Genesis 22 - 23

Genesis 22:1-10 – God Tests Faith

About 10 years later when Isaac was a young adult God gave Abraham the ultimate test.  “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” – Gen. 22:2.  His only son?  What about Ishmael?  He was his son, too.  Ishmael was the symbol of the old nature and Isaac was the new nature.  Ishmael needed to be removed just as our old nature needs to be removed as we put on our new nature in Jesus Christ.   How could a God of love command Abraham to sacrifice his only son?  God Himself sacrificed His only son, Jesus.  Mt. Moriah was also the place where Jesus was crucified.  God was testing Abraham’s obedience.  With this test it would remind Abraham of his true faith.  We are tested by God many times in our own lives.  Temptation is intended to make us fail and is from God’s enemy.  Tests are designed for success and God wants us to believe in Him.  Tests are designed just for each one of us as individuals. 

INTERESTING NOTE:  Muslims believe that Allah commanded Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael instead of Isaac.  Yet the Quran never names the boy.  The Torah names the boy Isaac 5 times.  One of these books is flawless and divine.  One encourages us to love our enemies; the other promotes conversion by force and Jihad or holy war.  Christians believe the Bible is the true Word of God.  It is filled with divine inspiration and has been vindicated countless times.

Abraham had many tests.  He was asked to leave his country; he was put in the middle of a famine; he gained material wealth; there was conflict in his household; he had to send Ishmael away.  This test was the hardest of all.  Abraham made himself available to hear God’s call and obeyed without question.

What does God have to do to get your attention?  

How will you respond, when He calls you?

Has God asked you to do something that you think is unreasonable?

Principle:  Faith sacrificially obeys God’s Word without explanation.

Abraham was focused on what he knew.  He knew God could be trusted.  He knew God would keep His promises and would make him a great nation.  So Abraham obeyed and “rose up early in the morning”.  We would have probably taken more time to pray and fast about this, but Abraham did not.  He simply obeyed.  He even “split wood for the burnt offering” himself even though he had servants to do that for him.  Maybe he wanted to keep his mind busy and not think about what is ahead.  Then it took 3 days to get to the place God had them to go.  This was more time to think about what he had to do.  It was an emotionally demanding journey.  I think this was all part of the Abraham’s test.  He told his servants to stay behind with his donkey.  He probably knew they would try to stop him.  Abraham knew God had a plan and he would not have to sacrifice Isaac, because he said to the servants, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” – Gen. 22:5b.  He probably thought even if Isaac died, God would bring him back to life.

Abraham then had Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering, just like Jesus carried the cross to His crucifixion.  Isaac asked, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” – Gen 22:7  Abraham replied, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” – Gen 22:8.  This again showed Abraham’s faith in God.  Both Isaac and Jesus were silent as they were led to the slaughter.

Principle:  God Calls believers to put Him sacrificially first. 

So far Abraham passed the test.  Now he climbed Mount Moriah, built an altar, arranged the wood, bound his son on the altar, and took the knife to slay him.  Isaac showed no resistance and could have run away, but he obeyed and had total faith in Abraham just as Abraham did in God.  Isaac was taught about God and His faithfulness.  He also may have heard Abraham tell the servants that they would come back to them.

God’s Word says He is to be first.   “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30. 

How is God asking you to put Him first?

We as Christians want to trust and obey God, but what about when it comes to important things in our lives like our possessions, our loved ones, our plans and dreams? 

Is He asking you to use part of that tax return or your savings for His purposes?

Are you willing to let go when He asked you to? 

Are you willing to sacrifice and be obedient in all area of your life?

What keeps you from believing and acting on the promises of God?

Genesis 22:11-19 – God Provides Sacrifice

The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham.  This seems to be the voice of God the Son Himself who is the unique messenger or Angel of the Lord.  “Do not lay a hand on the boy.  Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” – Gen 22:12.  What moment that must have been.   God knew He was first in Abraham’s heart.  Now Abraham knew God had supreme love for him. 

God provided a sacrifice for Abraham just as He always provides for us.  God did not want human sacrifice as the many pagan religions do.  Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket.  He took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son. – Gen. 22:13.  Maybe this ram was there all the time and Abraham saw it as he approached to altar, but he didn’t try to catch it.  This may have been a temptation of Satan, but Abraham didn’t fall for it.  He waited on God.

