God Circumcises Our Hearts! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 21:4,

"When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him."

Here is something I wrote in this verse in October, 2007:

The Lord had given Abraham circumcision as the sign of the covenant he had made with him. In Genesis 17 after changing Abram's name to Abraham and telling him he would make nations of him and give him the whole land of Canaan he told Abraham that he and all the male members of his household were to undergo circumcision.

The Lord told Abraham that circumcision was to be the sign of his everlasting covenant with Abraham, Genesis 17:13. What is all this about circumcision? Was there something about circumcision that the Lord needed? Did the Lord need to be reminded that he had committed himself to this covenant with Abraham and his offspring whenever he saw a circumcised male? I think not. It appears to me it is the other way around. The Lord wanted Abraham and his offspring to have a very personal reminder of a special relationship they had with their Lord.

It also foreshadowed a reality that would take place in the lives of those who would follow in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. Paul speaks of a circumcision of our hearts in Romans 2:29, leading to a change in life we experience as a new creation in the Lord. Also in Colossians 2:11-12 Paul points out, "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead."

It is precisely this circumcision of our sinful nature done by the Holy Spirit that reminds us we are children of God. John speaks of this reality extensively in 1 John. Our God does not need to be reminded of anything. It is for our sakes that he has provided us with what we need to keep fresh in our minds the special relationship we have with him as his children.

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!

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Our God Is Faithful Even When We Are Not - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 20:9-13,

"Abimelech called Abraham in and said, 'What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.' And Abimelech asked Abraham, 'What was your reason for doing this?' Abraham replied, 'I said to myself, "There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife." Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"

Here is something I wrote on this passage in October, 2007:

Abraham resorted to the same deception he used when he went to Egypt in chapter 12. When confronted by Abimelech as to why he hid the fact Sarah was his wife, Abraham admits that he was convinced, "There is surely no fear of God in this place." He thought if it was known he was Sarah's husband he would be killed and Sarah taken.

But from the account it doesn't sound that way. Abimelech, who took Sarah, had a visit from the Lord who told him Sarah was Abraham's wife. When Abimelech told his officials the next morning they "were very much afraid." 

From my perspective it seems like Abraham's fears were not entirely well-founded. Abimelech and his officials seemed to be very responsive to the Lord's warnings. Abraham's perception may have been inaccurate. In any event, the Lord had promised Abraham and Sarah a son. Since Isaac was not born yet, Abraham's fear of his life being taken at this point was at odds with what the Lord had promised him.

In James 2:21-23 we read, "Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."

Abraham is showcased as the Lord's man of faith, that faith the Lord has decided he will reward with righteousness when we emulate it. And yet we discover that Abraham had his shortcomings as well. To me, it makes Abraham a wonderful example of what a man of faith looks like. Not perfect. Our God reaches out to us even when our actions don't appear to express that faith at times. We all struggle at times in our faith, but our God is faithful nonetheless!

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!

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Angels Are Like Us in Some Ways - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 19:1-3a,

"The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 'My lords,' he said, 'please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.' 'No,' they answered, 'we will spend the night in the square.' But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house."

Here are some interesting observations I made about this passage in October, 2007:

Something I find fascinating here. The two angels that came to Sodom decided they were going to spend the night in the city square. Lot invited them to his home to spend the night but their response was "no". The text is clear that due to Lot's insistence they relented, Lot "insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house." Even though they were on a mission from God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot changed a part of their plans through his own insistence. They would still destroy the cities because of the wickedness but it appears Lot was able to change their minds about a secondary issue.

I find it fascinating because my perception of angels hasn't included the notion they can be persuaded or negotiated with. Here in this passage these angels demonstrate they are subject to the insistence of a man. This isn't the only part of the story where Lot changed the minds of the angels. As they were leaving town to avoid certain death in the city's destruction, the angels told Lot to head for the mountains, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" Verse 17. Lot's response is, "No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." Verses 18-20. One of the angels responds to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." Verses 21-22. As we read later, Lot was afraid and left the small town, Zoar, and went to the mountains anyway.

