I Chronicles 1
Adam – Noahverses 1-4
Adam – Sheth – Enosh – Kenan – Mahalaleel – Lamech
Noah – Shem – Ham and Japheth
Sons of Japheth – Dodanimverses 5-7
The sons of Japheth: Gomer – Magog – Madai – Javan
Tubal – Meshech – Tiras – and the sons of Gomer
Ashchenaz – Riphath – Togarmah and the sons of Javan
Elishah – Tarshish – Kittim – Dodanim
Sons of Ham – Hamathiteverses 8-16
The sons of Ham: Cush – Mizraim – Put – Canaan
and the sons of Cush = Seba – Havilah – Sabta – Raamah
Sabtecha and the sons of Raamah = Sheba – Dedan
and Cush begat Nimrod
he began to be mighty upon the earth
and Mizraim begat Ludim – Anamim – Lehabim – Naphtuhim
Pathrusim – Casluhim – (of whom came the Philistines)
Caphthorim
and Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn – Heth – the Jebusite also
Amorite – Girgashite – Hivite – Arkite – Sinite
Arvadite – Zemarite – Hamathite
Sons of Shem – sons of Joktanverses 17-23
The sons of Shem – Elam – Asshur – Arphaxad – Lud – Aram
Uz – Hul – Gether – Meshech and Arphaxad begat Shelah
Shelah begat Eber and to Eber were born two sons
the name of one was Peleg
BECAUSE in his days the earth was DIVIDED
his brother’s name was Joktan – and Joktan began
Almodad – Sheleph – Hazar-maveth – Jerah
Hadoram also – Uzai – Diklah – Ebal
Abimael – Sheba – Ophir – Havilah – Jobab
All these were the sons of Joktan
Sons of Shem – Sons of Abrahamverses 24-28
Shem – Arphaxad – Shelah – Eber – Peleg – Reu – Serug
Nahor – Terah – Abram – the same is Abraham
the sons of Abraham – Isaac and Ishmael
Sons of Ishmaelverses 29-31
These are their generations – the firstborn of Ishmael
Nebaioth – then Kedar – Adbeel – Mibsam
Mishma – Dumah – Massa – Hadad – Tema
Jetur – Naphish – Kedemah
These are the sons of Ishmael
Keturah (Abraham’s concubine) – Israel & Esauverses 32-34
Now the sons of Keturah – Abraham’s concubine – she bare
Zimran – Jokshan – Medan – Midian – Ishbak- Shuah
and the sons of Jokshan- Sheba – Dedan
and the sons of Midian – Ephah – Epher
Henoch – Abida – Eldaah
all these are the sons of Keturah
And Abraham begat Isaac
the sons of Isaac – Esau and Israel
Sons of Esau to Aranverses 35-42
The sons of Esau – Eliphaz – Reuel – Jeush – Jaalam – Korah
the sons of Eliphaz = Teman – Omar – Zephi – Gatam
Kenaz – Timna – Amalek
the son of Reuel = Nahath – Zerah – Shammah – Mizzah
the sons of Seir = Lotan – Shobal – Zibeon – Anah
Dishon – Ezar – Dishan
the sons of Lotan = Hori – Homam and Timna
was Lotan’s sister
the sons of Shobal = Alian – Manahath – Ebal
Shephi – Onam the sons of Zibeon = Aiah – Anah
the sons of Anah = Dishon
the sons of Dishon = Amram – Eshban
Ithran – Cheran
the sons of Ezer = Bilhan – Zavan – Jakan
the sons of Dishan = Uz – Aran
Kings in Edomverses 43-54
Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom
before any king reigned over the children of Israel
Bela the son of Beor – and the name of his city was Dinhabah
and when Bela was dead
Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead
and when Husham was dead – Hadad the son of Bedad
which smote Midian in the field of Moab
reigned in his stead
and the name of his city was Avith
and when Hadad was dead
Samiah of Masrekah reigned in his stead
and when Samiah was dead
Shaul of Rehoboth by the river
reigned in his stead
and when Shaul was dead
Baal-hanan the son of Achbor
reigned in his stead
and when Baal-hanan was dead
Hadad reigned in his stead
and the name of his city was Pai
and his wife’s name was Mehetabel
the daughter of Matred
the daughter of Mezahab
Hadad died also
And the dukes of Edom were – duke
Timnah – Aliah – Jetheth – Aholibamah – Elah
Pinon – Kenaz – Teman – Mibzar
Magdiel –Iram
these were the dukes of Edom
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (8034 “Shem” [shem] means to destroy, to blot out the name, reputation, renown, fame, famous, or memorial)
DEVOTION: Here we have the three names of Noah’s sons. The LORD established a covenant with Noah and his three sons. HE promised to never flood the earth again. HE used a rainbow to show the world that HE made this promise. This promise was everlasting.
