Genesis IV, Bible Study 11/30/16

Posted on December 8, 2016 by growintheword

genesis

Genesis IV

Synopsis of Bible study 11/30/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

  1. Introduction
  2. God calls Abraham from his home country. God calls him to a land that he would later show him.
  3. The theme of Genesis is actually about, the Promised Land, faith, and
  4. The promise to Abraham was to occupy the Promised Land.
  5. Abraham is not the main character in the book of Genesis, although he is an important character. God is the main character.
  6. Abraham, the father of faith, provided a template for how to walk in the faith in God. Hebrews 11:8-10 (NKJV) 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is-God’s call to Abraham is a trilogy consisting of himself, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  7. Jacob leaves us with 12 tribes of Israel.

 

  1. God’s Covenant with Abraham (See Image 1.1)
  2. Abraham’s Name Change to Abraham,
  3. In Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) it says 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. – God changes Abram’s name from Abram to Abraham.
  4. Genesis 17:6-8 (NKJV) says 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”- Imagine what God is saying. He is saying that nations and kings will come out of Abraham. It will be an everlasting covenant.
  5. God also changes Sarah’s name. Sarah means princess. Genesis 17:15-16 (NKJV) says 15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
  6. Circumcision: The Sign of Covenant
  7. God establishes his covenant with Abraham that instructed all male kids to be circumcised at the age of 8. Genesis 17:10-14 (NKJV) 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”- Egyptian circumcision was brutal, but it was necessary for every male Hebrew child. They amputated the foreskin. All male children at 8 days old had to do this or they would be out of covenant with God.
  8. In the New Testament, there is a reinterpretation of this circumcision. Note that the circumcision in the New Testament is talking about putting the old life away and walking in a new life. It is more like circumcision of the heart.
  9. Sarah , The Mother of Nations

Genesis 17:19-21 (NKJV) 19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” – Remember Ishmael had been born, though he was Abraham’s mistake. Ishmael represents the reality that we deal with today. What we mean is, everyone has a mistake they have to deal with despite living in their blessing. God decided to still bless Ishmael, because everything connected to Abraham was supposed to be blessed. God said it so it had to come true. God’s word will not return to him void.

  1. In verse 21 above, Abraham was at age 99, but God was still saying this time next year, Abraham and Sarah would have a son. This would make Abraham 100 yrs old when Isaac was to be born.
  2. Sarah was a listening to God say all this and she laughed. Genesis 18:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”)
  3. Why did Sarah laugh? Genesis 18:13-14 (NKJV) says 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” – Abraham is 99 yrs and God has given Abraham an appointed time. Sarah didn’t laugh outwardly, it was inwardly, but God knew she laughed. Often, while we are laughing, God is speaking.
    1. Psalm 139:2 says (NKJV) 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. – God is aware when you laugh.

Ex [1]

  • Sodom and Gomorrah
  1. Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah
  2. Genesis 18:18-21 (NKJV) 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”- God knew what was happening in Sodom. As a result, God says he will get off his throne and come down to earth just to look. It was so bad, on the earth that God got off the throne to see.
  3. Things got so bad, Abraham started interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember when lot and Abraham split up, Lot went over near Sodom.
  4. Abraham kept asking if God would spare the land. Abraham kept asking God if he would spare the land, if they found anyone righteous. He kept having to lower the number each time he asked God, because they could find no one. In the end, they only found one that was righteous.
  5. In Sodom and Gomorrah, there were groups of people sleeping with people of the same sex, issues of drunkardness, and people were even having sex with their pets.
  6. The name Sodom itself is where we get the word sodomy. It was so bad, God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
  7. Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed (See Image 1.2)
  8. In Genesis 19, God sends angels. When angels would invade the earth, they would be very handsome men. They didn’t look like angels though. These two men that didn’t look like angels go to Lot’s house. As a result, men came knocking on Lot’s door wanting to have sex with these two handsome men who were really angels. Abraham tried so hard to keep this from happening he offered his two virgin daughters up to these men instead, but they were not interested. They wanted to be with the two handsome men.
  9. The angels (the two handsome men) led Lot and his family out of the city and the city was burned up. They were warned not to look back. Lot’s wife looked back anyway and she turned into a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26 (NKJV) says 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.- If God blesses you to come out, don’t be foolish enough to look back.
  10. Genesis 19:27-29 (NKJV) 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.- Now we have another scenario starting.

 

  • The Descendants of Lot
  1. Lot was in a place called Zoar. He knew it wasn’t a good place, so he left it and went to a cave.
  2. Before we go into the next part, it is important that we ask ourselves, what are the social implications of events that had taken place? What are the domestic implications of the events? What is the sociological trauma of such events? What happens when you grow up in Sodom and Gomorrah? What happens when your own Dad offers you up to strangers that come to the house? You have to ask these questions to truly understand what happens next.
  3. Lot moves into to a cave. His daughters begin to have a conversation and the eldest daughter said to the younger sister, “Let us have a child by our father after getting him drunk”.. Genesis 19:31-36 (NKJV) 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. – They got pregnant by their father. Could it be that the Tornados of incest could have spun out control at this point or was it flawed thinking caused by the events and the environment of Sodom and Gomorrah?
  4. When they had the children, the first was called Moab whose decedents became the Moabites. Genesis 19:37 (NKJV) says 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. – Ruth was a Moabite if you will remember and remember that Moabites originally worshiped idol gods. Ruth in the bible was Lot’s grandchild.
  5. The next born was named Ben-Ammi whose descendants became the ammonites. Genesis 19:38 (NKJV) 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. – They worshiped the fire gods. The image of this god had its arms stretched out as if to capture babies. The people that worshiped this Idol god, sacrificed babies unto this god. These people is Lot’s great-great-grandchildren.

