Genesis 5
Book of generations of Adamverses 1-2
This is the book of the generations of Adam
In the day that God CREATED man
in the LIKENESS of God made HE him
Male and female CREATED HE them – and blessed them
and called their name Adam
in the day when they were CREATED
Adamverses 3-5
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years
and begat a son in his own likeness – after his image
and called his name Seth
and the days of Adam after he had begotten
Seth were eight hundred years
and begat sons and daughters
and the days that Adam lived were
nine hundred and thirty years – and he died
Sethverses 6-8
And Seth lived an hundred and five years – and begat Enos
and Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years
and he died
Enoshverses 9-11
And Enos lived ninety years – and begat Cainan
and Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years
and he died
Kenanverses 12-14
And Cainan lived seventy years – and begat Mahalaleel
and Cainnan lived after he begat Mahalaleel
eight hundred and forty years – and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years
and he died
Mahalaleelverses 15-17
And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years – and begat Jared
and Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared
eight hundred and thirty years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Mahalaleel were
eight hundred ninety and five years – and he died
Jaredverses 18-20
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years – and he begat Enoch
and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty and two years
and he died
Enochverses 21-24
And Enoch lived sixty and five years – and begat Methuselah
and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah
three hundred years – and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Enoch were three hundred
sixty and five years – and Enoch walked with God
AND HE WAS NOT
FOR God took him
Methuselah [oldest man in Bible]verses 25-27
And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years
and begat Lamech – and Methuselah lived after he begat
Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Methuselah
were nine hundred sixty and nine years
and he died
Lamechverses 28-31
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years – and begat a son
and called his name Noah – saying
This same shall comfort us concerning our work
and toil of our hands – BECAUSE of the
ground which the LORD has cursed
And Lamech lived after he begat Noah
five hundred ninety and five years
and begat sons and daughters
and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy
and seven years -and he died
Noahverse 32
And Noah was five hundred years old
and Noah begat Shem – Ham – Japheth
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters. (3205 “begotten” [yalad] means to become the male agent responsible for the conception of a child, bring forth, to create, become the father of, or have a baby)
DEVOTION: Why does the LORD want genealogies in the Bible? There are chapters of the Bible that just list names. This is part of history. God wants us to understand how important parents are to their children. Even in the naming of children there is importance in the Old Testament.
Adam had a third son that we find in this verse. It is said that after the third son that Adam and Eve had many other sons and daughters. This phrase is mentioned eight times in this chapter.
Children are necessary for a society to continue. If there are no children a country will stop existing. We have a teaching in our society that children are a burden rather than a blessing. God tells us that children are a blessing.
Couples are to marry and have children. Some are not able but can adopt. God wants us to raise our children to honor the LORD. If we do this we will have a line of believers in our family for many generations.
Seth was part of the Godly line of Adam and Eve. He had a man who loved the LORD in his fifth generation that never died because of his closeness to the LORD.
We might not understand why it is very important to raise our children to love the LORD but it is necessary for God to have a witness in our world.
CHALLENGE: Christian marriages between a man and woman will produce the next generation of believers. That is a great heritage for any couple.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him. (1980 “walked” [halak] means all alone, behave self, come, on continually, adhere to, flow with, travel, be conversant, grow, or proceed)
DEVOTION: This is a chapter of names. Many people don’t like these chapters in the Bible. However, we find in this chapter a man who never died.
The rest of the men died. This fact is stated eight times in this chapter. There are three types of death talked about in the word of God: physical death, spiritual death and the second death. All of us understand physical death. Spiritual death is what all those outside of Christ are in at this present time. They are dead in trespasses and sins. They don’t have the Holy Spirit in them. They are not on their way to heaven. If they remain in this condition they will experience the second death that is talked about in the book of Revelation. This death is reserved for all those who are outside of Christ and who will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. Their names are not written in the book of life. Only those who have repented of their sins and have followed Christ will be in heaven. Baptism will not save them. Good works will not save them. Money given to church will not save them. Only one person can do that andthat is Jesus Christ who shed HIS blood for the remission or forgiveness of sin. Their names are written in the book of life.
