TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 1-3
OVERVIEW:
Creation of all things; creation of Adam and his bride; their commissioning; temptation by Satan; Adam and his bride rebel against God, forfeiting the Garden of Eden, their relationship with God, and the ability to fulfill their commission.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
The word “genesis” means “beginnings.” The Book of Genesis records the beginning of the universe, man, woman, marriage, the family, sin, judgment, sacrifice, salvation, worship, civilization, false religion, and war.
In the first 10 words of the Bible (Gen. 1:1), God summarizes the five elements of science: TIME (“beginning”); SPACE (“heaven”); MOTION (“created”); MATTER (“the earth”); and ENERGY (“created”). In this simple verse, God destroys atheism (“GOD created”), denies polytheism (“GOD (singular) created”), and dispels evolution (“God CREATED”).
Man is the crown of creation. God formed the first man “in His own image” and “likeness,” and gave him the place of dominion over the whole earth from Eden, theGardenofGod. Lucifer once held the position as the crown of creation (Ezek. 28:11-17; Isaiah14:12-14) and held dominion over the whole earth from Eden, theGardenofGod. Since Lucifer could not have the place of God in the universe, he sought to have the place of God in the life of men. Sadly, he was successful.
Some interesting things to note…
The first recorded words of Satan (Gen. 3:1), come in the form of a question, and the question is about the Words of God (“Yea, hath God said?”). We live in a world where Satan gets us to ask the same question. “Yea hath God said?” In other words Christians are lead to ask things like “Is this really what God said?” or “Is this in the base manuscripts?” therefore causing doubt to be place on God’s Word. Satan also reinterpreted the Word of God, in (Gen. 3:5) therefore causing Eve to look to Satan for the interpretation, much like we rely on the scholars of our day instead of the Holy Spirit (through comparing scripture with scripture) (1 Cor. 2:13)
When you compare Genesis 3:6 with Matthew 4:1-11, you find that Satan tempted the Lord Jesus Christ the same way he tempted the woman: through “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (I John 2:16). In Christ’s case, however, the temptation was resisted. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
In the first chapter of the Bible God made us in His image. In the twenty-first century inAmericawe attempt to make God in our image. Instead of, “This is the day which the Lord hath made,” as it says in Psalm 118:24, society says “This is Lord which the day hath made.” Rather than submitting to the control of God, our Designer, we seek to design a God we can control.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As CREATOR – Gen. 1:1 (John 1:1-4; Heb. 11:3; Col. 1:16-17)
As the SEED OF THE WOMAN – Gen. 3:15 (Isa.7:14; 9:6-7; Gal. 4:4) In ADAM – Gen. 2:21-24 (John19:34; Eph.5:28-32)
*Note: God caused a sleep to fall upon Adam, and from the substance that came from his side, God formed for him a bride. God caused a “sleep” to fall upon the second Adam, Christ (I Cor.15:45-47), and from the substance that came from His side, God formed for Him a bride.
As the SACRIFICIAL LAMB – Gen. 3:21 (Prov. 27:26)
DAY 2 –Tuesday, JANUARY 3, 2012
TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 4-6
OVERVIEW:
The sacrifices of Cain and Abel; Cain murders Abel; genealogy from Adam to Noah*; the days of Noah; Noah’s ark.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
The physical and spiritual implications of the entrance of sin into the perfect environment into which man was placed were unbelievably devastating. The curse of sin that entered into the world in chapter 3 is already clearly manifest in chapter 4 as Cain murders his own brother.
Cain’s is the religion of human works. He offers to God the fruit of his own labor. Never forget that Cain was not offering his sacrifice as a mockery toward God, but he was very sincere in his action and beliefs. There are countless numbers of people in this world that sincerely love God and want to please him, but have never been saved the biblical way, and are in danger of the judgment of God! His offering recognized God as Creator, but it did not recognize Cain as a sinner. Abel’s religion, however, is that of faith. His offering recognized God as Creator and his own sinfulness. He recognized that the blood sacrifice of a lamb was necessary to atone for his sin (Heb.9:22; 11:4).
Notice that God asks Cain a question in verse 9, giving him the opportunity to confess his sin. Rather than repent (v.16), Cain goes “out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in thelandofNod, on the east ofEden.” (Note that every positive move in the Bible is always from east to west. Every negative move in the Bible is west to east.) “Nod” means “to stray” or “to wander.” Even the land Cain chose speaks of his willful choice to refuse to confess his sin, his refusal to trust the blood of the lamb, and his refusal to move toward God.
