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Notes: Genesis 16-17

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 28, 2008

Genesis 16

"Call me Ishmael." Was Herman Melville thinking about Abram, Sarai and Hagar when he penned these opening words to his now famous Moby Dick?

1-3: After 10 years in the land of Canaan without a child and with no visible prospects of having God’s covenant promises fulfilled, Sarai conceives a solution to her barrenness. Abram agrees.

4-6: Hagar, Sarai’s personal servant, does become pregnant; and the relationship between her and Sarai becomes strained.

7-12: The angel of the Lord speaks to the outcast and expecting Hagar; and he tells her to return to Sarai’s employ with the assurance the child to be born will be the first of a long line of descendants, but with the sad news that he shall be a social outcast.

13-14: Hagar has special names for the one who spoke to her and for the place where they met.

15-16: She returns to Abram and Sarai; and Ishmael is born (and named) as the angel had instructed.

 

Meditation Points:

  1. Employer-employee relations
  2. Foreign workers
  3. Mistreating domestics
  4. The extremes to which some go in their desire to be a parent
  5. Trying to fulfill prophecy on our own
  6. Blaming others for our sins
  7. Listening to the bad advice of those we love
  8. Continuing the pregnancy when we know that the child will be born with problems

 

Genesis 17

Thirteen years later, God speaks again of His covenant to Abram.

1-3: God introduces Himself as God Almighty, El-Shaddai. Abram, now age 99, is told to walk before God and be perfect.

4-6: God changes Abram’s name to Abraham to signify that he will be the father of many nations and kings.

7-14: God instructs Abraham concerning circumcision, which is to be a token of God’s covenant.

15-22: God clearly states that the covenant child will be the son of Abraham and Sarah (her new name from God); Ishmael will be blessed, but Sarah’s child, to be born within a year and named Isaac, will be the child of the promise.

23-27: Abraham obeys and sees that all the males of his house over 8 days old, whether born into Abraham’s household or bought, are circumcised.

 

Meditation Points:

  1. God works in and with older people, too
  2. Omnipotence, found only in God
  3. God’s one-sided covenant
  4. Falling/bowing/humbling ourselves before God
  5. God’s name for His chosen ones
  6. The significance of names–what do names mean?
  7. Circumcision–for whom and why?
  8. The consequences of disobedience: what is it to be cut off from God’s people?
  9. When God rejects our efforts to help His cause
  10. Believers who laugh at God’s promises
  11. Obeying God, even when it hurts

 

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Notes: Genesis 14-15

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 27, 2008

Genesis 14

1-12: The Canaanite kings are overrun by kings from outside

1-2: Four kings against five

4-5: After 12 years of submission to the others, the Canaanite kings rebelled.

11: The wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were ransacked.

12, 16: Lot and his household were taken captive, too.

13-16: Abram is told about Lot’s captivity, and Abram gathers a small army

13: Abram is called “the Hebrew”, long before there was a nation of Israel

13-14: Abram’s army consists of 318 trained men from his own household

14: The pursuit extends all the way to Dan, long before there was a nation of Israel

16: Abram liberates Lot and his family and his possessions

17-20: The victory celebration becomes a worship service

18: Melchizedek king of Salem, not one of the rebellious cities, brings bread and wine

19: As priest of the most high God, Melchizedek announces that God who owns heaven and earth has blessed Abram

20: And the king-priest gives God all the glory for Abram’s victory

20: Abram proceeds to give a tithe (10%) of everything to Melchizedek (see Hebrews 7:4-9)

21-24: The king of Sodom wishes to reword Abram for his trouble, but Abram refuses

22: Clearly Abram’s God is the God of Melchizedek

23: Abram asserts his intention to keep his vow to God and not take anything for his efforts that day

24: Abram does accept the hospitality of the occasion; and he recommends that his 3 neighbors who assisted no be denied a portion

A few points to consider from this passage:

  • Greed and violence are not new.
  • Lot put himself and his family at risk when he chose to associate with the wicked ones of Sodom–and we will soon see that association costing him his home and his wife.
  • A small army blessed by God conquers the larger force (see Gideon’s band in Judges 7).
  • Wicked men are blessed by God’s mercy to one of His children.
  • The seemingly insignificant Melchizedek event is far from insignificant; witness Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5:6-7:21. To the contrary, this person is a picture of Christ.
  • Tithing, mentioned first in the Bible here, later becomes an ordinance for the nation of Israel. Should Christians give nothing to their King-Priest?
  • Abram’s willingness to give of himself for the good of others and without reward, but for the glory of God, is found in the apostle Paul’s desire to preach the gospel without pay. Yet both men would say that the laborer is worthy of his hire.

Genesis 15

1: Abram, who would receive no reward for his delivering the Canaanite cities from their enemies, is told by God that HE would be Abram’s reward. What more could anyone ask?

2-3: Abram, understanding well the covenant that God has made with him, objects that he has no heir and proposes that God accept one of his servants to be Abram’s heir of the blessings.

4-5: God protests and declares adamantly that Abram will have an heir as himself, in fact Abram will have countless heirs.

6: Abram believed.

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Abram’s decision to forsake reward and to glorify God was the right one.

7-11: When Abram asks for assurance that God will keep His promises, God reminds Abram who He is, and instructs Abram to offer sacrifices, the same types of sacrifices that God would instruct national Israel to offer at a later time.

It’s always good to remember what God has saved us from and what He has saved us to.

12-16: And the Lord tells Abram that his descendants will actually leave the land for a time and that they will be servants of another nation for 400 years; but God will eventually judge that nation and Abram’s descendants will return to the Promised Land with much wealth. As for Abram, he will live a long time.

17: Fire and light pass between the pieces of the sacrifice. Does this signify God’s acceptance of the sacrifice, of Abram; or, maybe, God’s assurance that the covenant will be fulfilled? Some extra-Biblical evidence supports the idea that this signifies God’s confirming the covenant (see also Jeremiah 34:18).

18-21: The land is to extend from Egypt to the Euphrates and to include 10 named people groups.

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Notes: Genesis 11:27-13:18

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 26, 2008

After a brief interlude looking at the trials and patience of Job, we return to the Book of Genesis and pick up the account of Abram, soon to be Abraham.

Genesis 11

27: Abram’s father: Terah; Abram’s brothers: Nahor and Haran; Abram’s nephew: Lot

28: Haran was born and died in Ur of the Chaldees. (Remember this place)

29-30: Marriage and families are a natural part of life. But Abram’s wife was barren. (Remember this comment)

31-32: Terah’s plan was to move to Canaan; but he died along the way in Haran.

Genesis 12

1: After the death of Abram’s father, the Lord spoke to Abram and bid him to leave his country, his people and his father’s relatives. Further, Abram was to go to a land as yet not known to him.

Hebrews 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

 From UR to Canaan to Egypt

1. Ur to Haran via Ninevah;  2. Haran to Bethel; 3 Bethel to Egypt

2-3: The Abrahamic Covenant. Covenants are agreements; sometimes they require both parties to perform previously agreed upon tasks before the covenant becomes complete. But this covenant does not make any requirements of Abram; instead this is God’s one-sided promise to bless Abram.

I will make of you a great nation

I will bless you

I will make your name great

You will be a blessing

I will bless those who bless you

I will curse him that curses you

In you shall all families of the earth be blessed

Like the Creation of the early chapters of Genesis and Flood that followed, this Covenant is a significant moment that will be mentioned quite often in subsequent scriptures.

  • Galatians 3:7  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
  • Galatians 3:14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
  • I Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
    10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Do not fail to see the spiritual significance of God’s covenant with Abram. The Pharisees rejected Jesus the Messiah because they expected only gold and silver and political freedom; what God promised Abram was all spiritual blessings in heavenly places–to be with God!  If you would not be satisfied with God’s presence you would not be satisfied with any amount of earthly prosperity.

