Hello. I’m honored to be here with you today and to share God’s Word with you. Won’t you bow your heads with me to pray to our Lord:
Father, we pray for understanding that all might know you as their savior and that you may enter our hearts so the Holy Spirit may be reflected through us. Praise your Holy Name in All Things. Amen.
Have you ever stopped to consider how miraculous is was that Jesus’ three year ministry has led to the growth of Christianity so that it is the World’s largest religion and has survived 2,000 years of turmoil, war, suffering, and strife?
There was a time in my life where I wasn’t fully committed to being a Christian. In fact I had some difficult questions about Jesus.
1. Who was Jesus?
2. Did he really work miracles?
3. Did he really die on a cross for me?
4. Why did the apostles and the early Christian church grow so rapidly despite terrible suffering, persecution, and brutality at the hands of the Romans?
5. What was Jesus’ true message for humanity then and now?
Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized it all really came down to these:
Was Jesus God, or simply really good man and prophet? Was he just a righteous teacher or was he God manifested on Earth?
Let’s begin our study with this: Was Jesus human?
The book of Matthew in Chapter 1, verses 1 to 17 begins with a genealogy of Christ going back to King David, and from David back to the Old Father Abraham.
Why do you suppose the writer of the Book of Matthew began his book this way?
It was the human generations of Christ’s family proving his human ancestry and his right to claim the title Son of David, the long predicted Messiah, the true King of the Jews.
Next we have the story of Mary and Joseph. How Christ was born in a manger; it was really an underground barn where animals were kept. He was born just like you and I. Mary experienced the pain of childbirth. Joseph, the anxious young husband of Mary, I’m sure was pacing the floor, upset that his son would be born in such a place. Jesus was born, had to be diapered, fed, kept safe and warm, just like all children. Some stories and legends state he never cried, but I call bunk. Babies cry to express their needs, and if Jesus was a true human baby, he cried. Mary nursed him, and Joseph kept them safe.
We don’t really know much about his young life except that he grew up in a home as the eldest of several children and learned how to work, possibly as a carpenter, like Joseph. The family lived “on the wrong side of the tracks,” in the poor neighborhood known as Nazareth. In fact one early disciple heard about Jesus and replied “Can anything good come out of Nazereth?” Oh boy, never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge someone by where they are from, the color of their skin, or what side of the tracks they are from, because you never know what God has in store for them and for you!
This tells us something about his home doesn’t it. Now we know Jesus experienced the loss of a parent. Somewhere between the age of 12 and 30, Joseph died. This had a great effect upon Jesus as throughout his ministry he often referred to taking care of the widows and orphans.
How else was Jesus like all of us?
We know that he grew up from a child to a man. The Bible states that he “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was on him.”
Jesus studied and grew in knowledge to prepare for his ministry, just as we study and learn to be successful in our working lives. He studied to increase in wisdom. He studied with the Jewish Rabbi’s of the day, even when he was only 12 years old, he was found at the Holy Temple of Jerusalem listening and asking questions.
Jesus experienced Hunger. Before beginning his ministry Jesus went into the desert and prayed and “fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”
Jesus was often tired, bone weary, and had to sleep just as we all must do. Matthew 8:24 states, “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.” John 4:6 states that Jesus came to Jacob’s well and “Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.”
Jesus was troubled and even betrayed by a trusted friend. Judas one of the disciples had decided to betray him to the Romans and we learn that “Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" And we later learn about how Judas did betray him with a kiss on the cheek.
Jesus experienced sadness, cried and mourned over the loss of friends and family. Jesus learned of his friend Lazarus’ death. John 11:33-35 states “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus Wept. That verse is the shortest verse in the Bible; but it is exceedingly important and tender. It shows the Lord Jesus as a saddened friend, and proves his character as a man.
