Yeah, even Moses. 
Leaders are not exempt from following God’s commands regarding faith. 
Moses couldn’t enter the Promised Land
but was only permitted to have a scenic overlook.
The remnant, however, entered and took the words of life to heart.

45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you– they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

48 On that same day the LORD told Moses, 49 “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:45-52)

Questions for further thought:

God’s law is our life (Deuteronomy 32:47).  “They are not just idle words.”  Wow.  How often do we treat God’s Word like an add-on or fit for Sundays, but not for living?

In what way are leaders held to greater account by God?  Why is that?

Why don’t people hold their leaders accountable for their actions, for their selfish gain at the expense of those they are supposed to serve, or their failure to lead to righteous living by setting the example?  How does this lack of accountability contribute to the decline of true leadership? 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, may always treat Your words as words of life not just idle words on a page or that are being discussed in a blog, but rather true words of life for all who follow them.  Thank You for the example of Moses to remind us that even those in leadership don’t get a pass. There are no two systems of justice in Your world.  We ask, Father, that whether we are leaders or those who follow Christ as the least of these, we will recognize the Life, the Truth and the Way that Jesus represents for us.  May we keep our eyes focused on Him during this season in which we celebrate His birth for which we are truly grateful. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Not all who marched on dry land in deliverance out of slavery in Egypt would be part of the ongoing remnant.  It’s not just heritage, remember? There’s something called faith, seeing the signs and wonders of God and taking them to heart. 

Faith?  Some just wouldn’t keep it.

Numbers 14:10 Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?…

God may be slow to anger, but it doesn’t mean He’ll never say, “Time’s up!” or “Enough!”  Moses appeals to the character of God and His great love to forgive instead of God’s destroying them all for their unbelief.

Numbers 14:19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”  20 The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked.  

Pardon, however, didn’t restore a reward of the Promised Land. 
God would give the reward to their children
while those old enough to have seen God’s miraculous deliverance
and chose instead to be faithless would die in the wilderness.

Numbers 14: 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,  22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times– 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it…. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. (Numbers 14:10-11, 19-23, 31)

Questions for further thought:

Are there any ways in which you’ve seen God working in your life, but then taken His actions for granted?  Or you’ve attributed it to your own ability?
Does God’s pardon for sin restore the reward for faith? 
Even in an age of God’s grace, how does forgiveness by the blood of Christ stand apart as a totally separate issue from the reward for faith by one’s actions? See 1 Corinthians 3:10-14.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus please open my eyes to see the pardon for sin and the grace You have shown. Help me to display works of faith not because it earns anything in this life but because it brings glory to You. May I bring a sacrifice of praise in honor of You. For Your glory we pray, Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

The remnant of faith always arises from within the larger culture.  Oftentimes, the remnant is persecuted or maligned, ridiculed or insulted, or in this case, enslaved.  The Hebrews, as a remnant people, were enslaved and mistreated for 400 years (as God had previously spoken).

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
(Genesis 15:13-14)

It was now the very time of their deliverance from that land of slavery into a beautiful land of plenty.  But even that would take a while as God continued to separate the remnant from the overall.

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”…That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.  And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.”  (Exodus 14:13-14, 30-31)

Questions for further thought:

What was the outcome of the deliverance?  Aside from plundering the Egyptians on their way out (as had been foretold and to fund their journey), what did the deliverance do spiritually?

In Exodus 15, they open with a song, but by verse 24, they’re grumbling against Moses.  By Exodus 16, that’s just one chapter and the fifteenth day of the second month after they came out of Egypt, they not only grumbling against Moses, but Aaron, too.  Discontent and ingratitude are contagious.

Exodus 16:3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

What does it say about human nature that we forget the goodness of God and His deliverance so quickly?

