by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I hope you are enjoying your reading as much as I am. The Bible is so amazing. Even stories you have read many times, take on new meaning every time you read them.
Genesis 25-28
Sarah and then Abraham have died, and we move to the next generation. Isaac, the son of promise is now the patriarch, the inheritor of the mission from God. His life is not quite as eventful as Abraham’s, but we see some similarities.
Once again we encounter a barren wife. Isaac’s wife could bear no children until Isaac prays and God answers. Then she becomes pregnant with twins – Esau and Jacob. God prophesies over Rebekah that there are two nations in her womb and that the older will serve the younger.
As we continue through the story of Esau and Jacob, be sure you have your spiritual eyes open. Throughout the rest of the Bible, Esau and Jacob will be referred to many times, and its clear that Esau, the first born, represents the “flesh” of man and that Jacob represents the “spirit.” The older will serve the younger. First the natural man, and then the born-again man.
Esau is impulsive and just lives day to day, with his appetites unbridled. You can see this in the fact that when he is hungry, he is willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew. Here he is, the grandson of Abraham, and in line to be God’s heir, but his inheritance from God is not worth any more than a bowl of stew. Obviously, he discredits himself from being the disciplined heir God needs to lead this family into His powerful plan.
Now Jacob, representing the spirit, not only honors the birthright, he has a great desire for it. The deceit he shows is not spiritual, but Esau has given his birthright away and Jacob takes him at his word.
Now once again we see the importance of words. When Isaac speaks his blessing over Jacob, it cannot be taken back. Those words of blessing are recorded for eternity.
If we could ever realize the significance of our words and of our blessings upon our children, we would be very careful about what we say, and we would have faith in the power of our words.
Words are incredibly powerful. They are able to change our lives and to change the lives of our children.
We leave these chapters with Jacob having to escape from the wrath of his brother. Rebekah has him sent to her old home country so that he can find a wife.
One more really significant thing happens as Jacob takes a rest on his journey. He falls asleep and dreams of a ladder into heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. God speaks to him, confirming the covenant which He made with Abraham. Isaac’s descendants will be mighty and will come back to inherit this land.
Then Isaac says, “Surely the Lord is in this place…How awesome is this place. This is the house of God and the Gate of Heaven.” In John 1:51, you will see Jesus speak of the same thing. He says, “Most assuredly I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Jacob calls the place Bethel, which means the “House of God.”
Jacob and Jesus are both referring to the church of God. (The House of God and the Gate into Heaven).
When God’s church is working properly, it is like a ladder into Heaven – an outpost of Heaven, where God’s will can be accomplished in the earth. The people there will agree that they want God’s will done – and not their own. They won’t be selling their birthright for a bowl of stew, but they will be honoring their birthright and fulfilling their mission.
It is my desire for our church to be like a Heavenly Embassy, where the laws of Heaven apply. The atmosphere will be like the atmosphere of Heaven. God’s plan can be accomplished from there, because we will represent God and not ourselves. Angels will be ascending and descending into the earth from that spot, doing God’s bidding.
We will truly be ambassadors for Christ.
I know that’s what you want also.
Matthew 9
We see Jesus continuing His earthly ministry as He goes about “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Verse 35). Notice it says “every sickness and every disease.” Jesus denies no one who comes to Him.
He is demonstrating God’s kingdom and God’s will: for all to be healed and all to be set free.
Years ago, when I came back to the Lord, after a foolish stray into that “other world,” I saw these scriptures with fresh eyes. I hope that you do the same.
People who don’t read the Bible, but think they know what it says, will talk about the limited nature of the Christian experience. But when you read the original and see for yourself, you find that it’s better than they have been talking about.
Again and again, we see Jesus answering people on the level of their faith. The faith that caused Abraham to be chosen of God is the faith that these people demonstrate when they come to Him for healing.
Jesus “sees” the faith of those who bring the paralytic, and we see the faith of the woman with the issue of blood.
In verses 15-17, Jesus speaks of a “new wineskin.” “No one puts new wine into an old wineskin.” He is talking about the new birth. There is a new covenant He is bringing – a true entrance into the Kingdom of God on the earth. Only those who will allow themselves to have a “New wineskin,” or “New birth,” will be able to partake of this Kingdom.
This is bigger than our human minds can understand. I pray that your and my spiritual eyes will be opened to see and understand what Jesus is talking about. There is a power in this new Kingdom!
Blessings,
Suellen Estes
Bird photo taken by Mickey Estes http:www.mickeyestes.com
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Today we move into some rich territory. So let’s get started.
Genesis 10-12
Begat, begat, begat. That seems to be the mantra when we take first glance. We must remind ourselves that God is a covenant-keeping God. In the 3rd chapter of Luke, the lineage of Jesus goes all the way back to these times, and you can see who His ancestors were. (When you are praying for your children, this attitude of God should be very comforting. He will pursue your children because of His covenant with you)!
