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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
The first biblical use of the word comfort was in regards to Noah's birth and the expectation of his father, Lamech, concerning his son (see Genesis 5.29). Lamech's expectations of comfort arose from the promises made by the God of all comfort following the sins of the original pair. Since those promises were made centuries earlier, it seems that there was probably common knowledge of God's plans to comfort man from the hardships brought on by sin.
However, Noah was not the Great Comforter that had been promised. In fact, as it turned out he also was in need of comfort. His soul, like that of righteous Lot, was troubled by the debased condition of humanity. Upon exiting the ark, he paused to give God the praise for delivering him and his family from the sinful world in which they had lived. At that time, God also offered comfort to all of mankind by making a promise that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood. As a sign of that covenant, He placed the rainbow in the sky; it is yet a perpetual sign of God's love and concern for mankind.
Abram (better know as Abraham) is next in the long line of those who would be offered comfort as well as being a channel through whom others would find comfort. A quote regarding Abram's place in this drama is in order: “Now the LORD had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'” (Genesis 12.1-3). Whether it was realized at the time or not, there was a direct connection between the promises made to Abram and the promise that God made in Eden concerning the Seed of woman and His victory over the serpent. God repeated His promises to Abram on several occasions; the wording in other texts helps to understand this connection. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22.18). The victory over the serpent by the Seed of woman in Genesis 3.15 corresponds with all nations of the earth being blessed through Abraham's seed in Genesis 22.18!
Two millennia after Abraham, Paul wrote: “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.'” (Galatians 3.7-8). And again: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ.” (Galatians 3.16). Continuing with Paul's reasoning, the following passage is the coup de grasse of all passages promising blessings: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3.27-29).
We will continue this series and review some of the steps God took to comfort His people. However, for now, let it be known that the God of all comfort set forth a plan in eternity by which man could be redeemed from the curse of sin. In time, He revealed this plan to those who could have a great influence on its implementation. Then He superintended the events to make sure that His Son (Abraham's seed and the Seed of woman) fulfilled the prophecies, and in so doing, brought immeasurable comfort to those whose lives were filled with the burden of sin's guilt! That includes you, me, and every living creature!
Questions:
1. How clear were God's instructions to Abram? How much “common sense” did they make?
2. What is the connection between the Seed of Woman and the seed of Abraham through which all would be blessed?
3. According to Galatians 3.27, how does a person come to be in Christ?
4. What evidence does the bible contain that shows that God wants His people to find comfort? To what extend did God go to see that the meeting occurred of fallen man and His Redeemer?
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