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"But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt" (Gen. 19:26 NIV).
This is a very sad verse to read and ponder. Lot's family had been instructed to leave Sodom. The angels practically had to drag them out of the city and shoo them on their way. One of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (19:17). So, why did Lot's wife look back? The Ryrie Study Bible says, "Lot's wife, who was trailing behind him with her heart still in Sodom, looked back, died, and possibly was enveloped by blowing salt, which formed a 'pillar' around her body." That may or may not be. Perhaps she was just curious. Perhaps the earth shaking sounds and light flashes of God's judgment were just too much and she turned around to take a look at the devastation. We may never know for sure the motive that caused her to turn around and look. The last thing she saw was the terrible destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - burning sulfur raining from heaven on the condemned cities.
In the New Testament, Jesus cited the destruction of Sodom and likened it to the day in which He would return to judge the earth (Luke 17:28-36). Jesus understood the account of Sodom and Gomorrah to be factually true. Then He warned, "Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife!" (Luke 17:31, 32). It does us no good to be constantly thinking about what we have left behind when we started on the road to heaven with Jesus. Those who are tempted to turn back need to remember the story of Lot's wife. Onward and upward is our goal. Our old life is behind us and eternal life is before us. Don't look back! Remember Lot's wife! Every time you pick up a salt shaker, you should think of Lot's wife.
Chorus: "The world behind me, the cross before me . . . no turning back, no turning back!"
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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In my travels, both domestic and international, I have flown into many cities. As the plane begins its descent to the airport I often close my book and look down on the thousands of rooftops below. I wonder what is going on in those houses below me. How many wives are being beaten, how many children are being abused, how many children are being told they are no good? Morbid thoughts? I guess so. But God knows the answers to all those questions. He sees all and knows all. Nothing escapes His attention. He hears the cries of the abused.
Case in point? The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Then the LORD said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out'" (Gen. 18:21 CSB). It must have been awful in those wicked cities. It is a sin so serious and grievous that we have a word in our dictionary today to describe it ~ "sodomy." While some engaged in it for perverted pleasure, others (innocent travelers seeking lodging?) may have been victims of this grievous sin. Their cries reached all the way to heaven. In essence God said to Himself, "This is unbelievable! This is so rotten I am going to have to go down and investigate for Myself." What He saw sickened Him, so much so that He declared He would destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. At this point Abraham intercedes for the cities (probably because his nephew Lot and his family was now living in Sodom). But Sodom was so wicked that not even ten righteous people could be found. Genesis 19 records the divine destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Gen. 19:24, 25 ESV). The devastation was so great that nothing grows there today. The utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah reminds us that God takes sin seriously. He sees all , He hears all, He knows all, and He will deal with all. Only those who are righteous in His sight will be delivered from Destruction II, coming soon, sooner than we may think.
Prayer: Holy Father, hear our prayers today. Find in us the righteousness of Christ that will prepare us for that great day of judgment. May we be found in Him, faultless to stand before Your throne. |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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Have you ever laughed at an inappropriate time. Maybe it was at a wedding or even a funeral. Maybe it was in church on Sunday morning. I'm not talking about laughing at an amusing and appropriate illustration. I mean laughing when we shouldn't be laughing, especially when in concerns God. Sarah found herself in just such a situation one day. The Lord reminded Abraham, now 99, that his wife Sarah, now 90, would have a son. Sarah, inside a tent, heard this conversation.
"Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself . . . And the LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.' But Sarah denied it, saying, 'I did not laugh,' for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh!'" (Gen. 18:11-15 NKJV). I notice several things here that are of interest. Sarah's laughter was suppressed ~ she "laughed within herself." Can't you just see her bending over with her hand over her mouth? Second, God knew she was laughing at what He promised them. He even read her mind and thoughts and quoted them back to Abraham. Third, there is a gentle rebuke for both of them ~ "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" That is something we need to keep in mind when we think we are in an "impossible" situation. Fourth, God has an "appointed time." We operate on the clock and the calendar but God does not. His time is always the right time. Fifth, He promises a return. So did Jesus ~ "If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself" (John 14:3). You can always trust God to show up on time ~ His time. Sixth, what God promises He is well able to perform. He said a 90-year-old woman would have a child, and she did! Seventh, we are very foolish to deny our doubt to God. He knows our heart. He knew that fear forced Sarah to nervously laugh, and then deny that she had done so. It is better to tell God our doubts and fears and then do our best to trust Him and His Word.
