Scripture:
Genesis 9:1,18-19; 10:1,32; 17:4-6
Mon, 23 January 2023

Maker of the Nations

Observation:

In what ways do these verses reveal the LORD as “Maker of the nations”?

Deeper Reflection
This week’s theme is “The Nations in God’s Hands”. The Lord God, who is Creator of heaven and earth, is also Maker of the nations — the nations were formed by God’s hand! Following God’s command to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth (v.1), Shem, Ham and Japheth “went forth from the ark”, and from them “the people of the whole earth were dispersed” (v.19). Genesis 10 (the “Table of Nations”) follows. It traces the origin of the nations (goy, meaning peoples; see Gen 10:5,20,31)16 back to the genealogies of Noah’s three sons.God preserved Noah’s family during the flood, and through him, repopulated the earth, person by person, forming the nations. “The nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood” (Gen 10:32), and “cover parts of Asia, Europe and Africa, from the Iranian plateau in the east to the Mediterranean coastlands in the west, from the Black Sea in the north to Somalia in Africa.”: 17The nations are also blessed by God’s hand. Nine generations after Shem, the Lord covenanted with Abraham, making him the father of a multitude of nations (Gen 17:4-6). Just as He had formed the nations through one man (Noah), the Maker of the nations also blessed the nations through one man (Abraham). Abraham was to “surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him” (Gen 18:18; cf. 12:2-3; 22:18; 26:4). This alludes to the coming of the Messiah thousands of years later! Right from the very beginning of His divine salvific plan, God had intended to bless the nations!
15 Adapted from Deuteronomy 32:8 and Psalm 67:3-4, New Living Translation 16 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997) 17 John E. Hartley, Genesis, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 116.
Application:

How does the LORD being “Maker of the nations” affect my personal
discipleship?

Prayer:
Praise be to You, O Most High God! When You assigned lands to the nations, when You divided up the human race, You established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in Your heavenly court. May the nations praise You, O God, yes, may all the nations praise You! Let the whole world sing for joy, because You govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Amen.15
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for leaders
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self
 

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 7:13-18, 25-27; 11:29-36
Sat, 2 December 2023

The Triumph

Observation:

What characterises the triumph of God’s people in tribulations under tyrants?

Deeper Reflection
God’s people living under tyrants and suffering tribulations under them can triumph – whether we are delivered from or destroyed in tribulation. The triumph rests on a threefold confidence.We know the conclusion of evil. It is repeated in manifold ways in Daniel that evil that comes through inhuman kings – no matter how great and how long – will definitely come to an end: “he will be broken” (Dan 8:25), “he will be found no more” (Dan 11:19), “yet he will come to his end” (Dan 11:45) and “all these events will be completed” (Dan 12:7).We know God’s calling for us: To be a suffering people – to be captured, plundered, burned or killed (Dan 11:33). But in our suffering, we can be strong as “people who know their God” (Dan 11:32), knowing that God is purging and purifying us to become a sanctified (Dan 11:35; 12:10) and shining people who “shine brightly” with heavenly brightness in the hostile world (Dan 12:3). And we will be a steadfast people who “keep waiting and attain to the 1,335 days” (Dan 12:12) – until we become a sovereign people who “receive and possess the kingdom forever” from “the Ancient of Days” (vv.13-14, 18, 27).We know who is in control. The tribulations under the tyrants in Daniel 7 to 12 are all subject to and subsumed under “that which is decreed will be done” (Dan 11:36; 9:26, 27) “at the appointed time” (Dan 11:27, 29, 35).We conclude Daniel with this theological-discipleship summary statement: We can triumph in tribulations under tyrants when we trust with tenacity in the One who is on the throne.
Application:

How can I triumph in tribulations?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for Church Board: To grow in the faith and perseverance of overcomers in Christ
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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