Land

In A Foreign Land

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

Abraham, Sarah and Lot along with some servants had departed Ur of the Chaldees many years before, with a promise from God of a land; a Promise Land and promise of becoming a nation.  Becoming a nation meant having a son.  For years they had waited.  Since departing Ur many things had happened.  Lot and his family had gone their own way, along with his livestock and goods.

Now Sarah had died, and Abraham needed a place to bury her.  Only thing was he was in a land that was not his own.  He was a foreigner and  had to purchase some land or receive it from the owners as a gift.  The following is the narrative of what took place following the event of Sarah’s death:

“And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,  I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.  And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,  Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.  And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.  And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,  That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you…”  Genesis 23:3-9 (KJV)

The possessors of the lands knew Abraham, and knew he had been a good and decent neighbor.  They knew him to have been a honorable man, just and fair in dealing with the people of the lands around them.  So we have Heth making suggestion that he bury Sarah in one of their burial places.  This however does not sit well with Abraham.

Abraham desires to have a piece of land, for which he is willing to pay a price; a fair price; and that will have his ownership of it.  Through the purchase of this piece of land, the price paid for it would be security for future generations who would follow.  It would also be a fulfillment of the promise of the land, though at this time a small portion of it.

He had previously “planted a grove in Beersheba” land of the Philistines, and in doing so was placing a claim on that land.  Now he is purchasing a piece of land, and “planting” the body of his wife.  Would that not also be a claim on the land.  Many prayers of Abraham and Sarah had been offered in the almost sixty years of living in the land.  Many tears had been shed, and much blood had been shed as well defending themselves against thieves, kidnappers-slave traders, and cutthroats who just wanted to kill.

Now there would be an actual possession of the land.  The Promise of God was going to be fulfilled, and Abraham’s purchase was evidence of that faith in the promise.

A few years ago one church which I was pastor had an open lot.  Things were not going real well for the church financially, and it was brought up to sell the lot.  Well that was not how I believed the LORD  was leading us.  Financially it made sense to do so, but faith wise I believed we would not be trusting the Lord and His promises to us.  I had read where the prophet Jeremiah was called by God to purchase land as evidence of faith that the people of Judah would return to Israel following their captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 32).  I believed, and to this day I still believe that it was God’s guidance to keep that piece of land as promise that God was going to bless that church.  I don’t know if the church still has that piece of land or not; but for the time I believed it to be right, and the people decided it would be best not to sell it.

As Christians we are pilgrims and strangers in a foreign land, similar to Abraham.  When we purchase, possess, or own a piece of land; it is God’s land.  God owns all land on this earth.  It is His.  The Psalmist has written, quoting God “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and  the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10), just a picturesque way of telling us that God owns it all.  We are to be good stewards of God’s land while we are here, but this world, this land on which we live is not what has been promised us.  There is a land greater and more grandeur than any land we can imagine here on this earth.

We have been promised the land which is called glory, heaven, with golden streets, gates of pearl, and a city with a foundation made of precious gems.  Even better than that, it is  the place where Jesus is.  Take away the golden streets, gates of pearl, and only Jesus; and that would be sufficient for me.

Do you know Jesus?  He is the one who came to this earth to die, and give His life as a payment for our sins.  The price of His blood was paid to God our Father as the full price of our sin, and made a way of reconciliation between lost, condemned, dead people and the Living God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

Take care of the land and goods God has blessed you with here.  Use them to honor and glorify His name.  One day when He comes again He will take you to Himself; that where He is there we may be also.

-Tim A. Blankenship

God Have Mercy On The U. S. of A.

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

I love this country [USA].  We, as a nation have been blessed beyond measure by our God and Savior, our Creator.  Over the years we have been protected from tyranny, threats from foreign governments, disease, and been given the gift of giving protection to others as well.  These have come from the Holy One of Israel; God Most High.

Part of the reason for His protection and keeping of this country in the past 60 years or so has been due to our support of Israel, even though at times this has been weak; as it presently is.  Past Presidents have been supportive with little verbal input, and some with much verbal input.

