A Special Visit

Genesis 19:1-11

While living in Houston, Texas, I would have business associates who would travel from all parts of the world to Houston.  While helping them plan the trip to my area, the question of where to stay was always the issue, and I would put them in an area close to the customers they were going to see, unless that area was not safe.  As we look into chapter 19, Lot sees what others who did not have a knowledge of God could not see, Lot sees two righteous men entering the gate of Sodom.  When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet.  Then you may rise up early and go on your way.”

It is of importance to note that Abraham bowed and called them, lords, lords was used as a title of respect for men.  Lot was sitting at the city “gate” where the business and commercial activities took place, and he had become someone of importance in Sodom. The angels were going to stay in the city square and after a strong argument on why it was not the thing to do, they agreed to spend the night with Lot and his family.  We see that Lot made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.  Henry M. Morris has this nugget for us on page 346 of “The Genesis Record”, “When the men enter his home, Lot prepared them a feast.  It is significant, however, that the only ingredient of this feast which is specifically mentioned is “unleavened bread.”   The fact that Lot baked it, rather than his wife, may suggest that his wife did not at all welcome these strangers in her home.  In any case, this is the first mention of leaven in the Bible, and is in accord with all of its later usages.  In Scripture, leaven is generally symbolic of evil doctrine or practice corrupting God’s people.”

Lot knew the people of Sodom and what they would try to do to these two men; it was not long before the men of the city both young and old surrounded his house and demanded that Lot bring the men out so they could have sex with them. The men of the city were about to break down the door, when the angels struck them with blindness. Yes, Lot knew the hearts of the men of Sodom, but he had forgot that God nor His angels needed Lot to protect them; it was just the reverse, Lot needed the hand of God, and God provided a way of escape. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

An exchange between Friends

Genesis 18:22-33

One of my weaknesses has always been not keeping quiet; I’ve never learned the art of counting to ten before voicing my thoughts on a subject.  That is not a trait I am proud of, in fact Proverbs has this to say about a person with this characteristic, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:27)  Restraint is a good thing, Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”  In my forty years working for one of the best companies in America, I had bosses that would listen to what the employee had to say, but he had the final say.  If your boss was open and valued your thoughts, often that conversation presented the opportunity and maybe even changed the approach of going to market.

It is important to recall that Abraham and God are friends, and God has let Abraham in on his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  At this point Abraham is thinking of his nephew Lot, and he asked God this question: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”  (I’m sure at this point Abraham does not take a breath)  “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city.  Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?”  I bet Abraham is thinking that Lot has a large household and surely fifty of them are in right standing with God. 

At this point Abraham does what I’ve also done to my bosses, he began to tell God what he should do and should not do, that is dangerous.  Verse 25 begins, “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!  Far be that from you!  Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?”  Can you imagine having that kind of talk with God?   In verse 26, the Lord replied, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”  Have you ever spoken to a friend, and then wondered was my response too strong?  That’s where Abraham finds himself.  Verse 27 gives this account of Abraham’s answer, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.”  But Abraham is on a roll and he keeps going down on the number of righteous people in Sodom.

Abraham has run the numbers in his head and Lot must have ten people in his household who are in right standing with God, so in a last effort in verse 32, we find this account, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once.  Suppose ten are found there.”  He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”  What we have witnessed is an exchange between friends, but we have also seen the grace of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Value of a Friend

Genesis 18:16-21

Having a friend is much different than having many people whom you are friendly with.  A friend is someone whom you care for as if they were family, someone you long to spend time with, someone that neither distance nor time separates your love; they are special, they are your friend.  Often because of that bond you try to protect your friend from anything that could bring pain into their life.  God has stated, Abraham is my friend, and God knows that the plans for Sodom and Gomorrah will bring great pain into Abraham’s life.  So the Lord ask this question, “The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

A friend does not keep quiet with that kind of information, yes it may cause some pain, but a friend does not keep secrets that will cause the other to distrust his friendship.  So the Lord lets Abraham in on what has been happening in heaven, someone has been before the throne of God making some bold accusations about the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  “Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me.”

Tomorrow we will look into how we should engage our friend Jesus when He reveals truth that we know will bring pain into our life, it may be about a habit you or I have, or an area of pride that will require you or I to ask forgiveness, it could be an area of growth that will take you through some very deep waters.   In those cases, how should we act, and when is it going to affect someone we love?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Friend of God

Genesis 18:9-15

How often God speaks to us, through his word, through a sermon, through a child, or just into our mind and we ignore the message totally.  If you are Christian, a follower of Christ, then Jesus has called you his friend.  “You are my friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have from the Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14,15,)  The most common thing is for friends to talk, to seek each other out, to long for fellowship with each other, is that your relationship with Jesus?

Abraham was a friend of God, “and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God.”  (James 2:23)  God had made a promise to His friend that he would have a son, and Abraham believed God and that action was counted as righteousness.  It’s been many years since the promise, Abraham had covered a lot of real estate and he was still waiting and hoping in the promise.  So the Lord is enjoying lunch with Abraham and his angels and the meal is about over, out of the blue, the Lord asked about Sarah.  This is the conversation, “They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”  And he said, “She is in the tent.”  The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.”  And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years.  The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.  So Sarah laughed to herself saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure.”

