Psalm 23:6

Have you ever felt like you’re being followed?

While living in Queens, New York I used to go jogging late at night or early in the morning.  I’m kind of a night owl so dusk and dawn were often the times I had available to stay in shape (not to mention that New York sidewalks are easier to run on when no one is on them).  I had the music in my headphones and the sound of my own breathing as my mute to the cityscape around me.  As nice as that was there was often one thing that loomed in the back of my mind…the possibility that someone was following me.

We’ve all been there.

Whether you imagined it as a kid, watched one too many creepy movies, or walked towards your car in the supermarket parking lot with the soccer mom minivan stalking you…the truth is most of us have wondered and then peered over our shoulder.

I’ve often noticed that to be a common perspective people hold of God.  For whatever reason they believe God to be a ticked off old guy with a big stick of wrath looking to come down on anyone that doesn’t carry a Bible or pray for several hours a day.  Although God does have wrath and holds the authority to judge, He isn’t out to get us…at least not in the scary stalker type of way.   David tells us here that, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”  You see, it’s not judgment and wrath that are following you; it’s the goodness and mercy of the Lord that is looking to catch up to you in your lifetime.

During the Battle of Spires, between the French and Prussians, Napoleon had ordered all medical personnel to be stationed two and half miles back from where the battle was being waged.  The chief physician became distressed at the increasing amount of deaths due to the fact that many of the wounded couldn’t be cared for until the hostilities ceased.  In turn, he designed “ambulance volantes” or flying ambulances, the speedier four wheeled carriages were able to cruise in and out of the scene of battle and usher the dying to safety. 

We too have a Chief Physician who became concerned with the mounting reality of death in a world of sin.  He too designed a speedy and effective way to rescue the endangered from the grave.  With the wheels of goodness and mercy under His carriage of grace, Jesus Christ came and delivered our sin struck bodies from death and brought us back to life. 

Perhaps you’ve been fighting for life

You’re on the frontlines of a failing marriage, or facing the enemy of sickness, maybe even gunned down by loss or addiction.

Whatever the case, take a good hard look over your shoulder and realize that the Lord is following you…available to tend to your needs.

Simply raise your hands to Him, believe in His goodness and receive His mercy.

You’ll do more than just fight another day…You’ll live to experience His victory!

Genesis 23:19-20

So we see that Abraham purchased the field from Ephron.  The field was in Machpelah, literally translated “Portion”.  Interestingly the only portion of the Promised Land that God had allowed Abraham to actually own was the plot of land in which he buried his love and greatest desires.  As time would pass this area would become the place where his sons and daughters to follow would lay to rest as well. 

So too, the only thing we really possess, or the “Portion” we’ve been bestowed with here on earth is the free will to bury our ambitions and greatest desires safely into the hands of the author and perfector of our lives.  As we purpose our lives to be submitted to God’s will we will see that His blessings and promise will expand into the lives of our children and on and on it goes. 

As Abraham set that example and received the portion the trees of Mamre, translated “strength” became the place where God met and blessed Abraham’s children.  In the same way the places in which we bury our will and say, “Lord your will be done” are the places that God will bless and meet us, and as our children follow suite they will experience the same with the Lord.  What seemed like death to our greatest love and desires will become the launch pad for abundant and blessed life not only for us but for many to follow. 

Abraham didn’t fully see the fulfillment of God’s promise in his lifetime, but his kids did.  Because of his example and the way he laid all things to rest in the portion of the Lord, the generations to follow entered into the fulfillment of the Promised Land.  Listen up parents, as you obey the Lord and lay to rest your personal desires and ambitions, as you deeply invest into the Lord and the portion He’s given you, you’ll see that your children will follow suite and will receive the fulfilled promises and blessings. 

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:13-16

Don’t be discouraged folks; God isn’t slack on His promises.  You might not see all of the fruit of your life here and now, perhaps your children will see the blessing where you had to experience the death; the wonderful truth is God has prepared something abundantly more wonderful in heaven.  As we are faithful to receive this portion and invest into it we will see the return for eternity.

Genesis 23:1-2

Just a short while ago Abraham received back his son from the altar, now he was saying goodbye to his bride.  So we see the same in our lives. Sometimes we’re receiving blessings from God, and then the difficult moments of having to let go arrive.  Death and loss are always subjects of difficulty for everyone; we see that even Abraham, a spiritual giant of a man, wept for his wife.  Grief is okay, it actually helps us to release that which is going on in our heads and hearts before the Lord, and when done properly it allows the Lord the opportunity to clarify and console. 

