Bible Reading: Genesis 24 | Matthew 24 | Psalm 24
Devotional for February 3, 2025
Reading: Genesis 24 | Matthew 24 | Psalm 24
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Genesis 24
Genesis 24 marks the beginning of the narrative section dealing with the lives of Isaac and Rebekah. This chapter gives details on how Rebekah became Isaac's wife. It is one of the lengthier narrative sections in the book. The primary item to watch for as you read through this chapter is God's providence working through life's mundane details. God's providence is a comforting doctrine for his people. It teaches us that God governs all things and all actions of his creatures. It is not reserved only for the significant issues of life, but it governs everything from the seemingly minor to the most important significant issues that affect all of us.
The narrative starts with Abraham's command not to take a wife for his son from the land of Canaanites. That foreshadows a command God would later give to the people as they take the land through the conquests of Joshua. The people were not to intermarry with those people because of the evil influence they would have on them. Abraham's servant does as he is told and depends on the LORD for guidance by erecting particulars that would lead him to the wife of Isaac. In the same way, God deals with us in the ordinary affairs of our lives, and we should pause now and then to reflect on how God has orchestrated all events to bring us to where we are now.
Matthew 24
Matthew 24 is the Olivet Discourse, in which Jesus teaches two events. The first event is the temple's destruction, which is the context of the discourse. The second event occurs at the end of the age. Though there are many interpretations of this chapter, the item to focus on today is simply this: The God of creation is in total control of events, and those events will bring about the church's victory through the return of Christ. He puts all enemies under his feet. It is essential not to get lost in all the details of eschatological thought and miss that salient truth. As God's people, the victory is secured, and we rest waiting for the return of our King.
Psalm 24
Psalm 24 is likely a "liturgical Psalm." One commentator puts it this way, "This psalm seems fitted for some liturgical occasion, perhaps one that celebrates the way that David brought the ark of the Lord into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6)." The Psalm has three stanzas.
24:1-2
In these verses, we note God's ownership of all creation. It is his because he made it. That simple truth should humble us when we consider the myriad of things that go on daily in the universe. Further, it should cause us to stop and think about how God works in our daily lives through his providence. Our lives are the Lord's; he turns us in wherever he wants.
24:3-6
This section describes those who come to worship the Lord, the maker of all things. If the above-referenced commentator is correct, the idea of ascending the hill of the Lord has to do with our ability to enter God's presence for worship. To enter into God's presence requires perfection. That is not something we possess in ourselves. We need another person who meets these requirements perfectly. We need the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, as redeemed people, we can apply these to our attitudes when we come to worship the God of heaven each Lord's Day.
First, we need clean hands. Our actions and behavior must match the labor we are committed to doing in worship. They match that which the God of heaven requires obedience to him.
Second, we need a pure heart. In Matthew 5, Jesus says that those with a pure heart shall see God (Matt. 5:8). God requires words of praise from a heart that is committed to him. Outward religious duties that do not spring from the heart are hypocritical and rejected by him (see Mark 7).
Third, we must be people committed to the truth. God is truth, and his people must be committed to it. What God says is true regardless of what man thinks. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." To approach God and rightly worship him, we must be people committed to his Word, which is truth.
Fourth, we must use our words with integrity. If we give lip service to our worship, thinking we can fool the God who made all things, we deceive ourselves.
This section closes with the Lord's blessing to all who seek him and worship him as he outlines.
24:7-10
This section is one of response to God's blessing and his power as the Creator of all things. God blesses us because he made us, gives us all things, and redeemed us from sin and misery. We respond, therefore, in praise to him. That is what we are called to do, from the heart, every Lord's Day.
Applications:
Remember, God made you and all things. He has us in his hands and calls us to honor and adore him with all of our lives. He calls us to worship him on the Lord's Day, but he also calls us to worship him in our families, jobs, and whatever we do.
We cannot worship him as we are told without the Lord Jesus Christ. We worship the Triune God by way of a Mediator. He is the only one with perfectly clean hands and the purest heart. He is the only one who speaks the truth perfectly and with total integrity. We worship our God through the Savior.
We should pray for a pure heart and clean hands. We should pray for integrity in our behavior and words.