Category: Abraham Isaac and Jacob

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #11

Monday, April 20, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

Read chapter 64 of Isaiah in its entirety. Israel’s believing remnant, in the ages to come, speaks to the Lord Jesus Christ as they await His glorious return to bring in God’s literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom. In verse 5, they confess: “…behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned….” Verses 6 and 7 go on with, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.” They have learned the lesson their ancestors had to understand 3,500 years ago in today’s Scripture: the Promised Land will be inherited only because of God’s goodness and faithfulness, not Israel’s goodness or faithfulness.

Verses 8 and 9 continue: “But now, O LORD, thou art our father [Matthew 6:9!]; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.” Precisely as the believing remnant recognizes, the wrath and judgment sinful national Israel accumulated under the Law of Moses—the Old Covenant—is deserved and therefore must be brought to pass. However, that believing remnant will survive that wrath and judgment, allowed to enter the subsequent earthly kingdom of God. That kingdom is the ultimate fulfillment of the word the LORD sware to patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. today’s Scripture), something God promised long before the Law system was ever given and long before Israel ever disobeyed that Law system.

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #6

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

After their victorious and mighty exodus from Egyptian bondage, but just prior to their four decades of wilderness wanderings in unbelief, the Jewish people were warned how they would be forcibly removed from the Promised Land if they repeated the sins the Gentiles had committed in it.

Leviticus chapter 18: “[24] Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: [25] And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. [26] Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: [27] (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled; ) [28] That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. [29] For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. [30] Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” (For emphasis, chapter 20, verses 22-26, echo this.)

Of course, like the Gentiles, the Jews had Adam as their physical father and Satan as their spiritual father. To see Israel’s sins committed in the Promised Land during the centuries subsequent to Moses, read 2 Kings 17:6-41, 2 Chronicles 36:14-21, Ezra 9:1–10:1, Nehemiah 9:26-38, and Daniel 9:3-19. Just as God assured them, these very sins led to the Jewish people ultimately being exiled from the land, for they had no righteousness….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #5

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

Abraham understood that the LORD God would work in His grace to make of his lineage a people whom God would use to serve Him in the Earth. This unconditional contract or agreement is the Abrahamic Covenant: “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). Israel is that “great nation,” which descended from Abraham’s son Isaac, Isaac’s son Jacob, and Jacob’s 12 sons (patriarchs or forefathers of Israel’s 12 tribes). God’s covenant was transferred to each successive generation, as today’s Scripture states.

Of course, like every other sinner, Abraham wanted to “help” God, so he and wife Sarah plotted to produce a son (Ishmael) in Genesis chapter 16. This was human effort, not grace; God’s son for Abraham was Isaac, born many years later (chapter 21). By the time of Moses and Sinai, Israel favored the Law and foolishly entered into that (conditional) Mosaic agreement (Exodus 19:3-8). This religious system was still on the minds of the Israelites of today’s Scripture, and Moses prompted them to recognize how God’s promise of blessings of grace to father Abraham came long before their promise to “do good” and inherit blessings based on their works. If they would receive anything from God, it would be solely because of His faithfulness, not theirs.

Notice! Sinful Israel did not “deserve” the Promised Land any more than the sinful Gentiles whom God was throwing out of it….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #4

Monday, April 13, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

Re-read today’s Scripture, noting the reference to “the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Go all the way back to Genesis chapter 15, the LORD God deeding the Promised Land to Abraham centuries before Moses: “[13] And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; [14] And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. [15] And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. [16] But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

Essentially, the LORD God informed Abraham, “One day, long after your death, your people will go away from this land of Canaan and I will bring them back here. Until then, I will keep tolerating the sins of the Gentiles in this land [the ‘wickedness of these nations’ of today’s Scripture!]. When judgment can no longer be withheld, those Gentiles will be violently evicted and destroyed as Israel comes in to occupy their land.” Approximately four centuries after this conversation with Abraham, the LORD commissioned Moses to lead the nation Israel out from Egyptian slavery and into the Promised Land. Of course, Israel did not immediately settle the land under Moses because of their unbelief… and, so, another 40 years passed, which brings us up to Deuteronomy (today’s Scripture).

Moses wanted to make sure his people knew the nature of their entrance into Canaan. Like the Gentiles, the Israelites were equally sinners, but God had made promises to the Israelites out of His goodness….

Heir by Position, Pauper by Practice #12

Friday, January 16, 2026

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7 KJV).

Saints, we in Christ are spiritual winners and heirs by position, but we can choose to be spiritual losers and paupers by practice!

Read Genesis 2:16,17 and Genesis 3:1-13. Adam and Eve, our first parents, operated outside of the sphere of life their Creator God had planned for them. Instead of living according to His work (Grace), they made their own life with their works (Law). They ate the forbidden fruit, lost fellowship with Him and with each other, and then tried to cover up their sin with feeble religious efforts and blame shifting. Read Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 16:1-16, Genesis 17:1-27, and Genesis 21:1-5. Abraham and Sarah connived to produce a son (Ishmael, flesh) as opposed to depending on God’s work (miracle son, Isaac, and the resulting nation Israel). Hundreds of years later, Israel at Mount Sinai believed they could make themselves God people by obeying 613 rules and regulations (the Law of Moses): “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). Here are three examples in prophecy of sinners preferring Law to Grace. Move over to mystery (God’s current program). Recall how we have the grace standard of Romans ignored and legalistic Galatianism entering.

Whether Adam and Eve at the Fall, or Abraham with Ishmael, or Israel at Sinai, or the Galatians (or even the Corinthians), man is using the energy of his flesh to try to live Christ’s life for Him. Though God in His goodness offers them spiritual riches (forgiveness, sanctification, eternal life, redemption, and so on), they keep leaning on spiritual poverty (resources in Adam) to make themselves contrary to God’s will for them. Mark it well: God can fully use us only if He renders us dead to, or separated from, Adam (thereby making us spiritual winners and heirs by position in Christ). We become spiritual losers and paupers by practice when we draw on Adamic resources instead of walking by faith in our new identity in Christ. The way we have the clearest understanding of whom we are in Christ is to see whom we are not….

Training Replacements #3

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

“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” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

“Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:1,2).

Christ accomplished Isaiah’s prophecy in Matthew 4:12-17: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As the Lord Jesus Christ taught Father God’s words to the nation Israel who had so neglected it for centuries, He expelled the Bible ignorance like light removes darkness. Individual Jewish souls were rescued from satanic bondage. Calling specific men to be His disciples (students), He announced, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10)—including brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, and brothers James and John sons of Zebedee. These fishermen forsook their nets, their fishing business, and were appointed by the Lord as His fishermen. Such “fishers of men” would now use the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to “lure and catch” Jewish souls, bringing them back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob….

Reaping and Sowing #8

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV).

Let us not be ignorant brethren concerning the concept of “reaping and sowing!”

In the old farmers’ dictum, “We reap what we sow, we reap more than we sow, and we reap later than we sow,” all three points are equally vital. Our actions indeed have consequences: we do reap what we sow. This we should understand with little to no effort, especially as we look at the physical realm while we plant seed and receive the same species of plant.

As for reaping more than we sow, this too is applicable in both the natural world and the spiritual world. Putting one seed into the ground results in a growing and mature plant that contains numerous seeds itself, so that, as per the rules of reproduction, there can be another sowing. Likewise, our actions set off a chain reaction: this deed (1) causes that to happen (2), and that (2) leads to another phenomenon (3), and on (4) and on (5) and on (6) and on (7). This is most noticeable in the lives of people who have a habit of making poor choices. One stupid decision led to a host of unforeseeable problems. Such a series of disastrous and truly frightening events can even be witnessed across several generations—son, grandson, great-grandson, or daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter. The sins of one man or one woman carry on into their families indefinitely, long after his or her physical death!

For example, the easiest illustration is how Adam, though seeing the immediate effects of his sin in his own life, never anticipated it would create 6,000 years of human misery (disease, war, death)! Abram and Sarai had no idea their “brilliant” scheme to “help God” would produce a son (Ishmael) that would form the foundation of a religion (Islam), a religion that competes with God’s son Isaac, plus Judaism and Christianity. That satanic battle has raged on in the Middle East for 4,000 years! What King Solomon did with his hundreds of idols has damaged his nation Israel for nearly 3,000 years! Indeed, that leads us to the third point, how we reap later than we sow….

Reaping and Sowing #2

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV).

Let us not be ignorant brethren concerning the concept of “reaping and sowing!”

Today’s Scripture echoes an expression—“Be not deceived”—found numerous times in the Bible. Sometimes, it is verbatim, word-for-word. Other times, the exact phraseology is absent, but the overall concept is still communicated. For instance, Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Our sinful heart we inherited from Adam leans to its own understanding, making its own rules and believing whatever it sees fit. Having an over-inflated view of itself, it is doubtless untrustworthy!

One way the human heart deceives is with respect to reaping and sowing, so the Holy Spirit made absolutely certain to preface today’s Scripture with, “Be not deceived.” It is extremely easy to have a mistaken impression or wrong idea about reaping and sowing. Perhaps we assume we got away with what we did. Maybe we believe our sowing will be inconsequential. Perchance we think we will reap good when we have sown bad.

The other words, “God is not mocked,” necessitate clarification. Someone in unbelief turns up the nose to scorn or make fun, saying, in effect, “God, I will not reap what I have sown! I can dodge or escape ‘for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap!’ It will not come to pass in my life!” Unfortunately, for that mocker, it is but self-deception, and his or her words carry no real weight. “God is not mocked.”

God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat, for they would surely die if they did eat (Genesis 2:16,17). They did not believe God, they ate, and death came—first spiritual (separation from God) and then physical (soul and spirit separated from physical body) (Genesis 3:1-8; Genesis 5:1-5). The wickedness of man was so extreme in the Earth that nearly all perished in the Great Flood (Genesis 6:1-8; Genesis 7:21-24). Abraham and Sarah supposed they could “help God out” with bringing about the promised son, Isaac, but their scheme just produced a competing son, Ishmael, with much ensuing heartache (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 16:1-16; Genesis 17:15-22; Genesis 21:1-11).

Let us see other biblical examples of reaping and sowing….

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel #7

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24 KJV).

What precisely are these seventy weeks of Daniel? How do they form the backbone of prophecy?

Daniel 9:25-27: “…the Messiah the Prince… Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week….” Two “princes” are in Daniel’s seventy weeks. One is “Messiah the Prince… Messiah,” Jesus. The other is “the prince that shall come,” the Antichrist, who will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel’s 70th Week). Basically, he flatters lost Israel with lies and rebuilds their Jerusalem Temple (see Daniel 8:13,14) that the Romans destroyed in A.D. 70. Animal sacrifices under the Law will resume… temporarily.

Remember, Daniel’s 70th Week is divided “in the midst” (verse 27)—42 months and 42 months, or 1260 days and 1260 days, or 3½ years and 3½ years. Why? Midway through those seven years, the Antichrist “shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27). For this “abomination of desolation,” and the Antichrist’s military betrayal of Israel/Jerusalem, see Matthew 24:15-21, Mark 13:14-19, and Luke 21:20-24.

That final week is halved because the Antichrist is assassinated (Zechariah 11:15-17; Revelation 13:1-18), “the man of sin” (first half) transforming into “the son of perdition” (second half) (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4). An evil spirit reanimates his corpse—a counterfeit resurrection (!). The Antichrist now claims to be God Himself (really a fake messiah!), and continues reigning for the remainder of Daniel’s 70th Week with more worshipping him or being executed for refusal. Ultimately, the true Messiah (Jesus) returns in power and great glory to end it all and save redeemed Israel (Zechariah 14:1-4; Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:11-21)!

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel #6

Monday, April 28, 2025

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24 KJV).

What precisely are these seventy weeks of Daniel? How do they form the backbone of prophecy?

Let us repeat. In Daniel 9:16-23, God sent Gabriel to instruct Daniel because the Prophet sought clarification regarding Israel’s redemption and Jerusalem’s restoration from the Babylonian Captivity. A series of prophecies during seventy weeks of years (490 years) will lead up to Christ’s Second Coming and Israel’s subsequent kingdom glory. Today’s Scripture reveals six purposes or goals of these seventy weeks of Daniel.

Firstly, to “finish the transgression.” Israel’s “transgression”—all her “stepping across the boundaries,” or her national sin—will be done away. Redeemed Israel stops crossing the borders of righteousness God has erected. She will cease rejecting the LORD’S words and finally accept her Messiah (see Matthew 23:31-39; Luke 11:46-52; Acts 7:51,52).

Secondly, to “make an end of sins.” Israel quits wallowing in her unbelief and disobedience to God. Thirdly, to “make reconciliation for iniquity.” On the national Day of Atonement at Christ’s Second Coming, God forgives Israel’s sins via the New Covenant based on Christ’s shed blood (Acts 3:19,20; Romans 11:26-28; cf. Leviticus chapter 16; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 33:7,8; Hebrews chapters 8–10). Remember, Christ’s blood was shed when Messiah was “cut off” (killed) in Daniel 9:26.

Fourthly, to “bring in everlasting righteousness.” God’s literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic, Israeli kingdom is founded (Jeremiah 23:5,6; Hebrews 1:8,9; Revelation 20:4-6). Fifthly, to “seal up the vision and prophecy.” All of God’s promises to Israel are ultimately fulfilled. Lastly, to “anoint the most Holy.” The sanctuary will be cleansed and the Shekinah glory (God’s presence) returns to the newly-rebuilt Millennial Jerusalem Temple (Daniel 8:14; cf. Malachi 3:1; Matthew 23:38–24:1; cf. Ezekiel 43:1-6).

At Christ’s Second Coming in Revelation chapter 19 to conclude Daniel’s 70th Week, God remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—exactly as He promised in Leviticus 26:42,45. He makes the Promised Land His land and Israel His people in that literal, physical, visible, earthly, Davidic, Israeli kingdom of Revelation chapter 20.…