It’s said the reason why God created the tear ducts and tear reflex was to keep the eye lubricated and cleansed of any particles that might harm the eye’s surface or impede on the eye’s ability to see.  In the same way God has given us the gift of grief to work the spiritual cleansing of the hearts interior as tears cleanse the eye.  As we tell God how we feel, the Lord begins to comfort and reply with His faithful and gentle cleansing of the particles that irritate the peace of our hearts and heads, keeping us from seeing clearly His character. 

After one hundred and twenty seven years of life Sarah had now died in Hebron, which literally translated means “fellowship”, this is so fitting being that most of Sarah’s life was spent in fellowship with her husband.  Sarah and Abraham’s relationship is an awesome example to us of commitment, love, faithfulness, and honor to each other and the Lord.  We often think of Abraham as the Godly example being dubbed things like, “Father of the faith” or “the friend of God”, however, we see Sarah gets a mention when Paul likened her to grace while Hagar was likened unto the Law.  Then Peter mentioned her as the example of what a woman of God should be (1 Peter 3:5, 6). 

Yeah, they both made mistakes, hit some bumps together, but the wonderful thing was their willingness to accept correction from the Lord, admit their wrongs, and stay committed to the Lord as He led them on to be ‘A Man’ and ‘A Woman’ of God.

Genesis 22:6

The knife, the fire, and the wood are three things which lead to the Holy offering that God desired.  Here we witness a sneak peek of what was to come just a few thousand years later on the same Mount between another Father and Son story.

On Mount Moriah we see Isaac laden with wood, while Abraham leads him up the mount to be offered as a sacrifice.  He carried fire to consume Isaac entirely, and in the other hand a knife to spill his son’s blood as necessary for a sacrifice.

Fast forward with me a couple millennia, to when the Roman Empire was in power. There on what was once known as Mount Moriah, renamed Calvary, we see another Son shouldering some wood, in fact it was a cross.  He was being led by His Father up the mount to be offered as a sacrifice as well.  He was the pure and spotless lamb who would become the propitiation for mankind’s impending judgment.  The fire in the hand of the Father isn’t a torch, but a fire of judgment and wrath which was poured out on the Son as He willingly received the penalty for our sins.  The knife was now a spear as it drew blood from His side and the Son breathed His last and said, “It is finished!”

That’s it folks, the hereditary sin of mankind is finished only through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Just as Isaac and Abraham were able to celebrate life instead of partaking in death, we too as the recipients of salvation can celebrate life through the blood of Jesus Christ without having to fear death, sin, and hell.  Jesus Christ has paid the price and given us the opportunity to enjoy entrance into heaven as well as this wonderful gift of freedom and relationship with the Father, Almighty God.

As it is with any gift, it’s the recipient’s responsibility to receive it.  So if you find yourself today in a position where you know that you have not yet received the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, what are you waiting for? 

It’s available to anyone, go ahead and enjoy it!

Genesis 21:16-21

Hagar lifted her voice and wept.  It seems as though she was captive to her circumstances and the cruel reality was that she and her boy were done for.  She was completely desperate and crying out, and who shows up…Jesus.  Who is the angel of God, or the angel of the Lord?  It’s the preincarnate Christ…its Jesus.  That’s the way it is, when we in desperation cry out to God, when we lift our voices, when we passionately make known our case before the Lord, no matter your background or past, He hears and responds. 

How do I know?

Take a look at a guy named Jeremiah.  He was what some might consider a model of failure and futility.  He was God’s prophet for over forty years, yet not one convert, not even a re-dedication, all he got from the people he tried to help was mockery and beatings.  He was put in prison, thrown into a well, and taken captive to Egypt against his will.  He was no stranger to crying out to God; in fact his nickname is the “weeping prophet” for penning the book of Lamentations.  But even a guy like Jeremiah heard from God, in some of his hardest most troubling moments God spoke to Jeremiah and said:

“…I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.  For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity…”

Jeremiah 29:10-14

You see, it doesn’t matter if you’re the head of a seemingly failing ministry, or the cast away that is hopelessly bound for death.  Jesus is there, He hears your cry, and He’s responded.  He desires that all would be saved and none would perish.  He says He desires to bring good towards you, that when you seek Him with all your heart…then you will find Him and He’ll bring you out of your gnarly situation.

Where are you today? 

Do you feel as though you’re wandering through the wilderness of life, things are dry and you’re getting nowhere fast? 

Perhaps you’re like Jeremiah who thought you were called and anointed but all you seem to receive is boos and hiss’ from your friends and your ministry has no apparent fruit?

Cry out to Jesus!  Call to Him!  Seek Him with all your heart, and God will “Open your eyes” to find the  hope, peace, and joy that will never go dry, leave you hanging, or forsake you.

Count on it!

