Why did Peter’s courage fail him?  Primarily because he hadn’t taken Jesus’ advice!  Do you remember back in Gethsemane?  Jesus had said to Peter, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  Sadly three times Peter had failed to pray, and now three times he fails to identify himself with Jesus.  Sincerity and passion, in and of themselves, are not enough.  If we want to remain faithful to Jesus when the pressure is on then we need to be dependent on God and asking him for the faithfulness that he alone can give.  You might be the most naturally courageous person in this room but if you are not a person of dependant prayer there will come times when your courage will utterly fail you and you let your Saviour down.[1]

Imaginary John has just started a new job.  He hasn’t yet got around to telling his workmates that he is a Christian.  When he sees how people make fun of Jane, the other Christian in the company, he is not sure that he wants people to know that he too follows Jesus.  It’s difficult to be faithful to Jesus in John’s workplace.
John is told not too put certain things through the company books.  It’s explained that some transactions are best run on a ‘cash only’ basis, he knows that this is to avoid paying VAT.  John is aware that this is wrong but doesn’t want to upset his boss.  It’s difficult being faithful to Jesus in John’s workplace.
In the canteen the conversation revolves around dirty jokes and juicy gossip.  He believes that it is good to be friendly with these guys but he feels the pressure to laugh along at what is being said.  He doesn’t know what to do.  It is difficult being faithful to Jesus in John’s workplace.
Being faithful is difficult.  It is difficult for us.  As we see in this passage, it was difficult for Peter.  And remember too, it was difficult for Jesus.
Peter crumbles under pressure.
It is the night before the cross.   Jesus is in the high priest’s house where he has been tried by the Sanhedrin.  Outside in the courtyard is Peter, who has followed at a distance.  He is sitting with the guards warming himself by the fire.
One of the servant girls of the high priest comes by and sees Peter.  She looks at him closely and says, in front of the guards, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.”   What a scary position Peter finds himself in!  If he admits to being one of Jesus’ disciples will they arrest him also?
Now Peter by nature is not a coward.  I reckon that if I were one of the disciples I would not have followed all the way to the high priest’s house but would be with the others wherever they had fled to.  Neither is Peter half-hearted.  After all he had been sincere when he had passionately promised Jesus, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”  However, what does he do when the pressure is really on?  He denies knowing Jesus, “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entrance.
You’re at the hairdresser or barber, you’re sitting on the train or in a taxi, you’re in school or at work and someone begins to ask you questions about yourself.  How do you feel about letting them know that you are a Christian?  Are we a bit uncomfortable with being different?  Are there times when we would rather not be thought of as a Jesus-freak?  How many times we have denied Jesus with our silence!
Read More

Related Posts:

.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(–global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(–global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd{background-color:#dddddd;}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}
.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}

Subscribe to Free “Top 10 Stories” Email
Get the top 10 stories from The Aquila Report in your inbox every Tuesday morning.

He shines His light on us, but there are still dark shadows.  At this very time those trust Him can celebrate His full and free forgiveness.  At this time those who trust Him can be comforted that He guides us and fathers us in love.  But we too look forward.  For one day he will return.  He will bring judgement on all who have refused to live for Him.  He will wipe away all tears from those who have trusted Him.  He will be the very light of our existence.

What darkness are you passing through?  This year may have been one where you travelled through the valley of the shadow of death.  Maybe you have struggled with the darkness of depression and despair.  Maybe you feel that uncomfortable feeling of guilt for some sin that haunts you.  Jesus has come to shine His light into your darkness!
Isaiah means ‘God saves’.
The key to understanding the book of Isaiah is found in the prophet’s name.  Isaiah means ‘God saves.’
It is the eighth-century before Christ.  God’s people had been divided into two kingdoms—Israel/Ephraim in the north and Judah in the south.  Isaiah is speaking to the southern kingdom, whose king, Ahaz, is a descendant of the great king David.
The super-power of the day is the Assyrians.  Ephraim/Israel had formed an alliance with a place called Aram to protect themselves against the Assyrians.  Now Ephraim and Aram are threatening Judah: ‘if you do not join with us we will invade you.’  Rather than trust God, Ahaz forms a pact with the Assyrians.  The Assyrians had no plans to do them God.
In short, Ahaz and his people are not trusting God, and the result is going to be disastrous.  But God saves.  He is going to rescue a people who will be guided by His words.
Light from a surprising place.
The light is going to come from the region around Galilee—Zebulun and Naphtali were in the north.  When Israel and Judah were attacked this was the first place to be toppled.  The Galileans knew plenty of slavery and despair.  But God loves to turn things on their head.  From this place of darkness and oppression comes the light of freedom.  Matthew picks up these verses as he introduces the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:15-17).
Read More

