We shall continue with
the study of the Book of Genesis this week.
(1) Abraham obeyed God and took a leap of faith, leaving his homeland to an unknown place, and yet one of the first results of his obedience was having to face a severe famine. What can we learn about both the cost of obedience and the basis of our obedience?
(2) What can we know about the social conditions of Egypt of the time? What was obviously missing in Abraham’s decision making process in facing such a difficult situation?
(3) What does his lying about his wife tell us about him, as a person, and his spiritual journey of faith?
(4) We know the result of his lie. Was it worth it?
(5) How did God intervene in keeping the promise He made in 12:3?
(6) If you were Abraham, what lessons would you have learned from this incident?
(7) In particular, what did Abraham learn about his God?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
Often as we read about Abraham’s betrayal of his wife to save his own life not (once but twice), we are puzzled as to why the “father of faith” would commit such an act of cowardice. This is because we have forgotten that even Abraham had to grow in faith and that it was a long process, just as it is for you and me.
As much as his immediate and absolute obedience to God’s call to move from his homeland (even to a destination which he was not told of) was indeed very precious and amazing, his knowledge of God, especially in terms of experiencing God, was still in a formative stage prior to his move to Egypt. It would take years, and literally decades and many failures until he would grow eventually into the “father of faith”. In fact, some of his failures were in areas that we “might” be stronger in, such as lying about his wife for fear for his life, and the taking of a concubine. But such failures had not prevented him from bouncing back and growing not only in faith, but in his relationship with God.
Shouldn’t we be thankful that we have a God who is absolutely long-suffering, and that we, too, can bounce back from the most horrible mistakes in life and become somebody who can be a blessing to God’s kingdom?
(1) When was the last time the Bible mentioned that Abram called on the name of the Lord? What might this gap signify?
(2) How did he become so wealthy?
(3) What did such great wealth bring to him and his family?
(4) What options might Abram have in resolving this conflict?
(5) What option did he choose and why? (i.e. How does it reflect on him as a person and on his journey of faith?)
(6) What options did Lot have, especially as a beneficiary of Abram’s kindness and his position in an ancient Near East family?
(7) What option did he choose and why? (i.e. How does it reflect on him as a person and on his faith?)
(8) How did God respond to Abram’s decision concerning his resolution of the conflict in 13:14-17? Why?ow
(9) This time, Abram again built an altar to the Lord. What was the significance of this action?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
Yesterday, we were reflecting on Abram’s faith, the growth of which appeared to be slow as it was a process that spanned decades. Nonetheless, it was a process of progression.
The same opportunity was in fact available to Lot. He too followed Abram’s journey, leaving also his own home land. He was with Abram every step of the way, witnessing both Abram's failures and his growth in faith. And he also saw the reward of faith in the life of Abram, for his uncle grew in wealth. In fact, he too grew in wealth. Abram did not allow his wealth to be a distraction to his journey of faith, but Lot did.
Whether it was out of his junior position as the nephew of Abram or the obvious fact that he owed his wealth to Abram, he should have deferred the choice of land to Abram. But his growth in wealth and prosperity had blinded him to his cultural etiquette and the danger lurking in his move towards the immoral city of Sodom. His progression toward temptation was marked by seeing the rich soil around the city, moving closer to the city, and eventually living in the city of Sodom.
In other words, he had chosen to live by sight and not by faith. I wonder what would have resulted if Lot had said to Abram, “Uncle, I can see that you have been greatly blessed by God because of your faith in Him, and my wealth has grown purely because you. So, why don’t you choose, and I’ll continue to tag along you and your blessings.”
(1) From a spiritual standpoint, what can you say about the choice made by Lot, especially in view of the progression highlighted by the verbs used in 13:11, 13:12 and 14:12?
(2) What kind of a time or society did Abram live in and how did he cope with such a time? Was he a pacifist?
(3) How was it possible for Abram with his small “army” to defeat the four kings who had taken Lot and his family captive? What might be the message to the pagan world of the time?
(4) How does this incident affirm God’s promise in 12:1-3?
(5) It is often said that Lot represents a life based on sight and that of Abram, a life based on faith. Do you agree with such an analysis? Why or why not?
(6) Through this incident, what might have Lot and Abram learned respectively?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
In Genesis 14, if you care to count, there are more than 20 times that the title, king, appears. It is the first time that a full scale war was mentioned in the Bible, and it covered a wide area and involved quite a number of nations. It was international warfare.
Caught up in the middle was Abraham who did not really want to be a part of this conflict. He was reluctantly drawn into it because of the poor decision of Lot. Had Lot stayed with Abraham, he would not have had to face such a disaster.
But, the amazing result of Abraham’s reluctant involvement was that he stood out to be the real and ultimate victor in the conflict. He who was not a king defeated all kings.