It was through Shem that Abram came. God established a covenant with him and blessed him. And the nation of Israel came from him. So we find that God had a plan and was working HIS plan through one son of Noah.
Today we have to realize that God is working through the families that are honoring HIM. Our families need to realize that the blessings of God are important for the next generation.
We need to keep the witness of the LORD going throughout our generations. I would like my children and grandchildren to honor the LORD. Each of our grandchildren have made a commitment to the LORD.
They have all asked Jesus to come into their hearts and their parents, our children, are trying to raise them to honor the LORD. It is a blessing to watch our grandchildren understand what the Bible teaches and see them trying to follow the LORD.
None of our children or grandchildren are perfect they are trying. This is what we would want from those who are receiving the devotionals each day. All the families represented would want the next generation to follow the LORD.
This only happens through example and prayer on the part of the parents and grandparents. Each generation has to answer to the LORD for their actions.
CHALLENGE: Please give the next generation a witness that will cause them to serve the LORD. Our witness and testimony is important.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth. (1368 “mighty” [gibbowr] means strong, valiant, champion, brave, hero, impetuous, or powerful)
DEVOTION: This descendant of Noah was the one who set up the kingdom of Babylon. He was one who was not a follower of the LORD. It is noted that it didn’t take long for the descendants of Noah who was a man of faith to turn their backs on the LORD.
We know that our children and grandchildren have to make a choice regarding whether they will follow the LORD or not. Here is a part of those who came through the flood who knew the history of why the LORD judged the earth by the flood yet didn’t seem to care that it could happen again.
Obedience is what the LORD wants from human beings. Most chose not to obey the LORD. The New Testament instructs us in the fact that there are only a “few” who follow the LORD of the people who live on this earth. The majority think they can live without the LORD in their life.
One day all will stand before the LORD either at the Judgment Seat of Christ which is for believers or the Great White Throne Judgment which is for those who have rejected Jesus Christ.
There will be many earthly champions who will spend eternity in the lake of fire because they choose to not follow the LORD but their own plans for their life here on this earth. Nimrod was such a man.
What type of person are you? Are you a part of the few that follow the LORD or the majority that go your own way?
CHALLENGE: The LORD expects obedience from every human being. Have you chosen obedience by becoming a follower of Jesus Christ?
: 19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother’s name was Joktan. (6385 “divided” [palag] means to split, cleave or be dispersed. This book has eleven chapters of genealogie)
DEVOTION: Most people have a problem with chapters like this. They wonder why they have to be included in the Bible. One of the reasons is so that we know the history of the children of Israel and their relatives who turned into their enemies.
Another reason is that we find out what happened in some of the people’s lives. We can see that there is nothing new under the sun. Each generation of humankind has had individuals who were good or evil. Some followed the TRUE GOD of the universe or a god made in their own minds and crafted with their own hands.
Adam and Eve were created innocent and were given one test to see if they would follow the LORD. They failed the test and now each individual is born with a sin nature that was not part of the original nature of mankind. There was a human nature and then a sin nature. Christ into the world with a human nature but not a sin nature. Man is born a sinner. Rebellion is part of our makeup aside from the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who are followers of the LORD.
This verse tells us what happened in the lifetime of Peleg. This was a time when the earth was split up. This was the time of the tower of Babel when God confused the language and caused the people to stop building their own worship center. They were not worshipping the true God but a false god.
This was a change from one language to many different languages. Some think that other things happened at the same time. Could the earth also, at this time, have split from being one continent to many? Could this be the time when the color of some skins changed? When the LORD wanted the people of the world to stop worshipping a false god or themselves, he caused a major division to take place.
Can some of our present day divisions be over false worship or following a false belief? Remember that the enemy loves divisions to happen in our Bible believing churches. IF we worship the one true God, we should be able to handle all of our disagreements through the eyeglasses of the Word of God. God wants us united in our fight against the real enemies: world, flesh and the devil!!!
We each have to ask ourselves if we are agents of unity or division. Do our comments help the home, church and nation to move forward for the LORD? Do our actions help the home, church, nation to move forward for the LORD?
CHALLENGE: We are to be agents of BIBLICAL UNITY in CHRIST at all times.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam (1060 “firstborn” [bakowr] means olderst offspring, an offspring who came first in the order of birth, chief, first, eldest son, or firstling)
DEVOTION: Here we have those who are the children of Ishmael. Ishmael was the son of a servant of Abraham. Abraham’s wife could not seem to have children so Sarah had Abraham take her servant as a wife and have a son.