Related Posts:

.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(–global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(–global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd{background-color:#dddddd;}.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id223392_4ab238-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}
.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(–global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column223392_96a96c-18 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}

Subscribe to Free “Top 10 Stories” Email
Get the top 10 stories from The Aquila Report in your inbox every Tuesday morning.

His kingdom is still a now and not yet.  The people of Isaiah’s day looked forward to the coming of that king from Galilee, we can look back and say that He is here.  He shines His light on us, but there are still dark shadows.  At this very time those trust Him can celebrate His full and free forgiveness.  At this time those who trust Him can be comforted that He guides us and fathers us in love.  But we too look forward. 

What darkness are you passing through?  This year may have been one where you travelled through the valley of the shadow of death.  Maybe you have struggled with the darkness of depression and despair.  Maybe you feel that uncomfortable feeling of guilt for some sin that haunts you.  Jesus has come to shine His light into your darkness!
Isaiah means ‘God saves’.
The key to understanding the book of Isaiah is found in the prophet’s name.  Isaiah means ‘God saves.’
It is the eighth-century before Christ.  God’s people had been divided into two kingdoms—Israel/Ephraim in the north and Judah in the south.  Isaiah is speaking to the southern kingdom, whose king, Ahaz, is a descendant of the great king David.
The super-power of the day is the Assyrians.  Ephraim/Israel had formed an alliance with a place called Aram to protect themselves against the Assyrians.  Now Ephraim and Aram are threatening Judah: ‘if you do not join with us we will invade you.’  Rather than trust God, Ahaz forms a pact with the Assyrians.  The Assyrians had no plans to do them God.
In short, Ahaz and his people are not trusting God, and the result is going to be disastrous.  But God saves.  He is going to rescue a people who will be guided by His words.
Light from a surprising place.
The light is going to come from the region around Galilee—Zebulun and Naphtali were in the north.  When Israel and Judah were attacked this was the first place to be toppled.  The Galileans knew plenty of slavery and despair.  But God loves to turn things on their head.  From this place of darkness and oppression comes the light of freedom.  Matthew picks up these verses as he introduces the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:15-17).
Read More
Related Posts:

In Jesus’ various teachings concerning the end of time and His return there is a great emphasis on being ready.  So I have to ask you, ‘are you ready?’  He speaks about this readiness in relation to how we live, ‘do our lives show the evidence of being born again’?  Jesus wants us to have a sense of assurance, but there can’t be strong assurance if we are actively ignoring His commands for our lives.  So work with me through the following questions: Do I accept God’s verdict on my life, that I actually deserve to be separated from Him and punished for my sin? Do I see that my only hope is in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that I will continue to the end only because His Spirit enables me? Am I asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to me where I need to change and seeking His enabling to be more like Jesus?

