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[Chaplain]

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NKJV

Satan's first appearance in the Bible, and some background on his life.

The serpent: The text here does not, by itself alone, clearly identify the serpent as Satan, but the rest of the Bible makes it clear this is Satan appearing as a serpent.

i. In Ezekiel 28:13-19 tells us that Satan was in Eden. Many other passages associate a serpent or a snake-like creature with Satan (such as Job 26:13 and Isaiah 51:9). Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 speak of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan.

ii. The representation of Satan as a serpent makes the idea of Moses saving Israel by lifting up a bronze serpent all the more provocative (Numbers 21:8-9), especially when Jesus identifies Himself with that very serpent (John 3:14). This is because in this picture, the serpent (a personification of sin and rebellion) is made of bronze (a metal associated with judgment, since it is made with fire). The lifting of a bronze serpent is the lifting up of sin judged, in the form of a cross.

iii. Ezekiel 28 tells us Satan, before his fall, was an angel of the highest rank and prominence, even the “worship leader” in heaven. Isaiah 14 tells us Satan’s fall had to do with his desire to be equal to or greater than God, to set his will against God’s will.

Satan's skill in achieving a person's end by deceit.

The serpent was more cunning than any beast: Satan’s effectiveness is often found in His cunning, crafty ways. We can’t outsmart Satan, but we can overcome him with the power of Jesus.

i. It was the craftiness of Satan that made him successful against Eve: as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness (2 Corinthians 11:3).

How did the serpent talk?

And he said to the woman: Apparently, before the curse pronounced in Genesis 3:14-15, the serpent was different than what we know today as a serpent. This creature didn’t start as a snake as we know it, it became one.

i. “The creature that tempted Eve became a serpent as a result of God’s judgment on it, and it went slithering away into the bushes to the intense horror of Adam and Eve.” (Boice)

ii. Demonic spirits evidently have the ability, under certain circumstances, to indwell human or animal bodies (Luke 8:33). On this occasion, Satan chose to indwell the body of a pre-curse serpent.

iii. Poole says the woman wasn’t surprised at the serpent’s speaking because Adam and Eve had free conversation with angelic beings that often appeared in the form of men. If this is true, it wasn’t so strange to Eve that an angelic being might appear to her in the form of a beautiful pre-curse serpent.

iv. Perhaps Satan made the voice supernaturally seem to come forth from the serpent, or perhaps Satan “said” this to Eve in her thoughts. What Satan said is more important than how he said it.

Why did Satan attack Eve, and not Adam?

To the woman: Satan brought his temptation against the woman because he perceived she was more vulnerable to attack. This is because she did not receive the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil directly from God but through Adam (Genesis 2:15-17).

i. Perhaps Satan knew by observation Adam didn’t do an effective job in communicating to Eve what the LORD told him. This failure on Adam’s part made Eve more vulnerable to temptation.

ii. Satan will often attack a chain at its weakest link, so he gets at Adam by tempting Eve. The stronger ones in a “chain” must expect attack against weaker links and support them against those attacks.

iii. It was also in God’s plan to allow Satan to tempt Eve this way. If Adam would have sinned first, and if he had given the fruit to Eve, she might have a partial excuse before God: “I was simply obeying the head of our home. When he gave me the fruit, I ate of it.”

"Satan’s strategy is to get believers to doubt their ability to understand the Word." (Courson)

1. Has God indeed said: Satan’s first attack is leveled against the Word of God. If he can get Eve confused about what God said, or to doubt what God said, then his battle is partially won.

i. From the beginning, Satan has tried to undermine God’s people by undermining God’s Word. He can undermine just as effectively by getting us to neglect God’s Word as by getting us to doubt it.

2. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Satan took God’s positive command (Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat [Genesis 2:16-17]) and rephrased it in a negative way: “God won’t let you eat of every tree.”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Genesis 3:2-3 NKJV

Eve's first mistake.

And the woman said to the serpent: Eve’s first mistake was in even carrying on a discussion with the serpent. We are called to talk to the devil, but never to have a discussion with him. We simply and strongly tell him, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9)

Eve's partial knowledge that leads her to misquote God’s command to Adam.

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: Eve’s knowledge of what she should not do is partially correct, but what she doesn’t seem to know makes her all the more vulnerable to deception.

i. Eve does not seem to know the name of this tree; she only calls it the tree in the midst of the garden, instead of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).

ii. Eve misquoted God’s command to Adam. Her words, “you shall not eat it” and “lest you die” are close enough, but she added to the command and put words in God’s mouth when she said, “nor shall you touch it.” Of course, it was a good idea to completely avoid the temptation; no good could come from massaging the fruit you’re not supposed to eat. But it is a dangerous thing to teach the doctrines of man as if they are the commandments of God (Matthew 15:9).

iii. Clarke on nor shall you touch it: “Some Jewish writers . . . state that as soon as the woman had asserted this, the serpent pushed her against the tree and said, ‘See, you have touched it, and are still alive; you may therefore safely eat of the fruit, for surely you shall not die.’”

iv. "God didn’t tell Adam and Eve they were not to touch the forbidden fruit, but Eve added an extra rule, a protective parameter to make sure she didn’t violate what God had said. And that is the beginning of legalism." (Courson)

Adam failed at protecting Eve (a husbands responsibility).

God has said: Eve’s ignorance of exactly what God said was really Adam’s responsibility. He did a poor job of relating to his wife the word God gave him.

i. We can almost picture Adam telling Eve, “See that tree in the middle of the garden? Don’t touch it or God says we’ll die!” While this is better than saying nothing, what Adam didn’t explain made a vulnerable place where Satan could attack.

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 NKJV

Satan attacks God by saying God lied.

You will not surely die: Satan effectively laid the groundwork. He drew Eve into a discussion with him and planted the seed of doubt about God’s Word, and he exposed Eve’s incomplete understanding of God’s Word. Now he moves in for the kill, with an outright contradiction of what God said.

i. Satan can only effectively work when he has established a foothold. No one falls like Adam and Eve will fall, “all of a sudden.” A foundation has been laid.

ii. This is why we are called to never give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). This shows how remarkable it is that Jesus could say, “Satan has nothing in Me.” (John 14:30)

"After questioning the Word of God, Satan questions the way of God as he intimated to Eve that God was holding something back from her that would be good for her." (Courson)

You will not surely die: Satan first wanted Eve to forget all about what God said about the consequences of sin. When we know and remember the consequences of sin, we are more likely to give up the passing pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).

i. In Satan’s direct challenge, he tries to get Eve to doubt the goodness of God. If God lies to her, how can He be good?

ii. In Satan’s direct challenge, he tries to get Eve to doubt the badness of sin. If this fruit is something good for her, why doesn’t God want her to have it?

iii. Satan wants us to see sin as something good that a bad God doesn’t want us to have. His main lie to us is “sin is not bad and God is not good.”

iv. “Satan and the flesh will present a thousand reasons to show how good it would be to disobey His command.” (Barnhouse)

Satan, the master of mixing lies with truth.

In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened: Satan’s temptation was all the more powerful because there was truth in it. It was true your eyes will be opened, and this was fulfilled (Genesis 3:7). But their eyes were instantly opened to their own sin and rebellion.

i. It is as if a deaf person was promised to be able to hear again, but all they could hear was screaming.

ii. Their eyes were opened, they did know good and evil, but not as gods. “Pure lie” is rarely effective in temptation. If Satan doesn’t couple it with some truth, there is little power in his temptation.

The origins of Mormonism and the New Age movement.

You will be like God, knowing good and evil: The final enticement is the most powerful, because it was how Satan himself fell, wanting to be equal with God. Eve tried to become a god herself by her rebellion against God.

i. Jewish rabbis embellish on Satan’s temptation to Eve: “Nothing but malice has prompted God’s command, because as soon as you eat of it, you will be as God. As He creates and destroys worlds, so will you have the power to create and destroy. As He does kill and revive, so will you have the power to kill and revive. God Himself ate first of the fruit of the tree, and then He created the world. Therefore, He forbids you to eat of it, lest you create other worlds . . . Hurry now and eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, and become independent of God, lest He bring forth still other creatures that will rule over you.”

ii. The goal of becoming God is the center of so many non-Christian religions, including Mormonism. But in our desire to be gods, we become like Satan (who said, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the Most High [Isaiah 14:13-14]) instead of being like Jesus, who came as a servant (Matthew 20:28).

iii. The New Age movement and the desire to be “god” are just as strong as ever. According to a 1992 survey, as many as 12 million Americans can be considered active participants in the New Age movement, and another 30 million are avidly interested. If all these people were brought together in a church-like organization, it would be the third largest religious denomination in America. More than 90% of the subscribers to New Age Magazine are college graduates, compared to half the general population.

iv. In 1995, New Age influence made it all the way to the White House. New Age author Marianne Williamson (writer of A Course In Miracles), guru to many of Hollywood’s spiritual seekers, spent a night at the White House as the personal guest of Hillary Clinton. And Anthony Robbins, motivational guru and king of late-night infomercials, consulted with President Clinton at Camp David. Robbins is also recognized as a leader in the New Age movement.

 

[Chaplain]

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:6 NKJV

How did Eve give into Satan's temptation?

So when the woman saw: 1. Eve surrendered to this temptation in exactly the way John describes in 1 John 2:16. First, she gave in to the lust of the flesh (saw that it was good for food), then she gave in to the lust of the eyes (pleasant to the eyes), then she gave in to the pride of life (desirable to make one wise).

i. Jesus was tempted in the same three-fold way: an appeal to the physical appetites, an appeal to covetous and emotional desires, and an appeal to pride (Matthew 4:1-11).

2. The woman saw that the tree was good for food: Eve’s perceptions were partially true and partially false. The tree was not really good for food, though Eve was deceived into thinking it was so. The fruit probably was pleasant to the eyes, though that shouldn’t mean much. And it was only true in Eve’s mind that the tree was desirable to make one wise.

i. We can see the total truth of Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:14, that Eve was deceived when she sinned. In her mind, she thought she was doing something good for herself.

Eve had freewill, and didn't have to eat the fruit.

She took of its fruit and ate: Satan could tempt Eve, but she didn’t have to take it. The taking was all her doing. Satan couldn’t cram the fruit down her throat. Eve was responsible. She couldn’t rightly say, “the devil made me do it.”

i. As with every temptation, God had made for Eve a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). She could have simply run from Satan and the tree, but Eve didn’t take God’s way of escape.

Eve was deceived when she ate the fruit; Adam made a decision to sin full well knowing the consequences.

She also gave to her husband with her: Not only did Eve sin, but she became the agent of temptation for Adam. But when Adam ate, he was not deceived as Eve was. Adam sinned with his eyes wide open, in open rebellion against God.

i. Therefore, it is Adam, not Eve, who bears the responsibility for the fall of the human race and for the introduction of death into the created order (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22). Eve was tricked into sinning; Adam knew exactly what he was doing (1 Timothy 2:14).

ii. Many have speculated that Adam sinned because he didn’t want Eve to be alone in the fall, and he ate of the fruit out of a romantic impulse. This may well be true, but it makes Adam’s sin not one bit less rebellious. Rebellion against God is not “better” when motivated by a romantic impulse.

iii. “Take and eat” will one day become verbs of salvation, but only after Jesus had lived in the world of Adam’s curse and surrendered to death.

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." Genesis 3:7 NKJV

Sin enters mankind.

1. Then the eyes of both of them were opened: Seemingly, it was only after the sin of Adam that they knew of their sinful state. They knew they were naked, in the sense of having their shame exposed to all creation.

2. They new that they were naked: Psalm 104:2 and Matthew 17:2 suggest that light can be a garment for the righteous. It may be that Adam and Eve were previously clothed in God’s glorious light, and the immediate loss of this covering of light left them feeling exposed and naked.

i. “It is more than probable that they were clothed in light before the fall, and when they sinned the light went out.” (Barnhouse)

"The only identifiable tree in the Garden of Eden is this one—the fig tree. The national symbol of Israel, the fig tree speaks of man’s attempt to cover the nakedness of his sin with his own effort." (Courson)

They sewed fig leaves together: Their own attempt to cover themselves took much ingenuity, but not much wisdom. Fig leaves are said to have a prickly quality, which would make for some pretty itchy coverings.

i. Every attempt to cover our own nakedness before God is just as foolish. We need to let Jesus cover us (Revelation 3:5, 18), and put on Jesus Himself as our covering garment (Galatians 3:27). The exhortation from Jesus is for us: Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)

ii. Obviously, they covered their genital areas. In virtually all cultures, adults cover their genital areas, even though other parts of the human body may be more or less exposed from culture to culture.

iii. This is not because there is something intrinsically “dirty” in our sexuality, but because we have both received our fallenness and pass it on genetically through sexual reproduction. Because of this, God has implanted it in the minds of men that more modesty is appropriate for these areas of our body.

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 NKJV

Jesus comes looking for Adam and Eve.

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: Adam and Eve knew that when they heard the LORD coming, He would want to be with them. This was how the LORD had fellowship with Adam and Eve, in a very natural, close, intimate way.

i. Leupold on walking in the garden in the cool of the day: “The almost casual way in which this is remarked indicates that this did not occur for the first time just then . . . There is extreme likelihood that the Almighty assumed some form analogous to the human form which was made in His image.”

ii. We can assume this is God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, appearing to Adam and Eve before His incarnation and birth at Bethlehem, because of God the Father it is said, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18), and no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father. (1 Timothy 6:16)

iii. “Cool of the day” is literally “the breeze of the day.” From Hebrew geography and culture, we might guess this means late afternoon.

Adam and Eve hide because of shame.

Adam and his wife hid themselves: This shows that Adam and Eve knew that their attempt to cover themselves failed. They didn’t proudly show off their fig-leaf outfits; they knew their own covering was completely inadequate, and they were embarrassed before God.

"Because none seeks God (Romans 3:11), it had to be God who sought Adam. And His question is not, “Why did you?” or, “How could you?” but simply, “Where are you?”" (Courson)

Where are you? This is not the interrogation of an angry commanding officer, but the heartfelt cry of an anguished father. God obviously knew where they were but He also knew a gulf had been made between Himself and man, a gulf that He Himself would have to bridge.

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:10-12 NKJV

Adam has fear because of sin.

I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid: Sin made Adam afraid of God’s presence and afraid of God’s voice. Ever since Adam, men run from God’s presence and don’t want to listen to His Word.

i. We are still made in God’s image, so we want to be in the presence of God and hear His voice, while at the same time, we are afraid of Him.

God asks a question to Adam that He already knows the answer to. Why would God do this? God was giving Adam a opportunity to confess his sin.

1. Who told you that you were naked? God knew the answer to this question. He asked it because He allowed Adam to make the best of a bad situation by repenting right then and there, but Adam didn’t come clean and repent before God.

i. We all sin, but when we sin, we can still give glory to God by openly confessing without shifting the blame onto others (Joshua 7:19-20).

ii. There is often nothing you can do about yesterday’s sin (though in some cases you may be able to make restitution). Yet you can do what is right before God right now by confessing and repenting.

2. Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? God confronted Adam’s problem squarely. This wasn’t primarily a wardrobe problem or a fear problem or a self-esteem problem. This was a sin problem and Adam’s wardrobe, fear, or self-understanding could not be addressed until the sin problem was addressed.

3. Then the man said: Notice that to this point, God has not addressed Eve at all. Adam, being the head, is the problem here.

Adam blames Eve, essentially blaming God for giving him Eve, instead of being honest and admitting (confessing) his mistake (his sin) to God.

1. The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate: Adam’s attempt to blame Eve is completely consistent with human nature. Few of us are willing to simply say as David did, I have sinned against the LORD (2 Samuel 12:13)

i. Significantly, if there is any blame, it is on Adam, not Eve. Not only does Adam unjustly accuse Eve, but also he refuses to accept proper responsibility for his part in her sin.

ii. By saying “the woman whom You gave to be with me,” Adam essentially blames God for the sin saying, “You gave me the woman, and she is the problem.” Adam wasn’t content to blame Eve; he had to blame God also.

 

[Chaplain]

The story told to the public about the Burning Man Festival:

The official story of the beginnings of the movement promoted by the Burning Man organization today is that one day in 1986 Larry Harvey and his carpenter friend Jerry James decided to build a wooden man for spontaneous reasons that needed no justification and burn him on San Francisco’s Baker Beach on the night of the summer solstice. A handful of those close to them came to watch the then 8 foot “Man” burn, and a few people who were at the beach came over to watch what they were doing. Harvey and Jones decided to repeat the ritual again the following year (the Man now being 15 feet tall) and more people came to watch and participate. Things changed radically in 1988 as around 200 people gathered to watch the burning of the Man who had now grown to 40 feet, and which had now as well drawn the attention of the local police. This burn was also attended by many members of the Cacophony Society , a “prank group” of “free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society.” The Cacophony Society would become an incalculable influence upon Burning Man as they became burners and as the burners became Cacophonists. Evidence of this can be seen by the fact that all of the six owners who form the current Board of Directors are all former Cacophonists.

When the burners gathered on the summer solstice to burn the Man in 1990, the police once again appeared but this time did not allow the Man to be burned. The party and the event seemed to be over until members of the Cacophony Society decided to move the event to the Black Rock Desert on the Labor Day weekend of that same year. Burning Man has enjoyed its home on the playa and has continued to grow ever since.

How it really began:

A study of the true origins of Burning Man show that the official story of its beginnings are nothing more than a mere creation myth. Executive Director Larry Harvey is generally portrayed as the sole creative mind behind Burning Man, but history shows that he was influenced by a number of people and groups most of whom he has never given credit or whom he has completely written out of the history of the movement.

The influence of the Cacophony Society has already been noted, but a summary of some of the other sources are:

Burning art on Baker Beach - San Francisco artist Mary Grauberger
Burning a human figure - The Golden Bough book & The Wicker Man movie
Moving the event to the Playa - The Cacophony Society
Zone Trips - The Cacophonists & author Hakim Bey
The “Leave No Trace” principle - The Suicide Club (forerunner to Cacophony)
Temporary Community - William Benzin & Desert Siteworks
Art exhibits - William Benzin & Desert Siteworks

Furthermore, according to Michael “Flash” Hopkins the very foundations of the Burning Man movement are based upon a lie. Hopkins worked with Harvey, lived with him as a roommate, and helped to build the first Man. According to Hopkins,

“Larry and Jerry and I built the first one…It’s not a man, it’s a woman and her name is Patricia. And Larry was upset that she wasn’t letting him see his child…He was really upset with it, so he decided to build an effigy of Pat and burn her, and we decided it wouldn’t be good to do it out in front of her house. We decided it would be better if we brought it down to the beach and did it down at the beach. So we burned her, because Mary Grauberger at the time was down there doing this sort of witchy-poo kind of rituals down there, sort of a Wicker Man style spring thing there, and so we decided to bring it down there and burn it down there. And it’s never been a man, it’s always been a woman. And you can just look at the shape of it and you’ll notice that it’s has, like, really shapely hips. It’s always been a secret joke with us, because it’s never been a man, it was always a woman. But, you know, we realized though that if we ever said it was a Burning Woman…you’d never have any women out there…they’d think that we were just, you know, he-man women haters. And so by calling it Burning Man, I mean, girls were definitely into that. They were, like…“Oh yeah, burn the Man!” As long as the Man isn’t named, you know, Matthew or something, you know, it’s like...“Hey, I don’t care who it is, burn him!”…It was a kind of a funny way to do it… calling it a Burning Man…It was much more sociably acceptable, especially in San Francisco. So, it was kind of a joke, and it was a joke to begin with…In one respect it wasn’t the sacredness of it all, or the spiritualness of it all…We weren’t on a journey to the sacred, he was just a little upset with Patricia and decided that he should, you know, burn her and this would get it out of his soul or whatever…another way of venting his anger, so we built Patricia…in my mother in law’s basement, and took it out to the beach and burnt it where Mary was burning her stuff…It didn’t even look like the Wicker Man. Mary was building something that looked like the Wicker Man, but we built something that looked like Pat.”

Burning Man Spirituality

The spirituality of Burning Man would be best described as a fusion of postmodernism, Paganism, and New Age thinking. After the move to the playa, the most significant and defining event in the history of the movement was the introduction of The Temple at the 2000 burn. Since then every year a Temple has been built and brought to the playa where it is burned on Sunday evening, the closing night of the event. Unlike the party atmosphere that surrounds the burning of the Man on the previous night, the mood is very different and is one of complete and utter silence and is meant to be a time of somber spiritual reflection. The Temples are very large and generally very beautiful buildings and have become the spiritual heart of Burning Man. Visitors to the Temple speak in hushed tones and act very reverently while there. Throughout the week many Temple visitors will place objects from those that they have lost (whether from the end of a love relationship or from a death of someone near them) in the Temple or will write cathartic messages on its walls. Such objects might include a suicide note, the favorite toy of a dead child, or a picture of a recently lost loved one. When the Temple is burned, burners seek healing by projecting the pain associated with those objects onto them which are then consumed and sealed away by the destruction of the flames.

Burning Man spirituality although generally Eastern and pantheistic, is very diverse and tolerant of just about anything but monotheism and Christianity. Apart from the Temple, much of the spirituality at Burning Man takes place at the workshops which go on throughout the week. These workshops are entirely created by the attendees of the event, and not by the organization which allows them to take place as part of the principle of radical self-expression.

While many of the events and workshops are centered around a very outrageous and extreme sexual deviancy, many deal with spiritual topics. Favorite spiritual themes among these workshops tend to be yoga, tantra, shamanism, and meditation. Examples of workshops from the 2011 lineup included:

On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime. The potential for Buddhahood exists within everyone. Come join us for a discussion about a Buddhist practice that opens this door for all persons .

Losing My Religion. Religious dogma can serve to uplift and inspire or separate and control. This ritual will help you to strip away the confining, controlling aspects .

Atheist/Agnostic Soiree at Uli Babas. We invite all hedonists, heretics, infidels and cosmically confused to a holy communion of His Noodly Body and savory blood of blended herbs .

Channeling Voices from Other Dimensions. Hear, feel, experience other dimensions, learn to channel from different sources. Contact spirits for healings .

Analyzing the events and workshops and the spirituality associated with the Temple, we find the spirituality of Burning Man generally to be cultic, occultic, hedonistic, or steeped in Eastern mysticism.

More can be read at the following link:

Burning Man – Postmodern Pagan Paradigm for a New Society

 

[Chaplain]

And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13 NKJV

"God is not heavy-handed with Adam and Eve. Rather, He just lets them play out their blame game." (Courson)

1. The serpent deceived me, and I ate: When confronted by God, Eve doesn’t necessarily shift the blame when she admits the serpent deceived her and then she ate. This much was true, she had been deceived, and she did eat.

2. Deceived me: The only problem comes when we fail to see that being deceived is sin in itself. It is sin to exchange the truth of God for the lie (Romans 1:25).

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 NKJV

Why didn't God ask any questions to the serpent?

And the LORD God said to the serpent: When God spoke to Adam and to Eve, He asked them each questions. God didn’t ask Satan (the being animating the serpent) any questions, because there was nothing to teach him.

God curses the serpent (Satan) part 1.

1. You are cursed more than all cattle: The first part of the curse is directed at the animal that Satan used to bring the temptation. God commanded the serpent to slither on the ground instead of walking on legs like any other animal.

i. Adam and Eve must have been terrified as this once-beautiful creature called a serpent was transformed into the creeping, slithering, hissing snake we know today. They must have thought, “It’s our turn next!”

ii. I will put enmity between you and the woman: In addition, there is a natural aversion between mankind and serpents, especially on the part of women.

2. You shall eat dust all the days of your life: This was true of the serpent as an animal, but it is also true of Satan. To eat dust has the idea of total defeat (Isaiah 65:25, Micah 7:17). God’s judgment on Satan is for him to always know defeat. He will always reach for victory, but always fall short of it.

i. Satan was, in his own thinking, majestic and triumphant over Jesus on the cross, but he failed. In attacking Jesus, Satan made his own doom certain.

ii. In Jesus, we share in the victory over Satan: And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. (Romans 16:20)

God curses the serpent (Satan) part 2: Mankind and Satan will now have animosity between each other.

Enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: The second part of the curse is directed against Satan himself. God placed a natural animosity between Satan and mankind. Enmity has the idea of ill will, hatred, and a mutual antagonism. Satan’s hatred of Eve was nothing new; it was already present - but now man will, generally speaking, have antagonism towards Satan.

i. The “friendship” Eve and the serpent seemed to enjoy earlier in the chapter is finished. There is now a natural fear of Satan in the heart of man.

ii. If we are born naturally rebellious against God, we are also born cautious and afraid of Satan. One must be hardened to willingly and knowingly serve Satan. Instinctively, we don’t serve God or Satan; we serve ourselves (which is fine with Satan).

Protoevangelicum—the first mention of the Gospel in the Bible.

1. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel: In this, God prophesies the doom of Satan, showing that the real battle is between Satan and the Seed of the Woman.

i. There is no doubt this is a prophecy of Jesus’ ultimate defeat of Satan. God announced that Satan would wound the Messiah (you shall bruise His heel), but the Messiah would crush Satan with a mortal wound (He shall bruise your head).

ii. The heel is the part within the serpent’s reach. Jesus, in taking on humanity, brought Himself near to Satan’s domain so Satan could strike Him.

iii. This prophecy also gives the first hint of the virgin birth, declaring the Messiah - the Deliverer - would be the Seed of the Woman, but not of the man.

iv. Genesis 3:15 has been called the protoevangelium, the first gospel. Luther said of this verse: “This text embraces and comprehends within itself everything noble and glorious that is to be found anywhere in the Scriptures.” (Leupold)

2. He shall bruise your head: For God to see the defeat of Satan at Satan’s first flush of victory shows God knew what He was doing all along. God’s plan wasn’t “set back” when Adam and Eve sinned, because God’s plan was to bring forth something greater than man in the innocence of Eden. God wanted more than innocent man; His plan is to bring forth redeemed man.

i. Redeemed man - this being who is greater than innocent man - is only possible because man had something to be redeemed from.

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16 NKJV

God’s curse upon Eve.

I will greatly multiply your sorrow: God first cursed the woman with multiplied sorrow. Men and women have each known sorrow throughout history, yet the unique sorrow of women is well known.

i. Under Jesus, some of the effects of the curse are relieved, and it has been the Christianizing of society that brought rights and dignity to women.

ii. “It is difficult for women in Christian lands to realize the miseries of their hundreds of millions of sisters in pagan lands, where the lot of women is little above that of cattle. Where the gospel has gone, the load has been lifted, and woman in Christ has become the reflection of the redeemed Church, the bride of Christ.” (Barnhouse)

Women's curse part 1: “You’ll have children, Eve, but it won’t be like it was supposed to be—painless, glorious, and easy. It will be difficult.” (Courson)

Your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children: The first curse upon women is a broad one. It has the idea that women would experience pain in regard to their children in general, not just in the act of giving birth. God ordained that the pain with which women bring children into this world be an example of the pain they experience more generally in life.

i. It has been observed that women bring forth children with more pain than just about any other creature.

Women's curse part 2: Women will desire (with struggle, tyranny and domination) to control their husbands.

1. Your desire shall be for your husband: This is true of women in a way that it is not true for men. “This verse will be understood better when it is realized that the desire of man toward his wife alone is solely by God’s grace and not by nature.” (Barnhouse)

2. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you: The idea is to contrast the woman’s desire and the husband’s rule over her. This speaks of an inherent challenge in embracing the husband’s role as leader of the home and family.

i. This same word for desire is used in Genesis 4:7 of the desire of sin to master over Cain. Because of the curse, Eve would have to fight a desire to master her husband, a desire that works against God’s ordained order for the home.

ii. The principle of Adam’s headship as a husband was established before the fall (see Genesis 2:18 and 2:22). Now the curse on Eve makes it much harder for her to submit and flow with God’s institution of male headship in the home.

iii. “As a result of the fall, man no longer rules easily; he must fight from his headship. Sin has corrupted both the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband. The woman’s desire is to control her husband (to usurp his divinely appointed headship), and he must master her, if he can. So the rule of love founded in paradise is replaced by struggle, tyranny and domination.” (Susan T. Foh, cited in Boice)

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19 NKJV

Adam chooses sin over God.

Because you have heeded the voice of your wife: It wasn’t just as if Adam took Eve’s advice. He chose to be with Eve intead of obeying God. There is a sense in which idolatry of Eve was an aspect of Adam’s disobedience against God.

God's curse for Adam part 1: Life is cursed.

Cursed is the ground: Because of Adam, there is a curse upon all creation. Before the curse on man, the ground only produced good. After the curse, it will still produce good, but thorns and thistles will come faster and easier than good fruit.

God's curse for Adam part 2: Work is cursed.

In toil you shall eat of it: Adam worked before the curse, but it was all joy. Now work has a cursed element to it, with pain and weariness a part of work. Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, and like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages (Job 7:1-2).

God's curse for Adam part 3: The curse of death.

Dust you are, and to dust you shall return: The final curse upon man promised there would be an end of his toil and labor on the earth - but it was an end of death, not not an end of deliverance.

i. The curse of death shows that the result of Adam’s sin extended to the entire human race. Because of Adam, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12), death came to all mankind (Romans 5:15, 1 Corinthians 15:22), death reigned over man and creation (Romans 5:17), all men were condemned (Romans 5:18), and all men were made sinners (Romans 5:19).

ii. The principle of Galatians 3:13 is established as we consider that Jesus bore each aspect of the curse upon Adam and Eve in its totality: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.

· Sin brought pain to childbirth, and no one knew more pain than Jesus did when He, through His suffering, brought many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10)
· Sin brought conflict, and Jesus endured great conflict to bring our salvation (Hebrews 12:3)
· Thorns came with sin and the fall, and Jesus endured a crown of thorns to bring our salvation (John 19:2)
· Sin brought sweat, and Jesus sweat, as it were, great drops of blood to win our salvation (Luke 22:44)
· Sin brought sorrow, and Jesus became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, to save us (Isaiah 53:3)
· Sin brought death, and Jesus tasted death for everyone that we might be saved (Hebrews 2:9)

 

[Chaplain]

"And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." Genesis 3:20 NKJV

Adam changes his wife's name to “Eve” which means "the giver of life."

1. Adam called his wife’s name Eve: Up to Genesis 3:20, the woman has never been called Eve. We are so used to saying “Adam and Eve” that we assume she already had her name. But to this point, she was called a female (Genesis 1:27), a helper comparable (Genesis 2:18), a woman (Genesis 2:22, 23), and a wife (Genesis 2:24, 25; 3:8). This does not mean God did not have a name for Eve, but we are told what the name is in Genesis 5:2: He called them Mankind.

i. The idea that the woman takes her name from the husband, and the idea that both genders are encompassed in terms like mankind, humanity, and chairman. Our use of these terms is not merely cultural, it is Biblical.

ii. A woman gains more of her identity from her husband than the man does from the wife. For this reason, women should take special care in which man they marry.

2. Because she was the mother of all living: Adam named her Eve, even though she was not a mother at all at the time. She was not even pregnant yet. Adam named her in faith, trusting God would bring forth a deliverer from the woman, because God said He would defeat Satan through the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).

"Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them." Genesis 3:21 NKJV

"To replace Adam and Eve’s itchy fig leaves, a sacrifice was made—illustrative of the fact that mankind’s sin and nakedness would never be covered by his own efforts, but by the sacrifice of an innocent One, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ." (Courson)

1. The LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them: God wanted Adam and Eve clothed, not naked. “God gave His approval of the sense of shame which had led our first parents to cover their nakedness.” (Leupold)

i. The world’s oldest profession is not prostitution, but the clothing business (Genesis 3:7).

2. Tunics of skin: In order for Adam and Eve to be clothed, a sacrifice had to be made. An animal had to die. Without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

i. There are only two religions; there is the religion of fig leaves and there is the religion of God’s perfect provision through Jesus.

ii. Covering ourselves with our good works is like Adam and Eve trying to cover themselves with fig leaves. Our good works are like monopoly money - great for monopoly, but not legal tender. Your good works are essential to what it takes to live out your life, but they are not legal tender before God.

iii. Adam and Eve were clothed in a garment that was purchased with the life of another. We are clothed with a garment of righteousness that was purchased with the life of another, Jesus Christ.

