Genesis 25:1-28:9

Compiled notes from my BSF group

ISAAC'S CHARACTER

Isaac was obedient to not just his father but to God as well. He knew he was about to be sacrificed, but he listened to Abraham, and he followed the Will of God (Genesis 22:6-10).

Isaac was a man of God. He meditated and communicated with God about important decisions and worries (Genesis 24:62-67). For example, he prayed to God for Rebekah, who was childless (Genesis 25:21).


WE ARE TO BE MEED AND HUMBLE 

Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).

God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way (Psalm 25:9).

The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace (Psalm 37:11).

The LORD crowns the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:4).

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

God is gentle and humble in heart, and in Him, we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29).

Our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, is of great worth in God’s sight. We are beautiful because we put our hope in God (1 Peter 3:4-5).

If we humble our heart in our love for God... (Ephesians 5:21)
- Husbands would understand how to lead like Jesus leads the Church (Ephesians 5:25).
- Wives would understand how to let their husbands be the leaders of the family and lovingly support their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24).
- Parents would know how to encourage and discipline their children with love (Deuteronomy 6:7-9).
- Children would know how to respect their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3).



ISAAC WAS NOT PERFECT (Genesis 25:19–26:11)

As we consistently see in the Bible, no one is perfect -- even great men of God. Here, we see that although we are taught to love all, Isaac exhibits special preference for Esau over Jacob. Isaac loved Esau because both they both shared "a taste for wild game" (Genesis 25:28). However, we should love everyone for who they are, not just love the people who share the same interests as us.


Additionally, Isaac sinned in the same way that Abraham, his father, had sinned. Like Abraham, Isaac lied about his relationship with Rebekah because of the same fear, that the men of their residence would kill him because of his wife's beauty (Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 20).



GOD'S COMMANDS AND PROMISES TO ISAAC (Genesis 26:1-5)

Commands:
- Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where God tells him live.
- Stay in this land for a while, and God will be with him and will bless him.

Promises:
- God will give all these lands to Isaac and his descendants and will confirm the oath God had sworn to Abraham.
- God will make Isaac's descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through his offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham had obeyed God and did everything God had required of him, keeping His commands, decrees and instructions.


ISAAC'S FAITH IN GOD WAS REWARDED (Genesis 26:12-35)

God blesses those who follow Him. Because Isaac faithfully followed God, God blessed Isaac with plentiful crops and prosperity.

However, the Philistines became jealous of Isaac's success and forced Isaac to leave the land of Gerar. They filled up the wells with earth, leaving them without water (Genesis 26:16).

This conflict tested Isaac's ability to trust in the Lord during tough times, and Isaac showed strength in his faith in God:
1. He kept the wells and the names of the wells of his father, Abraham (Genesis 26:17-18).
2. He kept digging wells for water until the Philistines no longer fought with him over the wells. He did not give up or blame God for his misfortunes. And when Isaac finally found a well that no one fought over, he gave thanks to God (Genesis 26:19-22).

During this conflict, God comforted Isaac by reconfirming His promise with Abraham to Isaac: "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham" (Genesis 26:24). And with an appreciative heart, Isaac thanked the Lord for His blessing and built an altar where God had appeared to Him (Genesis 26:25).

When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7)
Because Isaac continued to walk in the Way of the Lord, God protected Isaac. Isaac remained prosperous even though Abimelech continued to try to take things away from him. In the end, Abimelech witnessed how God protected Isaac and therefore came to seek peace with Isaac instead (Genesis 26:26-33).


THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER (Genesis 27:1-28:9)

God made it clear that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob):

Genesis 25:23
The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

However, because of his preference for Esau over Jacob, Isaac wanted to give his blessing to Esau. He thus told Esau to do a favor for him so that Isaac would have a reason to bless Esau (Genesis 27:4).

Throughout these passages, we see that although these men and women of God, they were not perfect. They acted on fear and selfish wants; they deceived and cheated. There was a lot of conflict within families, even families of God! However, they always found their way back to God and continued to do His Will (albeit with many detours).

Genesis 24:1-25:18

Compiled notes from my BSF group

ABRAHAM ASKS HIS SERVANT TO FIND ISAAC A WIFE (Genesis 24:1–9)

Abraham leads his family to the Promised Land, as God had instructed him

Genesis 18:19
"For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

And having lived his last days in the Promised Land, Abraham wanted his servant to find Isaac a wife.

Abraham has two requests about the ideal wife
1. She cannot be a daughter of the Canaanites; she must be a daughter from his native land.
2. If the ideal woman is unwilling to come with the servant to the Promised Land, do not take Isaac back to the native land. It was God's will for them to be in the Promised Land, and by God's blessing, that is where their home is. There is no going back to the native land. It was not God's will!

