We so often associate prayer with kneeling that we may fail to notice the various positions of prayer in the Bible. In fact, standing was often the assumed position of prayer in scripture. Genesis 19:27 "And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD." We know what Abraham was doing when he stood before the Lord. He was praying. The New Testament also supports the stand up and pray attitude. Mark 11:25 "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." The phrase, "when ye stand praying," shows that to be a common position of the body for prayer during this time. Yes, they also kneeled. This is seen in numerous passages: Luke 22:41; Acts 9:40; 20:36. But standing was a common and accepted way to pray. We should not hesitate to stand up and pray today.
The phrase, "God said," occurs exactly ten (10) times in Genesis One. These ten sayings of God might be called the first Ten Commandments. They are the original declarations of God's word. The first Ten Commandments are creative. The second Ten Commandments are given to guide the highest creation on earth - man. Therefore, the second group of commandments continue where the first ten left off. The first set begins with the command of Genesis 1:3, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." The second group began with this command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). The first set ends with the provision of food for man (Genesis 1:29). The second set ends with the command not to covet (Exodus 20:17).
Much of God's creation is marked by the number three. This makes sense since God Himself is a trinity. There are three kinds of vegetation: grass, herbs and trees (Genesis 1:11). There are three kinds of lights in the sky: the sun, the moon and the stars (Genesis 1:16). There are three kinds of animals: fish, fowl and land animals. There are three kinds of land animals: cattle, creeping things and beasts (Genesis 1:24). Man has three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1Thessalonians 5:23). There are three basic colors and three states of matter (solid, liquid and gas). If you think about it, you can find other examples.
Of the 17 times the word firmament is used in the Bible, over half (or 9) of the times are found in Genesis One. Firmament means an expanse or expansion of space and it refers to the expansion of space between the earth and God's heavenly abode. It is bound by the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8). This explains why there are "waters that be above the heavens" (Psalm 148:4). Of the three heavens indicated in 2Corinthians 12:2, the firmament includes the first two heavens while the third heaven refers to God's dwelling place. The first heaven is the "open firmament of heaven" where the birds fly (Genesis 1:20). The second heaven is "firmament of the heaven" where the planets and stars reside (Genesis 1:14-15). As known to anyone who has considered the heavens as the work of God's finger (Psalm 8:3), the firmament exalts God. As the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
One of the results of modern godless philosophy is to see man as nothing more than an animal or a machine. This philosophy suggests another application of a scripture which describes the power of the human reasoning: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). The more that modern man thinks of himself as nothing more than animal or machine, the more it will be literally true. Animal organs are being used in humans. Many humans have machine parts as well. The next step is to combine the brain with computer chips. According to a report just out: "For the first time, scientists at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich coupled living brain tissue to a chip equivalent to the chips that run computers." This was accomplished in a rat's brain, but human brains are sure to follow. The scientists see this as "a great step forward towards neurochip prosthetics and neurocomputation." Translated, that means computer chips to keep up with your memory, to do your calculations, and eventually to correct your faulty thinking. We may wonder whose faulty thinnking they will want to correct. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Honor: A History," a new book written by James Bunting, deals with the importance of honor as a concept in the past and the loss of that sense of honor today. The Bible commonly uses honor (spelled "honour") in the sense of giving honor to someone else (as to God) or receiving honor from others (as in honoring our father and mother). The closest Bible word for what is meant by a sense of honor is the word honourable. To be honourable is to receive honor or to be worthy of receiving honor. Samuel was introduced to Saul as a man of God and "an honourable man" (1Samuel 9:6). Jabez, who prayed and received answer to his prayer, was "more honourable than his brethren" (1Chronicles 4:9). Joseph of Arimathaea was "an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43). Honor is the opposite of shame in the Bible. Therefore, a sense of honor involves living in such a way as to avoid shameful acts and associations. The emphasis in the Bible on having a "good name" (Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1) embodies the idea of that sense of honor; that determination to act in an honourable way. George Washington was famous for the importance he placed on his reputation and honor. We long to see such honor today.