Genesis 20:7

Again we see the introduction of a word to the Bible, here is the first time the word “prophet” is used in the Bible.  Although normally this word implies the ability of speaking for God, the word here also implies more the holding of a relationship with God.  Abraham would later be the only one to hold the official title “friend of God”.  It’s pretty amazing if you think about it.  Who would blame God for making a little space between Himself and Abe.  After all, it might put some spots on the ol’ reputation if God was caught hanging with “sinners” right?  The truth is that’s the way we look at each other most of the time, but that isn’t the way the Lord see’s us.  That’s the radical God we serve. 

You better believe He doesn’t turn a blind eye to sin, that’s why Jesus paid such a massive penalty on the cross.  No, God didn’t dismiss our sin; He disarmed its ability to kill us.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be justified of our sin.  What does Justified mean?  Just-as-if sin didn’t happen.  That is the Great God we serve!  He graciously looks past our foolishness and sees us through the blood of Christ, calling us friend. 

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-19

So the next time you’re in Abimelech’s position and you’ve been wronged by someone who has a relationship with God, remember God has forgiven that person…and so should you. 

Why?

Because you have been graciously forgiven just like them. 

Just like Abimilech, we too are in danger of death.  You see, if Abimilech held onto his rights and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong!”,  “Why should I be the one to make things right?” then he surely would have died.  And when we don’t restore forgiveness to others when they’ve wronged us then we hold their love captive.  When love is held captive it dies and so will you and your realtionships.  Death will claim your relationship with others, your relationship with God, and your relationship with yourself.  When wronged it’s always best to be the one to initiate restoration.

Jon Courson gives an awesome insight into those of us who have blown it like Abraham.  He says:

“Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  This means when God gives a spiritual gift, a calling, a ministry to a man, woman, or church, He doesn’t change His mind.  He doesn’t take it back.  If God has given you a gift, be it ministry, music, prophecy, teaching, or evangelism-if He’s given you a skill, be it carpentry, mechanic ability, athletic ability, it’s yours to keep.

Perhaps you’ve seen people stumble, fall, drop the ball, and you wonder how God could still use him, her, or them.  The answer is that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  Sin will always bring about its own sadness, depression, defeat, and despair, for the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15).  The fact remains, however, that because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, God will still use sinners.

I say this because I have found that the thing which hobbles so many people in their service for the Lord is thinking, “God can’t use me.  God wouldn’t use me.  God won’t use me because I’ve failed so miserably; I’ve botched it so badly.”  That’s the voice of the enemy, for the voice of the Lord says, “Because you didn’t earn the gifts I gave you or the calling I sovereignly placed upon you, there’s no way you can lose them either.”  If you’ve been on the sidelines because you think you’ve messed up once too often, remember this story and the mercy of our Master, the grace of our God, the kindness of our King.  Truly, there’s no one like Him.”

Jon Courson {pg.84 Commentary on Genesis 20:7(a)}

Like Jon said, God never takes back the gifts and callings on our lives; however, Jon also mentioned the effects of sin in our lives.  Make no mistake sin does have consequences.  Notice God told Abimelech that Abraham would “pray” for him.  God didn’t say Abraham would “point some stuff out to him” or “preach to him”, or even “partake with him”.  Why?  Because sin affects our hearts, minds, and lives in such a way that after we’ve sinned and hurt people the opportunities to minister in those relationships are never the same.  The damage was done between Abraham and Abimelech, the trust was lost, and rarely in such situations is a relationship fully restored to what it could have been.  God in His wonderful grace and love knows the way we tick, and blesses us with a chance to take part in ministering to those that we’ve perhaps blown our witness to. 

We might not be able to preach to them, or partake with them, but we can pray for them.  God still blesses us with the most powerful of all connections in any relationship, even with those relationships that seem hopelessly lost. 

Genesis 19:31-38

As Lot went to the mountain and obeyed God we see his daughters beginning to despair.  Lot was learning to trust the Lord but to his shame, and his daughter’s sin, he wasn’t passing on these life lessons to his kids. 

Listen closely parents, teachers, youth volunteers and anyone who has any involvement with the next generation.  When God is speaking truth and instruction into your life it is of the utmost importance to share that with the children that God has entrusted into your life. 

Apparently Lot didn’t reassure his girls that God was in control; his girls then despaired when they considered “the custom of all the earth”. 

