Isaac And Rebecca: Patriarch Series Part 2

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV)

(Isaac carrying wood in his back up Mt. Moriah.)

25 years.  25 long years Abraham and Sarah waited for the son God promised them.  Then, when Isaac was just a young boy, probably a young teenager, He asked Abraham to do something unbelievable:  To take his only son and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah!

Isaac was born to Abrahm and his wife, Sarah, who had not only been barren, she was now well past menopause.  It was a bonafide miracle he was born at all.  His name in Hebrew means "laughter," because Sarah, when she overheard The Angel telling her husband that the following year they would have a son, laughed at the prospect.  

Abraham and Isaac traveled to Mt. Moriah with two of his young men.  Upon their arrival, father and son left this who had accompanied them and climbed the mountain together.  The young lad carried the wood on his back. Abraham bound his son, laid him on the altar and prepared to kill him.  But God stayed his hand.  His son was to be spared!

Incredibly, right behind him, a ram "just happened" to be caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it in Isaac's place, another story in and of itself.  (See the link below for more on this topic:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-very-unusual-request.html)

This is a beautiful picture of how Jesus, 2,000 years in the future, would climb another lonely hill in that very same range of mountains; the highest peak in fact:  Mt. Zion.  Unlike Isaac, however, He would not be spared but sacrificed for all of our sins.

(Isaac is spared.)

The Bible records that father and son went up the mountain but it doesn't record that Isaac came back down with his father, though obviously he did.  The silence of scripture here speaks volumes.  It's a picture of Our Jesus.  He went up His mountain but He DIDN'T come down. He was died on the cruel cross, sacrificed as the Lamb of God, suffering the most awful kind of death that anyone could ever die.  

Unlike any other man, He was mercilessly scourged before He was nailed to that cross.  Pilate did that hoping that the Jewish leaders would call for His release.  You see, it was against the law for a man to be both scourged and crucified.  If someone was scourged, he could not be crucified.  If he was sentenced to be crucified, he could not be scourged beforehand.  But the Jewish leaders wouldn't relent so our Lord Jesus suffered BOTH!  

Because Abraham demonstrated his trust in and faithfulness to God, He came to him and said:  “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the STARS OF THE HEAVEN and as the SAND which is ON THE SEASHORE; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV)

Through this wonderful story of Abraham and Isaac the love of The Father for His Beloved Son, Jesus, is revealed.  It is here in this very passage that the the word "love" (aháva in Hebrew) is mentioned for the first time.  

For those who may not know, there exists in Bible exegesis something called "The law of first mention."  It states that the first time any word or subject is mentioned or introduced in scripture it establishes an unchangeable pattern which remains constant in the mind of God.  It's an indication that there is something very important to learn. 

(God promises to bless Abraham and all his descendants.)

True to His word, God blessed Abraham with every possible blessing.  They are still in effect.  His descendants from that day to this continue to enjoy them.  Yep. Yahweh, the covenant keeping One, has never and never will forget His people.  When He makes a covenant, He honors it FOREVER. 

Though the smallest of all races, the Jewish people have won the more Nobel prizes, made the more scientific breakthroughs and are the more successful in practically every walk of life than all others put together.  It just so happens that the youngest billionaire in the world a Jewish boy named Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook! 

Like them or not, they have a disproportionate ability to influence for good or evil.  It's just the blessing of Abraham.

At the end of  chapter 24, the Holy Spirit does that strange thing again, suddenly shifting gears in mid-stream.  He totally jumps from Abraham's story and starts talking about the family of Nahor, his brother.  Why?  

Let's follow the story:

(For those who want to check out another example of the Holy Spirit and His "shifting gears," follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/06/is-genesis-38-in-wrong-place.html).  

"Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, 'Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.' And Bethuel begot REBECCA. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah." (Genesis 22:20-24 NKJV)

See?  Nahor.  Very strange, isn't it?  Ah, but the Holy Spirit is always up to something good!  He wants to show you and I something to bless us!

