Genesis 13 and 14

Abram gives Lot his choice of land which shows Abram trusts God in allowing Lot this privilege.  Abram is obviously growing in his faith.  Lot chooses the best land but its to the "east" near Sodom and Gomorrah.  Often, Bible reference to the "east" are an indication of spiritual darkness or wickedness.

This reminds me to be careful about making big decisions.  The most seemingly desirable choice may be disastrous spiritually.  Always consider how a choice might have negative spiritual consequences.  And I notice that after Abram gives up his right to choose first, God blesses Him by reaffirming the covenant in showing him all that will be his legacy, his family's forever...

"....for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.  And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered."  verses 15, 16

What a great blessing for an old nomad with no children.

Typical of the times, chapter 14 describes a lot of fighting over land and people (come to think of it, that is typical of all times in history.)  When Sodom is attacked, Lot is captured with all the people and all their possessions.  According to commentaries that I read, Abram would have been a well-seasoned military man, used to defending his very large clan and leading in battles.  He had his own private, well-trained militia ("318 trained servants") who apparently marched over 150 miles to reach the enemy just north of Damascus.  They successfully defeated the armies and rescued the people.  (Again, Abram's trust in the Lord had come a long way.)  But rather than take the spoils of war, which is customary for the victor, Abram takes nothing so he can give all the credit for the victory to El Elyon, God Most High, Sovereign Lord.

Living it today:  Carefully consider the spiritual consequences of a decision.  Remember that God is in control and He directs my path and deserves the credit for my success.  But that path may be difficult and challenging (150 mile march and THEN a battle) requiring preparation, stead-fastness and boldness.

Living it yesterday:  No major trials yesterday, but several small "character tests" did occur.  It was good to remember that trials are a good thing.  They produce endurance leading to a "perfect result".

Genesis 2 - one more thing:)

OK....I couldn't resist....one more thought about Genesis 2.  It says, "the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food."  The Hebrew word for "pleasant" is "chamad" which means "covet", "delectable", "desirable", "greatly beloved".  So God provided an amazing smorgasbord (great $ word:) of food for Adam and Eve.  I'm not sure we can really imagine what that looked and tasted like since we live in a twice changed Earth (curse after man's fall and after the flood). As great as our fruits and veggies are today, they can't possibly taste or look as good as "in the beginning."  I guess the best we can do is imagine being surrounded by perfect orchards and fields of peaches, apples, oranges, mangos, bananas, strawberries, kiwis, papayas, coconuts, blueberries AND who knows what other flavors???  steak or lobster flavored fruit?  OK...that might be a stretch, but apparently it was ALL "greatly beloved and desirable".....to eat any time, day or night, as much as they wanted (just think of it my big eaters who will remain nameless!)

And yet, in spite of all this amazing provision, a succulent banquet every day,  Adam and Eve would later choose the one food they couldn't have.

I am Adam and Eve.

So often, I fail to see and appreciate the abundant provision all around me, wanting instead something else....something bigger, better, easier, more comfortable.

Living it today:  I will purpose to see and appreciate God's amazing provision all around me.  I will be thankful for all things for this is God's will for me in Christ Jesus.

Genesis 12

In chapter 12, we are introduced to the "Abrahamic Covenant."  God tells Abram to leave his country, his extended family and go to some mystery land to be revealed later.  God promises children (a nation), land, divine blessing and protection.

In great faith and obedience, Abram does it...at 75 years old.  (I wonder if he remembered Great Grandfather Noah's faith?)  Abram makes it to the land but has to leave because of famine.  He goes to Egypt, and has a major lapse in trusting the Lord.  Because his wife is beautiful and he fears the Egyptians might kill him to have her, he tells Sarai to pretend to be his sister.  Sure enough, she is taken.  I'm imagining the scene as she is being abducted and Abram says nothing, does nothing to defend her.  That was some serious, paralyzing fear that prevented him from helping the person he most loved in the world.  And later, he still doesn't have the courage and faith in God to rescue her.  God finally intervenes.

I also notice that this failure happened after Abram made it to the promised land and built an alter to worship, basically establishing his worship of and faith in the one true God in the new land.

Abram was all in.