That’s the way it goes, if we aren’t pumped up with the promises of God that say, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) then we’ll crumble under the customs of this earth that say, “There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:2).  The daughters of Lot heard those voices, they obeyed the fleshy temptation to trust in their own ingenuity because they were ignorant to the Glory and intimate promise of God’s loving provision.  Their flesh gave birth to sin (James 1:14-15) and their sin gave birth to death in a very real way.  For the boys that they gave birth to would later be the fathers of two nations (Moab and Ammon) who would terrorize and oppress the nation of Israel (who in reality was their own family, being that Lot and Abraham where uncle and nephew).  Whenever we satisfy the desires of the flesh we will always grieve and terrorize the Spirit of the Lord and the family of God. 

I cannot emphasize enough the blessings you give to your children when you teach them the ways of the Lord.  Something will be taught to them every day of their lives, and if it isn’t the truth of the Lord then it’s the Lies of this world or “the custom of all the earth”.  If we aren’t doing our job to prepare them then we are allowing them to fall into the bondage and destructive ways of this world.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

You’ll come to see that those of us who have been encouraged and nurtured in God’s truth will have a huge advantage when we come to those “cave-like” times, preventing the opportunity for the temptation of the flesh, the enemy, and this world to wreck our lives.

“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Genesis 19:26

What is the significance of Lot’s wife becoming a pillar of salt? 

Jon Courson has an awesome insight into this passage:

“Remember Lot’s wife,” Jesus said in a powerful exhortation only three words long (Luke 17:32).  Could it be that Lot’s wife was thinking of family and friends she had left in Sodom?  Whatever the reason, Lot’s wife looked back, and became a pillar of salt in the process.  What happens to the person who has been saved, but looks back longingly at the life from which he or she was rescued?  His or her walk doesn’t progress.  Like Lot’s wife, he or she is paralyzed.”

Jon Courson (Old Testament Application Commentary Volume 1)

Scholars believe that the original location of Sodom and Gomorrah is found smack under what today is known as “The Dead Sea”.  Why is the Dead Sea dead?  In comparison to all the other seas and oceans of the world the unique thing about the Dead Sea is the tremendously high content of salt in the water.  So high is this salt level that you won’t find fish or any other life in this body of water.  Although salt is a positive illustration of preservation in the New Testament, the Old Testament often speaks of salt as a picture of judgment. 

Just as the Dead Sea is rendered lifeless and arid from the salt present in the waves, we see that when we long for the old days and look back to the sinful tendencies that once had us within its borders we too will find the life leaving our bodies.  The arid atmosphere hardening our hearts will keep us from moving forward towards Jesus our “Mount Zion” and leave us stuck in the plain of perdition.

Genesis 18:4-8

I love this picture. The three men come and Abraham serves them, reminiscent of Christ serving the disciples in John 13 when He washed the feet of the disciples. Interestingly in both these cases bread was broken, water was used to cleanse, and rest and refreshment of heart was found under the tree.

For while Jesus washed the disciples feet in John 13…in verse 37 He began to describe to them that in several hours He would be under a tree, carrying it to Golgotha so that He could provide for us rest and refreshment of heart.

The truth is we all as believers in Jesus Christ have found rest and refreshment of heart under the tree, the tree of Calvary that is. His body was broken like bread for us, and from His side poured blood and water so that we might be refreshed. Just like the tender and good calf which had been prepared for these men to fellowship, we too had a tender and good Savior who was prepared to die so that we might receive and eat our fill of salvation.

Like I said…I love this picture, it’s beautiful.

Genesis 15:9-10

This whole butchering cattle and goats business might seem a bit strange to most people, however, in the ancient Middle East this bloody ceremony was similar to our making of a contract today. This ritual was normally carried out when a conquering king would come into power, the vassal party would prepare this ceremony and enter this binding covenant showing the new allegiance resulting in peace, protection and prosperity in the relationship with the king. The covenant would consist of chopping in half a heifer, female goat, ram, turtledove, and a young pigeon. When done separating the bodies each side of the animal would be placed opposite of the other half, in a way forming a route of passage between the two halves. Then the parties would step into the blood and walk in between the carcasses to the other side showing that they were dead serious about what they were committing to. The bloody death of the animals would serve as a reminder to those in the agreement that the fate of one who broke the covenant stipulations would also be put to death.

We as mankind entered into a similar covenant with God. To our shame we broke the stipulations of the covenant, our sin demanded death. God in His great mercy and grace decided to provide a substitute and propitiation for the penalty we deserved. Jesus Christ would come as a Man to die so that we might be able to live. His death would not only serve as the satisfaction for our failure to hold up our end of the bargain, but it would also serve as a reminder that God is good on His word and powerfully committed to hold up His side of the covenant. In the death of Jesus and the rising of our Savior we see God’s faithful integrity towards us. Our conquering king would seal for us eternal peace, protection from eternal death, and position to inherit eternal prosperity. The only way to know for sure that you’re going to heaven is by first walking thru the blood of Jesus Christ.