Category Archives: Bible Study

More Mealy Mouthed Pastoring

Billy Graham’s grandson – Tullian Tchividjian – holds forth on what is wrong with America’s pulpits. My summation of his cotton candy opinion? Pastors are not being nurturing enough, and are too bogged down with politics! All blue highlighting is mine . . .

Tullian Tchividjian Says Christian Brand Has Been Damaged by Evangelicals’ Association With Religious Right

By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter
December 30, 2014|2:48 pm
Tullian Tchividjian (Courtesy of Tullian Tchividjian)

The grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham commented Tuesday that he believes Evangelicals’ involvement in the conservative political movement “has done more damage to the brand of Christianity than just about anything else.”

Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, explained to co-hosts of the MSNBC program “Morning Joe” that American evangelicalism has been harmed by its association with conservative politics.

“Over the course of the last 20 or 30 years, evangelicalism, specifically their association with the religious right and conservative politics, has done more damage to the brand of Christianity than just about anything else,” Tchividjian asserted.

“That’s not to say that Christian people don’t have opinions on social issues and we shouldn’t speak those opinions, but Sunday morning from behind the pulpit is not the place,” he added.

Tchividjian also told those on the “Morning Joe” program that he feels his job, as a pastor, is to go beyond social issues and social solutions when preaching.

“It’s not so much religion in the public sphere as much as religion in the pulpit, behind the pulpit, that’s my primary concern,” Tchividjian continued. “As a preacher, my job when I stand up on Sunday mornings to preach, is not first and foremost to address social ills or social problems or try to find social solutions. My job is to diagnose people’s problems and then announce God’s solution to their problems.”

Tchividjian was on the program to talk about his soon-to-be released devotional, It Is Finished: 365 Days of Good News.

Slated for purchase on New Year’s Day and published by David C. Cook, the book is a daily devotional centered on the Good News of God’s love.

“God’s radical grace is unbelievable, unexplainable, and definitely undeserved. But it’s the foundation of our faith. In this new 365-day devotional, Tchividjian reminds you every day that the Gospel is good news,” noted its Amazon description.

“It’s God’s message that He loves us even when we don’t deserve it. These short readings each contain a truth from God’s Word that will set you on a solid foundation for the day — a foundation of God’s grace, goodness, and unconditional love.”

In discussing the devotional with the “Morning Joe” co-hosts, Tchividjian said the book, It Is Finished, is comprised of “365 days of short readings.”

“I am really trying to help people know that all of the meaning, all of the worth, all of the value, all of the significance that we long for and that we look for, we already have because of what God has done for us,” Tchividjian explained in response to a question posed to him about New Year’s resolutions.

Well, he’s trying to sell a book of “short readings” here. Too bad he not once mentioned getting his sheeple back to the Word of God! Must be all that hair gel addling his brains. . . almost seems like the goo has seeped in. . .

Yet another winning entry into the Halls of Cotton Candy Christianity!

Rick Warren – Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Leave a reply

Rick Warren on Roman Catholicism: “We have more in common than what divides us”

TBC Staff – EN

Dec 17 2014

RICK WARREN ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM: “WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN WHAT DIVIDES US”

Warren, whose Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church books have sold millions of copies around the world, recorded a video interview for the Catholic News Service in which he said: “We have far more in common than what divides us.”

He continued: “When you talk about Pentecostals, charismatics, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians … Well, they would all say we believe in the trinity, we believe in the Bible, we believe in the resurrection, we believe salvation is through Jesus Christ. These are the big issues.

“Sometimes Protestants think that Catholics worship Mary like she’s another god. But that’s not exactly Catholic doctrine.”

He also referred to the Roman Catholic practice of prayer to the saints, which Protestants reject, saying: “When you understand what they mean by what they’re saying, there’s a whole lot more commonality.

“Now there’s still real differences, no doubt about that. But the most important thing is if you love Jesus, we’re on the same team.”

He said that Church unity would realistically be “not a structural unity but a unity of mission. And so, when it comes to the family we are co-workers in the field on this for the protection of what we call the sanctity of life, the sanctity of sex, and the sanctity of marriage. So there’s a great commonality and there’s no division on any of those three.”

Warren recently took part in a Vatican conference on the Complementarity of Man and Woman alongside conservative stalwart Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. His remarks are in tune with the tone of Pope Francis, who has spoken warmly of evangelicals and brought a different emphasis to inter-Church engagement.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/rick.warren.on.roman.catholicism.w…

[TBC: Commonality is not established by the lowest common denominator. To say someone loves Jesus means nothing if it’s “another Jesus” or if the “gospel” they present is not the biblical gospel (2 Corinthians:11:4, Galatians:1:8). The works salvation gospel of Rome is contrary to the biblical gospel, and the Jesus of Roman Catholicism did not pay the full penalty for sin. Our Lord declared, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew:7:21).]

http://www.thebereancall.org/content/rick-warren-roman-catholicism-we-have-more-common-what-divides-us

Over a decade ago I was chased out of my church, because of my tooth and nail resistance to going “purpose driven.” Now, Rick Warren is boldly going where he always intended to go – the one world religion.

2 Peter 2:1-3

2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Dear Mr. Rick Warren – you make me sick. May God have mercy, and cause you to repent.

Ecumenism – Hollywood Style

Leave a reply

Lots of excitement over the fact that pop-Christian films are being produced with a fervor lately. Of special note, was the Easter weekend release of “Heaven is for Real.”

This story is about a 4 year old boy who had a near death experience which has been made into a movie. Christian media is giddy with excitement over the fact that it made more money than pagan Johnny Depp’s latest sci-fi flick.

Should we be excited over this?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lawiKeRUiK8%3Fsi%3DFFsbx_ARToaa-31T

Let me just state that the father is a fool if he truly does not believe that a 4 year old can pick up enough information to provide the kind of testimony he did. But all that aside – the really important part begins at around the 6:00 mark – where the young man states positively that you only need to love Jesus and follow Him to go to heaven. No repentance required. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses – and even some Muslims love Jesus. This is a classic example of the ecumenism that has overrun the church. This is the church Jesus Christ will spew out of His mouth. This is another Jesus.

Revelation 3:14-16

¹⁴And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.

False Shepherd Joins New Age Priestess

Leave a reply

By Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter

March 27, 2014|11:49 am

(Photo: The Christian Post)

Oprah Winfrey and Rob Bell will appear together for Winfrey’s national “The Life You Want” tour.

Oprah Winfrey will be touring the U.S. this fall to help “lead people to an empathy space… a gratitude space” in an effort to find their calling and fulfill their greatest potential. Helping Winfrey in the tour hitting cities on both coasts will be influential and controversial Christian author Rob Bell, and other “handpicked thought leaders and pop culture icons.”

“All of my life I have wanted to lead people to an empathy space. To a gratitude space,” said Winfrey in a press statement. “I want us all to fulfill our greatest potential. To find our calling, and summon the courage to live it.”

Each stop on the national tour will run two days, with the first night featuring Winfrey “bringing her personal story and insights to life in a one of a kind intimate evening” and the following will have the media mogul and Bell, or another one of her handpicked guests, “lead a day-long gathering of thousands.”

Winfrey shares her motivation for “The Life You Want” tour, which will stop in eight cities, in a video below.

Oprah.com

Oprah Winfrey shares her vision for The Life You Want tour featuring Rob Bell and other thought leaders.

Bell appeared on Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday” program late last year to discuss his latest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God. Winfrey wrote of Bell’s book, her premiere pick for the “Oprah’s Super Soulful Book of the Month” club: “The ideas Rob sets forth in his books, Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God, opened my heart and my mind. People like him are the reason I set out to build OWN in the first place: to be able to gather a global community of like-minded seekers.”

(Photo: Harpo Inc.)

