January 4- Somewhere Over the Rainbow

January 4, 2011


Scripture Readings:
Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25;
Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high,

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true.

E.Y. Harburg

Genesis 8

In the movie The Wizard of Oz Dorothy gets transported to a place on the far side of the rainbow.  As the theme song indicates, it's a place where your dreams come true.  Ultimately though, Dorothy learns in the land of Oz that "there's no place like home" and home is where her dreams can truly be realized.  Today we read about Noah.  Like Dorothy, Noah also goes to the other side of the rainbow, but what he finds after the storm is not a land where your dreams come true.  He finds a land with a harsh new reality.

When we last saw Noah he was shut up in the ark with his family.  The catastrophic Flood that he warned the ancient world about had come and every living thing on the earth was destroyed.  Noah was essentially baptized by fire.  Indeed, we see a picture of baptism as Noah is saved through the water 
(1 Peter 3:19-21). May I also say that the ark is a symbol of Christ and Noah's faith in the future Messiah is pictured as Noah rests safely in the ark from the judgment of the flood. You and I are safe from judgment through faith in Jesus Christ.

It has been five months on the boat.  Noah sends out a raven and a dove to test for dry land.  Finally, the day comes when the dove does not return and Noah and his family have survived the ordeal.  Noah is now 601 years old. We are told that the ark lands on the mountains of  Ararat, which by the way, are not a fictional mountain range, but a place that you can visit to this day in Turkey.

A Priest-    

 "The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over."    ~Aesop

Only when one faces true hardship is the character of a person revealed.  Noah has been through an incredibly hard ordeal. Today it becomes obvious what sort of man Noah was.  We knew that Noah was obedient and persistent.  We knew he was willing to follow God at all cost.  But now we see his response when he has lost everything he has ever known in the world except his family. Confronted with a desolate earth, left only with his family, we see that the first thing Noah does when he gets off that boat is to act as the priest for his family. The first thing Noah does is worship God. 

Verses 20-22 tell us that Noah builds an altar to the Lord and does an animal sacrifice in keeping with the picture the Lord gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden.  He believes that sin brings death and that there must be shed blood for sin.  This is an act of faith on Noah's part.  Noah's actions show that he believes God's promise that one day a Redeemer Child will come to the earth, be a sacrifice for sin, and save the world.  Noah is showing that he believes in Jesus, who is to come.

A priest stands between God and man seeking forgiveness for sin.  Noah is the first recorded person to act as a priest for others.


 He makes a sacrifice to God in thanks for saving the lives of his family and the animals. Surely Noah is seeking forgiveness for any sins committed as they floated along waiting for the land to reemerge.  God once again uses Noah as a Christ-like figure.  He is a picture of Jesus Christ, our perfect High Priest spoken of in the book of Hebrews.

God is pleased with Noah's obedience and God promises not to destroy the earth by flood again.  God also establishes that the earth will now have seasons.  Prior to the Flood the indication is that the whole world was a tropical environment. This is the first glimpse of how the earth's atmosphere changed after the Flood. God establishes that there will be spring, summer, fall, and winter.


Like Noah, we should worship God in all circumstances.  Like Noah, we should believe in Christ as the sacrificial Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.


List some circumstances in your life where you need to worship God rather than complain.

Genesis 9

A Promise-

After Noah's obedient worship of God at the altar, God blesses Noah and his family and tells them to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1).  Another post-Flood change is described.

For the first time in the history of earth animals will fear mankind and animals can be hunted and killed for food (vs. 2-4).  As you might recall, people were vegetarians prior to the Flood.  See my post, Adam's Underwear on January 2, for this reference.

We are not sure what laws and civil government were in place prior to the Flood, but in order to prevent a repeat of the massive sinfulness that occurred prior to the Flood, God makes changes after the catastrophe.  Here are some of the changes:

1. The atmosphere change appears to have caused a harsher climate.
2. Animals have a fear-based relationship with man. (Vs. 2)
3. Animals can be killed for food. (Vs. 3)
4. Capital punishment is established to discourage murder.    (Vs. 6)
5. Any animal that kills a person is to be killed. (Vs. 5)
6. Because of the change in relationship between man and animal, animals will now be a threat to the lives of humans.  This is another way to shorten the lifespan of people. Greater threats are now on the earth.