Exemplified by Abraham, Godly parents bring up godly children
1. Love our children, because children are precious creations and a blessing from God.
Deuteronomy 7:14 
Psalms 127:3-5
Psalms 139:13-16
Matthew 18:12-14
Ephesians 2:10

2. Teach, train, and discipline our children.
Hebrews 12:6 
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Proverbs 22:6
Ephesians 6:4
Colossians 3:21
Proverbs 19:18
Proverbs 29:17


THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALWAYS THE UNNAMED SERVANT (Genesis 24:10–28)

As we have noted in previous chapters, Abraham represents a type of father, and Isaac, a type of son. Now, in this passage, we see that the unnamed servant is a type of the Holy Spirit.

The servant serves Abraham faithfully
Before trying to find the right woman, the servant prayed for God’s guidance and help (Genesis 24:12-14): "LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, ‘Drink,and I’ll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

We see that in this prayer, the servant asked for a special sign (Genesis 24:14).

Throughout the Bible, we see people often asking for REASONABLE signs from God, so that they would know that they are doing God’s will. Reasonable signs are signs that do not demand acts of unnecessary miracles. Instead, reasonable signs are simple and speak to the heart. For example, I may be sitting in the park in the summer and am praying hard about what to do. I'm split between two choices. I can pray for a reasonable sign, such as, "God, if option 1 is the best for me, please have this butterfly land on my right hand. If option 2 is the way to go, please have it land on my left hand instead." I wouldn't ask God to all of a sudden make everything be okay. I wouldn't ask God to help make all my troubles disappear.

In this passage, we see the servant applying this concept. He is there by the spring and know that the town’s young women are out to draw water. Hence, he asks for a sign that is appropriates within context and specific: May it be that when I say to a young woman, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink,and I’ll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:14).

Key things to note:
1. The servant asked for a sign that was within context.
2. The servant was specific. The sign needs to be specific enough that we would understand the answer. Otherwise, what's the point?

Simple signs, simple answers.

Similarly, in the time of Saul, Jonathan, his son, also asked for a sign using similar means.

1 Samuel 14:8-12
"If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."

Again, we see the same pattern: Sign within context but specific enough to be understood as God’s answer.


The servant joyfully gives the glory to God
Throughout this passage, we see the servant joyfully praising God for the work that is being accomplished.

Genesis 24:26-27
Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives."


The servant serves Abraham faithfully as the Holy Spirit serves God faithfully

In this story, Abraham represents God; Isaac represents Jesus, and the servant in this story represents the Holy Spirit. The servant was sent out by Abraham to find Isaac a bride. Similarly, the Holy Spirit was sent out by God the Father to guide a bride to His Son, Jesus Christ. Who is that bride? The Church, that is known as the Bride of Christ.

In the Book of Ruth, we also see that it was the unnamed servant who introduced Ruth to Boaz. (In this story, Boaz is the kinsman redeemer, a type of Jesus; Ruth represents the Gentiles; and Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, represents Israel -- We see in this story how the unnamed servant, the Holy Spirit, bring salvation to not just the Gentiles but the Israelites as well.)



ISAAC WEDS REBEKAH (Genesis 24:29–67)

Marriage is a holy covenant
Deuteronomy 7:1–4
2 Corinthians 6:14–15

I've recently wrote a series of posts, based on the teachings of Pastor Mark Driscoll, on Christian marriage, so I will not go into the details here. Instead, I list the links to those posts below:
1. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-i-new-marriage-same.html
2. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-ii-friend-with.html
3. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-iii-men-and-marriage.html
4. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-iv-respectful-wife.html
5. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-v-taking-out-trash.html
6. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-vi-what-is-sex.html
7. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-vii-disgrace-and-grace.html
8. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-marriage-viii-porn-is.html
9. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-marriage-ix-selfish-lovers.html
10. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-marriage-x-how-do-we-enjoy.html
11. http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-marriage-xi-reverse.html


ABRAHAM PASSES (Genesis 25:1–18)

With Abraham's passing, he left everything to Isaac and gave gifts to the sons of his concubines (which would include Ishmael) (Genesis 25:5).

Despite bumps along the way, Abraham showed us how we can overcome sins of the flesh by faithfully following God.

Titus 1

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

Bond Servant of God (Titus 1:1)
This is the title Paul used for himself, of all the titles he could have chosen! This term is used for the lowest of the low of slaves. It also is a term saved for those who chose to remain a slave. In the Old Testament, to pay off debt, one can sell himself to the master. In the seventh year, the slave can then be set free. There are slaves that love their master so much, they'd choose to stay with their master forever, thus becoming a bond servant. 

Apostle of Jesus Christ (Titus 1:1) 
Paul also referred himself as an apostle of Jesus, a delegate of Jesus.

Preacher (Titus 1:3)
In addition to the two titles above, Paul also saw himself as a preacher, a teacher of God's word. Preaching is critical. Paul manifested the Word through preaching.

When we gather, there needs to be preaching. Crete was not an easy place to minister. One of their own poets even wrote that Cretans were always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12). Titus was left on this island when Paul had to continue on to do God's Will.