The present Presidential administration is showing the USA as growing cold toward the nation of Israel.  The nation of Israel is not always right concerning things it does; and certainly neither is the USA.  Of recent years our support has been waning by our country joining with the United Nations in forcing Israel to give up land which they have been promised by God.

Great pressure is being put on the current leadership under Binyamin Netanyahu, to stop building in East Jerusalem.  It seems the leadership may be giving in to the pressure.  It is a clear message that our President, and other world leaders do not understand nor do they care to understand the authority and power of the Word of God.

There are some Jewish people referred to in the Jerusalem Post as “Rightest” who are protesting this pressure by making an attempted march up the temple mount.  The temple mount as you know is a sacred place to the Moslem world.  It is also the place where a temple will be rebuilt and where the Millennium temple will also stand.  In other words, it is a sacred place for the Hebrew people as well.

As citizens of the USA let us never forget from which our nation has come.  We have been given mercy and grace from the Holy One of Israel, and He has granted us world authority and power, because of His mercy.  Let us not abuse that which He has given us by turning our backs on the nation to whom many of the promises have been given.  There are no promises of Scripture specifically for the nation of the USA.  None.

I know people want to use 2 Chronicles 7:14 and say that is for our country; however, contextually it is specifically for the nation of Israel, and no other.  As long as we support Israel as a nation we will be under God’s protection, for He has said, “I will bless them that bless thee, and will curse them that curseth thee…” (Genesis 12:3).  The promise to Abraham of a nation, and that nation is Israel.  The promise of blessing is to all who will be a blessing to them.  The promise of the curse to those who curse them.

We must believe that the land, along with Jerusalem, the temple mount, and all the land included in the promises (Ezekiel 47:13-21) have been given them by God.  Mercy, grace and peace be to Israel, and to the USA.

Jesus Christ is coming soon.  Be ready for we know not the day or the hour when the Son of man comes.

-Tim A. Blankenship

What Do You See???

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

What Do You See?

The prophet has seen the “Rod of the almond tree”, and it was the message from God that He was going to bring His Word to pass very quickly. The seeing of the “Rod…” itself is the sign of discipline and judgment. It can also be a sign of protection, if you are on the right side of it.

The LORD asked Jeremiah again, “What do you see?” Jeremiah 1:13 (NKJV), and the prophet says, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north”. A “boiling pot” is a hot matter. It has taken some time for the contents of the pot to come to the point of boiling.

At the time of Jeremiah it has basically been many, many years that the people of Israel and of Judah have grown cold to the Lord and His Word. They have turned a deaf ear to the meaning of their sabbath days, holy days, their feasts, and have in fact turned their hearts toward other gods.

Their comforts, their riches, their houses and their lands are of more importance and they care more for those things than for others, or God.

For many years in our own Nation of the United States of America many professing Christians have grown more concerned with their health, wealth, houses, cars, and lands, than they have with being holy, righteous, and the care of our poorer brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a ‘Boiling pot’ that is ready to be spilled on us. It may be in the form of a collapsed economy; is that laughable? You may have the first laugh, but God will have the final one. People are dollaring themselves right out of their new and older homes.

The ‘Boiling pot’ may not be coming from our North, but it is coming from the thing which Americans fear the most. What is that? Economic collapse. For too long people and even Christians have put their hope in the economy being good, when it has basically been built on nothing visible, but the invisible value of their home. It should really just be called ‘Their house’, because to many it is just an investment, and they have placed the value of their lives in the value of their house. May God help us, and forgive us.

God says to the prophet, “Out of the North calamity shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land”. Jeremiah 1:14 (NKJV). When people turn their backs on God, and turn to their own means, comfort, health, wealth, and security, then is when the water in the pot begins to boil. It has been boiling now for many years. Let’s repent of our deeds and turn to the LORD.

The Proud Man and His Woes

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

THE PROUD MAN AND HIS WOES

“Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:  Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!  Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?  Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein” Habakkuk 2:5-8

The prophet has questioned God about how He could see Israel in sin and do nothing about it. God gave Habakkuk the answer, that He was going to judge Israel, and it was going to be with the ruthless, sinful Babylonian kingdom. This part shows that he is a very concerned prophet when it comes to the holiness, purity, and integrity of Mighty God.

This is shown in his plea to the Lord, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…” (1:13) God is professed by the prophet to be from “Everlasting”, and “Mine Holy One” – as a question.

The Holy One of Israel then shows Habakkuk what is going to happen with Babylon after they have used and abused Israel.

Nothing that goes on in the world is apart from God’s knowledge of it. It is all a part of His plan. Nothing surprises Him. He is God.

In verse 5 we find that the proud man of the kingdom of Babylon is puffed up with the pride the prophet has referenced. The desires of a proud man are not usually of the righteous nature, but are pretty selfish, and for personal gain alone.

The proud man seems to be greatly influenced by wine. I guess you could say the wine gives him the arrogance to let it be known what his genuine purpose is. He is greedy for more. In this case greedy for more land, gold, goods, and souls of men. He takes that which is not intended to be his. At the blazoned display of his arrogance he takes nations captive.

Yet, it seems a certainty that they, the nations, will taunt him, ridicule and scorn him.

This proud man has five “Woes” pronounced against him. The first says, “Woe to him who increases what is not his — how long?” It becomes clear to us that these “Woes” are against Babylon, but is there anything we can learn from them? I believe so.  I will deal with the “Woes” more thoroughly in later studies on the five woes pronounced against Babylon by the prophet Habakkuk

It is also clear in looking at the first chapter that Babylon was an unrighteous nation which God was going to use to discipline the nation of Judah. In their being used by God to judge the nation, then, God would also see that the Babylonian people were also punished. There is no nation that can escape the judgment of God; especially those who unjustly put their hands on God’s people.

This “Woe” expresses coming judgment upon Babylon because of their increasing in goods which were not theirs for the express purpose of making themselves wealthy. It is actually a charge of extortion. The MacArthur Study Bible states, “…Plundering nations under threat of great bodily harm for the purpose of making themselves rich. As a result they were to become plunder for those nations who remained.” pg.1320.

Look at how this first Woe culminates into judgment upon Babylon. First of all, the ones from whom taxes were extorted will come against them. Does Babylon actually think that these people will not come to realize [awaken], and Babylon will become their booty?

The warning to Babylon is from God Himself. The people they have plundered will plunder them. There will be justice and judgment.

One of the things in the study of Scriptures is learning how to apply what you have studied to fit with your life. There is much to learn from this one “Woe”. Woe, is a warning or pronouncement of judgment. There can be an element of understanding why one would take the goods of a defeated enemy and increase their goods, but that was not to be the case with Babylon, nor is it to be with the Christian.

This first ‘Woe’ implies greed. The Christian is not to live in greed. Of course, we have the Ten Commandments, and the last one is, “Thou shalt not covet…” and it includes things as well as people. Covetousness is greed; the desire for more; it is in fact idolatry (Col. 3:5), and that made clear by writings of the New Testament. This kind of gain is usually at the expense of another party, and probably by some who cannot afford to lose it.

Be content with such things as you have. Then, you will be blessed.

God’s Covenant with Himself

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God Covenants with Himself

“And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:7-21 (KJV)

This is a rather lengthy passage of Scripture, but I hated to separate, because they are on one great event in the life of Abram. God here reassures Abram that this land of Canaan would be his heir’s possession. His question was “How shall I know that I shall inherit it?” The LORD tells Abram a way to receive a sign from Him in order that he may be assured of the promise.

A three year old heifer, a three year old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon were to be brought before the LORD with the heifer and the ram cut in half, and the birds not divided. This was a sacrifice with which God was going to do something special.

After Abram gets these animals divided and the birds laid out as per the LORD’s requirements, then, some birds descend down on the sacrifices. In my thinking it would seem to be vultures which are always after an easy meal, and in fact, are designed by God to be the clean up birds of nature’s dead. It could have also been ravens or eagles of some kind. It does not matter what kind it was. Abram knew that these sacrificial animals was not for the birds, they were for an offering to the LORD. Abram drove them away.