Were Adam and Eve saved?

And clothed them: This indicates that Adam and Eve were saved. Adam had faith in God’s promise of a Savior, and God provided a covering for them through a sacrifice. We will see Adam and Eve in heaven.

"Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”; therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 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 3:22-24 NKJV

A difficult phrase to understand.

Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil: The idea behind this phrase is difficult to understand. Perhaps there is a note of sarcasm by God here (as Elijah used in 1 Kings 18:27), regarding Satan’s empty promise to become like gods. Or, perhaps the idea focuses on man’s greater knowledge (though in a bad sense) now that he has the experiential knowledge of evil.

Why did God prevent Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life?

1. And take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: 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.

2. The LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden: We don’t know if Adam and Eve wanted to stay in the garden of Eden. Perhaps they felt if they left the garden, they might never see God again because it was the only place where they met Him.

God stations angels to the east of the Garden of Eden.

He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden: 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 (by God’s mercy), they could still come there to meet God. This was their “holy of holies.” Therefore it was important to send a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

i. “Any angel of the lowest rank could have dealt with Adam. The flaming sword was pointed against Satan to keep him from destroying the way of access to the altar, which God had set up.” (Barnhouse)

ii. 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.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Genesis 4:1 NKJV

The first mention of sexual relations in the Bible.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife: This is the first specific mention of sex in the Bible. The term “knew” or “to know” is a polite way of saying they had sexual relations and the term is used often in the Bible in this sense (Genesis 4:17, 4:25, 38:26, Judges 11:39, 1 Samuel 1:19).

i. There is power in this way of referring to sex. It shows the high, interpersonal terms in which the Bible sees the sexual relationship. Most terms and phrases people use for sex today are either coarse or violent, but the Bible sees sex as a means of knowing one another in a committed relationship. “Knew” indicates an act that contributes to the bond of unity and the building up of a one-flesh relationship.

ii. We have no reason to believe Adam and Eve did not have sex before this. Adam and Eve were certainly capable of sexual relations before the fall, because there is nothing inherently impure or unclean in sex.

Eve likely believes the Messiah had been born.

1. And bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD”: The name Cain basically means, “I’ve got him” or “here he is.” It is likely Eve thought that Cain was the seed that God promised, the deliverer who would come from Eve (Genesis 3:15). There is a sense in which Eve said, “I have the man from the LORD.”

i. Under normal circumstances, parents want good things for their children. They wonder if their children are destined for greatness. Adam, and especially Eve, had these expectations for Cain, but it went farther than normal parental hopes and expectations. Adam and Eve expected Cain to be the Messiah God promised.

ii. Eve thought she held in her arms the Messiah, the Savior of the whole world, but she really held in her arms a killer.

2. A man from the LORD: Eve had faith to believe that the little baby she held would be a man. No baby had ever been born before. It is possible Adam and Eve wondered if their descendants would come forth fully mature, as they did.

Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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 4:2-5 NKJV

Agriculture and the domestication of animals among the first humans?

Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground: We see agriculture and the domestication of animals were practiced among the earliest humans. Adam and his descendants did not spend tens of thousands of years living as hunter-gatherer cave dwellers.

Where did Cain bring his offering to?

Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD: We can surmise that Cain brought his offering to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim are always associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22). Cain and everyone else on the earth at that time probably met with God at the tree of life, where the cherubim were.

What were the differences between Abel and Cain's offerings?

The LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering: Abel brought an offering of blood (the firstborn of his flock) and Cain brought an offering of vegetation (the fruit of the ground). Many assume that this was the difference between their offerings, but grain offerings were acceptable before God (Leviticus 2), though not for an atonement for sin.

i. “The word for offering, minchah, is used in its broadest sense, covering any type of gift man may bring . . .. Neither of the two sacrifices is made specifically for sin. Nothing in the account points in this direction.” (Leupold)

ii. The writer to the Hebrews makes it plain 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.

The beginning of the lamb sacrifice.

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat: This shows Abel’s offering was extra special. The fat of the animal was prized as its “luxury,” and was to be given to God when the animal was sacrificed (Leviticus 3:16-17; 7:23-25). The burning of fat in sacrifice before God is called a sweet aroma to the LORD (Leviticus 17:6).

i. The offering of Cain was no doubt more aesthetically pleasing; Abel’s would have been a bloody mess. But God was more concerned with faith in the heart than with artistic beauty.

ii. Here, it is one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it will 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 takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29).

Cain's sins of spiritual pride and hypocrisy.

1. Respected . . . did not respect: We don’t precisely know how Can and Abel knew their sacrifices were accepted or not accepted. Seemingly, there was some outward evidence making it obvious.

i. There are Biblical examples of having an acceptable sacrifice consumed by fire from God (Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Perhaps an acceptable sacrifice, brought to the cherubim at the tree of life, was consumed by fire from heaven or from the flaming swords of the cherubim (Genesis 3:24).

2. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell: Cain’s anger was undoubtedly rooted in pride. He couldn’t bear that his brother was accepted before God and he was not. It is even possible that this was public knowledge, if God consuming the sacrifice with fire indicated acceptance.

i. The epidemic of sin is quickly becoming worse. Cain now commits the rather sophisticated sins of spiritual pride and hypocrisy.

So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7 NKJV

God confronts Cain about his sins.

Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? God dealt with Cain in terms of loving confrontation instead of automatic affirmation. He made it clear that he would be accepted if he did well.

i. Of course, God knew the answers to those questions, but He wanted Cain to know and stop what was happening inside himself.

Why would the Apostle Paul write the following, "Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."? (Romans 6)

1. If you do not do well, sin lies at the door: God warned Cain about the destructive power of sin. Cain can resist sin and find blessing, or he can give in to sin and be devoured.

2. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it: We prevent sin from ruling over us by allowing God to master us first. Without God as our master, we will be slaves to sin.

 

[Chaplain]

"Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." Genesis 4:8 NKJV

Cain ignores God's warning about sin, and commits the first premeditated murder.

1. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother: The sense is that Cain planned to catch Abel by surprise, lulling him with pleasant conversation. This shows that Cain committed premeditated murder, and therefore clearly ignored God’s way of escape.

2. Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him: No human had ever died or been killed before, but Cain saw how animals were be killed for sacrifice. He extinguished Abel’s life in the same way.

i. The downward course of sin has progressed quickly. Now the hoped-for redeemer is a murderer, and the second son is the victim of murder. Sin wasn’t “nipped in the bud,” and it could not be contained.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9 NKJV

God gives Cain an opportunity to confess.

Where is Abel your brother: God knew the answer to this question. He asked Cain because He wanted to give him the opportunity to confess his sin and start to do right after doing wrong.

i. How futile it was for Cain to lie to God! It was madness for him to think God didn’t know where Abel was, or that he could actually hide his sin from God.

Sin says, “I don’t care about him. He hurt me. I don’t care about her. She offended me. I don’t care about them. They wronged me.” That explains how, after killing Abel, Cain could say, “I don’t care about him. I’m not his keeper.” (Courson)

Am I my brother’s keeper? This reply of Cain is famous. The fact of the matter is that he was supposed to be his brother’s keeper, but was instead his brother’s murderer, and he murdered him for the lowest of reasons. Able had not injured Cain in any way. Cain’s murderous rage was inspired purely by a spiritual jealousy.

i. Jude 11 warns of the way of Cain, which is unbelief, empty religion leading to jealousy, persecution of those truly godly, and murderous anger.

ii. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion, those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God (2 Timothy 3:5). Many are deathly afraid of “secular humanism” or atheism, but dead religion sends more people to hell than anything else.

And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” Genesis 4:10-12 NKJV

Able's blood cry's condemnation, judgment, and accusation from the ground.

The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground: The idea of blood crying out to God from the ground is repeated in the Bible. Numbers 35:29-34 describes how the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.

i. The blood of Abel spoke, and it spoke of judgment. The blood of Jesus also speaks, but of better things, of grace and of sin having been judged (Hebrews 12:24).

God’s curse upon Cain.

So now you are cursed from the earth: The curse upon Cain was that Adam’s curse would be amplified in regard to him. If bringing forth food from the earth would be hard for Adam (Genesis 3:17-18), it would be impossible for Cain (who was a farmer). If Adam were driven from Eden (Genesis 3:24), Cain would find no resting-place on all the earth (a fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth).

And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. Genesis 4:13-15 NKJV

"Cain remained in his cursed condition because he chose to be mad rather than to ask for mercy." (Courson)

My punishment is greater than I can bear! Cain didn’t feel bad about his sin, but only about his punishment. Many are like him.

i. “One of the clearest marks of sin is our almost innate desire to excuse ourselves and complain if we are judged in any way.” (Boice)

ii. “One of the consequences of sin is that it makes the sinner pity himself instead of causing him to turn to God. One of the first signs of new life is that the individual takes sides with God against himself.” (Barnhouse)

What is the "mark on Cain"?

1. Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold: As significant as God’s judgment against Cain was, God did not want Cain killed by others. This is possibly because the population of the earth was precariously low anyway.

2. The LORD set a mark on Cain: Therefore, God set an identifying and protective mark upon Cain. Despite the speculation of some, nobody really knows what this mark upon Cain was.

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son; Enoch. Genesis 4:16-17 NKJV

Where did Cain's wife come from?

And Cain knew his wife: We don’t know where did Cain got his wife. Genesis 5:4 says Adam had several sons and daughters. Cain obviously married his sister. Though marrying a sister was against the law of God according to Leviticus 18:9, 18:11, 20:17, and Deuteronomy 27:22 (which even prohibits the marrying of a half-sister), this was long before God spoke that law to Moses and the world.

i. Here, necessity demanded that Adam’s sons marry his daughters. And at this point, the “gene pool” of humanity was pure enough to allow close marriage without harm of inbreeding. But as a stream can get more polluted the further it gets from the source, there came a time when God decreed there no longer be marriage between close relatives because of the danger of inbreeding.

ii. Even Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12). God did not prohibit such marriages until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18:9). Marrying a brother or sister was not forbidden until God forbade it.

To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. Genesis 4:18-22 NKJV

The generations following Cain.

1. To Enoch was born Irad: The picture is one of rapid advancement. Succeeding generations quickly made progress in areas such as the founding of a city (Genesis 4:17), home building, music and the arts, and metalworking.

i. The idea that mankind actually advanced very quickly goes against most modern theories, but archaeology can only evaluate on the basis of what is preserved, and thus is rather speculative.

2. Methishael begot Lamech: The name Lamech may mean, “conqueror.” He was the seventh from Adam on Cain’s side. Lamech’s arrogance (Genesis 4:23-24) is a contrast to Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam on Seth’s line (Jude 14).

3. Lamech took for himself two wives: Lamech was the first bigamist in history, going against God’s original plan for one man and one woman to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-8). The names of his wives and daughter show the emphasis in his heart: Adah means, “pleasure, ornament, or beauty.” Zillah means, “shade” probably referring to a luxurious covering of hair. His daughter’s name was Naamah, which means, “loveliness.” Lamech’s culture was committed to physical and outward beauty.

Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Genesis 4:23-24 NKJV

Lamech’s boasting about killing another person.

1. I have killed a man for wounding me: The way Lamech boasts about his murder of another, and the way he believes he can promise a greater retribution than God, shows a progressive degeneracy among humanity. Things are going downhill fast, a true devolution.

2. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold: This is all a picture of humanism. The city is Cain’s city; the focus of Lamech is his beautiful wives and his own perceived strength. But for all of Lamech’s boasting, neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible. He came to nothing.

"And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD." Genesis 4:25-26 NKJV

Seth is born to Adam and Eve.

1. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son: Adam and Eve had many children who are not specifically named, but Seth is worthy of mention because he “replaced” Abel and was the one to whom the promise of a deliverer from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would be passed.

2. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD: Even in those wicked days, the worship of God was not unknown. Some have called Genesis 4:26 “the first revival,” because it is the first indication of a spiritual resurgence after a clear decline.

 

[OttomanScribe]

That line about archaeology is an interesting one.

 

[Chaplain]

"This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created." Genesis 5:1-2

Adam's first hand account of creation ends.

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam: There is good reason to believe this is the end of Adam’s direct account, which was preserved and passed down to Moses who acted as an editor.

i. The history of the heaven and earth comprises the things regarding creation that no man witnessed, (and was given by revelation to either Adam or Moses). This history ended at Genesis 2:4 and from there to this point is Adam’s “account.”

The human race.

And called them Mankind: The human race - mankind - was given the name “man” by God from the beginning. It is not sexist or gender biased to call the human race by the general heading “mankind,” because God does this.

Thoughts on genealogies before going further in our study of Genesis 5.

1. One can arrange the following genealogies in a sequential manner and chart out a time line. However, one cannot establish an absolutely reliable timeline with this method, becase Biblical genealogies are not always complete. Sometimes generations are skipped over.

2. If one takes the genealogies as being without omission, the time of Adam comes to be some 4,000 to 5,000 years before Christ. Even with omissions, it is hard to imagine that the time of Adam was significantly more than perhaps 10,000 years before Jesus.

i. This puts the Biblical record at incredible variance with the assertions of modern science. Yet there are good reasons to believe God created the earth with age “built in,” even as Adam and the trees of Eden had age “built” into them.

3. We are also confronted with the problem of extremely long life spans. In this chapter, no one lived less than 365 years (and this is Enoch, who was a special case), and Methuselah lived a total of 969 years. How is this possible?

i. Some have thought this is speaking figuratively or counting months as years (but then Enoch fathered Methuselah when he was five and one-half years old).

ii. It is more likely that people did live much, much longer before the flood. This is because the degenerative effects of the fall on the human gene pool had not yet accumulated greatly, and because the environment in the pre-flood world was so different, with the blanket of water vapors surrounding the earth (Genesis 1:6-8). In the post-flood world, life spans quickly came down to the life-spans we are familiar with today.

4. During this period, the world would be populated quickly. One writer has estimated that if Adam, during his lifetime, saw only half the children he could have fathered grow up, and if only half of those got married, and if only half of those who got married had children, then even at these conservative rates, Adam would have seen more than a million of his own descendants.

i. Using these calculations, we can say that by the time of the flood, there could have been seven billion people on the earth.

5. Genealogies can be very instructive. They speak to us of both the absolutely historical character of the Scriptures, and are a powerful testimony to the end of every person on this earth.

i. “Have you never heard of one who heard read, as the lesson for the Sabbath-day, that long chapter of names, wherein it is written that each patriarch lived so many hundred years, ‘and he died’? Thus it ends the notice of the long life of Methuselah with ‘and he died,’ The repetition of the words, ‘and he died,’ woke the thoughtless hearer to a sense of his mortality, and led to his coming to the Savior.” (Spurgeon, The Word a Sword)

And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. Genesis 5:3-5

All humanity is in Adam’s fallen image and likeness.

1. And begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth: Even as Seth was in Adam’s fallen image and likeness, so also are every one of us. We are all sons and daughters of Adam, born fallen even as Adam was fallen. It would be redundant to say it, but every other person has been born in Adam’s image and likeness except Jesus.

i. Adam's name means “man.”

ii. Seth's name means “appointed.”

2. And he had sons and daughters: This tells us that Adam had many other sons and daughters who are not specifically named in the Scriptures. These daughters became the wives for the sons of Adam.

Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. Genesis 5:6–8

Enosh's name means “subject to death.”

Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. Genesis 5:9-11

Cainan's name means “sorrowful.”

Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. Genesis 5:12-14

Mahalaleel's name means “from the presence of God.”

Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. Genesis 5:15-17

Jared's name means “one comes down.”

Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. Genesis 5:18-27

How did Enoch walk with God?

1. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him: Enoch, the son of Jared, was carried away to God in a miraculous way.

i. Enoch's name means “dedicated.”

2. Enoch walked with God: 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). After walking like this with God, it is as if one day God told Enoch, “You don’t need to walk home. Why don’t you just come home with Me?”

i. 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.

How was Enoch a prophet?

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God: It seems Enoch began to walk with God in a special way after the birth of Methuselah. Methuselah's name means “dying He shall send.” 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.

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

What happened when Methuselah died?

So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died: Methuselah’s long life was no accident. It was because of the grace of God. When Methuselah died, the flood came. God kept him alive longer than anybody to give people as long as possible to repent.

Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 5:28-32

Lamech and Noah.

1. Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah: If these genealogies are consecutive, Seth died when Noah was 14 years old. Noah could have known Adam’s son.

i. Lamech's name means “to the poor and lowly.”

ii. Noah's name means “rest” or “comfort.”

2. And he died: The overwhelming emphasis of Genesis 5 is that all these men died. They were all under sin and all subject to death. Some of them - many of them - were great men, but none of them was the deliverer God had promised.

i. “This is the greatest glory of the primitive world, that it had so many good, wise, and holy men at the same time. We must not think that these are ordinary names of plain people; but next to Christ and John the Baptist, they were the most outstanding heroes this world has ever produced. And on the Last Day we shall behold and admire their grandeur.” (Luther, cited in Boice)

What happens when all of the meanings of the names, in the genealogy of Genesis 5, are put together?

Courson: "Perhaps you wonder if it was really necessary to devote an entire chapter of the Word to a list of men who begat and died. But look at the names again: The Man appointed to death, sorrowful. From the presence of God, One comes down, dedicated. Dying, He shall send to the poor and lowly, rest and comfort. I must have read Genesis 5 a hundred times before I realized that the entire gospel message is embedded in what seems to be a boring genealogy. Such is the wonder of the Word..."

 

[Chaplain]

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. Genesis 6:1-2

Rapid population explosion occurs on Earth.

When men began to multiply on the face of the earth: During these days of rapid population expansion (especially because of long life spans in the pre-flood world), there was a problem with ungodly intermarriage between the sons of God and the daughters of men.

i. "We’re experiencing a similar population growth in our own last days. You see, from the time Noah got off the ark, it took until 1867 for the world to reach the one billion mark. But it only took from 1867 to 1935—less than one hundred years—for the population to reach two billion. And from 1935, it only took until 1965 to reach over six billion. Due to the 250,000 people added to our planet every twenty-four hours, the earth’s population will now double every fifteen years." (Courson)

Do the "sons of God" belong to Seth, and the "daughters of men" to Cain?

The sons of God saw the daughters of men: Many have believed the sons of God were those from the line of Seth, and the daughters of men were from the line of Cain, and this describes an intermarriage between the godly and the ungodly, something God specifically prohibits (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 2 Corinthians 6:14).

i. But this approach leaves many unanswered questions: Why did this make God angry enough to wipe out almost all the earth’s population? Why was there something “unnatural” about the offspring of these unions? The text in no way offers answers to these important questions.

Who are the sons of God that raped so many women?

The sons of God saw the daughters of men: It is more accurate to see the sons of God as either demons (angels in rebellion against God) or uniquely demon-possessed men, and the daughters of men as human women.

i. The phrase “sons of God” clearly refers to angelic creatures when it is used the three other times in the Old Testament (Job 1:6, 2:1, and 38:7). The translators of the Septuagint translated sons of God as “angels.” They clearly thought it referred to angelic beings, not people descended from Seth.

ii. Jude 6 tells us of the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation. Jude goes on (Jude 7) to tell us they sinned in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh. Here in Genesis 6, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, there was an unnatural sexual union.

iii. It is useless to speculate on the nature of this union. Whether it was brought about by something like demon possession, or whether angels have power permanently to assume the form of men is not revealed. But we should understand the occult is filled with sexual associations with the demonic, and there are those today who actively pursue such associations.

iv. Jude 6 also makes it clear what God did with these wicked angels. They are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness from the judgment of the great day. By not keeping their proper place, they are now kept in chains. Their sinful pursuit of freedom has put them in bondage.

v. 1 Peter 3:19-20 tells us Jesus went to these disobedient spirits in their prison and proclaimed His victory on the cross over them.

vi. An objection offered to this understanding is found in Matthew 22:30, where Jesus said angels neither marry nor are given in marriage; but Jesus never said angels were sexless, and He was also speaking about faithful angels (angels of God in heaven), not rebellious ones.

vii. From the book of 1 Enoch, which is not inspired scripture, but may still contain some accurate accounts: “And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children . . . [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments . . . And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants . . . And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways.”

Why would Satan want his demons to impregnate women?

And they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose: We can deduce why Satan sent his angels to intermarry (either directly or indirectly) with human women. Satan tried to pollute the genetic “pool” of mankind with a satanic corruption, to put a genetic “virus” to make the human race unfit for bringing forth the Seed of the woman - the Messiah - promised in Genesis 3:15.

i. “The Savior could not be born of a demon-possessed mother. So if Satan could succeed in infecting the entire race, the deliverer could not come.” (Boice)

ii. And Satan almost succeeded. The race was so polluted that God found it necessary to start again with Noah and his sons, and to imprison the demons that did this so they could never do this again.

And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:3-4

Does there come a point where God stops offering a person forgiveness?

1. My Spirit shall not strive with man forever: God did not allow the human race to stay in this rebellious place forever. This means there is a “point of no return” in our rejection of God. God will not woo us forever; there is a point where He will say “no more.”

i. All the more reason for us to say today is the day we will respond to Jesus instead of waiting for another day. We have no promise God will draw us some other day.

2. Yet his days will be one hundred and twenty years: This is not the outside life span of man but the time left until the judgment of the flood. The flood happened 120 years after this announcement.

Where does Greek mythology and Roman folklore come from?

Giants on the earth in those days: This refers to the unnatural offspring of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men, though there were people of unusual size on the earth both before and after the flood (and also afterward). These ones before the flood were unique because of the demonic element of their parentage. They were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

i. "The Hebrew word translated “giants” is nephalim, which literally means “fallen ones.” These “fallen ones” are the legendary figures spoken of in many cultures—the giants. When Lucifer fell and became the devil, Revelation tells us one-third of the angelic host joined his rebellion and became demons. I believe it is to these demons that Genesis 6:4 refers. Some of these demons, evidently, had sexual relations with human women, resulting in nephalim—giants, legendary men, men of renown. That is why every culture contains stories of giants similar to those found in Greek mythology and Roman folklore." (Courson)

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8

"Man's mind had become so completely polluted that in his imagination there was only evil." (Smith)

Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually: This says a lot. It means there was no aspect of man’s nature not corrupted by sin.

i. “A more emphatic statement of the wickedness of the human heart is hardly conceivable.” (Vriezen, quoted in Kidner)

ii. Jesus said, “as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37). In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood:

· Exploding population (Genesis 6:1)
· Sexual perversion (Genesis 6:2)
· Demonic activity (Genesis 6:2)
· Constant evil in the heart of man (Genesis 6:5)
· Widespread corruption and violence (Genesis 6:11)

Does God feel pain?

The LORD was sorry that He had made man . . . He was grieved in His heart: God’s sorrow at man, and the grief in His heart, are striking. This does not mean that creation was out of control, nor does it mean that God hoped for something better but was unable to achieve it. God knew all along that this was how things would turn out, but our text tells us loud and clear that as God sees His plan for the ages unfold, it affects Him. God is not unfeeling in the face of human sin and rebellion.

"In the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, there was one man who stood out." (Smith)

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD: While God commanded all the earth to be cleansed of this pollution, He found one man with whom to begin again: Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Noah didn’t earn grace; he found it. No one earns grace, but we can all find it.

i. It was true then, and it is true today: But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20).

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 6:9-10

"As the whole earth was becoming corrupt with the mixture of genetic engineering, here in Noah's generations, there was a pure strain." (Smith)

1. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations: This description of Noah - unique to him - not only refers to the righteous life of Noah, but also to the fact he was yet uncorrupted by Satan’s attempt to sow a “virus” among the genetic pool of mankind. We could translate “perfect in his generations” as, “Noah was pure in his genetic profile.”

2. Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Noah’s three sons will figure into the account in a significant way. God will use them as a foundation for the rest of the human race.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:11-13

Is God right in judging us?

1. The earth also was corrupt . . . and the earth was filled with violence: Because of the corruption and violence on the earth, and the extent of the corruption, God told Noah that He would judge the wicked along with the earth.

2. I will destroy them with the earth: Some wonder if this is too harsh a judgment, or if is shows God to be cruel or a monster. However, since the fall in Genesis 3, every human being has a death sentence. The timing and method of that death is completely in the hands of God.

i. “On what grounds would God be told that He can bring death to millions of people at the end of a ‘normal’ life span, but that He may not do it in any other way?” (Barnhouse)

God's grace to Noah and his family.

And God said to Noah: God told all of this to Noah with the intention of saving Noah and his family. In the midst of such corruption and judgment, there is also grace. Instead of wiping out the entire race, God preserved a remnant.

 

[Chaplain]

“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

God tells Noah to build an ark, and the size of the ark.

1. Make yourself: This means this was Noah’s project. He was not to simply contract it out to someone else.

2. This is how you shall make it: The ark was as long as a 30-story building is high (about 450 feet or 150 meters), and it was about 75 feet (25 meters) wide and 45 feet (15 meters) high. What is described is not really a boat, but a well-ventilated barge, meant only to float and not to sail anywhere. After all, an ark is a chest, not a ship; this refers to the “shoebox” shape of the vessel.

i. The ark, roughly the shape of a shoebox, was plenty large enough (about the size of the Titanic), and had a cubit-wide opening (18 inches) all the way around the top.

ii. It was not until 1858 that a boat bigger than the ark was built. The ark was certainly big enough to do the job. If the ark carried two of every family of animal, 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.

iii. 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.

Did God tell Noah the reason for building the ark?

You shall make it: God had not yet told Noah why he must build an ark. At this point, 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.

Is there historical evidence for the ark outside of the Bible?

You shall make it: And Noah did make it. Beyond the Bible, there is rich historical evidence for the reality of Noah’s Ark.

i. In 275 B.C. Berosus, a Babylonian historian, wrote: “But of this ship that grounded in Armenia some part still remains in the mountains . . . and some get pitch from the ship by scraping it off.”

ii. Around 75 A.D. Josephus said the locals collected relics from the ark and showed them off to his very day. He also said all the ancient historians he knew of wrote about the ark.

iii. In 180 A.D. Theophilus of Antioch wrote: “the remains [of the ark] are to this day to be seen . . . in the mountains.”

iv. An elderly Armenian man in America said that as a boy, he visited the ark with his father and three atheistic scientists in 1856. Their goal was to disprove the ark’s existence, but they found it and became so enraged they tried to destroy it, but could not because it was too big and had petrified. In 1918 one of the atheistic scientists (an Englishman) admitted on his deathbed the whole story was true.

iv. In 1876 a distinguished British statesman and author, Viscount James Bryce, climbed Ararat and reported finding a four-foot long piece of hand-tooled timber at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet (4,300 meters).

vi. Six Turkish soldiers claimed to see the ark in 1916.

vii. In the early part of this century, a Russian aviator named Vladimire Rokovitsky claimed the discovery of Noah’s ark. He was stationed in southern Russia near the Turkish border and Mount Ararat. As he tested a plane he and his co-pilot flew over Ararat and discovered on the edge of a glacier what he described as a boat the size of a battleship. He said it was partially submerged in a lake, and he could see there was an opening for a door nearly 20 feet (7 meters) square, but the door was missing. Rokovitsky told his commanding officer and an expedition was dispatched to find the ark and photograph it. The report was forwarded to the Czar, who was soon overthrown and the photos and the report perished.

viii. In 1936 a young British archaeologist named Hardwicke Knight hiked across Ararat and discovered interlocking hand-tooled timbers at a height of 14,000 feet (4,600 meters).

ix. During World War II two pilots saw and photographed something they believed was the ark on Mount Ararat.

x. There have been many more recent attempts to find and document the ark, but they have been hindered by politics and surrounded in controversy.

"The word translated pitch is "kopher." It is the same word translated later as atonement. As the blood of the lamb will make a "Kofu" or covering for sins, so the ark was to be covered inside and out with this "Kopher." (Smith)

Cover it inside and outside with pitch: The pitch worked to waterproof the wood. God told Noah to cover it with pitch inside and outside, which makes it possible that the ark was preserved for a long time. It is possible God still has a purpose for the ark, to use it to remind the world of a past judgment shortly before a future judgment.

i. Peter, in 2 Peter 3:1-7, relates the future judgment to the judgment of the flood saying, unbelievers willfully forget . . . the world that then existed perished being flooded with water. Perhaps, before Jesus returns, God will make it even more necessary for people to willfully forget these things.

ii. Because of this mention of pitch (a petroleum product) in what most people think is the Middle East, John D. Rockefeller looked for (and found) oil in that region based on this verse.

“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark; you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.” Genesis 6:17-21

God tells Noah the reason for the ark, and how God would protect him and his family.

1. Everything that is on the earth shall die: We can only wonder what Noah felt when he heard this remarkable announcement from God. God called Noah to an essential role in the greatest judgment - and greatest salvation - the world had seen.

2. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark: Despite the dramatic judgment coming, God will make a covenant with Noah, and he and his family will be saved. God will also use Noah to save a remnant of each animal so the earth could be populated with people and animals after the flood.

3. Take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself: God also commanded Noah to take all the food he could. There must be a lot of food for Noah and all the animals

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. Genesis 6:22

Noah obeyed God.

Thus Noah did: When given this staggering job to do, Noah did it. We don’t hear of him complaining or rebelling; he simply obeyed.

i. The words, “so he did” cover an awful lot of material and years; yet Noah did not shrink from what God told him to do.

Noah, one of the most amazing preachers and heroes that has ever lived!

According to all that God commanded him, so he did: The Bible presents Noah as a great hero of God. He was an outstanding example of righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14), a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), and Noah condemned the world by offering salvation in the ark that the whole world rejected (Hebrews 11:7).

i. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), yet in his 120-year ministry it seems that no one was saved.

ii. “The work of building the ark was laborious, costly, tedious, dangerous, and seemingly foolish and ridiculous; especially when all things continued in the same posture and safety for so many scores of years together; whereby Noah, without doubt, was all that while the song of the drunkards, and the sport of the wits of that age. So it is not strange that this is mentioned as an heroic act of faith.” (Poole)

iii. (Courson) - As great an accomplishment as Noah’s was, however, it speaks of a far greater accomplishment by another carpenter—the Carpenter from Galilee, Jesus Christ…

• Noah held a hammer in his hand.
• Jesus absorbed the blows of a hammer upon His hand.
• Noah built with wood.
• Jesus was pinned to wood.
• Noah constructed a door.
• Jesus said, “I am the Door.”
• Noah covered the ark with pitch.
• Jesus covers us with His blood.

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. Genesis 7:1

"The Lord is with us and how glorious it is to have Him with us during the storms of life. He was inviting Noah into that place of protection from the great holocaust that was to come. God invites us to come on in to the ark (that place of safety or refuge that He has prepared in Jesus Christ) that we might survive the great flood of judgment that is going to come against evil." (Smith)

Come into the ark: The idea is that God will be with Noah in the ark, so He called Noah to come into the ark with Him.

i. (Courson) “Come.” This is the first time this word is spoken in the Bible. But it is not the last, for from cover to cover the Lord says…

• “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;" Isaiah 1:18
• "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
• "And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17

Our faith, like Noah's, is a faith that works.

I have seen that you are righteous: Noah spent the years before the flood in active obedience. He not only believed God would send the flood; he obeyed what God told him to do in preparation for it.

i. "God saw that Noah was righteous, even as God sees us as righteous. That doesn't mean that we don't do unrighteous deeds, because we do; we are sinners. We are not righteous in and of ourselves, but God sees us as righteous and that is what really counts. God sees us as righteous as we believe and trust in Jesus Christ. This is that righteousness that is imputed to us because of our faith. This same righteousness was imputed to Noah, because he believed God and obeyed Him. "It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith." (Heb.11:7). This doesn't mean that Noah was a perfect man, but, only that he believed God and obeyed Him. His faith in God was evidenced by his obedience and this is always true. If you say that you have faith in God but don't obey Him, then your words of faith are discounted. Noah was living in the midst of a corrupt generation, but the Lord saw him as "righteous." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

Saturday, August 25, 2012

MUSIC FROM

Third Day
Gungor
David Crowder

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How to Find Personal Happiness

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

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MercyMe

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Greg Laurie
Is It Possible to Change Our Lives?

