Category Archives: Bible Commentary

God interrupts the world with the birth of His Son

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Heark the Herald Angels Sing

Read Luke Chapters 1-2 and Matthew Chapters 1-2

Our story today, is the Christmas story. And it begins with a woman named Elizabeth, who, though she is well past her child bearing years, is pregnant with her son John, who will later become known as John the Baptist. When she’s in the sixth month of her pregnancy God sends an angel named Gabriel to another woman, a different woman, named Mary, who lives in this little town in Galilee called Nazareth, and who’s pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, one of David’s descendants.

The angel approaches Mary and says, Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

Now this freaks Mary out, she doesn’t understand why she’s being greeted this way, by an angel no less. She’s troubled.

The angel senses this and says, Don’t be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You’ll conceive and give birth to a son, and you’re to call him Jesus. He’ll be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he’ll reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.

How is this possible, Mary asked, since I’m a virgin?

The angel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.

At this Mary simply said, I’m the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.

Then the angel left.

So Mary heads to Zechariah (Elizabeth’s husband) and Elizabeth’s which was in the hill country of Judea. And as she enters their house she greets Elizabeth, and just as soon as Elizabeth hears the greeting, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps, like a big time leap, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.

In a loud voice she says, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you’ll bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

Then Mary sings. (Click on this link to see the lyrics of Mary’s song)

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then went home.

So everything seems great until Mary tells Joseph that she’s pregnant. I don’t know what was said between them but Joseph thinks that Mary has been unfaithful to him and if you think about it, it’s hard to blame him for thinking that way. He knows for a fact that he and Mary haven’t been together yet sexually. And he knows that Mary’s pregnant. So putting two and two together he decides he’s going to divorce her, although he decides that he’s going to divorce her quietly because he doesn’t want to disgrace her.

So it looks like the marriage is going to blow up, but then he has a dream and in his dream an angel tells him, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (But he didn’t make love to Mary until she gave birth to a son).

Later, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census be taken of the entire Roman empire. So everyone had to go to their own town to register.

So because Joseph was of the house and line of David, he had to go to the town of Bethlehem. So he does. He goes from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea to register with Mary, who’s pledged to marry him and is already expecting.

While they’re in Bethlehem the time for the baby to be born comes and she gives birth. She wraps him in cloths and places him in a manger because there’s no rooms available for them to stay in.

That night there were shepherds nearby watching over their flocks in the fields. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and God’s glory shone all around them and the shepherds were terrified.

But the angel said, Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Then all of the sudden a great company of angels appears with the first angel. They praise God saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

Then the angels left and went into heaven.

The shepherds say to each other, Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

So they hurry off and find Mary, Joseph, and the baby — the baby lying in the manger, wrapped in cloths just as the angel said it would be. After they saw him they go around and spread the word about what the angel told them about this baby and everyone who heard it was amazed.

Then the shepherds went back to the fields, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Wow.

Christ is born.

The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, The Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ is born. (John 1:18, Titus 2:13)


God’s Interruptions:

The world’s historical inertia was interrupted that day by the birth of The Resurrection and the Life, The Son of the Most High God. (John 11:25, Mark 5:7) After Christ’s birth the world would be thrown into spiritual and cultural tumult and turmoil — by divine design. That interruption was a part of God’s plan.

Have you ever thought about how God’s work is so often done through interruptions? Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah and his wife Elizabeth were just happily working, day by day, serving the Lord, in a routine, ministering, when bam, Elizabeth, suddenly and unexpectedly is pregnant, (and Zechariah is even temporarily struck by the Lord and rendered unable to speak for months).

Mary’s in her routine of preparing for her wedding with Joseph but then an angel shows up and she also unexpectedly becomes pregnant, with all the implications of not yet having consummated her marriage.

Joseph’s in his groove down at the wood shop when he finds out that Mary’s pregnant. So he starts to work on a quiet means of divorcing her when that’s interrupted by an angelic announcement.

Then Caesar requires that they travel to Bethlehem, where there are no rooms available. (Later they’re warned in a dream to take their infant Jesus and flee from Herod’s henchmen to Egypt — yet another interruption)

It’s just one thing after another.

There’s a strong pattern of God using interruptions to accomplish His plans throughout the scriptures.

Abraham’s life was interrupted when the LORD told him, Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. And he was interrupted again when God directed him to travel to Mount Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice.

Moses was on track to take a high level position in the Egyptian government, perhaps even becoming the next Pharoah, when his life was interrupted for forty years when he had to flee to the wilderness after he killed the Egyptian.

Jacob’s son Joseph had his life interrupted when he was sold into slavery. And again when he was falsely accused of having an affair with his master’s wife and thrown in jail.

David’s life was interrupted when he had to flee from Saul. And his life was interrupted again when he had to flee from Absalom.

Daniel was in a nice routine of praying to the LORD three times a day when he was thrown into the lion’s den.

