BSF Genesis Study 2012-2013 – Page 7

BSF Genesis: Week 16, Day 4

Questions:

11.
a.
The men came to force themselves on the men, Lot offered his virgin daughters, they pressed against Lot, SIL’s thought joke, no one in his family even helped prepare the meal – he only had influence over himself and not a great job of that

b.
When he moved there (Gen 13:13) people were wicked and sinning greatly, Gen 14, Lot carried away as captor, 14:122-24 Abraham’s response to King of Sodom when he returned Lot there

c.
Do not pitch tent along side wickedness. leads to more integration – If God pulls out of a bad situation, don’t go back

12.
Not gone back to Sodom after being captured. He must have chosen to go back.

My Daily Journal:

The convicting message to me was what signs and warnings has God graciously placed in my life that I am choosing to ignore and disobey. All along the choice to be in Sodom had been Lot’s. God didn’t send him there, he chose. He didn’t move in then wicked people move next door, they were there first. He not only lived by there, but he integrated into the community. There wasn’t a mention of a wife when he moved there, but now he is married and has children. His children were raised there. He has a home in town. He calls the men trying to rape and sodomize the angels his friends (19:7). But the signs of trouble had been there all along. God had pulled him out of the city in captivity then through Abraham rescued out of being a literal slave. But Lot chose his own slavery to being surrounded by sin.

What part of my life does God want me to flee? What warnings has He given me that I choose to deny and ignore?

BSF Genesis: Week 16, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

7.
Because God has chosen Abraham to be the father of his chosen people, to educate them that he would always preserve them and bring them back even after being reprimanded and for whom He would one day give His own life to save. To teach Abraham of God’s just mercy

8.
Consider carefully, measuring what we take in against the truth of the scriptures, to accept the spirit and hear the words given to Him. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 8:8

9.
God is not blind to injustice and horrific acts. He is just.
God is merciful, willing to forget horrific deeds for the well being of even a few10.

10.
a.
The angels themselves took Lot, his wife and daughters by the hand and led them safely. The Lord was merciful.

b.
For his and our education, to reveal His mercy.

c.
Yes – because he should have already known and trusted the Lord’s mercy from Egypt. No – because he sought it for others

d.
intercedes, gives us the words, also knows our hearts and offers intercession for all in accordance with the will of God

e.
Be more bold for others. Be more respectful in my tone. Seek the H/S for guidance and trust in Him

My Daily Journal:

Today I saw the beauty and appropriateness in Abraham’s “prayer”. I liked that the questions called it a prayer. What is a prayer but a discussion with God? So, clearly this was a prayer. But as I looked at it deeper it reminded me of the prayer of Moses and how Abraham and Moses (and, all believers I believe) share a single simple passion. They and we wish (long to) see and more deeply know the Lord. Abraham is not pleading for mercy for Sodom. He is not arguing a point of view or trying to convince the Lord to change His mind. Instead, the focus of his questions is on better knowing God’s character. Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? How far can the faith of a congregation of faithful shine light over the darkness of utter sin? How deep is your mercy and willingness to withhold justice? This really revealed the presence of the Holy Spirit in Abraham to me – that his heart was focused on God and not material possessions. Never once did he ask for the gold or livestock (think ahead to issues with King Saul).

BSF Genesis: Week 16, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
v10 “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” 17:21

4.
a.
The Lord and 2 Angels, 18:1, The Lord appeared to Abraham, v10 I will surely return…” v13 Then the LORD said

b.
went out to great them and bowed, washed feed, offered meal, Asked Sarah to make fresh bread, served veal, milk, cheese
5.
a.
Knew her thoughts as well as actions, convicted her of her sin (denial of the truth)

b.
Yes. (all is possible through the Lord), but it pleased God that she was faithful

c.
the Lord would fulfill his promises to her

6.
God’s promises are always fulfilled. He is a God of birth, birth of nations and kings, birth of His only son, birth of us into a new life in His family – God’s focus even in a mission of death and destruction is on new life

My Daily Journal:

One of the things that really stuck with me was how amazing is God’s love for us. Here He is, in the flesh, on a dire mission to judge the wickedness of an entire city. He knows the death that has already come to the people of that city and the utter lack of and love for Him found there. But, even with that gravity which had to be on His mind, His thoughts are first on new birth, His focus is on the future and the redemption He will bring.