No matter how great a genius he was, when it came to military experience, training and equipment, he was no match for any of the kings, let alone an alliance of several powerful kings. So, this ought to be great news to the people and powers of the time. The blessings pronounced on Abraham by Melchizedek and the tithing offered to Melchizedek by Abraham sent an unmistakable message to the people in the region about who really is King — the God of Abraham.
After his defeat of the powerful kings of the east, Abram was met by two kings representing two different worldviews:
(1) King of Sodom:
a. What had just happened to the King of Sodom and his people?
b. Why did he come to meet Abram?
c. What kind of attitude did he display?
d. What was his worldview?
(2) King of Salem (likely Jerusalem):
a. From this passage and other references in the Bible, such as Hebrew 5:5-6, 6:20-7:3 and Psalm 110:4, what can we learn about this King of Salem?
b. Why did he come to meet Abram?
c. What was the essence of his blessing pronounced upon Abram?
d. What was his worldview?
e. Why did Abram give a tenth out of his loot to Melchizedek?
(3) Why did Abram have to back his response to the King of Sodom with an oath to the Lord God (14:22)?
(4) In his dealing with the two kings, consider what Abram demonstrated in the following areas:
a. His understanding of his calling
b. His relationship with God
(5) What is the main message to you today?
As we reflect on the faith of Abraham and his friendship with God, I invite you to reflect on the lyrics of this hymn by Thomas Olivers:
The God of Abraham Praise
1
The God of Abraham praise, who
reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days, and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM! by earth and Heav’n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred Name forever blessed.
2
The God of Abraham praise, at Whose
supreme command
From earth I rise—and seek the joys at His right hand;
I all on earth forsake, its wisdom, fame, and power;
And Him my only Portion make, my Shield and Tower.
3
The God of Abraham praise, whose
all sufficient grace
Shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways.
He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God!
And He shall save me to the end, thro’ Jesus’ blood.
4
He by Himself has sworn; I on His
oath depend,
I shall, on eagle wings upborne, to Heav’n ascend.
I shall behold His face; I shall His power adore,
And sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.
5
Tho’ nature’s
strength decay, and earth and hell withstand,
To Canaan’s bounds I urge my way, at His command.
The wat’ry deep I pass, with Jesus in my view;
And thro’ the howling wilderness my way pursue.
6
The goodly land I see, with peace
and plenty bless’d;
A land of sacred liberty, and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound,
And trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.
7
There dwells the Lord our King, the
Lord our righteousness,
Triumphant o’er the world and sin, the Prince of peace;
On Sion’s sacred height His kingdom still maintains,
And glorious with His saints in light forever reigns.
8
He keeps His own secure, He guards
them by His side,
Arrays in garments, white and pure, His spotless bride:
With streams of sacred bliss, with groves of living joys—
With all the fruits of Paradise, He still supplies.
9
Before the great Three-One they all
exulting stand;
And tell the wonders He hath done, through all their land:
The list’ning spheres attend, and swell the growing
fame;
And sing, in songs which never end, the wondrous Name.
10
The God Who reigns on high the
great archangels sing,
And “Holy, holy, holy!” cry, “Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be:
Jehovah—Father—great I AM, we worship Thee!”
11
Before the Savior’s face the
ransomed nations bow;
O’erwhelmed at His almighty grace, forever new:
He shows His prints of love—they kindle to a flame!
And sound thro’ all the worlds above the slaughtered Lamb.
12
The whole triumphant host give
thanks to God on high;
“Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” they ever cry.
Hail, Abraham’s God, and mine! (I join the heav’nly
lays,)
All might and majesty are Thine, and endless praise.
Note:
One night in London, Olivers was attracted to a service in a Jewish synagogue, where he heard a great singer, Leoni, sing an ancient Hebrew melody in the solemn, plaintive mode and he became impressed with a desire to write a hymn to that tune. The result was our hymn, “The God of Abraham Praise,” which in a sense is a paraphrase of the ancient Hebrew Yigdal, or doxology, though Olivers gave to it a distinctly Christian flavor.
The story is told of a young Jewess who had been baptized into the Christian faith, and consequently was abandoned by her family. She fled to the home of the minister, poured out her heart to him, and as if to show that, after all, her joy in her new-found Saviour was greater than all her loss of home and family, she sang, “The God of Abraham Praise.”
(1) God reiterated His covenant twice in this section. What might be the significance of the timing of this reiteration (note the words, after this)?
(2) Given what had just happened to Abram, what is the significance of God’s first words, “Do not be afraid”?
(3) What about the assurance that followed?
(4) The word, but, signifies Abram’s complaint: What was his complaint about? Was it a complaint based on faith or a lack thereof, or both?
(5) In reply to Abram’s complaint, what visual aid did God employ?
(6) Now Abram appeared to have grown in his faith:
a. What does it mean that God “credited” to him as righteousness?
b. What is righteousness?
c. What is faith that forms the basis of (his) righteousness?
