Dear New Life Family,
Well done! We are almost half-way through the Book of Genesis!
Perhaps you have been annoyed with the behavior of Noah, Lot, and Abraham as you have been reading through the One Year Bible. Their behavior at times is very disappointing. Noah gets drunk and behaves in an embarrassing manner. Abraham continues to tell half-truths about his wife Sarah. Lot settles in Sodom and there is little in the Old Testament account of his life that suggests that he had any prolonged walk with the Lord or witness with the community. Yet the New Testament calls him “righteous Lot” (2 Peter 2:7).
We see a gospel pattern emerging here, that should encourage us. God works with sinners and provides a way for them to be declared righteous, not through their works of righteousness, but by faith in the only One who can justify the ungodly. The real hero of the story is the One whose presence is hidden behind the scenes. The real Hero is the One true God who calls us into a relationship with Himself and presents us with the challenge of obedience, which in their case proves to be a prefiguring of the plan of salvation. In our case it is the actual plan of salvation centered in Christ.
By the obedience of One (God, the Son) many will be made righteous (Romans 5:19). Abel believed God and the righteousness of the Son of God was credited to Him (see Hebrews 11:4). Noah believed God, entered into God’s provision (the ark) to be saved from His holy wrath and received the gift of righteousness, as an inheritance (Hebrews 11:7). An inheritance is a gift that is received through the provision of another. ”Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness”. (Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:3;)
For the purpose of understanding the Book of Genesis, G. Campbell Morgan divides it into three sections. The first section is titled, “Generation”. Here we see God as Creator and the King of Creation and mankind made in His image to have a relationship with Him. (Genesis 1-2). The second section Morgan titles, “Degeneration” (Genesis 3:1-6:7). It is the story of sin and its impact upon society. The third section is titled “Regeneration” and picks up the redemptive narration of God calling and saving individuals with a view to providing salvation to the nations (Gen. 6:8 through to the end of the book). “The principle subject is that of the life stories of individual and representative men, (particularly) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . Throughout all these the supreme revelation is that of God seeking to restore men to obedience by restoring them to the main principle of human life, that of faith in Himself.”
Today’s readings in both the Old and New Testaments emphasize that to succeed in faith (trusting and obeying God) is to succeed in life. To fail in faith is to fail in life.
Today’s reading from Proverbs restates this theme:
“My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. “ (Proverbs 3:1-6)
In Genesis 24 we see the successful mission of finding a spouse for Isaac. Note the prophetic picture: The Father (Abraham) wants a bride for His Son (Isaac). He sends out a Messenger (who is not named and does not speak of Himself) who will communicate the good news in a far country, speak of the Son, invite the chosen one to be His bride and brings a downpayment of His wealth as a pledge of an inheritance. The messenger here is a wonderful type of the Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent to call us with the gospel to become part of His family through the gift of His Son. (See Ephesians 1:9-14)
Notice Isaac’s part in all this. He is not playing the dating game. He is trusting the plan of the Father and the work of the Messenger. He is meditating in the field with His affections set upon things above (Genesis 24:63). Remember the Proverb? Here it is again, in the New King James version: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The New Testament reading also provides pictures of people of faith, trust, and obedience:
- The leper (the only record we have of anyone responding to the Sermon on the Mount by specifically coming to Jesus) Matthew 8:2.
- The centurion’s servant.
- Jesus, as He heals Peter’s mother in law.
She is healed, not through any faith on her part, but on the basis of God’s sovereign mercy to show His faithfulness in Christ (Matthew 8:14). Jesus cares.
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Pray that the Lord will mobilize the church to complete the unfinished task of reaching the world with the gospel. Page 27 of the Book “Operation World” gives 5 specific prayer requests. Of the 16,350 people groups listed in the Joshua Project, 6,645 are counted in the Least Reached/Unreached category- 40.6% of all peoples. The total population of individuals from unreached peoples is 2.84 billion, or 41.1% of humanity.
Yours in the harvest,
Pastor David
