“My prayer is that you read and study these devotionals with an earnest desire to seek the Lord“
¨¨¨ These devotionals are much easier to read on-line ¨¨¨
THE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Avoid violent efforts to gain something; quarrels, resistance, etc., it will bring out the worst in you
“The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.”
Proverbs 17:14 (KJV)
Genesis 18 – Christophany (The Son of Promise)
- We must understand what the Hebrew word ‘raah’ means
- Genesis 18:1 (KJV), “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.”
- Appeared
- Strong’s Lexicon (7200) – raah: To see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
- Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Hebrew culture, seeing was not merely a physical act but often carried deeper implications of understanding and discernment. Prophets, for example, were often described as “seers” (ro’eh), indicating their ability to perceive divine truths. The act of seeing was also associated with witnessing events and understanding God’s will, reflecting a holistic view of perception that included both physical and spiritual dimensions.
Or possibly, a Christophany or a theophany
A Christophany is a temporary appearance of Christ before his incarnation. The word “Christophany” comes from the Greek words theos (“God”) and phaino (“appear”).
Theophany
A theophany is an appearance of God. The word “theophany” comes from the Greek words theos (“God”) and phaino (“appear”).
The Old Testament uses the term angel of the Lord interchangeably with the Lord in reference to these visitations. One Christophany is found in Genesis 18:1–33 when the Lord appeared to Abram in human form
Of the three visitors, he did honor the leader of these three as his superior
Genesis 18:2-3 (KJV), “2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.”
One of them was the Son of God, the angel of the covenant, whom Abraham distinguished from the rest, and who is called Jehovah
Genesis 18:13 (KJV), “And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?”
The Lord
Strong’s Lexicon (3068) – Yhvh. Brown-Driver-Briggs – proper name, of deity Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel.
The Lord was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah altogether
Genesis 18:20-21 (KJV), “20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.”
Abraham started with fifty righteous within the city
Genesis 18:23-24 (KJV), “23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 4 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?”
The Lord would show mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah if any of them was righteous
Genesis 18:26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 (KJV), “26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty (v.28 forty-five, v.29 forty, v.30 thirty, v31. Twenty, v.32 ten) righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
Isaiah 5
Isaiah begins this poem speaking directly to Jesus, my beloved
Isaiah 5:1 (KJV), “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill.”
Matthew 3:17 (KJV), “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:10-11 (KJV), “10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark 9:7 (KJV), “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
My vineyard (symbolizes the nation of Israel and Judah)
Isaiah 5:7 (KJV), “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”
Brown-Driver-Briggs – and often; figurative of Israel under.
God’s Disappointing Vineyard
Isaiah 5:2 (KJV), “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.”
Isaiah 5:24 (KJV), “Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
Compare this to today, we are an exclusive part of God’s vineyard
John 15:1-8 (KJV), “1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Our nation has fallen away and have spoiled the vine
Isaiah 5:2b-4 (KJV), “… and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?”
John 15:2 (KJV), “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
God’s judgement on Judah and Israel
Isaiah 5:5-6 (KJV), “5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.”
The scriptures are alive today
2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV), “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV), “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Yesterday and today
Isaiah 5:20 (KJV), “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Don’t take the word ‘woe’ lightly
Woe means “grief, anguish, affliction, wretchedness, calamity, or trouble.” The Dictionary of Bible Themes categorizes the uses of the word woe in the Bible: “Woe as an exclamation of judgment on others,” “Woe as an exclamation of misfortune on oneself,” “Woe as an exclamation of sadness over others,” and “Woe may give way to forgiveness, comfort, and deliverance” (Gotquestions.org)
God calls all surrounding nations to turn against them
Isaiah 5:26 (KJV), “And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.”
Psalms 5
Simple prayers to start off your day
Psalm 5:1-3 (KJV), “1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
Psalm 5:7-8 (KJV), “7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.”
Put on the full amor of God (Jesus Christ)
Romans 13:14 (KJV), “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
Psalm 5:12 (KJV), “For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
Ephesians 6:13 (KJV), “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:16 (KJV), “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
Proverbs 17
What does it mean that iron sharpens iron?
Proverbs 27:17 (KJV), “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
There is mutual benefit in the rubbing of two iron blades together; the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice. Likewise, the Word of God is a “double-edged sword”, we are to sharpen one another—in times of meeting, fellowship, or any other interaction
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV), “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Grow in the Word of the Lord 