Genesis 5:1-7:24 + Matthew 3:7-4:11 + Psalm 3:1-8 + Proverbs 1:10-19
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Old Testament – Today in Genesis chapter 5 we read about the genealogy from Adam to Noah. You will note that there are some long life spans here in this genealogy! I do believe these ages in this genealogy are literal for the following reasons offered up by many Biblical scholars: 1. the human race was more genetically pure in this early time period, so diseases did not shorten life spans; 2. no rain had yet fallen on the earth – until the next chapter – so the expanse of water above the earth protected people from environmental factors; and/or 3. God gave people longer life spans so they would have time to fill the earth – per Genesis 1:28. Below is a portrait of Noah and his wife by Guy Rowe:
In Genesis 6 we read about the Flood. Most evangelical commentaries say that this was a literal flood that covered the entire earth, which I agree with. Below is “Noah’s Ark” by American folk painter Edward Hicks from 1846:
Chapter 6 verses 5 & 6 stood out to me in today’s readings: “Now the LORD observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart.” I think it was this last sentence that really stood out to me – It broke his heart. God’s heart was broken over our behavior. I love realizing that God has this type of compassion and care for what we do. What we do matters to God! When we are obedient and faithful and loving, God rejoices! When we are not, it breaks his heart. I hope it encourages you to know that God did not just create you and doesn’t really care whether you do well in this life – he is rooting for you! He wants you to run the race well and receive the prize!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Genesis titled “Coming to Grips with Genealogies” is at this link, “The Flood” is at this link, and “The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men” is at this link. Please click on this last link to learn more about the Nephilim from today’s readings in Genesis 6:4. A quote from this link is: “According to this view, the ‘sons of God’ of verses 2 and 4 are fallen angels, which have taken the form of masculine human-like creatures. These angels married women of the human race (either Cainites or Sethites) and the resulting offspring were the Nephilim. The Nephilim were giants with physical superiority and therefore established themselves as men of renown for their physical prowess and military might. This race of half human creatures was wiped out by the flood, along with mankind in general, who were sinners in their own right (verse 6:11,12).”
New Testament – Today’s Matthew readings are incredible on so many levels. We begin by reading about John the Baptist scolding the Pharisees and Sadducees! John is not joking around here… I think one verse that really stood out to me was verse 8: “Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.” and verse 10: “Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” I think what I hear John saying here is that we are called to truly repent and change our ways. Not just to say some nice words or just show up to church on Sundays – but to be transformed. Our lives should be visibly different from our past if we have really turned from our sins and turned to God. And this change will be evident by our lives producing “good fruit” – examples of which can certainly be seen in any of the Ten Commandments or loving our neighbor as ourselves and above all loving God with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength. Our lives should look very different from our past. Do they? Does yours? Below is a stained glass image of John the Baptist used by permission and copyright held by cambridge2000.com/gallery:
Verses 16 & 17 are phenomenal as we see the three persons of the Trinity interacting with each other! God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him.”” Jesus’ baptism is very significant because it is the act that opens up the public ministry phase of Jesus’ life.
Now – I think what happens just after Jesus’ baptism is something each of us should take heed of – the devil comes in full force after Jesus. I heard someone tell me just before I was baptized many years ago that whenever we make a public declaration that we love God: the Father, Jesus the Son, & the Holy Spirit and that we want to follow Him, the devil and temptation very likely will appear. The devil isn’t happy when we are moving forward in our love of Jesus and loving others – and he wants to derail it. And that’s what we see here in chapter 4 – God: the Father, Jesus the Son, & the Holy Spirit have just declared “Game On!” with Jesus’ public ministry via the baptism – and then who should show up coming after Jesus? If the devil showed up to tempt Jesus, don’t you think he might try to show up in our lives when we are starting something big in our faith walk? Fortunately, Jesus gives us all the answers we need in chapter 4 to thwart the devil’s attacks.