I'm afraid my stifled understanding of angels has been that of beings that are somewhat automatons. Not entirely but I've just had a notion that they participated little in making decisions and certainly not of those who could be engaged in negotiation or subject to persuasion. I'm not suggesting they can be persuaded off task they have received from the Lord, but they have been subject to persuasion in ancillary aspects in this account. In this passage I have to say they look to be a whole lot like us, with the exception, of course, of their dramatic and fearful abilities to carry out the Lord's work. The account of striking the homosexuals blind, the flight of Lot and his daughters and the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah provide an astonishing example of what the Lord does through the angels he sends to do his bidding.

Fascinating stuff!

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!

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Our Lord Eats Meat! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 18:3-8,

"He [Abraham] said, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.' 'Very well,' they answered, 'do as you say.' So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. 'Quick,' he said, 'get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.' Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree."

Here is something I wrote on this passage in October, 2007:

I chose the theme for this text, "Our Lord eats meat!" to take a good-natured jab at my Seventh Day Adventist friends. One of their elders confidently told me that those who have arrived at a certain spiritual maturity adopt the vegetarian diet Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden. After all, it was what God originally intended, right? We shared a vegetarian meal together in his home.

While I have my fun here, there is something far more fascinating to me than just the fact that the Lord and two of his angels ate meat Abraham had prepared for them. The account doesn't really indicate Abraham realized at first it was the Lord and two angels who showed at his tent. It simply says Abraham looked up and saw three men. Apparently the Lord took the form of a man that might have been indistinguishable from any man. The angels likewise. Certainly before the visit was over it was clear to Abraham just who it was that paid him a visit.

According to the hospitable customs of the day Abraham offers to his visitors rest, refreshment and water to clean up with. While Abraham may have offered any visitor, no matter how road-weary, the comforts of visiting his home, I can't help but wonder, did their feet need washing? Did they actually arrive on foot? Were they hungry? Were they in need of rest? Or was it all some sort of charade?

As the Lord remained with Abraham we read the two angels turned and went toward Sodom and didn't arrive until evening. Genesis 19:1. Did they walk the whole way? Lot offered them hospitality, a place to stay for the night, and water to wash their feet again. While the hospitable act of providing for foot washing in a culture where walking was the method for getting places was the norm, I still wonder if the angels didn't look to be road-weary again to Lot. After all, I can't imagine someone offering water for foot washing to another who hadn't been on foot.

The observations and reflections that catch my thoughts this morning lead me to question whether I have a proper perspective of our Lord relative to his earthly visits, what he might have experienced while taking the form of a man, walking about, eating and attending to personal hygiene (at least foot washing). I find this passage full of fascinating things to ponder.

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!

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A Very Remarkable Covenant! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 17:13b,

"My [God's] covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant."

The covenant God established with Abraham was to be a covenant that would impact Abraham's very flesh, for Abraham himself, and all who would be members of his household. It was the covenant of circumcision.

This covenant of circumcision, physical, real, and to be performed on all male members of Abraham's household, became a symbol, a type of a reality later recognized in God's program of the redemption of mankind.

Paul tells us, "A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God." Romans 2:28-29.

The fulfillment of circumcision is the work God does within us when we respond to his invitation to salvation. When we come to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit enters into us, into our lives, and begins a work within us. The evidence produced by this work of the Holy Spirit is what Paul points to when he speaks of those who have joined God's kingdom.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." Romans 8:12-14.

While it was only males who bore in their bodies this message of a spiritual reality to come, all men and women who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith now participate in this spiritual circumcision of our flesh. Paul speaks of a reality we exist in as we come to Jesus Christ, "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." Romans 7:18. That term, "sinful nature", is actually "flesh" (in the Greek). It is that struggle against our sinful nature, our "flesh" that becomes a reality. It is to be "circumcised".

As that process of the circumcision of our hearts takes place, the writer of Hebrews quotes Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son." Hebrews 12 5b-6. He goes on to say in verse 11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." The Holy Spirit wins the day!

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!

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God's Ways and Timing Versus Ours - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 16:1-2,

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said."