In chapter 11, we see the story of the tower of Babel. These humanists said, “We can build a tower to the sky.” (You see that same spirit today; in fact it’s always been around.)
We need to take note of what God said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.”
He confused their language so that they couldn’t agree on their project. But the concept is true for righteous causes too.
He wants those who are His to agree with each other so that His plans can be accomplished. “And nothing shall be withheld from us.”
Chapter 12 introduces Abram and Sarai. We could write volumes about the father and mother of our faith.
Let’s be sure to think for a moment about the fact that God spoke to this man to leave his family and his country. In those days, travel was very difficult and time consuming. When they left their land, Abraham knew that he would not return there. This was for good. All that was familiar to them would be gone forever.
Even though he was 75 years old, Abram obeyed God and did exactly as he was told. Then God showed him the land of Canaan and said that this land would be given to his descendants. So Abram was doing all of this for his heirs, not even himself.
Would you be that willing and obedient if God spoke to you to do something hard? Think about it.
Matthew 5
This is the first chapter of what is called the Sermon On The Mount. Jesus sits on the side of a mountain, with many people around, and begins to introduce some very new concepts.
It may seem like bits and pieces of information, but there is a theme throughout. Jesus is introducing the multitudes to the Kingdom of God.
There is another Kingdom (I like to think of it as a “parallel universe”). We can choose to live in either one. If you are satisfied with the status quo, you are less likely to want to enter this new kingdom. So those who are poor in spirit, or mourn, or hunger and thirst for righteousness are the ones who will probably make the journey in the spirit.
He goes on to show that the new kingdom is not one of the law, yet the standard is higher. Under the law, you weren’t to commit adultery; under the new kingdom, you weren’t even to lust after someone. Under the law, you weren’t to kill; under the new kingdom, you weren’t even to hate anyone.
The people must have been somewhat confused, because their lives had always been directed by the Law of Moses. But they were hanging on every word. They had never heard anyone speak with such authority. This Man seemed to really know what He was talking about.
So interest was aroused in what would eventually lead to the Holy Spirit coming to live within us.
I like to meditate on these scriptures in the light of what I know now. You might like doing the same.
Blessings for a great day!
Suellen
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
There is an old saying which goes something like this: The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. I like this analogy, because it is so true!
When we start reading the Old Testament, there are lots of questions. “Why are so many people killed?” “Does God just not like some people?”and on and on.
When we read the New Testament, we see more of what God’s plan was all about. He was going to bring redemption to the earth. But since He never would (and never will) treat people like puppets, He had to find some people who would cooperate.
Without God in their lives, men were destined for great evil and destruction of each other. So He had to search for some who would allow themselves to be influenced by Him. Only then could He work His plan of bringing His Son into the earth.
It took many years – even centuries – before His great plan could be accomplished. But step by step, He faithfully continued, working with those who would allow Him.
With these ideas in mind, let’s look at these early chapters of Genesis.
Genesis 4- 9
We start with Cain and Abel. Each of these bring an offering to the Lord; an offering from their livelihood. God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not with Cain’s. Do you wonder why? Abel’s offering was a sheep sacrificed to God and Cain’s was produce of the ground.
Even at that early time in history, God was trying to show that a blood sacrifice was essential for His perfect offering. He was pointing to Jesus, who would be His blood sacrifice. we will see this idea continue throughout the Old Testament.
Then eventually we get to Noah. As we see, man without God, was running wild, so God needed to start over. Men had fallen into so much sin, and their hearts were so hard, He could not deal with them anymore.
So that’s why He found one man who would listen: Noah. Noah proved himself by being obedient to perform the strange task of building an ark, and when the time came to take His family and representatives of the animal kingdom into the ark for safety. Then God destroyed all the rest of creation with a flood which covered the earth.
It was preservation for our deliverance.
Matthew 3 and 4
Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. The prophet knows that God is sending redemption, so he is “preparing the way.” He is preaching to people, trying to get them to repent and turn back to God.
He speaks of One who will come, whose ministry would be the greatest of all time. Recognizing Jesus as the Savior, John baptizes Him and hears the voice say “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Then Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, so that He could prove Himself to the spirit world.
If you will notice, we see once again the importance of words. As Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, again and again He fights the battle with words. And not just any word, He uses the Word of God. “It is written. It is written.” He uses scripture over and over to defeat the devil’s schemes.
We will see this principle at work many times. Hopefully we will learn to use this weapon of God with greater force, as we see how it is done.
That’s about all I have for today. If you want to add, please do!
Blessings,
Suellen
![Read The Bible Through, Day 2]()
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
How’s it going? I hope very well.
Today Read The Bible Through takes us to Genesis 2,3 and Matthew 2.
Genesis 2,3
These chapters continue to lay foundation for all of theology.
Probably the most compelling concept revolves around the two trees. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At that point in time, God had breathed His life into man and so man’s spirit was alive with God’s life. (Later we will be re- introduced to this “God life” by Jesus, when He talked about being born again).