4-6: Abram was 75 years old and wealthy when he began this adventure with God into a land inhabited by Canaanites, a people not known for their civility.

7: When God speaks of His covenant again, Abram builds an altar unto the Lord who had appeared to him.

What have you ever built or done to worship God?

8: Abram traveled farther, to Bethel, and built another altar and called upon the name of the Lord.

  • Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Have you ever called upon the name of the Lord?

10-13: Hardship leads Abram away from the promised land and toward Egypt. He foresees evil ahead; but rather than return to the land of God’s promise and presence, Abram makes provision for his flesh a priority and enlists his wife’s help in a subterfuge that he hopes will keep himself alive.

14-20: As Abram expected, the Egyptians are taken aback by Sarai’s beauty (at the age of 65!), and the Egyptian Pharaoh made plans to take her as his own. The Pharaoh, it seems, even bestowed great wealth upon Abram for Sarai’s sake.

But the Lord plagued Pharaoh (not the last time that the Lord plagues a Pharaoh), and (somehow) Pharaoh discovered Abram’s ruse. Pharaoh is upset that he might have committed adultery with another man’s wife (when was the last time your heard anyone, not to mention a political leader, who feared to commit adultery?).

Abram is dismissed (shall we read: had his visa revoked?).

You cannot justify the lie. Notice how the lie brought trouble to others.

Genesis 13

1: Abram left Egypt. He never should have gone there in the first place without God’s direction.

2-4: He returned to Bethel, and he called on the name of the Lord there. Sometimes we have to get into a place where we aren’t comfortable calling on the name of the Lord before we realize the blessing of being able to speak with God; then we long to return to the place where we once worshiped the Lord.

5-13: Lot and Abram part ways. We read that "they could not dwell together." Sad, isn’t it, when men can’t live together in peace. Abram sees that his people and Lot’s people have been fighting, and he seeks to make peace, for "we be brethren."

Graciously, Abram allows Lot to choose first; and Lot, of his own will, chooses by sight the well-watered plains near the wicked sinners of Sodom.

14-17: Abram meanwhile sees as God directs him, and hears the Lord expand upon the covenant:

  • I will give all that you see to you
  • I will give it to your seed
  • I will make your seed as the dust of the earth–innumerable
  • I will give you all that land that you walk through

18: So Abram moved again, to Hebron; and he built an altar to the Lord.

Should we not worship the Lord as He directs our paths and opens our way?

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Notes: Job 40-42

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 25, 2008

Having set before Job an extract of natural history, the Lord continues.

Job 40

3-5: Job humbles himself before God, and promises not to speak.

6-14: God challenges Job to exercise divine power. Succeeding in that Job would prove his ability to save himself.

15-24: Behemoth is set before Job as a symbol of all that Job cannot conquer.

Job 41

1-34: Leviathan is set before Job as a symbol of all that Job cannot conquer.

An elephant and an hippopotamus have been suggested as the recognized names of behemoth and leviathan.

Problems exist in both of these interpretations.

a. an elephant does not move his tail as a cedar (40:17).

b. an hippopotamus does not breathe fire (41:19).

Because of these difficulties, some have suggested that the Lord presents dinosaurs and dragons for Job to consider.

If dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago and died off before man, then surely God did not expect Job ever to have seen either a dinosaur or a dragon. On the other hand, Job may have seen dinosaurs and dragons.

By presenting these two giant creatures (regardless of how they should be identified), the Lord is saying that Job is unable to tame them, so how could Job save himself?

Job 42

1-6: Job humbles himself before God yet more.

7-9: The Lord chastises Job’s friends for their ineptitude, and advises that they should seek Job’s mediation on their behalf.

10: Job’s troubles turn around when Job prayed for his friends.

11-17: Job has more children and more money; and he lives for 140 years more.

 

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Sometimes because they are good, and God wants to display to the world how true faith never fails.

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