A True Son of Our Common Faith (Titus 1:4-5)
Paul called Titus a "true son of our common faith." Paul often sent Titus whenever there was a tough mission -- Paul took Titus with him to Corinth. Titus stood up to the Jews with Paul in regards to circumcision (Acts). And now, Titus has been given the task to go around the island of Crete to set things right in the churches and to appoint leaders.

Titus were instructed to appoint elders according to spiritual qualifications. It is not by popular vote. There is no election. Titus were to pick elders according to spiritual qualifications. 

Qualifications for Elders (Titus 1:6-9)
- Man of integrity
- Blameless
- To be above reproach 
- Husband of one wife 
- Father of well-behaved children
- Not be Self-willed, headstrong, given to drunkenness, violet, pursuing dishonest gain
- Hospitable
- Loves what is good
- Self-controlled
- Upright
- Holy
- Disciplined
- Hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught

We all, not just elders, need to be well-versed in the Scripture so that we can mature as Christians and bring up mature Christians. Additionally, we can also use the Scripture to refute false doctrines and teachers.

False Teachers (Titus 1:10-16)
There were a group of Jewish teachers at the time who enforced that Gentiles needed to become circumcised to become Jews and then be saved. Paul teaches here that there is only one way to God, and that way is through Jesus.

This brings up a major question for the Jews: What's so special about them then, if Gentiles don't need to become Jews to be saved? Today, we continue to be saved through Jesus. Anyone who comes and claims otherwise, those are false teachers, who turn God's Word into religious laws. As to the answer to the question, the Jews remain as God's chosen people, and God's promises to the Jews have not yet been fulfilled but will be fully fulfilled in the second coming of Christ. Gentiles are grafted into the covenant through the Jews. We are saved through Jesus, who was also a Jew. Simply put, the Jews are not replaced by the Gentiles, and God is not done with the Jews yet.

False teachers are...
- Insubordinate
- Deceivers
- Liars
- Lazy gluttons
- Defiled
- Profess to no god

False teachers talk a good game but have no proof of walk.

What do we do when we encounter false teachers? (Titus 1:11)
The mouths of false teachers must be stopped. False teachers destroy families, and they do this for dishonest gain: money, fame, glory, etc. We must stop their lies and rebuke them WITH LOVE (i.e., Guide them to the Way as opposed to just point a finger at them and condemn them).

Genesis 22-23

Notes compiled with my BSF group

ABRAHAM IS A TYPE OF FATHER; ISAAC IS A TYPE OF SON (Genesis 22:1–19)

We can learn a couple of things from God's test for Abraham:

1. Abraham's faith in God was greater than his love for his son
We are taught to put God first, above EVERYTHING else, including family (Matthew 22:37), and Jesus warned us that when we follow Him with all our heart, we will cause a rift between us and loved ones (Luke 14:26).

From a secular perspective, it is very difficult to imagine loving God so much, we are able to sacrifice our own sons or daughters. It is very easy to take that command and distort it into viewpoints like, "How could God tell us to leave behind our family and friends? How loving could God be?" And to proponents of such blasphemous statements, I would encourage you to take a step back and first understand the greatness of God's love before unknowingly/unwillingly condemning yourselves.

Our faith in God needs to so great that it exceeds our fear. This is the big idea. Why? Because when we are afraid, and we do not lean on God but to depend on ourselves, that is when we are the most vulnerable to be led astray. And when our future is no longer based in God, what future would we have? By being solidly planted in God and being able to depend on Him regardless of our fears, we will remain in His protection, and we can rest assured in His promises.

Our faith will be tested, whether by God or by Satan. This is to show what is truly in our heart. Only true heart that has great faith in the Lord will survive the test (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

It wasn't that Abraham didn't love Isaac. It was that Abraham loved God so much, his love for Isaac was minuscule in comparison. Abraham trusted God, and he trusted Isaac in the hands of God. This is the kind of faith that saves.

2. Abraham and Isaac were a foreshadow of a greater Father and a greater Son

John 10:17–18; 18:11
Philippians 2:8


Throughout the Bible, we see God works in PATTERNS. In this case, the pattern that God has Abraham set was to show what God was ready to sacrifice. On that same mountain, God, the Father, will sacrifice His Son, the Perfect Lamb, to atone for the sins of people. 

Isaac carried the wood that would have been used to burn him. Jesus carried the cross that He would be crucified on.


Isaac obeyed Abraham, even though he knew he was being offered up as sacrifice. In the same way, Jesus obeyed God, offering Himself up as sacrifice, drinking the cup of wrath for all mankind.

It is important to note that Isaac was not a little boy when this happened. He was an adult of about 30 years old. He knew what he was doing, and he still did it. 

Both Abraham and Isaac showed great faith in the Lord. Abraham is a picture of God the Father, one who had to offer up his son for the sins of his people. Isaac is a picture of God the Son, one who had to WILLINGLY die for the sins of the people.

When Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb was, Abraham replied, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8). This shows tremendous amount of faith. Why? First, God told Abraham that through Isaac, a great nation will be born, his offspring will be as numerous as the number of stars (Genesis 15:5). Yet, God also told Abraham that he needed to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2). Any other person facing this request would be bewildered. I would be scared. How could we possibly bear to sacrifice our own child? However, Abraham had great faith. He knew that what is impossible for man is not impossible for God. He KNEW that God is faithful. And so, if God promised him that Isaac would be the father of numerous offspring, and if God also required him to sacrifice Isaac, then God will also have a way of bringing Isaac back to life (Hebrews 11:19)! This is why Abraham didn’t answer Isaac's question by telling him that God required to sacrifice him. Instead, Abraham told Isaac that "God will provide the lamb!" Because Abraham knew God will not let Isaac die. And if Isaac was sacrificed, God would raise him from the dead!

When our faith in God is so much greater than our fear, we can then allow God to work His miracles in our lives!


Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Abraham’s faith saved Isaac, and so there is joy. Abraham’s faith is greater than his love for Isaac, so there is joy. Abraham’s love for God is greater than his love for Isaac, so there is joy. Abraham knew that God is the only way. If we die a part from God, then nothing we hold dear in this world would matter, because all materialistic things will perish, and we will perish in Hell. However, if we die IN God, the God is faithful, and He will keep His promise. By having faith in God, Abraham can rest. He may not be able to save Isaac, but he KNOWS God can. This is why despite not knowing what would happen, Abraham was still able to follow God with joy – because he KNEW God would protect him and Isaac, despite what had been asked of him.

Similarly, Jesus knew He died for mankind. He knew that with His death, He would restore everyone to God. And that is a joyful thought. This was why Jesus died with joy, even though His death was very brutal.


ABRAHAM TOOK GOD LITERALLY (Genesis 23)

In Genesis 23, Abraham bought a burial site for him and his wife (and family) in the land that had been promised to him by God. By purchasing a portion of the Promised Land, Abraham ACTED on the faith he had in God’s promise -- He had no doubt God would fulfill His promise, and he did not think God was speaking metaphorically about the land. He acted on God's promise literally by making sure his family had a place in the land of God's provision.

Epiphany and the Magi

From the January 01, 2013 eNews issue
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The beginning of the new year is not the end of the holiday season in Sweden. No, the Swedes also get to take off work on Epiphany – January 6 - just a few short days after the end of the Christmas break. Lucky Scandinavians. Sweden is one of the very few countries that gives public honor to Epiphany, and many Christians these days don't even know what this holiday - celebrated 12 days after Christmas - is all about.

Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi who traveled across the known world to pay homage to the young King of the Jews. They came out of more than mere curiosity. While we don't know the exact date of their arrival, their journey must have begun months, perhaps years before they reached Mary and Joseph's new home in Bethlehem. They also brought with them gifts that bore powerful prophetic significance; gold reflected the kingship of Jesus the Messiah; frankincense was a spice used in the priestly duties; and myrrh was an embalming ointment that signified Jesus' death.

The Magi also hold the honor of being the first gentiles known to have come to worship Jesus. The Messiah was born in Bethlehem to the Jewish people, but He came to be the Savior and Lord of all nations.

The 12 Days of Christmas
Straight No Chaser, the men's acapella group at Indiana University, does a unique and entertaining version of The 12 Days of Christmas that has been all the rage on Youtube for a couple of years now. What many people don't realize is that the 12 Days of Christmas actually begin at Christmas. During centuries past, these were 12 days of celebration that were filled with feasting and gift-giving until the Twelfth Night – the evening of January 5th - the day before Epiphany.

The Magi
The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia. (Contrary to popular belief, the Magi were not originally followers of Zoroaster. That all came later.)

It was in this dual capacity whereby civil and political counsel was invested with religious authority, that the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the Persian Empire, and continued to be prominent during the subsequent Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.

The Role of Daniel
One of the titles given to Daniel was Rab-mag (Dan 4:9; 5:11), the Chief of the Magi. His unusual career included being a principal administrator in two world empires: the Babylonian and the subsequent Persian Empire. When Darius appointed him, a Jew, over the previously hereditary Median priesthood, the resulting repercussions resulted in the plots leading to the lion's den (Dan 6). Daniel apparently entrusted a messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment. But first, let's cover some historical background.

The Political Background
Since the days of Daniel, the fortunes of both the Persian and the Jewish nations had been closely intertwined. Both nations had, in their turn, fallen under Seleucid domination in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Subsequently both had regained their independence: the Jews under Maccabean leadership, and the Persians as the dominating ruling group within the Parthian Empire.

It was at this time that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental office, composed the upper house of the Council of the Megistanes ("magistrates") whose duties included the absolute choice and election of the king of the realm. It was therefore a group of Persian-Parthian "king makers" who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod. Herod's reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime.

