Category: Bible

In Genesis 47 Jacob and his descendants arrived in Egypt and he meets Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is. Jacob replies that he is 130 and those years have been “few” and not as many as his forebears had. Pharaoh didn’t respond with don’t be ridiculous or nobody lives that long or anything like that. That implies that Pharaoh knew that at least some people lived what we now consider impossibly long lives.

If you reject the clear teaching of the Bible in Genesis chapters 1-11 then you need to also reject many other parts of the Bible. The question for you is – do you believe what the whole Bible teaches or not?

Elders – the only leadership described in the New Testament for the church. Shepherding, leading the way and teaching are three of the key roles.

There is so much teaching on elders in the Bible. 1 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 5, Titus 1, Acts 20, 1 Peter 5, Hebrews 13 are some.

The gospel of John tells us that Mary Magdelene met Jesus outside the tomb on the Sunday morning after His resurrection. She intially thought he was the gardener. When she realised who it was Jesus said don’t touch me because I have not ascended yet. Matthew’s gospel says that as the women ran away from the empty tomb (it seems that Mary M stayed at the tomb while the other women ran to tell the disciples Jesus had risen) Jesus appeared to them also. This time when they grabbed His feet He did not tell them not to touch. So in just those few minutes He must have ascended and come back from heaven again. Ephesians 4 says that when Jesus ascended he took with him the Old Testament believers who had been waiting all that time in the Paradise side of Hades (the place of the dead).

What good news for the world Jesus’ ascension is. Jesus presented the perfect offering of His own blood in the heavenly Holy of holies, thereby making it possible for us to have a relationship with God, if only we accept His offer of forgiveness and let him be Lord and boss of our lives.

Mark 5:34, woman healed of bleeding, Jesus said, your faith has made you well.

Matthew 15:28, demon-possessed daughter of a woman healed by Jesus, who said, your faith is great.

Romans 4:3 quoting Genesis, Abraham believed God (faith) and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Notice a theme? It has always been about faith, ie trusting God.

Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God. Never about doing good things to make yourself acceptable to God, you can’t do it.

Another example of the peril of thinking you can follow God on your own terms.

On the 14th day of the first month the Jews were to celebrate Passover, according to its statues and ordinances. Some people were ceremonially unclean because they’d had contact with a dead person so asked Moses what to do—why should they miss out (because of something that was probably outside their control)? Moses took the issue to God v8 and God clarified what to do v9-12. God said  if anyone was unclean because of a dead person or was travelling far from home they could celebrate the Passover in the 2nd month instead of the 1st month, but still according to its statues and ordinances. God added, but if anyone was clean and not travelling and didn’t observe the Passover they were to be cut off from their people. I’m not exactly sure what that meant but it was bad. That man would “bear his sin” v13. A dire warning for anyone who thinks they can ignore what God says and do what they like.

Moses asked God for clarification. For sure it wasn’t that God forgot this situation and had to make up a new law. It reminds me of Numbers 27. Some sisters came to Moses and the other leaders. Their dad had no sons and they thought it would be unfair for their dad’s inheritance to be lost because of that. Moses went to God v5. v7 God said the girls were right, and explained more laws for inheritance in the case of a man having no sons. Why did these clarification of laws happen this way? I don’t know. But God shows His justice and holiness in His interactions with us.

He is not a distant unknowable supreme being. He is a personal God who loves to relate to us.

But on His terms.

If you want to find out how to have a relationship with God contact us.

Deuteronomy 31:10-13

Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of the release of debts, at the Feast of Booths,¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel ^[b]so that they hear it.¹² Assemble the people, the men, the women, the children, and the stranger who is in your ^[c]town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to ^[d]follow all the words of this Law.¹³ And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land ^[e]which you are about to cross the Jordan to ^[f]possess.”

Every 7 years all the jewish people including the kids were to gather in Jerusalem, and the leaders were to read the whole of the Law so everyone could hear it. Why? So they could hear and learn and fear God and obey the Law.

This is in addition to the command in Deut 6:6-9 (repeated in Deut 11)

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.⁷ And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.⁸ You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead.⁹ You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

All the parents were to diligently teach the Law to their kids, all the time—when they were sitting, as they walked, when they lay down, when they got up. They could even write them on the doorposts.

God wanted every family to have His Word in the forefront of their family life. He wanted the whole nation to have His Word in central focus.

In Deut 32 after Moses gave out his song he said (v46-47)

“Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command your sons tofollow carefully, all the words of this Law.⁴⁷ For it is not a trivial matter for you; indeed it is your life.

It is your life! God’s Word was not to be a trivial matter for them—it was their life.

Is God’s Word just a trivial matter for you? Let’s encourage each other to spend time daily reading the Bible and thinking about it and talking about it:

• hear
• learn
• fear God
• obey His Word