Here is something I wrote on this passage in September, 2007:

Abram and Sarai were growing old. The Lord promised Abram offspring, more than the stars in the heavens. And yet they were growing old and Sarai was suffering the humiliation (in that culture) of not bearing any child. How could Abram say that the Lord was blessing him when no child was born to them? So they resorted to the custom of the day in that culture in having Sarai's maidservant step in to bear a child for Abram.

God's promises are always certain but often his timing is not our timing. Abram and Sarai chose to pursue God's promise by using Hagar. But God's promise will be fulfilled in Sarai bearing a son for Abram. Abram will be about a hundred years old before Isaac is born to them. The difference it makes when we wait for God's promise as opposed to rushing ahead on our own can be stark. When God fulfilled his promise to Abram the result was a people through whom God would speak to the world and through whom Jesus Christ entered the human race and gave his life that we might live. When Abram and Sarai attempted to fulfill God's promise their way, in their time, it resulted in Ishmael whom the Arabs look to as their progenitor. The fallout from their effort is still with us as we look at the problems in the Mideast of our day.

As I read the account I am struck with the thought that when we wait for God to fulfill his promises it results in that which reflects God himself, when we attempt to fulfill those promises on our own it reflects something else.

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!

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Abram Believed the Lord! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 15:6,

"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

I can't think of a more important verse in all of Scripture for each of us personally. Here we learn that God credits a standing of righteousness to a man! A lost and fallen sinful man, just like me! I would never dare to compare myself to someone of Abraham's stature, but in his shortcomings, I can certainly identify!

The importance of this verse is seen in that it addresses the most significant aspect of my existence. Paul explains that God's crediting of Abraham with a standing of righteousness before himself applies to any one of us! He says, "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:23-24.

Here we find the door to heaven! Here we find our way back to our Creator! Here we find our great opportunity to commune with the One who brought us into existence! Here we find the way to an eternal life of bliss, with joy in God's presence, with "eternal pleasures" at his right hand! Psalm 16:11.

A righteous standing before God is our access to the dimension of heaven, God's throne, and eternal, abundant and fulfilling life. No more death, crying or pain! No more curse of this world! No more sinful nature I contend with daily! (No more having to lock the doors at night!)

There are many who are attempting to earn their way into heaven by keeping all the dos and don'ts. Unfortunately that is not the way. Jesus Christ has paid for all my sins which provides ground for my standing of righteousness before God the Father and my escape from his just punishment of me. All he asks of me is to embrace him in faith.

"Very truly I [Jesus] tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:14.

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!

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God Fulfills His Promises! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 14:14-16,

"When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people."

Here is something I wrote in this passage in September, 2007:

After God's promise to bless Abram, we read of four kings, who along with defeating an alliance of five kings take Abram's nephew, Lot and his possessions. Abram rounds up 318 men of his household and defeats these four kings and their armies and recovers Lot and all the loot. As Melchizedek says, "Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." 318 men of Abram's household defeat four kings with their armies!

God's promises are certain. When he tells us he will do something it is as good as done. In Ephesians 1:3 Paul says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." These blessings are ours and they are certain. Paul goes on to say in verse 7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." All of this is ours and is just as certain as the promises God fulfilled to Abram!

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!

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God Provides Our Blessings! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 13:8-9,

"So Abram said to Lot, 'Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

Here is something I wrote on this passage in September, 2007

Here is Abram's response to quarreling that took place between his herdsmen and those of his nephew, Lot. As is often noted, Lot looks to the prospect of what the land might provide for him. He chose the plain of Jordan as it was well watered "like the garden of God" and settled near Sodom. Abram had no such concern. Rather than look to what the land might provide him he looked to what the Lord provided him. At the beginning of the chapter we read, "Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold."

Abram became rich because the Lord promised to bless him. We read of the sevenfold promise the Lord gave Abram in 12:2-3. The blessing of the Lord on Abram was such that he didn't care if he was left with productive or not so productive land in his resolution with Lot. As a man of faith Abram knew the Lord would continue to bless him. 

As the story unfolds we find Lot getting into trouble and being taken captive by the combined armies of four kings in chapter 14. We read of Abram rescuing Lot and recovering all the people and booty of Lot and the vanquished kings of the area. When one of those kings wanted to leave his goods with Abram as a reward for rescuing him and his people Abram refused. He didn't want an opportunity for people to think that anyone other than the Lord had made him rich. In Genesis 14:22-23 we read, "But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, "I made Abram rich."

