The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 35:11-12,
"And God said to him [Jacob], 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.'"
What catches my eye this morning is that God told Jacob that his offspring would become a nation and a community of nations. While many commentaries view the "nation" as the nation of Israel itself, and the community of nations the twelve tribes that comprise the nation of Israel, my mind goes somewhere else. Certainly the singular nation will be his descendants that become the nation of Israel, but I can't help but think of the nations, in the plural, that will gather at the throne of the lamb of God following this age.
All who embrace Jesus Christ in faith become members of his kingdom and his kingdom will be comprised of believers from all nations of the earth. In Revelation 21:22-27 we read, "I did not see a temple in the city [the new Jerusalem following this age], because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."
I see this thinking in Romans 4, where Paul quotes something the Lord told Jacob's grandfather, Abraham, in Genesis 17:5, "... I have made you a father of many nations." Paul quotes this verse when he discusses how both circumcised and uncircumcised all become Abraham's descendants - both Jews and Gentiles from all nations of the earth. In Romans 4:16-17, where he quotes Genesis 17:5 he says, "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not."
"And God said to him [Jacob], 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.'"
What catches my eye this morning is that God told Jacob that his offspring would become a nation and a community of nations. While many commentaries view the "nation" as the nation of Israel itself, and the community of nations the twelve tribes that comprise the nation of Israel, my mind goes somewhere else. Certainly the singular nation will be his descendants that become the nation of Israel, but I can't help but think of the nations, in the plural, that will gather at the throne of the lamb of God following this age.
All who embrace Jesus Christ in faith become members of his kingdom and his kingdom will be comprised of believers from all nations of the earth. In Revelation 21:22-27 we read, "I did not see a temple in the city [the new Jerusalem following this age], because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."
I see this thinking in Romans 4, where Paul quotes something the Lord told Jacob's grandfather, Abraham, in Genesis 17:5, "... I have made you a father of many nations." Paul quotes this verse when he discusses how both circumcised and uncircumcised all become Abraham's descendants - both Jews and Gentiles from all nations of the earth. In Romans 4:16-17, where he quotes Genesis 17:5 he says, "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not."
As the father of many nations, the faith Abraham modeled, and particularly his ultimate descendant, Jesus Christ, bring members of all nations into glory - all who embrace Jesus Christ in faith. This was promised to Abraham, and that promise was passed to Isaac and Jacob.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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