Chaos!  Don’t we just hate chaos?
It is one thing after another.  There is always something dripping or broken in the house, but that is nothing compared to the fact that there are people in the church on the edge of homelessness.  The kids have just gone back to school – and we wonder how they will cope this year.  There is that worrying lump, and the doctor’s appointment.  There always seems to be new bills to pay.  We are worried about elderly relatives or wayward children.  There are so many things that make life stressful.
In these verses Jesus speaks about very stressful events.  To those Jews He speaks of the fact that in a matter of decades the Roman forces are going to come in and destroy the temple – that symbol of their nations favour, security and pride.  What’s even more frightening is that at some undisclosed day in the future there is going to be the breaking up of the very fabric of the world.
How are we supposed to cope with those levels of stress?  We cope by remembering that Jesus is in control of all things and that He loves us.
God cares for us in the chaos (14-23)
Jesus had told the disciples that the temple would be destroyed.  Four of them had asked him when this would take place and what would be the sign that these things were about to be fulfilled.  Jesus now gives them an answer.
When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong . . . then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  The ‘abomination that causes desolation’ is the sign that the temple was about to be destroyed.  But what is ‘the abomination that causes desolation’?  The answer lies in the book of Daniel.  There this phrase is used in connection with the desecration of the temple—the introduction of pagan sacrifices to it.
Jesus is telling them that ‘when you see pagan worship in the temple then you should know that it is about to be destroyed.’  While there is some debate about what this act of desecration looked like the thing to note is that it did take place and the temple was then destroyed in A.D. 70.
Jesus then gives them some specific advice.  The events surrounding the temple are going to be dreadful and his followers are to flee to the mountains.  If you read the history books you will see that the temple and the city itself were destroyed by the Romans, and it seems that the Christians did take this warning seriously and escaped before the crisis.
so note God’s care for his people!  Jesus warns them so that they will escape this terrible event.  In verse 20 we read that the Lord even shortened the time of that tribulation for the sake of his people.  The God who is in control of history altered the course of history for his people’s sake.
Look back upon your life through the eyes of faith.  Weren’t there times when you thought you could not cope, but He actually got you through?  Hasn’t He proven that He has trustworthy?  He who spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not grant us all things? (Rom. 8:32).  Psychologists have discovered that the mind can not dwell on anxiety and thankfulness at the same time, so thanking God for His past mercies actually drives out present worry!
One of the things that I love about our heavenly Father is that He is concerned about everything in our life.  We may not be facing the destruction of our city and having to flee our homes, but that does not mean He thinks the small things are insignificant.  He tells us to cast all our anxieties on Him–‘no job too big. no job too small’ – because He cares for us!
Don’t be afraid of Jesus’ return (verses 24-31)
When the four disciples had asked their question about when the temple would be destroyed they seem to have associated the destruction of the temple with the end of the world.
Read More
Related Posts:

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he declares that the church is God’s household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).  Take away Christ crucified and you are undermining the very foundation of the church.  Everything is likely to collapse! I remember reading about the Methodist church in Cuba.  While the Methodist church in north America and Great Britain are rapidly contracting, it is flourishing.  Reading that article, I concluded that churches which are truly healthy are those with a genuine openness to the person and work of the Holy Spirit and a glad dependence on the Word that He inspired.

Captain Siva was a young man working as a pitot for Malaysian Airlines.  He was from a Hindu background.  While in a hotel in east Malaysia he had an urge to read the Gideon Bible in his room.  He began at Genesis and encountered a God who is our creator and who is personal.  He had never thought of God in personal terms before.
Over the next months he came across other Bibles and kept reading.  One text that stood out to him was when God says in Isaiah that it is abomination to worship idols.  As a Hindu he had worshipped many idols.
Then in the early hours of August 17th 1980, as his wife was giving birth to their daughter Rachel, he prayed.  ‘Here I am in the middle of the night reading your word.  Are you speaking to me?’  He heard no voice but, in his heart, he knew God was saying to him, ‘I am your Father.’
As his daughter came into the world Siva declared, ‘as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’  He has been living for God ever since.
When we read the book of Acts we see that the word of God has a power all of its own.  ‘So, the word of God spread’ (Acts 6:7).  ‘The Word continued to spread and flourish’ (Acts 12:24).  ‘The word spread through the whole region’ (Acts 13:49).  ‘In this way the Word of God spread widely and grew in power’ (Acts 19:20).  One of the key themes of this book is that the word of God spreads with an unstoppable force.
In the sixteenth-century Martin Luther rediscovered the simple gospel of grace as he turned back to the word of God.  That discovery changed the face of Europe.   His sidekick was called Philip Melanchthon.  When Luther was asked how they made such an impact, he replied, ‘myself and Philip drank our beer, the word did the rest.’
The word is the foundation of the church.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.
We can see an example of the apostles’ teaching earlier in this chapter.  Peter got up and explained to a Jewish crowd that the scriptures pointed to Jesus.  He centred his words on the cross and the resurrection.  Then there was a response.
Paul would later be added to that unique group of first-century apostles.  He would sum up all that he taught by declaring, ‘we preach Christ crucified’ (1 Cor. 1:23).
Remember that this is Luke’s second book.  In his first, the gospel of Luke, the risen Jesus opens His followers’ eyes to see that all of the Bible points to Him, and in particular to the fact that He would die and rise from the dead (Luke 24:27 and 47).
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he declares that the church is God’s household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).  Take away Christ crucified and you are undermining the very foundation of the church.  Everything is likely to collapse!
I remember reading about the Methodist church in Cuba.  While the Methodist church in north America and Great Britain are rapidly contracting, it is flourishing.  Reading that article, I concluded that churches which are truly healthy are those with a genuine openness to the person and work of the Holy Spirit and a glad dependence on the Word that He inspired.
The word is the food that sustains us.
Speaking to the elders at Ephesus the apostle Paul committed them ‘to the word of grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among the sanctified’ (Acts 20:32).
Read More
Related Posts:

At the beginning of the book of Exodus it might appear that God’s covenant promises to Abraham have amounted to nothing.  However it is on the basis of these promises that God brings his people out of Egypt (2:23-25; 6:1-6).  In doing this he reveals his character as being one who is absolutely faithful to his covenant commitment.  He is the LORD, the covenant keeping God.

When I was a child I was fascinated by the film, “Escape from Alcatraz,” the story of one man’s bid for freedom from the famous island prison. More recently was the “Shawshank Redemption,” a film that is well worth watching. Perhaps the most loved film in this genre is “The Great Escape,” staring Steve McQueen, and based on a 1943 breakout from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp.
In each of these films the escape depends on the ingenuity of the escapees and a certain amount of luck. The escape that we are looking at in this chapter is entirely different, it doesn’t depend on the escapees or on luck—God orchestrates the whole thing! As for the size of this escape, this is not about the freedom of just one individual or a small group but of a whole nation.
Introduction (Chapters 1-2)
In the last sermon we looked at the promise/covenant that God made with Abraham. There we claimed that this promise forms the backbone of the whole of the Old Testament. But as we read the opening chapters of Exodus we might think that God has forgotten this promise. Abraham’s descendants have not become a great nation (although they are multiplying in number) and they have not yet taken possession of the promised land, indeed they are not even in the promised land. As their stay in Egypt turned into slavery it must have seemed that fulfilment of God’s promises is becoming less and less likely.
Yet, as we noted in the last chapter, the circumstances that stand in opposition to God’s promises merely serve to underline that their fulfilment can only be achieved by the supernatural power of God. In the Exodus we will see the LORD free his helpless people with “an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgement” (6:6).
The situation for the slaves goes from bad to worse when the Pharaoh orders the killing of all the Hebrew baby boys that are born. It is against this background that we read of someone who will have a special place in this story. Through the ministry of Moses God will redeem his people. In this sense the role he plays reveals and foreshadows the nature and work of Christ. When we read of how Moses was placed among the reeds, found by Pharaoh’s daughter, given to his mother to nurse, and later adopted by the princess we are witnessing the “overruling of the powers opposed to his kingdom so that they cannot hurt the one chosen to mediate God’s plan of salvation.”
Moses is given a Hebrew and an Egyptian upbringing in preparation for his ministry. The next stage of his preparation will be in Midian, where he takes refuge after killing an Egyptian. However, the end of chapter 2 brings us back to Egypt. Verse 23-25:
During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Of course, this does not mean that God ever forgot the covenant, “but rather that he is about to act on the basis of these promises.” What we are about to witness in the book of Exodus is God’s covenant in action.
I AM WHO I AM (Chapters 3-6)
God begins the rescue operation by appearing to Moses in a burning bush at Horeb (another name for Sinai). He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (verse 6)—who in grace made his covenant with them. He is about to act upon that covenant by freeing his people from Egypt.
He commissions Moses: “So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (verse 10).
But what if the Israelites do not believe Moses when he returns to Egypt and claims to be God’s chosen for this task? God reassures him on two grounds. Firstly, Moses will identify the God who has spoken to him as “I AM” and as the God of their fathers (3:14-16). Secondly, Moses is given some miraculous signs which he will be able to repeat to persuade the Israelites of his mission (4:1-9).
Let’s think about this divine name for a moment. “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent you” (verse 14). While this affirms his existence, much more it means his active presence. But with what sort of action does God affirm his active presence? Verses 16-20—he is the God, who delivers his people, who keeps his promises and who overthrows his enemies.
Read More
Related Posts:

Christians are not to grieve the Holy Spirit with bitterness, but to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. We are to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. To sustain our marriage, we have to daily remind ourselves of the gospel of God’s forgiveness. 