As people of faith today our blessings in life do not come from what this or that might provide us. It is the Lord Our Provider who blesses us. We may not be blessed in a way Abram was and you may be blessed in a way I am not but it is from the Lord himself our blessings come! As Paul says in his doxology in the beginning of Ephesians, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ"

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!

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God Accepts Faith from Sinful Man! -- Ruminating in the Word of God

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 12:17-19,

"But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. 'What have you done to me?' he said. 'Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister," so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!"

Here is something I wrote on this passage in September, 2007:

Abram engaged in deceit when he went to Egypt due to a famine. He hid the fact that Sarai, a beautiful woman, was his wife and told the Egyptians she was his sister (she was in fact his half-sister, Genesis 20:12) to protect himself. When Pharaoh took her into his palace the Lord inflicted diseases on Pharaoh and his household.

This is the man whom the Lord made promises to earlier in this chapter. This is the man the Lord will promise to give Canaan to in the following chapter. This is the man the Lord will bless and make a covenant with in chapter 15. This is the man God credits righteousness because of his belief in God, Genesis 15:6. This is the man that is recognized as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. This is the man Paul pointed to as our example of what faith looks like in Romans. This is a man God calls his prophet, Genesis 20:7. How can this be? How can God reward someone who demonstrated a lack of faith and resort to deceit? Not only does he do it here in chapter 12, he also repeats the same ruse in chapter 20.

Here we learn something instructive about our merciful Lord. Although he does not condone sin, lying or deceit, he does recognize faith in sinful man. Abram was in fact a man of faith, even though at times he demonstrated otherwise. He went where the Lord told him to go; he did what the Lord asked him to do; he demonstrated his faith in the things he did. He was prepared to sacrifice his only son at the Lord's command, the son of the promise the Lord had given him.

Why does the Bible provide accounts of the failures of its heroes? Because in one very important aspect the heroes of Scripture are just like you and me. All mankind is sinful and all have failed the Lord. The Lord does not look for folks who are sinless and can "earn" their way into his good graces. The Lord looks for faith, faith demonstrated in the lives of those who seek the Lord but who, like you and me are sinful. I think it is precisely that Abram exhibits sin in his life and yet is a man of faith that makes him such a wonderful example for us. Our Lord is willing to accept our faith in him and lay the burden of our sin on the back of his Son Jesus Christ as he died on that cross for you and me.

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!

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Scattering Mankind - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 11:8-9,

"So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel -because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth."

The account of the tower of Babel is the next big event we read of in the affairs of mankind following the flood in Noah's day. The outlook of sinful mankind was the same then as it is today: mankind has an inescapable drive to unite into some monolithic union to challenge God's position, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves..." Verse 4.

Mankind today clearly has this drive to unite in ways to replace God. Whether it be for the removal of diseases that ravage mankind, to control the meteorological order of creation, to determine how fruitful our standard of living will be, those who pursue these efforts have god-sized aspirations at ruling and running everything within their grasp. It is not difficult to see that the people who lead in these efforts are the very ones who push for the removal of God from the public square, from the education of our children, from our lives.

What God did at the tower of Babel was to fragment mankind into various groups with differing languages that drove them all in different directions. Since then it has been impossible for mankind to pursue his "one world government" and its accompanying agenda of displacing God.

Did God do this just to be mean? Not at all. His action at that time, which is still felt today as much as it was in that day, has provided a context where man can still recognize his need for his Creator. "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:26-27.

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.

Nations! - - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 10:32,

"These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood."

Here is something I wrote about this verse in January 2020:

Here in this chapter we have a listing of the descendants of Noah, through his three sons, that provided for populating the earth with various nations. In the next chapter, Genesis 11:1-9, there is the account of the Tower of Babel which provides us the history of how all these nations went in different directions.

Obviously, there was a time when no nations existed. We have no mention of nations prior to the flood (that I recall), and there certainly were no nations early on following the account of God's creation and the first generations that followed.