A couple of side notes, where was Sarah, standing behind her man, out of sight but close so she would be able to help him remember all that God had spoken, or you might say she was feeling a little left out and wanted to hear all that was being said.  The second one comes from my pastor Ray Still, “Sarah had gone through the long nights of pulling the sheep skins off of old Abraham, yes, her hot flashes are long gone, she has forgotten what a period is by this age, so she laughed.”  That is not an exact quote, but it is close.  “The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh an say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year and Sarah shall have a son.”

Sarah lies and says, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.  He said, “No, but you did laugh.”  My first thought is, the gig is up, God’s going to show her what happens to those who refuse to believe what He has spoken.  How wrong, God has a plan for Sarah, and He has already stated it, so it is not about Sarah’s faithfulness, but God’s.  Jesus is our friend, even when we do not return the friendship.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Angels

Genesis 18:1-5

Many books have been written about angels, I’ve heard people state you’re an angel, or have you had someone come out of no where and “save your bacon” and you proclaim “You are an angel.”  Our family was in London many years ago our daughter was in her teens and the three of us were out early looking the town over.  I will never forget observing an older man in a sport coat and tie looking in the garbage cans.  The girls were window shopping and I could not take my eyes off the old man picking through the garbage, and coming up with a cup or a morsel that I would see him put into his mouth.  We had been to London a few times and I had never seen anyone acting that way, so I told the girls and we watched as he went from one garbage can to the next. The Spirit that lives in me said, Bob feed that man, and another voice in my head said, he’s just a bum. 

The battle was going on in my mind and I knew that I had to feed that poor old gentleman, so I told the girls to go on to the area we had agreed on earlier and I would find them later.  As I approached the old gentleman, I noted that his coat was not clean, that his shoes had not been polished in sometime, but he was clean and had shaved.  He did not see me as I crossed the street because he was diligently searching in the trash, for something to eat.  As he looked up, I said sir, I’ve noticed that you seem to be hungry, would you do me a favor and have breakfast with me.  The old gentleman was very polite and told me he was not hungry, and as I looked into his eyes I saw a kindness and love and at the same time I also saw pain, no matter what I said, his answer was no, but thank you for asking.  I crossed back to the other side of the street and turned to look once more at the old man but he was no where to be seen, it had only been seconds, and as I looked up and down the street there was no place he could have gone, but he was gone.

To this day I believe he was an angel, I believe it was a test to see if I would care for what God cares for or if I would listen to the other voice that said he’s just a bum and your on vacation, let one of his people feed him.  Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”  Let me be quick to state that I was totally out of my comfort zone that day, and I believe the Lord spoke to me and gave me a heart of compassion for an old man digging in garbage cans.

It is the heat of the day and Abraham is sitting at the door of his tent, when he sees three men standing in front of him and this was his actions,  “When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.   Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to your servant.”

It seems like these three men came out of no where, and the Bible does not speak to the fact that Abraham was or had been praying or meditating, but it is a good guess that the son that God had promised was on his mind when he saw these men.  It is also true that they looked like men but Abraham ran and bowed down to them and he addressed the spokesman as “my Lord” (Hebrew Adonai), which is one of the divine names.  It is important to state that the same name is used as a title of respect for men, so it does not prove that Abraham recognized him as God.  But it was the Lord with two angels and  unlike my old gentleman in London, they sat down and ate the meal that was prepared for them.

The Genesis Record by Henry M. Morris states on page 339, “It might seem strange that angels would actually partake physically of human food.  It certainly is not necessary for them to do so for their own sustenance.  Nevertheless it is evidently possible for them to do so, in connection with their service as “messengers” (actual meaning of the word “angels”) from God to man.  In order to communicate to man, they frequently appear in Scripture as men.  This appearance is not a ghostlike, unsubstantial appearance, but in every way physical and real.  There is no way of explaining this phenomenon on a naturalistic level.  Angels are “spirits” (Hebrews 1:14), but evidently God allows them to be “clothed” in human form when occasion requires.  It is possibly somewhat analogous to the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus, who, when He appeared to the disciples, “did eat before them” (Luke 24:43).

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Man who obeys God

Genesis 17:15-27

Often I wonder, how did we get so busy, can we fit one more thing into this day, and then as I was reading Genesis 17:15-27, it became clear that I do not understand what a busy day is.  As we look at these verses, look at what is happening in one day of Abrahams life; first God shows-up, next Sarai gets a new name from God, and God does not tell Sarai, He tells Abraham, now in my house that might have taken a great deal of time explaining why we are not calling my wife by her given name.  Then God tells Abraham who is a hundred years old that he and Sarah are going to have a son.  This is how that exchange went; “And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.  I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her.  I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of people shall come from her.”  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?  Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 

Abraham is so elated at God’s promise that he laughed with joy and I’m sure surprise.  Then it is a hold on there a minute, what about my boy Ishmael, who is thirteen years old, why can’t he be the one to carry on my line?  It is not clear if that was just a father wanting the best for his first born, or that old serpent Satan putting thoughts in Abraham mind.  Satan is a created being and not all knowing, it is not clear to me if he knew that Christ would come through the line of David and would come from Isaac the promised one.  “And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.   I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”