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[Chaplain]

“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. Genesis 7:2-9

How did Noah get all of the animals on the ark?

You shall take with you: Some wonder how the animals came to Noah or how Noah got them. In Genesis 6:20 God said the animals would come to Noah by migration. In some animals, God has created a migratory instinct (which can operate in an amazing manner). It is no difficulty for Him to miraculously place an urge to migrate to the ark in each pair of animals He planned to be preserved in the ark.

What is the only living being that doesn't listen to God?

Two by two they went into the ark to Noah: God never has a problem getting the animals to do what He wants. Only man is more stupid than the animals. "The ox [instinctively] knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib, but Israel does not know or recognize Me [as Lord], My people do not consider or understand." (Isaiah 1:3)

And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:10-12

God's first test of faith.

After seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth: Noah, the animals, and his family had to wait in the ark seven days for the rain to come. They had never seen rain up to this time. This was a real test of faith - to wait a week after more than 100 years of preparation.

God brings waters that covered the earth.

1. The windows of heaven were opened: This is when the great waters which were above the firmament (Genesis 1:7) broke up. These waters formed the huge “blanket” of water in the upper part of the earth’s atmosphere since creation.

i. "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters, And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. (Gen.1:6-7). This canopy had protected the earth from the cosmic rays and had caused a "green garden" effect over all the earth. Without the poles being iced, with this water suspended in the atmosphere; there would not have been any violent storms or winds. There would have been only a slow movement of air and with the humidity and the warmth you would have had an ideal "plant" environment. Great charcoal beds have been discovered under the ice at the South Pole Region, which means there had to be vast forests there at one time. Mammoths, with vegetation in their digestive tracts, have been found in Siberia, which indicates a tropical paradise at one time." (Smith)

2. The fountains of the greet deep that were broken up: Waters came up from under the earth also, no doubt accompanied by great geological catastrophe.

i. "Before the flood came there were rivers that went forth from the Garden of Eden and yet, prior to the flood, there was no rain. How can you have rivers if there is no rain? Evidently there were tremendous underground reservoirs of water, which the scripture calls, "fountains of the deep." There could have been a whole series of underground caverns and it could be that the heat of the earth would even, if necessary, distill the waters of the sea as they would flow into these caverns. God could have had a whole vast irrigation system under the surface of the earth that sprung forth and flowed as rivers." (Smith)

3. Forty days and forty nights: The number 40 becomes associated with testing and purification, especially before coming into something new and significant. This is seen in Moses’ time on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18, Deuteronomy 9:25), the spies’ trip to Canaan (Numbers 13:25), Israel’s time in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33, 32:13), Elijah’s miraculous journey to Sinai (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Mark 1:13).

i. "The emptying of the canopy of water seems to be the only answer to the forty days and nights of rain. Even if you had clouds, full of water, the most it would last would be two weeks; but, to rain forty days and the deluge to continue on a world-wide basis means there was that emptying of that vast canopy of water that God had suspended in space." (Smith)

On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark; they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. Genesis 7:13-16

"Now the door is shut, and Noah and his family are sealed in the ark. There’s no way for them to open the door and escape or change their minds. This speaks to me because the One who said, “I am the Door,” lets us know we are likewise secure in our salvation. “You are in My hand,” Jesus declares, “and no man can pluck you out” (see John 10:28)." (Courson)

And the LORD shut him in: Noah did not have to shut the door on anyone’s salvation; God did it. After the same pattern, it is never our job to disqualify people from salvation. We let God shut the door.

i. God kept the door open until the last possible minute, but there came a time when the door had to shut. When the door is open, it is open, but when it is shut, it is shut. Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7).

ii. The ark was salvation for Noah, but condemnation for the world. There were no second chances for those left out.

Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. Genesis 7:17-23

Was the flood a local flood or a global flood?

The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth: The description of the flood in this passage is so complete and specific that it is impossible to reconcile a local flood with the Biblical record. Despite the claims of some, this was a global deluge.

i. If this were not a global flood, then the ark itself would be unnecessary. If this were only a local flood, then God’s promise to never again bring such a flood is false. If this were only a local flood, the Bible is wrong when it traces all of humanity back to Noah’s sons and other passages that speak of a universal flood (such as Psalm 104:5-9 and 2 Peter 3:5-6).

ii. Literally hundreds of people groups have their own accounts and legends of the flood. One of the most remarkable is the Babylonian account, which is similar to the Genesis account in many ways and is clearly drawn from it. Since all mankind came from Noah’s sons, all mankind remembers the flood.

iii. Boice specifically cites the legends of the Samo-Kubo tribe of New Guinea, the Athapascan Indians of America, the Papago Indians of Arizona, Brazilian tribes, Peruvian Indians, African Hottentots, natives of Greenland, native Hawaiian islanders, Hindus, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Australian natives, the Welsh, Celts, Druids, Siberians, and Lithuanians.

iv. Of the more than 200 cultures that have their own account of the flood the following aspects of the story are common:

· 88% describe a favored family
· 70% attribute survival to a boat
· 95% say the sole cause of the catastrophe is a flood
· 66% say that the disaster is due to man’s wickedness
· 67% record that animals are also saved
· 57% describe that the survivors end up on a mountain
· Many of the accounts also specifically mention birds being sent out, a rainbow, and eight persons being saved

"The waters were above the mountains—which speaks of a global flood." (Courson)

And the mountains were covered: This took a lot of water, but there is plenty of water on the earth today to do this - but because of the topography of the earth, the water is collected into oceans. If the earth were a perfect sphere, the oceans would cover the land to a depth of two-and-a-half to three miles. Before the cataclysmic flood, the earth may have been much nearer to a perfect sphere.

Did the fish die in the flood?

All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died: In the Scopes Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow humiliated William Jennings Bryan by asking him if he believed every word in the Bible. When Bryan said he did, Darrow asked him how the fish drowned in the flood. Bryan didn’t know the answer, gave a great, confused speech, and died the next day. If only he would have known the Bible better, he would have known it says this about the breath of the spirit of life. The fish did not die in the flood; only animals with the breath of life in them died, the animals on dry land.

i. God did just as He said. Virtually all of Noah’s contemporaries did not believe God would do just as He said. Though it took 120 years, God demonstrated that He keeps His promises and is totally faithful.

And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. Genesis 7:24

"Although Noah had heard the voice of the Lord telling him to go into the ark, there is no record of God speaking to Noah while he was on the ark. In fact, he would not hear the voice of God again for a total of three hundred and seventy-seven days." (Courson)

1. One hundred and fifty days: Some suggest that God put some or many of these animals into a period of hibernation for this period, meaning that less food, space, and “damage control” was be needed.

2. One hundred and fifty days: God provides many animals today with an amazing instinct for hibernation. It would be no difficulty for Him to miraculously impart a unique instinct for these particular animals.

 

[Chaplain]

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Genesis 8:1

What is "anthropomorphism"?

1. God remembered Noah: This is an anthropomorphism (a non-literal picture of God in human terms we can understand). Certainly, God never forgot Noah, but at this point God again turned His active attention towards Noah.

i. "One of the problems that we have with God is that we don't have divine terms with which to describe Him. There are probably terms that we will discover when we get to heaven, but we wouldn't even understand them now; because, they are terms that define the aspects of an infinite God." (Smith)

2. God made a wind to pass over the earth: God knew how to make the waters subside. Even a big problem like this was not a big problem to God.

The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. Genesis 8:2-5

Where are the mountains of Ararat?

1. On the mountains of Ararat: In a sense, Mount Ararat was not a very “smart” place to leave the ark. Leaving the ark at a high altitude and mountainous terrain meant a difficult departure for everyone and everything in the ark.

2. Mountains of Ararat: However, if God’s purpose was to put the ark in a place where it might be preserved for thousands of years, He chose an excellent place for it.

From The Ark of Noah In Iran?

i. This verse (Genesis 8:5) indicates that other mountain peaks became visible subsequent to the ark of Noah landing on the mountains of Ararat. In the Elborz Mountains of Northwestern Iran, there are fifteen peaks over 14,000 feet. Conversely, Mount Ararat virtually stands alone in Eastern Turkey. The Elborz Mountains seem to line up better with this verse than Mount Ararat.

ii. It is highly unlikely that the descendents of Noah would migrate from the traditional Mount Ararat in Turkey to the Mesopotamia plain. If they did so, they would have had to traverse impassable mountain ranges to eventually come from the east. The Assyrian invaders found it impossible to cross these mountain ranges thus it would seem that the descendents of Noah would find it equally difficult. If the descendents of Noah traveled from the traditional Mount Ararat in Turkey, then they would have traveled an easy path down the Euphrates River, which eventually pours into the Mesopotamia Valley. This North to South direction would be a contradiction of Genesis 11:2. Noah's descendents journeyed from the east, which only allows for a Northern Iran interpretation.

iii. Nicholas of Damascus, the biographer of Herod the Great (about 30 BC), referred to an object considered to be the remnant beams of Noah's ark in Armenia, the Biblical equivalent of Ararat. “Above the country of the Minus in Armenia a great mountain called Baris, where as the story goes many refugees found safety at the time of the flood, and one man transported upon the ark grounded upon the summit: and relics of the timber were for long preserved.” Montgomery. The Quest for Noah's ark, Bethany fellowship 1972.

iv. Flavius Josephus, first century Jewish historian, also wrote about the remains of the ark as follow- “A district called Carron…has excellent soil for the production of Amomum in the greatest abundance; it also posses the remains of the ark in which report has it that Noah was saved from the flood-remains which to this day are shown to those who are curious to see them.”Antiquities XX. 24-25 ( Loeb edition, volume 1X , pp. 403-403).

v. Julius Africanus in the third century wrote more specifically about the location of the ark as follows “And the ark settled on the mountains of Ararat which we know to be in Parthia.” Loyrd. R. Baily. Noah- The person and the story in history and tradition. University of South Carolina press 1989. Parthia is noted on various 19th century maps as being in the mountains of Iran.

vi. Shuckford suggested that some spot farther east corresponds better with the scriptural account of the place where the ark rested. For it is said of the families of the sons of Noah, that, as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar. Now, Shinar, or Babylonia, lies nearly south of the Armenian Ararat, and the probability, therefore, is, that the true Ararat, from whose vicinity the descendants of Noah probably emigrated, lay much farther to the south. (As quoted from Religion and Geology by Edward Hitchcock, D. D., LL. D. Past president of Amherst College, and Professor of Natural Theology and Geology.)

After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back. Genesis 8:6-12

"Birds are used to test the condition of the earth." (Guzik)

i. "That is where we get the picture of the dove with the olive leaf and it has become a symbol of peace." (Smith)

ii. "The dove, a picture of the Holy Spirit, found no place to land. So today, the Holy Spirit is looking for people like you and me to land upon, to empower. Is there room in our lives for Him? Second Chronicles 16:9 tells us the eyes of the Lord go throughout the earth, looking for a person in whom He might show Himself strong. Is there a place in this congregation corporately and in our hearts individually wherein that might happen?" (Courson)

Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry! Then God said to Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.” So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair. Genesis 8:13-19

"Noah, his family, and all the animals leave the ark." (Guzik)

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Genesis 8:20

"Noah had enjoyed the presence of God in the ark because he emerged from the ark an “altared” man." (Courson)

Then Noah built an altar: Noah’s first act after leaving the ark was to worship God through sacrifice. His gratitude and admiration of God’s greatness lead him to worship God.

i. This "was a burnt-offering sacrifice, which is the sacrifice of consecration. This all happened long before the Mosaic law (Levitical Law); before God instituted or codified the various types of sacrifices; before God had ever codified the clean and unclean animals. Yet, here was something that preexisted the Mosaic Law in that Noah offered the sacrifice of consecration." (Smith)

What is the purpose of sacrifice?

Took of every clean animal and every clean bird: As is the nature with true sacrifice, this was a costly offering unto God. With only seven of each animal on the ark, Noah risked extinction by sacrificing some of these animals. But costly sacrifice is pleasing to God.

i. The sacrifices we are called to offer to God should also cost us something. We should present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1), the giving of our resources is a sacrifice (Philippians 4:18), and we should give the sacrifice of praise to God (Hebrews 13:15).

ii. Costly sacrifice pleases God, not because God is greedy and wants to get as much from us as He can but because God Himself sacrificed at great cost (Ephesians 5:2 and Hebrews 9:26, 10:12). God wants costly sacrifice from us because it shows we are being conformed into the image of Jesus, who was the greatest display of costly sacrifice. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:2, we should be like Jesus in this regard: And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

iii. May we think like David, who said he would never offer to God that which costs me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:21-22

God was pleased with the aroma of Noah's sacrifice.

The LORD smelled a soothing aroma: Noah’s costly sacrifice pleased God. It was as if God smelled the great aroma of the roasting meat (indicating that God loves a barbecue), and He then made this wonderful promise to Noah and to man.

i. Of course, the Bible speaks anthropomorphically here. More pleasing to God than the smell of the sacrifice was the heart of Noah in his sacrifice.

ii. "Even though the external flood couldn’t deal with the internal depravity of man, the fragrance of Noah’s sacrifice—a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord—overpowered the stench of sin. A burnt offering was made, and that made all the difference. Every Old Testament sacrifice points to and speaks of Jesus Christ—the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God slaughtered on the Cross for the sin of the world. It’s the fragrance of the work of Christ that overrides the stench of my depravity. The Flood didn’t clean up culture. The Flood didn’t solve the problem. No, it was the sacrifice that caused God to say, “Neither will I again smite every living thing.” (Courson)

When did seasons and the fossil record occur?

Cold and heat, winter and summer: This speaks of the profound climatic and ecological changes in the earth since the “blanket” of water vapors covering the earth was “emptied.” Now there are seasonal and temperature variations.

i. The result of this change is found in the rapidly decreasing life spans. There will never be 900-year-old men after the flood.

ii. The mass extinction of animals revealed in the fossil record (such as dinosaurs and other such creatures) probably took place shortly after the flood, when the earth was changed so dramatically and plunged into an ice age.

iii. "It is quite possible that they didn't have winter and summer prior to the flood, but just a uniform temperature around the earth annually. A beautiful, tropical climate everywhere all year long. The earth is now tilted which gives us summer and winter and also causes the polar ice caps. The polar ice caps account for the winds, storms, and the violent air currents which make much of the earth uninhabitable. The vast areas of the Arctic Circle are for the most part uninhabitable by man. These began to exist only after the flood. This is one of those subtle indications of more than just the fountains of the deep being broken up and more than just the emptying of the canopy of water. There were probably other great catastrophes that were associated with this time of the flood of Noah creating the elongated year of 365 days and creating the various seasons of winter and summer, cold and heat, etc." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

For those that are interested in Apologetics:

The God Delusion Debate (Dawkins-Lennox) (full debate can be watched at the link)

In Birmingham, Alabama, Professor Richard Dawkins and his Oxford University colleague Professor John Lennox engaged in a lively debate over what is arguably the most critical question of our time: the existence of God. The debate centered on Dawkins' views as expressed in his best-seller, The God Delusion, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Both presenters agreed to the format and topics of discussion.

About Dawkins and Lennox:

Richard Dawkins, voted by Europe’s Prospect Magazine as one of the world’s most important intellectuals, is regarded by many as the spokesman for the “New Atheism.” BBC has labeled him “Darwin’s Rottweiler.” He has written numerous best-sellers, including The God Delusion. It is a no-holds-barred assault on religious faith generally, and Christianity specifically. According to Dawkins, one can deduce atheism from scientific study; indeed, he argues that it is the only viable choice.

John Lennox is Professor in Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. Possessing doctorates from Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Wales, he travels widely speaking on the interface between science and religion. Prof. Lennox has debated the most vociferous skeptics ranging from Christopher Hitchens to Richard Dawkins and is the author of God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?

 

[Chaplain]

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” Genesis 9:1-4

God tells Noah to start over.

Be fruitful and multiply: The world Noah entered from the ark was significantly different from the world he knew before. God gave Noah the same kind of mandate He gave Adam in the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:28), since Noah essentially began all over again.

God tells Noah its cool to eat animals.

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you: And, even as Adam received instructions for eating (Genesis 1:29-30, 2:15-17), so does Noah. Yet now, Noah receives specific permission to eat animals, permission Adam was not given (as far as we know).

i. Perhaps this was because the earth was less productive agriculturally after the flood, because of the ecological changes. Therefore God gave man permission to eat meat.

God puts the fear of mankind in animals.

The fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth: If man now ate animals, then God would help the animals. For their protection God put in them a fear of mankind.

i. Again, presumably before the flood, man had a completely different relationship with the animals. God did not put this fear in animals because man did not look to them as food.

ii. “Did the horse know his own strength, and the weakness of the miserable wretch who unmercifully rides, drives, whips, goads, and oppresses him, would he not with one stroke of his hoof destroy his tyrant possessor? But while God hides these things from him he impresses his mind with the fear of his owner, so that . . . he is trained up for, and employed in, the most useful and important purposes.” (Clarke)

"God is giving man a respect for blood early in their history." (Smith)

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood: God also commands Noah that if animals are eaten, there must be a proper respect for the blood, which represents the life principle in the animal (Leviticus 17:11, 17:14 and Deuteronomy 12:23).

i. The importance of the idea of blood in the Bible is shown by how often the word is used. It is used 424 times in 357 separate verses (in the New King James Version).

· Blood was the sign of mercy for Israel at the first Passover (Exodus 12:13)
· Blood sealed God’s covenant with Israel (Exodus 24:8)
· Blood sanctified the altar (Exodus 29:12)
· Blood set aside the priests (Exodus 29:20)
· Blood made atonement for God’s people (Exodus 30:10)
· Blood sealed the new covenant (Matthew 26:28)
· Blood justifies us (Romans 5:9)
· Blood brings redemption (Ephesians 1:7)
· Blood brings peace with God (Colossians 1:20)
· Blood cleanses us (Hebrews 9:14 and 1 John 1:7)
· Blood gives entrance to God’s holy place (Hebrews 10:19)
· Blood sanctifies us (Hebrews 13:12)
· Blood enables us to overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11)

“And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.” Genesis 9:5-7

"God is now establishing human government with Noah. In the establishment of human government, He establishes capital punishment." (Smith)

1. And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life: According to God’s command, when a man’s blood is shed there must be an accounting for it, because in the image of God He made man. Because man is made in the image of God, his life is inherently precious and cannot be taken without giving account to God.

i. That person’s life will also be taken by human hands means because life is valuable, when murder is committed the death penalty is in order.

ii. In its original languages the Bible makes a distinction between killing and murder. Not all killing is murder, because there are cases where there is just cause for killing (self-defense, capital punishment with due process of law, killing in a just war). There are other instances where killing is accidental. This is killing, but not murder.

iii. The Bible also consistently teaches that the punishment of the guilty is the role of human government (Romans 13:1-4) so as to restrain man’s depravity. It also teaches that the guilt of unpunished murder defiles a land (Numbers 35:31-34). As Luther said, “God establishes government and gives it the sword to hold wantonness in check, lest violence and other sins proceed without limit.” (Boice)

2. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die: To see the strength of God’s command, He even requires a reckoning for the life of man from animals. God does not condone unlawful killing of any kind.

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-17

"God declared that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood, and that He would underscore His commitment with a rainbow." (Courson)

1. I set My rainbow in the cloud: Because the blanket of water vapors was broken up in the flood and the water cycle of the earth changed after the flood, this may be the first occurrence of a rainbow. God used the rainbow as a sign to Noah and all generations that He would be faithful to His covenant.

i. "The bow is emblematic of the bow used by an archer, without an arrow. The rabbis say the reason the bow is empty is because the arrow has already been shot, never again to be pointed in the direction of humanity." (Courson)

2. It shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth: Every time we see a rainbow, we should remember the faithfulness of God and every one of His promises. He even says His covenant of peace with us is just as sure as His covenant with Noah and all generations.

i. “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10)

Are rainbows mentioned anywhere else in the Bible?

I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant: The other mentions of a rainbow in the Bible are set in the context of God’s enthroned glory (Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3 and 10:1). It is staggering to see God, in His glory, setting so close to Himself a reminder of His promise to man.

i. In Revelation 4:3, God’s throne is surrounded by a green-hued rainbow. The rainbow is a reminder (in the midst of such supreme sovereignty) of God’s commitment to His covenant with man.

ii. One the same principle, the believer glories in the sovereignty of God, because he knows God’s sovereignty is on his side. It means no good purpose of God relating to the believer will ever be left undone.

Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. Genesis 9:18-19

Noah and his sons.

The whole earth was populated: From these three sons of Noah came the nations as we know them. The descendants of these three sons are listed in the “table of nations” provided in Genesis 10.

And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. Genesis 9:20-23

Noah becomes drunk. The first mention of being wasted in the Bible.

He drank of the wine and was drunk: This is the first mention of drunkenness in the Bible. Some think it was only after the flood that man made (or was able to make) intoxicating drink.

i. Noah’s own sinful and shameful actions show the foolishness of drunkenness. Well the Proverbs say, Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. . . .. Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. (Proverbs 20:1, 23:29-33)

ii. It also shows the foolishness of those who claim God’s desire is to make people “drunk in the spirit” through the work of a “Holy Ghost Bartender.” When Ephesians 5:18 says, "Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit," it contrasts the work of the Spirit with the effects of drunkenness.

iii. Alcohol is a depressant. It “loosens” people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The filling of the Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant, and He influences every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance.

iv. "When the storms are brewing, when trials are coming, we have a tendency to pray and seek the Lord. But when things are on “automatic pilot” we, like Noah, often fall into trouble." (Courson)

"The patriarchal society was extremely strong. In the scripture the command was to honor your father and your mother and this act against his father was a dishonorable act. I believe that it was the disrespect that Ham had for his father and his fathers condition which was his sin." (Smith)

1. And became uncovered in his tent: It may be Noah was abused sexually by one of his sons or relatives. The phrase became uncovered and the idea of nakedness are sometimes associated with sexual relations (Leviticus 18:6-20).

i. This is repulsive, but not terribly surprising. Many people who get drunk become victims of abuse, sexual and otherwise. 75% of the men and 55% of the women involved in date-rape situations were drinking or taking drugs just before the attack. The FBI says 50% of all rapes involve alcohol.

ii. There are more costs to drunkenness. In the United States 100,000 people die each year in alcohol-related deaths, while alcohol abuse costs the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Still, the average American television viewer sees 90,000 incidents of drinking on television by age 21 and 100,000 beer commercials by age 18.

2. Saw the nakedness of his father: Others think Ham’s only sin here was in seeing Noah’s drunken, uncovered state, and that he made fun of him, mocking him as a father and as a man of God.

i. Literally, the ancient Hebrew says that Ham “told with delight” what he saw in his father’s tent. He determined to mock his father and underminine his authority as a man of God.

So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” And he said: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.” Genesis 9:24-27

The curse of Canaan and it's history.

1. Knew what his younger son had done to him: This seems to indicate that whatever happened to Noah, it was more than one of his sons or grandsons seeing his nudity. This explains the strength of the curse.

2. Cursed be Canaan: It seems strange that if Ham sinned against Noah, that Canaan (Ham’s son) is cursed. Perhaps Canaan was also involved in this sin against Noah in a way not mentioned in the text. Perhaps the strongest punishment against Ham was for Noah to reveal prophetically the destiny of his son Canaan.

i. We can trust God is not punishing the son (Canaan) for the sin of the father (Ham). This goes against the heart and justice of God (Ezekiel 18:2-3). However, through Noah’s prophecy, God tells Ham what will happen to his son.

3. May Canaan be his servant: In earlier generations, prejudiced people regarded the descendants of Canaan as black people from Africa, and they used the curse on Canaan to justify slavery. But black people did not come from Canaan. Canaan was the father of the near-eastern peoples, most of who were conquered by Joshua when Israel took the Promised Land.

Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood. He lived 950 years, and then he died. Genesis 9:28-29

Noah dies.

Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood: Noah was a remarkable man who served God in his own generation. Yet his last years do not seem to match the glory of his first years.

i. "This is the last we hear of Noah that he was drunk and when he gains consciousness he curses his grandson, Canaan, for the sin of Ham. An interesting fact is that Noah lived for 58 years of Abraham's life. It is quite possible that Abraham could have heard the story of the flood from Noah, himself. According to the scriptures, Noah was about the third in longevity of the antediluvians and even though he lived after the flood when the canopy was removed from the earth; the decreasing of longevity seemed to be a gradual decline in their life spans." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

"The tenth chapter of Genesis . . . stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework . . . The Table of Nations remains an astonishing accurate document." (William F. Albright, cited in Boice)

Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Genesis 10:1-2

"From the following sixty descendants of the three sons of Noah will come all of the world’s races and language groups." (Courson)

The sons of Japheth: He was the father of the Indo-European peoples, those stretching from India to the shores of Western Europe. They are each linked by linguistic similarities that often seem invisible to the layman but are much more obvious to the linguist.

Present-day Germany.

Gomer: From this son of Japheth came the Germanic peoples, from whom came most of the original peoples of Western Europe. These include the original French, Spanish, and Celtic settlers.

Present-day Russia.

Magog . . . Tubal, Meshech: These settled in the far north of Europe and became the Russian peoples.

i. "Magog is present-day Russia. According to famed historian, Herodotus, ancient peoples universally recognized Russia as Magog. Even the Great Wall of China, erected to keep out the Russians, is called the Wall of Magog by the Chinese people. Magog will come into play in a key prophetic event—the invasion from the North into Israel (Ezekiel 38, 39)." (Courson)

ii. "Meshech is the ancient name for Moscow." (Courson)

Present-day Iran.

Madai: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Medes and they populated what are now Iran and Iraq. The peoples of India also came from this branch of Japheth’s family.

Present-day Greece.

Javan: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Greeks, whose sea-faring ways are described in Genesis 10:5

The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. Genesis 10:3

The sons of Gomer.

1. Ashkenaz: From this son of Gomer came the peoples who settled north of Judea into what we call the Fertile Crescent.

2. Togarmah: From this son of Gomer came the Armenians.

The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

"The sons of Javan (the ancient Greeks)." (Guzik)

The sons of Javan were: Geographic names that spring from these names in this chapter abound. Linguists have no trouble seeing the connection between Kittim and Cyprus, Rodanim and Rhodes, Gomer and Germany, Meschech and Moscow, Tubal and Tobolsk.

The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. Genesis 10:6

The descendants of Ham - Africa, Egypt, Babylon, Libya, & Ethiopia.

1. Ham: The descendants of Ham are the peoples who populated Africa and the Far East.

2. Cush: Apparently, this family divided into two branches early. Some founded Babylon (notably, Nimrod) and others founded Ethiopia.

i. "The word Nimrod means "rebel." The mighty hunter, before the LORD is not in a good sense. It is in a rebellious sense, against the LORD. Nimrod is the founder of the Babylonian Religious System and he became a dictator of the civilization that he established." (Smith)

3. Mizraim: This is another way the Bible refers to Egypt. Put refers to Libya, the region of North Africa west of Egypt. Canaan refers to the peoples who originally settled the land we today think of as Israel and its surrounding regions.

The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). Genesis 10:7-12

Saudi Arabia.

Sheba and Dedan "is present-day Saudi Arabia. Sheba and Dedan will pop up in Scripture again and again, especially in relation to Ezekiel 38, 39." (Courson)

Satan counterfeits the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection very early in the history of man through Nimrod's life.

1. Cush begot Nimrod: One son of Cush worthy of note is Nimrod. He was a mighty one on the earth, but not in a good way. He ruled over Babel, which was the first organized rebellion of humans against God. The name Nimrod itself means, “let us rebel.”

2. Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD: The context shows that this is not a compliment of Nimrod. The idea is that Nimrod was an offense before the face of God.

i. “This is not talking about Nimrod’s ability to hunt wild game. He was not a hunter of animals. He was a hunter of men - a warrior. It was through his ability to fight and kill and rule ruthlessly that his kingdom of the Euphrates valley city states was consolidated.” (Boice)

ii. A Jerusalem Targum says: “He was powerful in hunting and in wickedness before the Lord, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said to them, ‘Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod!’ Therefore it is said: ‘As Nimrod the strong one, strong in hunting, and in wickedness before the Lord.’ ”

iii. Ginzberg quotes from a Jewish legend: “The great success that attended all of Nimrod’s undertakings produced a sinister effect. Men no longer trusted in God, but rather in their own prowess and ability, an attitude to which Nimrod tried to convert the whole world.”

iv. “Hence it is likely that Nimrod, having acquired power, used it in tyranny and oppression; and by rapine and violence founded the domination which was the first distinguished by the name of a kingdom on the face of the earth. How many kingdoms have been founded in the same way, in various ages and nations from that time to the present! From the Nimrods of the earth, God deliver the world!” (Clarke)

v. "Nimrod had a wife whose name was Synaramis and she became known as "The Queen of Heaven." She had a son which she claimed to be virgin born and she named him Tamooz. He was being groomed to be the center of worship. One day while hunting, a wild boar gored him; he lay dead for three days and when he was found he revived. They celebrated his birth on the 25th of December. They would burn a Yule log on the fire until it was completely consumed, but in the morning a tree would appear, brightly decorated, in the home. It was an evergreen tree which was a symbol of perpetuated life. To celebrate his resurrection from being gored by the boar, they began to decorate eggs and to have a gay celebration in the Springtime which later became known as Ashtar, the Greek for Synaramis. The egg, again, is a symbol of continued life. We are shocked as we realize that these celebrations resemble very strongly those holidays that we hold year after year. The shocking thing is that we have no biblical base for our celebrations, but there is a very strong pagan base. We find that Satan established his counterfeit very early in the history of man there in Babylon and that is why Babylon has become synonymous with the false religious system in scripture typology. We realize that these Babylonian practices have become inculcated deeply within the structure of the church. The church has carried and promoted these practices. When Jesus addresses the church of Pergamos in Revelation; he declares his displeasure with some of the practices of the church. When he gets to Thyratira, who has fully incorporated these practices, Jesus comes down heavy upon them." (Smith)

vi. "It was during the period of Constantine that the church became the state religion; but, he sought to bring the pagan practices along with it and so, created the marriage of paganism and Christianity. Constantine took the practice of "Saturnalia" and incorporated it with the Christian calendar, calling it Christmas and celebrating the birth of Christ. This is what brought Babylon into the church. When Jesus speaks to the church of Sardis His complaint was they didn't pull completely away from the Babylonian practices. "...I have not found thy works perfect before God." (Rev.3:2b). Yes, you've pulled out of a system deeply steeped in Babylonian practices, but you didn't come all the way out. The Lord comes down heavy, in Chapter (17) of Revelation, on the Babylonian System that has invaded the church and he speaks of God's coming judgment against this system. It is quite fascinating to realize that Satan developed his own counterfeit to God's Plan, which he knew. It would seem that God had set His plan in the stars, which were set for signs and for seasons and that the Gospel is really there in the signs of the Zodiac; but, Astrology has become a perversion of that. This all came about at the time of Nimrod, who was one of the instigators of building the Tower of Babel to reach into Heaven. When the birth of Christ took place there were still men in the East, who could read the stars and they were brought from afar, to worship the child that was born, by these signs. There are many interesting books on the Zodiac and the message of the gospel in the Zodiac. If you are interested in a more detailed study of the origins, that we find in the 10th chapter of Genesis, there is a book "The Genesis Record" by Dr. Henry Morrison. It traces each one of Noah's sons national roots." (Smith)

Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. Genesis 10:13-19

The sons of Canaan - Lebanese and Asian people.

1. Canaan begot Sidon: The family of Sidon, the son of Canaan, went north and is related to the Hittites and Lebanese.

2. And the Sinite: Many people believe the Oriental peoples descended from the Sinites.

And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. Genesis 10:21-22

From the sons of Shem come the Persians, Assyrians, Lydians, & Arameans.

