We shall continue with the study of the Book of Genesis this week.
As incredible as it was, for Sarah to be taken into the harem of a king in her 90’s, this incident directly endangered not only God’s promise to Abraham, but more importantly to His plan of salvation through the seed of Abraham.
(1) Why did Abraham lie again? What does it say about this man of faith:
a. His constant fear?
b. His willingness to embark on this journey in the beginning, knowing he would constantly be living in fear?
(2) His lie was a half-truth, does it make him right? Why or why not?
(3) While Abraham judged that, “there is surely no fear of God in this place” (v. 11), how does Abimelech’s reply to God show what kind of a king he was?
(4) In what ways has God “kept” Abimelech from sinning against Him?
(5) How long do you think Sarah had remained in the king’s harem (v. 17)?
(6) God called Abraham a prophet (v. 7). In this incident, how did Abraham act in the role of a prophet?
(7) What benefits did Abraham gain from this incident?
(8) Why would God bless him so richly, in spite of his terrible, faithless action? (A thousand shekels is about 25 lbs.)
(9) What can you learn about God’s character and the way He treats His servants?
(10) What has this incident meant to Abraham?
(11) As still a barren woman, what has this incident meant to Sarah?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
Although Joel has clearly told us, pointing to the End-time that God “will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28), and Peter affirms that this came to be fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:16), many Christians doubt whether such a phenomenon should be confined to the period of the first church. On the one hand, I cannot find any indication in the Bible to support such a view, and on the other hand, I think we put too great an emphasis on the prophesying and seeing visions as evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Even in the Old Testament, the work of a prophet was not confined to seeing in advance and delivering prophecy as such on God’s behalf. As God introduced Abraham as a “prophet” (quite surprising to us) to Abimelech, He said, “for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live” (Gen. 20:7). This first even-mentioned office of a prophet was not to prophecy, but to intercede.
Back in Genesis 18, Abraham was already exercising his office of a prophet, by interceding for Lot and the city of Sodom. And, as much as he was clearly at fault, because of his office as a prophet, he would pray for Abimelech and his family so that they could have children again (Gen. 20:17).
Samuel understood this important function of his role as a prophet very well indeed, and he told the Israelites, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23).
I am afraid, we have spent too much time arguing about if the office of prophet has ceased after the apostolic era, and too little time in interceding, which I believe is the most noble and important function of a prophet. As this is so vital to the body of Christ that every believer should assume such a ministry, in that sense, we can all be prophets.
(1) “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah…” (NIV) (the original Hebrew verb means “visited”). How does this add to your understanding of God’s grace to Sarah?
(2) Sarah has until now been very much in the background of this journey of faith and obedience. From what she said at the birth of her son, what can you learn about her spiritual growth, especially in light of what she said previously in 16:2?
(3) How significant was Isaac’s circumcision? (See Lk. 2:21 as well.)
(4) It is believed that, in more ancient time, the “rite of passage from the dangerous stage of infancy to childhood usually occurred at about three years of age” (Waltke, 293). While the birth of Isaac was highlighted with laughter, Ishmael, the non-elected son (the natural seed) laughed malevolently (the meaning of the word, mock).
a. Why did this 16-year old boy mock while his father laughed?
b. What did his mocking laugh lead to?
c. Why was the consequence so severe?
d. What does Isaac represent?
(5) Although Ishmael was in essence mocking God, His plan and His miraculous work, was Sarah’s wrath based on a godly passion? Could she have reacted differently, even though her recognition that Isaac was the “seed” of the Abrahamic covenant was justified?
(6) What can we learn about the folly of polygamy from this story?
(7) Why did God ask Abraham to listen to Sarah?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
If we read the account of the sending away of Hagar and Ishmael by itself, we would wonder how Abraham could be so cruel to them.
In the desert environment and in the setting of his day, to send Hagar and Ishmael away with some food and a skin of water amounted to a death sentence. If they did not encounter thieves and robbers, they would certainly die of starvation. It was that obvious. Why then could Abraham do this to his concubine and his son?
The Bible tells us that this matter distressed Abraham “greatly” because it concerned “his son” (Gen. 21:11). As much as he now had a miracle-baby in Isaac, the fact remained that Ishmael was his son, and he loved Ishmael as his son. I do not think Abraham loved Ishmael any less than Isaac. As a result, in sending them away, he was not so much listening to Sarah (which he did not want to obviously, otherwise God would not have intervened), but to God. His obedience was directed to God and he was willing to sacrifice Ishmael, purely for the sake of God.
Had he not been willing to sacrifice Isaac later on, we would accuse Abraham of brutality and cruelty. But from the fact that he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, we know that he did not play favorites. For the love of God, he was willing to sacrifice the dearest things in his life, even both of his sons.
By the way, both incidents were prefaced with the same words, “Early the next morning” (Gen. 21:14; 22:3). I do not think they were coincidental.
(1) As much as God told Abraham to listen to “whatever Sarah tells” him, sending Hagar and Ishmael away like this was a sure death penalty. Did Abraham not have any other option?
(2) How would Hagar and the boy feel toward Sarah, Abraham and God?
(3) How desperate did their situation become?
(4) What might Hagar have learned from her previous experience in chapter 16?
(5) In the entire story, the Bible does not mention a word of complaint by Hagar. In what way may she be an example to us?
(6) Did not being the chosen seed render Ishmael any less blessed than Isaac?
(7) What have Hagar and the boy learned about God?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
As we reflect on the plight of Hagar and her son, I invite you to reflect on the lyrics of this familiar hymn which has touched the lives of untold believers in their trials.
God Will Take Care of You
Refrain
God will take care of you,
through every day, o'er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.1
Be not dismayed whate'er betide,
God will take care of you;
beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.2
Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
when dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.3
All you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.4
No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.Civilla D. Martin, 1866-1948
The author, Civilla Martin explained that she was confined to a sick bed in a Bible school in Lestershire, New York. "God Will Take Care of You" was written one Sunday afternoon while her husband, Martin, was to preach in a town some distance from the school. Since Civilla became unable to attend because of sickness, he wanted to cancel his trip. While it was being discussed, their nine year old son said, “Father, don't you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you are away?”. Martin kept his appointment, and when he returned that evening, he found his wife greatly improved. Mrs. Martin had written a new hymn based on her son’s faithful remark earlier that day, and within an hour, Mr. Martin wrote the melody of this hymn.
It is interesting to note that both the verb “to swear” and the numeral “seven” derive from the same Hebrew root.
(1) What kind of a life was Abraham leading that would enable others to see that God was with him in everything he did?
(2) How can we emulate Abraham in this respect?
(3) What kind of stature has this shepherd attained as reflected by the fact that a powerful king and his commander had to seek a peace treaty with him?
(4) Water was the life-line to those dwelling in the desert, especially in those days. Without a treaty, what other recourse might Abraham have in dealing with the dispute?
(5) Scholars have different opinions as to whether the bringing of the ewes was a gift from a lesser party to the stronger party in the treaty, or vice-versa. What do you think was the case?
(6) Read Proverbs 16:7 and see how has the life of Abraham exemplified this biblical truth?
(7) What might be the purpose of planting a tree in Beersheba? What might be the significance of calling God the Eternal God in wrapping up this incident?
(8) What is the main message to you today?
We have seen Abraham erecting an altar and calling upon the name of the Lord before (often to commemorate certain important milestones of his journey of faith), and as his expression of worship and commitment of faith to the Lord.
As he established a treaty with the local, powerful king of the land of Philistines, he now erected, not an altar, but a tree and as usual, he called upon the name of the Lord, and he called Him the Eternal God.
Since the Bible relates the calling of the
name of the Lord to the planting of the tree, it has the same significance as
the setting up of an altar. For sure,
unlike pagan worship, the tree he planted was not the altar, but the planting
of a tree appears to have significance beyond the altar. A planting of a tree signifies the planting
of one’s dwelling. Yes, later on, Abraham will move on from Beersheba northward to Hebron, but the planting of this tree followed the securing of a well, which
was the lifeline of any community of the
time. As Wenham points out,
“By granting Abraham rights to a well, Abimelech had made it possible for Abraham to live there permanently and had acknowledged his legal rights at least to water. In other words, after so many delays the promises of land and descendants at last seem on their way to fulfillment.”
(Wenham, 94)
It was out this affirmation and gratitude that Abraham called on the name of God, worshipping Him as the Eternal God, because he understood that it was just the beginning of the fulfillment of His promises. The best has yet to come. Just as his hope was for the eternal city, he knew that the blessings that would be bestowed through his seed would be of eternal consequences.
(1) The Bible makes it clear that it was a test initiated by God. Why did God have to test Abraham? What was He trying to achieve?
(2) What did God command Abraham to do?
(3) Given the background of the story, how special was Isaac to Abraham, apart from the fact that he was his son?
(4) Before Abraham could ask any question or lodge any complaint, why did God make clear to Abraham that He knew the following concerning Isaac?
a. He was his son
b. He was the only son
c. He was the one whom he loved
(5) God has distinguished Himself from other gods as a God who upholds the sanctity of life and would not allow human sacrifice (Deut. 12:31). Why would He contradict His character in this case?
(6) God is Omnipresent: He could have asked Abraham to offer Isaac at Beersheba. Why did He ask Abraham to take a three-day journey to Moriah? What might be the significance of a three-day journey? What would Abraham be doing, apart from walking?
(7) From the actions described from vv. 3-5, can you detect how Abraham did not leave room for any excuse for not having to go through with his obedience?
(8) When Abraham told his servants (young men, as the original Hebrew suggests) that “we” would return, was he lying? (see Heb. 11:19)
(9) Was Abraham ready for the question asked by his son in v. 7?
(10) How would you have answered?
(11) How did Abraham answer and what did he mean, as testified by Hebrews 11:19?
(12) Since he believed that God will raise the dead, does it mean that he did not have to kill Isaac and burn him alive?
(13) What then is the essential message of today and how may you apply it in your life?
Only very late do we learn the price of the risk of believing, because only very late do we face up to the idea of death.
This is what is difficult: Believing truly means dying. Dying to everything – to our reasoning, to our places, to our past, to our childhood dreams, to our attachment to earth, and sometimes even to the sunlight, as at the moment of our physical death.
That is why faith is so difficult. It is so difficult to hear from Jesus a cry of anguish for us and our difficulties in believing, “Oh, if only you could believe!”
Because He cannot even take our place in the leap of Faith; it is up to us. It is like dying! It is up to us, and no one is able to take our place.
This
mature act of faith is terribly, uniquely personal. Its risk involves us down to the core; the
truest and greatest prototype of this act of faith that we posess, as the People of
God, is the biblical account of the trial of Abraham.
“God said, ‘Take your son Isaac, your only one whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.' ”
(Gen. 22:2)
That is a leap of pure faith proposed to Abraham!
It is a personal act, and it is an act of death.
Without love it is impossible to understand such a proposal; on the contrary, it is scandalous.
But is it, for anyone who loves?
Seeing God wrapt round the colossal figure of this patriarch, alone in the desert beside his tent…no, this is no scandal, but quite the contrary.
God want to communicate with the depths of Abraham’s being and tear him from himself and his involvement with his own problems, which are like self-centered possession; he wants to make this creature of his “more his”, his man who is destined not for the tents of earth, but for those of Heaven. So God asks of him an absurd trial, as love is absurd for anyone who does not live it, but as true relentless as love for anyone who possesses it. “Take your son…”. (Gen. 22:2)
(Excerpt from Carlo Carretto’s The God Who Comes)
(1) Isaac was probably a young teenager by this time. How could Abraham, who was over a hundred years old, be able to bind him up on the altar? What does it tell you about Isaac himself?
(2) Although he was stopped by God, Abraham did mean to slay his only beloved son with his own hand. How will you define the kind of faith God desires in this context?
(3) Given his failures in the previous chapters, how has this faith of Abraham changed your opinion about him?
(4) As God stopped Abraham from hurting his son, God said, “Now I know that you fear God…”. Can you define what it means to “fear God” as exemplified by Abraham?
(5) But God is Omniscient, how could He not know Abraham feared Him? In this incident, who indeed has gained a far deeper knowledge of whom?
(6) As God provided a ram in the place of Isaac, what does it symbolically point to?
(7) We have been made in the image of God and it is God’s desire that we may be like Him and know His heart. In the sacrifice of his son, in what way has Abraham come closer to being like God and in knowing the heart of God?
(8) When God spoke to Abraham the second time, He reiterated the covenant made before. Why did God feel necessary to reiterate it and how special was this reiteration?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
I believe that at dawn that morning the angels from every corner of Heaven were busy preparing the mountain on which a man was about to carry out such a tragic and radical rite of love!
I believe that at sunrise on that eastern morning the space around Abraham was quilted by the invisible eyes of all who had died before him, wanting to see what the ending would be!
What a drama was in the poor heart of that man! God had asked the supreme sacrifice. If Abraham had had to turn the knife on himself it would have been easier!
An act of pure faith is the death of what we love most so it may be offered to the loved one because only love is stronger than death…
At the ultimate moment of trial, when we try to pierce the invisible, with the sharpened spear of every possibility we can find, we realize that the three theological virtues — faith, hope and charity — are really only one, and they have such a power of penetration that they could disrupt the entire universe.
On Mount Moriah, in the trial of Abraham, humankind embraced God as never before. The experience of this embrace reverberates through the religious history of the world as an epic of love greater than our endless frailty.
(Excerpt from Carlo Carretto’s The God Who Comes)
(1) Sarah is the only Patriarch’s wife whose age at death is recorded. At her death, it is fitting that we reflect on her life.
a. What were the trials she had to go through in life?
b. How good and blessed a life did she have?
(2) How would you eulogize her? (Spend some time reflecting on her life and refer to Heb. 11:11 and 1 Pet. 3:6 to see how the NT remembers her.)
(3) They were not a perfect couple, but there were positive things that we can learn from them. Try to name them.
(4) Abraham had great wealth that could have enabled him to buy land, but he never did until now. Why was he content to be “an alien and a stranger” all his life? (Heb. 11 gives us much insight in this respect.)
(5) Now, out of necessity, he needed to have a burial plot for his wife:
a. What stands out to you in this 3-phase negotiation?
b. From the negotiation, can we tell how the people of the land viewed Abraham?
c. Why did they offer the burial plot free to him?
d. Why did he refuse?
(6) Why did he pick that particular field of Ephron? (23:17)
a. What was its significance to Abraham and Sarah? (Look up Gen. 13:18; 14:13, 24; 18:1)
b. What was its significance to his descendants? (Look up Gen. 25:9; 35:27; 49:30; 50:13)
(7) How did this first piece of land owned by Abraham speak to God’s promise to Abraham?
(8) Reflect on the words of Hebrews 11:13-16 on what Abraham ultimately considered as God’s promise.
(9) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
1. Willing to uproot from their homeland and probably sold everything they had;
2. Willing to believe in her husband’s incredible word about a vision of moving to a destination that he had no idea of;
3. Willing not to settle and buy land, but rather to continue to live in tents for her entire life even as they grew in wealth;
4. Willing to go through the most dangerous territories and end up being taken as a concubine twice by kings; she potentially sacrificed her own sexual purity for the sake of protecting her husband’s life;
5. Though she’d probably know after the fact, having to risk losing her only son, the son she loved, as her husband obeyed the most outrageous demand of God.