As He so clearly demonstrated to Sarah, He knows not only what we make public but also the hidden thoughts we have. We try to pretend and cover that we haven’t sinned in our thoughts – they were just thoughts – but He gives no such slack. When Sarah tries to say she didn’t laugh, which from a human perspective may have been true since she only “laughed to herself and thought”. She didn’t say these doubt out loud, she didn’t laugh out loud, she repressed it and kept it inside. But the Lord gave no such compromise: “Yes, you did laugh.” (PERIOD). No negotiation, no argument over what the meaning of the word laugh means, no gray. Just a simple conviction: Yes you did.

BSF Genesis: Week 15, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

11.

circumcise your heart, so that you may love him with all your heart and soul, and live
detestable: foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into sanctuary, desecrating the temple
not only outward and physical… inwardly, circumcision of the heart

12.
a. through baptism, new birth, buried then raised through faith, from the dead. New creation, debt free because of redemption paid on the cross

b. Impatience. Ask God to help me walk closer with Him each day so I can better see and stay in step with His plans and desires for my life

13. Genesis 17:21 Abram was 99, God made promise that a son would be born by this time next year to Sarah.

My Daily Journal:

Two things stood out to me today.

The first involves circumcision. OK, all puns aside (and at this point everyone reading this should say an extra prayer for all the children’s leaders who have to include this in their lessons this week!!!). There are some interesting thoughts. First to me was the clear fact that this was a sign, not a payment or punishment. Abraham did not earn God’s blessing by snipping off a piece of unnecessary foreskin, what a ridiculous thought. Abraham did not earn God’s blessing by suffering. Abraham didn’t earn anything. the covenant was by God, from God, to Abraham. God gave Abraham the gift of being able to carry with him a sign of this covenant. Something not on display for everyone to see – He didn’t have him tattoo his forehead or cut off his earlobe or pierce his nose. This was something personal, something that required obedience, but not any significant cost.

Second was the name change. This promise wasn’t new to Abraham. God gave him more details, particularly about timing and players, but it was, in essence, the same promise he had given him 10 years before. But, it was now time to turn the page. Who ever Abram and Sarai had been before, they weren’t that any longer. They now were recipients of the promise from God. The old was gone, the new had come. Whatever baggage they had from before, whatever self focus and doubt, whatever sins and deeds, those all were left behind when God turned the page to the next chapter in their life.

What new chapter does God have planned for me? I’m grateful for all that he has blessed me with and I’m glad He sees me as a novel and not just a short story!

BSF Genesis: Week 15, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

9.
a.
In God’s eyes, yes. He was neither blameless nor perfect, but the covering of Christ given by his faith made him so to God

b.
walk before God faithfully

10.
a.
be blameless, God makes His covenant, greatly increase your numbers, father of many nations, name change, fruitful, nations and kings come from you, everlasting covenant including descendants: be your God and the God of your descendants, land

b.
vs 7: everlasting covenant God, Abraham, his descendants for the generations to come. vs 8: The whole land of Canaan I will give as an everlasting possessions to you and your descendants after you

c.
everlasting

My Daily Journal:

I participated in an interesting discussion about different ways of looking at the concept in Genesis 17:1 of what it means to walk before me faithfully.

When I thought of it, my mental image was along the lines of Esther entering the court of the King. This was not something you did haphazardly. You prepared, both physically and spiritually, through dressing in the proper attire for court and through the prayers and fasting of yourself and supporters. You don’t show up tracking in dirt, you cloth yourself in the robes that were a gift from the King. You don’t show up proud and boisterous, you appear as a humble servant seeking, but not deserving, favor. There are many analogies and parallels to be drawn from this illustration.

Another thought that was presented was the mental image of how a parent walks with a child with me being the child. The parent normally walks slightly behind the child, so they can keep them in sight at all times, to protect from harm. The child is not to run ahead or try to hide, but be in sight of the parent. The parent walks along. When the child stumbles the parent helps them get back up. As they continue to move forward the view is always forward. Past stumbles are behind them, the parent only looks ahead for the child.

I thought this was a great illustration of how scripture can speak to us in so many different ways and different levels. I am the child. I am also the servant. God is both the parent and the King. He is personal and walks with me. He is also the sovereign who gave me the robe of righteousness as a gift.

BSF Genesis: Week 15, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

5.
a.
4: She began to despise her mistress, 6: Abram rejected her, Sarai mistreated her.

b.
Homeless, pregnant, no food, shelter, anything

c.
Promise of God to increase her descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count, blessing for Ishmael, fruitful

6.
God – Pre-incarnate Jesus. Gen 16:10, the angel of the LORD says “I will”. Not relying on another higher power.

7.
a.
Submit to authority

b.
Obedience, faith and trust always lead to blessings. I am called to increase in all of these areas and to give glory to God for everything.

8.
a.
16:16 86 years old

b.
10 years since time of the promise, but probably closer to 60 years that he had desired to have a son with his wife.

c.
Our idea of waiting a long time is 24-48 hours.

d.
10 years is not a long time for a God promise. Going along with a bad idea (the “it won’t hurt to try something new” approach)

My Daily Journal:

In searching for an illustration about submission the example that came to mind was a glass or cup. When I am at a restaurant and the server comes to refill my drink, my glass/cup is a great example of the nature God wants me to be in of submission. It is open from above to receive the blessings He has to pour out on me. It is closed at the bottom, to keep from immediately losing the blessing. It has been cleaned/prepared to receive the blessing. It is still.

This last point is the one we often struggle with. If instead of letting go or holding my cup still for the server I try to help by moving the cup, trying to catch what is being poured out, or even blocking it either trying to stop it with my hand or another object or being so focused on drinking the last drop left in it from before, I make things more difficult. Anything I do to try to help, other than submit, makes things more difficult for the server.

Christ talked about filling our heart to overflow with the spirit. The illustration of my heart being a cup helps me get myself in the state to receive those blessings.

BSF Genesis: Week 15, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

a. She took the position that lack of a child was because of a problem with her. She gave her slave to Abram as a wife

b. 15:4 son who is your own flesh and blood

c. Believed God could give Abram a son. Did not believe His plan was to do that through Sarai, since she had not had children.

a. 16:3-4 Abram took Hagar to be his wife, slept with her and she conceived; 16:4 Hagar despised Sarai; 16:6 Abram disowned Hagar, Sarai mistreated her, she fled; 16:10-12 Lord’s promise to her about Ishmael ch20 Isaac born, Hagar/Ishmael sent away – According to tradition, Ishmael is the father of Islam

b. Each time that we trust more in our own thoughts and actions and plans rather than rely with patience on God. Each time we rely on what is acceptable as cultural norms, rather than acceptable in God’s eyes. Each time we focus on what is “wrong with me” or “my faults” rather than the power of God.

c. Stress. I spent twice the amount of time calling on God to bail me out of the mess than I would have spent praying to Him for guidance and timing

My Daily Journal:

I was convicted by Sarai’s self focus and self blame. So often we think of self focus as “it’s all about me”, egotistical, narcissistic. But that sword also cuts the other way. How often when we see problems, especially those being faced by loved ones, do we internalize the blame or cause to be something about us? If I had been a better __________, then they would not be facing this problem.

Our lesson talked about “unbelief” today in the discussion of Abram and Sarai and their decision to bring Hagar into the picture. Clearly, there was some “under-belief” in not seeing the full power of God, but I think that stemmed more from focus than heart. Sarai’s focus became one of what am I doing wrong? How are my “faults” hindering my loved ones? And she took action to take herself out of the picture, to stop being the roadblock that she had convinced herself that she was to her husband and to God.

I can relate to that internal dialogue. The lesson for me is, for better or for worse, it really is not about me. I am not big enough to be a roadblock to God. I am not perfect in my thoughts, words and deeds, but I am forgiven and blameless in the eyes of God. I can do better, but the first thing I need to do is change the focus of my eyes, head and heart from a focus on my faults to a focus on God’s power.

BSF Genesis: Week 14, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

11.
v13:for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. (Gen 47:11 settled in Egypt, Ex 1:11 enslaved, Ex 12:4 430 yrs), v14:I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. (Ex 6-11 Plagues, Ex 12:36 Great plunder) v.15:You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age (gen 25:7-10 died at 175) v.16:In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here (Gal 3:17 430 yrs later new covenant of law)

12.
a.
Fire:
Ex 3:2, Moses, Firey Bush
Ex 13:21 Pillar of Fire
Ex 19:18 Descended on Mt Sinai in fire
Lev 9:24, 10;2 fire came out from Lord
1 Peter 1:7 Refiners fire
Rev 20:14-15 Lake of Fire

Light:
Isa 51:4 my justice will become a light to the nations
Isa 60-19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Acts 22:6-9 Jesus revealed to Paul on road to Damascus as a bright light from heaven
Rev 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

b.
Rev 21:23. While God is fire and his glory shines like flame, the Lamb is a lamp, something personal something that directly interacts with me in a personal way

13.
People have choice. Sin is allowed as a means of leading to repentance – we know it is wrong, we are wrong and need to reunite with God. When we repent, God is faithful and restores us, but if we do not turn to His righteousness, it becomes a rut which turns to a canyon.