Chapter 4 verse 4 I believe is one of the most important verses for us to commit to memory in all of the Bible: “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, `People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.'” (NLT). Or, you might recognize this verse a bit better in NIV format: “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” This is such a powerful spiritual truth that Jesus is conveying – we will not live full and true lives if we live simply on bread alone. We need spiritual nourishment – food – from every Word of God. Where do we get this Word of God? You got it – the Bible. And note that Jesus says “every” word of God. This means the whole Bible is spiritual food for us. All of it. Not just the parts we like the best. 🙂 We can learn something and be nourished by even the long genealogies! Seriously. So – I want to applaud you for going through the One Year Bible – you will be getting nourishment from “every” Word of God this year! Below is an oil painting by Juan De Flandes from 1504 – (he actually painted this piece for Queen Isabella of Spain’s private altar at that time):
One other important point to make in Matthew 4:4 and the 2 other temptations in this chapter. We see the devil tempting Jesus with things that may look enticing to Jesus or to us. But they are lies. And note – this is important – how Jesus fends off the devil’s temptations and lies – by quoting Scripture! Jesus knew Scripture (well, yes, technically He is Scripture…:) The point is this. I do believe that we need to do more than just read the Bible. We need to memorize many portions of the Bible to protect us when the devil is attacking. If we have Scripture memorized, when we are tempted, we can quickly call to mind a verse or two that will bring us back into right state of mind – focusing back on God: the Father, Jesus the Son, & the Holy Spirit and their love and strength available through the Holy Spirit. If we don’t have Scripture memorized, as Jesus clearly did in this chapter, we are at risk of falling prey to the deception and lies of the temptation. So – I am mostly preaching this to myself! 🙂 But, I really want to do more memorization of Scripture this year. I have several verses down – but not enough. Proverbs 3:5-6 certainly comes to mind for me often when I am worried or stressed and it transforms my state of mind immediately! What can you apply in your life today based on how Jesus rebuked the devil’s temptations?
Very important to note is what happened when Jesus rebuked the devil’s temptations with Scripture, the Word of God, in verse 11: “Then the Devil went away.” Amen to that! 🙂
Bible.org’s commentary on our readings today in Matthew titled “The Baptism of Jesus” is at this link, “The Temptation of Jesus, Part 1” is at this link, “Satan’s “Leap of Faith”” is at this link, and “The Third Temptation of Jesus” is at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 3 is a wonderful Psalm of David’s, when he was fleeing his own son Absalom – details of which we will read about later this year. Verse 5 stood out to me today: “I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.” God watches over us as we sleep! I like that a lot! I hope this verse comforts you as you sleep tonight!
Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 1 verses 17 and 18 teach us this today: “When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away. But not these people! They set an ambush for themselves; they booby-trap their own lives!” I think these verses basically say that birds are smarter than those who conspire to do harm to others – Are you with me on this thought?? 🙂 Speaking of smart birds and one who conspires to do harm to another…:
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Matthew about Jesus modeling to us how to defeat Satan’s temptations with the Word reminded me of Matt Maher’s beautiful song “Lord I Need You” performed here live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaVPupbNFAo
Do you know you need the Lord? Click here to Need Him!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray for God’s leading in ways that He might be calling you to memorize Scripture this year. Pray that this year you literally will live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Pray for our world to repent and not live on bread alone, but on God’s Word.
Comments from You and Questions of the Day: Back to my reflections above about how Jesus rebuked the devil’s temptations today with Scripture. Are you memorizing Scripture on a regular basis? Are you bringing Scripture to mind when faced with temptation or sadness or whatever ails you? I would love to know which verses you have found useful in your life? Do you have advice on how to best go about memorizing Scripture? Will you join me in my plan to memorize more Scripture verses this year? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
======= Ramona:
Several verses caught my eye in this reading, the first is:
1) 1When God created people, he made them in the likeness of God …3When Adam was 130 years old, his son Seth was born, and Seth was the very image of his father. (Genesis 5:1,3 NLT)
Hmm, First man was made in the image of God, and subsequently all the others were made in the image of his father, Adam. There is a BIG difference when we have an image of the original then when we make an image of the “copy” so to speak. (Could this have something to do with the sons of God/daughters of men? Just a thought and I’m not throwing out a theology.)
2) Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years.
(Genesis 6:3 AMP)
I used another translation for my second eye-catcher. “My Spirit will not forever strive with man for he is ALSO flesh.” The image God made Adam in, in my humble opinion, was not after our outward appearance. There was something else about us that was placed within us that reflected God’s image back to Him. I think that is a hint for me, for us to get off of the skin color, straight hair curly/nappy hair, wide nose thin note, big lips thin lips kick we find ourselves on in an attempt to demonize each other.
3) It’s not so much as what you know but who you know.
But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord. This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked [in habitual fellowship] with God.
(Genesis 6:8-9 AMP)
Noah’s sons and daughter-in-laws were given favor by God not because of their righteousness but because of their father’s righteousness. Proverbs 13:22 states:
A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.
(Proverbs 13:22 AMP)
Our lives are lived not so much for ourselves but for our progeny. What kind of inheritance are we leaving?
Grace and peace,
Ramona
======= Thomas:
A few things grabbed my attention in the readings this morning:
1) As in Genesis 3, I can see another little picture of Jesus in Genesis 6, in just a few verses. Genesis 6:8, Noah is the chosen one, the only righteous one (7:1). Then in 6:19 every living thing goes in to the ark. Now this connection is tenuous, but the ark as we will come to read (ark of the covenant) is the vessel which holds God’s promise, so in a way, Noah’s ark also contains God’s promise – his promise to keep Noah and his family alive. In 7:16 we read that the LORD closed the ark behind Noah – God seals his promise.
