Topic: ancient serpent

Explanatory Comment regarding the Genesis Reading I had been intending to comment on the passages given in “The Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland” (1994). When I looked for the Genesis passage (23:20-33), I found that Genesis 23 ends at verse 20!! I have gone to Genesis 21 to find a verse 33 and have made a comment on it! I have also commented on Genesis 23:19-20. I hope these comments are helpful. The Lord is the Everlasting God.

10:1-11:19 - ‘Take the little scroll and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey’ (10:9). We are to feed on God’s Word - the difficult parts as well as those passages which make us feel good. God’s Word speaks about judgment as well as salvation. Before we can rejoice in ‘the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ’, we must hear about His ‘wrath’: ‘The time has come for judging the dead’ (15,18).

We have read about creation (1:1). Now, we come to the beginning of sin. In verses 1-5, we read about temptation. Note that temptation is not sin. It only becomes sin when we do what the tempter suggests (6). Temptation comes from 'that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan' (Revelation 12:9). Satan reverses the priorities of God, God's Word and God's Spirit. * God is 'our Father' (Matthew 6:9). Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

24:1-27 - Paul did not abandon the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures - ‘I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets (14). He read the Old Testament. It led him to Christ. Paul’s great theme was ‘faith in Christ Jesus’ (24). Paul speaks. Jesus is speaking through him. Jesus did ‘not come to abolish the law and the prophets’. He came ‘to fulfil them’.

Charles M. Cameron, “Lamentations,”, Evangel, 12.1 (1994): 2-4. [p.2] The title―Lamentations ― suggests human sadness. There is, however, something else here ― divine faithfulness. At the heart of this short book, we find this great declaration ― ‘Great is thy faithfulness’ (3:23). Knowing God as the God of great faithfulness involves looking beyond our circumstances and our feelings. Israel’s circumstances were depressing. Jerusalem had fallen.