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January 12

Reading 1 - Genesis 22 & 23

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22v.2 - Moriah = "chosen by Jehovah". It is also the site of Solomon's temple 2Chron.3:1. This, we are told, here in Chronicles, was the site of the threshingfloor that David bought 2Sam 24:18-25. David was commanded by God 1Chron.21:18 (Araunah and Ornan are the same person) to buy back the land - the very place where Abraham sacrificed Isaac and make it a place of sacrifice again - and soon the site of the temple - where God chose to place his name - hence Moriah. We are this temple 1Cor.3:17.
Peter Cresswell
23v.9 - Abraham's desire to buy at the proper price regardless of their willingness (v.6) to provide the service for free fits with the principle of 'owe no man any thing' in Rom.17:8
Peter Cresswell
ch 22 - When Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah to offer him as a burnt sacrifice do we think that Abraham had any thoughts about Melchisedec whom he had met in that area [Genesis 14] some years earlier?

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 *
*indicates places where it is quite clear that we have a prophecy of Jesus.

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

ISAAC AND JESUS

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

Reading 2 - Psalms 26, 27 & 28

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26v.6 - innocency = niqqayown - only here and Gen20:5, Ps.73:13, Hos.8:5 and Amos 4:6(trans. cleanness). The Hosea reference suggests that it is a state which can be obtained by turning away from idolatry. Hos.8:4-6. As David described in one of yesterday's Psalms (24:3-6).
Peter Cresswell
27v.11 - a plain path is a path on the plain - in the most desirable areas - the word (miyshowr - 04334) is used elsewhere mainly in this context, but is also translated 'righteous' and 'upright', so we have a vision of the kingdom here for the person to whom God teach his ways.
Peter Cresswell
Psa 26 - This is a very challenging Psalm. How many of us are able to speak like this to our God?

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

Reading 3 - Matthew 14

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v.31 - I'm sure I would have been just like Peter. So where should we turn to try to dispel our doubts and build our faith? Try these passages. Ps.138:7, Isa.63:12, Mark 11:23, Jas.1:6-8 (faith is single-minded) or back with Abraham in Gen.22:14.
Peter Cresswell
John the Baptist had said of Jesus 'He must increase, but I must decrease.' [John 3:30]. The death of John is only referred to here incidentally to explain Herod's perplexity. Thus John passed off the scene with no mention - demonstrating the ascendancy of Jesus against the background of John's decrease.
Peter Forbes
:3-12 The account of the death of John recounts events which had happened earlier. They are included here to provide an explanation of Herod's unease about Jesus. As such we see that Herod was both superstitious and had a high regard for John.
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.
Matthew 14:8 - It was the custom to release one from prison on occasions such as this - not behead one!
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.

��������������������������������� CONTRASTS

��BETWEEN

HEROD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

&�

CHRIST FEEDING 5,000 FAMILIES

Unlawful Wife/Adulterer

Bride in Prospect/Eunuch

Palace of Macchaerus

Green Mountain Slope

Shore of Dead Sea

Shore of Galilee Sea

Feast of Hatred

Feast of Love

Immoral Party

Frugal Meal

Rich & Influential

Poor & Insignificant

Herod �The Fox� - Adulterer

Christ �The Harmless� - Pure

Egotistical Offer

Divine Principles

Drunken Stupor

Sweet Fellowship

Feast of Death

Feast of Life

Head on a Plate at the end of party

12 Baskets of Bread left at end of meal

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