2) Last year I was struck by how the readings in the different sections tie up, and it happened today! Proverbs 1:10 reads, ‘My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.’ And over in Matthew 4, this is what we see; The Son is being enticed but does not consent.
3) If we are in Christ, then we become children of God (cf. John 1:12). Regarding the ‘sons of God’ and ‘daughters of men’ I tend to think that it might be the two family lines that split from Adam and Eve. On one hand is the line of Cain, who ‘went out from the presence of the LORD’ (Genesis 4:16) – this may be the daughters of men, and on the other hand is the line of Seth, a line of people who ‘call[ed] upon the name of the LORD.’ (Genesis 4:26). Don’t forget to compare Matthew 24:36-41 with this passage. I could very well be wrong, but maybe it’s in the same train of thought as Paul when he writes that believers should only marry ‘in the Lord.’ (1 Corinthians 7:39). Perhaps compare also Malachi 2:11? My thoughts are still being formed on this topic.
4) I can agree with Mike’s comments about how the devil comes in full force after Jesus was baptised. It is very true – I was baptised about 18 months ago and that night my confidence in Christ came under attack from Satan, attempting to convice me that what I had done was merely for aesthetics and didn’t mean a thing. But Praise God for His victory!
I am setting about memorising one verse a day from the readings, posting them up on my blog. For today, Proverbs 1:10 is the one to remember for me.
Peace,
Thomas
======= Pastor Jim:
Mike you asked about memorization material – aids. This is a long one condense if you need to.
WHY MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE?
1. To avoid sin.
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.”
Psalm 119:11
2. Out of obedience.
“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments, and live;
and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers,
write them upon the table of thine heart.”
Proverbs 7:1-3
3. In order to resist the devil
In Matthew 4 (which was in today’s reading), Jesus was tempted three times by the devil, and each time He quoted scripture back saying “it is written…”. In the end (v. 11) the devil left Him. We too can do that, if we lay up His words in our heart through memorization. John 14:26 says: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
4. To teach our children.
“And these words,
which I command thee this day,
shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house,
and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down,
and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
5. To be prepared to share the Gospel
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear:
1 Peter 3:15
We are commanded to put on the armour of God which includes putting on shoes of preparation to share the Gospel. Ephesians 6:15 says “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Memorization is one way to be prepared to share the Gospel.
That you may answer. Proverbs 22:20-21 says “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?”
6. To overcome our own will
Then I said, I will not make mention of him,
nor speak any more in his name.
But his word was in mine heart
as a burning fire shut up in my bones,
and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
Jeremiah 20:9
In this time of Jeremiah’s life, God’s word had been made a “reproach” and a “derision” daily. So Jeremiah had a bad attitude and decided that he was no longer going to speak out for God. But God’s word was burning inside him, and he could not stay silent.
Here´s a good Bible Memorization Plan:
1. Choose a topic
2. Find a verse and write it on a card
3. Read the verse several times for meaning
4. Set the verse aside until tomorrow
5. Read the verse phrase by phrase, looking away from it as you begin to remember the words. Repeat several times
6. Do this for five days in a row, or until you can remember the whole verse and its “address” (reference) without a prompt
7. Use weekends to review memorized verses.
This is a part of a series of lessons on memorization.
Hope it helps!
Pastor Jim
======= Jason:
Hi everyone.
I got a late start on this years readings just this morning. Thank you Mike for doing this. My wife and I read through the entire bible the first few years of our marriage but haven’t the last few. I’m excited to do it again this year. It definatly is spiritual food, and when we don’t eat we get spiritually weak and starve. I’m a youth pastor and weekly I remind the kids of this verse in Matthew. Your right, I think it should be one of the top two or three that everyone should memorize.
I like memorizing scripture by writing the verse on a card and reviewing and meditating on it through out the day. I usually resolve to do it each year but never make it past the first few weeks of February. But I will try again.. I like the idea of putting it on a PDA or something similar… Making it a priority befoore we indulge in other kinds of media… It’s all about priorities right? So guys, I’m looking forward to hanging out reading God’s word this year with you!
Quickly, In reading the first few chapters while catching up this morning, I thought Genensis 4:26 was interesting, “at that time men began to call upon the namme of the Lord” Wow I wonder if that was a time of revival in that age… ? Just a thought..
======= Betty:
What a great reading today. What struck me was Genesis 6:8, the “But Noah”..how remarkable and amazing God’s heart of love that despite the sinfulness seen in his creation, for the presence of one righteous man, God saved him. It goes to show that one man can make a difference. God’s personal attention to each of us, His knowledge of everything we say, do, think….wow. It’s wonderful to know that God makes exceptions and that the “but” could be us. Along that same vein, Romans 5:6-8 “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. BUT GOD showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Praise God, He changed the course of mankind because of His unfailing love for us.
