by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
We finally come to catch up day! Hopefully, this will bring us up to speed.
Up to Leviticus 16
When we walk into Leviticus cold, it can be very confusing. All the offerings, with such specificity. What’s up?
However, when we look at it through the eyes of the New Testament, things become somewhat clearer. Hebrews says that the Law has the “shadow of the good things to come, and not the image.” These sacrifices were to lead the people to an understanding of the True Sacrifice, which would someday come. If all of this tutelage had not gone before, God’s people would never “get” the sacrifice of Jesus as God’s perfect Lamb.
There are detailed instructions for each offering and sacrifice, but certain requirements are constant. If it’s an animal sacrifice, it is to be perfect. No spot or blemish. It is to be the first born or the finest. All of this points to the perfect Lamb of God, which is to come.
If the offering is grain, there is to be no leaven. In other words, pure, pure, pure! The sacrifices to God were to be the finest, purest, and best. Like Jesus! (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Exodus 14, 15
The Israelites cross the Red Sea in a triumphant way. Just as they approach the sea, Pharoah decides to chase them and take them back to Egypt.
As we will see many times, when things are not looking great, Moses gets the blame. “Why did you bring us out to die?”
Moses remains steadfast in faith, but he gets it wrong in one aspect. He is wanting everyone to stand still and let God “do something.” But God has another plan. He says, “Why are you crying out to Me? Stretch out your rod and go forward.”
Now we have to realize that “forward,” meant walking into a giant sea – they would drown under normal circumstances. But God wanted a demonstration of faith, and He also wanted to show a principle. (more…)
![Read The Bible Through, Day 19]()
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Genesis 46-48
So when Jacob was one hundred thirty years old he went with his wives, children, and all of his possessions to the land of Egypt to begin the second phase of God’s great plan. The first phase, which lasted 200 years or so was the calling of Abraham and grooming him to be the patriarch of this great nation, the calling of Isaac, and the calling of Jacob.
God had spoken to Abraham that his descendants would go into a foreign land and stay there 400 years before they would be delivered by His mighty hand. In the last few chapters we can see clearly how God was working His plan. Now that Joseph was there in charge of distributing the grain, he is in position to appropriate the best land for his family.
Even the customs of Egypt play into God’s hand. The Egyptians are prejudiced against Hebrews – and particularly sheepherders. Since Jacob’s family herd sheep, Pharoah gives them a choice land, Goshen, which is away from most other people. The Hebrews are in position to grow and thrive and bond as a nation.
Jacob’s twelve sons will become the heads of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.
Everything is working according to design.
One more reminder, if you think His plans are taking awhile in your life, just think about these people. Sometimes God seems to take more time than we would like, buttrust Him. He is working out the details.
Matthew 14:1-21
How does Jesus handle grief? We see it in this passage.
John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus and the one who recognized who Jesus was. John was a completely holy man. Yet, just as is the case in our modern society, sometimes people call good “evil” and evil “good.” Because they want to live in debauchery, they blame those who are upholding God’s principles. So Herodias, Herod’s wife, acts toward John.
When Herod has John beheaded, Jesus is notified. So what does He do? He runs to His Father. The Word says that He goes off by Himself to a deserted place so that He can pray and seek God.
There have been times in my life when grief seemed to be overwhelming me. So I know personally how significant these actions are. When we run to our Father and let Him minister to us, He lifts us up in a way that seems impossible. Everything gets put into perspective.
We are in this thing called “life” forever. Part of it here on earth, but most of it in Heaven. When we focus on eternity, we are ready to live with zeal in the here-and-now. It will all turn out alright in the end for those who are His.
Then after going away, Jesus sees the crowd and His compassion leads Him to heal and minister to them. One of His many miracles is performed at this time. He feeds a crowd of five thousand men, plus women, and children by breaking up five loaves and two fish.
His pay back to the devil for John’s death is to heal the sick and perform miracles so that the crowds can see the One true God. There is no mistaking the fact that Jesus is representing God as He ministers to the sick and feeds the multitudes.