14.
a.
Wadi of Egypt to Euphrates – No

b.
Solomon, 1 Kings 4:21, 1 Kings 8:65

My Daily Journal:

Home. There is something in our DNA that longs for something we call home. While we often symbolize it by a physical place, that is more of a symbol. Same with ownership or possession, both are elements of home, but not what makes something home. It is deeper than that, it is a need for stability, belonging, connecting, peace. Even if experience of home have been difficult or we have lived nomadically, the longing is still there.

God has given us this longing and uses it to call us back to Him. Our true home is not on this earth or in this physical plane, our true and ultimate home is in communion with our creator. But He gives us home on this earth to help teach and prepare us for that ultimate state.

Our earthly home is an allegory. In the same way, the promised land is an allegory to Abram’s children. Not that it isn’t real or that it isn’t a real promise, but it is not the ultimate home, only a representation.

God uses our earthly home to teach us. He gives us homes. He also calls us out of our homes both to teach us and to put us in situations to teach others. This has been the history of Israel and the promised land. God has moved His chosen people in and out of the land, both as lessons to them about His provision and promises and also as lessons to them about rebellion and repentance.

In our lesson we learned that under Solomon the entire region of the promised land was delivered to Israel. We saw that in 1 Kings 4 and 8. But by 2 Kings 24:7 “the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.”

The lesson isn’t that God gives and takes away (although that is truth), but that land is land, home is with Him. Our promised land is not to be found in the promise of God to Abram, but in the promise of Christ to believers, the home that is eternal.

BSF Genesis: Week 14, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

8.
Not a contridiction. Price is paid in full by Christ’s work on the cross. We cannot add anything to paid in full. But, accepting the gift means being transformed, and a transformed life is lived out in the light, not darkness, in acts of faith.

9.
a.
We were all dead to sin. We all will die, but God’s gift has changed that back into eternal life

b.
Yes. In my situation I was technically dead, my heart was offline as they performed surgery, but I was given a new spirit.

10.
a.
Choice to waver or be strengthened based on focus. Abram focused on God’s glory and was strengthened not on impossible situation and wavered.

b.
Do I waver in unbelief when I believe a situation is impossible or am I strengthened in faith and give glory to God because he can do the impossible?

My Daily Journal:

The discussion of the Romans 4:17-21 in light of Abram’s response stuck with me, today. When I am struggling, when I am facing difficulty, when there are troubles and challenges, all too often my thoughts and the focus of my mind, my actions and my emotions is on the problem.

Focusing on the difficult situation leads to wavering and unbelief. It makes the problem the big thing. It creates a dialogue of difficulty in my mind. I accept a solution as being impossible and therefore begin looking for a way around, an alternative, or, sometimes, just despair.

But, our lesson teaches us that Abram’s great super power was belief. Instead of focusing on the problem, he focused on God’s power. Instead of accepting that it was impossible for him to have a child, he accepted that God could do anything. He saw God as a God who had the power over the impossible to convert death to life. Since God can do that, why do I give any power to my problem at all?

BSF Genesis: Week 14, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

5.
a.
He saw any reward, especially at his age, as of limited value because the one reward he desired was to have descendents so that there would we someone to inherit any rewards and to continue his lineage

b.
A son. Your own flesh and blood. Offspring as numerous as the stars

6.
That he saw not only furtherance of his name, but that through Abram’s offspring God would send the messiah, the savior of the world as promised in Genesis 3.

7.
a.
God is righteous and His promise/word is righteousness

b.
Righteousness is a benchmark, a fixed constant that can be used to judge/determine right from wrong, just, correct, moral, pure. God is righteousness, He is the benchmark and His actions set to bring everything back into that state through salvation. Faith trust that truth.

c.
Believed, credited it to him as righteousness, obeyed (offering)

My Daily Journal:

I loved the discussion and thinking about righteousness. For any objective measure there must be a constant. In our world so many try to deny that constant, while at the same time we yearn for it to exist. Yes, it is easy to say there is no absolute right or wrong, yet, the same voices that argue that point indict others for not following a moral standard that they consider to be fair and right.

Abram hit the nail on the head. There is only one benchmark of righteousness. There is only one absolute standard of what is ultimately and always right. God is that constant. God is unchanging. God is eternal. Everything about God and Everything done by God is demonstration of what is right, what is true, what is pure: righteousness.

That is why weighing anything against the word of the bible leads to correct thinking. The Bible is the word of God and the way in which God reveals Himself to us. That revelation is revealed righteousness.

Shouldn’t I, each day, follow Abram’s example and measure all I do, request, decide, and conduct as simply a withdrawal against God’s credit of Righteousness? It is an account with unlimited funds.