Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 21 - 24 ESV

Abraham was introduced in chapter 11 and his life story continues through Genesis 25:11. The Bible’s account of Abraham is very believable and can leave you with a feeling of a near relative to him as if he was a family member of heroic proportions in the distant past.

The remainder of the Old Testament is about Abraham’s descendants. This is recognized by the reverence they give to his memory. It was for them, (national Israel), a great source of pride to be remembered as children of Abraham.

In the chapters of interest, 21-24, there are some characteristics of Abraham that make him a giant of faith to those who read and believe the Scriptures.

They are:

1. Genesis 21:11-12

11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.

12 But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.

Abraham loved Ishmael and desired that he receive God’s care and blessings, but he accepted separation from Ishmael in obedience to God.

2. Genesis 22:1-3

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."

2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Abraham loved Isaac as his God-given heir but accepted God’s command to personally sacrifice him is obedience to God.

3. Genesis 24:2-4; 8

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh,

3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,

4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac."

8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there."

Abraham desired a bride for Isaac from his Syrian kinsmen, but he would accept a failure in finding a wife among his family to maintain the separation from them in obedience to God.

As the writer of Hebrews tells his readers, it is by faith first and last that Abraham obeyed. In the final analysis it is faith that makes the difference with Abraham. And as it was with him, so it always is and shall ever be obedience to the Word of God that demonstrates that faith.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 20 ESV

Sarah is very seldom presented favorably in the Genesis account of her and her husband. She does receive a much more favorable reference in Galatians chapter four.

Chapter 20 presents Abraham and Sarah in a situation much the same as they had in their trip into Egypt. Twenty five years have passed and it apparently is still true of Sarah as the Egyptians saw and lusted in Genesis 12:14 “The Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful”.

Abraham is called the father of believers. As this is so, Sarah is the mother. As much is stated by Paul in Galatians four. But we are faced with a riveting question. How did Sarah remain “very beautiful,” at such an advanced age? The only answer Biblical discipline allows is the answer lies in the providence of God. God intended this for His glory and the Church’s instruction. What are the lessons to be learned? There are at least three.

A. As Sarah never lost her beauty, neither does the Church. The Church is that beautiful pearl of great price and the treasure hidden for which Jesus gave His all. The failure of the world is to see and appreciate the beauty. As the bride in Song of Solomon is called “the lily of the valley” and “the fairest of ten thousand”, so the church is and ever shall be.

B. As Sarah never lost the love of Abraham, the Church never loses the love of her husband. Paul describes this affection in Ephesians 5:25-27. She will be presented in the final day with beauty intact, beloved by the Savior.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

C. As Sarah had the ability to produce, the Church never loses its ability to produce. Sarah was productive by one means alone. It was God’s purpose and power that caused Sarah to bear a son. Genesis 18:14; 21:1-2. It is no different for the church. The ability to be productive is wholly of the purpose and power of God.

14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.

1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.

2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

Is it not to be questioned if the Church wanted offspring as badly as Sarah wanted a child, would she not be productive? As long as the church is satisfied never realizing her beauty, satisfied with a carnal relationship with the world rather than reveling in the love of Christ, and satisfied with the status quo in Spiritual reproduction it appears as if that is what she will have.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 19 ESV

The intercession of Abraham in this chapter is classical. The passion of Abraham and the apparent failure of his prayer ("For the sake of ten I will not destroy it) certainly are lessons well worth learning for every believer. But there are other lessons in Genesis 19 that are equally worth a Christian’s attention. Following are five of those lessons.

A. Genesis 19:4

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.

This is the explanation of the failure of Abraham’s intercession, “All the people to the last man.” The only righteous man in Sodom was Lot.

The conclusion and the lesson to be noted, “Deliverance comes only by grace.”

B. Genesis 19:11

1 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

This is one of the most fearful statements in all the Scriptures. These men, drawn by their corrupt and evil desires, took no note of, nor warning from, an immediate stroke of blindness, but expended all their energy trying to find a way to satisfy their lust.

The lesson: “Spiritual degeneration is universal and only removed by grace”.

C. Genesis 19:14

14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, "Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Lot, with a true concern resulting from the angels’ warning, went out to warn others of the necessity of departing that wicked city. Upon hearing Lot, the men to whom he spoke thought he was joking with them. Lot’s piety, though real, was so shallow his testimony had always been a subject of jesting in his family. This was thought to be no different. He got no hearing.

Lesson: “The believer who fails to live his faith is without a witness to those who know him.