Jesus experienced anger. When he came to the temple in Jerusalem, he was angry at the merchants who had come into the place to sell their wares and to make money off the religion of the day. In fact he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
And like all of us he experienced suffering, felt abandoned by others, and died. He died horribly on a cross. Luke 22:44 tells the story of Jesus, knowing he was facing death and seeking to pray to God states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” If you have ever faced death, tragedy, perhaps you have fallen to your knees and cried out to God. I know I have. Can anything be more human? He was beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his brow, and nails driven through his wrists and ankles, then suspended on a cross, where every breath was an agony, and death came slowly and painfully, in the worst of slow human torture ever devised by the Romans. Most died of their lungs filling with fluid and choking to death seeking one more breath. His friends and disciples, who swore to never leave him, abandoned him and fled for their lives. As Christ died on that Cross, Christian’s believe he took all our sins upon himself as the pure sacrifice so we might be truly forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. God turned away from Jesus that day. See God cannot look upon sin. It is the opposite of everything that is good and truthful. In Matthew 27: 45-46 we learn of the worst hour of Jesus’ life when he felt alone, abandoned not just by his friends, but by God: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!' That is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"
So…Jesus was born, grew up, studied, lost a parent, experienced hunger, tiredness, worry, betrayal, sadness, mourning, anger, suffering, abandonment, and death. Jesus often referred to himself as the “son of man.” So, was he human? Definitely. Totally. He was fully human! He experienced the same feelings and loss we all have, as well as joy and laughter. Oh yes that too. Throughout his ministry we learn of him attending weddings, dinners, and enjoying the company of his friends and disciples. Yes, he was fully human!
Now the next big question is was he God?
If Jesus is part of God, what Christ followers call the Trinity, the Father (God), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit (the Great Comforter), then he has to have existed, even before he was born a human child to Mary. Remember God is eternal.
Followers of Christ refer to Christ as the Word that is the truth of God’s revelation to man. In John Chapter 1, verses 1 to 3 we learn that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.” Jesus later says, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
He goes on to explain that he “came forth from the Father,” and Jesus prayed “Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the World was.”
His coming was prophesied in the Old Testament and the prophecies and promises of the manifestation of Christ as the Redeemer of Mankind the Messiah is interwoven throughout the scriptures from the first promise of Him given to Adam in Genesis to the promise of his ultimate glory as the “Son of Righteousness”.
He was manifested in the Garden of Eden as he spoke of himself as the coming seed of the woman. Similar manifestations are found as the spirit of Christ is revealed to Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Manoah, Isaiah, and Zachariah throughout the Old Testament. This pre-existence of Christ leads to his true earthly manifestation in the New Testament as the Angel of the Redeemer is now “arrayed in mortal flesh, He like an Angel stands, and holds the promises and pardon in His hands; Commissioned from the Father’s Throne, To make His grace to mortals known.”
So Jesus was pre-existent with God, created everything, and was manifested to man throughout the Old Testament in preparation for his earthly mission. That is to save and reconcile all mankind from sin and death.
The New Testament books also state that he was born “thd seed of a woman. The Apostle Paul states that when God sent forth His son he was “made of a woman,” not of a man and a woman, but only a woman. Christ is the only baby the world has ever known who did not have human father. He was divinely conceived. His birth marked by signs and angels appearing and singing of His glory.
Think about this for a second. God was seeking us. God wanted a relationship with us. He wanted us and loved us so much, that he sent a part of Himself to become human to repair our relationship with him. Think about this. It’s all about God seeking Man. It is not about what man can do to achieve or be worthy of God. In Christianity there is nothing we human beings can do to be worthy of Heaven, of a relationship with the Creator of everything. He sought us and is still seeking us. That’s amazing and one of a kind in the religions of the world. That’s Grace. God seeking us. God seeking you.
What other ways was Jesus divine?
Jesus was immutable. This means he was unchanging, unalterable, and ageless. Hebrews 1: 10-12 states: “And, you, Lord, in the beginning have laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."
Jesus was omnipresent. This means he is present everywhere at all times. He was there at the beginning, he became human 2,000 years ago, he is with us today, and he will be with us forever.
Jesus was omnipotent. This means he is all mighty and unlimited in authority and power over the universe. The people of Jesus’ time were all “amazed” at his teaching, his authority, his miracles, and his love for others. He cured the blind, healed sick, raised the dead, and proved his power and authority over our world.
Jesus proved his divine nature through his works and miracles as the redeemer of our sins and the final judge of all humanity.
How did He do this?
Jesus, though fully human, was sinless. He was truly obedient to God’s will and as such became the sacrifice necessary to pay the costs of our sins, so that we might have eternal, glorious life with God. He died on a cross for the redemption of our sins. He paid the cost of our sins. My sins. Your sins.
He suffered and died on that cross for me, for you, for all humanity for all times and places. But you want to hear something that will blow your mind? He would have done it just for you. If you were the only one willing to follow him, accept him, he would have suffered all that, for you.
As he was dying, he asked God to “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
And he died.
But here’s the glorious part. He rose from the Dead and ministered to the living. Those who knew him before his death, they knew him after this miracle. He had returned in all his glory and his teachings to them was so powerful, that he set the early church on fire. People were eager to share the good news, that Christ had died, Christ had risen, and that Christ will come again. It was so powerful that the apostles faced death and suffering all in his name for his glory. Think about that. Those same men who had abandoned him, never did so again, even when faced with Roman persecution, beheading, crucifixion, and death. Something miraculous had occurred, and that set the stage for the growth of the Body of Christ, what we call the Church, today.
