God of Covenant

Genesis Chapter 9. It's interesting to me that God makes covenants. A covenant is like a contract. Why would God feel a need to make a contract with us? He's God. We are His creation. He reaches to us with a covenant and He asks us to sign. It's like the Mercedes Benz CEO reaching out to you with a car contract promising you the car paid for. The CEO wanting you to take the contract. He would actually search you out hoping you will take the car. Free and clear. Here in Genesis, It looks like this contract is a contract that binds God a little. He just destroyed the human race save Noah and his family. He flooded the earth. It was a sure way to completely clear away all He had created. He couldn't completely destroy everyone, though, because He had made a covenant with Adam and Eve in the garden. He promised a "seed" that would come and reestablish the relationship between God and man. God doesn't break covenants. In this covenant He restrains Himself. In verse 11, He states the terms. He will never flood the earth again. In verses 12 - 16, we see that He places a rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself - not to us! You thought that rainbow you saw was a "hello" from God. Nope. It's a "these people are in bad shape and I really should start again, but I made a covenant and can't". It's His sticky note reminder He has on His big computer in the sky. "Can't destroy them today". So you have another day. I'm glad I have another day to do it right. Like anyone else, I need the promise of a new day. Notice a couple of interesting things in this chapter. Meat is introduced as okay for man to eat. The Bible says in the last days, people will be forbidden to eat meat. God, here in Genesis, establishes meat as permissible. Notice God's take on murder, or shedding of blood in verse 6. He sees each human as made in His image - so don't touch. Isn't that interesting? He approaches murder from a very personal perspective. Later in the Bible He establishes capital punishment for murder. He is the judge of a human's life, not us. His covenant is with the animals, too. We see this in verse 12. In verse 2 He places the protection and management of all animals in man's hand. It's the beginning of a fresh start! I know things will be peachy from here! After all, God has given us everything we need to survive this beautiful planet and this wonderful gift of life He has given each of us. No worries! We are good to go!

Big Giants, But A Bigger God

Genesis 6:1-4 is a bit of a guess as far as I can tell. I'll take a stab at it. The "sons of God"here are the controversy. Some believe them to be fallen angels. These angels fell when Lucifer fell from heaven after his rebellion against God. One third of the angels fell with him (Revelation 12:4,9). Some believe they took human wives and produced giants. Another interpretation is that these were ungodly people probably birthed from the sin on the earth - Cain's relatives. The word "Giants" here is the Hebrew word nephilim meaning "violent" or "causing to fall". The root word here suggests "monsters" and "wonder". However they came, archeologists have unearthed giants skeletons up to 12- 15 feet. I personally don't believe angels can reproduce. They are spirit beings. They are not human. Can man be influenced by them? Yes. these fallen angels or "demons" are quite active in the Bible and in the earth today. Psychics tap into them. They are not to be played with. Whatever the case, God was not pleased with how things were going. It was time to wipe the slate. It has to be bad for God to decide to start again. He would do the wiping away one time only with a flood. It was a great flood. Read Genesis 6- 9. Read with a fresh sense of awe at the incredible power of God. This flood caused more destruction than anything we will ever see here on earth. He is not to be reckoned with. We think of God as such the loving Father that he is. But occasionally, it's good to see Him in his power. You have a big God who, when he says He will fight your battles (giant as they seem), He's not saying some long fight He has to take on. No, no, no. This is God we are talking about here. I'm guessing His wrath on your giants doesn't take a second (in time as we know it). "The battle is the Lord's". In the midst of the flood, there remained a place of protection and peace for the single servant, his precious family and God's beautiful animals. I can see the ark taking off on the waters. A few planks of wood carried these refugees in safety. The promised seed was preserved. Promises are carried through obedience. What a great example we have in Noah. Remember saints, Jesus will come soon and His return is compared with this moment in time Matthew 24:37, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Tell someone about Jesus today. Bring them in the boat with you. Maranatha (come Lord Jesus)!

People

Hi. Back again. Lost my hard drive, but saved most all of my information. It's not easy working from someone else's computer! I must be in my "prayer room", with the lavender fragrance coming from the plug in the wall and at my green desk. In the process of discussing people here in Genesis, I am reminded that we are faced with the best and worst of people every day. Life is full of both. Honestly, I have my own moments of best and worst - how about you? I'm happy to report that in the many years I have lived, I have been privileged to know some pretty great people. I have come to appreciate their kindness. It is a dying art - kindness. When experienced, whether given or received - it fills one's tank with good warm fuzzes. It reminds us that we are not in this life alone. Yes, God is with us and He graces us with others to fill the gaps and heal the wounds. Thanks to those who have shown kindness to me and my family over the years. You have a chapter in the book of our lives. I'll be back in Genesis next week.

Be Ye Separate

Life outside the garden begins. Cain and his wife, probably his sister, (God fixes that in Leviticus 18: 6,9) have children and this "super" family takes off. All would be lost, but that Adam and Eve decide to have another child. This child's name was Seth. We find this in Genesis 5:3. The words used here regarding Seth are the same words used when God created man "in His own likeness...and image". Eve sees him in Genesis 4:25 as a replacement for her beloved son Abel. Remember, God promised a seed to crush Satan's head. Seth would be the carrier of that future seed. God keeps His promises. As a side note, look at Genesis 4:3-31 and see how long people lived back then! Adam lived 930 years, Kenan lived 910 years, Seth bore children at 807 years old! I wonder what you look like at 807 years of age. Remember, this was a time right out of the garden. Sin had only just begun to take root and literally change the atmosphere. God soon reduces the life span of man to 120 years. Now, one of Seth's offspring was Enoch. What a neat story. How tight can you get with God? Apparantly tight enough for God to take you away to heaven before you die. That's what happened to Enoch. I guess He couldn't wait for Enoch to join Him in heaven. Enoch's special relationship with God came from what Enoch did. What did Enoch do? In the midst of the wickedness on the earth, Enoch was able to stay separate and tight with God. Let's see how this man developed such a tight relationship with God. In Genesis 5:24 and also in Hebrews11:5, we are told that Enoch walked with God and pleased God. The word "pleased" means agree. So Enoch agreed with God. In other words, as the Bible says, how can two walk together unless they agree? Enoch walked with God. You know, that's really God's big plan for man. To walk with you. He demonstrated that in the Garden of Eden. He walked and talked with Adam and Eve. Did you know God wants to walk with you...and talk to you? You ask, does God still talk to man? Uhhhhh,,,,yes! Know why you don't hear anything? You must have a relationship with Him where you pray, study His Word (Bible), meditate on His Word and just talk to Him. All of these things only help in tuning your spiritual ears to God. You will hear Him if you give Him a chance. If you read the verse following, in Hebrews 11: 6, it goes on to talk about faith. Without it it is impossible to please (agree with) God. Enoch was a man of faith. So are you. You will strengthen your faith as you study His Word. Another thing Enoch did was speak out against unrighteousness. We see this in Jude 14, 15. Please take a moment to read this passage. It is a prophetic word that applied then and now. You know how I write about grumblers, haters, complainers? Well, Enoch didn't like them either. He specifically preached here about "grumblers and faultfinders". He warns against this behavior. He says they "follow their own evil desires, boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage". Keep on the look out! Enoch's life is an example for all of us. Walk with God, please Him and speak out about ungodliness. You may get swept off your feet!

Time to Redirect!

Redirect - "to change the direction or focus of". This is a perfect example of redirection. Someone does something wrong. Another does something right. The one who did something wrong gets mad at the person who did something right. That person decides that destroying the person minding his own business and just serving God is the right thing to do. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Somebody is watching. That somebody is God. Cain killed Abel. There is no escape. "Where is Abel?", God asks. God asks a similar question in the Garden of Eden. Look in Chapter 3:6-8. "Where are you?", God asks Adam and Eve. Does God know where Abel is? Sure. Does God know where Adam and Eve are? You bet. Purpose of the questions? To get to the conscience (the inner sense of what's right or wrong in one's conduct or motives). Did the guilty confess? Not really. Adam explained that he heard God in the garden and "I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid". Cain's answer to where his brother was - "Am I brother's keeper?". Has your child ever answered you in a similar way under somewhat similar (but not as big) circumstances? Even better. In 3:11 Gods asks Adam, "Who told you you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?". The answer that has been passed from generation to generation - "She made me do it!". I'm thinkin' Cain felt the same way - "It's Abel's fault I killed him!". Cain's sentence is similar to his father's sentence, but one step worse. Not only will he till the ground, but the ground won't produce. He doesn't just get kicked out of an area, but he is sentenced to wandering the earth. It's also interesting that Cain felt and understood that he lost the presence of God. His parents felt that as well. The worst of the worst - no presence of God. Can you imagine? But blood cries out. What is the blood crying? It's crying out for it's right to live and to be alive. Murder is referred to many times in the Bible as "blood crying out". The murder can't be hid. It cries for justice. And justice it receives. You might think that the mark God puts on Cain to protect him from death is a good thing (see 4:15). I'm not sure. God is protecting his judgement. Cain will serve his time. No one has the right to take another's life. Life begins at conception and that life has the right to life.

Candygram!

