.  Sin always brings God’s wrath and ultimately death.

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8)  God’s eyes are always looking for a way to show favor and mercy!  (2nd Chronicles 16:9)   His eyes are looking for any who would listen to Him so He might save and bless them. God revealed His plans to Noah  for judgment of wicked mankind and a polluted earth.  He gave specific instructions for saving Noah, his family, and the animals.  Noah did everything just as God commanded Him.” (Genesis 6:22)

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the 17th day of the second month–on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of heaven were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)  God did exactly what He said He would do on a specific day in Noah’s life!  Jesus taught that it would be just like the days of Noah when God would finally and completely judge the wicked of the earth.  (Matthew 24:36-39)  This time it would be by fire!   Are you a person like Noah of old who is declared “righteous” in God’s sight by faith in Jesus Christ?  Does your walk with God demonstrate separation from the sins of the world and obedience to God?  There is a day coming when the fire of God will fall!

“For He has set a day when He will judge the wold with justice by the Man He has appointed.  He  has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

“By these  same waters the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” 2nd Peter 3:6-7

January 3rd reading:  Genesis 3-5

I remember in my early childhood taking my dad’s pocketknife from the stand by his favorite chair and carving pictures on the bedroom door.  It was great fun and my sister liked the pictures too.  Dad and Mom were out doing chores on the farm and it was dark outside.  I knew they would come in soon and slid Dad’s chair in front of the door to try and hide the “sin”.  I didn’t understand it but they caught on right away when they came in the house!  I initially tried to blame my younger sister for being the instigator, but was found out!  I was rightfully afraid of punishment and soon reaped what I had so unwisely sown.  (That was before the days when spanking was termed abuse!)

As we read this section of Scripture, we are  introduced to the “serpent” who was “more crafty” than any of the other animals that God had made.  This “serpent” talked to the woman Eve.  His words twisted what God had told Adam and Eve.  Eve was taken in by this “craft” and ate the forbidden fruit.  She gave it to her husband who ate as well.  They suddenly became aware of their nakedness and hid, covering themselves.  Rather than being clothed with God’s Glory,  their guilt now clothed them with a fig leaf!

God called out to those made in His image, knowing what they had done.  When they emerged from hiding, God asked them how they knew that they were naked and if they had eaten from the forbidden tree.  God used these questions to help them confess their guilt.   No one likes to confess or admit guilt!  Sin not only brings guilt and shame, but it also causes fear of punishment.

Today, do a quick survey of your life.  Ask the Holy Spirit if there are things you are doing that you need to take responsibility for.  Confess them to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and cleansing.  It’s the only way I know to get rid of sin and its consequence, death!  “I ate it.”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1st John 1:9

Scripture reading for January 2nd: Genesis 1-2

The journey begins in God’s Word for another exciting year!  May the Lord bless your new year and walk with you each step of the way!

I am so thankful that you have chosen to trek with me through the Bible again this year.  We are starting at the beginning and I just love these first chapters of Genesis.  To think that Moses recorded this for us  about 1500 years before Christ is amazing!  According to Scripture, he was moved on by the Holy Spirit and wrote down a message given him by God. (2nd Peter 1:19-21)  This record of creation is given to us by the only One who was there to witness it all!  Without this record, we could only speculate about where we came from and why we are here.  In fact, that kind of speculation is what is going on with many intellectuals today who deny God exists or that He can be known by us.  It is being taught in our school systems to our children and they are confused!

God made all that is simply by speaking!  What powerful words!  As He spoke, out of nothing, creation appeared!  Psalm 33:6 states: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”  We serve a God who breathes out stars, constellations, and galaxies that stretch out for countless millions of light years in every direction from the earth! (Recommended Resource–How Great is Our God by Louis Giglio)

Even more amazing was man himself!  Man made in the image of God!  Man walked with God and shared rulership of creation with God.   We are special and unique!   Thank Him for your uniqueness and His purpose for your life.  Invite Him to walk with you today and this year!  It will be the most exciting way to begin a new year!