Also we find that at the beginning of the chapter it is stated three times that God CREATED man and woman. They didn’t evolve. Only one man is said to have not died but was translated to heaven.
Here we find a man who after having a child began to behave himself in relationship to God. Some people don’t mature in the LORD fast. They have an experience in their lives that changes their attitude toward God. Enoch became conversant with God to the point that he was taken by God to go to heaven without dying. Enoch adhered to the teachings of God. He was a preacher of righteousness (Jude 14,15). He is listed in the faith chapter of the New Testament, Hebrews 11: 5. In this verse it is stated that he “pleased” God. The next verse says that “without faith it is impossible to please” God. So Enoch had the type of faith that pleased God.
Some think that he will be one of the two witnesses during the Tribulation period. It is also thought that his son, Methuselah, helped Noah build the ark. Methuselah lived 969 years. He was 187 when he begat Lamech. Lamech was 182 years old when he begat Noah. Noah started building the ark when he was 500 years old. If you do the math, Methuselah was 869 years old when Noah began to build the ark. The ark took one hundred years to build. It is thought that Methuselah died the day the flood started. Gives us something to think about.
Seth was the godly line of Adam. Cain was the ungodly line. This chapter ends with Noah and his children. What can we learn from this chapter? Is it only a group of names? No. It is a list of names that gives us a history of a godly line.
We find that Noah and his sons are the only ones to survive the flood. We need to start a godly line in our family, if our relatives were not godly. We can start a new history. Are we becoming more conversant with God? Are we growing in the LORD? Will be ones who will be taken by the LORD before we die?
CHALLENGE: We need to have the type of faith that pleases God. Are we stepping out in faith on a regular basis or are we afraid? God has not given us the “spirit of fear” but of power and love and a sound mind. Let us use this faith to move mountains!!!
: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years and he died. (4191 “died” [muwth] means to pass form physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life, to perish, to kill, be murdered, assassinate, or lose one’s life)
DEVOTION: It is thought that Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah, lived his long life to help Noah build the ark. Can you image what it was like to have four generation build the ark?
Can you image living as long as Methuselah lived to see the society around him turn evil? It was so evil that God had to judge it with a worldwide flood to start over with eight people.
Methuselah lived long enough to see what we are seeing in our society today. People are not honoring the LORD in public. Laws are being passed that go against the Word of God. People seem to think that all that life is about is eating, drinking and having a good time.
Methuselah’s father was someone who honored the LORD to the point that he never died but the LORD took him. Some teach that Enoch is one of the two witnesses in Jerusalem during the Tribulation period. He would die and be raised again to life.
We are watching as our children are taught in schools that don’t want God even mentioned and they wonder why our children are acting like there are no rules they have to obey. We are wondering why children are killing children. We are wondering why you are not safe in many places in our country.
Children are not even safe on buses. All we have to do is watch the news and see that discipline is gone. Yet the LORD wants those who honor HIM to discipline their children to help them understand that they are responsible for their actions. Also we are to teach them that they are responsible to God.
Families that honor the LORD help society see that there is a standard that causes people to work together. Chaos happened when families don’t honor the LORD. If there is no standard everyone does what is right in their own eyes, which is always away from the standard set by the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Be a Methuselah and raise a family that honors the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. (5162 “comfort” [nacham] means repent, ease, or console)
DEVOTION: Here we have a father naming his child with a name that can mean comfort or repent. Lamech wanted the curse of the ground to end. He didn’t like the fact that there was a lot of work involved in tilling the soil. He thought that it was about time for God to end the curse and give them rest from their labor.
Noah was going to be an agent of change which his father didn’t realize when he named him. He wanted one change but God was going to cause another change through the life of Noah. Meanings of names were important in the naming of children in the Bible.
Today we name our children according to the most popular names in our families or in our society. I am named after my father and I named my son after the same name. I thought it would be good. However, in our society with all the things that happen on the internet he was getting my mail and I was getting his.