The tree of life represents the life lived by the spirit, with God empowering and enlightening you. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents a life lived by man’s own knowledge. Humanism. You can see that all around us today, people living their lives by “what seems good at the time.”
Twice in proverbs (14:25 and 16:12) you will find the same verse. It says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is a way of death.” If we just make up our own “rules” as we go along life’s path, we will wind up in much trouble – or at least much sadness.
The selfish, “if it feels good, do it” mentality has brought heartache to many people – and to their children and to their children’s children.
The tree of life, however, represents a life lived in communion with the Creator. Accepting God’s love and His wisdom.
When man decided to live the life which was right in his own eyes, he experienced guilt. He saw himself naked and tried to hide from God.
In rendering His judgment, God prophesied about the redemption which was to come. He said to the serpent (Satan) that there would be enmity between his seed and her seed. (Jesus). Satan would bruise the heel of Jesus (the cross), and Jesus would bruise Satan’s head. (Defeat him completely).
Then came another significant act. God made tunics to cover His man and woman. He had to shed blood to get those tunics. So we see the first blood sacrifice covering the sins of man.
Matthew 2
In this chapter we continue to see God’s supernatural guidance as He protects His Son. First the wise men from the east come to see the child, bringing great treasure – treasure which is needed to make a long trip to Egypt.
Then we see God directing Joseph to take his family to Egypt to hide from the wrath of King Herod. (Herod feared this new king and thought that Jesus would be trying to overthrow his reign).
You have to admire Joseph for being so obedient. He had already done something drastic by taking Mary, who was pregnant. Now he was listening again and taking his family on a long, hard journey to Egypt. Such willingness to obey!
Now it’s your turn
If you would like to comment, please do. We can all learn from each other.
In the meantime, Blessings.
Suellen
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Project 2013: Read Your Bible Through in a Year starts tomorrow. Remember that “context is everything,” when you are reading the Bible. That’s why it’s so important to read it through. You begin to see God’s overall plan. There is a continuity throughout the Word which many people miss, as they jump around from verse to verse.
I will be commenting each day. Sometimes I may have lots to say; sometimes little.
It would be great for you to leave comments also.
There are a few rules:
- We are assuming that the Bible is truly God’s Word. (If you don’t believe that the Bible is truly His Word, you are welcome to read along with us, but please don’t try to argue that God wasn’t behind the writing of this special book).
- And speaking of arguing, let’s don’t do it. If you have positive insights, please feel free to express them, but don’t be argumentative.
- If you miss a day or two or three, don’t give up. You can catch up with us.
- Try to look at the Word with fresh eyes. If you have read the Bible through many times before, you may feel that you already know everything it says. Let God speak to you anew and afresh as you read. That’s where the blessings are.
- We will be reading from the Old and New Testaments every day.
So here goes
January 1: Genesis 1 and Matthew 1
January 2: Genesis 2, 3 and Matthew 2
January 3: Genesis 4, 5, 6 and Matthew 3
January 4: Genesis 7, 8, 9 and Matthew 4
January 5: Genesis 10, 11, 12 and Matthew 5
January 6: Genesis 13, 14, 15 and Matthew 6
January 7: Genesis 16, 17, 18 and Matthew 7
January 8: Genesis 19, 20, 21 and Matthew 8: 1-17
January 9: Genesis 22, 23, 24 and Matthew 8: 18-34
January 10: Genesis 25, 26 and Matthew 9:1-17
January 11: Genesis 27, 28 and Matthew 9:18-38
January 12: Genesis 29, 30 and Matthew 10:1-20
January 13: Genesis 31, 32 and Matthew 10:21-42
January 14: Genesis 33, 34, 35 and Matthew 11
January 15: Genesis 36, 37, 38 and Matthew 12:1-23
January 16: Genesis 39, 40 and Matthew 12:24-50
January 17: Genesis 41, 42 and Matthew 13:1-30
January 18: Genesis 43 ,44, 45 and Matthew 13:31-58
January 19 Genesis 46, 47,48 and Matthew 14:1-21
January 20: Genesis 49, 50 and Matthew 14:22-36
January 21: Exodus 1, 2, 3 and Matthew 15:1-20
January 22: Exodus 4, 5, 6 and Matthew 15: 21-39
January 23: Exodus 7, 8 and Matthew 16
January 24: Exodus 9, 10, 11 and Matthew 17
January 25: Exodus 12, 13 and Matthew 18: 1-20
January 26: Exodus 14, 15 and Matthew 18: 21-35
January 27: Exodus 16, 17, 18 and Matthew 19
January 28: Exodus 19, 20 and Matthew 20:1-16
January 29: Exodus 21, 22 and Matthew 20: 17-34
January 30: Exodus 23, 24 and Matthew 21:1-22
January 31: Exodus 25, 26 and Matthew 21: 23-46
I’m looking forward to a great year of growth in understanding of Gods plan.
So get ready for the starting bell tomorrow!
Happy New Year!
Suellen