[2]

  1. The Birth of the Promised son, Isaac
  2. Isaac, the son of Sarah and Abraham
  3. Abraham had a son named Isaac at 100 yrs old.
  4. Isaac didn’t get here by natural conception. This teaches us 3 things:
    1. Nothing is too hard for God
    2. All things are possible
    3. God keeps his promises
  5. Isaac means, “I laugh”.
    1. Genesis 21:8 (NKJV) Hagar and Ishmael Depart 8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.- Abraham had a feast when Isaac was weaned.
  6. The expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael
  7. Hagar was eventually allowed to come back into Abraham’s house.
  8. It is believed that Ishmael was mocking Isaac and Sarah got mad about it. Abraham might not have really had feelings for Hagar, but he love Ishmael.
  9. Abraham rose up and gave her water, bread, and water, and sent Hagar away. Genesis 21:10-13 (NKJV) 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”- Just because Ishmael is leaving doesn’t mean he will not be blessed.
  10. Finally something happens. Abraham and Sarah finally has a son after a 100yrs.
  11. Conclusion: The test of Abraham’s faith.
  12. Now God wants Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. God wants us to sacrifice the thing we want the most. There is no sacrifice in giving what you don’t want.
  13. Abraham has supernatural faith.
  14. They travel to Mount Moriah. Abraham is willing to do what God wants him to do.
  15. Abraham told the men with him to stop at the foot of the mountain. He told them that he and his son were going to worship.
  16. Two things we should learn from this.
    1. If God told Abraham to kill his son, it was up to God to raise him up again.
    2. Some people, you got to leave at the foot of the mountain, because they will try to stop the plan of God.
  17. Abraham goes up and he has wood and a knife, but he brings nothing to sacrifice.
  18. Isaac asks where is the sacrifice? With tears in his eyes, Abraham looks at Isaac and tells him that he is the sacrifice.
  19. Abraham places his son on the altar and ties him up. When God tells us to do stuff that we think is immoral or not right, should we do it? Yes, of course we are, because God is all knowing and his ways are not our ways.
  20. Abraham takes his knife out and is about to kill his son. He is about to sacrifice his on the altar, but guess what happens? Genesis 22:11-12 (NKJV) says 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”- God now knows that Abraham is the real deal. He shows Abraham a ram caught in the thicket and told him to use it for the sacrifice.
  21. Abraham called this place Jehovah Jireh, meaning, “God will provide”.
  22. If he would do it on the mountain, how ironic that another father would give up his only begotten son on a mountain too as a sacrifice for us. What God really wants from Abraham and us is not our money or our gifts. We are the sacrifice that God wants. If he gets us, God knows he will have everything. We are supposed to give our bodies as a reasonable sacrifice. Romans 12:1 (NKJV) says 12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
  23. What God was going to do for Abraham could only happen after Abraham passed the test of being willing to give what he loved the most. This is when it will happen!

[1]

[2]

Synopsis of Bible study 11/30/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

  1. Introduction
  2. God calls Abraham from his home country. God calls him to a land that he would later show him.
  3. The theme of Genesis is actually about, the Promised Land, faith, and
  4. The promise to Abraham was to occupy the Promised Land.
  5. Abraham is not the main character in the book of Genesis, although he is an important character. God is the main character.
  6. Abraham, the father of faith, provided a template for how to walk in the faith in God. Hebrews 11:8-10 (NKJV) 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is-God’s call to Abraham is a trilogy consisting of himself, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  7. Jacob leaves us with 12 tribes of Israel.

 

  1. God’s Covenant with Abraham (See Image 1.1)
  2. Abraham’s Name Change to Abraham,
  3. In Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) it says 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. – God changes Abram’s name from Abram to Abraham.
  4. Genesis 17:6-8 (NKJV) says 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”- Imagine what God is saying. He is saying that nations and kings will come out of Abraham. It will be an everlasting covenant.
  5. God also changes Sarah’s name. Sarah means princess. Genesis 17:15-16 (NKJV) says 15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
  6. Circumcision: The Sign of Covenant
  7. God establishes his covenant with Abraham that instructed all male kids to be circumcised at the age of 8. Genesis 17:10-14 (NKJV) 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”- Egyptian circumcision was brutal, but it was necessary for every male Hebrew child. They amputated the foreskin. All male children at 8 days old had to do this or they would be out of covenant with God.
  8. In the New Testament, there is a reinterpretation of this circumcision. Note that the circumcision in the New Testament is talking about putting the old life away and walking in a new life. It is more like circumcision of the heart.
  9. Sarah , The Mother of Nations

Genesis 17:19-21 (NKJV) 19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” – Remember Ishmael had been born, though he was Abraham’s mistake. Ishmael represents the reality that we deal with today. What we mean is, everyone has a mistake they have to deal with despite living in their blessing. God decided to still bless Ishmael, because everything connected to Abraham was supposed to be blessed. God said it so it had to come true. God’s word will not return to him void.

  1. In verse 21 above, Abraham was at age 99, but God was still saying this time next year, Abraham and Sarah would have a son. This would make Abraham 100 yrs old when Isaac was to be born.
  2. Sarah was a listening to God say all this and she laughed. Genesis 18:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”)
  3. Why did Sarah laugh? Genesis 18:13-14 (NKJV) says 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” – Abraham is 99 yrs and God has given Abraham an appointed time. Sarah didn’t laugh outwardly, it was inwardly, but God knew she laughed. Often, while we are laughing, God is speaking.
    1. Psalm 139:2 says (NKJV) 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. – God is aware when you laugh.