After pronouncing these changes, God makes a promise to mankind. The Bible calls this a covenant between God and all of Noah's descendants and all living creatures on earth.  He promises never to destroy the earth by flood again. As a sign of this eternal promise, God sets a rainbow in the clouds. 

This beautiful spectacle had to have been a great comfort to Noah and his family after the ordeal they had endured. You can imagine that they may of had something akin to post traumatic stress disorder after the Flood. Maybe they freaked out every time a cloud appeared in the sky. 

A rainbow is a phenomenon that causes our eyes to see a spectrum of light in the sky when the sun shines on drops of water.  What a beautiful way for God to use a natural phenomenon in this new atmosphere He established as a sign to comfort those on earth with the promise that future rain storms will not result in a worldwide catastrophe.  One thing I like about the rainbow is that God calls Himself "Light" throughout the Bible. A rainbow is light. Light is the first thing God creates in Genesis. Here we see that the light spectrum is what causes the beautiful comforting sign to man. In other words, God is comforting man through Light, through Himself.

A Prophet

I just love Noah. He is so good, and yet, so human and real. May I say that Noah is flawed. In chapter 9 verse 20 we see that Noah becomes a farmer after the Flood.  He plants a vineyard, makes wine, becomes drunk, and lays naked in his tent.  I'm pretty sure that if you and I had been through a horrific catastrophe that killed everything on earth, then had the atmosphere of the earth change negatively, have animals become dangerous, and have to start administering justice to prevent great evil again, we might also decide to get drunk and lay in our tent!

What is interesting though is that this incident is how we begin to get some insight into Noah's boys.  Ham finds Noah in the tent.  He runs out to his brothers and in a disrespectful fashion tells the others what has happened.  You can sense the derisive nature of Ham's personality.  The other two sons, Shem and Japheth, take a robe, walk backwards into the tent in order to avoid seeing Noah's nakedness, and cover him up.  Shem and Japheth honor their father.  Ham does not.

Do you remember our discussion about nakedness and shame a few days ago? This is no mistake that we are being told a story of Noah's sin is being covered by an animal skin robe. This is reminiscent of Adam and Eve's sin being covered by God with animal skins.  The two boys, who cover his sin, are being righteous.  Ham, who laughs at Noah's sin, is being evil. Attitude is everything, folks.

When Noah awakes from his stupor he makes a pronouncement about his sons. God uses Noah as a prophet. Noah prophesies about the future of each son's descendants.  Ham is told that his descendants will be servants to both Shem's and Japheth's descendants, Shem will be blessed by God, and Japheth will have prosperity and expanded territory.  Ham's children, who are descended from his child Canaan, will be cursed.

God's sovereignty is seen as He gives Noah a future vision about his descendants.  History will unfold, but not in some haphazard way.  This prophecy teaches us that God has a purpose for all people on earth.  He uses the wicked and the righteous for His glory. We also see that God uses flawed people to bring about His purposes on earth.

How can you be used by God even though you are not a perfect person?

A People

Next, we get the genealogies of each son's line.  These are not designed to be comprehensive, but do establish areas where the future people groups of various lands, tribes, and languages settle.  I will go into more detail about this section in tomorrow's blog.

The emergence of genomic science has allowed us to study the genetics of everyone on the planet.  Using accumulated knowledge and technology, we have now successfully mapped the whole human genome. We can also use computer technology to find data that allows us to track ancestry.

Recently it was discovered through Ancestry.com that Barak Obama is related to both Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh!  

God has a sense of humor, my friends!  Guess what else technology is telling us. We all come from one man. Can you guess his name after this study? Scientist are unable to tell us this. The Bible says that it is Noah. We all are descended from Noah.

Lesson:  Everyone you meet is truly your family.  Therefore, treat everyone with love and respect. As Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Think of ways to see all people as your family.  Will this change any prejudices you may have?

