Author: T. A. Blankenship

The Posterity of Shem

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The Posterity of Shem

From verses 15-32 we are given the genealogy of Ham, the one who brought the curse on his son Canaan. We have seen a bit of the lineage of Japheth, and of Ham. We will not see their genealogies any more in Scripture. The genealogy of Shem is what becomes important for the bringing of Messiah into the world for the putting away of sin.

There is a man in the lineage of Shem whom I want to point out. This character may seem to be insignificant, but we are told something concerning his name that should cause us to wonder. Wonder about this child named after an event of catastrophic proportions. He is “Peleg”, “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” Genesis 10:25 (KJV). There was an earthquake which had taken place which must have shook the very foundations of the earth.

The earthquake must have been a new event, and that would tell us a few things. First, it would tell us that God had originally created a perfect creation, but now it is defective and marred due to the sin of mankind. Secondly, it could also tell us that this was how God divided the peoples of the earth from one another following the confusion of the languages as mentioned in chapter 11. Could the earth have shaken so violently that the earth became the continents that we have today? Some say no. Who is to say for sure? If God could cause the earth to stand still for a whole day (Joshua 10:12-13); and if He could cause it to go backwards in a sundial 10 degrees [that is not in temperature] (Isaiah 38:7-8), then why could He not cause an earthquake and divide the earth? I say He could, and may have just done so.

The lineage of Shem is important for us to know, because it is through Shem that we have received our Lord and Savior as a man, and more importantly as the God-Man. The lineage of Shem is seen throughout the Old Testament, and then again in the New Testament in the genealogies the gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, have written down to provide evidence to us of the royalty, deity, and humanity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Greed is Not Good

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Greed Is Not Good

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:25-34 (KJV).

The best and easiest way to devalue what you have and cheapen your own value as a person is to get caught as a slave to covetousness, or greed. Worry becomes one of the worst culprits of your life and takes away the joy of living. If you are caught in covetousness you are not trusting the Lord, depending upon Him and you will experience the feel of losing everything you have. The very thing you seek to fill your inmost need becomes a cause of grief.

Even though a person may not have much, like me, you can still realize the power of covetousness. I can tell you there have been times that I wanted to be wealthy. I have however learned that wealth is not my greatest need. Peace and contentment with God is the greatest need mankind has. That was my greatest need, and when I am resting, trusting completely in Him, then I have peace and contentment with God my Savior and Lord. I no longer want to be wealthy, not as the world describes wealth, but to be wealthy in God, that is a worthy desire.

The power of covetousness can cause us to lose our testimony. We could lose our testimony because riches is what the whole world in sin is seeking, our light would not shine very brightly if it is covered by a blanket of covetousness. In fact covetousness identifies us with the “Gentiles” the lost of the world. How can we say we have this Someone who gives purpose and meaning to life, if we are enslaved to material things and full of worry? The call of Jesus is to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. He promises these things to those who rely on Him to fill our inner most need.

Craving the things of the world causes us to lose our joy (v. 34). Today hass enough concerns without being caught up in tomorrow’s problems. Only God can fulfill the emptiness of life and He gives us joy.

Looking for Power

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There are some things in history which I find fascinating.  One of those fascinating things is to thing that some men who have wielded such power could be so blind to superstition.  Here is a story from a Reader’s Digest book called FACTS AND FALLACIES,  and the article is called “The Spear of Longinus”.  Now, Longinus  is supposed to be the name of the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus, “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” (John 19:34).

Here is the article —

“THE SPEAR OF LONGINUS’

‘IN 1909 IN THE Hofburg Museum in Vienna, a thin, pale, shabby young man stood before the treasures of the House of Hapsburg.  Jeweled crowns glittered in their cases.  But what transfixed the observer was one small item: the remains of a spear, dull and black with age.  The unprepossessing visitor was Adolf Hitler.  The object  he worshiped was the Spear of Longinus.

