Rivers of Living Water...

I have decided that instead of simply deleting this blog for the lack of time, I would simply review what I read on a daily basis as it relates to whatever books I am reading. It is simply easier for me to do. With that said I will type the notes in I had from today...

Ruth

I started reading the book of Ruth again for the umpteenth time. It always amazes me how you can read something over and over and get something new all the time. But this time I realized that Ruth had simply made a decision about her situation. She was a poor widow that was at the mercy of family members and in-laws no less. I think I always read it as if Naomi was responsible for her picking Boaz. But not so. She decided that what she came from was not enough to go back to. She wanted something different and was willing rather to die than to settle back at her home as Orpah decided to do. **Reminds me of some advice an older lady gave me--she said never leave a place until you are fed up, otherwise you'll return back to it and start the whole process of being tired again. Only this time it will be worse because you had left and now you are right back where you left from. Needless to say I left that job and I have no desire to go back. ***Orpah on the other hand wasn't ready to part ways with Moab. Ruth was willing to forsake all to go forward.

During this section of history women were really dependent on their husbands for their support. Josephus records that Elimelech, Naomis husband had traveled to Moab to escape famine and prospered there. You know he must have done well for himself because they decided to stay and raise their sons there. I find it interesting that he chose Moab because these are people that would not let the the children of Israel pass through their land and not only that but they had been held captive to Moab for 18 years prior to that in history(Jud 3:14) Though Elimelech dies Naomi, her sons and their wives remained in the land for 10 more years until the sons died. Obviously by that time the money was gone because Naomi makes the decision to go home and depend on family to help her in her time of need. Whatever she had it must have been little. Just enough to get home to Bethlehem-Judah. She was honest about being bitter and coming back empty.

Now Ruth decided to seek out the kinsmen that Naomi mentions on their way back there. She picks one of his fields to work in and works hard. That causes her to be noticed by Boaz. She was willing to do what it took to get what she needed. She just like Abigail in later chapters was willing to humble herself to capture a man that was capable of pulling her ahead from poverty and misery. But she was certain of who she wanted. She could have found any man there. There certainly was no shortage. Interesting...All it takes is some faith and favor to go from broke to rich. He could have had any woman he wanted. After all he certainly did not have to marry her. By law there was someoone closer to her that should have taken her as a second wife. Favor from G-d and a man with the wisdom of G-d are an unbeatable pair.


To wrap this up, I submit to you that this book reminds me of the kingdom in general. You literally have to fed up with your existence to seek the refuge of G-d and his kingdom. If not, like Orpah, you'll simply returned to the thing you should be fleeing from. Things that have not prospered you in any way.

You have to forsake all to serve him. Choose him over all others. Seek him out. Humble yourself to receive him. Position yourself by operating as he instructs to prosper. And know that your connection to him causes you to written (and remembered) in the book of life.

Be blessed.
Chosen.

Posted by Chosen at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

We follow up this week with the next 6 chapters (as saturday is given as a day off to engross oursleves in other chapters or study). I'll post the first day either today or tomorrow as time permits. I am having to revamp an entire book and it's very time consuming. But I want it to right before the publisher receives it. And it has to be complete before the end of the month.

Be Blessed.
Chosen.

Posted by Chosen at 5:37 AM | Permalink | Comments

I really like when we start to get into the heart of Genesis.

Now the genealogy confirms that Adam and his wife were called by one name. This created marriage is what the basis of soul-mate marriage is all about. In the world it is perverted because they say you can have more than one soul mate--how is that possible? Adam only had eve.

Anyway, if you notice the record also states that Seth was after Adams likeness, and if you look into the other genealogies Cain and Abel are not listed. Why? Historically it is believed that they were both the seed of fallen angels. We do know that is true because G-d has sense enough not to omit them for any other reason. They were not from G-d as Eve believed. Thats also why she said she had gotten them from G-d because they were not from Adam. They were separated for over a hundred years. When it says that he knew her again, it lets us know that they had abstained during that peiod of time. Trust had been broken. It took that time foir them to restore fellowship. After all Adam had only G-d before Eve came. Scripture also says that Cain was from the Evil one(1 John 3:12).

Now Enoch had Methuselahleh-v 21 who was the time clock to when the flood would occur. This child changed the relationship that he had with G-d-v22. I find that to be exceedingly powerful.
Walking with G-d is a whole other category of relationship with the father.

When the fallen angels began to take wives to pollute the earth with corrupted seed, wickedness reigned to an even greater degree because it increased the wickedness already in the flesh caused by the sin of Adam.

V7 Imagine G-d being so upset that he decided that it would have been better that he had not even created man.

Its amazing to me what we are capable of with the anointing of G-d upon us. Noah was a farmer, not an architect yet he was able to build an ark to the exact specifications that G-d gave him.

Taking two of every animal and creeping was powerful because that also meant that the ark would have had to have enough space for reproduction. Animals have babies quicker than people so the space on the ark would have had to compensate for that.