What’s the best thing about marriage? I think as a teenager I would have thought that sex might be the best thing about marriage. That was what I was looking forward to. Now sex is a great gift for marriage, but it is not the best thing about marriage. As someone who has been married for over twenty years, I think companionship is one of the best things about marriage. But even this is not the best thing about marriage. The best thing about marriage is that it gives us a glimpse of the infinite love God wants people to experience in Him.
I used to read Isaiah 62:5 at weddings: “as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so your God rejoices over you.” I used to invite the congregation to look at the groom and learn. Watch him as he smiles at his bride, see him whisper in her ear and look at him as he leaves this building with her on his arm, acting like the cat that got the cream. That is just an inadequate picture of the infinitely greater love that God wants people to experience in Him.
In fact, in Mark’s gospel (2:14), Jesus takes this picture of a bridegroom for Himself. Jesus, God the Son, wants you to experience and enjoy His love.
Marriage is a Gift
Jesus has moved from Galilee to Judea. He is no longer just speaking to His disciples but a crowd. The religious leaders ask Him a question to catch Him out. How do they intend to catch Jesus out? Well, remember when John the Baptist criticised King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. That got John’s head cut off. They are hoping Jesus might get in similar trouble with His views of marriage.
As often happens, Jesus answers a question with a question. ‘What does Moses say?’ Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. In one of those books, Deuteronomy (24:1-4), Moses gave God’s command, for that time, on divorce. A divorce law was given assumed that divorce was taking place, and it was aimed at making it harder for men to divorce their wives, so that they would not simply treat their wife as a commodity. But that law, given through Moses, was given because people’s hearts were hard. God’s original design for marriage is found in Genesis 2.
In Genesis chapter 2 God’s design for marriage as a lifelong union of one man and one woman. The man and woman are seen as equals (‘made in the image of God’) but different. They are a compliment, a fit, for each other. This is a great gift from God to people. In fact, Jesus talks of God as being the one who puts people together.
Notice, in Genesis 2, what Adam does when he is presented with his future wife. He sings. “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man” (2:23). If you want to bless your spouse, rejoice over them. Look to see their beauty. Be thankful that God has given them to you. Ask God to help you appreciate them. If you want to ruin your marriage become an expert in criticism and comparison. “Why couldn’t our relationship be like theirs?” “Why isn’t he as kind as…?” “Why isn’t she as beautiful as…?”
Like a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God rejoices over you (Is. 62:5). Don’t stop imitating God in this!
Read More
Related Posts:

We see that grace in chapter 6—God showing favour to Noah and rescuing him and his family.  We see that grace in chapter 9 with God’s covenant to preserve creation and never again destroy it with a flood.  And we have seen that grace in the promise of the serpent-crusher. What about the serpent-crusher?  Keep following the line of descendants.  This section ends with another genealogy (chapter 11): from Shem to Abram.  The search for the serpent-crusher continues!  Abram will be the next great character in God’s story of salvation but he will not be the serpent crusher, we have to carry on many more generations until we come to him. 