D. Genesis 19:20-21; 33; 35

20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!"

21 He said to him, "Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.

33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

Lot was leaving Sodom. He believed the city of Sodom was doomed. But Lot’s soft life and the lack of commitment in which he lived his faith could not accept the prospect of hardships. He sought an easier way. And he got what he asked for. But it neither satisfied him nor was it an aid to his spiritual walk.

The question that is so demanding is “Where, if not in Zoar, did Lot get the wine?”

E. Genesis 19:37-38

37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day

Lot left a heritage - two sons born of incest. He left a testimony of a believer whose life is all downhill. He was the closest living relative to a man who has been an inspiration for believers through these centuries. He was a man of true faith. We have this information from Scripture – II Peter 2:7-8

7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

And it certainly takes an inspired testimony to be believable. Lot is every father’s and mother’s heartbreak. He is every pastor’s greatest failure. And he is the worst that can happen to any Gospel Church.

Lesson: “The believer, who lives without a testimony cannot leave a godly heritage.”

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 15 and 17

Covenant is a fact of Scripture. Some would go so far as to say it is the binding principle of Scripture. By this they mean it is a truth that runs throughout the Scriptures from which all other Scriptures in some way finds its explanation.

Whether or not this is so can be debated. What cannot be debated is the importance of the covenant in Scripture. The covenant with Abram in chapter 15 and 17 are of special interest as this is at least the basis of God’s covenant relationship with His people.

In chapter 15 God’s covenant promise to Abram is an offspring and a land. In this covenant the offspring is a result of faith. This gives it a spiritual reality. Just as Abram will have a physical heir, he will have spiritual (his children who become so by faith) heirs.

He receives a promise of a land for his people. This promise is material and specific. In Genesis 15:17-21 the physical dimensions of the land are given. As long as this covenant stands, that it is not superseded, this land will belong to Abram’s physical descendants.

In Genesis 17 the same two promises are given with the addition of a sign, circumcision, to identify his descendants. This sign is to identify Abram’s descendants as long as the covenant continues. This covenant may be superseded but it cannot be abrogated.

In this covenant there is a change of names for both Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Abraham and Sarah are to be the parents of a continuing nation with certain land rights. This nation will be ruled by descendants of Abraham and Sarah. But here the spiritual perspective becomes even more plain in the broadness of the promise. It is extended to many nations or far beyond any single national boundary.

The New Testament identifies the covenant with Abraham as that which was the object of Abraham’s faith. The heirs were those who like Abraham have faith in the true God. The land is described by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 11:9-10.

If anyone is a true believer he or she is a covenant believer and covenant keeper. This is to have a true and abiding faith in Jesus Christ who is God’s covenant with us. Isaiah 42:6; 49:8-13.

6"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,

8Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,'
to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.'
They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene."

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Paul’s explanation of Abraham’s place in God’s revelation of His purpose give us a clear understanding of his importance and our relationship to Abraham, the father of all who believe. Romans 4:9-12

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.

10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,

12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 14:18-20 ESV

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

19 And he blessed him and said,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, can be seen as the progress of salvation.

Genesis is about Divine election, beginning with Adam and extending to the Fathers of national Israel.

Exodus is the account of redemption. One of the explanations of redemption in the Scriptures is Exodus 12.

Leviticus contains the believer’s life before God in his sanctification. In the sacrifices and the feasts we learn the grounds and the privileges of the believer’s walk with God.

Numbers is about service. The essence of service is found in Numbers 1:54.

⁵⁴Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

“Thus did”, “they did” please note Ephesians 2:10.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them.

Deuteronomy teaches the necessity of repentance. In Deuteronomy the Law is repeated to emphasize the necessity of the Law for every believer. This is not for conversion, but to be a, “lamp unto our feet and light for our path”.

Genesis 14:16-24 is an introduction to another unusual Biblical personality, Melchizadek. This man is here in this context a distinct and unusual person. He has no introduction and there is no further information or as the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 7:3 states, without “end of life”. He is not a Hebrew. There is nothing more about him in any historical context. Yet David in Psalm 110 names him in such an extraordinary way that it becomes in Hebrews 7 the grounds and explanation for the High Priesthood of Christ. One of the great questions for unbelievers to answer “why would Melchizadek be mentioned in Psalm 110 separate from inspiration?”

In the context of Genesis 14:16-24 there are four outstanding facts of interest. They are:

1. The appearance from nowhere of Melchizadek and the unquestioning honor given to him by Abram.

2. The fact of the two kings who meet with Abram, one who can bless him and one who can bring a curse on him, instructs the believer in the continual fact of the two ways.

