31 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 19:1-29

Genesis 19:1-29
"The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah"

Here we have God protecting Lot, Abraham's nephew. While Abraham did not expressly ask God to spare Lot in the previous passage, it can be said that this was the intent of his bargaining with God.

After spending so much time with God-loving Abraham, we see a few contrasts, however, with Lot.

• While both Abraham and Lot had invited the messengers to stay with them, Lot badgered the messengers to go against their intentions and stay with him whereas Abraham applied no such force.
• While Lot extended his protection over his guests when the townsmen wanted to have their way with them, he attempted to divert their attention and appease them by offering them his virgin daughters. (I have no comparison to Abraham that comes immediately to mind)
• When commanded to leave Sodom, Lot hesitated, not following God's command immediately as Abraham did in other situations (i.e. leaving Ur).
• While both Abraham and Lot argued with God, Lot argued out of a self-serving complaint whereas Abraham argued for the sake of others.

Not to condemn Lot outright, but he did not have the same degree of faith in God that Abraham had. It is very evident that Lot knew of God and how God worked; what is unfortunate, then, is that he did not take this knowledge to a personal level. Lot knew about God's messengers, God's punishment, God's attitude towards sin and God's mercy. At the same time, he did not know God. 

You can see this through his hesitation when leaving Sodom, his attitude and actions to the townsfolk, his complaints about the distance to which he had to run to flee God's wrath and by the manner in which the messengers were brought to his household.

Marvelously, though, God keeps compassion and mercy for Lot and a extends a great detail of patience towards him. This can be seen particularly in the messengers grabbing Lot when he hesitated, God not abandoning Lot when he offered his daughters to the townsmen and when God dealt with Lot's request for a closer safe place to go, respectively.

If God can show such great love, compassion, mercy, and patience towards a man who misses the mark repeatedly, sometimes spectacularly, then we should take courage and heart in the reminder that God extends the very same to us, the many imperfect people of the world.

30 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 18:16-33

Genesis 18:16-33
"Abraham's Plea for Sodom"

First, remember that Lot, Abraham's nephew, lived in Sodom.

Now, God announced to Abraham His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, it was more like His plan to investigate the outcry against the two cities due to their sin and then, if the outcry was just, destroy the cities. Remember, though, that God is all-knowing. God already knew whether the outcry was just; this, to my fallible understanding, was another test for Abraham.

Abraham then did two things: he argued with God and he bargained with God. Abraham argued with God about the justness of God's actions in destroying Sodom, in killing both the righteous and the unrighteous. From that point, Abraham drew his plea, asking God to spare the city if 50 righteous people were found there. After God said yes, Abraham asked to presume to ask the same outcome for only 45, 40, 30, 20 and eventually 10 righteous people. God, already knowing the number of righteous people and the punishment set for the city, agreed to 10. As it turns out, God honored that request, but there weren't even 10 righteous individuals in the city.

Abraham stood before God and argued with Him. God does not shirk from argument, not does He shrink away from the angry words of man. He is bigger than that. In fact, God invites us to question our beliefs and to seek answers from Him. That is, after all, how we learn.

Additionally, God invites us to make requests of Him. Let me clarify, though, that God does not answer every request "yes" or every question with the desired answer, if an answer at all. What God does do, however, is keep His word. We can trust Him at His word but looking through the Bible at past occurrences where God made a commitment, promise or statement of action, we can see that He followed His word on a vastly large number of times.

29 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 18:9-15

Genesis 18:9-15
"Sarah Laughs"

This is a continuation from yesterday's passage. Here we see the three messengers speaking to Abraham about Sarah bearing a son within the year. Meanwhile, Sarah was listening.

To put this into perspective, there was no physical chance of Sarah bearing a child. For one, she was barren (Genesis 11:30). Additionally, she was around 90 years old (Genesis 17:17), far beyond her childbearing years.

This being said, Sarah laughed, commenting sarcastically, "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Sarah, wittingly or no, expressed a lack of faith and even disdain towards God. God, then, called her out on this. After all, is there anything God cannot do? (a point He makes in speaking to Abraham.

Sarah then compounds her error by denying her words when confronted by God, who calls her out once again.

Two quick lessons that can be learned here:

1. God is all-powerful. He is capable of anything and is able to do far more than our human imaginations can comprehend.
2. God is all-knowing. He know the very number of stars in the universe and the number of hairs on your head. He also knows the inward, private thoughts of your mind.

Why then do we resist God? Why do we scorn Him or show Him derision? Instead, we should be acting on God's word with full energy because we know that He knows every outcome and is perfectly able to enable us to accomplish the task. It is through His strength and His knowledge that we stand victorious over sin and death, successful in our work for Him, and righteous in our standing with Him.

He is God and we should be and are His obedient servants.

28 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 18:1-8

Genesis 18:1-8
"Abraham's Three Visitors"

This passage opens up with "Then the Lord appeared to Abraham..." This indicates that the three visitors Abraham receives, then, are not merely three strangers, but messengers of God. Looking at this passage with that context in mind, we can look at Abraham's actions in more light than that of mere hospitality.

Abraham honored God through he way he treated His servants. We can see evidence of this through the way in which Abraham lowered himself in servitude to exalt God.

• Abraham moved from his tent and went to meet the messengers instead of waiting for them to come.
• Abraham bowed to the messengers when they would most likely have bowed to him, the owner of the tent.
• Abraham requested that they stay; they did not request his permission to stay.
• Abraham offered water and food to the messengers instead of the messengers requesting it.
• Abraham had fresh bread made and a prime calf slaughtered specifically for the messengers instead of bringing food from what he already had prepared.

Abraham sought to honor God by serving His servants. He gave the best of what he had and he treated them as ones of higher station. This, then, models how we should treat God in our daily lives:

• We should move to Him, not have Him come to us.
• We should offer reverence to Him, not have Him glorify us.
• We should ask Him to remain with us, not have Him ask permission to stay.
• We should be proactive in serving Him, not serving Him in reactively.
• We should give Him the best of what we have, not serve Him what is convenient.

This is the model Abraham has set for us, to serve and glorify God. to revere him as the highest above all and therefore give our very best.

27 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 17:1-27

Genesis 17:1-27
"Covenant Circumcision"

So, This passage is a covenant of multiple parts. Once again, God mentions and further fleshes out the promises to make Abram the "father of many nations" (physically: Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites and Midianites; spiritually: every believer of the Christian faith) and to give to the descendants of Abram the land in which he was residing.

Additionally, God changed the name of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, made a covenant to be Abraham's God and the God of his offspring and declared a reciprocal covenant between Abraham and his descendants and God - Circumcision. This was to be a means by which any descendant of Abraham or member of a household of such (extending to slaves and servants of any type) showed that he is under the covenant between Abraham and God.

Also, God revealed to Abraham that it would be through his future son by Sarah, Isaac, that God would do His work. Interestingly, Abraham pleaded for God's blessing on Ishmael's behalf and it was granted (see yesterday for extra info on Ishmael).

This is the final iteration of God's covenant with Abraham. not only that, but it was sealed by both the word of God and through the formation of a reciprocal covenant between Abraham and God. This covenant would be carried out physically through the birth and death of Christ. Afterwards, the covenant was readministered to those who were Abraham's spiritual descendants - those believing in and remaining faithful to Christ. Note though, that in the Pauline letters and other epistles that circumcision is no longer necessary as we, as Christians, have been freed from the subjugating nature of the law (this being the Mosaic Law. We should still obey the national and other laws placed above us).

This covenant, made between God and Abraham was and is the defining, creating moment for the Israelite people. This formed their identity and set them as "children of the promise".

After the covenant was made, it must be noted that Abraham went and fulfilled his part of the covenant. He and every man in his household was circumcised.

26 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 16:1-16

Genesis 16:1-16
"Hagar and Ishmael"

Here in this passage, In an attempt to bring about God's promise, Abram makes a foolish step. It was common custom, then, for a barren wife to offer her servant or slave as a surrogate, which is what Sarai did. She brought forth her servant, Hagar, to sleep with Abram and bear his son.

In essence, Abram and Sarai were discontent with God's plans and God's timing. They gave up on Sarai conceiving and essentially said that even God could not bring her to bear a child. Thus, they showed discontent with His plans in the act of using Hagar as a surrogate. Discontent with God's timing, additionally, falls under the using of Hagar, but in this case it has to do with the other aspect of Abram and Sarai's attitude. essentially, they said "We're not getting any younger and we want our heir now." God had a different time frame that He was working in and had a different time at which He would grant them a son.

Let's look at some to the repercussions of Abram and Sarai's rashness, now.

• Hagar became pretentious and boastful, leading to Sarai's mistreatment of Hagar
• Hagar's son, Ishmael, would father a people opposed to that descended from Abram's promised Son.

Let's take a closer look at the latter. 

The Angel of the Lord comes to Hagar, delivering a message, while she is running away from Sarai. He speaks to Hagar regarding her son, saying about his nature and future 

"This man will be like a wild donkey.
His hand will be against everyone. and everyone's hand will be against him;
he will live at odds with all his brothers." Genesis 16:12

To put this into further perspective, the descendants of Ishmael, the Ishmaelites, appear multiple times throughout the Old Testament histories, in opposition to the Israelites. Also, the Ishmaelites gave rise to the Arab peoples and from them came Islam and Islamic thought. It is interesting that one of the core Islamic teachings was to eliminate the Jews and Christians.

Abram and Sarai's decision to be discontent with God's plan and timing had vast, far-reaching consequences that neither of them could have forseen. This being said, we need to keep in mind that God has a specific plan for our lives as well and that we should follow God's plan and not try to make our own plan. After all, it could have some dire consequences that we could never have forseen.

25 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 15:1-21

Genesis 15:1-21
"The Abrahamic Covenant"

Once again, we have a covenant from God towards Abram. The main difference between this one and the past ones, though, is the formality of the covenant. That being said, the covenant made to Abram consisted of 2 elements:

• That Abram, husband of a barren wife, would receive an heir of his own flesh and from that heir would descend a multitudinous people.
• That Abram and his descendants would possess "this land", being the whole of Israel as previously promised.

Additionally, God foretold that Abram's descendants would be enslaved in a foreign country for 400 years before truly inheriting the land given to them. Interestingly enough, you can look ahead (spoiler alert) and see that every word God spoke came true.

Also, I mentioned above that this covenant was more formally stated. It was. After hearing God's promise about possessing the land, Abram asked for surety of this latter covenant. So, God had Abram make a very specific, fairly large sacrifice and then affirmed to him in a vision this covenant with the specific details about the inheritance of Abram's offspring.

The passage ends with a formal acknowledgement of this covenant, stating in verses 18-21:

"On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, 'I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River: the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.'"

God made a formal covenant that day and not only did He do that, but He honored and kept it, too. After all, our God is a God of truth and honesty. He is trustworthy and faithful..

24 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 14:17-24

Genesis 14:17-24
"Melchizedek's Blessing"

Here we see an interesting result to Abram's actions in the previous passage. Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and the king of Sodom both come to reward Abram.

Melchizedek, it is noted, was also a priest of "God Most High" (aka, our God). He proceeded to bless Abram and praise God, after which Abram gave him a tenth of everything he had (the first tithe). Let it also be noted that Melchizedek was a priest outside of the lineage of Levi, the tribe of the Jewish priests, or Aaron, the first Jewish high priest.

The king of Sodom, however, offered to Abram a reward of any of the captured possessions he desired. Abram then declined on the basis of an oath he had previously made with God to only take from the kings that which was offered to the servants to eat. The basis of this was to prevent any talk from the kings that they had made Abram wealthy, making him beholden to them.

In both of these instances, we can see Abram offering praise to God. In the first encounter, we see him honoring God through worshiping and tithing. In the second, we see him honoring God through his dependence  on God's provision despite the offer of wealth.

So, how are we honoring God this Christmas Eve?
=

23 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 14:1-16

Genesis 14:1-16
"Abram Rescues Lot"

This passage is chiefly an historical account of specific events, resulting in the capture of Lot and the people and possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, Consequently, Abram rallied a small band and cane to the rescue of Lot, his goods and the other townspeople.

What can we learn from this? Well, we see here Abram's love for Lot and his compassion for the other captives. We also see Abram stepping out and acting on his love and compassion, coming to the aid of Lot and the townspeople. We see, then an example of what Godly love is - a verb.

Love is more than just a feeling or a notion we talk about. Love is more than words or emotion. Love requires action. Many times in the Bible, we can see the correlation between love and action (John 21:15-17, 1 John 3:16-20, Rev 2:4-5, 19, to give a few). Let it not be said, then, that you love someone if you are not willing to serve them, too. Abram could have sat back and done nothing, would he then have demonstrated his love? No. For love to be real, to show itself as true, it must be backed and supported by action.

Consider God's love. He said many times throughout the Bible that He loved us. If He had left it at that, it would have been ultimately meaningless, mere platitude. But, because He sent His Son as a sacrifice for restitution, God proved His love for each one of us.

Actions are the evidence of love, so let your love for your brother (and even your enemy) shine!

22 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 13:1-18

Genesis 13:1-18
"Abram and Lot Separate"

Abram and Lot were forced, by necessity, to separate. Their possessions and livestock had grown to immense numbers and their families and family servants had begun quarreling with each other.

When they had reached the site where Abram had previously built an altar to God (see Genesis Ch 12:8 verse, comments), Abram prayed and, shortly thereafter, he and Lot began to discuss separating and the direction in which each should go. Lot looked out and chose first, choosing the lusher, richer lands of the Jordan River valley and heading East to settle there. Incidentally, Lot was also headed towards Sodom, an extremely sinful city.

After Lot had left, though, we see God speaking to Abram, telling him to look towards each of the cardinal points and promising to him that He would give to Abram's descendants all the land that he [Abram] could see in every direction. Abram is then told to travel the land, for God will give it to him.

Again, we see God making a promise to Abram/Abraham, this time promising land for the multitudes of descendants that will issue from Abram. Not only this, but the promise was given for his descendants for all time, being physical descendants prior to Christ and spiritual ones afterwards (Romans 4:13-16). We can also look back at this prophecy and see how God has kept it (and, before you point to the Exile, might I remind you, that there were some remaining Jews who were not taken captive by the Babylonians).

In addition to God's promise, we see a very good, Biblical model for conflict resolution. Abram met with Lot, discussed genteelly the matter at hand, and devised an appropriate solution. This model is one worth following.

21 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 12:10-20

Genesis 12:10-20
"Abram in Egypt"

Abram makes two large mistakes in this passage.

1. He chooses not to rely on God for his safety and that of his wife, Sarai. He was afraid of the possible intentions of the Egyptians towards him upon seeing his wife.
2. He chooses deception as a means to protect himself. Not only is he denying God and disobeying Him, but Abram is making matters more complicated and convoluted than they  need be.

To briefly fill in some background, the reason Abram was in Egypt was that there was a massive famine in Canaan, but Egypt was unharmed. In light of this, Abram decided to travel there to avoid the famine. Upon arriving there, He decides to play Sarai as his sister in the hopes that the Egyptians will not kill him to steal her.

Abram's decision had a number of outcomes:

• His wife, Sarai, was "taken to Pharaoh's household". That is, Pharaoh chose her as a concubine/wife. (Although, Pharaoh did treat Abram well because of Sarai)
• God punished Pharaoh and those in his household.
• Pharaoh demanded Abram and Sarai to leave.

Interestingly enough, the words of Pharaoh, in confronting Abram, sound as if Pharaoh would not have touched Sarai had he known she was Abram's wife.

What can we learn from this? Trust God, not any scheme you might devise yourself. God is perfect, all-knowing, and all-powerful. He can and will provide for those who serve Him. Man, however, is imperfect, fallible, and weak. There is no plan of man only that will succeed perfectly. After all, can that which is not perfect create perfection?

So, rely on God, not your own ideas and schemes; He will pull you through.

20 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 12:1-9

Genesis 12:1-9
"The Call of Abram"

In this passage, we have two occurrences of God speaking to Abram and Abram reacting.

In the first instance, God tells Abram to leave the land he's living in, his home, and follow God's direction to an unspecified land to be revealed at a later time. God also couples this proclamation with a blessing for the future and a blessing on his interactions. Here, Abram followed God's direction. He packed up his family, extended family, livestock, and belongings and they all moved in the direction that God prompted.

The second instance is a promise from God declaring what was Canaan to be, in the future, the land of Abram's descendants. This time, Abram reacts by building a monument, an altar, to be precise, and begins to worship God.

What can we learn from this passage? Shown here are three ways in which we can positively react to God:

1. Obey His directives.
2. Remember/commemorate the works and promises of God.
3. Worship God.

Today's challenge: to display all three reactions in my life tomorrow/today and throughout the rest of my life.

18 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 11:1-9

First off, a heads up: there will most likely be no post tomorrow due to me flying home (I'll be in the air through most of the day).

Genesis 11:1-9
"The Tower of Babylon"

To start off, this passage reads like an old storyteller telling a story at the fire to the young ones gathered all around him. That being said, the majority of such stories told from time immemorial served a purpose other than an entertaining tale.

So, what is the storyteller, God, trying to tell us?

Firstly, let's look at the intents of the building efforts (v. 3-4):

• To reach the heavens (thereby reaching God/becoming a god).
• To make a name for themselves.
• To avoid becoming scattered.

The builders were engaging in a plethora of activities which God describes multiple times as displeasing or disgusting to Him. In these reasons, I can see two main sins - pride and idolatry (the idolatry being the worship of the tower/concept/builders as mentioned by John Gill).

Secondly, in verses 5--7, God looks at the people He'd made and comments on how the workers continued working in such a concerted fashion over long periods of time. The simplified gist I get from these verses is, "If they can do all of this already, Imagine what they'd end up doing if this  continued."

Lastly, As a punishment, God, ironically, scattered the people by muddling their languages so they couldn't follow each other. (v. 7-9)

So, contrary to popular opinion, this passage is about more than some plastic Jesus standing in front of a church or God being a vibekiller. It's about God protecting us from further and worse sin and punishing it in a manner other than the flood he promised never to send again.

17 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 10

Genesis 10
"The Table of Nations"

Okay, so today's passage is pretty dry, being three genealogies from Noah's sons through to four or five generations afterwards.

Something I did notice, was the location of the descendants of Japheth, Ham, and Shem. Certain of their descendants had very familiar names. A key example of this, three of Ham's sons were named Egypt, Cush, and Canaan. So, I figured I'd try to help visualize the dispersion of Noah's offspring.

Japheth's descendants, Magog, Kittim, and dodanim (amongst others). If you're familiar with ancient geography, Magog was located where Georgia and Azerbaijan are situated The Bible then also indicated that others of these descendants lived along the coast [of the Mediterranean]. So, Japheth's descendants were situated along the coastline of the eastern side of the Mediterranean and up into Georgia.

Ham's descendants were Egypt, Cush, Canaan, and Nimrod, to name a few. (Nimrod founded Babylon and is reputed to have founded Assyria). From those names, it's not too difficult out though. Ham's descendants spread from Northern Sudan, through Egypt and Sinai, and into Canaan.]

Shem's descendants, while I recognize none of the listed names, examination of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1 shows that Abraham, is a descendant of Shem. Shem's descendants are the Israelite people themselves.

So, there you go. 1 Table of Nations coming right up!

16 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 9:18-29

Genesis 9:18-29
"Prophecies about Noah's Family"

Okay, interesting series of events, basically involving Noah getting drunk and naked, Ham, Noah's son, seeing him naked, and Shem and Japheth, Noah's other sons, covering him while not looking at their father's nakedness.

If that weren't a strange enough set of occurrences already, Noah then curses Ham and blesses Shem and Japheth.

This is where I want to pick up, in verses 26-27. Noah has just finished cursing the descendants of Ham, proclaiming them to be the lowest of servants for Shem and Japheth's offspring. Noah then bursts into a mixed praise and blessing:

"26 Praise the Lord, the God of Shem;
Canaan [Ham's son] will be his slave.
27 God will extend Japheth;
he will dwell in the tents of Shem;
Canaan will be his slave."

  Something caught my eye, Shem's name appeared more often than Japheth's and in such a manner that it appears that the family of Japheth will rely on or be less in stature than Shem's. What's so special about Shem's descendants, though, that they get preferential treatment (aside from Shem being the elder [Gen 10:21])? If you look in 1 Chronicles 1:1-4,17-27, you might just notice that Abraham, the founder of the Israelite nation, was a direct descendant of Shem. This also means, courtesy of Matt 1, that Christ, genealogically speaking, was descended from Shem.

It kind of puts "he will dwell in the tents of Shem" in a different light, doesn't it?

Challenge Question:
How, then, does this affect the way in which we relate to God?

15 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 9:1-17

Genesis 9:1-17
"God's Covenant with Noah"

(Okay, just so you know, I wrote this while extremely tired, so please bear with any logical/flow/grammatical errors.)

Right off the bat, in v. 1-3, we see a familiar-looking passage (i.e. Gen 1:28-30). In both statements there are three concepts given in God's instruction: reproducing, ruling the world and eating.

Of these three, only the 1st concept is worded such that the two passages are saying the same thing (1:28 has an extra "and" and "and subdue it".

The second part of God's command/blessing involves the manner in which Man is placed above the animals. This category is different. Gen 1 records God telling them [Adam and Eve] to rule over the fish, birds and land animals. Gen 9, however, records God telling Noah that the land animals, birds and fish would live in fear and terror of Man. This shows the intended relation ship between Man and God's creation in contrast to the "current" relationship.

The third segment is markedly different between Gen 1 & 9; it involves the dietary allowance for Adam and Eve and Noah. Adam and Eve were only given the command (along with the other animals) to eat only the fruits, nuts, and produce of plants. Noah was given allowance to eat meat (now, as for whether some of the general populace actually ate meat: it's unknown)

From v. 4-11, we see God announcing a qualifier to the allowance of meat, God warning Noah against murder, and God reiterating two promises.

The qualifier was established as a means of limiting that which Noah and his descendants were allowed to eat, namely no bloody meat. The warning against murder was tied to the qualifier and essentially serves to highlight the set, just penalty for murder - death*.

The two reiterated promises/blessings given were given as confirmation. God was confirming to Noah that 1) He would bless Noah's descendants as follows above and 2) that He would never again destroy the world by flood. Ever.

Lastly, we see God formally affirming the last covenant with Noah [no more world-destroying floods]. God set up a memorial of sorts in remembrance of the covenant (you later see the Israelites under Joshua performing other such remembrances). This was not so much a physical reminder for God's sake; He's omniscient. It serves as a reminder to us, even through the end of today.

*No, now is not the time to start discussing the death penalty

Intro to Devo Notes

Hey, Welcome to Devo Notes!

As you may have noticed, there are a whole ton of posts from 2010 that are all dated under today. Devo Notes is a project I started Oct 2010 in which I took notes from my daily devotionals and posted them on Facebook's Notes app. While the practice of posting fell away during the consequent Winter break,, I still kept up with keeping my quiet time, I recently went back through my old Notes blog posts and posting them on TCM and discovered all my old Devo notes and have decided to resume the practice, so enjoy!

17 Dec. 2010 - Ezekiel 4:1-17

Ezekiel 4:1-

"Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized"

The Lord tells ezekiel to do some crazy stuff. First, he must make a drawing of Jerusalem, then lay siege to it by mking miniature siege works and then set an iron pan between himself and the city. He is then to lie facing the city for as many days as Israel's years of sin (390) and, following that, lie on the other side of the sity for they number of days of judah's years of sin (40). did I mention he was doing this continuously, while tied up? 

Ezekiel was told to prepare, ahead of time, the food and water for the 390 days and ration it. in the making of his food, however, he was to defile himself in the sight of others by using human excrement for fuel. when E protested, proclaiming how he has kept himself undefiled, God relented and allowed him to use cow dung. Te meaning of this is that Israel will be put under a famine of sorts - food and water will be short and rations will come into place.

The Lord then gives instruction for Ezekiel regarding another symbolic re-enactment which basically boiled down to: 1/3 of you will perish within the walls of Jerusalem, 1/3 will perish outside Jerusalem by the sword and 1/3 will be scattered to the winds. God said that this punishment is due to Jerusalem's wickedness which surpasses that of the surrounding nations. therefore God  shall punish Jerusalem like never before elsewhere in time and never again - complete annihilation. THe israel and jerusalem of that time would eventually become nothing more than a warning, an object of horror, an albatross, as it were.

God is serious about sin and its punishment. so shouldn't we?

11 Dec. 2010 - Ezekiel 3:16-27

Ezekiel 3:16-27

"Warning to Israel"

Ezekiel begins this passage with a message from God (like most of the prophets). In this passage, God lays downs some pretty hard stuff for Ezekiel personally. God says to him that if he [God] says to a wicked man "you will die!"  then it is Ezekiel's responsibility to warn him. if he doesn't, then he will be accountable for the man's blood. If Ezekiel does warn the man, however, but the man does not change and then dies, the fault is not Ezekiel's. This is actually kind of like modern law - If you know one person's going to kill another and you do nothing to warn the other or stop it, then you become an accessory to murder. in a similar fashion, God tells Ezekiel that he should not become an accessory to spiritual murder, but speak out against the wrongdoing that angers God. For us, this means  trying to save people from their sin - if we know a person isn't a christian and we do nothing, we have just become, in a way, an accessory to murder.

God then uses this image of warning people of God's punishment and their sin being related to Ezekiel to show another example of how to save a life, whether it's your or theirs. When a righteous man turns away and sins and God punishes him, he will die. If ezekiel, or any of us, does not warn him and he dies because of his sin, the guilt is, once again, on us.

quickly, before the regular pew-sitters jump up and lynch me let me explain the sentence before last. Firstly, you have to remember that this was before the new covenant - in which case the man would die spiritually in addition to physically (if God chooses to literally kill him). secondly, any man can be, to a degree morally righteous, just not righteous enough for God - in which case he would die spiritually. Thirdly, if the man was Christian and truly righteous, in the sense that Christ paid for his sins, then either he would be convicted of his sin by God and would hopefully seek restitution or fellow Christians would confront him about his sin encouraging atonement. unfortunately, not all those who call themselves Christian are actually Christians - therefore they fall into the second group, which is what can cause a bit of worry and possible uproar. rightly so. so, if you aren't sure if someone's a christian, ask them. if they say yes, define christian using a definition of what a christian is (see the nicene creed for a good, unsummarized definition) and see if they say yes again. If they say no at any point, start preaching :)

okay, tangent over...

This whole redefinition of blood-guilt is only a build-up. God then tells Ezekiel to prepare himself to give a message to the Israelites, a rebellious nation who provokes God's wrath and is in need of punishment. remember what God said earlier? yeah, Ezekiel, if you value your life and don't want the deaths of thousands of your countrymen on your heavenly tab, then get ready to start talking... kind of. Ezekiel was told, by God, to shut himself in isolation inside his house. he will be bound with ropes and mute except whenever God had a message for him to speak. (really not that much fun, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do...)

Key point here is: (aside from don't mess with the Big Man) there needs to be a sense of urgency to our evangelizing, and I'm preaching to myself here, too. as christians who know the truth, we need to be spreading the Gospel to those who don't know it. if it weren't for the atonement given by christ, we would have multiple people's deaths on our heads; i would probably have 5 or 10, maybe even more, and I've only been alive for 19 years. I think we sometimes get a bit too cozy in our salvation blanket as we sit by the fireplace of God's love and we forget that out in the freezing, deathly cold of sin's night, where we used to be, live many more people who are unaware of or are wanting to come inside (either actually seeking Christ or seeking the answer to the hole in life) the church of Christ.

8 Dec. 2010 - Ezekiel 2:1-3:15

Ezekiel 2:1-3:15

"Ezekiel's call"

The voice of the Lord spoke to Ezekiel (E. is still in the vision from last chapter). God has called him to be sent to a particularly rebellious people - the Jews. they have been in revolt against God for many years and have not listened to his commands, but God says that Israel will know that a prophet has been amongst them. God then encourages Ezekiel saying, "do not be afraid." E. is not to listen to the words of the Israelites, but those of God.

God then gives Ezekiel a scroll written on both sides with lament. God tells him to then eat it. by eating the scroll, Ezekiel is internalizing the message of God; that is the symbolism present here.

God then sends E. out to Israel. God even says of Israel that if he had sent Ezekiel to another nation, they would have accepted the message more readily than the Israelites. not to worry, God will make E. resilient and calloused so that he can combat the hard stubbornness of the Israelites. God even creates the imagery that he will reinforce Ezekiel's head so that he can bash his head against the Israelite wall and actually make an impact. 

In the end, however, Ezekiel's job is to be the messenger. if the Israelites take heed, they take heed. if they do not, well... 

The spirit of the Lord then gathered around Ezekiel and sent him forth.

that's a pretty epic calling - "i'm calling you to internalize and speak hard words to a stubborn people who won't want to listen despite what they may throw back at you or do to you; don't worry. i've got it all under control." many pastors and missionaries take up this calling. they spend their lives with recalcitrant people who would either prefer to be somewhere else than listening to somebuitelander speak about religion or to be out of the pew on the road home so they can have their sunday lunch. it takes guts to answer a call like that. guts and faith that God will provide all the strength you need to succeed.

7 Dec. 2010 - Ezekiel 1:28

Ezekiel 1:28

"the living creatures and the glory of the Lord"

The first thing Ezekiel sees in his vision is a storm cloud with lightning and surrounded by light. upon closer inspection, he sees four beings in the midst of the light. they each stood, or rather would have stood, like a man, they seemed to be made of bronze (or, at least they gleamed like they were), they had 4 wings - 1 pair for flying, the other for covering their bodies - and they each had 4 faces - one of a man, one of a lion, one of an ox and one of an eagle. they all faced forward, but they moved with the spirit, while facing forward the whole time.

then, Ezekiel noticed 4  wheels on the ground next to the beings. each sparkled like chrysolite ( a pale green stone). they looked like 2 wheels intersecting and they moved with the beings -also not turning. oh, and did I mention the wheels were covered in eyes.

before I carry on, some explanation is needed. we find out later<spoiler alert=""> that the beings are cherubim, which are kind of like throne attendants, not little flying babies in diapers shooting arrows at couples. then, each of the faces and the body structure is significant in Jewish culture. the wheels could symbolize the mobility of God and the eyes the omniscience of God. the intersecting wheels are though of by the commentator in my bible as representing God;s omnipresence as they could move in any direction, hint, the four directions produced when 2 wheels cross could, in this case represent the 4 cardinal directions.</spoiler>

we now see Ezekiel's observations (or God's revelation) that the beings and wheels are connected. this is shown by the wheels always being a set distance from the cherubim, whether they are flying or gliding over the ground. these beings are connected to the wheels spiritually.

Ezekiel then leaves his bit about the beings and focuses on the space above the heads of the cherubim. there, above the beings was an expanse - empty space. then the cherubim stood at attention as  a voice echoed from above the expanse. Ezekiel looked up at  the source of the voice and above the expanse was a massive sapphire the=rone upon which was a man. well, not really. he looked like a man, but above the waist he looked like glowing metal from a fire and from the waist downwards, he looked like a blazing fire. and. he was. radiant.

these magnificent beings that initially inspired such awe from Ezekiel are nothing compared to this newcomer, their superior. he is so much higher than the beings that there exists a barrier of sorts, the expanse, separating the angels from God. God is that holy. the beings also stood at attention when they were being addressed. clearly, if the expanse didn't give it away, the beings are servants of God. also note that Ezekiel does not say that he looked at God directly - otherwise he would  have died.

God is so than any other thing. since when does the created have more value than the creator? and here we see God's magnificent servants and they are a spectacle. in all, God is glorious and, as such, deserves glory and the very best that we can bring before him.

6 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 4:7-18

Colossians 4:7-18

"final greetings"

Paul then sends his regards with Tychicus, whom he then, in a way, sponsors to the church, promoting him in the letter so that they might provide for him during his stay (at least that's how i understand it). Paul also mentions tychicus's traveling companion onesimus, whom paul also chips in a good word for. tychicus & onesimus then are to relay the news of what is going on in paul's life. Paul then also relays greetings from other christians who are either jailed with him or living near him.

Paul's last words in this letter contain a request that this letter be passed on to another church, that paul's message might come to them as well. he also says a last word for archippus, presumably a friend of pauls, whom paul encourages to stay strong in the lord.

Something that can be taken from this is: stay connected. we as christians are meant to be one body, but how can we work together if we don't communicate. earlier a friend asked me to pray for his audition. I wouldn't have known about it if he hadn't told me. communication is important. good communication is even more important. so often the devil likes to clog up communication, causing misconceptions and second-hand stories. for these to vanish, we need strong, clear connections. time to upgrade from that modem to the dsl of communication. 

oh, and part of that communication is prayer and encouragement. just saying.

5 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2-6

"further instructions"

Paul's parting shot before his final greetings conssists mainly of two main points: pray and be careful how you act around non-christians.

on prayer, Paul says that we should devote ourselves to it - being watchful and thankful at the same time. being watchful is being aware and receptive to the motions of the holy spirit. God will often highlight needs for others or ourselves that we often miss. being thankful should hopefully be self-explanatory. also, pray for others; particularly those who are working towards the spreading of the gospel. 

on our actions around non-Christians, Paul asks that we be wise in our actions and that we make the most of every situation to spread the gospel. remember, an unwise decision could ruin a reputation and thereby a chance that people will actually listen to and take heed of the message. if you need an example, look at the many successful preachers that committed adultery - it completely ruined their witness and their ministry and, in the long run, actually hurt the gospel because the up-front televangelists, the missionaries, the pastors, the vocal christians are all representing christianity and, by extension, the rest of us. if any one of them makes an unwise choice and sins, then they could create among non-christians a sense  of hypocrisy amongst us, turning them away from our message.

so then, we should pray and make wise decisions bout our actions. funny thing is, they both  go hand-in hand. if we pray about a course of action, God will provide an answer that is more wise than any we could ever come up with.

so, pray now...

(it's a lost art)

4 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 3:18-4:1

Colossians 3:18-4:1

"rules for christian households"

Paul provides some basic rules for, guess what, households. just a quick glance, notice that each is grouped in pairs, because every relationship is made up of more than one person.

first we have rules for relations between a married couple. the wife must submit to the husband (yes, the often-quoted verse by many men, but it is taken out of context, as we will see). the second half of the rule is this: husbands, love your wives and do not mistreat them. both of these work in co-ordination - if a husband follows the second, then the wife should hopefully not be conflicted about following the first. however, this sometimes does not work right; the husbands, in these cases, demand the first  of their wives, but then don't apply the second to their own.

second, we have child-parent relations [yay...]. children, you should obey your parents [and i hear a collective cheer], but you parents, do not provoke your kids. again, these rules work particularly well when both parties follow their rules, but oftentimes many people don't.

the last set of rules is for slaves and owners. now, before you say "it's not relevant!" think of this as a working relationship - boss & staff. slaves/staff are to obey the master/boss and masters/bosses are to be just and fair to their slaves/staff. paul also gives some instructions to slaves on obedience. work just as hard when the boss is not around as when he is and work with all your being - like you're working for God.

now, i realize many people don't exercise these rules and that's usually because the more dominant person in each relationship (husband, parent, boss) isn't following their rule, making it harder for the less dominant person to follow theirs. these rules, however, when put into use, produce some amazing results.

2 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 3:1-17

Colossians 3:1-17

"Rules for holy lving"

The first thing Paul tells us to do is to set our hearts and minds on "things above". that would be choosing to follow God's way in our lives, not the world. At the same time, we must not merely apply this to either our hearts or minds, but to both. a person whose heart is on God, but not his mind may find himself conflicted between what he feels God is telling him and what worldly logic says - yes, this sounds very familiar. Conversely, someone whose mind is on God, but not his heart lacks conviction. his faith is merely an act, a play for the rest of the world. Either way, having our hearts and minds leaning in opposite ways can diminish our effectiveness as Christians.

Paul then tells us to remove all worldly thoughts/manners. why? because these acts - immorality, lust, greed, anger, slander, foul language, etc - God's wrath is building. As christians we should not be striving to do what angers God, right? so then, we should remove from our own lives these very things which anger God. now, that's not easy, but it is a challenge to which we must commit ourselves. and all christians are subject to this idea of shaking off the old ways of sin and turning to the ways of Christ. Paul says here that under God, there is no Jew or Greek, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. Christ embraces all and all are in Christ. (this passage is one often used to discourage preferential treatment, like favoritism or racism, as preferential treatment implies that someone has less worth than someone else when all are equal in the church)

Paul then calls us, God's people to take on the characteristics of God: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, patience and love. Especially love. it is love for one another that binds us together as a community. you may not realize it, but in a way, you love your neighbor through how you treat him or her, or your teacher through giving respect, or even the person who sits a few rows behind you who throws paper balls at you. yes, you can love him too, and not just by restraining from flooring him, but by forgiving him and bearing with him.

Paul asks that the peace of God be present in our lives. we are called to live as one body and a body does not live at war with itself. we should also be thankful, should read and think, no meditate, about the word of God (not meditate as in that "OM" stuff. just clarifying), teach and correct others and praise God from the depths of our being. Paul asks, in other words, that whatever we do, we do in Christ's name. this means we are to be ambassadors for Christ and one quality of an ambassador is they represent the one who sent them, not only in word, but in their actions. the U.S. ambassador to China acts with the interests of the U.S./the president in mind. likewise, our actions should reflect the interests of Christ - striving for purity in our lives and spreading the gospel.

1 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 2:6-23

Colossians 2:6-

"freedom from human regulations through life with Christ"

paul initiates this chapter with two statements: continue to live in Christ and to live strongly; do not be deceived by worldly thought.

why should we do these things? christ is the fullness of God and, through Christ, we receive the fullness of God. we have cast off our sinful natures and, to use christianese, died to our old selves and have been reborn into new life. ok, so we have no sins... do you not understand the magnitude of this?!? we, in our sin, were condemned to  a second, spiritual death after our corporeal one. then, through Christ, the atonement was paid for all for all time. in addition to this, God added extra insult to the demons - not only did he disarm them by removing the curse of sin and death for those who believe, but he publicly humiliated them with the ease by which they were defeated. God is infinitely more powerful than any demon - after all, they were once angels whom He had created.

The laws of the Jews were set as a way for the Jews to attain a righteousness (no, it's perfectly correct grammar). However, with the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, a new covenant was formed in which we are no longer bound to the Jewish law for righteousness, but Christ. therefore we can eat anything, are free of the necessity to observe religious festivals/sabbaths and instead, we worship Christ out of gratitude.

Also, Paul warns to avoid the religiously spiritual people who profess that their way is right as they misinterpret the gospel. these people, according to Paul, puff themselves up on false spirituality and their experiences. this person has lost his connection with Christ, the head, who gives real life and strength.

so, if we have died with Christ to the world, as paul phrases it, why do we still behave like we belong to the world? we follow the world's instruction/rules when we are not bound by them. they are only human-made; they will wither and perish over time as their "wisdom" becomes apparent. instead, follow Christ. following Christ, we will put ourselves on a true moral path that is beyond reproach from any human law. how is this possible? who made right? right was created by God through the very essence of His being. God was not arbitrary when he decided what was right and neither was right right before God said it was. he spoke it from the innermost part of his being, his character, which is unchanging.

30 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:24-2:5

Colossians 1:24-2:5

"Paul's labor for the church"

Paul begins the passage remarking on how he has suffered for the gospel. he describes his sufferings as the sufferings of Christ left for the church (Wesley's commentary of this passage). Paul then describes himself as a servant of the church as he presents the message of God which was not fully revealed to man until Christ. Paul follows this statement by mentioning that the Gospel is also for Gentiles, or non-Jews. Paul describes his labor as working towards the presentation of everyone as perfect under Christ - that is, striving for the salvation of everyone.

Paul then gives a short exposition about who he is and why he writes the letters and preaches. all of this can be summed up in four statements:

• encouraging the church
• uniting the church
• creating understanding so that the church may further know Christ
• to prevent the church from being misled by seemingly sound arguments

why does Paul care? he is part of the church and the church is his family. while he may not be with each individual church that he writes to, he feels  that he is with them in spirit and he rejoices when the church stands strong against adversity and solid in its faith.

29 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15-23

"the supremacy of christ"

Paul begins this passage by describing Christ as God - he is the firstborn over all creation, the image of God, through him all things were created, he is before everything (time and position) and through him is everything held together. Each of these images was used in the old testament to describe God. so, here Paul is using these same descriptions and  his knowledge of the words and life of Christ to show that Christ is God.

on a side note, Paul was not a christian that made general assumptions much, as far as we can tell. He uses his knowledge of the old testament, eyewitness accounts of people who spoke with Christ, especially the disciples, and his own encounter with Christ.

Paul then names Christ the head of the church, which is a term that paul uses frequently in reference to Christ, and the first to be raised from the dead. each of these titles paul uses to demonstrate the superiority of Christ over everything - time, creation, the church, life & even death. why is Christ superior? firstly because he is God (yet at the same time a separate entity from God - kind of like how ice is water but is, at the same time, not water) and secondly because God (referring to the part of the trinity referred to as God the father) allowed his entire being to be in christ  (see, Christ is God and yet not God at the same time. confusing, i know) and making him the means by which mankind can be reconciled to God (the whole).

phew, explaining the trinity is pretty hard... i don't even understand everything about is, but then i don't presume to know everything either... 

Paul then concludes the passage with a general overview of salvation:

• alienated from God by sin
• we can be reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ which removed the stain of sin
• stay following the gospel of Christ, do not reject it.

this is the core of the gospel that paul said he preached to the church when he was in Colosse and is the core of how he presents the gospel in his other letters to remind the churches of their conversion.

28 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

"thanksgiving and prayer" + intro

Paul begins this letter with a greeting to the church of Colosse. in this intro, he introduces who he is and who he works for. he also then gives a blessing for the Colossian church.

Paul starts the meat of this letter by giving thanks to God for the faith of the church in Christ and the love of the church for each other. He also then gives an exposition of sorts saying where this faith and love has come from - the hope of heaven and the gospel. He then mentions the progression of the gospel through the nations and makes a reference to the man who brought it to Colosse.

Paul then says that he has been praying for this church since hearing about it; praying that the church may be worthy of and pleasing to the Lord while growing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened by Him.

Paul sets a good example here of how we should interact with other believers:

1) rejoice with them 2) be thankful for & with them

3) encourage them

4) pray for them.

nos 1, 3 & 4 i think are fairly self explanatory, but part of no 2 is a little complicated. how do we be thankful with somebody? when we are thankful for something we will often say thanks to whoever provided said something. being thankful with someone, however, is a way of rejoicing with someone; you are thankful to someone for what they did for someone else along with the initial thanker. this type of thanksgiving is what paul is doing in the beginning of this passage - thanking God for what he has done in this church's life.

24 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 6:11-15

Galatians 6:11-15

"glory only in the cross"

Paul begins this passage (which is pretty much the parting shot) bu emphasizing that is is him that is writing this - he gives as proof his handwriting (apparently, Paul had distinct handwriting. like me). Paul then points a remark at the judaizers urging other christians to be circumcised. He says that those urging for circumcision are doing so so that if they are persecuted, they can call themselves Jewish and escape persecution. Paul then, however further lays them low saying that these judaizers often did not keep the jewish law amongst themselves, yet they're urging it onto others, glorying in the fact that they had swung the individuals to their side. Paul then takes a moral high ground saying that, unlike the judaizers, he is doing all this [his ministry/the letter] for God and God's kingdom and that his glory is in the sacrifice of Christ.

Now remember that this is a parting shot, not the basis of an argument. this is not the climax or swaying points of his argument. it is more his conclusion of sorts. so, no, paul does not commit a logical, argumentative fallacy. he is merely summing up his arguments in a non-standard way...

22 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 6:1-5

Galatians 6:1-5

"bear and share the burdens"

Paul starts this passage off by giving instruction to the Christians in Galatia. This instruction is: if you see a person, esp a fellow christian, fall into sin through temptation, not deliberated sin, then rebuke them through kindness and gentleness, showing them what is right. this should not be done by just any believer, nut by one that is stronger in the faith. This person that is doing the rebuking and teaching must, however, avoid being tempted into the same sin again. the stronger christians must also not merely sit back and watch the struggling Christian brother struggle, but must also do what he can to lighten the burden and share the load.

one thing a stronger christian must not do is think himself better than those who are younger or weaker in their faith. if anyone thinks he is something special, he deceives himself and is therefore nothing. sounds kinda harsh, yes, but consider that the yardstick by which we measure ourselves is not each other, but God. in that respect we all measure up the same - not even visible on the graph of righteousness.

Paul finishes off this passage by saying that each is responsible for his own load. personally, i think this saying that each person is responsible for how they live their lives - there is no piggybacking on Billy Graham or dragging your satanist best friend up into heaven; they must all carry themselves and their burdens up to God at the end for judgment and only those who measure up to God's standards can enter heaven*.

* that is, no one can measure up to God's standard, which is why God sent Jesus to become the sin offering for us to God. this allows us now tobe able to go to heaven now because through the sacrifice (which was a proper sacrifice according to the Jewish laws) we have been made righteous enough to meet God's standard.

21 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 5:16-26

Galatians 5:16-26

"walking in the spirit"

Paul instructs the Galatian church to live life following God instead of following the world and the flesh. why is this? the world/flesh and the Spirit of God are opposing each other, with the spirit setting us free from the law that we are subject to as sinners.

Paul also gives us a very nicely detailed outline of what the fruits of the flesh are and what the fruits of the spirit are - this means, basically, the results from a life spent satisfying one or the other. The fruit of the flesh are all things spoken against elsewhere in the bible, subjecting us to law. The fruits of the spirit, however, do not have a single law against them. is it ever a sin to show self-control, peace or kindness?.

The bible says elsewhere that people will be known by the fruit they produce. a non-christian cannot truly produce the fruit of the spirit that a true christian does. likewise, a true christian seeks to minimise and even remove the fruits of the flesh that are present in his or her own life. now, i know that there are good non-christians and bad christians, but overall, the truth of the fruit will out.

so, as christians, we should strive to exhibit the fruits of the spirit in our lives and, with that, remove the fruits of the spirit. this is not easy. in fact it is one of the hardest parts of the christian's walk. it is, however, our challenge and our goal in how we live.

20 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 5:7-15

Galatians 5:7-15

"love fulfills the law"

Paul begins this passage by asking the Galatians a question. he asks them who deceived them? who gently slipped them from the true way to an alternate, false, way? This change, he says, did not come from God, instead it came from Satan the father of lies. These slippery false statements that were being propagated were very tricky. Paul even compares them to yeast in bread.

what was the issue? The judaizers wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law and so, they were saying that Gentiles had to be circumcised and Paul, who taught that this was not necessary, was then being attacked (verbally, not physically) on his stance. Paul then, in defending the non-necessity of circumcision says that if he taught circumcision then why are people attacking him? if he taught circumcision, there would not be this problem. this predicament poses a bad situation to be in: teach the Gospel as is and be attacked, or modify it slightly so that it goes down better with the locals?

On a side note, then, Paul discusses the freedom God has given us - it's not a freedom to do sin/whatever we please (which usually results in sin). Instead we must serve each other in love. we must love our neighbor (not only the person next door) as much as we love ourselves. this means what we would have done to us, we do to others and likewise what we would not want done to us, we should not do to others. so many people forget the first part of the meaning of this passage and focus on the second. to them it has become a line with which to scold others when offended/hurt/negatively affected by something the other has said/ done. we need to remember that this verse also means we need to bless others like we wish to be blessed - that means going out of our way to help someone or do something for them.

18 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 4:21-31

Galatians 4:21-31

"Hagar and Sarah"

Paul draws an interesting comparison between Hagar and Sarah and the Christians and Jews/non-Christians. The son by Hagar, the slave woman was born in an ordinary manner, but Sarah's son was born from a promise. Paul then takes these children and compares them to the two covenants God made - the covenant of Moses at mt. Sinai - this being the covenant of the law - and the covenant of the promise of Christ.

Now remember that Hagar was a slave and Sarah free. likewise. the figurative children of Hagar are slaves, but to the law as there is no freedom in the law. therefore, those seeking salvation on the law are not really free, but are bound up on chains they cannot free themselves from. the children of Sarah, however, are not bound by the law as they are the children of the covenant of the promise of God to Abraham. they have been set free by the coming, death and resurrection of Christ

Paul does warn us, though, that like Ishmael  persecuted Isaac, the children of the promise will be persecuted by the children of the law. i.e. Christians will not have it easy -  we will be persecuted by those who are not yet born of the promise, that is, pretty much everybody else.

we are different, we are set apart as part of a different race/people group. as such people will persecute and challenge those that are different, those they do not understand. we must take heart and joy in our difference, help others to become like us and enjoy the promise and we must persevere through the hardships in the name of Christ.