  My dad loves genealogies—working on the family tree.  I know of at least one occasion where our summer holiday included a picnic in a graveyard—dad was gathering information from a gravestone.  I suppose the thrill is in the search, searching further and further backwards into history and the people who were there.
            There are genealogies in Genesis and they too are part of a search, but this search looks forwards not backwards, for it is anticipating someone that is to come.
            This search begins at chapter 3, verse 15.  There the LORD God says to the serpent:
 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your offspring and hers
He will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.
            Note in this verse the singular ‘he’ and ‘his’!  There is an individual we are looking for.  We are searching for the offspring of Eve who will crush the serpent’s head?  [1]
Cain and Abel (chapter 4)
In chapter 4 we read of the first of Eve’s offspring.  Cain is the first-born.  Will he be the one to crush the serpents head?  No!  In fact Cain crushes his brother Abel!  In this murder we see how the breakdown in relationship between God and humanity inevitably leads to a breakdown in relationship among humans.
With regard to finding to the serpent-crusher Cain and Abel lead to a dead end (in Abel’s case literally!).  Abel has no descendants, and when we read of Cain’s (4:17-24) we see little hope.  The line from Cain leads to Lamech, who boasts of killing a man for striking him (4:23).
So where will the offspring of Eve that will crush the serpents head come from?  In verse 25 we read of the birth of another son born in the place of Abel, Seth.  A new line of descendants begins and immediately it is associated with the worship of God— at that time men began to call on the name of the LORD (verse 26).  This is the line of descendants that we are to follow as we search for the serpent-crusher.
The account of Adam’s line (chapter 5)
You might be tempted to skip over chapter 5 if you are working your way through Genesis.  Certainly it is not the most exciting read: ‘so and so had lived for a certain number of years, he became the father of someone else, he lived for a certain number of more years and had other sons and daughters.  Altogether he lived a certain number of years, and then he died.’  The pattern is repetitive!  But there are important things being taught here!
To start with a certain line is being traced, only one member in each generation is mentioned: we are moving in a direction towards one person.  This line, as we will see, continues right through Genesis and contrary to expectation it does not always continue through the first-born—it goes through Seth rather than Cain, Isaac rather than Ishmael, Jacob rather than his first-born twin brother Esau.
This genealogy also serves as a reminder that the consequence of sin—death. Again and again we read—and then he died.  People don’t like to talk about death, some even try to avoid the word.  Apparently there is a hospital in America that refers to death as ‘negative patient care outcome’[2].  However death is a harsh reality of life.
Noah (chapters 6-9) ‘Grace and Covenant’:
In chapter five the line leads to Noah who is introduced by his father’s hopeful words, “He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed” (5:29).

Read More
Related Posts:

The applause of this world lasts a brief time, but the approval of heaven goes on forever.  I like the motto of the person who suggested that we should aim to, “love God, die and be forgotten.” “Consider the path your heart is on” (verses 5 and 7). Think of your priorities. 

Chad Bird’s life fell apart, in part because his priorities were messed up.  He writes, ‘I went astray for two decades in the pursuit of my ambitions.  I drove myself to be an accomplished person.  My life had to be awesome.  I chased down the career I wanted, and clawed my way up to the position I coveted.  I pursued a degree, then another degree, the still another, until I knew more about my PhD studies than the details of my children’s everyday lives.  I could tell you Rabbi Oshya’s exegesis of the Hebrew of Genesis 1:1 … but I had no clue what my daughter’s favourite stuffed animal was.  When my dreams came true, when I reached the fabled end of the rainbow, I found a pot of gold – fool’s gold.’
Are you putting yourself first?
Previous generations thought that it was wrong to put yourself first.  This one thinks it’s a virtue.  The following is a meme I read: ‘You’ll learn to put yourself first after you notice that other people are constantly putting you last.’  I remember a children’s story from when I was a child.  It suggested J.O.Y. was found by putting Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.  That doesn’t come naturally to me, but it is both counter-cultural and satisfying.
Haggai opens, verse 1, on 29th August 520 B.C.  About 66 years earlier the Babylonians had overrun Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and taken people into exile.  Yet 18 years earlier, the new superpower, the Persians had permitted the people to return and rebuild the temple.  But, despite the fact that they have now been back eighteen years, the temple still lies in ruins.
This is not because the people weren’t capable of building things.  They say, ‘the time has not come to rebuild the house’ (2), but they have been building houses.  Their houses!  Fine-panelled home (4).  What does that say about their priorities?  It says that comfort and impressing their neighbours mattered more to them than fulfilling their calling to the glory of God!
What are our priorities?  What comes first for us?  What building projects occupy our minds most?  Are we primarily into protecting our comfort, establishing of career, or earning a reputation?  Even our relationships will be unbalanced if we don’t put God first.  Put Jesus before people and you will actually love people better than if you put them before Jesus.  For Jesus is the source of Christian love.
We are no longer being called to build a temple in Jerusalem.  In the gospels Jesus says that he is now our temple—where we go to meet with God—and so temple building involves showing the world how great he is.  Is that our first priority in life!
Read More
Related Posts: