HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ONE AND ALL!!!
Summary of passage: The Lord told Abram He was giving him and his offspring all the land Abram could see forever. God will make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust on the earth. God told Abram to walk his land. So Abram moved his tents and settled near Hebron where he built an altar to the Lord.
Questions:
11a) Read this question carefully. According to Webster’s Dictionary, appropriate by definition means “to take exclusive possession of, annex; to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use; to take or make use of without authority or right.”
In this passage, God requires Abram to go and walk through the length and breadth of the land in order to appreciate God’s gift and to realize the immensity of God’s gift and promises. God wants Abram to embrace His gifts and promises, to take possession of them like you would a home you just bought, and to make use of them. God is granting Abram the right to make use of the land and His promises even though Abram has no right to it. Make sense?
For us, figuratively, God wants us to explore his land, which is His word today, and embrace His promises–by FAITH.
b) God promises us the world as long as we follow Him and we do not turn away from his law. God gives Joshua the Promised land and tells him no one will be able to stand against him and He will never forsake him. Success depends on obeying the law. God will be with you wherever you go.
12) Romans 14:10-12: Because our actions could affect others coming to Christ. Paul says to stop passing judgment on others for we will all give an account to God for our actions. Verse 13 is the crux: “not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10: We must make it our goal to please God for we will all be judged and we will receive what is due us for the things done in the body while her on earth.
1 John 2:28: We must continue in him (obey his commands) so that we may be confident and unashamed for our actions when Christ comes again.
Conclusions: The verses in questions 12 I think emphasize the “me”. I emphasized how it affects others. True, we must please God and do what is right because we will be judged and our rewards in heaven is determined by our deeds here on earth. But more importantly is how once you are a Christian people look at you differently. You represent Christ here on earth and we must be especially careful because others are watching and what we say and do could determine whether or not they come to him or not.
My soul is saved. Saving others souls’ should be the priority. And that I believe will earn you greater rewards than just being good. For their is no nobler a cause. And naturally, through the goal of saving others, flows forth righteousness, love, and compassion–eternal rewards–God will give.
End Note: Be careful of the verb appropriate here. It’s got a tricky definition and I don’t think it means God doesn’t have the right to give the land. For on earth it can mean taking someone’s property without permission. Since it is all God’s He can do whatever He wants. Still, the verb is not sitting well with me in this instance for it does have a negative connotation. And nothing God does is.
Man seems to think it’s all “mine”. Look at the Middle East right now. Fighting again over the land–a gift from God. Man has forgotten it is all God’s.
I think one of the biggest criticisms unbelievers say about God is this: that He just forced the people already living in the Promised Land out and took it from them. Unbelievers just don’t grasp the truth it was and is God’s to begin with and He can do whatever He wants.
Therefore, appropriate is a word man uses when someone takes land. But here, I believe, it’s land for God’s purposes to be achieved. Only man can twist the meaning.
Day 6, Question 13: I normally don’t answer or post these but I couldn’t resist this one. I was just on a BLOG where there were insanely beautiful pictures of bighorn sheep. These creatures were magnificent, God’s creations, the epitome of beauty.
I think God’s order to walk the land is an order to appreciate the beauty and the miraculousness of life on earth–the only planet in our galaxy where life exists. To truly understand God’s gift, Abram needed to see the entire land He had promised him.
We can “walk the land” in the same way. Literally would be nice but in this day and age we don’t have to. You can see the images others take and stand in awe of Him–like I was with these photos.
I would encourage you to appreciate God’s beauty around us. For in all His Creations, is Him. And we will get to know God the more we get to know His creations–the animals, plants, seas, mountains, and man–the more we embrace His Creations, the more we “take possession of” His Creations. This is my prayer.