(7) What then is the essential message of today and how may you apply it in your life?
Genesis 15 is a pivotal chapter in the history of salvation, because it establishes beyond a doubt that salvation is by faith, not by work (Rom. 4:1-5). But I find Abraham’s expression of faith in God most interesting.
As God reiterated His promise to him which included the giving of land and a nation, Abraham’s reaction was rather interesting: “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me [really?], since I remain childless, and the one who will inherit my estate is…a servant of my household.” In other words, he was telling God that he didn’t care if he would have land or not, as long as he had no son of his own.
Then God took him outside his tent, and showed him the amazing heavenly sky with unnumbered stars, and the Bible says, “Abraham believed.” He believed that God would definitely give him a son, against all odds! But how did he demonstrate that his faith in God’s promise of a son was genuine? He immediately became extremely anxious about the promised land that he did not care about before and he asked: “How can I know that I will gain possession of it (i.e. the land)?”
Was this a question of faith or a lack thereof? I leave you to decide.
(1) The first part of the reiteration is about the giving of a son. What is the second part of the reiteration about in 15:7?
(2) Again, Abram responded with another “but”. What was his complaint about? Was it out of faith, or a lack thereof, or both?
(3) It was not the first time God promised him land. Why did he choose to raise this question now, and not when God first made the promise in 12:7?
(4) In such a solemn and sacred moment, the appearance of birds of prey seemed inappropriate. What might be the message here?
(5) In his deep sleep, God chose to give him details of the future of his descendants:
a. What were the details about?
b. Why did God choose to let him know before reaffirming the giving of the land?
(6) What might be the lessons that Abram learned from this experience?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
With crediting righteousness to Abraham because of his faith, it signifies not only a new phase in Abraham’s journey of faith, but it also establishes an eternal relationship between Abraham and the Lord. This eternal relationship is eternal life. Abraham is our father of faith, not only because of his great faith, but also because we can all attain the same righteousness through our faith in God, through Jesus Christ. But more than righteousness and eternal life, his righteous relationship with God has also ushered him into a friendship with God that is testified in Psalms 25:14: “The Lord confides in those who fear Him” (NIV).
This was played out throughout the rest of the life of Abraham. As God was about to inflict His punishment on Sodom and Gomorrah, we read in Genesis 18:17 these amazing words from the mouth of God, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”.
And here in Genesis 15:13-16, we read that God confided in him about the future of his descendants, which, in reality, was totally unnecessary, except that there shouldn’t be any secrets between good friends, very good friends indeed.
(1) As much as God has promised Abram a son coming from his own body (15:4), and God’s explicit pronouncement about the sacredness of marriage as the two “become one flesh” (2:24), Sarai was about to make a similar mistake as Eve, because she still bore Abram no children in her senior years. Compare 3:6-7 with 16:1-3 and see how similar their mistakes were. What was Sarai guilty of?
(2) Compare Adam’s mistakes with Abram’s as well in 3:6 and 16:2-4 and see how similar their mistakes were.
(3) What was the “immediate” result of Adam and Eve’s mistakes?
(4) What was the “immediate” result of Abram and Sarai’s mistakes?
(5) How similar was Sarai’s response (in 16:5) to that of Eve’s when confronted with the consequence of their mistakes?
(6) In resolving this conflict, what did Abram decide to do? What would you have done in his place?
(7) It is believed that in 16:7, “(t)his is the only known instance in ancient Near East literature where the deity addresses a woman by name.” (Waltke) How does this distinguish our God from the gods of the pagans?
(8) Why did Hagar despise Sarai? What might be her intention or goal? What did she get instead?
(9) When God asked her to return and submit, what exactly did Hagar have to submit to?
(10) What might be the most important lesson that Hagar had learned from the entire experience?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
When I was consulting some of the commentaries on Genesis, I was touched to know that none of the ancient Near East literature mentions about a deity who would address a woman by name. Our God is indeed different, He called out to Hagar by name.
As much as Hagar was guilty of more than ingratitude to her mistress who trusted her enough to give her to her husband, she really had no choice or control over her fate. To be used simply as a tool was too much for anyone to take. In other words, she was a victim in Sarai’s faithless action to usher in the fulfillment of God’s promise. As she fled, likely towards her homeland Egypt, with a baby in her womb and in great danger traveling alone as a woman, she probably did not expect the God of Sarai to intervene. But God demonstrated to her that He is not a tribal god, but the God of all peoples; He is not a God who shows favoritism either. He cares and He hears (which is the meaning of the name, Ishmael) everyone who would turn to Him.
Now, as much as Abraham was also wrong in his action, God remained faithful. Even in his mistake, God extended His blessing to Hagar because of him, by not only blessing her descendants, but also by allowing her to know Him personally as the God who sees (Gen. 16:13).