One more note. Do you sometimes feel that you want to share your love of God and His Word with others, but feel inadequate to do so? Don’t let those feelings stop you. When you begin to break the bread that you have, it will begin to multiply, just as this natural bread did with Jesus. God doesn’t give us a huge pile of understanding until we are ready to give it out.
When we give what we have, more will be given to us. When we share what we know, even if we think it is a little, we will receive more. That’s God’s way. Give and it shall be given unto you!
Blessings,
Suellen Estes
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Genesis 39-40
I have probably heard more sermons about Joseph than any other Old Testament figure. His story can only bring hope to any who are believing God for great things, and having to wait awhile before they come to pass. There are many lessons we could learn from Joseph.
The dreams he had from God showed his brothers – and even his parents – bowing before him. Yet almost immediately, it seems, his life takes a turn south. First his brothers sell him into slavery. And then, if that isn’t bad enough, Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses him, and he lands in prison.
Would you have given up? Would you have said by that time, “I guess those dreams weren’t from God?” Would you have been mad at God for allowing those incidents to take place? Many people would have done all those things after going through Joseph’s experiences.
Not Joseph! He obviously remains faithful to God and trusting in His mercy. There is no account of Joseph feeling sorry for himself. Instead, everywhere he is placed, God’s favor is upon him. That favor blesses every place he goes, and causes him to be promoted to the top job.
God had a big plan, and Joseph was to be part of it. The devil stirred up the brothers and he stirred up Potiphar’s wife, not knowing that everything he did to hurt Joseph ended up being for his good.
Psalm 105:19 says about Joseph, “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.”
Anytime there is a word from God, the enemy tries to steal it. So Joseph gets tested by the word. Yet the devil is constantly playing into God’s hands.
In fact, God wanted Abraham’s family to become cohesive as a nation, so His plan is to take them to a place where they can grow in unity. The devil does that for Him. Then we know that Joseph is to become a ruler in Egypt, but he needs administrative training first. So the devil provides that also. He learns to administrate in Potiphar’s house and in the prison. He also needs to understand the customs of egypt. What better place to learn those than in a house of a high official? Done!
This should be a lesson for our lives. We may have heard from God about some tremendous things He wants to accomplish, yet all we see is doom and gloom. Look around and you might see some attributes you are developing in the meantime. (If nothing else, you might be gaining some humility)! If we stay faithful to Him, we will see His promises fulfilled.
It’s obvious that Joseph remains full of faith. At the very end of these adversities, as he is interpreting dreams, he gives God all of the credit.
He’s ready now for the really big promotion. Are you?
Matthew 12:22-50
Jesus is having to get tough with these Pharisees. Their hearts are very hard – like rock. So He’s having to do what Jeremiah talks about. He’s having to use a Word which will break a rock in pieces.
These leaders want the status quo to continue. They’re enjoying their roles as “big shots,” and they don’t want to be pushed out of their place by this “new doctrine.”
Jesus doesn’t give them what they want; He gives them what they need. If there is any hope for these guys, it’s going to be contained in a hard-heart-breaking word. It’s His love which provides them with that Word. Tough love. Hopefully some of them are listening.
In verses 33-37, Jesus gets back to words again. He takes it deeper than we have heard so far. He says that “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure, brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil.” So we see that the way to change the words is to change the heart. We have to keep our hearts pure to do this thing right.
Then he goes on to say that “By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” And that even “idle words” count!
When we first learn about the significance of words, it’s easy to think that we can make “official statements” that count and then blast off in “off the record” statements which don’t count. But Jesus says that it all counts. Even idle words. We have to guard our tongues.
Yikes! You mean that all of that grumbling I’ve been doing when by myself and to my family counts? Yes, it counts!
If we want to live our lives for God with the greatest potential possible, we are going to have to guard our tongues. It’s a necessary part of God’s plan.
Words are powerful, and we need to use them wisely.
Blessings,
Suellen Estes
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I hope you are enjoying your reading as much as I am. The Bible is so amazing. Even stories you have read many times, take on new meaning every time you read them.
Genesis 25-28
Sarah and then Abraham have died, and we move to the next generation. Isaac, the son of promise is now the patriarch, the inheritor of the mission from God. His life is not quite as eventful as Abraham’s, but we see some similarities.
