Bible Reading Reflection from Genesis 21-30

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟙:𝟙𝟟

"God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.’"

Hagar's life was destroyed by her master and mistress. They were supposed to protect her, provide her and preserve her. However, they have molested her, driven her out, and even left her to die.

What a [bad] master and mistress! Do you have a complaint against your boss, employer, CEO, CM, PM, DC, etc.?

Well! God didn't seem to be very angry with Abraham and Sarah like we would want God to do against our employer who misused [have wronged] us. Think about that, next time you curse your employer or those in power.

Hagar and Ishmael were crying, but it's not recorded any of their complaint or their curse. And God had compassion for them. That's the way how we go through any injustice: not by cursing others, but by crying out to God for His compassion.

And v20-21 furthermore reveals how God was with them throughout their days. Hagar is a good example of a victim, actually!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟚:𝟙𝟘

"Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son."

Some people didn't believe that Jesus died to satisfy the demands of the Father. They said that it would be tantamount to child abuse.

I heard that even N. T. Wright endorsed a book that says the concept of Atonement is portraying a child-abusing God.

Well, God asked even a mere man, Abraham to kill [forget about abusing] his son, the horrific death of sacrifice, cutting the body in half. It's not even strangling to death. It's not a 5-minute kill. It's hours long sacrifice.

Why wouldn't God kill His Son, if a mere man Abraham could? God could because Jesus was more willing, even than Isaac. Moreover, Jesus is God, He can raise Himself up. And He rose again!

Call it child abuse, or whatever, that's the Gospel.

Some may say that loving and getting married to one woman is selfish, why not share spouses? Redefining good and evil. Calling good evil and evil good!

Sin makes people stupid. Professing to be wise, they are fools!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟛:𝟙𝟛

"He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, 'If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.'"

Mighty people are honoured everywhere. They get freebies [favour and gifts] everywhere.

They [even] often misused their privilege. They often owed many things to many people and hardly realize those.

Suppose, you are DC or SDO and your son is crying for ice-cream, any of your staff members would be quick to get ice-cream for him.

Abraham isn't interested in freebies. He is not taking anything for free. He paid them well!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟜:𝟛-𝟞

"So that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living"

“Be careful never to take my son back there!” Abraham told his servant."

Determined. Faithful. Conservative. Wise. God-honouring.

Tired of people who are quick to compromise. Professing and becoming liberals, they have no spine to die for, just protesting, disdaining, and killing others. Look at Abraham!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟝:𝟠

"Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people."

Wow! He lived his life to the full! A satisfying life lived. It's not only Abraham's faith or his life we love, we may as well like his death!

He died a happy man, a satisfied man! Let's think about that!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟞:𝟚

"The LORD appeared to him and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.'"

What a chapter is this. It begins with famine and ends with prosperity. It begins with Abraham fearing Abimelech, and ends with Abimelech fearing Abraham!

The challenge was real. The circumstance was hard. But God's commandment was true as well. Isaac obeyed and behold what a change of fortune!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟟:𝟚𝟘

"Isaac said to his son, 'How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?' And he said, 'Because the LORD your God caused it to happen to me.'"

Using the name of God to deceive his own father and brother. Well, how many times have we sinned in the name of God?

Telling lies, insincere confession, disingenuous expression using “Raguang Zaozian pan khou rui" [“by the grace of God”] in unrighteous achievement, activities, etc.

Even for richness through corruption, job through bribery. Achievement through cheating. Successful exam result through copying etc. Huh!

Children of Jacob!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟠:𝟞-𝟟

"Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, 'You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,' and that Jacob has 𝕠𝕓𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕕 his father and his mother and 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕘𝕠𝕟𝕖 to Paddan-aram.”

There's a good thing in Jacob despite his deceitful nature. (Like Loki in Marvel Cinematic Universe, huh?)

He obeyed his father and mother. What does the Bible say concerning children obeying their parents?

Furthermore, he didn't marry a Canaanite woman, for which his grandfather Abraham would be grateful.

Esau disobeyed. BTW, [do you remember] why was King Saul rejected? To obey is better than what...? [1 Sam. 15:22-23]

Jesus obeyed to the point of what? [Phil. 2:8]

And how do we make disciples of all nations? Teaching them to what? [Matt. 28:19-20]

And what did Jesus say of our demonstration of love for Him? If you love Me, you will what? [John 14:15]

And that lovely hymn sings, "To be happy in Jesus is but to trust and...." What? [Obey!]

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟡:𝟚𝟙

"Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.'"

Jacob stayed in Rachel's home. They loved each other. Obviously, everyone knew them. Everyone had no problem with their affection for each other. It was 7 years already. Yet Jacob and Rachel maintained their sexual purity.

