Tuesday: From Abraham to Moses
After the Flood, it was the responsibility of Noah and his sons to share God’s will with their descendants. Noah’s family knew that global destruction had come to the world as a result of humanity’s refusal to obey God’s law and, having experienced God’s grace, they could do something to help develop a more faithful generation. Unfortunately, not too long after the Flood, the inhabitants of the earth again rebelled (Gen. 11:1-9). Many of them denied the existence of God and attributed the Flood to the operation of natural causes. Others believed in a Supreme Being, and that it was He who had destroyed the antediluvian world; and their hearts, like that of Cain, rose up in rebellion against Him.-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 119.
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
What do Genesis 12 and Genesis 15:1-6 tell us, as well, about how law and grace work together?
God called Abraham, a descendant of Shem, and made a covenant of blessing with him (Gen. 12:1-3). The Bible gives no criteria for God’s call of Abraham. He does not appear to have had the righteous profile of Noah. In fact, soon after the call he proved himself to be cowardly and deceptive (Gen. 12:11-13), violating God’s law. Nevertheless, Abraham was a man of true faith, and by God’s grace this faith was credited to him as righteousness. Although he was not perfect, he was willing to listen to the voice of God, even if it meant trusting God for things that seem all but impossible from a human standpoint.
Abraham was not alone among those who were willing to listen to God’s voice and obey His commandments. Pharaoh, the two Abimelechs, and Joseph were well aware that God did not approve of adultery and lying. The second Abimelech even rebuked Isaac for exposing Abimelech’s people to temptation (Gen. 26:10). Although God had chosen Abraham for a specific task, there were people in many different nations who feared Him. In fact, after Abraham and his military alliance had defeated Chedorlaomer and his coalition, Abraham was blessed by King Melchizedek, who was a priest of the Most High God (Gen. 14:18, TEV). This is more evidence that knowledge of God existed in the world at that time, even before the work and ministry of Moses.
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God's law, has been the foundation of righteousness, and will ever be through the ceaseless ages of eternity. Psalm 119:142 declares ''Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is truth''.
The lesson today shows God's grace in action. Abram did not trust God to take care of him while in Egypt. How often we as humans do not trust God to carry us through our difficulties, but God, despite our lack of trust, never leaves us or forsakes us. He provides a way of escape for us.
I am looking at Abram entering into Egypt. Abram name, nor the person was not changed at that time. He was still 'young' in the faith. So I also see many of us. Abram was looking only at himself and preserving his life. Abram, despite he knew what was right he told his wife to lie. He thought the nation being a heathen nation that God was not working with them to do his will. Many times people sin to make things better (so we thought). But let us remember God is working with his people as well as the heathen to do and finish his work. Let us not do God's ordained work for him. He will work it out for us despite how we might not able to see how possible it can be. Let us hold on to His words which cannot change. Abram did not see if he told the truth, his life would be saved from such a heathen king, but that was by divine providence, he was guided into Egypt, and the same hands will keep him will keep us when we are guided in our everyday journey.
The whole essence of Christ and the Law a is what is written in math.5:14 "ye are the light of the world a for city set on hill cannot be hid. Just as God has always had children in every generation and history to reach out to the world on His behalf,we are to participate in proclaming the Three angels message to the people of 21st century in God's behalf.
Nwachukwu, to me it is more instructive if we combine Mat 5:14 with the other two verses associated with it and consider the instruction given in all three:
Verse 14 says that we are witnesses whether we want to be or not. The difference has to do with what we are witnesses to. We can be witnessing either for God or for the devil as Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Mat 12:30 NKJV). In other words, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other” (Mat 6:24 NKJV).
Verse 15 simply states that our light is not to be forcibly hidden, indeed for the Christian that is something that cannot be. When the Holy Spirit is involved we become like Jeremiah, “Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not” (Jer 20:9 NKJV). Or like Balaam who though he could profit from cursing Israel and ended up only blessing them instead (Num 22-24).
Verse 16 starts out in the Greek with an adverb that literally rendered means, “in this manner, thus, so” as many translations put it. The witnessing that we do is not done on our own; it comes by way of the Holy Spirit who is the one who convicts. There is a fine line between being a real witness for God and being an irritating nuisance. The word “let” is a big word in this verse.
In other words we are not to put up road blocks to the path of the Holy Spirit; neither are we to grab the reins of control in an effort to do it ourselves. Witnessing is a cooperative effort if it is to be done right at all. God is the head and the leader of the body and were are its members under His guidance.