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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

DAYS OF PRAISE

Days of Praise

Walk before Me
August 27, 2009
"I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect।" (
Genesis 17:1)
Abraham had been "walking" in the land of Canaan nearly 25
years when God gave this command to him. He had experienced
the shameful rebuke in Egypt by Pharaoh and a marvelous victory
against Chedorlaomer--and then had demonstrated both humility
and obedience before Melchizedek.
God had been explicit in His promises to Abraham, but the promised
heir had not yet come. Now, in spite of the awful lapse of faith with
Hagar and the nagging burden of Ishmael, God insisted that Abraham
"walk before" Him and "be perfect."
The Hebrew language here is unusual. The word translated "before me"
is panyim, basically meaning "the face." This is the term used in the first
commandment where we are told to "have no other gods before me"
In Genesis 17:1, the phrase could well be translated "walk, looking
at my face."
The first commandment, could also be translated "don't let any other
god get between your face and my face."
The implication is obvious. God expects us to live in such a way that
His "face" (Person, Character, Presence) is always "before" us so
that our "walk" (lifestyle, behavior) is "perfect" (complete, whole,
healthy), with nothing inhibiting the relationship "of him with whom
we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
"Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations" (Genesis 6:9).
After warning Israel of the dangers of the pagan nations surrounding
them, Moses still insisted that they should "be perfect with the LORD thy God"
(Deuteronomy 18:13). No matter what the circumstances may be, if we are
looking at God's "face" we will walk perfectly.HMM III www.icr.org
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