Spiritual Birth

It’s been a while since I last updated the blog, but currently its Day 43, since I have been reading the Bible, regularly, everyday. Last night, I had gone out with a few friends from church, an interesting conversation took place, relating to pregnancy, for a moment I felt that topic was a bit inappropriate, but that was when the Lord spoke to me.

I been receiving revelations from the word, and being myself I was wondering, Lord it’s all great that I receive these revelations, but what’s the point? Yesterday I got my answer, Spiritual Birth.

When a woman realizes she is pregnant for the first time, something amazing happens, she goes from being just a woman, to a mother, (talking about a normal pregnancy), then it’s a default nature which sets in, she has to take care of the child growing in her womb, during the gestation period, she nourishes the child, it’s a journey for both mother and child, nine months, the child in her develops, takes shape and when the time comes, she is ready to give birth, which drastically changes her life as she knew it.

Similarly, the spiritual person in us, needs nourishment, needs care, needs attention every passing moment. The disciples with Jesus Christ received nourishment, care and attention, but not till Christ was crucified and appeared to them, did they change, it was like a renewal of their faith and they waited as per Christ’s instruction, to receive the Holy Spirit, and on the day of Pentecost, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, did their spiritual birthing take place, these disciples who once denied Christ, through God ended up radically changing their environment, amazing things began to take place around them and through them. Was it painful? Yes, when Peter realized that he denied Jesus Christ three times, he went away from the people and wept bitterly, but after his encounter with the Holy Spirit, the same man, preached and proclaimed the truth and eventually was crucified (upside down!).

Genesis Chp 39 Verses 20-21

Gen 39:20 And Joseph's^H3130 master^H113 took^H3947 him, and put^H5414 him into^H413 the prison,^{H1004 H5470} a place^H4725 where^H834 the king's^H4428 prisoners^H615 were bound:^H631 and he was^H1961 there^H8033 in the prison.^{H1004 H5470}

Gen 39:21 But the LORD^H3068 was^H1961 with^H854 Joseph,^H3130 and shewed^{H5186 H413} him mercy,^H2617 and gave^H5414 him favour^H2580 in the sight^H5869 of the keeper^H8269 of the prison.^{H1004 H5470}

When Joseph was sold into slavery, he was seventeen, in a foreign land, don’t know what is going to become of him, but he had faith in one thing, the dreams which he got, God was with Joseph in everything he did, and everywhere he went, Joseph is never seen complaining about his plight not even once, till now.

Genesis Chp 37 Verses 5,10

Gen 37:5 And Joseph^H3130 dreamed^H2492 a dream,^H2472 and he told^H5046 it his brethren:^H251 and they hated^H8130 him yet^H5750 the more.^H3254

Gen 37:10 And he told^H5608 it to^H413 his father,^H1 and to^H413 his brethren:^H251 and his father^H1 rebuked^H1605 him, and said^H559 unto him, What^H4100 is this^H2088 dream^H2472 that^H834 thou hast dreamed?^H2492 Shall I^H589 and thy mother^H517 and thy brethren^H251 indeed come^{H935 H935} to bow down ourselves^H7812 to thee to the earth?^H776

Gen 37:11 And his brethren^H251 envied^H7065 him; but his father^H1 observed^{H8104 (H853)} the saying.^H1697

Hated: śânê', saw-nay', A primitive root; to hate (personally): - enemy, foe, (be) hate (-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.

These verses quiet self-explanatory I would say, but ever felt what Joseph must have been thinking when he told his brother’s and father about the dream, it was in his innocence, how many times have we told people in our innocence of what God has been doing in or through our lives, need to be careful who we speak to or confide in, are they our spiritual father or spiritual mother, or a hating brethren?

Genesis Chp 35 Verses 1, 22

Gen 35:1 And God^H430 said^H559 unto^H413 Jacob,^H3290 Arise,^H6965 go up^H5927 to Bethel,^H1008 and dwell^H3427 there:^H8033 and make^H6213 there^H8033 an altar^H4196 unto God,^H410 that appeared^H7200 unto^H413 thee when thou fleddest^H1272 from the face^{H4480 H6440} of Esau^H6215 thy brother.^H251

Gen 35:22 And it came to pass,^H1961 when Israel^H3478 dwelt^H7931 in that^H1931 land,^H776 that Reuben^H7205 went^H1980 and lay with^{H7901 (H853)} Bilhah^H1090 his father's^H1 concubine:^H6370 and Israel^H3478 heard^H8085 it. Now the sons^H1121 of Jacob^H3290 were^H1961 twelve:^{H8147 H6240}

Arise: qûm, koom,A primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literally, figuratively, intensively and causatively): - abide, accomplish, X be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, X be dim, endure, X enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, X but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (up), remain, (a-) rise (up) (again, against), rouse up, set (up), (e-) stablish, (make to) stand (up), stir up, strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure (-ly), (be) up (-hold, -rising).

Dwell: yâshab, yaw-shab', A primitive root; properly to sit down (specifically as judge, in ambush, in quiet); by implication to dwell, to remain; causatively to settle, to marry: - (make to) abide (-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit (-ant), make to keep [house], lurking, X marry (-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set (-tle), (down-) sit (-down, still, -ting down, -ting [place] -uate), take, tarry.

The previous chapter saw the consequence of actions taken without God’s guidance, amazing to see God speaking to Jacob and giving him guidance what to do next, but, on reading the verse, “And God said unto Jacob” … “ make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee”, God is referring to Himself as a third person or, that’s when it dawned to me, and this is my thinking, it was Jesus Christ would instructed Jacob what to do, the second time the trinity being mentioned and the first time where we can see it specifically, as in Genesis 1:26 it says, “Let us”, the triune Godhead was in work and revealed to us, WOW.

The second thing which caught my eye was verse 22, now why Reuben chose to sleep with his step brother’s mom is beyond me, but I was going through the net trying to find some meaning and here is one of them,

What is the significance of Reuben sleeping with his father’s concubines? What was going through Reuben’s brain that made him do such an act? Like the ambitious young minister, Reuben went ahead of God’s timing and tried to promote himself to a position of higher leadership. He sought to take a position of supremacy over his brothers by doing what ancient warrior kings did to a fallen enemy. In ancient times, after a king would conquer another kingdom, he would go to the conquered king’s concubines and have sex with them. By doing this, the conquering king would establish himself as the new lord over the previous king’s household and nation. This is what Reuben did. However, Reuben was hasty and premature in his actions because Jacob, his father, was not dead yet. His impatience caused him to exalt and promote himself ahead of time instead of letting God promote him when the time was right. Because of his hastiness and unwillingness to be a servant before a leader, Reuben lost his leadership birthright.

Can a man lead but refuse to follow? The answer is no…at least not in God’s army. Ministers should take great care to be sure that the voice that’s telling them to start a church is the voice of God and not the voice of their flesh seeking glorification. Entering into ministry prematurely is a very dangerous thing that could cause serious damage. If you seek to promote and exalt yourself before the right season, you’ll only end up like Reuben. My advice is to be patient and wait on the Lord. Don’t be impatient and hasty like Reuben and exalt yourself as a leader. Serve with excellence and watch how God exalts you.

Genesis Chp 33 Verses 17-20

Gen 31:3 And the LORD^H3068 said^H559 unto^H413 Jacob,^H3290 Return^H7725 unto^H413 the land^H776 of thy fathers,^H1 and to thy kindred;^H4138 and I will be^H1961 with^H5973 thee.

Gen 33:17 And Jacob^H3290 journeyed^H5265 to Succoth,^H5523 and built^H1129 him an house,^H1004 and made^H6213 booths^H5521 for his cattle:^H4735 therefore^{H5921 H3651} the name^H8034 of the place^H4725 is called^H7121 Succoth.^H5523

Gen 33:18 And Jacob^H3290 came^H935 to Shalem,^H8003 a city^H5892 of Shechem,^H7927 which^H834 is in the land^H776 of Canaan,^H3667 when he came^H935 from Padanaram;^{H4480 H6307} and pitched his tent^{H2583 (H853)} before^H6440 the city.^H5892

Gen 33:19 And he bought^{H7069 (H853)} a parcel^H2513 of a field,^H7704 where^{H834 H8033} he had spread^H5186 his tent,^H168 at the hand^{H4480 H3027} of the children^H1121 of Hamor,^H2544 Shechem's^H7928 father,^H1 for an hundred^H3967 pieces of money.^H7192

Gen 33:20 And he erected^H5324 there^H8033 an altar,^H4196 and called^H7121 it Elelohe-Israel.^H415

God said to Jacob, to return to the land of his fathers, instead we see him settling elsewhere, when we settle for something other than what God has in store for us, there will be repercussion which are neither desirable nor safe, rather Jacob learnt the hard way, he had to hide his face in shame, do we settle for a good thing or do we pursue God for the best in our life, a saying comes to mind, good is the enemy of the best.