Weekly Devotional - David Guzik | Enduring Word

Preserving Noah’s Ark

March 17, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. (Genesis 6:14-16)

In light of coming judgment, God told Noah to build an ark. At least in the English language, when we say the word “ark,” we picture a boat with a lot of animals on it. But that isn’t the actual meaning of the word ark. The ark of the covenant wasn’t a boat, it was a box – something like a trunk used to store things.

What God told Noah to build was not much of a boat, but more of a well-ventilated barge meant only to float and give refuge. It wasn’t built to sail anywhere.

The ark was as long as a 30-story building is high (about 450 feet/150 meters), and it was about 75 feet (25 meters) wide and 45 feet (15 meters) high. Roughly the shape of a shoebox, the ark was about the size of the ocean liner Titanic and it had a cubit-wide opening (18 inches, one-half meter) all the way around the top.

It was not until 1858 that a bigger boat was built. The ark was certainly big enough to do the job. If the ark carried two of every family of animals, there were around 700 pairs of animals; but if the ark carried two of every species of animals, there were around 35,000 pairs of animals. The average size of a land animal is smaller than a sheep. The ark could carry 136,560 sheep in half of its capacity, leaving plenty of room for people, food, water, and whatever other provisions were needed.

At this point of the story, all Noah knew was that God will judge the earth, and he was supposed to build a big barge. Since it had not rained yet on the earth, it is reasonable to suppose Noah didn’t know what God was meant yet.

There is secular, non-Biblical evidence for the remains of Noah’s ark starting almost three centuries before the birth of Jesus stretching all the way to 20^th century. Many believe that the Durupinar boat-shaped formation in Turkey is the landing spot for Noah’s Ark.

God told Noah to cover the ark with pitch inside and outside, which would both waterproof and preserve some of the ark for a long time. Perhaps God still has a purpose for the ark, to use it to remind the world of a past judgment shortly before a soon-coming judgment (2 Peter 3:1-7).

Perhaps, before Jesus returns, God will remind any who will listen about His righteous judgment. We must listen, believe, and be ready.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 6

The Man Who Walked With God

March 10, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters…. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:22, 24)

These verses from Genesis 5 introduce two remarkable men. Methuselah was noted as the man in the Bible with the longest recorded life: 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Enoch was the man who walked with God in such a special way that God took him – presumably, to God’s immediate presence in heaven.

We wouldn’t believe it unless the Bible said it, but it is clear. Enoch, the son of Jared, was carried away to God in a miraculous way. These verses emphasize that Enoch walked with God, repeating the phrase to make sure we understand the idea. Walking with God, in this sense, speaks of a true, deep relationship.

It is impossible to walk with a person unless you know they exist and have a vital sense of their presence. Walking next to someone, you may not see their face, but you can sense and hear their steps. When friends walk together, they communicate, enjoying a bond that goes beyond words. This was the kind of deep relationship Enoch enjoyed with God, and God enjoyed with Enoch.

Enoch walked with God, and walking with God means walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), walking in the light (1 John 1:5-7), and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3). Hebrews 11:5 tells us the foundation of Enoch’s walk with God: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. You can’t walk with God or please God apart from faith.

After walking like this with God, it was as if one day God told Enoch, “You don’t need to walk home. Why don’t you just come home with Me?” The text simply says, God took him. Charles Spurgeon wondered if perhaps some of the great patriarchs saw Enoch rising through the sky even as Jesus, many years later, ascended to heaven.

It seems Enoch began to walk with God in a special way after he begot Methuselah. The name Methuselah may mean, when he is dead, it shall come. At the birth of Methuselah, Enoch had a special awareness from God that judgment was coming, and this was one of the things that got him closer in his walk with God.

Jude v. 14 also tells us Enoch was a prophet; even from his vantage point long ago, he could see the second coming of Jesus (…the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all).

I don’t know which comes first: a close walk with God, or a deep anticipation of the return of Jesus. Whichever comes first, they are linked. Walk with God closely and look for the return of Jesus. One day God may take you away!

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 5

Sacrifice that Pleases God

March 3, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3-5)

The two oldest sons of Adam and Eve were both farmers, but Abel kept flocks of sheep, and Cain grew things from the ground. Agriculture and the domestication of animals were practiced from the beginning. As a farmer, Cain brought to the LORD the product of his labor – the fruit of the ground. Abel brought something from his flock.

It’s entirely possible that Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the way to that tree (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim seem to be associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22).

Their offerings were not both received by God. The LORD respected not only Abel’s offering, but Abel himself. The LORD did not receive (did not respect) Cain and did not respect his offering.

Many people have thought that God accepted Abel and his offering because it was a blood-offering, an animal from a flock (likely a sheep or a goat). In this thinking, Cain and his sacrifice were rejected because this offering of the fruit of the ground, an offering made without blood. In this thinking, only a blood sacrifice could please God.

This isn’t true at all. The offerings were not accepted or rejected based on blood, but on the basis of faith. The writer to the Hebrews clearly explained why the offering of Abel was accepted and the offering of Cain was rejected: By faith Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4).

Cain’s offering was the effort of dead religion, while Abel’s offering was made in faith, in a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. In the sacrificial system God later gave to Israel, grain offerings were acceptable before God (as seen in Leviticus 2), though not as an atonement for sin.

The offering of Cain was no doubt more pleasant to look at. A nice arrangement of produce looks better than a dead and dismembered lamb. But God was more concerned with faith in the heart than with artistic beauty.

Here, it was one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it would be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Jesus was and is God’s perfect sacrifice, and His sacrifice makes it possible for His people to bring their own sacrifice of praise, and to give themselves as living sacrifices to God. Receive His sacrifice and brings yours to God in faith.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 4

Guarding the Way to God

February 25, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

God created Adam, then He created Eve out of Adam. He gave them dominion over the earth, but they wasted that great privilege by yielding to Satan’s temptation, eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve hid from God, but He confronted them, and pronounced a series of curses against the serpent (Satan), the woman, and the man. Then God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of sacrificed animals.

God then sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden. In mercy, God protected Adam and Eve from the horrible fate of having to live forever as sinners by preventing them from eating from the tree of life.

Not only did God prevent them from eating from the tree of life, but the Lord also sent them out of the garden of Eden. We don’t know if Adam and Eve wanted to stay in the garden. Perhaps they felt if they left the garden, they might never see God again because it was the only place where they had met Him.

God didn’t just ask Adam and Eve to leave the garden; He drove them out. On top of that, God placed a guard – several angelic beings known as cherubim – at the entrance. Cherubim are always associated with the presence and glory of God (Ezekiel 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4). When cherubim are represented on earth (such as in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:10-22), they mark a meeting place with God. Though Adam and Eve and their descendants were prevented from eating the fruit of the tree of life, they could still come there to meet God. This was their “holy of holies.” Therefore, it was important to send cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

They guarded the way so that Adam and Eve could come before the Lord, perhaps at the entrance to the garden or the tree of life. This is the last historical mention of the garden of Eden in the Bible. We can speculate that God did not destroy it but left it to the effects of the curse and suppose that it generally deteriorated from its original condition, blending into the surrounding geography.

We can make an analogy, seeing that Jesus is the gatekeeper to the Garden of God. When Jesus promised the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43) that he would be with Him in Paradise, He used a word that means “Garden.” It is the same word used in the ancient Greek Bible to describe the Garden of Eden.

Jesus is the one who brings people back to God’s garden – no longer on earth, but in heaven (2 Corinthians 12:4, Revelation 2:7). Today, by Jesus Christ, you can come to the presence of God – Jesus guards the way.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 3

Humanity Lowly Yet Exalted

February 18, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

On the last day of creation – the sixth day, before God rested from His work as Creator on the seventh day – God created man (Genesis 1:26-31). This passage from Genesis 2 tells us how God created man, making him out of dust, out of dirt.

The verse plainly says that God formed man of the dust of the ground. When God created man, He made him out of the most basic elements, the dust of the ground. There is nothing “spectacular” in what man is made of, only in the way those basic things are organized. God took simple substances and so brilliantly combined them that truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made – the human body is marvelous (Psalm 139:14).

When the Bible uses dust in a figurative or symbolic sense, it means something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility. In the Bible, dust isn’t evil, and it isn’t nothing; but it is next to nothing.

When Abraham spoke of himself as being merely dust and ashes, he emphasized his humility (Genesis 18:27). When Hannah thanked God for lifting her up, she proclaimed that God raises the poor from the dust (1 Samuel 2:8). When God spoke to King Jehu of Israel of his humble beginning, the LORD said that He lifted Jehu out of the dust, making him a ruler (1 Kings 16:2).

God did something wonderful with that lowly dust. He breathed into Adam the breath of life. With this Divine breath, man became a living being, like other forms of animal life. Genesis 1:20-21 describes animals as living creatures and living things, and the same phrasing is used in describing Adam as a living being. Yet only man is a living being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

The word used for breath in Hebrew is ruach, a word that imitates the very sound of breath. This same word can also be translated as spirit. God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him. God breathed some of His own breath into mankind, making man after His likeness.

Dear friend, in one sense you are a collection of very normal, not-very-costly chemicals. By some calculations, the value of all the chemicals and compounds in the human body (oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and so forth) is worth less than $600 USD. That’s something, but for many people it is not a fortune.

