Genesis 15:6

And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 NKJV)

Abraham was called righteous by God. What made him righteous? He believed God. Do you believe that God will extend you he same qualification? What else have you to give Him?

Genesis 14:18-20

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV)

Melchizedek means King of Righteousness. Some people think he is Jesus since He is both a king and priest, because of the meaning of the name and the mention that he is the king of Salem, which means peace. Some people think that Salem is the old name for Jerusalem and this is their king, and at this time, they followed The Lord. I don't know for sure, but what we can learn from the passage is that Melchizedek had a relationship with God and blessed on His behalf and accepted a tithe on His behalf. Hebrews 7 talks about how Melchizedek proves that there is a priesthood higher than the levitical priesthood. If it is Jesus, then He blessed Abram after his victory. If it isn't Jesus, Abram was still blessed through this man by God. What really is important is the relationship. Do you have one?

Genesis 14:12

And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. (Genesis 14:12 KJV)

Lot had previously chosen to go live where life was easy. At first, he set up his tent in the plans of Sodom and now we see that he dwelt in Sodom. This was not Lot's battle, but it affected him nonetheless. He was taken captive because of his association with Sodom. Sometimes, we may not be doing things wrong, but because a friend does something wrong, we suffer too. When we are younger, our parents try to help us choose friends. They want friends for us that won't get in trouble and that will make good decisions. As we get older, the importance of good friends is still there, but it's more on us. Who do you choose to be friends with? Are they Godly, or worldly? What does the Bible say about being friends with the world?

Genesis 13:17

Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” (Genesis 13:17 NKJV)

God made Abraham a promise. He told him that He would give him a great nation and the land as well. Then He gave him a commandment. Walk. God gives us promises. He also gives us commandments. And usually, they are to walk. What has God promised you? What has He commanded you?

Genesis 12:3

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3 NKJV)

Who is God speaking to? Abraham. Who is Abraham the father of? Israel. (The Jews) who is God going to bless? People who bless the Jews. Do you bless the Jews?

Genesis 11:6

And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. (Genesis 11:6 NKJV)

Got implies that with one language in one speech, men can do anything. Including building a tower up to heaven. I wonder what would've happened if God did not confuse their speech. Would they have finished their tower to heaven? Obviously, that means something that we don't understand. What's the big deal in building a big tower? The men feared that they would be scattered across the earth. He tower was to unite them. Unite them against God, perhaps? When there's something we do not understand, we must trust God. He knows what he's doing. He knows the end from the beginning. What is it that you don't understand about your life that you need to trust God?

Genesis 9:29

So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. (Genesis 9:29 NKJV)

I did the math, and Noah was alive to see the days of Abram. That means that he witnessed the Tower of Babel and was still alive when Abram was called out of his country. How sad it must've been to see God destroy the world because of the wickedness that was in it and to see the wickedness come up again and your children's children's children. So much so that God disperses them throughout the world. It's hard to see how, in his remaining days, that he wouldn't have quite a few questions for God. But he had the promise of the rainbow. That must have given him comfort. As you look at the world around you, and especially our country, it's difficult to see how things are going to get better. What promise do you have to hold onto?

Genesis 9:16

The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16 NKJV)

When you see a rainbow, do you think of the Bible story? God does. The rainbow is God's promise that He will never wipe out all of life with a flood again because of their sin. This is our second chance. We've already messed up once. The rainbow is an everlasting sign of God's mercy. When you see a rainbow, thank God.

Genesis 9:5

Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. (Genesis 9:5 NKJV)

God demands a reckoning of Noah. So far, Noah has not been described in a wicked way. H is found righteous and faithful, so why demand a reckoning? Noah is from the linage of Adam and is born a sinner. Now Noah sacrificed the clean animals to God, which means thar he was aware of what God wanted, and acted in that knowledge. But we don't have to sacrifice animals because Jesus is that reckoning that god demanded. His blood was spilled for us. We are righteous because we know that He died for us and accept His lifeblood on our behalf.

Genesis 7:2

You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; (Genesis 7:2 NKJV)

Noah had to take with him on the ark every clean animal. That means, that there were clean and unclean animals before Abraham. It's possible, that God had a whole set of rules for Noah and his generation that we do not have recorded in Scripture. And when God said they were guilty, they were guilty of breaking the law. We have a different law. We live under the law of Grace. Grace is getting what you do not deserve. Which means to receive grace, we have to realize that we don't deserve it. What do you have in your life that you don't deserve?

Genesis 6:22

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. (Genesis 6:22 NKJV)

Noah did what God said. He didn't know what rain was, but he trusted God. His faith wasn't just that God exists, or a philosophical belief, but his faith motivated him for action, and that saved him. What kind of faith do you have? Does it motivate you to action? What kind of action?

