In Your Bible Read This Out
Loud: Genesis 12, 1-3
Memorise
This Verse: John 10.10 ‘The thief comes only to steal, kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’
Afterwards Talk About This:
What do you think the Lord might mean when he says through Malachi 3,
10-12 that He will open the floodgates of heaven
Something To Do Before Next
Time: If you find this first study interesting, then before next time
see if you can bring someone else with you; they can soon catch up with
this lesson
Written Diploma Work:
Write one page describing the blessings promised to God’s people for
obedience found in Deuteronomy 28.
Meditate Word By Word On
This Verse: Jeremiah 29.11
In the first three sections, a
panoramic, historical view will be taken of God's dealings with people
from the earliest time of Adam to the consummation of history in the book
of Revelation. As we gaze through the ages we can confidently come to a
very clear and definite conclusion - namely, that God is the God of
abundance and prosperity; and in particular it is his desire to see his
people enter into his provision and desire for them.
The entrance of God's word
brings light (Psalm 119:130) - as we scan the scriptures from Genesis to
Revelation, the light of the truth of God's word reveals his abundance,
his provision, and his willingness and ability to ensure his people enter
into it.
In the beginning we see that
the world was formed and filled with provisions of livestock, plants,
birds and trees and in Genesis 1:27-31 we see that Adam had been given the
charge to rule over and subdue this large and plentiful inheritance.
It is worth remembering that
the world was formed for the enjoyment of God and his people - it
certainly wasn't put here for the devil and his followers. The fall of man
however saw the entrance of Satan and his intent was to steal, kill and
destroy; the once rich inheritance is now invaded by thorns and thistles
(Gen. 3:17-18). This battle that started long ago is still being fought
out today; Jesus exemplifies when he says that he came to provide us with
life, health, prosperity and overall well-being but the devil would come
and rob us of our inheritance (John 10:10)
God reveals himself to Abram
as the God of promises; he gives him seven of them - all centered around
his desire to primarily bless Abram, and through him to bless the whole of
the world (Genesis 12:1-3) - it would appear that in Abraham he found
someone to accomplish the purpose that was first given to Adam. So great
was God's desire to bless Abraham (and ultimately the world) that he
confirms his promise to him several more times (Genesis 15:1, 17:3-6,
18:17-18, 22:17); and before his death it is said of him that "The
Lord had blessed him in every way" (Genesis 24:1)
As we move on to the time of
Moses we see the people of God (and descendants of Abraham) entering into
the plan that and dream that God revealed to Abraham (Exodus 1:7) - even
when they were still in captivity. Just as Adam was given a large and
plentiful inheritance - Moses is given the same goal set before him of a
land of abundance (Exodus 3:8), as also Abraham had been given (Genesis
12:6-7). The Israelites don't leave captivity as paupers - they plunder
the Egyptians (Exodus 3:21-22; 12:36) such that God's promise to Abraham
is shown to be true (Genesis 15:14)
During the time that is spent
preparing to enter the promised land and the Israelites are forced to
wander in the desert; as with the time spent in Egypt, even in situations
that are not in the fullness of God's will, the mercy and grace of God is
still present to provide for his people. They experience the on-going
miracles of seeing food rained down from heaven, their clothes did not
wear out and despite all that wandering, their shoes did not wear thin
either (Deuteronomy 8:4 & 29:5). Constantly, the inheritance that was
to be theirs was brought back to their attention so that they would press
into the fullness of God's provision: (Deuteronomy 5:33, 6:10, 8:10 &
Joshua 1:8). In Deuteronomy 28 we see the clear statement that poverty is
a curse and abundance is God's will for his people - does this chapter not
clearly reveal the good plans of God for his people?
Solomon can be seen as
probably the richest person that will ever lived; and the reason being
that it was God that prospered him. In 1 Kings 3:10-14 Solomon asks for
wisdom, but as he later reveals for us in Proverbs 3:16 (remember
that he wrote that scripture!), whoever desires wisdom also will find
riches and honour; just see the results for yourself in 1 Kings 10:14-29.
Talking of wisdom, what do the wisdom books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes show? Well, despite all his trials and hardships, Job
42:10-16 reveals that God's final word on all that had happened was that
Job should know prosperity once again, and even in an increasing measure.
As for the other wisdom books; they speak for themselves:
Psalm 25:13
‘He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will
inherit the land.
Psalm 35:27 ‘The
Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servants
Psalm 128:2 ‘You will eat the fruit of your labour, blessings and
prosperity will be yours’
Proverbs 10:22 ‘The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no
trouble to it’
Proverbs 13:21 ‘Prosperity is the reward of the righteous’
Ecclesiastes
2:26 ‘To the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up
wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God’.
Even in the captivity of
Babylon, the Lord raises up a Prophet to again set before his people the
good plans and the desires he has for them. People often quote Jeremiah
29:11 to show the goodness of God, which is absolutely true; but it is
even more true and relevant as it is spoken to a captive, rebellious
people 'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.
Finally, after the captivity of Babylon, in the final chapters of the
final book of the Old Testament we see God encouraging his people to
co-operate with him so he can open the floodgates of heaven and pour out
so much blessing that his people will be overwhelmed by it (Malachi 3,
10-12).
So from the earliest chapters
of the first book of the Old Testament to the final chapters of the last
book, from Eden, to Egypt, to the desert, to Canaan and even to Babylon,
we see the Lord encouraging and reminding his people of his abundance and
prosperity.
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