The spear is reputed to be the one that pierced Christ’s side as He hung upon the cross.  Hitler discovered that there were at least three other ‘holy’ spears in Europe at that time.  One was in the Vatican.  A second had been taken to Paris at the time of the Crusades.  Another was to be found in a church in Cracow, Poland.  But the spear of Longinus, named after the Roman centurion who wielded it,  had commanded most attention.  The reason: attached to its handle is a nail reputedly used in the Crucifixion.

The spear is said to have acted as a powerful talisman or charm for Constantine the Great, first Christian emperor of Rome; Charles Martel, who drove the Arabs out of eighth-century France; the emperor Charlemagne; and the Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa.  According to tradition, all who possessed the spear were victorious.  It was the mystical qualities of the Spear of Longinus that so fascinated Hitler.

An occult obsession

The man who revealed Hitler’s obsession with the Spear of Longinus was an Austrian scholar, Dr. Walter Stein.  He struck up a friendship with Hitler prior to 1914 and came to know the man well.

According to Stein, Hitler’s belief in the supernatural powers of the spear led him into the darker realms of magic and the occult.  he saw himself as a reincarnation of Landulf II of Capua, a terrifying ninth-century Sicilian tyrant who was also supposed to have obtained possession of the spear.  Stein believed that Hitler’s rise to power was aided by black magic and the Spear of Longinus.

When Hitler annexed Austria into the Third Reich in 1938, one of the first things he did was to revisit the Hofburg Museum, to claim his ‘Spear of Destiny.’  He arranged for it to be taken by special train, under armed guard, to Nuremberg.  There it was placed in a church that, on his instruction, was turned into a Nazi shrine.

When the Allies bombed the city, Hitler ordered the spear hidden in a special-purpose vault deep within the foundations of Nuremberg Castle.

Finally, on April 30, 1945, U.S. troops, who had fought their way into Nuremberg in the face of fierce resistance, entered the vault and came upon the spear.  Hitler, by then isolated in his bunker in Berlin, did not know this had happened.  But only hours later, he shot himself.

Today, the spear is back in the Hofburg Museum, and ancient relic with a notorious past.” 

From FACTS AND FALLACIES by Reader’s Digest, pp.304 & 305; published in 1988.

If there is a message we can learn from this and that is the worship of things will lead to death.  The worship of Jesus Christ alone, the One and only One who gave His life to save us, is the only true worship.

It is like the lust of the flesh and the lures of power to lead to destruction.  If you want true, pure power and authority it is only in Jesus Christ.

Becoming Like the Father

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Matthew 5:21-48 conclusion…

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 (KJV).

Perfection. That is quite the challenge. It is a challenge which I cannot meet. It is a challenge which only God in His grace can give. Let me give you the MIRRIAM/WEBSTER Dictionary definition of the word “Perfect” – “Being without fault or defect 2 :exact, precise 3 :complete…” and there is more. Like I said, “I fall far short of that. Now, if the word means “Complete” in this context, then, that might be a possibility considering that God is the One who completes us.

Here is Strong’s on the word “Perfect” –

“G5046

τέλειος

teleios

tel’-i-os

From G5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588) completeness: – of full age, man, perfect.” From E-sword.

Considering that the Greek means “Complete” what would this mean? Strongs has in the above “…Mental and moral character”. If we are to be perfect/complete in God that surely must have to do with the character of the individual which causes her/him to fall on their face before their Lord and Savior when sin has been committed, and seek forgiveness immediately following the realization of the sin. It has absolutely nothing to do with “Sinless perfection”. In truth; the closer we get to the One who is holy, the more clearly we see ourselves as being unholy. The man or woman who believes they have reached a state of sinlessness or “Sinless perfection” is farther away from God than they have ever been.

The Word tells us, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you”. When we sin we should seek God’s forgiveness as quickly as possible. “Keep your accounts short”, and that would be especially so with our Lord. That would be the life of “Perfection” or being complete. Of course, it should be the goal of the child to become like the Father; and He is perfect in every way.

We are only complete when we are in the Father through Jesus Christ His Son and walking in the Spirit, walking by faith, walking with God. I just wanted to stress the point. Walk with the Lord.