The Sign Of the Covenant

 Genesis 17:9-14; Exodus 4:24-26

The gravity of entering into a covenant and then breaking that covenant is seen in these two passages. Notice that God refers this as His Covenant in verses 9, 10, 13 and 14. The covenant was to be kept - v9,10. It was to be in the their flesh - v13. A person shall be cut off from his people who does not bear the mark - 14. 

The LORD sought to kill Moses (Exodus 4:24). Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and [a]cast it at [b]Moses’ feet - v25.  Zipporah exclaimed to Moses, "You are a husband of blood to me!" 
I am seeing the gravity of breaking God's covenant - God could have killed Moses were it not for his wife doing the needful Genesis 17:10 "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised". It was a command NOT a suggestion from the LORD. It could have costed his life on earth!!! 

Let us not procrastinate on God's command! 
LORD keep us faithful on this narrow path-way!!

Genesis 17:9-14

New King James Version

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Exodus 4:24-26

New King James Version

24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and [a]cast it at [b]Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a [c]husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

Daniel 2

 So what happened to Daniel as a result of his interpretation of King Neb's dream?  

Daniel 2:48 says that He was given many gifts.  He was appointed chief prefect of the wisemen.  He was elevated in the Kingdom.  He was also considerate of his fellow Hebrew young men. He negotiated for them - Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego to lead along with him. 

God exalted Daniel and the Hebrew young men in a strange and far country of exile. It was a strange land that worshipped idols.  Daniel kept good company.  He was always humble.  The company you keep shows the values you espouse.  Daniel relied on them when the heat was on (Daniel 2:16-18).  Do you have such a network? They say your network is your net-worth! 

In the dream the stone made without the hands of man broke the statue and became a mountain that filled the whole earth.  This stone is Precious, it is a cornerstone - it has no human element.  Our Savior Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit by a virgin! The chief cornerstone is Him - Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-8). A stone that was rejected  the builders (Psalm 118:22). However, this Stone was firmly laid by God! A costly cornerstone - He who believes in it will not be disturbed (Isaiah 28:16).

Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ! 
God is good and faithful.

Now that Curfew is Lifted

Recently the on Kenya's Mashujaa Day our President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the lifting of the Dusk to Dawn Curfew. This was a measure that was arrived at when the Pandemic was detrimental to the lives of Kenyan citizens - its was necessary for the government to put measures to control the spread of the virus in county. 

The lifting of curfew is not a license to ignore the Ministry of Health protocols that include social distance, sanitising and putting on mask in public places.  Getting vaccinated also. 

Elsewhere there are discussions whether a local church must follow the MoH protocols in particular wearing of face masks. Here is a good read for church members and leaders, underpinning these and other matters surrounding compliance or defiance to laws/rules that the Christians may find themselves in. 

 Must Churches Follow Mask Mandates? : 9Marks

Robert Robinson 1735-1790

I got this short Biography of Robert Robinson.  He lived between 1735 to 1790.  I was looking for the words of a hymn we sing from time to time. 

Read it to find what Bruce Hindmarsh, Professor - Regent College said about this ancient person. 

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https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/was-he-too-prone-to-wander

For this Reason...

 

So many Christians walk this life without a clear understanding of their identity in Christ.  Neil T Anderson says that "You need to see yourself for who you really are." You must see yourself (if you have trusted in Jesus Christ, God's only son) - that you are indeed a child of God!" You must see yourself as a child of God in order to live like a child of God.  Your blessed hope as a believer under the sun is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" - Colossians 1:27.

The Apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians said, "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1)".

What reason is the Apostle Paul talking about? 

• That we who believe in Jesus Christ have been make alive from trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1) which we once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh (Ephesians 2:2).
  
• We were disobedient, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind (2:3).
• But God, who is rich in mercy, 
• loved us and made us alive together with Christ 4,
• raised us up v5,6,
  
• made us sit together ... in Christ Jesus v5,6,
  
• saved us by grace through faith v.8,
  
• created us for good works v.9,
  
•  We are no longer:
•  strangers v12,
• aliens v12,
  
• without hope and without God v12,
• We are now in Christ, we have been brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ!

Are you struggling with an identity crisis? Are you finding yourself living in your past order of life without regrets? Probably you have not received the grace and love of God that saves those who believe. 

Are you unsettled about the current status of your spiritual walk.  Yes! You know you are born again! You are not a stranger or alien - you have hope in God.  However there is a lingering lack of peace in the spirit inside you!  One way to address this is by trusting in the Word about who you really are according to Ephesians chapter 2. 

Simply believe who you are: a child of God! Accept who God says you are and commit yourself to God's great aim for your life - to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

When your basic faith system  about God and yourself is not stable, your daily behavioral system will be unstable.  Make your relationship with God based on the truth of and you will have little trouble  working out the practical aspects of your daily Christianity.

What is Jesus Worth To You?

In David Platt’s small book “The Radical Question”, He concludes a tough chapter with Radical questions on page 19 “What is Jesus Worth to you?”

He concludes his thoughts on Redefining Jesus of the Bible as the one who is supremely worthy of sacrificial devotion. Let me excerpt some more…. “His portrait in Scripture evokes immediate and total submission. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Final Amen. He is the Bread of Life, Christ our Creator, our Deliverer, our Everlasting Father—he is God. He is the Good Shepherd, the Great High Priest, the Holy One, the image of the invisible God. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, majestic and mighty, and no one compares to him, the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is the power of God, the Resurrection and the Life, the Supreme Sacrifice, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the very

Word of God made flesh.

When we see a biblical picture of Jesus, we realize that the greatness of who he is demands the surrender of all we are and have.

Let Jesus demand our surrender of all that we are and have!

Who Were The sons of God in Genesis 6?

This section of the Bible is a part that has endless debate it leaves many people envisioning what the world then looked like!Looking at Genesis 5:1 "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God." In Genesis 5:3 Adam gets a son in "his own likeness, after his image" - the image of a sinner. The likeness of this Adam is that of a fallen sinner! Unfortunately, sin was a signature in that world, then!  Death was its ongoing punishment...

This is an incidence of hubris -which refers to extreme pride, especially pride and ambition so great that it offends and lead to one's downfall.  These were probably powerful rulers that were controlled/in-dwelt by fallen angels.  It may be that fallen angels left their habitation and inhabited bodies of human despots and warriors (the mighty ones of the earth).

Looking at Ezekiel 28:11-19 " Read the passage please" and Daniel 10:13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia."
From these passages, it is known that great kings of the earth have "princes" ruling behind them- their power is demonic.

In closing, I would say that Genesis 6:1-4 is a description of how corrupt the world had become! The sons of God in this passage were not Divine; they were demon-controlled.  They married as many women as they wished to satisfy their immoral instincts! Children of these marriages did not bring god-kings.  Though these were heroes and "men of renown"  - they were flesh and they died in due time, like all men do.

Parting shot, "When God judges the world - as He was about to with the flood - no giant (mighty man), no deity, no human has any power against Him!