Ex [1]

  • Sodom and Gomorrah
  1. Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah
  2. Genesis 18:18-21 (NKJV) 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”- God knew what was happening in Sodom. As a result, God says he will get off his throne and come down to earth just to look. It was so bad, on the earth that God got off the throne to see.
  3. Things got so bad, Abraham started interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember when lot and Abraham split up, Lot went over near Sodom.
  4. Abraham kept asking if God would spare the land. Abraham kept asking God if he would spare the land, if they found anyone righteous. He kept having to lower the number each time he asked God, because they could find no one. In the end, they only found one that was righteous.
  5. In Sodom and Gomorrah, there were groups of people sleeping with people of the same sex, issues of drunkardness, and people were even having sex with their pets.
  6. The name Sodom itself is where we get the word sodomy. It was so bad, God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
  7. Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed (See Image 1.2)
  8. In Genesis 19, God sends angels. When angels would invade the earth, they would be very handsome men. They didn’t look like angels though. These two men that didn’t look like angels go to Lot’s house. As a result, men came knocking on Lot’s door wanting to have sex with these two handsome men who were really angels. Abraham tried so hard to keep this from happening he offered his two virgin daughters up to these men instead, but they were not interested. They wanted to be with the two handsome men.
  9. The angels (the two handsome men) led Lot and his family out of the city and the city was burned up. They were warned not to look back. Lot’s wife looked back anyway and she turned into a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26 (NKJV) says 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.- If God blesses you to come out, don’t be foolish enough to look back.
  10. Genesis 19:27-29 (NKJV) 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.- Now we have another scenario starting.

 

  • The Descendants of Lot
  1. Lot was in a place called Zoar. He knew it wasn’t a good place, so he left it and went to a cave.
  2. Before we go into the next part, it is important that we ask ourselves, what are the social implications of events that had taken place? What are the domestic implications of the events? What is the sociological trauma of such events? What happens when you grow up in Sodom and Gomorrah? What happens when your own Dad offers you up to strangers that come to the house? You have to ask these questions to truly understand what happens next.
  3. Lot moves into to a cave. His daughters begin to have a conversation and the eldest daughter said to the younger sister, “Let us have a child by our father after getting him drunk”.. Genesis 19:31-36 (NKJV) 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. – They got pregnant by their father. Could it be that the Tornados of incest could have spun out control at this point or was it flawed thinking caused by the events and the environment of Sodom and Gomorrah?
  4. When they had the children, the first was called Moab whose decedents became the Moabites. Genesis 19:37 (NKJV) says 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. – Ruth was a Moabite if you will remember and remember that Moabites originally worshiped idol gods. Ruth in the bible was Lot’s grandchild.
  5. The next born was named Ben-Ammi whose descendants became the ammonites. Genesis 19:38 (NKJV) 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. – They worshiped the fire gods. The image of this god had its arms stretched out as if to capture babies. The people that worshiped this Idol god, sacrificed babies unto this god. These people is Lot’s great-great-grandchildren.

[2]

  1. The Birth of the Promised son, Isaac
  2. Isaac, the son of Sarah and Abraham
  3. Abraham had a son named Isaac at 100 yrs old.
  4. Isaac didn’t get here by natural conception. This teaches us 3 things:
    1. Nothing is too hard for God
    2. All things are possible
    3. God keeps his promises
  5. Isaac means, “I laugh”.
    1. Genesis 21:8 (NKJV) Hagar and Ishmael Depart 8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.- Abraham had a feast when Isaac was weaned.
  6. The expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael
  7. Hagar was eventually allowed to come back into Abraham’s house.
  8. It is believed that Ishmael was mocking Isaac and Sarah got mad about it. Abraham might not have really had feelings for Hagar, but he love Ishmael.
  9. Abraham rose up and gave her water, bread, and water, and sent Hagar away. Genesis 21:10-13 (NKJV) 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”- Just because Ishmael is leaving doesn’t mean he will not be blessed.
  10. Finally something happens. Abraham and Sarah finally has a son after a 100yrs.
  11. Conclusion: The test of Abraham’s faith.
  12. Now God wants Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. God wants us to sacrifice the thing we want the most. There is no sacrifice in giving what you don’t want.
  13. Abraham has supernatural faith.
  14. They travel to Mount Moriah. Abraham is willing to do what God wants him to do.
  15. Abraham told the men with him to stop at the foot of the mountain. He told them that he and his son were going to worship.
  16. Two things we should learn from this.
    1. If God told Abraham to kill his son, it was up to God to raise him up again.
    2. Some people, you got to leave at the foot of the mountain, because they will try to stop the plan of God.
  17. Abraham goes up and he has wood and a knife, but he brings nothing to sacrifice.
  18. Isaac asks where is the sacrifice? With tears in his eyes, Abraham looks at Isaac and tells him that he is the sacrifice.
  19. Abraham places his son on the altar and ties him up. When God tells us to do stuff that we think is immoral or not right, should we do it? Yes, of course we are, because God is all knowing and his ways are not our ways.
  20. Abraham takes his knife out and is about to kill his son. He is about to sacrifice his on the altar, but guess what happens? Genesis 22:11-12 (NKJV) says 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”- God now knows that Abraham is the real deal. He shows Abraham a ram caught in the thicket and told him to use it for the sacrifice.
  21. Abraham called this place Jehovah Jireh, meaning, “God will provide”.
  22. If he would do it on the mountain, how ironic that another father would give up his only begotten son on a mountain too as a sacrifice for us. What God really wants from Abraham and us is not our money or our gifts. We are the sacrifice that God wants. If he gets us, God knows he will have everything. We are supposed to give our bodies as a reasonable sacrifice. Romans 12:1 (NKJV) says 12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
  23. What God was going to do for Abraham could only happen after Abraham passed the test of being willing to give what he loved the most. This is when it will happen!

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Genesis Part III, Bible Study 11/16/16

Posted on November 29, 2016 by growintheword

 genesisPart III

Synopsis of Bible study 11/16/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

  1. Introduction
  2. The descendants of Noah (see Map 1.1)
  3. Genesis 9:1 (NKJV) 9 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.[a] – The sons of Noah formed 3 national groups. . The National groups were the Japhethites, Hamites, and the Shemites.
  4. Genesis 10:1-10 (NKJV) 10 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath,[a] and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.[b] 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. 6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put,[c] and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
  5. Canaan fathers two sons. Heath and Sidon. Sidon was locative duchess in the Phoenician coastal cities.
  6. The canonized people extended to Japhethites, Amorites, and Hivites.