Hymn: "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, 'Thus saith the Lord.' Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!" (Louisa M. R. Stead) |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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Have you ever had the urge to change your name? Three of my classmates that I went to high school with in Illinois have changed their names ~ and I am not talking about your last name being changed by marriage. I am perfectly content with the name my mother gave me and have no intentions of ever changing my name. But one day God changed Abram's name. The big name change is found in our text today. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be called Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations" (Gen. 17:5 NKJV).
Abram. Abraham. It doesn't seem like a significant change. But it really is a big change. "Abram" was given to him by his earthly father. "Abraham" was was bestowed upon him by his heavenly Father. "Abram" means "father of heights." In my book The Biblical Roots of Islam I write, "This could be in reference to the pagan practice of those who lived in Ur and worshiped the moon from the highest platform of the ziggurat (stepped pyramid), as high to the sky as they could get. Abram's father, Terah, was a worshiper of other gods (Josh. 24:4)." Now, when Abram is 99 years old (Gen. 17:1), God gives him a new name ~ "Abraham" ~ which can mean either "father of a multitude" or "father of many nations." This was because of God's covenant with Abraham, first given in Genesis 12, reaffirmed in Genesis 15, and now sealed with the rite of circumcision in Genesis 17, that his descendants would be as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars in the skies.
Did you know that you also have been given a new name by the Father? If you have accepted Christ and are living for Him, you are now known as "Christian." God declared that one day His people would "be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name" (Isa. 62:2). I believe that new name was revealed for the first time in Acts 11:26 ~ "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." My Greek teacher in college, Donald G. Hunt, writes in his commentary on Acts (Simple, Stimulating Studies in the Great Book of Acts) that the Greek word for "called" is chrematizo and could just as well have been translated were divinely called. God has given you a new name too!
Hymn: "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart! I have light in my soul for which long I had sought, since Jesus came into my heart!" (R. H. McDaniel) |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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One of my father's most famous sermons was taken from Genesis 16:13 KJV. It reads, "And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also looked after him that seethe me?" The NKJV translates this verse as follows. "Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?'" The one speaking, of course, is Hagar, Sarah's handmaid. Sarah convinced her husband to take a short cut to the promised heir and the end result was a wife's fury and jealousy and poor pregnant Hagar being sent packing into the desert. An angel meets her in the desert, but it is not just any angel. It is The Angel of the LORD. Many believe this to be one of the few theophanies in the Bible, i.e., a self-manifestation of God. It may have even been a preincarnate appearance of Christ Himself.
Dad's sermon, "Thou God Seest Me," is remembered by many for its emphasis on how God is with us even in the darkest of our circumstances. The Angel/LORD spoke kindly to Hagar, promising her a son (Ishmael) "because the LORD has heard your affliction." God know exactly where we are in life, even when we are in a desert of despair. He hears our cries for help. He offers words of comfort. Scripture is chock full of comforting passages that come to from God. "Inspiration" means God-breathed. God breathes His Word to us in difficult times. And we are inspired to go on and not give up. A poet has said...
With eyes that see He's everywhere,
With ears that hear He's always near ~
Leading us out of our wilderness,
Guiding with strength and tenderness.
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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How's your credit report? Many people are worried about their credit report. Enterprising companies have build a profitable business on credit reports. You can check your credit report on some Internet sites. But how is your spiritual credit report? That is our question for the day. Let's take a look at the finest credit report a man could ever have. Our text is found in Genesis 15.
God had promised Abram an heir. But Abram was childless. He humanly thought that perhaps one of the slaves born in his house (Eliezer of Damascus) might qualify for the promised heir (15:2,3). But God had other plans, more noble plans, higher plans! "Now the word of the LORD came to him: 'This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, 'Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' Then He said to him, 'Your offspring will be that [numerous].'" (15:4, 5 CSB). Isn't that amazing? Man proposes but God disposes. Eliezer was not whom God had in mind. Abram himself would father a child and he would be the heir. The tent conversation moves outside where Abram can scan the sky. Even without a telescope he was overwhelmed with the starry host. Innumerable! Yet God tells this old man that his descendants will be that numerous.
Now here is Abram's "credit report." Look carefully at the next verse. "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited to him as righteousness" (15:6 CSB). God chalked it up to Abram's account. Because He believed. The Amplified Old Testament says, "He counted it to him as righteousness [right standing with God]." Paul cites Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3 to prove his point that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works. Ten years had come and gone since God first promised Abram with an heir. Why should he trust God? But he did! He "believed" God. The Hebrew verb is aman, "to confirm, affirm." We get "amen" from this word. Faith is saying "amen" to God! And that is what gave him the highest credit report possible ~ God credited his faith, his "amen," as righteousness. So, how's your spiritual credit report?
Prayer: Everlasting Father, God of Abraham, may we always say "amen" to You, in faith, believing Your promises, even when it seems humanly impossible to do so. We place our faith in You, in Your Son's blessed name, Amen. |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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"After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
Do not be afraid, Abram,
I am your shield;
your reward will be very great.'" Gen. 15:1 CSB
Do you live with fear? Is fear your constant companion? If so, take heart from today's text. Even a great man like Abraham was somewhat plagued by fear. Otherwise, why would God have said: "Do not be afraid, Abram"? God recognized that the specter of fear had risen up in Abram. He told him not to be afraid. God would not tell him (or us) not to be afraid if we could not obey that directive! We can choose to quell our fears. We can choose to trust God instead of fearing our enemies or the unknown.
The key in this verse is the next phrase: "I am your shield." The shield was so very important in those days of battle. Remember, Abram and his 318 men had just come out of battle. Fear is one of the greatest enemies of a soldier. A good soldier must swallow fear when it rises in his throat. So God told Abram that He - the Creator and Sustainer of the universe - would be his shield. Shield of Shelter is the symbol of an insurance company. God is our Shield of Shelter in His assurance company. He cannot be harmed by the assault and onslaught of the enemy. When we put our trust in Him, He becomes our shield of faith. "In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Eph. 6:16 CSB).
Finally, God gives Abram a word of hope. "Your reward will be great." God is a rewarded of those who choose to live by faith rather than by fear. The Bible say so. "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6 CSB). I don't know what rewards God has in store for you, but I do know that He will bless you if you fight back your fears by trusting Him. "Fear and faith cannot keep house together. When one enters, the other departs." (Author unknown) Faith in God will send fear packing!
Hymn/Prayer: "My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine! Now hear me while I pray, Take all my fear away, O let me from this day be wholly Thine!" (Ray Palmer. I have taken the liberty of substituting the word "fear" for "guilt" in this stanza. ~ V.K.)
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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Yesterday we looked at Abram's exciting rescue of Lot and made a comparison to Christ's own rescue of us at Calvary. But we have more good things in store today, starting with this intriguing text. "After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salam brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram..." (Gen. 14:17-19a NKJV).
The Valley of Shaveh is one of the valleys surrounding Jerusalem, possibly the Kidron Valley (see 2 Sam. 18:18). It was in this valley that Melchizedek, the king of Salem (later, Jerusalem) came out to meet Abram bringing bread and wine. These may have been rations for the hungry troops of Abram, but perhaps they symbolize something more spiritual. To learn more about Melchizedek read Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:1-18. He appears to be a precursor of Christ in the Bible. Our text calls him "king of Salem" and "priest of God Most High." Jesus, of course, was both a priest (our High Priest) and a king (not just "king of the Jews" but "King of kings"). And what does he bring Abram and his weary, hungry men? Bread and wine. And what does our Lord bring us ~ we who are "weary and heavy laden"? The very same. When does this happen? You know better than I. When He meets us at His table (the Bible calls it the Lord's Table) with the Lord's Supper every first day of the week ~ the Lord's Day. It is not intended to satisfy our physical hunger but rather our spiritual hunger. Melchizedek, a type of Christ, met Abram with bread and wine and satisfied his physical needs. Christ meets us with bread and wine to satisfy our spiritual hunger. After all, is he not the Bread of Life? Is He not the True Vine? Just as Melchizedek blessed Abram so Christ bless us ~ the spiritual seed of Abraham! Think about that this Sunday, will you?