However, the LORD had another plan. Sometimes we move ahead of God and do what we think is right without consulting the LORD. This is what happened here. After Hagar became the mother of Ishmael she became pregnant with Isaac and wanted her put out of the camp. Abraham didn’t know what to do but the LORD told him to listen to Sarah.
The LORD promised to make a nation from the son of Hagar which has become the nation of the Moslem world. So there has been fighting between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael ever since. It continues to this day.
That is why the Jews and the Moslem nations are still fighting today. We will see this happening all the way to the end of the age when the LORD returns. The Bible told us that it would happen and it is happening.
We are experiencing Biblical prophecy today. We know who wins. We need to win as many to the LORD as possible.
CHALLENGE: Remember there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
: 43 Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhalbah. (4427 “reigned” [malak] means to be king, rule, to install someone as king, to become king, supreme ruler over a nation, or have a coronation)
DEVOTION: In this first chapter of I Chronicles we have a list of kings from the nation of Edom. This nation was descendants of Esau the other son of Isaac. We know the story of how Jacob stole the birthright from his brother Esau and had to run away from him and go to his uncle’s place to work and find his wives.
Esau founded a nation that had kings before Jacob whose other name is Israel had any kings. The nation was to be led by the LORD instead of a king. They were to be a theocracy rather than a monarchy. They were to be followers of the LORD through the priesthood that HE set up with Israel.
Samuel was the last judge of Israel before they had their first king, Saul. The next king to reign was David as their king. The LORD instructed Samuel that they were not rejecting him but the LORD. They were tired of not being like the other people who lived in the lands around them.
Today we would rather have a human tell us what to do rather than a God that we can’t see. HE has given us instruction through HIS followers through the writing of the Word of God the Bible.
Most people who claim Christ don’t pick up their Bible between Sunday and many don’t even bring their Bible to church because it is all up on a screen for them to see. And we wonder why there is so much ignorance concerning what the LORD expects from HIS people.
It did not start with us and will not end with us but we should be those individuals who seek the LORD through HIS Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Human rulers usually are not faithful to the LORD in all they do.
The kings of Edom went against the children of Israel as they were traveling away from Egypt to the Promised Land. Remember these were relatives of the children of Israel. CHALLENGE: Watch out that your relatives are not causing you pain because of your stand for the LORD.
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)
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)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
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)
Adamverse 1
Nimrodverse 10
Began to be mighty on the earth
Philistinesverse 12
Jebusiteverse 14
Amoriteverse 14
Hiviteverse 15
Eber – two sons Peleg and Joktanverse 19
Pelagverse 19
Because in his days the earth was divided
Abram became Abrahamverse 27
Isaac and Ishmael
Ishmael’s generationsverses 29-33
Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam
Isaacverse 34
Esau and Israel
Esau – Edomverses 35–54
Had kings before kings over Israel
Moab verse 46
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children of Israelverse 43
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Deathverses 44-51
DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
It would be interesting to know why the Chronicler, not usually including details about individuals, made an exception in the case of Nimrod. Perhaps in a world where powerful rulers were common, he wanted to show that the practice was ancient. It should be noted that it was Nimrod who founded the Mesopotamian cities which became the arch enemies of Israel. In his own day the Persians were powerful rulers. But the spiritual ancestors of David should remember God’s promise to him, “I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth” (1 Chr 17:8). Greatness is in God’s hands to bestow, to deny, or to take away. (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 51). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
1:8–16. This list is almost identical to Genesis 10:6–8, 13–18. There is even an abbreviated narrative concerning Nimrod (1 Chron. 1:10; cf. Gen. 10:8–12), a fact that points decidedly to the view that the chronicler had the Genesis genealogies before him. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 592). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
1:1–9:44 This abbreviated genealogy summarizes the divinely selected course of redemptive history: 1) from Adam to Noah (1:1–4; Ge 1–6); 2) from Noah’s son Shem to Abraham (1:4–27; Ge 7–11); 3) from Abraham to Jacob (1:28–34; Ge 12–25); 4) from Jacob to the 12 tribes (1:34–2:2; Ge 25–50); and 5) from the 12 tribes to those who had returned to Jerusalem after the 70-year captivity (2:3–9:44; Ex 1:1–2Ch 36:23). This genealogical listing is unique to the purposes of “the chronicler” and is not intended to necessarily be an exact duplication of any other list(s) in Scripture. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Ch 1:1–9:44). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter (1:10) – The reference is to Gen. 10:8–10. The word “hunter” carries the connotation of hunting people, not hunting animals. He was a rebel who defied God and set up the infamous kingdom of Babylon. After the sons of Noah began to replenish the earth, it didn’t take long for their descendants to turn against the Lord. The lesson of the flood didn’t penetrate very deep. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (1 Ch 1:10). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
1:10, 11 Cush begot Nimrod: It seems that the chronicler used the genealogy of Gen. 10 as the primary source for this genealogy. However, he used it selectively. For example, Gen. 10:9–12 was not included. The apparent purpose of this genealogy was to establish the line between Adam and David, and between David and the reigning Davidic monarch. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 495). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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!!)