We all want our children to be agents of change for good in our society. We want them to be productive individuals who raise families and help the community.
So our desire for our children is basically the same as at the beginning of our history. All children make a footprint in our world. Some have good footprints and some bad.
The desire of any Christian parent is that their children will make a good footprint that will last for generations. We want our children to honor the LORD with their lives as we try to honor the LORD with our lives.
The curse is still real today. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone has to face the LORD someday. We have to make sure that we understand that we are here to help others know Christ and encourage our families to make a difference in our world.
Everyone knows Noah’s name today that has ever been associated with the Word of God. Society can go bad and God has to judge it but in the midst of judgment there is an remnant that are following the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our goal is to make our family for generations make a difference for Christ. That only happens through much prayer and a steady teaching of the Word of God to our family.
:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (8132 “years old” [shana] means 1 to change, alter. 1a (Qal) to change. 1b (Piel) to change, alter. 1c (Pual) to be changed. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: What was your favorite birthday memory? One of my favorites was the first birthday after I got married. I had waited a number of years to be married, but this birthday marked a change in my status. I truly had someone who loved me and wanted to celebrate my birthday with me!
I suppose that having lived 500 years already, Noah was somewhat passé about celebrating birthdays. Yet he was half the age of some of his ancestors, and likely had many more years to come. That was when God appeared to Noah and gave him a mission—to build an ark. God had decided to judge the world for its corruption by means of a worldwide flood, and in order to preserve some life on earth, God planned for Noah and his family to be in the ark.
It was Noah’s decision to take God seriously. He took the next 100 years to build the ark according to God’s specifications, and also preach to those around him who had chosen to disobey God. He was troubled by their disobedience, but to the very end it was only Noah’s family which chose to obey God and enter the ark. God’s plan of protection was formed when Noah was already 500 years old.
It becomes more of a challenge to follow God as we get older. We can become set in our ways. We need to be about the business of listening to God every day for His instructions about what we are to do. Sometimes He asks us to do things what are hard (and perhaps harder because we are older). We need to obey even when His instructions to us do not make sense from our perspective, recognizing that many of these instructions are for our own protection.
CHALLENGE: Do you feel you are too old for God to use? Realize that the God of the Bible puts no limits on age in using those whom He wills. Purpose to follow God no matter what He instructs you to do today. (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)
Enoch walked with Godverse 24
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)
Book of the generations of Adamverse 1
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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Book of the generation of Adamverse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God (Elohim)verses 1, 22, 24
Creatorverses 1, 2
Likeness of Godverse 1
Walked with Godverse 24
LORD (Jehovah)verse 29
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)
Man a created beingverse 1
Man in likeness of Godverse 1
Male and Femaleverse 2
Adamverses 1–5
130 years
Begat a son in his own likeness
His image
After birth of Seth he lived 105 years
Begat more sons and daughters
Sethverses 3-8
Lived 105 years and begat Enos
Lived 807 years after birth of Enos
Begat sons and daughters
Enosverses 9-11
Lived 90 years and begat Cainan
Lived 815 years after birth of Cainan
Begat sons and daughters
Full age of Enos was 905 years
Cainanverses 12-14
Mahalaleelverses 15-17
Jaredverses 18-20
Enochverses 21-24
Walked with God and was not
God took him
Methuselahverses 21, 25-27
Oldest man to ever live:
Methuselah – 969 yrs
Lamechverses 25-31
Noahverses 29-32
Shem
Ham
Japheth
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ground cursed because of sinverse 29
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessedverse 2
Walked with Godverse 24
Comfortverse 29
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Deathverses 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31
God took Enochverse 24
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QUOTES regarding passage