Whenever a chapter ends like this, with someone's family history or genealogy, there's a hidden meaning for us to discover.  Rebecca, Isaac's future wife, was born into his family.  She was actually a cousin.  

In the very next chapter, 23, God deals almost exclusively with Sarah's death, the purchase of land from Ephron, the Hittite, and her burial in the cave of Machpelah.

(Abraham sends his servant to procure a bride for Isaac.)

But the chapter after that, 24, just happens to be the lo-o-o-ongest chapter in the entire book of Genesis.  Why? Because it's the story of the father sending an "unnamed servant" to his family to obtain a bride for his son.  

Does this theme sound familiar?  It should! It is in this chapter that we find the second mention of the word, "love," appearing!  Whereas chapter 22 contained the FIRST MENTION, which was of Our Father's love for His Son,  chapter 24--the SECOND MENTION--is the story of The Son's love for His Bride!

Let's continue the story:

"...but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac....”

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand.  And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.  And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water." (Genesis 24:4, 10-11 NKJV)

(Rebecca draws water for Abraham’s servant.)

The servant did go; the servant did find favor; and he did find a bride for his master's son!

"So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” 

(Genesis 24:22-23).   

Thus, the unnamed servant found and met Rebecca and arranged with her family to bring her back to Isaac. 

The Old Testament is the New concealed and the New is the Old revealed. Everything in the New Testament is hidden somewhere in the Old in types, stories, names, places and even the language itself.  Right after the unnamed servant's camels were watered, "the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold."

The nose in Biblical typology depicts discernment while gold speaks of divine righteousness.  The unnamed servant gave these "gifts of gold" to Rebecca who is a typology of the Church.  These gifts are depictions of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to US! 

Since there were no planes, trains or automobiles back then, it took a long time to travel to Canaan.  The journey back was a very lo-o-o-ong one, some 500 miles over  very rugged terrain. No doubt as they stopped and camped each night, this servant who is not named regaled Rebecca with many stories about this wonderful Isaac she was to wed.  Her name in Hebrew means "secured," by the way.  Betcha her favorite topic was the story about the time he went up Mt. Moriah with his father and came "this close" to being sacrificed on that altar.         

Well, by the time Rebecca arrived at their destination,  no doubt she had fallen head over heels in love with Isaac, a man whom she had never met in person.

(Rebecca jumps off her camel.)

At long last they reached their destination.  Genesis 24:64 in the English, the text reads like this:  "Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;" But in Hebrew, the word "dismounted" literally means she "fell" off her horse as Isaac caught her, according to rabbinical tradition.  She couldn't get off her camel fast enough to run and jump into his arms!

You know, Church, this story is really all about us!!  It's a beautiful picture of the Church and our relationship with Jesus.  Isaac means "laughter" which tells us something else about our wonderful Savior.  There's a lot of joy and laughter around him.  He's a fun-loving guy!
 

But Who is the unnamed servant?  Why, The Holy Spirit, of course!   You see, while we have been here on earth, we also have been on a lo-o-o-ng wilderness journey.  The unnamed servant was sent here, a far country, looking for a bride for Jesus. He came looking for you and me.  He found us and secured a bride for The Son.  
Along our journey in this wilderness, He has regaled us with beautiful stories of this wonderful Jesus.  Like Rebecca, we, too, have never seen our Jesus in person.  But because have heard so many wonderful stories about Him, we have fallen as MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIM and He is with us!  We can't wait to jump off this "camel" into his waiting arms!

Isn't God good?  It just blows me away that He wants you and I to know just how much we are loved by Him.  And that, Church, is why He shared with all of us this beautiful story of Isaac and his Rebecca. 

Follow this link to part three:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/08/jacob-and-leah-patriarch-series-part-3.html

A Door Of Hope

Hosea 2:14-16

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.

I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;

She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

“And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’"      

What do you do when you find yourself in trouble?  In this wonderful passage from the book of Hosea the Holy Spirit shows us how to get out of our "Valley of Achor."  