Betty
======= Laura:
On 6:1-4. There are a couple of additional theories on the identity of the ‘sons of God’. One that sounds a bit wacko but actually as fair support is that the sons of God are angels/demons (the phrase probably means this in Job 1:6; 2:1; and 38:7). Another theory is that the sons of God are not demons but demonized individuals. All three theories have plusses and minusses. The bottom line, though, is that sin was running wild and God judged via the flood.
On the gender discussion, note that there are two Hebrew terms translated ‘man’: adam and ish. ‘Adam’ can be translated as ‘human’ in most instances. The male human was named after the race, “Adam”. The other term, ‘ish’, has ‘man, or male human’ as its primary meaning. This is the term used in Gen 2:23.
Anyhow, a few things really stuck out this morning: In Genesis, I find it amazing that God rescued humanity because one man out of all humanity found favor. God had decided to wipe us all out and start over, but Noah found favor. Thank God for his favor. Thank God for the one Man who has found favor: Jesus… on that note…
In Matthew, every time I read of the Father’s blessing on the Son, I tear up a bit: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus has found favor and as the God-Man, those who trust him rather than themselves share in his favor. How cool is that!
Laura
======= Sean:
Matthew 4:6 sticks out to me because the devil is using Scripture. It is important to know the entire Bible. Sometimes people will use quotes from the Bible to promote what they believe or justify actions. This verse helps me see the importance of looking at the big picture first. It was weird for me to think of the devil trying to use scripture while tempting Jesus.
Sean
======= Ramona (2nd post today):
Matthew 3:7-4:11
I had resolved for this New Year that I would focus my thoughts and ramblings on the Old Testament because there are so many more posters on the Blog this go ‘round, but alas, interesting things, verses and thoughts didn’t adhere to my resolution.
Jesus the Son of God, sinless and righteous directed John the Baptist to Baptize Him. John thinking and knowing that Jesus was sinless at first balked at this task. His thoughts, and I must confess, my thoughts tend to go the way of my own understanding and not God’s: that to be baptized must mean we are sinful. Jesus’ need to be Baptized blows my little theory out of the water.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. But John protested strenuously, having in mind to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me? But Jesus replied to him, Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]. Then he permitted Him.
(Matthew 3:13-15 AMP)
Good is not good unless it is righteousness. Righteousness is doing the will of God not the will of man. It’s all about what God says and not what man says or thinks.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
======= Timothy:
What strikes me most about Genesis Chapter 5 is this: it’s the death chapter. Yeah, it lists all the incredible ages that people lived to – and I don’t have any problem whatsoever believing this is literally true. But more importantly, after every one is listed, the Word says…AND HE DIED. Man that is truly sad. It takes me back to when God told Adam, “if you eat of this tree you shall surely die.” Before the fall there was no death. It must have been a truly foreign concept to Adam. It certainly wasn’t just a concept now. Sin brings death – always – every time – full stop – no questions asked.
Timothy
======= Kristy:
Why is it there the distinction between ‘sons of God’ and ‘human women’ (Genesis 6:4)? Are we not all sons and daughters of God? Are we not all human? Or am I just being oversensitive…? Hmmm.
Kristy
======= Sarah-Jane:
Hey everyone,
Kristy, I too was somewhat alerted and confused when I read about sons of God and daughters of man. I also think this might be referring to a generation of women that came out of Cains bloodline. Unfortunately Cains bloodline became a cursed generation and I think this may bear some relevance as to why women in this context are labelled Daughters of men, as I think they may be descendants of Cains bloodline. I do not think that this refers however to all women, as it clearly says in Gen 1:27 “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male AND female he created THEM”. Incidentally, I think it’s worth saying that the word Man is part of the word WoMAN and I believe therefore when God refers to man that he refers also to woman, as we were created by God from man in the image of Christ.
I am overwhelmed by the depth of Gods emotion in Genesis 6:5-6…
“The Lord saw how great mans wickedness on the earth had become…. The Lord was grieved…and his heart was filled with pain”
I also love this verse because so many of my friends who don’t yet know God will often (and fairly) argue that if there is a God how could he allow such evil to happen in the world. I am always more blown away by the heart cry of my friends ‘doesn’t he care’? ‘If he did care then why?’ I think this verse is an awesome verse to explain the depth of Gods love and the pain he experiences when he sees the sins of the world a thousand times over. It is worth noting that this point does not finish there… It goes onto say in Chapter 8 (soz I got carried away with reading today) v.21 “…Never again will I curse the ground because of man EVEN THOUGH every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood… never again will I destroy all living creatures” I believe that despite mans wickedness and sinfulness that God suffered pain when he wiped out humankind (other than Noah) and for this reason he vows never to do it again. They are my thoughts I hasten to add.