The last three years of Jesus’ life were filled with interruptions. He was interrupted first by His mother asking Him to turn water into wine, then by a an untold number of people asking for healing, he was even interrupted by people asking him to give audience to children. Not surprisingly, He handled His interruptions with great grace, wisdom, and power.

The scriptures are filled with examples of how God uses interruptions to accomplish His work.

Let me tell you something about myself — I hate to be interrupted. Perhaps it comes from my years in the fire service where I was constantly interrupted by the call of the alarm bell. In the fire service your interrupted in the middle of a meal, in the middle of a project, in the middle of a shower, it’s constant. Or maybe it’s just that part of my personality that loves to find my groove and to fall into a deep zone of concentration — uninterrupted concentration.

I have to confess that sometimes, I even see Jesus as an interruption:

When He calls me to worship him in the morning and I’m tired.

When He directs me to read His word.

When He interrupts my day to help someone with a problem.

When He invites me to spend time at His house.

Not all the time, but sometimes, I can receive these as interruptions, even annoying interruptions — because – I hate to be interrupted.

Like the men of God in the examples above, sometimes we don’t have a choice in the matter. The interruption just happens to us.

But sometimes the men of God in the examples above did have a choice. Sometimes we do too. We can look for Christ in the interruption. We can choose to be obedient to God’s direction in the interruption, as Abraham did when he left Ur. As Joseph did when he took Mary to be his wife. As the shepherds did when they went to see Jesus in the manger.

So I have a problem and I have a choice.

My problem is obvious — it’s clear that the Lord uses interruptions to accomplish His work, and it’s also clear that I hate to be interrupted.

My choice is simple — I can blow Him off and stay in my groove, my routine. Or I can follow His direction.

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you hate interruptions. Might I suggest that you and I need to take a fresh look at life’s interruptions? You know God could have revealed His plan to Joseph and Mary years in advance. He could have brought Jesus into the world any way He chose. But He chose to use interruptions. That’s not the way I would have done it but then the LORD declared to us, “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8) One thing’s for sure — God’s way is always the best way.

When we’re interrupted we need to immediately look for God’s hand in the situation. When we’re interrupted we need to immediately look for God’s direction in the situation. When we’re interrupted we need to seek His will and follow what He has in mind for us to do.

The next time you’re interrupted…

This Christmas, not if, but when you’re interrupted…

Look for Christ in the interruption.

Thank Him for having His hand on your life.

Seek His direction.

Obey His direction.

Act on His direction.

It seemed to work out pretty well for Mary and Joseph.


One More Interruption:

Maybe you’re sensing that God’s Spirit is interrupting you at this moment. Perhaps you’re realizing you’ve sinned and you’re wondering what you should do about it.

Jesus was born to die for your sin and He did just that.

If God’s Spirit is moving you to receive Jesus as your Savior then go to Join Christ’s Family.

It’ll be the best interruption you’ve ever experienced in your life.


References:

Bible Gateway

Blue Letter Bible

Dr. Terry Crist

Ben Courson

Jon Courson

Priorities

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A few days ago I was asked, “How do I maintain balance between my professional and my personal life?”

The question was asked in the context of promotions. Like most good administrations this person’s leadership rewards those who are actively contributing to the success of the organization. It’s a fact of life in the work world that the higher you go, the greater the commitment.

My favorite way of answering this question is with the story of the full jar and it goes something like this: There was a wise old sage who was once asked by a young man how to prioritize his time. The old man didn’t say a word but brought out a one gallon jar and put large rocks inside of it until they reached all the way to the rim.

“Is the jar full?” he asked the young man.

“Yes it’s full,” the young man replied.

Again without a word the old man scooped up handfuls of gravel and poured them into the jar until the gravel, filling in the void spaces around the large rocks that were already inside, reached the rim.

“How about now?” the old man asked.

“Well, I think it’s full,” the young man said with a pinch of doubt in his voice.

Again without a word the old man scooped up handfuls of sand and poured them into the jar until the sand, filling the left over void spaces between the large rocks and the gravel, filled the jar up to the rim.

“Now it’s full,” the old man said. “You see the large rocks represent your relationship with the LORD, the gravel represents your relationship with your family, and the sand represents your work life. If you fill your jar with the sand first then there will be no room for the large rocks and gravel. If you fill your life with work first, then there will be no room for your family and God.”

The young man nodded slowly.

The old man continued, “Make your relationship with the LORD your first priority, then your family, then work. As long as you keep these priorities in order, you can work as much as you like.”

The only thing I would add to this story is that it’s essential to find time to care for your body also because your body is the temple for the Holy Spirit. Your body doesn’t maintain itself. Living a healthy lifestyle makes you more effective for the LORD. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Beyond that I would also add a few thoughts in order to more completely answer the question, how much of yourself should you give to your employer in order to receive a promotion.

1) If you’re making a decision about a promotion, get into God’s word, go hear the message at church, pray through the issue. Promotions are life changing events, they’re a big deal so pray — I’m talking about seriously intentional prayer here, I’m talking about nose in the carpet kind of praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

2) Only take the promotion if you have the full support of your spouse for we’re to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)

3) The greater your ambition, the greater your passion, the greater your resolve — the greater your success. The question is what will you be ambitious about?