What is the Valley of Achor?  It was named for an infamous character in the company of the Children of Israel who disregarded what the LORD said.  Remember Achan, the "troubler of Israel," in 1 Kings 18?  Let's take a little trip babck to the Old Testament and find out.

The Israelites, under the command of General Joshua, had just come from the fall of Jericho which the LORD had accomplished for them.  It was, to put it mildly, AN OVERWHELMING VICTORY.  Joshua is the one who had been given command of the armies of Israel after the death of Moses.  He is the very same Joshua who was one of the 12 spies dome 40 years prior.

Long before the Jericho event, the fame and dread of Israel had spread throughout the whole land of Canaan!  Everyone had heard how Egypt had been struck by terrible plagues, how the waters of the Red Sea parted for them and then crashed back together killing every Egyptian on their heels.  Then they heard how the Jordan had dried up before them, allowing them to once again cross on dry ground.  Most recently, news had spread of the falling walls of Jericho.  EVERYONE WAS TERRIFIED! 

But, there's always one in the crowd who does what he isn't supposed to, right.  Yep; you guessed it: Achan.  He was the guy who stole forbidden spoils from the cursed city of Jericho and then hid them underneath his tent. His selfish, forbidden, solitary act brought judgement crashing down on all Israel, something they didn't know until they went to attack the next city on God's agenda.

(Israel after their defeated at Ai.)

After their overwhelming, definitive victory at Jericho, the Israelites were feeling pretty confident about themselves.  Understandable. But, when they came to Ai, naturally they assumed taking that city would be a walk in the park.  No problem, right?  Imagine their a shock and surprise not only to be chased away by the men of Ai but 36 of their number were killed.  They were devastated and demoralized!  

Joshua, confused and understandably distraught, fell on his face before God and inquired of the LORD why this had happened.  Was it true what they were saying that he had brought them this far only to be destroyed by the Amorites?  But the LORD revealed to him that someone had taken accursed things from the city of Jericho and transgressed God's  covenant with them.  By divine lot and process of elimination, Achan was found to be the guilty party.  

(Achan found to be guilty by divine lot.)

"And Joshua said, (to Achan) 'Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.'” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the VALLEY OF ACHOR (trouble) to this day." (Joshua 25-26)

(The stones pilled on top of Achan are there to this day.)

When you find yourself in your own Valley of Achor, God will give you, child of the Most High, a "door of hope."  Your door is to Sing Praise to God as when you were young!  Praise opens up the door to God, the One Who delivers you from trouble.  

God illustrates this principle to us in the word for "praise" in Hebrew below.  As you know, Hebrew reads right to left.  It's actually a form of picture writing, like Chinese.  These pictures are very consistent.  The word for praise used in the opening scripture is "YADAH."  It's Hebrew spelling is below:

YADAH is spelled "yod-dalet-hei {ידה} 

[י] Yod=hand

[ד] dalet=door

[ה] hei=grace
"Hand opens the door to grace. Grace = Jesus!  That's the essence of Praise: Raising hands to Jesus with songs of praise!

This word, "Yadah," is the also the root word for the name "Judah." Judah means "praise."
Yehudah [יהודה]
[י]Yod=hand, [ה]hei=grace, [ו]vav=nail, [ד]dalet=door, [ה]hei=grace.

"Yahweh," the covenant-keeping God, is spelled [יהוה]
The letter "dalet [ד]" second to last letter on the left and has been added to spell "Judah."  And Who do we know that came from the tribe of Judah?  JESUS!  Who is the "DOOR TO GOD?"  Right again:  JESUS!

He is the "dalet" of the sheepfold!"  So clearly, to escape your "Valley of Achor," sing praises to God." Tell of His marvelous works!...and, just like the barren woman in Isaiah 54:1 below, you who were barren, who suffer lack in any area of your life will have "more than she who has a husband."

Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.

PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!   In your Valley of Achor, He is your Door of Hope!

CONVICTED!