Old Testament Prophecy
“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.” (1 Peter 1:10)
Our verse today and the verses that follow tell us a good deal about Old Testament prophecy and, rightly understood, answer many of the questions raised by modern “scholars” who scoff at the divine authorship of Scripture.
First, we can see that much prophecy was devoted to the theme of “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (v. 11), long before the events took (or will take) place. That these prophecies were not mere human contrivances is seen in the claim that they were due to “the Spirit of Christ which was in them.”
Furthermore, the prophets themselves didn’t fully understand what they were writing. For instance, Isaiah wrote both of the glory of the coming Messiah (chapter 11) and His sufferings and death (chapter 53) with no indication that he knew how to put the two together. Peter claims the prophets “enquired and searched diligently” (1 Peter 1:10) “what, or what manner of time” (v. 11) these things would come to pass. Indeed, even “the angels desire to look into” (v. 12) these mysterious passages and doctrines.
Finally, the prophets evidently knew that the mysterious prophecies were not for them to understand but for us to understand (v. 12). Much of what so puzzled them has been revealed to us “by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven” (v. 12).
Because of the ultimate authorship by the Holy Spirit, and the eventual explanation by the same Spirit, these prophecies have never failed. They provide irrefutable evidence for the inspiration of Scripture, clear reasons to trust in the message of Scripture, and a grounded faith in the consummation of God’s plan for the ages. JDM
It is sometimes difficult to know if we are in fellowship with the Lord. We erroneously tend to rely on our feelings to gauge our relationship with Him. If we “feel” spiritual one day, we think we are in fellowship with Him. If on another day we do not “feel” spiritual, we assume we are not in fellowship. John helps us with this dilemma; he describes fellowship for us. If we are keeping the Lord’s commandments and loving others, we are in fellowship whether we “feel” in fellowship or not. Do not let your feelings deceive you and encourage you to sin. (Quiet Walk)
Potty Mouths
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. EPHESIANS 4:29
Fifty years ago, censors were allowed to delete crude terms from books before they were published. When James Jones, for example, included more than 250 vulgar words in his final manuscript of From Here to Eternity, censors eliminated 208 of them from the original hardcover edition. When the book came out in paperback, they deleted all the rest. They simply didn’t want the masses reading profane words.
Things have changed a bit, haven’t they?
Some R-rated movies today contain as many as 200 curse words—about 2 per minute. And we all know how pervasive cursing has become on television.
We are being exposed to more and more verbal pollution in the flow of the average day—even from places like the church pulpit and the church softball league bench. Potty mouth pulpits! Who would have thought?
I think it’s time to take a stand again, beginning with our own flippancy toward foul language. Here’s why:
1. It lowers the moral standards of our family. Jesus said, “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matthew 12:34), which means that cursing exposes the condition of our inner person. It reveals that our hearts have grown sour and polluted with trashy words.
2. It degrades interpersonal relationships. It robs society of its civility. Used casually, cursing is just rude. When used on purpose, it’s derogatory and demeaning. Certain curse words even devalue what God created—like the divinely designed act of intercourse.
3. It sends a bad message to our children. It tells them that cursing within moderation is acceptable behavior. But as Christians, our spiritual transformation—our desire to be more like Christ—should affect our words. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
In 2018, comedian John Mulaney closed out his opening monologue as host of Saturday Night Live with this quip about one of the strangest aspects of today’s world which didn’t exist just a few years ago: “You spend a lot of your day telling a robot that you’re not a robot.”
Think about it. Artificial intelligence is one of the “new normals” of contemporary life. Every time we access data on the web, every customer service call we make, and every ordering process we start involves not just using, but communicating with, a machine. Smart phones, smart cars, smart networks—artificial minds are now the gatekeepers of information, transportation, and commerce.
But, how smart are they?
