Bob Feather January 28th, 2008

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 28, 2008

Genesis 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meditation Points:

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

Genesis 17

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meditation Points:

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

Tags: , Abraham, circumcision, covenant

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Bob Feather January 27th, 2008

Job 40-42, Genesis 11-15

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Bob Feather January 27th, 2008

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Revelation 2:12-17

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Tags: church, doctrine

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Bob Feather January 27th, 2008

English Language Bible Study Guide for January 27, 2008

Genesis 14

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

1-2: Four kings against five

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16: Abram liberates Lot and his family and his possessions

17-20: The victory celebration becomes a worship service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A few points to consider from this passage:

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

Genesis 15

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

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

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

6: Abram believed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tags: Abram, Lot, Melchisedec, Melchizedek, reward

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