I hope you had a blessed week, even despite some hardships in your life. You know, all that we have is God’s love and grace. We may not realize it, or we may not understand it, but God’s divine plan and purpose for us is undoubtful.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God works in our lives. Even if you are not a believer and have not yet proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and Savoir, He still at work. Moreover, if you are suppressing God’s intervention in your life, you make it harder for yourself.
If you are not a believer, Accept Jesus Now!
My Testimony
I was struggling with porn addiction and masturbation for a little over 15 years. I became a slave of that abomination and wickedness of my flesh and mind. Of course, I did not realize at the time of my struggle because I loved it. I justified and loved my sin, just like billions of other people that do it.
But that was until I lost my first marriage. Then I acknowledge my total depravity and calamity in my life. That was the time when I started talking to God standing on my knees, just like God deserves it. That was my distinctive way to God – “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” – (Hebrews 12:2).
I did not work my way to salvation – because the slaves of sin cannot do that on their own, nor I deserved it because of my wickedness. But by grace, through faith, I was pardoned and saved – (Ephesians 2:8-10). I am the living testimony that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, so you too, if you are truly saved – (1 John 5:10-13).
Bible Reading
In this week’s insight, we will take a look into the books of Genesis 25-26 and Matthew 8:1-17. Please, check out last week’s insight – The Great Reset Of Your Soul.
Brief Overview
Prehistory. In the previous chapters, in Genesis 23:1-2, when Sarah died, Abraham buried her in the cave on the land of Ephron, which was in the Machpelah (Genesis 23:17). Abraham bought that land for 400 shekels of silver (Genesis 23:15). The shekel was a specified weight, probably about 2/5 of an ounce.
The whole chapter 24 of the Book of Genesis is about Abraham’s oldest servant performing an oath that he swore by the Lord to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:3-4). At the end of chapter 24, Isaac brought Rebekah to his mother’s tent and married her (Genesis 24:87). By the way, this is the longest chapter in the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 25-26. These two chapters are full of various, even historically critical, events. At the beginning of chapter 25, Abraham again took himself a wife, Keturah. God blessed them with many children (Genesis 25:1-4).
And Abraham gave all his children the gifts, but to Isaac, he gave all that he had (Genesis 25:5-6). And all that happened just before Abraham’s death, at the age of 175 (Genesis 25:7-8).
Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the cave in the land that he purchased from Ephron. After that, Isaac lived between Kadesh and Bered, and God blessed him (Genesis 25:9-11).
Further, verses twelve through eighteens give the genealogy of Ishmael, his years of life (137), where he lived and died (Genesis 25:12-18). But the most important part is verses nineteen through thirty-four (Genesis 25:19-34).
In the last part of chapter 25, after twenty years of being barren, Rebekah finally got pregnant and gave birth to two nations – Israel (Jacob) and Edom (Esau) – Genesis 25:19-26. And the rest of chapter 25, as well as chapter 26, we will review later in the insight.
The Healings
Matthew 8:1-17. Now Jesus finished His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). And in chapter 8 of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus began His practical ministry. In this passage of the scripture, Jesus performed many healings and cast out demons.
The first healing Christ did was when he came down from the mountain – He healed the leper (Matthew 8:1-4).
The second healing happened when Jesus Christ went to Capernaum, where he met a centurion. The same centurion who pleaded Jesus to heal his sick servant, and whose faith so amazed our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 8:5-13).
And the third healing was in Peter’s house, where his mother-in-law laid on the bed sick and dying. Till the end of the day, Jesus was expelling demons and healing people with His word (Matthew 8:14-17).
Insights Into The Scriptures
There are two points that I want to focus on: the first is the way you live your life; the second is what God wants from you.
Jacob and Esau
The sons of Isaac, Jacob and Esau, were distinctively different persons. The firstborn “Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the fields” (Genesis 25:27). Thus, his interests are after the fleshly desires and very shallow ones.
Moreover, when he came after another hunting, he was so hungry that he agreed to sell his birthrights to Jacob for a meal. He despised his birthrights as the firstborn (Genesis 25:29-34).
Jacob was the opposite of Esau. That is, his desires were spiritual. Unlike Esau, “Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27). The word “plain” means “perfect” (as used in Job 1:1, 8; 2:3) or mature.
Jacob took God’s promises very seriously and with solemn respect. That is why he used an opportunity to receive God’s blessing when Esau despised them and preferred to satisfy his flesh instead.
Isaac’s strive with the people of Gerar
Chapter 26 of the Book of Genesis is about Isaac’s strive with the people of Gerar. When Isaac settled in Gerar, “God blessed him and [he] grew until he became very great” (Genesis 26:6, 12-15).
And that was the point when Abimelech, the king of the Philistines in Gerar, saw the blessedness of Isaac, and he asked him to move from the city because he was afraid of him (Genesis 26:16-17).
Without saying a word, Isaac moved into the valley of Gerar and sojourned there. He had a hard time with the people of Geara over the water wells. But God never stopped blessing him, and Isaac never stopped praising the name of the Lord God (Genesis 26:24-25).
Later on, Abimelech acknowledged that God indeed blessed Isaac, and he asked Isaac to make a treaty between them, that Isaac will not make war against Abimelech.
Tell no man, but go thy way
God richly blessed Isaac, just like his father, Abraham. And the reason that God made them travel around the land was not just to claim it, but it has a much deeper purpose.
Just like Jesus asked a man whom he healed of leprosy, not to tell anyone about his healing, but to show himself to a priest, for a testimony. In the same manner, Abraham and Isaac were sojourning all around to be a living testimony of God’s love and grace.
Insights
- We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
- Whether we receive God’s blessings through financial riches, or physical healings, or even spiritual healings, all these are God’s mercy and grace. Although these blessings greatly benefit us, the ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God’s mighty name.
- Thus, we must live our lives in solemn respect to God’s promises; we must submit ourselves to God’s will and unto the obedience of His word.
- Nothing that God’s blessed us with is solely for our own joy. Thus, we should not keep the blessings in secret but to share them with the world.
- If you have not proclaimed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? Accept Jesus Now! If you are born again Christian, how does your life testifies that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior? How many people know that God blessed your journey?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, blessed be Your name. Oh God, we thank you for the mercy that you showed us. We thank You for Jesus Christ, Your Son, who died on the cross for our sins. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood that for all our transgressions again God.
We pray that with the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives will be the living testimonies of God’s grace and love. Let the whole world see and marvel that You are the Great God.
All these we pray in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
