Coachlight Bible Study – Genesis Lesson XXVIIa
A Lesson In Trials & Tribulations – Introduction I To Abraham
For almost 200 years after
As each family or Tribe migrated
from
It is interesting that this period, while important to the Nations developing as God intended, only lasted 200 years. This is the same period studied by evolutionists and come up with the conclusion that this period in human development required long ages. Actually the whole world was inhabited in only a few generations at most. Increasingly in recent years has archeology been confirming that civilization appeared more or less at the same time in all parts of the world, and that this all happened only a few millennia ago.
It seems that a similar pattern of cultural development seems to have occurred over and over again. As a Tribe migrated to an unexplored region, they would find a good location, probably in high elevation for protection, and by a spring or river. These places usually had a fertile alluvial plain, and a temporary village was established. Even though many members of each Tribe knew the technology of animal husbandry, ceramics, metallurgy, etc., these technologies could not be used right away. Veins of metal had to be discovered, mined, and smeltered. Also clay mud had to be found for making bricks and pottery, animals had to be bred, and crops had to be planted. In the meantime, each Tribe had to survive by hunting and gathering. Temporary homes were constructed of rocks if available, or timber, or even in caves.
These remains studied by evolutionists, because of their evolutionary background suggest a “stone-age culture”, but are actually only temporary situations. As soon as the necessary clay and metal veins were found, the “stone age site” would be transformed into a “bronze age” or “iron age”. Each village economy was soon succeeded by “urbanization” as each population increased.
Many times a stronger Tribe would drive out or kill the inhabitants of a village, and a very different culture would develop on the same site. Some of these Tribes grew quickly and developed into great Nations, and other grew slowly, stagnated, and finally died out.
It is at this point that God’s
plan shifted from mankind as a whole, and called out one Man and his seed to
take care of the Oracles of God. The
study of Abraham’s life in Scripture gives us a pattern to emulate in our lives
today which makes Abraham a “Type of the Consecrated Believer”.
Part1
- Type of the Consecrated Believer
I.
New Dispensation - Dispensation of Promise - Genesis is the book of beginnings.
A. Examples of beginnings
1. Beginning of the universe and the human race. (Genesis 1)
2. A new beginning with Noah and his family (Genesis 8)
3. Beginning of God's chosen nation in Abraham (Genesis 12)
B. Called the Dispensation of Promise, because of the covenant God made with Abraham.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
C. These along with some 40 other promises, formed the basis of God's dealings with His chosen people during this period.
1. Abram was to father a great nation.
2. Abram was to be blessed.
3. Abram's name was to be made great (It was later changed to Abraham)
4. Not only would Abram be blessed, but he would be a blessing to others.
5. God would bless those that blessed Abram.
6. God would curse those that cursed Abram.
7. All the families of the earth would be blessed because of Abram's seed.
D. Friend of God - Abraham is the only man of those recorded in the Old Testament that has the high privilege of being called the "friend of God.
1. In the
book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 41:8 But
thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham
my friend.
2. In the
book of II Chronicles:
II Chronicles 20:7 [Art] not thou
our God, [who] didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people
Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy
friend for ever?
3. Even a cross reference in the book of James:
James 2:23 And
the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called
the Friend of God.
4. El Khalil - To this day, Abraham is known to the Arabs as El Khalil, which means "Friend of God".
II. Abram's Early Life - He lived
at
A. Abraham comes from the line of
Shem.
B. His father was Terah. (Genesis 11:24)
C. He had two brothers. (Genesis
11:26)
D. His wife was Sarai. (Genesis 11:29)
E. Sarai
was childless (Genesis
F. Abram, more than likely the
younger son - not the older.
G. Either Terah
and/or his ancestors were idolaters.
Joshua 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of
Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the
people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your
fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
H. Secular history began to
correlate with Biblical history during Abram's time.
1. Houses were made of brick, and painted white for aesthetic purposes.
a. Most of the homes were two stories high.
b. Most of the larger houses had from 10-20 rooms, and equipped with a plumbing system, Kitchens, and sanitation.
2. Schools have been unearthed at
a. Students learned vocabulary and writing
b. They had multiplication and division tables as well as practical geometry, square roots and cubic roots.
c. Grammar lessons included conjugation of verbs.
3. Idolatry was the religious system of
a. Each home had clay figurines of these gods - called Teraphim.
b. Teraphim served as guardian angels of the home, and when the father died, the idols were left to the oldest son so that the worship could continue.
c. Teraphim are mentioned in the saga of Laban and Rachel - The possession of gods was the equivalent of having the family inheritance, so Rachel sought to steal her brother's birthright so that Jacob could be the legal heir.
Genesis 31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her father's....
