Genesis 12
God covenant with Abramverses 1-3
Now the LORD had
said unto Abram
Get you out of your country – and from your kindred
and from your father’s house – to a land that I will show you
and I will make of you a great NATION
and I will BLESS you – and make your NAME great
and you shall be a BLESSING
and I will bless them that bless you
and curse him that curses you
and in you shall ALL FAMILIES of the EARTH be blessed
Abram moves family and possessions to Canaanverses 4-6
So Abram departed – as the LORD had spoken to him
and Lot went with him
and Abram was seventy and five years old when
he departed out of Haran
And Abram took Sarai – his wife – and Lot – his brother’s son
and all their substance that they had gathered
and the souls that they had gotten in Haran
and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan
and into the land of Canaan they came
And Abram passed through the land to the place of Sichem
unto the plain of Moreh
And the Canaanite was then in the land
Abram worships the LORDverses 7-9
And the LORD APPEARED to Abram and said
To your seed will I give this land
and there built he an ALTAR to the LORD
WHO APPEARED to him
And he removed from there to a mountain on the east of Bethel
and pitched his tent – having Bethel on the west
and Hai on the east
and there he built an ALTAR to the LORD
and called on the name of the LORD
And Abram journeyed – going on still toward the south
Abram tells Sarai to lieverses 10-13
And there was a FAMINE in the land
and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there
for the FAMINE was grievous in the land
And it came to pass – when he was come near to enter into Egypt
that he said to Sarai – his wife
BEHOLD – now – I know that you are a fair woman to look upon
THEREFORE it shall come to pass
when the Egyptians shall see you – that they shall say
This is his wife – and they will kill me
BUT they will save you alive
Say – I pray you – you are my SISTER
that it may be well with me for your sake
and my soul shall live because of you
Sarai taken into Pharaoh’s houseverses 14-16
And it came to pass – that – when Abram was come into Egypt
the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair
The princes also of Pharaoh saw her – and commended her before Pharaoh
and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house
And he treated Abram well for her sake – and he had
sheep – oxen – he-asses – she-asses – camels
LORD plagued Pharaohverses 17-20
And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues
BECAUSE of Sarai – Abram’s wife
And Pharaoh called Abram and said
What is this that you have done unto me?
Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
Why said you – She is my sister?
so I might have taken her to me as my wife
NOW therefore behold your wife take her – go your way
And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him
and they sent him away – and his wife – and all that he had
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. (4138 “kindred” [mowledeth] means nativity, native, relatives, a person related by blood or marriage, origin, descendants, native country or family)
DEVOTION: In the culture in which Abram lived family was very important. Families traveled together if they were going to move.
Even today in America it is said that most people never go more than fifty miles from where they are born. Many cultures have all their relatives around them for support. This was true in Abram’s day.
Now God is commanding Abram to move away from his birth place and away from his extended family. He will end up taking his father and nephew Lot with him on this journey.
God was promising to bless them in a new land. HE wanted to see how far Abram would obey HIM. This was a test that he passed in his relationship with God.
Trusting God at times is not easy. Leaving your comfort zone and going someplace that is strange gets most of us out of our comfort zone. We like to have control of our circumstances but that is not what the LORD always allows in our life.
HE wants to see how much we trust HIM at times when obedience is hard. Moving to new places can cause fear of those we might meet. This was true on this occasion with Abram.
Has God ever asked you to move to a new territory or to a mission field and this caused you to be fearful? God wants us to trust HIM when HE leads us into new circumstances. HE wants us to know that whatever is going on around us HE is in control.
Our prayer life has to be in tune with HIS desires for us. HE wants to give us the desires of our hearts as long as they are done in obedience to HIS commands. Steps of faith are not easy even now in our relationship with our LORD.
CHALLENGE: Where is God challenging you to go to serve HIM today? Does HE want you to step out in faith for HIM? Is a move in our future? Are we willing to go where HE seems to be sending us?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 And he removed from thence to a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he build an altar to the LORD, and called on the name of the LORD. (4196 “altar” [mizbeach] means a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made, often made of stone, or any construction of various designs, for the placing of gifts or sacrifices in a ritual to deity)
DEVOTION: Abram arrived in the new land that the LORD had promised to give to him. He was looking for the blessing of the LORD in this new land.
So he built altars to the LORD during his trip through the land. He built the first one in the plain of Moreh in the land of Canaan which in the future would be called the Promised Land.