Where did Cain get his wife? It’s the age-old question. Obviously, Cain married one of his sisters. By the time he takes a wife, Adam and Eve have many descendants, and there has been given no Divine prohibition forbidding him from taking one of them to be his wife. The very idea of marrying a relative sounds strange and even repulsive to us, until we realize that though in a much larger sense, all of us are descendants of Noah, and all of us who are married have likewise married another descendant of Noah.
As God describes the sinful days of Noah in chapter 6, we find that there is not much difference between his time and ours. Jesus said in Matthew 24:37, “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through Abel’s BLOOD SACRIFICE – Gen. 4:4 (Heb.9:19-22)
Through Abel’s SACRIFICIAL LAMB – Gen. 4:4 (John1:29; Heb. 11:4)
In METHUSELAH (meaning “the man of the sword”) – Gen. 5:27 (John 1:1,14; Eph6:17; Heb.4:12; Rev. 19:15)
DAY 3 –Wednesday, JANUARY 4, 2012
TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 7-9
OVERVIEW:
Noah, his family, seven pairs of clean and one pair of unclean of every living creature enter the ark as God had commanded; the great flood; the Rainbow Covenant; the new beginning; the curse upon the descendants of Ham (the Canaanites).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
“The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark” (Gen. 7:1). The ark was God’s secure refuge from the judgment that was to come. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come unto me . . . and I will give you rest.” In Acts 16:31, Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Just as Noah was saved from the wrath to come, and found rest within the ark, Colossians 3:3 says to those of us who have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, “your life is hid with Christ in God.”
The fact of the flood is proved by God’s record of it here in Genesis through Moses, as well as by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke17:36), the prophets (Isa. 54:9), and the apostles (I Peter3:20; II Peter 2:5).
The flood teaches us that God will punish sin, and that there must be death to the old before He will establish the new. God begins again with eight souls (Noah, his three sons, and each of their wives). Note that from this point in the Bible, eight is the number of “new beginnings.”
In chapter 9, verses 8-17, God enters with Noah what verse 16 describes as an “everlasting covenant.” This is the first of five covenants in the Bible that God refers to as “everlasting.” The other four “everlasting covenants” include: 1) The Abrahamic (Gen. 17:7); 2) The Priestly (Num. 25:10-13); 3) The Davidic (II Sam. 23:5); 4) The New (Jer. 32:40).
As God replenishes the earth through Noah’s three sons (9:18-19), note that through Shem come the Asians, through Ham come the Africans, and through Japheth come the Europeans. The soon coming Anti-Christ will be of mixed race that will involve all three races of Noah’s sons. Revelation 13 describes him as a Leopard. (yellow body {Asian} black spots {African} white belly {European}
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through theARK– Gen. 7:1,7 (Acts4:12; II Cor.5:17; Col. 3:3; I Thess.1:10)
*Note: To be delivered from the wrath of God to come, you must be “in Christ,” the only “Ark” of safety.
DAY 4 – Thursday JANUARY 5, 2012
TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 10-12
OVERVIEW:
The descendants of Noah;Babel: the origin of races and languages; God’s call and covenant with Abram; Abram’s journey toCanaanandEgypt.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
After listing one name after the other in the midst of the genealogy in chapter 10, when you get to the name Nimrod (10:8-10), all of a sudden God interrupts the list to give you a commentary on him. You might say that this is God’s way of taking a highlighter and trying to communicate to us, “Don’t miss this!” (Note that the same thing happens in the genealogy that lists Nimrod in I Chronicles 1:10.)
Interestingly, Nimrod is the grandson of Ham, which, as we’ve already seen, is associated with a curse. His name means “rebel,” and his epithet is that he was “a mighty hunter before (or, against) the Lord.” He was, obviously, a keen hunter of animals in thelandofShinar, but the context lets us know that he was also hunting something else…Men! He was hunting men to become a part of a kingdom (10:10). Nimrod wanted to set himself up as a king over a kingdom of rebellion against God!
Keep in mind that the theme of the Bible is all about a kingdom, where Jesus rules over all the earth from His throne for a period of 1000 years (Gen. 2:3; II Peter 3:8). The history of mankind and God’s record of history in the Bible is really nothing more than God moving to put His Son on the throne, and Satan doing everything he can, not only to stop Him, but to put himself there! (Isa. 14:12-14) Note that the first mention of “kingdom” in the Bible is in reference to a king whose name means “rebellion,” who is seeking to establish a world empire. If you are unfamiliar with the principle of “First Mention” in terms of Bible study, God has so orchestrated the revelation of His Word that the first time a key biblical principle is mentioned, the context foreshadows its future scope. For example, the first time “love” is mentioned in the Bible, (Gen. 22:2), it is in the context of a loving father offering his only begotten son as a sacrifice. The future scope is obvious!