John 16:7-11 NKJV

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me;  of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;  of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."

Context, context, context.  It is, BY FAR, the most important tool we have for understanding and rightly dividing the word of God.  A perfect example is the above passage.  Taken out of context, it has been MISunderstood, MISapplied and MISused to put believers under bondage MIStakenly.

(For a complete study on Rightly Dividing the Word of God, follow this link to begin part 1 of 16:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-1-of-16-introduction-to-rightly.html)

Ever been told as a Christian that the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin?  Yeah, me too.  Well guess what?  HE DOESN'T DO THAT.  Quite the contrary.  He convicts us of RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Who gets convicted of sin?  Look carefully at the verses above.  He convicts THE WORLD OF SIN. Why does Jesus call them the world?  "Because they do not believe in Me."

Believers don't fit the criteria.  We can no longer be called "the world."  The Bible says we are in it but no longer of it.  We are not the ones who don't believe in Jesus.  So based on that Church, do you fall into the category of those He convicts of sin?  

DUH!  OF COURSE NOT. 

You already believe in Him.

Why do we need to be convicted of righteousness?  Jesus said it: "because I go to the Father..... and here's the key.....AND YOU SEE ME NO MORE". 

He isn't here in person right now so we cannot look into His sweet face and see His beautiful eyes.  We can't see His love and acceptance of us there to be assured we are ALWAYS AND FOREVER RIGHT WITH GOD.

Those whispers in your head that tell you God is angry with you, or if nor angry, at least mildly disappointed, isn't the voice of Holy Spirit. It's the devil.

Who is more conscious of sin:  Believers or non-believers?  Believers!  Ask anyone you know who doesn't know Jesus and most of them don't believe they're all that bad and, maybe, even pretty good. If they understood otherwise, they'd realize their need of a Savior and run screaming to Jesus.

Believers, contrarywise, who's sins actually have been--PAST TENSE--cleansed FOREVER, are convinced they are full of sin!

IT'S BACKWARDS. 

That's why He sent the Holy Spirit:  TO CONVICT US OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  He knows all too well the devil is continually trying to steal, kill and destroy. He uses the law UNlawfully against you and I trying to get us to believe God is angry with us. 

IT'S A PACK OF LIES.  Don't believe him.

We have accepted Jesus' payment for us.  He took ALL OUR JUDGMENT on Himself.  God would be unrighteous to judge us for our sinful actions after already heaping the FULL PUNISHMENT for them on Jesus.  Because of all His beloved Son endured on the cross He can legally declare us righteous because of His finished work!  

HALLELUJAH!

So, Church, are you forever righteous? 
Yes!  Guilty as charged and CONVICTED!

What Sort Is Your Work?

 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with GOLD, SILVER, PRECIOUS STONES, WOOD, HAY, STRAW,  13 "Each one’s WORK will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work of what SORT it is. 
14 If anyone’s WORK which he has built on it endures, he will receive a REWARD. 
15 If anyone’s WORK is burned, HE will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, as though through fire."

There are so many Christians who really have the idea that our Heavenly Father is all about rules, regulations and stern discipline when they make mistakes.  

What a hard view of God!  How can you have a warm, family kind of relationship with Him if you think He's angry at you or is constantly looking at your faults and failures, making you feel as if is He is disappointed with you?,

The answer is, "YOU CAN'T!" 

Know where marriages like that end up?  DIVORCE!    

Our Father in heaven doesn't want a relationship like that with us.  Far from it!

He was known by many Names in the Old Testament.  His favorite, however, was not listed there because He could not be known by that Name backbthen.  When Jesus came, He revealed it.

If you're curious what that name is, follow this link to find out:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/07/gods-favorite-name.html.    

The problem under the Old Covenant was that the law, being holy, just and good, is also completely cold and unbending.  You're blessed you if you do right but cursed you if do wrong.