What that [stupid wicked] people cannot maintain their purity!? What [stupid wicked] people have a live-in relationship before their marriage!

What [wicked stupid] people went on date to have sex and see if they can be together!

What [wicked stupid] people compromised their marriage bed before marriage!

We will see again in Joseph [a chaste faithful young man]. Indeed, Jacob, his father had been a role model for Joseph to maintain his sexual purity!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟛𝟘:𝟛

"She said, 'Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.'"

Sin is messy, ugly, and dirty, huh! It doesn't stop there. Leah did the same! If this is not messy enough, look, Jacob took advantage of them!

Leah was sad that Rachel, her own beloved sister will not give up on her husband Jacob. Yet she is more than willing to give her ordinary maid to Jacob for her selfish sense of security!

She didn't want Jacob to sleep with even her own sister, who actually had always been his real lover. Yet she had no problem, Jacob sleeping with someone under her control, her maid! What a selfish hypocrite!

Indeed, it was plain jealousy, a jealousy that leads to greater sin, a kind of sin which is far beyond logic, irrational, stupid, wicked, and unimaginable!

The Scripture recorded it to show the stupidity and wickedness of sin. Sin is always around us, we must be on guard at all times!

Bible Reading Reflection from Genesis 11-20

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟙:𝟜

"They said, 'Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.'"

Highly advanced in technology, able to build a skyscraper.

Technology should be used to worship God, not to sin against God!

Mobile phones should be used to help us live a righteous living, not a sinful wasteful living.

Calling up people through the phone could be mostly good. WhatsApping biblical stuff like this [sharing reading-reflection] is good.

Zoom meeting technology for the church program is good.

What are bad?

Wasting time on YouTube for useless stuff. Wasting time in useless games. Wasting time in useless movies etc.

Well, that's building a tower of Babel in our life! And don't wonder if your life is full of confusion!

I also found myself wasting time on YouTube, movies, etc.! My Babel Tower is also very high already

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟚:𝟙𝟠

"Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?'"

Don't deny your wife or your girlfriend for your selfish interest. God will take the side of her.

Something to keep in mind until we die! 🙂

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟛:𝟡

"Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left."

Wow! Abraham gave the first choice to Lot. What an unselfish individual was he!

Most people do things based on their interest, even fixing a date [day] for a program. Of course, there are always some people who also say [indecisive, going with the crowd], "What's good to you is good to me too!" Learn to differentiate them.

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟜:𝟙𝟜

"When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan."

Look out for your relatives! Remember 14:14 of Genesis!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟞

"Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."

Interesting revelation! God will bless Abraham with the riches of this land but only after 500 plus years. Now, [look to ourselves,] we want blessings now [impatience].

Also, Abraham’s blessing will be through dispossessing others. God, taking the inheritance of Amorites and Canaanites, and giving to the children of Abraham. God is set to destroy the Amorites. He is prospering them to be given to the Israelites.

God is righteous and sovereign. The blessings of Israel and the judgment on Amorites had providentially coincided!

Abraham didn’t see the realized promised land, because God's plan is bigger than himself. God is bigger than us. Whether we live or die God is working! Like a game of chess in a good way!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟞:𝟚

"So Sarai said to Abram, 'Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai."

So far, this is the 2^nd time a husband listened to his wife, the first was Adam.

Each time, it was a failure of the responsibility of a man concerning righteous and moral things. They were about trusting God: Adam to trust God and not eat the fruit, Abraham to trust God for a son and not have another wife.

On both occasions, the wife gave an evil counsel. I'd like to think the evil counsel didn’t originate from the women. Perhaps, both the thoughts occurred to Adam and Abraham too. And the wives instead of helping them to stand strong, the wives pushed their husbands in the wrong directions!

One Interesting thing: Mary the mother of Jesus asked Jesus to do something when the wine ran out. What did Jesus reply?

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟟:𝟙

"Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.'"

Abraham was known as the friend of God, the father of faith, and the patriarch of God's people. And he was 99 years old then. What did God command him?

If Abraham at this age was commanded to walk with God and be blameless, what makes us think we are doing well in our life?

Don't look at other Christians and be thinking "I am not different from them. I do like them. I am sure I am doing well"

Perhaps, they are walking in the broadway that leads to damnation. There are only a few who are finding [forget about walking] the narrow way.

Look at people like Abraham and Paul if you want to compare. Your friends are probably false converts. Don't look at anyone to justify your spiritual slumber. However, look at anyone even at a sinner to mortify sins!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟠:𝟙𝟝

"Sarah denied it however, saying, 'I did not laugh'; for she was afraid. And He said, 'No, but you did laugh.'"