Then God said, “let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them.”–Genesis 2:26-27

Scripture reading for April 22nd: Luke 21:1-28

“Then He said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.  . . .You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  All men will hate you because of Me.  But not a hair of your head will perish.  By standing firm you will gain life.” (Luke 21:10-11, 16-19)

As Jesus approached the time of His crucifixion and departure, He spoke plainly to His disciples of  events surrounding His second coming.  He knew how these followers would be shaken and tested by the turmoil and trouble coming upon the earth in the last days and sought to give them (and us) fair warning.  God does nothing by judgment unless he warns His people through the prophets.  (Amos 3:7)

Today, we are experiencing many of these signs that Jesus said would happen.  He promised that the end would not come right away.  (Luke 21:9)  He emphasized that His followers had nothing to fear, even if they were killed for their testimony of faith in Christ.  Standing firm requires faith.  We must decide to trust Jesus and believe His promises.   In a time where many are mocking those who believe, we must not give in to fear or be swayed by the philosophy of the current culture.  There are not many ways to God, there is only one way: Jesus Christ!  We must stay firm in that belief!  Seeking the approval of men by refusing to publically take a stand is not standing firm either.  Standing firm means we will proclaim our faith and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  We will live for Him alone and die if necessary for that stand.

Jesus ended this discourse with a warning to His followers:  “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)  Please stand firm, watch, and pray!  The time is short!

Scripture reading for January 18th: Genesis 48-50

Leaders work for God during a time and a season.  (Psalm 75:6-7)  Jacob had lived a full life and he knew his time to depart was near! (Genesis 48:21)  Jacob did not fear death, but had some things he wanted to leave with his children and grandchildren before he left this life.  Great leaders always leave a legacy for their families!  They know how to bless their children and pass on the blessing that they received by faith from the Lord.  We can learn from them how to live successfully and also how to leave successfully!

“Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.  And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”” (Genesis 48:21-22)

Israel left Joseph a word of prophesy and a piece of land.  God would be with him!  God would take him back to the land of his fathers.  Although Egypt had been a place of refuge from the famine, it would not be his home.  He had property that was given to him in the land of Canaan!  What Joseph did not necessarily see was the nearly four hundred years that his family would dwell in Egypt.  This word was given to him as a leader over his brothers, to inspire faith-filled and God directed leadership.  God’s Word brings vision and is a light for our path! (Psalm 119:105)

Jacob called for his sons to gather around him so that he could tell them what would happen in the days to come.  (Genesis 49:1)  Jacob’s words to each of his sons brought either rebuke, correction, encouragement or a vision of what was to come.  One son, Judah, was told that he was a “Lion’s cub”.  He would have from his offspring One who ruled and all nations would obey Him!  He would wash his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.  (Genesis 49:10-12)  From the perspective we have, this “ruler” is none other that Jesus Christ!  He is known in heaven as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”!  (Revelation 5:5)  His robe is dipped in blood and His Name is the Word of God!  (Revelation 19:13)  Surely these are visions of things to come!

Dear Friends,

Greetings on another day of rest in Jesus Christ!  What a blessing to know that He has delivered us from sin, slavery and death and given us righteousness, freedom, and life everlasting!   All of this is due to His grace and the obedience of  Jesus Christ to follow His Father’s plan to save lives!   We are included in these plans by His grace and by the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

In our reading this past week we saw God’s people being invited to stay in Egypt.  They were forced by a famine to seek out food there because God Himself had sent Joseph there with the express purpose of saving lives.  God used the world system of Pharaoh’s Egypt to store up grain to feed a multitude during the famine.  God controls the governments of the world and uses the leaders to fulfill His purposes!

Egypt is a type of the world without a true knowledge of God.  It is a system of humanistic government, business and religious idolatry.  It is a system based on power, wealth, and man’s inner need to worship. Without God, humanity values what can only satisfy the flesh.  Idols come in as a means to satisfy the inner need to worship.  Idols are a form of god crafted by man to try to fill this desire to worship.  By making an idol, man can design a convenient god that allows him to do whatever he wants and at the same time controls others or even shuts them out.  In the end, this system of Egypt is pure slavery, results in what God calls “sin”, and ends in death.

All men must be born again to escape the power of this system.  God must deliver them and help them to choose to worship Him alone!  People must be willing to escape this system and enter the freedom of knowing the one True God!  God places His people in this system to show a way of escape to those who are trapped by the system!  The blessing of God on our lives should be so evident that the lost ask us for help!

May your life be marked by willing submission to our loving King, Jesus Christ!  May His provision make you smile with joy every day!  May every trace of Egypt be removed from your soul!

In His Love, Pastor John

Scripture reading for January 16th: Genesis 45-47

“I am your brother Joseph, the  one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Genesis 45:5)

Joseph had taken his brothers through an elaborate test to soften their hearts and bring repentance.   God was behind all of this and Joseph was in on God’s plans through interpretation of the dreams and the directions that God had given him.  God is always at work to redeem and save His people.  He is more compassionate than we are and also shows mercy to the just and the unjust at the same time.  (Matthew 5:43-45)

In this case, God was sending Joseph to Egypt to prepare to save many people from the famine that was coming.  The primary care was for Joseph’s family, however.  If you remember, Abraham was told by God that his family would live in another land for four hundred years while God dealt with the Amorites, giving them time to repent. (Genesis 15:13-16)  This famine was God’s method for moving Abraham’s family out of Canaan for this period of time and then prospering them and growing them in the world of Egypt.   God’s use of Joseph, one of His “chosen people”, to bring the wisdom needed to save the whole world was also providential and a picture of the promised “seed” through whom all nations of the earth would one day be blessed! (Genesis 12:3)

God would later call His people to come out of Egypt to worship Him alone. (Exodus 3:10) He would also send His only Son (the “Seed”), Jesus Christ, to Egypt for a period of time to save Him from death!  (Matthew 3:13)  He would call His Son back to the land of promise to preach and heal and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven!  (Matthew 3:19-20) Everything in God’s plan is based on His desire for saving lives and helping people escape slavery to sin.  (Luke 19:10)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Take time today to thank the Lord for His mercy to you and for His plan to reach all nations with the message of the Gospel!  Think of one person who needs the Gospel and pray for that person!  They will be eternally grateful!

Scripture reading for January 15th: Genesis 41-44

We serve a God who knows everything and who works out everything for the good of those who love and serve Him.  Words to describe God that fit here are ‘omnipotent’ (all powerful) and ‘omniscient’ (all knowing).  Because of these divine attributes, God knows everything that is, was, and will be.  He also has the power to get this information to the right people in order to demonstrate His mercy and love and warn of coming judgment.  He also has the power to do what He says and the integrity to do it as He has decreed!

Joseph had learned to walk by faith and God had gifted him with the ability to interpret dreams.  God had given Pharaoh two dreams in one night that troubled him.   These were very vivid dreams of seven fat cows that were eaten by seven gaunt cows and a second dream of seven fat heads of grain that were swallowed by seven that were thin and scorched by the sun. (Genesis 41:2-7)  He called all the wise men, and none could tell him what these dreams meant.  Then, by God’s providence, the cupbearer remembered Joseph!  He knew a man who could interpret dreams! (Genesis 41:9-13)   What “luck”!

Joseph quickly stated that he could not give an interpretation, but God would give Pharaoh the answer he needed. (Genesis 41:16)  Pharaoh repeated the two dreams to Joseph and Joseph answered!  The dreams were the same and revealed God’s plan to send a famine on the land.  There would be seven good years followed by seven years of severe famine affecting the whole region.  There were two dreams repeating the matter because God had decreed that this would happen and happen soon! (Genesis 41:28-32)

These stories from 3500 years ago reveal a God who is omniscient!  He knows what is going to happen in the future.  God is also compassionate and warns this world ruler, who was an idolater, about the plans.  He is also omnipotent because He did bring to pass the dreams that he sent to Pharaoh.  The seven good years came to pass and the seven years of famine also happened.  (Genesis 41:47, 53-54)  He also places in authority those He pleases.  He raised up Joseph from prison to be second in command over Egypt! (Genesis 41:41-43)  He is over all authority and uses it as He pleases to accomplish His will!  We can trust and obey a loving God like that!