Have you ever wondered why we have differing nations among mankind? Where and why did they develop? Was there an intentional purpose for the creation of various nations, or did it "just happen"? You might think the answers to those questions were lost in antiquity, but you would wrong.

Paul commented on just these things when he addressed the philosophers at the Areopagus in Athens two millennia ago, Acts 17:26-27, "From one man he [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

Here we learn that it was God who created the nations. He determined the various nations would inhabit the whole earth, he determined when in history they would exist and what real estate they would inhabit. Paul also provides God's purpose for creating the various nations. He says, "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him". The ultimate purpose for nationhood was to serve his plan of redeeming mankind.

As we study our Bibles, we eventually realize that all of God's decisions and activities we read of point to God's grand redemption of mankind. It culminates in Jesus Christ who came to pay the penalty for all of our sins that "funded" redemption.

So, how does the institution of nations serve God's purpose that mankind might seek him and reach out to him and find him? My best thought on it comes from Romans 8:20-21 (a passage that seems to be misunderstood by many), "the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

The "one" who subjected the creation to frustration is God himself. The "creation" referred to here is not rocks and hills and trees, as some have suggested, but mankind. It is mankind that can be liberated from the "bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory  of the children of God." How does God subject the creation, the people of the earth, to frustration? One way is to have us all divided into groups (nations) that we go after each other's throats, as nations prove to be a frustration to one another. That frustration, fear, threat, anxiety, etc. within the turmoil of the world's stage can prompt us all to reach out for God. (Ever hear of "foxhole" conversions? - I heartily endorse them!)

Here is one of the reasons God destroyed the Tower of Babel and scattered the various nations "over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:9. (There is another I can think of... can you?)

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!

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You Want to be Vegetarian? - Ruminating in the Word of God

"Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.'"

Here is something I wrote on this passage in January 2020:

And, thus, the Weber grill was invented!

When Adam and Eve were created, the diet prescribed by the Creator was a vegetarian one. Following their expulsion from the garden due to their sin of partaking in something the Lord commanded them not to, and following the judgment of God by killing off all mankind generations later, save Noah and his family, the Lord now gave mankind a carnivorous diet, "Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

Some people today prefer to stick with a vegetarian diet. For those with health issues, this is certainly understandable. However, there are those who have a notion that refraining from eating meat somehow brings them closer to the divine, provides for a personal environment where spiritual growth can flourish.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is one such group. While the church does not require vegetarianism within its ranks, it is certainly promoted. The notion is that a vegetarian diet is more healthful, and that since our bodies are given us from God, we have a responsibility to care for them. I suspect their view is along the lines of: since our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we should not defile them with an unhealthy lifestyle. Coffee, tea and a number of things are also on the "no-no" list, as well as other "unhealthful" things.

Jesus was not a vegetarian and he put a hole right through the notion that what we put in our mouths can improve us spiritually or can defile us before God. He taught, "'Are you so dull?' he [Jesus] asked. 'Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.' (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: 'What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.'" Mark 7:18-23.

I recall having a discussion with a Seventh Day Adventist elder on this issue years ago. He strongly claimed that vegetarianism was important for spiritual growth. He even said it would be a sin for him to eat meat. Afterall, vegetarian was the diet God determined for Adam and Eve when they communed with God in the pristine environment of the garden.

I guess it was lost on him that vegetarianism was the very diet Adam and Eve enjoyed when they chose to rebel against God and caused the entire human race to fall, that it was the very diet for all mankind when they corrupted themselves to the point that God destroyed them all, save Noah and his family.

Vegetarianism, as a health issue, is one thing. But this notion that vegetarianism can have spiritual benefits is only one more arrow in the quiver of the "do-gooder" as he seeks to enhance his relationship with God through his own works. It is a fool's errand. God looks for faith, not diet!

The Intentional Scriptures - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 8:20-21a,

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart..."

I stopped my quote of this passage in the middle of verse 21 because of the note made in the first half of that verse, "The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart.." Just how could Moses, who wrote the book of Genesis, know what the Lord said in his own heart?

How does a man tap in to the the inner thoughts of God? Who can read God's mind? How could we ever know what he says within himself? To himself?