Children were born also to Shem: From Shem comes Elam, who was an ancestor to the Persian peoples; Asshur, who was the father of the Assyrians; Lud was father to the Lydians who lived for a time in Asia Minor; and Aram was father to the Arameans, who we also know as the Syrians. Arphaxad was the ancestor to Abram and the Hebrews.

The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. Genesis 10:23-30

The sons and descendants of Arphaxad.

1. Eber was the origin of the name of the Hebrews and the Hebrews were originally much more than the descendants of Abraham. (Smith)

2. All these were the sons of Joktan: The names under the son of Joktan (son of Eber, son of Salah, son of Arphaxad) are all associated with various Arabic peoples.

3. And Jobab: The one named Jobab may be the one we know as Job in the Old Testament.

4. For in his days the earth was divided: "There are those who believe that there was a second cataclysmic change that took place. Probably at the time of the Tower of Babel, not only were the languages mixed but the earth was divided. Thus, we find the records of the Indians in Central and South America going back to this time." (Smith)

These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. Genesis 10:31-32

A summary of the chapter.

a. “Hence one must consider this chapter of Genesis a mirror in which to discern that we human beings are, namely, creatures so marred by sin that we have no knowledge of our own origin, not even of God Himself, our Creator, unless the Word of God reveals these sparks of divine light to us from afar . . . This knowledge the Holy Scriptures reveal to us. Those who are without them live in error, uncertainty, and boundless ungodliness; for they have no knowledge about who they are and whence they came.” (Luther, cited in Boice)

 

[Chaplain]

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:1-4

Shinar is located in Iraq.

The land of Shinar: Shinar was a term used also of Babylon (Genesis 10:10). The multiplied descendants from the ark came together to build a great city and tower, in rebellion against God’s command to spread out over the earth (Genesis 9:1).

Bricks for making the Tower.

“Let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly” . . . they had asphalt for mortar: Using baked bricks and asphalt for mortar, men built a tower that was both strong and waterproof, even as Noah used the same material in waterproofing the ark (Genesis 6:14). Later Moses’ mother used the same material in waterproofing Moses’ basket (Exodus 2:3).

i. “Archaeology has revealed that this type of kiln-fired brick and asphalt construction was common in ancient Babylon.” (Morris)

ii. "Since they did not have a lot of stones to build with, there on the plains, they decided to make bricks. They made such good bricks that many of the structures, built at that time, are still standing today. In fact, there are those who believe they have found the Tower of Babel. After the confusion, mentioned here in Chapter 11, they went ahead and completed it. It was a ziggurat, which is, an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure, built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. The intention was to follow the Zodiac and to communicate with heaven or have understanding of the heavens. It was really a perversion of the astrological message that God had placed in the stars." (Smith)

The people of Babel were disobedient to God in two ways.

Come, let us build ourselves a city: The heart and the materials relevant to the tower of Babel show that it was not only disobedient to God’s command to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1), but it also shows man did not believe God’s promise to never again flood the earth. A waterproof tower was made to “protect” man against a future deluge.

i. This was a strong statement of self against God. When they said let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens, they meant it.

"The tower was actually a ziggurat, used for the pagan practice of astrological observation. Ancient tradition tells us ziggurats were also communication towers by which people were able to communicate with each other through the use of crystals." (Courson)

A tower whose top is in the heavens: The top of the tower was intended to be in the heavens. It is doubtful they thought they could build a tower to heaven. It is more likely they built the tower as an observation point of the heavens; it was built “unto the heavens.” Most astrological and occult practices have a history back to Babel.

i. If they really wanted to build a tower to reach heaven, it is unlikely they would start on the plain of Shinar, which is about Sea Level. Common sense says they would start on one of the a nearby mountains.

ii. This tower was real. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus said the tower of Babel still stood in his day and he had seen it.

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:5-9

Why would God stop the construction of Tower of Babel? "So soon after the flood, they had degraded into the worship of false gods. Babylon was the source of all false religions. As a result, the term Babylon is synonymous with a false religious system. In Revelation, Babylon is called the "mother of harlots." God saw that their minds were against Him and that they were seeking other gods." (Smith)

1. The LORD came down to see the city and the tower: The personal character of the language indicates this perhaps was a time when God came down in the form of a man, in the Person of Jesus Christ.

2. Let Us go down: This is another subtle reference to the Trinity.

3. Nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them: The potential of fallen man is terrible and powerful. When we think of the horrific accomplishments for evil of men in the 20th century, the great ability of men and nations is a painful consideration.

God steps in and confuses the peoples language. Why? God told humanity to repopulate the Earth. Instead, these people decided to stay in one place and rebel against God.

The LORD confused the language of all the earth: The division of the languages is a fascinating subject. Modern linguists know man did not invent language, any more than man invented his own circulatory or nervous system. Most modern linguists believe language is so unique that the only way they can explain it apart from God is to say that it was part of a unique evolutionary process.

i. Language can not be the product of man putting together sounds all by himself. For example, there are many universal human sounds (like the “raspberry” sound) that are not part of any human language. If man invented language on his own, it would make sense for some language to use that sound.

ii. Language is so complex because languages exist as whole systems, not as small parts put together. Most modern linguists believe all languages come from one original language.

God scatters them all over the world. Why? To continue His plan of bringing the Messiah into the world.

From there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth: Think what it was like for a family to leave the area of Babel and go out on their own. They must look for a suitable place to live, and once they found it, they must exist by hunting and gathering, living in crude dwellings or caves until they could support themselves by agriculture and taking advantage of the natural resources. Families would multiply rapidly, develop their own culture, and their own distinctive biological and physical characteristics influenced by their environment. In the small population, genetic characteristics change very quickly, and as the population of the group grew bigger, the changes stabilized and became more or less permanent.

i. The whole account of what happened at Babel with its anti-God dictator, its organized rebellion against God, and its direct distrust of God’s promise shows man hasn’t gotten any better since the flood. Time, progress, government, and organization have made man better off, but not better.

ii. Now God will begin to make man better, and He will start as He always starts: with a man who will do His will, even if he does not do His will perfectly.

Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. After the birth of Arphaxad, Shem lived another 500 years and had other sons and daughters. When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. After the birth of Shelah, Arphaxad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. After the birth of Peleg, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters. When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. After the birth of Reu, Peleg lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters. When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. After the birth of Serug, Reu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters. When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. After the birth of Nahor, Serug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters. When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. After the birth of Terah, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters. Genesis 11:10-25

From Shem to Terah, the father of Abram (Abraham).

"There are ten generations from Shem to Abraham and we find that Shem lived up to the time that Abraham was approximately fifty-eight years old. One interesting fact is that Shem lived to see his children to the ninth generation." (Smith)

Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Genesis 11:26-28

Abram (Abraham) is introduced.

Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram: Genesis 11:26 is the first mention of Abram. Abram (later changed to “Abraham”) is mentioned 312 times in 272 verses in the Bible. He is arguably the most famous man of the Old Testament, and certainly one of the most influential men of history.

i. The Book of Genesis covers more than 2,000 years and more than 20 generations. Yet, it spends almost a third of its text on the life of one man - Abram.

Abram was God's friend, we are also friends of God (John 15:15), & God will build us up in our faith.

Terah begot Abram: Abram is unique in the way he is called the friend of God (James 2:23); Abraham, Your friend forever (2 Chronicles 20:7); Abraham, My friend (Isaiah 41:8).

i. We all know the value of having friends in high places. Abram had a Friend in the highest place! Once Abraham Lincoln received a request for pardon from a man who deserted the army. When he was told the man had no friends, Lincoln said “I will be his friend,” and he pardoned him.

ii. Men and women in the Bible are famous for many different things, but Abram is great for his faith. Moses was the great lawgiver; Joshua a great general; David a great king, and Elijah a great prophet. Most of us know we can never be great in those things, but we can be great people of faith. We can be friends of God.

iii. If you despair in knowing you do not have Abram’s faith, take comfort in knowing you have Abram’s God. He can build in you the faith of Abram, because He built it in Abram himself.

iv. You do have faith. You buy a ticket to a sporting event and show up, having faith the ticket is good. You fly in an airplane because you have faith in the airline’s equipment, mechanics, and pilots. You plan a weekend based on the weather report. And you do this even though sometimes there are ticket scandals, sometimes planes crash, and sometimes the weatherman is wrong; but you still have faith. God can build the faith you have.

Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. Genesis 11:29-30

Why was Abram's wife unable to have children? Because God was going to use her barrenness to accomplish an amazing miracle later on.

1. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife Sari (her name means “contentious”) was barren, unable to bear children.

2. Abram’s wife was Sarai . . . she had no child: Because the name “Abram” means “Father,” it must have constantly amazed those meeting Abram to discover he had no children. But his present lack of children will play an important role in God’s plan of redemption.

And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. Genesis 11:31-32

Abram's idol worshiping background.

They went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan: So Abram’s story begins in Ur of the Chaldeans (Babylon). Joshua 24:2 describes Abram before the LORD called him. He was from a family of idol worshippers and was probably an idol worshipper himself (notwithstanding Jewish legends).

i. Abram came from a family of idol worshippers. Later, when Abram’s grandson Jacob went back to Abram’s relatives, they were still worshipping idols.

"Abram was supposed to leave his family in Ur and go to a land God would show him. Here, however, we see his father, Terah, leading the way." (Courson)

And they came to Haran and dwelt there: Acts 7:2-4 makes it clear the call of Genesis 12:1-3 came to Abram while he still lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. When he received this call from God he was only partially obedient, because he took his father Terah with him to Haran even though the LORD called him to go from Ur by himself.

Disobedience - One of the reasons believers feel empty at times.

Terah died in Haran: Sometimes we can gain meaning from names in the Bible. The name Terah means, “delay.” The name Haran means “parched, barren.” When Abram was in partial obedience, then delay and barrenness characterized his life. When we delay in drawing close to God we also experience barrenness.

 

[Chaplain]

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

God uses imperfect people to accomplish His plans.

Now the LORD had said to Abram: We know from Acts 7:2-4 that this promise was made to Abram before he left Ur of the Chaldeans (twenty-five years previously). Now that his father was dead and he was compelled to a more complete obedience, God repeated the promise.

i. Abram’s partial obedience did not take God’s promise away. Instead, it meant the promise was on “hold” until Abram was ready to do what the LORD said.

ii. Abram will certainly become a giant of faith, even being the father of the believing (Galatians 3:7); yet he did not start there. We will see Abram as an example of growing in faith and obedience.

iii. "When we come to the New Testament and we read of Abraham, he is given to us as the classic example of the man of faith. Faith is always marked by obedience. Abraham's faith is held up as an example to us. In the New Testament, the lapses and failure of his faith are not mentioned. In the New Testament, God overlooks the failures, the lapses of his faith, and only tells us of the triumphs of his faith. God wants to use each individual and He has given Abraham to us as an example of faith, even though he was imperfect." (Smith)

Did Abraham have freewill?

To a land I that I will show you: After stating He wanted Abram to leave his country and his relatives, God promised Abram a land. Specifically, God promised the land of greater Israel.

i. These are God’s promises; notice how often God says I will in these verses. Genesis chapter 11 is all about the plans of man. Genesis chapter 12 is all about the plans of God.

ii. "When God said, “Leave your country, leave your family, and follow Me,” Abram had a choice. He could either cling to his riches, religiosity, and respectability—or he could respond. Abram chose the latter, and in so doing, became the father of faith." (Courson)

God's promises were not predicated upon Abraham's works, but upon God's grace.

1. I will make you a great nation: God promised to make a nation from Abram. He will have enough children and grandchildren and further descendants to populate a nation.

2. And make your name great: God promised to bless Abram and to make [his] name great. There is probably no more honored name in history than the name of Abram, who is honored by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

i. "God said He would make Abraham's name great and to this day Abraham's name is great to the Jew, the Mohammedan and to the Christian. We all look back to Abraham as our father and the greatness of this man who believed and trusted in God. The three major religions of the world all honor and respect the man, Abraham." (Smith)

An evidence that God's Word is True.

I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you: God also promised He would bless those who bless you and to curse him who curses you. This remains true today and is a root reason for the decline and death of many empires.

i. “When the Greeks overran Palestine and desecrated the altar in the Jewish temple, they were soon conquered by Rome. When Rome killed Paul and many others, and destroyed Jerusalem under Titus, Rome soon fell. Spain was reduced to a fifth-rate nation after the Inquisition against the Jews; Poland fell after the pogroms; Hitler’s Germany went down after its orgies of anti-Semitism; Britain lost her empire when she broke her faith with Israel.” (Barnhouse)

ii. "It is interesting that every nation that has persecuted the Jew later goes into a decline. Spain, after the Inquisition, was reduced to a fifth rate nation; Rome soon fell after beginning to persecute the Jews; the Greek civilization, after defaming the temple, fell; and of course, Germany, of more recent history, fell from being a great power as a result of persecuting the Jews. I believe part of the blessing of the United States is that we have become a refuge to the persecuted Jew." (Smith)

iii. This is also one reason why the United States has been so blessed. The United States was one of the first modern nations to grant full citizenship and protection to Jewish people.

iv. This promise has also affected the church. The times when the church took upon itself the persecution of the Jewish people were dark times not only for the Jews, but also for the church.

"The blessing of Abraham is to come upon all the families of the earth and we are blessed today because of Jesus Christ, who was born of the seed of Abraham." (Smith)

In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed: Not only was Abram promised blessing, but God also promised to make him a blessing, even to the point where all the families of the earth would be blessed in Abram.

i. "What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith." (Galatians 3:8-9)

ii. And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9). The work of Jesus will touch every people group on the earth.

iii. Luther said the promise in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed should be written “in golden letters and should be extolled in the languages of all people,” for “who else . . . has dispensed this blessing among all nations except the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ?” (Boice)

So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12:4

Abraham is disobedient to God one more time.

1. And Lot went with him: This is partial obedience by Abram. God commanded him to go out from his kindred, and he brought his nephew Lot.

i. "God wasn’t mad at Abram—and He’s not mad at you. When your kids take their first steps, you don’t yell at them when they fall down. You celebrate their steps rather than berate their stumbling. God’s the same way. He knows this is how we learn to walk by faith. Take hope, stumbling saint, Abram was in a twenty-five-year slump, and God didn’t give up on him. God gives us a second chance and a third and a ninety-ninth. His mercy is new every morning. His grace is limitless." (Courson)

2. Lot went with him: Lot will not be a blessing to Abram. He will be nothing but trouble and inconvenience.

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. Genesis 12:5-9

Who does the West Bank, Gaza strip, and Golan Heights belong to?

1. Then the LORD appeared to Abram: Once Abram was in the land, God reminded him of His promise. The land Abram saw belonged to Abram and his descendants.

2. To your descendants I will give this land: Abram never owned any of this land except his burial plot (Genesis 23:14-20). Yet God’s promise was enough evidence to assure Abram that he did indeed own the whole country.

i. "Concerning possession of the West Bank, Gaza strip, and Golan Heights, God says, “They are Mine to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 32:13). I am giving the entire land to the Jews.” (Courson)

What was the purpose of building an altar to God?

And there he built an altar to the LORD: Abram thought this was important to do. The altar was important to Abram because it was a place to meet with God, to offer sacrifice for sin, to show submission to God, and to worship God.

i. Christians have an altar also (Hebrews 13:10). We meet with God at our own place where we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for sin (Ephesians 5:2), where we submit to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), and where we offer the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).

Why did Abraham never live in a house?

He pitched his tent: Even in the land God gave him, Abram never lived in a house - he lived in a tent. Tents are the home of those who are just passing through and do not put down permanent roots.

i. We too are to live like tent-dwellers, as pilgrims on this earth (1 Peter 2:11). We should live as people who have their permanent dwelling place in heaven, not on earth. Too many Christians want to build mansions on earth and think they would be happy with tents in heaven.

ii. A pilgrim is someone who leaves home and travels to a specific destination. A pilgrim isn’t a drifter; a pilgrim has a goal. Abram’s goal (and our goal) was God’s heavenly city (Hebrews 11:8-10, 14-16).

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. Genesis 12:10

Abraham fails again.

There was a famine in the land: Abram was not wrong for being concerned about famine and feeding his family, but Abram was wrong in thinking God would not provide for his needs in the place where God called him to live. After all, God called Abram to Canaan, not to Egypt.

i. Abram, like most of us, found it easier to trust God in the far-off promises than in the right-now needs.

God tested Abraham using the famine as the test. But Abraham failed the test, because he went down to Egypt instead of asking God for help.

Abraham went down to Egypt: When we are tested in this way, we often believe our actions are all right because no harm can come. Though God blesssed and protected Abram even in Egypt, he came away with excess baggage and a rebuke from a pagan king. Harm came.

i. The harm especially shows up later when a slave girl named Hagar - whom Sari received when in Egypt - is a source of great trouble to this family.

And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” Genesis 12:11-13

Abraham's lack of faith leads him into sinning.

I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance: We are first struck at Abram’s concern over his 60-year-old wife’s attractiveness to the Egyptians. This shows Sarai was not only a woman of particular beauty, but also that not every culture worships youthful appearance the way modern culture does.

i. The long life span of Abram and Sarai also explains her beauty. Since Abram lived to be 175 and Sarai to be 127, this was only middle age for her, perhaps corresponding to what we think of as her thirties.

ii. A Jewish legend says when Abram went into Egypt, he tried to hide Sarai in a casket. When Egyptian customs officials asked what he had in the casket, he said, “barley.” “No,” they said, “it contains wheat.” “Very well,” answered Abram. “I’ll pay the custom on wheat.” Then the officers said it contained pepper. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on pepper. Then the officers said it contained gold. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on gold. Then the officers said it contained precious stones. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on precious stones. By this time, the officers insisted on opening the casket. When they did, all of Egypt shined with the beauty of Sarai. These same legends say that in comparison to Sarai, all other women looked like monkeys. She was even more beautiful than Eve.

Abraham sins by giving a half-truth (being a false witness).

Please say you are my sister: This was in fact a half-truth. Sarai was Abram’s half sister (Genesis 20:12). Yet a half-truth is a whole lie. Abram’s intent here was clearly to deceive, and he trusted in his deception to protect him instead of trusting in the LORD.

i. If you want to do something wrong, you can find some good reasons to do it. If you can’t think of the reasons yourself, the devil is happy to suggest them.

ii. Ideally Abram would say, “God promised me children, and I don’t have them yet; therefore, I know I am indestructible until God’s promise is fulfilled, because God’s promises are always true.”

iii. "What is false witness? We see false witnesses in those who testified against Jesus. “This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days,” they said concerning Him (Matthew 26:61). While Jesus did indeed say that, their witness was false because they were giving the right information with the wrong implication. Jesus was talking about the temple of His body. Thus, as defined in the Bible, bearing false witness is not just lying. It’s giving the right information, but with the wrong implication. Sarai was Abram’s sister. But she was really his wife." (Courson)

So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. Genesis 12: 14-15

How the choices we make affect people in our lives.

The woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house: Understanding the place Abram and Sarai have in God’s redemptive plan, we realize how serious this is. God did not want Sari’s womb to be defiled by a gentile king, because the Messiah will come from her line of descendants.

He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. Genesis 12:16-20

"So, God was faithful, but Abraham wasn't. Abraham turned Sarai over to the Pharaoh, but God intervened and plagued the house of Pharaoh." (Smith)

He treated Abram well for her sake: God blessed Abram even when he didn’t do what he should. God continued to protect Abram, even when Abram acted like a liar. God did not call back His promise to Abram because the promise depended on God, not on Abram.

The Pharaoh rebukes Abraham for sinning.

What is this you have done to me? Sadly, a pagan king had to rebuke Abram. The king shows Abram if he trusted in God and told the truth, everything would have been all right.

i. But God is in the business of growing Abram into a man of great faith, and this requires circumstances where Abram must trust God. “Faith is not a mushroom that grows overnight in damp soil; it is an oak tree that grows for a thousand years under the blast of the wind and rain.” (Barnhouse)

ii. "When God finally writes the records of your faith, He will record only your triumphs. All your failures of faith will be buried. With Abraham, the word of God lasting forever, his failures will never be buried; but, God has buried your failures. God accounts us righteous in and through Jesus Christ. Our believing and trusting in Jesus, is counted to us for righteousness. Even as God accounted Abraham's faith for righteousness so does He account our faith for righteousness. Even though Abraham's faith was not perfect and ours is not yet perfected, when God makes His final accounting; He reckons that faithfulness to His promise and His work and blots out our sin and our failure. If you think that this is a license to live a shabby life, it's not. It's for that earnest struggling soul that's being condemned by the enemy for their failures and for their weaknesses. It's a word of encouragement for that person who is being beaten down by the enemy that God is faithful and will bless you because He is a gracious, loving, compassionate God. The blessings of God are a result of the grace of God and not a reward for your goodness." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Genesis 13:1-4

The consequences of Abram's sins.

To the place where his tent had been at the beginning: Even though Abram came back from Egypt with great riches, he returned to the same place as before. He was right back where he started. Essentially, Abram’s time in Egypt was wasted time. God could have and would have provided for his needs in Canaan.

i. Abram should not have used the blessing God brought to him in Egypt as a justification for going there. Even though God is great enough to bring good even when we disobey, there is still a cost to pay.

ii. Abram’s unbelief took him from his place of worship; it led him into sin, and caused him to lead others into sin. It made him more confident in his ability to lie than in the protecting power of God. It even broke apart his family for a while. Finally, even an ungodly king rightly rebuked him.

"Many times, there is a blessing in returning to that place where you first met God. Egypt had been a time of spiritual barrenness. That lack of faith that lead Abraham to turn to Egypt rather than depend on God to supply his necessities in the land, during the drought. It was not only a time of problems in a physical sense but, also, a time of spiritual dearth in Abraham's life and so he returns to Bethel and calls upon the Lord." (Smith)

To the place of the altar which he had made there at first: Yet, Abram also did what he should. Instead of torturing himself about his past sin, he got busy doing what he needed to do: living with the tent as a pilgrim and the altar as a worshipper, and calling on the name of the LORD.

i. The church has always had the challenge of what to do with believers who slip into sin and want to come back into the church. For example, in the third century, the heroes of the faith were the martyrs and the confessors, but there were also many “lapsed” believers who buckled under the threat of persecution. Some churches were too lax, admitting them back as if nothing happened. Some were too harsh, saying they could never come back to the church and be used of God. Most churches did the right thing: they allowed the lapsed back, but basically as beginners again, not pretending as if nothing happened.

ii. Here, Abram came back into the Promised Land basically as a beginner. He came back to Bethel, back with the tent and the altar, back doing what he should.

iii. God wants us to walk in our first love and our first works (Revelation 2:4-5).

Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. Genesis 13:5-7

"Lot is a man of sight and Abraham is a man of faith. Abraham could see that which was invisible, Lot always looked at that which was visible." (Smith)

1. Lot also, who went with Abram: God commanded Abram to leave his family behind when he came to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1), but Abram brought his nephew Lot along with him. Trouble like this was the result.

i. This conflict came now, when Abram did the right thing. When we get right with God, we can often expect attack from the devil.

2. There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock: Something had to be done about this strife between the estates of Abram and Lot, because they could not continue a conflict like this before the unbelieving inhabitants of Canaan.

i. When the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land, and saw the men of Abram and Lot fighting, they must have thought, “Oh, they’re just like us. They say they worship another God, a God they say is the true God, but I see they are really just like us.”

ii. “Many people will never listen to what any believer says because of what some believers are.” (Barnhouse)

3. Their possessions were so great: This is the first mention of wealth in the Bible. There was a great difference between the riches of Abram and the riches of Lot. They both had great wealth, but Lot’s wealth possessed him. Abram had great possessions, but they did not possess him.

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Genesis 13:8-9

Abram models one of the meanings of Love through his actions: "Love does not demand its own way." (1 Corinthians 13:5)

1. Is not the whole land before you? Since Abram was the eldest, and gave all the land to Abram (not to Lot), it was pure generosity on Abram’s part that caused him to make this offer to Lot.

2. If you take the left, then I will go to the right: Abram was able to fight when the occasion demanded it. He did not yield to Lot out of weakness, but out of love and trust in God. A few acres of grazing land didn’t seem worth fighting for to a man with an eternal perspective.

i. God was glorified when Paul, out of love, waived his right to be supported by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14-18). God was glorified when Jesus, out of love, waived his right to an existence which knew no human suffering or trial by experience (Philippians 2:5-11).

ii. Abram fulfilled the New Testament principle of love: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

"George Washington said, “When there is an elder man and a younger man in the same room, the elder man should never mention it, but the younger man should never forget it.” I like that! Abram doesn’t mention the fact that he is the elder, the leader, but Lot chooses to forget it. Abram nonetheless demonstrates hugeness of heart and dignity of character." (Courson)

If you go to the right, then I will go to the left: Right or left, Abram knew he could trust God. He did it because he learned God would provide for his needs, and he did not have to worry about being too generous. Abram knew whatever Lot chose God would make sure Abram came out all right.

i. In Egypt, Abram thought he had to take his fate into his own hands. He had to look out for “number one.” Now, he is wiser and is willing to let God look out for his interests. Right or left, it didn’t matter to Abram, because God would be there.

ii. Because he trusted in God, Abram did not have to be obsessed with his own “rights” and neither do we. The only right we truly have is the right to go to hell. Everything else is the free gift of God and has nothing to do with our “rights.”

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. Genesis 13:10-13

Lot makes a choice based off of "the lust of the eyes." (1 John 2:16)

Like the garden of the LORD: Lot made his choice purely based on what he could see with his eyes. He cares only for the material abundance of the land, and cares nothing for how it will impact him and his family spiritually.

i. As much as anything, faith means we do not walk by what we see, but by what we know to be true in God: For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Abram was walking by faith; Lot was walking only by sight.

ii. "Lot was worldly in desires. He lifted up his eyes, but not high enough. He didn’t lift his eyes to heaven and say, “Lord, show me the best place for me and my family.” Instead, he lifted up his eyes only high enough to check out the financial possibilities and the greenest pastures. Lot saw a good place to raise cattle, but failed to see that it would be a lousy place to raise kids because he fixed his gaze short of heaven." (Courson)

"Oh, how the lust of our eyes gets us in trouble. Looking down and seeing the beautiful plain of Jordan, Lot pitched his tent toward this wicked, sinful city. First he moved towards it, then he moved into it and then he became a principal of Sodom. Sin is like leprosy. It is a continual gradual process of expansion. One little area in your life and it will grow and expand, corrupting as it grows." (Smith)

Pitched his tent even as far as Sodom: It is only this far for now, but later Lot will become a leader of this sinful city. Valuing only the things that can be seen will increase his wealth temporarily, but Lot will lose it all.

i. Of course Lot thought, “I can serve God as well there as here. They probably need a witness.” But he was deceiving himself. Beware of our ability to deceive ourselves! The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

ii. “In the end, he who sought this world lost it, and he who was willing to give up anything for the honour of God found it.” (Maclaren)

iii. It wasn’t Lot’s choice that led his heart astray. His heart was already astray, and it was demonstrated by his choice.

And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are; northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Genesis 13:14-15

"God promises the land to Abram and to his descendants forever." (Guzik)

1. After Lot had separated from him: God wanted to talk to Abram alone after Lot had left. This was a promise made to Abram, not to Abram’s nephew.

i. This promise of the land had been made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). God is now repeating this promise.

2. All the land which you see I give to you: God also wanted to remind Abram that even though Abram had been generous enough to “give” some of the land to Lot, God still said the land belonged to Abram.

“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.” Genesis 13:16

"God reminds Abram of His promise to give Abram many descendants." (Guzik)

1. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth: This was quite a promise to make to a childless man in his 70’s or 80’s, but Abram knew to walk by faith and not by sight.

i. "This is speaking in a figurative sense. The idea being that it can not be numbered. Some have estimated that there are a billion, billion grains of sand upon the earth and others have estimated that there are ten to the twenty-fifth power grains of sand. That many people stacked on top of one another would probably reach out to the Andromeda Galaxy. Because of the promise that there would be so many descendants that you would not be able to number them, when David decided to take a census of the children of Israel; it offended God. God said He was going to make it without number and David sought to number the people of Israel and brought the plague on Israel as a result of that census. Remember how the plague was stopped at the threshing floor of Ornan. Today the Orthodox Jews have a great compunction against numbering. If a case comes up that something has to be numbered, instead of saying, one, two, three; they will say, not one, not two, not three. In this way they are not really numbering." (Smith)

2. Your descendants: Again, this promise of many descendants was made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). To assure Abram, God repeats the promise.

“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD. Genesis 13:17-18

God wants each of us to step out in faith.

1. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you: As a token of Abram’s reception of the land by faith, God wants Abram to explore the land of promise, to walk through it as if it were his, though he does not have “title deed” to it yet.

i. In the same way, God wants us to explore our “land of promise,” His Word, where God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4), where He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He wants us to walk through this “land,” possessing it by faith.

ii. "The idea is the appropriation of it. God gave it and now He wants Abraham to claim it by faith. God gives us His promises but it's important that we then step out and appropriate the promises of God and claim them by faith. When Joshua came into the land some four hundred years later, God said, "I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you..." (Joshua 1:3). Everytime you step out and claim the promises of God, they are yours; but, they are not yours until appropriated by faith." (Smith)

2. Dwelt by the terbinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron: The name Mamre means, “vision.”; Hebron means “communion.” Abram is once again walking in the LORD’s vision for him and in communion with the LORD.

3. And built an altar there to the LORD: Abram built another altar. He lived life in constant awareness of the need for a sacrificial atonement and covering.

 

[Chaplain]

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar. And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Genesis 14:1-10

"The four kings of the cities in the region of Sodom and Gomorrah rebel against the confederation of five kings of nations ruling over them." (Guzik)

1. Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked: Archaeologist Nelson Glueck documents the destruction left by these kings: “I found that every village in their path had been plundered and left in ruins, and the countryside was laid waste. The population had been wiped out or led away into captivity. For hundreds of years thereafter, the entire area was like an abandoned cemetery, hideously unkempt, with all its monuments shattered and strewn in pieces on the ground.”

2. In the thirteenth year they rebelled: "This is the first mention of the number thirteen, in the Bible, and it is interesting that it is mentioned in the act of rebellion. Thirteen becomes the number of rebellion in the scriptures; also, it is the number of Satan. The numeric value of the names for Satan in both Greek and Hebrew are always divisible by thirteen. That is why the number thirteen is used so much in the realm of spiritism today." (Smith)

3. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits: The Hebrew here is a good example of how the language uses repetition to show emphasis. “The Hebrew way of saying full of bitumen pits is: pits, pits of bitumen. Repetition expresses abundance, plenitude, etc.” (Leupold)

Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Genesis 14:11-12

The five kings capture Lot and take all his possessions.

1. They also took Lot: Now, the confederacy of five kings has involved Abram. Because Abram is a man of honor, he will fight for his nephew.

2. And his goods: Since Lot was living among the wicked people of Sodom, we are not surprised he is taken captive also. “Those believers who conform to the world must expect to suffer for it.” (Spurgeon)

Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Genesis 14:13-14

What does the word "Hebrew" mean?

Abraham the Hebrew: This is the first use of Hebrew in the Bible. “The word Hebrew comes from a root that means passed over. The Septuagint translates it the passenger.” (Barnhouse)

We "can get an idea of the vastness of the wealth of Abraham, when he is able to arm three hundred and eighteen servants who had been born in his house and trained for battle. The scripture says he was very rich and so many servants were needed to take care of his goods. God had blessed Abraham and he was extremely prosperous." (Smith)

1. He armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants: We see the great wealth of Abram; any man who can assemble 318 servants capable of fighting must be very rich.

2. Trained servants: Abram was a man who walked in faith, yet he was also a prudent man. Abram kept his own personal army, and he apparently kept them trained and ready to defend his interests.

3. Went in pursuit as far as Dan: Abram’s army pursues the confederacy of five kings far a long distance to the north. The city of Dan is all the way up at the northern border of Israel.

