2835.) Genesis 18:1-15

“Abraham and the Three Visitors” by Israeli Hasidic artist David Avisar

Genesis 18:1-15   (NRSV)

A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah

This passage is one of my favorite portions of Scripture. It speaks of God’s presence with me, of God’s faithfulness to me, even in my disbelief.  Ray Stedman says: 

God is always testing us, and his testing does not come when we are warned and ready. Anyone can pass a test then. If I tell you that I am going to test you to see if you exhibit love under pressure, whether you can keep your temper when you are being irritated, and if you can be sweet when things are going wrong, you are likely to pass with flying colors.

But God never tests that way. His tests catch us unprepared, off-guard. It is when we are confronted with some simple situation that no one will know about that the tests of life really come: When you are relaxing at home and the phone rings and suddenly you are confronted with a call for help, or a demand for a response — and you had planned to relax and enjoy yourself all afternoon — what happens then? That’s the test.

When you are busy around the house with your hands immersed in dishwater and something is burning on the stove and the refrigerator has just quit and the sink is stopped up and you’ve got sixteen different problems on your mind, and your child comes up and asks you a question which is obviously of little importance, what do you do then? That’s the test.

When your neighbor or friend gets sick and somebody has to take care of the children — what do you do? What is your reaction? These are the tests of God. This is the way God tested Abraham.

Oh, to be as faithful as Abraham was! And the joy of knowing that even when I laugh at his promise, God is patient to bring me to understanding, just as he did with Sarah.  Hebrews 11:11 says, “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.” God will perform all that he has said!

(And — there is such beautiful artwork for this story!)

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.

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.

–David Guzik

²He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.

³He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. ⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.”

So they said, “Do as you have said.”

“Abraham and the Three Visitors” by Marc Chagall

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Music:

As Abraham did before the angels, so we also bow down before the Lord.  HERE is a solemn and lovely song, “We Bow Down,” written by Viola Grafstrom.

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⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.”

Yes, Sara(h) was well-known for her delicious little cakes!

⁷Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

Hebrews 13:2 (NASB)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

⁹They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

And he said, “There, in the tent.”

¹⁰Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”

NEWS of a birth!

Now how many times has God promised this child to them?!  But we need to hear God’s promises over and over again. It is a way God uses to encourage and develop our faith.  Romans 10:17 says, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹²So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?”

“Abraham and Three Visiting Angels” by Ludovico Carracci, 1612.  (Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Italy). See Sarah in the background?

¹³The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.”

¹⁵But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid.

He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”

2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

If we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

_________________________

Art:

“Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels,” by contemporary Israeli artist Boruch Nachson.  Charming!  Click  HERE.

Mosaic of Abraham from Ravenna, 6th century.  Click HERE.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Avisar.    http://sinibaldo.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/3-visitors-david-avisar.jpg

Chagall.    http://www.internetmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/Abe-3-Visitors-Chagall.jpg

Sara Lee cake.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sara2blee.png

Carracci.    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham-And-The-Three-Angels.jpg

2834.) Genesis 17

Circumcision Procedure Tray

Genesis 17   (NRSV)

The Sign of the Covenant

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty;

God told Abram who He is, using the name El Shaddai. Adam Clarke says:  “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.”

walk before me, and be blameless. ²And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.”

_________________________

Music:

HERE  Amy Grant sings one of her most popular hits, “El Shaddai.” This song, written by Michael Card and John Thompson, won “Song of the Year” at the 1983 GMA Dove Awards.

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³Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ⁴“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁵No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ⁸And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.”

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 Abraham — “father of many nations.” It is almost preposterous for a childless man to have such a name.

–David Guzik

⁹God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹²Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. ¹³Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Acts 7:8  (NLT)

“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.”

Galatians 5:6 (NIV)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

¹⁵God said to Abraham, “As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

¹⁷Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Even though Abraham had no doubts about the promise, yet so far he was mistaken with respect to the person. For he thought that Sarah would not bear a child and that the promise would be diverted to Ishmael. But here a perfect circle is closed, so to speak, and Abraham sees that a true heir will be born to him from Sarah. Consequently, he is full of joy. Exulting and triumphing in the most beautiful and perfect faith, he falls to the ground and laughs. Full of wonderment, he says, “Shall a son be born to me, a man one hundred years old, and from Sarah at that?”

Thus Abraham, full of joy, laughs as he gives thanks to God for His so unexpected kindness. For what else could he do than marvel at this and rejoice over it?

Let us ask God to give us a joyful heart for such joyful promises that we, too, may exult and be glad with saintly Abraham because we are the people of God.

–Martin Luther

¹⁸And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live in your sight!”

¹⁹God said, “No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. ²⁰As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.” ²²And when he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

Reflection:

New names! God identifies Himself for the first time as El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough. And Abraham and Sarah get new names, to signify the new direction their lives would soon be taking. Jesus says that you will have a new name, too!  In Revelation 2:17, the promise is given that “to the one who overcomes . . .  I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”

What new name, what new direction, might God have for you?

“The Circumcision” by Marc Chagall, 1956.

²³Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. ²⁴Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised; ²⁷and all the men of his house, slaves born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Humor:

Two little boys are in a hospital, lying on stretchers next to each other, outside the operating room. The first kid leans over and asks, “What are you in here for?”

The second kid says, “I’m in here to get my tonsils out and I’m a little nervous.” The first kid says, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I had that done when I was four. They put you to sleep, and when you wake up they give you lots of Jell-O and ice cream. It’s a breeze!”

The second kid then asks, “What are you here for?” The first kid says, “A circumcision.” And the second kid says, “Whoa! I had that done when I was born. I couldn’t walk for a year!”

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

circumcision tray.    http://www.medical-supplies-equipment-company.com/files/media/images/Circumcision-Tray-Sterile-1.jpeg

Abraham.   https://www.holdenchapel.org/sermons/series/abraham-walking-in-gods-word

a joyful heart.   https://www.smileyme.com/lprod.asp?lookup=1814

Chagall.   http://www.artrev.com/art/detailview.asp?pid=4178734328&aid=102&mid=112&original=No

2833.) Genesis 16

“Hagar,” a chromogenic print by Israeli photographer Adi Nes, 2006

Genesis 16  (NRSV)

The Birth of Ishmael

(Once you are on the DWELLING home page, you can click on the pictures and see them larger — enjoy!)

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, ²and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.”

Poor Sarai! All these years of childlessness had convinced her it was her fault. So she comes up with a solution. After all, isn’t it true that “God helps those who help themselves”? But she is within her legal rights to secure a substitute to bear a child for her. Other ancient cultures had such provisions in their legal codes. The wife would maintain controlling authority over the concubine and the child — but we will see that things do not work out so easily for this threesome.

And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.

“Sarah Presenting Hagar to Abraham” by Louis Lagrenee (1725-1805),

***

“Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham” by Matthias Stom, 1639 (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin)

⁴He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!”

⁶But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave-girl is in your power; do to her as you please.”

What a mess!

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.

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.

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.

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.

–David Guzik

Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her. ⁷The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.

“Hagar and the Angel in the Desert,” by James Tissot, 1896 (The Jewish Museum, New York)

⁸And he said, “Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”

She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.”

⁹The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.”

Reflection:

“Where have you come from and where are you going?”
How would you answer the angel of the Lord’s question if it were addressed to you?

“Return to your mistress, and submit to her.”
What difficult situation are you facing which requires that you persevere and see it through?

“You have conceived and shall bear a son.”
What gracious hope is God offering you?

¹⁰The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” ¹¹And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Now you have conceived and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael, for the Lord has given heed to your affliction. ¹²He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”

¹³So she named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi” meaning “You are the God who sees me”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” ¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael

Genesis 16:13-14 — And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God sees me.  Thou God of Vision.  Wherefore the well was called The well of Him that lives and sees me.  The well of the Life of Vision.

Thou God sees me, Thou God of Vision.  These words were spoken by Hagar who had been utterly discouraged but now was encouraged. Sarah had been very unkind to her, but the angel of the Lord did not say to her, “Poor Hagar!” The sympathy of the Lord our God is never weakening, it is bracing. Hagar had run away, so the angel said Return. God’s love is always brave love. 