Yep. I know what you watched in the 80's! Saturday Night Live. Me too. It was a show with very funny skits. One very famous skit was written around the time the movie "Jaws" was released. It would have people sitting in their home and the doorbell would ring. They would ask who was there and the "person" on the other side of the door would say, "Candygram". When the person opened the door, it was a "landshark" and the person would get eaten by the shark. Pretty funny. Well, this is God's version of the landshark in our lives. In Genesis 4:7, God began to deal with the issue of Cain's disobedience in the offering he gave to the Lord. He encourages him to repent. A neat thing about God is that He always gives us a way out. As a matter of fact, in I Corinthians 10:13 we read, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." God always shows us the way out. He doesn't want you to sin!!! He's not trying to test you to see if you will!! As a matter of fact, here we see Him reaching out to Cain. He was reasoning with him and warning him...there is a landshark at your door. It wants to devour you! In this case it's not a funny skit. It's the truth. Sin wants to destroy you. God made it plain to Cain. If...you don't do well (obey) - then...sin crouching at your door will destroy you. Sin, here, means missing the mark - like an archer. The door is the way into our heart and life. When we disobey God, we open the door to sin. Sin is a wicked monster just waiting to pounce. Picture sin sitting just on the other side of a door from you. It is patiently waiting for you to open the door and let it in. Sin can't open that door, only you can. Remember Eve's encounter with the devil? The devil couldn't just come in and take the garden over. He didn't have the authority. He needed the one in authority to let him in. Eve gave him that authority by giving in to the temptation. God told Cain that he could "rule over it (sin)". Even in the Old Testament, man had the ability to resist the devil. How? James 4:7 says to do two things. Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Cain didn't repent. He dug his heels in all the more. This one decision led to a hardened heart that eventually killed his brother. Guilt will do that to you. Careful, saint! Keep your heart. Resist!

Grumpy Offering

For many years, I have had the opportunity to receive offerings for the church. I know, because we give offerings ourselves, how precious they are to the Lord and to those giving. I also know how difficult offerings can be to give when....a. I don't want to give.....b I can't afford to give. I remember one Sunday when I was receiving the offering at our church, I told the congregation that "God doesn't want your grumpy offering". It was a funny thing to say, but I have found it to be true. God doesn't want your grumpy offering. What makes an offering "grumpy"? Well, you make it grumpy! Not only are we instructed to give, but God requires an attitude of a grateful heart. He doesn't want us to give under compulsion as we see in 2 Corinthians 9:7, but with a cheerful heart through a decision ourselves. In your relationship with God, you will find that most things established between you and God are based on a decision you make. God lays out the plan, are you willing to walk with His rules and instruction? They will always require an act of faith. But be encouraged, the Bible tells us that God has given each man a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Let's get back to Genesis and watch this played out. We will be in Genesis 4:1-15 for the next few blog posts. Let's glean what we can from this moment in history. Adam and Eve have been extracted from the Garden of Eden. There are angels with flaming swords guarding the entrance to the garden - probably to this day! The new parents have two children, Cain, the firstborn, and Abel. Cain is the main character of this story. Now, when I say story, I don't mean fiction. The Bible is an accurate and true account of the history of the world and the history of man. Cain's name is from the word "Kun" meaning strike. This is our first introduction to Cain's character and his future as a murderer. I find it interesting that Adam and Eve's first born brought the first death into the world. Their disobedience in the garden brought death through sin as well. Anyway, their second son is Abel. Both sons were hard workers. Cain tilled the soil which represents the curse on the land (Genesis 3:17-19) and Abel tended sheep which is a reference to Jesus and His obedience. It came time for the offering. Cain brought his fruit offering of fruit and Abel his sheep offering. God's response? In chapter 4 verse 5, God "respected" Abel's offering. This meant he "looked upon" it with favor. Though we don't see the written instruction for the offering, we see it by God's response. Abel's offering was the first (or best) and fattest sheep required. Cain's offering got no "respect" from God - or no favor. In verse 6, Cain is not happy about God's response. A fallen countenance is not a happy person. We will find later, that he redirects his anger to his brother. What does God require of us today? Yes, offerings to the Lord. The best of our labor, the best of our work skills, the best of our attitude, the best of our service, the "first fruits" of our labor (money). He requires a servant's heart - one like the "offering" Jesus. An obedient servant even unto death. Do you have a position in your church? How about your job? Does it seem your work isn't recognized enough? Have you found yourself stepping away from it or have you dropped the responsibility? Don't blame others for your actions. Remember your service is not unto man, but unto God. If you drop it or walk away, it's God you are letting down - much less the people you are supposed to be serving. Careful! Serve the Lord in all you do and He will see to it that reward will come. Don't be a grumpy giver or a disobedient one!