Matthew 4:12-25

Jesus returns to Galilee, rather than Nazareth, after John the Baptist is arrested. This is another  fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Jesus begins to preach that people should turn from their sins (vs. 17), continuing the message that John the Baptist initiated.

Jesus calls his disciples, choosing average working men, many of whom are fishermen.  Notice that he chooses flawed individuals who are not part of the religious establishment.  He tells them that they will now fish for men!  This is different than being a Pharisee, who holds the Law over every one's heads.

Jesus' ministry is marked by healing all kinds of illnesses and demon-possessed people.  Large crowds begin to follow him.

Jesus' disciples where chosen by him even though they were flawed individuals.  God uses average people to do His work on earth.  Does this give you hope that He can use you?  Jesus came to earth to heal people.  He is the Great Physician, who is able to heal you and me. What areas of your life do you need healed by the Lord? Have you brought those needs to him?

Psalm 4:1-8

This is another psalm of distress.  I particularly like vs. 4, which states that we should not let our anger control us.  We are admonished to think about our problems overnight and remain silent.

Proverbs 1:20-23

In the first chapter of Proverbs  we are introduced to Wisdom.  You might find it interesting that Wisdom is from God and Wisdom is a Woman!  Hallelujah!  I told you that the picture of both men and women together create the image of God!

It should not be a surprise that this woman talks loudly in the street to warn others.  Ha!  A typical woman...she is relational and persistent.  She encourages people to not be simple-minded and mockers, but embrace wisdom.  Embrace her. She is wisdom.

Let me know how you are liking this study!  Keep reading.  Tell me what you are learning.

Blessings,


Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton

January 3- The Problem with Exceptionalism

January 3, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 5-7:24; Matthew 3:7- 4:11;
Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19

Exceptionalism: Uncommon, well above average, deviating widely from a norm, as of physical or mental ability.  ~The American Heritage Dictionary

Genesis 5 & 6

America from its founding has had individuals who believe that our country is exceptional.  The concept of America being a God-ordained country destined to be a model to the world was first introduced by a man named John Winthrop in the 1600's. Winthrop was the first governor in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He was the first person to call America "a shining city on a hill."  While Winthrop's ideal was that America would be a religious model to the whole world, the modern concept of American Exceptionalism is that America is a political model of freedom and individual expression to the whole world.

America's self image has indeed been one of exceptionalism.  Our particular brand of government, culture, and religion promote excellence, independence, and a sense of well-being.  We Americans do tend to think we are exceptional, even when the facts do not support that conclusion.

Today in our reading in Genesis God reveals through the author Moses that ancient men and women who lived prior to the flood were, indeed, exceptional. They had legitimate reasons to think of themselves as exceptional.

Chapter 5 begins with a genealogy of ancient humans descended from Seth's line.  Remember from our prior reading that Seth is the promised righteous son through whom the Redeemer Child will come.  Perhaps you were amazed when you saw the ages associated with each person in the genealogy.  Well, I'm glad you were paying attention as you read today.  It is no mistake that the ages of these forefathers is given.  Let's review some of the highlights:

• Adam lived ..........930 years
• Seth lived ............912 years
• Enosh lived..........905 years
• Kenan lived..........910 years
• Mahaleh lived.......895 years
• Jared lived............962 years
• Enoch lived...........365 years   (note that he was taken up miraculously to be with God without dying)
• Methusaleh lived....969 years   (oldest man ever)
• Lamech lived.........777 years
• Noah lived.............950 years

God is giving you and me a picture of exceptionalism in the ancient world.  These original human beings were from a pure gene pool, were in an environmentally pure earth, were gifted with extremely long life, and were made and patterned after God.  Remember that in Genesis 1:27 God makes sure that we understand that his crowning creation in the Garden was patterned after His own image.

What does this mean about these ancient people?  It means they were exceptionally creative, brilliant, productive, and physically and mentally gifted.  One benefit of being human is that we are able to improve our situation by taking advantage of accumulated knowledge.  Every human being on earth today benefits from the accumulated knowledge of the past and the shared knowledge of the present. With the advent of the internet we have a virtual knowledge explosion on Earth.