Two things jumped off the page, first God said “no” Ishmael is not going to be my man, he’s not part of the promise, and I believe you could make a strong case that God is saying Ishmael will not live in agreement with My will.  The second thing is God only recognizes Sarah as Abraham’s wife.  God goes on to tell Abraham, I heard what you ask and I will make Ishmael into a great nation but he is not the one who I will enter into a covenant relation with.  “But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

When I read about Abraham all I see is a man who obeys God.  God tells him he is changing Sarai name to Sarah, and the next time Abraham refers to her he is calling her by her new name.  God leaves Abraham and he goes and gets Ishmael, and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house are circumcised on that day including Abraham.”  Now God has gone, Abraham has just been circumcised, and now he is off to tell Sarah all that happened in that one day.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Covenant God

Genesis 17:9-14

Five times in five verses the word “Covenant” is used, and we all have a clear understanding of that word.  It is an agreement, it is commonly used in a contract drawn up by deed, and it may be a clause in a contract.  In this case it is an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and Abraham and his seed.  The first time we saw the word used in Scripture was God’s covenant with Noah after the flood, and that covenant and the one made to Abraham is still in affect.

A reminder of what has happened, Abram is ninety-nine years old, both he and Sarai are well past the age of having children, and God shows up.  Something is different in the way he revealed Himself.  Henry M. Morris tells us on page 332 of “The Genesis Record” “God revealed Himself this time to Abram by a new name, El Shaddai, meaning “Almighty God,” thus stressing His omnipotence.  God had already made His covenant with Abram; He was now ready to put it into force.”  It is also of importance to note that Genesis 17: 4-5, required a name change, Abram means (“exalted father”) and in verse 5, God states; “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”  He is now Abraham, (“father of multitudes”).

In the covenant with Noah it was a visible sign, the rainbow, and with Abraham it was a visible sign, the removing of the flesh of the foreskins, it is called circumcision.  This was the requirement; all who were in the house of Abraham, sons, slaves, servants including Abraham, were to be circumcised, and all who were born into that group at the age of eight days.  This only applied to male children and though it may seem strange, it did have sanitary and health reasons involved, but that was not the main reason and God does not imply such a purpose.  On page 333, paragraph 4, “The emphasis of the covenant, of course, was on the promised seed, and on the abundance of progeny which would accrue to Abraham.  The male sexual organ is the remarkable, divinely created vehicle for the transmission of this seed from one generation to another.  The circumcision (“cutting round”) of this channel would thus picture its complete enclosure within God’s protective and productive will.  Furthermore, it was primarily a sign only to the individual concerned, his parents, and his wife.  It was not a sign to be shown to people in general, but was uniquely personal.”

God is often referred to as a covenant God, the covenant that He made with Noah and Abraham are still in place and the covenant Jesus Christ has made to all who will come, is also in place.  Matthew 26:26-28, gives this account; “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God has not Forgotten

Genesis 17:1-7

What is in a name?  I was born with the name Robert Wayne Rice, but to family my name is Bobby.  I was still Bobby in high school and when I went into the U.S. Army I once more became Robert to my sergeant and the officers, and Bob to the guys I ran around with, until I came home and I was still Bobby to the people I had gone to school with.  The only exception to that rule was from the age of three on; if I was in trouble things got real formal at our house and I became Robert Wayne Rice.  What is in a name? In my case and in most, it is a change in the person, I no longer wanted to be a Bobby, I had become a man and Robert or Bob seemed to be more fitting than the name I was given as a child.

But that is not the case with Abram, he is ninety-nine years old and the Lord appears to Abram and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”  We have seen Hollywood try their best in movies to show how a person would act if God Almighty were to appear to them, but in reality it would be more like what Abram did when he encountered God Almighty.  “Then Abram fell on his face.  And God said to him, “Behold my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.  No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.  And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.  And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

My name change was a move into manhood, but Abram did not change his name, God Almighty did, and it was a covenant relationship between God and Abraham, and it was an everlasting covenant, one that has no end.  Henry M. Morris gives this report in “The Genesis Record”, “The next thirteen years are passed over in silence, so far as the record of Scripture goes.  It would have been easy to forget God’s covenant promise.  Abram was prospering financially, Ishmael was growing into young manhood, the land was at peace, and Abram had apparently given up all hope that he and Sarai would have a son of their own.”  But as you can see from the Scripture above, God had not forgotten, and in the fullness of time, God Almighty appears to his servant Abram at ninety-nine and changed much more than his name.  What promises have you given up on, remember, God has not forgotten one of His promises.  Remember 2 Peter 1:4

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Helping God is not needed

Genesis 16

It is 11:51 p.m. and I cannot sleep so I’m looking at Genesis 16.  My first thought is, I should skip this chapter; it can only get me in trouble.