I think those are all great questions and each one finds its answer in an aspect of the Lord that is very important to us: God is a communicator! There are things he wishes to express to us and he does so through the prophets he has appointed for this very purpose. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

He does not communicate just anything to us, but specifically, he communicates those things he deems important for us to know, things he intends for us to know.

Have you ever asked yourself why we know nothing of the childhood relationships Jesus had with his siblings? Or, say, whatever happened to his mother's husband, Joseph? The Lord deemed we don't need to know. There are all kinds of things we might wish to know from the Scriptures, but we don't, because the Lord has determined they are not important for us to know. This raises the understanding that what the Lord has provided us in the Scriptures is important for us to know and so it is there intentionally and he intends we know it - all of it.

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!

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Noah: A Fanciful Story? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 7:8,

"Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah."

Some find the account of Noah, the ark, pairs of all animals entering the ark, a world-wide cataclysmic flood, as suitable for only children's books. Too fanciful to be believed. Not me. Science and history would be much further along in its understanding of the world around us if they embraced these accounts in Scripture.

Too fanciful you think? Consider the following: Moses tells us God created the physical universe, the world and all in it, in six twenty-four hour days. If that be true, the account of Noah certainly falls within reason. If Jesus walked on water, if he arose from the dead, then the account of Noah certainly falls within reason. I think you get the idea.

Some have taken scissors and paste to their Bibles and cut out all the miraculous and have declared that only what appeals to their small minds and limited hearts really happened - that the miraculous never happened. Their comeuppance lies not too far in their future.

Some try to minimize the miraculous to make it a bit more palatable for themselves and their friends. Consequently, some see the flood of Noah's day as a small regional disaster. Again, not me. "The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered." Verses 18-19. What was that? "All the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered." I think those who want to minimize and distort the biblical account ought to just own up to their lack of faith in our God of the miraculous.

Yes, all of miraculous that we read of in our Bibles really did happen - exactly as written.

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!

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Does God Have Regrets? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 6:5-7,

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on
the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human
heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made
human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the
Lord said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I
have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures
that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.'"

Does God have regrets? He says he does - at least he did here. He
regretted having made mankind when he witnessed how evil and violent
they had become in Noah's day. "Now the earth was corrupt in God's
sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had
become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God
said to Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth
is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy
both them and the earth.'" Verses 11-13.

Some people's theology will not allow the teaching that God can have
regrets. Their understanding is that since God is omniscient and has
perfect foreknowledge of all things, and because he is transcendent
and maintains his supremacy over all, God could not possibly have any
kind of a change of heart, particularly any regrets. Their perspective
is that God just wants to appear regretful, while not actually being
so, so that he can communicate his repudiation of sin in a dramatic
way.

I believe this is a short-sighted outlook for two obvious reasons. The
first of which is that God said he regretted making mankind, and his
revelation of himself in the Scriptures makes that point clearly. The
Scriptures tell us that very thing. Secondly, notice my comments in
the previous paragraph: those who hold the view that God cannot have
regrets are interpreting the Scriptures according to their theology. A
bad thing to do. This is always how bad theology gets started.

I am of the persuasion that our theology ought to be informed by the
Scriptures as opposed to the Scriptures being informed by our
theology. As we enter into the Scriptures to learn what is there, we
need to check our theology at the door as we discover what God has to
say to us.

Yes, God says he regretted having made human beings on earth. Let's
all adjust our theology to accommodate that fact.

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!

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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
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God Blesses Us with Purpose and Meaning - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 5:1b-2,

"When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created
them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he
called them 'man.'"

Here is something I wrote on this passage in August, 2207:

I have to admit it is a bit of a struggle for me to comprehend all
that is implied with the truth that we are created in God's own image.
I know that when I pass by a herd of cattle I can't help but think our
existence could be very mundane. How exciting could a life possibly be
when its purpose for existence is to get fat and be slaughtered for
someone else's food?

Because God chose to make us in his image we have been given the
abilities of self-reflection, reason, a will to exercise and emotions
that span quite a range. Together with these God has also chosen to
provide our lives with purpose and meaning. These find their greatest
expression when we are engaged in those activities the Lord pursues
himself and what he has chosen to allow us to participate in of those
things he is doing.