3. Abram the great example of a believer, faced with the choice, gives rather than takes.

4. The principle of the believer and the tithe is made plain. Genesis 14:20c, “And Abram gave him a tenth from the top of the heap.”

A look at Hebrews 7 shows the tithe being giving to Jesus as the High Priest who alone is able to bless the believer and return the believer’s gratitude to God.

Jesus as our Intercessor takes our words to God and brings His words to us. I Timothy 2:5

⁵For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Though the Bible is not a handbook of “do’s” and “don’t’s” it is filled with Divine principles by which we can order our lives.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 13:5-13 ESV

5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,

⁶so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,

⁷ and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

⁸Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.

⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left."

¹⁰And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

¹¹So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

¹²Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

Lot is, of all Bible characters, the one who demonstrates best what the believer is not to be.

One of the questions that can be answered is concerning Lot’s company with Abram after Abram is called out of Haran. The question by some ‘Is Abram obedient in taking Lot with him in his departure from all his kindred?’. Should Abram have left Lot when he departed Haran? At this point it does not appear that Abram had received the promise of a son from Sarah. The fact that Sarah was sixty years old and by normal understanding past childbearing meant that Abram had no natural heir. Lot is his closest kin and it looks like by adoption became his heir. Lot remained in this position until he removed himself from it after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In his position as adopted son and heir of Abram, he accompanied with Abram as any son would do. Abram was disobedient in no sense having Lot with him.

That being said, the several instances of distress Abram experienced caused by Lot are warning of over-indulgence. Abram seems to have been very indulgent toward Lot. This is illustrated by the large-hearted way Abram granted Lot the choice of the land when they had to divide their companies.

Lot’s choice demonstrated his heart condition. His worldliness becomes apparent in choice of a land not like what God had promised - but like Egypt. Though Lot, as we are told, (II Peter 2:8)”vexed his righteous soul from day to day seeing and hearing their filthy deeds” did not leave Sodom until forced out by God’s deliverance of him and His determined destruction of Sodom.

Lot moves from one self serving act to another. Never, without the divine testimony in II Peter, would we have supposed Lot to be among God’s elect. But he is. Not only does he have a testimony among the elect of God but also his true nature is revealed. He never agreed with the world around him.

It is worth noting that Paul in Romans 1 finishes his description of the lawless behavior of the ungodly “that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” Romans 1:32 This Lot did not do.

We should be warned of the danger of judging the professed believer who has an observed acceptable testimony, He may, even for an extended length of time, be living in a way which is not consistent with what God requires of His children.

There is a narrow line to be walked between marking the hypocrite and being charitable toward a fallen believer. We must remember and look closely at Galatians 6:1. The duty and the warning are both incumbent upon us.

1Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Remember Lot as a warning about the beginning of worldliness with the danger which follows and also of the ever pressing need of charity to our Christian family.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 12:1-9

1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed fromHaran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, tothe oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

It is well to understand that through chapter 12 of Genesis there have been many questions raised by conservative Bible teachers. There has been no attempt to answer these questions. Most of them are the fruit of inquisitive intellect rather that the text itself and are best left to the graveyard of fruitless knowledge falsely so-called.

Chapter 12 brings the reader into direct contact with Abram as he is named at this point. This man is one of the greatest saints of God ever. So it serves the believer well to know him and why he is held in such high esteem.

Abram is introduced as a man who has nothing exceptional to distinguish him. But there is something about Abram that makes him different. He has faith in the true and living God. Hebrews 11:8-10 makes it plain that this is what sets Abram apart.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

But what does Abram do? His faith triumphs over fear and he obeys God. He leaves all that is familiar and safe and goes to what is dangerous and fearful. Secondly, he worships by the means of blood sacrifice. An “altar to the Lord” was for the purpose of a burnt sacrifice. Thirdly, Abram never lost sight of his objective received in his call. He leaves Egypt under duress but he does not turn back. He continues in his appointed direction. He has not forgotten his call or the one who called him.

It is not our faults which are our problem. It is our failure to arise and continue in our calling.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 1-10 ESV

The first ten chapters of Genesis are a seed bed of doctrines. The truths learned in these chapters will follow the Bible student throughout the Scriptures. That being so, it serves us well to review at this point.

The truths taught in these chapters are

1. God is absolute creator of all that exists, material or immaterial, physical or spiritual. It is worth noting that the Apostles’ Creed begins with this fact. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth”.