In sci-fi, the story always ends with computers evolving past and outclassing human minds. Sometimes they’re dangerous; sometimes they’re helpful; and sometimes, most unsettlingly, they cannot be differentiated from humans. Lurking behind the fantasy is an important question: What happens if we create something that’s smarter than us? Still, computer engineers and neuroscientists continue to push science fiction to science fact.
The problem with these efforts, a recent article in the online magazine Salon notes, is that the quest for artificial intelligence tends to “treat intelligence computationally.” Attempts to recreate and even surpass the purely computational abilities of the human brain have succeeded. Computers can now play games and analyze images faster and better than humans.
At the same time, there’s real doubt as to whether machines are anywhere near matching wits with their creators. According to a piece last year in The Guardian, “Despite the vast number of facts being accumulated, our understanding of the brain appears to be approaching an impasse.”
For example, it’s estimated that about 95 percent of brain activity involves what are called spontaneous fluctuations, or neural impulses, independent of both conscious thought and outside influence. That’s a problem that shuts machines down. As the Salon piece puts it, “For computers, spontaneous fluctuations create errors that crash the system, while for our brains, it’s a built-in feature.”
Uniquely human thought arises from this chaos, unpredictable and unreproducible. What we think of as intelligence—reason, logic, and processing—may instead be the end result of consciousness, not the means of achieving it. (BreakPoint)
JESUS’ UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP TO GOD
…no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Matthew 11:27
Our Lord claims that He is in a unique relationship to God in the matter of His knowledge of God. “No man,” He says, “knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son.” In other words, He looked at these people and said, “You see Me, but you do not really know Me. The only one who really knows Me is God, and I am the one, the only one, who really knows God. You pray, you speak to God, but you do not know God as I do.” Nobody “hath seen God at any time,” nor seen His shape. But Christ said that He had seen Him, and He claimed, as the Jews realized, an equality with God the Father. He put Himself side by side with God. Occasionally He withdrew the veil and gave a glimpse of that eternal, mystical relationship between the Father and Himself, and He claimed that He was in such an intimate relationship with God that all men were outside it. Here He is, the carpenter of Nazareth, and yet that is what He claims.
He stands there and tells these people, “Do you know that the whole of this world, the whole of time, the whole of history—heaven and earth and hell and all things—have been handed over to Me by God the Father?” That is His claim: a unique sonship, a unique relationship to God, and a unique relationship to this world. He stands there and says quietly that the whole world is in His hands. Never has the world seen or heard anyone who has claimed so much. Who is He, this babe of Bethlehem, this boy of Nazareth, this carpenter, this artisan, who claims that He is indeed the Son of God?
A Thought to Ponder: Christ claims a unique sonship, a unique relationship to God, and a unique relationship to this world.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 135-136, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Message of the Old Testament
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:22)
Ever since sin entered into God’s created world, His message to all people of all ages has been the same. At the time of the curse, God prophesied that there soon would be a coming Redeemer—the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent, although the Redeemer Himself would be made to suffer in order to do away with the effects of sin (Genesis 3:15). “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
God repeatedly warned the people of His hatred of sin and wickedness (see, for example, Psalm 5:4-6; Proverbs 6:16-19), but He recognized that humankind was totally incapable of measuring up to His standard of perfection. That great statement of righteous requirements, the Ten Commandments, demonstrated the utter impossibility of complete compliance (Exodus 20; Psalm 14; etc.). Conversely, God repeatedly extended His invitation to be rescued from sin and its effects and its necessary judgment by confidence in His plan for mankind. In our text, we see that “all the ends of the earth” have the opportunity to be “saved.” “Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come” (Isaiah 45:24).
This plan of God focuses on the promised Redeemer who would come to buy back humanity from its enslavement to sin. “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:…and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
In the mid-1960s, two people participated in research on the effects of darkness on the human psyche. They entered separate caves, while researchers tracked their eating and sleeping habits. One remained in total darkness for 88 days, the other 126 days. Each guessed how long they could remain in darkness and were off by months. One took what he thought was a short nap only to discover he’d slept for 30 hours. Darkness is disorienting.
The people of God found themselves in the darkness of impending exile. They waited, unsure of what would take place. The prophet Isaiah used darkness as a metaphor for their disorientation and as a way of speaking about God’s judgment (Isaiah 8:22). Previously, the Egyptians had been visited with darkness as a plague (Exodus 10:21–29). Now Israel found herself in darkness.
But a light would come. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). Oppression would be broken, disorientation would end. A Child would come to change everything and bring about a new day—a day of forgiveness and freedom (v. 6).
Jesus did come! And although the darkness of the world can be disorienting, may we experience the comfort of the forgiveness, freedom, and light found in Christ.
By Glenn Packiam (Our Daily Bread)
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