Posts Tagged ‘blessing’

Scripture reading for January 6th: Genesis 12-14

Abram and his nephew Lot were prosperous in the new land God had taken them to. Abram had built an altar to the Lord in Bethel  and began to call upon the Lord. (Genesis 13:3-4) Lot and his herdsmen began to quarrel with Abram’s herdsmen. Abram was a peacemaker and decided they should separate. He gave Lot the choice of where he would settle. Lot had his eyes on the fertile plain and the city of Sodom. Sodom was a wicked city and the men there were sinning greatly in the sight of the Lord. (Genesis 13:13)

After Lot had moved, the Lord spoke to Abram, telling him to lift up his eyes and look in each direction. All that he could see would be given to him and his descendants forever! God reaffirmed that He would make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth. God encouraged Abram to walk through the land and survey it. Abram moved his tent near Hebron and built an altar to the Lord there. (Genesis 13:18) God blessed Abram for his faith and willingness to let God lead him to where he was supposed to be. This is a helpful hint for us in our walk. We can be selfish and reach out to take, or we can more wisely worship the Lord and follow Him!

Some time later, we find some kings attacking Sodom and carrying off Lot and his family, as well as the goods of Sodom.  Abram took his men and went in pursuit.  He recovered all the people plus the goods.  (Genesis 14:16)  As he returned, both the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem), came to meet Abram.  Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High God, met Abram with bread and wine and blessed him.  Abram responded by giving a tithe of everything to this mysterious priest and king.  (Genesis 14:20)

Jesus Christ is said to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, having the power of an endless life!  (Hebrews 7:15-17)  As a priest, Jesus intercedes for us before the throne.   (Romans 8:34)  He served His disciples bread and wine at the Last Supper and told them to do it often in remembrance of Him.  (Matthew 26:26-29)  He is also King of Kings and will reign in the Jerusalem during the millennium!  (Revelation 20:4-5)  Jesus alone is worthy of our worship, tithes, and dedication!

Scripture reading for March 2: Deuteronomy 31-34

I have often told the Lord that I would like to leave this world like Moses, strong and vigorous to the last!  I am a person who likes action and wants to be busy doing what God has for me.  When my time comes to leave earth, I want to take one last look, and be gone!   I want to have a successor who will carry on the work.  I want to fight one last battle, give one last prophetic word, bless my church and family, and check out!  That’s how Moses, the man of God ends his time on earth!

In Deuteronomy 31, we have the transfer of power and anointing from Moses to Joshua.  Joshua had been faithful as a helper to Moses.  He was by his side continuously.  He went up on the mountain with Moses, at least part way.  He was in charge of the Tent of Meeting.  He was one of the twelve spies and had a “good report” as a man of faith in God’s Word.  Joshua was picked by the Lord to succeed Moses. (Deuteronomy 31:14)  Joshua was commissioned by the Lord to lead the people and promised God’s presence. (Deuteronomy 31:23)

In Deuteronomy 32, we have a song Moses composed at God’s direction that would be a witness against the people.  God revealed to Moses that the people would rebel and suffer God’s punishment.  This song commends the greatness of God, as the Rock of Israel.  (Deuteronomy 32:3-4) It spells out again the curses that will come from their disobedience to the covenant. (Deuteronomy 32:20-26)  The song promises compassion and healing on those who return to the Lord and those who remain faithful. Deuteronomy 32:36-43)  Music has a way of getting into hearts.  God’s Word sung by the people would stick with them.  We still have it written down for us today!

Deuteronomy 33 records the prophetic blessings on Israel and the tribes by Moses right before he left them.  These blessing tell of God’s love for His people. (Deuteronomy 33:3-5)  He ruled over them with love and wanted their blessing and provision.  The blessings in this chapter are filled with imagery from the recent wanderings.  One again stands out to me today that I regularly claim.  “Most blessed of sons is Asher:  let him bathe his feet in oil.  The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:24-25)  May that be true of you and me!

Moses ends his journey by climbing Mt. Nebo in Moab and getting a bird’s eye view of the promised land.  God took him through a panoramic tour, and then took him home.  God buried him!  (Deuteronomy 34:1-7)  He was strong and vigorous and full of life to the last and he ever lives in God’s presence!  In Scripture, he is last seen here on earth talking to Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration!  (Matthew 17:1-3) What a man of God!  I can’t wait to meet him someday!

Greetings! Today is another day of rest and reflection about what God has been saying to us.  Have you enjoyed Numbers?  What have you learned about Jesus Christ through this book?  Do you sense God speaking to you about Christ as you read the stories about Moses and the people of God as they learn to walk with God in their midst?

A story I did not write on comes to mind today.  It’s the story of Balaam.  Balaam was a prophet for hire who was hired by Balak, King of the Moabites.  Balak was afraid of the Israelites and had heard the reports of how they had completely destroyed Sihon and Og, two other kings that opposed them.  God had given them this victory and led them in this conquest.  Balak was trying to get advantage the only way he knew how.  He sent a delegation to hire Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.  Balaam, to his credit, sought God as to what he should do.  God told him not to go and not to curse Israel. (Numbers 22:12)

A short time later, Balak sent more distinguished men and more money to try and entice Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.  Balaam was tempted, but he sought God again on this matter.  Money and men have a way of clouding God’s instructions.  God told him to go, but do only what He instructed him.  This led to the incident where Balaam’s donkey talked to him and warned him about the Angel of the Lord who was waiting on the way to kill him!  God’s mercy and justice are evident here in this tension.

