King James Daily Bible Study: A Consuming Fire
Date Friday January 07, 2011
Chapters: Genesis 19-21
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-january-7
Details of Today's Reading: Angels visit Lot in Sodom, Sodom is destroyed, Lot and his two daughters, the birth of Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, and an agreement between Abraham and Abimelech.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
When you think of the word fire you probably imagine something burning or maybe hell. The word fire also means intense passion and a liveliness. Fire gives us warmth, light, and heat. The Bible says, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” - Hebrews 12:28,29. To serve God means to be a help to Him, the word reverence means to have respect for God. To have godly fear means to acknowledge Him, and abide in His laws and wishes. As Christians we are set apart from everyone else, we are children of the living God. That is not something that everyone can claim, while God is the Creator of all things, He only claims special people to be His children. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” - I Peter 2:9. Praise God! Since we are God's chosen we are to set a godly example for those who live in the world. Just as God is a consuming fire our hearts need to be a consuming fire, for Him, we are to have an intense passion, a burning, and a liveliness for serving Him.

As Abraham was preparing to be a father, he remembered his nephew Lot when he pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom if there was any righteous in the land. Sodom was full of fornication, incest, and homosexuality and it was for that reason that God was about to destroy it. God harkened to his plea, He sent two of His angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of there if they wanted to be saved. “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed...But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” - Genesis 19:14-17,26.

The son-in-laws laughed at Lot and did not listen to him, Lot stopped to look at all he was leaving, probably saddened that he was going to lose everything he had. In his haste the angels pulled him to safety along with his wife and daughters. The wife could not let go, she looked back at all she was losing and in an instant she died. This is a perfect illustration of salvation, if you are saved, even if you have gotten away from God, He will pull you into His arms and save you from hell when you die. If you look back and can not let go of your life and you die without Christ then you will not be saved. Jesus said, “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” - Luke 17:28-33.

Fearing for his life Lot took himself and his daughters to live in a cave, perhaps he thought that by living in a cave instead of the city of Zoar like God told him that his family would not be subject to any wickedness as in Sodom. Little did he realize that his own daughters would subject him to it. They got their father drunk and lay with him to preserve his lineage. “And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters...Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.” - Genesis 19:30,36-38. Moab and Ammon became descendants of the Moabites and Ammonites who were perpetual enemies of the Israelites years later.

God despises wickedness committed by the flesh more than any. Why? “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body...For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” - I Corinthians 6:18,20. However, God will give anyone a chance to repent and turn from such a wicked life. “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;..This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” - I Timothy 1:9,10,15,16.

Abraham and Sarah, had advanced to an age in life when there could be no human possibility of having a child. Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 years old when God blessed them with a child. Then, Isaac, the miracle child of promise, entered the family life of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael. "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac." - Genesis 21:1-3. The birth of Isaac was a loving and gracious expression of the sovereign power of God but, more important, it was the fulfillment of His Word and proof of the faithfulness of the Covenant-keeping God.

It is not enough to know who God is, we must be willing to accept Him into our lives, which can only be done by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23,24. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Jesus Christ is revealed through Isaac, the promised son of God's Covenant. “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” - Romans 9:7,8.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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