Can you imagine the accumulated knowledge on earth if each person continued to live over 900 years like these people?  God's purpose was surely to populate the earth and expand human influence over the earth. He did this by allowing long and exceptional lives of the ancient people. There was one problem though.

The problem with the people in the ancient world was that they were also exceptionally evil.  As Genesis 6:5 states, "Now the Lord observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil." (NLT)

The Bible describes the sons of God impregnating the daughters of men, resulting in a half-breed race of giants called the Nephilim. Who were these Nephilim? There are varying schools of thought about who the Nephilim were. Some commentators believe that they were the offspring of demonic angels who impregnated human women with the thought of circumventing the future advent of Jesus Christ. In a perverse attempt to thwart God’s plan of salvation for humanity, these offspring brought great evil to the earth and were one of the causes for God’s judgment on the earth through the Great Flood. (See the writings of Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum for more information on this.)

What we do know is that these giants (Genesis 6:1-2) were completely immoral, violent, and depraved.  It is interesting to note that in Genesis 6:3 God states that in the future He will only allow man to live to 120 years old.  Interestingly, modern man rarely gets to the age of 120 years.  So we see that ancient pre-flood man was exceptional, but he did not rely on God in his exceptionalism.

Lesson:  Exceptionalism without faith in God leads to disaster.

God's response to our sin is sorrow.  Ultimately, God will judge the wicked because He is just.

In the midst of this cesspool of exceptionalism we are introduced to a man who God calls righteous. That man is Noah. As a descendant of Adam and Seth, Noah is the man who will carry forth the seed that will produce the Redeemer Child.  At this point in the story Noah is 500 years old and has three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Noah is told to build the ark, which is to be 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high.  In this large barge he is to bring pairs of all kinds of living creatures on earth. Chapter 6 of Genesis ends with Noah doing exactly what God commanded.  Noah is exceptional and obedient. Unlike those around him, Noah has exceptionalism and faith in God.

Please note that Noah is the first character in the bible to be an example of relentless and reckless obedience to God.  Without regard for what his fellow human beings would think of him, Noah prioritizes following God at all cost.  Our father Noah is a giant of the faith.

Genesis 7

Genesis chapter 7 provides one of the most well known stories on earth.  Flood stories are prevalent in many cultures.  It is not only the Judeo-Christian belief system that believes there was a worldwide flood.  There are more than 270 flood stories and historic records of the great flood found in many parts of the earth.  Some of the most well known are from China, Toltec (Mexico), and Babylonian records.  The Hawaiian culture also has a flood story.  Many aspects of these stories are different than the Biblical account, but one common theme is that a righteous man got on a boat with his family prior to a great deluge that covered the whole earth.

The bible states that Noah was 600 years old when he and his family got on the ark.  That would mean that Noah spent 100 years building the colossal boat and warning his fellow humans of impending disaster.  In the end only Noah's wife, Noah's sons, and their wives entered the boat with the animals. Noah's prophetic warnings to the exceptional people of the ancient world went unheeded.

God shut the door of the ark in Genesis 7:16  We are given detailed information about the deluge.  It occurred for 40 days and  40 nights, was a catastrophic event that included earthquakes, water from the deep coming up to flood the earth, and water from the sky pouring down also.  In the final analysis, Scripture tells us that the water was 22 ft. above the highest mountain peaks. Every living thing that had breathe died. Only Noah's family and the animals in the ark survived.

Noah's life is a picture to all of mankind in the future. Noah is a picture of salvation through righteousness found by faith in God alone.  Noah is a Christ-like figure, who points the way of salvation through obedience.  

Just as Noah was saved through his obedient faith and went from death (the flood representing death) to new life on earth, Jesus is our Savior, who gives us new life through His death and resurrection. Jesus is our ark/salvation as we face the flood waters of death and the God's judgment on sin. He takes us safely to eternal life, but we must rest in him.

What did you notice in the Flood story?

Matthew 3:7-4:11

Having just read the story of the Flood and God's judgment on the ancient world, it is interesting to now read the passionate warnings of John the Baptist to the religious leaders of his day. Like Noah of old, John is sent by God to warn people of impending judgment and encourage them to turn from their wicked ways by repenting of their sins and being baptized to God. 