Lamech’s yearning for a redeemer not only backtracks but also anticipates the iniquity of Noah’s day, as described in 6:5–8. The same tandem of terms in 5:29 occurs again in 6:6, where “grieved” (from nāḥam) and “filled with pain” appear. Thus Lamech tied the widespread wickedness of human society to man’s first act of disobedience in the garden. Yet the naming of Noah is preeminently optimistic. Lamech looks ahead to a future victory (as 3:15) and prays that Noah will be instrumental in achieving it. His sweeping expression “he [Noah] will comfort us” refers in a general sense to the Sethite ancestral line. Lamech envisions an inclusive vindication. Moreover, the naming of “Noah” anticipates his critical role in the following flood narrative where he, while not achieving his father’s highest aspirations, keeps alive the hope of a final deliverer. Lamech’s naming of Noah then propels the Sethite line forward to the next tōlĕdōt narrative (6:9–9:29). (Mathews, K. A. (1996). Genesis 1-11:26. The New American Commentary (Vol. 1A, pp. 317–318). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Lamech named his son Noah, hoping he would bring comfort to them from the curse (v. 29; cf. “painful toil” and the ground’s curse in 3:17). “Comfort” is not the meaning of “Noah,” but the words sound the same. Lamech had no idea how God would turn these words around and fulfill the wish in His own way (cf. comments on 6:5–8), but he did have high hopes for his boy. Thus a second glimmer of hope appears in this chapter of death. Enoch escaped the curse of death, and Noah would comfort those under the curse. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 36). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
nacham (נָחַם, 5162), “to repent, comfort.” Nacham apparently means “to repent” about 40 times and “to comfort” about 65 times in the Old Testament. Scholars assert several views in trying to ascertain the meaning of nacham by connecting the word to a change of the heart or disposition, a change of mind, a change of purpose, or an emphasis upon the change of one’s conduct. (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996).Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
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!!)
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Because the small church has a strong sense of tradition, we tend to focus on what has worked well in the past and seek to duplicate it rather than developing clear goals that move us into the future. … We need to understand the world in which we are presently living and recognize that it is vastly different from the world in which we grew up.
(p. 149, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
To me people seem to think God is like a great big bookkeeper in heaven and that he has a whole lot of angels as assistants. Every time you do a good thing, he writes it down on one page and every time you do a bad deed, he writes it down on the opposite page, and when you die, he draws a line and adds them up. If you have done more good things than bad, you go to heaven; more bad things than good, go to hell. You would be dumfounded how many people have sense about other things that haven’t any sense about religion. As though that was God’s plan of redemption. You admission into heaven depends upon your acceptance of Jesus Christ; reject him and God says you will be damned. (p. 415, “Billy” Sunday: The Man and His Message by William T. Ellis, 1914.
Christians are, according to Paul, reconciled in order to become reconcilers (2 Cor. 5). Though we know the brokenness in the world and in the human heart will not be fully overcome until the day every knee bows to Christ as Lord, we also model today what that restored world will look like, even if only on a small level.
In every age and era of history, there are examples of reconciliation and restoration in the midst of brokenness. Including right now.
In communities across the country, including Grand Rapids, Michigan and Atlanta, Georgia, volunteers and churches are cleaning up their communities after riots. One Christian from Atlanta described the work this way, “We feel like it’s our duty as Christ followers to not only stand up for justice but to also stand up for our city. One of the ways we get to express that is by helping to clean up and rebuilding.”
Eighteen-year-old Buffalo resident Antonio Gwynn worked for ten hours, starting at 2am, to clean up after rioting had trashed the streets of his community. Why? Because, as he reportedly told CNN, people needed to get to work. Fellow resident Matt Block was so touched by Gwynn’s efforts, he gave him a Mustang convertible sports car. Another local businessman heard the story and offered a year of auto insurance, and a local college offered him a full-ride scholarship. By the way, according to a local news story, Gwynn seems to be very involved in church.
Speaking of which, churches in Minneapolis have increased their efforts to provide food to those in need, especially targeting those neighborhoods that have become virtual “food deserts” because of the vandalism and destruction closing down local stores. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis turned its church building into a medic station.