Genesis 31:30 And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?......
Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken
the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but
found [them] not.
d. Abram did not involve himself or his family in idols - After he left
III. The Divine Call of Abraham -
This is the first time in history that God had dealt with a particular lineage
separate from the rest of humanity. Because of the prevalence of idolatry and
polytheism brought about by Nimrod and the mystery religions of
A. This included a prophecy that through Abram would come the Nation of Israel and the promised Messiah.
1. Promise started - "Seed of the Woman" (Genesis
2. Line of Seth would be blessed in a certain way. (Genesis 9:26)
3. It was not until the call of Abram that God prophesied that Christ would come through a particular Nation, and would bless all nations of the earth.
(Genesis 12:3)
B. This prophecy will find its
final fulfillment during the Millennium and eternal ages when
C. Abram was intended by God as
the founder of the Jewish Nation. His seed was to be:
1. A depository of God's revelation. In the book of Romans we read:
Romans 3:1 What
advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit [is there]
of circumcision?
Romans 3:2 Much
every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
2. A witness to Him to the rest of mankind, in the book of Isaiah we read:
Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be
afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared [it]? ye [are] even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, [there is] no God; I know not [any].
3. A channel of blessing to the world.
Romans15:8 Now
I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of
God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:
Romans 15:9 And
that the Gentiles might glorify God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this
cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
Romans15:10 And
again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his
people.
Romans
Romans
IV. First Call Came at
Acts 7:2 And he
said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared
unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Acts 7:3 And
said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into
the land which I shall shew thee.
Acts 7:4 Then came he out of the
land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he
removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
V. Second Call Came at
A. Some authorities think that
Genesis 12:1 refers to the first call at
B. In
Genesis 12:1
..... Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
C. Separation - This was a very searching and pressing demand upon one who was the younger son. Yet God's call to separation was a necessary condition of blessing. Separation was the keynote of Abram's life from the first to the last, and in that separation, to the will of God he found all of his peace and blessing.
D. Three Part Promise - God never places burdens on His people's shoulders without giving them power to respond. He encouraged Abram with a three-fold promise:
1. A land (12:1)
2. A seed (12:2)
3. A world-wide blessing (12:3)
VI. Abram's Response - Nothing is more striking than the immediate
response made by Abram. Right at first, he manifests that which characterized
him almost all through his life - Faith in God's Word:
A. The Confidence of Faith (Vs. 4) - He took God at His Word without hesitation or questioning.
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as
the LORD had spoken unto him;....
B. The Obedience of Faith (Vs. 5)
Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their
substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan;
and into the land of Canaan they came.
C. In light of the two calls (Acts
7:2-4), Abram is not pictured as
disobedient to God's call as before.
D. The Influence of Faith -
Abram's response to the divine call evidently led
1. There was no compulsion on the part of
2. True faith in God's Word often inspires others, and leads them to a blessing.
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as
the LORD had spoken unto him; and
E. The Confession of Faith -
1. This was Abram's acceptance of the revelation
2. And at the same time, a testimony to the Canaanites.
3. In verse 7, we have the first appearance of God to Abram. The other occurrences were limited to God's voice. Abram at once responded to the revelation by:
Genesis 12:7.... and
there builded he an altar unto the LORD…
F. The Endurance of Faith - (Vs. 8-9) - Even though Abram had the promises of God, he still had to wait.
1. He had no seed - although one was promised.
2. He had no permanent home - He was happy pitching his tent
3. Canaanites in the land kept him from possessing even one inch of the land - although it was promised.
Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of
Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded
an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
G. The Revelation of Faith - (Vs. 7) – Accompanying Faith Is A Further Revelation From God
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared
unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this
land: …..
VII. Abram - A Type of the
Consecrated Believer on the Standpoint of Faith.
|
He was called out of Idolatry |
So are we. |
|
He took a path of separation |
And we too need to separate unto God. |
|
He obeyed God and walked in obedience |
So should we. |
|
He believed God about the seed (Christ) |
So do we. |
|
He was made righteous through believing
in Christ |
So are we |
|
God revealed His secrets to Abraham, the
man of faith - |
And so He does today to them that believe
His Word. |
|
Abraham was the Father of the Faithful |
And so we too who believe God should have
spiritual children, who have faith as we have. |
Galatians
Part II - A Lesson In Trials & Tribulations
I. Valuable lessons - Many valuable lessons can be learned by
studying the life of Abraham. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to take as
examples Abraham's descendants as they had been delivered from
In I Corinthians we read:
I Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. The Apostle does not stop
there, but he continues in just a few verses after:
I Corinthians
I Corinthians10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall.
Note that in both verses, the word translated "examples" and "ensamples" is our Greek word TUPOS .
Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. {going…: Heb. in going and journeying}
Genesis
Genesis 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was
come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai
his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Genesis 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall
see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but
they will save thee alive.
Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well
with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Genesis 12:14 And it came to pass, that, when
Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very
fair.
Genesis
Genesis 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for
her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and
maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
Genesis
Genesis 12:18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What
is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou
not tell me that she was thy wife?
Genesis 12:19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have
taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy
way.
Genesis 12:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men
concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
II. The Testing - The new believer is soon tested, especially after times of communion with God. This even happened to Christ, when He was baptized in the River Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove, we read in the book of Luke:
Luke 4:1 And
Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the
Spirit into the wilderness,
Luke 4:2 Being
forty days tempted of the devil.....
We will be able to see this great principal in action in the life of Abram.
A. The Special Circumstances -
Famine in the land
Genesis12:10 And
there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into
This was a real test for Abram,
especially after the recent revelation:
Genesis12:7 And the LORD appeared
unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this
land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD,
who appeared unto him.
1. There was famine in the land of
promise! - Undoubtedly, Abram thought at this point of the fertile
2. Abram's faithfulness was soon
put to the test -
a. We are sometimes apt to identify the peace and calm of outward circumstances with the peace arising from a consciousness of the presence of God.
b. Abraham was tested to make this clear, and it was all for all example, or TUPOS.
B. The Long Journey (Vs. 10) -
This is the first point of contact between
1. The famine was the only reason for Abram's journey.
2. The journey was the most obvious and natural thing for Abram to do.
3. Abram's position was not merely natural, and we will be able to see that
a. The right way is not always the easiest way
b. The easiest way is not always the right way.
c. Difficulties do not necessarily mean that we are in God's will.
C. The Proposal - (Vs. 11-13) - Abram suggested that Sarai should say that she was his sister instead of his wife.
1. This was a "half truth" (
2. This proposal was given out of
selfishness
a. There was no regard for Sarai, but only for Abram's safety.
b. Abram had traveled all the way from
c. How small great people can be - How weak strong people can be - How bad good people can be.
D. The Result - (Vs. 14-16) - What Abram had feared had come to pass, and Sarai is taken into the king's harem -
1. Abram's precaution led to Pharaoh's
action.
2. Abram's life was spared, and gifts were given to him –
(probably because of the anticipated marriage to his sister)
3. What must have been in Abram's mind as he sat alone in his tent?
4. He had gained his goal, but at a great price to both himself and Sarai.
5. Abram fell at the point that was supposed to be his strong point - Faith.
6. This same thing happened to Moses. When Moses was supposed to speak to the rock as God had commanded him, we read in the book of Numbers:
Numbers 20:11 And
Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the
water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].
Numbers 20:12 And
the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye
believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel,
therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given
them.
E. Divine Displeasure - (Vs. 17) - Serious illness came upon Pharaoh and his family indicating that something was very wrong.
1. God could not let the promises to Abraham become frustrated, or His will to be unfulfilled.
2. It was therefore necessary to save Abram from himself, as well as to rescue Sarai.
F. The Rebuke - (Vs. 18-20) - Can you imagine Abram's surprise at Pharaoh's statements!
1. The Egyptians, with all of their sins, seem to have appreciated the truth afterall, and hated all forms of lying.
2. Pharaoh then ordered Abram to take her and leave, his servants
told to make sure of their safety out of
G. The Restoration - (Vs. 1-4)
- You can imagine Abram's feelings as his caravan left
Genesis 13:3 And
he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his
tent had been at the beginning, between
Genesis 13:4 Unto
the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram
called on the name of the LORD.
1. Notice that at the beginning we
read of no such altar or prayer in
2. Abram seems to have been out of communion there.
3. Now he is open to rebuke
from the heathen.
4. But, he did the important thing:
a. He returned to the beginning - The place where he had true surrender
and worship earlier in
b. When we backslide, there is nothing else to do but to come back to the old gateway of genuine repentance and simple faith.
c. Remember Abraham is a type of the consecrated believer.
|
He was called out of Idolatry |
So are we. |
|
He took a path of separation |
And we too need to separate unto God. |
|
He obeyed God and walked in obedience |
So should we. |
|
He believed God about the seed (Christ) |
So do we. |
|
He was made righteous through believing
in Christ |
So are we |
|
God revealed His secrets to Abraham, the
man of faith - |
And so He does today to them that believe
His Word. |
|
Abraham was the Father of the Faithful |
And so we too who believe God should have
spiritual children, who have faith as we have. |
Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore
that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians
Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak
after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s
covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth,
or addeth thereto.
Galatians