Do you have anything you need from which to repent?

As he is preaching, his cousin Jesus comes to be obedient to what John is asking of people.  Jesus, the obedient son of God, comes to be baptized into his ministry. It should be noted that Jesus is not repenting of sin in this baptism.  He is fulfilling a prophecy.  In vs. 15 Jesus says, "It must be done, because we must fulfill all righteousness."  He is referring to fulfilling prophecy in the Old Testament.  Remember, this is what Matthew is proving.  After Christ's baptism, God reveals in a voice from heaven that this is His beloved Son.  Eve would have been thrilled to see that the Promised Child, who would redeem the world, is publicly introduced to the world. 

Jesus is then immediately sent into the wilderness, where he fasts for 40 days and 40 nights.  Anyone notice a pattern seen in the flood story?  Just as Noah floated in a wet wilderness as it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus experiences the same desperation that Noah must have felt.  Just as Noah was tested in a watery wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was tested in a fiery wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights.

Who among us has not experienced a wilderness in their lives?  Jesus can relate to our wilderness experiences.  God puts Christ in a position of weakness in order to show God's strength through him.  Have you ever been put in a position of weakness, so that God can show His strength through you?

Jesus' subsequent temptation is a classic battle between good and evil.  Jesus is tempted with physical temptations, with pride temptations, and with power temptations.  He defeats all of these temptations by quoting the Word of God to the Devil.  By the way, we last saw the Devil in the Garden of Eden in the form of the Serpent.  Eve, in her lack of faith, was unable to fight the Serpent's deceptions.  

Here we see that the Redeemer Child that God promised to Eve is able to overcome the Devil's deceptions by using the TRUTH found only in Scripture.  Jesus is able to resist evil and the subtle untruths presented by Satan because he has an arsenal of truth available to him.  Jesus uses faith and the knowledge of God and His character to defeat evil.

Lesson:  It is only through God's Word that you and I can resist evil in our lives.  We must know the Bible in order to live out the TRUTH and resist evil.

What has been a wilderness experience in your life?  How did you handle it? Can you think of Bible principle and passages that help you fight temptation? 

Psalm 3

Many psalms can be categorized.  This could be considered a psalm of distress.  King David wrote this when he was fleeing from his son Absalom.  We will learn this story later. What is interesting, though, is that these psalms also picture emotions that Christ would have felt while on earth. 

This psalm reflects beautifully the words Christ could have used as he dealt with his time in the wilderness.

Lesson:  Use the words of the Psalms to cry out to God in your distress.  God understands and embraces our trials and temptations.  He provides a way out, if we remember to call upon Him.

Proverbs 1:10-19

Notice that the son is admonished to not let sinners entice him.  Today we saw that Jesus heeded the words of the Proverbs.  He did not let Satan drag him to the "pit of death."

Food for Thought:

1. In what ways are you like the ancient exceptional men and in what ways are you like Noah?
2. In what ways are you being relentlessly obedient to God like Noah?
3. What catastrophe has led you to rely on God even in what appears to be an impossible situation?
4. How have you repented of your sin in your life like John the Baptist was calling people to do?
5. What wilderness experience have you had?
6. Think about ways that you can resist temptation in your life.

Thanks for checking in.  Let me know what you learned today!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton

January 2 - Adam's Underwear

January 2, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 3-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6;
Psalm 2; Proverbs 1:7-9

A little boy opened the big family bible.  He was fascinated as he turned the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible.  He picked up the object and looked at it.  What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found", the boy called out.  "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!

Genesis 3

Today I'm going to talk about underwear.  Please don't get the wrong idea.  I'm not a pervert.  I promise.  It's just that underwear is and always has been important to the human race.

Underwear became a public topic when Bill Clinton was running for president of the United States. He was asked on MTV whether he wore boxers or tighty whitey's.  That the voting public cared about underwear became a dinner table discussion at our house. We learned that apparently, you CAN judge a person by their underwear!  LOL!

Well, in today's reading, underwear plays a major role in helping us to judge the condition of man's heart and his relationship to God. 

