Saturday, February 28, 2009

Isaac

Isaac, The Son of Promise (Genesis 25,26)

In contrast with the other patriarchs, Isaac may be described as a mild, patient, somewhat negative, character. Four events in his career stand out with special prominence.

(1) Offered in sacrifice

In God’s own time the promised child was born and was given the name of Isaac (laughter). When the lad was grown up, God appeared to his father Abraham with the startling command, “Offer up Isaac, thine only son Isaac.” Abraham took the lad, with fire and wood for the altar, and went a three-days’ journey and “by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac,” Isaac only being saved by the intervention of the angel of Jehovah.

(2) Married Rebecca

When Isaac was forty years of age, his father, Abraham, sent an aged servent to Haran to select and bring back a wife for his son. Rebecca, the daughter of Abraham’s brother, was chosen, and with rare faith she left her home and loved ones to share the fortunes of Isaac.

(3) The father of twins, Esau and Jacob

“And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27). As they grew, Isaac became partial to Esau, while Rebecca developed special fondness for Jacob. This parental partiality wrecked the happiness of the homelife.

(4) Blessed Jacob


When Isaac was old and stricken with blindness, Jacob having bargained with Esau and being guided by his mother, disguised himself as Esau and thus secured his father’s patriarchal blessing.
Having lived to a more advanced age than was attained by any other of the patriarchs, Isaac died, and his sons, forgetting their alienations, came together and buried him beside his father, Abraham, in the cave of Machpelah.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Job

Job, A Contemporary of Abraham (Job)

In this lesson we introduce Job who lived at the same time as Abraham.

(1) Job’s Awful Trials
Job’s motives for worshiping God had been challenged by Satan during a confrontation in the heavenlies. A sovereign God thereupon allows the five trials

(2) Job’s Non-supportive Wife and Fair Weather Friends
"Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die" (2:9).
Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu – “Repent and turn back to God”

(3) Job’s Dialogues with his Glorious God
The suffering patriarch responds to his accusers in nine separate speeches. Suddenly from out of a whirlwind comes the mighty voice of God. The sullen Job is then subjected to a quiz.

(4) Job’s Bountiful Blessings
Job has been subjected to five fiery trials and has participated in five painful debates, but now he receives at the hand of God a tenfold blessing

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Abraham

Abraham and His Wanderings (Genesis 12 to 25)

During this period, which extends from 2000 to about 1500 B.C., we are concerned chiefly with the lives of four patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

(1) From Ur to Shechem

During the early years of his life, Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldees, where was a high degree of civilization, a vast empire, great cities, noble temples, much literary and commercial activity. But like all ancient civilizations, Chaldea was blighted by idolatry and honeycombed with immorality. The call of God came to Abraham with this command, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: In response to this call, and traveling by slow stages with some of his kindred, Abraham journeyed to Haran, a city on the upper Euphrates, some six hundred miles from Ur. Here he tarried until the death of Terah, his father, when, in response to a second divine call, he made his way to Canaan. At Shechem he erected an alter and worshiped God.

(2) Into Egypt, returning with much wealth

When a famine arose in Canaan, Abraham went down into Egypt. When he returned to the country about Bethel he brought with him greatly increased wealth.

(3) Separated from Lot

When the land was not sufficient to sustain the needs of Abraham and Lot, there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abraham and those of Lot, his nephew. With noble generosity, Abraham bade Lot lift up his eyes and make choice of the land. Lot chose the rich and well-watered plains of the Jordan, while Abraham turned back to the hill country.

(4) Twice rescued Lot

In the closing days of Abraham's life, we have the stuffing story of his rescue of Lot from the Eastern Kings, and of the intercessory prayer, in which he pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah and by which he saved Lot from the doom which fell upon those wicked cities.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Confusion of Tongues

The Confusion of Tongues (Genesis 11)

This incident, like the story of Cain and Abel and of the flood, seems to have been recorded to emphasize the hopeless sinfulness of the race.

(1) Men planned to build

Disobeying the divine command to go forth and replenish the earth, the people planned to build a city and an immense tower which should "reach to heaven"

(2) God confused tongues

Men said, "Let us build"; but God said, "Let Us confound." When their language was confounded, the people could no longer co-operate in their building operations.

(3) The people dispersed

"The people scattered abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth." The descendants of Shem drifted toward Central Asia, the sons of Ham went south and filled the continent of Africa, the children of Japheth went westward and occupied Asia Minor and Europe.

(4) The nations of "one blood"

This incident, which accounts for the rise of nationalities and for various languages, goes to confirm the assertion of Paul, that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26).

In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, which we have studied, we have some graphic sketches and some important incidents in which sin and failure are prominent. Thus far God has dealt with the race and the race has signally failed. God now selected one man, Abraham, at first called Abram, and decreed that through this man and his descendants revelation and blessing should be given to the world: "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blesses." We come now to the second period of Bible history.