The other thing is that there were no boats at this time so you have to know that people made fun of him for building such at thing telling them that he was going to use it for rain which had also occurredured yet. There was only a mist coming up from the earth at that time.

The things that G-d often asks us to do cause shame and humiliation because it empties us of ourselves but obedience is far more rewarding than that minor shame we feel. We have to learn to respond to him at all times like children so that we never fail to reap the greater benefit of his blessings. If Nhadd've questioned G-d or not followed the instructions due to unbelief he too would have perished. This is why he found favor with G-d. He was silly enough to question whether G-d was really able to do as he said. He learned to be dependent on him.

This required unshakable faith in father. It also required a great relationship with him. You would have had to know that it was truly the father speaking to you to even enter into the work that was great an unheard of during such a time. The ark is symbolic of the life that G-d desires that we build through him, believing in him to cause the increase of the work of our hands through obedience to his voice that causes us to survive whatever obstacles we face, all the time knowing that he is able to keep us in his care and protection. We have to know that no matter what he will always make a way of escaNot NOt only for us but for our family as well.

Posted by Chosen at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Genesis chapter 4

V4-5 Cain’s offering was not accepted because he failed to give what G-d wanted him to give.
G-d desired first fruits and of the fat (or the abundance). Cain gave only what he felt he should give.

So he first was angry, then he killed and then he lied. One sin moves us to a greater sin.
Sin has to be mastered in the form of repentance. That’s the only way to overcome it.

V16 When Cain is driven from the presence of G-d it is just as when the devil was sent from the presence of G-d. He became a fugitive in the earth. Even Cain is given a specific place to dwell. Even evil is confined to a specific area. G-d planned a place for that too.

V19 Cain’s son Lamech decided to take more than one wife. History--the antiquities says that Cain filled himself with lustful pleasures and wealth in Nod. There is no other reason that one man would need more than one wife other than the fact that his first was unable to bare children which we know was not the problem with his wives or if he was simply taking care of a widow-which is also not the case here. So the man had more than one wife by choice.

V21 His children were anointed in may areas. It’s amazing how G-d uses you despite your parentage or history. Grace….

V22 states that he too decided to follow in his fathers footsteps because murder was now in the blood.

Now earlier in the text--verse 11--the earth opened its mouth for the blood so it was cursed because of it. Sin was now in the earth as a result of the actions of one man. Also, we understand the reason for murder, as given in this example--the root cause of it is envy or jealousy.

Posted by Chosen at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

As I said before, I love this book. It is so powerful how G-d took the time to teach us everything by way of the example in the first family.


The model for sin is here in the text. It gives us clue of what to look out for. The devil was subtle, any instance of temptation is hidden in subtlety. That means there is an element of truth hidden in it. When G-d instructed Moses in the writing of the text he was sure to show us that. Now, if only we would remember that.

The serpent is added into the picture at this point. Now he was there all the time, but it’s now that he is mentioned for the first time. The reason why the sin occurred is because a relationship between the woman and the serpent was formed. She was given to Adam, not the serpent. This is the cause of relationship failures even today. Ill-formed alliances. People have an effect on everything in your life. (But that’s another post.)
Now the tree was always there. It was sort of a test. We face the same things every day. We have the ability to choose which direction we plan to go in.
He first tests her knowledge of what G-d has said to her and Adam. **We have to be rooted and established in G-ds word in order to fight the Enemy. That’s how he destroys us--ignorance.

He uses word-play, she’s deceived and therefore convinces Adam, who incidentally knew better but because nothing happens when she eats, he decides to eat as well, which is when all hell breaks loose.
V9 God establishes how he deals with those in a marriage--he addresses the head first, then later he asks the woman. Ultimately the man is responsible for the spiritual activities of a home. Of course it has to be a marriage established by him and also it has to pertain to who he has the deepest relationship with. (surely some will disagree, but I am willing to listen to any comments as they come)

Now running from G-d is due to guilt that they had done what he told them not to do.
**It’s a trick of the enemy--condemnation. Conviction occurs before we sin to keep us from sinning--it’s G-d’s protection to us. Condemnation happens after to keep us from G-d. It’s the devils tool used to destroy fellowship and relationship.

V13 G-d never addresses the woman as Eve. Adam gave her that name. Prior to that they were both called Adam because the scripture says that they were one. I think its clear that neither one of them accepted responsibility for what they had done. If they had they would have been forgiven and therefore restored. The tree of life was in the garden. Nothing has changed since the beginning. If you confess and ask for forgiveness, it’s available, if you don’t you have to experience hardship until you do.

V18 God did not give us meat. He gave us herbs of the field.


V19 Sweat…Life was not designed to be hard. They were in the garden and they had work to do yet it never mentions that they had to sweat to do it. There was also no resistance to producing what they wanted needed or desired in the garden. But they failed to repent.

V21 our thoughts of what is sufficient is not like G-ds. They chose leaves, he chose fur and no doubt the very best fur. Their sin even there caused the first blood shed and sacrifice.
V24 because they failed to repent they were put out and blocked from being able to partake of repentance that would cause redemption.

