Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 24:1-9.

“Now Abraham was old, advanced in age;  and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.  Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”  The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land;  should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”  Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there!  The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.  But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath;  only do not take my son back there.”  So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”  Genesis 24:1-9.

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Abraham commanded his servant:  “… you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”  Verses 3-4.

We are reminded that Scripture commands us to not marry unbelievers.  

“14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers;  for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God;  just as God said,

“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

But, there is hope!

“All your sons will be taught of the LORD;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.” Isaiah 54:13.

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD:  “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”  Isaiah 59:21.

“2 Thus says the LORD who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
5 “This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.” Isaiah 44:2-5.

These promises are for God’s elect, in the language of the following Scripture “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”  Acts 2:39.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis chapter 23.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+23&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years;  these were the years of the life of Sarah.  Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan;  and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.  Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you;  give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”  The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, “Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us;  bury your dead in the choicest of our graves;  none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.”  So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.  And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field;  for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site.”  Genesis 23:1-9.  

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I thought it was odd that such a big point was made by Abraham to bury his wife, Sarah, at a burial site “out of my sight”.  Twice, he mentions it in verses 4 and 8, so we will meditate on it.    

In any event, we should consider the shortness of our lives so that we may fear God and present to God a heart of wisdom.

“10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
11 Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:10-12.

But, so to speak, God does graciously allow our dead to be out of our sight, so that we do not continually dwell in our grief.  God comforts us and allows us to recover over time and to live out our days in gladness.

“Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting:  to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him;  for this is his reward.  Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor;  this is the gift of God.  For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.”  Ecclesiastes 5:18-20.

“Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart;  for God has already approved your works.  Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.  Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun;  for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 5:18-20.

But, there is even much more hope!

Today’s Scripture points us to what Christ has done in abolishing death out of our sight.  

“but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”  2 Timothy 1:10. 

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”  1 Corinthians 15:25-26. 

“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.  O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?  O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:54-57. 

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 22:15-24.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore;  and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”  So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba;  and Abraham lived at Beersheba.”  Genesis 22:15-19.   

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“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.  He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.”  Galatian 3:16.  

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  Galatians 3:13-14.

“What I am saying is this:  the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.  For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;  but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”  Galatians 3:17-19.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:24-26.

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”  Galatians 3:29.

“So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.  But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!  Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son;  and if a son, then an heir through God.”  Galatians 4:3-7.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:3-6. 

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST INTHE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 22:1-14.

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”  And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son;  and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.  Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there;  and we will worship and return to you.”  Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife.  So the two of them walked on together.  Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”  And he said, “Here I am, my son.”  And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  So the two of them walked on together.

Then they came to the place of which God had told him;  and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”  And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him;  for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns;  and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.  Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”  Genesis 22:1-14.

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“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16. 

“The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  John 1:29. 

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 21:15-21.

“When the water in the skin was used up, she (Hagar) left the boy (Ishmael who was both the son of Hagar and Abraham)) under one of the bushes.  Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.”  And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.  God heard the lad crying;  and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar?  Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.  Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.”  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water;  and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.  He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”  Genesis 21:15-21.

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Even though Ishmael was distinguished sharply from Isaac as we saw in the last devotion, with only Isaac being a child of promise and a spiritual descendant of Abraham, we remember the promises that God made about Ishmael.

“…  I will make a great nation of him.”  Verse 18.

“And of the son (Ishmael) of the maid (Hagar) I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”  Genesis 21:13.

“Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her (Hagar), “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”  The angel of the LORD said to her further,

“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.
“He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.” Genesis 16:10-12.

In today’s devotion, we see that God saved Hagar and Ishmael from dying of thirst.

Even though we may not immediately or fully understand God’s purpose, God fulfills His promises and accomplishes His purpose.

As one example, even though Pharaoh was a direct enemy of Israel, God raised Pharaoh up to show His power.  “FOR THE SCRIPTURE SAYS TO PHARAOH, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”  Romans 9:17.

As another example, we do see later that God used the Ishmaelites to bring Joseph to Egypt which eventually resulted in Joseph being raised by God to power in Egypt to save the nation of Israel from starvation.  “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”  Genesis 37:28.

In conclusion, we can trust God to accomplish His purpose for all that He does.”

“9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 21:9-14.

“Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.  Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.”  The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son.  But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid;  whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.  And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”  So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away.  And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.”  Genesis 21:9-14.

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“Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.  But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.  This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants:  one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves;  she is Hagar.  Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  But the Jerusalem above is free;  she is our mother.  For it is written,

“REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR;
BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR;
FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE
THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.”

And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.  But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.  But what does the Scripture say?

“CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON,
FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.”

So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”  Galatians 4:21-31.