Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 10, 2013

One Soothing Sacrifice for Sins

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 8 which covers the subsiding of the flood. 
 
 
We will focus on the following verses 15-22. 
 
“Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.  Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”  So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.  Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.
 
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth;  and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”  Genesis 8:15-22.

———————

How does a perfectly holy, just, and righteous God deal with evil man whose “heart is evil from his youth”?  He has got to do something!

We know that all the best burnt offerings in the world, and whatever else man can produce, cannot appease such a perfectly holy, just, and righteous God. 

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.”  Hebrews 10:1 

“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;”  Hebrews 10:11  

God has got to do something Himself!

“And He (God) saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;  Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.”  Isaiah 59:16

Article 1.  God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely just.  And his justice requires (as he hath revealed himself in his Word), that our sins committed against his infinite majesty should be punished, not only with temporal, but with eternal punishment, both in body and soul;  which we cannot escape, unless satisfaction be made to the justice of God.

Article 2.  Since therefore we are unable to make that satisfaction in our own persons, or to deliver ourselves from the wrath of God, he hath been pleased in his infinite mercy to give his only begotten Son, for our surety, who was made sin, and became a curse for us and in our stead, that he might make satisfaction to divine justice on our behalf.

Article 3.  The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sin; and is of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world.

Article 4.  This death derives its infinite value and dignity from these considerations, because the person who submitted to it was not only really man, and perfectly holy, but also the only begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, which qualifications were necessary to constitute him a Savior for us;  and because it was attended with a sense of the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin.

Article 5.  Moreover, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.  This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of his good pleasure sends the gospel.

Article 6.   And, whereas many who are called by the gospel, do not repent, nor believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief;  this is not owing to any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice offered by Christ upon the cross, but is wholly to be imputed to themselves.

Article 7.   But as many as truly believe, and are delivered and saved from sin and destruction through the death of Christ, are indebted for this benefit solely to the grace of God, given them in Christ from everlasting, and not to any merit of their own.

Article 8.   For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  Canons of Dordt SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “… having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.  For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us;  for after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

“And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”  Hebrews 10:12-18. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 9, 2013

Herding Cats

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis Chapter 7. 
 
 
We will focus on the following verses.
 
“Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.”  Genesis 7:5.
 
“Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.”  Genesis 7:8-9.
 
“Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him;  and the Lord closed it behind him.”  Genesis 7:16.
 
“For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights;  and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.”  Genesis 7:4.
 
——————–
 
“Herding cats may refer to:

  • An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic.  Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.”
 
We often laugh at the use of that expression, but it is a good descriptive title for today’s devotion, because it helps us understand the extremely difficult task that Noah had to do to get the animals into the ark.  We know that it was an impossible command for Noah to fulfill unless God miraculously performed it for Noah.
 
And, God didn’t only “herd cats” to fulfill His will.
 
God controlled the rain not only on that world-wide scale but also precisely to the day that the rain came and ended.  Each rain drop was under God’s sovereign control and command to the precise moment that the rain drop hit the earth.
 
God even closed the door behind Noah after all were safely aboard the ark.  Verse 16.
 
Yes, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time”.  See Genesis 6:9.  Yes, “Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.”  Verse 5 of today’s Scripture.  But, Noah was so and did so, because God had as much sovereign control and command over Noah as God did over “herding cats”.
 
Reformed Doctrine helps us understand this sovereign control and command of God over everything.
 
Article 13:  Of Divine Providence.

We believe that the same God, after he had created all things, did not forsake them, or give them up to fortune or chance, but that he rules and governs them according to his holy will, so that nothing happens in this world without his appointment: nevertheless, God neither is the author of, nor can be charged with, the sins which are committed.  For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible, that he orders and executes his work in the most excellent and just manner, even then, when devils and wicked men act unjustly.  … This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation, since we are taught thereby that nothing can befall us by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father; who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under his power, that not a hair of our head (for they are all numbered), nor a sparrow, can fall to the ground, without the will of our Father, in whom we do entirely trust …”  Belgic Confession. 

Question 1.  What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer.  That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ;  who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil;  and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;  yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.  Heidelberg Catechism.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 8, 2013

“For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 6:9-22.  Here is a link to the chapter.
 
 
We will focus on the following verses 11-13 and 17-19.
 
“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.  God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
 
Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them;  and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”  Genesis 6:11-13. 
 
“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven;  everything that is on the earth shall perish.  But I will establish My covenant with you;  and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.  And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.”  Genesis 6:17-19.   ————————

Today’s Scripture should motivate us to the fear of the Lord.  The Lord will certainly rescue the righteous and punish the wicked.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;  and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;  and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”  2 Peter 2:4-9.

The wicked may mock the righteous and continue their wicked ways, but judgment and punishment will certainly comes in a short time.  “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.”  2 Peter 3:3-6.

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”  2 Peter 3:10. 

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!   But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,”  2 Peter 3:11-15.

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;  The judgments of the Lord are true;  they are righteous altogether.
 
