God Keeps His Promises (Bible Study, Part 4)

Do you remember our funnel from the last study?  We saw how the ambigous curse of the serpent in Genesis 3 that a "seed" of the woman (Eve) would some how crush the head of the serpent even though the serpent would bruise the heal of the "seed."  We are not told in Genesis 3 who, when, where, or how this would happen - only that it would be done by a descendant of Eve.  Of all Eve's descendants we seem to see a similar promise of blessing to all mankind come through Abraham, his son Isaac, and finally Jacob.

Along the way God made several promises to Abraham: he would have a great name, he would be the father of many descendants, his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, and through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  By the time we reach Genesis 35, we find that Abraham has indeed become the father of many descendants through Ishmael and Isaac; Isaac had Jacob and Esau.  Descendants of both Ishmael and Esau become nations we read about later in the Old Testament.  But we still have not seen God fulfill his promise to Abraham that his descendants would inhabit the land of Canaan nor that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  Today we see one of these begin to be fulfilled and we move closer to understanding the latter.

Let's begin by rereading Genesis 15 (remember Bible Study Part 2 http://bitly.com/jl9L6g ?).  Remember what God promised Abraham in that passage?  He promised Abraham that his descendants would enter a land not their own and would eventually be oppressed and enslaved there, but they would come out by God's power and enter Canaan.  Notice His promise:

13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —  19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." (NIV)

As we look again at this promise, what are the specifcs you see?  Is the promise given a time frame?  It seems God gives the promise a time frame of 400 years.  What does God say in terms of the generations?  Is it in the fourth generation after Abraham's death that this will occur?

How does God say Israel would be treated after entering this unnamed land?  Would you say God describes harsh treatment?  But how does God say these descendants of Abraham would leave that land?  He says He will bring them out by punishing that land and these descendants would come out with great possessions.  Finally, God identifies the territory of the inheritance.  Before we leave this passage, its good to see the reason God will allow for this time frame and for the descendants of Abraham to take the land: because the sin of the Amorites will get worse and worse until it is "complete" or "full" (verse 16).

As we looked at the highlights of the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in our previous studies we saw some of the promises fulfilled.  But not this one in Genesis15.  We finished off last time by considering the promises to Jacob in Genesis 35:9-15.  There God called Jacob, "Israel," and thus changed his name.  In the space of chapters 25 - 35, Jacob is married and tricked by his father-in-law into marrying both of his daughters.  In the struggle between these two sisters for the affection of Jacob, he fathers twelve sons.  The last two are born by the woman he had originally loved and wanted to marry, Rachel.  These twelve sons are listed in 35:16-26.

One of these twelve sons is Joseph whose life is the focus of Genesis 37-50.  As a young man, Joseph was treated with partiality by his father, Jacob.  On top of the special treatment, Joseph has the ability to dream and interpet visions which show his family bowing down to him.  His brothers are jealous and at first seek to kill him, but instead choose to sell him to slave traders.  The brothers deceive their father, Jacob (Israel), by telling him Joseph had been killed by animals.

The slave traders take Joseph at the age of 17 to Egypt where he becomes a household servant to the captain of Pharoah's bodyguard.  Through a series of events which includes false charges, he is thrown into jail, meets two inprisoned members of Pharoahs household servants, and interprets their dreams.  One of these is released and later tells Pharoah of Joseph's ability to interpret a pair of difficult dreams Pharoah has had.  Joseph is brought before Pharoah and reveals that a famine will plague the region and suggests Egypt should prepare for the famine.  Pharoah is so enamoured by Joseph's ability that he places him in charge of the project of preparing for the famine by collecting and selling grain over a 14 year period of surplus and famine.

Its during this time that Joseph's family comes to Egypt to buy grain during the regional famine (Genesis 42:1-2).  Since its been roughly twenty years, his brothers do not recognize Joseph.  Eventually, he reveals himself and the family of Israel (Jacob) moves to Egypt.  Remember the promise of Genesis 15:13, Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own..."

During the lifetime of this Pharoah, Israel enjoy prosperity in Egypt.  Joseph serves as a high ranking administrator for Pharoah and things are good for Israel as a family.  Joseph has his own sons and the entire family grows.  In chapter 49, Jacob dies and Joseph's death is recounted in chapter 50.  In Exodus chapter 1 a new Pharoah comes to power (Exodus 1:6-16):

 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." (NIV)

Did you notice what happens in this passage?  A shift occurs in the national policy of Egypt.  No longer do they look on the family of Israel as guests who are beneficial to them.  Instead they see a nation which is a threat to this Pharoah's power. So how does Egypt begin to treat Israel?  What does scripture say about how they are treated as (verse 11)?  How does this compare to God's words to Abraham in Genesis 15:13, "...and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years."

At this point, how closely has God's words to Abraham come true?  Would you say they were accurate?  What remains is for Israel to leave this oppressing nation.  Notice what we read a little later in Exodus (2:23-25):  During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

Had God forgotten about Israel?  What is it that God remembered?  In these few verses, we see again the link of God's promises or covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Consider again our funnel and the narrowing of families through whom the promise would be fufilled.  Here it is articulated, so to speak.

In the chapters that follow we are introduced to God calling Moses (ch. 3) and Moses questioning his ability (ch. 4).  Finally, in chapter 5, Moses is before Pharoah and he asks for the release of Israel, he appeals to Pharoah from the authority of the LORD (or YHWH often translated, Yahweh). Notice Pharoah's response (Exodus 5:2),  Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go."  (NIV)

Over the next several chapter Pharoah would learn who Yahweh is.  12 times Moses would seek the release of Israel, each time, Pharoah would refuse.  10 of those times, a plague would come upon Egypt. These were not just any plagues, however. Each one demonstrated God's power over a god of the Egyptian panoply.  Each time, Moses would warn Pharoah, but he would refuse to listen so the plague would come.  Following the last plague, with Egypt essentially destroyed, Pharoah allowed Israel to leave (Exodus 12:31-36):

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."  33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!" 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. (NIV)

I few verses later we read: "Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt" (Exodus 12:40-41, NIV).

Think back to that passage in Genesis 15:13-15. ("Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions").   Had God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own?  How had Israel entered Egypt? Was it not as stranger seeking relief from a famine?  And how did God say that would be treated there, was it not with oppression and slavery?  How was Israel treated once Joseph's Pharoah was no longer in power?  How did God say the descendants of Abraham would leave that nation?  Did he not say He would punish that nation and that Abraham's descendants would come out with great possessions?  What happened with Israel?

Would you say, God kept His promise?  Do you think any of the Israelites would imagine how things would transpire so that they would leave Egypt with great possessions?  What promises has God made for you life?  Is the promise to the serpent in Genesis 3, "[The woman's seed] will crush your head, but you will bruise his heel."  Is there any way in which that promise might impact your life?  What about God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, "through your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed."?  Is there a hint that your life will be blessed in the fulfillment of that promise?

As we close out in this study, what we have seen is that God kept his promise to Abraham that his descendants would come of another nation.  What we have not seen realized is Israel entering the land of Canaan.  In our next study, we will see this next part of the promise also completed.  There is still that last promise to Abraham: "Through your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed."  How will this happen, when will it happen, who will be the seed?  How does this impact your life?

If you have missed previously lessons in this series you can find them at:

Part 1: http://bitly.com/g85Crl

Part 2: http://bitly.com/jl9L6g

Part 3: http://bitly.com/jY1epF
As always, you can find us at www.benbrookchurchofchrist.com or on

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Why did Eve name him Seth?

Do you think Eve felt pressure?  Adam said he named her Eve because, “she was the mother of all the living” (Gen. 3:20, NASB).  That sounds like pressure to me.  I wonder how Eve felt when Cain killed Abel?  Do you suppose she blamed herself?

It’s interesting a little later Eve says of the name she gave her third child, Seth, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him.”  The Hebrew word Shayth which we translate as the proper name, Seth, means “put or substitute”.  Eve, essentially names her son “Substitute” for the one she lost.

Does Eve give him this name because as a mother she misses the son who is killed?  Or, does she say this because of the perceived role to bear a male child for Adam?  I don’t think we can know enough from this text to answer that question.  But we can know that this mother longed for a son.  She saw him as a gift from God.

Notice also that Eve placed the blame for Abel’s death at the right place.  She said, “for Cain killed him.”   It was Cain’s jealousy that took Abel from his mother.  Since the text is general in its depiction of this occurrence and the impact on Eve’s family we simply can’t make sweeping claims.  But we do know that this mother felt a loss; she loved her son.  God knew her pain and gave her another son.  Is it not good to know that our God sees and cares?

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Bible Study Part 2

In our last Bible Study post, we discussed the opening chapters of Genesis.  We reviewed that mankind was created without sin but with an ability to choose.  We drew the conclusion that the result of sin in our lives is a separation from God and a death we all face because of our own sin.  God alluded to a plan to crush the power of the deceiver when He cursed the serpent "he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15b, NIV).

As we look at this promise, do we see a time frame given?  Do we know the identity of the woman's seed?  Do we know how the seed will crush the serpent's head?  Obviously all these things are left unaddressed.  Its an ambiguous prophecy.  All we know for sure is that a descendant of the woman will accomplish this work.  That could be anyone at any time.

Let's look a few chapters later at one of the woman's descendants in Genesis 12:1-7.  "The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him." (NIV).

Reading this passage, what promises do you see God make to Abram?

It's apparent God promises Abram, who had no children (11:30), will have a bountiful number of children.  He also promises to give him a renown name.  He also promises to give these descendants the land God showed him.  All of these would likely seem strange to most of us at age 75.  But there is one more promise, "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (12:3b). 

In this last promise, is it revealed how all nations will be blessed through Abram?  In fact, there are no clues given at this point.  But, what we find is perhaps a possible link between God's word concerning the woman (Eve) of chapter 3 and Abram, who is one of her descendants.  All die because of sin and the deception of the serpent but a descendant of Eve will crush his head. And, we see a promise that through Abram, a descendant of Eve, all peoples will be blessed.  The crushing of the deceiver would certainly be a blessing.  This is perhaps a connection between the two promises, but it is still vague and unclear.

