BSF Genesis Study 2012-2013 – Page 5

BSF Genesis: Week 21, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

11.
a.
Obeyed his father and mother

b.
swore oath to God, Built altar to become God’s house, tithed

c.
served 7 years for Rachel but seemed like only a few days because of his love for her

d.
God was with him, blessed him, protected him, took from those who cheated

e.
Prayed, trusted in God for protection and salvation

12.
a.
Faith – God rewards those who earnestly seek him

b.
Patriarch – the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Inheritence not only of father, but of God, chosen to be his own, a trasured possession

13.
What good is it to me, married pagan wives (to the grief of his parents) Polygamist, married a granddaughter of Ishmael because she wasn’t Canaanite.

My Daily Journal:

First, to clear something up (or not). My view on Esau’s marriage to the grand daughter of Ishmael is evidently different than many of the others in my discussion group based on answers. I saw it as just another knee-jerk response rather than a slap in the face to his parents. He learned they didn’t like Canaanite wives, so he was bent on marrying the first available non-Canaanite woman he could find. Who else was around but the descendents of Ishmael?

Second, and this is a special prayer request, this whole thing about spiritual inheritance is a very important message particularly for the kids in my group. I’m blessed to work with middle-school kids this year. The idea that their actions speak for more than just themselves is a very, very important concept and one, frankly, they don’t get. When God says, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this tells me that Jacob’s behavior, the way he is viewed by others, is not simply a reflection on him, but it is a reflection on his father, his grandfather and his God.

Is any less true for us? When we mis-behave or act inappropriately, what message does that send about my father, grandfather and God? When I look at my actions and decisions and behavior in that light, does it change the way I act.

In preparing for my lecture I made the statement “the choices we make reveal the person that we are. If we wish to be someone else, the path is simple… make different choices.” This isn’t meant to say that we need to rely on our own strength and judgment, but sometimes we make things out to be far bigger than they are. God has the strength to support us on any right path… but the choice is ours.

Am I looking at my immediate wants and desires, or am I looking at how my decisions reflect the character of my father, grandfather and God? I might have made a few better decisions in my life had I kept this in mind earlier!

Again, if you are reading this, I would ask your prayers for the delivery of this message to the middle school children, particularly the young men. I ask that their hearts be open to feeling the burden of this, not in a negative way, but in an empowering way. They have been gifted with a family name and a God who deserves their best behavior and their best decisions!

BSF Genesis: Week 21, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

8.
a.
Jacob was around the other people of the household, saw the benefits of being in charge (not off alone hunting)

b.
He was not so impulsive and looked at longer term impacts. This showed in many choices (including wife and children)

c.
He would have known from his mother that “the older will serve the younger” but rather than wait and let God bring this to pass he took it upon himself to buy the birthright from his brother

9.
a.
When we don’t treat it with the respect, value and reverence it deserves, we show that we do not value it, just as Esau. To not give it its full is the same as despising it.

b.
I need to do better at placing my faith first. I pray and read/listen to scriptures but I don’t always do it as the first part of my day.

10.
the adoption to sonship; the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised

My Daily Journal

The verse and discussion about despising the birthright brought to mind the words to the church in Rev 3:16, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” It reminds me in manners of faith I am either all in or not in at all. It is not possible to be partially pregnant, partially dead or partially devoted to God.

Esau did not value his birthright so the bible says he “despised it.” I’m not sure he knew he was despising it, but to have something of extreme value and not treat it with the respect and reverence it deserves is to despise the object.

What does this say about my walk of faith. I know God doesn’t expect perfection, just improvement, but am I treating my walk with God with the care I would take for a great possession. Do I protect it or put it at risk by yielding to temptation? Do I cherish and show it to others as a prized possession, or do I put it out back to deal with later? If I think of my adoption into God’s family as a highly valued faberge egg, or rookie card, or, (choose your collectible)…. am I treating it with the same care and honor and value that I would place on these collections of atoms?

BSF Genesis: Week 21, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

5.
a.
Isaac had a taste for wild game and Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the open country

b.
I don’t think God discourages a father’s love for a son. He probably would have preferred he loved both sons and wished the same for Rebekah.

c.
Discuss, pray and change

d.
Discuss, pray and change

6.
To be in charge of the household and resulting nation, a double share of inheritance, ultimately, the human ancestry of the Messiah

7.
a.
No

b.
No

c.
To be in charge of the household and resulting nation, a double share of inheritance, ultimately, the human ancestry of the Messiah

d.
God upheld the choice he made and kept him from receiving the benefits of the birthright. He did not look favorably on Esau or the sin that his descendents demonstrated.