Someone wrote a book that was titled “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” and the jest of the book was we are very different, and that is a vast understatement.  Abram has a promise from God that his son would be his heir and his children would be as numerous as the stars, he is about 84 at this time.  There is no reservation in my mind that Abram loved his wife Sarai, and she also loved Abram, and it is because of that love, Sarai told Abram to marry her Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.  This was what was in Sarai mind, “And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children.  Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.”  I wonder what she really meant by “it may be,” one thing for sure old Abram had no clue about what was taking place, the dude thought he was going to please his wife, but he should have been smarter than that.

Now the Bible tells us that old Abram went into Hagar and she conceived, the Scriptures are not clear on this but it may have happened the first time and Sarai and Abram had been trying for years.  The other thing we know is that a woman who could not give her husband a male child was not looked on with favor in that culture.   The Egyptian servant Hagar when she found out she was with child was very sensitive about Sarai feelings, wrong, and the Bible states; “And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.”  Folks this is not going well at all and guess who is going to get the blame for the whole mess?

I’m sure Abram is happy that his servant Eliezer of Damascus is not going to be his heir, that he has a son in the hopper.  That is before he encounters Sarai, and this is the exchange that takes place; “And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you!  I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt.  May the Lord judge between you and me!”  Do you think he saw that one coming?  One moment he is excited he has an heir, the next moment his wife is calling down judgment from God on his head, and he really loves Sarai, and does not want her unhappy with him.  So this is what the Bible tells us he did, “But Abram said to Sarai “Behold, your servant (not my wife) is in your power, do to her as you please.”  Then Sarai dealt harshly with her and she fled from her.” 

No search party was sent out to find Hagar, not from Sarai or Abram, but God sent the angel of the Lord and he found her by a spring of water in the wilderness.  The rest of the story is of great interest to each of us because Sarai act of trying to help God by giving Abram an heir, has caused much conflict, suffering, hate, destruction, and death.

“The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to you mistress and submit to her.”  The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered of multitude.”  And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son.  You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction.   He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”   God had a great plan for Abram, who was going to become Abraham, and Sarai will become Sarah and will give birth to Isaac, but the small act of trying to help God out has caused great conflict.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How will I know when I get there?

Genesis 15:7-21

How often has it happened, someone shares a promise from God’s word, but my faith is to puny to believe God; it has happened more than I want you to know.  But not Abram, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”  God knows us, and not like your mate knows you, God knows our thoughts and the objective of our hearts, He knows the words that will come from your mouth before you speak.  Often God reminds us of where we came from or what He has just brought us through, that is what He is doing with Abram in verse 7, “And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Have you been given directions to a campsite or a place on the lake, and ask your friend, who is going before you, how will I know when I get there?  That is very similar to what Abram is asking God, it’s not that you do not trust your friend, it is more like you need a better understanding or you need a sign that says your are here.  Is that not what Abram is doing in verse 8, “But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall posses it?  Anytime we get a word from the Lord it is a test of faith, will I or will I not believe, but Abram believed God, he just wanted a sign. 

It looks like God is changing the subject, when in their conversation God tells Abram to, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a pigeon.”  After he has prepared the animals he cuts all of them in half, but he does not cut the birds in half, and now the birds of prey came to attack the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.  Next the Bible tells us as the sun was going down a deep sleep fell on Abram, and great darkness fell upon him, and God spoke this to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.  But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.  As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.  And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

The Genesis Record by Henry M. Morris gives this account on page 326, the second paragraph, “The ceremony not only confirmed the promise, but was highly instructive.  The provision of imputed righteousness and full salvation is altogether God’s gift of grace to man, but it would be highly costly to God.  The curse of sin can be removed only by sacrifice, in the shedding of blood.  Abram had known and practiced this, but now God stressed its necessary connection with His promise.  One each of the five acceptable sacrificial animals (cow, sheep, goat, pigeon, dove) was to be slain by Abram and laid on the altar.  The slain animals were placed in two rows, one bird in each, along with a half-portion of each of the other animals.  This arrangement was evidently intended to conform to the custom of the day, when a covenant was made between two parties; each would pass between the two rows, as a sign that he was bound by the terms of the contact.”           

Verse 18 gives us a good understanding of the covenant God made with Abram and his descendents, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,”

and that covenant still stands to this day, our God is always faithful, always knowing, always loving, and He changes not.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What is Prayer?

Genesis 15:1-6

It has been months since my pastor’s sermon and it has not stopped shouting out to me; I’ve got a love relation problem with none other than Jesus Christ.  It’s not that he does not love me or that I do not love Him, but after that sermon, it has become clear that my conversation with Jesus, is not the same as with my wife, who is my closest friend.  It became clear that most of my chats with the Lord are often about the needs of others, it’s not dialogue, it is one sided, it’s not stopping to listen to Jesus, who has called me His friend.  He also called all who abide in Him friends, in John 15:15,16, Jesus tells us we did not choose Him but he chose us, and in verse fifteen Jesus calls us His friends.

Prayer is nothing more or less than two friends having discussion, both are interested in what the other has to say, and when one talks the other listens intently to hear the heart of their friend.  Ray gave this example of your friend telling you about the area your are going into that it is full of land mines, but your friend has a path through them, all you have to do is listen and follow his steps; often we get blown-up because we do not hear our friends warning.

Abram and God are having an exchange, they are having a discussion, Abram has just won the biggest battle of his life, against four kings with many more weapons and men.  On his way back from the battle, he hung out with Melchizedek, king of Salem, the priest of God Most High, and was blessed by him.  Now Abram is alone with God and this is the dialogue; “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”  But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you gave me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”  And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir,” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him:  “This man shall not be your heir, your very own son shall be your heir.”  And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.”  Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”  (Genesis 15:1-6)

We are given many examples of prayer in the Bible, but what you just read are two friends sharing their hearts with one another.  This is not one telling the other what he wants and walking away, it is an exchange, it’s a deep concern, and it is a love relationship.  I have been a learner for many years, and with age comes an understanding that I know so little of the deeper things of God.  The apostle John shares these truths in John 15:9,10, 15, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abided in his love.”  V. 15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

I must tell you that Jesus has a plan for your life and it’s a good plan, He knows where all the minefields are and has no desire to see you or the ones you love get blown-up.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Is Fear your life Pattern?

Genesis 15:1

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”  If you do not recall me saying so, let me share that I’m very familiar with fear, as a child I learned how to fear, first it was the shadows that I saw while laying in my bed at night, and it was the man, who mother said lived in our attic, and did not like little boys that did not obey their mothers.  As I got older I check out the attic, and most of the time I was not fearful of that old man who never was, but I still didn’t like the dark.  But new fears came into my life; will I be liked, will I pass this grade, (not that I never did much to make that happen).  As I got older, it was the fear, could I cut it as a husband, did I know how to love someone, what kind of dad would I be?  And at the job, did I have what it took to get the job done, did my boss like me or was I on my way out the door, with no way to take care of my family?  Yes, I had a big fear problem, and it was years before I read what God said, and I really did not know if I could trust Him.

We read God saying to Abram, “Fear not,” can a person who lives most of their life in fear quit being fearful? “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield;” what is a shield, and how do we get one?  I looked it up in my dictionary and it gave this definition, “a person or thing providing protection.”  In my search to understand what God had promised Abram, I came across seven verses in the Bible that tell us God will be a shield, but I needed to know that God would be my shield.  Psalm 84:11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  In Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

For me it became clear, I had a fear problem, and God who cannot lie, has made a promise that if I would take refuge in Him, He would be my protection, or my shield.  Isaiah the prophet made this statement, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)  Isaiah said that even in our worst of trials God will be our companion, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”  We also have these words from the apostle Matthew,  “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  (Matthew 10:30-31)

Changing a life pattern is not easy, but Jesus has promised that He will not leave us or forsake us, that He and the Father are one and no one can take us out of the Fathers hand.   If you need a shield that is able to protect you from all that the enemy of your soul has planned for you, that shield is Jesus Christ, our Protector, Redeemer, and Savior.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Mystery King

Genesis 14:17-24

Do you like mysteries?  If so you’re going to enjoy studying the following king.  In Genesis 14:18-20, is our first look at this obscure king, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought our bread and wine.  (He was priest of God Most High.)  And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered you’re enemies into your hand!”  And Abram gave him tenth of everything.”

Who is this mystery king, where did he come from, we know that Genesis tells us he was a priest of God Most High.  In the book of Psalms, there are psalms regarded as containing either direct or typical references to Christ, these we call Messianic Psalms.  Christ as King can be found in Psalms 2; 45; 72; 110; 132:11, but for our purpose in looking into this mystery king, we will gaze at Psalms 110:4, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”  David is prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ, whom we know to be the Son of God, and David states, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

It is of the utmost importance for each of us to fully understand what the apostle Peter is saying to us about prophesying; “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2Peter 1:20,21)  Knowing that it was the Holy Spirit that told David these truths only helps us understand that the Christ is to be a priest forever after the order of this mystery king, Melchizedek, but who is this king of Salem?  The Bible gives us more insights in the book of Hebrews 5:6, 6:20, and 7:1. 

Beginning in Hebrews 6:20-7:1-3, “where Jesus has gone as a fore-runner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.  For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.  He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also the king of Salem, that is, king of peace.  He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”  Now you have a full understanding of this mystery king, or are you like me, needing more help.

The Genesis Record written by Henry M. Morris states on page 318 the following; “In Genesis 14:17-24, we have one of the most intriguing stories in the Bible, that of Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek, king of Salem, and “the priest of the most high God.”  This fascinating individual is referred to nine hundred years later by King David (Psalm 110:4) and one thousand years later than that by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews (5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:1-21), where he is mentioned by name no less than nine times!)  There is no question that Melchizedek must at least be a marvelous type of Christ.  The passage in Hebrews draws many analogies between the two to this effect.  But that fact in itself hardly explains the remarkable things revealed about him.”   In the third paragraph Morris gives this little gem; “He is the first priest mentioned in the Bible (and this is also the first mention of “peace”), and he obviously had a unique relation to the true God.  He used the name El Elyon (the “Most High God”) to stress the absolute superiority of God to the multitude of gods and goddesses worshiped in Canaan.”  Last but not least by any measure, Morris gives this insight; “Melchizedek was not alone as a non-Levitical priest; there was an “order” of Melchizedek, and this order was an eternal order.”

