As I continue reading Amos, I have to say, I'm loving every word of it. It really reveals so much more about God to me that I didn't know about before.
So today's post is on chapter 4.
"Israel has not returned to God"
One question stood out to me as I read verses 4-5, 'had The Lord given up on trying to get Israel to turn back to Him?
It's kind of like us, when we give up on trying to change someone, we're like 'fine, go do what you want'. Is that what God doing here?
I definitely do not know exactly what God's intentions were here, but I can say I'm sure that it wasn't God giving up in His people.
I think that maybe God was trying a different approach to get Israel's intentions, He was telling them personally what they were doing, where they were going wrong, so maybe they would open their eyes & see themselves drowning in this sea of sin.
We would normally expect God to tell His people not to sin, but here He was telling them to sin, because He probably knew that this would help them realise they were sinning & turn away from it.
Here we are once again reminded how unpredictable God is & how amazingly He works in our lives.
Throughout this passage, the only thing I could see was God wanting to see His people turn from their sin & back to Him.
Especially with the repetition of "yet you have not returned to me" in verses 6-11.
As I thought more about it, isn't that basically what God's been doing since The Fall in the very beginning?
For so long, God's been trying to redeem His creation that turned against the Creator Himself.
This really made me realise, when we normally think of God's salvation & redemption of mankind, we normally only think of the cross.
We normally only picture that one day Jesus hung on the cross for us, or those 33 years Jesus came down to earth for us. We only think of God saving us in that instant when Jesus overcame death.
But what I came to realise throughout the desperation of this passage is that the picture of God's redemption on mankind is so much bigger.
Yes, when Jesus died on the cross for us, it was such a great event & we are eternally grateful for that. But in reality, God has done SOOO much more than just send His son to die on the cross for us.
Picture the cross. It's one of the greatest examples we know of God's love for us. It's God Himself sacrificing His one & only son for us. It's God, allowing Himself to die so He could overcome death for us. Now isn't that a bit too much God has done for us when we deserved nothing from Him.
Now think about this, since the very beginning, when sin entered the earth, God has CONTINUALLY tried to help His people overcome their sinful desires and turn back to Him.
Not only that, He's had to face our rejection, our stubbornness, our ignorance. He's had to have the grief of punishing us because we're unwilling to turn from our sin. But still He's never given up on us, even though we're still going against Him. He's been persistence with his love even though we've been persistent with our sinful lives.
He's been trying so hard like this for thousands of years.
Now doesn't that make the whole redemption story seem so much larger than we may have thought it to be already? As we read through Amos 4, we can get a taste of how much rejection God faced from His own people, but how hard He still kept trying to being them back.
At the same time, it may seem like God is a complete failure for 'losing control' of His people.
But think about it this way, couldn't God so easily change our minds to see Him as so much better than sin so that we would so easily turn to Him?
Well a relationship isn't one if it's one sides right? Both peers need to be contributing. Here it's the same idea. It just wouldn't work if God made us see Him as everything we've wanted.
He's created a choice for us.
Sin or Him.
He created it so that we may choose Him over sin to reaffirm our relationship with Him, so that it is genuine.
Knowing this, we can know that sin wasn't made for us to indulge in, it was made so that we may choose Him over it.
In verse 12, the words "prepare to meet your God" were quite compelling to me. There are only two sides of God you'd meet. Either His judgmental side in our sin, or Him welcoming us into eternity with Him. Here, most definitely, He was telling them to prepare to meet Him for judgement.
But why meet Him? Hadn't He already punished them enough?
It really shows that God is a personal God, He makes Himself available to us eve though He is God.
"Prepare to meet your God"
One day we will all meet Him.
How we prepare to meet Him determines what the outcome of meeting Him will be. Do we want to see God disgusted with our ignorance & love for sin, or do we want Him to look past it all & welcome us with arms wide open because we chose to do out best to love Him?
The last verse, 13 is a great reminder of God's greatness & for us to remember who God really is, not some God that's desperate for our live, but the God who "forms the mountains, creates the wind".
So I hope we may remember how much God actually did for us, so that we may be ignorant no longer & strive to live our lives the best we can all for Him.
And I also hope that we may prepare ourselves for the glorious moment when He comes to take us to heaven one day.