Note, also, that the first mention of “Babel” is in verse 10. From this point in the Bible,Babel, orBabylon(Hebrew =Babel, Greek =Babylon), will always stand for that which is opposition to God and His people.
Nimrod recognized that to establish a world empire, he would need to unify the people, both governmentally and religiously (“Let us build us a city and a tower” – Gen. 11:1-4). The “city” is the governmental symbol, and the “tower” is the religious symbol. Practically speaking, the “city” and “tower” ofBabelwere Satan’s attempt to unite the people of the earth in a one-world government, one-world religion, under one king. Obviously, Nimrod is a forerunner and type of the Antichrist who is a king of rebellion who seeks to establish a world empire by unifying the people of the earth in a one-world government and religion.
In striking contrast to rebellious Nimrod, chapter 12 introduces us to Abram, a man who symbolizes submission to God. God’s call to Abram was: “Get thee out of thy country…unto a land that I will show thee…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him” (12:1-4). Without hesitation, consideration, or deliberation, Abram, in faith, left his homeland and all that he knew and loved for an unidentified land. For his uncompromising faith, God holds Abram up as a shining example (Heb. 11:8).
Even though Abram exercised such great faith in God on one hand, when famine struck in verse 10, rather than exercise the same trust in God, “Abram went down intoEgypt.” This is the first mention of “Egypt” in the Bible. Note thatEgyptis always a “downward” move in Scripture, and will always be associated biblically with the world and sin. (i.e. Rather than trust God, Abram looked to the world to meet his needs.)
Abram exemplifies the fine line between walking by faith and walking by sight…Walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh (Gal.5:16-17).
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the PROMISED SEED OF ABRAHAM – Gen. 12:3 (Gen. 18:18: Matt. 1:1; Acts 3:25-26; Gal. 3:16)
In ABRAHAM – (Abraham is a type of Christ in that he leads the way to a better land of promise – Heb. 11:8-11, 13-16)
DAY 5 –Friday, JANUARY 6, 2012
TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 13-15
OVERVIEW:
Abram andLotseparate; Abram moves toHebron, builds an altar; Melchizedek’s blessing upon Abram; God’s covenant with Abram.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
After the downward move into the world’s system of evil, and finding himself in the web of its sinfulness in chapter 12, “Abram went up out of Egypt” (13:1), and back to the place of blessing and intimacy with God that he had at the first (13:3-4). It’s the same solution our Lord Jesus Christ identified in Revelation 2:4-5 for those times we find ourselves in the world’s snare, having “left our first love.” Jesus said, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” Do you need to follow Jesus’ admonition and Abram’s example? Note the simplicity: Remember. Repent. Repeat.
The separation of Abram and his nephew,Lot, might be called “the curse of God’s blessing” (13:5-9). Sometimes the blessing of God in our lives forces us to make tough decisions. Lotillustrates a carnal believer, walking in the flesh, while Abram illustrates a committed believer, walking in the Spirit.
Lotchose the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh (13:10-11). He choseSodom, thinking it a place of peace, protection and prosperity, when it was actually a place of warfare, danger, and cursing. Lotillustrates how important it is that we look through spiritual eyes as opposed to physical eyes in order to live the victorious Christian life. Paul said, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Cor. 4:18)
Notice the progression of Lot. (Gen. 13:10-12) Lot allows his eye’s to affect his heart, (Lam.3:51) after seeing all that Sodom had to offer, he decided to “pitch his tent toward Sodom”, but not in Sodom. By the time we come to (Gen 19) Lot is no longer a pilgrim passing through in a tent, but has “invested in earthly things” because he is now living in a house in the city of Sodom (Gen. 19:3) That was not all. He has now become a leader in this city, because he sat at the “Gate of the City” which in those times would have been like sitting on the town council. Lot did not know that that “look” back in Chapter 13 would result in the death of his wife and kids along with the birth of 2 incest children with his remaining daughters. SIN WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU WANT TO GO!!!
Chapter 14 illustrates that the Spirit-filled life is a life that is blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ, as Melchizedek, a type of Christ, blesses faithful Abram. Note that Melchizedek, whose name means “Righteous King,” is the King ofSalem(Hebrew, “shalom”) or peace, and is a priest of the most high God. Note, also that this mysterious king-priest ofJerusalem, to whom is given no human biographical or genealogical particulars, blesses Abram and receivers tithes from him. Our Righteous King, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is not of human descent, is the Prince of Peace, and the God and Lord of peace, and will soon take up his throne inJerusalemto rule as King over the entire world. He blesses those who are surrendered to Him, and He alone is worthy of tithes of all that we possess.
Those, who like Abram, acknowledge Christ’s lordship and are surrendered to Christ’s lordship in their lives hear the word of the Lord in their hearts saying, “Fear not…I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (15:1)
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
In MELCHIZEDEK, THE KING OF SALEM (Jerusalem), THE KING OF PEACE, THE PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH GOD – Gen. 14:18-20 (Psa. 110:4; Heb. 7:1-6, 17, 21; Isa. 9:6; Rom. 15:33; II Thess. 3:16)
DAY 6 –Saturday, JANUARY 7, 2012
TODAY’S READING: GENESIS 16-18
OVERVIEW:
Birth of Ishmael of Hagar; Abram’s name changed; the covenant of circumcision; Sarai’s name changed; Isaac promised to Abraham and Sarah; Abraham’s prayer forSodom.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
God had already promised Abram a son (15:4), but 10 longs years had passed and Abram and Sarai were still childless, and neither of them were, at this point, a spring chicken! Abram was 85 and Sarai was 76!
Rather than trust the Word of God by faith, Sarai turned to the world for help and sought to fulfill God’s will in the power of the flesh. (Sound familiar?) Sarai offered Abram her personal Egyptian maid, Hagar, to be assured of a seed for Abraham. (Note: The Hurrian laws from that period describe this as a custom of the day. If a son was born of that union, it would be regarded as the wife’s.) At the age of 86, Abram did receive a son, Ishamael, by Hagar.
Sarai’s dreadful decision points to one of the most difficult lessons of the Christian life, learning to wait upon the Lord (Isa. 28:16). Sometimes God places us in a position of testing our faith, and we may have to wait two weeks, two years, or as in Abram’s case, 25 years for our prayers to be answered.
The product of Abram and Sarai’s decision to run ahead of God, attempting to carry out God’s will through carnal means should teach us that there are painful consequences of trusting the power of the flesh. To this day, Ishmael (the Arabs) and Isaac (the Jews) are at war with each other and the conflict will continue until the second coming of Christ. (“The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other…” – Gal.5:17) What prayer are you trusting God to answer, or what promise are you trusting God to fulfill in which you might be tempted to get ahead of God and try to bring about in the power of the flesh?
In chapter 17, note that Abram was 99 years old and Sarah was 90. It is humanly impossible for Sarah to give birth to a child. But God revealed to Abraham in 17:1 – “I am the Almighty God.” In chapter 18 and verse 14 God asked him, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” Remember that today with what you’re trusting God to fulfill. What is impossible with men is possible with God! (Matt. 19:26)
Note that through Ishmael and Isaac, God is already pointing to the fact that He rejects the first birth (that which is born of the flesh), and accepts the second birth, (that which is impossible with men, but is possible only with God… the spiritual birth) – See John 3:3-6.
Some interesting things to note…
- God gives Abram a seal of His covenant with him (circumcision). God gives to those who are children of Abraham by faith in Christ, a seal of His covenant with us (the Holy Spirit – Eph.1:13).
- God changed the name of Abram and Sarai. Abram, which means, “high father,” is changed to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations,” reflecting his new relationship to God, as well as his new identity based on God’s promise of seed. Sarai, which means, “my princess,” is changed to Sarah, which simply means “princess.” The limiting personal pronoun “my” is dropped from the meaning of her name since she would be the ancestress of the promised nations and kings. As the seed of Abraham (Rom.4:11), God changed our name the moment we placed our faith in Christ (see Acts11:26; Rev. 3:12) to reflect our new relationship with Him, and our new identity in Him!
- God enters into an everlasting, unconditional covenant with Abraham (17:7-8). The promise was not dependent upon Abraham’s faithfulness to God, but the faithfulness of God to his own name, and His faithfulness to the promise of His Word to Abraham. As Abraham’s children (Gal. 3:6-7), God entered into an everlasting, unconditional covenant with us (John3:16; Rom.8:37-39). God’s promise of salvation to us is not dependent upon our faithfulness to God (or we’d all lose it!), but upon God’s faithfulness to His own name, and His faithfulness to the promise of His Word to us (praise the Lord!).
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the ANGEL OF THE LORD – Gen. 16:7
Note: The angel of the Lord is a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those, like Hagar in this passage, who had an encounter with the Angel of the Lord recognized that in seeing this Angel, they had seen God (Gen. 22:11-18; 31:11-13; Ex. 3:2-5; Num. 22:22-35; Judges 6:11-23; 13:2-5; I Kings 19:5-7). Interestingly, the Angel of the Lord does not appear after the birth of Christ.
As the SEED OF ISAAC – Gen. 17:19 (Luke2:23-24; Heb.11:18)