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  1. The Tower of Babel
  2. God brought down judgment. Babel means confusion. The number 11 means confusion also. The original meaning of babel meant the gate of god. There was a divine boundary between mankind and that which was divine.
  3. In chapter 11, it opens up saying that everyone in the whole earth spoke one language. Genesis 11:1 (NKJV) 11 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. – There was a plan of the people to come to together. They learned to make brick and they were good at it.
  4. The problem comes in when they decided to start building stuff in their own name. They got the idea in verse 4 to build a city and a tower leading to heaven. Genesis 11:4 says (NKJV) 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” – Notice what they say in their arrogance, they would build city in their name, less they be scattered. Remember that God said in Genesis 9:1 to be fruitful and multiply. God had intended for them multiply and populate the earth, but they decided not to leave the area they were in, after they learned how to build bricks.
    1. Genesis 11:5-6 (NKJV) 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. – God decided to confuse their language and scatter them all over the earth. In building the tower, they were trying to violate a divine boundary. God literally spread them around the earth the way he intended in the first place. This is why we have different languages today.
  5. Often when you get good at something you want to stay in one place and not expand.

 

  1. The Introduction onto Patriarchal History

A patriarch is name of the male head-of-household. Matriarch is the name given to the female head-of-household. Back in the biblical days, this was the highest office in a family that one could hold.

  1. Introduction to Abraham.
  2. Genesis 12:2 (NKJV) 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing- God is talking to Abram at this time.
  3. In Genesis 17:5, Abram became Abraham. Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) says 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. – Abraham would become the father of many nations. Abraham’s name means father of the exalted. The reason God moves Abraham and renames him is because the land that Abram was from (Haran) believed in polytheism (the worship of many gods).
  4. Even in Abraham’s family, they are starting to practice, polytheism. God was relocating Abraham to a place of monotheism (worship of the one true living God). God said he could not give him a promise if they are practicing polytheism. This is why God relocated him.
  5. Abraham leaves his family’s house.

 

  1. The Call and Promise to Abraham
  2. The Call is always associated with a command and a promise. When you receive the Call, it means you have to get up and go.
  3. The promise was that God would make Abraham a great nation. Wherever God tells you to go, know that he has a promised tied to.
  4. In gen 12:2, God says He will make Abraham a great nation. Genesis 12:2 (NKJV) 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. – In other words the promise would be greater than Abraham. God would make his name great and He would make Abraham a blessing.
  5. If Abraham is going to be a blessing, he has to be blessed. How can you give what you don’t have? In order to give a blessing, you have to be blessed!
  6. Abraham is going to bless more than himself. Abraham was called to go to a go to a predetermined work. Romans 8:30 (NKJV) says 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. If God calls you to a work, he has already completed it. All you have to do is walk in it.

 

  1. The History of the Promised Land (See Map 1.2)
  2. The Promised Land was often referred to as the land of Canaan. The Promised Land wasn’t referred to as Israel. Territories in that day could shift. Abraham leaves Haran with a command and a promise.
  • The Story of Abraham and Family
  1. Abrahams First Journey to the Promised Land
  2. Genesis 12:4 (NKJV) says 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. – Abraham had a wife named Sarah and a nephew named Lot.
  3. Genesis 12:7 (NKJV) says 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. – God gave Abraham a glimpse of the Land, but would not allow him to occupy the land just yet. The land was already occupied at this time. Sometimes God will give you a glimpse of your blessing, but he might not allow you to occupy it until later.
  4. Genesis 12:8-9 (NKJV) says 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.[a], – Here God was still showing Abraham a glimpse of the promise.

 

  1. Abrams Journey to Egypt
  2. In Gen 12:10-13:1 (read later), we see that there was a famine in the land (read later). What happened to descendants during this famine? They would do what Abraham did and that is go to Egypt.
  3. Why did they go to Egypt? They went to Egypt, because it was located by the Nile River. With Egypt being by the Nile River, they would have a water source and great location.
  4. A lot of great things came out of Egypt that we use today. One of them is Most great things came out of Egypt. They were the Hamites.
  5. Abraham goes down to Egypt. Egyptian people are good looking people. Egyptian people just looked good. Abraham goes to Egypt to escape the famine. His wife Sarah is a 15 on scale of 10. She is fine. He realizes her life was in jeopardy. He knew they Egyptians might take her and give her to the king.
    1. When he ready to go in, Abraham told his wife that she must pose as his sister. What makes this interesting, is this: In Genesis 12:11-15 (NKJV) 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I[a] may live because of you.” 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. – Egyptians was so taken by her beauty, Sarah was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
    2. According to vs 16, Abraham was treated well for Sarah’s sake. Genesis 12:16 (NKJV) says 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels
  6. Though it is comical, this brings up some ethical issues. Abraham got paid, he lied, and conspired with his wife who got offered up to the Pharaoh. Shortly after she goes to Pharaoh, a plague hit his house. He knew something wasn’t’ right. Pharaoh discovers that this woman is Abraham’s wife. Pharaoh tells Abraham and Sarah to leave, but allows Abraham to take everything he had given him. Abraham left Egypt a very wealthy man. Genesis 12:17-19 (NKJV) says 17 But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.”
  7. Abraham lied, God blocked harm from coming to Abraham, and God used the foolishness of Abraham and Sarah’s conspiracy to transfer the wealthy of the wicked to the righteous. Abraham was wealthy, because he was a recipient of God’s blessings. If we are connected to Abraham, and he was wealthy, because of his blessings, then we ought to at least be able to pay our bills. Broke is not in your blood line.
  8. God reconciles ethical issues:

 

  1. The separation of Abraham and Lot
  • Genesis 13:5-7 (NKJV) 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.- God did promise that we would have so many blessings, we wouldn’t have room enough to receive it. Abraham and Lots processions got so great, they couldn’t dwell together.
  • Abraham says to Lot, “There is no need of us having beef with each other” Genesis 13:8-9 (NKJV) 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”- Abraham offered to take whatever Lot did not want. When the blessing is on you, it doesn’t matter what someone else takes. The blessing is on Abraham. Wherever we go, we will always be blessed.
  • Abraham refused to be stuck in an uncomfortable environment.
  • In Genesis 14, an alliance of 4 eastern kings conquered some Canaanites kings. During the attack, they took Lot and all the women and children. Even through Abraham and Lot parted ways, Abraham never stopped covering Lot.
  • Somebody escaped and told Abraham that Lot had been captured.