Yesterday when we ended our reading in Genesis, we were told that Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed. Adam and Eve were free from shame because they had never sinned. Today that changes!

God warned Eve that she and Adam would die if they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Why didn't Eve listen? Why was she deceived by the Serpent?

My guess is that Eve did not really understand what death was.  She had never seen it.  Because she did not have knowledge, Eve needed to have faith in God. She needed to trust and obey what God had commanded. Eve lacked faith.  She didn't want to OBEY God, she wanted to BE God. God was testing Eve's faith and Adam's faith in Him and they failed this test of their character.

Can you relate to Adam and Eve?  Is it sometimes hard to trust God?

So Eve ate the fruit.  Adam soon follows Eve's lead.  Adam also shows a lack of faith here and a lack of leadership.

Have you ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding?  Here is a quote from the movie that perfectly describes this situation,  "The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants." 

Well, folks, Eve turned Adam's head, and women are still turning their husband's heads today.   Women wield incredible influence within their families and especially with their husbands.


Sin causes shame.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God and immediately their relationship with God and with each other changed.  Rather than being comfortable with each other in their natural state, they felt embarrassed about their bodies.  They felt the need to cover up and hide themselves.

Their first inclination was to use the work of their own hands to fix the consequences of their sin.  The closest thing around were fig leaves, so using their own ingenuity and creativity, they sew fig leaves together and cover their private parts. We have the first designer clothing on the planet... UNDERWEAR. Yes, fig leaf underwear. According to the Bible, the first piece of clothing ever made was underwear.  Problem solved!  Well, not exactly...

You see, God was not interested in having the problem of sin solved by man's work.

Are you tempted to have your good works make you pleasing to the Lord?

The point of this story and the message in this love letter to the world is that God is the one, through His mercy and grace, who solves the problem of sin.  He is also the One who receives the glory for doing so.

As the story unfolds, God confronts Adam in the garden. Adam plays the blame game and says that it was Eve's fault.  Eve plays the blame game and says that it was the Serpent's fault because he deceived her.  God then pronounces a curse on the serpent and tells us a VERY IMPORTANT theme of His story.  That theme (vs. 15) is that Satan (the Serpent) will be the arch enemy of mankind.  He will give a blow to the heel of one of Eve's offspring, but the offspring will crush Satan's head.  And that child will solve the problem of sin forever and restore the earth to it's original innocence.

It is important to note that Eve probably believes that this prophecy will come about in her lifetime and that the problem of sin will be solved quickly.  This Redeemer Child becomes the focus of world history and ancient religions from here on out.  My thought is that Eve, as the mother of all people everywhere, never anticipated that history would unfold for century upon century until this child would be born. This child, of course, is Jesus Christ.

God loves symbols. The next thing that happens in the story proves this. In order to picture what would be required to fix the problem of sin, God makes ANIMAL SKIN UNDERWEAR. 

God kills the first living creatures (vs. 21) and uses those animal skins to cover Adam and Eve.  He replaces their handmade leaf underwear with animal skin underwear made from the blood sacrifice of a living creature. An innocent animal had to die in order to cover the shame of Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve learn a very important lesson that day:  Their works will never be good enough to cover their sin.  Only God can cover their sin. And death is required to cover sin.

Can you imagine their shock as they see death for the first time?  Can you consider the humility they must have felt in wearing the skin of their fellow creature?  Remember that Adam had named all of the creatures and was responsible for them.  He must have loved them.  Therefore, this sacrifice must have been a strong lesson to them of the seriousness of sin.  It was also a picture that one day, the Redeemer Child that would come from Eve would have to die to save the world from its sins.  It was a lesson that the consequences of sin is death and that the shed blood and death of a sinless perfect person would save mankind and restore paradise to earth and reconcile the relationship between God and humans.

And so we have the story of how underwear reflects the condition of mankind. 


At first, Adam and Eve didn't even need underwear.  They were in perfect harmony with God and had never disobeyed Him.  Next, they sinned and tried to make their own underwear to cover their sin.  That was not sufficient.