Psalm 22:23

You who fear the Lord, praise Him;  All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
 
Psalm 25:12

Who is the man who fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
 
Psalm 25:14

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.
 
Psalm 33:8

Let all the earth fear the Lord;  Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
 
Psalm 33:18

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
 
Psalm 34:9

O fear the Lord, you His saints;  For to those who fear Him there is no want.
 
Psalm 36:1

Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;  There is no fear of God before his eyes.
 
Psalm 40:3

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;  Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.
 
Psalm 47:2

For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.
 
Psalm 76:11

Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;  Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
 
Psalm 86:11

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
 
Psalm 96:4

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;  He is to be feared above all gods.
 
Psalm 103:13

Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
 
Psalm 103:17

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,
 
Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;  A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;  His praise endures forever.
 
Psalm 112:1

Praise the Lord!  How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
 
Psalm 115:11

You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;  He is their help and their shield.
 
Psalm 115:13

He will bless those who fear the Lord, The small together with the great.
 
Psalm 118:4

Oh let those who fear the Lord say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
 
Psalm 128:1

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
 
Psalm 128:4

Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.
 
Psalm 147:11

The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
 
Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;  Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
 
Proverbs 3:7

Do not be wise in your own eyes;  Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
 
Proverbs 8:13

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;  Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
 
Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
 
Proverbs 10:27

The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
 
Proverbs 14:2

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
 
Proverbs 14:26

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.
 
Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.
 
Proverbs 15:16

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
 
Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
 
Proverbs 16:6

By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.
 
Proverbs 19:23

The fear of the Lord leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
 
Proverbs 22:4

The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor and life.
 
Proverbs 23:17

Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always.
 
Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
 
Proverbs 31:30

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
 
Isaiah 8:13

“It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.  And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.
 
Revelation 15:4

“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?  For You alone are holy;  For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 7, 2013

“The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 6:1-8.
 
“1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful;  and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.  3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh;  nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”  4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.  Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
 
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky;  for I am sorry that I have made them.”  8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  Genesis 6:1-8.
 
————————
 

Man’s culture may be enchanted with the beauty of women and the strength of men, but God sees through to the heart.  “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  Verse 5.

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  Verse 8.  “… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time;  Noah walked with God.”  Genesis 6:9. 

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”  Proverbs 31:30

“10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”  Psalm 147:10-11.

“13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 33:13-22.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 5, 2013

Walk with God

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 5:3-24.  Here is a link to the chapter.
 
 
We will focus on the following verses 21 to 24.
 
“Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.  Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.  So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.  Enoch walked with God;  and he was not, for God took him.”  Genesis 5:3-24.
 
————————-
 
Noah also walked with God.  “These are the records of the generations of Noah.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time;  Noah walked with God.”  Genesis 6:9
 
“He has told you, O man, what is good;  And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8
 

The Christian life is often described as a walk. (See for examples: “walk by the Spirit”, Galatians 5:16;  “walk in newness of life”, Romans 6:4;  “walk in a manner worthy of the calling”, Ephesians 4:1).

“I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”  Leviticus 26:12
 
“You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.”  Deuteronomy 5:33
 
“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”  Deuteronomy 10:12
 
“He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,”  1 Kings 8:23
 
“Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”  1 Kings 8:61
 
“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the Lord.”  Psalm 119:1
 
“And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob;  That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.”  For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”  Isaiah 2:3
 
“I am the Lord your God;  walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them.”  Ezekiel 20:19
 
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10
 
“and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  Ephesians 5:2
 
“so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”  Colossians 1:10
 
“so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”  1 Thessalonians 2:12
 
“Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.”  1 Thessalonians 4:1
 
In conclusion, there is great hope!  God is at work in us!
 
“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”   Ezekiel 36:27
“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”  Romans 6:4.
 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 4, 2013

The Blessed Likeness of God

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 5:1-2.
 
“This is the book of the generations of Adam.  In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.  He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.”  Genesis 5:1-2.
 
———————-
 
God made Man in the likeness of God.  God blessed Man.
 
“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:48 
 
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.  In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”  James 1:17-18.
 
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:18
 
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.
 
“Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.”  1 Corinthians 15:49
 
“Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—”  Colossians 3:9-10.
 
“and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  Ephesians 4:24
 
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  1 John 3:1-3.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 3, 2013

“Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 4:16-26.  Here is a link to the chapter, so you can read it.
 
 
We will focus on verses 25 and 26.
 
“Adam had relations with his wife again;  and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”  To Seth, to him also a son was born;  and he called his name Enosh.  Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.”  Genesis 4:25-26.
 
————-
 
God comforts.  When we experience sorrow, let us remember the “God of all comfort”.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4. 
 
God shows lovingkindness.  “… I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth;  for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 9:24.
 
God restores.  We are reminded of all the losses that Job suffered.  But, “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.”  Job 42:10
 
“The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.”  Psalm 41:3
 
Not only does God restore earthly things, as He did in today’s Scripture for Adam in Eve in appointing another offspring in place of Abel, God provides us with spiritual blessings, as He did in today’s Scripture:  “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.”  Verse 26. 
 