 

  1. Abraham rescue of lot
  2. Abraham paid to bring back Lot, the woman and children, and Lot’s possessions back. His wealth restored everything back.
  3. Abrahams meeting of Melchizedek
  4. Genesis 14:17-24 (NKJV) says 17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. 21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”- Melchizedek was the priest on high, the king of Salem. It is important also to know that there was an exchange of wine and bread between them.
  5. In the syntax, the name Melchizedek starts with capitalization. Melchizedek according to the bible doesn’t have a beginning or end. It has been said also that the first tithe was paid to Melchizedek. Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek as we pay tithes today.

 

  1. Gods First Covenant with Abraham
  2. The Lord’s promise to Abraham – Abraham doesn’t have any children. He was 75 when he left Haran. Now it is 10 yrs later.
  3. Genesis 15:4-5(NKJV) says 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” –  God asks Abraham if he could number the stars? God then promised that his descendants would be uncountable just like the stars in the sky.
  4. God promised Abraham at child at 85, but Abraham’s wife Sarah was barren.

 

  1. Compose of the covenant.
  2. Sara has a proposal for Abraham – Genesis 16:1-2 (NKJV) says 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. – Sarah had a maid named Hagar. She tells Abraham to go and be with Hagar, because Sarah could not have children.
  3. Genesis 16:3 (NKJV) 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. – Abraham dwelt 10yrs in Canaan. At this time, he is now 85.
  4. Hagar conceived a child. Genesis 16:4 (NKJV) says 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. – When Hagar got pregnant, Hagar changed. One could say that Hagar was picking at Sarah. It was Sarah’s plan, but now Sarah is tripping. After Sarah complained about how Hagar was acting, Abraham released Sarah to do what she wanted to Hagar, even though Hagar was carrying Abraham’s child.
  5. Sarah made is so bad, she literally put Hagar out in the dessert and the wilderness.

 

  1. The birth of Ishmael.
    1. An angel of the Lord comes in. Genesis 16:9-12 (NKJV) says  9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her: “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”- God said she will have a son called Ishmael.

 

  1. Facts about Ishmael
  2. Ishmael grew to become a skilled hunter and archer. Genesis 21:20 (NKJV) 20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
  3. Hagar later found an Egyptian wife for Ishmael. Genesis 21:21 (NKJV) 21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
  4. Ishmael fathered 12 sons. Genesis 17:20 (NKJV) 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
  5. Ishmael fathered the nomadic Arab nations. Genesis 25:13-15 (NKJV) 13 And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadar,[a] Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
  6. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old. Genesis 25:17 (NKJV) 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.)
  7. In Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and an ancestor to Muhammad.
  8. What’s the wow moment? God made a promise to Abraham. He said he would bless him. Ishmael was Abraham’s mistake. Despite it being Abraham’s mistake, God still blessed Ishmael. Out of Isaac comes Christianity.
  9. While Hagar was out in the dessert, God came to her and said the He would still bless her. Even though Ishmael was Abraham’s mistake, God would not exclude him from Abraham’s blessing. Descendants of Ishmael were the Arabs and the Muslims.
  10. Remember desert storm? The conflict between the philistines and Israelites is not theology, it is was about land. The descendants of Isaac got the best land. Ismael and his people got pushed into the dessert. They were left with the following question, “If Abraham was both Isaac and Ishmael’s Dad, how come Isaac and his people got the best land?” Imagine what it means to lose your land, and you had nothing to do with it. Any friend of Isaac is an enemy to Ismael.
  11. Just to think, the same conflict we have now, started way back then.

[1] Map 1.1 Bible History Online: http://www.bible-history.com/old-testament/table-of-nations-genesis-10.html

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Bible Study 11/09/16, Genesis Part2

Posted on November 19, 2016 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of Bible study 11/9/16genesisPart 2

 

Today we start after the fall of mankind…

  1. Introduction
  2. After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden tree, they now find themselves outside of the Garden of Eden, and now they have to work for their survival. At this point, not only is there a divide between God and humanity, there is a divide between mankind’s soul and spirit.
  3. Adam and Eve were the first two human beings.
  4. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the forbidden tree, they started experiencing Originally, mankind was not created to die. Adam and Eve was supposed to live forever.
  5. This experience of immortality had to do with their mind. Before Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they had no concept of the things of the flesh. This is why they didn’t have a problem walking around the garden naked. Romans 8:5-7 (NKJV) says 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. – Your mind is always in conflict with the rules of God. Your mind levies in your emotions.

 