God knew ahead of time what Abraham would do and He knows ahead of time what we will do, but He wants us to act out our faith.  Our faith is proven by our deeds.  We don’t have to prove our faith to God, but sometimes we need to prove it to ourselves.  He knows our hearts and wants us to pray even though He knows ahead of time what we are going to say.  He wants us to praise Him even though He knows ahead of time how we feel about Him.

Will you stop holding tight to things and hold them more loosely?

Will you trust God more?

How is God testing you?

How do you act out your faith?

God understands just what we are going through.  He Himself went through every trial and temptation we have and even those we haven’t gone through.  He did this through His Son Jesus.  God uses tests to test our obedience and commitment to Him.

In Gen. 22:15-16 the angel of the Lord called to Abraham.  We know this was the voice of God the Son Himself because the message following says, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord …”.  Why would He swear by Himself?  There is no one greater to swear by and to reassure Abraham of His promises and to make His promises clear.   

God reaffirms His promise to Abraham and added an additional promise. “I will surely bless you and make our descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” – Gen. 22:17-18.  Not just Israel will be blessed, but it refers to Jesus as the blessing for all nations.

Principle:  God provides what He requires.

Isaac was fully aware of his pardon when he heard God speak.  We are sinners and have been pardoned.  How is He that living atonement for you?  I am sure Isaac was never the same and neither are we.  How will you show your thankfulness? 

Genesis 22:20 – 23:1-20 – God Gives Hope

Sarah was 127 years old when she died.  She is the only woman whose age at death is recorded in scripture.  She died in Hebron which is about 40 miles from Beersheba.  Loss of a loved one is worthy of tears.  Abraham missed his wife.  Even in his grief we see his testimony in verse 3.  Abraham trusted God’s promise by wanting to buy land for the burial and asked Ephron the Hittite to sell some to him.  Ephron wanted to give it to him, but Abraham refused the gift and offered to purchase it instead.  So he sells the land with a cave to him for 400 shekels.  Abraham buries Sarah in the cave there.  The field and the cave were deeded to Abraham.  This land would belong to his descendants as God promised.

Principle:  Faith demonstrates hope for tomorrow in spite of today’s pain.

Abraham chose to live in the promises of God in the middle of his pain.  Abraham chose to live in hope.  God wants to use every ounce of your pain.  Our hope is beyond the grave.  All Abraham’s tests prepared him for this moment of grief.  He had unwavering hope.  His hardest days gave him strength.  He did not quit.  How will you invest in the promises of God when you hurt?  Abraham’s hard days has impacted us.  How do you impact others?

Join me here next week for the next chapter in Genesis.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Genesis 20 - 21

We are living in times that make us unsure of our future.  With all the unrest throughout our world and with the pandemic everywhere, it’s no wonder people are living in fear.  Fear can paralyze us and keep us in our misery.   The Bible is very clear.  The world will become more dangerous and frightening as the end times approach.  The Bible is also clear that we are to “fear not” because God is always with us and will never leave.  To enjoy a peaceful life we need to be free from fear, worry, and anxiety.  We need to have faith and trust God.

Genesis 20:1-21 – Living in Fear

Abraham moved south to live just outside Canaan.  We don’t know why.  Maybe the ash from the burning of Sodom and Gomarrah affected the land where his animals grazed.  Maybe he finally sensed it was time to go releasing Lot to the Lord.  Abraham stayed in Gerar and again he lied and told the Abimelech king that Sarah was his sister.  Sound familiar?  She was a beauty at 90 years old and she was married to one of the richest and most influential men of the region.  Also being in Abimelech’s harem was probably a political statement.  Abraham was afraid and had weak faith in God.  He thought if Abimelech knew she was his wife, he would be killed.  So Abraham lied again as he did when he was in Egypt.  What was he thinking?  Fear can make us irrational.  This shows us that we as well as Abraham can slip back into old sinful habits. 

The king took her to be his wife, but God spoke to the king in a dream and told him she was a married woman and if he touched her he would be as good as dead.  He was to return Sarah to Abraham.  God told Abimelech that Abraham was a prophet and that Abraham would pray for him and his people.  Abimelech didn’t argue with God.  He gave Sarah back to Abraham.  Abimelech asked Abraham why he had done this to him.  Abraham said Sarah was actually his half-sister as well as his wife. (Gen. 20:11-12)  He tried to justify his lie by telling a half-truth, which is always a whole lie.  He indirectly blamed God for the problem by saying, “When God called me to wander from my father’s house…” – Gen. 20:13.  It is sad to see a pagan king in the right and a man of God in the wrong.  Abraham was still a man of powerful prayer and God’s mercy didn’t leave him even though he didn’t trust God the way he should have.

Abimelech was kind to Abraham even though he was deceived.  He gave Abraham sheep, cattle and money to show he was sorry for his actions.  Abraham took the gifts to show he didn’t blame Abimelech.  Abraham did suffer though.  He suffered shame and the loss of respect among the people and lost the opportunity to be a witness for God. 

God will protect anyone and anything that gets in the way of His plans.  No mistake of ours will stop God.  It’s clear in Gen 20:17-18 that the women in Gerar could not have children.  God sometimes causes women not to have children and at other times he gives children to women.  Why does He do this?  Maybe it’s in His plan even though we cannot always know His plan, but we can know it’s the plan that is best for us.  Maybe when at last a child is born, God is given the credit.  It shows how wonderful God is.  He wants to show His power.  God answered Abraham’s prayers and Abimelech’s people could have children again. 

What half-truths have you told?

Do you struggle with your sinful nature?

How has God been merciful to you?

Why does Abraham continue to be better off?  That's God's lavish grace.

Jesus took our place and died for our sins even when we don’t deserve it.  When he returns, we take our place in heaven with a rich inheritance.  That is lavish grace.

What are your insecurities - fear, jealousy, bitterness, anger, control?

How is fear stealing your faith?

Principle:  God's grace allows repeat offenders to confess and be restored.

Genesis 21:1-21 – Living by Faith

At last Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac just as God had promised and at the time He had promised.  It had been 25 years and God was faithful all along the way.  They were very happy, but Abraham’s other son, Ishmael was not.  Remember, Ishmael was the son of a slave mother, Hagar.  Ishmael knew he would never be as important as Isaac.  He became cruel to Isaac and mocked him.  Sarah knew there was jealousy and that there were would be many problems between them to come.  She also didn’t want Ishmael to oppose Isaac’s right to lead the family. 

So she took matters into her own hands again.  She told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away.  Abraham was distressed and concerned for his son so this time he consulted God for guidance.  This time she was right and God told Abraham to listen to her.  Even though he loved Ishmael, Abraham obeyed God and sent them away with food and water.  He sent them away without any protection, probably because he must have believed God would protect and provide for them because that is what God had promised.

Abraham lived near Beersheba near the desert.  Hagar and Ishmael wandered into the desert, which was very hot and dry.  When the water was gone, the child became weak.  He was sure to die.  She felt hopeless and put him under a bush.  He began to cry, but God heard his cry.  An angel from heaven repeated God’s promise to her that He would bless Ishmael and for the second time God provided for them by showing them a well.  Why did God promise to bless Ishmael?  It was because as a descendant of Abraham, he was included in God’s covenant.  They continued to live in the desert.  Ishmael married and had 12 sons that became great nations just as God promised.  These are the nations of the Arab world.  

Will influences hinder your walk with God?

Has God asked you to do something as you study His word?

Do you want to give up?

Do you feel like Ishmael, crying because you need God’s help?

Are you hiding in your room with your tissues and chocolate?

Will you let God lead you?

Principle:  A life of faith in God yields ultimate joy, but can involve great pain.

Genesis 21:22-34 – Living a Testimony

Abraham was living his life was a witness and all the people knew that God was blessing him.  He had become very wealthy and had many servants.  There was a dispute between Abraham and Abimelech over a well that Abraham had dug and Abimelech’s servants had seized.  Abimelech didn’t want to battle Abraham so he asked for a peace agreement.  He knew how big Abraham’s God was and to fight with Abraham would be to attack his God.  Abraham also wanted peace so he gave gifts of sheep and cattle to Abimelech and there they made a treaty. Because they had sworn an oath there, they called it Beersheba.  Then Abraham planted a tree and called upon the name of the Lord.  He lived in the land for a long time.  This was the first time that Abraham claimed the land.  The planting of the tree showed that he would stay in the region. (Gen 21:22-34)

What physical reminders do you have to worship God?

Will others say you can be trusted?

Principle:  God faithfully provides so we can fulfill His purposes.

We all live a testimony to something.  Abraham was a man who didn’t do everything right, but God loved him and was faithful to him.  God is still faithful to us and still loves us, too even though we make mistakes. 

What is your life a testimony to?

How does your life show the presence of God? 

The world is watching how believers live their lives.  We don’t have to be perfect for the world to see God in our lives.  We may think we have to be perfect for God to use us as a witness.  When we try to be perfect, people can see that isn’t true.  They just call us hypocrites.

Join me here next week for the next chapter in Genesis.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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The Christmas Story

We all know the story of the first Christmas, the birth of Jesus.  We know about the shepherds, the angels, Jesus’ mother Mary, the wise men, and King Herod.  But what do we know about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father?  He seems to be an almost forgotten man at Christmas time.  We can be certain that God carefully examined the character of the man who was chosen to become Jesus’ earthly father.

In Matthew’s long genealogy of Jesus we see that he followed Jesus’ line from Abraham through King David all of the way to Jacob, the father of Joseph.  Joseph is to be the husband of Mary which gave him a legal relationship and parental status of Jesus and giving Jesus legal rights as Joseph’s heir.

Joseph plays an important role in Jesus’ early life, but is rarely mentioned in the Bible.  Why?  The son of God still needed a human father because He was also truly human.  Normally Mary and Joseph would have a formal engagement and even a ceremony, but would not have lived together or consummated their marriage.  They would be on a long hiatus before the honeymoon. 

In the meantime Mary became pregnant with the Son of God through the Holy Spirit.  She could have been stoned or publicly shamed, but Joseph didn’t let that happen.  He decided to stay married to her because an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream in (Matt. 1:20-23).  He was willing to take Mary in and ignore the gossip from others.  This shows his selflessness and willingness to listen the Lord.  We find that he always obeyed the Lord without question.  When the birth happens, he also obeys in naming the baby Jesus.

Joseph isn’t mentioned as being around when Jesus began His public ministry.  Almost everyone agrees that he had died before the time Jesus was revealed Himself to the world.  However, we know nothing about his death.

Mary was present all through Jesus’ life and even through His death, resurrection and ascension.  After Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room, we hear nothing again about Mary and know nothing about her death.

The character of Joseph:

Joseph was an upright man (Matt. 1:18-19).

Joseph was a considerate husband (Matt. 1:20-23).

Joseph was an obedient servant of God (Matt. 1:24-25).

Joseph was a good citizen of his country (Luke 2:1-5).

Joseph was a protector of his family (Matt. 2:13-23).

Joseph was a concerned father (Luke 2:41-50).

These are the goals which all of us should seek to remember.

What kind of parent will others say you are?

Have a wonderful Christmas and join me here next time -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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A SOLDIER'S CHRISTMAS

                   

Another Christmas Season upon us and many of our heroes are still in harm’s way.   

Our solders need all the support we can give them.  Please do your part.  If nothing else, please take a very quick moment out of your busy day to send a card to one of our heroes serving overseas.  Show a soldier who will not be home with family this Christmas that you care and that they are not forgotten.

If you don’t personally know a soldier, there are several organizations that collect and send cards for you.  Check out these websites. 

https://www.usasoa.org/christmas-cards-for-our-deployed-troopswebsite

https://military-missions.org/

Also, I found this poem I thought I would share. 

T’was the night before Christmas they lived all alone
in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about and a strange sight I did see
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking on the mantle just boots filled with sand
and on the wall hung pictures of home ... a far away land.

The soldier lay sleeping silent and alone
curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in disorder
not how I pictured A United States Soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I'd just read

  curled up on a poncho the floor for a bed? 

I thought of the families that I saw that night

owed their lives to these soldiers so willing to fight.

                                          Soon around the world children would play                                

                               and grownups would celebrate this bright Christmas day.

                                    They ALL enjoyed freedom each month of the year

because of soldiers like the one lying here.

I couldn't help but wonder how many are alone

                                   on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.

                                        This very thought brought a tear to my eye

I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard his rough voice
Santa don't cry this life is MY choice.
I fight for freedom and I don't ask for more
my life is my God my country, my corps.

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep
I couldn't control it I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours so silent and still
as we both shivered from the cold nights chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
The soldier rolled over with a voice soft and pure
and whispered "Carry on Santa.  It's Christmas
AND ALL IS SECURE”.

I hope the images you just saw as you read this will linger in your mind.  Take a moment to say a prayer for our warriors for what they have done and are doing so we can enjoy freedoms and our comfy beds without worry.  May God bless each of those who served and are now serving so far away from home.  May they all make it home safely and soon!!!

Join me here next time. -- I encourage you to have trust and faith in Jesus.

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