“He restores my soul;  He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:3
 
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Psalm 51:12
 
“O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”  Psalm 80:3
 
“… Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord.”  Psalm 107:43.   
 
“41 But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction,
And makes his families like a flock.
42 The upright see it and are glad;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
43 Who is wise?  Let him give heed to these things,
And consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord.”  Psalm 107:43.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 2, 2013

The Lesson from God’s Punishment of Cain: “For all His ways are just”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 4:9-15.
 
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”  And he said, “I do not know.  Am I my brother’s keeper?”   He said, “What have you done?  The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.  Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.  When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you;  you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”  Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear!  Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground;  and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”  So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.”  And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.”  Genesis 4:9-15.
 
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Today’s Scripture makes us wonder why the LORD did not punish Cain by death for killing Abel.  After all, it is clear the death penalty was just for certain killings.  See, for example, Numbers 35:15-24 which carries  descriptions and distinctions of killings that are punishable by death from killings which are not punishable by death.
 
Did the LORD spare Cain, because Cain cried out for mercy?
 
Or, did the LORD spare Cain, because Cain’s killing did not contain sufficient intention, sufficient hatred, or sufficient enmity such that justice required that Cain be punished by death?
 
I don’t think the LORD spared Cain, because Cain cried out for mercy, because the LORD said to Cain:  “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.”  The LORD would not have been swayed by ungodly Cain’s plea over righteous Abel’s plea.
 
I think the LORD spared Cain, because Cain’s killing did not contain sufficient intention, sufficient hatred, or sufficient enmity such that justice required that Cain be punished by death.
 
Regarding whether Cain had intention, sufficient hatred, or sufficient enmity, Genesis 4:8 does not gives us many details:  “Cain told Abel his brother.  And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
 
We do know that Cain was angry that the LORD had no regard for his offering:  “but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”  Genesis 4:5.  But, Scripture does not tell us that this was an anger toward Abel.  Moreover, we do know that Cain told Abel what the LORD had told him.  If Cain was angry at Abel, why would Cain tell Abel what the LORD told him?
 
We do know that because of Cain’s countenance, sin was crouching at the door.  But, it was not necessarily a sin of murder punishable by death crouching at the door.  “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  Genesis 4:7.
 
We do have the description of the killing in 1 John 3:11-12:  “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;  not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.  And for what reason did he slay him?  Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”  Certainly, Cain’s deeds were evil, lacking in love, but there are many evil deeds that do not reach the level of being worthy of the death penalty.
 
We also do have the description of the killing in Jude 1:10-13:  “But these men revile the things which they do not understand;  and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.  Woe to them!  For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.  These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves;  clouds without water, carried along by winds;  autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;  wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”  Jude 1:10-13.  From this description, it seems as if Cain’s killing was more “unreasoning”, “without fear, caring for themselves”, than it was a killing with sufficient intention, sufficient hatred, or sufficient enmity toward Abel.
 
Finally, when the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”  Cain said, “I do not know.  Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Cain’s answer seems more reckless, more “unreasoning”, “without fear, caring for themselves”, than it does indicating sufficient intention, sufficient hatred, or sufficient enmity toward Abel that deserved the death penalty.
 
The point of this analysis is that the LORD showed early in the history of man that He is a just and righteous God.  Many of us rush into judgment against Cain, or rush into love with Abel, such that we have less concern for justice.  But, God showed himself in today’s Scripture to be a perfectly just and righteous God. 
 
“For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
Ascribe greatness to our God!
“The Rock!  His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.”  Deuteronomy 32:3-4.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 1, 2013

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 4:1-8.
 
“1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.”  2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel.  And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground.  4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering;  5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.  So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.  6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen?  7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door;  and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  8 Cain told Abel his brother.  And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”  Genesis 4:1-8.
 
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What man’s inherent condition (“our old self”) could not provide, God provided:  freedom from sin. 
 
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”  Romans 6:14  
 
“knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  for he who has died is freed from sin.
 
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;  death no longer is master over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;  but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
 
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;  but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”  Romans 6:6-14.
 
We still can sin and do sin, but we are not slaves to sin.   
 
“What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  May it never be!  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?  But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”  Romans 6:15-17.
 
The benefits of freedom from sin and enslavement to God are sanctification and eternal life.
 

“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:22-23.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 30, 2013

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 3:20-24.
 
“Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.  The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
 
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil;  and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.  So He drove the man out;  and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”  Genesis 3:20-24.
 
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God does provide eternal life, but on God’s own terms.  God will not allow man to “stretch out his hand, and take” it.   God does provide eternal life as a gift to those whom God elects to receive it. 
 
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23
 
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”  Romans 3:23-24.
 
“But the free gift is not like the transgression.  For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”  Romans 5:15
 
“… God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,”  2 Timothy 1:9
 
“for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”  Romans 11:29
 

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.  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.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.

“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”  2 Thessalonians 2:13
 
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”  1 Peter 2:9
 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9. 

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:15

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