  1. From Creation to Flood
  2. Divine human reproduction in the earth
  3. Genesis 3:22 (NKJV) 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— -There was a tree of good and evil in the midst of the garden and the eating of that tree would make Adam and Eve have a concept of good and bad. God created us in the beginning to only have a concept of good. Because Adam and Eve ate of the tree, our Paradise was lost, but it was regained when Jesus died on the cross and arose again. 1 Corinthians 15:50 (NKJV) says 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. – In heaven there is no concept of bad. Carnality is what brings bad thoughts to our mind.
  4. As soon as sin entered into the world, there came a struggle pushing us. Galatians 5:17 (NKJV) says 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. – Something that we have to deal with in this world is the civil war between your flesh and your spirit.
    1. Romans 7:13-15 (NKJV) 13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. – There is a part of us that wants to do right, but the flesh makes us hate what we are doing. One thing we thank God for is, we have a conscious now about what we do. There was time where we didn’t. The closer you get to God, the more you feel bad about the things that you do that are wrong.
  5. Things get so bad on the earth, something happens. There were the daughters of Adam and Eve who were human and the sons of God who were fallen angels. The problem is, they began to connect with each other. As a result, the daughters of Adam and Eve started reproducing with the fallen angels and created a generation of giants.
  6. Remember when Satan fell, he drew a third of the angels with him. As a result, a third of the angels became demons.
    1. How did they translate into a vessel if they were angels? These demons got into flesh that looked appealing to the women. These women didn’t know that they were demons.
    2. Nephilim- The product of the sons of God mingling with the daughters of Adam. In verse 4 of the next scripture, you will see that they are referred to as giants. Genesis 6:1-4 (NKJV) says 6 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive[a] with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
    3. Ezekiel 32:27 (NKJV) 27 They do not lie with the mighty Who are fallen of the uncircumcised, Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war; They have laid their swords under their heads, But their iniquities will be on their bones, Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living..
    4. Remember when Joshua sent the spies out to view the Promised Land and they reported seeing giants? These also were offspring of the fallen angels and the daughters of Adam. Numbers 13:33 (NKJV) 33 There we saw the giants[a] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”- This scripture was making reference to the Nephilim.
  7. God finally said that they were doing the forbidden. They were cohabitating with demons. As a result God says something he has never said before.
    1. Genesis 6:7 (NKJV) 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” – Do you think God looks at us and is sorry that he created us, now days?
  8. Noah: The righteous Man
  9. Genesis 6:8-9 (NKJV) 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. – God was about to destroy the entire creation, but he saw one man and decided that there might be something worth saving. God just looks for at least one righteous person in the midst of a wicked situation.
  10. Preparation of ark. (Gen 6:13-22)
  11. God gives Noah instructions on how to make the ark. Noah built this ark with 0% chance of rain. Can you imagine trying to build a boat in a place where it never rains? It really is the first evidence of evangelism in the bible.
  12. One of things interesting in this story is found at verse 19, where God says that Noah had to bring two of everything and every kind of animal on to the ark. God wanted to have a male and female of each species. Genesis 6:19 (NKJV) says 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
    1. Genesis 6:13-22 (NKJV) says 13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

 

  • The great Flood (Gen 7 – 8)
  1. Pre flood : – The final instructions for Noah and family
  2. Genesis 7:1 (NKJV) The Great Flood 7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. – When you are righteous, God will save you from what is about to happen to everyone else.

 

  1. Details about the Noah’s ark
  2. There are myths that occur at the same time of this flood event.
  3. Ancient Near Eastern Version of the Flood: Gilgamesh
  4. Gilgamesh is an eastern version of a story similar to Noah. It be found at this web address if you want to read it. http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/
  5. After the flood, Noah sent out a dove. Later the dove comes back with an olive branch. This meant that the dove had found land. After the water from the flood had gone away, Jewish legend says that the ark rested on top of a mountain which is in our present day, Turkey.

 

  1. Life after the flood:
  2. Gods covenant with Noah and sons.
  3. God makes a covenant with Noah. Genesis 9:1 (NKJV) says 9 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.[a],- Here we see that God reestablished his covenant with Noah.
  4. Genesis 1:22 (NKJV) says 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” – God said be fruitful and multiply in both instances above. In other words, have what you need and be productive, before you multiply. In you try and multiply before you have what you need and before you are productive, then you fill the earth with needy people.
  5. Noah and his sons
  6. Noah and his family would become the post-flood First Family. Genesis 9:13 (NKJV) says 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. – God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His new covenant with the Noah.
  7. Noah had three sons. They were Shem, Hem, and Japheth. Shem was his first son.
  8. Noah was perfect, upright, and righteous in God’s eyes. In chapter 9, Noah became drunk with fermented grapes.
  9. When Noah was drunk, his son Hem saw his father naked and told his brothers about it. As a result, the brothers took a sheet, placed it over their shoulder, and walked in backwards so that they could cover him up without seeing him. Genesis 9:25-26 (NKJV) 25 Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” 26 And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.- There are many myths and ideas about why Hem saw his Dad naked. Some of them go as far as to say that maybe there was an ungodly, incest type of relationship, going on between Noah and him, but the truth is, we really don’t know.
    1. Genesis 9:25-27 (NKJV) says 25 Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” 26 And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”- . Some people who attempt to argue that Hem was cursed for seeing his father naked are missing one important point. God never cursed Hem. He cursed Canaan.
  10. Hem was the youngest son of Noah. Each son would represent new civilizations. Genesis 5:32 (NKJV) 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. his name occurs. Genesis 9:18 (NKJV) Noah and His Sons 18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
  11. 30 nations came out the son. Psalm 105:23 (NKJV) 23 Israel also came into Egypt, And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
  12. Hems name means black as in coming from Africa. Hem comes out of Egypt Africa.
  13. Canon was cursed not Ham. To suggest Ham was cursed, would mean he would have to serve his brother. Genesis 9:25-26 (NKJV) says 25 Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” 26 And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.- God says that Canaan would have to serve his brother.
  14. A curse was supposed to last 3 generation. Exodus 20:5 (NKJV) 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
  15. Cannon does not exist as a nation today.
  16. Conclusion
  17. After the flood, Noah lived 350 yrs. Noah lived to be 950 yrs old. God uncreated and recreated. God is a covenant keeping God. There has never been breach on God’s side, it’s always on our side.
  18. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree, God put them out of the garden. They started dating demons and as a result, God said he could wipe mankind out, but he saw something good, which was Noah. God decided to start things over with Noah. He builds the ark and the flood comes and wipes out everything. Things look good for a while until man messes up again.
  19. How much does God love us. He keeps giving us additional chances no matter how much we do. God was setting up things for us, but carnality and sin messed things up. Regardless of how messed things got, He gave us grace.

 

 

 

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Genesis Part 1, Bible Study 11/11/16

Posted on November 11, 2016 by growintheword

genesis

Synopsis of Bible Study 11/02/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

  1. Introduction:
  1. First of all, Genesis means birth or new beginning. One thing that we notice in the book of Genesis is a lot of genealogies.
  2. During time period at which the book of Genesis was written, there are stories told about how creation began. What we need to know is: At the same time the stories in Genesis were going on, there were others (not of Christian faith) who believed and shared stories about how creation began another way. So while our story of our beginnings was told, there were other stories going on at the same time.
  3. Our story about our creation is told from a monotheistic point of view. Monotheistic means the belief in one God and that is the true and living God. The other stories of our creation come from a polytheistic point of view which means the belief of many gods.
  4. Before we go any further, you have to know that though the polytheistic version of creation may seem very strange to you, know that they view our version as being just as strange to them.
  1. Ancient Eastern Creation Stories
  2. Enuma Elish
  1. Enuma Elish, also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation and it is about the Babylonian Epic of Creation.
  2. Below is short synopsis of the story:

This story, one of the oldest (if not the oldest in the world) tells about the birth of the gods and the creation of the universe and human beings. In the beginning there was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos. Out of this swirl, the waters divided into sweet, fresh water, known as the god Apsu, and salty bitter water, the goddess Tiamat. Once differentiated, the union of these two entities gave birth to the younger gods.

These young gods, however, were extremely loud, troubling the sleep of Apsu at night and distracting him from his work by day. Upon the advice of his Vizier, Mummu, Apsu decides to kill the younger gods. Tiamat, hearing of their plan, warns her eldest son, Enki (sometimes Ea) and he puts Apsu to sleep and kills him. From Apsu’s remains, Enki creates his home. Tiamat, once the supporter of the younger gods, now is enraged that they have killed her mate. She consults with the god, Quingu, who advises her to make war on the younger gods. Tiamat rewards Quingu with the Tablets of Destiny, which legitimize the rule of a god and control the fates, and he wears them proudly as a breastplate. With Quingu as her champion, Tiamat summons the forces of chaos and creates eleven horrible monsters to destroy her children.

Ea, Enki, and the younger gods fight against Tiamat futilely until, from among them, emerges the champion Marduk who swears he will defeat Tiamat. He goes to battle with her armed with a bow, lighting bolt, and a net full of wind. They went to war and he spread his net and made it encircle her. He dispatched an evil wind behind him. She opened her mouth and he force the wind inside of her. She blew up like a ballon and Marduk defeats Quingu and kills Tiamat by shooting her with an arrow which splits her in two.From her eyes flow the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Out of Tiamat’s corpse, Marduk creates the heavens and the earth, he appoints gods to various duties and binds Tiamat’s eleven creatures to his feet as trophies (to much adulation from the other gods) before setting their images in his new home. He also takes the Tablets of Destiny from Quingu, thus legitimizing his reign.

After the gods have finished praising him for his great victory and the art of his creation, Marduk consults with the god Ea (the god of wisdom) and decides to create human beings from the remains of whichever of the gods instigated Tiamat to war. Quingu is charged as guilty and killed and, from his blood, Ea creates Lullu, the first man, to be a helper to the gods in their eternal task of maintaining order and keeping chaos at bay. As the poem phrases it, “Ea created mankind/On whom he imposed the service of the gods, and set the gods free.” Following this, Marduk “arranged the organization of the netherworld” and distributed the gods to their appointed stations. The poem ends in Tablet VII with long praise of Marduk for his accomplishments.

The Enuma Elish was read and recited widely throughout Mesopotamia but was especially important at the New Year Festival in Babylon. During this festival the statue of Marduk would be taken from the temple and, amidst the revelers, be paraded through the streets of the city, out the gates, to `vacation’ in a small house built for this purpose. The Enuma Elish, especially, it is thought, the praise from Tablet VII, would be sung or chanted during this procession.