Theophany
Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany with another focus; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist. Epiphany, which means "to manifest" or "to show" in Greek, is often also called Theophany by the Eastern Church, because it is Christ's presentation to the world as the Son of God.

As John the Baptist said:
"He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." -John 1:33-34


All these traditions and celebrations point to a very important truth - that the Son of God came to Earth. The God of the Universe sends both the wise and the meek of the earth to worship Him. May we continue to worship and serve Him every day of this new year and present to him the gifts, not of frankincense and myrrh, but the living sacrifice of our lives - to use for His awesome will.


Related Links:
• Who Were The Magi? - Koinonia House

Miracles do not contradict science

From the December 25, 2012 eNews issue
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"Everything was black as far as you could see. We looked out from the top of that hill and it was totally black, except for what was around Mr. Davies' house." -Sheri Munson

Today's secular scientists maintain a skepticism about miracles. They tend to discount the miracles of the Bible out of hand because of an anti-supernaturalistic bias, a bias that rejects the possibility that a mighty God intervenes in human lives in obvious, tangible ways. Yet, miracles did not only occur in the Bible; they continue to take place today.

In order to do their jobs, scientists have to depend on the natural world – these four dimensions (three dimensions plus Time) that we can directly experience with our five senses. Scientists are dependent on experimentation that can be repeated over and over and still give the same results. Science is an excellent tool for learning about this world around us, and scientists have freed the our understanding from much superstition by hunting down the natural causes of things previously attributed to the gods, things like sickness and lightning.

However, just because science depends on the "natural" world doesn't mean the physical realm is all that exists. It just means that science is limited in what it can explain through experimentation. And yet, physicists have already provided evidence that there are many dimensions beyond the four we know best.

What's more, things happen on this planet every day that defy naturalistic explanations. God still does miracles all the time. In honor of our amazing Savior, we will tell about modern miracles in the lives of people close to our ministry. In every case we have verified the miracles through two or more reliable witnesses.


MR. DAVIES AND THE IRON CANYON FIRE

It rained a lot in the desert north of Los Angeles during the spring of 1958, and the grass grew tall over the normally brown mountains. That fall, the hot Santa Ana winds came through and dried up that tall grass, priming the area for trouble. Southern California is known for its dangerous wildfires.

Doug Austin was 15-years-old in 1958, and he describes the fierce fire that swept through the desert from Saugus to Palmdale that fall. "We called it the Iron Canyon Fire because it started in Iron Canyon when lightning struck. My dad and I were driving down the road alongside it, and that fire was going just as fast as we were in my dad's truck."

Up on a lonely hilltop in that area lived an old black man known as Mr. Davies. "We'd take pies up to him on Thanksgiving. He was a nice old guy," Doug recounts.

Sheri Munson was just 9-years-old, but she also remembers Mr. Davies. "We would ride our horses up there to his house. His house was made out of nothing but cardboard and tin and pieces of wood that he'd found around. He had a few chickens and that was it. We'd ride up and sit on our horses and he would tell us stories about Jesus. "

That year when the Iron Canyon Fire raged through, Sheri remembers being very worried about Mr. Davies. As soon as the burned land cooled enough for their horses to pick through the hot spots, Sheri rode her horse out to see if Mr. Davies had escaped. She hoped that the old man had been able to get out before the fire destroyed his little patchwork house. It turned out that he had not been able to get out of the way of the fire after all.

"We came up the hill on our horses," Sheri tells, "and all of a sudden, when we got to the top, we were in tall grass up to our horse's shoulders.

There was Mr. Davies' house in the center of it all with his little chickens out there. We could see a long ways from that hilltop and it was black all around, as far as you could see.

"We said,'What happened, Mr. Davies! What did you do?' He said, 'I saw the fire coming,' and he went out there and pointed, and he said, 'and I went out and got on my knees and prayed, and asked God to spare me, and I saw the fire split and it went around me on both sides and it came back together over there.'"

"If you were to take half a football field and make it round, that's how big it was. Everything except what was around his house was burned black,"; Sheri said.

"There was no reason, no reason his house should have been standing." Austin commented, giving the same description of the blackened mountainous desert. "Mr. Davies was a religious man," he finished.


Sheri said, "It was fifty years ago, but I can still remember sitting on my horse with the grass clear up to his shoulders, talking to Mr. Davies. And the thing of it was, it just seemed so normal." She paused. "Mr. Davies was pretty excited."

God still does great things in this world. Science may have a hard time finding the true explanation, but just because science is limited, God is not. We see Him working constantly in the lives of His creation to show His great love and mercy and to demonstrate His power and glory in this
world.


GOD AND THE TEENAGE BOY

On Easter Day of 1994, 14-year-old Derek Munson informed God that he did not believe in Him anymore. For years he had stood up for God in the presence of unbelievers, but he hadn't felt like God ever showed Himself. The scientific evidence appeared to contradict the Bible. The testimonies of Christians he'd been reading seemed hokey, and he decided the whole Christian thing was empty and meaningless.