There are all kinds of vile and evil “birds” who flock around to steal away the sacrifice of God. The sacrifice of a devoted heart and life can be ruined by the bird of distraction. It is the vile and evil birds who like to nest in the kingdom of our Lord, and blow up the numbers of the membership of the local church. It is the evil birds who will try and take the devoted hearts with comfort and good works and steal away the true worship of the Creator (Matthew 13:31-32). It is the man of Gods’ position to stand guard over the sacrifice of God to keep the vile and unclean birds away.

Evidently, after the birds had all left, and the sun was going down, Abram went to sleep. It was different kind of sleep than just normal sleep. This sleep is likened to the sleep the LORD put on Adam as Eve was made from his rib. It is also likened to the sleep which Jonah took when he fled from the LORD on board the ship to Tarshish. The Scripture says, “A deep sleep fell upon Abram”, and an “Horror of great darkness fell upon him”. We are not told what this great horror is, but it could be what he saw in the vision. In the vision Abram learned what was going to happen to his posterity in the following few hundred years. Abram’s heirs would be strangers in a foreign land, and would be the servants of this foreign land; and would be afflicted in servitude for 400 years. Would any of us like it if the LORD were to show us what was going to happen to our posterity over the next few hundred years?

In giving Abram this vision, God was assuring him that they would possess this land of Promise. It would not be without affliction though. Abram was also assured that the land of their captivity would also be judged, and the people who came from Abram would leave that land of servitude with much wealth. Abram is given assurace that he will die in peace in a good old age. In the fourth generation of his people in the land of captivity they would come out as God has said. God is the God of grace and mercy. With the Amorites; the one’s who are at this time present in this land; God gives them several hundred years to change their ways, repent and turn to Him. When they do not their time has been filled, then, the descendants of Abraham will come and, cleanse and possess the land.

The present condition of the land of Canaan with Abram is vile, and wicked, and awaits the day when holiness shall come in. This land also represents the hearts of mankind. The land of our hearts need redeemed, cleansed, and possessed by pure hearts, right with God. Hearts made right and pure only by the grace of Almighty God.

There was a “smoking furnace”, and a “burning lamp” which passed between these pieces. This in a substantive picture is the very presence of God walking in the midst of these pieces making covenant with Himself concerning His promises to Abram. It is possible that the “smoking furnace” and “burning lamp” are symbols of the affliction of the children of Israel in bondage. Though it is not mentioned in this text it is quite possible that these two fiery items burned up the sacrifices, and sealed the covenant with God and Himself. In this promise of the land there is nothing required of Abram. Though this covenant is made on Abram’s behalf the covenant is with God, and certainly God will not go back on a promise He has covenanted with Himself; nor will He with us. ” For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,” Hebrews 6:13 (KJV). You can trust the LORD, His Son and His Word. There was another covenant made between the Father and the Son; and that was the covenant of the cross. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our guarantee of Heaven. The eternal reward for all who believe His Son.

PROMISES AND PROPHECIES

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

The next few articles were compiled by a good friend of mine who is now in Heaven with the Lord Jesus, whom he loved.  Wayne Stephens was a Pastor, an Evangelist, and a soul winner.  My work on this was only in putting the actual verses in place.

I. PROMISES AND PASSAGES OF THE LAND.

A. THE LORD’S LAND. Hosea 9:3 “They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.”

B. THE LAND OF PROMISE. Hebrews 11:9 ” By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise”.

C. “MY LAND”. 2 Chronicles 7:20; Jeremiah 2:7; 16:18; 2 Chronicles 7:20 – “Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.”

Jeremiah 2:7 – “And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.”

Jeremiah 16:18 – “And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.”.

D. “Zion of the Holy One of Israel…”

Isaiah 60:14 – “The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”

E. Genesis 13:15 – “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever”.

Genesis 17:8 – “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God”.

Deuteronomy 4:40 – “Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever”

Isaiah 60:21 – “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified”.

All refer to this land as being given by God to Israel, and some say, “Forever”.

Edited by T.A. on 03/12/10