Provident 360

Genesis 1:2 - Taking Measure

2009-04-04T10:51:00.013-04:00

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The earth was barren, with no form of life. There was no sun, moon or stars (Jeremiah 4:23). Then, like a surveyor, God took measure of the waters and heaven; and calculated the amount of dust, mountains and hill necessary to keep everything in balance (Isaiah 40:12).

In the news: TheSunNews.com; ZENIT.

Genesis 44:26 - Judah Sticking to his Story

2009-03-26T15:14:00.013-04:00

And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

Totally ignoring his obligation of settling his espionage case in Egypt (Genesis 42:20), Judah told his father we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us (Genesis 43:3). Apparently, Judah has convinced himself of this lie because he was so determined not to return to Egypt, unless he returned with his youngest brother, that he has forgotten all about the espionage charges.

Genesis 36:40-43 - The Dukes of Edom

2008-09-25T11:06:00.005-04:00

And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.

Parallel Passage 1 Chronicles 1:51-54

Genesis 1:22 - Spiritual Blessings

2006-11-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

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 2:2-3 - The Sabbath

2006-11-27T13:07:00.001-05:00

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.

Genesis 2:15 - The consequence of sin

2006-12-01T15:02:00.003-05:00

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Work is work and most jobs aren't pleasant. In the beginning, however, man didn't have to work for food was available and free to eat. All Adam had to do was to dress and keep the garden. Work wasn't meant to be but rather it was the consequence of sin:

Genesis 3:17 - And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

For those that don't like their job - accept it, keep strong, have courage and continue pressing forward with the confidence that things will get better.

Genesis 4:12 - Sin deminishes success

2006-12-06T11:57:00.002-05:00

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

God cursed the fruits of Cain's labor because Cain killed Abel, his brother. No matter how hard Cain worked the ground it still wasn't going to yield up to it's potential. This was also the case for Adam and Eve, Cain's parents. They fell from God providing everything, to having to work for everything. Sin is sin and it's all relevant.

Genesis 4:15 - Sevenfold

2006-12-14T13:08:00.002-05:00

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Vengeance belongs to God (Psalms 94:1), however, sevenfold is also used in determining the penalty for thievery. Proverbs 6:30-31 states that "Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house."

Restoring seven times may seem like a hefty fine but not when considering the thefts that robbers get away with for "the tents of robbers prosper," Job 12:6.

Genesis 4:17 - City life

2006-12-18T12:20:00.002-05:00

And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Joel F. Drinkard, Jr., a professor of Old Testament Interpretation, states the following regarding cities:

“The emergence of cities often marks the move to civilization…. Most of the commercial activity for the region was carried out in the city. Usually, the city was located on the main highway or intersection of highways and trade route through the area. The major sanctuary or worship place would be most frequently located in the city, making it a center of religious pilgrimages and celebrations…. Among the chief concerns a city would be built at a particular location was the presence of food and water nearby, along with the raw materials for shelter, tools and industry “ (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright 2003, Cities and Urban Life, pages 301-303).

Genesis 4:21-23 - The ways of Cain

2006-12-19T12:23:00.001-05:00

And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
Can any good come out of Cain, the wicked one (1 John 3:12)? From out of Cain's lineage came Jabel, Jubal and Tubalcain; the fathers of nomads, music and metalwork. Cain himself built the first city mentioned in the bible. Are these the ways of Cain that Jude 1:11 warns us not go after ("Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain")?

Genesis 5:22-24 - Walking to please God

2006-12-20T12:03:00.001-05:00

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him
The Interpreter's Bible makes a important point worth noting:

The description of Enoch shines like a single brilliant star above the earthy record of this chapter. The significance of many men may perish with their bodies. Their achievements have to do only with material things, they may sew their tents, raise their cattle, make their musical instruments, and work in brass and iron (Genesis 4:20-23). But the man who towers in meaning above all the others is the man who walks with God (Copyright 1952, The Man Who Walked with God, page 530)

Walking with God is achieved through perfecting and abiding in Jesus.

Genesis 6:9 - ... Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
God.1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
2 John 1:9 - Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Hebrews 11:5 summarizes why God took Enoch, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

Genesis 5:29 - Easing the pain

2006-12-21T09:59:00.001-05:00

And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

The ground which the LORD cursed comes from Genesis 3:17-19,

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

The name Noah means rest. It was through his hard work and faith in building the ark that man was able to survive the flood. The flood cleansed and fertilized the whole earth which made it more productive and futile. Thereby, man was provided with comfort and rest concerning the tilling of the ground that God had cursed.

Genesis 6:2 - The sons of God

2007-01-11T12:53:00.001-05:00

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

The "sons of God" are angels; the same "sons of God" mentioned in Job 1:6, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD; the same "sons of God" mentioned in Job 38:7 that shouted for joy when God laid the cornerstone of the earth's foundation; the same "sons of God" mentioned in 1 John 3:1 & 2 that states:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

In the Old Testament, the sons of God were angels. In the New Testament, Jesus gives humans "the power to become sons of God" (John 1:12). Today, the sons of God are all that are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14).

Genesis 6:3 - Life Span Shortened

2007-03-08T10:27:00.001-05:00

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

God's Limit on Mans Years by Guy Cramer points out that the 12o years is the limit God placed on man's life. After this declaration was made lifespans began to shorten until it was less than 120 years. Guy Cramer notes that:

some scholars suggest that this 120 years was a prophetic time line until the flood took place. However, we see God's decision was made in Genesis 6:3 after Noah turned 500 in Genesis 5:32. Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters were on the earth. Genesis 7:6 NKJV) Taking these passages we can determine that the flood took place within 100 years after God's decision. So the prophetic interpretation of the Genesis 6:3 is a wrong one.

I agree with Guy Cramer's interpretation. When God makes a declaration it doesn't have to happen immediately. Adam and Eve didn't die immediately after eating the forbidden fruit from off the tree of knowledge.

Genesis 6:4 - The inbreeding of angels with humans.

2007-03-08T11:15:00.001-05:00

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Where Is the Beast? (Part 2) by John W. Ritenbaugh explain how these "men or renown" were called giants because of the influence and that they "were establishing evil, deceitful, violent, and enslaving leadership."

GENESIS 6 – WHO WERE "THE SONS OF GOD"? by Bryan T. Huie examines the theory that these "men of renown" were created by fallen angles that committed fornication with human women. First, Bryan Huie takes a look at all of the Old Testament references to "sons of God" to see if the scripture is referring to angles

Genesis 6:1-4; Deuteronomy 32:8; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7; Psalm 29:1-2; 89:5-6

The author also makes the connection of the angles mention in Jude 1:6-7 to the "sons of God" mentioned in this scripture.

Genesis 6:5 - How to manage your imagination.

2007-03-09T08:21:00.001-05:00

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
God wasn't upset that man had a imagination; instead, God was upset with how man used his imagination. As noted from whatgodintended.com the book Becoming Who God Intended, Dr. Eckman teaches how to manage the imagination to please God. The solution is to do the complete opposite of what was done in Genesis 6:5, that is to keep your mind on God continually as noted in Isaiah 26:3. The imagination comes from the mind and by keeping your mind on God you can only imagine what is good and pleasing to God.

Genesis 6:6 - Why should God repent?

2007-03-09T09:38:00.001-05:00

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Some mistake this verse to be in contradiction to Numbers 23:19 which states that God does not repent. However, God has no need to repent because he's never wrong. On the contrary, God repents because of the wrong men do. For example, God repented in making Saul king because of what Saul did (1 Samuel 15:11). God wasn't wrong for making Saul king; Saul was wrong for turning away from God.

Genesis 6:8 - Salvation is through grace.

2007-03-09T11:24:00.001-05:00

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Just as the grace of God saved Noah, the grace of Jesus Christ saves people of today (Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; Romans 5:15).

Genesis 6:9 - Divine Fellowship

2007-03-13T10:52:00.001-04:00

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
To walk with God is to fellowship with God as you would with a friend on a walk through the park. However, this walk is not a temporary excursion; but instead, it's a lifelong journey.

Moses walk with God was so personal that "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11)

Genesis 7:7 - The day of God's wrath.

2007-03-15T11:48:00.001-04:00

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
The story of Noah demonstrates the power of faith which not only save him but also his family, as well as the world. Out of faith and fear, Noah built the ark precisely as God had instructed him so that when the flood did come Noah and his family were prepared (Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5).

Again, man has been warned about the ending of this world and what must be done to prepare for it. Solomon said that the prudent man will foresee the evil and prepare himself against it; whereas, the simple man will ignore the evil and allow himself to be consumed by it (Proverbs 22:3). Will you be the prudent man that has faith enough to do what is necessary to prepare himself or will you be the simple man that ignore the warning signs and continue living for today? Don't be as those in the days of Noah, that were having the time of their lives, until the flood came (Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27).

Genesis 9:19 - The scattering of man, in the beginning.

2007-04-17T12:12:00.001-04:00

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Genesis 10

Genesis 18:17- Revelations

2007-07-16T13:04:00.001-04:00

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant, Psalm 25:14.

Genesis 24:17, 44 - A stranger in need is a friend indeed.

2007-07-28T11:30:00.003-04:00

And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher... And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.

Remember to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing (Hebrews 13:2). In a similar situation, the stranger requesting the drink was Jesus Christ (John 4:7).

Genesis 27:36 - We live by the decisions we make.

2007-08-06T10:06:00.001-04:00

And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Esau has no one to blame but himself for the decision he made in the past (Genesis 25:33). Joseph (meaning to take the place of another) was rightly named because the LORD told Rebekah that the elder shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). I don't believe that this was preordained; instead, I believe that God told Rebekah this because God knew that Esau would give away his birthright.

Genesis 7:18 - Refuge in God's Hands

2007-03-16T12:53:00.001-04:00

And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

The ark was the hand of God providing refuge for Noah and his family. The forth edition of the Thompson New Chain-Reference Bible has marked Psalms 104:26 as the parallel passage for this verse.

There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

So, therefore Noah and his family were not only protected from drowning, they also were protected from the horrors that lurked from below, such as leviathan. "Leviathan is often considered to be a demon or natural monster associated with Satan or the Devil, and held by some to be the same monster as Rahab" (Wikipedia.com).