20061127

Genesis 2:2-3 - The Sabbath

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Let's not forget the Sabbath, for even God rested on the seventh day. All business should be conducted within the first six days of the week and no business should be conducted on the seventh day;
Genesis 2:13-14 - Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Rest is not an option, it's a commandment;
Leviticus 23:3 - Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
Even Jesus needed time to rest;
Mark 6:31 - And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

The seven day period is sacred, as in the following examples:
  • Genesis 7:4 - For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
  • Exodus 7:25 - And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river.
  • Exodus 29:30 - And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.
  • 1 Samuel 11:3 - And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.
  • 1 Samuel 13:8 - And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
  • Ezekiel 3:15 - Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days
  • Acts 20:6 - And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
  • Acts 21:4 - And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
  • Acts 28:14 - Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.
Some more references to the Sabbath:
  • Exodus 16:23 - And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • Psalms 118:24 - This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
  • Matthew 12:1 - At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
  • Matthew 12:8 - For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
  • Mark 2:27 - And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
  • Hebrews 4:4 - For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

20061109

Genesis 1:29 - God provided everything

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

In the beginning man didn't have to labor because God provided them with everything.

Genesis 1:22 - Spiritual Blessings

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
To be fruitful and multiple is a blessing of one's off-spring. Although God give man the power to acquire material things such as wealth and riches, most blessings are more spiritual in nature, such as :
  • An Everlasting Name, Isaiah 56:4-5 - For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
  • Spiritual Knowledge, Jeremiah 24:7 - And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
  • A New Heart, Ezekiel 11:19 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
  • Spiritual Rest, Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
  • Keys of the Kingdom, Matthew 16:19 - And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
  • Power of Evil Spirits, Luke 10:19 - Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
  • The Holy Spirit, Luke 11:13 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
  • Living Water, John 4:14 - But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
  • Bread of Heaven, John 6:51 - I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
  • Eternal Life, John 10:28 - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
  • Spiritual Peace, John 14:27 - But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
  • A Spiritual Crown, Revelation 2:10 - Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Other examples of blessings affecting one's off-spring:
  • Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
  • Genesis 12:2 And I will make o thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
  • Genesis 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall be beget, and I will make him a great nation.
  • Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Genesis 1:11 - The Yielding Seed

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
God created the seed within itself to grow and multiple on its own. However, the amount a seed yields is ultimately determined by God's blessing. This concept can be applied with any type of independent entity such as a person, business or church. To be successful, all that is needed is God's blessing.

Note: This is the first draft, for the revised version see Genesis 1:11 - The Yielding Seed.