Finally, God shows them that death is real.  He shows them that a blood sacrifice is required to cover sin. He reveals that only the work of HIS HANDS can cover sin. God paints a picture of how one day Paradise will be restored through a Redeemer Child.  In the meantime, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden and prevented from eating from The Tree Of Life, which would have caused them to live eternally in a state of sin.

What did you notice in today's reading of Chapter 3?

Genesis 4

I cannot let this portion of Scripture pass without making some comment on it.  I call Genesis chapter 4- The Chapter of Firsts.

Let me briefly list the first things in this chapter:

• The first man to sleep with a woman. -Vs. 1
• The first woman to become pregnant -Vs. 1
• The first male child to be born -Vs. 1
• The first sibling to be born -Vs. 2
• The first careers established- shepherding livestock and farming - Vs. 2
• The first attempt to bring a sacrifice to God to seek forgiveness for sin -Vs. 3
• The first sibling rivalry -Vs. 4-7
• The first murder -Vs. 8
• The first outright lie (vs. 9)
• The first city founded and named after a person -Vs. 17
• The first prideful polygamist brags -Vs. 19, 23, 24
• The first nomadic herdsman -Vs. 20
• The first musician and inventor of musical instruments -Vs. 21
• The first instruments created- the harp and the flute -Vs. 22
• The first metal worker in bronze and iron -Vs. 22
• The first true worship of the Lord on earth -Vs. 26

I must also mention a few key things in the chapter.  First of all, Eve seems to cry out with joy in vs. 1 when with the help of the Lord (note her faith) she has brought forth a male child.  I can't help but think that Eve believes this is the promised child who will defeat the Serpent.  Imagine her sorrow when this first boy kills her second righteous son and then is cursed by God.

It is also important to realize that God establishes the importance of blood sacrifice when he rejects Cain's grain offering to Him and accepts Abel's animal sacrifice.  Remember, God had given them the principle of blood sacrifice as a covering for sin when He provided the animal skins to Adam and Eve.  God expects obedience to His established spiritual principles. Cain wanted to give the work of his hands for the sacrifice.  Abel, in his obedience, followed God's example and gave the blood sacrifice of an innocent animal.

The last thing I will say about this Old Testament passage is that God provides Adam and Eve with another righteous son to replace Abel.  It is through the offspring of the righteous son, Seth, that men begin to truly worship the Lord in the ancient world.  Seth's birth shows Adam and Eve that God is serious about His promise of redeeming the world through one of their offspring.

What did you notice in this chapter?

Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2; Proverbs 1:7-9

We are going to see that Matthew is intent on us understanding that Jesus is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  In our reading today, Matthew proves prophecy is being fulfilled in the following facts about Jesus' early life. 

• Jesus is taken to Egypt by Joseph and Mary to avoid Herod's wrath (Vs. 13-15) This fulfills Hosea 11:1
• Herod committs genocide by killing all male children under the age of two (Vs. 16-18). This fulfills Jeremiah 31:15
• Joseph ends up taking Jesus to live in Nazareth (Vs. 19-23) This is fulfills Psalm 22:6 and Isaiah 53:3, where it says he will be despised.  Nazareth was despicable to the Jews.
• John the Baptist begins to preach a message of repentance in preparation for Christ's coming (3:1-3). This fulfills Isaiah 40:3

Psalm 2

While Psalm 1 showed us Jesus the Royal Son and Perfect Man, Psalm 2 shows us the attitude of mankind towards God. We see that Jesus, the Royal Son, will prevail against rebellious man and be victorious.  We are admonished to submit to the Royal Son and choose to be protected by him, rather than crushed by him.

Proverbs 1:7-9

Here is one of the key verses of the Bible- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  If you never memorized another passage of Scripture, you would do well to have put this one in your noggin.

What more can I say?  This is a fear that produces awe and acknowledges God's Power, Holiness, Perfection, Sovereignty, Lovingkindness, Brilliance, and Grace.  I could continue this list ad infinitum, but you get the point.  He's God, you're not!

Food for Thought: 

1. Are you trying to please God by your own works like Adam and Eve?  If so, how?
2. Have you accepted the sacrifice of Christ to save you from sin and get you right with God?
3. Are you hanging on to false shame?  Sin causes shame, but if you are a Christian, Christ has covered your sin and alleviated your shame.
4. What did YOU learn today?
5. Please share your thoughts.

