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Monday, March 18, 2024

Genesis 2 Marriage


This chapter discusses:
God - our creator
Adam - the man God created from dust of the ground
Eve - made from a rib taken from man

Verses 1-3: Day 7 - God rested and made the 7th day holy

Verses 4-7: How God created man

Verses 8-17: The Garden of Eden - two trees (tree of life & tree of knowledge)

The location of the garden by naming of the rivers: the rivers Piston, Gironde, Tigris & Euphrates. Two rivers still exist in ancient Mesopotamia which is now known as Iraq.

Verses 18-25: Up to this point God names everything but now has man naming the animals. God made woman for companionship. Man & woman were naked and not ashamed. 

God created the union between man and woman in this chapter. I believe marriage was designed in this chapter by God. It is not a man-made institution but instead designed by God.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Genesis Chapter 32

 


In this chapter Jacob is returning home to see his own family. He will face his brother Esau who he hadn’t seen in 20 years and at that time wanted to kill him for his deception

Verses 1-21

After making a treaty of peace with Laban, Jacob now plans to return home to Canaan and face his brother Esau.

In verses 1 & 2 God gives Jacob a glimpse of the spiritual realm of angels that are there for protection.

Remember he left on bad terms after deceiving his father and taking his birthright and blessing from his twin brother Esau.

He was afraid how Esau might respond to his return.

Jacob sent Esau a message and Esau came with 400 men. Jacob was afraid that they would be attacked so he split his family in two directions so that one group may survive.

Vs 7 Although Jacob has God’s promise and has seen God’s protection he responds in fear. (How many times have we done the same thing?)

In verse 10 he prays with humility saying I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies.

Jacob prayed thankfulness for how God had taken care of him in his life but also prayed for protection during this encounter with his brother, Esau.

(This is the longest prayer recorded in the book of Genesis)

Jacob sent gifts ahead to his brother and told his servants to refer to him as the servant of Esau. He humbled himself because he wanted reconciliation.

Verses 22-32

Jacob sent his family ahead of him to be alone.

He wrestled a man being God all night and Jacobs hip socket was put out of joint when the man touched his hip and now he walked with a limp.

Jacob thought he was winning and demanded a blessing from this man.

The man blessed him by changing his name to Israel.

Israel means “Ruled by God.”

Because God changed Jacobs name to Israel his future descendants became the Israelite nation we read about in the scriptures ahead.

In this world the idea of reconciling with people is not something that the world talks about but God wants us to be reconciled to one another and love each other and not be bitter. The worlds view is to write people off but the most important thing in this life is relationships. 

Let forgiveness take over our hearts and see what God does with restoring not just the relationships but restoring our hearts in the process.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called the sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Jacob and Esau had a rough beginning. Jacob set out to reconcile with his brother.

God was preparing Jacob for what He had prepared for him!

and

God is preparing us for what He has prepared for us!

The Best Plans

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Genesis 6:14 

God asked Noah to plan ahead by building an ark which measured over one and a half football fields long and took the best part of one hundred and twenty years to complete! I would call that a "long term plan!" Noah didn't focus on the problems and circumstances of the day but instead just reported for duty. I find that my prayers are more about the circumstances of life instead of the plan God has for my life! Satan uses circumstances to take our focus off of what we should be doing. 

Let's pray each day in spite of the circumstances about the plan God has for our life. Let's not let circumstances dictate our lives. God can overcome any and all problems and do something in us and through us that we did not know was possible. It will build our faith as we follow Him! 

As a parent, we see the endless possibilities for our children. We encourage them in their training, lessons and education to grow in areas where they are gifted. It is so easy for us to see how their dreams can be achieved even before they do because of our own knowledge and experience. God is our parent and He wants to do the same for us. We have to be eager to listen and obey! God will direct us in the same way a parent does their child. 

Let's be open and receptive to God's call on our life! Like Noah, God has called us to change the world. Take a step today to bridge the gap between your present circumstances & where you need to be.....


This picture was taken of me with my youngest daughter at Stone Mountain in 1999.