Next he went further into the land of Canaan to a place east of Bethel (which means House of God). So with Bethel on one side and Hai on the other side he built a second altar.
This verse adds that he called on the name of the LORD in this location. He worshiped the LORD. He prayed to the LORD. He wanted to honor the LORD with communication with HIM.
We don’t build altars to the LORD today because our bodies are the temple of the LORD. We are to serve the LORD in a local church. We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to HIM for service.
Abram wanted to serve the LORD. He was in a strange country that made him afraid when he should have trusted the LORD completely but was still learning what it meant to be a true follower of the LORD.
We are going to learn many lessons in our lifetime. Abram was learning to trust the LORD by moving away from his family and friends into a new location where he didn’t know anyone but the LORD. This might be something the LORD might want you to do with your life as you mature in HIM.
CHALLENGE: However, remember wherever the LORD leads you, you need to trust HIM fully and worship HIM wholly.
: 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon (3303 “fair” [yapheh] means beautiful, well, comely or pleasant)
DEVOTION: Why do we lie? Why does it seem easier to lie than tell the truth? As believers do we trust God to take care of us or not?
Here we have Abram starting his relationship with the LORD. He had built two altars to honor the LORD. He had worshiped the LORD. Here we have the beginning of the dispensation of PROMISE.
Now there was a test or trial. God allowed famine to hit the land of Canaan. What was Abram’s response to the famine? He decided to head somewhere where there was no famine. Where was that? Egypt!
Now he is about to enter Egypt. Remember that Abraham is 75 years old. Sarai was a little younger but still had her beauty. Abram was afraid for his life. He had not learned to trust the LORD exclusively yet. He was trusting in his human logic. He was trusting in his personal scheming. The LORD had promised him that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. At present time Sarai had no children. She was barren.
Nowhere in the chapter do we read that he consulted God concerning his trip to Egypt. On his way into Egypt we find that he asks his wife to lie about her relationship with him. Sarai lied for her husband. Abram didn’t trust God to protect him against the Egyptians. It is believed that Sarai was his half- sister but it was still a lie.
The LORD did protect Abram by sending a plague into the house of Pharaoh. Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. The lie was revealed.
Sometimes we think that we can lie and get away with it. It never happens. Once we start lying we have to add more lies to the first lie and it keeps going. God want us to trust HIM. Sometimes we think that God can’t help us against the world but we are wrong. HE is in control. Lying always causes us problems. Here it caused Abram to have problems. Not only did it cause Abram problems but his descendants were caught up in lying as well. Families have besetting sins. This family had the besetting sin of lying.
We need to tell the truth daily. Truth helps us trust the LORD more. Lying we are trusting in ourselves.
CHALLENGE: Purpose to tell the truth to those around you on a daily basis. Remember that we can’t use the truth to hurt people. Sometimes people say “I was just telling the truth.” We have to use our tongues to encourage others rather than to discourage them. If it is a truth that might hurt we need to talk to them in private.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? (1063 “tell” means to give direction)
DEVOTION: Here we have a servant of the LORD confronted by a pagan king or Pharaoh. Abram told his wife to lie to protect his life because he was afraid of what the people of Egypt would do to him. He didn’t trust the LORD who told him to go to a new country. He did not trust the LORD to fulfill HIS promise or covenant with him. He thought that he had to take matters into his own hands and instruct his wife to lie which was against what the LORD wanted any follower to do.
We might find ourselves in these circumstances when we step out of faith into fear in our life. Abram was more afraid of pagans than he was in his ability to trust the LORD.
Have you ever been confronted by someone who wasn’t a believer regarding some of your actions? Have you ever been in a situation where you thought it was better to lie than tell the truth? If these have not happened to you yet they are in your future. The LORD allows us to be tested in our life to see if we genuinely trust HIM in ALL circumstances.
Abram failed the test and we will fail some of the tests or trials HE allows in our life. We have to confess our sin and ask the LORD to give us more courage as we fact trials that cause us to fear. HE can give us victory. HE promises to give us strength for any situation HE allows in our life.
Sometimes we would rather not have any trials but that is not how the Christian life is going to be lived. We are to suffer while we are here on this earth to mature us in our faith. Face this fact and ask the LORD to cause you not to fear but to be able to use HIS strength to pass each trial.