Prayer:

Forgive us, Father, for forgetting Your deliverance and goodness, taking for granted the salvation that You provided at the high cost of the Son of God and His precious blood shed for us.  We praise You for Your mercy; we praise You for Your grace; and we praise You for Your love that is beyond all comprehension and beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  We praise You for Your perfection and plan of salvation that is from old.  We ask, Lord, that You would ignite it afresh in our hearts this day, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

The Passover is oddly ranked last among the seven Jewish holidays according to a website called JourneyZ. Historically or as secular Jews, maybe it makes sense, but seriously?  Passover comes in dead last out of 7 Jewish holidays? 
1. Shabbat;
2. Rosh Hashanah;
3. Yom Kippur;
4. Sukkot;
5. Shemini (Sh’mini Atzeret) Atzeret;
6. Hanukkah;
7. Passover

I’m just going to leave that there for your thought.  But let’s turn to the record of Jesus Christ’s actual practice.

As an observant Jew, He would have done all the ones commanded in the Law of Moses, but not necessarily those according to the gospel of JourneyZ.  Furthermore, while silence is not indicative, regarding the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-14,), Rosh Hashanah (no NT reference), Yom Kippur (not a single Gospel reference to atonement but Romans 3:24-26, Hebrews 9:7, 10:3, 19-22), Sukkot (John 7, of particular note is v 37), Sh’mini Atzeret (no NT reference except perhaps John 7:37), Hanukkah (no specific NT reference), and Passover (Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-20; and John 2:13, 11:55).

Of all of them, rather than dead last,
the Passover is highlighted by Christ in the Gospels,
and it formed the occasion for the “Last Supper.” 

Now, let’s return to the first Passover and bring it all together.  You can review the commands in Exodus 12:1-14.  Then God told Moses,

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt…When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down” (Exodus 12:12-13, 23).

Had there been any firstborn Hebrew by heritage who failed to obey the instructions, preferring instead to be a gawker, maybe waiting for the destroying angel by hanging around outside, that Hebrew—by heritage—would have been destroyed along with the firstborn of Egyptians, foreigners, animals, etc.

In this way, God highlighted the remnant has always been by faith,
preserved by the blood…
and the Passover was to be a lasting ordinance to remind people of that.

Questions for further thought:

Do you think any firstborn Hebrews might have been tempted to go outside to have a look as the loud sound of wailing filled the night air?

Temptation, yes, but think about how that might have been evidence enough to keep one safely inside and one’s curiosity in check.  Fear, that what one was hearing was precisely God doing exactly what He said He would do.  Faith, that God is reliable and does what He says.  Fear of God reminding, “Don’t do it. Stay faithful to what you have heard.” How ought the Word of God Himself be enough incentive to obey?

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord for historically recording Your preservation of a remnant by faith. We praise You and thank You that You distinguished between Your holy people by faith and those of the world who do not follow Your ways, who do not know You, and choose to live in sin and rebellion.  The faithless so often mock those who choose to live in obedience to You. We trust Your Word for we know these words are the very words of life. Lord, please give us the strength, the encouragement, and the perseverance to share Your Word with a watching world.  So that even if they ridicule us, we will have been faithful to share Your gospel with all men before Your return. We praise You Lord Jesus for Your work on the Cross, for the salvation that is possible in You, and we ask, Lord for windows of opportunity to take that good news and proclaim it widely for Your glory. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Acts 7:17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’ 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die. 20 “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.”

Stephen recounts the Hebrew history in Acts 7, but Jesus’ genealogy is silent on specifics.  A few names, but we aren’t able to pinpoint dates or locations until we get to the later names of Salmon, Boaz, and Ruth.

Back to Stephen’s recounting of history, Moses is not in Jesus’ genealogy, but he did prefigure Christ as a prophet who would lead an exodus out of the land of slavery. All we know is at this point, they were slaves in Egypt, and God would raise up Moses to lead them out…including the silent people in the line of Christ.  That Exodus would occur somewhere around 1446 BC, if we’re calculating back from King Solomon’s reign.

It is important to note that by the Exodus, the Hebrews were an identifiable people group from twelve tribes, and the remnant would be the smaller group within a larger overall group.  The small group would be by faith, not by heritage or tribal affiliation alone.