Another remarkable scene in several cities across America is police and protesters crossing lines to communicate, pray, and even march together. An especially powerful example took place at a protest in Fort Worth, which seemed to be on the verge of violence. Police Chief Ed Krause and Assistant Chief Julie Swearingin made their way through the crowd, met with protestors, knelt, and joined them in prayer. A protestor who tried to disrupt the prayers was shut down by other protestors.
Assistant Chief Swearingin’s prayer was especially moving. “We’re asking for your protection for all these people here, Lord . . . We are all your children, Lord, and we ask for understanding and peace, Lord.” Though Swearingen claims she had never intended to become a cop, she now believes, as she told the Star Telegraph “this was God’s plan for me.”
Churches in Chattanooga, having mobilized just a few months ago to help those impacted by a night of devastating tornadoes, united again, this time for a prayer rally for racial reconciliation. One pastor said afterward, “We’re committing ourselves to not only pray and speak to God and ask God to move, but then after we have prayed to God, we’re committing ourselves to move also to develop relationships to break down the walls of racism and injustice by letting our light shine in this dark time.”
Pastors from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia gathered in Virginia beach for a foot-washing ceremony. A local television station reported, “First, the African American pastors had their feet washed by the other pastors; then, they reciprocated the gesture.”
Transform Minnesota, “an evangelical organization that brings pastors together to wrestle with social issues” held a Zoom meeting with more than 250 pastors to wrestle with the current social issues they struggle with.” Even as they discussed practical help, from supplying baby formula to cleaning up debris, an African American Baptist pastor reminded the group, “What we need are partners . . .Yes, we need your help cleaning up. Yes, we need your resources. But we also need long-term partners who are going to help us stand up for God and tear down the systems that hold people down.”
Francis of Assisi famously prayed “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where this is hatred, let me bring love . . . Where there is discord, let me bring union.” Repairing damage, cleaning up debris, praying, partnering, intentionally creating lines of communication and building bridges across divides are all ways to become instruments of peace.
And there are clear and practical answers to the question so many people are asking right now, “But what can I do? I can’t change anything.” The lesson for all of us is rather than focusing on what we can’t do, let’s do what we can do… and let’s do what we can do in Jesus’ name. (Publication date: June 12, 2020, BreakPoint)
After Solomon’s death, Rehoboam splits the kingdom. (I Kings 12)
INSIGHT
Because Solomon drifts from the Lord during the latter part of his reign, he does not leave to his successor a healthy, vibrant nation. Israel struggles for moral and political leadership. Rehoboam inherits the throne but places foolish and inordinate financial demands on the nation on the heels of what Solomon had demanded–to build the temple and his palace. The people rebel and the nation divides. The northern part of the kingdom (Israel) follows after Jeroboam while Rehoboam retains control over the southern part (Judah); neither man leads the nation in righteousness and the disintegration that began with Solomon continues. Sin is taking its toll. It always does.(Quiet Walk)
In the middle of the night, Pastor Samuel Baggaga received a call asking him to come to the home of a church member. When he arrived, he found a house engulfed by fire. The father, though burned himself, had reentered the home to rescue one of his children and emerged with an unconscious daughter. The hospital, in this rural Ugandan setting, was six miles (10 kilometers) away. With no transportation available, the pastor and the father started running to the hospital with the child. When one of them tired from carrying the injured girl, the other one took over. Together they made the journey; the father and his daughter were treated and then fully recovered.
In Exodus 17:8-13 the Lord orchestrated a great victory that included the efforts of Joshua, who led fighting men on the battlefield; and Moses, who kept his hands raised while holding the staff of God. When Moses’ hands grew weary, Aaron and Hur assisted by each holding up one of his hands until the setting of the sun and the defeat of the enemy.
The value of interdependence can never be underestimated. God, in His kindness, graciously provides people as His agents for mutual good. Listening ears and helpful hands; wise, comforting, and correcting words—these and other resources come to us and through us to others. Together we win and God gets the glory!