He told us, "I told God, 'If You exist, You're going to have to show me You exist. I'm tired of being the outcast because I'm a Christian. I'm going to go live my life the way I want to live it.'"

"I was going to make up for lost time. I was all of 14," he laughed.

Derek visited his mother in Idaho, and the Wednesday after Easter she made him attend a Wednesday night church service. Against his will. "That youth group service was the lamest service I had ever attended," Derek said. "All they did was sit around in a circle and ask each other their names and their favorite color or something. The only reason I remember it was because it was so lame. It stuck out in my memory because of its lameness."

"See," Derek said, "for those three days between Easter and that Wednesday, I had been angry at God. I was bitter, and I had a bad attitude about everything, and I was trying to change the way I had been thinking. Before this, I had always tried to approach things with a godly attitude. You know, 'How would Jesus handle this?' But, now, I was trying to approach things with a self-centered, me-first, whatever makes me happy attitude. I figured if there was no God, then I would live for me."

After the youth service, Derek returned to the main sanctuary, where a variety of people were lying on the ground. Derek had never seen anything like this before in real life. He'd seen it on television, but his Dad attended a Presbyterian church in Issaquah, Washington, and people didn't get knocked down there. They wore suits and ties and sang hymns and held respectable services.

"So, I went up to the pastor, interrupting his prayer for somebody else. I was completely rude. I didn't even realize I was interrupting him, that's how rude I was. I said to him, 'Would you do that to me?' I just wanted to know what it was like."

The pastor said, "Yeah, sure. " He explained to Derek that it was the Holy Spirit that did it, and not him. Then he patiently told Derek to wait his turn and returned to praying for the woman he was with before Derek interrupted. Derek stood by, waiting for his turn. His mother told us, "I actually didn't want to wait for him to get prayed for, because I was ready to go home. I wanted to go out to eat, get some food. You know."

While Derek listened to the pastor pray for the woman in front of him, "a tiny tiny fire" started to burn inside his chest. "Like a match, but smaller than a match. It started growing and growing and growing. It was weird, it started heating me up. I remember it felt good, and the bigger it got, the better it felt." It started pulsating. "You have to understand, he hadn't even started praying for me yet. I'm starting to sweat. My knees were starting to shake and my eyesight is starting to... everything is starting to get transparent."

While this is going on, the pastor approached him and asked why he needed prayer. Derek told him he'd been having doubts, and the pastor said, "Oh, that's no big deal. We all have doubts sometimes. I have doubts."

Derek told us, "I don't remember at what point he started praying for me or how long he prayed for me. I stopped paying attention to him, because I was concentrating on this strange, awesome feeling growing inside of me. It was a fire, and then I started seeing through things. I started seeing through the walls; I could see everything.
"The best way I could describe it, if you could stand on a railroad track with a train coming at you a thousand miles-per-hour, and you're blindfolded, and the electricity increases, increases, increases, and you know you're about to get smacked, but you don't know exactly when-"

Then, came the explosion. Derek's mother said, "I just saw him fall down. Then I thought, 'Oh no. We're going to be here all night.' You have to remember, I wanted to go 20 minutes ago."

Derek's brother Tyler said, "It looked like somebody hit him. Like he'd actually gotten knocked down." Big men couldn't pick up this skinny, 114 lb, teen-age kid. For two hours Derek lay there, held down by what felt to him like a massive hand, and nobody could pick him up.

"I didn't know what it looked like. It felt like there was an explosion of awesome power, and I was in the presence of God. I knew it. It was only a tiny drop, and I knew that."


The presence of God overwhelmed Derek that evening. Jesus spoke to Derek and told him certain things; his whole family would be saved. His sister Heather would do a great work for God. (At the time, Heather had no interest in Christianity. Five years later, she would wholeheartedly begin following Jesus, and she now works for a ministry in Bellevue, Washington.) Most importantly, the Lord told Derek, "I love you. You're forgiven. You're going to Heaven. Don't worry."

In fewer than five years, Derek would go on to join the Army. He fought in Kosovo and Iraq. He got a job as a tower climber, hand-over-handing it up 2000-foot-high towers to change the light bulbs at the top. Today, he works as a miner in the Silver Valley, drilling holes in the earth a mile under the ground. Despite his life experiences, he's never felt able to adequately describe the power and love and security of the presence of God using any earthly comparisons.

"You know how you go up a tall roller coaster, and there's that moment when you go over the lip of the roller coaster, and you see down?"

Derek tried to explain. "But, we're not talking about a scary ride here, we're talking about a really good feeling. It was so intense, it felt like you were being electrocuted. Super powerful, but it doesn't hurt at all. Then pretend that anybody that you ever really loved, people you've lost, suddenly walked into the room. Now, think of that great book, the greatest book you've ever read, when you finish it, you still don't want to put it down, you want to pick it up and start reading it again. Try to crunch all those feelings together. Now, jump out of an airplane..."

