December 27 - Genesis 22-26
How has your faith grown since you trusted Christ for your salvation? Is it stronger today? Would you like for God to test your faith as he tested Abraham's faith in this passage? Would you pass the test like he did? This passage provides us much food for thought. Faith is not just abstract belief in our hearts. Faith is belief that produces right attitudes and actions. This passage teaches that over and over. Let the Lord show you these truths today.
In chapter 22 notice how quickly Abraham obeyed God in this difficult test. (v.3) He could do this because he already knew that God provides when He tells us to do something. (v.8) However, when he passed this test, God was well pleased and renewed the covenant with him. (v.12, 17,18) God is constantly testing our faith. We may not have been asked to pass such a drastic test like Abraham, but there are tests all the time. Could it be that Abraham's test was more difficult, because he was more advanced in his faith? I do believe that God never tests us beyond what we are able to bear. (I Corinthians 10:13) Therefore, we should desire to have strong tests, because they are a sign of God's confidence that we can handle them.
In chapter 23 we see Abraham's integrity as he buried his wife, Sarah. He paid full price for the field in which he laid to rest the wife he had loved for many years. Think of all they had gone through together. Marriage is a great blessing, when a couple follows God together through all of the ups and downs of life. Then, chapter 24 is another example of Abraham's faith that God would provide. This time he trusted God to provide the right wife for Isaac. God did this in response to his faith and through the faith of his servant. Notice how faithful the servant was to pray and to worship God throughout the entire process. This is what God is looking for in all of us each day.
Chapter 25 reminds us that Abraham was not perfect. He sinned by having concubines, and he ended up having to send his sons away to the east. (v.6) This could have been from a conflict caused by his sin. However, the good thing to see is how Isaac had learned from his father how to worship God and to follow Him in faith. Noticed how he prayed and built altars for worship. Of course, we see the birth of Jacob and Esau in chapter 25, too. There is a lot to this story for tomorrow, but notice how Jacob acted based on Esau's nature or personality to buy the birthright. I believe this is a critical truth to understand all that the Bible says about these two sons of Isaac.
In chapter 26 Isaac sins like Abraham did by saying that his wife was his sister. Have you noticed how your character is related to your strengths and weaknesses? Have you noticed that you have received some of those personality traits from your parents? That does not excuse sin, but it does give us insight into our character and what we should try to do to trust God more. Look at verse 5 before we finish today. Do you also realize that we receive some blessings because of the faith and obedience of our parents? It is true. God passes down blessings to children and grand children based on the faithfulness of the parents. That should teach us the importance of what we do. Our faith or the lack of it effects many people.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 27-32.
In chapter 22 notice how quickly Abraham obeyed God in this difficult test. (v.3) He could do this because he already knew that God provides when He tells us to do something. (v.8) However, when he passed this test, God was well pleased and renewed the covenant with him. (v.12, 17,18) God is constantly testing our faith. We may not have been asked to pass such a drastic test like Abraham, but there are tests all the time. Could it be that Abraham's test was more difficult, because he was more advanced in his faith? I do believe that God never tests us beyond what we are able to bear. (I Corinthians 10:13) Therefore, we should desire to have strong tests, because they are a sign of God's confidence that we can handle them.
In chapter 23 we see Abraham's integrity as he buried his wife, Sarah. He paid full price for the field in which he laid to rest the wife he had loved for many years. Think of all they had gone through together. Marriage is a great blessing, when a couple follows God together through all of the ups and downs of life. Then, chapter 24 is another example of Abraham's faith that God would provide. This time he trusted God to provide the right wife for Isaac. God did this in response to his faith and through the faith of his servant. Notice how faithful the servant was to pray and to worship God throughout the entire process. This is what God is looking for in all of us each day.
Chapter 25 reminds us that Abraham was not perfect. He sinned by having concubines, and he ended up having to send his sons away to the east. (v.6) This could have been from a conflict caused by his sin. However, the good thing to see is how Isaac had learned from his father how to worship God and to follow Him in faith. Noticed how he prayed and built altars for worship. Of course, we see the birth of Jacob and Esau in chapter 25, too. There is a lot to this story for tomorrow, but notice how Jacob acted based on Esau's nature or personality to buy the birthright. I believe this is a critical truth to understand all that the Bible says about these two sons of Isaac.
In chapter 26 Isaac sins like Abraham did by saying that his wife was his sister. Have you noticed how your character is related to your strengths and weaknesses? Have you noticed that you have received some of those personality traits from your parents? That does not excuse sin, but it does give us insight into our character and what we should try to do to trust God more. Look at verse 5 before we finish today. Do you also realize that we receive some blessings because of the faith and obedience of our parents? It is true. God passes down blessings to children and grand children based on the faithfulness of the parents. That should teach us the importance of what we do. Our faith or the lack of it effects many people.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 27-32.