This is an important distinction we can make at this point.  Who is a Jew?

I read online sometimes people claiming there are fake Jews and real Jews which is rather unproductive language, though I can understand the reasoning. It’s similar to real Christians and those Christian hypocrites who claim the identity at Christmas, but don’t actually follow Christ. 

For the Jews, it’s even more complicated.  As I see it, there is a heritage of Hebrews—the Jews scattered in nations throughout this world, a national group of Jews who live in the nation-state of Israel, and out of both there is a faith remnant, the descendants of Abraham by faith.  The Jews of faith whether the Messianic Jews or the remnant to yet be grafted in.

***

But let’s make one thing clear: the Church is not the faith remnant out of the Hebrews. 
That remnant was here until Christ’s birth, is now hardened,
and is yet to come according to Romans 11: 25-27. 

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

Questions for further thought:

Why are the terms fake and real unproductive?

How does that foment criticisms of antisemitism?

Are there “fake” and “real” Christians?  How can we identify who is real and who is fake (Matthew 7:15-29)?  Who knows the truth of the hearts of those claiming to follow Christ?

Prayer:

Help me, Lord, to be a peacemaker on this earth- a peacemaker between those of the Jewish heritage and those who are rooted in their Christian heritage by their devotion to Jesus Christ.  Help me to appreciate that Jesus was raised with the faith doctrines and traditions of Judaism.  Remind and teach me that the roots of my faith as a Christian include not just the New Testament but also the words of life that Christ fulfilled from the Old Testament.  Help me to love my Jewish brothers and sisters.  Help me to teach any with ears to hear that Christians are not their enemies but their loving helpers. For those Jews by heritage who follow Christ, help me to be their partners in being a light to the nations.  We ask Lord that, in Your time, You will graft back in that original Jewish heritage so that we all might reach fullness together in Christ, and may it hasten the Day of His Return.  It is for Christ’s glory we pray. Amen. 

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

In Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin recorded in Acts 7, all twelve sons are called patriarchs.  He reminds the Sanhedrin that Abraham was called out of Mesopotamia (outside the Promised Land), and they all ended up in Egypt (also outside the Promised Land) where generations later—four hundred years to be exact—they would come out after having been enslaved and mistreated.  But they would come out.

“But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’  Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.” (Acts 7:7-8)

Of the twelve, only Judah ends up in the line of Christ and only as a function of Tamar, the widowed daughter-in-law who would display greater righteousness than he.  Matthew’s genealogy record states it simply: Matthew 1:2 “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram.”

Questions for further thought:

Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and became pregnant by Judah, her father-in-law, after he neglected his third son in the Scriptural “levirate marriage” to carry on the family line.  God killed off both of Judah’s first two sons because they were wicked.  The sordid story is in Genesis 38.  How was God preserving the line of the patriarchs in spite of Judah?

All 3 older sons of Judah were from a Canaanite woman.  But so, likely, were the twins born to Tamar whose faith places her name in Matthew’s genealogy.  What is the balance between preserving the remnant pure by faith and being a light to the nations?

In Genesis 49, Jacob blesses his sons and regarding Judah, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” (Genesis 49:10).  The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah.

Prayer:

Father God, Your ways no one can fathom. We stand amazed at the way that You take even the sinful actions of people including Your chosen people and yet You weave them together. You work all things towards the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. We stand amazed, Lord, at Your wisdom, at Your plan, and ask Lord that You would open our eyes to see Your actions in our midst. We praise You and thank You for being an all-wise and all-knowing God to whom we give all glory. Amen. 

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

The patriarch Jacob had twelve sons.

Exodus 1:1 “These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.”

But let’s not forget Joseph who had been sold into slavery before redemption and elevation to the highest office in Egypt apart from Pharaoh.

“5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. (Exodus 1:5)

Out of the twelve, two stand out.  Joseph and Judah. 
But only one makes it into Jesus’ lineage:
the one who sold his brother to slave-traders.

“Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed” (Genesis 37:26-27).

How is that fair?