And then he goes to Egypt and fails the faith test.  This seems to happen a lot in scripture.  A believer will trust God, commit to God in a big way and then fail a big faith test (think Jacob, King Saul, Peter.)
God will test our faith.  And the more times we are tested, the more we grow in our faith...

"Consider all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:3-4

Interestingly, when we fail faith tests, we experience God's grace and forgiveness covering our heavy guilt feelings.  When we pass faith tests, we grow more in our love and trust in God because we see Him taking care of us.

Even the most Godly people have moments of failure.  We are all broken people who make mistakes, but our God uses all those failures to grow us in our faith, for our good and ultimately, for His glory.  Abram was a fairly new believer when this happened, but after many years of walking with God, we see later how Abram passed the ultimate faith test by his willingness to sacrifice Isaac.

Living it today:  Thank the Lord for any trial today, knowing that testing produces endurance.  Purpose to pass the test:)

Living it yesterday:  Believing I'm too busy to take on any new responsibilities, I've resisted committing to any new teaching responsibilities.  But knowing my spiritual gifts are teaching and encouraging, I've committed to leading a much needed women's Bible study in the fall with Mrs. Meredith.

Genesis 11

Today we come to the end of the "beginnings" chapters.  So much more could have been studied and gleaned from the first 11 chapters of Genesis, but please remember that God's word does give us all the information we need for any origins' arguments.  Remember to start with scripture first when asking foundational, scientific questions....not the other way around.

In verses 1-9, I see the whole earth had one language and they lived together in Shinar, which is modern-day Iraq.  Shinar is also the area we call Mesopotamia, known as "the cradle of civilization."  (Much later, Babylon and Assyria, Israel's enemies, will control this region.)  Verse 4 describes how the people decide to build a city and tower to show off their greatness and encourage national unity, "Let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

Remember God's command to Noah and his sons after the flood?  Multiply and fill the earth.  "Populate the earth abundantly." So God wanted them to spread out.  They refused.  So He "scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth." (verse 8)  For me, is God commanding me to do something and I am refusing?

Also in this chapter I see Shem's descendants and their ages when they had children.  Isn't it interesting that the lifespans get shorter?  I notice the ages go 500-403-403-430-209-207-200-119.  Though there is much speculation about how people really lived hundreds of years (some over 900 years), it is clear that life span changed after the flood.

Once again, I'm reminded that rebellion against God---sin---has consequences.

Living it today:  What can I do today to obey God in an area where I have been resisting His direction?

Living it yesterday:  Thinking back over the last few days of study, several unfortunate "living it yesterdays" come to mind:  I made some impulsive decisions when I was clearly counseled by the Word not to do so (trip decisions.)  I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with different types of people (the Wal-Mart employee clearly wanted to chat) but I didn't make the time.  I purposed not to hurt the heart of God and I totally ignored the Word for three days in my busyness and trip preparations.  I lost my temper with one of you....enough said.  I had a major pity party over some unexpected expenses (after a week of praising God for His provision.)  BUT the Gospel is good...grace is good...because I'm his child, God will not love me any less (or any more) because of my actions.

Interesting link about lifespan after the flood....

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2010/07/16/feedback-why-did-people-have-shorter-lives-after-flood

Genesis 10

Occasionally, you will read a chapter and wonder what in the world can I learn from this???
This is one of those chapters:)  But as you prayerfully read through it, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind something to take away....and sometimes, I just read the next chapter, too.

This chapter describes the descendants of Noah's sons:  Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Fast forward to verse 25 where it says, "....the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided..."  The Hebrew word for earth is "erets" which means "the whole earth under God's dominion; land; nations." This word is used over 2500 times in the Old Testament which tells me to remember that God does own it ALL.  The word "divided" is "palag" (sounds like Peleg doesn't it?), and it means to "divide, split".
Verse 25 is describing what happens later, doing Peleg's life,  at the tower of Babel when God "divides" the people and confuses their languages.  (Just for fun, I looked up Peleg and it actually means, "earthquake"....very symbolic I would say.)

Three times we read the phrase, "These were the sons of ____ according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations" and about the sons of Noah, "according to their generations, in their nations, and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood."

This reminds me of verse 7:9 in Revelation where John sees multitudes, "from every nation and all  tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb...." worshipping Jesus. God created the nations.  He is orderly and loves variety.

