ABRAHAM'S EXPERIENCE

“You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites - to give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, for You are righteous" (Neh. 9:8 NKJV).

After the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the people gathered together to hear the Word of God read and also to confess their sins. Our verse is taken from the introductory part of the confession of the people. It recalls some instructive history about Abraham. It tells of the faithfulness of Abraham, the favor for Abraham, and the fulfillment for Abraham.

Faithfulness of Abraham - “Found his heart faithful before You.” Abraham’s faithfulness was from his heart and not just talk. Our hearts are who we really are. It was also heaven faithfulness for it was “before” God. Some folk are esteemed faithful by other people; Abraham was esteemed faithful by God. For God to say that a person is faithful is a big deal.

Favor for Abraham - “Made a covenant with him to give the land…to give it to his descendants.” The favor was a covenant which involved a number of things. The favor of a dwelling place is emphasized in our verse. Thus there was geography in the favor, for it involved land (the land is Palestine). It belongs to the Jews. God gave it to Abraham and his seed, particularly the seed of Isaac which is the Jewish race. There was also grace in the favor, for the emphasis is on “give.” Twice the word “give” is used in this verse to show that grace was involved in this covenant of favor to Abraham.

Fulfillment for Abraham - “You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.” This fulfillment speaks of the confirmation by God. God keeps His promises. The land was given to Abraham’s seed. This fulfillment also speaks of the character of God; for our verse says God is “righteous.” Being absolutely righteous, God’s Word is always trustworthy; His promises will never fail. We can always count on God!

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God performs what He promises and completes what He commands!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Draw

In Acts 20:30 we read, “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (NKJV).

Draw is the Greek word apospaō (ἀποσπάω = ap-os-pah'-o). It is made up of two words: “apo” which means ‘from’ and “spaō” which means to draw or pull. Thus, apospaō means to draw out, tear away, or simply withdraw. Literally the word means to draw, pull or drag away from. Apospaō is used figuratively here in Acts 20:30 to describe drawing someone away from a point of view (resulting in alienation). A secular use of the word carries the idea of alienating pupils from someone.

In the Septuagint it refers to withdrawing men from a task, withdrawing a person from contractual duties, and of removing oneself from a place or a situation. In the New Testament it is used in reference to the withdrawing of persons. Here in our verse, Luke seems to imply that the withdrawing or parting involved pain or force.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah’s body would be pierced (Zech. 12:10; Psalm. 22:16)

New Testament Fulfillment – John 20:25, 27

Bible Facts

Cavemen described in the Bible (Job 30:1-8). Four thousand years ago, Job describes certain “vile men” who were driven from society to hunt and search “among the bushes” for survival and who “live in the clefts of the valleys, in caves of the earth and the rocks.” Therefore ‘cavemen’ were simply outcasts and vagabonds - not our primitive ancestors as evolutionists speculate.

Bible Quiz

What did James and John’s mother ask Jesus?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to the Book of Ruth, why did Naomi and her family leave Israel and went to live in the country of Moab? They left Israel because of a famine (Ruth 1:1).

That’s in the Bible

"Hope deferred”

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (Prov. 13:12 KJV).

“Hope deferred” - The expression “hope deferred” refers to when one’s hopes and dreams are delayed. The word deferred here means prolonged or drawn out. Hopes and dreams are an important part of our lives. Our dreams sustain us through life’s dark days. When expectations are not realized, people become disappointed, discouraged, and their hearts are sick. People whose hopes are dashed are often miserable and lose purpose. But when a hope is fulfilled, a person is refreshed. The gratification of hope gives encouragement like a tree that gives life.

Did You Know - Christian History

James Guthrie was born around 1612 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a Scottish Presbyterian minister.

Guthrie was well educated. At school, he met the godly pastor named Samuel Rutherford, attended non-conformist prayer meetings, and was converted to Christ. After that, he became a zealous preacher of the gospel. Although he led a busy life as pastor and writer, he always made time for Christ.

It was the same on the day of his execution. The Scottish Presbyterian minister was to be executed for publishing a work which declared God’s wrath was coming upon Scotland for, among other things, setting up the King of England as head of the church. According to Guthrie, only Christ could fill that role. In the morning, he got up at four so he could meditate and pray. When his children visited him for the last time, he assured them that he was dying for a worthy cause.

James went to the scaffold on June 1, 1661. There he preached his last sermon. “... I do believe that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am the chief, through faith in his righteousness and blood, have I obtained mercy, and in him and through him alone have I the hope of a blessed conquest and victory over sin and Satan, and hell and death, and that I shall attain unto the Resurrection of the just and be made a partaker of eternal life; I know whom I have believed, and he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.” He urged his listeners to seek Christ’s free grace.

Guthrie then gave a copy of this last speech to a friend to keep, asking him to pass it on to his little boy when he was old enough to understand what it meant. Then the napkin was put over his face and shortly afterward, James swung into space. Just as ordered, his head was placed on a pike over the gate. There the skull bore its testimony for 27 years, until a daring student risked his life to climb up, take it down, and bury it.

A Little Humor

It has been said that if you want to know about the troubles the church is having, ask someone who hasn’t been there for months.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Some people have tons of religion but not one ounce of salvation!”