For me Melchizedek remains somewhat of a mystery, but this I know, He is King of Righteousness, King of Peace, an eternal order and the priest of God Most High.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

His Trained men

Genesis 14:1-16

How often have you been in the right place at the wrong time?  Lot and his family and servants were busy living life, when four kings decided they would go to war. Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, and three other kings that hung-out together made a decision to take them on.  One of the four kings that started the fight was named Chedorlaomer, and for twelve years these guys had served him, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.  So he and the others started kicking butt, and the more victories they had the more they desired to capture another king and his people.

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their three king friends may have been good at math and said five is bigger than four, or they may have just wanted to go to war, I am not sure, but this I know; Lot and his family did not get to vote, but their life was changed by the decision that the five kings made.  There is not anything new about men in power making war on another nation and that act causing great pain and sorrow to others who are just living life.

This battle did not go well for the five kings and king Chedorlaomer and the other three kings took whatever they wanted.  The record is in Genesis 14:11-12, “So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.  They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.”  I’m sure it was a great victory and often after a great victory we relax, let down our guard and begin to look back on the victory and do not remember we are in the enemy’s territory.  How often I’ve been there in my Christian walk, just full of myself, and the next thing I knew, the enemy of my soul has made a counter attack. 

In the middle of the battle one of the soldiers escaped and came to Abram, and shared the bad news of his nephew being taken captive, along with all that he owned.  Often I wonder what I would have done, if I were Abram?  I might have said, that’s what he has coming, he wanted the best land, he wanted to live by those evil people in Sodom, and now he’s reaping what he has sown, but that is not what Abram did.  In the fourteen verses we have this account; “When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”  I’m not good at math, but I bet four kings had many more men that Abram did, what is he thinking, is Abram being foolish or does Abram have a weapon that is not visible to us.

Abram’s weapon, that could not be seen, was a promise from God, God had said to Abram, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed,” (Genesis 12:2,3,).  What a lesson for all who have the ability to understand, if God makes a promise it is better than money in the bank.  It is also a foolish man who takes on a man that God has his hand-on.

Abram and 318 men did what looked to be impossible, they defeated these four kings, and brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot and the women and the people. 

The message is that God has made many promises, but a promise is like a gift, if the gift is not opened, the recipient of the gift receives no blessing, and a promise not believed or acted on has the same effect.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The consequences of our choices

Genesis 13: 6-13

The ability to choose is always there, it happens very early in life, and it is consistent in how it affects our actions, our character, and with the ability to choose, comes responsibility for our actions.  Chapter thirteen begins with Abram leaving Egypt with Sarai and all he has acquired and Lot.  Somewhere the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot began to fight over grazing land, there was too many flocks and herds and tents, the land could not support both of them living together.  We have this account from Genesis 13:8, “Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.  Is not the whole land before you?  Separate yourself from me.  If you take the left hand, then I will go to right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

   Abram is human and I’m sure he is looking back to one of his choices, and thinking if only I would have done what God told me to do.  Yes, God was very clear in His instruction to Abram,” Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  Now it is getting ugly and Abram gives his nephew a choice, “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar.  I’m sure it surprised you that Lot chose the Jordan Valley, and the Scriptures tell us that Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.  The thirteenth verse gives this interesting information; “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.”

The ability to choose is always with us; what Lot forgot and what we forget is that we are free to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Where the independent life leads

Genesis 13:1-5

How often have you taken a shortcut to find, you (cannot get there from here) frequently that has happened to me.  Often my shortcuts end up back at my starting point, and that is what has happened to Abram.  Egypt looks like the perfect place to go, it has the best stuff, it’s full of the most enlightened people and yet it has only brought fear and pain into the life of Abram.  Abram’s lie to Pharaoh about Sarai being his sister, gets him and his group kicked out of Egypt, because the Lord had put great plagues on Pharaoh’s house because of Sarai.  Pharaoh has also given Abram sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.  Abram, is leaving Egypt with more stuff, but he is soon to find out that independent living gets us no where.

“So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.  And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first.  And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.”  (Genesis 13:1-4) 

Independent living will always take us to Egypt, (the flesh life) and that life is about self, what we want, what we will accomplish, it about doing it our way, with little or no thought of dependence on God.  Now Abram is back at Bethel, he sees where his tent has been, he observed the altar were he had called on the name of the Lord, and he understands that God’s requirement of everyone is dependence; you cannot trust or obey God, until you are willing to live dependent on His promises.  I believe Abram recalled passing through the land of Canaan and as they got to Shechem, to the oak of Moreh, he recalls what the Lord said to him.  “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”

Folks, we should not get down on Abram, he’s only doing what each of us has been trained like a bird dog to do, take care of number One, because no one else will, that’s what our worldly wisdom has taught us.  Speaking for myself, the hardest thing is to break my self-reliance on my worldview and look to my Creator, my Redeemer, my Salvation, and my Lord Jesus Christ.  I cannot add one day to my life, or one hair to my head, but often I find myself living an independent life; I can tell you from experience it is full of roads that lead to no where, and I, like Abram, find myself running back to the abundant life of dependence on my big God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How often have you been in Egypt

Genesis 12:10-20

Have you ever gone through a famine?  I bet not; a famine is a food shortage that affects a nation and causes starvation, malnutrition and death.  If you find yourself in a country or nation that is in the middle of a famine is it wise to travel to any place that has food, this is what Abram and Sarai did. 

