Plans for Tomorrow?

Lessons from Genesis – 19

“And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozra reigned in his place.” Genesis 36:33 NKJV

This is probably not the most commonly memorized verse in Scripture, but maybe it should become one of them. It contains both an absolute certainty and a very great probability. First, Bela died. The Bible says that “it is appointed on to man once to die.” In Genesis 36 we find that death hits in about every other verse starting in verse 33 to verse 43. Everyone dies. That is a certainty. For all the plans that we make, we are not permanent. For the plans we even make for tomorrow we can have no certainty of fulfilling. Jesus said of the rich man, “thou fool, tonight thy soul will be required of thee.” Death is certain, our plans are not. So, we must know the second half of the verse about death, “it is appointed on to man once to die and after that the judgment.” That is certain.

The probability in this verse is that what we have planned for our children’s children may very well not come to pass. Notice that Bela’s son did not reign after him. Another man did and after him another man from another place and family reigned after him. What we store up on this earth has no guarantee that it will go to the ones we hoped it would. The house we built will be occupied by another. The business we built will be ruined by another. The money we saved will be squandered by another. Therefore Jesus says, “Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where the thief does not break in to steal nor the moth nor the rust will destroy.” The living we do in this life needs to be more eternally directed than we usually make it. It is a lesson from Genesis that we should learn well and apply faithfully.

Dear Father, You have given me today to know you and prepare for eternity with my soul and my goods. Help me to faithfully do so with both. Amen. 

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