My Daily Journal:

My wife pointed out how silly it was that Esau was fixated on Jacob’s soup in relationship to what other meals would have been available to him. Think of it this way. Assuming the brothers were at least 15 years old, their grandfather would have now died, leaving EVERYTHING, to their father. We know Abraham had vast wealth and servants. He had 318 fighting men in his household years earlier and had continued to prosper since. Isaac had inherited all of his possessions (not withstanding some gifts to other children). That would have put Isaac’s wealth on par with any king of the day, making Esau and Jacob the equivalent of Princes. Esau, as the oldest and holder of the birthright would have received a 2/3rds share of everything belonging to his father. That meant that any tent he approached and requested food would have recognized him and whose family he was, not to mention they would have had a 2/3rd probability of working for him in the future. Do you think they might have given him something more than bean soup to eat???

Secondly, I was convicted by the fact that God uphead the boneheaded choice that Esau made, despite how insulting it was to the Lord. This should make any of us think twice about any decisions and commitments we make to others. One of the childrens’ leaders, a few weeks ago, discussed the idea of SHALT (as in SHALT Not). It is unwise to make a decision when you are Sad, Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Anytime we are faced with making a decision or commitment it is wise for us to self-assess if we fall under any of the SHALT temptations and delay the decision. Whatever you bind together will be bound and whatever you loose will be loosed. These are very important words to remember with lasting consequences!

BSF Genesis: Week 21, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
a.
20 years

b.
Yes

c.
Waiting on God’s timing for children. May have been a test to see if they would take matters into their own hands (e.g., Hagar)

d.
Wait on the Lord, trust in Him, pray for each other.

4.
Two nations: Twins will both form their own nations (Israelites and Edomites); and two peoples separated: they will form separate nationalities (Israel in promised land, Edomites at Mount Seir); one people stronger: strength of character and faith of one nation will be stronger than other (Obadiah 18 – House of Jacob=fire, Esau=Stubble; older serve ounger: The descendents of Esau serve Jacob. 1 Kings 11:15-16 King David, Joab smitten every male in Edom.

My Daily Journal:

Was it a problem that Isaac and Rebekah didn’t have children for 20 years? Many years ago I read an interesting article talking about our biases and thought processes in western culture. In large part the article talked about our predilection in the west to label something as broken or a problem so we can then fix it. This is evidently a very western attitude and in other cultures this doesn’t occur. Other cultures simply look at something and incrementally improve it, but we label it as a problem as broken as something that “needs fixin’.”

I discuss this because that attitude influences our thoughts about Isaac and Rebekah waiting 20 years. God was going to provide a child (ok, in this case, children) at exactly the moment that He knew to be right to provide them. Was this a test for Isaac and Rebekah? Was it difficult? Was it concerning? It may have been. But it doesn’t have to be broken for us to pray for others. It doesn’t have to be a problem for us to trust and rely on God.

I don’t have to put myself or my situation down or label it as a problem or broken to trust in God to improve it. I’m not a “home makeover” project, I’m a child of God. I’m being taught, fed and developed to be stronger and more saintly. God doesn’t need to label me as broken to make me better.

This may seem like semantics to some, but I hope it is helpful.

BSF Genesis: Week 20, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

9.
a.

Riches. Planted crops and reaped 100 fold.

b.
So many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines became envious

c.
Philistines stopped up the wells that Abraham’s servants had dug. As he dug new wells they quarreled with him.

d.
He moved on. He had faith that God would provide.

e.
Each time he moved they found more water. When he reached Rehoboth there was no more quarreling and Isaac praised God and gave Him the credit and glory as well as confidence in His promise to flourish in the land

10.
a.
The king of the Philistines sought out Isaac for a peace agreement because he recognized that God was with Isaac

b.
By living a life dedicated to pleasing the Lord I need not worry about enemies or the enemy.

My Daily Journal:

I recently read a very interesting business book called Abundance by Steven Kotler. One of the key premises of the book is that so much of our thought and social policy revolves around a theory of scarcity. However, historically, time and again, technology innovations have drastically changed the situation at the point where scarcity would have become a problem. An example he uses is London at the turn of the century. They were facing a major problem in regard to the amount of horse manure crowding the streets of London and were looking at regulation and policies to address this problem. However, within a very short period of time, the problem went away as horses were replaced by automobiles.