Posted by Chosen at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

I love Genesis. What I find most interesting is that G-d chose Moses to write the first 5 books of our history. That says something about the relationship that he had with Moses. The word tells us that G-d has never dealt with a man face to face as he did with Moses. He was known for his piety and meekness. I love that. Adam may have been the first man of his generation, but he was not chosen to be the keeper of all that G-d wanted to share with us about his work, his ways, his law--our destiny. He gave all of that to Moses.

Anyway...In the first Chapter I wrote the following down--nothing major just a few notes

Everything had a place. G-d was very specific about how things were to be designed and divided.

v5 evening to morning constitutes a day to G-d (Jesus confirms this in John 11:9)

v7 there is water in heaven

v11 earth was given the power to bring forth seed--He has allowed the very dirt to create--why do we doubt our ability to do the same thing? It's more than having babies--we can bring forth what we say and see it.

God named everything he Wanted to see. Not like us, we speak even that we don't want to see and then when it happens we try to figure out why it happened.

v16 The greater light--symbolic of good, the lesser light--symbolic of evil---
Day of course is symbolic of good/light and night-darkness/evil represents a time of adversity when the enemy seems to be running rampant in our lives.
This is why the scripture says that weeping may endure for a night...(psalm 30:5) Night is a season .
John says that light is life--light shines in darkness and darkness comprehends it not--(John 1:5)the enemy can not comprehend the things which we have within our power to triumph over him--
Good rules over evil--we have to know how to combat that evil so that we do conquer everytime.
Okay sorry, I went to far that time.

V27 male and female were created at the same time--we just didn't show up at the same time.
We were all created at the same time. We simply enter in different generations.
How do I know this--show me any other place where G-d made anything else after chapter 3.

V28 we are told to replenish--the word refers to restocking used items--we were to replace what we used

Chapter 2

v1 says that G-d was finished with heaven and earth
v2 says that he ended all his work.
v3 the 7th day is blessed ans sanctified.
v4 everything has generations

Okay now this is where it gets to be really fun--v5 nothing had come forth yet because there was no man yet to till the earth--Where was this man still at since they were created back in chapter 1? In heaven. We all come from heaven in our time and season.

v6 says that G-d watered the earth by way of a mist and then...in v7 he created the man. Adams purpose was to farm. And he came from dust--can there be anything smaller or insignificant than dust? Yet we are his greatest creation. He loves us even as insignificant we seem to be--we are the work of his hands. Which brings in another point. Later on in the bible when G-d says that we were not to worship any other g-d--well we are G-ds according to psalm 82:6 and John 10:34. He's even specific enough to say worship and serve no other g-ds.
He admonishes us not to follow g-ds that are the work of hands. Things and people.

Anyway... G-d breathing into mans nostrils the breath of life is powerful--he did that through his mouth--that reminds me again that it's all in the mouth.

v8 he planted the garden for Adam. And not just anywhere but eastward-the place and direction was specific. That's let's me know that sometimes we are messed up because we are in the wrong place. I can testify that I have found myself in a place that he was definitely not in.

So he goes along describing all the things that were in the earth at the time and not until v 15 does he put the man in the garden. We are never anywhere good that the father did not put us. If you ever get caught up thinking otherwise, you won't be there very long--ask Adam. You are also there for a reason. There is work to do there.
Now when commands the man to not eat of the tree it was for his protection not to withhold anything good from us. He has more information on that thing than we do. The death he talks about is of course, spiritual not physical. If you are spiritually dead, you may as well be physically dead. G-ds hand not on your life, I can't even imagine what that must be like. Even in sin his hand was still on our lives otherwise we wouldn't be here. The devil is not a preserver-he's a killer. Excuse me--murderer. Killing can be justified, murder isn't. Imagine being the devil and not being able to come before G-d at any time...Scary.

Now even though G-d says that it is not good for man to be alone--he doesn't just plop Eve down in the garden. Time went by. Why do we then just pick people without being as considerate of ourselves? When songs say that he's better to us than we are to ourselves, it's true. What we pick is never what he would pick. Our standards are too low. We want a Camry and he's thinking of a Maybach! You ask for a job and he wants to talk to you about owning a company.

So while Adam is waiting for Eve he is...doing the things that G-d gave him to do. He's learning how to be faithful and diligent. The way a man works for G-d is the way he will work for a wife and family. G-d wants to make sure he's capable of doing what he is supposed to be doing and women...Well I won't even go there. This is bible study after all.

G-d put Adam to sleep. and pulled eve out of him...Soulmates. I won't comment on that either. I could literally go on about that too.

Men should cleave to the wife that he has been given by G-d. He didn't do a search for his wife G-d created her for him and then brought her to him. And finally Naked and not ashamed...Intimacy and communication. Something that tends to be lacking in most relationships.

That's what I have for Genesis. I'm scared to talk about Matthew. But I will--next post.

Posted by Chosen at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments