Bible Study Notes: Genesis 17

Remember last Chapter, Abram couldn't wait for God to fulfill His promises. Abram tried to help God out by sleeping with Hagar to have a surrogate child. Because of that action, God would be silent for the next thirteen years.

It should be noted that God's silence doesn't mean He is not working. We are to walk by faith, following God and doing what He's told us to do. And in those moments of seeming silence, God is developing our character and our faith.

Finally God breaks the silence and when he does, Abram responds in absolute submission and falls to his face in worship as he listens to the words of the Lord. (v1-3) It's interesting to note that in other instances when God spoke to Abram, his response was different. This time Abram responds in absolute submission and worship. We can therefore infer that Abram has been growing spiritually and maturing. This is why God chooses to speak to him and bring about the fulfillment of His promises at this time.

This fresh encounter with God begins with a fresh revelation of who God is... El Shaddai, God almighty. Look in our Blog archives for more on this significant name of God.

In changing Abram's name, God adds a fifth Hebrew letter to his name. Interestingly, five is the number in the Bible associated with grace. In the Bible, when a person's character changes significantly, God changes their name. Consider Jacob-Israel, Simon-Peter, Saul-Paul.

Circumcision would be a sign and token of the covenant God made with Abraham. But it would mean nothing if one doesn't know the meaning behind the practice.

An interesting study is on Ishmael. Although he received the sign of circumcision, he was not the child of the promise, nor would he ever show any signs of faith. Indeed he would be materially blessed, but never a spiritual man.

Study Notes: Genesis 16

In Chapter 15, God promised Abram that he would indeed have a son of his own, and God Himself made a covenant that He would keep His end of the deal. Having done that, God is silent for a little while and Abram continues to walk with the Lord.

Note in v1 that Sarai had a handmaid from Egypt. Remember the whole ordeal at Egypt? That episode in Abram and Sarai’s life continues to have consequences for them, just as our choices to trust God or ourself has consequences for us too.

Abram listened to his wife... sound a bit like Adam and Eve? It's not that women give bad advice, but when we look physically or culturally, we're likely to fall spiritually.

In our worship service, I spoke about cultural compromise. This is because sometimes we take advice or follow the directives of our culture rather than following what God says in the Bible. This is why it was “acceptable” for Abram to sleep with Hagar. Culturally it was an acceptable practice, but compared to the standards of the Bible, it doesn’t add up.

Verse 3's decision to give Hagar to Abram completely overlooks the primary reason God gave us marriage... companionship. This word from the Lord has the power to completely bless your marriage relationship. Don't gloss over it.

In v5 we see Sarai’s response when her plan doesn’t work as she thought it would. As the Bible says, out of the heart, the mouth speaks. Sarai’s true self is now coming out.

In v6 we see Sarai and Hagar each choosing to “do what comes naturally”. Sarai reacts to Hagar’s condescending glances and comments and Hagar flees from the negative situation. This whole chapter has been everyone doing what comes naturally rather than considering what the Lord would want them to do.

But before we give up all hope, consider how the Lord appears to Hagar in His grace and calls her back. This is the first instance in the Bible of “the angel of the Lord” appearing to someone. And He doesn’t appear to one of his people. He doesn’t appear when all is going well. He appears to Hagar at a time of brokeness and need. What a wonderful God who seeks and saves his lonely lost sheep.

Blessings!
Pastor Arlen

Learning to Walk the Path of God

Hi Gang,
We just started this new series on the Life of Abraham (aka Abram).
Abraham's life is packed with practical lessons that we all need to learn as we walk with God. To help you follow along with our weekly messages, I'm going to put up some study notes for you here on my blog.

This week we're studying Genesis 13. So here are the notes for you...

Genesis 13: Study Notes for your personal growth

The Story begins with Abram's return from Egypt. Sometimes we have to return to the Lord from a season of disobedience.

v2- Notice the wealth Abram had accumulated. But remember how he got his wealth in Genesis 12:10-16.

v3-4 Tell of Abram's return spiritually. He came back to a place or worship to repent and return to God. If only we would always have enough sense to do the same when we have strayed.

v7 Mentions that the Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land where Abram and Lot's men quarreled. While this detail may be unimportant, isn't it true that there are always non-believers watching how we Christians act? If we respond like Abram, with humility and understanding, the world will see Jesus working in our lives and we can use that opportunity to turn people to Him.

In verse 10, Lot makes his decision purely on what he sees. Remember another person who did the same? Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and saw it's pleasing nature. But there's more to a choice than what we can see. There's the spiritual impact of obeying God or following his leading. I believe Abram was humble and followed God well because he first "called upon the name of the Lord." Lot lived by sight and not by faith.

"The East" it would be interesting to study the word East in the Bible as a lot of evil come from the "East".

The end of this chapter is marked with God reiterating His promise to Abram and Abram worshipping God.

What has God been teaching us about how we learn to walk the path of God? Repentance and worship characterize this chapter and God seems to be pleased. Walking the path of God requires humility and patience. We cannot rush God, but if we humbly worship and obey, God will bring about his plan in his timing. Amen!

Hope this helps you in your daily walk with God!

=)
pastor arlen