Don’t we do the same with God? We would think, “that is my well, my father’s servants dug that well, I need to fight for my rights to that well, finding water can be hard and I have all of these animals to water.” But, instead Isaac sees the solution differently. He doesn’t look at the scarcity of wells, but at the abundance of God to provide. He doesn’t just sit back and wait for God to fix things, he moves, he and his servants dig, they work and pray.

Isaac could fight the philistines. He could take his case to the king and force him to alienate one group or the other through his decision. But by relying on God’s abundance, he not only finds water, but also forms an even stronger relationship with men who otherwise would be his enemies.

BSF Genesis: Week 20, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

5.
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.

6.
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the open country and Isaac had a taste for wild game. It is good to have pride in our children and their interests and share their passions. It is wrong to love one child over another.

7.
Famine: Do not go down to Egypt, I will be with you and bless you, I will give all these lands and confirm oath to Abraham, through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed

8.
a.
Lied and said his wife was his sister

b.
Confession of wrong. To have recognized that the weakness of the father can often be the weakness of the son.

c.
Be honest with them about the dumb things I have done in my life. Recognize and confess those things that did not bring glory to God as wrongs so as they follow my footsteps, they are the footsteps on the right path.

My Daily Journal:

While Isaac repeated some of the sins of his father, it appears he also learned from some as well. We know that Isaac prayed on behalf of his wife to have children. That was important and good. But as importantly and as good is the fact that the two of them waited 20 years.

They desired children. They prayed for children. But they waited for God’s timing and didn’t take matters into their own hands. There was no Hagar solution.

Additionally, there was one other fact that I missed the first times I read this through. Abraham would have been alive to see his grandsons:

Isaac was born when Abraham was 100
Jacob and Esau where born when Isaac was 60 (Abraham 160)
Abraham died at the age of 175
When Abraham was buried by his sons, his grandsons would have been about the same age Isaac was when Abraham was called to sacrifice him.

BSF Genesis: Week 20, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

3.
He was obedient to his parents and to God. He spent time alone with God and trusted in Him. He was submissive to God’s will even when that will wasn’t immediately clear.

4.
a.
humbly obedient, meek

Moses was very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way
the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity
He crowns the humble with victory
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, find rest
Beauty of inner self, unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit

c.
My own pride takes away from giving all the glory to God. I also struggle with fears and worries because I am too proud and stiff necked to release it to God even though I know that is the right thing to do.

My Daily Journal:

The illustration today’s discussion about being meek and humble brought to my mind was that of a knighting ceremony. Knights were normally highly trained, educated and equipped individuals, prepared to go into battle for their king. But, becoming a knight was not something someone received by proxy. It wasn’t a letter or phone call, it was a very personal and up close experience with the king.

In the knighting ceremony, the trained fighter kneels before their king. The king then takes his sword, not a dull staff, but the sharp sword of the king, and places it on the shoulders of the knight, moving from one shoulder to another.

The knight cannot receive this honor in a stiff-necked posture (they would lose their head, literally). They must approach the throne in a manner that displays humble obedience and meekness. They then arose and took on the new garments of their order.

Isn’t this what we are called to as well, just as Isaac was humble and meek? To receive the blessing of the Word of God, sharper than any two edged sword, we must appear before our King with a humble and meek heart. To be clothed in the Holy Spirit, we must kneel in prayer and seek forgiveness and cleansing.

BSF Genesis: Week 19, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

12.
a.
Left everything he owned to Isaac, while living gave gifts to other sons (sent them away) Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father.

b.
Isaac lived in the Negev in Beer Lahai Roi, Ishmael lived in the Desert of Paran

This map shows both places (Beer Lahai Roi is at the southwest edge of Canaan)

13.
a.
Blessings of kind words from a believer
b.
Prayed for BSF children and co-leaders, my family, my church and my employees

My Daily Journal:

I thought it interesting that Isaac was living in the place that was named by Hagar in Genesis 16 when God saw her after she fled while pregnant with Ishmael. Clearly Isaac and Ishmael knew each other because they unite to bury their father. Despite everything else that has occurred, it is the provision of their father that unites them. While Isaac provided for all of his children, there were 2 things very special. 1. He did not try to renegotiate, circumvent or divide God’s promise. God had promised this land through Isaac to his descendents and Abraham made sure everyone else was moved off of it. 2. Abraham provided a foundation of faith in God to his children. While that seed did not necessarily take in all of them, it was planted and cultivated and we know, particularly with Isaac and Ishmael that God himself watered and cared for it.