Rob Bell speaks with Oprah Winfrey in an episode of the OWN cable network’s “Super Soul Sunday,” airing Nov. 3, 2013.

Bell states in What We Talk About When We Talk About God that he wrote the book because “there’s a growing sense that when it comes to God, we’re at the end of one era and the start of another, an entire mode of understanding and talking about God is dying as something new is being birthed.”

While Love Wins questioned traditional teachings on whether only Christians can go to heaven and if hell is a real, eternal place, What We Talk About When We Talk About God “explains why both culture and the church resist talking about God, and shows how we can reconnect with the God who is pulling us forward into a better future,” according to the publisher.

In her praise of What We Talk About When We Talk About God, Winfrey said Bell was “shaking up the way we think about God and religion.” Read more about Bell’s discussion with Winfrey on her “Super Soul Sunday” program here: Rob Bell Talks God, Religion and Doubt With Winfrey on “Super Soul Sunday.”

Learn more about The Life You Want tour at Oprah.com.

Is there anyone out there that thinks this is OK? This is the church of anti-Christ; and these are the pseudo-Christians who will welcome his rule. All ecumenical movements are driving towards this one end. Please reread Bell’s statement that I highlighted in red. That could have come from the mouth of Marylin Ferguson, Alice Bailey, or Benjamin Creme – it originates with the evil one himself – Lucifer.

2 Timothy 4:2-4

²Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Response to a Bible Critic

Leave a reply

This comment was posted to the old blog – Thoughts of an Old Man. In the interest of letting this person be heard and responded to by as many people as I think she would like – I’m posting the comment here.

I know this was written ages ago, but the bible has God all wrong. The bibles God doesnt exist. Mainly because too many human faults are put upon him and glorified as something powerful. What need would an omnipotent being have for hate, judgement and anger? Its such a waste to US as a species, why would he lower himself to our level? Many people turn to the books written by man to place their entire faith on but his truth is in no book. It’s inside us. We are born with it. I know this will sound stupid and naive to you, but the Bible never spoke to me. God did. Not conversationally, of course, but with every sunrise, every hug, every smile of my daughters face, THAT is the word of God. Not some letters spewed onto a page and translated as rule. Living by that book has destroyed civilizations, eras, and us as a humanity. It is the false prophet. And generations have died from it. [dawna reisner]

Let us address the commenter’s main premise – that one can self determine the nature of the Godhead.

Immediately – we can observe that the writer has done two things:

Committed idolatry by creating her own god
Blasphemed the Word of God by saying that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, lies about Himself.

We may condense her opinion into one statement.

I don’t like what the Bible says – therefore it is untrue.

If the Bible does not “speak to you,” that means you are not born of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

By saying that the Bible is the false prophet – that is committing the unforgivable sin, by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Who is the Author of the Bible.

2 Peter 1:21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

In saying that the Bible has been the cause of the world’s woes, more blasphemy is committed.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.

Blaming the Bible, rather than man’s exceeding sinfulness, is the same sin committed by Adam in the Garden of Eden when he blamed God. This is also blasphemy.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Denying your own complicity in the cumulative sins of mankind, is proof that you are outside the faith.

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

When I first read this comment, I could not believe it was genuine, and likely the antics of a troll because of the provocative nature and specious quality of it. But, as I thought on it, The LORD convicted me that whether genuine or not – it could still be examined and a Scriptural argument developed for it, because even internet trolls need to be witnessed to, and we all encounter people who posit the same belief system.

Friday Proverb – Avoiding Wickedness

Leave a reply

Last week we enjoyed the wonderful wisdom that King David passed down to his son, Solomon – stressing the pursuit of wisdom above any worldly thing. Today we look at the relentless efforts of the world to corrupt us – and the best way to not fall into its trap.

14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

There are many “paths” that could be considered wicked. What is being stressed here is the influence that worldly people have on us. The pressure to conform in appearance and behavior to the world comes at us through many different avenues. Television, internet, magazines, coworkers, “friends,” peers. . . the things we see and hear – lead us to covet – and in coveting we are caught.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

The only escape from the myriad temptations in front of our eyes is to flee from it, and completely avoid it – no matter what it is. If you can’t look at a magazine without lusting – either by wanting to look like someone in the magazine, or have someone or something in the magazine – better throw out the magazine! The same goes with alcohol, pornography, gluttony, lechery. . .the list goes on and on. If you can’t sit down at a computer without looking at porn – you have entered the path of the wicked. If you sit lusting after cheerleaders while watching a football game – you are on the same path. If looking at Pinterest causes you to be dissatisfied rather than content – you are in the coveting trap. If your “friend” encourages you to do something wrong – flee – flee – flee!!!

The Proverb goes on to say, that the people that lead us to do wrong, whether it is the corrupt CEO of a gigantic, international company, or your sister-in-law bombarding you with temptation – they all truly desire you to fail.

16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

The above verse is the source of the colloquialism – “No rest for the wicked!” Certainly television commercials and programmers are relentless in their push for immorality – but have you ever encountered someone who pressures you with their own kind of intensity? Trying to get you to do something that you know is wrong? The Word of God clearly says that they cannot rest until they have accomplished their goal! Think of the tireless, driving methods of influential musicians, authors, media, even video game designers! Or the “friend” that pushes you to have another drink, or coworker telling you to help yourself to whatever is in the company storage room – because “everyone does it.” If you get the feeling they are trying to take you down with them – your feeling is correct!

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

Verse 17 is saying that wickedness and violence actually sustains the evil ones, in the same way that pure food sustains us. Their very beings are gladdened by a Christian’s failure in the same way that we are made joyous by a good meal with people we love.

18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

How beautiful. The perfect day will be at the Lord’s return. If we stay on the right path, it will shine brighter and brighter in this dark world, until that glorious day!

19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. Proverbs 4: 14-19

At right is what the lost see. Nothing. The Hugh Hefner’s, Richard Dawkins, and the neighborhood philanderer . . . the multitudinous purveyors of corruption do not see where they are going. Even when they trip and fall, they have no idea what they tripped over. They will continue to grope along in the dark.

126 It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law.

127 Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

128 Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

130 The entrance of Thy Words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Psalm 119: 126-130

Trinity of the Godhead

Leave a reply

The number three has great significance in Scripture. It is popular now, as it has been since the beginning of the Church – to de-Deify Jesus Christ. Most scholars would trace the identifiable source to Arius, (the father of Arianism) a leader in the church at Alexandria, Egypt, 318 A.D. In terms of prophetic church ages, this corresponds with the “Church at Pergamos.” (Revelation 2: 12-17) It was the church that was “married,” or settled down, to the faith; also identified as being worldly, and imperial. [300-500 A.D.]

A brilliant and articulate speaker, Arius taught that Jesus Christ was neither God nor man, but rather, a demi-god. A created being, halfway between God and man. Many cults are based on this premise, but they never support their claims with Scripture, instead relying on “new” prophecies, visions and revelations. This question was settled not by scholars and clergy at the Council of Nicea. It was through the testimony of an African hermit that all doubts were assuaged.

After listening to Arius, who was uncommonly persuasive, the “African sprang to his feet, clad chiefly in tiger’s skin. This latter he tore from his back, disclosing great scars (the result of having been thrown into the arena among the wild beasts, and his back dreadfully disfigured by their claws), crying dramatically,

These are the brand marks of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I cannot hear this blasphemy.

Then he proceeded to give so stirring an address, setting forth so clearly the truth as to Christ’s eternal deity, that the majority of the council realized in a moment that it was indeed the voice of the Spirit of God.” (H.A. Ironsides)

A close study of Scripture will show, that God repeats ideas and principles – in various ways – to better reveal Himself to us.

The Identities of the Godhead

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 28:19)
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (1John 5:7)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. (2Cor. 13:14)

Jesus lay in the tomb for three days and three nights, in all four Gospels and prophesied in Psalms 69; 22; and Exodus 12; and 20.

