A Time of Altars

Written by Jack Hayford

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. – Genesis 12:6-9 ...to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord... Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. - Genesis 13:4, 18

Altars are a memorial to the place where God meets us

Has God failed us? ... I don't understand and my faith is faltering

God's Promises

Has God failed us? I have read repeatedly where God promised the Jews to be a great nation, yet today Israel is struggling for survival, and Jews in the Diaspora are assimilating in record numbers. I don't understand and my faith is faltering. Please explain.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

God made a covenant with Abraham, and that pact is not able to be broken. However, God assures us that our ability to flourish, or conversely to suffer, depends on how well we fulfill our end of the bargain: which is to observe the mitzvot and be a holy people that inspires the world to recognize God's existence and dominion over all.

Even in the darkest times, God is with us. But that in itself is a test of our connection to Him, to be able to see His guiding hand even within the darkness. In Deuteronomy 31:16-18, God says that if the Jewish people rebel, "I will hide My face from them."

Achan : The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

Achan, Achar, Achor [Ā'chăn,Ā'chär, Ā'chôr]—trouble. The son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 7; 1 Chron. 2:7).

The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

It did not take Joshua long to discover that his defeat at Ai, after a succession of victories, was due to some transgression of the divine covenant (Josh. 7:8-12). Thus, as the result of an inquiry, Achan was exposed as the transgressor, and confessing his sin in stealing and hiding part of the spoil taken at the destruction of Jericho, was put to death in consequence. In keeping with the custom of those days, Achan was probably stoned with his immediate relatives, and their dead bodies burned—the latter making punishment more terrible in the eyes of the Israelites. Achan was put to death in “the valley of Achor” meaning “the valley of trouble”—the valley being called atter Achan who had been the troubler of Israel (Josh. 7:25,26). Thus in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achan is spelled as Achar. But “the valley of trouble” became a “door of hope” all of which is spiritually suggestive (Isa. 65:10; Hos. 2:15).

Zipporah : The Woman Who Wrongly Opposed Her Husband

Scripture References—Exodus 2:21, 22;4:24, 25; 18:1-6

Name Meaning—A Midian name, Zipporah means “a little bird,” “a sparrow.” Wilkinson observes that “the feminine termination ah added to the common word Zippor, which is also the father of Balak, king of Moab.” Such a name like “dove” or “lamb” would originally be a term of endearment, and thus the word passer &--;“a sparrow”—is used by the Roman poets. Passer is also being found as a Roman family name. The root of this word is an Arabic verb, signifying “to chirp.”

Family Connections—Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro who is also called Reuel and Raguel (Exodus 2:18; 4:24, 25;18:1-6; Numbers 10:29). It was to the home of this shepherd-priest in Midian that Moses came when at forty years of age he fled from Egypt, and meeting the seven girls drawing water Moses assisted them. Arriving home earlier than usual they told how the Egyptian had helped them. Brought up as a son of Pharaoh, Moses must have looked every inch a cultured Egyptian. 

Rob Bell Redefines Fidelity, Love, and Who God Is

By Bethany Blankley , CP Op-Ed Contributor

Bethany Blankley writes about
religious, political, and cultural issues
from a biblical perspective and
appears on national television and
radio as a political pundit.

It is troubling that a former evangelical pastor like Rob Bell would endorse same-sex marriage because "the ship has sailed… this is the world that we are living in," and because he is "for love, whether it is a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man."

His reasoning is flawed primarily because he does not hold the Bible as the authoritative word of God.

The Bible cannot be clearer on homosexuality. At every mention it is condemned as a sin (Gen. 19; Lev. 18:22, 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1: 8-10; Jude 4 ff among others). Additionally, Jesus indicated that the only alternative to heterosexual marriage was celibacy (Matt 19:10). The bible is also clear on marriage-that God created it as a covenant between himself, one man and one woman (Gen. 1:26; 2:22-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:22-23; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Heb. 13:4-7; Mark 10:6-9).

The Man Whose Birth Caused a Laugh

Isaac [Ī'zaac] he laugheth or laughing one. The son of Abraham and Sarah, who was born at Gerar when

Abraham as one hundred years of age and Sarah was about ninety years old (Gen. 17:19, 21;21:3-12; 22:2-9).

Isaac is one of the few cases in the Bible in which God selected a name for a child and announced it before he was born. In the Old Testament we have Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, Josiah, Cyrus and Isaiah’s son; in the New Testament, John the Baptist and Jesus.

Isaac’s beautiful and suggestive name, “he laughed,” commemorates the two laughings at the promise of God—the laughing of the father’s joy and the laughing of Sarah’s incredulity which soon passed into penitence and faith (Gen. 21:6). Isaac was the child of the covenant, “I will establish My covenant with him.” To three patriarchs in succession was this covenant specifically given: to Abraham, as he left Chaldea (Gen. 12:3); toIsaac, when in Canaan during the famine (Gen. 26:4); toJacob, at Bethel (Gen. 28:14). Isaac, however, was the first to inherit the covenant, and to him God gave the whole inheritance of Abraham (Gen. 24:35).

A Time of Altars

by Jack Hayford

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord  appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. – Genesis 12:6-9

...to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord... Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. - Genesis 13:4, 18

Altars are a memorial to the place where God meets us

Altars represent the occasion and place where we have had a personal encounter with God. We may not always be able to make a physical altar, but there can be one established in our hearts. When we celebrate communion, we are celebrating the grandest altar of all--the Cross of Calvary upon which the Son of God was laid forth as the sacrifice: To reconcile all humankind to God; and to  make possible the infusion of our lives with meaning, the forgiveness of all sins and the promise of eternal life.

Altars appear throughout the Bible in many different forms. They are: 

Pastor Ed Young Warns Society Is on 'Thin Ice' After Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement

By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter

Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, stated that society is treading on "thin ice" after President Barack Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage.

Christian leaders across the nation have voiced their opinions on the president's comments, emphasizing that the Bible defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Pastor Young made his views known Thursday by calling in to Dr. Drew Pinsky's "On Call" show on HLN.

"I totally disagree with our president. I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, in this commitment and covenant ordained by God. So, I disagree with what he says," Young began.

Premarital Relations

What does God say about premarital relations? Also, will God send a man a wife or are you totally alone in this process. Please show me where to look in the Bible.

The Bible is adamantly against premarital relations. We are to keep ourselves pure for our mate. Here are a some verses to show you the mind of God on this.

Proverbs 9:13
 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. 14 For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, 15 To call passengers who go right on their ways: 16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

1 Corinthians 6:18
 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Hebrews 13:4
 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

However, the punishment for singles committing this sin was not as harsh as for those who were married. Under the law, adultery (relations between married people outside their own marriage) was to be punished by death. If singles committed fornication, the man was to pay a fee to the father of the girl and the man was forced to marry the girl. We are not under the law, but the principles still apply. Fornication is a very serious sin. However, adultery breaks the covenant promise of marriage and is even more serious. If you are to stay pure, you must flee fornication. That is, do not allow yourself to get in situations where you will be tempted beyond your ability. Run from it.

As to God sending a husband or wife, I do not have a particular verse. However, I know that if we give ourselves to the Lord, He will watch over us in a special way. Make it a matter of prayer--though I feel sure you have probably already done this. However, you must also trust in Him to do His part and you must be willing to wait for the Lord to do His work in His time. Many have moved ahead of God but it has not brought them happiness. Finally, you must realize that it is not the will of God for everyone to be married. Most do, but not all.

You must be willing to submit to His will no matter what it is. As you pray and trust in the Lord, He may lead you to certain actions. Just be willing to follow His lead and seek His help at every step. This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. I trust that the Lord will show you His way in this.

David Reagan

http://www.learnthebible.org/premarital-relations.html