THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
by Given O. Blakely
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PERSPECTIVES WHEN READING GOD'S WORD #2
To bruise the serpent's head
     From one point of view, God determined to thwart the diabolical intentions of
the evil one, Satan. He announced this at the very time man fell, and did so to the
devil himself. Here is the first Messianic promise of Scripture, spoken to Satan
with the whole human race present. "And I will put enmity Between you and the
woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel" (Gen 3:15). At the expense of personal
injury, Jesus would foil the tempter, utterly frustrating his intentions. Although it
appeared the devil had triumphed over Divine intent in Eden's Garden, this was
not the case! God's purpose had not been overturned, and His will would still
prevail!
     When you read God's Word with this in mind, you will see the Lord
triumphing over the devil on ever page. Behold Satan provoke Cain to kill his
own brother, apparently dashing the purpose of God to the ground--yet it
triumphed! See Satan shut the wombs of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, thinking
to thwart the birth of the "Seed." Yet, God triumphs over him, bringing offspring
from barren women! Satan brought Israel down in infamy and shame. Surely this
would frustrate the objective of the Almighty--but it did not. Satan tempts David
to sin, yet the Seed came from his lineage. On and on the accounts go! From this
perspective, the Bible is the record of Satan's persistent efforts to overturn the
purpose of God, and God's consistent frustration of those evil intentions.
          To bless the world through the promised Seed
     Divine objectives extended far beyond thwarting Satan's initiative. God did
not design to simply overturn evil, but to establish good. He determined to bless
the entire world! This purpose was first revealed to Abraham, and later
confirmed to Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets. That promise still warms the heart.
"And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name
great; And so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, And
the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall
be blessed" (Gen 12:2-3). God desired, and determined, to abundantly lavish His
favor upon humanity. He could not do it while they were dominated by sin, and
thus determined to do it through the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Later,
Peter announced that Jesus had been sent for this precise reason, to bless! "For
you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every
one of you from your wicked ways" (Acts 3:26). 
     Reading Scripture with this thought in mind will bless your soul. You will
find God unwilling to let Israel go. To a recalcitrant nation the Lord said,
"Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are
continually before Me" (Isa 49:16). See David recover from debilitating sin (Psa
51). Witness the weeping of Israel at the recollection of their disobedience (Ezra
10:1). Behold repentant sinners rally around John the Baptist, confessing their
sin and glorifying God (Matt 3:6). With unimaginable longsuffering, God
endured the covenanted people, as well as the blinded Gentiles. And why did He
do so? Because He had determined to bless the world through His Lamb. He
therefore "endured with much longsuffering" even "vessels of wrath prepared for
destruction" (Rom 9:22).
     Were it not for God's determination to bless His offspring, history would
have been cut short without Divine satisfaction. Instead, praise the Lord, the
work is going to be concluded shortly. As it is written,  "For He will finish the
work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make
upon the earth"(Rom 9:28, KJV). It is His intention to bless that makes this so.
Read His Word with this in mind! It will interpret the response of Pentecost and
the house of Cornelius; the conversation of Samaria and the Ethiopian eunuch.
Walk through Scripture with the blessing of the Almighty in mind, and you will
soon be shouting His praise!
(More on this subject tomorrow)
KEEP ALERT. THE NEW WORD OF TRUTH WEBSITE
IS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
In joyful expectation of glory,
Given O. Blakely