Jesus raised three people from the dead: the widow’s son (Luke 7: 11-18); Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5: 22-24, 35-43); and Lazarus ( John 11: 1-44).

Jesus’ three closest apostles were Peter, James, and John.

And below, you see illustrated, all three Persons of the Godhead are manifested to eyewitnesses at the same time. . .

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him; And lo a Voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

We must resist the efforts of the cults, the emergent church, and New Age Religion to remove Jesus from the throne. . .

The four indicators of a cult:

Add to God’s Word with new Scripture
Subtract from Jesus
Multiply the requirements for salvation
Divide their followers loyalty

The Five Fundamentals of the Faith:

The inerrancy and full authority of the Bible
The virgin birth and full Deity of Jesus Christ
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
Christ’s atoning vicarious death for the sins of the world
The literal second coming of Jesus Christ

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Bible Study – Descendants of Ishmael

Leave a reply

Genesis 25:12-18

¹²Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

¹³And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

¹⁴And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

¹⁵Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

¹⁶These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

¹⁷And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

¹⁸And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

It is generally acknowledged that modern day Arabs are descended from Ishmael. This understanding comes from the Bible itself, Jewish Rabbis, and from a meager oral tradition. Mohammed claimed this descent himself, though it is truly impossible to determine his actual pedigree, due to the fact of the wandering and unsettled nature of the Ishmaelite tribes. There is no known literature to support any genealogy, outside of the Holy Bible. The Ishmaelites are mentioned on only three occasions in Scripture: Genesis 37: 25, 27, 29; 39:1, Judges 8:24, and Psalm 83:6.

Most Arabs believe that as the first born of Abraham, Ishmael was offered on the altar, not Issac, and therefore the Biblical Covenants and blessings belong to them, and not the Jews. However, many nomadic Arabs, still hold to the early pagan traditions from long ago – believing in a law of blood-revenge which requires a man to know his ancestors going back for four generations, but no father back than that. The physical attributes, language, customs and traditions (pre-Mohammed corruption) along with the infallible testimony of the Holy Bible, makes the Arab nations, largely Ishmaelite in all respects.

Psalm 83

83 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

³They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

⁵For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

⁶The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

⁸Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

⁹Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

¹⁰Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

¹²Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

¹³O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

¹⁴As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

¹⁵So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

¹⁶Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

¹⁷Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

¹⁸That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth

Bible Study – Esau Sells His Birthright

Leave a reply

Our last devotional, covered the birth of Jacob and Esau. We can not underestimate the value of this lesson from Old Testament history. The twins “struggled together within her” (Gen. 25:22) in the same fashion that our new natures (received at the new birth) struggle with our old natures (received at the natural birth) once we are born again. Like Rebekah, we have the two personalities struggling within us. It is the struggle for mastery in the inner soul of every single, truly born again believer.

God ordained for the “younger new nature” (Jacob) to have dominion over the “older sin nature.” (Esau)

Romans 6:14

For sin shall not have dominion over you

Genesis 25:29-34

²⁹And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

³¹And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

³²And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

³³And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Two wrongs occur here. Firstly, Esau in lust of flesh, sells what is not his to sell. Secondly, Jacob takes advantage of his brother’s weakness, and “deals” for something that also was not his. The blessing was from God, through Abraham and Issac. Esau demonstrated that he had a very low regard for the birthright blessing. Like fleshly Issac, who loved Esau more than Jacob because “he did eat of his venison,” Esau was given to fleshly appetites and and placed ALL of his value on “savory meat.”

Like the carnal Christian, Esau chose fleeting, temporal satisfaction. Jacob highly regarded the eternal. Those believers who walk closely with the Lord, seek the long ranging spiritual promise of the birthright.

2 Peter 1:3-4

³According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Bible Study – Abraham and Abimelech

Leave a reply

Our last study finished the extraordinary story of Lot. A couple of observations need reemphasizing.

Lot was a carnal believer, with his focus on the world, rather than the spiritual, he was saved – but only just!
Lot was “unequally yoked.” His wife was not a believer. Her judgement demonstrated what will happen to all those who have had ample opportunity to be saved, but still choose the world.
Lot’s life ends in disgrace. His sons, conceived through drunken incest, become the enemies of Israel, and ultimately – Christians.
Lot – as the carnal believer – teaches us that if we, as believers, live our lives to please ourselves, and do not judge ourselves, He will judge us while we are yet living on this earth. The following verses cover the carnal believer –

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11: 31-32

15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3: 15

We now enter another bizarre incidence of Sarah being kidnapped! Although Abraham was centered in Hebron, he often moved around seeking pasture for his flocks. He winds up in Gerar, a Philistine city, about 40 miles west of Hebron.

1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Abimelech means “my father is king.” It is a title, rather than a name, as Pharaoh was. “Father” of his people.

Once again, Abraham presents Sarah as his sister, another weakness of Abraham’s. The same deception he used with Pharaoh, the same equivocation. He revealed only half the truth, while some would argue that it is not an out and out lie – it is really no better. It is a spiritual relapse.

Sarah is taken, by force, again! She is 90 years old! The Babylonian Talmud and other occult books assert that she was a “seer,” and highly sought after by powerful men. That is a ridiculous notion. If Sarah could see the future – why on earth did she give her handmaid Hagar to her husband? She would have been able to see what terrible trouble that caused! It stands to reason that there was something unusual about her, perhaps her coloring, that made her so attractive. Blue eyes? Possibly.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him,

Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said,

Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Abimelech fears for all his family, and all of his people after what had famously happened at Sodom.

GOD GIVES ABIMELECH A CHOICE.

6 And God said unto him in a dream,

Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

This is an amazing exchange between the Lord and Abimelech. The Lord knows that Abimelech had honorable intentions towards Sarah, but if he refuses to return her, he and everyone connected to him will die.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

11 And Abraham said,

Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

Consider that Abraham is thinking of Sarah’s safety. From the time they left Ur of the Charldees, she had presented herself as his sister, (half true) per his request. A beautiful married woman, could have found herself savagely raped and a widow all at the same time. A woman without protection had very little chance. If she were believed to be a virtuous maiden, it would be less likely that either of them would be harmed in that culture.

Abraham’s perception of the general depravity of the Canaanites is what leads him to deceive Abimelech, who in turn wants to know what Abraham saw in his people that caused him to do this thing. It was also judged to be lawful at that time to marry sisters on the father’s side, but not on the mother’s. Abimelech next returns Sarah, but rebukes her, along with many gifts to Abraham.

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

Abimelech gives Abraham even more than Pharaoh did.
He also beseeches Abraham to stay wherever he desires within his lands as opposed to Pharaoh who begged him to leave.
Abimelech publicly states that Sarah is married, and that she is under the covering of her husband. We can extract from this that Sarah went about unveiled to further the deception that she was Abraham’s sister. All married women were veiled in this era.
Sarah was redeemed from Abimelech before he touched her, thereby preventing any possible claims of anyone other than 100 year old Abraham as the father of the nation of Israel. Abimelech’s public pronouncement was the last thing required before the son of promise was conceived.
In return for this, Abraham prayed for Abimelech.

17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife. Genesis 20 1-18

Abraham is an Old Testament type of Christ, who redeemed his bride-sister from the pagan king. Jesus is the Christ, who redeems His bride-sister-brother-mother. . .from the pagan, anti-Christ world.

46 While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him.

47 Then one said unto Him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But He answered and said unto him that told him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren?

49 And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.

Matthew 12: 46-50

Bible Study – The Birth of Moab and Ben Ami

Leave a reply

We left off with the Lord’s merciful deliverance of Lot, from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other cities of the plain for their great iniquity. Even Lot’s carnal faith was enough to save him, but it could not save his wife. She did not believe. Lot has been allowed to take refuge in the “little” city of Zoar with his two young daughters. But he doesn’t stay there long –

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

On this hillside above the town of ancient Zoar (modern Safi), Byzantine Christians built a church and monastery around the cave where Lot and his daughters found refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It says in verse 30 that Lot left Zoar to take shelter in a cave for fear. It does not specify what he was afraid of -but it is very likely that the men of Zoar were as the men of Sodom.

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

A great many lewd paintings have been made of this incident – which have no basis in fact. They often portray a drunken, lecherous Lot, groping at one or both or his daughters. The Scripture clearly states that he had no idea what occurred. What Lot is guilty of here – is the same thing he was always guilty of – lax conduct. He was a carnal believer. The entire reason Lot’s daughters were able to get him so intoxicated – was his carnality. He was always thinking of the comfort of his flesh, from the moment his Uncle Abraham offered him the choicest pasture lands for his flocks, to when he chose to return to worldly Sodom, with all the bells and whistles, after being rescued. Most Christians today, are like Lot. Think about just how terrible it is – that he was so drunk – he didn’t even know what happened!

We must also consider the possibility that Lot’s daughters believed that they were the only people who had survived, and perhaps had copious experience of their father’s excessive drinking. And blackouts? Also interesting to note – these were the mountains that the Lord had told Lot to go to at the first! More evidence of Lot’s “lingering.” How often we Christians are like Lot, and fail to be “alert,” to sin. And how often are we “blacked out” to the far reaching consequences of our sin!

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben–ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. Genesis 19: 30-38

At the far right of the map in the white areas you will see the lands of Moab (older daughter’s son) and Ammon (younger daughter’ s son) Click to enlarge.

These son’s descendants will be future Muslims, and violent persecutors of Jews and Christians.

On the subject of Lot’s drinking, and the great immorality and pursuant centuries of genocide and war that followed through these sons of incest, there is an established connection between drinking alcohol and sin, notably sexual sin.

Historian Sir Arnold Toynbee has identified alcohol as a major force in the destruction of nineteen civilizations preceding our own. [Alcohol: The Beloved Enemy, Dr. Jack Van Impe. p. 23]

Oh! That men should put an enemy into their mouths to steal away their brains! O God, that we should with joy, pleasure, revel, and applause transform ourselves into beasts! [William Shakespeare, Othello Act 2 Scene 3]

The habit of using ardent spirits by men in public office produced more injury to the public service, and more trouble to me, than any other circumstances that has occurred in the internal concerns of the country during my administration. And were I to commence my administration again, with the knowledge which from experience I have acquired, the first question that I would ask with regard to every candidate for office would be, “Is he addicted to the use of ardent spirits?” [Thomas Jefferson, by John Kobler, Ardent Spirits, p.33]

. . . if a 150 pound man consumes two bottles of beer on an empty stomach, the level of alcohol dissolved in his blood will reach about five hundredths of one percent. At this level, the normal activity of the cortex, or the outer layer of the brain – particularly in the centers concerned with worry or anxiety – will be affected. The drinker will feel falsely “lifted up,” because the inhibitions that usually hold him steady have, in effect, been paralyzed. [Albert Maisel, Alcohol and Your Brain, Reader’s Digest]

Why would any Christian want to be intoxicated? Why would any Christian want to be uninhibited? Why would any Christian risk giving a poor testimony to a lost and dying world? If I added another 1,000 or so words to this article – I could prove that the “wine” at the Last Supper, and at the Wedding Feast at Cana was not fermented. But that is not the focus of this Bible Study, rather, it is the observation of how many Christians walk in Lot’s shoes, and what we may learn from his life, and try to take to heart the enormously far-reaching consequences of sin.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5: 19-24

Bible Study – Abraham’s Greatest Test of Faith

Leave a reply

God never tempts anyone to sin (that is the province of Satan) but He does test the faithful. After all that has gone before – Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldees, and journeying to the Promised Land in faith, the Covenant, and the extraordinary birth of the son of promise – Isaac – when Abraham was 100 years old.

It was now time for Abraham to be tested – the ultimate test – to prove Abraham – and to portend the future. We must always hold God first in our lives. Please consider that since the LORD is omniscient – He already knows the outcome of this test!

GENESIS 22:1-14

22 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

²And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

HERE IS THE TEST – DID ABRAHAM LOVE HIS SON MORE THAN HE LOVED GOD? ON “ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS” TELLS US THAT GOD HAD A PARTICULAR PLACE AND A PARTICULAR MOUNTAIN – MOUNT MORIAH! THE SAME PLACE WHERE SOLOMON’S TEMPLE WOULD LATER BE BUILT AND THE SAME PLACE WHERE JESUS WOULD OFFER HIMSELF AS THE LAMB OF GOD!!!!!

³And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

⁴Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

⁵And Abraham said unto his young men,

Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

⁷And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

¹²And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.

¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

JEHOVAHJIREH = THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

BOTH ABRAHAM AND GOD THE FATHER OFFER SONS ON ALTARS – THIS IS KNOWN AS BIBLICAL TYPOLOGY

Isaac carried his own wood/Jesus carried His own cross
God provided the lamb/Lamb
Isaac was held by ropes/Jesus was held by iron nails
Isaac gave no resistance/ Jesus gave no resistance
Abraham’s son was spared/ God spared not His own Son
In the mount of the Lord/ Christ died on Mt Calvary
Ram caught in thorns was offered/ Christ was crowned with thorns
Isaac was heir to everything Abraham had /Jesus Christ is the heir to everything of God the Father’s – all power, all wealth, all glory, all kingdoms, the universe, all praise, all honor, all eternity, all judgment, all righteousness, all truth, all Lordship, all love, all mercy, all grace.

MORE SONGS AND WORDS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT CALVARY THAN ANY OTHER PLACE ON EARTH!

Please consider the Lord’s omniscience – in knowing what Abraham would do – but Abraham himself, did not know what he would do! These are the deep things of God, beloveds.

Bible Study – The Abrahamic Covenant Confirmed

Leave a reply

In last week’s study, Abraham had passed the ultimate test – by willingly not withholding his son Issac from the Lord, he had demonstrated the greatest faith yet. When Abraham gave his son to God – he gained back his son. When we give ourselves and our possessions to God, we gain far more than we give – BUT – if we refuse to give ourselves and possessions to God – we will eventually lose everything. And everything means EVERYTHING!

Abraham passed his greatest test of faith, and because of this – God repeated to him, the Covenant promised to him, and his seed.

Genesis 22:15-19

¹⁵And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

¹⁶And said,

By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

¹⁹So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

The next verses, which cover the family tree of Abraham’s brother Nahor, are only significant, in the revealing of the source of Issac’s bride.

Genesis 22:20-24

²⁰And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

²¹Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

[please note that these sons are the source of the tribes named in the Book of Job]

²²And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

²³And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

²⁴And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Often believers will brush over passages like this in the Old Testament, thinking they are of less significance than the dramatic events of last week’s study. Nothing could be further from the truth. In understanding the significance of God renewing the Covenant a second time – we see that He is not forgetful, and is the perfection of steadfastness, and the extreme importance of this Covenant which was sealed in blood. By the recording of even Abram’s brother’s family tree, we have the situation laid out so simply, that even a child’s persistent “why” and “where” questions can be answered.

Next week – the Gentile Bride is chosen!

Friday Proverb – A Father’s Wisdom

Leave a reply

In our last Proverb, we had a thorough comparison of the just and the wicked. This week, King Solomon speaks to his children of wisdom, in remembrance of his own father, David.

king-solomon-teaching-proverbs-from-a-14th-cent1

1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

This father, Solomon, has parental authority.

2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Solomon was “tender” or young when he was instructed by his father, David, and was loved above all others by his mother.