He said more. Perhaps Hagar had thought He did not care much about her. He cared for Sarah of course, but she was only Hagar. So the angel put her right about that, and told her how the Lord would bless her, because He had seen and heard her affliction.

Awed and heartened, Hagar called the name of the Lord Thou God that sees me, Thou God of Vision. The well nearby was named “The well of Him that lives and sees me.”

Thank God for that well in the wilderness. If we are discouraged or tired or hurt today, one long drink from that well will give us new life, new courage, new patience to return to running the race set before us, even to the end.

from Rebecca — This story of Hagar and this teaching from Amy Carmichael have been profoundly influential in my life. The fact that “You are the God who sees me” (verse 13) is an encouraging thought in every situation. 

Am I tempted to do wrong? God is watching me, giving me strength to resist sin and choose righteousness. 

Am I ill-treated and hurt or angry about it? God sees, God knows, and he will take care of me, so I can stop feeling sorry for myself (Choose NOT to be offended!) and live in kindness to all. 

Am I in need? God sees my lack and will provide according to his riches in glory. 

Am I in a perplexing situation and do not know what to do next? God understands and day by day will work all things together for good for me. 

Am I counting my blessings and praising the Lord? God sees and hears and rejoices with me. 

As Amy Carmichael says, the love of God is “bracing” and I commend it to you!

¹⁵Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. ¹⁶Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

“Hagar” by Peter Paul Rubens, 1630’s. It is believed he used his second wife as a model. (Dulwich Picture Gallery, London)

It is the angel of the Lord who finds Hagar. This is the first appearance of the phrase angel of the Lord in Scripture, and as we compare it with other uses, we find that this refers to none other than the pre-incarnate Christ. He says several things to her. First, Where do you come from, and where are you going?These are arresting questions. Hagar answers the first, but she has nothing to say to the second. She does not know where she is going. Where can she go? The question draws her helplessness sharply to her attention.

Then the angel says, Return and submit. This is the only way to experience the grace and blessing of God. Had she gone on wandering into the wilderness, it would have been disastrous. Both she and the child in her womb would have died. When God finds us wandering, this is always what He says: Return and submit! Submit to the circumstances you dislike, and I will work it out. To do anything else is folly.

With the command to return comes the promise of blessing. Blessing always follows obedience. I will multiply your descendants so that they will be too numerous to count. And then follows the prophecy of Ishmael’s nature. He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man’s hand against him. He will be a nonconformist, a Missouri mule—a man with whom no one can get along.

Hagar, glimpsing here something of God’s omniscience and power, names Him The God Who Sees Me.This is the circumstance that gripped her. Here is a God who sees me and knows me just as I am as well as all that concerns me. So she named the well The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.

Have you found God to be the one who lives and sees, the one who knows all about your life and your circumstances? The one who knows the past and the future and says to you as He said to Hagar, Return and submit? That is the place of promised blessing.

–Ray Stedman

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Music:

In honor of Hagar and all the people who feel beaten down, whose home is a wreck, who are so tired that even their soul is weary —  HERE  is “Who will comfort me?”  by Melody Gardot.  Lyrics follow.

My soul is a weary
My soul is a weary
My soul is a weary
I said my soul is a weary
My soul is a weary and beaten down from all of my misery
Oh Lord who will comfort me
My soul is a weary and beaten down from all of my misery
Oh Lord who will comfort me
.
Got a hold on my heart that keeps me bound
When the whole wide world is free
Oh Lord who will comfort me
Got a hold on my heart that keeps me bound
When the whole wide world is free
Oh Lord who will comfort me
.
My home is a wreckage
A family drowned in flight and poverty
Oh Lord who will comfort me
My home is a wreckage
A family drowned in flight and poverty
Oh Lord who will comfort me
Oh Lord who will comfort me

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Hagar photograph.  http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanyarts/files/2011/01/adi-nes-hagar.jpg

Lagrenee.  http://conchigliadivenere.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sarah-presenting-hagar-to-abraham.jpg

Stom.    http://uploads4.wikiart.org/images/matthias-stom/sarah-leading-hagar-to-abraham-1639%281%29.jpg

Tissot.  http://oneyearbibleimages.com/hagar_desert.jpg

El Roi.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/gen16-el-roi.jpg

Rubens.  https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/explore-the-collection/101-150/hagar-in-the-desert/

2832.) Genesis 15

Genesis  15   (NRSV)

God’s Covenant with Abram

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

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. 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, because God knows how to answer all our needs. Thank you, Lord!

²But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” ⁴But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” ⁵He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And one of those descendants will be the Bright and Morning Star, Jesus Christ.

⁶And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Here in Genesis is one of the clearest expressions in the Bible of the truth of salvation by grace, through faith!  Paul explains it further:

Romans 4:18-24 (New Living Translation)

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.  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.

⁷Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.”

⁸But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

⁹He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

Abram understood God was telling him to get a contract ready for signing. 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.”

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.

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!

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; this land IS yours.”

–David Guzik

¹¹And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹²As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. ¹³Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; ¹⁴but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Reflection:

Until the time was right, God’s people were to wait — through four hundred years of slavery and the hair-raising exodus; they were to wait even though the waiting was long, difficult, and painful. Are you ever frustrated because God does not immediately act to meet your need or fulfill your expectation? What purposes might God have in allowing you to wait?

And one other thought — since waiting and worrying/discouragement/patience seem often to go together:  once a friend told me, “Disappointment is the gap between your expectations and reality.” I have found that helpful, since I prefer to live my life in reality and not in false hopes!

¹⁷When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, ¹⁹the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is a request for our own vision — “Be Thou My Vision,” played on cello and piano by David Abramsky, with pictures from the San Francisco area.  Lyrics below.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Abraham looks at the stars.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/abraham_stars.jpg

Abraham and stars.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/11-abraham-starsjpg.jpg

“The Covenant”  by Pat Marvenko Smith.   http://iamthewordthecomforter.blogspot.com/2011/09/covenant-with-god.html

2831.) Psalm 110

Psalm 110   (NLT)

A psalm of David.

There can be no doubt that this psalm looks forward to Christ. Jesus Himself cites it to show that David knew that its ultimate fulfillment would come with One who is greater than he (Mark 12:35-37). Even before Christ’s coming, a prophetic-messianic interpretation of the psalm was well known among Jewish interpreters.

–R. C. Sproul

¹ The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand (the place of honor)
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet (a place of disgrace).”

² The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem;
you will rule over your enemies.
³ When you go to war,
your people will serve you willingly.
You are arrayed in holy garments,
and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.

⁴ The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow:
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek – by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–1467. At The Church of Saint Peter, Leuven, Belgium.

The story of Melchizedek and Abraham is found in Genesis 14;
click  HERE  to read it.

“In Jesus, uncorrupted kingship and spiritual priesthood
will give the world an administration
such as it has longed for but has never known.”
–William MacDonald

David makes a prophesy about Jesus,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Like Melchizedek Jesus is a different and better kind of priest.
Because Jesus is a perfect priest he is able
to save all who come to him for salvation.
–David Worcester

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek: This oath was so important that the author of Hebrews refers to it five times (Hebrews 5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:17, and 7:21).

· Hebrews 5:5-6 and 5:10 emphasize that this was Yahweh’s declaration, not something that the Messiah claimed for Himself.

· In Hebrews 6:20, the emphasis is on the idea that Jesus the Messiah serves now and forever as a living, active High Priest for His people.

· Hebrews 7:17 emphasizes that the priesthood of Jesus the Messiah according to the order of Melchizedek is better than the priestly order of Aaron, because it is eternal and will never end.

· Hebrews 7:21 emphasizes that the priesthood of Jesus the Messiah according to the order of Melchizedek is better than the priestly order of Aaron because it was founded on a direct oath of Yahweh, unlike the priestly order of Aaron.

–David Guzik

⁵ The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you.
He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.
⁶ He will punish the nations
and fill their lands with corpses;
he will shatter heads over the whole earth.
⁷ But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way.
He will be victorious.

_________________________

Music:

The baby Jesus was not an ordinary baby!  When the wise men came, they brought him gifts:

• Gold is a noble metal – a gift suggesting kingship
• Frankincense was burned in religious ceremonies – a gift suggesting divinity
• Myrrh was used to prepare bodies for burial – a gift suggesting death

HERE  is a hymn with references to Christ’s three offices as listed above.  “O Worship the King” is a familiar hymn to the Lord with an interesting author.  Charles Grant (1778-1838) was born in India. His family moved back to England when he was seven years old. He became a lawyer at age 29. He became a member of Parliament at 48 and was elected Judge Advocate General at 54. At age 56 he was knighted and then appointed Governor of Bombay, India. He died at the age of 60, while serving in India.

Grant was a politician and a public servant of England. He was also a devout Christian who took every opportunity to share the Good News. He was a financial supporter of missionaries, and was loved by the people of India, who established a Medical College in his honor.

Several of Grant’s writings, prose and poetry, were published during his lifetime. After his death, his brother gathered 12 of Grant’s poems into a book titled Sacred Poems. One of those poems, O Worship the King was set to music by Johann Michael Hadyn (1737-1806), and has appeared in church hymnals ever since.

_________________________

New Living Translation (NLT)   Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

“Who sits on the right hand of the Father.”  https://www.english.op.org/godzdogz/credo-27-and-is-seated-at-the-right-hand-of-the-father

Bouts.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchizedek#/media/File:Meeting_of_abraham_and_melchizadek.jpg

priest forever.   https://twitter.com/revivethypeople/status/1058252407061151746

2830.) Genesis 14

Genesis 14   (NRSV)

Lot’s Captivity and Rescue

In the days of King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim, ²these kings made war with King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³All these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea). ⁴Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

⁵In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶and the Horites in the hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the edge of the wilderness; ⁷then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and subdued all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

⁸Then 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 they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹with King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar, four kings against five. ¹⁰Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits; and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. ¹¹So the enemy took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way; ¹²they also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Lot! Don’t you see that the evil of Sodom is clutching at you and your soul? 

But Abram is a man of honor, and he will fight for his nephew.

¹³Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner; these were allies of Abram. ¹⁴When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot with his goods, and the women and the people.

Abram had wealth. Any man who can assemble 318 servants capable of fighting must be very rich. And he kept them trained and ready to defend his interests.

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.

Unfortunately, Lot moved right back to where he was before in Sodom. He refused this warning from God, and would eventually lose everything when Sodom and Gomorrah were judged.

_________________________

Music:

“The Battle Belongs to the Lord,”  words and music by Jamie Owens-Collins, 1985,  performed  HERE  by the Maranatha Singers.

_________________________

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

“Abraham and Melchizedek” (also known as “The Knight’s Communion”), Reims Cathedral, c. 1250

¹⁷After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). ¹⁸And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High.

We have no idea of where Melchizedek came from, how he came to be in Canaan, or how Abram came to know about him. We only know he was there. 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 worshiper and priest of the true God, ruling over Jerusalem even in those ancient times.

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.

–David Guzik

¹⁹He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; ²⁰and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.

“The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek” by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1626 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)

Hebrews 5: 7-10 (ESV)

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

²¹Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

²²But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, ²³that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or anything that is yours, so that you might not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ²⁴I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their share.”

Abram declares that he will not be obligated to the king of Sodom by taking any of the captured goods. His obligations are to God.

–Linda B. Hinton

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

map.    http://image.slidesharecdn.com/gen14-150108135306-conversion-gate01/95/extreme-love-abraham-saves-lot-genesis-14-8-638.jpg?cb=1420725316

Knight’s Communion.   http://heavenlyarmor.blogspot.com/2011/10/who-was-melchizedek.html

Rubens.    https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.45640.html

2829.) Genesis 13

How does Abraham handle his wealth? How does Lot? How do we?

Genesis 13   (NRSV)

Abram and Lot Separate

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. ²Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Both Abram and Lot returned to Canaan wealthy. Wealth, contrary to many people’s belief, does not solve all of one’s problems, and quite often brings more grief than joy. The burden of wealth often brings strife between men, as it did here. It often turns friend against friend, brother against brother, husband against wife. Worse yet, the weight of wealth makes it hard to raise one’s head and hands toward God.

Now, wealth, in itself, is not evil or dangerous, but it is “the love of money” that is “a root of all kinds of evil” (I Tim. 6:10). Abram and Lot display respectively the correct and incorrect attitudes toward wealth, and the consequences that follow these attitudes. Abram proves that one can be rich and be godly, be rich and have faith, be rich and serve the Lord, be rich and still live as a pilgrim on this earth. On the other hand, Lot’s end (later, in Gen. 18) is an example of the misery that the love of money can cause.

–Scott Sperling

³He journeyed on by stages from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴to the place where he had made an altar at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

⁵Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, ⁶so that the land could not support both of them living together; for their possessions were so great that they could not live together, ⁷and there was strife between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land. ⁸Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we are kindred. ⁹Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

“As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.”

–Oswald Chambers

¹⁰Lot looked about him, and saw that the plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. ¹¹So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward; thus they separated from each other.

Lot! Rudely and selfishly grabbing what looks like the best for yourself, in the face of Abram’s generosity and kindness! You are showing your true colors, and it isn’t pretty!

¹²Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³Now the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.

_________________________

Music:

Abraham looked N and S and E and W — “Shout to the North” by the British band Delirious, released in 2001,  HERE.

_________________________

¹⁶I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. ¹⁷Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

“Arise, walk!” According to ancient custom, a property transfer was finalized by the new owner’s visit to the tract. God commands Abram to walk his land and lay symbolic claim to it.

In the same way, God wants us to explore a land of promise, for us — 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.

–David Guzik

¹⁸So Abram moved his tent, and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the Lord.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

wealth cycle.    http://www.sowabundance.net/portals/0/Wealth-Cycle1.jpg

Abraham and Lot.    http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/Patriarichal%20Age/images/abraham_and_lot_part_ways.jpg

2828.) Genesis 12

“The Call of Abraham”  ceramic relief by Richard McBee, 1980

Genesis 12    (NRSV)

The Call of Abram

This chapter is a turning point in the narrative of the Book of Genesis. The story of the human family in Genesis has gradually narrowed its focus from all the world’s families (Genesis 10:1-32), to one particular family (Genesis 11:10-32), then to one particular man (Genesis 12:1).

–Linda B. Hinton

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ²I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

A three-fold promise of land, descendants, and blessing. The remainder of the Old Testament is the great story of Abraham’s children, the Jewish people, living in the land that God promised to Abraham. And the New Testament is the story of the greatest blessing from God, which he sent to all people through Abraham’s genealogical line, his Son Jesus Christ.

⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,⁶Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

⁷Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. ⁹And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

Hebrews 11:8-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen.  Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise.  Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city that God had planned and built.

_________________________

Resources:

Bruce Feiler.  Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land through the Five Books of Moses (Book I, Chapter 1 “In the Land of Canaan”).

HERE  is a clear and interesting map of Abraham’s journeys.

Field of Dreams, 1989, starring Kevin Costner.  A movie with an Abraham-esque theme:  Farmer Ray Kinsella gives up everything in Iowa to find his destiny. At the end of the movie, his daughter envisions the field as a promised land for people, and as the credits roll the lights of the cars coming there seem almost like the stars in the sky. (Can you tell I am a displaced Iowa farm girl?!)

_________________________

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

¹⁰Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know well that you are a woman beautiful in appearance;

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 shone because of 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.

–David Guzik

¹²and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³Say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.”

¹⁴When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵When the officials of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels. ¹⁷But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

¹⁸So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.” ²⁰And Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.

Memo #1 to Abram:

“Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.”

–Proverbs 28:6  (NIV)

_________________________

Music:

In this chapter God calls Abram. Later we will read of God calling Moses at the burning bush. Calling Jonah to go to the city of Ninevah. Calling Saul on the road to Damascus. And God is still calling disciples, calling them by name, calling you, calling me . . .  HERE  is Paul Baloche’s “The Same Love.”

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

McBee (a contemporary Jewish artist from New York).   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/callofabraham1.jpg?w=470&h=453

Isaiah 44:3.   https://beingwoven.org/2014/05/21/i-will-pour/

cartoon.   http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jco0017l.jpg

photograph of Kristin Kreuk.  https://thetruthaboutbeauty.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/kristinkreuk_1.jpg

2827.) Genesis 11

Genesis 11   (NRSV)

The Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ²And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

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

⁵The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. ⁶And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹Therefore it was 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.

_________________________

Interesting large artistic renderings of the Tower of Babel:

“The Tower of Babel,” a 1928 woodcut by M. C. Escher.  Click HERE.

“The Tower of Babel”  by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1563 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna).  Click  HERE.

“The Construction of the Tower of Babel,” by Hendrik van Cleve, c. 1500? (Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna).  Click  HERE.

“Tower of Babel,” The Bedford Master, Book of Hours, 1423.  Click HERE.

a modern “Tower of Babel,” — urban overload! — by Joel Stoehr.  Click  HERE.
_________________________

Music:

Using our speech to praise God — here are a couple versions of “O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”  This is one of the more famous of Charles Wesley’s 6000 hymns.  The hymn was placed first in John Wesley’s A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780, and is often found on the first page of Methodist hymnals even today.

1)  HERE  is Mike Rayson, a tribute to Charles and John Wesley.

2)  HERE  are the MetroSingers, from the Metropolitan Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Hyattsville, MD.

3)  HERE  is a version from Zach Sprowls, who describes himself as “pianist • songwriter/arranger • family man • lover of local music/food • jesus worshipper.” He is from Oklahoma City, OK.

And:

Speaking of different languages — HERE  is a fascinating overview of the worldwide status of Bible translation, from Wycliffe Bible Translators. I must add that if you ever make a trip to Orlando, Florida, to see the Mouse, do yourself a spiritual favor and visit the Wycliffe headquarters. Their museum is fascinating, interactive for children and adults, and I promise you will learn a lot!

_________________________

the tower of Babel language fiasco — in reverse!

Acts 2:1-11 (New Living Translation)

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.  They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed.

“These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

_________________________

Descendants of Shem

¹⁰These are the descendants of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; ¹¹and Shem lived after the birth of Arpachshad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. ¹²When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah; ¹³and Arpachshad lived after the birth of Shelah four hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber; ¹⁵and Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁶When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg; ¹⁷and Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred thirty years, and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁸When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu; ¹⁹and Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred nine years, and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug; ²¹and Reu lived after the birth of Serug two hundred seven years, and had other sons and daughters. ²²When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor; ²³and Serug lived after the birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. ²⁴When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah; ²⁵and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters. ²⁶When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Here is the Bible’s first mention of Abram, later re-named Abraham. About one-third of the book of Genesis is about this man, who is remembered for his faith.

James 2:23 (New International Version)

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

Descendants of Terah

This passage leads into what are called the Patriarchal Narratives (Genesis 12-36) of the Old Testament. Abraham and his family probably lived sometime around 1800-1750 B.C., and with them the biblical narrative moves from primeval times into the time of recorded history.

Though no documents outside the Bible have been found that tell about the patriarchs specifically, much has been discovered about the world in which Abraham’s family moved. Personal names and place names like some listed in these verses have been found in the documents of other people in Mesopotamia and Palestine at this time. The historical and social settings of the patriarchal stories are in agreement with what is known from archaeological discoveries about the lands and peoples among whom the patriarchs lived. Thus, the biblical narrative takes a turn here from the dimly-seen reaches of the past into the increasing light of historical affirmation.

–Linda B. Hinton

²⁷Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. ²⁸Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰Now Sarai was barren; she had no child. ³¹Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there. ³²The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and Terah died in Haran.

As we are set to go into the next portion of Scripture, let’s review just where we are now. Abram and Sarai have obeyed God and set out for an unknown land. They have traveled from Ur, near the coast of the Persian Gulf, northward along the Euphrates River to the busy cosmopolitan center of Haran (now in southern Turkey). There Abram’s father, Terah, died. Now Abram is the man in charge. He will decide where his entourage goes, how they live, what/who they worship. 

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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Tower of Babel coloring page.     http://clipartmag.com/tower-of-babel-drawing#tower-of-babel-drawing-29.jpg

“Tower of Babel” stained glass window from First Presbyterian Church, Belmont, NC.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/gen10-tower-glass.jpg

“begetting” cartoon.      https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/joy-begetting-cartoon.jpg?w=450

map of Abram’s journey.   https://lannononabraham.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/292.jpg

2826.) Genesis 10

Scholars build many of these identities based on linguistic connections and language studies.

Genesis 10   (NRSV)

Nations Descended from Noah

Here we have the second genealogy in the book of Genesis. The first genealogy (in chapter 5) detailed the generations from Adam to Noah. The genealogy in this chapter–the so-called “Table of Nations”–details the descendants of Noah and his sons, with the purpose of describing how Noah’s descendants were divided into the nations of the world. As Moses states in verse 32: “These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.” Given this stated purpose, it is worthwhile to look at the names in this genealogy and determine into what areas they settled and into what nations they evolved.

There are other Biblical references to the nations in this genealogy which provide a connection to the modern areas that correspond to where these nations resided. Because of the Biblical references, many of these nations are easy to locate. Modern archaeology gives us more evidence for locating these nations and confirms that this account is historically accurate. So, we find that this chapter (though it may seem, upon cursory reading, boring and useless to us) is important in establishing that the book of Genesis is a history and not a collection of fables. Many consider the Bible a collection of “cleverly invented stories” (2 Peter 1:16), but on the contrary, when the Bible depicts historical events, details cultural customs or describes locations and landmarks, it has been found to be accurate.

The Table of Nations tells us how the family of one man grew into a world of nations and languages. At the same time, it reminds us that we all have the same heritage. Though we do not at present speak the same or look the same or dress the same, we indeed all belong to the same family (trite though it may sound).

–scripturestudies.com

These are the descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; children were born to them after the flood.

²The descendants of Japheth:

Japheth has traditionally been called the father of the Indo-European peoples — Caucasians, or the Gentiles.

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ³The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴The descendants of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. ⁵From these the coastland peoples spread. These are the descendants of Japheth in their lands, with their own language, by their families, in their nations.

⁶The descendants of Ham:

The descendants of Ham have traditionally been thought to be those who populated Africa and the Far East.

Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. ⁷The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. ⁸Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to become a mighty warrior. ⁹He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

“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.’ 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.”

–Rabbi Louis Ginzberg

¹⁰The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar. ¹¹From that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and ¹²Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. ¹³Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹⁴Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, from which the Philistines come.

¹⁵Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, ¹⁶and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁷the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. ¹⁹And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰These are the descendants of Ham, by their families, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

²¹To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. ²²The descendants of Shem:

Shem has traditionally been considered the father of the Semitic peoples, Jews and Arabs.

Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. ²³The descendants of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

Uz: Later, a region in Arabia was named after this son of Aram. Job came from the land of Uz (Job 1:1).

–David Guzik

²⁴Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. ²⁵To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁶Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the descendants of Joktan. ³⁰The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country of the east. ³¹These are the descendants of Shem, by their families, their languages, their lands, and their nations. ³²These are the families of Noah’s sons, according to their genealogies, in their nations; and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

“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.”

–Martin Luther

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Music:

HERE  is “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” sung by Marian Anderson. What a treat to hear such a wonderful voice!

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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

“The Nations of Genesis 10.”     https://readthebiblewithme.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/gen10.jpg

These are the clans.   https://images.knowing-jesus.com/i/genesis-10-32-these-are-the-clans-of-the-sons-of-noah-white-9677

map of Shem-Ham-Japheth.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/tableofnationsgenesis10.jpg