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January
12
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Reading 1 - Genesis 22 & 23
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Peter Cresswell
Peter Cresswell
23:4 - In describing himself as 'a stranger and a sojourner' Abraham demonstrated that he expected the promises to be fulfilled at a later date - by implication when he is raised from the dead.
This
sets the pattern for our life. We should live in this world as 'strangers
and pilgrims' 1
Peter 2:11 and as such should not follow the behaviour of those amongst
whom we live.
Peter
Forbes
22:2 Isaac was not Abraham's 'only son' at this time because Ishmael was alive. However the word translated 'only son' 03173 is a rare word in Scripture and seems to always be in a prophecy of Jesus
| Genesis 22:2 | only son | * |
| Genesis 22:12 | only son | * |
| Genesis 22:16 | only son | * |
| Judges 11:34 | only child | * |
| Psalm 22:20 | Darling | * |
| Psalm 25:16 | Desolate | � |
| Psalm 35:17 | Darling | * |
| Psalm 68:6 | Solitary | � |
| Proverbs 4:3 | Only (Beloved) | * |
| Jeremiah 6:26 | only son | � |
| Amos 8:10 | only son | * |
| Zechariah 12:10 | only son | * |
23:12-13
In insisting in paying for the land in which he buried Sarah we see that
Abraham lay no claim on the land which he had been promised.
Peter
Forbes
There are some amazing parallels in the story of the offering of Isaac by Abraham that match up with the sacrifice of Christ.
Abraham was told, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering." We read in John 3 v 16 that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." Jesus was the Son God loved who was sacrificed for our sins.
The burnt offering was the only offering that was totally sacrificed to God, totally consumed. Jesus gave up every part of his life completely to God - just like a burnt offering.
Isaac was sacrificed in the region of Moriah. This is where the temple was eventually built and where Christ was crucified. It became part of the city of Jerusalem.
Abraham said, "God himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering." God provided Jesus, "The lamb who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1 v 29).
Isaac was as good as dead as Abraham raised his knife to slay him, but he was given back to Abraham alive. Christ died and was raised back to life again.
We read that "Abraham returned to his servants," (Verse 29) but Isaac is missing from the record. So, after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. His next appearance will be at the wedding feast in the kingdom. So with Isaac. His next mention is concerning his marriage to Rebekah, the bride selected by God.
There are many more parallels in this story for us to find. Try it. It makes you think, doesn't it?
Robert Prins
Genesis
22
- How old was Isaac in this record? Most certainly it appears he was now
a grown young man, not the little boy of some of the more fanciful tellers
of the story for little children. Josephus claims that Isaac was around
25 years of age, which means that this incident took place when Abraham
was 125 years old, and Sarah 115 years old. However, it is not impossible
that Isaac may have been approaching 40 years of age, which would put
his age close to the age of our Lord when He too was sacrificed and raised
from the dead. In ancient Hebrew terms, a man was "young" until he�reached
the age of 40. Abraham would then have been 140, and Sarah dead for three
years. No mention is made in Genesis 22 of Sarah, and what follows in
Genesis 23 need not necessarily be in chronological order. If this latter�proposition
be correct, how much greater�does Abraham's faith here appear? If
Sarah is now dead,�and Abraham�knowing that the promise referred
only to that seed produced between himself and Sarah... what must his
thoughts have been as he contemplated sacrificing his only begotton son?
�
Genesis
22:3 - "And Abraham rose up early in the morning" - Six times
in Jeremiah the prophet we are told that one of the great characteristics
of our God, is that He "rises up early" to speak
to His servants the prophets. It is also a characteristic of Godly men
in the record that they too, rise up early in the morning to face often
unpleasant tasks. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David,� Job and
Jesus�are all noted as sharing this uncommon trait. Who among us,
had we been in Abraham's shoes,�would not have wanted to sleep in
on this morning, then linger over breakfast,
and then procrastinate until the day was far spent, so that we could put
of until tomorrow what ought to have been done today? There is a saying
of the world� - "Do it!�� Do it right!�
Do it right now!"� Success among the children of men
is often attributed to this very philosophy. How much more should the
Sons of God be moved to attend�with alacrity in things eternal?
�
Genesis
22:2-4 - Seven great acts of faith are recorded of Abraham
here in this part of the record. Count them up... each one starts with
"and."
�
Genesis
22:20-24 -�The Divine record prepares us for the marriage
of Isaac to Rebekah, by revealing the genealogy of Abraham's family who
had chosen to stay in Haran. Abraham's attitude toward his family who
were afar off is very instructive for ourselves in these days. It is too
easy to cut our families off if they do not totally share our faith in
God. After Isaac's release from off the alter, we hear no more of him
until a bride is sought for him from among his own people, from among
those who were closest to sharing his own faith.
�
Genesis
23:2 - It is worthy of remark, that Sarah is the only woman
whose age, death, and burial are distinctly noted in the Sacred writings.
What is meant in this verse that "Abraham came to mourn for
Sarah?"� Can this imply that Sarah died whilst Abraham
was away from the compound, perhaps tending his flocks in another area?
Cliff York
Cliff York
Reading 2 - Psalms 26, 27 & 28
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To
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Peter Cresswell
Peter Cresswell
27:4 David's desire to dwell in the house of the Lord was partially fulfilled when he 2 Samuel 7:18 'sat before the Lord'. David had his heart's desire granted because he was a man after God's own heart.
28:3
The duplicity exhibited by the wicked is the same as having 'divers weights'
[Deuteronomy
25:13] which is something the Lord hates Proverbs
20:10, 23. Of course one does not have to be a shop keeper to have
divers weights. We all have divers weights when we say one thing and do
another.
Peter
Forbes
Psalm
26:10 - "In whose hands is mischief, and
their right hand is full of bribes" - Margin:
"filled with." The word here rendered "bribes"
means properly "a gift," or "present;" and then,
a gift offered to a judge to procure an unjust sentence.� The general
meaning is that�the Psalmist�did not desire to be�identified
either with men who openly committed crime, or with those who could be
corrupted in the administration of justice. How different is�the
picture in this Psalm to the picture painted in Psalm
24:4, where the one who dwells in the Holy Hill of Zion has "clean
hands and a pure heart."�When our lives are�consumed
with the pursuit of politics, either in the workplace, or our place of
worship,�then it is impossible to treat people equally, and with
the magnanimity that our live in Christ prescribes.
�
Psalm
26:12 - "My foot standeth in an even place" - The word
rendered "even place"�- means properly "righteousness,"
or "justice;" then, "evenness, a
level region, a plain:"�The idea is, that�David
was standing now on smooth and level ground;�that is, he had found
now a level road where he might walk securely.��His life�was
like a journey over a rough and dangerous road - a road of hills and valleys
- of rocks and ravines.�Walking with God�he has found a smooth
and safe path. The way was level. He felt secure; and he walked calmly
and safely along, as a traveller does who has past over dangerous passes
and who�finds himself at last�on level ground. This theme occurs
over and over throughout the Psalms.
�
Psalm
27:12 - "...for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such
as breathe out cruelty" - To "breathe out injustice"
would imply that those who do so are full of such malignity, as Saul of
Tarsus was before his conversion - Acts
9:1. Those who "breathe out injustice" wish
to be in control of others, for they are not in control of themselves.
Our Lord was in total control of Himself, and He only ever breathed out
the Spirit of "wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel
and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD"
- Isaiah
11:2. What spirit do we breathe out? Are we in control of ourselves?
Or do we seek to control others by issuing and supporting�edicts
designed to this end:-�that by controlling others, rather than ourselves,
we retain the power?
Cliff York
Cliff York
Reading 3 - Matthew 14
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Peter Cresswell
Peter Forbes
Peter Forbes
Matthew
14:3 - What
a record of contrasts this is. Herod was an immoral man, an adulterer
- John was upright before God, and a eunuch. Herod locked John in prison
- John, by his great message,�would have set Herod free of his imprisoning
lusts.
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Matthew
14:8 - It was the custom to release one from prison on occasions
such as this - not behead one!
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Matthew
14:9 - "And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake,
and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her"
- Herod was prepared to honour a�boastful oath delivered
in an inebriated state, but he could not honour his marriage oath, undertaken
in sobriety and before God.
�
Matthew
14:21 - "And they that had eaten were about five
thousand men, beside women and children"�- This information
here, would allow us to calculate that our Lord fed upwards of 20,000
mouths on this day. Why only five thousand men numbered then? This whole
incident was a feast of Grace, and perhaps we are being told here that
this bountiful meal, which took place exactly twelve months before His
crucifixion, prefigured the work that would ultimately be accomplished
in a vast multitude - the Family of Grace named�later by Paul�as
the Commonwealth of Israel - Ephesians
2:12. This record of feeding 5,000 families, is one of the few miracles
recorded in detail by all four Gospel writers.
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��������������������������������� CONTRASTS |
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HEROD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY |
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CHRIST FEEDING 5,000 FAMILIES |
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Unlawful Wife/Adulterer |
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Bride in Prospect/Eunuch |
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Palace of Macchaerus |
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Green Mountain Slope |
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Shore of Dead Sea |
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Shore of Galilee Sea |
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Feast of Hatred |
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Feast of Love |
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Immoral Party |
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Frugal Meal |
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Rich & Influential |
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Poor & Insignificant |
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Herod �The Fox� - Adulterer |
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Christ �The Harmless� - Pure |
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Egotistical Offer |
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Divine Principles |
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Drunken Stupor |
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Sweet Fellowship |
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Feast of Death |
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Feast of Life |
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Head on a Plate at the end of party |
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12 Baskets of Bread left at end of meal |
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If
any wish to pursue a fuller study of this greatest of incidents recorded
of our Lord, I am happy to e-mail a copy of a short study entitled "He�Gave
Them Bread From Heaven To Eat."� Send your request to the
link below or click
here to read it on line.
Cliff York
Cliff York