2. God is triune. Any fair exegesis of Genesis 1 shows the presence of the Trinity. Certainly this needs and will have a full development. But it must be noted that it is in the early words of Scripture.

3. God is covenantal. In these chapters there are the Adamic covenant, the Messianic covenant, and the Rainbow or Noahic covenant. Some unchanging principles of covenants are: They are unilateral; they are divinely initiated; they are time-bound; and they contain reward and curse.

4. God reveals Himself through a mediator. This again will be more fully developed to the point of John 1:18 where we understand with absolute clarity that god is known through Christ.

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

5. God is a just judge. The flood teaches this truth with clarity and certainty. This truth derives ultimately from the holiness of God. There is neither fact nor act of God which is not holy. It may not be wrathful love, but it is holy wrath. It may not be loving wrath, but it is holy love. The triune God is never to be thought of separate from His holiness.

6. God elects men to His favor. God chose Adam. Before the Fall Adam did not create himself. After the Fall Adam did not seek God but hid when God called. It was the call of God which brought Adam to God – not his free will. That will be unchanging until the last sinner is renewed. John 1:13

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

7. It is God who makes man acceptable. He covered Adam and Eve with skins. He accepted Able’s sacrifice. He put Noah and his family in the ark and accepted their sacrifice. This must be understood through the lens of I John 4:10.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

8. God and His creatures are completely separate. There is nothing in creation, material or spiritual, that depicts God as He is one or is useful as an illustration of the Trinity. God is known only through the God-man. All we know and need to know is revealed in Jesus who is the “image of the invisible God”. Colossians 1:15A.

These first ten chapters furnish a good foundation for all that follows in Scripture. It is time well spent studying here.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 10:8-12 ESV

8 Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and

12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

The Church over the centuries has recognized many of her great heroes. But she has failed in giving honor to many who deserved - men such Gottschalk in the 9^th century, John Bunyan, and Augustus Toplady. There are many others who can be named but these are outstanding examples of those ignored.

John Bunyan, if not for his great allegory Pilgrim’s Progress would be ignored. What history in the church has failed to do is recognize the spiritual gifts in which he excelled, the wealth of service he did in the church, and the greatness of his varied writings.

Bunyan does an exegesis of the first Ten chapters of Genesis which are well worth reading. As in anything Bunyan wrote, it is necessary to remember that he had no formal education. He had no language training, either Hebrew or Greek. He had no commentaries. He knew nothing of any relevant Jewish Biblical writings. He had no concordance. He had only a consuming love for God and His word, a spiritual giftedness which he improved every way possible, and an amazing intellect with a memory that included the whole of Scripture.

When Bunyan comes to Genesis 10:8-12 he recognizes the hunting there is neither for good or sport but that it is an attitude toward God and man He understood from the success of Nimrod that he achieved his ends to dishonor God and abuse his fellowmen.

He explains it in this way, ”’He began as a mighty man in the earth;’ I am apt to think he was the first that in this new world sought after absolute monarchy.

‘He began to be a mighty one in the earth; (or among the children of men.) I suppose him to be a giant, not only in person, but in disposition; and so, through the pride of his countenance, did scorn that others, or any, should be his equal; nay, could not be content tell all made obeisance to him. He therefore would needs be the author of what religion he pleased; and would also subject the rest of his brethren there to, by what ways his lust thought best. Wherefore here began a fresh persecution. That sin therefore, which the other world was drowned for, was again revived by the cursed man, even to lord it over the sons of God, and to enforce idolatry and superstition upon them; and hence he is called ‘the mighty hunter.’” The Complete Works of John Bunyan, Vol. 3, pg 415 NFFCE 1968.

The failure to appreciate Bunyan in the 17^th century and further to imprison him for preaching without a license, (this license was granted to the state church), is a warning to all who would place importance on any human contribution, education, human approval, or bureaucratic credentials over spiritual gifts demonstrated within the bounds of the church.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 6:8 ESV

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah is one of the greatest of Old Testament saints. His character as it is mentioned in Genesis 6:9 is, with one exception, consistent throughout his life. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

Where does this character and consistency derive?

Genesis 6:8 is the answer to Noah’s difference from all his generation and his consistency throughout his life. In this verse “found” in the Hebrew is transitive. Therefore it must be understood to mean that Noah was found by grace with found being active. Grace or favor is a further proof of Noah being a recipient rather than a searcher.

“This is a Hebrew phrase, which signifies that God was propitious to him and favored him….” “The commencement, therefore of this favor was gratuitous mercy. Afterwards the Lord, having once embraced him, retained him under His own hand, lest he should perish with the rest of the world.” John Calvin, Genesis, 1554, pg. 250-251.