He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Genesis 14:15-17

"Abram leads his army to victory over the five kings." (Guzik)

1. He divided his forces against them by night: Abram had military wisdom. Using the clever tactic of a night attack with his army split into two groups, he succeeds in rescuing Lot and recovering all the booty seized by the confederacy of the five kings.

2. Also brought back his brother Lot and his goods: Unfortunately, Lot will move right back to where he was in Sodom. He refuses this warning from God, and he will eventually lose everything when Sodom and Gomorrah are judged.

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. Genesis 14:18-20

Melchizedek's background.

Then Melchizedek: We have no idea of where Melchizedek came from, how he came to be in Canaan, how he came to be a worshipper and priest of the true God, and how Abram came to know about him. We only know he was there.

Who is Melchizedek?

Melchizedek king of Salem: The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” He is the king of Salem, and Salem is the original Jerusalem, and Melchizedek is the priest of God Most High. He is a worshipper and priest of the true God, ruling over Jerusalem even in those ancient times.

i. One thing making Melchizedek unique is he is both a king and a priest. History shows how dangerous it is to combine religious and civic authority. God forbade the kings of Israel to be priests and the priests to be kings (In 2 Chronicles 26:16-26, King Uzziah tried to do the work of priest, and God struck him with leprosy), but here is an exception.

ii. And Melchizedek is the priest of God Most High. El Elyon means “Highest God,” like saying “Supreme Being.” We should never settle for a “higher power”; we should serve the Highest Power.

"Two thousand years before Christ came to die for our sin, Melchizedek brings a symbol of His death—bread and wine, the elements of Communion." (Courson)

Brought out bread and wine: Melchizedek served Abram bread and wine. Perhaps he even served them in a manner looking forward to our redeeming sacrifice, as the bread and wine of Passover and the Lord’s table look at our redeeming sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

Is Melchizedek an Old Testament appearance of Christ (a Christophany)?

He was the priest of God Most High: Melchizedek, as priest, did two things. He blessed Abram and he blessed God. Melchizedek shows a priest must connect with both God and man and has a ministry to both God and man.

i. Though Melchizedek seems like an obscure figure, he figures to be a very important Old Testament person. Psalm 110:4 says the priesthood of the Messiah is a priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, as opposed to being of the order of Aaron. Hebrews chapters 5 through 7 makes a great deal of this idea.

ii. Hebrews 7:3 describes Melchizedek as without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Because of this passage, some have thought Melchizedek is actually a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Jesus.

iii. Others have suggested he is Seth, Noah’s son, or Job, or an angel; or even some have fancifully speculated Melchizedek is an outer-space visitor, an “unfallen Adam” from another planet, sent to observe the progress of God’s work of redemption for this fallen race.

iv. “The question cannot be said to be settled completely . . . otherwise, the identity of Melchizedek would have been agreed on by Bible scholars long ago.” (Morris) But we can, at the very least, say he was a remarkable type or picture of Jesus.

The first mention of the word "tithe" in the Bible.

And he gave him a tithe of all: Abram gave unto the LORD, through Melchizedek, a tithe of all. This refers to one tenth of his assets, not his income.

i. It is almost as if Abram and Melchizedek worked to see who could bless the other more. Melchizedek blessed Abram out of his resources, and Abram blessed Melchizedek out of his resources. This is a great attitude for us to have in the body of Christ.

Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’; except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Genesis 14:21-24

Abram "didn't want any man to take credit for what God had done and was going to do in his life." (Smith)

1. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons": The Hebrew word translated “persons” is literally “souls.” As he still does today, the king of Sodom—a picture of Satan—says, “Help yourself to the toys and trinkets. I want the souls.” (Courson)

2. Take the goods for yourself: As seemed proper, the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abram for all he did in recovering what was taken by the confederation of five kings, and he offered Abram a tremendous amount of booty.

3. I will take nothing: Yet, Abram will not take it - because of a vow he has made to God Most High - a phrase he uses after hearing Melchizedek use this particular title for God (Genesis 14:19).

4. Lest you should say, “I have made Abram rich”: Abram refused the spoil because he would let no man say a man had made Abram rich. Abram demanded all the credit go to God and God alone.

i. When we are willing to pursue human measures of success in the flesh through worldly, fleshly methods, how can we really say God has given success, if it should come? How much better to let God raise you up, so He gets the glory, and so you know it was His work.

5. Let them take their portion: However, at the same time, Abram does not impose his scruples on his Amorite allies (Genesis 14:13). They are entitled to as much of the spoil as is appropriate.

 

[Chaplain]

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Genesis 15:1

How does God speak to us in our day and age?

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram: How does the word of the LORD come to us? In the Bible, it happened in many different ways: by a personal appearance of God, by an audible voice, by visions or dreams, by the ministry of angels, by the working of the Spirit of God upon the mind, by the making alive of a passage of Scripture to our hearts, or by the ministry of a prophet or preacher.

God encourages Abram and tells him not to be afraid.

1. Do not be afraid . . . I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward: There was a good reason why God said this. Because Abram had just defeated a much larger army, from a confederation of five kings, he had reason to be afraid for his security. An attack of retribution was to be expected.

i. "If we would only understand that the person who possesses the Lord, possesses the resources that can never be diminished. How sad, the person who relies upon his own strength. Though he be the strongest man in the world, his strength is still limited. How blessed the man, who is going to trust in the strength of the Lord, no matter how weak he is. He is never without strength if he is trusting in the Lord. That's the whole idea: The Lord is my strength, The Lord is my keeper." (Smith)

2. Your shield . . . your reward: Abram needed a shield because he was expecting to be attacked. He needed reward because he had just forfeited great reward offered from the king of Sodom.

i. God is telling Abram that though he has sacrificed for His sake, he will not be the loser for it. God will more than make up what Abram has given up for the LORD.

ii. God knows how to become the answer to our need. When we need a shield or a reward, He becomes those things for us.

3. Do not be afraid: So God told Abram this because he was afraid, and afraid for good reason. But God will give him a reason to put away his fears. God never tells us do not be afraid without giving us a reason to put away our fears.

But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” Genesis 15:2-3

Abram is honest with God, and asks God questions based out of his own doubts.

1. Lord GOD, what will You give me: Though certainly Abram appreciated the promise from God, at the same time, there was a sense in which it seemed to ring hollow in Abram’s ears. It was as if Abram said, “What good is it that You are my shield and reward? The only thing I’ve ever wanted with any passion in my life is a son! Where are the descendants You promised me?”

i. It is almost as if Abram meant, “LORD, You’ve given me lots of stuff, and now promise to give me more, and to protect me. But what good is it if I don’t have a descendant to give it to? I want the son You promised me!”

ii. Eliezer of Damascus was Abram’s chief assistant, his right-hand man. He was a good man, but not a son to Abram.

2. Look, You have given me no offspring: Abram’s bold honesty before the LORD is worthy of our imitation. Instead of bottling up his feelings, he lays them out before the LORD.

3. No offspring: Did Abram’s question mean he doubted God? Yes. But there is a difference between a doubt that denies God’s promise and a doubt which desires God’s promise. Abram wants to believe and is looking to God to strengthen his faith.

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Genesis 15:4-5

God responds to Abram's doubt by reminding him of the original promise He told him.

1. This one shall not be your heir: God reminds Abram of the promise originally recorded in Genesis 12:2 and 13:15-16. God does this because He knows how much we need to be reminded.

2. One who will come from your own body shall be your heir: God often states a promise with such certainty, we believe it will be fulfilled right away, but the fulfillment of this promise was still 15 years away.

i. No wonder the writer to the Hebrews says: "Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance." (Hebrews 6:11-12)

3. From your own body: God explained exactly what He meant in His promise to Abram. He meant that it wasn’t a spiritual descendant who would inherit the promise (such as Eliezer), but an actual flesh-and-blood descendant. This was necessary, because we sometimes misunderstand God’s promises.

4. Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them: God not only tells Abram the promise again, but He confirms it with an illustration: the stars in the sky show how vast the number of Abram’s descendants would be.

i. And one of those descendants would be the Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:6

"Abram’s response of faith to God’s promise." (Guzik)

And he believed in the LORD: When Abram put his trust in God, specifically in God’s promise to him (descendants who would also produce the Messiah), God credited this belief to Abram’s account as righteousness.

i. There are essentially two types of righteousness: righteousness we accomplish by our own efforts, and righteousness accounted to us by the work of God when we believe.

ii. Since none of us can be good enough to accomplish perfect righteousness, we must have God’s righteousness accounted to us by doing just what Abram did: he believed in the LORD.

iii. God’s accounting is not pretending. God does not account to us a pretended righteousness, but a real one in Jesus Christ.

The gospel in the Old Testament: How were Old Testament believers saved, and is their salvation different than a Christians salvation?

1. And He accounted it to him for righteousness: This is one of the clearest expressions in the Bible of the truth of salvation by grace, through faith. This is the first time believe is used in the Bible; this is the first time righteousness is used in the Bible. It is the gospel in the Old Testament, quoted four times in the New Testament.

i. Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Romans 4:1-3)

ii. Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!(Romans 4:9-10)

iii. And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4:19-24).

iv. I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. (Galatians 3:5-7)

2. He accounted it to him for righteousness: Romans 4:9-10 makes much of the fact this righteousness was accounted to Abram before he was circumcised (Genesis 17). No one could say Abram was made righteous because of his obedience or fulfillment of religious law or ritual. It was faith and faith alone that caused God to account Abram as righteous.

i. “When the article of justification has fallen, everything has fallen . . .. This is the chief article from which all other doctrines have flowed . . .. It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot exist for one hour.” (Luther, cited in Boice)

What is the difference between "believing in God," and "believing God"?

He believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness: The faith making Abram righteous wasn’t so much believing in God (as we usually speak of believing in God), as it was believing God. Those only believing in God (in the sense of believing He exists) are merely qualified to be demons (James 2:19).

Then He said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” Genesis 15:7-8

Abram doubts God again even though God just saved him.

1. Then He said to him: We don’t know if the events beginning with Genesis 15:7 followed close upon what happened in Genesis 15:1-6; the flow of the text seems to indicate they did.

2. After God makes such a dramatic and solemn statement like I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it, how could Abram answer God by essentially saying, “prove it”?

i. How could Abram ask “How shall I know that I will inherit it,” when God had just accounted him righteous? Abram is experiencing what many of those who are accounted righteous experience. It is as if he says, “I believe when I hear God say it, but five minutes later, I’m not sure!”

ii. Remember, Abram had no title deed to the land, nothing to make anyone else believe he actually owned the land. All he had was the promise of God.

 

[Chaplain]

So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Genesis 15:9-11

God assures Abram's doubts with a contract, and the symbolism behind the contract.

1. Verse 9 reads more like a shopping list for a witch doctor than something the LORD would ask for. Is God going to concoct some strange potion that will remove all doubt from Abram?

2. But Abram knew exactly what to do with these animals: he cut them in two . . . and placed each piece opposite the other. Abram understood God was telling him to get a contract ready for signing.

i. In those days, contracts were made by the sacrificial cutting of animals, with the split carcasses of the animals lying on the ground. Then both parties to the covenant would walk through the animal parts together, repeating the terms of the covenant. The LORD made a covenant in Genesis 15:18 is literally, “the LORD cut a covenant.”

ii. Jeremiah 34:18-20 makes reference to this same practice of a covenant made by cutting animals and repeating the oath of the covenant as one walks through the animal parts.

iii. The symbolism was plain: first, this is a covenant so serious it is sealed with blood; second, if I break this covenant, let this same bloodshed be poured out on my animals and me!

iv. There is no mistake about it: when Abram has his doubts, and wants assurance from the LORD, God says to him plainly, “let’s sign a contract and settle this once for all.”

3. As Abram waits for the LORD to appear and walk through the carcasses with him (to sign the covenant), God doesn’t come right away, but the vultures do.

i. Abram fully expects God to come down and walk through the animal parts with him, because God had previously appeared to him (Genesis 12:7).

ii. "The fowls were vultures which are always a sign of evil in the scripture. Remember the seed that was sown by the wayside and the birds came. We are told in Mark, chapter four, "And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts." So here the bird is Satan that plucked up the seed that it could not bring forth." (Smith)

Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:12-16

Abram falls asleep.

At the end of the day, God has still not appeared to walk through the animal parts with Abram. Instead, God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Abram. Apparently, at least part of what follows came to Abram in a dream while he was under this deep sleep.

God tells Abram about his decedents living in Egypt in the future.

1. Know certainly: Abram wanted concrete proof from God, and God will sign the covenant; but Abram should also know he will have land and descendants, but all will not go well with them at all times. Now he knows some dreadful news for certain.

2. Specifically, God tells Abram of the slavery and hardship Israel will endure in Egypt (Exodus 1:1-14), yet they would, after four generations, come back into the Promised Land.

i. "The LORD is telling Abraham that his descendants are going to go down to Egypt and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. We know, from the Book of Exodus, that the sojourn in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. There are those people who are always looking for some contradiction in the Bible. Aha! I found one. Read carefully and it says they will be afflicted four hundred years. The first thirty years they had good treatment because Joseph was next to the Pharaoh in command. It wasn't until after Joseph died that they began to be afflicted." (Smith)

ii. "How long is a biblical generation? Here, in this passage, it is one hundred years. If you go to the genealogical records, you will find that Levi, one of the sons of Jacob, was in Egypt. Moses is the fourth generation from Levi and so, just as the LORD said to Abraham in the fourth generation; they shall come back into the land again. As they come back, they are going to wipe out the Amorites; but, the time for the judgment of the Amorites was not fulfilled at the time of Abraham." (Smith)

And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:17-21

"When Abram awoke, he saw that the meat on either side of him was barbequed. God had been there—not meeting Abram halfway as was the custom—but walking the entire length alone." (Courson)

As Abram is either asleep or perhaps still groggy from the deep sleep he had been under, he sees God do an amazing thing: pass through the animal parts all by Himself, while Abram watches on the sidelines.

"God represents Himself by two emblems: a smoking oven and a burning torch." (Guzik)

1. The smoking oven reminds us of the pillar of cloud representing the presence of God (Exodus 13:21-22), the smoke on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18), and the cloud of God’s Shekinah glory (1 Kings 8:10-12).

2. The burning torch reminds us of the pillar of fire representing the presence of God (Exodus 13:21-22), of the burning bush displaying the presence of God before Moses (Exodus 3:4), and of the fire from heaven which sometimes consumed sacrifices God was well pleased with (1 Kings 18:38, 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Chronicles 7:1).

What does it mean that Abram never “signed” the contract, but that God “signed” it for both of them?

1. God, represented by the smoking oven and the burning torch, passed through the animal parts by Himself; as Abram watched, God showed this was a unilateral covenant. Abram never “signed” the covenant, because God “signed” it for both of them.

i. Therefore, the certainty of the covenant God makes with Abram is based on who God is, not on who Abram is or what Abram does. This covenant cannot fail, because God cannot fail.

ii. In a sense, the Father walked through the broken and bloody body of Jesus to establish His covenant with us, and God signed it for both of us. We merely enter into the covenant by faith; we don’t make the covenant with God.

2. By entering into this contract, there is a sense in which God was saying, “If I don’t keep My word, let Me be put asunder.” God was putting His Deity on the line as a confirmation of His oath to Abram.

i. This covenant God signed alone; Abram did not haggle with God over the terms. God established and Abram accepted. Abram cannot break a contract he has never signed!

ii. “A Divine covenant is not a mutual agreement on equal terms between two parties, but a Divine promise assured.” (Maclaren)

3. By quoting the specific lands Abram’s descendants will inherit, God makes it plain this is not a “pie in the sky” spiritual promise. It is real, and through it, Israel will inherit real land.

i. “For a very brief time, under Solomon (1 Kings 8:65) and possibly again under Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), the children of Israel ruled all this territory, as a token of the final and permanent possession they will have in the future.” (Morris)

 

[Chaplain]

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Genesis 16:1-2

Abram's previous sins come back to hurt him and his wife.

She had an Egyptian maidservant: Hagar was undoubtedly part of what Abram received during his time in Egypt (Genesis 12:16).

i. "Remember when Abraham went down into Egypt because of the famine in the land? He shouldn't have done that, because, it was a lapse of faith. He didn't have confidence that God could sustain him in the land; so, he went down to Egypt. He came back stained and marked. One of the things that they picked up in Egypt was a handmaiden for Sarah, Hagar, the Egyptian." (Smith)

Abram's wife Sarai assumes God needs help in fulfilling His promise.

Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her: Sarai encouraged Abram to take part in what was essentially a “surrogate mother” arrangement in that day. According to custom, the child would be considered to be the child of Abram and Sarai, not Abram and Hagar.

i. "Sarah suggested the use of Hagar, the handmaiden, as a means by which they could help God perform His promise. They find themselves in the position of seeking natural means to accomplish the purposes of God. Many times I have put myself in the position of God's little helper, to give Him opportunity to work. I give Him a time deadline. Lord, if you don't do it by this time, I will be forced to do something myself. Here we find Sarah saying, "Look Abraham, let's give up, it's not going to happen." Let's help God, you know, He needs our help now." (Smith)

Instead of asking her husband to pray with her and ask God for wisdom, she tells Abram and they make the decision without God's blessing.

And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai: Sarai did something that goes against the nature of wives - to give another woman to her husband. She probably did this because she knew the promise of God (that Abram would be the father of many nations), yet she thought she was the problem with God’s promise being fulfilled. So in an effort to “help God out,” she allowed her husband make her servant pregnant.

i. Ginzberg quotes a Jewish tradition saying that before they came to live in the Promised Land, Abram and Sarai regarded their childlessness as punishment for not living in the land. But now they had been in the land for ten years, and they still had no children. Sarai probably felt it was time to do something. After all, doesn’t “God help those who help themselves”?

ii. Even though this early form of “surrogate motherhood” was common and accepted in that day, it doesn’t mean it was right. God is clearly not leading Abram and Sarai.

Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Genesis 16:3-4

Why does God take so long in delaying his promises? God delays because he wants us to exercise our muscles of faith, and grow to become people who live by God's Word and not by what we feel.

After Abram dwelt ten years in the land: It had been more than ten years since the promise was made regarding Abram’s descendants. By most accounts, ten years seems like a long time to wait for the promise of God.

i. The long waiting for the promise discouraged them and made them vulnerable to acting in the flesh. Yet, even after this, it would still be more than 13 years until the child of promise came.

ii. When we impatiently try to “help God out” in the flesh, it accomplishes nothing and may even prolong the time until the promise is fulfilled. Jacob had to live as an exile for 25 years because he thought he had to “help God out” to get his father’s blessing. Moses had to tend sheep for 40 years in the desert after he tried to “help God out” by murdering an Egyptian.

iii. It is much better to receive God’s help than to try and help Him out in the flesh. “Those who are truly zealous for God frequently reach for fruit without first dying. Unfortunately much Christian work is done in this way, and while there is conception, the child that is born can never be the heir. Christian work that is done merely through the zeal of human effort without counting the body as dead, and Sarai as good as dead, may produce great revival campaigns with but a few genuinely saved, large church memberships with many tares among the wheat.” (Barnhouse)

What was the the ancient practice of surrogate-adoption?

b. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived: Abram was certainly in the flesh when he agreed to inseminate Hagar and not trusting in God’s ability to provide an heir through Sarai. But this wasn’t a matter of a sensual romance. According to the custom of the day, Hagar would actually sit on the lap of Sarai as Abram inseminated her, to show that the child would legally belong to Sarai, as Hagar was merely a substitute for Sarai.

i. We understand this from the similar occassion of using a servant as a surrogate mother in the case of Rachel’s giving of Bilhah to Jacob when Rachel was barren. In that context, Genesis 30:3 reads: So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”

ii. The phrase “bear a child on my knees” refers to the ancient practice of surrogate-adoption. Some believe that the phrase refers only to a symbolic placement of the child on the knees of one who adopts it. Others believe that it refers to the surrogate sitting on the lap of the adoptive mother during both insemination and birth. For example, referring to Genesis 30:3 the Twentieth Century Bible Commentary says: “These words are probably intended literally, and not merely as figurative adoption.”

iii. We should not regard the idea that Hagar was inseminated and gave birth “on the knees” of Sarai as a certainty - we don’t know enough about the ancient practice, and even if it were an ancient custom it doesn’t mean that it was followed in every case. But it certainly is a reasonable possibility.

What would it mean that Hagar was able to conceive and Sarai couldn't?

And she conceived: Then the worst thing from Sarai’s perspective happened - Abram succeeded in inseminating Hagar. This proved beyond all doubt the problem was in Sarai, not in Abram, and it also could make people think Hagar was “more of a woman” and more blessed than Sarai.

Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me.” So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” Genesis 16:5-6a

How Sarai's lack of faith, the choices she made apart from God, now give birth to sin in herself and others.

1. I became despised in her eyes: Hagar’s contempt for Sarai started the problem. She couldn’t resist displaying an inappropriate haughtiness, thinking her pregnancy somehow showed her to be better than Sarai.

2. My wrong be upon you! Sarai blamed the whole situation on Abram, and for good cause. He should have acted as the spiritual leader and told his wife God was able to perform what He promised, and they didn’t need to try to “help God out” in the works of the flesh.

Abram chooses to be selfish, and washes his hands of Sarai's problems.

Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please: Abram seemed to make a bad situation worse by turning the situation over to Sarai and not taking care of the child he is father to. Yet, in this, he also puts his relationship with Sarai first, and that is good.

i. These terribly complicated and difficult situations often arise out of our sin. All in all, it is much easier to live life trusting in the LORD. God wants to spare us from these difficulties.

And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” Genesis 16:6b-9

God tells Hagar to return to Sarai.

1. She fled from her presence: As Hagar escaped this difficult situation the Angel of the LORD (here, the pre-incarnate presence of Jesus) met her by a spring of water in the wilderness.

i. We can assume that this was God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, appearing to Abraham before His incarnation and birth at Bethlehem. We assume this because of God the Father it says, No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18), and no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father (1 Timothy 6:16). Therefore, if God appeared to someone in human appearance in the Old Testament (and no one has seen God the Father) it makes sense the appearance is of the eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, before His incarnation in Bethlehem.

2. Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand: God tells Hagar to do something very difficult: go back to her terrible situation and to submit herself to Sarai. We can suppose that Hagar might get very different counseling from many counselors today.

Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 16:10-12

How Abram and Sarai's decision to “help God out” gave birth to the Arabic's.

1. I will multiply your descendants exceedingly: God has great plans for Hagar’s child. He will become a great nation. Indeed, Ishmael will become the father of all the Arabic peoples.

i. Today’s battle between Jew and Arab is nothing new. Both Jews and Arabs are descended from Abram by two half-brothers: Ishmael and the son to come later from Abram and Sarai, to be named Isaac.

ii. The entire conflict can be traced back to Abram’s decision to “help God out” in the flesh, both when he agreed to inseminate Hagar, and when he went to Egypt to begin with. The effects of our sin may reach far beyond what we ever imagined.

2. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him: Her child’s life will not be easy, but God will still bless and sustain him. God’s dealing with Hagar gives us hope. God sees our suffering and desires to touch our life when we suffer.

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. Genesis 16:13-16

Hagar returns to Abram and Sarai, and gives birth to Ishmael.

1. You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees: Hagar knew this was no mere angel who appeared to her. The Angel of the LORD was also the-God-Who-Sees, the same One watching over Hagar and Ishmael.

i. Ishmael is the first man in the Bible to receive his name before he was born.

2. So Hagar bore Abram a son: Apparently, Hagar did return with a submitted heart. She told the whole story to Abram and Sarai, and Abram named the child Ishmael, just as instructed in the meeting with the Angel of the LORD Hagar described.

i. Hagar might have returned and said, “I fled from you all because I was so miserable and thought I could not continue here. But the LORD met me and told me He would see me through. He told me to come back and submit to you, so that is why I’m here.” After meeting with El Roi, (You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees), Hagar knew that if God could be with her in the wilderness, He would be with her in having to submit to Sarai also.

ii. “If we seek to change our circumstances, we will jump from the frying pan into the fire. We must be triumphant exactly where we are. It is not a change of climate we need, but a change of heart. The flesh wants to run away, but God wants to demonstrate His power exactly where we have known our greatest chagrin.” (Barnhouse)

 

[Chaplain]

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Genesis 17 :1-2

Jesus appears to Abram.

The LORD appeared to Abram: Undoubtedly, this is another appearance of God in the person of Jesus, who took on a temporary human appearance before His incarnation on earth.

God tells Abram He is "El Shaddai, the Almighty God."

I am Almighty God: First, God told Abram who He is. By this name El Shaddai, He revealed His Person and character to Abram. However, there is some debate as to what exactly the name El Shaddai means.

i. Kidner: “A traditional analysis of the name is ‘God (el) who (sa) is sufficient (day).”

ii. Clarke: “El shaddai, I am God all-sufficient; from shadah, to shed, to pour out. I am that God who pours out blessings, who gives them richly, abundantly, continually.”

iii. Barnhouse: the Hebrew word shad means “chest” or “breast.” It may have in mind the strength of a man’s chest (God Almighty) or the comfort and nourishment of a woman’s breast (God of Tender Care).

iv. Leupold: Shaddai comes from the root shadad, which means “to display power.”

v. We do know the Septuagint translates the word with the Greek pantokrator “Almighty,” the “One who has His hand on everything.”

What is God's ideal requirement for mankind?

Walk before Me and be blameless: Then God told Abram what was expected of him. We can only do what God expects of us when we know who He is and know it in a full, personal, real way.

i. The word blameless literally means “whole.” God wanted all of Abram, wanting a total commitment.

i. "God's ideal requirement for man is perfection and you wouldn't really expect anything less from God. I'm not surprised that God would require me to be perfect, but I would be shocked if He said to be slipshod or cruddy. That would not be in the keeping with the nature of God. God would not require anything less then perfection and you should always know that this is God's ideal for you, "Walk before me, and be thou perfect/blameless." When Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount, He again required the same thing, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt.5:48). When you tell me that God requires me to be perfect, I would say, "Thank you, but I can't." "I would love to, I have tried to, but I am far from perfect." "I would love to fulfill God's divine ideal, but I can't." Sin has as its root meaning "missing the mark" and the Bible says all have sinned. A lot of people get upset when you say, "Well, you're a sinner, man," and they will say, "Just a minute!" "I'm not too bad." "I do what I can." "I help little ladies across the street." But, wait! What is the mark? It's perfection. Have you missed that mark? Is there anyone who can say, "I'm perfect?" Because man could not fulfill God's divine requirement, He sent His only begotten Son; who took our sins (our missing of the mark) and died in our place so that God's actual requirement for me now; because, I'm not perfect and could not be perfect, is that I believe in His Son whom He sent." (Smith)

"Twenty-four times in the Abrahamic covenant, God says, “I will.” In other words, it’s all by His grace." (Courson)

I will make My covenant between Me and you: God also reminded Abram He has not forgotten the covenant. Though it had been some 25 years since the promise was first made, and though it maybe seemed to Abram God forgot, God didn’t forget anything.

i. The last time we are told the LORD communicated with Abram directly was more than 13 years before. Seemingly, Abram had 13 years of “normal” fellowship with God, waiting for the promise all the time. Surely, at times during those years, Abram felt God forgot.

ii. Abram was becoming a great man of faith, but you don’t make a great man of faith overnight. It takes years of God’s work in them, years of almost mundane trusting in God, interspersed with a few spectacular encounters with the LORD.

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:3-8

God changes Abram's name.

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham: To encourage Abram’s faith in the promise of descendants, God changed Abram’s name from Abram (father of many) to Abraham (father of many nations).

i. There was, no doubt, a sense in which Abram - “father of many” - was a hard name to bear for a man who was the father of none, especially in a culture where inquiry about one’s personal life was a courteous practice. Now God went a step further and made his name “father of many nations.” It is almost preposterous for a childless man to have such a name.

ii. Think of when Abraham announced his name change to others. They must have thought he wanted to escape the burden of his name. Instead he increased the burden.

iii. There are many wonderful name changes in the Bible, such as when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 32:28), and when He changed Simon’s name to Peter (Mark 3:16). God promises a wonderful new name to every overcomer in Him (Revelation 2:17).

iv. God gives us many names in faith (saint, righteous, chosen, royal priesthood, sons of God, and so forth), and He knows He will accomplish the meaning of the name in us - even it if seems preposterous.

"Contrary to what the Palestinians maintain, the Abrahamic covenant did not become null and void in a.d. 70 when the Jews were scattered. No, it is an everlasting covenant, as reiterated in Ezekiel 11:17." (Courson)

As an everlasting possession: To encourage Abraham’s faith in the promise of the land, God repeated the promise again, reminding Abraham it is an everlasting possession given by an everlasting covenant.

And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Genesis 17:9-14

"God established this covenant with Abraham. It was to be marked by circumcision, which signified not to live or walk after the flesh (our human nature). The cutting off of the life of the flesh in order that you might live the life of the Spirit." (Smith)

1. Every male child among you shall be circumcised: For the first time, God gave Abraham something to do in regard to the covenant. He told them to take upon themselves a sign of the covenant, showing they received the covenant by faith.

2. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins: The sign was circumcision, the cutting away of the male foreskin. God chose this sign for many important reasons.

i. Circumcision was not unknown in the world at that time. It was a ritual practice among various peoples.

ii. There were undoubtedly hygienic reasons, especially making sense in the ancient world. “There is some medical evidence that this practice has indeed contributed to the long-lasting vigor of the Jewish race.” (Morris) McMillen, in None of These Diseases, noted studies in 1949 and 1954 showing an incredibly low rate of cervical cancer for Jewish women, because they mostly have husbands who are circumcised.

iii. But more importantly, circumcision is a cutting away of the flesh and an appropriate sign of the covenant for those who should put no trust in the flesh.

iv. Also, because circumcision deals with the organ of procreation, it was a reminder of the special seed of Abraham, which would ultimately bring the Messiah.

Why did God say, "every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day"?

He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised: God probably commanded the circumcision of children to take place on the eighth day because this is the day when an infant’s immune system is at the optimum level for such a procedure.

i. McMillen also notes newborn children have a peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. It seems an important blood-clotting agent, vitamin K, is not formed in the normal amount until the fifth to seventh day of life. Another blood clotting agent, prothrombin, is at its highest levels in infants on precisely the eighth day of life, making the eighth day the safest, earliest day to circumcise an infant.

Does circumcision or baptism save a believer?

The uncircumcised male child . . . he has broken My covenant: Those who rejected circumcision rejected the sign of the covenant. They were no friends of the covenant God made with Abraham. It wasn’t that circumcision made them a part of the covenant (faith did), but rejection of circumcision was a rejection of the covenant.

i. Unfortunately, through the centuries, the Jews began to trust more in the sign of the covenant (circumcision) than in the God of the covenant, believing that circumcision by itself was sufficient and necessary to save (Romans 2:28-29). Paul refutes this idea extensively, especially in light of the finished work of Jesus (Galatians 5:1-15).

ii. Therefore, Christians are free to either circumcise or not. One may do so for social or hygienic reasons but it doesn’t get us any closer to God: "For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love." (Galatians 5:6)

iii. The closest Christian parallel we have to circumcision is baptism. Paul relates the two ideas together in Colossians 2:11-12. However, baptism is also a “sign” of the covenant; it does not save us, but is a sign of the covenant that does. Being baptized does not save us, but no Christian should refuse baptism.

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Genesis 17:15-16

God changes Sarai's name to Sarah.

1. As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name: There is only a subtle difference between Sarai and Sarah, but it is an important difference. “Sarai signifies my lady, or my princess, which confines her dominion to one family; but Sarah signifies either a lady or princess, simply and absolutely without restriction, or the princess of a multitude” (Poole).

2. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her: God made it plain that this son will not come about by another surrogate-mother situation (as with Hagar and Ishmael). Sarah herself will give birth, even though it is past her time in life to do so (Sarah was about 90 years old at this time).