CHALLENGE: Remember we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength!!!
:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. (7971 “send away” [shalach] means 1 to send, send away, let go, stretch out. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to send. 1a2 to stretch out, extend, direct. 1a3 to send away. 1a4 to let loose. 1b (Niphal) to be sent. 1c (Piel). 1c1 to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out. 1c2 to let go, set free. 1c3 to shoot forth (of branches). 1c4 to let down. 1c5 to shoot. 1d (Pual) to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled. 1e (Hiphil) to send. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Abram had sought refuge in Egypt. This is the first mention of Egypt in the book of Genesis, and it was to be the land where the Israelites were going to take refuge for 400 years in the future as a result of a famine that was to sweep that part of the world. God does not critique Abram for going to Egypt, even though he had been told that he should live in Canaan instead.
Was it Abram’s lack of faith (not willingly leaving Haran earlier) which marked his reticence to stay in Canaan? Was it this same lack of faith that made him willing to compromise and tell a lie that Sarah was his sister and not his wife? Sarah seems to be complicit in this scheme, as she allows Pharaoh to take her. Perhaps this was her obedience mentioned in 1 Peter 3:6. In any case, Abram should have recognized that what he was doing was wrong.
However, God does intervene in a way that preserves the integrity of Abram and the virtue of Sarah. And, while Pharaoh could have punished Abram with the punishment he rightfully deserved for this act of deception, Pharaoh instead sends Abram away. Abram was sent back to Canaan where he was supposed to be in the first place.
CHALLENGE: Are you settling for something that is second best in terms of God’s plan for your life? You will know this based on whether or not you are willing to compromise your integrity to get it. Decide today to only do God’s best for your life. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Call upon the name of the LORDverse 8
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Altar in Sichemverse 6
Altar in between Bethel and Haiverse 8
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 4, 7, 8, 17
LORD make a great nation of Abramverse 2
LORD make a great name for Abramverse 2
Bless those who bless Abramverse 3
Curse him that curses Abramverse 3
LORD appeared to Abramverse 7
Altar unto the LORDverses 7, 8
LORD plagued Pharaohverse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Abramverses 1-20
Leave country
Leave kindred
Leave father’s house
Make a great nation of him
Blessing
In Abram all the families of earth will be blessed
Departed with Lot
Seventy years old – left Haran
Land of Canaan
Canaanite in land
Altars built
Pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai
Famine in the land
Down to Egypt
Abram told Sarai to say she was sister
Sarai taken into Pharaoh’s house
Abram received possession from Pharaoh
Pharaoh confronts Abram
Pharaoh sent Abram and Sarai away
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
People who curse believersverse 3
Killverse 12
Lyingverses 13, 19
Consequences to lyingverse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Following the LORD’S direction for your lifeverse 1
your country
your relatives
your parents
Blessingverses 2, 3
Obedience to the LORDverse 4
Presence of the LORDverse 7
Call upon name of the LORDverse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
12:17–20. But the Lord plagued residents of the Egyptian palace with serious diseases. Divine intervention alone could deliver Sarai from Pharaoh’s harem unharmed. With that deliverance came a royal rebuke (vv. 18–19) and expulsion from the country (v. 20). The Egyptians were a superstitious people, and any such plague would be ominous to them. Pharaoh’s orders for Abram to leave (Take her and go!) parallel the words of God’s call to Abram (“Leave your country … and go”; v. 1), but Pharaoh’s words were said in dishonor.
Certainly one can see in this story how God delivered the patriarchal family from the Egyptians by means of plagues, and how that mirrored the future Exodus experience. But this first deliverance was made necessary because of Abram’s deception. In spite of the trouble Abram caused for himself, God was faithful to His word and did not let the foolishness of this man throw His plan into jeopardy. Abram probably felt that the easiest way out of danger was to manipulate deceptively. But such scheming put him in danger and jeopardized the promise. God’s servants should trust Him completely and not resort to self-directed schemes.
At first Abram prospered as a result of his deception. It is true that he got rich, but all those riches could have diverted him from retaining Sarai, the one person who was needed for fulfilling the promise. Moreover, it is generally assumed that Hagar was acquired during this Egyptian stay. In “giving away” his wife, Sarai, Abram may have acquired Hagar, who later became his slave-wife (16:1–2).
