'Seed of Abraham'

"Jehovah-tsidkenu" The Lord Our Righteousness

*Isaiah 45:5-8, "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."

Seeds we plant in the spring often bring forth an abundance of good things. In order to achieve a good crop we must nurture the seeds which we plant. If we plant the seeds by simply tossing them about some may burrow into the soil and produce a crop. Others will dry up, wither, and die before they ever take root. By planting them at the right depth, watering, and weeding a good crop always ensues.

As good parents we need to know how to plant good seed into the lives of our children. Nurturing begins at conception not after the crop brings forth fruit. If we wait until it is time to harvest to weed and to water there is very little good fruit that will be produced. Often the good is pulled up and thrown into the fire along with the weeds.

God had given Abram a promise. God promised Abram that his seed would be more than the sands of the sea and the stars of heaven. A promise that he would be the father of many nations and because of this God changed his name to Abraham. He also promised him that through Isaac He would establish an everlasting covenant; an everlasting covenant with his seed forever. The covenant of promise came without a cost but the greatest thing God asked of Abraham concerning his son Isaac was to offer him as a sacrifice upon an altar. When we look at the faith of Abraham that produced the fruit of righteousness we often miss the sacrifice involved.

When Abraham took Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice Isaac was not a baby but a young man about the age of thirteen. Yet according to the word of God Abraham bound him and tied him to the altar. Isaac was willing to sacrifice his own life. He had to be willing to lay his own life on the altar for his children to receive the promises given by the Lord to his father Abraham.

Through Isaac's seed came Esau and Jacob. Although Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob God rejected Esau because he despised his birthright. Therefore, God chose Jacob through whom the promise would be given. *Genesis 28:10-15, "And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." And God called Jacob Israel, "for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed," *Genesis 32:28.

Now unto Jacob were born twelve sons and these became the twelve nations of Israel. *Genesis 49:1-28, "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them."

Unto Judah came the promise, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." To David came the promise, "I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Unto David were sons born in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite, the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith, the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital, and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron (II Samuel 3:2-5).

Now David's son Absalom had a sister whose name was Tamar and Amnon was sick with love for her. So Amnon plotted together with his cousin, David's brother, Nahor's son to take her by force. Pretending to be sick he asked his father to send Tamar to him to fix him stew and feed it to him. Not wanting to be violated Tamar told Amnon to make a request of their father to become his wife. Amnon refused and forced himself upon her. As a result, Amnon hated Tamar more than he loved her. Tamar, being disgraced, remained at her bother Absalom's home while he plotted against his brother Amnon. Calling all of his brothers to his home Absalom had his servants kill Amnon and then fled to his grandfather in Geshur.

After three years David called Absalom to return to his house but refused to see him. Daily Absalom would sit in the gate to persuade all those who were entering Jerusalem to allow him to judge them in place of his father. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. In an effort to take the kingdom Absalom asked his father David if he might return to Hebron saying he had made a vow to the Lord. He had promised that if the Lord would return him to Jerusalem then he would serve the LORD. David sent Absalom away in peace and while in Hebron he called all the men that were with him to make him king in place of his father. Once again David was fleeing for his life but this time it was by the hand of his own son.

Absalom was a man of great beauty, without a blemish in him but he refused to sacrifice his life for the promises of God. He refused to serve God and sin entered into his life. That sin consumed all the good seed that had been planted by his father. In the end it brought his death causing his father to mourn greatly.

Absalom's name in Hebrew means "my father is peace," yet he found no peace with his earthly father and no place for repentance with his Heavenly Father to bring that peace to fruition. What Absalom saw in David was a bad love affair with Bathsheba. He failed to see the repentance that David had in his heart toward God. What he desired was control of the kingdom rather than allowing God to choose the heir of the kingdom. The only way this could be accomplished was through the death of the first born, his brother Amnon, and the deposition of his father. He failed to see the only commandment with a promise, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee," (*Exodus 20:12).

The seeds that we plant in our children often turn to bitter fruit when they are not mingled with the truth of God. We can plant good seed but we need to be mindful of the example we place in front of them. Children mimic not what they hear but what they see. If what they see does not reflect the words of our mouth they become confused and often refuse to sacrifice all that they are for the promises of God. The seed of faith often withers and dies. The end result making us feel as though we have failed as a parent causing us to mourn greatly.

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*Luke 3:23-38, "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."

In the fullness of time God sent His angel Gabriel to a young virgin named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph of the city of Nazareth. "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," (*Luke 1:28). She became troubled and thought 'what manner of salutation is this'. Then Gabriel said to her, "Don't fear, Mary because you have found favor with God. You will conceive and bring forth a son and call his name JESUS. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God shall give Him the throne of his father David and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of His kingdom there shall be no end." Then Mary said, "How shall this be, seeing I have never been with a man?" Gabriel said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God."

Now after Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant and not wanting to disgrace her publicly he decided to send her away. God sent an angel to him in a dream and told him not be be afraid to marry her because the child was conceived of the Holy Ghost. He told him further that the child would be a Son and His name was to be called Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. Then Joseph married Mary and did not have relations with her until the child was born.

Joseph was a carpenter of the city of Nazareth of the house and lineage of David but the seed which God sewed in Mary was of the Holy Ghost. Mary also was of the house of David but her lineage came through Nathan, David's son, which was born to him in Jerusalem. Through Nathan was the promise given, "The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart," (*Zechariah 12:7-12).

At the right time God sent His Son into this earth. Just as a sewer sows a seed God sowed His Son in the earth. Born of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the house and lineage of David. Born in the form and fashion, in the appearance of man, that is of the flesh. Created just a little lower than the angels because He was flesh. That through Him all men might receive the promises of Abraham. The birth of Jesus Christ was according to the decree of God promised through the covenant that God made with Abraham. In accordance to the word spoken by God in the Garden of Eden He was born of the seed of woman.

The scriptures tell us that, "Mary pondered all these things in her heart." She held the promises of God in her heart and meditated on them day and night. Mary stood at the cross of her Son and watched Him die. She buried Him in a new tomb in a garden. On the third day God raised Him from the dead. She watched Him ascend into heaven in a cloud. She sat in the upper room in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost came as a mighty rushing wind and she, along with others, received the promise of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of grace and supplications.

The hardest thing God can ever ask of any man is to place his life upon an altar. All that he is, all that he was, and all that he shall ever be upon an altar of wood so that through his sacrifice the promises of God might be manifested in the life of his children. We have these sure and precious promises that through Jesus' sacrifice comes the gift of eternal life. Through His sacrifice we have life and life more abundantly. Through His sacrifice we are given a new name that we might be called the sons of the Most High. Through His sacrifice we are saved - saved from sin and saved from the wrath to come.

Placing a child upon the altar of sacrifice is something that can be harder than death itself, but through the word of God we have been given sure and precious promises. When we raise a child in the way he should go he will never depart from it. Through our life of sacrifice they are sanctified and will one day receive the promises of God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father, Immanuel, God with us, our children will one day have a more abundant life. Through the life of Jesus Christ which dwells in us they shall see the glory of the Lord and know that God has a greater plan for them.

No matter what your child has done. No matter what you are going through at this present time. It may be drugs, it may be sexual problems, it may be theft, it may even be that they have taken the life of another. You may have cried, you may have pleaded, and you may have even placed your own life on the line for that child. Know this precious one that Jesus Christ's sacrifice was not in vain. He can move in the life of your child and cause him to realize that there is no other way to walk other than in the promises of God. God is still there reaching out calling to that child. He knows his name, He knows the number of the hairs upon his head. He loves him more than any earthly parent could ever love a child.

Jesus said, "I am of my Father. Whatsoever I see the Father do that I do." His eyes were never on His earthly parents but they were constantly on His Father in heaven. He spent His life in prayer and supplication to His Father. Nothing that He did was done without prayer and observance of what His Father desired and accomplished through His life of sacrifice. Remember your children are watching you and whatsoever they see you do that will they do.

Hold the promises of God close to your heart God is not slack concerning His promises to us for His word never ever returns to Him without performing that which was spoken. Jesus died for you, He died for your children, and He died for your children's children. Allow God to be the Lord of your life and honor Him above all things. We may slip or fall but remember, God is faithful and has promised that if we repent He will forgive us of that sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Allow all these things to be in you and your children will see a life that is worth living. A more abundant life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

P When the Lord asked Solomon what he desired the most in his life he replied, "Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?" (I Kings 3:9). What God gave him surpassed all the desires of his heart.

*March 4, 2006