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Genesis 17:17-18

"Abraham's laugh was not a laugh of doubt or unbelief. He was just overwhelmed with what God was saying to him. If it had been a laugh of unbelief, then God would have rebuked him as He did Sarah a little further on." (Smith)

1. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed: Abraham’s laugh didn’t seem to be one of cynical doubt, but of rejoicing in something he knew was impossible by all outward appearance, but that God could perform.

2. Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? He knew both he and Sarah were well past the time people normally have children: "Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises." (Romans 4:18-21)

"Ishmael is about thirteen years old and Abraham is attached to him. God is promising another heir through Sarah. There is a possible intimation that Abraham is telling God that Ishmael is enough and to let him live before God." (Smith)

Oh, that Ishmael might live before You! At the same time, Abraham didn’t really understand God’s promise completely. He perhaps thought God simply meant Ishmael would be Sarah’s “spiritual son.” Abraham - like all of us - found it hard to trust God for more than what he can conceive of.

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. Genesis 17:19-22

"God repeats the promise and names the child who will come forth from Abraham and Sarah." (Guzik)

1. Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac: The son will be named Isaac (“laughter”) because he will be such a joy to his parents, but also to always remind Abraham he laughed at God’s promise to give him a son through Sarah at this late age.

2. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him: Ishmael will be blessed (because Abraham prayed he would), but the covenant and its promises will pass only through the son to come, the son of promise.

i. "The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. As Isaiah said, “Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!” And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit. But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman." (Galatians 4:22-31)

So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. Genesis 17:23-27

Jesus said, "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me." (John 14:21,24)

1. And circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him: Abraham’s belief in the covenant was proved by his obedience to the command. What we really believe will show in our actions.

2. That very same day Abraham was circumcised: Abraham’s obedience was complete (every male among the men of Abraham’s house), prompt (that very same day), and daring (to virtually incapacitate all his fighting men at the same time).

i. Abraham didn’t need to pray about this. He didn’t need to grow or transition into this. God said it, and he did it. This is a wonderful example of obedience from a great man of faith.

 

[mrbagdt]

do you guys attend churches that think support of israel is important or ever even bring israel up? it got brought up at our service on sunday and i have to say im really not sure how i feel about it. i dont feel like im informed enough to make a real strong response or opinion about the whole thing, but i can say that concern about israel is way, way in the back of my mind regarding my religious life. does jesus ever even talk about israel?

 

[Chaplain]

Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” Genesis 18:1-5

Jesus appears to Abraham (John 8:56-58).

1. Then the LORD appeared: Apparently, this happened a short time later. In Genesis 17:21, God said Sarah would give birth one year later, and at this time, she is not yet pregnant. So this couldn’t be more than three months after the events in Genesis 17.

2. Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees: Here again, the LORD came to Abraham in human appearance. This is another presentation of Jesus in human form before His incarnation.

i. We can assume that this was God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, appearing to Abraham before His incarnation and birth at Bethlehem. We assume this because of God the Father it says, No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18), and no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father (1 Timothy 6:16). Therefore, if God appeared to someone in human appearance in the Old Testament (and no one has seen God the Father) it makes sense the appearance is of the eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, before His incarnation in Bethlehem.

3. Behold, three men were standing by him: We don’t know if Abraham immediately recognized who these visitors were. Though the LORD (in the Person of Jesus Christ) appeared to Abraham twice before (Genesis 12:7, 17:1), we don’t know if Jesus looked the same each time, or if Abraham could just know who this was.

4. He ran from the tent door to meet them: According to his godliness and the customs of that culture, Abraham offered the hospitality of his house to these travelers.

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. Genesis 18:6-8

What is hospitality like?

1. Abraham hurried into the tent: Again, to us this may seem to be overdoing it, but ancient culture had an extremely strong sense of hospitality to visitors. And it is also likely Abraham knew it was the LORD visiting him.

2. "These are angels and it is interesting to note that they are eating, in case you wonder if angels eat. They are able to take on the form of humans. They appeared to Abraham as three men, but it seems that they appeared suddenly. In the New Testament, it says, "Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" (Heb.13:2). It could be a reference to this scripture, when Abraham is entertaining these three men." (Smith)

Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Genesis 18:9-10

Why does Jesus reconfirm God's promise of a Son to Abraham again?

1. I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son: We may wonder why God repeated the promise again, so close to the time when He said it previously. After all, it seems God was silent about the promise for more than 13 years. Now He came personally to repeat it twice in three months.

2. Sarah your wife shall have a son: We need to hear God’s promises over and over again. It is a way God uses to encourage and develop our faith: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

i. Perhaps also, Abraham and Sarah needed this visit to be an encouragement for them to do what they needed to do in bringing God’s promise to pass - to have sexual relations.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” Genesis 18:11-12

Like many of us, Sarah doubts God's promises.

After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure? Sarah laughed within herself at this promise. She could not believe God would literally grant this child as the result of normal sexual relations.

i. Leupold translates Genesis 18:12, “After I have become worn out, have I enjoyed sexual delight and my lord too is an old man?” Leupold the observes, “The matter is not put very delicately by Sarah.”

ii. It may be, even after the dramatic promises of Genesis 17, Abraham and Sarah had a way of “spiritualizing” God’s promise, making it mean something other than what God intended. Here, God made it plain: Abraham and Sarah will have normal sexual relations and produce a baby.

iii. It is strangely characteristic of us to believe God’s promise for a long, long, time, and endure through much discouragement along the way, until the promise is almost there, and then we find doubt. We are grateful that He is greater than our doubts.

The reasons for Sarah's doubts.

1. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing: By all outward circumstance, there was good reason for Sarah to “spiritualize” the promise and laugh at its literal meaning. She had passed the age of childbearing, which literally seems to mean, “the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah.” She had stopped menstruating and had gone through menopause.

i. Even accounting for their long lives (Abraham lived to be 175 and Sarah 127), they were both well past middle age. It would take a miracle of God for them to have literal children through normal means.

2. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself: Significantly, this is what Sarah (and Abraham) most wanted all their lives. Yet, they find it so hard to believe God’s promise when He says He will grant it to them.

And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” Genesis 18:13-15

Sarah laughs in her mind, but Jesus knows this and calls her out.

Why did Sarah laugh: God heard Sarah’s laugh even though she laughed within herself. There was nothing hidden before the LORD.

i. We might live very differently if we remembered that God hears and knows everything we think and say. (Matthew 12:25, Luke 6:8)

Jesus doesn't take away the promise just because Sarah committed the sin of unbelief.

At the appointed time I will return to you: We might think God would say, “I gave you this promise twice and twice you laughed at it. That’s it! No more promise. I’ll take it to someone who will appreciate it.” Instead, God responded by dealing with her sin of unbelief, but not by taking away the promise.

i. "If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13)."

"With God everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26)

1. Is there anything too hard for the LORD? Thankfully not, and God can also triumph even over our weak faith.

i. Hard is the same word for wonderful in Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given . . . And His name will be called Wonderful." Jesus is our “wonderful” One, and He isn’t to hard or wonderful for God to give unto us.

2 Is anything too hard for the Lord? "This is a tremendous question. Our problems usually stem from our limited concept of God. We often think of God as having human characteristics such as we have. This is called "anthropomorphic" concepts of God. Because I'm prone to think of God in terms of myself, my concept of God is limited and it is not a right concept. Thus it is reflected in my attitude of prayer and how I pray for certain things. There are somethings I have no problem praying for. "Do you have a headache? Fine I'll pray for you. If prayer doesn't work take an aspirin. Headaches aren't that much of a problem anymore. You've got Leukemia. You want me to pray that God will heal you. Wait a minute! The doctor said you've got two weeks! That's terrible. I feel sorry for you." Well now, Is it hard for God to heal Leukemia? Is that a tough one for God? "I've really got a tough one for you this time God. All of the doctors have given up and I really don't know if You can come through." What am I doing? I am carrying man's limitations over to God. Here He's saying, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" As you really ponder on this question, you will have to come to the conclusion that there is nothing too hard for God. We need to remember that and pray with that consciousness. When Paul prayed for the Ephesians, he ended his prayer by saying, "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." (Eph.3:20). So, there is nothing hard for God. He is able to do all things. That is the kind of God we worship and serve. That's the kind of God who reaches out to you for fellowship; so, that you, through that fellowship, might be enhanced and blessed." (Smith)

 

[Emwitus]

Hey christian gaf! Been a while. Hope everyone is well and staying blessed. Had a random question. Has anyone here ever read through the whole bible? And if yes, How did you go about it?
I really want to get back into reading the book a bit more. Lately, I've been having a hard time keeping my faith.Lots going on and for some reason, even if this is the time i need God the most, I have a hard time asking him for anything. I think a big reason for this is my not reading the bible. Any help and prayers would highly be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Talon]

Hey christian gaf! Been a while. Hope everyone is well and staying blessed. Had a random question. Has anyone here ever read through the whole bible? And if yes, How did you go about it. I really want to get back into reading the book a bit more. Lately, I've been having a hard time keeping my faith. So many things are going on and for some reason, even if this is the time i need God the most, I have a hard time asking him for anything. I think a big reason for this is my not reading the bible. Any help and prayers would highly be appreciated. Thanks.

I've read it three times in different ways.

First time, I followed a schedule that gave you a Psalm or Proverb every day along with an excerpt from a random part of the bible. It was thematically linked.

The second time, I just read as much as I could from start to finish. Leviticus and Numbers are really bogged down (old Jewish law and...well, numbers). Otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

I'd suggest just reading the New Testament first before undertaking the Old Testament.

 

[Emwitus]

I've read it three times in different ways.

First time, I followed a schedule that gave you a Psalm or Proverb every day along with an excerpt from a random part of the bible. It was thematically linked.

The second time, I just read as much as I could from start to finish. Leviticus and Numbers are really bogged down (old Jewish law and...well, numbers). Otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

I'd suggest just reading the New Testament first before undertaking the Old Testament.

Thanks talon. Do you by any chance have any links to books or schedules i can find online? Or did you make one yourself? Starting with the new testament sounds like a good idea actually, since I was thinking beginning with the gospels. Thank you for the quick reply.

 

[Talon]

Thanks talon. Do you by any chance have any links to books or schedules i can find online? Or did you make one yourself? Starting with the new testament sounds like a good idea actually, since I was thinking beginning with the gospels. Thank you for the quick reply.

It was actually a One Year Bible that I bought - this was pre internet days. I'm sure Googling will lead you to some good resources.

My pleasure.

 

[mrbagdt]

Thanks talon. Do you by any chance have any links to books or schedules i can find online? Or did you make one yourself? Starting with the new testament sounds like a good idea actually, since I was thinking beginning with the gospels. Thank you for the quick reply.

I bought an ESV bible when I first started reading. You can buy it on amazon and it comes with a code to read it online as well. Having notes for the passages was extremely helpful for me and that's why I thought ESV was good. You can read it for free online without the notes as well at ESV.org

 

[Emwitus]

Thanks for the replys guys! I'm thinking of getting everything together(Schedule, guides) And start my reading next week. Anyone can join in if they want and we can compare notes!! LOL. Wish me luck!

 

[Meus Renaissance]

The Gospel of Mark was written an estimated 70 years later after Christ. From a scholarly perspective, what relevance/impact does the gap between the life of Jesus and the first written accounts of his life have?

 

[Chaplain]

do you guys attend churches that think support of israel is important or ever even bring israel up? it got brought up at our service on sunday and i have to say im really not sure how i feel about it. i dont feel like im informed enough to make a real strong response or opinion about the whole thing, but i can say that concern about israel is way, way in the back of my mind regarding my religious life. does jesus ever even talk about israel?

This is what God the Father said about Israel:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Gen 12:1-3

After a period of glory, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me against the nations who plundered you. For he said, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. Zech 2:8

Jesus talks about Israel in Matthew 24 among other places.

Israel makes a lot of stupid mistakes. They are really a secular nation now. But God is not going to go back on his word and agreement with them because they have forsaken Him. God will reveal to them one day that Jesus is the Messiah. God is also crystal clear that those that come against them, and do not protect them, are God's enemies and will be cursed by Him. Those that protect them, like the US has for so many years now, will be protected. If you look back throughout history, all nations that have attacked the Jews have basically become extinct. Just something to think about.

From a scholarly perspective, what relevance/impact does the gap between the life of Jesus and the first written accounts of his life have?

For me, the main issue comes down to whether or not God's Word is inspired. If it is, like God says, then the date is irrelevant on when it was written.

This summary of the book might help you out in understanding more about the book:

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark: What makes this Gospel unique?

1. Revelation 4:7 describes the cherubim around God’s throne as beings with four faces: the face of a lion, of a calf, of a man, and of an eagle. By long tradition, the church has associated one of these “faces” with each one of the Gospels, according to the character and message of the particular Gospel. In the cathedrals of Europe, you will find the motif repeated again and again, of each one of these creatures, typically with a book. By tradition, the creature that represents the Gospel of Mark is the calf or the ox - a creature of work and service. The Gospel of Mark shows Jesus as the Servant of God, as a Workman of God.

a. For this reason, the Gospel of Mark is a “busy” book. In this Gospel, Jesus seems the busiest, moving from one event to another quickly. One of the key words in the Gospel is immediately, occurring more than 40 times in Mark. We see Jesus as a servant busy meeting needs and busy being God’s Messiah.

b. In the Gospel of Mark, the emphasis is on the deeds of Jesus more than on the words of Jesus. “The Gospel of Mark pictures Christ in action. There is a minimum of discourse and a maximum of deed.” (Robertson)

2. Strong church tradition makes the Apostle Peter the main source of Mark’s gospel. Some think of Mark as “The Gospel According to Peter.”

a. One indication of Peter’s influence is that Peter speaks very affectionately of Mark: Mark my son (1 Peter 5:13), and he says that Mark was with him.

i. Mark (who is also called John-Mark in passages like Acts 12:25) was a “failure” in ministry as pictured in the book of Acts with Paul (Acts 15:36-41). His relationship with Paul was restored in the end (2 Timothy 4:11).

ii. Like Mark, Peter knew what it was like to be a “failure” in following Jesus when he denied Him three times, but he was also restored in the end.

b. Another indication of Peter’s influence is the vivid, eyewitness detail of this Gospel. It is “fullest of striking details that apparently came from Peter’s discourses which Mark heard, such as green grass, flower beds (6:38), two thousand hogs (5:13), looking round about (3:5, 34).” (Robertson)

i. “Mark’s Gospel throbs with life and bristles with vivid details. We see with Peter’s eyes and catch almost the very look and gesture of Jesus as he moved among men in his work of healing men’s bodies and saving men’s souls.” (Robertson)

c. A third indication of Peter’s influence is that “Peter usually spoke in Aramaic and Mark has more Aramaic phrases than the other, like Boanerges (3:17), Talitha cumi (5:41), Korban (7:11), Ephphatha (7:34), Abba (14:36).” (Roberston)

3. Many believe Mark to be the first of the four Gospels written, and that it was written in Rome.

a. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the four written, though some believe that Matthew may have been Gospels is the early date of Mark’s Gospel. Precisely how early is not definitely known, but there are leading scholars who hold that A.D. 50 is quite probable.” (Robertson)

b. Mark was not one of the twelve disciples. Perhaps the only mention of him in the gospel is a shadowy one in Mark 14:51-52. As a youth, he may have been part of the larger group that followed Jesus.

c. The early church met at the home of Mark’s mother, Mary, in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).

d. To the hard working and accomplishment oriented Romans, Mark wrote a gospel that emphasizes Jesus as God’s Servant. Because no one cares about the pedigree of a servant, the gospel of Mark has no genealogy of Jesus.

i. Another indication that Mark wrote his Gospel for the Roman mind is that he uses more Latin words than any of the other Gospels. “There are also more Latin phrases and idioms like centurio (15:39), quadrans (12:42), flagellare (15:15), speculator (6:27), census (12:14), sextarius (7:4), praetorium (15:6), than in the other Gospels.” (Robertson)

ii. When Bible translators go to a people who have never had the Scriptures in their own language, they usually begin by translating the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the most translated book in all the world. One reason is because it is the shortest Gospel; but the other reason is because this Gospel was written for people unfamiliar with first century Judaism. Mark wrote it for the Romans.

 

[mrbagdt]

thanks GA, thats useful for me

 

[Chaplain]

Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:16-21

"God decides to reveal to Abraham the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, and tells Abraham He will see if Sodom and Gomorrah are worthy of judgment." (Guzik)

1. Abraham went with them to send them on the way: As would be customary for a hospitable host in that day, Abraham will accompany his guests on their journey for a while as they depart.

2. Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing: Because of what God would bring from Abraham (a great and mighty nation), and because Abraham had to be a great leader (that he may command his children and his household after him), God will reveal to Abraham what He will do with Sodom and Gomorrah.

i. This point is vital; God’s purpose in this is not “gossip” with Abraham about what He will do, nor is it to satisfy Abraham’s curiosity. God wanted to do something in Abraham’s life through what He will reveal to him.

ii. "There is an outcry to God in unrighteousness and here the LORD is going down to Sodom to investigate if the outcry which has come to Him is so. In Genesis the fourth chapter, God says to Cain, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!" (Gen.4:10). The outcry against Cain's horrible deed of killing Abel, his brother. Now the horrible deeds of unrighteousness in Sodom crying out to God. God knows exactly what is happening in Sodom, but he is dealing with Abraham so that Abraham knows that God is just and righteous; so He is going down to check things out." (Smith)

2. And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now: "It was the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah that caused the Lord to “go down.” And in the last days, it will be the cry of man’s Sodom-like culture (Luke 17:28-30) that will cause the Lord to come down again—this time to rapture His church (1 Thessalonians 4:17)." (Courson)

i. "God knows everything. Why, then would He have to come down and see what’s going on? God says, “I will come down and see firsthand so that you will know that My judgment will not be uninformed or capricious.” (Courson)

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Genesis 18:22-26

Do angels look like humans while they are on Earth?

The men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD: We see the two men are actually the angels who visited Sodom in Genesis 19. The third “man” in the party is actually the LORD Himself.

i. "There were three men but two were angels and the one was none other than Jesus Christ. Abraham is talking to the LORD face to face and we read in the New Testament that no man has seen God at any time. The word "Yahweh" is used in this passage and so the only conclusion you can come to here is that Jesus Christ is the "Yahweh" of the Old Testament." (Smith)

Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

1. And Abraham came near: Abraham came near to the LORD. Effective intercession is a matter of drawing near to God so we can pray with His heart.

2. Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? In discussing this question, Abraham “reminded” the LORD of His own nature and principles (shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?) Abraham thought that God, as a righteous Judge could not punish the innocent the same way as the guilty.

i. Prayer is effective because it prays knowing who God is, and how God works in a particular situation. Effective prayer doesn’t see itself as a passive spectator in what God does, but acts as if it must “remind” God in prayer.

ii. We might find it remarkable Abraham even cared about the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He might have just prayed “LORD, get my nephew Lot out of there first,” but he didn’t. Abraham’s heart was full of sorrow and compassion, even for the wicked of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God responds to Abraham's prayer.

If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes: God said this because Abraham asked. When Abraham drew near to the LORD and prayed according to God’s revealed nature and will, God agreed. The LORD said that He would spare the city if there were 50 righteous there.

Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. Genesis 18:27-33

Why Abraham’s prayers were effective, and why our prayers are ineffective at times.

Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous: Now the principle is established - God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked - now it is just a matter of numbers. How many righteous peole will God spare the city for?

i. Abraham’s intercession was effective because it was specific. He talked about specific numbers with God, not in broad, general terms. Often our prayers are ineffective because we really don’t ask the LORD to do anything. Instead we often just toss wishes up to heaven.

Abraham continues to pray in humility.

Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Abraham continued his intercession with a “bold humility.” He was not proud or arrogant before the LORD, but he still continued to ask.

i. Abraham’s humility was demonstrated in that nowhere in his prayer did he ask “Why?” or did he demand that God explain Himself and His actions.

What was the motivation behind Abraham's persistence in his prayers?

Suppose ten should be found there? Abraham was a skilled negotiator and he prevailed upon God to lower the number of righteous required to spare the city. First by units of five, then by units of ten, until the number settled at ten.

i. It is impossible to miss the persistence of Abraham in intercession. Why didn’t he give it up at 40 or 50 and say simply “it’s in the LORD’s hands” or “the LORD will do what the LORD will do”? Because an intercessor must feel, at the moment of prayer, that the eternal destiny of men depends on his prayer.

ii. This is the kind of heart God wanted to draw out of Abraham - a heart that cared so much for people made in the image of God that he worked hard to intercede on behalf of a city that deserved judgment. This was the heart a great leader of a great and mighty nation needed to have.

iii. Remember, there is a sense in which all this negotiation was fruitless. There were not ten righteous people in the city, only four. The cities were destroyed. Yet God specifically revealed the fate of these cities to Abraham to draw out of him an intercessor’s heart of love, so even before the time of Jesus Abraham could be conformed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29) who is Himself an intercessor (Hebrews 7:25).

Why did Abraham stop praying?

Abraham returned to his place: We wonder if Abraham should not have contined the negotiations because there were only four righteous in the city. Would God have spared the city for four if Abraham had asked? Perhaps Abraham felt Lot would surely have brought six people beyond his own family to God in his time in Sodom.

 

[Chaplain]

A summary of Genesis Chapter 18:

"It was evening and Abraham was sitting outside his tent when three angels came. He insisted that they sit and rest while he prepared food for them. After they had eaten and rested, they told Abraham what their mission was. The cry of the sin of Sodom had ascended to God and they were coming to judge the iniquities of the cities of the plain. Two of the angels went on their mission to Sodom and the third, who was the Lord Jesus Christ, a theophany which is the manifestation of Christ; stayed with Abraham. As Abraham interceded for the city of Sodom and brought the number of righteous people from fifty to ten, the Lord agreed not to destroy Sodom if ten righteous people were found there." (Smith)

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Genesis 19:1-3

Compromise: One of Satan's main tactics.

Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom: There has been a steady progression of compromise in Lot’s life. He went from looking toward Sodom (Genesis 13:10), to pitching his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12), then to living in Sodom (Genesis 14:12) and losing everything. Now Lot sits in the gate of Sodom, indicating he is a civic leader.

i. Lot himself was a righteous man who was grieved by the sin he saw around him (2 Peter 2:7-8), but because of his compromise few of his family and none of his friends were saved. Compromise destroyed his testimony.

ii. "Satan won’t come blasting into your life with a drug dealer in town. No, his strategy is much more subtle. He simply wants you to compromise a little here and a little there, until there is nothing left of your purity." (Courson)

Why did Lot insist that the Angels not spend the night in the city streets?

He insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house: The hospitality offered to the visitors was not unusual, but the urgency with which Lot offered it was.

i. "Lot was vexed by the way the people were living in Sodom. His righteous spirit was vexed by their manner of life. He knew the wickedness of the city and yet he dwelled there. He knew the dangers that would come to them if they tried to spend the night in the open square of the city so he insisted they stay at his house." (Smith)

Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. Genesis 19:4-9

All the men of Sodom came from all over the city and surrounded the house.

Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us: These citizens of Sodom clearly came to homosexually abuse and rape these two visitors. That is a shocking demonstration of depravity, but we are just as shocked at the willingness of Lot to give up his daughters to the mob as we are at the sinful desire of the mob itself.

Lot offers his daughters to the crowd, to be abused or raped, in place of the angels staying at his house.

I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish: The offer is horrible and cannot be justified. We understand it a little more when we consider the low place of women in the pre-Christian world and the very high place of any guest in your home. It was understood a guest was to be protected more than your own family.

i. "It is extremely difficult for us to understand Lot's reasoning in this passage. Lot's willingness to offer his two virgin daughters to this lustful crowd to be abused or raped is something we don't understand; but, we don't understand the Eastern mind. We don't understand the social customs of the East. In the Eastern Culture a guest in the home is due your respect and protection. There is a moral obligation to take care of ones guests. This is still practiced in the Bedouin communities today. He may be your greatest enemy, but as long as he is in your home it is your duty to treat him with respect and courtesy. Lot is a classical example of being a host to the guests and protecting them even to the point of giving his virgin daughters to the crowd. Somehow I have to think that Lot knew these men were "divine" beings." (Smith)

What did the men of Sodom want to do with the angels?

That we may know them carnally: The sin of the men of Sodom is plainly connected to their homosexuality. There is no doubt the Bible declares homosexual conduct is sin (Romans 1:26-28, Jude 1:7).

How compromises, in our relationship with God, effect others from coming to know God.

This one came in to sojourn, and he keeps acting like a judge: This shows Lot’s feeble efforts at providing moral and spiritual leadership were rejected and mocked by the men of Sodom.

i. Perhaps Lot thought that through compromise he might reach these men, but just the opposite has happened. They have no respect for him whatsoever, even though his “buddy-buddy” approach leads him to call such wicked men my brethren.

But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. Genesis 19:10-11

The two angels reach out, pull Lot into the house, and blind all the men who were at the door of the house.

The men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door: It must have taken great, perhaps supernatural, strength to do what the angels did at the door. Obviously, the work of striking the men blind was supernatural. Now this mob had a physical blindness appropriate to their moral blindness.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city; take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. Genesis 19:12-14

Were Lot’s daughter married or unmarried?

To his sons-in-law: Lot’s daughter were unmarried and had not known a man (Genesis 19:8). These men were sons-in-law by the ancient practice of binding betrothal, not by marriage yet.

Lot's compromising walk with God hurts the lives of the people he loves.

He seemed to be joking: The effect of Lot’s life of compromise is clearly seen. When he spoke with utmost seriousness to his sons-in-law about the judgment of God, they did not believe him. Not even they will be saved from the judgment to come.

i. The life of Lot shows us that it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life. Lot will be saved, but his life will accomplish nothing, as in 1 Corinthians 3:15: "If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. Genesis 19:15-16

What are common signs of compromise and a backsliding?

1. While he lingered: Too much of Lot’s heart was in Sodom, so he was not anxious to leave the city. This lack of urgency to do the things of God is a common sign of compromise and a backslidden condition.

2. They brought him out and set him outside the city: In Genesis 18 Abraham asked God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gommorrah if there were ten righteous found there. Because there were not ten righteous people, God will not spare the city. But He will still answer the heart of Abraham’s prayer by bringing Lot and his family out of Sodom, even if it is practically against’ Lot’s will.

i. Lot was in the worst of all possible places. He had too much of the world to be happy in the LORD, and too much of the LORD to be happy in the world.

So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. Genesis 19:17-22

"This is an inconsistent logic that God saved him from Sodom only to kill him in the mountains. It doesn't make sense, but fear, often times, does not make sense." (Smith)

Please, no, my lords!... I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. Lot seems pathetic and whimpering in his prayer. Notice the sad contrast to the bold intercession of Abraham.

God holds back judgment on Sodom until Lot leaves the city.

I cannot do anything until you arrive there: This answers the question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25). God, bound by His own righteousness and honor, could not bring this judgment on Sodom until the righteous people were delivered.

The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:23-26

"God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah." (Guzik)

Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah: Today, many think these cities are buried under the Dead Sea, and their complete destruction is a testament to God’s judgment and grace in delivering His righteous people.

i. Before this destruction the area of Sodom was unbelievably beautiful and productive, like the garden of the LORD (Genesis 13:10). Yet, this great privilege and blessing did not turn their hearts toward God.

ii. As well, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah saw more of the power, grace, and mercy of God than any of the other people of the region. They had been delivered from ruin by God’s work through Abraham. They heard the testimony from Melchizedek and saw the example of Melchizedek and Abraham.

What is God trying to teach believers through Lot's wife looking back and becoming a pillar of salt?

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt: Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt because she looked back behind, after the angels had specifically said Do not look behind you (Genesis 19:17). Some think she lingered behind and was caught up in the cataclysm somehow, but it was probably a unique judgment of God on her for the state of her heart (a love for Sodom and regret for its destruction) shown by her action of looking back.

i. “The word looked back has the connotation of looking intently. It might possibly be rendered lagged back, or maybe even returned back.” (Morris)

ii. In referring to the end times, Jesus uttered some almost cryptic words in Luke 17:32: Remember Lot’s wife. In other words, no Christian should have a heart like Lot’s wife as we see the end of the age, a heart that loves the world, and will in some sense, regret the judgment God will bring on it.

iii. Jesus said, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).

iv. Paul wrote, "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13).

v. We need to look forward to our deliverance, not back at a world passing away and ripe for judgment.

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. Genesis 19:27-29

"Abraham learns of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction." (Guzik)

He saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace: When Abraham saw the smoke of the these cities and their destruction, he could know that his request was answered. God delievered Lot before the destruction came.

 

[Chaplain]

And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Genesis 20:1-2

Twenty-five years earlier, Abraham lied to Pharaoh about Sarah. Now he repeats the same sin because of fear, and not trusting God completely.

1. Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abraham’s concern was probably not because Sarah looked like a young beauty at 90 years of age. We can surmise that she was reasonably attractive at that age, but more importantly she was connected to one of the richest and most influential men of the region. In that day, a harem was more of a political statement than a romantic statement.

i. We should not ignore the idea of Sarah’s attractiveness even in old age. “She had in some measure been physically rejuvenated, in order to conceive, bear, and nurse Isaac, and possibly this manifested itself in renewed beauty as well.” (Morris)

2. She is my sister: This is the same lie Abraham told back in Genesis 12:10-13. He shows that it is all too easy to slip back into sinful habits. Abraham stumbles in a place he stumbled before. Instead of trusting God to keep his family together, he devised his own plan to do it. His plan will fail completely.

i. Age does not automatically sanctify us. Unless yielded to the Spirit of God, we will repeat in our old age the sinful patterns of our youth.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” Genesis 20:3-7

God uses dreams to speak to believers or unbelievers.

God came to Abimelech in a dream by night: "There are some interesting things in this interchange between Abimelech and the Lord. God is dealing with Abimelech in a dream. You remember that later on he dealt with Nebudchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, in a dream. God reaches men even the Pagans. Abimelech, in this dream, has been declared by God as a dead man if he doesn't return Sarah to her husband. Evidently, God had begun to strike the nation with a plague and people began to die for unknown reasons; also, God had shut up the wombs of the house of Abimelech. We don't know how long Sarah was in the harem, but probably long enough for the plague to become evident. Abimelech was probably wondering what was going on just as Nebudchadnezzar's dream followed his question of what's going to happen to my kingdom?" (Smith)

Why does God threaten judgment upon Abimelech for taking Sarah?

Indeed you are a dead man: This is a scary thing to hear from God, even in a dream. But the point had to be made to Abimelech, even though he could truly say he was acting in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands.

i. This may seem drastic, but the stakes were high. “Suppose Abimelech had taken Sarah and God had not intervened? Two seeds would have been at the door to Sarah’s womb, and to this day an element of doubt would cling to the ancestry of our Lord.” (Barnhouse)

How Abraham's sin almost caused Abimelech to sin.

I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart: Because Abimelech’s heart was right in this regard, God kept him from worse sin. God’s protecting power can guide even a pagan king.

i. Despite Abraham’s failure to really trust God in the situation, God was not going to abandon him. He would not let Abimelech touch Sarah. That womb was going to bring forth the son of promise, who would eventually bring forth God’s Messiah. God wasn’t leaving this matter up to man!

ii. "I would think that the sin was against Sarah or Abraham. When King David took Bathsheba in adultery and had her husband put on the front line of battle and killed, his confession to God in Psalm 51 was, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned..." In reality all sin is against God. It may affect other people, but God is the one I always sin against. I can not sin except I sin against God. It can have a very tragic effect on the lives of the people around me, but ultimately God is the one I will answer to because sin is against His holy law." (Smith)

God steps in to protect Abraham.

For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you: Even though Abraham is in sin, he is still a prophet and man of powerful prayer. God’s mercy did not leave Abraham, even though Abraham didn’t trust God the way he should.

i. "This is not a good witness to Abimelech that a prophet would lie. One of the things that makes this so terrible is that Abraham has been walking with the Lord for many years now. He should have advanced further in his walk and his faith by this time. Secondly, it's a repeated sin and not the first time it happened. Thirdly, he is jeopardizing the whole plan of God. God has declared through Sarah shall thy seed be called." (Smith)

So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?” Genesis 20:8-10

Abimelech, a Pagan king, rebukes Abraham, a prophet of God.

