Author: judyinthesky91

Daily Word

Genesis 15

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 15 – After these things… after saving Lot,  after meeting Melchizedek,  after turning down the spoils offered by the king of Sodom,  the Word of the LORD came to Abram.  Yes, Beloved, that is our God.   He knew Abrams heart needed encouragement, and He had beautiful, wonderful things to say.   So often, after great things happen, we humans let worries in. 

God assured Abram that He would be his shield.  He reminded Abram that he would have offspring as numerous as the stars. Abram and Sarai were already quite old, babies would be impossible, but not for God.

After verse :9. things get weird by our standards, but these acts seal God’s covenant with Abram.  The animals were split in two and both parties were to walk between them, restating the terms. Abram walked through, then God waited for evening, and passed through as a smoking oven and a burning torch…. This is brimming with so much symbolism; if you can,  peek a commentary on it. 

And for now,  Beloved,  KNOW that God’s promises are certain.  Jesus is our seal.  May your faith be resolute. ☁️🔥🔰👑🔰🔥☁️

Daily Word

Genesis 14

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 14 – Life with Lot – Oh Lot… He just had to pick life on the edge. 

Lot is now living in Sodom when war breaks out (this is the first mention of war in the bible).  He is captured, along with everything he owned, :12.  But one of his men escaped and reported the situation to Uncle Abram. 

Abram was a man of great faith.  He was blessed with great wealth.  And here we see he was also a prudent man, with 318 men born in his household and trained to fight.  Abram recovered all that was taken, including Lot, all the women and other captives, :16. 

After Abram returns, the King of Sodom and Melchizedek, the King of Salem, go out to meet him. 

Melchizedek is one of the most fascinating characters in the bible.  He is a bit of a mystery, not in any genealogies.  He is both King and priest of God Most High (a special designation), and he brings bread and wine to Abram, and blesses him (perhaps a foreshadowing of Jesus).  Then Abram gives him 1/10 of the recovered goods… our first example of tithing. 

The king of Salem asks for the return of his people, and tells Abram he can keep all the recovered goods.  Abram answers, “Ewww”  (slight paraphrase on my part).  He does not want a cent for himself, lest the king say he made Abram rich… Abram’s wealth is to God’s glory alone.  But Abram does request that his allies get their fair share.  In other words he did not make his standards the standards of his neighbors. 

Beloved, where are you in this?  Do you live one foot in faith and one in the world, like Lot?  Are you ready to take a stand against evil, like Abram?  Do you use money to make yourself look good, like the King of Sodom? Does your faith shine with the extraordinary love of God, like Melchizedek?❓🤷‍♂️🤺💰💖❓

Daily Word

Genesis 13

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 13 – Back to basics.  When one strays from the LORD and nothing is working simply go back to the last place you heard from Him and do what you did in the beginning. 

Remember, the LORD did not call Abram to Egypt.  At this point in the story, both Abram and Lot are wealthy ranchers.  Beloved, take note that wealth does not equal wholeness or contentment.  We are designed with those longings which only God can fill. 

Abram goes back to the last place he heard from God, between Bethel and Ai, :4.  The land could not sustain all the livestock between the two men, and fights were breaking out among the herdsmen :6-7.  Abram proposes that they separate and gives Lot first choice of land.  Lot chose the fertile land of the entire Jordan Valley, drawing close to Sodom, even though the people were known for their wickedness :10-13. 

Then, LOOK at what God’s Word says, “As soon as Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, ‘Look as far as you can see in every direction – north, south, east and west.  I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.’ “ :15  Plus, God adds more descendants than grains of sand… remember, Sarai has been barren thus far.  And God tells Abram to walk the land He is giving him.  And Abram settled near an oakgrove, trees known for deep roots, in Negev, and built an altar to the LORD. 

Beloved, God wants you to delight in all that He gives you – when is the last time you “walked the land” he has given you?  When is the last time you worshipped Him sacrificially as Abram built the altar… we may not do that today, but we can give, we can sing in worship, pray and give thanks.  Remember, gratitude to the LORD changes everything.  Your gratitude glorifies God and makes your heart right.🍁❤🙌🙏🙌❤🍁

Daily Word

Genesis 11

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 11 – We can be dangerous people when left to our own devices. 

Verse :1 sounds lovely, everyone understood each other with one language. But take a look at verse :4, THEN THEY SAID, “COME, LET’S BUILD OURSELVES A CITY WITH A TOWER THAT HAS ITS TOP REACHING UP INTO HEAVEN, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE A NAME FOR OURSELVES AND NOT BE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE EARTH.”  What’s missing?  God is missing – any level of reverence for Him – obedience is missing – God said, “Be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”  These people wanted to challenge God.  They wanted to reach the heavens.  They wanted to gather together when God said to spread out over the earth. 

I had the privilege of having a well versed Jewish passenger yesterday who was happy to answer my inquiry about Nimrod during our 5 hour flight.  He said Nimrod was believed to be the architect behind the tower of Babel, and that he was a hunter before Adonai (that’s the Hebrew word for God… I love it, it feels rich and reverent when I speak it.  Try it on.  It’s beautiful.)  In other words, Nimrod hunted men.  He wanted to rule the world, and, same old story as in the garden, be god. 

This does not escape the LORD’s attention.  He responds by saying, “Come,  let’s go down and confuse their language,”:7.  Isn’t that radical?  First, we get another subtle reference to the trinity with “Let’s”.  Second, the LORD doesn’t destroy the tower; He confuses the language…. thereby, confusing the people and returning them to His commission to spread out over the earth without taking away their free-will. 

Chapter 11 then goes into the lineage from Noah’s son, Shem, to Abram, who will become Abraham, who will become the first Hebrew patriarch. 

Beloved, can you think of a time you were headed down a path of sin, and the LORD intervened to get you back on course?  It was probably something from left field.  There is no such thing as a coincidence.  🏗🏙💬📖☝🙌🌏

Daily Word

Genesis 10

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 10 – They certainly got the “be fruitful and multiply” commands figured out!  

I understand that genealogy can be hard to read.  There is an easy way to read this, whereby you simply read the words,  check the box, and go on with your day.   And if that’s where you’re at, just hold on to the truth that God’s Word does not go out void.  The Holy Spirit will remind you as time comes of all you need to know.

And if you are more scholarly, I can only encourage you to seek the theologians (not me)  as you unwrap the Table of Nations, Nimrod, Peleg, and the others.   The scholars can tell you what these ancient names represent in modern day.  They can break down the significance of Nimrod.  He is the villain, a very, very bad guy, as we will discover in chapter 11.  And, OH! Nineveh – terrible and wonderful things happen there too. 

Beloved,  chapter 10 is positively incredible. I’m so thrilled for you for sticking with it!  📚 🤗📖☝📖🤗📚  

Daily Word

Genesis 9

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 9 – Noah, his family, and all of the creatures from the ark are again commissioned to be fruitful and multiply.

God put a natural fear of man into animals, :2.  This is for their protection because in verse :3 we are given God’s permission to eat them, with the admonishment to drain the blood.  

Blood is life, and God will require blood for blood should a human life be taken by another human or animal, :5-6.  God secured his promise to Noah with the rainbow, :15. (more on that in the bonus blog below)

In verse :20 we see that even Noah is prone to a fall. Beloved, that happens so often after a great spiritual victory.   His son, Ham, sees him and tells his brothers, as if his father is deserving of ridicule.   The brothers, Shem and Japheth, show such reverence as they walk in backwards, laying a robe over Noah without looking. When Noah learns what transpired, he curses Ham and his son Canaan, and we will see that play out throughout the bible, wherever the Canaanites are mentioned.

Noah dies at the age of 950, undoubtedly a great influence to all the generations through Terah (Abraham’s father). 

Beloved, who do you relate to the most in this chapter?   Are you the kind of person you want to be? May your walk with Jesus be one of increasing and vibrant integrity. 

Bonus blog – Behold the rainbow!  The LORD declared it a symbol of his everlasting covenant to Noah that He will never again cause the waters to destroy all life, :15.  I’m guessing this rainbow was the first rainbow EVER.  If you’re like me,  every rainbow sighting is amazing!  

The rainbow reminds God of his covenant, and it reminds me how much God loves me.   I am a sinner,  yet God loves me (and all people) so much He made a way,  through Jesus Christ, to redeem us – it’s simply too beautiful a gift, John 3:16, but God says all who call upon the Name of Jesus will be saved. 

Beloved,  let your heart resonate with these ancient people as one who is rescued by God in heaven who loves you!  And your assignment is to share this Good News.  (See Acts 1:8).

Daily Word

Genesis 8

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 8 – Time is passing. 

Noah, his family and all those animals are floating in God’s hands. The earth is saturated, and God remembers Noah. 

The LORD sends a wind across the earth to dry up the waters.  The boat settles on the mountains of Ararat (eastern Turkey).  Imagine, floating, drifting, endless days of caring for these animals, and the ark finally settles, yet still, two and a half months before other mountain peaks would appear.  After 40 more days, Noah opened a window. 

On over-water flights, most everyone keeps the shades drawn.  Peeking out the window to see nothing but water is eerie, and I am talking about a day of flight.  Noah is more than 9 months into his journey… and it is a journey without a specific destination or arrival time. 

He released a raven, then a dove, but they did not find dry ground.  A week later, he released the dove again, and it returned with an olive leaf in its beak.  Can you imagine what a joyful sign this must have been?  It would still be two more months before God would tell Noah to leave the boat, releasing all the animals, all with the duty to be fruitful and multiply. 

Beloved, notice that Noah lifted the covering and saw the land drying 10 ½ months into his journey (:13), yet they waited for God’s instruction to leave the boat.  Was it tempting to get off the boat ahead of time?  Are you ever tempted to move ahead before the LORD says it’s time? 

The first thing Noah does is build an altar for the LORD, and the LORD is pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice.  God says to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race,” :21a.  🌧🕊🌦🙌🌦🕊🌞

Daily Word

Genesis 7

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 7 – Noah, Noah, Noah.  My son is named Noah.  I didn’t know much about the bible back then, but I did know that Noah of the bible is known for doing what he was told. 

You may think you know Noah too, the ark, the flood, and the animals – two by two.  Read chapter 7 with fresh eyes for any details you may have missed in Sunday school. 

Verse :1, God tells Noah to get on the boat with his family, as the LORD knows that Noah is righteous.  The population had gotten so lost in their sin, and ONLY Noah was righteous. 

God says to take seven pairs, male and female, of animals He has approved for sacrifice, :2.  So, even though they were going on this extraordinary voyage, provisions were made to continue the sacrifice. 

In verse :4, God says the rain will start in 7 days, lasting 40 days and 40 nights.  As you continue, do the math on how long Noah and his family were on the Ark. 

Verse :11, tells us this flood was more than rain.  Remember, the earth was watered from the underground springs (Gen 2:5-6), well now those springs were erupting everywhere!  Rain from above, erupting springs from below, it was catastrophic. 

Verse :16 has a fascinating detail – it says:   THEN THE LORD CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND THEM.  That is how personal God is.  He closed the door, sealing them in the ark and everyone else out; Salvation for Noah and his family – condemnation for everyone else.  Beloved, Jesus offers Salvation.  Right now the door is open, but one day it will be closed.  Revelation 3:7b reminds us:  WHAT HE OPENS, NO ONE CAN CLOSE; AND WHAT HE CLOSES, NO ONE CAN OPEN. 

Chapter 7 closes with the fact that the flood waters covered the earth for 150 days… that’s a lot more than 40 days and 40 nights on the boat… and no one is off the boat yet, tune in tomorrow!  (or read ahead now – it’s fascinating, right???)🌧🌧🌧🙏🌧🌧🌧

Daily Word

Genesis 6

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 6 – We tend to mess things up. 

The population is building, and wickedness is thriving.  The population is not purely human either.  We are only told a little bit about these “sons of God”, these “Nephilites”.  Scholars suggest they are fallen angels, and that they were corrupting human DNA with these unnatural unions with the daughters of men (human women). 

The bible doesn’t say a whole lot about them, and I don’t see any walking around today, so I’ll just add it to my mysteries I get to learn about in heaven file.  Paul assures us that one day we will know in full, even as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).  I rather like the idea of story time in heaven – when all the gaps and more are filled in. 

At any rate, times are bad on earth.  Verse 6 tells us, “So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth.  It broke his heart.”  Ouch – oh LORD have mercy, I am so sorry for the times I have broken your heart! 

Global changes are necessary.  First, God limits our lifespan to 120 years, :3.  Second, God calls for a “do-over”.  Noah is a righteous man who walked with the LORD, only he and his family, and pairs of every animal will be spared and called to repopulate earth, :18-19.  He instructs Noah to build a boat from cypress wood.  You have to understand how this must have looked to the neighbors, remember it had never rained before, and Noah is building this giant boat in the middle of dry land.  Noah trusted God, and did as he instructed. 

Beloved, stay the course no matter what it looks like to the neighbors.  Stay faithful to God and build your life on His Word.  Storms will come, as will His rescue.🛳⚓💖🙌💖⚓🛶

Daily Word

Genesis 5

judyinthesky91

Read Genesis 5 – Ready for a treasure hunt?  There is treasure buried in the genealogy of chapter 5. 

Don’t think the unusual names and extraordinary life spans are reasons to glaze over.  Remember, the atmosphere of our planet was different before the flood of Noah (Gen 2:5-6).  People lived close to a thousand years.

Written language did not exist then, all history was spoken,  passed down from the patriarchs. Adam would have been grampa to most of the generations prior to Lamech (Noah’s dad).  And Adam’s son, Seth, would have continued through the generations,  even knowing Noah 34 years prior to his (Seth) death. (Thank you,  agapebiblestudy, for doing the math for me.) 

When reading something repetitive,  ‘he lived, he begot, he died’, it is really important to note any variations.   Meet Enoch (:18-24).  In verse :22 it says “ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD THREE HUNDRED YEARS.”  Everyone before and after simply “lived”, but Enoch walked with God. His life on earth is also significantly shorter, 365 years, then, he didn’t die in the ordinary sense.   The bible says:  ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD; AND HE WAS NOT, FOR GOD TOOK HIM,  :24.

Beloved,  as you read Chapter 5, would you also pray that God give you wisdom and understanding? These ancient writings are rich with truth and insight.  They will give you greater understanding of who God is, and where you fit in the story of life. 🙏🌎☝🌫☝😍🙏