So Jesus was fully human and he was fully divine. He was both man and God. God became human, experienced the joy and the sorrow of humanity, death on a cross, so we could be forgiven, redeemed, and have everlasting life and hope in him.
Why was this important? Imagine an eternal gulf between God and man. God cannot look upon sin, so the pure spirit of God could not cross the gulf that divides us. Man, in his sinful state cannot cross the Gulf to reach God. But Christ, who was fully human, and fully God can cross the gulf. See Christ was human and divine, and he was sinless. He paid the price for all our sins, so when God sees us after we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, he sees Christ in us. He sees us without sin. That’s why only Christ could cross the gulf and save us, redeem us, and allow us to join him for eternity in fellowship with God and one another.
God Seeking Us. God Seeking you. That’s grace. Do you have grace? Do you know him? Do you want to? When services are over please come see me or any of the worship team and we’d love to talk with you and help you begin the journey, to accept Christ, and to welcome him into your heart. Thank you.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Was Jesus Human?
This is the first half of a sermon I'm preparing for Feb. 12th. I've been given the assignment to minister about Was Jesus Human or Divine? Of couse, the answer is both. This sermon is to take 20 to 30 minutes, so it's a bit longer than my previous efforts. Here is the fist half of it.
Have you ever stopped to consider how miraculous it was that Jesus’ three year ministry has led to the growth of Christianity so that it is the World’s largest religion and has survived 2,000 years of turmoil, war, suffering, and strife?
I don’t know about you, but before I fully committed to live my life for Christ, I still had some difficult questions about Him.
1. Who was Jesus?
2. Did he really work miracles?
3. Did he really die on a cross for me?
4. Why did the apostles and the early Christian church grow so rapidly despite terrible suffering, persecution, and brutality at the hands of the Romans?
5. What was Jesus’ true message for humanity then and now?
Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized it all really came down to this one:
Was Jesus God, or simply really good man and prophet? Was he just a righteous teacher or was he God manifested on Earth?
Let’s begin our study with this: Was Jesus human?
The book of Matthew in Chapter 1, verses 1 to 17 begins with a genealogy of Christ going back to King David, and from David back to the Old Father Abraham.
Why do you suppose the writer of the Book of Matthew began his book this way?
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states that this “book is an account, not of the divine, but human generation of Christ; and not merely of his birth, which lies in a very little compass; nor of his genealogy, which is contained in this chapter; but also of his whole life and actions.”
So this genealogy proved Christ’s human ancestry and his right to claim the Son of David, the long predicted Messiah, King of the Jews.
Next we have the story of Mary and Joseph. How Christ was born in a manger, it was really an underground barn where animals were kept. He was born just like you and I. Mary experienced the pain of childbirth. Joseph, the anxious young husband of Mary, I’m sure was pacing the floor, upset that his son would be born in such a hovel. Jesus was born, had to be diapered, fed, kept safe and warm, just like all children. Some stories and legends state he never cried, but I call bunk. Babies cry to express their needs, and if Jesus was a true human baby, he cried. Mary nursed him, and Joseph kept them safe.
We don’t really know much about his young life except that he grew up in a home as the eldest of several children and learned how to work, possibly as a carpenter, like Joseph. The family lived “on the wrong side of the tracks,” in the poor neighborhood known as Nazareth. In fact in John 2: 46, we learn that the apostle Philip was first telling Nathanial about Jesus. Nathanial responds with “Can anything good come out of Nazereth?” Oh boy, never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge someone by where they are from, the color of their skin, or what side of the tracks they are from, because you never know what God has in store for them and for you!
This tells us something about his home doesn’t it. Now we know Jesus experienced the loss of a parent. Somewhere between the age of 12 and 30, Joseph died. This had a great effect upon Jesus as throughout his ministry he often referred to taking care of the widows and orphans.
How else was Jesus like all of us?
We know that he grew up from a child to a man. Luke 2:40 states, “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was on him.”
Jesus studied and grew in knowledge as Luke 2:52 states, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”
Jesus experienced Hunger. In Matthew 4:2 we learn that Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”
Jesus was often tired, bone weary, and had to sleep just as we all must do. Matthew 8:24 states, “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.” John 4:6 states that Jesus came to Jacob’s well and “Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.”
Jesus was troubled and even betrayed by a trusted friend, John 13: 21 states “Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" And we later learn about how Judas did betray him.