1. You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done: It is sad to see that Abimelech - the pagan king - is in the right, and Abraham - the man of God is in the wrong, and Abimelech tells Abraham so.

2. What did you have in view, that you have done this thing? This is a logical question for Ahimelech to ask Abraham. Abraham certainly did not have the LORD in view when he lied and failed to trust God.

And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ‘ “ Genesis 20:11-13

Abraham attempts to excuse/justify his sin #1.

Surely the fear of God is not in the place: This was Abraham’s excuse for his sinful deception by saying, but the real problem was that the fear of God wasn’t in Abraham. If he really respected the LORD, His commandments, His promises, and His protection, then Abraham would have never trusted in his own efforts to keep his family together.

Abraham attempts to excuse/justify his sin #2.

Indeed she is truly my sister: This is another attempt to justify his lie, by saying it is really the truth. But a half-truth, said with intent to deceive, is always a whole lie.

Abraham attempts to excuse/justify his sin #3.

When God called me to wander from my father’s house: This is an indirect way of blaming God for the problem. Abraham claims that God sent him out on this dangerous journey upon which Abraham had to protect himself.

i. “There is a terrible meaning in this verb wander which Abraham uses. The Hebrew word occurs exactly fifty times in Scripture and never in a good sense. It is used of animals going astray, of a drunken man reeling, or staggering, of sinful seduction, of a prophet’s lies causing the people to err, of the path of a lying heart. Six other words are translated wander, any one of which Abraham might have used, but he used the worst word available.” (Barnhouse)

ii. “Abraham should have said: ‘Forgive me, Abimelech, for dishonoring both you and my God. My selfish cowardice overwhelmed me, and I denied my God by fearing that He who called me could not take care of me. He is not as your gods of wood and stone. He is the God of glory. He is the living God, the Creator, the most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. He told me He would be my shield and my exceeding great reward, and supplier of all my needs . . . In sinning against Him, I sinned against you. Forgive me, Abimelech.’” (Barnhouse)

Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Genesis 20:14-18

How compromising will affect our morals.

Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham: In showing such generosity to Abraham, Abimelech is essentially heaping coals of fire on Abraham’s head (Romans 12:20). Abraham should have been giving gifts to Abimelech, because he was in the wrong.

i. Also, it is interesting to see Abraham accepts these gifts, when he had refused gifts from a pagan king previously (Genesis 14:21-24), because he wanted no one to think a man had made him rich. Here, because of Abraham’s compromise, he finds it hard to reclaim the same high moral ground.

"Basically what Abimelech is saying to Sarah is, "If Abraham is stumbled because of your beauty, go buy a veil." (Smith)

1. I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver: We can imagine the irony in Abimelech’s voice when he refers to Abraham as Sarah’s brother.

2. Thus she was reproved: The ancient Hebrew word for reproved is “yakach.” It has the idea of “set right,” so it is debatable as if Sarah was “set right” by Abimelech’s rebuke, or if she was “found to be right” because of her humble submission in this occasion. In a sense, both are true.

 

[Chaplain]

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2

What are some of the purposes behind God's tests?

God tested Abraham: This was not so much a test to produce faith, as it was a test to reveal faith. God built Abraham slowly, piece by piece, year by year, into a man of faith.

i. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (James 1:3)

ii. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:7)

Abraham had two sons (Ishmael and Isaac). Why does God call Isaac Abraham's only son?

Take now your son, your only son Isaac: Significantly, God calls Isaac your only son Isaac, when in fact Abraham had another son, Ishmael. But since Ishmael was put away from Abraham’s family, then as far as God was concerned, Abraham had only one son.

i. The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. (Galatians 4:22-23)

God tells Abraham to do something that seemed to contradict His previous promise.

Offer him there as a burnt offering: This test was especially hard because it seemed to contradict the previous promise of God. Hadn’t God promised in Isaac your seed shall be called (Genesis 21:12)? If Isaac hadn’t had children to pass the promise on to yet, how could Abraham kill him? Wouldn’t he be killing the very promise God made to him?

i. Abraham had to learn the difference between trusting the promise and trusting the Promiser. We can put God’s promise before God Himself and feel it is our responsibility to bring the promise to pass, even if we have to disobey God to do it.

ii. Trust the Promiser no matter what, and the promise will be taken care of!

Where is the first mention of love in the Bible?

Your only son Isaac, whom you love: This is the first mention of love in the Bible, and it is the love between father and son, and connected with the idea of the sacrificial offering of the son.

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Genesis 22:3

Some lessons that we can learn from Abraham.

1. So Abraham rose early: There is not the slightest hint of hesitation on Abraham’s part. Abraham rose early in the morning to do this. Yet at the same time, who could sleep that night?

i. Abraham is trusting God, even when he does not understand. Sometimes we say, “I’m not going to obey or believe until I understand it all,” but that is making myself equal with God.

ii. He didn’t debate or seek counsel from others. He knew what to do and employed no stalling tactics.

iii. Abraham is trusting, even when he does not feel like it. There is not a line in this text about how Abraham felt, not because he didn’t feel, but because he was walking by faith, not feelings.

iv. God had been training Abraham, bringing him to this place of great trust. In just the last chapter, God asked Abraham to “give up” Ishmael in a less severe way. God used that, and everything else, to train up Abraham.

2. Went to the place of which God had told him: In wonderful, trusting obedience, Abraham went right to the spot. Abraham does this even though it would have been if God asked Abraham to offer himself instead of Isaac.

Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Genesis 22:4-8

Where is the first mention of worship in the Bible?

I will go yonder and worship: This is the first use of the word worship in reference to God in the Bible. The Hebrew word “shachah” simply means, “to bow down.” While Abraham and Isaac did not go to the mount to have a time of joyful praise, they did go to bow down to the LORD.

Why does Abraham say Isaac will return with him?

And we will come back to you: Abraham is full of faith when he speaks to the young men who are with him. He believes that we will come back.

i. Does this mean Abraham somehow knew this was only a test and God would not really require this of him? Not at all. Instead, Abraham’s faith is in the knowledge that should he kill Isaac, God would raise him from the dead, because God had promised Isaac would carry on the line of blessing and the covenant.

ii. He knew in Isaac your seed shall be called (Genesis 21:12), and Isaac had yet to have any children. God had to let him live at least long enough to have children.

iii. It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

iv. He knew anything was possible, but it was impossible that God would break His promise. He knew God was not a liar. He had no precedent (no one in the Bible had yet been raised from the dead), but Abraham knew God was able. God could do it!

"Isaac carried the wood upon which he would be laid, just as Jesus carried the wooden cross upon which He would be nailed." (Courson)

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son: We see Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice up the hill.

What does the fire and knife mean in terms of the overall Bible story?

He took the fire in his hand, and a knife: Abraham took the knife up the hill. He didn’t “forget” it. “That knife was cutting into his own heart all the while, yet he took it. Unbelief would have left the knife at home, but genuine faith takes it.” (Spurgeon)

i. "The fire speaks of the holy, righteous indignation that the Father would hurl on His Son as He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21)." (Courson)

ii. "The knife Abraham carried speaks of the spear that would pierce Jesus’ side as He hung on the Cross in our place." (Courson)

Jesus said, "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded." (John 10:18)

The two of them went together: This literally means “the two of them went in agreement.” Isaac is doing this knowingly and willingly. The phrase is repeated twice.

i. At this time, Abraham doesn’t know how God will provide. He is still trusting in the ability of God to raise Isaac from the dead, but he won’t stop trusting just because he doesn’t know how God will come through.

A prophecy about Jesus.

My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: Abraham knew God would provide a sacrifice, but where? Where was the lamb? That question had been asked by all the faithful, from Isaac to Moses to David to Isaiah, all the way to the time of John the Baptist when he declares: Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

i. "This is a prophecy of Abraham concerning Jesus Christ, God the Son, who was provided as a lamb slain for our sins. "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." (I Peter 1:18-19). Marvelous prophecy that God would provide Himself as the lamb for the burnt-offering." (Smith)

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Genesis 22:9

"Isaac willingly lies down on the altar." (Guzik)

1. Then they came to the place: Apparently, even on Mount Moriah, there was a specific place God told Abraham to stop, because this was the place to do this.

2. Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac: At this time, Abraham was more than 100 years old, and Isaac would have been able to get away had he chosen to. Yet he submits to his father perfectly. In remembering Abraham’s faith, we should never forget Isaac’s faith.

i. Jewish commentators think Isaac was in his thirties at the time of this event.

3. Upon the wood: As an obedient son, Isaac laid down on the wood, ready to be sacrificed.

i. "Even as Jesus, when going to the cross, submitted to the will of the Father but could have escaped it. In the Garden, He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42). When the soldiers came to arrest Him and Peter pulled out his sword, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). As He prayed in John, chapter 17, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Jesus was submitting to the Father by going to the cross and Isaac was submitting to his father by being bound on the altar." (Smith)

 

[Chaplain]

And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:10-14

"The faith of Abraham was demonstrated in the fact of his willingness to offer his son." (Smith)

1. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son: We must believe Abraham was completely willing to plunge the knife into Isaac, because his faith was in God’s ability to raise Isaac from the dead, not in God’s desire to stop the sacrifice. Abraham didn’t think this was playacting.

i. One may say, “It’s not fair or right. God told Abraham to do something and then told him not to. If God really wanted to test Abraham, He should have made him plunge the knife into his son’s chest.”

ii. God often takes the will for the deed with his people. When He finds them truly willing to make the sacrifice He demands, He often does not require it. This is how we can be martyrs without ever dying for Jesus. We live the life of a martyr right now.

iii. But, “Often there are believers who wonder how they may know the will of God. We believe that ninety per cent of the knowing of the will of God consists in willingness to do it before it is known.” (Barnhouse)

2. You have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me: Abraham displayed his heart towards God in that he was willing to give his only son. God displays His heart towards us in the same way, by giving His only begotten Son (John 3:16).

i. When God asked Abraham for the ultimate demonstration of love and commitment, He asked for Abraham’s son. When the Father wanted to show us the ultimate demonstration of His love and commitment to us, He gave us His Son. We can say to the LORD, “Now I know that You love me, seeing You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me.”

ii. "James gives us a very interesting commentary on this particular passage of scripture. He declares that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, but the proof that he believed God was manifested when he sacrificed his son. Thus, that work of sacrificing his son was the proof of his faith. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17). James uses this as part of his argument that faith has to produce works that are in harmony with what you declare that you believe. The faith of Abraham was demonstrated in the fact of his willingness to offer his son." (Smith)

A prophecy about the Messiah being offered in the same place that Abraham offered a sacrifice to God.

1. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son: All the while, God still required a sacrifice. God didn’t call off the sacrifice. Instead, He required that there be a substitute provided by God Himself.

2. Abraham called the name of the place: The naming of the place is significant. Abraham called it, The LORD Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh); In this mount, it shall be provided.

i. Abraham didn’t name the place in reference to what he went through. He didn’t name it “trial hill” or “agony hill” or “obedience hill.” Instead, he named the hill in reference to what God did; he named it “provision hill.” He named it knowing God would provide the ultimate sacrifice for salvation on that hill someday.

ii. As it is said to this day: apparently, Moses meant even in his own day, men would look at that hill and say, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

iii. This event is also a prophecy of Jesus’ rising from the dead on the third day, as 1 Corinthians 15:4 says He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. But where does it say in the Old Testament specifically the Messiah would rise again on the third day? It says so here, through the picture of Isaac. Isaac was “reckoned dead” by Abraham as soon as God gave the command, and Isaac was “made alive” (“risen&#8221 three days later.

iv. Isaac’s picture of Jesus becomes even clearer:

· Both were loved by their father.
· Both offered themselves willingly.
· Both carried wood up the hill of their sacrifice.
· Both were sacrificed on the same hill.
· Both were delivered from death on the third day.

v. "This is another marvelous prophecy by Abraham. The mount of the LORD is Mount Moriah and today is known as the Temple Mount. In II Chronicles we read, "So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David, his father. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected." (II Chron.3:1). If you will take a careful look at the geography of mount Moriah, you will note that the Temple Mount is at the side of the mountain and not at the top of mount Moriah. Mount Moriah continues on a gentle slope from the Temple Mount up to the top. However, when Solomon built the temple and the walls and many of the buildings, he did it on the north side of the city where the rock is perfect for building. It lays in stratas and all they have to do is cut it. That is where they quarried the stone and so on the north side, mount Moriah has had a great chunk taken out of it. Originally at Abraham's time this stone had not been quarried and so from the temple mount, the gentle slope would have come all the way up to the top of mount Moriah which is now across some sort of valley from the wall of Jerusalem. If you stand near Herod's Gate on the top of the wall of Jerusalem, though you are standing nearly sixty feet from the ground down below, the wall is only twelve feet high, because of the bedrock. As a result of quarrying the stone, there are caves which resemble a skull. Thus the name of the place became Golgotha which means, "the Place of the Skull," or in Latin is called, "Calvary." Above the skull, Golgotha or Calvary, was originally mount Moriah and no doubt when Abraham went to the mount, he went to the top which was customary in those days when you built an altar. So, on the top of the mountain where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, some two thousand years later; because, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins. In the same place where Abraham built his altar, God sacrificed His Son and the prophecy of Abraham was fulfilled when he said, "God will provide Himself a sacrifice." In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen and it was, two thousand years later. The picture of Abraham sacrificing his son is a foreshadowing of that which God would do for love of the world in sacrificing His only begotten Son. "Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?" (Rom.8:32)." (Smith)

Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Genesis 22:15-19

"God reconfirms His promise to Abraham in light of his faith." (Guzik)

1. Blessing I will bless you: Imagine how happy Abraham was after passing this test of trust.

2. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore: By rough calculations, the number of stars in the sky and grains of sand on the seashore are the same: 10 to the 25th power.

i. "For many years it was thought that there were only three thousand stars in the sky. Before the age of telescopes, guys would sit out and count the stars at night. Several Astronomers of ancient times, counted the stars and came up with numbers in the area of three to six thousand that are visible to the naked eye; so, the early skeptics cast doubts on the Bible being inspired by God. God made a severe mistake here by indicating that the stars were too numerous to count but then along came the telescope and it has been estimated that the number of stars, in our universe, are ten to the twenty-fifth power. It has also been estimated, by the number of cubic feet of sand that exist, that there are probably ten to the twenty-fifth power grains of sand on our earth." (Smith)

Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah. Genesis 22:20-24

"The listing of Nahor’s family." (Guzik)

1. “A concubine was an inferior kind of wife, taken according to the common practice of those times, subject to the authority of the principal wife, and whose children had no right of inheritance, but were endowed with gifts.” (Poole)

2. "So, Nahor had twelve sons and we don't know how many daughters, because girls weren't important in that culture. Rebekah is mentioned because she plays an important role in the next couple of chapters. Abraham was, no doubt, interested in finding a wife for Isaac. In the following chapters, we will find out what he does." (Smith)

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. Genesis 23:1

Sarah, God's example of a godly woman.

1. Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years: Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age at death is recorded; it gives us some measure of understanding how great a woman she is in the Bible.

2. The life of Sarah: Nowhere in in the Bible are we told to look to Mary as an example of a godly woman. Twice we are told to look to Sarah as such an example (Isaiah 51:1-2 and 1 Peter 3:3-6).

So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Genesis 23:2

What does God thinking about mourning and weeping for those that have passed on?

1. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah: “That is, he set himself deliberately to all the functions of a mourner.” (Boice) Abraham wasn’t afraid to mourn, though he did not sorrow as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

2. And to weep for her: “To weep for a loved one is to show that we have been close, that the loss is keenly felt, that death is an enemy, and that sin has brought this sad punishment upon the human race.” (Boice)

i. "Even though he was a giant of a man, the friend of God, the father of faith, we see Abraham was also a man who mourned and wept. This being the first mention of weeping or tears in the Bible, God waits until chapter 23 to introduce this concept. It’s curious to me that there is no record of tears at the Fall of man, or when the Flood came, or when the people were scattered at Babel. The Holy Spirit purposefully waits to record weeping until the time a giant of a spiritual man was separated from a godly woman. “You have collected all my tears in your bottle,” David wrote. “Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8). Evidently, God keeps scrapbooks in heaven. Malachi 3 tells us every time one of His children talks to another person about Him, God hearkens to it and writes it in a book. And here, we see Him keeping another book—a book of our tears. Concerning hard times, God doesn’t say, “Deal with it.” He says, “I understand what you’re going through. It’s precious to Me.” In Jesus’ day, women wore tear bottles—little vials which fit against their cheek and caught their tears. A very precious possession, a woman would give this bottle of tears to the one she loved most. It could be this practice to which the account of the woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears refers (Luke 7:38). Tears are unique. Under a microscope, you’ll see the saline crystals in a tear are shaped in the form of a cross. It’s as though the Lord would say, “I understand. I know. I wept, too” (John 11:35)." Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (109). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

ii. An excellent sermon on "Genesis 23 - How to cope when we experience the death of a loved one." (Right Click/Saves As)

Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, “Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.” The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.” Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.” Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. “No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.” Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.” Ephron answered Abraham, “My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.” So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction. Genesis 23:3-16

The departure of loved ones is an important process in our spiritual development because it takes our eyes off of this world and sets them on our true home in Heaven.

Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you: Abraham did not feel this way because he came from Ur of the Chaldeans. It was because he recognized his real home was heaven. Moses knew the same, and commanded Israel to know it (Leviticus 25:23). David also knew this truth (1 Chronicles 29:14 and Psalm 39:12).

How did people bargain in the past?

Give me property for a burial place among you: This way of negotiating the price is typical of ancient and modern practices in that culture. As a gesture of kindness, the selling party may offer to give the property in question to the buyer, until the buyer insists on paying a price.

i. The Canaanite, Ephron, follows the cultural customs of bargaining. First, the seller offers to give the item. Then, when that is refused, the seller suggests a price, which he claims is modest but is really very high. This is understood to be the starting point, and from there the bargaining begins.

An example of a believer doing business.

Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land: Abraham shows how a Christian should do business with the world: courteously, fairly, prudently.

i. “They who, under the sanction of religion, trample under foot the decent forms of civil respect, supposing that because they are religious, they have a right to be rude, totally mistake the spirit of Christianity” (Clarke).

So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place. Genesis 23:17-20

A contradiction in the Bible?

1. Were deeded to Abraham as a possession: The text emphasizes this property was Abraham’s land by deed, not only by the promise of God. If this was the only piece of land Abraham ever owned in the land promised to him, it shows he was a real man of faith.

2. Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah: This is where Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham. Isaac and Rebekah were both buried here. Jacob buried Leah here, and Joseph buried Jacob here. And this was the place Joseph told his descendants to bury him, taking his bones with them when they came into the Promised Land.

i. "In the New Testament when Stephen, in the Book of Acts prior to his stoning, is rehearsing the history of the people, he makes mention of Abraham purchasing a cave. The patriarchs were brought back for burial in the cave that Abraham bought in Shechem. Notice in Acts, chapter 7, where it says, "So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, And were carried over into Shechem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Shechem." (Acts 7:15-16). We don't know the whole story, but we do know that later on Jacob purchased a cave in Shechem. When Jacob was dying in Egypt, he had Joseph, his son, take an oath that he would be carried back to be buried in the cave at Shechem. One possible solution: Abraham lived many years after the death of Sarah and married a woman named Keturah and had children by her. It is possible that after he married again that he went to the area of Shechem and bought a field for his wife and her family, leaving the Machpelah cave for himself and Isaac and those who were later buried at Machpelah. It is also possible that the children of Keturah, later on, sold the field in Shechem and that even still later, Jacob, in Shechem, knowing that Abraham had once purchased that field repurchased the field for the family that they might have a burial place. There are many plausible explanations to this seeming contradiction in scripture. You can't just jump on Acts and say Stephen didn't know his history and that here is a contradiction of scripture. There are those who are always looking to point out mistakes in scripture and say, "You can't trust the Bible, it contradicts itself." We don't have all the information and as the scripture says, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." (John 21:25)." (Smith)

 

[Emwitus]

Happy sabbath to everyone! Hope you are all staying blessed here on gaf!

 

[Chaplain]

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:1-4

Eliezer, a picture/type of the Holy Spirit.

1. The oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had: This is the servant named Eliezer (Genesis 15:2), or at least he was some 60 years before this. If it was someone else, the Holy Spirit didn’t want us to know it.

i. "The name Eliezer, in Hebrew, means "God my help" and is a type of the Holy Spirit who goes to get a bride for his master's son. His job was to woo and to win the bride and bring her back that the master's son might marry her. As a type of the Holy Spirit, his name is significant. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter, which in Greek is "Paracletes" and it means literally, one who comes along side to help. Eliezer is not named in chapter 24, and I believe that it is a deliberate omission by the Holy Spirit, who inspired the text. Jesus said, speaking of the Holy Spirit, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." (John 15:26). The witness and work of the Holy Spirit, in the world today, is not to magnify himself, but to magnify Jesus Christ. I wonder how the Holy Spirit feels when people seek to magnify him, when his duty is to magnify Jesus. So important is his magnifying the name of Jesus that even though he inspired the text, he leaves out the name in chapter 24 of the oldest servant." (Smith)

2. Put your hand under my thigh: According to ancient custom, this describes a very serious oath. Abraham is extremely concerned that Isaac not be married to a Canaanite bride.

And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. Genesis 24:5-9

Abraham's commission clearly defined.

1. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?: "The servant realized that what Abraham was asking of him was not an easy task. He has to go back to Mesopotamia, which is about five hundred miles away. There he has to coax a young girl to get on a camel and ride five hundred miles across a desert area to meet and to marry a man she has never seen before. All she knows of him is what the servant has told her. She'll never see her parents or her home again. The servant could see the difficulty of talking a pretty young girl into such an adventure. He really didn't have much hope for the success of the trip and so he asks if he fails in the venture, should he take Isaac back to the land of Mesopotamia." (Smith)

2. Abraham said to him: Apparently, Abraham anticipated that he might die while his servant was gone, so the instructions were made perfectly clear.

3. Beware that you do not take my son back there: Isaac, the son of promise, never once left the Promised Land.

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’; let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” Genesis 24:10-14

Asking God for help in discerning His will through our circumstances.

1. O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day: Essentially, Eliezer asks God to guide through providential circumstances, which is not always a bad way to discern God’s will.

i. However, generally speaking, circumstances alone can be a dangerous way to discern God’s will. We have a way of ignoring circumstances which speak against what we want (or attributing them to the devil), while focusing on the circumstances that speak for what we want.

ii. But in this case, Eliezer establishes what he will look for before anything happens. He isn’t making up the rules as he goes along.

2. Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink: Eliezer was wise enough to ask for a sign that was remarkable, but (in human terms) possible. He didn’t tempt God by asking for fire to fall from heaven or for protection as he leapt from the pinnacle of the temple.

3. Let her be the one: In praying this prayer, there is a sense in which Eliezer “stacked the deck” against finding someone. It would take a remarkable woman to volunteer for this tedious task.

i. Considering that a camel may drink up to 20 gallons, watering ten camels meant at least an hour of hard work.

4. By this I will know: Eliezer cares nothing about what the woman will look like. He wants a woman of character, a woman whom God has chosen.

And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Genesis 24:15

"God answers the servant’s prayer before it was finished." (Guzik)

1. Before he had finished speaking: Isaiah 65:24 speaks of this kind of gracious answer to prayer: "I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"

2. Rebekah . . . came out with her pitcher on her shoulder: The servant did not yet know the prayer was answered, only time would prove it.

Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. Genesis 24:16-21

How does God see us?

The young woman was very beautiful to behold: We generally regard the Bible as being given to understatement. When we read Rebekah was very beautiful to behold, we should understand Rebekah was indeed very beautiful.

i. "The scripture does not talk about many damsels as being fair to look at; but, in Psalms 45, a prophetic psalm, concerning the "bride" of Christ, it says, "So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty..." The LORD looks upon you and He sees you as very beautiful. His "bride." Sometimes we don't feel very beautiful and our attitudes are ugly, but it's neat to know that the LORD sees us as being beautiful." (Smith)

"Prayer is no substitute for action." (Guzik)

1. The servant ran to meet her: The servant did not think it was unspiritual to introduce himself to Rebekah; yet, he certainly did not do anything to suggest she provide water for the camels.

2. And drew for all his camels: As Rebekah began the hard work of watering all the camels, the servant did not stop her. He wanted a woman who would not only say she would water the camels, but who would actually do it.

i. Perhaps Eliezer knew that for some, it is much easier to talk like a servant than to actually serve. He wanted to see if she had a servant’s heart, not only a servant’s talk.

ii. "A lot of the wells in Israel have steps leading down to a large hole and then at the bottom you would let the pitcher down into the well. This was evidently the case here in the city where Nahor lived. If you have been to the Holy Land and have visited Megeddo, you would see this type of well. Now, the significance of this, in our story, is when Rebekah volunteered to draw water for his camels she would have to go down these stairs each time her pitcher was empty. Camels can drink between twenty to fifty gallons of water each and to go up and down these stairs filling the trough for ten thirsty camels until they were finished drinking would be a very tiring thing for a young woman. So, when the servant had made this stipulation, he had put a pretty good sign, an indication, for which one God had chosen to be the bride." (Smith)

So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things. Genesis 24:22-28

Paul wrote, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD: "The man had prayed that the LORD would make his journey prosperous. The task, that he had thought so difficult, was beginning to look as though it might work out. It was all too much for him to take in and being excited, he bowed and worshipped God." (Smith)

When does God lead us?

Being on the way, the LORD led me: It is hard to steer a parked car. If we want to be guided by the LORD, we should be on our way.

i. "Notice that being on the way, the LORD led him. One of the most important steps in being led of the LORD is to get moving. It's hard to guide a stationery object. If you're just sitting around, it's hard to get the leading of the LORD. God leads us as we're moving. We have to step out in faith and as we step out in faith, then the LORD is able to lead us. If you're sitting waiting for the LORD to show you his leading, you will probably just sit the rest of your life. You'll probably never get any direction. Stand up! Start walking! The LORD will start leading you as you're going. To be led of the LORD, we must step out in faith." (Smith)

Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.” Genesis 24:29-33

Laban, a worldly man.

When he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists: Laban’s eyes are very much on the riches the servant brings; yet, he also shows appropriate hospitality.

“I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys. “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’ “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’ “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’ “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels. “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.” Genesis 24:34-49

"The servant tells his story and what he is there for." (Guzik)

i. v.34-36: "Seeing the picture of Eliezer as the Holy Spirit, he is now wooing the bride for the son as he testifies of the glory of his master's kingdom. His master has a son and all that he possesses, he has given to his son. We begin to hear the witness of the Holy Spirit with the glories of God's Kingdom: the beauty, the glory, and the riches of the Kingdom of God and God has a Son, whom He has appointed "heir" of all things. The Spirit is here to woo us to Jesus Christ to be the bride of Christ that we may be joint heirs with him of the wealth of the Kingdom of God. So you see the picture begin to come together here as the servant describes the wealth and glory of his master's kingdom. I would imagine that he describes the son in glowing terms and Rebekah is listening, I'm sure. She probably figures, at this point, there is something very interesting going on."

ii. v.42-45a: "This is interesting, he was speaking in his heart. We think we always have to articulate our prayers, but that's not so. God can hear the prayer of your heart. He was just saying a prayer in his heart that God would point out the woman who was to be Isaac's bride."

 

[TheContact]

If the Bible is the word of God, how come man decided that some parts of the Bible weren't official and left it out? And why was it written in so many languages, leaving it susceptible to mistranslations and different interpretations, and why isn't it consistent in being literal/figurative? You would think an all-knowing figure would have the foresight to predict these kinds of things.

I'm not trying to stir things up, I'm generally curious how religious people accept that, or the fact that Christianity was brought up as a way of removing paganism from Rome and uniting the people to be used as a form of crowd control rather than any kind of spiritual enlightenment. Jesus was dead for hundreds of years at this point.

 

[Chaplain]

How come man decided that some parts of the Bible weren't official and left it out?

The Hebrew Scriptures were agreed upon hundreds of years before the time of Jesus. The Greek Scriptures (New Testament) were agreed upon by both informal and formal agreements by the church in the first hundred years or so. They simply could tell which writings were authentic works of the apostles and their associates, who recognized themselves that they wrote Holy Scripture in a unique work of laying the foundation for the church and God's work through the generations. Those who think that other books should have been included in the New Testament or Old Testament simply haven't read those books. Even today, one can read them and see how different they are from what we have in the Old and New Testaments.

Why was it written in so many languages?

Only two, and a little bit of a third. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew, the New Testament in an ancient form of the Greek language, and a few chapters in Daniel are written in Aramaic.

Leaving it susceptible to mistranslations and different interpretations.

Christians overwhelming agree on the main points of the Bible. There are differences on relatively minor points, and sometimes Christians emphasize those minor points. But if we take a summary of Biblical teaching such as the Apostle's Creed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles'_Creed), there are 2.3 billion people on earth today who agree pretty much or entirely with the basics of the Bible's teaching.

Why isn't it consistent in being literal/figurative

The Bible speaks consistently, according to its literary style. The Bible was written using several literary styles - historical narrative, poetic, prophetic, parables, proverbs, and so on. It speaks the truth within its literary style, and in most places isn't too hard to understand.

You would think an all-knowing figure would have the foresight to predict these kinds of things

He did. That's why the Bible is the most attacked book of all history; but it is also the most translated, most read, most sold, most influential, most life-transforming, and most remarkable book of all history.

Hope this helped.

 

[Chaplain]

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the LORD has spoken.” And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.” But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.” And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them.” Genesis 24:50-60

How our walk influences the lives of others.

He worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth: "Abraham's faith in God has certainly influenced his household. The servant is following the example of Abraham by worshipping God on these different occasions." (Smith)

What happened when a agreement of marriage was made back in the day?

He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother: When an agreement of marriage had been made, it was customary for the bridegroom (or his representative) to give the family of the bride gifts as a dowry to demonstrate his financial ability to provide for the bride.

i. "Even as we, who are committed to Jesus Christ to be His "bride," responded to that wooing of the Holy Spirit and upon consenting, we began to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We received those gifts of God and the gift of the Spirit, himself, which becomes the "earnest" of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. The servant brings in this magnificent jewelry and clothing and says, here's a sample of the wealth of my master as the gifts of the Spirit are just a foretaste of the glory that awaits us when we arrive in the heavenly kingdom. We have a down payment of the glory to come and with Peter we can say, "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." (I Peter 1:8)." (Smith)

Rebekah's family tries to delay Rebekah's trip.

Let the young woman stay with us a few days: "Delay her going. They're a type of the world (Rebekah's family) that is always seeking to cause you to delay your commitment to Jesus Christ. Everybody wants to be saved someday. They all want to die the death of the righteous. No one wants to die the death of a heathen or sinner. I want to be righteous, but later. I want to live a little first. Oh, what a wrong statement that is. You're dead in your trespasses and sins and what you are really saying is that you want to stay dead a little longer. You don't know what living is until you live in Christ. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ [His life in me]..." (Phil.1:21). "When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory." (Col.3:4). John said, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (I John 5:12). But wait, not yet, delay!" (Smith)

Rebekah responds to the call.

I will go: One of the most remarkable things about Rebekah is her total willingness to leave all to be with a bridegroom she has never seen. Her words “I will go” are worthy words of faith.

i. "The Spirit asks you the big question. Will you commit your life to Jesus Christ? Will you begin the journey towards Him. That journey that will, one day, lead us into His presence and the glory of His kingdom. Will you consent? Will you go? It always comes to the personal application. They asked Rebekah, personally, if she would go and she said, "I will go." (Smith)

How the world will respond to a believer committing their lives to God.

“Do not hinder me” . . . “I will go”: “If the world does not succeed in persuading the believer to abide in the world, it will seek to delay his exit . . . When you decide to go with the Lord, the world will applaud your devotion but will say, ‘Don’t rush. Abide a few days, at least ten, and then go.’” (Barnhouse)

Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. Genesis 24:61-67

Rebekah leaves her family and experiences her first trial.

