GOD’S WORD FOR APRIL 12
GOD’S WORD FOR APRIL 12 ~ ~ Genesis 12:4b
“And Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”
Excavations north of Baghdad, in Iraq, are helping us to understand one of the most famous Old Testament characters. The more than 4,000 ancient documents that have been found there shed detailed light on the life and times of Abraham. Abraham was from Haran, which was an important city in the Hurrian empire.
You will remember that Abraham twice tried to pass off Sarah as his sister to avoid being murdered by someone who might want her.
Isaac later tried the same thing with Rebecca, but he was found out when someone found them together.
These documents show us that this practice was perfectly legal in Hurrian. It’s called the wife-sistership. Murdering husbands for their wives was a common practice in Hurrian and nearby areas.
That’s probably why Abraham was so worried about it happening in Egypt.
In Abraham’s case, it was true. Sara was his half sister. Terah’s wife, (Abraham’s mother) passed away and he remarried and had children, one of whom was Sara. Maybe that’s why Jehovah didn’t come down on him too hard for it, but protected them both. It did serve the purpose of opening the door for pharaoh to know Jehovah and how He works.
When Sarah was unable to have a child and offered her handmaiden to Abraham, she, too, was only following Hurrian law, and, again, they weren’t reprimanded by Jehovah for doing that, even though it caused a lot of problems down through the years, even to our times. It also showed a lack of faith in the promise of Jehovah giving them the “son of promise” which was Isaac.
While God understands our false learnings that come from the world, he demands obedience when we are saved. He puts a right heart into us, and He expects us to do our best to obey Him. What a small price that is for all that He has given us, and will give us for eternity!!
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Thessalonians 4:17
“….And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
When we acknowledge His rightful rule over us, acknowledge and repent of our sins, and accept His bountiful protection and provision, His love is overwhelming. There are over 8,000 specific promises in the Bible that He wants to do for us in this life—-if we let Him and don’t go off on our own.
He has literally given US HIS glory!!!
“The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one;”
He is with us always, no matter what will happen.
“teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
To have the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things, the controller of governments, on our side is no small thing.
But the greatest thing is His Love.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 15:9
As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
The real reason Abraham and Isaac lied about their wives was that they didn’t trust God to protect them. He takes delight in protecting us, teaching us, and providing for us. The trouble is, we all tend to go in our own “strength” and thinking, instead of trusting Him. This breaks His heart, because, like a wayward child, we reject His provisions and our pride rises up. But He never stops loving us, and will always be there when we turn back to Him and fall into His arms.
Have you acknowledged His rightful position in your life? Do you understand what He sacrificed for you, in setting aside His glory to suffer terribly and die, to conquer eternal death for you IF YOU ACCEPT IT? It’s a free gift——-forgiveness, protection, guidance, peace, joy, and much more in this life, plus eternal life in a sin-free, tear-free, and sadness-free world with HIM —–GUARANTEED!!!
THE CHOICE IS YOURS. HE DID HIS PART. HE’S WAITING FOR YOUR ANSWER.
Live in the Light of Our Lord 