In a greater sense, you are so valuable that it is difficult to comprehend. You are so valuable that Jesus Christ laid down His life for you as a demonstration of His love.

What makes humanity so valuable? It is the breath of God that gives us life, making us in His image. Today, appreciate both your lowliness and your great value before God – both are true!

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 2

Life With and Without Meaning

February 11, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

When we realize who God is and who we are, it sets a foundation for a life full of meaning. Why is there a universe at all? Why is there something, instead of nothing? The answer to those questions can lead one either to a life full of meaning, or a life without meaning. If everything around us, including ourselves, is the result of random, meaningless occurrences, apart from the work of a creating God, then it says something about who I am – and where I, and the whole universe is going. Then the only dignity or honor we bestow upon men is only sentimental because I don’t have any more significance than a worm. Then, there is no greater law in the universe than survival of the fittest.

Genesis 1:1 simply and straightforwardly declares that the world did not create itself or come about by chance; it was created by God – who, by definition, is eternal and has always been. If God created this world, and He has a plan for both the world and for us as individuals. We can find meaning in our lives by fulfilling the purpose our Creator made for us. If I take a screwdriver and try to use it as a hammer, it won’t work very well and may break the screwdriver. The screwdriver is not fulfilling its created purpose, and all we have is frustration. When we look to our Creator and His word, we discover His purpose for us.

Many people think Genesis 1:1 doesn’t have anything to do with scientific facts. They look to other things for meaning in life. One day, students in the class of a great scientist spoke among themselves and decided that there was no God. The scientist asked them how much of all the knowledge in the world they had among themselves collectively, as a class. The students discussed it for a while and decided they had 5% of all human knowledge among themselves. The scientist thought that their estimate was a little generous, but he replied: “Is it possible that God exists in the 95% that you don’t know?”

Some 100 years ago, there was a great German philosopher named Arthur Schopenhauer. He was sitting on a park bench in Berlin, deep in thought. A policeman asked the philosopher “Who are you?” Schopenhauer answered, “I wish to God I knew.”

And the only way we can ever really find out who we are is from God – and the place to begin is Genesis 1:1.

Today, spend some special time considering what it means that God is your Creator and you are His creature. Then look to His word to learn more about His purpose for you. God did not make a mistake or roll the dice when He made you.

You have an important place in His plan, and Jesus’ death for you on the cross shows how important you are to God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 1

Not Worried About Anything

February 5, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Sometimes we find it difficult to ask for what we need. I read once of an Antarctic explorer who was working in his tent one day when he heard a muffled cry from outside. The voice asked, “Are you very busy?” and the explorer recognized that it was his co-worker calling out to him. “Yes I am busy,” he replied. “What’s the matter?” The man outside asked again, “Are you really very busy?” “Yes!” the man in the tent snapped, “What is it you want?” After a moment’s silence, the man outside responded apologetically, “Well, I have fallen down a crack, and I don’t think I can hang on much longer.”

In prayer, believers sometimes are hesitant to simply ask for what they need. Maybe we worry that we are bothering God, so instead of asking we settle for less, do the best we can, and decide to wait until things arereally bad before we pray about it.

It shouldn’t be that way. In Philippians 4:6, God tells us at least two things:

– NO-thing should fill us with anxiety.
– EVERY-thing can be made a matter of prayer.

Remember: be anxious for nothing is presented as a gentle command, not as an option. Undue care trespasses into God’s territory for our lives. Chosen anxiety make us to be the father of the household instead of a child. Of course, there is a difference between chosen anxiety and a godly concern, but every worry and undue concern the believer chooses to cling is an unknowing criticism of God. It is almost like saying, “get off the throne God, let me worry about this for both of us.”

Paul said everything is the proper subject of prayer; there are not some areas of our lives that are of no concern to God. We should come to God with both prayer and supplication. Prayer and supplication are similar, but distinct; prayer is a broad word regarding all our communication with God, but supplication is a direct asking for something from God. It’s not wrong to ask God for things. We ask leaving it all in His will (that’s best for us anyway), yet many prayers go unanswered because they don’t ask God for anything.

God simply tells us to let your requests be made known. Doesn’t God already know our requests before we pray them? Of course He does; yet He will often wait for our participation and partnership through prayer before granting.

Finally, with thanksgiving cautions against a whining, complaining spirit before God when the believer asks. God wants us to be:

– Anxious for nothing.
– Prayerful for everything.
– Seeing reason to be thankful for all things.

Bring your needs to God. Don’t wait until you can’t hang on much longer. Make prayer your first resource instead of your last resort.

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 4

Knowing Jesus

January 28, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

There was a simple goal and plea in the life of Paul the Apostle: to know Jesus. He summed it up in these words: That I may know Him. The legalists troubling the Philippian Christians couldn’t know this longing to know Jesus. Legalism focuses on self, not God. But Paul wanted Jesus, not self.

To know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

– We can say that we know someone because we recognize him: because we can distinguish what is different about him compared to other people.
– We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what he does; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
– We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with him; we are on speaking terms with that person.
– We can say that we know someone because we spend time in his house and with his family.
– We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to him and live with him every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to the believer now, not at death.

– The power of His resurrection is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
– The power of His resurrection is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
– The power of His resurrection means that those connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. This is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. Being in Christ also means being conformed to His death. Yet, Paul was not morbidly focused on suffering and death in the Christian life. His focus was on the resurrection from the dead. Paul understood that any suffering and death allotted to the Christian are a pathway to resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead. Paul faced true hardship, but the suffering was worth it, considering the greatness of the resurrection from the dead.

Remember that Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than we will ever experience, and he wrote it from the custody of Roman soldiers. This wasn’t merely theological theory and ideas, but a lived-out connection with God.

Dear friend, do you pursue the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Is the plea of your life, that I may know Him?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 3

If Water Is Wet and Rocks Are Hard

January 21, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. (Philippians 2:1)

Philippians 2 contains a powerful and poetic description of the nature and work of Jesus. But Paul’s purpose for that description was to help the Christians of Philippi to get along better. So, he challenged them by introducing the basis for unity, humility, and love among believers. If the Philippian Christians had received what he mentions in this verse, then they had a responsibility to do what he was about to teach them.

If there is any consolation in Christ. Do Christians receive consolation in Christ? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus console their soul. Luke 2:25, says Jesus is the Consolation of Israel. And in 2 Corinthians 1:5, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:16, says that God has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is great consolation – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…comfort of love. Do Christians receive any comfort of love? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus give them the comfort of His love. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that God is the God of all comfort. There is no circumstance beyond His reach to comfort. The word comfort in this passage has the idea of more than sympathy. It also has the idea of strengthening, helping, and making strong. The love of God in the life of the believer makes them strong and brave. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is comfort of love – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…fellowship of the Spirit. Do Christians receive any fellowship of the Spirit? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have the fellowship of the Spirit. “Fellowship” here is the ancient Greek word koinonia. It means the sharing of things in common. Believers share life with the Spirit of God that they never knew before. The Holy Spirit fills, guides, and moves in our lives in a powerful and precious way. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is fellowship of the Spirit – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…affection and mercy. Do Christians receive any affection and mercy? Yes, they do. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:5: the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Every Christian knows something of the affection of God, and the mercy of God – but are you experiencing them?

Paul suggests that these should be obvious parts of the Christian’s experience. These things should be just as real in our lives as the wetness of water, the hotness of fire, and the hardness of rocks.

Are they obvious parts of your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 2

Seeing God’s Good When It Looks Bad

January 14, 2024/1 Comment/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

Paul had a special relationship with the Christians in Philippi; they were not only part of a church he founded, but they were also his friends. Sometimes our friends are confused at what God is doing in our life – and sometimes we are even more confused! In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul wanted to reassure the Philippians that God was doing good even when it looked bad.

When Paul was in Philippi, he was arrested and imprisoned. But God miraculously freed him, and he continued preaching the gospel (Acts 16:25-34). When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in a jail in Rome. Paul’s Philippian friends were probably thinking, “God used a miracle to set Paul free before. Why doesn’t God do it now? Is He letting Paul down, or is Paul in sin?” In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul assured them that God’s blessing and power were still with him, even in prison – he was not out of God’s will.

Considering how God set Paul free in Philippi, we shouldn’t be surprised they wondered where the power of God was in Paul’s present imprisonment. If Paul wasn’t being advanced, that was all right – because his passion was to see the gospel advanced. Even though Paul was in prison, the circumstances around his imprisonment, and his manner during it, made it clear to everyone he was not just another prisoner, but he was an emissary of Jesus; this witness led to the conversion of many including his guards.

In fact, Paul’s imprisonment gave the Christians around him, who were not imprisoned, greater confidence and boldness, because they saw that Paul could have joy in the midst of adversity. They saw that God would take care of Paul and still use him even in prison. We also know this turned out for the furtherance of the gospel because during this time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. When Paul was in bad circumstances, God was using him.

God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives in our present situation. Are you in a bad place – even a “prison” of some sort? God can use you right where you are, and He wants to. Stop thinking your situation must change before God’s power can be evident in your life. It can be evident right now.

God gave Paul the ability to see the good in a Roman prison – this God is with us!

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 1