Daily Bread – May 10, 2023 (The Fourth Day – Genesis 1:14-19) Genesis 17:1 – And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Yahweh appeared unto Abram, and He said, “I am El Shaddai, walk before Me and be perfect.” Being Perfect In Love To understand the perfection God desires is to recognize that it is in the walk, or the relationship, He wants us to have with Him. Later, God would judge the Kings of Israel based upon whether or not their hearts were perfect towards Him. God began with David, whom He described as the one whose heart was even as His (1 Samuel 13:14). Even with David’s failures his heart remained true to God, and God described Him as one whose heart was perfect towards Him (1 Kings 15:3). God commanded Solomon to have a perfect heart to walk in the statutes and to keep the commandments of God (1 Kings 8:61; 1 Chronicles 28:9). When Solomon turned to other gods, then his heart was no more perfect towards the Lord – it had become divided with other devotions (1 Kings 11:4). King Asa remained devoted to Yahweh, and therefore, received the report that His “heart was perfect with Yahweh all his days” (1 Kings 15:14). Hezekiah’s plea before the Lord was bolstered by the fact that he had walked with a perfect heart and had done that which was good in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 20:3; Isaiah 38:3). In this context, a perfect heart describes one who was serving God with all of their heart (levavechem shalem). In this respect, it was God’s request of the whole nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:5). The prophet Hanani revealed how Yahweh searches throughout the whole Earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). God makes the same request of us today as Jesus commands everyone of us to, “Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Paul says in His final address to the Corinthians, “Be perfect” (2 Corinthians 13:11). He reveals to the Ephesians how the ministry is there to make them perfect so they may all grow into a perfect man (Ephesians 4:11-13). He testified to the Church at Colossae that their ministry was to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28, 4:12). Both Paul and John reveal how love is the means and the realm of this perfection (Colossians 3:14; 1 John 2:5, 3:11-12,17-18). Love fulfills all God has ever desired and requires. Through divine love, we discover the means to a perfect relationship. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 5/10/2023