Finally… I know I’m writing a long one today!
Psalm 3:3-4 What an encouragement. I particularly like the line “you bestow glory on me and life up my head” I picture myself sometimes with a downcast face (like you sometimes see in children or in lovers, then their parent or partner takes their chin and lifts it up) and God taking his hand and lifting up my chin towards his glory. There is something so gentle but strong about that verse…
Enough from me. Blessings to you all
Sarah-Jane
======== Sue:
Kristy and Sarah-Jane, please read what Mike shared about this at
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=67
It offers three considerations about who the Sons of God were (most convincing to me is the “fallen angels”), and it would also explain why the flood was necessary, as God certainly would not want to provide salvation to fallen angels or their offspring, eh?
Sue
======= Anka:
There’s a beautiful picture,Enoch walked with God inspite of all the wickedness around.Today the issue of clean and unclean animals struck me because I thought this only came up when Israel was given a culture to follow by God.I see a lot of indications of commnunication and God revealing Himself from the start.
Funny that Lamech whose name was first associated with polygamy and killing two men give birth to Noah..Guess here again Noah had to decide who to follow,God or family tradition.Noah had one wife,no criminal record..I really can’t see any verse that Noah’s sons and daughter in law were also righteous…could Noah have interceeded for his family?(These are the musings of a girl praying for her unsaved family).Also signs of God’s judgement were evident,His people were building an ark that must have been huge,putting together the world first’s zoo….Even Lamech hoped God’s curse would be lifted
“Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from (G)the ground which the LORD has cursed.”
Yet though God still communicated with His people,His laws though not written were known,the people ignored the signs…they could have asked God…but they chose to go with what they knew/what was popular/what was comfortable………………………………………………………………..
“(E)Therefore bear fruit (F)in keeping with repentance”
Another passage that stood out today,how many times have I repeatedly repented over the same issue…Guess,my memory verse this week should be”22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires”…as well as other verses that have “self-control”in them…
God bless you all
Anka
======= Sally:
My children and I find that we learn scriptures best through song. We sing them! If the scripture you want to remember has not been put to music, we make our own composition by using any well known tune …
Sally
======= Kitty:
Mike, your reflection on scripture memorization is fantastic! That really encouraged me to commit to memorizing Scripture on a regular basis.
The verses I have found useful in my life are many, and two examples are Philippians 4:6-7 & Romans 8:28. Check them out and memorize them if you can!
The insights Mike had on Matthew 4:4 about us needing to live on every Word of God is so important. I am so glad to have joined all of you to read the bible in one year.
Also, your list of lessons of memorisation is great Jim!
Kitty
======= Jenny:
I definately love John’s boldness in Matthew. he paved the way, he never considered himself great, he said, One is coming who is far greater, One who’s shoe straps i am notfit to buckle. John must have been so blessed! wat an amazing purpose in life!
Water baptism means nothing if we are not renewed on the inside and baptitized in the Spirit. Our hearts must be circumsized, we must put off the old man, reckon him/her dead, and put on the new. When we truely repent and Christ enters our lives, we are saved. Its an inward change and only can be done by the power of the spirit. Outward acts may testify to what happened on the inside, but outward acts alone, within the change inward is worthless.
I was thinking about Jesus’ temptation…I often saw pics when i was a kid of this hideous devil speaking with Jesus. I believe it was a temptation like we face…we dont see it, its our inward thoughts, subtle…like say we find a wallet full of money and we feel this urge to take the money…that is satan tempting us. We must obey and use of scripture is very necessary, for example, just saying in your mind over and over, ‘tho shall not steal’. the enemy will flee. the enemy appeals to our individual desires. No matter what, we can always cry out as Peter did when he was sinking, ‘Lord, save me!’ when your tempted with watver, cry out to God, Lord svae me! DEFINATELY memorizing scripture for our indidvidual attacks/temptations is critical…it is soooo powerful. i wasted too many years trying to fight off temptation on my own instead of grabbing the sword, the word of God!
Also VERY important to see in Matt 4…satan knows scripture! He will use this in our temptations…we must be discerning!!!
In Psalm I loved: “But you are a shield around me, O LORD”. How true…to fully trust God has your back at all times is such a peace and comfort.
v. 8 “From the LORD comes deliverance”. I love this…so true!
v.3 stood out for me as well: “Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’”
…this is a reminder not to listen to others, ppl may discourage us, both unbeleivers and believers (in my life anyhow). But trust the Lord, listen to Him, dont receive what the naysayers speak. (in fact there are many unbelievers in my life that are more supportive than sum believers! they will encourage me to trust in my God! whereas some of the believers in my life have discouraged me.) Its very imprtant to build each other up, especially those of the same faith! How awful when we tear our brothers and sisters down!
