Genesis 18:16-19:26; Matthew 6:25-7:6; Psalms 8:2-9; Proverbs 3:19-20

OT: “Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham? Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.” Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.” …Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it? …Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose ten are found there?” He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of ten.”” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭18:17-21, 23-24, 32‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Did Abraham actually negotiate with God and talk Him down? I don’t think that is what happened. God is merciful and compassionate – far more than Abraham was, so if Abraham had compassion then surely God had more. From what I can see, God was wanting Abraham to learn the power and responsibility of intercession… and He wanted to develop into Abraham the same merciful and compassionate heart that God had… so He invited Abraham into the process and allowed Abraham to see how his intercession impacted God’s hand. As we see later in the story, God was merciful on the “righteous” even though there were less than 10 righteous found in the city – So God’s mercy went beyond Abraham’s understanding of God. Am I willing to develop a compassionate heart and intercede? Am I willing to allow kingdom-level compassion and mercy (that goes beyond human prejudice) to fill my heart for people I don’t know so that I am able to pray kingdom-level prayers of intercession?

NT: “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you… Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use… Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:31-33; 7:1-2, 5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

It’s interesting how humans can be so concerned with self in one area of life, but so blind to self in others. When it comes to self preservation, we are always worried for self and will even be willing to hurt or destroy others, justifying our actions by saying that it was for our needs… yet, when it comes to wrongs, we become highly critical of other’s actions and blind to our own. What is the remedy to that? Seeking the kingdom of God (which is His rule and authority) and His righteousness (His right way of thinking and acting) first before anything else. Then we will have a correct perspective of our needs and our shortcomings. Knowing that we are under God’s rule prevents us from worrying about self-preservation, and being focused on God’s righteousness prevents us from being hypocritical by attacking other’s behaviors while ignoring our own. Do we judge between right and wrong? Yes we do, but we do it through clarity of vision that comes when we are actually clean, confronting our own shortcomings first.

Genesis 17:15-18:15; Matthew 6:14-24; Psalms 8:1; Proverbs 3:16-18

NT: “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:19-24‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

What is your primary pursuit? What has your heart? What do you have your eye on? What do you have your will submitted to? You are either pursuing God or you aren’t. You can set your heart to pursue earthly treasures, and you may get them… but those treasures last only as long as your mortal life. Or you can set your heart on God’s purposes and receive His blessing here on earth and have blessings in the life to come as well. You can fix your eyes on the Lord and be filled with light, or you can fix your eyes on earthly things and end up being filled with darkness. You can serve God and come under His hand of provision and protection, or you place yourself under earth’s economic system that offers no protection. You have the choice and God won’t stop you in pursuing your choice. So what is it going to be – “gratification” now or blessing for eternity?

Proverbs: “Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Wisdom is still the subject of this proverb – and not just worldly wisdom, but the wisdom that is offered by God. Godly wisdom (living according to God’s will, word, and ways) offers long (eternal) life, (heavenly) riches and honor, pleasant ways and peaceful paths.

Genesis 16:1-17:14; Matthew 6:1-13; Psalms 7:10-17; Proverbs 3:13-15

OT: “The angel of the Lord found her (Hagar) by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.” …So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?” …When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: “As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭‭16:7-10, 13; 17:1-7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Slavery was never a part of God’s destiny for mankind. Unfortunately, as mankind descended deeper and deeper into depravity, slavery became a big part of the world system. Hagar was Sarai’s slave, and through no fault of her own, Sarai began treating her harshly – so Hagar ran away. God met her there in the middle of the desert, saw her situation, and gave her a purpose and hope. The challenging thing for Hagar was that her purpose and hope would only be fulfilled if she returned to Sarai and submitted to her authority. After God confirmed His commitment to her, she called Him the God who sees… and she obeyed the Lord, submitted to Sarai’s authority… and God kept His promise. In the midst of Hagar running off with Abram’s only unborn biological son. God makes a lasting covenant with Abram… almost to say, stop making messes by trying to make my promises happen on your own. I will do it in My way and My time… you will be a father of many nations – and to prove it to you, I am going to establish an unbreakable covenant with you and your descendants… and I am going to change your name as a constant reminder of my promise. I will do it.

NT: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven… Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:1, 5-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

It was common practice in Jesus’ day to perform religious rituals, not in an attitude of worship, but as an outward demonstration of one’s self-righteousness and piety… not to please the Lord, but to earn recognition from man. Not much has changed. Jesus taught to do your works unto and before the Lord and not for worldly recognition. The purpose of prayer is not to show off how well you can orate, but to develop an intimate and dependent relationship with God (this was revolutionary). So Jesus taught that the foundation of your religious life and the fountain head for your relationship with the Father is to be found in those “secret” times of intimacy where it is just you and God… and your prayers are to first exalt the Lord and submit to His authority and will. Once you come under His Lordship, then you ask for what is needed, and grace to walk in obedience to His will. The things that you do in secret, when no one else is looking, will be seen by the God who sees all, and He will reward you and answer your prayers.

Genesis 14:17-15:21; Matthew 5:38-48; Psalms 7:1-9; Proverbs 3:11-12

OT: “Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything… After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.” Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭‭14:18-20; 15:1-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

After Abram “single-handedly” won a decisive military victory, He was compelled to give honor to the Lord for blessing him with the success. In order to honor the Lord, he gave 10% of the spoils he had just won to Melchizedek who was both king of “Peace” and priest to God most High. The king of Sodom (a type of Satan) then offered Abram a reward of riches, which Abram refused. Basically, Abram first gave to the Lord, then he gave what was left back to the city-states that he defended… meaning he received nothing in return for his efforts – except for God’s blessing. How many times do we put out great effort in the name of the Lord and end up receiving no earthly reimbursement? It must have bothered Abram a little, for that night, God spoke to him and said: “Don’t be afraid, Abram… I am your shield of protection, and I am your exceedingly great reward. The promise that I made to you many years before is still in place and I will honor it… and because you were faithful to honor me in earthly things, I will be faithful to honor you with an everlasting heritage.” The Bible then says that Abram believed God, and God credited it to Abram as righteousness. Was Abram perfect? No – But Abram was faithful to honor the Lord and obey His ways… and in Abram’s imperfection, God attributed to him righteousness because of his faith in God.

NT: “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous… Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:43-45, 48‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Next, in His sermon on the mount, Jesus tackled the issue of seeking justice and fairness for yourself instead of honoring God’s character and trusting Him to be just on your behalf. The word “perfect” here doesn’t mean flawless and perfect the way we think of perfect. The word perfect here means completely matured in integrity and moral character. In other words, don’t act like a petulant child that always want things to be “fair” or is concerned about what you are “owed.” Act like a full-grown and mature adult and treat others maturely the way God treats them… trusting the just outcome of a situation to His hand and being content with the results.

Psalms: “Lord my God, I seek refuge in you; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me… Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The one who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭7:1-2, 9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

If you read this entire psalm, David get a little aggravated at someone’s unjust actions toward him – and a lot of that psalm is spent venting his aggravation to God. But in the end, David lands maturely on his trust in the Lord – that God is a just and righteous God, and as long as he is in the Lord’s hands, he has nothing to fear.

Proverbs: “Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:11-12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

A mature person does not run away from correction, but embraces it – for he knows that correction from one far wiser that he will lead him even further in maturity and completeness. So many people run away from correction, and the result is their course never gets corrected. While correction from a loving Father may be uncomfortable or even painful, if we heed it, it will bear good fruit.

Genesis 13:5-14:16; Matthew 5:27-37; Psalms 6:6-10; Proverbs 3:9-10

OT: “Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other… After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭13:10-11, 14-17‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When it became necessary for Abram and Lot to part ways, Abram gave Lot the first choice. It is interesting to see how Lot made his choice compared to Abram. Lot, only concerned with his well-being looked around and chose the land, that to his understanding, would bring him the most benefit – leaving the dry and rocky lands for Abram. Then, because Abram placed His faith in God’s word – knowing that God would provide for him no matter where he ended up, the Lord gave Abram all the land that he could see. How many times do we quickly take what looks good in our eyes before honoring the Lord and waiting to see what He will give us.

NT: “But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:37‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Leading up to this, Jesus spoke about adultery, divorce, and making oaths (swearing). All 3 of those things have to do with vows and honoring your word. Then Jesus makes this statement: “let your ‘yes’ be ’yes’ and your ’no’ be ’no.’” In other words, mean what you say and say what you mean – and when you say something, let your words stand… let your words have weight… let them have mass. If you say something, honor it, even if it brings you hurt. And because your words do have weight, honor the Lord by asking Him for His wisdom before you hastily commit to something.

Proverbs: “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Hebrew word translated here as ‘honor’ is the word kabad. It is the same word that is translated in other passages as “glorify” and is the root word for the Hebrew word for ”glory.” It means to be heavy or weighty. Solomon is saying, give weight to the Lord with your possessions. That has a double meaning: First, realize that your possessions are not your own, therefore give weight to how the Lord directs you to manage your possessions. Second, when you set aside a portion of your possessions for the Lord’s use, don’t let it be a small portion – let it be weighty. If you truly honor the Lord I this way, you will not experience lack and you will have a constant flow of the resources you need. Does this abundance always get manifested in material things? No. There are millions of people around the world that truly honor the Lord with what little they have, and they don’t have much in material possessions – but their lives are full of peace and they overflow with joy.

Genesis 11:27-13:4; Matthew 5:13-26; Psalms 6:1-5; Proverbs 3:7-8

OT: “The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Just one chapter before, mankind said, “Let us make a name for ourselves,” And they were resisted by God. In Chapter 12, we see God approach Abram. Juxtapose this story against the story of Babel. Here, God tells Abram, if you will let go of everything you know and follow Me, I will make a name for you, and through you all the peoples that disbursed from the incident in Babel and all future peoples (families, tribes, races, genders, socio-economic stratifications, nations) will be blessed through you. What a difference between making a name for yourself and allowing God to make your name great. God’s call to Abram was never intended to be exclusive. God intended to use Abram as a conduit to bless everyone.

NT: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:13-20‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus’ sermon on the mount was directed primarily at the Jews: the descendants of Abraham through whom all the peoples of the earth were to be blessed. Yet the Jews had become more focused on the mechanics of worship and the rituals of righteousness than the purpose of their calling. So Jesus reminds them that through Abraham they are to be a blessing – they are to be the salt of the earth (bringing out the fullness of lie in God, preserving people from corruption, and healing wounds) – they are to be the light of the world (helping people to see the truth in the midst of darkness and leading them to the source of life and light). However, there are conditions to being blessed. Just performing the mechanics of worship or strict adherence to religious rituals won’t make you a blessing to the world. To receive God’s blessing and be a blessing, you have to go beyond external ritual to become righteous in heart. Jesus came to fully fulfill the promise made to Abram millennia ago and to provide a way for people to be truly righteous and fulfill their promised destiny.

Proverbs: “Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Don’t follow the example of the people of Babel and trust in your own wisdom. Follow the example of Abram: let go and put behind you the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of your limited flesh. Turn to God and walk in His wisdom. This will bring healing and strength to your life, and in turn, you will bring healing and strength to others.

Genesis 11:1-26; Matthew 5:1-12; Psalms 5:7-12; Proverbs 3:1-6

OT: “The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary… And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.” Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building. The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth, and they stopped building the city. Therefore it is called Babylon, for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11:1, 4-9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The key phrase in this passage of scripture is “Let us make a name for ourselves.” Relatively quickly after the flood, mankind went the way of their heart which is bent toward self-sufficiency instead of submission to the Lord. Instead of allowing the Lord to make them truly great, they decided to take matters into their own hands and make themselves great in their eyes. God isn’t opposed to human progress and ingenuity – for He created mankind to be creative and ingenious. What breaks His heart is when we choose to, over and over again, take the bait of Satan to reject God and worship ourselves. God isn’t an egomaniac. He just knows that He is the source of life and blessing and if you avoid Him, you head away from life and toward death. God frustrated humanity’s project out of concern for their wellbeing and to slow down their progression toward evil and death.

NT: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:3-12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus, in His “sermon on the mount” began to describe what it takes to live a life that God the Father will bless. His points ran quite contrary to conventional wisdom or the things that a contemporary life coach might say. Blessed are the poor in spirit instead of the self-reliant… blessed are those who truly morn instead of those who brush off pain and loss… blessed are those who are humble instead of those who are prideful and arrogant… blessed are those who chase after righteousness instead of whatever means meets their end… you get the picture. Many call God’s kingdom the “upside down kingdom.” That presupposes that the worlds way is right. I would say that the way that the world system is set up is upside down and backwards from what is truly right. Ultimately, the way to live a bless-able life is to humble yourself, submit to God’s will, and order your life according to His ways – all the while allowing yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit moment by moment, day by day.

Psalms: “But I enter your house by the abundance of your faithful love; I bow down toward your holy temple in reverential awe of you. Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my adversaries; make your way straight before me. For there is nothing reliable in what they say; destruction is within them; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongues… But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you. For you, Lord, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5:7-9, 11-12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

King David, the man whom God described as being after His heart, knew that the way to live a bless-able life was to reject the ways and advice of the ungodly, and humbly approach God in worship to receive His wisdom, understanding, and guidance.

Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

We heard from Jesus – then we heard from King David… now we hear from King Solomon: How do you live a bless-able life? You trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. If you know Him (or acknowledge Him) in all of your ways, then He will bless your way by leading you on His way.

Genesis 9:20-10:32; Matthew 4:23-25; Psalms 5:1-6; Proverbs 2:16-22

NT: “Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:23-24‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

As Jesus followed the Father’s will through the leading of the Holy Spirit, everything in His life included aspects of teaching and explaining God’s word, preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God being at hand, and then demonstrating both the truths of the word and the present authority of the Kingdom by healing people of anything that oppressed them. True disciples of Jesus follow Him in what He is doing. If everything that Jesus did included aspects of teaching, preaching, and healing – then as we lay our lives before the Lord and submit to His leading through the Holy Spirit, then every aspect of our lives should as well. If we find that we are not doing that, then as we submit our lives fully to Him, He will show us where and how to fully integrate those practices in our lives.

Psalms: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5:3-4‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When David says, “plead my case,” the original language connotes laying everything out before – so I see him laying out all his concerns, all his questions, all his plans, all his fears… everything, first thing in the morning, before he starts his day. He does this, because he knows he can trust the Lord implicitly… even better than he can trust himself, for he knows that the Lord despises wickedness and has not even the slightest tinge of evil in Him whatsoever. So… In the morning, you will hear my voice, and in the morning I will lay everything before You to be taught by You, to be led by You, to welcome Your kingdom rule in and through my life, and allow You to heal anything in me that is off.

Genesis 8:1-9:19; Matthew 4:12-22; Psalms 4:4-8; Proverbs 2:6-15

OT: “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” …God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth… But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.” Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, “Understand that I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you… I establish my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by floodwaters; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (‭‭Genesis‬ 8:21b-22; ‭9:1, 7-9, 11-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When Cain killed Abel, the ground was cursed by the spilling of Abel’s blood. When the earth was “baptized” through the flood, the curse on the ground was washed away, allowing seeds to produce a harvest and foreshadowing what baptism would come to symbolize. Then God promised that He would never curse the ground again – even though humanity would continue running after evil instead if righteousness. Whether there were seasons before the flood or not, post-flood God promised that seasons would always come and life would go on as long as earth endured. The sun would always rise in the morning and set at night… seeds would always produce a harvest of fruit. From the time of Adam to the time of Noah, the Bible said that it never rained… that the earth was watered by a constant mist. The first rain storm caused a cataclysmic flood, so I’m sure the sound of thunder and the site of dark clouds in the sky would have been quite terrifying. So God promised to never again wipe out humanity with a flood – and He created a reminder… a sign of comfort and a symbol of His unwavering commitment… the rainbow. Yes, it is a natural phenomenon explained by the laws of refraction… but then again, who established the laws of refraction? Then to Noah and his family, God continued His original covenant and re-issued His original commission: to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with His glory. For thousands of years, that covenant has remained in place, and no matter how evil mankind may become, God has remained faithful to His word.

Psalms: “Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord… You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:4-5, 7-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Hebrew word for “be angry” means to bothered or perturbed to the point that you tremble. As you lie in bed at night thinking of all the people that chase after evil instead of unrighteousness, it is ok to be perturbed and bothered – but in that, don’t sin by taking things into your own hands and end up following the path of evil yourself. Instead, consider the unwavering righteousness of the Lord and trust in Him. As another psalm says, don’t fret – place your trust in the ever faithful, covenant-keeping Lord and sleep in peace.

Proverbs: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:6-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When we walk uprightly and live with integrity, we may not appear to be as shrewd as worldly people who manipulate the world system for their own gain – what we do have is wisdom from God, guaranteed success in the things that God has called us to, and God’s hand of protection as a shield to protect our way.

Genesis 7:1-25; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalms 4:1-3; Proverbs 2:1-5

NT: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry… He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” …Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” …Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:1-2, 4, 7, 10-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

First thing to notice is that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. If you are allowing yourself to be led by the Spirit, then the Spirit will probably lead you into dangerous, challenging, or trying places. Many people see challenges as something that is not God’s will. What I have found is that following God’s will is almost never easy and is always challenging. However, if you are following the Spirit, He will give you grace commensurate to the challenge. Jesus countered every single temptation with the Word of God… and specifically, each of His responses came from Deuteronomy, which was a re-telling of God’s commands for a new generation of Israelites about to head into the Promised Land. Jesus was victorious over Satan because He had stored up God’s commands within Him – and then relied on the Holy Spirit to bring those commands to remembrance when He needed them. The same can be true of us if we walk in humility and obedience to the Word by storing up the Word in our hearts and minds.

Proverbs: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:1-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

If you delight in and pursue the Word of God and “hide” His words and His commands in your heart, then you will understand the incomparable greatness of God and will discover the knowledge of His will for you in every circumstance… and you, like Jesus, will be able to defeat the enemy and reject his temptations by the truth of God’s word.