As I think of the sacrifice that God's Son made to satisfy our
heavenly Father's justice for the sin in our lives and then having God
allow us to propagate that good news – to take it to others so that
sacrifice can find its desired completion in the lives of those who
will embrace it, it is just something to marvel at! To be actively
engaged in nothing short of the purpose for which Jesus Christ came
and died carries meaning and fulfillment nothing else can. Surely this
is a part of what is meant when we read that God blessed us when he
made us. Far from that which is mundane he has provided each of us
opportunities to participate in that which holds eternal consequence
in the lives of those around us.

I suspect that much of the dissatisfaction many find in life is
directly related to the absence of purpose and meaning they find in
it. For those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith and engage
in what the Lord is doing in the lives of those around us, life holds
a richness and beauty that can only come from what God intended for us
when he made us in his image!

What a wonderful God he is for creating us to participate in the things he does!

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!

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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.

God Communicates His Desires to Us - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 4:2b-5,

"Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast."

Here is something I wrote on this passage in August of 2007:

As the story continues we learn that Cain brought his offering knowing it was not what the Lord wanted. Cain was "doing it his way". It is almost as if Cain expected the Lord to accommodate him rather than the other way around. An attitude not unlike what is often seen in our day. The Lord tells Cain in verse 7, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." As we read on we find that Cain murders Abel. Sin masters Cain as it does all mankind down through the ages.

We can glean enough to know from the tale that Cain knew what the Lord desired. Rather than serve the Lord Cain became "very angry, and his face was downcast." His response was to take out his anger against the one serving the Lord, Abel. Christians should not find it surprising they are attacked by the other so-called religions and viewpoints in the world today. John talks about this in 1 John 3:12-13 where he refers to this episode between Cain and Abel.

Something that catches my attention this morning is that the Lord made his desires known. Cain knew what the Lord wanted. So did Abel. So do we today. What would life be like if we really didn't know what it was the Lord expected from us, what the Lord desires from us, what pleases and delights him? But he has let us know. He has put into place that which has been necessary to get the gospel message out to all. It may seem like a small thing but as I think of what things would otherwise be like I am grateful to him for communicating with us!

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!

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A Gender Difference - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 3:13,

"Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'"

Following their rejection of God as a result of Satan's (the serpent's) deception, God called out Adam and Eve and made them confess what they had done.

Adam made an attempt to implicate God himself in their fall by pointing to Eve. Afterall, God had put Eve there with him. He points to Eve and says she was the one who gave him the forbidden fruit. (A lame attempt at passing the buck.) Eve may have been deceived, but Adam had plunged right ahead in rejecting what God had told them with eyes wide open when he ate the forbidden fruit.

However, as the above verse points out, Eve was the one who was deceived, and following the successful deception Satan used on her (notice he did not approach Adam with the deception, but Eve) Eve convinces Adam to partake in rejecting what God had commanded by eating the fruit God had forbidden them. She led him astray.

We live in a day when these cold hard realities are anathema in our cultural context. However, being the half-wit I am I don't care much and so I'll make the point many avoid these days.

There are two, and only two genders among mankind. The gender we are born with never changes. We read in Genesis 1:27, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." The fantasy is LGBTQIA. The reality is MF. Male or Female. Along with this is the reality that there are differences between the two genders, differences that extend beyond chromosomes and what is tucked inside our undergarments. Our passage in Genesis 3:13 points to one of these: women are more easily deceived than men (generally speaking!) And, to be fair, Adam appears to be easily led astray while knowing better.

Paul points to this reality when he counsels his young protege, Timothy. In 1 Timothy 2:11-14 we read, "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."

There you have it. Paul points to the difference of which is more vulnerable among the two genders to deception. He points all the way back to Adam and Eve, lifting his concern out of the current cultural context of his day, and of any age, as he points to the progenitors of all mankind.

