15 Days Through the Bible: Number Five

15 Days Through the Bible: Number 5



15 Days Through the Bible: Number 5

We have traveled from Creation to Babel, but its not until chapter 12 of Genesis that we get our first clue of God's ultimate plan to redeem the pain and loneliness of the relationship that was broken when sin entered the world. 

It is in a man named Abram. God chooses an obedient God fearing nomad living in the city of Ur. The city is the center of idol worship.

Abram is married to a woman names Sarai. She is Abram's 1/2 sister, which was not as strange at this time in history. 

She is barren and living in a time where a woman's worth was tied to her ability to bare children.

This is a pivotal point in the Bible. 

The books of Romans in the New Testament reveals that Abram was not chosen because of good behavior or works, he is viewed as righteous because of his faith in God. 

We should put our finger at this spot in the Bible. If we follow this thread it will lead us to the Messiah. The ONE!

We don't know a lot about Abram before God chose him; we know his father was named Terah, he had a brother named Nahor, and a nephew named Lot. It also appears he comes from wealth. 

In Genesis 12:1-3 God reveals a big piece of His plan for humanity to Abram. He promises Abram four things if he will trust God and follow. This is the second covenant we see in the Bible.

• The first is the NOAHIC COVENANT
• The second is the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 1. “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
2. I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.3 3. I will bless those who bless you,

    and whoever curses you I will curse;
4. and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

Abram could not have understood the extent of those promises at the time. He obeyed anyway and it was credited to him as righteousness. 

Romans 4: Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Abram does many "not so good things" in his life. He displays moments of doubt and coward-ess. The Bible doesn't hide these errs in judgement. He runs to Egypt for fear of a famine in the land; Once there he claims his beautiful wife is his sister (a half truth), in order to escape being killed for her beauty, not once, but twice. He allows Sarai to coax him into having a child through another woman, to accomplish God's promised heir. This results in a family feud when the child is grown.  God will have the glory for the miracle child (as Abram and Sarai are reminded) and it will happen in His time, His way, not through human manipulation. 

 
God's changes Abrams name to  Abraham. In a traditional ritual of that time, He has Abraham split animals in two, and then tells him to sit and wait. Normally two people would walk through the two halves as they make an unbreakable vow. Through this they are stating symbolically "should I break my vow, let me be as these animals"

When Abraham falls asleep, while waiting, God, in a vision, God walks through the halves alone, restating His promise to Abraham and his heirs. He is telling Abraham that He will keep the promise that He made to him and his family. (Genesis 12:1-3/ Genesis 15) It was a one way covenant, not dependent on human acts or works.

Abraham and Sarah (as both names were changed by God), do have a miracle son. The covenant promise is passed down through the generations this heir: 

Abraham to Isaac, 

then to Jacob and 

finally to Jacob's 12 son's and two grandsons. 

These 12 descendants will become the nation of Israel, through whom the promised One who will crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) will eventually be born.

The story of Joseph (son number 11) is an amazing story and foreshadow of the Messiah. You can find this story in the last half of the book of Genesis chapter 37-50. Through Joseph the Israelites are saved from famine and go to live near Egypt. .

At the end of Genesis we find this baby nation of Israel living in Goshen near Egypt. The name Israel is given to them by God. They have grown to hundreds of thousands, and wind up doing slave labor in Egypt for 400 years. They feel forgotten by God, but as we know, feeling may matter, but they are not the truth. God has not forgotten them. He will reveal His plan, his way, and in His perfect timing. 

Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Romans 4:16b For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[d] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[e] 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

15 Days Through the Bible:Day Four

15 Days Through the Bible: Day Four

Once Adam and Eve were sent from their garden home, they faced a life of weeds, labor (literally), and spiders. As my friend would say: dirt, calories and sin, we will fight them till our whole lives.

They also began having children. After hearing the prophecy in the garden Eve had to be wondering which of her children would be the One that would crush the head of the serpent that deceived her. 

Satan, being for-warned but not omniscient was also left looking for the One that the prophecy spoke of. 

As Cain and Abel were born, he had to be thinking, is this the one?, what about Seth? on through the generations as he lied and tempted his way through the generations, all the way to Noah. Still on the search for the crusher of his head.

Sin infects the heart of all man. Cain kills his brother out of jealousy and fear of not being accepted his brother Seth is born. Seth will be the family to watch going forward.

In Genesis 6-9 we read of Noah, a man who followed God. God cleanses the earth through a flood, but saves one (Noah's) family, sealing them in the Ark, a foreshadow of the ONE who will seal those who believe IN HIM, one day. 

Another promise is given as the flood waters go down and the sky fills with the rainbow. God makes a covenant with Noah that He will not flood the earth again. 

The infection of man's heart flourishes as the population grows.

