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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, August 6, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Story of Abraham [20] Bible Verse:Genesis 18:1-8 (ESV) "And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on — since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three measures of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate." Message:
This passage (and those to follow) are a bit of fun, because the three men are so mysterious. They are described as “men”, so they must have looked like regular human beings. But we know immediately that they are something other than normal people, because we are told that the Lord appeared to Abraham, and because Abraham's reaction is abjectly respectful. He bows himself to the earth, that is, he falls to his knees and puts his face to the ground. Also, he immediately prepares a feast beyond normal hospitality to strangers.
As the story progresses, we learn more and more about their powers. In fact (sorry to spoil the mystery) the three men are God Himself and two angels.
Scholars universally believe that the three men come to Abraham fairly soon after the mass circumcision at the end of Genesis 17. Estimates range from three days to three months. But certainly, God’s appearance with two heavenly helpers has a tie to Abraham sealing his end of the contract between them. And we suspect that their is some major event in the works, and that the event has been triggered by Abraham’s immediate compliance with God’s instructions about circumcision.
We also can feel that whatever is about to happen, it is something major; God has brought helpers!
One could easily write a book — a long book — about all the implications of God appearing personally to Abraham and other early Biblical figures. It is very humanizing; one could even say that God Almighty treats Abraham as a friend. God displays many human characteristics in Genesis, especially in His dealings with Abraham.
It raises more questions than can possibly be answered, for we cannot fully know God as He exists.
But there is one thing that comes clear from this and the following chapters of Genesis; God intends that Abraham fully realize that he is made in God’s image. He intends that Abraham, who has shown complete faith in Him and made a sacrifice of his body (by circumcision), have a great degree of familiarity with Him. And as we will see, God intends that Abraham feel enough confidence in His love that he can question Him, bargain with Him, and even (apparently) convince Him to change His mind.
Meditation : Prayer : I dedicate this day to you, mighty God. I pray that your Spirit will lift me up this day, and that your face may shine upon me all the day long, that I might do your will and lead a new life in Christ, reborn in the Spirit.......Amen |
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