When you are traveling, especially to a country you’re not familiar with, it is important to protect your stuff, and it is a must to keep your good stuff out of sight.  But what if that is impossible, then most likely you need a game plan on how to protect your valuables.  That is Abram’s problem as he enters Egypt, so he comes up with a plan and that plan will require Sarai to lie.  “When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will kill me, but they will say, ‘This is his wife.’  Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.  Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me, because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”  Genesis 20:12, tells us that she was his half-sister, so Abram is only asking for a half-truth.

Now that he has left Haran, Abram faces a severe trial of faith; can he trust God or will he depend on his common sense, and the answer is clear, the land of Egypt is prosperous, so he makes a decision without calling on God for guidance, and now he is asking his wife to lie.  Egypt is often used as an example of our flesh, Egypt is not trusting God, it’s total reliance on self, and Egypt always brings conflict. 

Henry M. Morris gives this account on page 298, the third paragraph of “The Genesis Record,”  “This is what happened to Abram.  As he entered the mighty land of Egypt, he became aware of an unforeseen danger.  The Egyptians, like the Canaanites, were descendants of Ham (through Mizraim, rather than Canaan) and were also polytheistic, cruel, and immoral.  Polygamy and sexual promiscuity were common.  As they entered Egypt, Abram Probably noted the admiring glances being directed by the inhabitants toward his beautiful wife, Sarai, and he realized that it was not at all beyond them to kill him and his servants in order to have Sarai for themselves.”

Egypt was Abram’s plan, it was not God’s best, it was not God’s plan, but Abram was God’s plan and God used Egypt and Abram’s disobedience to teach him how to begin a walk by faith.  We all have tried Egypt at some point of our Christian life, it is always full of surprises, full of bought lessons, and it often leaves scars.  It is trying to live life independent from God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The trip without a Map

Genesis 1:1-9

A trip to remember was my 50^th birthday backpacking trip to Germany, Austria and Italy.  My brother Fred assured Jan and I that we did not need to make reservations before hand, he assured us there would be a prodigious amount of B&B’s and hotels available since we were going first to Germany after Oktoberfest.  So we went without reservations, and a very loose plan on where we were going and most days in Germany were spent looking for a place to spend the night, it was not going well, the backpacks were somewhat heavy, and not knowing where you would sleep was wearing on both of us. 

I wonder how Abram and his group were doing, as they left Mesopotamia and made a very long trip, before they arrived at Haran.  After Abram’s father had died, Abram and group left Haran to follow God’s command.  The gospel of Acts 7:2-3, gives this account from Stephen’s speech before the religious guys stoned him.  “Brothers and fathers, hear me.  The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, “Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’  Then he went out of the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran.  And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.”   Now that’s a little different look at Abram, he was more like you and me than we might have thought in fact he was just like us.  Abram, when he first heard God speak to him fell short of the definition of obedience; obedience is doing what you are told, the very first time you are told, with the right heart attitude, anything other than that is disobedience.”

Before we are too hard on Abram, it might be important to read Joshua 24:2, “And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.”  Yes, Abraham was like us and yes, we have a Bible that Abraham did not have, but still our fathers have worshipped other gods, not the gods of the moon and stars as Terah did, but of materials and wealth, where they had little need for God, till God removed whatever it was they were putting trust in.  Here is what God told Abram, in Genesis 12:1, “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

Often, I cry out to God, “ Lord, I can’t, every time I turn around I’m messing up, living independent of You, and I recall the words of Major Ian Thomas, “You can’t, I never said you could, I can and I promised I would.”  I cannot live the Christian life, the only person who has ever lived it is Jesus Christ, and He wants to do it all for me, in a faith walk.  In Genesis 17:1-2, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make a covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”  Then Abram fell on his face.   He got it!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Obedience Is

Genesis 12:4

“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”

Jan and I were in Vienna, Austria visiting Val and Mark Kimmel and one day Val ask if we would like to go to Czechoslovakia for a day visit, she wanted us to get a taste of what it is like to live behind the Iron Curtain.  It was a long drive and the two kids were in the back seat being kids when Val told them to do something, I do not recall what she asked of them, but I will never forget what came from her mouth only moments later.  Whatever Val ask the children to do was somewhat ignored by the children, and Val said, “Children, what you are doing is not obedience, obedience is doing what you are told, the very first time, with the right heart attitude, anything other than that is disobedience.”   