Thanks for reading today.  Let me know what you think!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton

January 1- Foundations

January 1, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1: 1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-6

Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structures are to be, the deeper must be its foundation.  

~Saint Augustine

Hey! I'm so glad that you have decided to read the Bible with me this year.  Please know that on our journey you will have good days and bad days, but everyday will be an opportunity to learn about your Creator.  Today I am going to focus on the foundations laid at the beginning of the Old and New Testaments, the Psalms, and the Proverbs.  These foundational principles will guide our reading this year.


Genesis 1:1-2:25

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most well-known structures on the planet. Initial construction began in the year 1173.  By 1178 the tower began to sink because it had been set in weak, unstable subsoil.  The architects of the building realized a major design flaw. They had not set their lofty edifice on a proper foundation.

Today as we begin to read the greatest story ever told we will see that the Architect of History sets His Story on a firm foundation.  The Bible is the story of God's creation of the universe and His relationship with that creation.  As we go through this book His fingerprints and personality permeate everything.  If you listen closely, you will begin to recognize His Voice and know His Mind.  The central character of the Bible is Jesus Christ and you will see references to Christ from the very beginning of the book.

St. Augustine said that to be great you had to start by simply being. That is exactly how the Bible begins. The very first statement is, "In the beginning God." We start with this foundation. God exists. This is a simple but profound reality.  Here are other foundations established in these first two chapters of Genesis:

• God is the creator of all things- Vs. 1
• His words, which represent His logic/mind/intelligence, are authoritative, are the vehicle He uses to create, and are powerful. - Vs. 3-26
• Human beings are the only creatures created in God's image and patterned after Him.- Vs. 27
• Human beings are the only creatures responsible to follow rules established by God or face death for breaking those rules. In other words, human beings are tested by God. - Vs. 16-17
• Human beings, both male and female, when they are united by marriage as husband and wife in intimacy, are a picture of God and His relationship to those who love Him.

FOUNDATIONS FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 1:1-2:12

As the first book of the New Testament the book of Matthew is written to convince the nation of Israel that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah/King of the Jews.  Matthew lays a foundation for this argument by pointing out three major prophesies fulfilled: 

• Jesus has legal right to the title of King of the Jews through his genealogy on his stepfather's side.  Starting with Abraham, including King David, and finishing with Joseph, the husband of Mary Jesus' mother, Matthew proves Jesus' legitimate birthright to the throne of David.- Vs. 1-16. This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7
• Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin. He is to be called Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.-Vs. 21. This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14; 8:8,10
• Jesus is born in Bethlehem and will rule his people. -Vs. 2:6. This is a fulfillment of Micah 5:2

These are important bedrock proofs that Jesus
 is the legitimate heir to God's throne and the prophesied Savior of the Jews.  Many more proofs will be given in the book of  Matthew.

FOUNDATIONS FOR BEING RIGHTEOUS
Psalm 1:1-6


The Psalms were the hymnal for the Jewish nation. Today we begin with a foundational psalm that establishes the ways of the righteous. Christ is the Royal Son and Perfect Man.  He is pictured in this Psalm.

We can see what the righteous person does NOT do: He does not walk with the wicked, stand with sinners, or sit with mockers.

What he DOES do is: delight in God's Word and meditate on God's law.  He is like a fruitful tree that is planted in a garden near a river. Whatever he does he prospers.

This is not the case for the wicked.  They will blow away like chaff.  Ultimately, the wicked will not be able to stand in the judgment or in the assembly of the righteous.  The Lord will protect His own, but the wicked will perish.  This Psalm makes me want to be a fruitful tree by the water!

By the way, this first psalm just summarized the whole point of the Bible.

Proverbs 1:1-6

Solomon is the writer of the Proverbs. The purpose of the Proverbs is to teach the foundations of wisdom and discipline.  Any life built on this foundation will be strong.

Food for Thought:

• On what foundations are you building your life?
• How does your life show that you believe God exists?

What did you notice in today's reading?  I want to hear your comments.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton