Most of the modern Bible translations use the word “love” in place of charity because it is believed to mean the same thing, but it doesn’t. The word charity means “love in action”. The Greek word translated as charity is agape which is used for a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love that is not based on emotion or attraction, but rather on a deliberate choice to seek the well-being of others, even to the point of sacrifice. This word is often used to describe God’s love for humanity. Agape love is not dependent on the worthiness of the recipient or any expectation of return. It’s love that gives freely and completely, even to those who may not be deserving or responsive. Agape love is characterized by a deep desire for the other person’s best interests. It seeks to bless and benefit the other person, regardless of their actions or character. While agape love can be accompanied by feelings, it is fundamentally a choice and an act of the will, rather than a spontaneous emotion.

To give you the setting of this scripture, this is Moses speaking at the close of the 40 years they walked through the wilderness. He is retelling the experiences of the journey to a new generation that was little or not even born yet when they walked through the Red Sea and began their time in this wilderness. This generation is preparing to cross the Jordan into the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses is revealing why they were led there and why they spent so much time there.

The word “Genesis” means origin or beginning and it explains the beginning of the creation. The book of Genesis also is the seed bed for everything where everything is planted that comes to fruition in the book of Revelation. In picture form and type you can see nearly everything that will happen throughout the Bible. You can see Calvary in Genesis 22 when Abraham takes Isaac to Mount Moriah to be offered as a burnt offering. You can see the church in the account of Rebekah being sought out and brought to Isaac.

In this bazaar story about a widow and her sons, there is a great and powerful spiritual truth that will help us if we take hold of it. The woman is between two generations. Her husband was the son of a prophet, and he left a testimony of fearing the LORD, but he is now dead and gone. She has two sons coming on (the next generation) but she owes a debt that she can’t pay, and the creditor is coming to take her two sons into slavery because of it. If he takes her two sons away, she may very well starve to death and die. So, without the next generation being liberated, she’s looking at her decline and possibly, her death.

In this portion of the scripture we just read, Paul is making a comparison of two glories. The glory in the giving of the law and the glory in the establishment of grace (which he calls the ministration of the spirit). When Israel had provoked the LORD to wrath by worshiping the golden calf and dancing nude before it, Moses threw the two tables of the ten commandments and broke them at the base of the mountain. God told Moses afterwards that He would not go up to the promise land amid the people because they would provoke Him to destroy them and that He would not go Himself before the people in their wars with the Canaanites but He would send an angel to go with them. Moses pleaded with the LORD to change His mind and Moses found grace in the eyes of the LORD. So God renewed the covenant that was made with Abraham and told Moses He would go with them. Then Moses makes a unique request

In the last two weeks I have preached about the person and purpose of the Holy Spirit. Today I bring you a message about the power of the Holy Spirit. What we just read were the last words ever spoken by our Savior to the apostles. He chose not to answer their question about restoring the earthly kingdom to Israel but maintained focus on the kingdom of God and spoke of the necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit before they could start their ministry. This is part of a pattern that Jesus Christ himself followed by not starting his earthly ministry until He was endued with power by the Holy Spirit coming upon him. This teaches us that it is not only hard but it is impossible to do the work of God in the power of the flesh. We are in a spiritual battle with the kingdom of darkness and that battle must be fought with spiritual power.

The night before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, he walks with his disciples and encourages them concerning what is about to happen. He tells them that the time has come for him to go back the Father from which he came but that he would not leave them comfortless. The word comfortless is translated from the Greek word “orphanous” which is where we get our English word orphans. He was saying that he would not leave them without guidance, comfort or fatherless. He begins to tell them about the Comforter that will be coming in His name to be with them and in them for ever. He then reveals that this Comforter is the Holy Spirit and gives them a briefing about what his mission is.

One of my favorite things about the Old Testament is that pictures of New Testament truths are contained in the stories. God knows that some of us learn better visually so He has set up His book to teach us visually as well as cognitively. Also one of my favorite Bible characters is Samson. There is not another person like Samson in scripture and God used him in unique ways. Now Samson had flaws and failures and most of us that read about his life and the choices he made tend to dwell more on the failures then we do on the victories. But Samson is an Old Testament type of Jesus Christ.