Moses would have his readers learn of God’s gracious protection of His plan through divine intervention and deliverance. He would also have them learn of the folly of trying to deliver themselves from difficulties by means of deceptive schemes. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 49–50). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
To begin with, Abraham moved from trusting to scheming. Abraham had no altar in Egypt, and you don’t find him calling on the Lord for guidance and help. When I was ministering in Youth for Christ International, my friend and fellow worker Pete Quist often reminded us, “Faith is living without scheming.” When you stop trusting God’s Word, you start leaning on man’s wisdom; and this leads to trouble (Prov. 3:5–6; 1 Cor. 3:18–20). Abraham and Sarah brought this “half-truth” with them from Ur (Gen. 20:13), used it in Egypt and Gerar (Gen. 20), and then their son Isaac adopted it (Gen. 26). When you find yourself scheming in order to escape problems with people, beware; worse trouble is coming!
He also moved from confidence to fear. When you are in the place of God’s choosing, you don’t ever need to be afraid; for faith and fear cannot dwell in the same heart (Isa. 12:2; Mark 4:40). The fear of God is the fear that conquers every fear (Ps. 112; Isa. 8:13); but “the fear of man brings a snare” (Prov. 29:25, NKJV). God had repeatedly said “I will” to Abraham, but now Abraham was saying “They will” (Gen. 12:12, italics added). He took his eyes off the Lord and started looking at people.
A third change took place: He moved from “others” to self. He lied so that it might “be well with me for thy [Sarah’s] sake” (12:13). As the husband, Abraham should have thought first of his wife and not of himself (1 Peter 3:7; Eph. 5:25, 28, 29). In fact, he should never have taken his wife there in the first place! A husband out of the will of God can bring untold trouble to his wife and family.
This leads to a fourth change: He moved from bringing blessing to bringing judgment. God called Abraham to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1–3); but because of Abraham’s disobedience, judgment fell on Pharaoh and his household (12:17). This also happened years later in Gerar (Gen. 20). If you want to be a blessing to others, then stay in the will of God. Jonah ran from God’s will and caused a storm that almost sank the ship. Like Jonah, Abraham lost his testimony before unbelievers and had to face embarrassment and rebuke.
God graciously watched over His servant and brought him out of a difficult situation. If Sarah had become one of Pharaoh’s wives, what would have happened to the promise of the Redeemer? When we don’t let God rule, He overrules and accomplishes His purposes; but we pay dearly for our disobedience. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1991). Be Obedient (pp. 24–25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Genesis 12 brings before us Abram—“the father of all them that believe.” Abram whose name was subsequently changed to Abraham the most illustrious personage in ancient history. Abraham! venerated by Jews, Christians and Mohammedans. Abraham! the progenitor of the nation of Israel. Abraham! termed “the friend of God.” Abraham! from whom, according to the flesh, our Lord came. Surely we shall be richly repaid if we devote our most diligent attention to the prayerful study of the life of such a man. The present article will serve to introduce a short series of papers which will be given to the consideration of the history of one who, in several respects, was the most eminent of all the patriarchs. (Pink, A. W. (2005). Gleanings in Genesis (p. 137). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
And now we come to the second failure of Abram, namely, his leaving Canaan and going down into Egypt. Concerning this incident we can here say only a few words. First it is to be noted that, “Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south” (v. 9). This geographical reference is deeply significant: southward was Egyptward! When the “famine” overtook Abram his face was already toward Egypt. (Pink, A. W. (2005). Gleanings in Genesis (p. 144). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
One sin leads to another. Failure in our love to God always results in failure in our love to our neighbor. Down in Egypt Abram practices deception and denies that Sarai is his wife, thus endangering the honor of the one who was nearest and should have been dearest to him. Alas! What is man? But Jehovah would not allow His purposes to be frustrated—“If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). So it was here. The Lord interposed—“And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife” (v. 17). The sequel is found in the next chapter—“And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had and he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hair unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first and there Abram called on the name of the Lord” (Gen. 13:1, 3, 4). He returned to the very place he had left. He repented and “did the first works.” Abram’s sojourn in Egypt was so much lost time. (Pink, A. W. (2005). Gleanings in Genesis (p. 145). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