Men in pride try to use the skills they have to conquer by building a tower to the heavens (probably an astronomy tower, or a ziggurat of idol worship). God reminds them that He is the master of time and space as he confuses their languages and they spread across the map. God, who does not live in time, will bring about His plan, in His time. 

Still Satan watches for the One predicted in Genesis 3:15.

As we reach Genesis 12  we see a shift, a narrowing of the focus in the story of man. In our story so far we have gone from one family, to all of humanity, and back to one family.

This will be the beginning of God's plan for "The One" beginning to unfold.

As a parents we look back and see Adan, Eve and Noah all had children who saw God's hand at work up and close. Some followed God while others rejected Him. There are no guarantees. We cannot choose for our children, we can only obey, follow, pray and trust. Each individual is responsible for the choices they make.

15 Days Through the Bible: Day Three

15 Days Through the Bible: Day Three

God's declared His creation very good and rested. Mankind was placed in the garden and the relationship between the created man and his God was set in motion. 

God set the boundaries of the relationship and mankind understood those boundaries. Someone else was listing to the exchange. This someone hated God and desired to destroy all God loved.

The envious Satan waited for his chance manipulate and confuse the creation of his enemy.  Satan in the form of a serpent planted the idea that God was  not to be fully trusted. He implied that God did not have their best interest in mind when He denied them the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Once her eyes had been diverted from love to the a new desire, and doubt was allowed to take root, it was over. 

 
All Satan needed Eve to do was look and desire what she had been "denied". Satan believed he had won.
Adam and Eve were unsuccessful at keeping their side of the relationship boundaries. Their impulsive actions put them in harms way. Like a child that ignores the parent and darts into the street after a runaway ball.
God, being a loving parent, disciplined them and then removed them from the consequences of living forever in the sinful state. They could not be allowed to eat of the tree of life. This tree would have to wait until sin had been removed from their hearts. The price must be paid.

He forced them from the garden. God then put in motion His plan to teach them that He is to be trusted. He is their loving Father, Redeemer, Shepherd, The One who is the giver of all good things, The Source of Truth and Life, and their Rescuer.
Once God gave the consequences of their choices He also gave a promise for the future.

He shares a cryptic promise that Satan will be defeated through the seed of the woman.
The rest of the Bible will be a search for the One, The Redeemer of mankind.

God was not surprised by what happened. God who knows the beginning from the end cannot be surprised, nor can he be disappointed, as disappointment implies a surprise.  He knew, He chose, and as we will see He paid the price for our choice so that the relationship could be restored.

He chose, now we can choose. It cannot be explained how both are true, but both are true. 

Do I understand how that works? No.
Is it possible for my created mind to understand the mind of the creator? No.
Can I trust Him anyway, even if I don't have all the answers (like Eve)? YES!!!
I can choose life, even if I don't have all the answers. God makes me able to choose Him, and I do, or don't. God knows and He can be trusted.



Todays Scripture:
Genesis 3:⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
⁸ When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man^[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

(TO THE SERPENT)

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
    more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
    groveling in the dust as long as you live.

This next verse as the Proto Evangelium. The First Prophecy
¹⁵ And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike^[b] your head,
    and you will strike his heel

Hope Wirta

15 Days Through the Bible:Day Two

Day Two:15 Days Through the Bible

     God created mankind on the sixth day of creation. This is what it had all been leading up to.  Mankind was formed, not spoken. God would create them in His own image and then breathe life into them, unlike the animals, fowl or sea creatures. Each day up to this point was in preparation for this sixth day.

     In his image? Obviously not his physical image, since we all look different; not his personality as we all have our own gifts and talents. His image is spiritual. God is Spirit. 

John 4:24 reads "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth".

     My husband and I have a blended family, and seven children between us. Many times we have had people tell us that they wouldn't know they weren't all natural if we didn't tell them. I love this, because I know it has nothing to do with our looks! We are completely different in every feature. Each family member comes with their own unique gifts, talents and personality, some more spicey than others.

     I love how learned traits can cause families to resemble each other, looks, smiles, eye rolls, laughs and relational responses cause us to have the image of another person. In my opinion it is a much stronger image than looks alone. We share family spiritual traits. We become like each other the more time we spend together and the closer our relationships are.

 We were made to be "like" God in our relationship, emotions, and soul traits.

(sub·due : VERB - to overcome, quiet, or bring under control)

Adam and Eve were placed in care of the garden and told to subdue the earth. Adam was given the job of naming the animals and caring for the garden alongside his wife Eve.

Adam and Eve were fully capable of doing what they were created to do. They were to glorify God and have a perfect relationship with each other and God as His good stewards of the earth. They were content with the life and purpose that God had given them. This is the recipe for joy and peace. (Philippians 4:4-6)

Revelation 4:11 states, "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created."