Prayer: Living, loving Father, we bless Your name today for sending Jesus with bread and wine to satisfy our spiritual hunger. It is in His blessed name we pray, Amen. |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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Genesis 14:13 has the first use of "Hebrew" in the Bible. "Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew..." Lot had been kidnapped and one of his servants escaped and came to "Abram the Hebrew" with the news. The Ryrie Study Bible says, "Abraham was the first person to be referred to as a Hebrew, an ethnic designation that his descendants derived from him. The word comes from his ancestor, Eber (11:10-14). It also had a wider use as a general designation for nomadic people like Abraham, who would have been considered a migrant by the Canaanites, since he came from Ur and Haran." In the New Testament we have an entire book named "Hebrews" ~ Jewish people who had converted to Christianity. Paul declared himself to be "a Hebrew of of the Hebrews" (Phil. 3:5). The Bible also speaks of the Hebrew tongue, language, and letters (see Luke 23:38). The Hebrews are synonymous with the Jews.
Abram the Hebrew came to the rescue of Lot just like Jesus came to the rescue of those who were captives of sin. As soon as he heard that Lot had been kidnapped he armed his 318 servants and pursued the captors all the way to Dan in the north.(Isn't it interesting that the Bibles gives us the number of the servants?) He then routed the enemy near Damascus and brought back Lot, his goods, the women, and all the people (servants?) of Lot. Abram the Hebrew knew that he was his brother's keeper. Even though Lot had made a bad choice and paid dearly for it, Abram went after him. Christ did the same for us at Calvary. We too have made terrible choices and suffered the consequences of our sin. Christ is not content until all are safely in the fold. Today were are all sons of God through faith in Christ. It makes no difference who we are ~ Jew (Hebrew), Greek, slave, free, male, female, we are all one in Christ through our faith and baptism (Gal. 3:26-28). "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29). Praise His Holy Name!
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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Does strife and division in the body of Christ bother you at all? It should. The very fact that it exists at all is a blot on Christianity. Jesus prayed that we might all be one (John 17:20, 21). The apostle Paul made a heartfelt plea for oneness (1 Cor. 1:10). Strife among fellow saints is the devil's harvest.
Today we come to an interesting passage in Genesis 13. Abram and his nephew Lot were so blessed that "the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together" (v. 6). Notice that the phrase "dwell together" appears twice in the text. God wants us to dwell together. David said, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psa. 133:1). However, our text goes on to say, "And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock" (v. 7a). You can see how the strife was not so much between Abram and Lot personally as it was between their employees. This was not a healthy situation. Strife never is. Notice a third thing: "The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land" (v. 7b). To me this means that outsiders were watching God's people fuss and fight with one another. That is never a good thing either! Many people do not darken the door of a church because they have seen strife between churchgoers ~ professing Christians.
But our text ends on a happy note. Abram was a wise man. It takes wisdom to diffuse division. He said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren" (v. 8). Royal blood flows in our veins. We are blood brothers because of the blood of Christ. "Let brotherly love continue" (Heb. 13:1). Cain shed the blood of his brother but we are of Christ, not Cain! Then Abram does something very wise and generous. He suggested a solution to the problem. "Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, I will go to the left" (v. 9). "Abram was willing to maintain a loose grip on his rights and possessions; because of this, he was able to defer to his nephew and manage the growing conflict between his and Lot's herdsmen....Because he was older, Abram could have assigned Lot a parcel of land. He could have taken the best for himself." (The Leadership Bible). This is "crisis management" at its best! |
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| Posted by Victor Knowles at | | | |
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