Prov: “if sinners entice you, do not give in to them” this reminds me of the other day’s readings, eve enticed adam. But in the end, it was adam’s fault for his sin and eve who blamed the serpant, it was her sin as well. We should not give in when enticed, but when if we do, we have NO one else to blame but ourselves. Lets not pass the buck, but take responsiblity for our wrong!
Gen has more great history! Wow, some old peeps. I would not want to live on earth that long! How cool, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away”. This is the only man that didnt have a physical death….he was just raptured out. Lucky guy
Another verse that stood out: “My Spirit will not contend with man forever…” God will not strive with hardened hearts forever..there is a point where God will give people over to their sins, tho know God is very patient and longsuffering.
Gen 6:6 touched me as well, “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain”. aaaaw :(( I know I have pained the Lord many times.
I believe it took Noah like 40 yrs to build the ark? around there…and he was mocked by the ppl, this guy making this huge boat for this suposed flood…they thought he was off his rocker. Oh but, why or why did God allow the cockroach, potato bug, and those nasty things to remain, haha. Its amazing tho, God had control of those animals.
notice Gen. 7 tells Noah to go in the ark and the rain will begin in 7 days…God was giving ppl time to repent…God is always gracious!
I definately believe in the literal flood…there were seashells found at the top of the Hymalayas…there’s all kinds of evidence to support that! Love today’s readings!!
Jenny
======= Mae:
When I read about Noah, it makes me think back when I was a little girl. I used to have a cassette from The Ark of Noah. I remember hearing the rain fall down, I was pretty scared to hear it! It sounded like a huge flood in my own room! Funny to think about how I thought about it when I was a little girl, I thought of it as a “Exciting story!”, never understood why there was a flood. I remember God telling Noah to make the ark, but I never wondered why. But I did know that Noah was pretty lucky that God told him to build an ark, that way he was saved! And I still feel that way! Noah and his family were lucky to be the chosen ones!
I like reading Matthew. I saw 3:16 marked in my Bible “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;”. I marked it during my readings in the week after I got saved. The Pastor gave me a little book that I had to study in the first week of my rebirth, he told me that it was an important week. In that week I read about Jesus being baptised. I recognize what you wrote “whenever we make a public declaration that we love Jesus and God and that we want to follow him, the devil and temptation very likely will appear”. I had a hard week after my baptism. I really didn’t know what happened. I had thought that weren’t mine, I had moment that I was scared in my own house, I was impatient towards Jaden, I wanted to go to the midweekservice and got a temporary flue that only lasted 3 hours. I didn’t know what happened! I was not myself! Finally on Sundaymorning I went to church, I got sick Sundaymorning but I faught myself through that, I got into the car, I hardly saw a thing, I was so sick! When I arrived in church I cried all the way to the altar, I got on my knees and prayed together with one of my sisters. After the service my pastor layed his hand on my forehead and that was the moment of relieve! I faught for a week and then finally the devil left me alone 4:11 “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him”. I didn’t know what happened to me that week. My pastor told me that I had ‘attacks’, I didn’t know it had a name! I didn’t know everybody goes through that from time to time. I had my struggles, but not like in the week after my baptism. That was so heavy and intens … Now I know that if that happens again I just have to find my way to go to church. Sick or not sick, just make sure to get there. So I can pray at the altar. The devil just doesn’t want me to go to my Fathers house. But now I’ll make sure that I’ll get there! No matter how sick I am!!!
Again such a wonderful Psalm!!! Verse 3 stood out for me “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head”. Because of His strength I can lift my head up high, no matter what! Thinking of myself as being His child makes me lift up my head. I want God to shine through me while I lift my head! Because of Him I am the person that I want to be!!
Proverbs 1:17 stoot out for me today “If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away”. Well, let me be a bird then!!! I mostly stay away when I see a trap being set. But I can be naive from time to time or I can trust people when they say “It’s not a trap, it just looks like one”. You know what I mean? But I surely want to teach myself, or I have to say “have God teach me” to recognize a trap and to stay away from it!
Mae
======= Gina:
WOW! People lived really long! I’m with Jenny on that one, I wouldn’t want to live that long. I thought it was funny how God says in Gen 6:3 “My spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years” – Kind of like God got tired of all our sin and takes away years of our life. Just a reminder that God is in control…He gives and he takes away.
Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist says “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” – I love that! It’s so reminds me that I need to continually confess and turn from sin in order to still be productive for God. If there is unconfessed sin in my life, there is a barrier between me and God and I probably won’t be as effective in resisting temptation, sharing my faith or obeying God the way that I should.