Genesis 6:8

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord . (Genesis 6:8 NKJV)

What did Noah do? How did he find grace in the eyes of The Lord? All we know about Noah so far is who his father's name is and who his kids are and how old he was when he had the kids. But in Hebrews 11:7, Noah was reported to have moved with a Godly fear and he obeyed God when told to build the ark. I wonder if God told anyone else to build a boat, and they didn't obey. I wonder if anyone else was listening to God, so God could tell them to build the boat, but they weren't listening. Grace, by definition, is not earned. It is given. No received it. Since God knows the future, perhaps the only explanation is that God knew that Noah would receive his grace. He would be the only one. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God saved him. Have you found grace in the eyes of the Lord? Has God saved you?

Genesis 6:5

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 NKJV)

Can God see into the hearts of men? Can He see the future? Some people argue that God killed innocent women and children in the flood. The Bible says that their hearts were evil continually. Was God heartless? Absolutely not. He waits to destroy until their sin is complete. The old King James translates the word thoughts as every imagination. The word can also be translated as graven image. The idea is that God saw that their boughs were wicked all the time and there was no chance of turning.

Genesis 4:7

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7 NKJV)

God is talking to Cain at this point, but His point stretches to us through time. We have the choice. We can do well, or to not do well. If we do well, we are accepted. If not, we are one step away from being ruled over. Are you doing well? Does anything rule over you? When did it start? What was the decision you made that gave yourself over to sin? Do you know that Jesus can save you from your sin?

Genesis 3:21

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 NKJV)

Notice that God made them tunics of skin and clothed them. That means something had to die to provide for them. Jesus died to provide for you. Even after they sin, God is taking care of them. Do you think He takes care of you? How about when you sin. Does He still watch over and provides?

Genesis 3:12

Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12 NKJV)

After having sinned, and being confronted by God, Adam places the blame for sin in two places: on Eve, and on God. He doesn't own up and just say that he sinned. It is our nature to not want to get in trouble, and when we are, when we are, we try to weasel out of it. Anyone who has been around kids knows what I'm talking about. They are just like little sinning adults, just not so good at lying about it... But they're learning fast. Do you place blame for your sin? Who was the last person you tried to blame? Did it work? (Note: you can't fool God)

Genesis 3:6

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 NKJV)

The fruit was pleasant, but what did the woman have in her already? Desire for wisdom. Now did she have desire for wisdom before or after the fall? Before. That means that the desire for wisdom isn't a bad thing.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:14, 15 NKJV)

Desire is okay by itself, but coupled with enticement brings about sin. What do you have a desire for? Is it from The Lord? How is your flesh, or how can your flesh entice you to sin using that desire? Part of avoiding traps is to know what to look for.

Genesis 2:24

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 NKJV)

Now when first reading this, I thought it strange that this verse was here since Adam didn't have a mother and God was his Father, but then I remembered that these started out as oral traditions before Moses wrote them down and lessons make their way into the stories. That doesn't make them any less true, but it gives us so much to think about. Do you know why, when people get married, they move out? It's because of how God designed marriage. They are to be joined together and separated from their parents. Now it doesn't say, when they turn 18, or when they get a job. I think society today puts too much emphasis on being independent. When do you think the average person should move out and why? Keep in mind yesterday's verse.

Genesis 2:18

And the Lord God said, “ It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18 NKJV)

This is the first reference in the Bible to something being not good. Everything else the Lord made was good. But when God made man, he was alone and it was not good. This was before the fall. God's solution was to make a helper. Man needs fellowship. Are you in fellowship?

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)

Everything else God made, He spoke into existence. But man, God formed out of dust. And man existed but was not alive until God breathed into his nostrils. This sets man apart from the rest of creation. Man is special. So how does God relate man to the other creations such as animals and plants? Even though we have dominion over them, and a responsibility to protect and nurture them, should we really make environmental causes a priority?

Genesis 2:3

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:3 NKJV)

On the sixth day, God made man and woman. On the seventh day he rested. That means on man's first day, God rested. Do you take time to rest with God? It's easy to get busy with our lives, but if God, who could do everything at once, rested to be with man, shouldn't we, who can't do everything at once, take time to spend with God? Even Jesus, who is himself God, took time, sometimes all night, to pray. If there's anyone that doesn't need to pray, it's Jesus. Jesus prayed, so should we.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

Notice that God says that He made man in His own image, in His likeness; and then proceeds to pronounce the dominion that man shall have. If man is made like God, and man has dominion over all the animals, then that means that God does too. Is there anything that God doesn't have dominion over? Does He have dominion over you?

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)

We see that the earth did not just came about, God made it. If God made it, then He can do anything He wants (including miracles). Do you believe that God can do whatever He wants?

New direction for this blog

From now on, this blog will be used for expounding on the daily bible verse.