12:17 the Lord struck Pharaoh … with great plagues. The separation of Abram and Sarai was critical enough to evoke the Lord’s personal and dramatic intervention. Abram engineered the ruse to protect himself (v. 13, “that I may live”) apparently without too much thought being given to Sarai; but God’s reaction focused upon the protection of Sarai (“because of Sarai”). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ge 12:17). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 17. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, &c.] Perhaps with the same sort that Abimelech and his servants were smote with on a like account, ch. 20:17, 18. The Jews say they were smitten with ulcers; not only Pharaoh was plagued, but those of his household also, his courtiers and servants, who were accessary to the bringing of Sarai into his house; for all this was because of Sarai, Abram’s wife; or upon the word of Sarai, as it may be literally rendered: hence the Jews have a notion, that an angel stood by Sarai with a scourge in his hand, and when Sarai bid him smite Pharaoh, he smote himk; but דבר signifies not a word only, but thing, matter and business: and so Onkelos renders it here: and the sense is, that Pharaoh and his courtiers were smitten, because of the affair and business of Sarai; because she was taken by them, and detained in Pharaoh’s house, and designed to be made his wife or concubine; and thus for evil intentions was this punishment inflicted; so that evil designs, not brought into execution, are punishable; though the word of Sarai may mean what she was bid to say, and did. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 97). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2
We are going to remind ourselves of what we are told in the Scriptures about the activity of the Holy Spirit before the Day of Pentecost. First of all, we start at the very creation of the world. The second verse in the Bible says, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. He was operative in the creation of the world. God the Father has made everything through the Son by the Holy Spirit. The blessed Trinity is operative in the whole work, always, but the labor is divided up. And, of course, you will remember that the Holy Spirit is especially involved in connection with the creation of man.
The second is the work of the Holy Spirit in sustaining or maintaining the creation. Now there are many statements about this; I shall simply quote two. In Isaiah 40:7 we read, The grass withers, the flower fades: but the spirit of the LORD blows upon it. But still more strikingly, in Psalm 104 you will find a magnificent description of creation that is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the Bible. The psalmist makes the point that if the Lord withholds Himself or His power or His Spirit from creation, it all begins to droop and to wane, to perish and to die. If He puts His Spirit back again, it all revives. It is the Holy Spirit who sustains creation. Now you will find statements in the Scripture that say that the Son does that, and the answer is, of course, that the Son does it through the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit has been active from the commencement in sustaining and maintaining the universe. A Thought to Ponder: The Son sustains creation through the Holy Spirit. (Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
A father said to his daughter: You graduated with honors, here is a car that I acquired many years ago … it is several years old.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because it looks very worn out.” The father said, “Take him to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said, “The pawn shop offered $100 because it was a very old car.” The father asked his daughter to go to a car club and show them the car.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The daughter took the car to the club, returned and told her father, “Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it since it is a Nissan Skyline R34, an iconic car and sought after by many.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The father said to his daughter, “I wanted you to know that the right place values you the right way.” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value. (Johnathan T. Lockett)
IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE by Os Guinness IVP press 2016
The death of God was far more than a crisis for theology and theologians. It was an all-encompassing catastrophe that touched the whole of culture and all the values and disciplines that had depended on God – including such important things as truth, reason, knowledge, morality, right, wrong, good, evil, art, philosophy and the humanities. (p. 122)
Identity is never achieved, solid and lasting. People and things are always becoming, but they never become anything for long. They are undefined, incomplete, indeterminate and open to the new. The modern world is always under construction, and everything is provisional, for the time being, and until further notice. (p. 124)
The result
has been called “zombie ideas” and “zombie institutions,” ones that are “deed and still alive.” Once again, these factors may be set out in three comments.
First, advanced modernity breeds a radical relativizing of claims and certainties, through which postmodernism reduces all truths to the level of undecidable.
Second, advanced modernity creates a proliferating range of choices through which it reduces all serious choice to the level of a noncommittal and nonbinding preference for the moment.
Third advanced modernity produces an unprecedented rapidity of change, through which modern life turns “This too shall pass” into a grand liquidizer of solidities, until everything is reduced to dust, as light as air, fleeting and inconsequential. (p. 125)
The opposite of the weightlessness that leads to a nation’s collapse is revival, a return to the glory and therefore the reality and weightiness of God. (p. 126)
2 Kings 6
When the Syrians threaten Elisha, they are struck blind.