  1. Similarities between Ancient Texts and Genesis
  1. Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) The History of Creation 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – The first question that we have to ask is: In the beginning who was present? It was God.
  2. Where was God when the beginning began? Genesis 1:2 (NKJV) says2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  – Notice the waters mentioned in the scripture. Both stories (both from ancient text and Genesis) deal with water. The word that they translated into the English word meaning “deep” is the same word used for the goddess Tiamet.
  3. Also, the planet earth mentioned in the scripture, didn’t look like how we see it today. The earth was void and without form.
  4. What is heaven mentioned in verse 1? You have to examine the meaning of what heaven is.
    1. There are 3 heavens:
    2. First you have the 1st heaven which is the area where the birds fly.
    3. Secondly, you have the heavens where the stars and the constellation reside (sort of like outer space).
    4. Thirdly, you have heaven as in where we believe God’s throne is.
  5. Knowing this about the heavens suggests that when God created the heavens mentioned in verse 1, it was talking about space. Remember the earth was void (nothingness) and without form. God created space.
  6. The Spirit of God went hovering over the face of the water. Where does water come from and what does it represent? There was chaos on earth and God brought order into chaos. Everything was everywhere in chaos and disorder and Gods spirit hovered over the face of water and created order.
  • The Beginning According to Genesis
  1. The First account of creation (Gen 1-2:4a)
  1. All these things happen in six days according to the bible. Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”- On the 6th day, God said let us make man in our own image. Now remember, Genesis is rooted in monotheism. The reasons other faiths had all kinds of gods was because their view was from a polytheistic perspective.  An interesting thing to note is when you write God’s name in lowercase, you are making reference to polytheism. Notice in this scripture, God is capitalized.
  2. If this is a monotheistic creation, what is meant by the word “Us” when scripture says “Let us make man in Our own image? Additionally, If there is one God, why does the scripture use the words Us and Our? Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. – We have now an insight of the triune nature of God. It was God who existed before creation. There is creation, here is God. It is God who navigates or initiates the creative act. His spirit moves over the face of the water.
  3. God’s word created something out of nothing. God created man in his image. This means the image in which God created you contains attributes of God (within you). For example:
    1. Dominion is the Father and so dominion is inside of you. Authority is within the Father so authority is inside of you. Therefore, within you there is authority and dominion.
    2. The Holy Spirit brings order where there is chaos. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NKJV) 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.- He says bring everything in order.
    3. The Word creates stuff. This is why the power of life and death is in the tongue. With the attributes God made within us when he made us in his image, we ought to have enough faith to reign, the ability to bring order in chaos, and the power to speak those things though they be not, as though they were. He put all of this inside of us. This is what God looks like. He rules, He reigns, and He makes stuff happen, when He opens his mouth.
  4. The bible says God made man on the 6th day. There is a lot happening in the world other than what we read in the bible.
    1. One question that comes up is, “If all this happened, what about the dinosaurs?” Is this true? The dinosaurs did exist. There are fossils that serve as proof and evidence of this.
    2. So the question then becomes, did God create us in 6 days? In order to understand this, we must first realize that creation, has a different perspective than the creator. The creation is tied to time. Even if the created is trying to tell a story of what happened, he or she has to compare it using time as a frame of reference. The creator doesn’t use the context of time, because he existed before time began. When the beginning of time began, there was no concept of time. Time came in with sin in the garden. Remember, Adam and Eve were supposed to live forever.
    3. When God created the world, he did it from the perspective of eternity. After sin entered the world, that’s when time started. In the garden, Adam and Eve were created to live forever. When they sinned, God said they would surely die. They didn’t die that day, but they started to die. Every day after you are born and every day you live, you are walking towards death. Death is a direct result of sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they allowed sin to enter into this world. That sin caused us to be punished by having to die instead of living forever. Because God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, so that we would have everlasting life and as a result, if I die and I am in Christ, I will go back to my original state of living eternally.
    4. One of the disciples said that Jesus was the son of the living God. That disciples name was Peter. This same disciple wrote in 2 Peter 3:8 (NKJV) 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. – After observing this issue, we have to realize that it is slightly possible that creation didn’t take place in 6 calendar days, but could have been God’s perspective on one day being as a thousand years to us.
  1. The second creation story.
    1. Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJV) 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. – Notice the scripture says, male and female he created them. The first Adam was both male and female.
    2. Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) says 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.- God created us from dust. He later took a rib from Adam and formed woman. The first marriage, God created man and woman at same time. Both the male and female male attributes were placed inside the man. On the second marriage, God took a rib from Adam and made woman (called Eve). Just to be clear, God made Adam and put the spirit of the woman in him that was going to be his wife. When he took the rib out, Adam recognized her, because he had been carrying her in his spirit (inside of him) the whole time (up until God separated them).
  2. The fall of humanity
  1. The command. Genesis 2:17 (NKJV) says  17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”- These were rules that God made for the garden. The conflict only come in after Satan came in.
  1. Where did Satan come from? God created Satan. He was made to worship God, just like the other angels.
  2. Where did God create him? In the third heaven, where believe God’s throne resides. There are cherubim around the throne that tend to God. All there is praise and adoration for He that sits on the throne. Ezekiel prophesies what happens to Satan.
  3. Lucifer who later came to be know Satan, was an angel that God created that was perfect and beautiful. Ezekiel 28:11-12(NKJV) 11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
  4. When God made Lucifer, in his intestines, was music. He had timbrels and pipes inside of him. He was the chief musician in heaven. Ezekiel 28:13 (NKJV) says 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
  5. He was with God in the third heaven. Ezekiel 28:14 (NKJV) 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
    I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
  6. Satin sinned and God cast him out. God took his authority, because of what Lucifer did. Because Lucifer was filled with pride, God cast him out. Ezekiel 28:15-16 (NKJV) 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
  7. The prophet says he saw Satan fall from heaven. Isaiah 14:12 (NKJV) The Fall of Lucifer 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,[a] son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! He says the dragon took a third of the stars (angels) with him.
  8. What we discover is that Satan got to Eve. He came to her as a serpent with legs. Satan tried to change the consequences by saying God didn’t mean it what he said about the forbidden tree. Satan tempted Eve.
  9. Satan was punished. Genesis 3:14 (NKJV) says 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.-
    1. God punished Satan by putting him on his belly.
  10. Woman punishment – From that point on, she would bear children in pain. Also man would be over the woman as punishment. They would no longer be equal. Genesis 3:16 (NKJV) 16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
    1. Man’s punishment – God says from now on he man would have to work hard and sweat and now you going to die. Genesis 3:18 (NKJV) 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.- they were suppose d to live forever and the devil tricked them over a piece. They gave everything up for piece.
  11. Life after garden
  1. Birth of Cain and Abel
  1. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous of his offering. Genesis 4:15 (NKJV) 15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore,[a] whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.- Cain asked God to cover him, even though he had been ordered to leave the land, after killing his brother Abel. God put a mark on him so that others would not try and kill him.
  2. Cain settled in the land of Nod. Genesis 4:16 – 17 (NKJV) 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. – One question that arises from this is, “Where did Cain get his wife?”
  3. Where did Cain’s wife come from? Some people say that Adam and Eve had other children. Some say there is no information about things that happened after Cain killed Abel. We don’t really know. Cain’s marriage could have been more than 50yrs down the road. We simply don’t know for sure.
    1. Adam and Eve could have had many sons and daughters. This would satisfy another theory bout concerning where Cain’s wife came from. Some say his wife could have actually been one of his sisters. The truth is we really don’t know.
      1. Seth was another son of Adam and Eve. Genesis 4:25 (NKJV) says 25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” – God appointed another seed for Adam. He was the redemption for Adam and Eve. As a result, Adam had a son named Seth when he was 130 yrs old.
    2. The geology of this is found in 1 Chronicles 1:1-7 (NKJV) The Family of Adam—Seth to Abraham 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan,[a] Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah,[b] Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath,[c] and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah,[d] Kittim, and Rodanim.[e– Adam fathered sons and daughters after Cain and Abel. In fact, Adam was 930 yrs old when he died. Remember, in the garden, they were in a perfect environment. The garden was setup for a creation that was supposed to live forever.
  4. God saw something was going on. God saw men and women intermingling with fallen angels (otherwise called demons). God saw this wickedness and decided that he was going to destroy his whole creation. Genesis 6:1-8 (NKJV) says The Wickedness and Judgment of Man 6 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive[a] with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the Lord[b] saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.- God was going to destroy everything, but he found grace in Noah. God saw one that was worth saving and so he gave us all another chance.

 

 

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