Three chapters later we again see a conversation between God and Abram (Genesis 15:1-6, NIV).

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars — if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

It's obvious that Abram is becoming a little hesitant towards God's promise.  Time had gone by, but no natural descendant had arrived.  The cultural norm dictated that a ranking servant receive Abram's estate.  The Lord restates some of his promises to Abram.  The first is reassurance he would have many descendants.  Next is that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:7-8):

He also said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"

Notice what happens next which is strikingly bizarre to readers today (Genesis 15:9-17):

"So the Lord said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.  Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.  You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

What's so bizarre about this passage to you? Doesn't all this animal killing and vision seem really weird? To you and I it does because in modern times when we make an agreement or a contract with someone we do it on paper. Paper was not then accessible. But in the ancient near east it was common for these types of covenants to be made before witnesses with a show of enforcement provisions. That is, a person in authority would make an agreement and plainly state what they would provide to another person. He would butcher animals in the presence of witnesses and the other party as if to say, 'let this be done to me if I fail to complete this covenant.' Now that's a contract with teeth!

In these verses, God is making a solid agreement to reassure Abram in terms he would appreciate. Now notice again the specifics: your descendants will inherit this land, but before they do, they will first wander to and then be oppressed by another nation. God also promises that He himself will bring Abram's descendants out of that nation, He will punish this third nation and Abram's descendants will come out with great possessions. Notice how the chapter concludes (Genesis 15:18-21):

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates — the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

God articulates which nations will be displaced.  He tells Abram why he delays in providing the land to Abram "for the sin of the Amorite has not reached its full measure" (verse 16).  God would use Abram's descendants to carry out His justice because the Amorite sin would continue to worsen.

While we don't see a specific restatement of all nations being blessed by Abram's descendant or seed, we do begin to see the formation of the idea that his descendants would become an identifiable people who would inherit the land.

As you flip past the next chapter you may see an interesting heading (depending on your Bible's publisher).  We read about "Hagar and Ishmael".  This chapter tells the story of how Abram tried to take matters into his own hand and is making a mess of his family's life.  However, God comes through to bless a slave woman, Hagar, and provide for her son by Abram, Ishmael.

In chapter 17, Abram is still longing for God to fulfill His promises.  Abram is now 99; its been 24 years since God first made promises to Abram.  Does it ever seem to you a long time when you've called out to God?  Many times we miss the big picture in our desire for quick results.  Notice how this plays out for Abram (17:1-8):

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."  Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,  "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God" (NIV).

What do you notice about these promises?  Did you notice that God has now promised "nations," "kings," as well as the land of Canaan? God also changes Abram's name to Abraham.  He also will change Sarai's(Abraham's wife) name to Sarah (verse 15).  Now notice a few verse later when Abraham wants Ishmael to be his heir (Genesis 17:19-22):

"And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"  Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him" (NIV).

God makes it clear that it is not Ishmael through whom these promises would be fulfilled, but Abraham's yet unborn son, Isaac.  God restates part of the promise to Isaac.  He says he will make the covenant with Isaac.
Several chapters and years later God confirms His promises one more time when He tells Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18):

"The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me" (NIV).

Again we see the promise of many children restated.  We also see the promise of land hinted at.  But most importantly did you notice the final promise "through your offspring all the nations on earth will be blessed...?"  Again, we're not told when, where, or how.  But the promise is there.  It is a promise of a benefit for all mankind.

As we conclude our study for now.  We move beyond the very vague statement to the serpent that a seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head.  The promise is still vague, but we know that somewhere out of all the descendants of Eve it would be a descendant of Abraham through whom this great blessing will come.  

Next week I hope we will be able to come back to Genesis and continue our study.  If you have questions feel free to contact me.

www.benbrookchurchofchrist.com

Developing Leaders

Do you ever wonder how prepared Joshua felt to lead Israel into Canaan?  For forty years Israel had wandered in the wilderness with Moses at the helm.  How intimidating it could have been.  But then again, it did not just happen. 

Joshua had been mentored by Moses. Notice Exodus 33:11: “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent” (NASU).  Did you notice that Joshua was at Moses’ side from the early days of the wandering?

You get the sense that this young man was enthralled by Moses’ words and interaction with God.  Joshua witnessed Moses’ faith and faithfulness to God.  He was given responsibility as one of the twelve spies (Numbers 13-14).  Later he was given some of Moses’ authority to lead Israel (Numbers 27:18-23).  Finally, at Moses’ death Joshua was commissioned to lead Israel into Canaan (Dt. 31:23, 34:9).

He had been prepared for this moment by his time at Moses’ side.  He had been prepared by being assigned first smaller tasks then greater and greater tasks.  He had demonstrated his ability to lead in his execution and faithfulness of these assignments.   Joshua had the better part of a lifetime in preparation; let us be diligent in training and preparing others in the work and leadership of the church.

www.benbrookchurchofchrist.com