I also see the first reference to Babel started by Nimrod, Ham's grandson, in what is modern-day Iraq.  It's interesting to think about the parallels between what happened in that part of the world thousands of years ago and the conflict that is still happening today.

Living it today:  Remember today that Christ loves variety; He loves ALL people.  He wants people from all nations to be in His Kingdom.  I will be mindful of this truth today and be very aware of any prejudice I may have.

Living it yesterday:  Nothing specific happened the last few days that made me wait on any weighty decisions, but it was interesting how just meditating on that thought, and honoring and loving God with all my heart, made me order my day more carefully.  The things I said and did were more intentional.  The Lord also gave me two opportunities to encourage friends with the scripture I've been praying for myself.  God is good all the time.

Interesting article on race, prejudice and interracial marriage....

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/are-there-different-races

Genesis 9

This chapter introduces the very important Biblical principle of "covenant", which is an unbreakable contract you make with another person or group.   It is so binding, that if one person breaks it, the penalty is death.  I counted the word "covenant" 7 times in this chapter...very emphatic.  After God smelled "the soothing aroma" of Noah's sacrifice, he promised never again to wipe out life with a flood, even though "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."  (verse 8:21)  This is the first of 5 covenants that God made with man (we later call this the Noahic Covenant.)  And a covenant is usually accompanied by gift giving to commemorate the event and act as reminder.  So God gave us the gift of a rainbow which reminds us of His bargain, His contract, His promise.

I'm reminded how God must grieve when we chose to live apart from Him.  That He was soothed by Noah's sacrifice which represented obedience, repentance, honor, restored fellowship.

God needed soothing.

This is such a hard thing for me to grasp...that all powerful, sovereign, creator God has a soft side.  And yet I see it throughout scripture that He hurts when we don't want Him....when we turn away and walk defiantly with our own plan.  "The Lord said in His heart,  I will never again curse the ground for man's sake...." (8:21)  In His heart....God's heart....again, this soft side demonstrating regret, sadness, hurt, love.

One of the verses I pray for myself (really for y'all) is 3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."  But it just occurred to me that this is true of God as well.....how the Father has no greater joy than for his children to walk in the truth.

Living it today:  I will purpose today NOT to hurt God, but to bring Him joy.  I will focus on loving God with all MY heart, soul, mind and strength.

Living it yesterday:  Actually, I studied chapters 8 and 9 today so I'm still "living it today" from chapter 8.  I'll give you an update tomorrow on four chapters.

Genesis 8

Can you imagine being stuck on a large boat without a lot of light with thousands of stinky animals for over a year?   (From beginning to end, the Flood lasted one year and ten days.)  I'm guessing Noah and his family had no formal zoo keeper training before this event; I guess they had to settle for OJT....on the job training.  Of course, Noah was given a hundred year heads-up so maybe in between building the ark, he and his family began an observational zoology course.  But I can only imagine how ready they were to get off the ark.

Yet scripture lists a lot of "patient" words:  the waters receded "steadily"; the ark "rested"; "he waited yet another seven days".  How patient Noah had to be; he had to wait for the rains to stop, wait for the waters to recede, and wait for the ark to rest on dry ground.  He even waited for instructions to leave the ark.  Scripture is full of teaching on the importance of waiting on the Lord.

"The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness."  Psalm 147:11

Living it today:  I will wait on the Lord today.  I will not make hasty decisions.  I will remember that "when in doubt, don't".  God often makes us wait to show His greater glory (as in the Lazarus story).  He may have a much better solution if I will listen to the Spirit telling me to wait before I act on something.

Living it yesterday:  I had several opportunities yesterday to remember the bigness of God.  He truly does prevail and is in control.  It was especially comforting to be pondering those thoughts when MG called to say she was in a ditch on the mountain.  I know y'all don't get this, but a parent never wants to get a phone call from an emotional child saying she's run off the road (sorry MG...I know you were OK in 5 minutes...nothing shakes you up for long:)  The cool God thing was how I'm stuck without a car, Dad is on the other end of town, Madison, who could have used his car's wench, had just left going the opposite direction, and I can't get any guy to answer their phone who could get their quickly to help you, and it's 5:00 traffic going over Hugh Daniel...BUT.... God planned for a good Samaritan to drive by minutes later (apparently a cute one:) to pull you right out and the car was drivable.  God prevails; He's in control.