Jesus experienced sadness, cried and mourned over the loss of friends and family. Jesus learned of his friend Lazarus’ death. John 11:33-35 states “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus Wept. That verse is the shortest verse in the Bible; but it is exceedingly important and tender. It shows the Lord Jesus as a saddened friend, and proves his character as a man.
Jesus experienced anger. When he came to the temple in Jerusalem, he was angered at the merchants who had come into the place to sell their wares and to make money off the religion of the day. Mark 11: 15-16 states “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
And like all of us are fated to die, he too experienced suffering, felt abandoned by God, and died horribly on a cross. Luke 22:44 tells the story of Jesus, knowing he was facing death and seeking to pray to God states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” If you have ever faced death, tragedy, perhaps you have fallen to your knees and cried out to God. I know I have. Can anything be more human? He was beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his brow, and nails driven through his wrists and ankles, then suspended on a cross, where every breath was an agony, and death came slowly and painfully, in the worst of slow human torture ever devised by the Romans. Most died of their lungs filling with fluid and choking to death seeking one more breath. As Christ died on that Cross, Christian’s believe he took all our sins upon himself as the pure sacrifice so we might be truly forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. God turned away from Jesus that day. See God cannot look upon sin. It is an anathema to Him. In Matthew 27: 45-46 we learn of the worst hour of his life, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!' That is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"
So…Jesus was born, grew up, studied, lost a parent, experienced hunger, tiredness, worry, betrayal, sadness, mourning, anger, suffering, abandonment, and death. Jesus often referred to himself as the “son of man.” So, was he human? Definitely. Totally. He was fully human! He experienced the same feelings and loss we all have, as well as joy and laughter. Oh yes, that too. Throughout his ministry we learn of him attending weddings, dinners, celebrations, and enjoying the company of his friends and disciples. Yes, he was fully human!
Now the next big question is was he God?
Have you ever stopped to consider how miraculous it was that Jesus’ three year ministry has led to the growth of Christianity so that it is the World’s largest religion and has survived 2,000 years of turmoil, war, suffering, and strife?
I don’t know about you, but before I fully committed to live my life for Christ, I still had some difficult questions about Him.
1. Who was Jesus?
2. Did he really work miracles?
3. Did he really die on a cross for me?
4. Why did the apostles and the early Christian church grow so rapidly despite terrible suffering, persecution, and brutality at the hands of the Romans?
5. What was Jesus’ true message for humanity then and now?
Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized it all really came down to this one:
Was Jesus God, or simply really good man and prophet? Was he just a righteous teacher or was he God manifested on Earth?
Let’s begin our study with this: Was Jesus human?
The book of Matthew in Chapter 1, verses 1 to 17 begins with a genealogy of Christ going back to King David, and from David back to the Old Father Abraham.
Why do you suppose the writer of the Book of Matthew began his book this way?
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states that this “book is an account, not of the divine, but human generation of Christ; and not merely of his birth, which lies in a very little compass; nor of his genealogy, which is contained in this chapter; but also of his whole life and actions.”
So this genealogy proved Christ’s human ancestry and his right to claim the Son of David, the long predicted Messiah, King of the Jews.
Next we have the story of Mary and Joseph. How Christ was born in a manger, it was really an underground barn where animals were kept. He was born just like you and I. Mary experienced the pain of childbirth. Joseph, the anxious young husband of Mary, I’m sure was pacing the floor, upset that his son would be born in such a hovel. Jesus was born, had to be diapered, fed, kept safe and warm, just like all children. Some stories and legends state he never cried, but I call bunk. Babies cry to express their needs, and if Jesus was a true human baby, he cried. Mary nursed him, and Joseph kept them safe.
We don’t really know much about his young life except that he grew up in a home as the eldest of several children and learned how to work, possibly as a carpenter, like Joseph. The family lived “on the wrong side of the tracks,” in the poor neighborhood known as Nazareth. In fact in John 2: 46, we learn that the apostle Philip was first telling Nathanial about Jesus. Nathanial responds with “Can anything good come out of Nazereth?” Oh boy, never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge someone by where they are from, the color of their skin, or what side of the tracks they are from, because you never know what God has in store for them and for you!
This tells us something about his home doesn’t it. Now we know Jesus experienced the loss of a parent. Somewhere between the age of 12 and 30, Joseph died. This had a great effect upon Jesus as throughout his ministry he often referred to taking care of the widows and orphans.
How else was Jesus like all of us?
We know that he grew up from a child to a man. Luke 2:40 states, “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was on him.”
Jesus studied and grew in knowledge as Luke 2:52 states, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”
Jesus experienced Hunger. In Matthew 4:2 we learn that Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”
Jesus was often tired, bone weary, and had to sleep just as we all must do. Matthew 8:24 states, “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.” John 4:6 states that Jesus came to Jacob’s well and “Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well.”
Jesus was troubled and even betrayed by a trusted friend, John 13: 21 states “Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" And we later learn about how Judas did betray him.
Jesus experienced sadness, cried and mourned over the loss of friends and family. Jesus learned of his friend Lazarus’ death. John 11:33-35 states “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus Wept. That verse is the shortest verse in the Bible; but it is exceedingly important and tender. It shows the Lord Jesus as a saddened friend, and proves his character as a man.
Jesus experienced anger. When he came to the temple in Jerusalem, he was angered at the merchants who had come into the place to sell their wares and to make money off the religion of the day. Mark 11: 15-16 states “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
And like all of us are fated to die, he too experienced suffering, felt abandoned by God, and died horribly on a cross. Luke 22:44 tells the story of Jesus, knowing he was facing death and seeking to pray to God states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” If you have ever faced death, tragedy, perhaps you have fallen to your knees and cried out to God. I know I have. Can anything be more human? He was beaten, a crown of thorns placed on his brow, and nails driven through his wrists and ankles, then suspended on a cross, where every breath was an agony, and death came slowly and painfully, in the worst of slow human torture ever devised by the Romans. Most died of their lungs filling with fluid and choking to death seeking one more breath. As Christ died on that Cross, Christian’s believe he took all our sins upon himself as the pure sacrifice so we might be truly forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. God turned away from Jesus that day. See God cannot look upon sin. It is an anathema to Him. In Matthew 27: 45-46 we learn of the worst hour of his life, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!' That is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"
So…Jesus was born, grew up, studied, lost a parent, experienced hunger, tiredness, worry, betrayal, sadness, mourning, anger, suffering, abandonment, and death. Jesus often referred to himself as the “son of man.” So, was he human? Definitely. Totally. He was fully human! He experienced the same feelings and loss we all have, as well as joy and laughter. Oh yes, that too. Throughout his ministry we learn of him attending weddings, dinners, celebrations, and enjoying the company of his friends and disciples. Yes, he was fully human!
Now the next big question is was he God?
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Flood
Concerning Genesis Chapter 5
This chapter shows the genealogy from Adam to Noah. It begins with a statement that relates to the beginning and the creation of man. How man was created to live in God’s glory, but due to his choices he now lives in a fallen state. This chapter only lists the descendants of Adam and not Cain or any other collateral branches in the line of Seth. Wesley writes that “it is a list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came; the names, ages, and deaths of those that were the successors of the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of the second Adam.” (Christ)
Wesley goes on to observe that God created man, and man should not attempt to be his own master. 2. That God made man in his own likeness, righteous and holy. 3. That God created them male and femaile. And 4. That God blessed them with children and posterity.
Chapters Six to Eight discuss the other lines of descendants and many teach that the “sons of God” are the “immediate children of Cain and Seth. They were cursed with a fallen nature to produce degenerate sons of a degenerate father, governed by the desire of the flesh.” (Clarke’s Commentary). Kell and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament goes further saying the “Sons of Man” were either the sons of princes, angels, or godly men. The “daughters of men” were the daughters of people of the lower orders, mankind, or of the Cainites. Some others interpret this to be about angels or demons who came to earth and slept with humans.
The depravity of mankind leads to the great deluge of destruction. Man’s sin is God’s sorrow. God decides that mankind is too degenerate to save, except for Noah and his family. We are all generally familiar with the story of Noah, his ark, the gathering of animals, the great flood, and the waters rising and then receding so the ark comes to rest on mount Ararat. This story is one of faith in God. Noah showed faith and his family was saved.
I’ve always wondered about the flood story. Many ancient civilizations write of a great flood, but geological evidence for a world-wide flood doesn’t exist. I have always leaned towards the “regional” flood that destroyed part of ancient Sumer. The NIV study Bible says:
“Others argue that the deluge was worldwide, partly because of the apparently universal terms of the text- both here and elsewhere. Others argue that nothing in the narrative of chs. 6-9 prevents the flood from being understood as regional-destroying everything in its wake, but of relatively limited scope and universal only from the standpoint of Moses’ geographic knowledge….Since the purpose of the floodwaters was to destroy sinful mankind and since the writer possibly had in mind only the inhabitants of the ancient Near East, the is flood may not have had to be worldwide to destroy them.”