Questions for further thought:

Only one could be in the lineage of Christ as a direct line carrying the torch of faith and the patriarchy’s descendants.  Yeah, but why Judah, the first wife Leah’s fourth son (out of six), not Joseph (the firstborn of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel)?

The selling into slavery was bad, but it had a precedent. In what way did Adam sell all his descendants into slavery…to sin and mortality?

In what way does Joseph become the pattern of salvation from slavery by God’s intervention?  How does being outside the lineage of Christ, but inside the way of faith, display something about the ways of God?  “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

In Stephen’s speech from Acts 7 we see Joseph’s role in getting God’s people to Egypt,

“Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.” (Acts 7:9-15) 

How does Joseph’s role make it plain that one doesn’t need to be in Christ’s lineage to be included by faith?

Think also about this: Jesus had no biological offspring. Why is that a really good thing for cementing inclusion by faith, not biology?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are the author of all wisdom, and we praise You for the ways that we could never predict about how You work.  Thank You that we don’t need to be of a special line or a special people to find favor with You. We can be recipients of faith simply because You so graciously give. Help us to appreciate all that You have done for us as we magnify Your Name. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

This brings us to the final of the three patriarchs of the Jewish faith that was practiced by our Lord Jesus.  This is important and ought to give us every reason to be thankful for the faithful Jews who carried this faith and its traditions all the way to Christ.  Of course, God had a hand in all that.

This final patriarch has a few names.  Jacob (meaning heel-catcher referring to his birth, supplanter referring to his receiving the birthright blessing instead of Esau though Jacob was the second born) and Israel (after God changed his name following a hip injury during wrestling match with the angel of the Lord).

the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, (Luke 3:34)

So here is Jacob.  Chosen by God to remind us that He alone chooses how the remnant moves forward. 

Questions for further thought:

Both Rebekah and Jacob (whom Scripture describes as “a peaceful man, living in tents”) deceived Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing instead of Esau (who had sold his birthright blessing for a bowl of lentils).  How do you reconcile Esau selling his birthright and Jacob’s deception of Isaac and yet God bringing it to pass?  Why would God allow human deceptions to accomplish His will?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Why can’t God demand perfection from people before they do His will?

Prayer:

Thank You, Jesus, that You do not demand that we clean up our lives before You come to redeem us. We thank You that even though we are sinners that You loved us enough to rescue us.  We have been saved by Your grace through faith You have given to us.  We praise You that even our mistakes can be worked together for Your glory. We ask now that You would continue the good work of redeeming our lives from the land of sin, shame, and guilt.  Thank You for bringing us into Your family as children of God by faith.  Thank You Lord Jesus.  For it’s in Your Name we pray. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Scripture says that Abraham went down the mountain to his servants (but oddly no mention of Isaac) and went to stay in Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). About his wife Sarah, “She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her” (Genesis 23:2).  

He went. That means he wasn’t there when she died.  Hold that thought.

About Isaac (skipping ahead), “Isaac brought [Rebekah] into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67)

Okay, so Isaac was at the tent of his mother, but Abraham was back in Beersheba.
One can only imagine what that horrible test did in Abraham’s marriage.  
Sarah was not part of the test
because the covenant transfer was from father to son.

Now, about Rebekah, Genesis 24:1 Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

Sarah was already dead, so Abraham alone (another act of faith) insists on where to find this wife for his son Isaac.

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”  6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’– he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” (Genesis 24:1-8)

Don’t take my son back, but don’t let him get a wife from here.  God is orchestrating the preservation of the covenant purity by finding a wife for Isaac. She is Rebekah.

Questions for further thought:

God sent His angel ahead to find the wife.  “The servant prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” (Genesis 24:12).  The whole story is a good one, reminding us how God gathers and separates a remnant people of faith.  Why did God keep weaving back into the family clan and bringing them out?