I also like to be remineded of my baptism. I was baptized as an infant but when I got saved, I wanted to come up out of that water so badly! And when I finally was able to…WOW…what a feeling of freedom! I will cherish that day forever!
Psalm 3 is just awesome for me and my husband right now. We are praying for a new job for him because he travels ALOT with the one he has now. Psalm 3 reminds me that God has our back…He is in control and He is the shield around us. Even when it feel like the enemy is coming at us from all angles, God sustains us to keep pressing on and trust Him. I also love the verse that says “from the Lord comes deliverance” – what a great memory verse in times of any trouble!
Proverbs is great! Even though we need to be around non-christians in order to share Jesus with them, we do not have to “be enticed by them or give in to them” – I know some of my friends do things that I no longer do – it’s tough saying “no” sometimes and being the outcast – but because of my own convictions, I know there are certain things that I can no longer be a part of or I wll fall back in to my old ways! I love my non-christian friends…even thought they think I’ve fallen off the deep end, I love them and pray that God will open their eyes and heart to Him!
Gina
======= Sue:
Genesis 6
1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
Or, hey! anyone here have a problem with motion sickness? I don’t think they were issued any Dramamine!
Angels are depicted as women in our culture.
Yet I believe every angel in scripture has been described as masculine.
Where did we get this concept of angels being feminine? We put them on the tops of Christmas trees, they are portrayed as babies in pictures, and yet each time I read about angels in scripture men are in such awe of them that they fall to their knees, and how frightening would it be for feminine or infantile angels to be guarding the garden of Eden?
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150 days of flooding! That is five months folks! You get stuck in an ark with all those bleating animals, feeding all that livestock, cleaning out all the excrement, and trying to eat with that stench, you BETTER be righteous, or there is going to be a problem, HOUSTON! *LOL*
I live in the Pacific Northwest, and science has determined that the amount of rain here causes depression in many people, and they advise heat lamps to treat the depression!
Just imagine if you don’t get along with your mother-in-law in that ark!
Or not just TWO women in the same kitchen–you have FOUR women now who perform their tasks with their personal ritual.
Oh, and how about all that testosterone, guys? Brothers notoriously are having spats!
My what a ride that must have been for five long months!!!
Or, hey! Anyone have problems with motion sickness? I don’t think they issued any Dramamine back then.
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Matthew 4
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'[a]”
I think of how God created the heavens and the earth, this was all SPOKEN into existence. Scripture says our days are numbered! It is only because of the WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD that accounts for our very existence at this moment!
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Selah
I don’t know exactly where I heard that this means: Meditate on this.
I think it may have been through one of Bill Gothard’s seminars–anyway, whenever I see “Selah” in the Psalms, I pause (I hope I meditate too).
Sue
======= Elizabeth:
Hello,
Grace–I am not sure how literally we are to interpret “striking his heel” in Genesis 3:15. This excerpt from the Believer’s Bible Commentary offers one pretty good interpretation:
“…this verse is known as the protevangelium, meaning “The First Gospel.” It predicts the perpetual hostility between Satan and the woman (representing all mankind), and between Satan’s seed (his agents) and her Seed (the Messiah). The woman’s Seed would crush the Devil’s head, a mortal wound spelling utter defeat. This wound was administered at Calvary when the Savior decisively triumphed over the Devil. Satan, in turn, would bruise the Messiah’s heel. The heel wound here speaks of suffering and even of physical death, but not of ultimate defeat. So Christ suffered on the cross, and even died, but He arose from the dead, victorious over sin, hell, and Satan. The fact that He is called the woman’s Seed may contain a suggestion of His virgin birth. Note the kindness of God in promising the Messiah before pronouncing sentence in the following verses.” -William MacDonald, BBC
I love that last sentence about His kindness–how great is His mercy and love for us that He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him ( through Christ) BEFORE he meted out the consequences of sin. He is truly merciful!
On another note, I was thinking this morning about how Genesis leaves me wondering about many things. For me, it raises as many questions as it answers. In this regard, it reminds me a lot of the book of Revelation (which also leaves me wondering). Interesting that the Lord chose to frame His word with these two books that fill me with questions and wonder.
It’s very human, I think, to want to understand every detail of where we came from and where we are going, and I find it interesting that the Lord chooses to give us some of those answers (in fact, the MOST important ones…like that HE made us (Genesis)…that He made a way to be reconciled to us despite our sin, and that He will return someday and finish what He started (Revelation).
But in between, there are many mysteries about the specifics that He has chosen to leave open and on the table….
I struggle with some of these issues when I try to teach my children how to defend our creationist beliefs against the particulars of evolutionary theory or exactly how the flood impacted animal life on earth…or that bizarre passage today about giants and sons of god/daughters of men reproducing (Genesis 6:4).