What profound words came from that young mother, and it was as if God was speaking directly into my heart, “Bob, anything less than that is disobedience,” Wow!  I thought that day was about going behind the iron curtain, but what I took away was, I have an obedience problem; often when God speaks to me, I am just like those children in the back seat.  But Abram was obedient, he went as God had told him, he got that part right, but we can also learn the importance of listening to all that God has said and then implementing, yes it is important to execute precisely the commands of God.  Abram fell short on doing this.

Often I read past or do not see the bigger picture when reading the Scriptures, this is what God told Abram to do; “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  What is partial obedience, it is incomplete and what we should learn from the Scriptures is that partial obedience opens the door to the enemy and his schemes or methods, and there in lies the problem of incomplete obedience.  The enemy of our soul has never stopped using the line he used on Eve in the garden; “Did God actually say,” and so like Abram we try partial obedience and suffer the ramifications of not doing what we are told.  If you read the rest of the story, it becomes clear that allowing Lot to go with him, only caused pain and suffering to Abram.

From the Back Porch,

God is still speaking

Genesis 12:1-6

When I told Taylor how God had spoken to me about VBS her reply was, “So you know it is God speaking to you because it is not something you would want to do!”  My reply was, “Taylor, often that is true, but frequently God speaks to us about a vision that is beyond our ability or skill set.  Taylor, this is what I try to do; first I acknowledge that is not the way I think, next I ask is that thought coming from the enemy of my soul.  The way I understand the enemy; he attacks my person or tells me I deserve better, God’s Spirit does not say those things to us.  It is at this point I often tell God I do not want to do that, or I do not have the skill set to do that, but I am willing to let Him do it all through me, and Taylor that is called faith, not in us, but in God.”

So this is what God tells Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”   Remember that he is not reading the Bible, there is no Bible, he is not being taught about God at temple, there is no temple, there is no ten commandments, but God has placed a void in Abram’s life that only God can fill and Abram must have been looking and open to his Creator, because he listened when God spoke to him.  Verse 2, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  How could God put all of his plans into one man, and in that question lays the wisdom of God.  Jesus tells us in the Revelations, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”  (Revelation 1:17b and 18)  In the Revelation to John, the last chapter of the Bible, verse 13, Jesus says; “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  Jesus is the Creator of what we call time, in heaven we will have no need of time, Jesus is the Creator of time, He has seen it’s beginning and it’s end, so He already knew what kind of man Abram was, it was Abram who had to walk by faith in the God he could not see, and trust that God was telling him the truth. 

You and I have a lot of information, we are blessed to have the written word of God, and we have many historical records, but like Abram, each day we must listen, and act by faith on the promises of the God that we cannot see.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Know your Enemy

If you do not know your enemy, how will you ever hope to defeat him?  This is one of the biggest problems facing Christians; we have no understanding of the enemy of our soul.  By using the life of Esau the older brother of Jacob, who despised his birthright and gave it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew, we will be able to have a better understanding of our flesh and how the Enemy works in our life. 

Why was the birthright that Esau despised of such importance?  Esau as the firstborn son was the beneficiary to the promise that God had given to Abraham.  That promise is stated in Genesis 12:7, “To your offspring I will give this land.”  The King James version uses the word “Seed” and most of the newer translations use “offspring” what is the most important is this fact; it is talking about one person, and not many.  Earlier in chapter 12, God had promised the following; “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  The apostle Paul states in Galatians 3:16, Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring.  It does not say, “And to offspring’s,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

Esau was rejecting the seed/offspring of Abraham and out of that offspring/seed would come Christ, the One who would redeem man from his fallen condition, and restore him to a relationship with God.  It would take man from being independent from God to being totally dependent on God.  It would restore man to what God had designed. 

So in Esau the spirit of Satan was personified.  His attitude was like so many, why do I need a birthright to restore me to dependence upon God?  I am independent, and I am self-sufficient, and I will run my own show.  Out of Esau came many nations, one of them was the Amalekites who lived in the desert, south of Canaan around Kadesh.  They came from Eliphaz (Esau’s eldest boy) and were distant cousins to the Israelites.  Amalek makes a good representative of the flesh, and we find in Exodus 17, “then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”  In Amalek is a picture of the flesh, seeking at all cost to stop the journey of God’s redeemed people, and keep them from the Land of Promise, and that is the spirit of your enemy.  “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  (Galatians 5:17) “The flesh contest every attempt of the Spirit of God to lead you on into spiritual maturity.  Standing across your pathway from the very outset of your Christian life is Amalek!” Quoting from “The Saving Life of Christ”

Our battle lies in this truth, Satan is working overtime to keep us from dependence on Jesus Christ and the devil will send the spirit of Amalek to give you an independent spirit, that says I will do it my way.  The book of Deuteronomy 25:17, 18, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.”  It is when we are tried and weary, that is when he hits us, when we are falling back and are in a spiritual low and it seems as if you are all alone, that is when Amalek shows up.

Amalek is the voice that you hear and it sounds like your voice, it always does one of two things; it attacks your person with thoughts like, “you are a loser and you have always been a loser,” or you deserve better than you are getting.  These are the words of the spirit of Amalek; they are not the words of the Holy Spirit of God.   God has promised this in Hebrews 10:17, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” God desires dependence never independence, God desires fellowship never isolation.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice