The Lord Is Known by the Judgment He Executes…

 

Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.'—Exodus 11:4-7

The LORD is known by the judgment He executes;

The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Meditation.  Selah—Psalm 9:16

Warren Wiersbe on the death of the first born in Egypt... 

“In most cultures, firstborn sons are considered special, and in Egypt, they were considered sacred. We must remember that God calls Israel His firstborn son (Ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:9; Hos. 11:1). At the very beginning of their conflict, Moses warned Pharaoh that the way he treated God’s firstborn would determine how God treated Egypt’s firstborn (Ex. 4:22-23). Pharaoh had tried to kill the Jewish male babies, and his officers had brutally mistreated the Jewish slaves, so in slaying the firstborn, the Lord was simply paying Pharaoh back with his own currency.”

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"—Ex. 4:22-23

Not sure how I missed this in my many readings of Exodus over the years.  Seems so obvious in retrospect.  I never connected what Moses said in Exodus 4:22-23 to the final and most terrifying plague.  Tonight as I read this, I was comforted not only because God truly is not mocked. What a man sows, that he will also reap. Even though it may seem to tarry to us, judgment does comes.  God always repays and when he does it is usually chillingly fitting. There is no peace for the wicked. 

This in turn made me understand a little more about why God always seems to wait long to arise and act. Beloved…Pharaoh was warned many times. Our God is gracious and suffers long.  He does not wish for any to perish.  He is merciful because His judgments, when they come, are final and they are terrifying.  As you look at them, you also know that you too are deserving of judgment and that but for His saving grace would be destined for an eternity in hell.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.—Ephesians 2:1-9

With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

For You will save the humble people,

But will bring down haughty looks.—Psalm 18:25-27

If we walk contrary to Him, He will walk contrary to us—Lev. 26:23-24

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”—Hebrews 10:31

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit…

 

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."—Matthew 12:33-37

Matthew 7 says this…

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.—Matthew 7:16-20

James Chapter 3 tells us that no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil filled with deadly poison. 

Now it is true that no man can tame the tongue but the Spirit of God can. But if our hearts refuse to respond by faith to God’s word, they cannot be transformed by His grace. If we keep rejecting Jesus, our hearts will become harder and harder the longer we resist God’s truth.(Ezek. 36:26-27; Heb. 8:7-13).

I love what Matthew Henry wrote about these verses…

Men’s language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil

Beloved…today is the day of salvation. Each of us have a choice to make. A heart without the Spirit of grace will cannot bear good fruit. We are responsible for our words and our actions. They will either acquit or condemn us in the day of judgment.  In Christ we are forgiven. Our sinful words and actions are washed in the blood of Jesus, God’s Son. But those who refuse Jesus…who say they do not want Him in their lives and in their hearts…will eventually answer for that choice. 

Wiersbe writes…

Is there an “unpardonable sin” today? Yes, the final rejection of Jesus Christ. Jesus made it clear that all sins can be forgiven (Matt. 12:31). Adultery, murder, blasphemy, and other sins can all be forgiven; they are not unpardonable. But God cannot forgive the rejection of His Son. It is the Spirit who bears witness to Christ (John 15:26) and who convicts the lost sinner (John 16:7-11).

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.—Matthew 12:31-32

Freedom from Fear and Sweet Sleep…

 

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

By His knowledge the depths were broken up,

And clouds drop down the dew.

My son, let them not depart from your eyes—

Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

So they will be life to your soul

And grace to your neck.

Then you will walk safely in your way,

And your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

Do not be afraid of sudden terror,

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

For the LORD will be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.—Proverbs 3:19-26

Beloved…Through wisdom, understanding and knowledge God created the world. If God needed these, how much more do we need them as we navigate through the trials and troubles of this life.  God’s wisdom is found in His word. In Him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.—Psalm 19:7-11

1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us (unbelievably!) that as believers, we have the mind of Christ. His Spirit indwells us and instructs us.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.—John 15:15

When we embrace Christ, we embrace sound wisdom and discretion.  The word wisdom here in the Strong’s carries the idea of “abiding success”.  I love that! Victory in Christ both in this life and in the one to come. 

The author of Proverbs 3 tells his son not to let wisdom and discretion depart from his eyes. He exhorts him to keep (guard) them because they will be life to his inner man (his soul) and a spiritual adornment for all to see around his neck.  God’s favor in his life will be evident to all. 

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.—Psalm 90:17

They will keep him safe (vs23). They will bring him peace and freedom from fear. Steeped in the word his sleep will be sweet.  When trouble comes, the Lord will be his confidence. He will keep his foot from being caught.  

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.—Psalm 112:7

Beloved…What is true for this proverbial son is true for us in Christ as well. 

Lift up your eyes to the Lord. He is Your help. He is your shield and your exceedingly great reward. 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

Wrestling With God and With Men and Prevailing…

 

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." --Genesis 32:24-28

To My Daughters,

Jacob was left alone...Solitude for some is the last place they want to be.  Solitude means being alone with yourself...alone with your thoughts, fears and anxieties.   This is where we find Jacob, alone and probably filled with anxiety and fear.   Perhaps understanding with heart knowledge for the first that he was not in control...that no amount of deceiving and conniving would save him or his family from harm.  It is here, at his point of need, where His God  met him.

Hosea 12:4 identifies this Man with whom Jacob wrestled as the Angel of the Lord. He is also identified as God, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In verse 30 Jacob names the place of his struggle as Peniel which means literally the face of God.  Jacob wrestled and struggled with God Himself! 

Most of us can relate to Jacob.  Our own self-will  keeps us from God's best and away from the right path.  God wanted to do a work in Jacob, but Jacob was not in a place of surrender.  For in God's world the way into His presence and to  victory is in surrender.   Jacob did not surrender...not until God crippled him.  God did not want to cripple him, but sometimes (okay, most times) God has got to weaken us to enable us to see ourselves for the miserable, weak, helpless sinners that we are.  A good shepherd will break a wandering lamb's leg to save its life.  He will then carry that lamb on his shoulders until its legs heal.  By the time the healing occurs the lamb has grown to love the shepherd and wants to remain close to his side. 

This is what God did to Jacob.  Jacob had a tendency to stray, go his own way and do things in his own strength.  There is a way that seems right to man, the bible says, but its end is destruction.  Jacob's limp would always remind him of his weakness...it was a wound from a Faithful Friend who loved Him, wanted the best for him and most importantly did not want to see him perish.  Jacob now understood as the apostle Paul did that when he was weak, he was strong.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.--2nd Corinthians 12:7-10

God had blessed Jacob materially..now He wanted to bless Him even more abundantly.  He wanted to fill Jacob with Himself and place His desires on His heart.  This is what Jacob wanted...this is what he desired.

And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 

Jacob's struggle, as ours are til the day we die, was with himself.   His spirit was willing but his flesh was weak.  We are our own worst enemy...me, myself and I always get in the way of the work God wants to do in our lives..  The Angel of God responds to Jacob's demand for a blessing by asking him what his name was.  Now God did not ask him his name because he did not know it.  He asked him his name because he wanted Jacob to face who he was in his flesh...a deceiver and a heel catcher.  If Jacob wanted to be blessed by God he needed to admit who he was and allow His God to change Him.  Upon this admission, Jacob got a new name.  Israel....which literally means ruled by God or God empowered prince.  God cannot trust us with His work and His power unless we are under His authority...surrendered to His will.  Jacob was crippled in the battle but victory was his because now instead of being ruled by self...He was ruled by God and became one of the patriarchs of God's chosen people.

Ask God to rule in your life.  Lay down your will and accept His.  Look at yourself...really look.  Admit your need and God will meet you.  Even if you have been walking with the Lord a long time there will be much you will find as the Lord peels away the "you" layers that you have not laid down.  Ask God to show you these.  Know that as you lay them down, you are not laying down anything that is good for you.  You are laying down those things that interfere with all that God has for you...the things that interfere with the work He wants to do in you and through you.  As you surrender to Him by faith and allow Him to rule your life, His grace will be there and His goodness and mercy will abound. 

Love

Mom

The “I Will’s” of God in Exodus 6…

 

Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."—Exodus 5:20-21

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."—Exodus 5:22-23

I love Moses.  I understand why he was called humblest man on the face of this earth. The men of Israel had just lashed out at him because there first meeting with Pharaoh had gone very badly. They couldn’t take it out on Pharaoh, so they took out their fear and frustration on Moses. How does Moses react?  Does he retaliate?  Nope.  He brings his heavy heart to the Lord and turns it upside down before Him.  Beloved this is what makes Moses great…when the people yelled at him, he didn’t yell back. He brought it all before the Lord again and again.  

Moses was grieved because his demand for freedom for the people of God had increased their sufferings, not eased them.  The Lord’s reassurance to Moses in the next verses are good ones to tuck away and remember when you are in need of reassurance as Moses was here.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.'" So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.—Exodus 6:1-9

The first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of “I will’s”. God would save them. God would liberate them from bondage. God would redeem them with an outstretch arm and great judgments.  God would adopt them as His children and be their God. As I read I couldn’t help but notice the parallels in my own journey with the Lord.  (Saved, freed, redeemed and adopted).  The last “I will” we read is this: 

And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage:

He will bring them into the land…the promised land….the placed He had prepared for them.  Beloved…God  has promised to do the same for us who are His children.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."—John 14:1-4

He assures Moses that He heard the groaning of the children of Israel.  He felt their burdens and was on their side working on their behalf. 

Beloved…Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We serve an all powerful,  promise-keeping God who sees us, knows what we are going through and acts on our behalf.  He is not ignorant of our needs nor is He unconcerned about our suffering. He does not delay our deliverances.  Everything in the lives of those that are called by His name is working in accordance with His perfect plan.  God is our Helper. He is the One who will never leave us or forsake us.  He has promised to see us through and He will do it. He will not fail. So go ahead…do as Moses exampled.  

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Surely the Lord is in this Place, and I Did Not Know It…

 

Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."  And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.--Genesis 28:12-21

To Each of My Precious Daughters…

Here we find Jacob sleeping under the stars, fleeing his brother Esau's wrath and fearing for his life.  I am pretty sure he is filled with anxiety and much uncertainty.  He has no idea what his future holds and cannot go back into the past.  Trouble was behind him...he had to go forward.  Sometimes our thoughts, like Jacob, get so consumed by our circumstances that we forget this.  BUT GOD.  While Jacob slept that night God gave him a vision and a promise.

The vision was the ladder reaching from heaven to earth with the angels ascending and descending.  Reading John 1:43 -51 this vision is clarified.

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." 

Jesus is declaring here that the ladder that figured in Jacob's dream...the ladder that reached heaven where God met man was Jesus Himself.  Jesus is the ladder that brings man to God.  He is the bridge between heaven and earth.  He is the way, the truth and the life...no one comes to the Father except through Him.  

The promise Jacob received that night:

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."  

God would bring Jacob through and bring him back to his father's house in peace. 

Jacob's words upon awakening... 

"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."  And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

Like Jacob, we so forget that our Lord...our great God is in all our trials when we believe.  We forget that Hs presence goes with us and is before us always.  We forget that He is God and has promised not to leave us or forsake us.  He will do all that He has promised in our lives and will bring us home to Him when the work is complete. 

God not only allows the trials that come to us, but orchestrates them for His beloved children to work always for their good and His glory.  We have no need to get muddled up in our dark thoughts.  As His beloved child, we can cry out to Him.  We can  nestle under His wing until the calamities have passed and be safe in His presence.  His plan for us is from His heart of love.  Our trials, though difficult, are our greatest blessings in disguise.  They keep us at His feet and surround us with His presence.  It is there, at His feet, that we are safe and content...happy and peaceful.  It is there, at His feet, that we begin to see what He went through for us.  It is there, at His feet, that we begin to thank God for our trials and afflictions because in them we have known Him. 

Love

Mom

Turning the Other Cheek in the Old Testament…

 

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."

Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?"

But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.'"

So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

It came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water." So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.—Genesis 26:12-33

The Philistines envied Isaac for the Lord had prospered him and he had possessions of a great number of flocks, herds and servants.  No matter where Isaac dug a well…no matter how often the Philistines stopped up his wells with dirt…God’s blessings to Isaac could not be stopped. Isaac’s crew just kept digging and God kept on blessing. 

When a man's ways please the LORD,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.—Proverbs 16:7

Driven away by his enemies, Isaac pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and continued his search for water. The men of Gerar opposed him here as “well”. The first well Isaac dug he called Esek which means Quarrel.  The next one was called Sitnah, which means enmity and the last Rehoboth which means spaciousness or room. (Me thinks Isaac had a sense of humor).  Isaac just kept moving, digging and relinquishing. . He did not fight back. He trusted that the Lord would fight for Him and bless Him. The Philistines, probably out of sheer frustration, finally left him alone.

Next we read that after Isaac moved to Beersheba, God appeared to him confirming with Isaac, the covenant He had made with Abraham. Isaac responded as his father had, by building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord. (and also by digging yet another well) 😃

When the conflict over the wells was finally over Abimelech (the leader of the Philistines) came to Isaac requesting a treaty. (Just as an earlier Abimelech had acknowledged that the Lord was with Abraham and requested a treaty with him, this Abimelech did likewise with Isaac.). God’s blessing was on Abraham’s seed and Isaac was the rightful heir of this blessing. In his seed all the nations would be blessed. No opposition would stop it. No weapon formed against it would prosper. God would bless those who blessed his people and curse those who cursed them.  God had made a promise to Abraham and confirmed it Isaac. It would be accomplished.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.—Hebrews 6:13-20

Beloved…Jesus is our hope. He who is our strong confidence, is also our strong consolation. We who believe have this safe, sure and steadfast hope as an anchor to our soul which cannot slip and cannot break down no matter what pressure bears upon it. God’s promise and God’s oath are unchangeable. To Him we flee for refuge. In Him we have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. He has promised to see us through. Nothing and no one can separate us from Him. 

Father…All of your promises in Your word are yes and amen in Your Son. Help me to trust you today with whatever opposition comes my way knowing that You are for me. You are on my side. Uphold me in Your right paths and keep me in your perfect will. 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?—Romans 8:31-32

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:35-39