     

God wants MORE THAN ANYTHING to bless His people because LOVES HIS US!  Unfortunately, under Law, they were cursed more often than they were blessed.  HE DID NOT LIKE THAT.  In fact, He found fault with that system.  That's why He wanted to institute a New Covenant (See Hebrews 8).  You see, He has always been about grace, not rules,and regulations. 

God's Part And Our Part.

Under the Old Covenant, there was "God's part and man's part"  But no way could we hold up our end of the bargain.  So, He paid in full to replace that covenant with a NEW ONE--Grace--which cost Him DEARLY: The life of His darling Son, JESUS. 

    

Under the New Covenant there's God's part.....and there's God's part."  Our "part," if you can call it that, is #1: To BELIEVE that He's got all the bases covered, and #2: To RECEIVE HIS FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  

Remember, righteousness it's a GIFT; NOT a reward for good behavior.  JESUS already did all the heavy lifting.  

That's how much He loved us!  That's how much He wanted to have fellowship with us--warm, fun, enjoyable, sweet, intimate fellowship.  He didn't come to give us laws, laws and more laws.  He came to give us LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!!!  

Church, we desperately need to hear this message now, more than ever!

In the opening scripture, Paul is instructing pastors and leaders on how to teach their people.  How do we know he is not addressing the rank and file?  Let's back up and look at the preceeding verses so we can understand their context:

1 Corinthians 3:7-9 

"It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both GOD'S WORKERS. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building." 

He says four words:  "WE ARE BOTH GOD'S WORKERS."  That's how you know his audience is in the same category as he is:  THEY ARE CHURCH LEADERS, too.  He's not addressing the rank and file but fellow leaders.  

The next time you hear a sermon on this passage and the pastor is using it to point AT YOU, understand this:  The verse is mistakenly being taken out of context.  We know this is true because of what Paul said in the verses prior to this passage.   

Gold, Silver, Precious Stones.

Paul speaks of precious metals, gems and kindling, so to speak, COMPARING TEACHING TO TANGIBLE THINGS.  Gold in the Bible speaks of Divine righteousness.  Silver typifies redemption.  Precious stones refers to the priceless gems on the breastplate of judgement that represent all of us and how precious we are to God.

(For more about the breastplate of judgement follow this link:
http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-breastplate-of-judgment.html)

When you go to church, are you being reminded of how God sees you--as precious stones, as covered in gold (Divine righteousness) and firmly rooted in silver (Redemption), forever made right with God?  THIS TEACHING IS GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES.  

Pastors, our people need to hear this:  LOUDLY AND OFTEN.  They need to hear how they are clothed with God's divine righteousness, redeemed from all their sins--past, present AND future--through Jesus' blood and that they are precious in God's sight.  Undergirded with this knowledge, when trials inevitably come--you know:  The fire--THEY will be able to withstand in the evil "DAY" because of this truth they learned FROM YOU.  Your work will stand and you will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ accordingly.

The Judgment Seat Of Christ.

Speaking of the Judgment seat of Christ, we've been fed some unfortunate misinformation about this all our lives.  The verse in question is this one below:

II Corinthians 5:10

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

You have to understand that, though the Bible it is an inspired book, it is only the original languages are inspired, not the languages into which it was translated. That's why we have so many "translator issues." Because they are people too, translators have a particular frame of reference like everyone else.  They can slant their translation in a negative way if they only know God as harsh and unbending, making Him appear cold and stern.  Words in English are often added that, while they make the text flow better, can and do actually cause more confusion.  So, you need to study the original translation to determine God's unadulterated message.  Strong's Interlinear Online is a great resource to aid in doing just that.

This verse is a prime example.  You see, in the Greek text, the word "judgment" doesn't appear.  It is called the "Bema seat of Christ." 

If you'd like to read about the whole truth about this topic, follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-judgment-seat-of-christ.html

At the so-called "Judgment Seat of Christ, God doesn't judge you based on what size your work is but on what "sort" it is.  It's not about judging your works to see if you make it to heaven!  No.  Your work, Christian leader, is tested to see whether it is Gold, silver, precious stones OR wood, hay, stubble.