INSIGHT
We often have no idea what is going on around us in the spiritual realm. Spiritual battles explode before our very eyes, but we neither see them nor hear them (Daniel 10:13). Guardian angels minister to our needs (Hebrews 1:14). We entertain angels “unwittingly” (Hebrews 13:2). How real and alive is the spiritual realm; yet without the Scriptures, we would know little about it. The Syrian army is camped around Dothan, but Elisha is not concerned because an army of the angels of the Lord encircles the horizon. We walk by faith and not by sight. (Quiet Walk)
A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
…that I may know thee. Exodus 33:13
Moses was not content with a mere knowledge of the fact that he was accepted by God and that he was in God’s care. He knew that, but he was not content with it; he wanted more. “That I may know thee,” said Moses. He wanted a personal knowledge of God. He wanted a direct knowledge of God.
And here is something that you will find in the lives of all the great saints of God in the church throughout the ages. The first thing that happens to them is that they themselves feel this desire for a deeper knowledge of God. They begin to feel a hunger and thirst for something bigger and something deeper. They are no longer content with what I may call the ordinary condition of the church. They want something extraordinary, something unusual.
Let me give you some lines from a hymn that seem to me to put it very well indeed.
Speak, I pray thee, gentle Jesus;
Oh, how passing sweet, thy words,
Breathing o’er my troubled spirit,
Peace, which never earth affords.
And then it goes on to say:
Tell me thou art mine, O Savior;
Grant me an assurance clear….
William Williams
That is the thing. He knows that the Savior loves him. But you see what he wants:
Tell me thou art mine, O Savior.
Only the man who knows the Savior’s love asks Him for that. Here is a man asking for something special, something unusual, something additional.
A Thought to Ponder: They feel a desire for a deeper knowledge of God.
(From Revival, pp. 177-178, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Defending the Gospel
“But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:17)
Many Christians decry the use of apologetics or evidences in Christian witnessing, feeling it somehow dishonors the Lord or the Scriptures to try to defend them. But as our text indicates, Paul did not agree with this. The gospel does need defending, and he was set for its defense against the attacks of its adversaries. He also told his disciples that “in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians 1:7).
The Greek word translated “defense” is apologia, from which we derive our English word “apologetics.” It is a legal term, meaning the case made by a defense attorney on behalf of a defendant under attack by a prosecutor. Thus, Paul is saying: “I am set to give an apologetic for the gospel—a logical, systematic [scientific, if necessary] defense of the gospel against all the attacks of its adversaries.”
Since we are “partakers” with him in this defense, we also need to “be ready always to give an answer [same word, apologia] to every man that asketh [us] a reason of the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15). Any Christian who shares his faith with the unsaved has encountered many who cannot believe the simple plan of salvation until his questions are answered. We must be familiar with the “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of the deity of Christ and His power to save, both as omnipotent Creator and sin-bearing Savior. We must “search the scriptures daily” and also study the “witness” He has given in the creation (Acts 17:11; 14:17) if we are to do this effectively, bringing forth fruit that will “remain” (John 15:16) instead of fruit that has withered away “because it had no root” (Mark 4:6). The gospel is under vicious attack today, so may God help us to be among its victorious defenders. (HMM; The Institute for Creation Research)
Seventeenth-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously wrote that human life in its natural state is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes argued that our instincts tend toward war in a bid to attain dominance over others; thus the establishment of government would be necessary to maintain law and order.
The bleak view of humanity sounds like the state of affairs that Jesus described when He said, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). But Jesus offers hope in the midst of despair. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy,” but then the good news: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (v. 10).
Psalm 23 paints a refreshing portrait of the life our Shepherd gives us. In Him, we “lack nothing” (v. 1) and are refreshed (v. 3). He leads us down the right paths of His perfect will, so that even when we face dark times, we need not be afraid; for He is present to comfort us (vv. 3-4). He causes us to triumph in the face of adversity and overwhelms us with blessings (v. 5). His goodness and love follow us every day, and we have the privilege of His presence forever (v. 6).
May we answer the Shepherd’s call and experience the full, abundant life He came to give us. By Remi Oyedele (Our Daily Bread)
The church of Ephesus, according to John in Revelation 2: 1-7, was a church marked by doctrinal purity, yet they still were in danger of being judged severely by God for they had lost their first love. They no longer loved God or loved people. They were sound in Theology but anemic in practice. While doctrinal purity and correct biblical theology are important, they do not affect the spirituality of the church until they dictate practice.
(p. 104, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
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