Sorry for delay. Body is not working. My hands are going numb and pins and needles; my legs, too.

Meditation
The Twentieth Day of Lent is one of connecting the dots. The Old Testament lesson of Genesis relays the story of Jacob traveling to the old homeland for a wife—the home of his uncle—in Mesopotamia, just like Eliezer had for his father’s wife. He hooks up with Rachel, and celebrates with joy at the meeting his father’s clan, although there might have been a more personal joy at discovering that Rachel was attractive.
The epistle to the church at Corinth is another history lesson, with attribution. Paul relates the story of the Exodus—the children of Israel coming through the sea and under the cloud (pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night). That all walked under it and down into the sea—just like a baptism—even though there was no water sprinkled on them. They walked on dry ground and the cloud led the way. Yet, Paul attributes those experiences in the same category of baptism—a sign and symbol of God upon the chosen children.
Furthermore, the meat they ate (quail provided) and the water that poured from the rock was not just a physical experience but had a spiritual aspect to it. The water from the rock was greater than they might have known. It was a spiritual encounter with the Word—the Word of God, i.e. Christ.
In essence, this was a sort of communion experience, like the Last Supper. The manna/quail they receive are like the body of Christ; the water like the blood of Christ.
Why are these important? Corinth. Corinth, as a city, built on an Isthmus of Corinth connecting Greece with the Peloponnesians. No, it was not that it was built there, but that being built on that land-link, where ships from the Orient and Egypt sailed into the Aegean Sea and transferred over to the Gulf of Corinth and the Ionian Sea. This meant that this was the point where all peoples merged. All religions. All cultures. All ranges of wealth and experience.
It meant the church struggled with a convergence of many converts from every walk of life. Unlike the churches where educated Jews established the work of God, the various coverts from the plethora of religions presented unique issues of conflict. Without the knowledge of the history of the Old Testament, Paul found himself writing—rewriting the history of where Christianity emerged from the Judeo traditions. Paul attempted to dissuade the Corinthian church from following idols or false doctrines…and he kept restating what seems to be the obvious, but wasn’t to the unschooled Corinthian worshippers.
Not only does he state the history, but he ‘explains’ it to them, ascribing the symbolism of Christ’s life and Christian doctrine to the events in Jewish history. Students of Jewish books of law and prophets would have recognized how Christ matched up with the story in the Exodus, in the same way that Jacob jumped for joy and kissed Rachel when he recognized his kin.
Knowledge is power. Great knowledge empowers. Paul was trying to instruct the Corinthian Church members how everything connects. There is a unity in the Bible. As we study in the seasons of the church, we begin to connect the dots and see the way the Old and New Testaments support and fulfill each other. Those aha moments happen when the unity of faith connects the dots in our own lives. Then, we will recognize the family of God when we see them. We can celebrate together the old stories of God’s chosen people, because they become our stories as we are adopted into the family of God.
Our responsibility is to study so that we will know how the dots connect and not misunderstand the Word of God when Christ leads us as a cloud pillar or fire pillar; gives us living water or whatever the current means of linking us together as heirs to the family of God. Get rid of the distractions of idolatry and celebrate the true presence of the living God.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.







Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen






Season of Lent Bible Readings
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 81;Genesis 29:1-14;1 Corinthians 10:1-4&version=NCV;ERV;GNT;NIV (multiple versions)

Twentieth Day of Lent
Psalm 81
Genesis 29:1-14
1 Corinthians 10:1-4

Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
The “Traveler’s Psalm” is worth memorizing in its whole, but at least verses 1 & 2.

Psalm 121
King James Version (KJV)
121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.








Single Bible Study chapter to study


1 Corinthians 10:1-4

King James Version (KJV)

10 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.


OBSERVE:

Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.

2.

3.

INTERPRETATION:

What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?




APPLY:

Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.


Prayer of Encouragement

Dear God, Jesus is our Rock and provides us living water, sustaining us in the day to day means of living as children of the Loving God. Help us Lord, to be good representatives of you. In Jesus name. Amen.








Conclusion
The Twentieth Day of Lent celebrates connections. Connections of the Old and New Testament. Connections between the true gospel and heirs to the family of God. There were so many false teachers arising out of the false gods and religions in Corinth. People were revising what Christians believed. But Paul used the Old Testament history and the New Testament Good News of Christ’s fulfillment. Christ, the Word of God, at work in our life—continuing the concept of living water that we studied in the story of the Woman at the Well. Christ is our source—and was in the Old Testament as much as in the New. We thrive on the life giving essence of Christ fulfilling our thirst and feeding our spirits. Let’s thrive together.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.