To be truly great you must be full of ambition for the LORD, and for your family, and for your organization, but not for yourself. It’s a paradox that one of the great keys to success is having at your core both passion and humility. The LORD lifts those up who are bowed down. (Traveler and the Chaplain , Psalm 146:8)

If you have a desire to contribute to your employer so you can get promoted then don’t. Don’t go for the promotion. Good organizations are looking to promote people who are on fire to contribute to the success of the organization for the sake of the organization, not for the sake of their own promotion. (Schwarzkopf)

 


Relationship with God first, family second, work third – I’ve watched many who have kept these things in order do well in life. And, sadly, I’ve watched those with whom the order becomes confused and their lives eventually unraveled.

Live for Christ first,

family second,

work third.

You won’t regret it.

…seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

 


References:

Bible Gateway

Blue Letter Bible

Traveler and the Chaplain

Norman Schwarzkopf

Jon Courson

Genesis 18:16-33 For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it

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For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him (Psalm 103:11)

Read Genesis 18:16-33

In the first part of Genesis 18 the Lord and His two angelic messengers from heaven tended to the first part of their business, that of blessing Abraham and Sarah. Here in the second part of Genesis 18 we see that they’re on to the second part of their business. The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8) It’s true that He is full of grace and quick to bless. But He is also to be feared. God will never wink at sin. His holiness, His purity, and His perfection require that He deal with sin, like a doctor responds to an infection. Revelation 19:2 tells us that true and just are his judgments. 

So we pick up our story where the two angels and the Lord leave Abraham’s camp and head toward Sodom. And Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. (v. 16) Walk with the wise and become wise God tells us in Proverbs 13:20. At the fire department where I work each firefighter lives in the station house with his crew for twenty-four hours at a time. I can remember early in my career living with some, shall we say, not so wise personalities on occasion. Fortunately that was years ago and the group of firefighters we have now are of an amazingly high character, almost to the man. But my wife would always share with me that I’d begin to take on the qualities of whatever crew I was assigned with. Now that could be bad or that could be good depending on the crew. Even as a firefighter begins to take on the attributes of his crew mates, you will take on the attributes of who you hang with. So walk with the wise and become wise. Walk with the godly and become godly. Or as Jesus told the disciples, “…whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide….” (Matthew 10:11) Abraham’s decision to walk with the Lord and His angelic escorts will prove Proverbs 13:20 and Matthew 10:11 to be true as we’ll see.

Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (v.17-19)

The beginning of verse nineteen says that Abraham is chosen by Him. All nations of the earth will be blessed by Abraham because Messiah will come through Him. Abraham is chosen by God for Messiah to come through him, you and I are chosen by God because we have accepted Messiah from Him, Him with a capital ‘H.’ As a believer in Jesus Christ you and I are in the same position as Abraham — by His grace we are chosen by Him, not by our own merit. This is one of the reasons God chooses to share intimate revelation with Abraham and with you and I as well.

In the next part of verse nineteen we see another reason. God speaks of Abraham’s propensity to share God’s revelation with His family when He says, he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD. (v. 19) That’s how it is with you and with me. God doesn’t share revelation according to how well we take notes during Bible study, but rather God shares revelation according to how much we share God with our spouses, and our children. Abraham had a heart to share God’s word with His family, even with an eye toward posterity, toward his future generations. For that reason God shared His plans with Abraham.

God will share with you what He’s doing, where He’s going, and His inspiration after He sees you pouring out to your family what He is pouring into you.

Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” (v. 20-21)

Verse 21 makes me wonder what kind of outcry God hears from our world today. Sodom and Gomorrah were perverse but isn’t our current culture also fraught with sin? Pornography, drugs, alcoholism, sex slavery, gang violence — we see it in the news every day. But many don’t recognize it for what it is. In Glasgow, Scotland, in the spring of 2010 a U.S. preacher was fined and thrown in jail overnight for calling homosexuality a sin. (Christian Post) I don’t know anything about the guy. Maybe he was obnoxious about it. It’s interesting that some of us have no problem showing God’s love to those who sin by practicing sex outside of marriage, but some of the same respond to homosexuals with hostility. We should show God’s love to all sinners and that includes, you, me, people involved in extramarital sex, and people with an alternative sexual orientation. As we’ll soon see, Abraham pleads with God to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah. That being said, it doesn’t make homosexuality any less of a sin. Our culture today celebrates homosexuality as well as other sinful practices. I just wonder what kind of outcry has reached God lately. Have mercy on us oh Lord.

At the end of verse 21 the Lord shares that he will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry. Obviously the Lord is all knowing and all seeing and doesn’t need to go down to confirm that the outcry matches the reality. This is similar to when Jesus prayed out loud that God the Father would raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said, “I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here.” (John 11:42) God’s presence on earth with Abraham provided an opportunity for Abraham to receive God’s blessing, to learn of God’s plan, and to interact with God in prayer.

And on the topic of prayer: The most effective prayers don’t start with us but they start with God. When we base our prayers on His promise, or His warning, or His conviction that’s when we see things happen. When we read God’s word, praying in response to certain scriptures as the Holy Spirit leads us to, we’ll see more in the way of results than when we pray in a vacuum, much more. As Matthew Henry says, “God’s word then does us good when it furnishes us with matter for prayer and excites us to it.” Such was the case for Abraham in our story. The word that the Lord shared with Abraham concerning Sodom inspired Abraham to approach the Lord in prayer.

Then Abraham approached him… (v. 23) I once heard a personal trainer share that the key to working out regularly is to show up at the gym with your gear on. Once you’re in the gym with your gear on, you’re sure to do at least some exercise. That’s good advice for praying regularly as well. We see Abraham walk with the Lord in verse sixteen, stand before the Lord in verse twenty-two, and then approach the Lord in verse twenty-three. Abraham’s part was to find ways to be in the presence of the Lord. That’s your part as well. Find ways to be in the Lord’s presence. Fellowship with Him in church. Read His word. Pray. Take communion. Worship Him in song.

Abraham then begins his prayer, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? (v. 23-24) Here Abraham exercises a basic principal of communication, he recognizes a defining core quality of the person he’s communicating with and then appeals to that quality. Not surprisingly, in the Lord’s case, it’s mercy. Abraham appeals to the Lord’s mercy. Even if there are only fifty righteous, Abraham says, will you destroy the city? We see something of Abraham’s heart toward sinners here too, as he doesn’t pray that just the righteous are spared but he prays for the Lord to spare the whole city, righteous and the sinners alike. It’s a great reminder that while sin is to be hated, sinners are to be loved and prayed for.

The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” (v. 26) True to His nature, God agrees to spare the city if there’s fifty righteous.

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes…” (v. 27) Here Abraham demonstrates how you and I should approach our Lord in prayer — with humility. We must remember that the Father created us from dirt. We must recognize, as Abraham did, that you, I, and even the greatest humans among us are but dust and ashes. Some of the name it and claim it crowd, I think in an effort press into God’s presence, seem to approach God as though he were a genie in a bottle waiting for their command. This ought not to be. If you want to be heard, remember that God shows favor to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34)

Abraham is persistent in his prayer as he continues:

…what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Genesis 18:28-33

Abraham was wise to appeal to God’s merciful nature. During this conversational prayer God seems to be looking for the slightest excuse to show His mercy. Notice that God doesn’t stop His flow of mercy until Abraham stops asking for it.

This is the first intercessory prayer found in the scriptures. It’s a great reminder that the Lord would have you to in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4) Abraham is looking to his nephew Lot’s interest. In chapter fourteen Abraham rescued Lot by the sword. Here in chapter 18 we see Abraham attempting to rescue Lot by intercessory prayer. Abraham stops interceding at ten, perhaps thinking that Lot’s family numbered eight, and surely two other righteous will be found in the city.

But God didn’t stop at ten. In the next chapter we’ll see that God went all the way down to four.

We pray Lord that you’d bless us by inspiring us to share Your word with our families as Abraham did. Lord, Your word tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) We pray that You’d bless us by making us effective in prayer. Help us to, like Abraham, be wise enough to walk with You, to stand in Your presence, and to approach You in prayer. Help us to, like Abraham, approach You in humility, recognizing that we’re but dust and ashes. Help us, like Abraham, to be interceding on behalf of others.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Genesis 18:16-33

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

References:

Blue Letter Bible

Matthew Henry

Ray Stedman

Jon Courson

Genesis 14:20-24 Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything

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Excerpt from interview with boxer:

Then Abram gave him (Melchizedek) a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

Genesis 20-24

It’s Tuesday evening, February 10, 1959. The young light heavyweight is still recovering from strep throat and only weighs 167 lbs. At 6’2″ he looks even skinnier than when he’s at his usual 175. He hopes he’s recovered enough to pass the physical so he’s allowed to fight in tonight’s Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago. He runs from the bus stop near the arena to check in. As he approaches the doctor for his pre-fight physical he’s overwhelmed by the aroma of alcohol on the good doctor’s person.

“Your temperature is above 99. Sorry, but you can’t fight,” the doc mumbles.

“I just ran from the bus! That’s why I’m so sweaty and warm,” the young boxer pleads.

After some more begging he’s finally allowed to register. He enters into the selection room where tonights pairings will be decided. His eye is drawn to a 5′ 8″ boxer who’s the most muscular man in the room.

“Man, I hope I don’t draw him, he thought to himself.”

Wouldn’t you know it. The draw is decided and the young boxer discovers that against his hopes and wishes, he’s drawn the muscular fighter — his last choice. Timothy Bursey is his name. A fighter with a reputation for toughness and great punching ability. A fighter with considerably more experience and success than the young boxer.

