SCRIP-BITS

Genesis 18:10.     And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
 
Aye mih Friends, is Monday morning! Wow! And all God’s people are joyously singing, ‘TGIM! Thank God is Monday! TGIM! Thank God is Monday! What a joyful day!’
 
Yes my people, it is Monday, and it is indeed a joyful day! In fact every day we open our eyes in God’s beautiful universe ought to be a joyful day, for it’s in the joy of the Lord that our strength lies. (Neh.8:10)
 
And I know that some of us still have that bad Monday morning attitude – blue and miserable and tired – an ungodly attitude which sadly permeates our modern world, and consequently drags it down. But don’t worry my brethren, never fear, our great God is in control, and slowly but surely He will turn the tide in our favour.
 
Anyway, to help us get with it this mid-November morning, let’s joyfully sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one now, let’s allow our beautiful voices to soar in prayer, praise and thanksgiving to the high heaven. 
 
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
 
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
 
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
 
Oh mih people, that was magnificent! All heaven was accompanying us, Jesus was rocking, and the Father was tapping His feet in time to the groovy riddim! And since the Lord has granted all our requests – His Spirit is now moving and grooving in us – let’s then go out and do what we have promised, do our bounden duty, fight a good fight in Jesus’ name. 
 
And speaking of promises, listen to this awesome one from our Bit, made, or rather reiterated by our God to Abraham, when the three angels visited him. (Gen.18:1-9) ‘And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.’
 
And why should we consider that such an awesome promise? We’ll let the Good Book explain. ‘Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of woman (Sarah had passed child-bearing age). Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed (grown) old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
 
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.’ (Gen.18:11-15)
 
Oh Friends, what a moving bit of Scripture! Now here’s what the scholars have to say, re that most memorable occasion. ’18:1-15. The three men who appeared to Abraham were the preincarnate Christ (Yahweh) and two angels (v.22; 19:1) Here we find an example, not only of “entertaining angels unawares” (Heb.13:2), but also of God becoming the guest of one of His saints (cf. John 14:23; Rev.3:20).
 
Sarah laughed within herself either because she did not know of the promise of 17:19 or because she was unconvinced it would be fulfilled. In either case, one of the three men was now clearly identified as Yahweh, who knew Sarah’s thoughts.’
 
Now some of you might find all that somewhat controversial, but if you’ll notice vs.13 says;  ‘And the Lord,’ and vs.14 continues that trend: ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And in vs.15, it shows that the man speaking, must have read Sara’s thoughts, since she had not laughed aloud. Do angels read minds? I don’t know.
 
But to get a little deeper on that topic, let’s go back to some notes the scholars have on Chapter 16, when the angel speaks to Hagar at the well after she ran away from Sarai.
 
’16:7. In the Old Testament, and angel identified as the “angel of the Lord” (v.7), the “angel of God” (21:17), the “angel of his presence” (Is.63:9), and the “messenger of the covenant” (Mal.3:1) appeared to individuals. A closer look at the context of His appearances reveals that He is more than another angel. He is God. The expression usually signifies a preincarnate appearance of Christ, and is sometimes called a “Christophany,” meaning the visible and bodily manifestation of God the Son before His incarnation.
 
Illustration: That He is not merely another angel is evident in those appearances where He is called God. This was recognized by Hagar (v.13), Abraham (22:14), Moses (Ex.3:14), Gideon (Judg. 6:22), and Manoah (Judg.13:18, 22). The expression is also used of men, but on such occasions is translated “the Lord’s messenger” (Hag. 1:13).
 
Application: The Angel of the Lord no longer appears to men today, since God has commissioned Christians to be His messengers to the world. (First Ref. and Primary Ref; Gen.6:17.)’  
 
And there we have it Friends; the argument for “Christophany.” But before we make any decisions, for or against it, please let’s check out all the references.
 
Now we’ll end today with a little Christian ditty that I hear every so often on the radio. I heard it last night and it just seemed so appropriate for today’s ending.
 
A young lady is singing quietly, but with feeling: ‘If God be for you, who can be against you? Let God be God. Let God be God, in your life.’
 
And that my fellow believers is divine truth and wisdom. So let’s ponder and digest what we’ve read today, then simply let God be God in our lives. That’s the way He desires it. Much LOVE!
 
…we can’t be really in tune with God…unless and until we truly surrender our lives to Him…thereby giving Him full control…