The covenant agreements made between God and Noah set the stage for everything to come. In Chapter 6 verse 18 we see that the “story of Noah’s salvation from the flood illustrates God’s redemption of his children and typified baptism…. God extends his loving concern oto the whole family of righteous Noah- a underscoring the moral and responsible relationship of parents to their children.”
In Chapter 9 verse 5 we see God demanding an accounting for every animal. “God himself is the great defender of human life, which is precious to him because man was created in his image and because man is the earthly representative and focal point of God’s kingdom.”
This also reinforces man’s place in the universe, that we were created to be the caretakers of the earth, the animals, and each other.
The flood story ends with a new covenant promise from God to not destroy the earth again until “his purposes for his creation are fully realized.”
So what have I learned from the flood story.
1. Man’s sin leads to violence and depravity. It is our choice to live separate from God (which is the very definition of sin).
2. That for the personal relationship with God to be meaningful, we must have freewill to choose to follow him or to live in sin.
3. Our duty to be caretakers of the earth. We are definitely not doing a great job at this.
4. The story of the Flood reinforces the fact that God is faithful and that if we choose to follow him, he will see us through the darkest days in our lives to a time of renewal and hope.
This chapter shows the genealogy from Adam to Noah. It begins with a statement that relates to the beginning and the creation of man. How man was created to live in God’s glory, but due to his choices he now lives in a fallen state. This chapter only lists the descendants of Adam and not Cain or any other collateral branches in the line of Seth. Wesley writes that “it is a list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came; the names, ages, and deaths of those that were the successors of the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of the second Adam.” (Christ)
Wesley goes on to observe that God created man, and man should not attempt to be his own master. 2. That God made man in his own likeness, righteous and holy. 3. That God created them male and femaile. And 4. That God blessed them with children and posterity.
Chapters Six to Eight discuss the other lines of descendants and many teach that the “sons of God” are the “immediate children of Cain and Seth. They were cursed with a fallen nature to produce degenerate sons of a degenerate father, governed by the desire of the flesh.” (Clarke’s Commentary). Kell and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament goes further saying the “Sons of Man” were either the sons of princes, angels, or godly men. The “daughters of men” were the daughters of people of the lower orders, mankind, or of the Cainites. Some others interpret this to be about angels or demons who came to earth and slept with humans.
The depravity of mankind leads to the great deluge of destruction. Man’s sin is God’s sorrow. God decides that mankind is too degenerate to save, except for Noah and his family. We are all generally familiar with the story of Noah, his ark, the gathering of animals, the great flood, and the waters rising and then receding so the ark comes to rest on mount Ararat. This story is one of faith in God. Noah showed faith and his family was saved.
I’ve always wondered about the flood story. Many ancient civilizations write of a great flood, but geological evidence for a world-wide flood doesn’t exist. I have always leaned towards the “regional” flood that destroyed part of ancient Sumer. The NIV study Bible says:
“Others argue that the deluge was worldwide, partly because of the apparently universal terms of the text- both here and elsewhere. Others argue that nothing in the narrative of chs. 6-9 prevents the flood from being understood as regional-destroying everything in its wake, but of relatively limited scope and universal only from the standpoint of Moses’ geographic knowledge….Since the purpose of the floodwaters was to destroy sinful mankind and since the writer possibly had in mind only the inhabitants of the ancient Near East, the is flood may not have had to be worldwide to destroy them.”
The covenant agreements made between God and Noah set the stage for everything to come. In Chapter 6 verse 18 we see that the “story of Noah’s salvation from the flood illustrates God’s redemption of his children and typified baptism…. God extends his loving concern oto the whole family of righteous Noah- a underscoring the moral and responsible relationship of parents to their children.”
In Chapter 9 verse 5 we see God demanding an accounting for every animal. “God himself is the great defender of human life, which is precious to him because man was created in his image and because man is the earthly representative and focal point of God’s kingdom.”
This also reinforces man’s place in the universe, that we were created to be the caretakers of the earth, the animals, and each other.
The flood story ends with a new covenant promise from God to not destroy the earth again until “his purposes for his creation are fully realized.”
So what have I learned from the flood story.
1. Man’s sin leads to violence and depravity. It is our choice to live separate from God (which is the very definition of sin).
2. That for the personal relationship with God to be meaningful, we must have freewill to choose to follow him or to live in sin.
3. Our duty to be caretakers of the earth. We are definitely not doing a great job at this.
4. The story of the Flood reinforces the fact that God is faithful and that if we choose to follow him, he will see us through the darkest days in our lives to a time of renewal and hope.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Genesis Chapter 4: Cain and Abel
The fourth chapter of Genesis concerns the first male children of Adam and Eve, the first murder, and the first few generations. In verse one, Eve says, “With the help of the Lord, I have produced a man.” This shows that her faith has remained in God and she acknowledges the precious gift of children and gives God the credit for it.
The boys grow to manhood and we can assume they were taught how to worship God as they both made sacrifices to the Lord. It is unknown how ritual sacrifices began, but it was done to atone for their sins. Cain brought the “fruits of the soil” or the Hebrew word minchah. This means an offering of fine flour, with oil, and frankincense. This shows that Cain did not take the sin sacrifice seriously as he brought dead things. Abel brought the best of his flock and offered a blood sacrifice as an offering of atonement. This was a living, blood sacrifice and shows Abel’s faith in God. Cain is angry that his brother’s sacrifice is greater than his own and feel’s resentment against Abel. There is “no spirit of inquiry, self-examination, prayer to God for light, or pardon.” (Barne’s Notes on the Bible)
God then asks Cain, “why are you wroth (angry)?” God did this not out of ignorance, but as a call to repentance. Again this shows God’s Prevenient Grace, as He initiates the contact, not man.
God warns Cain to do what is right and that sin is “crouching at your door.” This is all explained as “Cain’s fault now was not bringing a Sin-offering when his brother brought one, and his neglect and contempt caused his other offering to be rejected. However, God now graciously informs him that, though he had miscarried, his case was not yet desperate, as the means of faith” were still in his power. (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
However, Cain rejected the means of grace and instead led his brother into a field and murdered him. It is interesting that in the original ancient texts there is a mark here indicating more to the story. I researched Jewish Rabbinical theories on Genesis and learned about what is called a Midrash. A midrash is generally defined as a process of interpretation by which Rabbis filled in “gaps” found in the Torah. It is a series of writings and studies that seeks to answer the questions people may have on the why and how of things that occurred in the Torah. I find these to be fascinating as it helps us understand the Jewish thoughts and ideas of the ancient texts and this would be some of the same ways that Jesus would have studied the Torah as a Jewish Rabbi of the times.
The following was written by Rabbi Iscah Waldman, director of education and family programming at Ansche Chesed in New York City and come from the website www.myjewishlearning.com:
If we look beyond Breishit Rabbah, we find many more rabbinic responses to this story. In Midrash Tanhuma, a compilation completed between 300 and 500 years after Breishit Rabbah, another aspect of the reasons for violence between brothers is explored.The Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" and he said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper? (ha-shomer achi anokhi?)" (Genesis 4:9-10)
A parable: To what is this similar? To a thief who stole things in the night and was not caught. In the morning the gatekeeper caught him. He said to the thief, "Why did you steal those things?" He said, "I am a thief and I didn't let down my profession, but you, your profession is to guard the gate, why did you let down your profession? And now you ask me this?"
And this is what Cain said (to God): "I killed him [because] you created in me the evil inclination. But You--You are the keeper (haShomer) of all things, why did you allow me to kill him? You are the one who killed him--You who are called I (Anokhi), for if you had accepted my sacrifice as you did his, I wouldn't have been jealous of him!" (Tanhuma Bereishit).
Here, the biblical retort in which Cain asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?" has been turned on its head. The word in the text is Anokhi, a somewhat uncommon form of the word meaning 'I,' which is, strikingly, also used at the beginning of the 10 commandments, as in, "I am the Lord your God…."
I believe it is supremely important that we study the Old Testament understanding the Jewish teachings and Jewish thought. In my opinion one of the biggest mistakes we make when reading the Old Testament is reading it from a thoroughly western, Latin-Greek thought process and taking each story fully literally as A leads to B leads to C. Some of the stories are historical, some are allegory, some are parables, but all are important to understand the will of God.
God curses Cain and he is forced to leave home and to wander the world. Cain is not sorry and does not repent of the sin of murder, in fact his response shows his pride and unbelief that he had done anything wrong. He blames god, and complains “not about his sin, but of his punishment.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary) Cain is not concerned about his family, but that someone will seek revenge on him for the murder. Again God shows grace and states that anyone who kills Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over.
The rest of the chapter is a quick genealogy of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Lamech, one of Cain’s descendents boasts of killing a man who had injured him. Lamech boasts that if Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then his was seventy-sevenfold. This shows his own pride, and he mocks God! He seems to “abuse the patience of God in sparing Cain” in making others believe that you may sin and go unpunished.
My thoughts:
I am very interested in the Midrash by the early Rabbis and think it is important to understand Jewish thought, traditions, and teachings.
God is always seeking man and His grace is always present, even when we turn against Him.
God Bless
The boys grow to manhood and we can assume they were taught how to worship God as they both made sacrifices to the Lord. It is unknown how ritual sacrifices began, but it was done to atone for their sins. Cain brought the “fruits of the soil” or the Hebrew word minchah. This means an offering of fine flour, with oil, and frankincense. This shows that Cain did not take the sin sacrifice seriously as he brought dead things. Abel brought the best of his flock and offered a blood sacrifice as an offering of atonement. This was a living, blood sacrifice and shows Abel’s faith in God. Cain is angry that his brother’s sacrifice is greater than his own and feel’s resentment against Abel. There is “no spirit of inquiry, self-examination, prayer to God for light, or pardon.” (Barne’s Notes on the Bible)
God then asks Cain, “why are you wroth (angry)?” God did this not out of ignorance, but as a call to repentance. Again this shows God’s Prevenient Grace, as He initiates the contact, not man.
God warns Cain to do what is right and that sin is “crouching at your door.” This is all explained as “Cain’s fault now was not bringing a Sin-offering when his brother brought one, and his neglect and contempt caused his other offering to be rejected. However, God now graciously informs him that, though he had miscarried, his case was not yet desperate, as the means of faith” were still in his power. (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
However, Cain rejected the means of grace and instead led his brother into a field and murdered him. It is interesting that in the original ancient texts there is a mark here indicating more to the story. I researched Jewish Rabbinical theories on Genesis and learned about what is called a Midrash. A midrash is generally defined as a process of interpretation by which Rabbis filled in “gaps” found in the Torah. It is a series of writings and studies that seeks to answer the questions people may have on the why and how of things that occurred in the Torah. I find these to be fascinating as it helps us understand the Jewish thoughts and ideas of the ancient texts and this would be some of the same ways that Jesus would have studied the Torah as a Jewish Rabbi of the times.
The following was written by Rabbi Iscah Waldman, director of education and family programming at Ansche Chesed in New York City and come from the website www.myjewishlearning.com:
If we look beyond Breishit Rabbah, we find many more rabbinic responses to this story. In Midrash Tanhuma, a compilation completed between 300 and 500 years after Breishit Rabbah, another aspect of the reasons for violence between brothers is explored.The Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" and he said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper? (ha-shomer achi anokhi?)" (Genesis 4:9-10)
A parable: To what is this similar? To a thief who stole things in the night and was not caught. In the morning the gatekeeper caught him. He said to the thief, "Why did you steal those things?" He said, "I am a thief and I didn't let down my profession, but you, your profession is to guard the gate, why did you let down your profession? And now you ask me this?"
And this is what Cain said (to God): "I killed him [because] you created in me the evil inclination. But You--You are the keeper (haShomer) of all things, why did you allow me to kill him? You are the one who killed him--You who are called I (Anokhi), for if you had accepted my sacrifice as you did his, I wouldn't have been jealous of him!" (Tanhuma Bereishit).
Here, the biblical retort in which Cain asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?" has been turned on its head. The word in the text is Anokhi, a somewhat uncommon form of the word meaning 'I,' which is, strikingly, also used at the beginning of the 10 commandments, as in, "I am the Lord your God…."
I believe it is supremely important that we study the Old Testament understanding the Jewish teachings and Jewish thought. In my opinion one of the biggest mistakes we make when reading the Old Testament is reading it from a thoroughly western, Latin-Greek thought process and taking each story fully literally as A leads to B leads to C. Some of the stories are historical, some are allegory, some are parables, but all are important to understand the will of God.
God curses Cain and he is forced to leave home and to wander the world. Cain is not sorry and does not repent of the sin of murder, in fact his response shows his pride and unbelief that he had done anything wrong. He blames god, and complains “not about his sin, but of his punishment.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary) Cain is not concerned about his family, but that someone will seek revenge on him for the murder. Again God shows grace and states that anyone who kills Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over.
The rest of the chapter is a quick genealogy of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Lamech, one of Cain’s descendents boasts of killing a man who had injured him. Lamech boasts that if Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then his was seventy-sevenfold. This shows his own pride, and he mocks God! He seems to “abuse the patience of God in sparing Cain” in making others believe that you may sin and go unpunished.
My thoughts:
I am very interested in the Midrash by the early Rabbis and think it is important to understand Jewish thought, traditions, and teachings.
God is always seeking man and His grace is always present, even when we turn against Him.
God Bless
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