But in the ring he finds hope. The young boxer is left handed and this confuses Bursey. Bursey’s been trained to circle away from his opponents power but against a lefty he has to move the other way. That proves to be counter intuitive. When Bursey does circle in the right direction the young boxer pops him with a couple of jabs, just as his trainer Tony Zale taught him to. This causes Bursey to fall back into his old habit of circling as though he’s fighting a right hander.

The young boxer catches Bursey with a good punch and Bursey drops his hands as though he’s hurt. The young boxer swings with a right but he only grazes Bursey who then comes from the floor with a right hand that catches the young boxer in the temple. He’s knocked five feet to his right where he bounces off the ropes. But, as he’s coming off the ropes the young boxer quickly throws a couple of jabs.

Bursey’s eyes grow wide. He can’t believe this skinny kid didn’t go down. He seems unhurt, unfazed.

In the next round the young boxer feints with his left and Bursey covers up with both gloves, peek-a-boo style. The young boxer steps to the side and hits Bursey with a solid left hook to the jaw, just in front of Bursey’s right ear.

All of Bursey’s muscles go slack. He goes down. He’s limp and flat on his back.

“1, 2, 3…” the referee counts.

Then, incredibly, when the ref is at the count of 5, Bursey gets up. Now it’s the young boxer’s turn to be surprised.

But something’s wrong. Bursey’s not all there. And the referee seems not to notice Bursey’s lack of alertness.

“Fight,” the referee says.

“Why isn’t the ref stopping the fight?” the young boxer wonders. He gestures with his hands to indicate that Bursey’s not ready to fight.

“Fight!” the referee barks.

The young boxer gestures again.

“Fight or I’ll disqualify you!”

“I don’t want that,” the young fighter thinks to himself. “And I don’t want Bursey to come back from this round and catch me with another great punch like he did in the first.”

Later in the locker room someone who had watched from ringside told the young boxer that he hit Bursey with eight straight lefts before the referee stopped the fight. As he was pulled back Bursey fell to the canvas unconscious.

The crowd went wild.

Afterward the young boxer searched the arena for his opponent. He found him still unconscious in the hospital tent. He felt horrible. He was afraid. Bursey’s parents and brother were there. They comforted the young boxer.

“You know, that’s boxing,” they said.

“The ref should have stopped the fight,” they reasoned.

Minutes went by and Timothy Bursey still lay unconscious.

One half hour went buy and Bursey was still unconscious.

Finally, after 48 minutes, his eyes fluttered open. The young boxer, near tears, never felt so much relief.

On the way out of the hospital tent the young boxer was approached by an older man in a suit.

“Nice fight tonight.”

“Thanks.”

“You know we need white fighters who can take a punch.”

The wheels started turning. This man was a powerful person in the boxing business. He was one of the premiere boxing promoters in the country. The young boxer was 20 years old with a one year old son and another on the way.

“I could sure use the money.” He didn’t say it out loud, but he sure was thinking it.

“Don,” the promoter called him by name. “We take care of the fights, do you know what I mean?”

“Yea, I know what you mean.”

He thought about what that meant. He understood that they’d fix his fights to provide him with success for their own financial gain. He also realized that at any time, they could ask him to throw a fight. If he didn’t fall in line there’d be consequences. With a young family to think of…

“No thanks,” the young boxer said.

“Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” the king of Sodom said to Abram in verse 21.

But Abram refused. “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you…” (verse 22-23)

Abram gave one tenth of everything to Melchizedek. (verse 20) But refused to accept anything from the king of Sodom.

Wise is the man who avoids financial entanglement with the world.

And wise is the man who invests in God’s kingdom.

The world system is founded on owing something to somebody. Like the young boxer — yes he’d receive riches from the promoter, but there would be strings attached.

The king of Sodom offered Abram riches from the spoil of battle. Yes Abram would receive riches, but with strings attached.

Refuse to invest in the world. Invest in heaven as Abram did when he tithed to Melchizedek.

You’ll never regret it.

As Jesus said,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

References:

Chicago Mail Tribune, Sports Section, February 10, 1959

The Chicago Golden Gloves account is a true story as told by Don Bennett to kurt bennett June 11, 2011. (Don Bennett was the young boxer in the story) For the full 5 minute interview see below:

Psalm 122:6 — Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee

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Israel's Borders in 1967 on the Eve of the 6 Day War -- map courtesy of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

President Obama recently stated in a speech that “We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.”

President Obama’s public statement sent a strong message to Israel about the level of support the United States is prepared to provide to our long time ally.

President Obama’s statement prompted an interesting reply from Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamen Netanyahu. (see the video at the end of this post)

Netanyahu reminded President Obama that Israel’s 1967 borders didn’t encourage peace but in fact invited invasion by Israel’s enemies. The map of Israel’s 1967 borders shows a very narrow dimension near the middle of the country between what was then Samaria and the Mediterranean Sea. This dimension was actually 9 miles wide. To even a casual student of military strategy it should be obvious that this invites an enemy nation to employ the tactic of striking Israel at this narrow point in order to cut the country in half — divide and conquer.