I sometimes view Isaac as the weakest of the patriarchs.  Maybe unfair especially in light of what he went through, but we don’t read a lot about his faith life.  He did pray for Rebekah to become pregnant (Genesis 25:21) and he did receive the covenant reiteration on the basis of Abraham’s faith. (Genesis 26:1-6, 24-25).  Why, in Genesis 28:1-5, do we see the torch being passed to the next generation, even as he speaks of the God of Abraham?

Prayer:

Thank You Father for giving us 3 patriarchs who all point their way back to You. And that You are not just the God of Abraham; You are not just the God of Isaac; and You are not just the God of Jacob, but You are the God in whom all three rooted their faith and out of which You would bring forth a remnant of Israel for Yourself.  We praise You Lord for Your wisdom; we praise You for Your goodness; we praise You for Your will and Your plan; and we ask that You bring it to fruition in our lives all for the glory of Christ.  Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Of all the stories in the Bible,
this is probably one that makes Christians cringe the most. 
Asking WHAT?  I cannot believe God would test Abraham this way! 
I cannot believe Abraham would go there to do that.  I can’t believe that!

Well, believe it.

Put yourself in the sandals of Isaac for a moment.  Maybe Dad has told you that you’re the child of promise and about the covenant being fulfilled through you.  You’ve heard it over and over since you were old enough to hear it.  Time goes by.  A lot of time.  Dad hasn’t heard from God lately.  In years.  Life goes on and time enough has passed to forget about God, to grow complacent, to become a little arrogant.  You’re now old enough to have firewood stacked on your back and haul it up a mountain.  And your dad is still calling you “son” and “the boy” (Genesis 22:5).

You head to the top of the mountain and Genesis 22: 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Jewish scholars are quick to point out that this episode
is the last time in the Bible
that we’d read about Abraham and Isaac being together…alive. 
(Go ahead, be the Berean.  Check it out.  I did.)

Even though child sacrifice is utterly repugnant to modern minds, it was less out of the possibility in the Canaanite world in which the same God who gave fertility to an old man and old woman was entitled to any sacrifice He wanted.  Yet, it was unheard of that He’d demand such a thing of such a child.

The Book of Hebrews states, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19).

What does this have to do with a remnant? 

Everything, if you follow this logic. 

I’d argue it this way: Abraham hasn’t heard from God in ages.  He receives a radical command and obediently follows, an excruciating act of faith in the covenant promises of a trustworthy and supreme God, and in doing so, Abraham transfers the covenant weight of importance to Isaac.  Isaac’s faith—as his own—would need to be every bit as sold out for God.  At an age where Isaac could understand, God tests Abraham and transfers the covenant of faith to Isaac in all its weight and responsibility with the experiential knowledge that faith requires sacrifice, sometimes of even what we hold most dear, and when it makes no sense.

Apart from this test and Isaac being witness to it, seeing God’s provision as Abraham believed, Isaac could have grown up as a complacent, arrogant, and petulant child growing into entitled manhood, lacking the faith that is required of a true patriarch and inheritor of the covenant promises.

Questions for further thought:

Why might God have waited to test Abraham until Isaac was no small child?

“So in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”  In what way does the author of Hebrews point to the living aspect of faith, and redemption from spiritual death of trying to live life apart from God?

What valuable lessons regarding hearing from God and faith did Isaac learn, to make his faith his own? 

In what way did Isaac go up the mountain with firewood on his back and go down the mountain with the heavy weight of covenant promises to carry by faith to manhood, to fatherhood, and for the rest of his life?

Prayer:

Lord God, when we look at the life of Abraham and see the model of faith that he presents for us, it causes me to wonder if I would obey when the sacrifice seems so great. I ask Lord that You would give me the kind of faith that perseveres through the most difficult of times; through the most uncertain of outcomes; and through the most incomprehensible requirements of faith. Thank You, Jesus, for promising us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things, and that everything which has been made known to You will be made known to us by Your grace and in Your timing. Thank You that in James, Your Word promises that if we lack wisdom that we can ask God. We don’t need to fear Your judgment for merely asking, and we thank You that You give generously to all without finding fault. We praise You and exalt Your mighty Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.