Once again we encounter a barren wife. Isaac’s wife could bear no children until Isaac prays and God answers. Then she becomes pregnant with twins – Esau and Jacob. God prophesies over Rebekah that there are two nations in her womb and that the older will serve the younger.
As we continue through the story of Esau and Jacob, be sure you have your spiritual eyes open. Throughout the rest of the Bible, Esau and Jacob will be referred to many times, and its clear that Esau, the first born, represents the “flesh” of man and that Jacob represents the “spirit.” The older will serve the younger. First the natural man, and then the born-again man.
Esau is impulsive and just lives day to day, with his appetites unbridled. You can see this in the fact that when he is hungry, he is willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew. Here he is, the grandson of Abraham, and in line to be God’s heir, but his inheritance from God is not worth any more than a bowl of stew. Obviously, he discredits himself from being the disciplined heir God needs to lead this family into His powerful plan.
Now Jacob, representing the spirit, not only honors the birthright, he has a great desire for it. The deceit he shows is not spiritual, but Esau has given his birthright away and Jacob takes him at his word.
Now once again we see the importance of words. When Isaac speaks his blessing over Jacob, it cannot be taken back. Those words of blessing are recorded for eternity.
If we could ever realize the significance of our words and of our blessings upon our children, we would be very careful about what we say, and we would have faith in the power of our words.
Words are incredibly powerful. They are able to change our lives and to change the lives of our children.
We leave these chapters with Jacob having to escape from the wrath of his brother. Rebekah has him sent to her old home country so that he can find a wife.
One more really significant thing happens as Jacob takes a rest on his journey. He falls asleep and dreams of a ladder into heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. God speaks to him, confirming the covenant which He made with Abraham. Isaac’s descendants will be mighty and will come back to inherit this land.
Then Isaac says, “Surely the Lord is in this place…How awesome is this place. This is the house of God and the Gate of Heaven.” In John 1:51, you will see Jesus speak of the same thing. He says, “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.”
Jacob calls the place Bethel, which means the “House of God.”
Jacob and Jesus are both referring to the church of God. (The House of God and the Gate into Heaven).
When God’s church is working properly, it is like a ladder into Heaven – an outpost of Heaven, where God’s will can be accomplished in the earth. The people there will agree that they want God’s will done – and not their own. They won’t be selling their birthright for a bowl of stew, but they will be honoring their birthright and fulfilling their mission.
It is my desire for our church to be like a Heavenly Embassy, where the laws of Heaven apply. The atmosphere will be like the atmosphere of Heaven. God’s plan can be accomplished from there, because we will represent God and not ourselves. Angels will be ascending and descending into the earth from that spot, doing God’s bidding.
We will truly be ambassadors for Christ.
I know that’s what you want also.
Matthew 9
We see Jesus continuing His earthly ministry as He goes about “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Verse 35). Notice it says “every sickness and every disease.” Jesus denies no one who comes to Him.
He is demonstrating God’s kingdom and God’s will: for all to be healed and all to be set free.
Years ago, when I came back to the Lord, after a foolish stray into that “other world,” I saw these scriptures with fresh eyes. I hope that you do the same.
People who don’t read the Bible, but think they know what it says, will talk about the limited nature of the Christian experience. But when you read the original and see for yourself, you find that it’s better than they have been talking about.
Again and again, we see Jesus answering people on the level of their faith. The faith that caused Abraham to be chosen of God is the faith that these people demonstrate when they come to Him for healing.
Jesus “sees” the faith of those who bring the paralytic, and we see the faith of the woman with the issue of blood.
In verses 15-17, Jesus speaks of a “new wineskin.” “No one puts new wine into an old wineskin.” He is talking about the new birth. There is a new covenant He is bringing – a true entrance into the Kingdom of God on the earth. Only those who will allow themselves to have a “New wineskin,” or “New birth,” will be able to partake of this Kingdom.
This is bigger than our human minds can understand. I pray that your and my spiritual eyes will be opened to see and understand what Jesus is talking about. There is a power in this new Kingdom!
Blessings,
Suellen Estes
Bird photo taken by Mickey Estes http:www.mickeyestes.com
We finally come to catch up day! Hopefully, this will bring us up to speed.