By Arthur Jackson (Our Daily Bread)
ENEMIES OF REVIVAL
…they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
Romans 10:2
We are living in days when all what matters is our general reaction to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is one of the most popular views of all. People say, “You read the Gospels and there you see this portrait of Him and, as it were, you meet Him. Now what decides whether you are a Christian or not is this: ‘Do you like Him? Do you want to be like Him? Do you try to imitate Him? What is your reaction to Him?’ You must not come and dissect, and bring your propositions and your theology and say you have got to believe this and not believe that. What matters is your total response to Him, and if you react favorably to Him, then you are a Christian.”
Another way is the approach that describes Christianity in terms of living. “What does it matter what people believe as long as they are living good, Christ like lives, as long as they are generous, ready to make sacrifices, ready to help others, and concerned about the uplift of the race? That is what makes people Christians.”
Now this dangerous attitude takes one other form. I put this in a category on its own because I am beginning to think that in some ways it is the most subtle form of all among evangelical people. It is the tendency to estimate whether or not people are Christians, not by what they actually say about their beliefs but by what you feel about them. Now, I do want to make this clear, because I have encountered it a great deal. We attach greater importance and significance to this “feeling” that we may have about them than to the very words that the people themselves use about the Christian faith.
A Thought to Ponder: We tend to attach greater importance to “feeling” about “good” people than to the words that the people themselves use about the Christian faith.
(From Saving Faith, a sermon on Romans 10:3 by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
No Murder “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13)
The basis for murder is hatred (Deuteronomy 19:11; Exodus 21:14). The use of a weapon identifies murder. It may be a lethal weapon, like an “instrument of iron” (Numbers 35:16); a weapon of opportunity, like a stone or club (Numbers 35:17– 18); or merely the use of hands (Numbers 35:21).
In contrast, accidental killing is distinguished from murder (Exodus 21:13). Sometimes identified as “unaware” killing (Deuteronomy 4:42) and described as “error” killing (Numbers 35:11), it occurs without enmity (Numbers 35:22; Deuteronomy 19:14; Joshua 20:5) and by accident (Numbers 35:23), even though it may result from carelessness (Deuteronomy 19:5).
Execution is demanded for premeditated and presumptuous murders. The original authority was given to corporate man by God after the Flood (Genesis 9:5-6). The process of trial and conviction was established in Numbers 35:30-31. All such laws are designed to suppress evil (1 Timothy 1:8-10).
Imprisonment from normal society is demanded for accidental killings. Cities of refuge were built for such manslayers (Joshua 20:1-9) and were to be easily accessible to the nation (Deuteronomy 19:7-8). They were places of protection (Numbers 35:15) and restriction (Numbers 35:26-28), to be voluntarily entered (Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:11). Imprisonment was for an indefinite length, and a person remained in the refuge until the “death of the high priest” (Joshua 20:6).
Modern laws dimly reflect these ideals but are made less effective by delay. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
THE PURPOSE OF REVIVAL
…as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. Joshua 4:23-24
Why does God send revival from time to time? The first reason given in Joshua 4:24 is this: “that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty.” God does this thing from time to time, God sends revival, blessing, upon the church in order that He may do something with respect to those who are outside Him. He is doing something that is going to arrest the attention of all the people of the earth. Here, we must always realize, is the chief reason for ever considering this matter at all. This is my main reason for calling attention to this whole subject of revival and for urging everybody to pray for revival, to look for it, and to long for it. This is the reason—the glory of God.
You see, Israel alone represented God and His glory. All the other nations of the world were pagan; they had their various gods, and they did not believe in or worship the God of Israel. But God had chosen Israel. He had made a nation for Himself in order that through them, and by means of them, He might manifest His own glory and that they might bear this testimony to all the nations of the world. That was the real function of the children of Israel, and the other nations were watching them and were ready always to scoff at them and to ridicule them. Whenever the nation of Israel was defeated, the other nations would say, “Where is their God? Where is His power?”
A Thought to Ponder
God sends revival to arrest the attention of all the people of the earth.
(From Revival, p. 119, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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