January 19, 2021 – I'm Following Jesus

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Chapters: Genesis 22-24
Message: Trust Every Word

Hello My Friend,

There are quite a few things that we read in the Bible, that may sound a bit obscure, and it actually takes discernment by the Holy Spirit and a faithful reading to His Word in order for us to comprehend what is actually meant. We need to be careful, while some things are literal, like when God created our heavens and earth in six days, He actually means six twenty-four hour days. Then there are things written that are literal, but not as we think, like when Jesus says, [John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.].

If you are not saved or have not truly embraced the power of the Holy Spirit, something like this would sound atrocious to you. This does not mean that we literally need to eat the actual flesh of Jesus, but it is literally His Spiritual flesh. In order to understand that we would one, need to be saved, two, let the Holy Spirit guide us, and three, read beyond that verse to get the whole picture, [Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.]

[and hate not his father,] [Hate; to love less.] Again, if we were to attempt to comprehend this in our own understanding we would think of the word hate as despise them, and this is not what Jesus means by this. So, what Jesus is actually asking if we are going to love Him more than our those who are most dear to us? Well, God was about to ask Abraham the same thing. It literally took twenty-five years for God to fulfill His promise to give Abraham a son with Sarah, whom God also promised that he would bless this child to make him the father of many nations. Now, God comes to Abraham with a request.

[Genesis 22:1-5 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.]

[that God did tempt Abraham,] [Tempt; to try; to prove; to put to trial for proof.] This is not literal in he sense that God as enticing him to do something that is sinful, this is God literally trying Abraham to see if he loves Him more than his only son. [and come again to you.] Abraham already knew that God had a plan, and that both of them would return because he remembered His promise. Nevertheless, he obeyed God.

[Genesis 22:9-13 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.]

[and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.] There must always be a sacrifice in the place of redemption. God provided the sacrifice, He has always provides the sacrifice, He literally sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we might have eternal life, [John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.]

Remember, God’s tests always lead to life, not death, even upon our physical death we have eternal life with Jesus, and the hope of the resurrection as He arose three days after His death. History proves that when we seek God for guidance we always see the best outcome. Now, Sarah lived thirty-seven years after she gave birth to Isaac, she is the only woman in Scripture that God recorded the age of her death. Abraham grieved, then prepared to bury his wife in the city of Hebron which is where David would dwell years later.

[Genesis 23:4,10-16 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. 13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. 16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.]

[I will give thee money for the field;] Think about what this represented when he purchased the land that would be for not only his wife’s burial, but his and Isaac’s. First; it was bought and paid for with a price. Second; it was a sure place, meaning, the purchase was sealed, never to be sold again. And third; It was a token of Abraham’s belief and expectation of what was to come of God’s promise, [Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.]

Now, Sarah died and Abraham’s health was deteriorating, he decided it was time for Isaac to have a wife, but he did not want him to have a wife from the land of Canaan, he sent his servant to seek out a one for him, he did not give any specifics, only that she be from his people.

[Genesis 24:1-4,7-8 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. 8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.]

[thy hand under my thigh:] This was an oath that they took, Abraham’s servant did just as he asked, when he got there the only thing he thought to do was pray. And as he was praying a woman arrived at the well where he was standing. The servant eagerly followed her to her house and told her family everything and she eagerly went with him.

[Genesis 24:12-15,59-60 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.]

[be thou the mother of thousands of millions,] How amazing is it that this woman played a part in not only becoming the mother of Israel, but all who know Christ as their Saviour as well. This woman embarked on a journey that only by faith she could have accomplished. When we trust God, we will never question His Word, rather use it to come understand the true meaning of what He is telling us, [Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.]

Jesus Christ Magnified: [Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.]

Today’s Prayer: God, Although you tempt us by trying our faith, it never comes without void, and while we do not always understand the ways in which You do try our faith, everything You do has a purpose and a meaning, and comes out good if we simply trust You. Lord, I will never forget the day You came to me and revealed Your purpose for my life and I want to continue to fulfill that purpose. Lead me and guide me, give me Your power to trust You no matter what You ask of me, and keep me in obedience to Your Word, not out of obligation, but out of respect. Give me the strength to fight evil temptation, let me not be hindered from fulfilling Your will for my life, and fill me with Your love, mercy, and grace that I may accomplish all that You have for me to do. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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