4 He taught me also, and said unto me,

[what follows are the teachings of David, to his son, Solomon]

Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Verse 5 -7 above, are one of the most memorized passages in the entire Bible. David told Solomon to seek wisdom “with all thy getting” – meaning no effort was to be spared in the pursuit of wisdom, and that it would preserve him. Think of the intensity of an Olympic athlete’s quest for a gold medal. These words from David – are the Lord’s Words to all of His children.

People lusted after the same things in 950 B.C. as they do now. Money, fame, power, wealth, things, people . . . the admonishment to pursue wisdom is as relevant today as it was then.

8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. [Long and healthy life will accompany wise living.] 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

[When Godly wisdom is followed – the path will be smooth – it will not need “straightening’]

13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Proverbs 4: 1-13

. . .for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 2: 30b

Friday Proverb – The Just and the Wicked

Leave a reply

Last week we discussed the tendency of mankind to envy the very people they perceive to be oppressing them. We always seem to believe that if the positions were reversed, that we would be different than “they” are. Today we look at three short Proverbs, each one comparing the just to the wicked.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked:

This has an eternal meaning, as well as a present context. The lost sheep look at the wicked and often see them prospering. But believers know that the victory of the wicked is always temporary. And the curse on the wicked is not only on they, themselves, but on their posterity – or house, as well as all their works. I put pictures of houses here – but think of it more as the heart of the person, and how it looks to God.

but He blesseth the habitation of the just.

We must ask ourselves – is our habitation bright and shiny on the outside, but festering and rotten on the inside? Do we demonstrate Christianity outwardly, but have dirty, besetting sin, hidden away in out hearts? Remember, God always looks at the inward man, the dwelling place of the heart. Can we hide anything from Him?

34 Surely He scorneth the scorners:

At left you see famous scorner Richard Dawkins in a scene from Ben Stein’s excellent documentary – “Expelled.” But scornfulness isn’t limited to the intellectual elite. School teachers use it to intimidate students, bullies (this covers everyone with power over another) of all ages and both sexes use it; parents apply scorn to their children, and children to each other. Then, of course – the children grow up, and scorn their parents. The most grievous and only unforgivable form of scornfulness is the debasement, ridicule, and egotistical rejection of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

but He giveth Grace unto the lowly.

That’s right – no matter how many time we fail Him, no matter how undeserving – if we are humble and repent – He gives us Grace – unmerited favor. The scornful are completely unrepentant. Very important distinction!

35 The wise shall inherit glory:

Those who have wisely accepted Jesus Christ, will receive a crown of glory. Not the scornful – no matter how many good works they perform. The scornful are blinded by their pride. Evidence of this can be seen in the “good works” such as the charitable giving that many of the uber-wealthy, celebrities, and elite do. Professional athletes make a show of visiting sick children in hospitals, and then proceed to commit adultery. The nice lady next door may bake cookies for the church bake sale, and then spend the rest of the day watching soap operas (soft porn) or flirting with someone online. The Word of God is clear – Grace can not be purchased at any price. It is “unmerited.”

but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3: 33-35

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Jude 1: 10-13

Friday Proverb – Envy not the Oppressor

2 Replies

Last Friday’s Proverb was an exploration of who is our neighbor. So often we deliberately hurt the people that are closest to us through our own selfishness and pride. This week we look at another sinful tendency of mankind – envy.

30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

This would usually be termed as “picking a fight,” or “unwarranted provocation.” We see animals taking unprovoked swipes at each other all the time, as well as children. Adults usually hold themselves guiltless of this offense, but generally that notion is dishonest. Mankind’s striving without cause can be directly tied to – envy. The women who snipe at another woman simply because she is prettier, or thinner, or somehow seems better. The guys verbally taking out a coworker that was promoted, a supervisor or employer or some “big-wig” on the grounds that he doesn’t work as hard as they do. They perceive themselves to be oppressed by the person or persons they are attacking. This is striving without cause.

The next verse is interesting in that it relates to oppressors, but it is usually the case – that perception flavors the persona of the oppressor. As with Cain, who directed his anger at God towards his brother – our perception of who is oppressing us can be distorted.

31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

In all human history, no people group has been more oppressed and persecuted than the Jews. In Moses’ time, Pharaoh and his advisers felt threatened by the Jew’s incredible prosperity. The Third Reich also envied the Jew’s incredible prosperity. They justified persecuting the Jews because they felt the Jew’s prosperity was oppressing them. Alternately – the Jews themselves were guilty of envying their oppressor’s gentile, pagan, way of life, free from the Law. Israel often sinned in choosing to emulate the pagans around them. Christians also do the same, and act just like the sinful fallen world we are directed to be separate from.

This is the power of the evil one holding sway over the hearts of men, because of his own envy of God. Certainly, Lucifer feels that God is oppressing him.

Are there rich, prosperous , elites oppressing us? Of course. But they can only do this because we allow them to by participating in their rebellion. The Lord terms these oppressors as “froward” = willfully contrary, not easily managed. Frowardness is an abomination to the Lord, as in one who transgresses the Law. The froward oppressor chooses to defy the Lord, despite His manifest love, mercy, and majesty.

32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord:

but His secret is with the righteous.

Proverbs 3: 30-32

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Psalm 37: 1-3

Friday Proverb – The Treatment of Neighbors

1 Reply

Last Friday we covered the Lord’s admonishment to us about not fearing the wicked. It must always be present in our minds that the Lord is greater than the evil one and all his helpers – no matter how it is made to appear through Satan’s manipulations. Today we delve into the external representation of our faith. Doing good. . .

Everyone knows the parable of the Good Samaritan. Communistic politicians like to smugly refer to this teaching of Christ as their foundational platform for broad social restructuring. But the faithful of Christ understand that His teaching had nothing to do with money – but rather – who is our neighbor?

27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

To whom is good due? This requires careful self examination. How often does the Christian hold back praise for someone else’s accomplishment, procrastinate on that visit to the nursing home, or diminish our spouses or children in front of others? The good we can do unto others is not always seen.

Sometimes it is money, but by far the greatest good that Christians can do unto others is to share their faith in Jesus Christ! Doing good comes from within us, and should be a natural expression of true spiritual conversion.

28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

What causes us to withhold good from someone else? Selfishness in all its many facets. Don’t feel like honoring your husband, or loving your wife? Wish you had different: parents, job, looks, talent? Wish you had more: money, talent, looks, friends? Tired of your existence? Angry at the world in general? Where do these feelings come from?

selfishness . . .

Did you ever plot evil against someone else? No? Never?

29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Proverbs 3: 27-29

Devising evil can encompass gossiping, coveting, lying, setting someone up for failure, withholding information, tricking someone, taking someone’s possessions or someone’s spouse, and conspiring with others against someone.

Remember what the lawyer said to Jesus in Luke 10: 29, when he was trying to justify himself?

AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Good question for all of us.

Bible Study – Death and Burial of Sarah

Leave a reply

Abraham said of his wife,

“I know [Sarah] that thou art a fair woman to look upon” – Gen. 12:11.

She was a beautiful woman, whose beauty was more than fair looks. She was adorned with the…

“ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” – 1 Pet. 3:4

Sarah was God’s example of a submissive wife.

“Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.”

Genesis 23 (Approximately 1860 B.C.)

23 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. ²And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

Though Abraham was wealthy, and owned rich herds of flocks, and servants, he owned no property in Canaan. When Sarah died at age 127, Abraham sought to buy the cave of Machpelah for 400 shekels of silver – rather that receive it as a gift from heathen neighbors.

³And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,

⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

⁸And he communed with them, saying,

If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying,

But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

¹⁷And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

¹⁸Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

This was the only property Abraham owned in Canaan. The cave in the field of Machpelah in Hebron, later became the family burial place of the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Attributes of the Holy Spirit – #4 – Work of the Holy Spirit

Leave a reply

The Holy Spirit is God, and should never be referred to as “it,” or as a mere influence. We have observed from Parts 1,2, and 3, that the Holy Spirit is equal to, yet distinct, from the Father and the Son. In this fourth study of the Attributes of the Holy Spirit, we will explore the Work of the Holy Spirit.

JESUS CHRIST SAID THAT WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME HE WOULD:

Convict men of the sin of unbelief.

John 16:9 – Of sin, because they believe not on Me:

Convict men that Jesus Christ IS the righteousness of God.

John 16:10 – Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;

Convict men that the power of Satan has been broken.

John 16:11 – Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Regenerate the believer.

John 3:5 – Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Indwell the believer.

1 Cor. 6:19,20 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Seal the believer.

Eph.1: 13,14 – In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

Baptize the believer.

Acts 1:5 – For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Infill the believer.

Eph. 5:16 – And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Empower the believer.

Acts 1:9 – But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Lead the believer.

Gal. 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, and will remain with the church until His work is finished, in the same manner that Jesus Christ finished His work in the flesh. . .

JOHN 16:13

Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

Bible Study – Esau’s Disappointment and Enmity

Leave a reply

Genesis 27:30-40

³⁰And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

³¹And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.

³²And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

³³And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

³⁴And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

³⁵And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

³⁶And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Esau’s pleading and tears could not undo what had happened. When he so casually sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage, he demonstrated to the Lord just how much he did not care for Spiritual things. His heart and head were filled with fleshly desires. Because of this, a seed of bitterness took root in his soul –

Hebrews 12:15-17

¹⁵Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

¹⁶Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

¹⁷For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Esau’s repentance was not genuine. He was grieving over what he had lost – not expressing Godly sorrow for what he had done. Children often think they are only wrong when they are caught. Esau was the same as a naughty child, only longing for the blessing, not desiring to be right with the Lord. We can be reminded of the many Replacement Theologists – who attempt to take for themselves all of the blessings promised to Israel – without desiring the conditional basis for the blessings. Many, many people only express sorrow for sin – when they are caught.

³⁷And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

³⁸And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

⁴⁰And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Isaac predicts that Esau will continue in his warlike mindset – “by the sword thou shalt live.” Certainly, an ominous and accurate statement of where the descendants of Esau are to this very day. Esau ultimately allows his bitterness to turn to anger. Anger, when allowed to proceed unchecked, gives birth to hatred and fighting, and can even lead to murder. Today – the descendants of Esau – are still harboring enmity towards Jacob. Today – they call themselves Palestinians.

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT! FOUR WRONGS ARE EVEN WORSE!!

Isaac was fully aware that God had told Rebekah even before the twins were born that “the elder shall serve the younger.” Isaac also knew that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob. Despite that, Isaac chose to ignore these rather remarkable facts.
Rebekah attempted to anticipate God, whereby she instigated a terrible deception rather than waiting on the Lord to do His perfect work.
Esau could not have forgotten that he had sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. It would have been proper for him to remind his father of the event, and refuse the blessing outright.
Jacob deceived his father by lying, and acting out the lie that he was his brother Esau.

For a family with so much promise and blessing, they ended in a terrible mess. Esau’s future is described in Obadiah, some refer to this as “The Obadiah War.”

Obadiah 17-21

¹⁷But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

¹⁸And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

¹⁹And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

²⁰And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

²¹And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.

Bible Study – Jacob Obtains Isaac’s Blessing

Leave a reply

ISAAC FORGETS TWO IMPORTANT THINGS:

Genesis 27:1-10

27 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

²And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

³Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

⁴And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

⁵And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

⁶And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

⁷Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

⁸Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

⁹Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

¹⁰And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

Jacob intends to bless his favorite son, the manly Esau, and requests venison meat. Please notice what is highlighted in red. “Savoury meat.” Death seems imminent to Isaac, even though he would live for many more years. “Savoury meat such as I love,” indicates that Isaac allowed the desires of his flesh to dull his “spiritual sense.” His fleshly lusts caused him to forget two important things:

God told his wife that, “the elder would serve the younger.”
Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob.

We observe, that fleshly Isaac was ready to set aside God’s divine purpose, and the carnal Esau enthusiastically went along to accept the birthright he had sold to Jacob.

JACOB DECEIVES HIS FATHER

Genesis 27:11-17

¹¹And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

¹²My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

¹³And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

¹⁴And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

¹⁵And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

¹⁶And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

¹⁷And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

What cunning! The duplicity of mankind through the ages is evident in this episode. It was not difficult to fool the old man. Goat meat tastes similar to deer meat. Wearing goat skins and his brother’s clothing in order to smell and feel like the outdoor sportsman that Esau was, Jacob was able to fool his elderly, blind father with ease. But that’s not all! In the following passage, highlighted in red, we see that Jacob even contrived to make his deception appear “spiritual.” This added a deeper level of wickedness to Jacob’s sin. In fact, the depth of spiritual wickedness lays Jacob’s old nature wide open for all of us to see. Using the name of God to accomplish evil is the trademark of the Evil One. Satan likes to put the Christian label on some very evil things. The old nature has rule in Jacob’s life at this time, and we can all learn from it.

Genesis 27:18-29

¹⁸And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

¹⁹And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

²⁰And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.

²¹And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

²²And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

²³And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

²⁴And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

²⁵And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.

²⁶And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:

²⁸Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

²⁹Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

We’d all like to think that we would never do something like Jacob did. But it is a fact, that our old natures are capable of just about anything, including murder. Our fleshly nature must me subdued, and we must follow Jesus Christ at all costs.

Romans 7:15-25 (KJV)

¹⁵For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

¹⁶If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

¹⁷Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

¹⁹For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

²⁰Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

²¹I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

²²For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

²³But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

²⁴O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

²⁵I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Bible Study – Esau’s Wives

Leave a reply

Following the history of the Jews, is the story of God’s plan of Salvation. Every saved person can see themselves in this history. In last week’s study, the remarkable focus on wells, and Isaac, who was the son of promise, digging for wells to provide for his tribe. It was also observed, that Isaac’s name is associated with wells seven times! Oh, the deep things of God get deeper and deeper.

We next progress onto the further refining of the line of promise, and the enmity of the flesh towards the things of God.

Esau’s wives . . .

Only two verses are devoted to this subject here, yet they are verses that portend a great deal.

Genesis 26:34-35

³⁴And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

³⁵Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Hittites were idolaters, immoral, and worshipers of demons.
Esau demonstrated why the Lord did not choose him, as this occurred before Isaac even blessed Jacob. The Lord knows us before we are even conceived in the womb.
Esau did not consider his parents in that he actually caused them grief through these marriages. The spirit of rebellion.

It is of interest to those who adhere to the infallibility of God’s Word, how the secularists had long denied the existence of any such people group as the Hittites. As time often reveals all truth – archeologists have proven since 1876, that the Hittites (mentioned over 50 times in Scripture) were indeed a powerful people group during the 15th and 16th centuries BC. They were descended from Heth, son of Canaan (the cursed, youngest son of Ham) and the great-grandson of Noah. Their pagansim resulted in truly despicable practices, which is why they were to be destroyed – not married! When God delivered the Canaanites to be destroyed by Israel His servant – it was to prevent the chosen people from being contaminated by such evil.

Which now brings up the subject, of intermarriage for believers. Why do the saved of the Lord still do it?

For Christians – even dating an unbeliever is unwise.

For Christians – marrying an unbeliever is forbidden.
There can be no harmony between the believer and the unsaved.

2 Corinthians 6:14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

1 Corinthians 15:33

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Marriage is the most intimate relationship on earth. It is prophetically significant in that it portrays the relationship between Christ, and His Bride – the Church. We are to evangelize the lost with the Gospel – not marry them!

Bible Study – Digging for Water

Leave a reply

In the last study, it was told that the Philistines had “stopped up” all the wells that had been dug by Abraham’s servants. It is still happening today. After the “road map to peace” (2002 Counsel on Foreign Relations/Bush Whitehouse) had forcibly moved Jews out of Gaza, rather than dwelling in the homes that were there, the so-called Palestinians razed them to the ground. In the same manner – pagan Gentiles also attempt to “stop up” Living Water wherever it is found. The entire 26th chapter of Genesis deals with Isaac’s wells.

seven times Isaac’s name is associated with wells!!!!!

Genesis 24:62
Genesis 26:18
Genesis 26:19
Genesis 26: 21
Genesis 26: 22
Genesis 26: 25
Genesis 26: 32

Psalm 12:6

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Genesis 26:17-33

¹⁷And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

¹⁸And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

¹⁹And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

²⁰And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

²¹And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

²²And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

²³And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

²⁴And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said,

I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.

²⁵And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

Just as leaven in the Bible represents sin, so does water and wells represent the Holy Spirit and spiritual wells. Wells signify where sheeple can hear God’s Word and drink spiritual water. All Bible believing churches, schools and ministries that give forth the Gospel are spiritual wells. As in Genesis – God wants spiritual wells everywhere – but His enemies ALWAYS try to “stop up the wells.” Just like Isaac’s servants, we should dig new, and reopen wells that are stopped. Isaac reopened the wells that had been stopped, and dug new ones as well, until there was enough for his his tribe. We are of the tribe of Christ. Christians. As the servants of the Lord, we must dig for living water, and make sure the water is kept “clean” (unstopped) at established wells.

When liberalism and occultism enter a ministry, the well becomes stopped. The former “lively water,” becomes thick and stagnant. No refreshment. The ministry loses its lifeline, and sheeple turn away because they receive no water. As sheeple become entangled in false teachings, they cease looking for Living Water. . .

²⁶Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

²⁷And Isaac said unto them,

Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

²⁸And they said,

We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

²⁹That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord.

³⁰And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

³¹And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

³²And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

³³And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

What are some “well-stoppers” today? atheism, liberalism, cults, New Age philosophies, occult, paganism, abortion, normalization of perversion, and moral relativism. God’s people must continue to be like Isaac in digging new wells, and unstopping old wells, so that Living Water will be available to everyone.

Isaiah 12:3

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Bible Study – Isaac’s Dispute With Abimelech

Leave a reply

What is the old saying – familiarity breeds contempt? We shall see from this study, that it not only breeds contempt, but envy as well.

Genesis 26:6-16

⁶And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

⁷And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

⁸And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

⁹And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

¹⁰And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

¹¹And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Abimelech has seen the hand of God on Isaac, as he prospers when no one else does. His command not to touch Rebekah and Isaac is not enough to quell the intense envy that the gentiles have for Israel. He only succeeded in inflaming the conflict – by stressing even more that Isaac had more (and better) than they did.

¹²Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

This is hugely significant for believers. This is something that weary evangelists can take to heart. Isaac sowed in the Promised Land during a time of great famine, and received in the SAME YEAR a hundredfold reaping. It also greatly stresses the relationship between Israel and the Land. The land of Israel only responds to the People of Israel. They are the only earthly, chosen, people.

Isaiah 35:1-2

35 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

²It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

¹³And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

¹⁴For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

Of course – as Jews tend to prosper at everything they set their hands to – the natural sinful response is – envy. Everyone must be aware of the so-called Jewish conspiracy. It is no conspiracy. It is God. Period.

¹⁵For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

¹⁶And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

isaac has not only re-dug wells, but the ground work has now been laid for conflict, fueled by envy, to fulfill god’s plan for his covenant people. Abimelech fears isaac and sends him away. it is not for abimelech to send issac anywhere – and we will see in the next study – that he does not go far – and –

Isaac’s Focus on Water!

Bible Study – God Confirms Covenant With Isaac

Leave a reply

Only by adhering strictly to Scripture, are we allowed to see the Lord’s complete relationship with mankind. Anytime we veer even slightly into the world, our “world-view” will become corrupted. There are countless books, blogs, websites, Youtubes, and even television programming, devoted to “expanding our understanding of the Bible.” Unfortunately – the “world-view” of whoever is producing these products, will heavily impress itself upon the finished product. It is essential to truly delve into the Word of God in the King James Bible, to understand Him. And, through His Word, we can understand why the Jews were – and still are – God’s chosen people.

Genesis 26:1-5

26 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

[Abimelech = My father is king. It is not a name as much as it is a title, in the same fashion as Pharaoh is. There were several “Abimelechs” recorded.]

²And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

³Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

⁴And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

⁵Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

As we progress through the Book of Genesis, we see our Lord further refining the people known as Hebrews. In the above passage, the Lord reconfirms the eternal Abrahamic Covenant. It is not a new covenant. In verse 5, He lists the reasons why He has done so. In verse 4b – He states just how ALL the nations of the world will be blessed through Abraham’s penultimate seed – Jesus Christ.

There are many ministries, religions, cults, and so-forth, dedicated to destroying the Biblical truth of the nature of God’s relationship with Israel. Many even go so far as to trash the Epistles of Paul! It is imperative, for the serious Bible student, to understand the difference between the Nation of Israel, and the Church. It is implicitly laid out in both the Old and New Testaments. God used Israel throughout His-story, and He is still using them. It is my firm belief, that even the Song of Solomon is about our Savior and His Gentile Bride – the Church. This story is told over and over again, in varying scenes, throughout the Old Testament. Jews do not even know why they perform the rituals and rites of the proscribed Feasts – yet all the same – they are portraying the same story.

All O.T. Biblical Covenants are between Jehovah and Israel – the Church is a third party beneficiary! The Church is not a part of the nations of the world – but rather a pilgrim on earth. Israel engages in earthly physical battles, while the Church’s battles are spiritual. Israel has a priesthood, the Church is a priesthood. Israel has Biblical borders and a capitol, while the Church consists of peoples from all nations and tongues. Israel is referred to as the frequently faithless wife of Jehovah, while the Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. God’s relationship with Israel was one of Subject/King, while the Church’s relationship is one of Bride/Bridegroom.

four fifths of the bible pertains to the jews, while one fifth deals with the church!!!!

Just because the Jewish nation at large does not realize their role, does not mean they are not still players in the scene. They have been blinded in part, and it is not for us to conjecture the full why and how. He tells us in the following passage, that the Jews were blinded so that we may take part in His Salvation. It is one of the mysteries of God’s manifold love for His creatures.

Romans 11:24-26

²⁴For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

²⁶And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Bible Study – Death and Burial of Abraham

Leave a reply

Genesis 25:7-11

⁷And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

⁸Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Please note that Abraham, God’s faithful friend, was not taken to heaven! He “was gathered to his people.” The faithful were not able to access heaven until Jesus Christ, Abraham’s penultimate descendant, was sacrificed and rose from the dead. All believers were assigned to a division of hell, known as “Abraham’s bosom,” where it can be determined, they received comfort from Abraham himself. . . but. . .were not in torment!

Luke 16:21-23

²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Many, many believers labor under the unscriptural belief, that the saints of the Old Testament went to heaven based on the Law and faith. This simply is not found anywhere in the Bible. There is only one way, and it has always been the only way, from before the dawn of time. Please see this study on the two Gospel quandary.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

⁹And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

¹⁰The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

Pro-Palestinians and Islamist’s should note – that this land was purchased by Abraham to bury Sarah – not Hagar!

When Abraham gave his son to God, Abraham gained back his son. God does not require anything nearly so dramatic from believers today. But, it is true without doubt, that when we give of ourselves to God, we gain far, far more than we ever gave. If we do not grow in faith and continue in infantile Christianity, we will eventually lose a great deal, because as baby Christians, the tendency is towards selfishness and far too much introspection – AKA – naval gazing!

We see in the following verse, God’s continuing plan for the Salvation of mankind. Though Ishmael was the first born, and natural heir, The Lord knew these men before they were even conceived. He chose the second born – Isaac – for His purposes, just as we choose Him, over our own natural man – who is our first born man.

¹¹And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

I.e., “the well of Him that liveth and seeth me,” or, as some render it, “the well of the vision of life”, the well where the Lord met with Hagar (Genesis 16:7-14). Isaac dwelt beside this well (24:62; 25:11). It has been identified with `Ain Muweileh, or Moilahhi, south-west of Beersheba, and about 12 miles W. from Kadesh-barnea.

Bible Study – Abraham’s Sons by Keturah

Leave a reply

Abraham’s beloved wife Sarah has died, Issac has taken Rebekah as his wife, and now – Abraham the widower – takes a second wife. The significance of this union, is not important until we take into consideration Israel’s past and present enemies. The offspring of Keturah and Abraham feature heavily in wars and prophecies as Israel conquers the Promised Land.

Genesis 25:1-4

25 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

²And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. ³And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. As illustrated on the map – the sons of Keturah and Abraham essentially surround the Promised Land. In a previous study, we observed the sons of Abraham and Hagar through Ishmael surrounding the Promised Land on the eastern and southern border. The pivotal verse of chapter 25 of Genesis follows:

Genesis 25:5

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

This is it – the entire borders of the land promised to Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, by God. This was ALL that Abraham had, given to him through blood contract. The other progeny of Abraham have no rights, or claim to any portion of this land – whatsoever. The insensible hatred the world has for the Jewish nation is demonic, it is nothing new, and has been ongoing from the beginning. When faced with these same tribes during the rebuilding of the Temple, the prophet Nehemiah stated flatly. . .

Nehemiah 2:19-20

¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? ²⁰Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Genesis 25:6

But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

^{https://web.archive.org/web/20151017155919if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/0B5hKbDdkU4?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent}Former “Palestinian terrorist” Walid Shoebat, has stated that his family were Greek in origin! So, as we see, it is not only Arabs and Egyptians claiming the Promised Land – but the tribe of Japheth as well. This can be clearly seen through the “British Israel” and the Mormon’s “American Israel” false/cultic religions. The Vatican is continuously conniving to control portions of the Promised Land. And now Hamas, is clamoring for Gaza to be rebuilt – or else!

Bible Study – Isaac Gets a Bride – Part 4

Leave a reply

As we conclude this segment of Genesis, we can know and love how perfectly our heavenly Father does everything. In the story of Isaac, His father Abraham, and his bride Rebekah, we are made to understand the overreaching story of God’s unfathomable love for His creation – man. In that He had a plan to deliver us from the immediacy of our fallen state, and raise us up to be as His own, for all eternity.

Our last study, left off with Rebekah choosing to immediately leave her home, and follow the unnamed servant back to the promised land, to be the bride of the son of promise.

Genesis 24:62-67

⁶²And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

⁶³And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide:

As Isaac came in the eventide to meet his bride, so will the Lord Jesus Christ – The Bridegroom – come for His Bride – at the eventide of the church age. Many Bible scholars also believe that the Rapture of the church will take place under darkness as well. It is entirely possible – and thrilling to contemplate!

and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

⁶⁴And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

⁶⁵For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

⁶⁶And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

The servant finished his assignment – then he left the rest up to God.

⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Isaac took Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent (tabernacle!) and so will the Lord’s Bride dwell with Him during His earthly reign in the Millennium.

This is a beautiful picture of the future of the church/Bride. The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadows the time when we will dwell with the Lord forever. It is the most joyous of all the Feasts proscribed in Leviticus 23. It is also known as the Feast of Booths, and the Feast of Ingathering! It is the great – Harvest Home – the season of rejoicing!

The Feast of Tabernacles starts five days after Yom Kippur, on the 15th of Tishri, at the full moon, usually falling in late September or early October. It is the third Fall Fast, or Latter Rain Feasts, (Pilgrim Feasts) during which all men were required to be in Jerusalem. During the Feast of Tabernacles, the Temple Mount was brilliantly lit with many torches and candles.

Deuteronomy 16:13-14

¹³Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:

¹⁴And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

The true Sukkot, or Tabernacle is not an annual ceremony of living in booths (Succoths) to Christians. It is not even a future time of peace and rest – because we know that the true Sukkot is a Person! Jesus Christ.

Acts 15:14-18

¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

¹⁵And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

¹⁶After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

¹⁷That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

¹⁸Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

****Interesting side note. Two historically significant events took place during the Feast of Tabernacles – Solomon’s Temple was dedicated (2 Chron. 5:2-3, 12-14; and 1 Kings 8:1-2) and 490 (!) years later the Second Temple was dedicated on the 15th of Tishri, 515 B.C., (Neh. 8:14-18) Anyone care to venture what future event might take place on a future Feast of Tabernacles? Exciting to contemplate!

Bible Study – Isaac Gets a Bride – Part 3

Leave a reply

We left off with the unnamed servant giving praise and thanks to God for leading him directly to the chosen wife for the chosen son. Whereupon she immediately drew 530 gallons of water for the thirsty camels, giving the servant comfort as he was guided by the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 24:28-49

²⁸And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

²⁹And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

³⁰And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

³¹And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

³²And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.

³³And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

³⁴And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.

³⁵And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

³⁶And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

³⁷And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

³⁸But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

³⁹And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

⁴⁰And he said unto me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:

⁴¹Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

⁴²And I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:

⁴³Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

⁴⁴And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.

⁴⁵And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

⁴⁶And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

⁴⁷And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.

⁴⁸And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.

⁴⁹And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

I am Abraham’s servant.

At no point, does the servant draw attention to himself. Before even taking his own rest after such a long journey, he goes about telling the mission that his master set for him. This is loyalty. His loyalty was to “my master.” Loyalty is important – and it is a quality that is sorely lacking today. It is a character trait that gives a refreshing, wholesome substance to an individual. Sheeple need to be loyal to God and His Truth, and also loyal to their families, employers, and their country.

Our “Master” wants His servant’s loyalty – in direct contrast to the desires of the evil one. Satan despises loyalty and influences his own followers to mock and ridicule those who are loyal to God and His truth.

THE UNNAMED SERVANT TEACHES US LOYALTY

Luke 16:10

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Share this:

2 Peter 2:1-3

2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Share this:

Revelation 3:14-16

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.

Share this:

2 Timothy 4:2-4

2 Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Share this:

Share this:

126 It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law.

127 Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

128 Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

130 The entrance of Thy Words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Psalm 119: 126-130

Share this:

The Identities of the Godhead

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him; And lo a Voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Share this:

Genesis 25:12-18

12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

Psalm 83

83 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth

Share this:

Romans 6:14

For sin shall not have dominion over you

Genesis 25:29-34

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Share this:

GOD GIVES ABIMELECH A CHOICE.

Abraham is an Old Testament type of Christ, who redeemed his bride-sister from the pagan king. Jesus is the Christ, who redeems His bride-sister-brother-mother. . .from the pagan, anti-Christ world.

46 While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him.

47 Then one said unto Him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But He answered and said unto him that told him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren?

49 And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.

Share this:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Share this:

GENESIS 22:1-14

¹⁴And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.

²Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

¹²Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

¹³And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

¹⁴And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

¹⁵Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

¹⁶These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

¹⁷And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

¹⁸And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

³They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

⁵For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

⁶The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

⁸Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

⁹Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

¹⁰Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

¹²Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

¹³O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

¹⁴As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

¹⁵So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

¹⁶Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

¹⁷Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

¹⁸That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth

²⁹And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

³¹And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

³²And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

³³And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

³According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

¹⁷But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

¹⁸And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

¹⁹And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

²⁰And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

²¹And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.