Staying true to God’s word and promises and cultivating faith in our children. Isn’t that what we should strive for as Christian parents?

BSF Genesis: Week 19, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

9.
a.
Do not intermarry with pagan nations, Do not be yoked with unbelievers

b.
31: Come, you who are blessed by the LORD, 50: This is from the LORD 51: as the LORD has directed

10.
a.
48 I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD the God of my master who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son

b.
Glory to God, no one may boast before him. Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.

11.
a.
Nose ring 2 gold bracelets (about $7005 by today’s price for gold), entire story of how he came here, the offer to marry, gold silver jewelry clothing

b.
He sought permission of her family. They knew who Abraham was, his demonstration of faith. Showed respect for her and for her family

c.
We chose to go, but everything else is provided by God. We are called by Him, chosen by him, not anything we have done to earn it

My Daily Journal:

I am truly struck by Rebekah. Earlier in this chapter we saw her actions reveal her character. We saw that Abraham sent his servant to find a bride for his son and the servant sought someone with a servant’s heart. But not a weak and fainting heart – Rebekah demonstrated strength of character, physical strength and strength of faith.

She was the first person to the well. She did not come with lots of other girls to chit chat, but she was the early bird. She was gracious and kind and went out of her way to treat a stranger with kindness, not only caring for him but also for his camels. She was chaste and pure.

She must have been physically strong and hearty as well. I looked it up – a camel drinks about 20 to 25 gallons. 10 camels = 200 to 250 gallons of water. Water weighs a little over 8 lbs per gallon. That means she was carting 1600 to 2000 lbs of water not counting the weight of her jug. And then, after she was done, she went for a run – running home to tell her mother’s family.

We see her faith in her decision. When her family wishes for her to linger with them, she displays obedience to God and a desire to step in that obedience. Think how difficult this was. Leaving home, family, everything behind to go to a strange land and be married to a stranger. No bridesmaids, no mother of the bride, just jump on a camel and go.

BSF Genesis: Week 19, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

6.
a.
lengthy travel, did not know anyone, no references, no recommendations, short time, personal risk

b.
went, prayed, waited, chose to rely only on God (not his own preconditions)

c.
Hiring and work. Relying on God to bring the right people and the right work.

7.
a.
It was a sign of having a servants heart that revealed the character of Isaac’s betrothed. It fit the scenario, task and situation. Not outlandish or absurd.

b.
That she had a servant’s heart and was generous and thoughtful and a hard worker

8.
a.
Asked God for specific scene and it was exactly presented

b.
From Abraham’s household, from his hometown – not a canaanite

c.
When he met her he did not know any of this

My Daily Journal:

Trusting in God allows us to trust in others.

I was moved by the relationship between Abraham and his servant. Last week we saw Abraham demonstrate his trust of God through his willingness to obey even in a situation that did not make sense and tugged at his very heart: sacrificing his only son. While the characters are different this week, the core of the lesson is the same – trusting in God.

We saw that Abraham trusted and relied on the Lord but also did the hard work to make provisions to fulfill his responsibilities as an obedient servant to the Lord and as a father of a son and of many nations to come. When he was commanded to take Isaac to the mountain he embarked quickly, but not before he cut the wood, secured the fire, loaded the donkey, employed the servants. This week we see those same qualities.

Abraham knew the promise God had made and knew that required a wife for Isaac. Abraham sought to do the work to be a part of that promise, not to interfere with God, but neither to sit idle. He wanted a great wife for his son because he knew the special plan God had communicated that would come through his son and thus his bride. He wanted someone not only physically able, but, more importantly, spiritually strong. He looked around and knew that person could not come from his neighbors. Sin permeates and Abraham knew first hand the difficulties of growing up in a household that did not worship God and God alone. He wanted better for his son. He also wanted his son to stay in the promise God had made. The promise was tied to land, Abraham was planting seeds in that land and it takes time and care for those seeds to take root.

But Abraham was old. He had trusted in God and now he had to trust in another man. He turned to his servant, someone who had been directed “to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.” He equipped him with gold, jewelry, riches, camels and, most importantly, the spirit of God and the prayer for angels to watch over his journey. He put the future of his descendents in his hands. There was no plan B – he said if you do not find the right person then you are free.

What this shows to me is that, yes, Abraham trusted this servant. But more importantly and even greater, he trusted God.