Wood, Hay And Stubble.

What kind of teaching is wood, hay and stubble?  Telling people that their Christian life is based on good works (wood), right doing (hay) or measuring up to some standard (straw/stubble).  

Based on that system, people will try to earn God's blessings by their works.  Then they wonder why they're not blessed.  Well, when we work, God rests.  Even worse, THIS FALSE TEACHING WILL HURT THEM and they will not be able to stand "in the evil day."   It is so much better to rest from our works of self-righteousness.  When we rest, God works!

I don't think any pastor knowingly does this but it seems that a lot of this kind of false teaching is going around.  Nothing wrong with Bible college or theological seminary but let's be careful to read what the word "SAYS" and let the Holy Spirit guide us, not just spout things we were taught in seminary.  The Bible is a living, breathing, multi-layered book that speaks to us in different ways at different times.  It even speaks differently to different people based upon their unique and individual situations.  NO OTHER BOOK ON PLANET EARTH CAN DO THAT!

However, those who insist on teaching falsehood, two unfortunate things will happen:  
#1.  Your people, who's Christian walk is based on those false teachings, will not be able to hold up when the heat is on.  They will not be equipped to withstand the trials of life. AND....

#2.  The same thing will happen to the one who taught them: YOU.  Your teaching and possibly even your ministry will go up in smoke like so much wood, hay and stubble, though your life will be spared, of course.

Bear in mind, these trials refer only to the tangible world, the stuff we all go through.  Your spirit is forever safe.

       

God's Simple Solution.

Church Leaders, God has simplified everything and made it SO EASY.  WE ARE TRANSFORMED BY BEHOLDING JESUS!  As we lift Him up and point TO Him--and ONLY Him--instead of AT THE PEOPLE, He is adored, glorified and unveiled.  The Holy Spirit then takes over and He begins teaching!  That's a better deal!  No sweat on your part.....and you'll be doing your people a great service.  They will grow and change without your effort, be holy by accident as it were.

But it's up to you as to what you teach your people.  They work, God rests; they rest, GOD WORKS!  HALLELUJAH!!!  Seems like a no-brainer to me but just remember:  God is a great respecter of your free choice. He will sit it out if you insist.

So what's it gonna be? Wood, Hay and Stubble, or Gold, Silver and Precious Stones?  

It's not about what SIZE your work is; it's about WHAT SORT YOUR WORK IS.  

The Curse Is Reversed! Flood Series Part 3 of 8

Genesis 8:1-5

1 "Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the SEVENTH MONTH, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen."

(Noah sends out a raven.)

In parts 1 and 2 we talked about why the flood happened and Who was with Noah and his family in the ark. In part 3 we'll dig into the construction of the ark, the meanings of names and the typologies found here, learn how it changed the Jewish calendar and what the landing on Mt. Ararat signifies.  Let's dig in.

Rest.

Above all things, God prizes rest for His people.  He talks about it all the time.  In fact, Noah's name in Hebrew means "REST."  This story is demonstrating to us what God means when He tells us to "rest in Jesus."
 

A major obstacle to REST is "sin consciousness."  God definitely doesn't want us to have a consciousness of sins as the verse below says:

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer CONTINUALLY year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, ONCE PURIFIED, would have had NO MORE CONSCIOUSNESS OF SINS." (Hebrews 10:1-2.). We'll cover more of this topic in part 4.

Has God gone soft on sin?  CERTAINLY NOT!  2,000 years ago, ALL our sins were righteously and judicially punished in the body of His beloved Son on the cross.  Not one of them escaped.  In fact, if even one sin was left unpaid God could not have raised Jesus from the dead.  God had to have a judicial basis to raise up His Son.   

The Father was legally within His rights to resurrect Jesus because He finished the work! It would be unjust to Jesus to punish us for our sins when He has already paid ALL our debt.  Actually, His death was far and above an OVERPAYMENT! 

God must have a righteous foundation in order to bless us.  He can't just arbitrarily do so just because He wants to (and He does). But thank God, Jesus' death and resurrection accomplished it all!  

God did not raise Jesus from the dead because He is His Son. That He always is. He raised Him from the dead because HE FINISHED THE WORK!   

GRACE.

It's no coincidence that the first mention of the word "grace" in the Bible is in association with Noah's name which, coincidentally, happens to be the 5th time Noah's name appears.  Five is the number of Grace!

The "law of first-mention," in case you were unaware, is the principle in the interpretation of Scripture which states that the first mention or occurrence of a subject in Scripture establishes an unchangeable pattern, with that subject remaining unchanged in the mind of God throughout Scripture.

In Genesis 6:8 it says, "8 But Noah found GRACE in the eyes of the Lord," or literally, "rest found grace" in the eyes of the LORD.  God is showing us that what finds grace in His eyes is resting in Him.  There's a definite connection between resting and grace.

Noah was given very explicit instructions regarding the Ark's construction.  God said in Genesis 6:14-16:

"16 Make yourself an ark of GOPHERWOOD; make ROOMS in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with PITCH. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set THE DOOR of the ark IN IT'S SIDE. You shall make it with LOWER, SECOND AND THIRD DECKS."

Gopherwood (obviously) comes from a tree.  But in order to be used for building, it must be hewn down, cut into shape, hammered with nails, covered within and without with pitch so it could become the vessel which would preserve Noah and the other 7 members of his family.

Wood in the Bible typifies humanity.  Jesus is 100% man/wood.  Just like the goferwood tree, He was "cut off from His people.  He was beaten, hammered and nailed to the cross" in order to become THE ARK which would save the whole world.  

Noah was told to build "rooms" in the ark. The word in Hebrew for rooms is "quinim," which literally means "nests;" you know, like a bird's nest.  Just as baby birds are loved and cared for by the mother bird in their nest, so Noah and his family were loved and cared for by God in the ark.

Where was God during the flood?  Did He just send all that destruction to earth and sit back on His throne, buffing His nails and watch?  If you saw the latest Holywood version of the story, you might get that idea.  Better to believe HolyWord over Holywood.  So where was He?  The answer may surprise you.  Follow this link to find out!  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/02/come-into-ark.html

The word that the Holy Spirit used for "pitch," is not the normal Hebrew word for it, which would be the word, "zetteth."  Instead He chose the word "kapher," which means "atonement, or covering."  Much later on, in Moses' day, this word became the root for the word "kapporeth," which means "Mercy Seat!"  

Jesus says of the Mercy Seat, "There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat--the "kapporeth"--from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony..." Exodus 25:22

Before Jesus shed His blood, sins could only be "covered" by offering right blood sacrifices.  That's why the Holy Spirit could only rest "ON" individuals and had to come and go.  God cannot abide with sin.  Ours is a better deal!  Our sins are cleansed and He can now reside "IN" us and NEVER LEAVE!

There was only "ONE door" in the side of the boat, a very moving typology of Jesus on the cross.  When He died, the soldiers came to check on the victims who were crucified that day.  Upon finding that He was dead already, they pierced His "side" with a spear.  Out came blood and water. That opening in His side allowed blood and water to flow out to the whole world and washed away our sins!  From His side was born the greatest and most successful organization ever to exist on planet earth:  

THE CHURCH.   

The door in the side of the ark was a depiction of the wound in Jesus' side.  He is THE ONE AND ONLY Door of the sheepfold for there is salvation in NO ONE ELSE.  Everyone who is born again must all enter through that one door. 

The the Holy Spirit makes a point of telling us there are three decks. Why?  Because man is "triparteid:" We have three components: Spirit, soul and body.  It's a glorious picture of the fact that, when we are born again, the Ark--JESUS--saves us SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. HALLELUIA!  

Yes, we still commit sins and mess up from time to time, but when we stumble, we fall INSIDE THE ARK.  We don't fall OUT of the ark nor do the flood waters of judgment from outside come IN.  They do not.....NO; THEY CANNOT, come in.  EVERYONE who is a believer is safe IN the ark--in Jesus.  They have been shut indside by the LORD HIMSELF, SAFE FOREVER!    

This so beautifully portrays the verses in John 10:27-30 which speaks of our eternal security!      

God Himself caused every creature He had chosen plus the eight people of Noah's family to board the vessel.      

Genesis 7:15-16:      

15"And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God {Elohim} had commanded him; and the Lord {Yahweh} shut him in."  

The word here for "LORD" is "Yahweh--the heart of God," the Covenant-keeping One, as opposed to the hand of God--"Elohim: "Creator God."  Elohim--Creator God, brought the animals to Noah but the hand of Yahweh--the Heart of God, shut the door.  When God closes a door, NO ONE CAN OPEN IT.  We are safe and secure forever IN THE ARK.....IN CHRIST.  Understand?  Eternally secure! 

Those waters which covered the whole earth executed judgment on every creature and everyone who was outside the ark.  All life was destroyed.  But it was upon those very same waters that the ark floated safely.  These waters typify the waves and waves of judgment that assaulted our Lord Jesus the day  He took the full weight of the judgment and punishment we deserved.  

In Genesis 7:11-12 it says, 11"In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the GREAT DEEP great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights."

First, the fountains of the deep were broken up, a picture of all hell being unleashed against Jesus.  Then the storm that lashed against the sides of the ark is a picture of the emotional and physical abuse rained down on Jesus by His human tormentors.  But the WORST punishment of all was the "windows of heaven" opening up.  All of His Father's righteous judgment and fiery indignation against sin rained down on Him until there was NO MORE JUDGMENT LEFT.  NONE!!!  

In the book of Revelation, all those bowls of wrath that are discussed describe what was poured over Jesus' head during those six hours as He hung on that cross, suspended between heaven and earth. God exhausted ALL HIS JUST WRATH on Jesus during that 3-hour period of darkness which, by the way, covered the whole earth. 

Of all the civilizations in the world, the Chinese are among the most fastidious in keeping records of celestial events.  Ancient Chinese records actually document that three-hour period of darkness.  They may not have been able to explain it, but they certainly recorded it. 

Jesus hung on the cross from 9am to 3pm.  9am is the time of the morning sacrifice.  3pm is the time of the evening sacrifice.  HE FULFILLED THEM BOTH!

Jesus death, which would happen in the far-distant future, changed the whole Jewish calendar.  You see, from the very first day of creation in Genesis 1:1 to the foot of Mt. Sinai when Moses received the Law, first month of the Hebrew calendar had been the month of Tishri. This all changed when Pesach (Passover) was instituted.  God told Moses that the seventh month--Nissan--was to become the first month.  

Exodus 12:2

“This month shall  be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."

Jesus died on the 14th day of the month of Nissan, which actually was on a Thursday, and He rose on the 17th day.  This day is the beginning of the Feast of Firstftuits.  Remember what Jesus is called?  The Firstfruits of them that "sleep."  

17, in Hebrew numerics, means VICTORY!  It was on this EXACT day that the ark rested on the top of Mt. Ararat, and the word, "arar" in Hebrew, means "curse;" Ararat means "the curse is reversed!"  HALLELUIA!!!

Noah and his family stepped out of that ark into a new world;  it was no curse ground. It was a brand new day; a brand new world!  Then he built an altar to the LORD and "offered burnt" offerings on the altar. 

"And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.'" 

Genesis 8:20-21.

We see God's promise to us every time a rainbow appears in the sky.  It doesn't only mean no more physical flood,  it signifies NO MORE JUDGMENT for those of us who are SAFE IN THE ARK:  JESUS, according to Isaiah 54:9.

There is much more you can learn about the rainbow if you like.  Read all about it by following this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-covenant-of-rainbow.html

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that THE CURSE IS REVERSED!