Fear does two opposite things: revealing the truth and concealing the truth!

In both ways, they are done to protect oneself from any harm! A kind of selfishness!

Hydra men [Nazis] would rather die of cyanide in interrogation than reveal the truth [Captain America Movie]! And Polycarp [a faithful church father] would rather be burnt alive than deny the truth that Jesus is God!

Well, we seem to be more like the children of Sarah! Watch out for Fear and Falsehood.

 

𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕤 𝟙𝟡:𝟜

"Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter."

Ancient people were extremely wicked. I am afraid this wickedness is thriving again, particularly in America and if it happens in America [the capital of the world] then it shall be exported [and imported] everywhere. But there's a man, Lot, who lived righteously.

What a picture of God's power to preserve us from sin, even when the world around us lives in sin.

We can be holy. We can be faithful. We can remain in purity. We can be disciplined. We can overcome all temptations and trials. Because God lives in us. In the words of Steve Lawson, "The perseverance of the saints is the perseverance of the Saviour in the saints."

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚𝟘:𝟞

"Then God said to him in the dream, 'Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.'"

Is Abraham a good role model for husbands? Definitely not! He loved his life more than the abusing of his wife. He would rather have her be molested than himself be killed. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps, he had a plan that we aren't told.

Paul exhorts husbands to love their wives to the point of laying down their lives. Abraham’s action is doubtful.

Peter warned husbands to love their wives and be understanding or else their prayers will be hindered. Is that one of the reasons why Abraham's prayer for a son is hindered for over 50 years?

However, God is a just God, and He would even kill every one of the King's men to protect Sarah!

What a comforting verse for the weak and oppressed!

 

Bible Reading Reflection from Genesis 1-10

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day] 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙:𝟚𝟟-𝟚𝟡

27 "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

28 "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"

29 "Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.'"

First God created in His image. Then He blessed to procreate. Then He said He has given all for food.

Creating. Blessing. Giving!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟚:𝟚𝟜

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be 𝕛𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕 to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."

Notice the verbs: Leaving, Joining, Becoming.

He becomes independent, but not to live as he likes, but to be joined to his wife. A wife needs security, not a divorce, or a separation.

Husband and wife are one. They are responsible for one another, yes, even for the sins of one another!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟛:𝟜

"The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die!'"

Is this not the attitude, thinking, and strategy of man?

God says that it's wrong to do this and that, yet we keep on doing, believing we won't be dying that soon for such particular thing.

That's from the mouth of the serpent, from the pit of hell, an idea we have been given by the serpent, and some ideas never die easily!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟜:𝟙𝟛

"Cain said to the LORD, 'My punishment is too great to bear!'"

Cain negotiates for a lesser punishment. Well, God didn't relent. Rather, as an answer to Cain's pleading, God allowed him to have the assurance of protection from anyone wanting to kill him.

That mark of assurance is a warning of punishment, a greater punishment on anyone who kills Cain.

Punishment multiplied!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟝:𝟚𝟙-𝟚𝟛

"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years."

365 years for all the 365 days in a year, huh! Except that there were no 365 days in their calendar. 😂 Enoch walked with God all the adult days of his life. What a life to imitate!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟞:𝟙𝟚

"God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth."

Oh, the plight of man! God looked down on earth. None was righteous except for Noah, whom He had declared righteous.

Mankind is still the same. Corrupted ever as it was. There's no more catastrophic flood (and won’t be anymore) because He is planning for far worse punishment— fire.

Like Noah, God sees us righteous, yes, even in our failings, not because we are sinless, but because God has clothed us with Christ's righteousness.

God is still angry with the sinners, and judgment is coming soon! Inevitable destruction!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟟:𝟙𝟠

"The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water."

The same water that drowned the millions to death kept the ark afloat!

As Spurgeon once remarked, “The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay”

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟠:𝟚𝟘

"Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar."

When was the last time you were thinking the first thing you will be doing when you reach your room was to kneel down and thank the Lord? I can see that in Noah, God has preserved him and his family!

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟡:𝟚

"The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given."

No wonder why and how animals fear man. No wonder that man dominates this world. No wonder that animals have the instinct to run away from man when they see a man.

Indeed, animals should respect man because man saved them all in Noah's ark!

I guess man is much older than all animals on earth. Noah must have taken young animals into his ark, whereas he was 600 years old already.

 

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼𝕊𝕀𝕊 𝟙𝟘:𝟛𝟚

"These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood."

And as God blessed them, they multiplied! “The word of God shall not return void,” says the Prophet Isaiah.