BUT, having allowed that, I like what Mike said in his Genesis commentary today about not getting so lost in parsing particulars that we lose sight of the purpose and point of the whole. Of course, I don’t want to “reduce” the Bible or over simplify (I love that God welcomes thinking minds). But in my mind, at some point we have to allow that there are mysteries out in His word that He has chosen not to fully reveal.
I find this to be true in my practical life as well—I’ve walked through difficulties and circumstances that I didn’t fully understand His purposes for at the time (and some I still don’t).
And I suspect that “faith” comes into play through all this–that struggling with such issues strengthens our faith.
…just thinking (albeit muddily),
Elizabeth
======= Amber:
Mike you asked about bible verses that we have memorized that help us out. Well I have never been a great memorizer but the holy spirit does bring some to rememberance. But I wanted to share two verses that have helped me in difficult times. The first was in our readings today. Psalm 3:5 “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” I always like to remember this verse when I am afraid. Also just before bed because I think about the Lord as I lay down to sleep and it really helps me to sleep in peace. I feel his presence is right there with me.
Also 1 Corinthians 10:13
13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I love to remember this verse when I am tempted and to remember that even our Lord was tempted but sinned not. This is definitely a scripture to memorize and tell the devil when he is tempting you. It has helped with me.
Mike when you say we need the scripture to overcome temptations I am in wholehearted agreement. I will share a little personal story. I have not been reading my bible or praying in quite some time now. Sometimes I slip out of these good godly habits. Well as a person doesn’t do these things reading and praying temptations come more often and are more likely to be succumbed to. I am just saying this as an encouragement to everyone to keep reading and keep praying it really does make a difference.
In Christ,
Amber
======= Trudy:
Hi Ramona,
I really like the comment and question that you asked: “Our lives are lived not so much for ourselves but for our progeny. What kind of inheritance are we leaving?” It reminded of a couple of scriptures that really spoke to me last year when I was studying the Life of Moses with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) http://www.bsfinternational.org/ (If anyone is not familiar with this Bible study group, please check it out to see if there is one in your area. It is the best Bible study that I have ever come across. It is a gift from God. …and it is FREE!)
The scriptures that really spoke to me regarding your post were:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)
In the past, I attended a small church where one of the ladies organized “Mother’s Day” and “Father’s Day” appreciation events. I remember one service in particular that touched me very deeply. It was a God fearing great grandpa and grandma who had all of their children and children’s children giving testimony to being raised up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. It is a great blessing from God to be raised up in a Christian home. …and a great privilege and responsibility for parents to raise children up in the Lord.
Trudy
======= Tosin:
The verse that struck me in today’s reading was Genesis 6:9 where it talked about the righteousness of Noah.
‘ 9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.’
This seems to correlate with all the righteous characters I have read about so far. John the Baptist and Joseph, in their actions you witness their devotion to God and their fear of the Lord. Their obedience and dedication to God’s will and their actions do not go unmissed. It challenges me in terms of my actions and my obedience. Does God notice my righteousness? Does he consider my actions that of someone who is righteous? It challenges me to fix up.
Also, Matt 4:4 challenged me.
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
I used to be able to learn and commit scriptures to memory but in recent years this has not been a strong habit of mine. This has challenged me to become more deliberate in the memorising of the word. I want to research and see the best way I can do this effectively. I would love to hear ideas and methods others have used to commit bible verses to memory!
Tosin
======= Jennifer:
I was struck by the difference in our lives if we are seeking God and following God. In the geneology it simply states “Enoch walked with God, then he was no more because God took him away.” Noah walked with God and was chosen to represent man on Earth. John the Baptist took up his place as God had asked, and Jesus — God was well pleased with his son. All of these are examples that these men had choices in how they lived their lives and they chose to live fully what they believed. God spoke to them and they listened. Compare their choices with Jonah. He was called and he ran away— If we listen, seek, and take Gods nourishment we are completing Gods mission for us.
I have also been trying to memorized scipture and find Gods mission for me, that mission that is defined by God.
Jennifer
======= Dee:
hi! awesome year so far! Blessings to all of you taking this journey into the Word of God in 11′, seeing it through new but familiar eyes and having ears to hear and eyes to see His word..verses that are dear to me are in Isaiah By His Stripes I am Healed: 53:5, and No weapon formed against me will prosper. I also like Jer 29;11 He has a wonderful plan for me, a plan to prosper and succeed to have hope and a future. Those are my fave’s. A way in which I learn scripture alot of times is just studying daily, writing andlogging scripture, studying with my kids, they have to memorize scripture in class, so I memorize it too..and then the more you meditate on the Word, the more familiar it becomes to you as an individual. God Bless in the new year!