Given that on a practical level, Hamas is a part of the Palestinian government, and that Hamas has publicly and unapologetically stated that their government charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel, it’s no wonder that Netanyahu felt compelled to engage President Obama in a bit of historical tutoring. (“obliterate” is the actual word used concerning Israel — see the Hamas charter for yourself at http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm)

It’s interesting that after the 1967 Six Day War, Israel absorbed around 500,000 displaced Israelis who were forced out of various Arab nations. Israel didn’t force any Arabs out of Israel but about the same number of Arabs chose to leave Israel on advice from the Arab leadership at the time. They lived as displaced refugees with no Arab nation offering them a home. Yet part of the peace deal that President Obama speaks of requires a “right of return” that permits the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those Arabs displaced from Israel in 1967 to return to Israel as citizens. Because these subsequent generations now number in the multiplied millions, this would result in a Palestinian majority population in Israel overnight, and would end Israel’s existence as a Jewish nation.

Some have tried to provide some damage control concerning what President Obama proposed by emphasizing that part of the formula includes mutually agreed upon exchanges of territory that would allow for Israel to maintain defensible borders.

Can you imagine the U.S. giving California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas back to Mexico? That’s not going to happen even though our reasons for taking these territories from Mexico weren’t defensive in nature.

Israel’s territory was gained in a war that was in defense of its own borders. No nation in modern history (other than Israel) has ever been asked to give up territory it won in defense of it’s own borders. Yet Israel is being asked to do this by our President and others. How strange this is. Israel is smaller than San Bernardino County, California. Israel makes up only 1/6 of 1% of the land area of the Arab nations in the Middle East. Yet no Arab nation is being asked to provide land to the Palestinians. No one’s talking about this.

As Netanyahu said to President Obama, “It’s not going to happen.”

Even though it’s easy to see why the use of 1967 borders shouldn’t happen, my guess is that you won’t see these reasons in the headlines or on the evening news.

The Jews: uniquely persecuted but uniquely preserved.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Psalm 122:6

Prime Minister Netanyahu explains to President Obama why 1967 borders are a poor starting point for negotiations.

Please friend Kurt on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bennetts-Bible-Blog

References:

From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters

Jon Courson

 

 

 

Genesis 7:17-24 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth

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Noah's-Ark in the Storm

For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 7:17-24

What we find in this passage of scripture is that God can not only require the life of a person, but God can also require the life of a whole civilization. The people of Noah’s day continued on in their lives without regard for God, as though everything would continue as it was. (Genesis 6:5) But the day came when the door to the ark was shut and the people of Noah’s day had no recourse. They must have found the highest ground they could but it was to no avail because verse 20 tells us that the water rose to a height of 15 cubits above the highest mountain tops. As the water rose, and rose, and rose they must have thought about God’s provision for escape that they had seen under construction for the last 120 years or so. But by then it was too late, the water remained for 150 days providing for no chance of survival. Verse 22 tells us that everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. It was up to the people of Noah’s day to repent before the flood came.

A friend of mine was recently told that he has less than 5 years to live. He’s sought second opinions about his illness, including one from one of the top hospitals in the United States. Lamentably, they all give the same answer: less than 5 years. All of us will die of course and as Jesus has told us, it’s true that God could allow for any one of us to die tonight. (see Luke 12:13-21) Like the people of Noah’s day, the great questions of eternity are asked of us not during the judgment but during our day to day lives. These questions are asked of us quietly, almost inaudibly. What the people of Noah’s day experienced during the 120 years leading up to the flood, you and I are experiencing right now! It’s up to you and it’s up to me to live for God before the day of judgment. Like the time of the flood, deciding to live for God during the judgment will be too late! It’s up to you and it’s up to me to enter into the ark of our salvation, Jesus Christ, before the judgment comes. (see Join Christ’s Family)

My friend who’s dying is a believer and I’ve been tremendously blessed to watch him during his trial. You know, people are seldom influenced for Christ by our success. It’s when you’re demonstrating courage, courage from faith in Christ, courage in the face of difficulty, that’s when people find themselves drawn to God. My friend continues to work hard in his job as a firefighter, he’s kept his sense of humor, he’s kept his love for people. He continues to show grace and God’s love to others, just as he always has. That’s how it should be for any Christian during a trial. When the waters rise and increase greatly, when trouble comes and increases greatly, like the ark, we should be lifted up.

…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

May our hope be in Him.


References:

Bible Gateway

Blue Letter Bible

Matthew Henry

Jon Courson

Institute for Creation Research

Ray Stedman

Genesis 7:11-16 — Then the LORD shut him in.