Balaam goes to curse the Israelites and as he stands to act, a spirit of prophesy comes on him.  Each time, he blesses God’s people instead.  These blessings speak of Jesus Christ and God’s desire to bless his people.  Numbers 23:6-10 records the first blessing and verses 18-24 the second blessing.  God has blessed his people, who can curse them?  When God speaks a promise, no one can change it by sorcery!  (Numbers 23:20,23)

The final prophesy of Balaam is recorded in Numbers 25: 14-24.  In this prophesy, Balaam warns Balak of what the Israelites would do to his people in the days to come.  He sees a vision of the Almighty.  This vision is of a star coming out of Jacob and a scepter out of Israel.  It was not now and not near, but would surely come.  He would crush the head of Moab and conquer Edom.  This ruler is Jesus Christ, the star out of Jacob and the one who holds the ruler’s septer!  Jesus would crush the head of the serpent as prophesied in Genesis 3:15!

The tradgedy of Balaam is what he did later.  He evidently figured out a way to help out Balak.  He told them to send in the women and seduce the Israelites and get them into idolatry.  That would bring a curse from God on the Israelites as a consequence of their own sins. (Numbers 31:15-16)  Balaam was a false prophet who met a tragic end! (Numbers 31:8) We must be on our guard!  Our enemy Satan is always trying to seduce us! (Revelation 2:14-16)

Scripture Reading for February 12: Numbers 5-8

Everyone loves a blessing!  Blessing assures us of something good coming our way that costs us nothing and that sometimes is the opposite of what we really deserve.  God’s grace is a blessing to us who really deserve His wrath and punishment instead.  Today’s reading contains the Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27.

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.  Say to them: ” ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace.” ‘ “So they will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them.”

I love to say this blessing!  I usually give it at the end of every service I lead.  This is God telling His priests how to speak a blessing over God’s people.  God really wants to bless His children!  God wants them to experience his provision and protection.  Blessing speaks of provision and abundance without any sorrow or trouble.  “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and he adds no trouble to it.” (Proverbs 10:22)  Keeping us implies safety and protection.

God uses the picture of His face shining on us.  Think of someone with a smile that radiates love and warmth.  My mother has that kind of smile!  God is telling us that His face is smiling at us and His grace is being poured out on us.  When He is looking at us and smiling, we have peace that passes understanding.  God is not angry with His people when they come to Him for forgiveness, fellowship and favors.  We are dependent people.  We need God and are so blessed to know that He loves us and is pleased with us.  This pleasing doesn’t come from our perfect behavior, but in spite of our sin and rebellion!  Jesus Christ has pleased the Father by his perfect obedience.  When we trust in Christ and believe on Him, we are given a gift of right standing and the smile of God’s face can be turned toward us!  God has been so gracious to us by sending His Son to restore the smile of God in our lives!  May the Lord bless and keep you today, may His face smile lovingly on you and your family!  May His peace fill your lives!  May His name be upon you!

Scripture Reading for January 13:  Genesis 32-36

Have you ever felt that God has told you to do something that you knew had the potential for trouble?  You know you heard the Lord but needed reassurance that it was going to work out in spite of the very real potential.  Our first move away from home to pastor a church in Washington was like that.  We were used to being around family and familiar surrounding.  The church we took had had some problems too.  We were not sure they would like us or love us when the going got tough.  We wrestled some concerning our move of 2000 miles with our daughter just ready for her senior year in a good Christian high school.  We had told God we would go anywhere, but not necessarily this far! 

Jacob faced just such a challenge in his move back from Paddan Aram to his homeland.  God commanded him to go back but he was concerned about the brother he had left behind nearly 20 years ago who was plotting to kill him.  (Genesis 31:3, 13) Jacob had taken this brother’s birthright and stolen his father’s blessing.  He had also just left his father-in-law upset by leaving and losing his family and herds to Jacob’s shrewdness.  Jacob sent his family across the Jabok, a tributary of the Jordan River.  He divided them in groups and sent gifts for Esau but was in great fear and trembling when he heard Esau was coming with 400 men to meet him.  He stayed behind to pray.

That night he was alone and Scripture says “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”.  (Genesis 32:22-31) This “man” touched Jacobs hip socket and put it out of joint.  Jacob would not let him go until this “man” blessed him.  The man asked Jacob his name–”Jacob” (cheat, supplanter).  The man changed Jacob’s name to “Israel” (wrestled with God and men and have overcome.)   The man wouldn’t give Israel his name, but did bless him and left.  Israel named the place “Peniel”.  This name states that he believed he had seen God face to face and was spared!  Thus the nation of “Israel” was born out of this amazing wrestling match!  God wins again! 

Wrestling with God isn’t a bad thing if we are desparate for His blessing!  God loves it when we lay hold of Him as our only hope!  It’s a sure way to true blessing, but we may walk with a limp!  It’s a humbling thing to be touched by the Lord!  We will never walk the same way again!  Thankfully, ways of cheating, lying and manipulating to get our way are left behind.  Our past is gone!  We have a “new Name” written down in Glory! 

And God said to him, “I am God Almighty, be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and community of nations will come from your body.  The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”  Genesis 36:11-12 

“He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”  Revelation 2:17

January 6th Scripture Reading: 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 Caldeans  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.