Everything was perfect, and declared very good. 

Hope Wirta

Genesis 1:27-28 and 2:18-25

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

2:18-25

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” ¹⁹ So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man^[c] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs^[d] and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
    and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
    because she was taken from ‘man.’”

²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

²⁵ Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

15 Days Through the Bible

CREATION: Number one in the Series, 15 days through the Bible

   The Bible begins "without" a bang. No messy explosion, or chemical reactions, but an artistic expression better than any Bob Ross landscape. We are given a front row seat to the absolute majesty. His authority  every created element and even His personality. God is a God of order, and takes great care to prepare His creation. 

   God knew exactly what He wanted to create and what His creation would need to thrive. He speaks it into being. 

     We begin to see who God is on the first page of His word to us. He is a God of creativity and order, making sure that everything is in place for the beings He will place in this amazing home.
Water, sky, land and air are lovingly and precisely woven into the landscape, as He pictures the creatures He will entrust this amazing abode to. Flowers, cascading water features, and textures are placed with precise flourishes. Then He joyously creates animals, enjoying each creature and its goodness.

From my flower garden: Sweet Williams

Everything that God created existed in perfect harmony as He prepared to place humans on the earth.
All of His creation did as it was planned to do, and it all depended on Him for its existence.

The sun never questions it's place in creation, it rose and set as God appointed it to, glorifying its creator with each rotation.  
God knows the cost that He will have to pay, He knows what is going to take place, yet still He creates, gives and loves. These pieces of His character are; Omnipotent (all powerful), Omniscient (all knowing), Merciful, Wise, Gracious, Good and Unchanging. 

Genesis 1:28-31

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Hope Wirta

Rejoice IN HIM!

Let's meditate on the words "IN HIM"

(as we continue meditation of Ephesians chapter 1)

Who is Him?

God: the Three in One. Whose attributes never change. Whose love and power are insurmountable and focused on you! 

His thoughts about you began before light became light. His plans for you extend from before time into eternity where we will be forever in His presence. 

If you have placed your faith in His Son, then He has separated you from your sin as far as the East is from the West. (Psalm 103:12)

1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

You can run with confidence to Him at any moment. (Hebrews 4:14)

With this in mind Paul writes to the Ephesians; that the only right response is to REJOICE in the Lord always. This is not random rejoicing, it's not a good mood, or happiness caused by current circumstances, this is rejoicing IN HIM. 

We are to rejoice in who He is! 

Ephesians tells us that "in him we have redemption through His blood", 

John  chapter 1 tells states: that In Him all things were made that were made" 

1 John 5 says that our confidence in approaching God is "In Him"(referring to Jesus Christ) . 

1 John 5:13-14  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 

A bee finds "good things" in my back yard lavender

ALL GOOD THINGS ARE FOUND "IN HIM" So why do we waste our time looking in other places? 

Answer: Because we have a hard time putting our faith in something we cannot control or see.

Trust comes from knowing God and placing your trust in who HE SAYS HE IS.

The real question is: Do you know HIM and are you, IN HIM? God in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Ghost. One God, three roles. When we are in Christ, we have the blessings that the Father bestows on those who believe. and are sealed and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Know Him, Trust him, Rejoice in Him.

With this eternal perspective always before us, we are commanded to Rejoice in the Lord Always, and again I say REJOICE! Our Joy is to be " IN HIM"
even while we are in the struggles of this life. 

Philippians 4:4-6
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hope Wirta

What kind of love is this?

Ephesians chapter 1 is so full that it's difficult to choose which part to meditate on first. 

Why did God chose me before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ? Why is it His good pleasure to do this.  

My? Really?

The truth is: I am blown away that He chose me at all. 

Jeremiah 1:5 States: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart;

He did this to the praise of His glorious grace......His glorious grace, because of His unmeasurable love.

God (not bound by time, in his omniscience) expresses His love toward me, in that while I am  still a sinner, Christ died for me (Romans 5:8).
In other words God chose me before the world began, to be saved, knowing I would need redemption to be with Him, He chose to make me clean in His sight while I was still CHOOSING to sin, before I ever came to be......What kind of love is this?

• I know you are going to reject me
• I know your going to believe lies about me
• I know Your going to think accepting my love is somehow depriving you of what you "think" you need
• I know you wont want me as much as I want you
• I know that I will have to sacrifice everything to have you
• I know you will never ,while on earth, understand the depths of my love for you

I want you to know that I want good things for you, and truly good things come only from me
You will keep reaching back for the things that hurt you and took you from me in the first place,
I knew all of this, even before I created you, I know I will have to redeem you,
I choose you

How do you wrap your head around that?

His love wrecks me!

Hope Wirta