“Most translations have Noah “finding” favor with Yahweh. A few (eg. NEB) have Noah “winning” favor with Yahweh. There is a significant difference between the two. The former denotes no moral quality on the part of the person who is designated as having found favor. On these grounds Noah’s election would be just that, and no caused relationship should be seen between Noah’s finding favor (vs 8) and his character (vs 9)….

Of course had the order of the two verses been switched, there would have been no doubt that Noah’s righteousness and blamelessness were intended to supply a rationale for election and escape from the flood. If we translate Hebrew “hen” as “grace” instead of “favor” then further support for finding is available. Grace is found or received not won.” NICOT, Victor Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, 1990, pg. 276.

Grace is the parent of Christian character. Grace is God’s election. Grace is Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Grace is the Holy Spirit with us, providing and protecting us until we are conformed fully in the image of Christ.

In Ephesians 2:8, salvation is the gift of God and that of grace. That is grace from eternity past into eternity future. I have found grace in God’s presence.

“Before the throne my surety stands,

my name Is written on His hands.”

It is my hope that you have the same assurance.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 5:21-24 ESV

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah.

22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.

24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Enoch is one of the strange personalities of the Scriptures. In this Genesis account there is nothing that sets him apart but the simple statement, “for God took him”. The fact that he “walked with God” is not unusual in itself. Many others also walked with God. This most common man is otherwise unusual only in the shortness of his years compared with his ancestors.

Alexander Whyte, in his Bible Characters, Vol. I, makes a great deal of Enoch’s relationship with God after he had a son. This great man with his sanctified imagination seems to have missed the mark here.

Enoch’s name is not translatable in either Hebrew or Greek. It is transliterated, thus tells us nothing about him. But he is mentioned twice in the New Testament. Jude verses 14-15 tells his vocation, he was a prophet, “Enoch…prophesied.” And his message is also stated. First, that the Lord comes in judgment. Second, that he has sufficient support to apply his intent. Third, that his judgment is against “ungodly sinners”. There is no reason to think so harsh a message was anymore popular then than it would be now if somebody could be found who would preach it.

Again the writer of Hebrews chapter 11:5 speaks of Enoch among the great worthies of our faith. The writer in this testimony is either using the Septuagint or by inspiration states the same commendation of Enoch, that he “pleased God.” It is most likely the author of Hebrews quotes from the Septuagint.

The Hebrews passage in 11:5 states “he was commended as having pleased God.” But the writer does not leave it there His conclusion in Hebrews 11:6 is one of - if not the greatest - theological statements in all the Scriptures

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to Godmust believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him

Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. He concludes that Enoch must have been a man of true faith, “for without faith it is impossible to please God”.

Putting the two descriptions together we catch a far better glimpse of this very unusual man. With an unwavering faith in God who is the rewarder of his people, he believed in the holy justice and uncertain judgment of God. He believed this to the extent that like Jeremiah it was a fire in his bones and he could not forbear.

No, it was not the birth of his son, important as that may have been, but it was the faithful preaching of the holiness of God that pleased God so much that he brought Enoch to Heaven in that direct way that is a wonder to us.

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 4:9 ESV

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?"

This of which we read in Genesis 4:9 by the years of Genesis 5 took place less than 165 years after Adam sinned. It is the first recorded question that man asked God. It lies at the heart of man’s separation from God. The lost man lies to God and refuses to acknowledge that God is the law-giver. Paul plainly states, “the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be.” Romans 8:7-8

In Genesis 5:2 the work “keeper” means “to pasture” and by extension “to be a friend.” Cain’s question has “keeper” as he denies any responsibility for his brother. Here “keeper” is to guard” or “to protect.”

Cain denies any responsibility to guard or protect his brother. There might not be enough information to ask but the question does arise, “who is the cause for the need of protection other than Cain?”

Cain lays down the principle of man’s failure in the whole of the second table of the law. His confession is he does not love his brother and as a result he commits the most extreme of sins man can commit, murder.

Among the absolutes of I John there are two that strike close to man. They are first the affection for the world excludes affection for God. I John 2:15

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

The second is the absolute demand that we love one another for failure in this instance is to fail in the whole. I John 4:7-12.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

The failure in this demand is seen in what we call “small things.” Selfishness, greediness, slander, racial bigotry, and vanity betray the failure to love in the lost and in the inconsistent behavior of the believer. Genesis 4:10.

10 And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.