Godbless~
The Sovereign Lord
Hey guys, I was actually so keen to do this post yesterday night but it didn't happen unfortunately.
If you follow me on twitter, you would have been spammed by tweets of frustration of me misplacing my USB last night.
Yes, I was frantically searching for my USB last night unsuccessfully.
But anyways, even though I'm so behind on this, better done later than not done at all right?
So today is about an awesome passage from Amos 3.
So just a quick run through.
In verse 2, "You only have I chosen, of all the families of the world". It reminds us that we have been given this special privilege of knowing God. Out of the billions of people I the world, God has chosen specifically is for a unique purpose in His plan.
Verses 3-6 is a really nice descriptive piece of writing which really reminds us that everything that happens has it's purpose & nothing ever happens for no reason at all.
In this context, it reminds us that God most definitely doesn't punish someone if they haven't sinned at all. (though you may ask why disasters happen to good people, feel free to send me a message to me about that as I don't want to make his post too long)
Verse 7, is such great reassurance that God has always revealed His plan to us, it's just a matter of fact if we decided to seek it or not.
In the first half of verse 8 - when God punishes, people tremble. It is never something lite. Remember the power He holds.
Now onto a verse that just really compelled me.
"The Sovereign LORD has spoke - who can but prophesy?"
Those are some strong & very truthful words.
Everything God decides on is absolute & exact. It happens.
Are we going to rebel against it & fail or are we going to help carry out His plan according to His will?
This verse just screams into me that GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
Have we ever planned anything & it didn't happen according to plan? I'm sure we've all experienced that at some stage.
Well think about this. Everything God plans happens exactly like how He plans it to be. Is that now total control or not?
What maybe has the Lord spoken into our lives recently?
"Who can but prophesy?"
Remember, He is Sovereign.
I really like the imagery in verse 12.
Though here God is still pronouncing judgement on Israel, He's still using an image of a shepherd, which reassures them that He hasn't abandoned them.
I see the imagery this way. God, the shepherd never deliberately came too late to save the sheep.
But instead, the sheep had wandered too far from the shepherd & as a result the shepherd couldn't find them in trouble in time.
So even though God saves us at he end of the day, how hurt we are depends on how far we stray away from Him.
So just to wrap up.
God has a definitely reason for everything He does. There's no random events with God.
Also, everything God carries out will have it's definite & powerful effects. It's never anything that should be overlooked.
Once again, God has revealed His plan to us, it's just up to us to willingly seek & follow it.
And lastly, we need God. There's no point in running away from Him, we'll just end up hurting ourselves bad & finding ourselves in His arms full of guilt .
Godbless~
If you follow me on twitter, you would have been spammed by tweets of frustration of me misplacing my USB last night.
Yes, I was frantically searching for my USB last night unsuccessfully.
But anyways, even though I'm so behind on this, better done later than not done at all right?
So today is about an awesome passage from Amos 3.
So just a quick run through.
In verse 2, "You only have I chosen, of all the families of the world". It reminds us that we have been given this special privilege of knowing God. Out of the billions of people I the world, God has chosen specifically is for a unique purpose in His plan.
Verses 3-6 is a really nice descriptive piece of writing which really reminds us that everything that happens has it's purpose & nothing ever happens for no reason at all.
In this context, it reminds us that God most definitely doesn't punish someone if they haven't sinned at all. (though you may ask why disasters happen to good people, feel free to send me a message to me about that as I don't want to make his post too long)
Verse 7, is such great reassurance that God has always revealed His plan to us, it's just a matter of fact if we decided to seek it or not.
In the first half of verse 8 - when God punishes, people tremble. It is never something lite. Remember the power He holds.
Now onto a verse that just really compelled me.
"The Sovereign LORD has spoke - who can but prophesy?"
Those are some strong & very truthful words.
Everything God decides on is absolute & exact. It happens.
Are we going to rebel against it & fail or are we going to help carry out His plan according to His will?
This verse just screams into me that GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
Have we ever planned anything & it didn't happen according to plan? I'm sure we've all experienced that at some stage.
Well think about this. Everything God plans happens exactly like how He plans it to be. Is that now total control or not?
What maybe has the Lord spoken into our lives recently?
"Who can but prophesy?"
Remember, He is Sovereign.
I really like the imagery in verse 12.
Though here God is still pronouncing judgement on Israel, He's still using an image of a shepherd, which reassures them that He hasn't abandoned them.
I see the imagery this way. God, the shepherd never deliberately came too late to save the sheep.
But instead, the sheep had wandered too far from the shepherd & as a result the shepherd couldn't find them in trouble in time.
So even though God saves us at he end of the day, how hurt we are depends on how far we stray away from Him.
So just to wrap up.
God has a definitely reason for everything He does. There's no random events with God.
Also, everything God carries out will have it's definite & powerful effects. It's never anything that should be overlooked.
Once again, God has revealed His plan to us, it's just up to us to willingly seek & follow it.
And lastly, we need God. There's no point in running away from Him, we'll just end up hurting ourselves bad & finding ourselves in His arms full of guilt .
Godbless~
A God that chose to love us despite our flaws
Hey guys.
It's been awhile.
If you follow my main blog, you'll know that I've been very busy lately. And I confessed that I have really lowly prioritised this time with God I enjoy sharing with you guys.
But after writing that blog yesterday, I hope that I may have successfully put up the priority of this blog.
So here goes.
Today's reading is from Amos 2.
So from verses 1-5, the first two paragraphs is basically a continuation of God's declaration of judgement from last time.
But what's new in this chapter is the fact that God also announces His wrath on His own people.
From this we can already pick up that God doesn't show favouritism. He doesn't let Israel's sins pass just cause they're His people. He punishes all for their sins fairly. His love for all is the same.
As I continued reading this book today, I continued to marvel at how different the stance is comparing to many of the books in the Bible. It reminded me that not only that God can punish us because He's God, but that we actually deserve every bad thing that comes our way.
If God was what we call a "fair God", then all He would be doing for eternity would be punishing mankind for our endless amounts of sin.
But God chooses to love us despite our sins.
It's His choice.
Remember that.
Never take His love for granted.
Verses 6-16, is quite a long passage of God declaring His wrath on Israel. It's longer than all the other nations at that.
It really reminded me, as a Christian, shouldn't we know better than to disgust God with our sins? Haven't we had more spiritual encounters & haven't we experienced His grace alot more than non-Christians? Shouldn't that give us a stronger stance against sin?
It really should.
But alot of the times that's not true for me. I'm just as bad as other people alot of the time, just like Israel was compared to the surrounding nations.
This should remind us that we must be different.
We should know better than other people.
Let's make a difference starting today.
This passage also made me realise something.
With Israel turning from God like that, if God just continued love them in a way that He continues to bless them, I'm sure there would be no way they would turn back. It was too late, they had already taken God out of the picture.
God's wrath was necessary.
It shook them awake from their sinfulness.
God has all the right reasons to punish.
To conclude,
I hope that we may continue to remember all the grace God has showered upon our lives so that when we're tempted to turn away from God, we may be able to fix our eyes on His goodness & flee from sin.
Godbless~
It's been awhile.
If you follow my main blog, you'll know that I've been very busy lately. And I confessed that I have really lowly prioritised this time with God I enjoy sharing with you guys.
But after writing that blog yesterday, I hope that I may have successfully put up the priority of this blog.
So here goes.
Today's reading is from Amos 2.
So from verses 1-5, the first two paragraphs is basically a continuation of God's declaration of judgement from last time.
But what's new in this chapter is the fact that God also announces His wrath on His own people.
From this we can already pick up that God doesn't show favouritism. He doesn't let Israel's sins pass just cause they're His people. He punishes all for their sins fairly. His love for all is the same.
As I continued reading this book today, I continued to marvel at how different the stance is comparing to many of the books in the Bible. It reminded me that not only that God can punish us because He's God, but that we actually deserve every bad thing that comes our way.
If God was what we call a "fair God", then all He would be doing for eternity would be punishing mankind for our endless amounts of sin.
But God chooses to love us despite our sins.
It's His choice.
Remember that.
Never take His love for granted.
Verses 6-16, is quite a long passage of God declaring His wrath on Israel. It's longer than all the other nations at that.
It really reminded me, as a Christian, shouldn't we know better than to disgust God with our sins? Haven't we had more spiritual encounters & haven't we experienced His grace alot more than non-Christians? Shouldn't that give us a stronger stance against sin?
It really should.
But alot of the times that's not true for me. I'm just as bad as other people alot of the time, just like Israel was compared to the surrounding nations.
This should remind us that we must be different.
We should know better than other people.
Let's make a difference starting today.
This passage also made me realise something.
With Israel turning from God like that, if God just continued love them in a way that He continues to bless them, I'm sure there would be no way they would turn back. It was too late, they had already taken God out of the picture.
God's wrath was necessary.
It shook them awake from their sinfulness.
God has all the right reasons to punish.
To conclude,
I hope that we may continue to remember all the grace God has showered upon our lives so that when we're tempted to turn away from God, we may be able to fix our eyes on His goodness & flee from sin.
Godbless~
The God we may have forgotten about
Hey guys.
I'm going to take a little break from Genesis for the next few posts & have a look into the book of Amos as I'll be studying it in small groups very soon.
I actually think I've never read it before, so this will be very interesting.
Just a little background.
Amos is initially a shepherd.
Shepherds weren't considered to be very high in society back then, if I'm correct. But still, God chose Amos to intercede to people for Him.
It really reminds me that no matter how small we may be, how unpopular, of even how pack of skill, God can most definitely use us.
So today's reading is from Amos 1.
The first little intro in verses 1-2 was not something I expected at all.
God was obviously angry.
It was quite a horrific entrance if you ask me.
It reminded me that just as God can give, He can so easily take away.
When we think about God, we normally think His love, His goodness. We may even only know God by that, such that we may take it for granted & think, "no matter how much I sin God will always still forgive & love me."
But here we're reminded that even though God IS good, He isn't limited in what He can do. He can most definitely take away what we see as good.
One of the repeated phrases I picked up was "For three sins, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath"
As I thought about it, a question came to mind. Why did the number go up from three to four? Not down from three to two? Wasn't God trying to emphasise how sinful the nations were such that any little amount of sin was intolerable at this point?
But here we can learn that sin cannot be avoided, punishment for sin is inevitable. God most certainly does not overlook any sin.
As I read the passage, I noted down the particular sins that God was punishing people for, so we can learn from what the people did wrong.
In verse 3, "because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth". It was completely brutal, a very violent act which God doesn't tolerate.
Verse 6 & 9, "she took whole communities and sold them to Edom". They were mistreating other people, taking away all rights just for self benefit.
Verse 9, "disregarding a treaty if brotherhood," a promise was broken here & nothing was done about it.
Verse 11, "Because he pursued his brother with a sword..." There was no mercy, no compassion, or forgiveness. As a result there was rage.
And finally in verse 13, "because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders". He was overcome with the desire to have power, and as a result, disgusting things were done.
Now lets have a look into the types of ways God punished the people.
He destroyed homes & fortresses with fire. Fire gives me the idea of purifying, of refining something. It's also completely burning something to ashes or getting rid of sin.
He also cut off the rulers & kings, the high & powerful people. God showed them who's really great. He destroyed the people's physical hope, assurance, ruler, & guide. He left them blind & powerless in a sense.
He also sent people into exile. I see exile as a place of reflection, a place where one is laid bare & without anything except themselves & God Himself.
He also gave out death though. He completely put an end to the things. It shows how fragile & weak we really are compared to Him.
And last of all, He made the worse possible things happen at the worse possible times. (Verse 14).
I feel it was a way of God to show the people who's the real God & the utter control He has over everything.
One word stood out to me after reading this passage.
FEAR.
So often, we only picture God as the God who loves us & cares for us, we so often forget His wrath & the devastating He can cause as a result of sin, no matter how little it may seem.
I hope that this passage may snap is back into reality & the whole truth about who God is. It should fill us with fear of Him, but also joy & reassurance as eve though He can carry out wrath, He's still all about loving us at the end of the day.
Godbless~
I'm going to take a little break from Genesis for the next few posts & have a look into the book of Amos as I'll be studying it in small groups very soon.
I actually think I've never read it before, so this will be very interesting.
Just a little background.
Amos is initially a shepherd.
Shepherds weren't considered to be very high in society back then, if I'm correct. But still, God chose Amos to intercede to people for Him.
It really reminds me that no matter how small we may be, how unpopular, of even how pack of skill, God can most definitely use us.
So today's reading is from Amos 1.
The first little intro in verses 1-2 was not something I expected at all.
God was obviously angry.
It was quite a horrific entrance if you ask me.
It reminded me that just as God can give, He can so easily take away.
When we think about God, we normally think His love, His goodness. We may even only know God by that, such that we may take it for granted & think, "no matter how much I sin God will always still forgive & love me."
But here we're reminded that even though God IS good, He isn't limited in what He can do. He can most definitely take away what we see as good.
One of the repeated phrases I picked up was "For three sins, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath"
As I thought about it, a question came to mind. Why did the number go up from three to four? Not down from three to two? Wasn't God trying to emphasise how sinful the nations were such that any little amount of sin was intolerable at this point?
But here we can learn that sin cannot be avoided, punishment for sin is inevitable. God most certainly does not overlook any sin.
As I read the passage, I noted down the particular sins that God was punishing people for, so we can learn from what the people did wrong.
In verse 3, "because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth". It was completely brutal, a very violent act which God doesn't tolerate.
Verse 6 & 9, "she took whole communities and sold them to Edom". They were mistreating other people, taking away all rights just for self benefit.
Verse 9, "disregarding a treaty if brotherhood," a promise was broken here & nothing was done about it.
Verse 11, "Because he pursued his brother with a sword..." There was no mercy, no compassion, or forgiveness. As a result there was rage.
And finally in verse 13, "because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders". He was overcome with the desire to have power, and as a result, disgusting things were done.
Now lets have a look into the types of ways God punished the people.
He destroyed homes & fortresses with fire. Fire gives me the idea of purifying, of refining something. It's also completely burning something to ashes or getting rid of sin.
He also cut off the rulers & kings, the high & powerful people. God showed them who's really great. He destroyed the people's physical hope, assurance, ruler, & guide. He left them blind & powerless in a sense.
He also sent people into exile. I see exile as a place of reflection, a place where one is laid bare & without anything except themselves & God Himself.
He also gave out death though. He completely put an end to the things. It shows how fragile & weak we really are compared to Him.
And last of all, He made the worse possible things happen at the worse possible times. (Verse 14).
I feel it was a way of God to show the people who's the real God & the utter control He has over everything.
One word stood out to me after reading this passage.
FEAR.
So often, we only picture God as the God who loves us & cares for us, we so often forget His wrath & the devastating He can cause as a result of sin, no matter how little it may seem.
I hope that this passage may snap is back into reality & the whole truth about who God is. It should fill us with fear of Him, but also joy & reassurance as eve though He can carry out wrath, He's still all about loving us at the end of the day.
Godbless~
Go be scattered
Hey guys, I had a pretty rough day at school today so I was extremely looking forward to hear what God had to say to me today.
Today's passage is from Genesis 11:1-9
As you may know already, this passage is about the Tower of Babel.
_-_Google_Art_Project_-_edited.jpg)
This is another one of those passages I've read many times, especially in my childhood. I'm actually really surprised with what God spoke to me through this passage today though.
I'm going to get straight to the point today.
The verse that made me question the most was verse 6.
"then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them"
Was God a tad bit scared here that man was starting to have power in great numbers?
So did He have to separate them out of fear of them becoming greater than him?
Haha, of course not!
Man was thinking they could be God.
They thought they could reach God's standard.
But God knew, even if they managed to obtain all that power, they couldn't handle it. They would probably become corrupted with all that power.
Power isn't everything~
Only God can handle true power.
So here was a problem, man had decided they could possibly become God.
So as God always does, He had to find a solution to the problem.
He could have done many things.
He could have killed off those particular people.
He could have just destroyed the tower to show who's god.
He could have even wipe out their memories or intentions.
But He didn't.
He did something that had so much more purpose.
He created what we know as different cultures nowadays. He increased the diversity of us humans. He took another step to make us all more unique.
He 'guided' them to explore & inhabit more of this beautiful place He created.
They were completely in the wrong path.
They were sinning against God.
But God used that situation to fulfill an amazing plan of His.
The main point I would like to bring out is this.
"No matter how far we may have fallen, God can still use us to help fulfill His purpose."
Godbless~
Today's passage is from Genesis 11:1-9
As you may know already, this passage is about the Tower of Babel.
_-_Google_Art_Project_-_edited.jpg)
This is another one of those passages I've read many times, especially in my childhood. I'm actually really surprised with what God spoke to me through this passage today though.
I'm going to get straight to the point today.
The verse that made me question the most was verse 6.
"then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them"
Was God a tad bit scared here that man was starting to have power in great numbers?
So did He have to separate them out of fear of them becoming greater than him?
Haha, of course not!
Man was thinking they could be God.
They thought they could reach God's standard.
But God knew, even if they managed to obtain all that power, they couldn't handle it. They would probably become corrupted with all that power.
Power isn't everything~
Only God can handle true power.
So here was a problem, man had decided they could possibly become God.
So as God always does, He had to find a solution to the problem.
He could have done many things.
He could have killed off those particular people.
He could have just destroyed the tower to show who's god.
He could have even wipe out their memories or intentions.
But He didn't.
He did something that had so much more purpose.
He created what we know as different cultures nowadays. He increased the diversity of us humans. He took another step to make us all more unique.
He 'guided' them to explore & inhabit more of this beautiful place He created.
They were completely in the wrong path.
They were sinning against God.
But God used that situation to fulfill an amazing plan of His.
The main point I would like to bring out is this.
"No matter how far we may have fallen, God can still use us to help fulfill His purpose."
Godbless~
A long list of names
Ahh this is so bad.
Sorry, I've been completely exhausted by school lately. Even though I managed to do the Bible study, I couldn't find the strength to blog it.
Then since I hadn't blogged it yet, I didn't want to do another study so the blogs would just keep accumulating.
I hope my sleep cycle may slowly adjust so I may continue to carry this on.
Please pray for me :)
But anyways.
The passage this time is Genesis 10.
I have to admit that normally every time I come across a genealogy in the Bible, I skim over the names. So as I saw what was coming, I was considering skipping it.
But then I remembered a thought I came across once.
It went something along the lines of,
"Every word of the Bible has a specific purpose for our lives even when we may not think so."
So here we go .
So the first thing I noticed was the title.
It didn't say the genealogy of someone.
But instead it says "The Table of Nations".
I think that sounds pretty cool.
It also sounds pretty important if you ask me.
If you know what's coming next, it's really so significance.
It's going to be the record of the origins of all men today, the descendants of us all.
It's also going to show where all the nations on earth came from.
Pretty epic stuff if you ask me.
So as I read through the ancestors of Ham, the Hamites I noticed the name Canaan & the city Nineveh, Sodom & Gomorrah.
Do you guys remember what happened to Ham in the previous passage?
He was the one brother that decided to shame his father when he saw him naked & drunk.
In turn Noah harshly cursed him. (Gen 9:24-25)
I actually found that pretty harsh when I read it, but now I can see that it was all part of God's plan. Now we can see that Ham's descendants ended up being very wicked people that were punished by God.
Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed completely because it didn't even have one righteous person inside.
That's basically all I picked up this time round.
But I really feel that once again, the disease of sin is shown here, how it is easily spread down each generation. Maybe if Ham didn't sin, the fate of his descendants wouldn't have been exactly the same.
This reminds me to be grateful I wasn't bought up in a 'wicked family'. That I was bought up in a Christian family. I probably would have had a much greater struggle with sin if I was bought up in a sinful place.
In the world nowadays, we see many non-Christians have a brilliant lifestyle, enjoying the pleasures of the world. We really shouldn't envy them or desire what they have. In turn, we should feel pitiful towards them that they have life in the wrong direction. We should have a passion to guide them in the right way.
That's all for this time.
Godbless~
Sorry, I've been completely exhausted by school lately. Even though I managed to do the Bible study, I couldn't find the strength to blog it.
Then since I hadn't blogged it yet, I didn't want to do another study so the blogs would just keep accumulating.
I hope my sleep cycle may slowly adjust so I may continue to carry this on.
Please pray for me :)
But anyways.
The passage this time is Genesis 10.
I have to admit that normally every time I come across a genealogy in the Bible, I skim over the names. So as I saw what was coming, I was considering skipping it.
But then I remembered a thought I came across once.
It went something along the lines of,
"Every word of the Bible has a specific purpose for our lives even when we may not think so."
So here we go .
So the first thing I noticed was the title.
It didn't say the genealogy of someone.
But instead it says "The Table of Nations".
I think that sounds pretty cool.
It also sounds pretty important if you ask me.
If you know what's coming next, it's really so significance.
It's going to be the record of the origins of all men today, the descendants of us all.
It's also going to show where all the nations on earth came from.
Pretty epic stuff if you ask me.
So as I read through the ancestors of Ham, the Hamites I noticed the name Canaan & the city Nineveh, Sodom & Gomorrah.
Do you guys remember what happened to Ham in the previous passage?
He was the one brother that decided to shame his father when he saw him naked & drunk.
In turn Noah harshly cursed him. (Gen 9:24-25)
I actually found that pretty harsh when I read it, but now I can see that it was all part of God's plan. Now we can see that Ham's descendants ended up being very wicked people that were punished by God.
Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed completely because it didn't even have one righteous person inside.
That's basically all I picked up this time round.
But I really feel that once again, the disease of sin is shown here, how it is easily spread down each generation. Maybe if Ham didn't sin, the fate of his descendants wouldn't have been exactly the same.
This reminds me to be grateful I wasn't bought up in a 'wicked family'. That I was bought up in a Christian family. I probably would have had a much greater struggle with sin if I was bought up in a sinful place.
In the world nowadays, we see many non-Christians have a brilliant lifestyle, enjoying the pleasures of the world. We really shouldn't envy them or desire what they have. In turn, we should feel pitiful towards them that they have life in the wrong direction. We should have a passion to guide them in the right way.
That's all for this time.
Godbless~
Be Fruitful, Increase in Number, Fill the Earth
Today's reading is from Genesis 9.
One of the most popular images from this passage is the rainbow, a sign of God's promise. But as I read it this time, another thing stood out to me more. It was these words in verse 1:
"Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth."
It's also in verse 7:
"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
The idea of God wanting the earth to be filled with many people & why would God want such a thing really stood out to me & made me wonder~
But before I share my thoughts on that, let's pay attention to some other detail elsewhere first. So I'm sure most of us have heard of the origin of the rainbow from here. It was a sign of a covenant between God and Noah, as it says in verse 13, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
As I put more thought into it this time, it actually really made lots of sense. In our everyday lives, after we experience a huge rainstorm, when the sun comes out again, there the rainbow sits in the sky. As I see it now, it's really a reflection of what God promised Noah that day.
Seeing the rainbow is a reminder of why the rain stopped. It's amazing how this physical sign of the covenant is still observable to this day!
Verse 3 raised a question from me.
Why did God introduce meat for food now, & not before?
Feel free to share your thoughts or knowledge on this.
Feel free to share your thoughts or knowledge on this.
So now back to the command God gave Noah.
"Be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth.
As I read these words, I was left wondering, why did God want more people on the earth? Did He want more people to love? Was not an adequate amount of humans enough? Why did He want so many people?
It really reminded me that, every human life is special to God. The more people there were, the more He could share His love with. The more joy He would have & He could share~
He wanted to give many people, even yet to be born, an opportunity to share a relationship of love with Him.
Though, I'm sure God already knew how many people there would be on the earth. It was more or less 'predestined' by Him. Whatever the number may be, I'm sure it's very big, and big enough to fulfill God's purpose for the Earth & mankind.
This really shows that every individual is special to God.
Everyone is unique, everyone is perfectly different.
The more people there are, the more variations of uniqueness there will be. Everyone has different experiences & different opportunities. There are people born with different genes, born in different places, & born into different cultures. None two people are the same.
Everyone is unique because God has a specific role for them in His kingdom.
In conclusion, the vast amount of people God wanted, meant a vast variation to fulfill the many unique roles He has given us in the world, & probably also in Heaven. It means everyone is needed by God. We are all part of one body, if I may. We are all special in our own way to God. Not only that, but God also wanted to give as many people the opportunity to share eternal glory with Him, not so He can be praised by us, but because He wants to share His love with us, even though we don't deserve it.
Godbless~
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