The Gift Of God , Part Eight
Post date: 23-Dec-2012 18:00:53
The Doorway
The opening of heaven is figurative : and places a picture in our minds of a doorway
In Psalm 78 God does not open up the heavens like opening a door with His hands but rather
this is a way of explaination
Jesus having this doorway to the Father and all who believe and walk with Him having this
same communication and doorway whereby the messenger angels are sent back and forth
to aid and protect, to comfort and to strengthen ( not that God could not do His work without
angels , but that He chooses to use them) Even so He may and can do all these things without
angels Mark 9:7 Matthew 3:17
John 1:51 Jesus being the mediator between God and man, the intercessor Hebrews 7:25
Jacobs ladder in Genesis 28:10-22 was a dream : see Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 and a God
given dream and this dream could be said to symbolise a Christians ongoing relationship
and walk with God as messages go back and forth and heart responses rebound from us to
God and God to us
Incarnation
Now note Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 and you might say "the last days began at pentecost"
because this was when God poured out His Spirit on all mankind and after the death of The Son
Of God, the Spiirt was to stay and indwell (Incarnation) , rather than "coming upon people"
But that is not to say that the "Gifts" were not operating before the resurrection of Christ
Nor does it mean that old men did not dream dreams or for that matter young men
Old men can dream dreams given by God as well as young and old men can have visions as well
as young
Yes visions, dreams, pictures,parables,metaphores and many more could all be placed into one
box
The ladder Of reconciliation
So Jacob had a dream and what a gift !
Now remember we looked at Genesis 32:23-34 ? and the wrestling with God ?
Genesis 32:30 “[quote]I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”[/quote]
ok so now we go to the reuniting of Jacob and Esau and from emnity to reconciliation
JACOB MEETS ESAU Genesis 28:12
Genesis 35:10 [quote]Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel.[/quote]
in Genesis 32 Jacob sets off the find Esau and angels (messengers) come to meet him !
As Jacob is on his way he sends gifts to Esau, (gifts to men) and in Genesis 32:3 Jacob
sends messengers ahead to greet Esau
And hearing from the messengers that Esau was coming with 400 men he is terrified
So Jacob prays in verse 9 (doorway) and Jacob remembers the promise of God that He would
make Jacobs descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore read
Genesis 32:12
So Jacob kept sending groups ahead as "messengers" with gifts
This was just before Jacob wrestled with God ! then after the wrestling and seeing God face to
face
Jacob and Esau are reunited and the are reconciled
And in Genesis 33:10 he says [quote] “No please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept
this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received
me favorably” (NIV).
[/quote]
And so to prevail with God is to prevail with man
To be reconciled with God is to have reconciliation with man
To see Gods face is to meet with a brother face to face
Proverbs 16:7 [quote]When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace
with him.[/quote]
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All this for the reconciliation of mankind !
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Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!