Derek interrupted himself, tears in his strong, full-grown man eyes. "You know... I've been on big roller coasters, and I've since jumped out of airplanes and climbed really tall towers and I've been shot at, and now that I've experienced all those things, I realize how insufficient they are to describe it."

"And now imagine that you're a kitten and you have your big bad lion dad standing there, and you're hiding behind his legs and nothing's going to get you. Absolute security. You feel solid, like everything is absolutely going to be okay. There is nothing to fear. Right? There's no fear. And you realize that all of this - this is why it has nothing to do with us. It's all because God is good. He is good. And I didn't feel any judgment for having been calloused or childish toward God. There was no condemnation at all. It was a complete reversal of what you'd expect."

Since that day when he was 14, Derek will tell anybody he can about the love of God and how it's not about our goodness. "It's all about Jesus - it's about his goodness and his righteousness, and his love for us," Derek loves to say.

Most of us never get the opportunity to get hit with a drop of the power of God, and yet we know the overwhelming love that God has for us does not depend on our feelings. It doesn't depend on our righteousness or our understanding. Derek didn't deserve a visit from the God of the Universe, but God gave it anyway. We are a body. When God touches any member, we all get a glimpse of His power and the incredibly gracious heart He has for each one of us.

Thank you, Father, for the miracles You do every day in healing and rescuing and saving us. Most importantly, thank you for greatest miracle of all, born in a stable 2000 years ago. We love you, Father.





Related Links:
• Faith And Miracles Part I: Faith in What? - K-House eNews
• Faith and Miracles Part IV: Expecting The Unexpected - K-House eNews
• Faith and Miracles Part VI: But If Not - K-House eNews

Genesis 20-21

Notes compiled with my BSF group

ABRAHAM LIED ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SARAH (Genesis 20)

Abraham lied because he was afraid but did not trust God
Abraham was afraid that the kings would not find favor in him or that the kings would be jealous of him because of the beauty of his wife and so Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah.

However, instead of taking his fears to God, Abraham made false assumptions, manipulated, lied, and cheated. And as we have seen before (Genesis 20; Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 21:22-34), whenever Abraham takes matters into his own hands, disaster results.

God judges ALL sinners
Abraham sinned, and God disciplined him accordingly. However, we see in the examples below, just because we have been sinned against, that does not give us a free pass to take advantage of the situation.

Abraham lied to both the Pharaoh and King Abimelek about Sarah. Yet, instead of keeping a righteous heart like King Abimelek exemplified (Genesis 20:3-9), the Pharaoh had a sinful heart with Sarah and was judged. King Abimelek, on the other hand, remained righteous, and God rewarded him by preventing him from accidentally sinning.

We all have things that we are afraid of or are worried about. Instead of taking these worries to God and just talk to God about it and seek God’s help, we take care of these situations using our own methods.

We can become a curse rather than a blessing when we stop trusting God
Because of Abraham's sin, all females in the kingdom of Abimelek could not bear any children.

When we do not trust God, we will not follow His Will. When we do not follow His Will, we will walk to wrong places that lead us into danger. Worse, we may lead others into danger as well.

To those who follow God, God is merciful and gracious
Instead of just judging Abraham, God guided Abraham to righteousness because He knew Abraham had God in his heart.

And through God, Abraham gave blessings to King Abimelech, and the two formed a treaty (Genesis 21:22-34). God thus also healed the people (Genesis 20:17-18).


WE CAN TRUST THE LORD (Genesis 21:1–7)

God's promises to Sarah were all fulfilled (Genesis 21:1-2)
1. The LORD did for Sarah what he had promised (Genesis 21:1). 
2. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him (Genesis 21:2).

Abraham's faith led to the birth of a great nation
Because of Abraham’s faith, Abraham had a son, Isaac. And through Isaac, the great nation of Israel was born (Romans 4:18-21).

Isaac was born because Abraham did not weaken his faith. Even though he faced the fact that his body was old and that Sarah’s womb was dead, he knew God had the power to fulfill His promise. God accredited the faith of Abraham as righteousness. This was not just to praise Abraham but also to encourage us as well. That if we show the faith of Abraham, we, too, will have our faith be accredited as righteousness. And when we have the faith of Abraham, we will be born through Jesus, who has delivered us from death, whose resurrection justified our sins.

Ishmael was born according to the flesh; Issac was born as the result of a divine promise (Galatians 4:22-23)
Ishmael was born according to the flesh. Isaac was born because of Abraham’s faith in God’s promise. When we are born into this world, we are born in the flesh – Like Ishmael, we are not born into a promise of a divine promise. However, when we are born again in the spirit by receiving Jesus, we are born like Isaac and will inherit the promise of God through Jesus.


SIN NEEDS TO BE REMOVED (Genesis 21:8–21)

Ishmael sinned in the same ways as his mother, Hagar, had sinned
When Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s son, Ishmael, she started to despise Sarah (Genesis 16:4). And like his mother, Ishmael mocked Isaac, Abraham’s first-born son through Sarah (Genesis 21:9-10).

Hagar and Ishmael symbolize sin

Through Hagar and Ishmael, God is setting a pattern. He is showing the world that His inheritance is given to only His people. We may take things into our hands and try to make things happen according to our will, but God will only bless those who belong to Him.

Through Hagar and Ishmael, God is sending us a message: We need to remove sin from our home.

How could Isaac grow up in an encouraging environment if Ishmael was always around to beat him down? Similarly, how can we expect to mature as Christians, when we continue to expose ourselves to the same sins day after day? In order to move forward, we must remove the things that we know are unrighteous in the eyes of the Lord.


God continued to care for Hagar and Ishmael
Even though God deemed Hagar and Ishmael to be bad influences around Isaac and therefore should be separated, God continued to take care of Hagar and Ishmael. God continued to be with Ishmael, making Ishmael also into the father of many nations.

Our new nature is in constant battle against our sinful flesh
We are born in the flesh, which has inherited sin from Adam and Eve. Our body is of sinful nature, susceptible to temptation and the continuation of sin. When we receive Jesus, we are born again in the Spirit and receive our new nature. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our fight against sin – This is a process called sanctification. Even though we are born again in the Spirit, but because we are still in our sinful flesh, we need to actively rely on the Holy Spirit to help strengthen us as we fight against sin and temptations every day.

Romans 6:11
Galatians 5:24
Our walk with God is a continual walk. When we accept Jesus, that is our first step. We are born again, and we are spiritual babies. Like real babies who grow and mature, Christians need to continue to grow and mature as well. We start to learn the difference between right and wrong, and in order for us to become better, we need to fix our bad habits. 

Removal of Ishmael from Abraham’s home is a symbol of what we need to do with sin. Ishmael was born because of Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith in God’s promise. Ishmael was born because of Abraham and Sarah’s sin. God told Abraham to remove Ishmael from his household. God is not being heartless and inconsiderate. In fact, we see that God continues to take care of Ishmael, even after Ishmael left Abraham’s household. Why did God told Abraham to remove Ishmael? Because Ishmael was persecuting Isaac and has become a great obstacle to Isaac’s growth.

Isaac was the first-born who would receive God’s promise, and God will protect Isaac to ensure that His promise is fulfilled. But because even the smallest bit of sin can ruin the greatest of plans, Ishmael had to be removed.

Similarly, in a Christian’s life, we cannot tolerate sin. Once we have learned right from wrong, we need to make sure we remove the wrong in our lives, the sins in our lives. If we tolerate sin, then we will slip right back into living a sinful life. That would not be walking with Jesus. That would not be us becoming more mature in the ways of God.

Let God control our heart
Romans 8:14
Galatians 5:16-25
Just like Paul encouraged us, we need to die each day in our sin, so that we can stop ourselves from sinning. We die in our sins to receive life through Jesus. And like what Paul said, our lives do not belong to us. Our lives belong to Jesus. Therefore, surrender our will to God, and allow Jesus to accomplish God’s Will through us.

Live for God. Do not live for ourselves. Jesus died for us so that we can have eternal life. To conquer sin in our lives, we cannot rely on ourselves, because we are still in our sinful flesh. To conquer sin in our lives, we therefore must rely on God through the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is a three-step process
The first step is justification. This is COMPLETELY done by Jesus. When Jesus died on the Cross, He cleansed us of our sins. That is, He justified us. 

The second step is sanctification. This is done through the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot battle against our sinful flesh. However, with the Holy Spirit, we can receive guidance to steer away from sin. This is called sanctification. 

The last step is glorification. When we receive our resurrected bodies, we will be glorified. Our resurrected bodies will no longer be the sinful flesh that our spirit resides in today. Our resurrected bodies will be PERFECT. This is why once we receive our resurrected bodies, we will again be able to eat from the Tree of Life. 

In this life, we are reborn in the Spirit – Our spirit, through Jesus, has become PERFECT. When we die and receive our resurrected bodies, our bodies will then also become PERFECT. With our spirit and flesh completely cleanse of sin, we can once again be in the presence of God and eat from the Tree of Life.


LIVE GOD'S WAYS (Genesis 21:22–34)

The best way to prove to people that we are Christians is through our actions. I believe that is what Abraham did. People knew God’s presence with Abraham because Abraham LIVED as a man who was completely devoted to God.

1. Abimelek recognized God was with Abraham and trusted that as long as they formed a treaty with God as their witness, the treaty will be recognized (Genesis 21:22-24).

2. When Abraham had troubles with Abimelek’s people, they were able to work together to develop a treaty that worked for both of them (Genesis 21:25-31)