So the servant took Rebekah and departed: We can well imagine the conversations Rebekah and Eliezer would have on the journey. She would want to know all she could about Isaac, whom she loved without ever seeing, and he would be delighted to tell her.

i. Rebekah would never dream of telling Eliezer the best way to get her to the home of her bridegroom, but many of us will reject the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our life.

ii. "Rebekah had a nurse and she had maids. That tells us the family was well-to-do and she could have stayed there and lived in comfort; but, she gets on a camel (an awkward uncomfortable beast) to ride some 500 miles that she might meet the man she is to marry and become with him the heir of the kingdom. Riding a camel is a trial and the only way you can ride is to relax and move with it. We begin our journey through life the same way. We have many trials. Peter says, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." (I Peter 4:12). We are encouraged to endure hardness as a good soldier; but, always in trials, we are pointed ahead to the rewards that lie ahead of us. We are pointed to Jesus, as our example, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and says to us, "Take up your cross." So in Rebekah's heart was the anticipation of the meeting of this man she was to marry. She hadn't seen him, but the things that the servant told her were glorious. Already she was in love with Isaac from the descriptions that the servant had given her, even as we are already in love with Jesus from the descriptions of the Holy Spirit, "...Whom having not seen, ye love." And so you don't curse the trials, but you rejoice and count it all joy; because, these are the instruments that are drawing us close to Jesus. God's purpose in every testing and every trial is to force us closer to Jesus. God doesn't want me to become independent of Him and so He will send a trial to force me closer to Him." (Smith)

Rebekah covers her face with her veil.

She took a veil and covered herself: The covering with a veil signified chastity, modesty, and submission. This is how Rebekah wants to meet her bridegroom.

What is God saying in the story of Isaac and Rebekah?

Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening: This is the first mention of Isaac since he was left on top of Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:19). We see nothing of Isaac from the time of his “resurrection” to the time he is united with his bride.

i. In all this, we see the coming together of Isaac and Rebekah as a remarkable picture of the coming together of Jesus and the church.

· A father desires a bride for his son
· A son was just accounted as “dead” and “raised from the dead” A nameless servant is sent forth to get a bride for the son
· The servant’s name is actually Eliezer, meaning “God of help” or “helper”
· The lovely bride is divinely met, chosen, and called, and then lavished with gifts
· She is entrusted to the care of the servant until she meets her bridegroom

ii. The way Isaac and Rebekah came to each other is also instructive. Neither were “dating” or any such thing. They were serving God and seeking Him (Isaac did meditate in the field), and God brought them together. They obviously were more concerned with the will of God than with modern notions of romantic love.

"Summarizing the pictures of Isaac, Rebekah, Jesus, and the Church." (Guzik)

1. Both Rebekah and the church:

· Chosen for marriage before they knew it (Ephesians 1:3-4).
· Necessary for the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose (Ephesians 3:10-11).
· Destined to share in the glory of the son (John 17:22-23).
· Learn of the son through his representative.
· Must leave all with joy to be with the son.
· Are loved and cared for by the son.

2. Both Isaac and Jesus:

· Were promised before their coming.
· Finally appeared at the appointed time.
· Were conceived and born miraculously.
· Given a special name before birth.
· Offered up in sacrifice by the father.
· Brought back from the dead.
· Head of a great company to bless all people.
· Prepared a place for their bride.
· Had a ministry of prayer while the bride comes.

A topical study of Genesis 24:10 for those that are interested.

BEING BROUGHT TO CHRIST
A Topical Study of
GENESIS 24:10

 

[Chaplain]

Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east. Genesis 25:1-6

"Abraham marries again and has many children by Keturah." (Guzik)

Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah: "We follow the line of Keturah just to the second generation. Just enough to let us observe that these names Midian, Sheba and Dedan are names that are prominent as far as the Arab heritage is concerned. It would seem that a part of the Arab people came from this union of Abraham with Keturah." (Smith)

"Abraham is careful to set Isaac apart as the child of promise." (Guzik)

Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac: Abraham gave his wealth to Isaac and he gave the land God had promised to him to Isaac (he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son).

i. "The scripture says that he sent the sons of Keturah towards the east and the Jews to the present day feel that this was a tremendous mistake. They felt that he should have sent Isaac to the east, because, in going to the east the descendants of Sheba and Dedan inhabit Saudi Arabia and the Jews feel that if Isaac had gone eastward they would have no problems today; since, they would own the oil resources of the world. It is interesting that Keturah is classified as a concubine of Abraham. Another interesting thing is that when God heals someone, He does it well. When Abraham was a hundred years old, he was impotent, but, God restored his capacities and his wife Sarah had a son. Now, he is approximately a hundred forty years old when he takes Keturah as his wife and he has six more sons. God has done a wonderful healing job on Abraham. The "son of promise" was Isaac and in verse five, it says that Abraham gave all that he had to him. He gave gifts to the sons of the concubines, but, Isaac is the heir. The children of faith are the heirs of God. While Abraham was still living, he sent the other sons away from Isaac, probably to stop any rivalry that might arise between them." (Smith)

This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. Genesis 25:7-11

Abraham “died full.”

1. Then Abraham breathed his last and died: Abraham passes from the scene, being one of the most important men of the Bible. He is mentioned 70 times in the New Testament alone. Only Moses is mentioned more times in the New Testament (80 times).

2. Was gathered to his people: "This "gathered to his people" must have a spiritual connotation as Sarah was the only one who preceded him in death and was buried at Machpelah. It could refer to the place that later became known as "the place of comfort in Abraham's bosom" or the place of waiting for the fulfillment of the promises of God. Gathering with those people of faith who were waiting for the fulfillment of God's promise of redemption through Jesus Christ." (Smith)

3. Died in a good old age, an old man and full of years: Clarke gives a good eulogy of Abraham: “above all as a man of God, he stands unrivaled; so that under the most exalted and perfect of all dispensations, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is proposed and recommended as the model and pattern according to which the faith, obedience, and perseverance of the followers of the Messiah are to be formed. Reader, while you admire the man, do not forget the God that made him so great, so good, and so useful. Even Abraham had nothing but what he had received; from the free unmerited mercy of God proceeded all his excellences; but he was a worker together with God, and therefore did not receive the grace of God in vain. Go thou, believe, love, obey, and persevere in like manner.”

i. "Psalm One tells us that, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree, Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper." (Ps.1:1-3). As you look at Abraham's life, surely this Psalm is applicable to him. His leaf did not wither, he was a hundred and seventy-five years old when he died and whatever he did, God prospered him. In the 91st Psalm as it talks about dwelling in the secret place of the most high, God responds to the Psalmist and tells all the things He will do for him, because, he chose Him. In verse sixteen, God promises, "With long life will I satisfy him..." Abraham had made his place of refuge the eternal living God and as a result God blessed him." (Smith)

Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren. Genesis 25:12-18

The history of Islam.

These were the names of the sons of Ishmael: "The names of Ishmael’s twelve sons portray the history of Islam—the base of which is idolatry and paganism. In Mecca, the most holy site of Islam, stands a silver holder containing a black stone which fell from the sky long before Mohammed was even born. In his desire to unify the region’s numerous nomadic tribes, Mohammed designated Allah as the single god over the three-hundred-plus existing deities. Allah is a moon god, a pagan entity, linked to the black meteorite worshiped at Mecca. Thus, to think Islam is one of the great monotheistic religions is unsophisticated intellectually and inaccurate historically. Islam is pagan worship of a moon god." (Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one : Genesis-Job (121). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)

This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. Genesis 25:19-26

Like Sarah, Isaac's wife was unable to have children.

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: Even the son of promise does not come into the promise easily. It only comes through waiting and prayer. But the prayers of a husband for his wife have a special power.

i. Even so, it was some 20 years until they had children (Genesis 25:20,26), and these were the only children born to Isaac and Rebekah.

ii. Jewish legends say Jacob and Esau tried to kill each other in the womb. Also, every time Rebekah went near an idol’s altar, Esau would get excited in the womb, and when she would go near a place where the LORD was worshipped, Jacob would get excited.

Rebekah talks to God about her problem.

So she went to inquire of the LORD: As Rebekah sought God, the LORD spoke to her regarding the sons within her womb.

i. It is good to desire that the LORD would speak to us, but we must realize we do not hear perfectly from God. We can become far too confident in our ability to hear from the LORD, and forget that it is easy for us to stop listening when God wants to keep speaking. We may add to what the LORD is saying, or hear it clearly but misunderstand the timing or application of what the LORD says to us.

ii. In connection with God’s eternal word (as is the case with Rebekah here), God gives a unique gift to perfectly listen, a gift given only in connection with the revealing of His written, eternal word.

God responds to Rebekah by telling her there are twins in her womb.

Two nations are in your womb: What God says is simple. She has twins within her. The twins will each father nations. One shall be greater than the other, and the younger will be greater than the older.

God's promise is true.

Indeed there were twins in her womb: The truth of the unseen promise is fulfilled by something that could be seen. God’s word was true. When the time came for them to be born, there were in fact twins in Rebekah’s womb.

Esau and Jacob.

And the first came out red: Circumstances surrounding the birth of each child were responsible for their names. Esau refers to the hairiness of the first-born child. Jacob refers to the way the second born was holding on to the heel of his brother.

i. Additionally, the idea of a “heel-catcher” meant something in that day. It had the idea of “trickster,” “con-man,” “scoundrel,” or “rascal.” It wasn’t a compliment.

An illustration of God’s sovereign choice.

And the older shall serve the younger: God chose to go against the normal way of the younger serving the older. In Romans 9:10-13, Paul uses this choice of Jacob over Esau before their birth as an illustration of God’s sovereign choice.

i. God’s choice of Isaac instead of Ishmael seems more “logical” to us. Yet His choice between Jacob and Esau, regarding which one would be the heir of God’s covenant of salvation, is just as valid, though it “seems” to make less sense.

ii. Paul points out God’s choice was not based on the performance of Jacob or Esau. The choice was made when they were not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil.

iii. God announced these intentions to Rebekah before the children were born (The older shall serve the younger), and repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, Malachi 1:2-3).

iv. Is it fair for God to love one and hate another, and to choose one and not choose another, before they are even born? We should regard the love and the hate God speaks of here as having to do with His purpose in choosing one to become the heir of the covenant of Abraham. In that regard, God’s preference could rightly be regarded as a display of love towards Jacob and hate towards Esau. The real thought here is much more like “accepted” and “rejected” more than it is like our understanding of the terms “loved” and “hated.”

v. “A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’” (Newell in Romans, Verse by Verse)

vi. Our greatest error in considering the choices of God is to think God chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if He were sort of an “eeny-meeny-miny-moe” chooser. We may not be able to fathom God’s reasons for choosing, and they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are not capricious.

 

[Chaplain]

So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Genesis 25:27-28

The differences between Esau and Jacob.

1. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man: Like so many siblings in a family, Jacob and Esau were very different from each other in their personality and tastes. And as is sometimes the case, each parent had a “favorite” child.

2. Jacob was a mild man: The Hebrew word for mild has the idea of “wholeness” instead of someone who is weak or effeminate. The Hebrew word tam (mild) is used of Job in Job 1:8: Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:29-34

Why was the birthright so important?

Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day": Jacob knew that the birthright was valuable and he wanted it. Passages like Deuteronomy 21:17 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 tell us the birthright involved both a material and a spiritual dynamic. The son of the birthright received a double portion of the inheritance, and he also became the head of the family and the spiritual leader upon the passing of the father. In the case of this family the birthright determined who would inherit the covenant God made with Abraham, the covenant of a land, a nation, and the Messiah.

What did Esau think of his birthright?

I am about to die: Esau’s thought isn’t that he is so hungry that he will die without food. Instead, the idea is “I will die one day anyway, so what good is this birthright to me?”

Jacob the trickster.

Swear to me as of this day: Was this unfair of Jacob? Certainly, he is acting like a “heel-catcher.” He is being a trickster or a rascal in taking advantage of his brother.

i. Jacob was guilty of scheming in the flesh to gain something God said was already his. Yet we should remember the far greater blame is placed on Esau, who despised his birthright.

ii. Luther draws attention to an important fact: this was not a valid transaction, because Jacob was buying what was already his, and Esau was selling something that didn’t belong to him. (Leupold)

Esau sells his birthright, and how his sin can apply to us as believers.

And sold his birthright to Jacob: Why did Esau sell out? “History shows that men prefer illusions to realities, choose time rather than eternity, and the pleasures of sin for a season rather than the joys of God forever. Men will read trash rather than the Word of God, and adhere to a system of priorities that leaves God out of their lives. Multitudes of men spend more time shaving than on their souls; and multitudes of women give more minutes to their makeup than to the life of the eternal spirit. Men still sell their birthright for a mess of pottage.” (Barnhouse)

i. What birthright might we despise? Ephesians 1:3-14 shows us a treasury of riches ours by birthright in Jesus: every spiritual blessing, the blessing of being chosen in Jesus, adoption into God’s family, total acceptance by God in Jesus, redemption from our slavery to sin, true and total forgiveness, the riches of God’s grace, the revelation and knowledge of the mystery of God’s will, an eternal inheritance, the guarantee of the indwelling Holy Spirit right now. Will we sell out this birthright for a night of television?

Esau scorns his birthright.

Thus Esau despised his birthright: Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person (Hebrews 12:16) shows God was entirely correct in choosing Jacob over Esau to carry on the birthright, even though Jacob was younger. Though Esau’s character was not the basis for God’s choosing (He chose Jacob over Esau before they were born), Esau’s character showed the ultimate wisdom of God’s choice.

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:1-5

God reminds Isaac of the promise He made to his father.

I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father: In theory, it was possible for the covenant “die” with the passing of Abraham, but God was true to His word. The covenant God made with Abraham was not only unto Abraham, but unto all of his descendants also (Genesis 17:7-8). This fulfills a specific promise made in Genesis 17:19.

Abraham sinned a lot. But why does God say that Abraham obeyed Him? The answer is found in Jesus.

Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge: God says that He kept the covenant because of Abraham’s obedience. Yet a close look at Abraham’s life shows that his obedience wasn’t complete or constant.

i. God can say this of Abraham because Abraham was declared righteous by faith (Genesis 15:6), and as far as God is concerned, all He sees in Abraham is the righteousness of Jesus.

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’“ And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” Genesis 26:6-11

How disobeying God will hurt us.

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar: "Isaac disobeyed God by settling down in the area of Gerar and the next thing we find him doing is lying. This sin was actually provoked by his disobedience in dwelling in the land instead of sojourning as the LORD told him to do. There are places, where you as a child of God, have no business going. If you go there, you are only exposing yourself to temptation. Isaac had no business dwelling in Gerar and as a result of his dwelling there, the men of the area began to ask about his wife. Isaac lied and said she was his sister because he was afraid." (Smith)

Isaac commits the same exact sin his father committed years before (Genesis 20).

And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife”: Isaac went from such a high spiritual experience (Genesis 26:1-5) to such blatant sin because of the weakness of his own flesh, and also because of the bad example of his father.

i. Peter, with his confession and wrong counsel to Jesus, is a perfect example of how sin can follow upon an outpouring of God’s blessing. Well does 1 Corinthians 10:12 say: Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

ii. "Fear is a sign of the lack of faith. He had the same lapse of faith as his father Abraham. He feared that they might kill him in order to get his wife. Proverbs says, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high." The fear of man was a trap and Isaac fell into it and was caught. In reality he was following an established pattern which had been set by his father a hundred years earlier. In the same place, with the same conditions, Abraham had the same lapse of faith." (Smith)

Are we bound by “generational curses”?

Lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold: The Bible doesn’t teach we are bound by “generational curses,” but it is often the case that the sins of the fathers are found in the children, because those sins of the flesh have been nurtured in that environment.

Abimelech catches on to Isaac's lie, but still protects him. Huh?

1. There was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife: When Abimelech saw this (the KJV has an interesting translation here, saying Isaac was sporting with Rebekah), he put two and two together and understood the true nature of their relationship.

i. "The story of Abraham a hundred years earlier probably has been handed down to the people. When Abraham said Sarah was his sister, Abimelech took her to his tent and God caused a plague to come among them that closed all the wombs of the women and they couldn't have children. Now, this is a different Abimelech that Isaac is dealing with. Abimelech is just the title of the ruler. Knowing of the previous incident, Abimelech rebukes Isaac, "What have you done to us?" It is tragic when a man of God is rebuked by the world. Our standards should always be higher than those of the world. The Bible says that they who bear the vessels of the LORD must be holy." (Smith)

2. He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death: Even as God protected his father, even in the midst of sinful conduct, Isaac was protected.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. Genesis 26:12-14

God blesses Isaac.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold: Prosperity came to Isaac as the blessing upon his hard work. He probably received enough of an inheritance from his father that he did not have to work, but did nonetheless, and God blessed it.

Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Then he went up from there to Beersheba. Genesis 26:15-23

"Isaac handles disputes concerning wells with the natives, until he moves to Beersheba." (Guzik)

He called the name of the well Esek: The first well was named “contention,” because it made others jealous. The next well was named “opposition” for similar reasons. But the third well was named “roominess,” because it was far enough away to not be a problem.

What is the purpose of conflict?

Then he went up from there to Beersheba: God used the conflicts to lead Isaac back to Beersheba, where Abraham had been before. God doesn’t want us to live in contention and opposition, but they can be used by God to lead us to the place where He wants us to be.

i. Of course, none of this lessens the responsibility those who unjustly opposed Isaac had to God. God used their sinful contention against Isaac, but it was still sin.

And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. Genesis 26:24-25

What has happened when we don't hear the voice of God anymore?

For My servant Abraham’s sake: God keeps His covenant with us for Jesus’ sake.

i. "Now God speaks to Isaac again. He first spoke when Isaac left the land and now the first night that he is back God speaks to him again. It is almost like God was waiting for him to get back on track. We find this is true in our own life when we get off track, suddenly we don't hear the voice of God. We don't feel the presence of God in our lives. It isn't that God has moved, but that we have moved from the place of blessing. The moment Isaac came back to Beer-sheba God spoke to him. He said do not fear for I am with you. That is always the answer which dispels fear, the presence of God with you. David said in the Twenty-third Psalm, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me..." "Fear not for I am with you." What words of strength and comfort." (Smith)

One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander. “Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously hate me, since you kicked me off your land.” They replied, “We can plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant. Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have never troubled you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the Lord has blessed you!” So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the treaty, and they ate and drank together. Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath not to interfere with each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace. That very day Isaac’s servants came and told him about a new well they had dug. “We’ve found water!” they exclaimed. So Isaac named the well Shibah (which means “oath&#8221. And to this day the town that grew up there is called Beersheba (which means “well of the oath&#8221. Genesis 26:26-33

"The natives make peace with Isaac because the LORD is with him, just as happened with Abraham." (Guzik)

Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace: Earlier a similar thing happened to Abraham. After he left and was so blessed of God, the king came and wanted to make a treaty with him. This also took place at Beer-sheba. Abraham rebuked them because he had dug wells and Abimelech's servants had taken them for themselves. Abimelech said he knew nothing about it and so Abraham gave him seven ewe lambs as a witness that he had dug the well and so, they made a covenant there at Beer-sheba. Isaac seemed to be a much milder man then his father because he didn't confront them with the wells, but sent them away in peace.

"God’s blessing for Isaac in the form of a well." (Guzik)

We have found water: Abraham was a man of altars, and Jacob would be a man of tents. But Isaac was a man of wells, and he knew God’s constant provision. He also knew God could provide in many different ways, not just one.

When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis 26:34-35

Esau’s wives make life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.

They were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah: Again, this shows Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person (Hebrews 12:16).

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Hey christian gaf! Been a while. Hope everyone is well and staying blessed. Had a random question. Has anyone here ever read through the whole bible? And if yes, How did you go about it?
I really want to get back into reading the book a bit more. Lately, I've been having a hard time keeping my faith.Lots going on and for some reason, even if this is the time i need God the most, I have a hard time asking him for anything. I think a big reason for this is my not reading the bible. Any help and prayers would highly be appreciated. Thanks.

Kind of late, but I'm reading through the whole book, kind of embarrassed at how long it has taken me. It's on the order of years, sadly. I usually take it one passage at a time, not to try to read too much in one sitting. It's generally the last thing I do at night. But I started at Genesis, read through the OT, skipped Psalms and Proverbs, then through the NT (which I've read through other times, but never the entirety of the Bible), and skipped Revelations. I am now back in Psalms, then will read Proverbs, and Lord willing will go back and read Revelations so that I can say I have truthfully read the Bible from beginning to end. At which point, I think I will find a good devotional book to provide some guidance on future readings.

 

[Chaplain]

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Genesis 27:1-4

Isaac assumes that he is about to die.

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old: Isaac believes his time has come to die, and this is his way of “settling his affairs,” sort of a last will and testament. Although, Martin Luther calculated Isaac’s age to be 137 at this point, he lived to be 180. He lived 43 more years.

"Isaac is deliberately seeking to circumvent the declarations of God." (Smith)

That my soul may bless you before I die: Strangely, Isaac insisted on giving the blessing to Esau, the one God did not choose, who despised his birthright, and who has married pagan wives. It seems Isaac plainly operated in the flesh here, thinking only of the good food he received from Esau’s hunting.

i. Actually, it seems Isaac acted more in the flesh in regard to his glorying in Esau’s manly hunting prowess. He actually could not taste the difference between what Esau hunted in the field and what his wife Rebekah could prepare from the flock.

ii. "Remember when Rebekah was having difficulty with her pregnancy and she asked God what was going on. God answered that there were two nations in her womb and that the older would serve the younger. That was God's sovereign declaration before they were even born. Isaac favors Esau and tried to move out of the plan of God. Isaac is acting after the flesh and not innocent in this act at all." (Smith)

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.” Genesis 27:5-10

Rebekah knows God’s Word (Genesis 25:23), does God’s work—but not in God’s way.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you: Instead of trusting God to fulfill what He had promised in Genesis 25:23, she goes about to “do what is right” in the flesh. Good intentions don’t justify acting in the flesh.

What happens when we do not walk closely with God?

I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves: But again, Isaac is no less scheming than Rebekah. In the willfulness of his old age, he is determined to pass on the blessing to Esau, despite what the LORD has said and what the boys have shown with their lives.

i. The fact Isaac is trying to dispense the blessing secretly shows he knew what he was wrong. Sadly, in this house, no one trusted anyone else.

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. Genesis 27:11-17

How Jacob was more concerned about his reputation instead of his character.

Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him: Jacob, true to his name (“trickster” or “scoundrel”), is all too willing to go along with this plan. His only concern is whether or not it will succeed.

i. When we are willing to abandon the question of right and wrong, and when our only concern is “what works,” we have bought into the modern idea of pragmatism, as much of the church has today.

ii. "There is some speculation, as to the choice clothes, that perhaps they were the clothes of honor often given to the son who was to inherit the position in the family. Remember the brothers of Joseph became extremely jealous when his father gave to him the coat of many colors. A coat of honor indicating Jacob's intention to give to Joseph the place of headship in the family, after his death. It is thought that Rebekah kept these special robes in her tent. Esau, no doubt, was living elsewhere with his two wives at the time." (Smith)

Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob made decisions based upon how they felt instead of what God said.

His father . . . Rebekah . . . Esau . . . Jacob: Significantly, at this point, each of these actors in this drama are in the flesh and not in the spirit. Even Esau, in agreeing to Isaac’s plan to give him the birthright, disregarded his previous promise to allow Jacob to have the birthright.

i. The worst aspect of this all is they seem to regard the blessing as “magical,” as something detached from God’s wisdom and will. But the most Isaac can do is recognize God’s call and blessing on Jacob. Only God can truly bestow the blessing. Esau could receive the blessing from Isaac a hundred times, but it only matters if God in heaven honors it.

ii. "You can not stop the purposes of God from being fulfilled. You may fail, but God will raise up someone else. God is going to get his work accomplished and He doesn't need our help. This can be very disappointing when you're wanting to help God out, but we only create problems in our endeavor to help God. Unfortunately, in this story, they felt they had to lie and deceive to help God. They are following that proverb which is not scriptural, "God helps those, who help themselves." Here is a classic example of them trying to help themselves, to help God fulfill His plan and fulfill His purpose. I don't know how God would have done it, but I'm certain He would. God had declared it, His purpose was that the blessing would be upon Jacob and that he should be the descendant from which the line of Christ should fall. So, Jacob went in to Isaac. The end does not justify the means. That is a heresy which has been embraced many times by the church. Paul came down on that philosophy. "Let us do evil that good may come." "God forbid," Paul says. We are never justified in doing wrong to bring about that which is good." (Smith)

So he went to his father and said, “My father.’ And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, Genesis 27:18-27a

Jacob previously agreed to deceive his father (sin #1). Now that sin gives birth to more sin/death (James 1:14-15).

I am Esau your firstborn: Sometimes it is difficult to discern a lie, and whether it is sin or not comes back to the question of intent. But other times it is not difficult at all, and Jacob clearly lies here.

Jacob sins again, this time by saying God is condoning his actions.

Because the Lord your God brought it to me: Jacob, the scoundrel, did not hesitate to bring in God as a party to his deception.

i. How can he do this? Simply because his only concern is “what works.” Since he knows God wants him to have the birthright, he will justify any lie or sin he commits in the pursuit of the birthright and say he is making a stand for righteousness!

ii. Jacob probably used the promise and calling of God as an excuse for sin; he justified it to himself by saying his sinful conduct was fulfilling the promise of God.

God uses Jacob's dad to give him an opportunity to confess his sins (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Are you really my son Esau? Even under repeated questioning Jacob stayed confirmed in his lie. Partially, Jacob took advantage of his father’s good nature. Isaac probably would not believe his Jacob would lie to him so repeatedly.

And blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!” Genesis 27:27b-29

Isaac blesses Jacob.

1. And blessed him: Isaac blesses Jacob as the spiritual head of the family. Isaac had the right to pass on this blessing related to the covenant of Abraham, not Ishmael. The son (Jacob or Esau) who received this blessing was able to pass it on to his descendants.

2. May God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth: The words of the blessing are filled with pictures of the LORD’s rich bounty, and they echo some of the words of the covenant God made with Abraham.

Why was Jacob blessed? Was it because of God or his father?

Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you: Again, it is important to see it wasn’t the bestowal of these words upon Jacob that made him blessed. Instead, Jacob was blessed because God chose him long before (Genesis 26:23). What mattered is that God said the older shall serve the younger (back in Genesis 25:23), not that Isaac said be master over your brethren.

i. “The point is that the sovereign will of God is done, in spite of our or any other person’s opposition to it.” (Boice)

ii. "In this blessing, Isaac is trying to disqualify what God had declared to be his purpose. Isaac is really at fault here and it is a direct disobedience to what God had declared in his endeavor to make Jacob subservient to Esau." (Smith)

Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.” And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him; and indeed he shall be blessed.” When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me; me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me; me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Genesis 27:30-38

"Now, instead of recanting the blessing, Isaac realizes that God is involved in this and he affirms that the blessing shall be given to Jacob. He tried to twist it and he was foiled and he realizes now that God's purposes shall stand." (Smith)

1. Isaac trembled exceedingly: This phrase is very strong. It could be translated, “Isaac trembled most excessively with a great trembling.” (Morris)

2. Isaac trembled exceedingly: Isaac was troubled because he knew he had tried to box God in, to defeat God’s plan, and God had beaten him. He realized he would always be defeated when he tried to resist God’s will, even when he didn’t like it. And he came to learn that despite his arrogance against God’s will, God’s will was glorious.

i. Later, in Hebrews 11:20, it says By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Where was the faith? Here it is, after Isaac’s attempt to thwart the will of God has been destroyed and he said of Jacob, “and indeed he shall be blessed.”

Did Esau really care about his birthright?

1. He took away my birthright: Both Isaac and Esau are grieved when they figure out what Jacob did, and now Esau is concerned about the birthright! Previously (in Genesis 25:22-34), he was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew, and he despised his birthright. Now he wanted the material and political advantages of the birthright.

i. When he saw it as a spiritual birthright, Esau did not value the birthright, but now that he sees it in material and political terms, he wanted it.

2. He took away my birthright: Esau is also more than willing to rewrite history. Though he is right in accusing Jacob of acting true to his nature when he took the birthright from Esau the first time, he neglects to mention he sold the birthright for a bowl of stew, and he despised his birthright.

i. Esau cannot truly say that Jacob took away my birthright. Esau gave it away, and God is Lord over the birthright anyway.

3. Bless me, even me also, O my father! This is more spiritual concern than we have ever seen in Esau, though even this is colored with material and political concern.

Did Esau repent?

Esau lifted up his voice and wept: Esau’s tears were the tears of frustrated selfishness, not of regret for his own sin and despising of his birthright.

i. Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:15-17)

a. This passage (Hebrews 12:15-17) has been mistranslated by many thinking that Esau sought repentance but didn't find it; when in truth, Esau never repented. What he sought with tears was the blessing but he didn't repent and that's why he wasn't blessed." (Smith)

Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.” Genesis 27:39-40

"Isaac gives a limited blessing to Esau." (Guzik)

1. Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth: Barnhouse (and others) indicate the “blessing” Isaac bestowed on Esau actually says, “your dwelling shall be from the fatness of the earth.” That is, Esau and his descendants would be desert-dwellers.

2. You shall serve your brother: Esau would be under Jacob, but not forever. The promise also was that Esau would break his yoke from your neck.

So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” Genesis 27:41-46

Why does Jesus want us to forgive unconditionally (Matthew 18:21-22)? Because He knows unforgiveness (sin) can hurt us, our relationship with God, and those we love (Genesis 4:7).

Then I will kill my brother Jacob: Esau’s somewhat spiritual concern for the blessing of his father quickly vanishes in a bitter hatred of Jacob, a bitter hatred having murderous intent. Esau planned to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died, and this is a comfort to Esau.

i. Revenge is a comforting thought to those who feel they have been wronged like Esau. If only Esau knew Isaac would live another 43 years!

ii. Perhaps Esau was going to test just how blessed Jacob was. His intention may have been to kill him in an attempt to defeat God’s revealed will regarding the birthright.

How Rebekah's deception cost her losing her son.

1. Stay with him a few days: The few days Jacob was to stay with Laban and Rebekah’s family in Haran will turn out to be more than 20 years. Yet, God will fulfill His purpose in all of it.

2. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me? Rebekah successfully maneuvered Isaac into telling Jacob to leave. “Rebekah’s diplomatic victory was complete; but she would never see her son again.” (Kidner)

i. "This deception cost Rebekah her relationship with her son, Jacob. He had to flee from the wrath of Esau. He moved to the area of Haran, which was about five hundred miles away and was there for twenty years before he returned. By the time he returned, Rebekah was already dead. As a result of setting up this deception, Rebekah lost the son she loved because she never saw him again." (Smith)

 

[Mikey]

Today, there are different teachings about who God is. One common teaching many have is that they say God is a Trinity. However, is such a teaching really found within the Bible? Consider the following:

Those who believe in the Trinity say that God consists of three persons in one. Note, however, the following passages in the Bible:

"Jehovah our God is one Jehovah."—Deuteronomy 6:4.

"You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth."—Psalm 83:18.

"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."—John 17:3.

"God is only one."—Galatians 3:20.

Thus, the God of the Bible is never described as being part of a Trinity. As the verses above show, there is only one Almighty God, and his name is Jehovah. Who, then, is Jesus? Some would say that Jesus is God, however, it is important to note that Jesus never claimed to be God in the Bible, nor did he ever claim to be God's equal. In the Bible, Jesus is called "the Son of God" and "God's Son." (John 1:49; 10:36) Jesus was created by his Father, Jehovah God. (Colossians 1:15) Which of them is greater? Jesus said: "The Father is greater than I am."—John 14:28.

If anyone reading this would like to learn more about Jehovah God and his Son, Jesus, I invite you to visit jw.org. Also, the link below can be useful as well.

- Bible Questions Answered (Simply click a topic or question that most interests you).