When Paul speaks of not permitting women to teach or to assume authority over a man, I think many misunderstand what he is saying. He is not talking about who is up front in a classroom doing the instructing. He is talking about authority within the church: who determines appropriate doctrine the Lord wants the church to be built on. The Greek word for "to teach" can refer to instructing, but in this context, with the focus on authority within the church, it refers to the development of doctrine within the church. 1 Timothy 1:10-11 is an example of this where Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, talks about behaviour that is contrary to "sound doctrine."

Paul didn't want the more easily deceived people within the fellowship to be looked to for correct doctrine. Particularly while the body of Scripture in the New Testament was still being produced! False teachers abounded in Paul's day, just as they do today. Paul's guidance is that it is the men in the fellowship that should determine what is consistent with good doctrine, not because they are infallible, but because they are the ones less easily deceived, all things being equal. 

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!

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The Breath of Life! - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 2:7,

"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

Here is the amazing account of the beginning of human life! We don't read of any "evolution" that brought about mankind. No primordial ooze struck by lightning with a dash of millions or billions of years of time here (just how does "time" create anything?). We read of God forming man from the dust of the earth and then imbuing that form with life by breathing into his nostrils.

Of course, the account in Genesis requires the realization that God does exist and that he can and does create things from nothing. Here is an example of just that.

The reason people have a problem with this account is that if God does exist, then we are accountable to him. Rebellious man does not want to confront that reality in their thinking. We read in Hebrews 4:13, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Sinful man simply does not want to have to give an account for the sin in their lives. In his talk with Nicodemus, John 3:19-20, Jesus said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."

However, we read in Romans 14:10-12 (as Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23), "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: '"As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God."' So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."

Those who represent themselves as speaking for the Christian community and attempt to synthesize with the Scriptures what sinful man has come up with as an alternative explanation of how humanity got here are only throwing their lot in with sinful mankind's lie about the origin of things. They too will have to give an account of themselves. Count me out of that group!

Anyway, the thought of God creating something from nothing seems to me to be a very unique aspect of God. Paul refers to it when he speaks of the miracle of Abraham as a centenarian (and Sarah's ability to bear children long gone), fathering Isaiac, through whom a nation would be brought into existence. Paul says of Abraham, "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." Romans 4:17.

It seems to me, if we are completely comfortable with the understanding that God is able to bring about something from nothing, then there should be great comfort and assurance as we think about the resurrection of our bodies as the new age dawns, as well as many other things.

On a side note, when Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful..." in 2 Timothy 3:16, did he have the above verse from Genesis in mind? In other words, rather than thinking of the inspiration of the Scriptures primarily, did Paul have more in mind the supernatural illumination of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit (bringing them to life and light) to us as believers when we read them? What do you think?

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!

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It Happened Just As It Says - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 1:1,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Our bibles begin with a very simple and profound statement: God created the heavens and the earth. As I say, simple, and straightforward. "In the beginning" is a phrase which carries with it the concept of time. At the beginning of time God created all there is. The chapter moves through units of time as it reveals to us the progression of God's creative activities, "There was evening, and there was morning-the first day", and so on until we read that by the seventh day God had finished his creative works. Six twenty-four-hour days of the creative acts of God. He rested on the seventh.

How do we know this is a truthful account? We know it is because God is the One who has told us. Peter says, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21. God is the only one who could possibly tell us how the creation of all things took place, and he has done so.

However, the world, in its rejection of its Creator, has challenged this truthful report. All kinds of ideas have been floated as to how to account for our existence. The problem for the world is that it exists and can't account for that fact and reject God at the same time. Consequently, it offers up all kinds of ideas that include eons of time marking how long it takes to get something from nothing. The challenge for them is they exist and cannot account for that fact if God doesn't exist. If they can successfully challenge the book of Genesis, then nothing else in the Bible matters. Genesis lays the foundation for everything else we read in its pages.

At the heart of it all is the echo of Satan convincing Eve to rebel against God, "Did God really say..." (Genesis 3:1).

The world crafts its best contradictions to God and what baffles me is that some of the best theologically educated people, who supposedly talk for the church, accept the premises the world offers up and attempt to synthesize what the world says with what we are told in Genesis. 

I am entirely convinced we have to look no further than 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." It takes more than a seminary degree to be firm, courageous and strong. You have to go elsewhere to grow a spine.

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.