Audio Tapes # 48,    Nov 5, 2000       (Notes Updated Nov 4, 2000)

Don't miss the pictures of the zoo days. The Lord willing, Creation Creature Features soon.

Review: (Gen 1-19) See the previous sermon notes on the Web -

The Text (Blue Letter Bible): Genesis 20-21
(Strong's numbers, Hebrew-Greek lexicons, cross references, etc., can be accessed from the above link)

Brief Outline, Exposition, and Commentary - 
All families after Adam's rebellion, fail to fully function as God originally designed (Rom 3).
Even believers, must learn obedience through trials and consequences (Rom 5; 8:28-29; Jam 1:2-8).  Yet God is faithful, and will always fulfill his covenant promises (1 Cor 10:13; Philip 1:6).  Most importantly, we can learn & grow from the mistakes recorded in His-story.  Nothing sneaks past God, folks.  God stops millions of things, temptations and situations from entering our lives.  So He obviously has a special plan for everything that He does choose to allow into our lives.

#1 - So that we can know how much we need Him, and how faithful He is.
#2 - So that our submissively faithful response to Him in the situation, as we manifest the fruit of His Spirit, can witness to those around us.  When they see our character, then they will think, "Wow, that is not natural.  It looks supernatural (different from the way of this world)".  And when they ask why, we can tell them it's because of Jesus.

Chapter 20   Husband Abraham gets more counsel & training from God.
-  Why does God allow conflict and trials in our lives?  (Remember Mikey's answers)
-  Abraham again doubts and fear leads him to hide behind his wife.
-  Abimelech (Strong's # 40 Abimelech, ab-ee-mel’-ek), unlike Pharaoh, since he showed a moral
    awareness of right and was open to God's revelation.
-  God appears to him in a dream and God's counsel is very nouthetic, "You're a dead man 
    if you don't obey".
-  God describes Abraham with the first use of the term "prophet", because Abraham was  
    chosen to be a special messenger of God's Word.  He was chosen not because he
    deserved it, but by grace alone.  (Psa 105:15)
-  Abraham's need for maturity is revealed by his two lame excuses:
     * He assumed there was no fear of the true God in this land.
     * He claimed his lie was not a whole lie, since Sarah was his half sister.
-  Sarah is rebuked by Abimelech and her public shame is covered by his lavish gift.

Chapter 21:1-21    Father Abraham gets more counsel & training from God.
-  Isaac, the child of promise is born, but the fruit of Father Abraham's previous act of       
   immaturity, that is Ishmael, creates ongoing stress and difficulty.
-  Ishmael mocks the new baby, and the promise that Isaac will be the source of blessing
   (the Messianic seed).
-  Note that Abraham and Sarah did not come together to discuss the problem in a godly
    family conference, under the hand of God's authority.
-  Abraham passively procrastinates in the face of conflict.
-  So Sarah nags and orders Abraham to get rid of his son of the flesh and his
   mother.  Ishmael was 15-16 years old, and according to the Apostle Paul, was a
   foreshadowing of the persecution of the children of faith by the children of the
   unbelieving flesh (Gal 4).
-  Abraham doubts and pouts in silent confusion, until God comes and counsels him with
   direction and hope.
-  God tells him to stop pouting and trust Him to care for Ishmael.
-  Hagar, the mother of all single-moms, is sent out with her only son.  God allows them to
   run out of water so that she is tested (an opportunity for exercising faith). She doubts
   God's promise about her son, and cries in depressive despair.  God "hears the lad" and
   comes to his rescue.  Was Ishmael praying?  It could be.  Why did God respond?  God
   reached out for the sake of His promise, not because any man earned the right to be
   rescued, not Abraham nor Ishmael.

Chapter 21:22-34  Brother Abraham gets more counsel & training from God.
-  Abraham learns to practice peacemaking principles with his distant brother 
   (brothers/relatives, since both men are descendants of Noah).
-  Abimelech also learns that peace is only possible under the hand of God's delegated
   authority.
-  This time in the face of conflict (the water well problem) Abraham learns to stand firm,
    without blowing up or giving up.
-  After Abimelech leaves, Abraham plants a grove of trees and calls on the name of
   "YAHWEH, the eternal God". 
-  God's orchestration of events has strengthened Abraham's trust, so that it is now much
   stronger than before.  Under God's mighty and loving hand, Abraham is learning, just like
   all believers, that God will complete the good work He began in us until His promise is
   complete (Gen 15; Ezek 36-39; Philip 1:6; 1 John 3:2).  
-  God promised Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob/Israel, that a physical nation of their
   genetic descendants would be established in the geographic region centered around the
   city of peace, Jerusalem, forever.  The prophesied Messiah (Psalm 2), the seed of a
   woman, the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, the seed of a virgin, the Son of God, will
   rule forever in Jerusalem as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
-  So for Israel, the ethnic nation of the Hebrews, God will fulfill His promise of a land
   under the rule of Messiah Jesus, the eternal God/man.
-  And for the Church (the mystery created and revealed at Pentecost and composed of
   Jew and Gentile, the bride of Christ), God has promised that she will also reign together
   under the hand of her husband, Jesus, the Jewish King of Jerusalem.  (Rom 11;
   Revelation - Remember the 24 elders, perhaps 12 are the foundation heads of the 12
   tribes of Israel, and 12 are the 12 foundational apostles of the Church).

Next week, the Lord willing, we'll study Genesis 22 and the greatest test of Abraham's faith.  Remember, a test of faith (James 1:13-15) is an opportunity to exercise faith and grow stronger in it.  God never tempts us to fail.  The world, the flesh, and the Devil do that.

Giving Up < < < < < < < Standing Firm > > > > > > > Blowing Up