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Putting It All In God's Hands -- Courtesy of FaithandInspiration.Multiply.com

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 7:11-16

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month… (v.11) Even for Noah’s day, Noah was an old man when the flood waters came. The longer we live, the more likely we are to see tragedy. Those who die young are blessed in that they’re often spared the trial of observing tragedy, or at least the experience of tragedy in this world is mercifully reduced. (2 Kings 22:20) It seems that God sometimes reserves trials of great magnitude for his saints that have walked with Him faithfully and are on toward the end of their time on earth. The lesson here is for you old saints to never give up but to persevere in doing God’s work right up until that glorious day you leave your worn flesh and join Him on the other side.

Never give up.

Artesian Well

…on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. (v.11) The great deep burst forth speaks of a water source in addition to the great rains that fell. Today we see water pressure and volume from underground aquifers so great that in some instances it can be used to pump water to upper floors in multi-story buildings. These are called artesian aquifers. The artesian well in the photo is from a USGS article on artesian water sources. (USGS) The same God who separated water from water (Genesis 1:6), the same God who let the water under the sky be gathered unto one place (Genesis 1:9), allowed the water to cover the earth.

Precisely how he did that we don’t know but from Genesis 7:11, it appears that God used a great underground reservoir of water, in addition to the rains, to create the great flood.


And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. (v.12) Forty is a number in the Bible that signifies trial and chastisement. The rain fell for forty days. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. (Deuteronomy 8:2-5) Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days. (Mathew 4:2)

On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. (v.13) Dr. John D. Morris and others make the case that before any of his children were ever born, Noah began to work on the ark. Noah is also mentioned first in verse 13, indicating that he was first on board before his family. That’s how it is with you and with me. If we desire to see our family members come on board with Jesus Christ, the first and most important step toward that end is for you and for me to commit. To commit to daily prayer. To commit to reading God’s word, daily. To commit to showing up at God’s house regularly. To commit to Him. The example of you, living out your faith before your family, is one of the most powerful influences you can have on them. It may take time but fruit will be born of it.

For good or for bad your example is extremely powerful. And when your good example doesn’t produce results don’t give up. Remember that bearing fruit takes time. Even Jesus faced setbacks when it came to His followers following His example. Set a great example for those you lead because you are their future.

Traveler and the Chaplain

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. (Titus 2:7)

Then the LORD shut him in. (v.16) In the last post we saw that in verse one of Genesis chapter 7 God directed Noah to “come” into the ark with his family, indicating that God was already in the ark. And we saw that Jesus Christ, the ark of our salvation, asks us to come unto Him. In verse 16 we see that the LORD shut him in. God Himself shut the door. God shut them in. No one could make them more secure. That’s how it is with our salvation. By God’s hand Jesus conquered death on the cross. By God’s hand Jesus rose again. By God’s hand Jesus’ work on the cross seals our salvation. Jesus said,

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:28

Then the LORD shut him in.

Period.


References:

Bible Gateway

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Matthew Henry

Ray Stedman

Jon Courson

USGS

Institute for Creation Research

Lead Photo courtesy of Faith and Inspiration

Genesis 7:6-10 — …male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.

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“Lions and tigers and bears!”

Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.

Genesis 7:6-10

Noah didn’t have to round them up. The Bible says that one to seven pairs of every specie found their way to Noah’s ark. Well how did that work? You may ask. I don’t know how, specifically, but I do know that animals today find their way to their birthplaces when they migrate. The arctic tern migrates from the North pole to the South pole every year. Over their lifetime they fly enough miles to get them to the moon and back! Interestingly, even arctic tern chicks who are separated from their parents are able to find their way. How do they do that? I don’t know how but they do. How did the animals find their way to Noah’s ark? I don’t know how but they did. (birds.com)

OK but how did different species who don’t associate in the wild coexist on the ark. I mean, come on, predator and prey on the same ark? Predators and other predators on the same ark? How did that work? It’s amazing what we see today in the way of unlikely friendships between animals. There’s a well documented occurrence of a polar bear playing with huskies in Churchill, Manitoba. The huskies were on a chain and as the polar bear approached, the owner of the huskies was sure that his dogs were on the polar bear’s menu. But instead they played together! Incredibly, the polar bear returned to play with the huskies every night for a week! (Animals at Play) An ABC news clip shows a lioness caring for a baby oryx antelope, a cat playing with a crow, and a hippo and a tortise who are inseperable. (ABC News-Nat Geo) Another Nat Geo clip shows a lion, a tiger, and a bear living together peacefully in the same enclosure at a ranch that takes in homeless animals (and foster children as well). (see video at the top of this post)

The name of the ranch?

Noah’s Ark.

Where the Noah’s ark of the Bible is concerned, the reality of Noah and the events surrounding the flood are well documented. Noah and certain of his family members are mentioned in genealogies in 1 Chronicles chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3. The events of Noah around the time of the flood are referred to in Isaiah 54:9, Ezekiel 14, 1 Peter 3:20, and 2 Peter 2:5. Noah is also mentioned in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11:7.

Finally, Jesus Himself refers to Noah and these events as historical fact in Matthew 24. And again Jesus’ validation of the flood events is found in Luke 17.

The ark of salvation was filled with creatures who, apart from God’s hand, didn’t exist peacefully with each other. Our Ark of salvation, Jesus Christ, is filled with the same, creatures who don’t necessarily coexist peacefully in our natural state. But the Holy Spirit changes all of that. Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, agape love. Love that gives without an expectation of anything in return. That kind of love born of the Holy Spirit is what I need, what you need, what we need to experience the abundant Christian life. (John 10:10)

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:11-12


References:

Blue Letter Bible

Bible Gateway

birds.com

WebEcoist

Animals at Play

ABC News-Nat Geo

Nat Geo

Jon Courson

Chuck Missler

Living Water, by Chuck Smith

Genesis 7:1-5 — Go into the ark, you and your whole family. Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

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Madeline

The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

Genesis 7:1-5

The King James Version of verse one says that …the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Indeed the Hebrew word for “come” is used here in the original text. What does this mean? If God is directing Noah to “come” into the ark, it can only mean that God is in the ark already! He’s beckoning Noah and his family to come. This is how it always is with God. His heart is for you and for me to come unto Him. Jesus beckons you and I to come unto Him for He said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) This is the answer because Jesus Christ is the ark of our salvation! Coming unto Jesus is the solution to the problem of separation from God. If you haven’t already, listen to God’s heart, come unto Him. (see Join Christ’s Family)

Here’s more good news from verse one of our text. We know the Lord loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) We know that He loves the world and we know He loves individuals. But pause for a moment and think with me about this first verse in Genesis chapter 7. In verse one we see that God has obviously taken notice of Noah’s righteousness, yet He tells Noah to Come thou and all thy house into the ark… (v.1) God could have started over with just two. He’d already done it once with Adam and Eve. But He chose to save Noah’s whole family instead.

Isn’t it terrific that God desires to save not only you, but your whole family as well!

Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal… (v.2) Seven pairs of clean animals would have been necessary to account for the animals sacrificed to the Lord. Only one pair would be required for the unclean.

And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (v.5)

A few days ago my wife Kathy asked me to install a new thermostat.

“I did some research on the internet and it should only take about an hour,” she said.

So I dove in, removed the old thermostat from the wall, pulled out seven wires, and found that only four were used by the old model. As I read the instructions I learned that the new model used five wires.

“No big deal,” I thought. “How hard can this fifth wire thing be?”

After some research online I had the panel off of our heating unit and I was looking for a place to hook up the fifth wire – no good, can’t find the “C terminal” inside my heating unit.

“C terminal?! What the heck is that anyway?”

After a few phone conversations with Al, our local heating guy, I learn that I need to go under the house to check a junction box.

“I hate crawling under the house! A raccoon used to reside there, what if he’s back? My back always hurts when I crawl under the house.” I said to my wife with enthusiasm.

Under the house I go, belly crawling my way around in the dirt I find the junction box. It turns out that the blue wire is connected to a gray wire at the junction box.

“Dirty trick!” I said out loud.

So I figure out I need some extra wire and it’s off to Home Depot. At the checkout counter I see one of those large flat carts next to my wife, it has a large box on it.

“What’s that?” I ask, trepidation in my voice.

“It’s a grill,” Kathy answers.

“A grill?” I ask increduously.

“We need a new grill,” she says flatly.

I look at the box and read the words out loud, “some assembly required.” Great, just what I needed.

“Why me,” I say. “It’s Christmas time, New Years time. It’s the holidays. I’m supposed to be watching football! For goodness sake the Chick-fil-a Bowl is on!”

When we return it’s back on the internet again, back to the heating unit again, under the house again…

“This was supposed to take only one hour! What about me time? For cryin’ out loud the Meineke Car Care Bowl is on!”

Are you getting the picture?

Nearly two days and one hundred or so complaints later the thermostat is still not installed. So I call a friend of mine who is an electrician, Rick Chown, to seek some advice. While we’re on the phone Rick and his wife Linda begin to share about their granddaughter Madeline. (just a few minutes ago I also spoke with Madeline’s mother, Rachel)

How she had her first surgery when she was one day old.

How she’s had over fifty surgeries during her nine years on earth.

How she’s had pieces of metal implanted in her back to support her spine.

How these had to be removed recently.

How she continues to suffer from infections.

And how she lights up a room with her smile and great attitude, in spite of her many painful challenges.

Rick shared this video of Madeline with me. She was recently fitted with a halo device which is attached to a rack designed to take pressure off her spine. She wheels around the Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in this thing, encouraging the other patients with her good cheer. (see Rogers Family Blog)

Wow! You can imagine how I feel.

…Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. (v.5) Noah knew what the Lord wanted him to do. Like you I often wonder what God’s will is for me. Sometimes I say to myself, “If only I knew what God wanted me to do, I’d do it.” I have good news. God tells me and God tells you what His will is for us.

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“What does God’s will, giving thanks in all circumstances, look like?” you might ask.

Sometimes it looks like a little girl with a halo,

spinning and smiling,

spinning and smiling.


References:

Bible Gateway

Jon Courson

Rogers Family Blog