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Genesis 1-3
Genesis 6-9
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Chapter and Verse

Mary Hamrick, Teacher

Genesis 1-3 
"The Beginning"

The story of how God created our world is so touching and so tender.  Imagine the creativity of God to visualize the stars, the sea, land and trees and then create them.  Imagine the practicality He used in creating such beautiful things that serve so many purposes and from which we receive such joy and wonder.

The stars – sure they are beautiful night lights, but a star would one day guide the wise men to the manger where the baby Jesus lay His sweet head so that they could worship Him.  The sea – a separator of lands, nations, people, continents -  capable of tremendous energy in storms and capable of housing a whale that would swallow a man named Jonah and 3 days later spit him out onto dry land, alive and well.  The land – it produces vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees that continue to produce today.  Imagine the insight of God to create these things one time that would last forever.  From the land, all the animals were created (verse 24); from the dust of the ground, man was created.  A tree - created to provide shade, food and wood products, and would one day be used to make a cross that God’s own son would die upon (yet Jesus was raised from death three days later).

What grace and love God has for us – knowing that we would sin and still providing us with such perfect beauty and such a practical creation.

God saw that all of creation was good and then, God went beyond what He had already demonstrated with His imagination and creativity and He created something that He saw was very good - God created man in His image (verse 26).  Did you see that?  God made us in His image to reflect who He is – He made us with common sense and logic, with the ability to love and think and choose, with a sense of humor, and He even gave some of us an extra serving of tenderness and emotion.

Thank God today that you are created in God’s image – in the likeness of God.  Knowing this, we can know that we are not worthless or unlovable – we are created in His image – to reflect Him.  What a beautiful thought- as the dragonfly reflects the sun, we are to reflect God!  Wow!

God made man and put him in charge of all things – perhaps to keep him busy and out of trouble (smile).  God made man to reflect His love.

In your reading did you notice that after God finished His work, He rested?  What a comforting thought – Sometimes we have a tendency to always be on the move – working, taking care of others, always one thing to do and then another.  We must learn to rest, to be still and learn to talk with God, and to learn to hear Him speak to us.

Don’t miss the fact that in chapter 2, we learn that there was no need for an umbrella or frizz-free hair spray, because it didn’t rain.  Streams that came up through the ground watered the earth.  And please don’t miss that man is the only creature that God ‘breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”.  We have life because God has breathed it into us.

You may ask, if God didn’t want man to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, why did He put it in the middle of the garden?  God gave man a choice – to obey God or to follow his natural urges and temptations.  Without being able to make a choice, Adam would have been like a prisoner.  He would have obeyed God because that was all he knew.  His obedience would have been empty and without choice.  By giving us the right to choose, we can choose whether to obey God or not.  When we choose to obey God, we can learn about God’s character and the blessings associated with obeying God.  By obeying God, we come to know Him in a very intimate way. 

Isn’t it romantic how God made the mate for man?   “God took one of man’s ribs and made woman from the rib he had taken out of man”.  For this reason, a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.  How beautiful.

I still call satan a serpent.  He made his first appearance to Adam and Even in the form of a serpent and only gets lower from there.  He said things to Eve that made her think God was stingy and self-centered in not letting her taste the fruit.  So Eve disobeyed God, she gave in to temptation.  How like us – desiring the things we do not have – looking for “one more thing” to make us happy, sometimes forgetting the consequences for the short-term reward.

Well, Adam and Eve disobeyed God so their eyes were opened to good and evil – so they hid from God, ashamed of themselves.  Just like Adam and Eve, we have all sinned, and with sin in our lives sometimes we hide from our God, ashamed to go to Him and tell Him we are sorry.  Adam and Eve did have to pay for their sin.  Was the sin worth the price?  It rarely is.  But God provided for them by giving them clothing to wear and a place to live.  He is the great provider – He cares about our needs.  If there is a need in your life today, reach out to Him and tell Him – ask Him to provide for you and your family.  Trust in Him.
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As I read this chapter, my heart is saddened – this chapter says,“The Lord saw how bad man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that all of the thoughts of man’s heart were evil all the time.  The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and His heart filled with pain.”

Only one man found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Only one man was found righteous and blameless, only one man walked with God.  How self-centered God’s creation had become, that all except one man had turned their backs on God.  God made man in His image, God provided for man all that he would need to survive, God gave man the choice between good and evil.  And at this point in time, man- all except for one - chose evil.  And God was grieved that He made man, so He said,“I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.” All of the earth was filled with evil, and the evil went clear through to man’s thoughts and heart.  The thought of God being grieved over creating mankind makes me ashamed of sin – all sin.

Lord, please give us the desire to please you, to live upright before you, to walk with you.  Lord, help us to choose to live for you rather than evil.  Teach us to abandon sinful living and wrong thoughts.  Open our hearts to you that we will find favor in your eyes.  Amen.

Noah was a man full of faith.  To walk with God when it was not the popular thing to do, to build a boat the length of 1-1/2 football fields.  It took Noah 120 years to build the ark, to collect food and animals as directed by God.  The rainfall was coming and Noah had to be prepared!  Why?  Because God told him so, and he believed what God said.  So Noah, I imagine, put up with laughter and criticism from his neighbors, yet he continued to obey his God.

“Go into the ark, you and your family and the creatures I have outlined for you to take, for in seven days I will send rain and it will rain for forty days and forty nights and every living creature on the face of the earth will be wiped out.”  And  Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.  What faith and obedience we find in Noah.

I think at this point, if I were Noah, I would be thinking, “Man, I hope this boat can float!  Did I miss any places when I was putting on that pitch-stuff?”

Then it rained – and rained – and rained, and the waters rose and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.  This wasn’t the traditional method of ground-watering.  Remember last week we talked about how the ground, since creation, had been watered by streams of water coming up out of the ground.  Now we have rainfall coming from the sky.

“Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out … Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left.”

The rains stopped and the waters receded.  The ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat.  After many days, Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded enough for them to leave the ark, and when the dove returned to him, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf, so Noah knew the water had receded from the earth. 

One year and ten days after the rains had began, Noah and his family were able, finally, to come out of the ark.  Oh, to touch and stand on dry land.  What a blessing it must have been to be alive and to be able to be on dry land again.  What a humbling experience for Noah and his family to be the only survivors of such a flood.

Then God sent Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.  Noah built an altar to God to show his thanks and his praise and his humility before God.  And the Lord was pleased and made a promise to Noah.  Read the promise – This is a beautiful promise of our seasons and the continued orderliness of our world - and on that, we can depend.
 “As long as the earth endures,
 seedtime and harvest
 cold and heat
 summer and winter,
 day and night
 will never cease.
Have you ever wondered about the significance of a rainbow?  Such brilliant colors, such beauty and wonder. 

The rainbow is to remind us of a promise God made many years ago.  This was a promise made to Noah after the flood.  God’s promise is this,“Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.  This is the sign of this promise I am making … I have set my rainbow in the clouds.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the promise between God and all living creatures on the earth.  (Genesis 9:11).

Today when we see the rainbow we are reminded of God’s commitment to never again destroy all life on earth with a flood.  We are reminded that He keeps His promises to us – forever.  Thank you, Lord.
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In Chapter 10, we read through the descendants of Noah.  Of particular interest in the outline of descendants is the line of Shem, Noah’s firstborn son.  Traditionally the firstborn son would inherit the major share of property – both materially and spiritually.  I believe that Shem received the spiritual blessings of his family because from his descendants came Abraham, David and Jesus.

After the languages were confused at the Tower of Babel, people were scattered to different regions, according to their language.  Abram and his wife, Sarai, lived with Abram’s father and had adopted Abram’s nephew, Lot.  They lived in a land called Haran.  Just as his ancestor Noah, Abram deeply desired to follow God.  After Abram’s father died, the Lord told Abram,
“Leave your country and your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you (Genesis 12:1-3)."  God promised Abram:
 “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 that bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse,
And all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Was Abram obedient to God?  You better believe it.  He packed his family including his nephew Lot, his bags, cattle and sheep, and followed God.  Why?  Abram had the faith to believe that how and where God leads is the best way, and he trusted God.  The promise God gave to Abram was a two-way promise … Abram had to do what God wanted him to do-leave his home and friends to follow God.  In return for Abram’s obedience, God would bless the nations through Abram.

Did Abram keep his end of the deal?  He slipped up now and again – lost his focus and faith sometimes – but God would get Abram right back on track.  He was a man who desired to serve the Lord.

Did God keep His end of the deal?  In a few weeks of study you will see that He did.  See what God said and what God did:
 “I will make you into a great nation”  (the nation of Israel came from Abram’s descendants) 
“and I will bless you”  (Material wealth – livestock, silver and gold; spiritual wealth – many descendants that followed God)
 “I will make your name great”  (Abraham, father of the nation of Israel) "and you will be a blessing."
“All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you” (Jesus, the Christ, was a descendant of Abram.  Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.)

I don’t know about you, but these two chapters really bring me encouragement.  When I obey God, He will bless me – maybe not with material things, but with spiritual blessings; and my friend, these are blessings too full to measure. 

Abram was not a perfect man even though his desire was to walk with God.  In Genesis 12:10, we read where a famine came to the land of Canaan so Abram went to Egypt with Sarai to live until the famine had passed.  Why did Abram have Sarai lie and say she was his sister rather than his wife?  He knew that Sarai would be desired by the Egyptians because of her beauty and he was afraid for his life.  Oops – it looks like Abram lost his faith.

Let's recap - Abram had trusted God enough to pack up his family and belongings and go to an unknown land to start over, but he didn’t trust God enough to protect his own life.  Sometimes I doubt whether God can handle certain hurts or disappointments that I’m facing.  We are on a constant battlefield with satan because he wants us to lose our faith in God.  Let me tell you something … God may seem to be sleeping sometimes and not answering our prayers, but He is always on the throne watching over us … ALWAYS.  Maybe we just need to take our spiritual earplugs out so that we can hear Him when He speaks to our hearts.

I did find some comfort for us during Sarai’s stay in Pharaoh’s household.  God protected Sarai from Abram’s lack of faith.  A long period of purification was typical when a bride entered a ruler’s harem (Esther 2:12 says, “Before a girls turn came to go to the king, she had to complete 12 months of beauty treatments, 6 months with oil and myrrh and 6 months with perfumes and cosmetics.)(Talk about being pampered!)

God was and is in control.  When Sarai was released from the harem, Pharaoh commanded Abram and Sarai to leave, so they headed back home to Negev.

Thank you, Lord, that we can look to you for guidance.  Thank you that even though you may lead us to far away lands, you never leave us alone.  You are always present, always keeping watch over us.  Help us, Lord, to take out our spiritual earplugs so that we can hear you in our hearts and minds, and remind us that we can call on you at all times for “as long as the earth endures, in seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, your love for me will never cease.”  (Genesis 8:22). 

Next week, let’s talk more about Abram and Sarai.  The book of Genesis is so full of history and beautiful stories.  In the chapters to come, Abram will be blessed and tried.  Join me to see how his life’s journey had its ups and downs and how we can learn from his example.

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Sometimes I am so compelled to kneel at “my altar” and pray.  My altar – the place where I go to meet God – is in my bedroom beside my bed.  That is where I kneel before God and give Him my sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, but also where I ask for forgiveness and guidance.  I sacrifice my hurt feelings and pride at this same altar.  How precious it is to have a place – an altar – where we meet God in prayer.  Yes, He is always present and always hears our prayers, but when I go to my special place to meet with God, I can close the door to the outside world and pour out my heart before Him.  When I kneel at “my altar” to meet God, I find Him there. A friend, Jennifer Young, wrote a beautiful song from the verses in Jeremiah 29:11-13.  The words repeat over and over in my mind as I write this:

When you are compelled, or drawn, to kneel before God at your altar … when God seems far away … kneel and pray until you find Him.  He is there – sometimes our hearts are just not open to Him.  Stay on your knees until you find Him.  He is there.

As Abram, Sarai and Lot came into Canaan, there was quarrelling between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot.  Abram allowed Lot to select the land he wanted to occupy with his family, herds, flocks and tents.  Lot chose the best land available – the land near a sinful city called Sodom.  Eventually, Lot’s self-centered choice put he and his family into captivity and they were hauled away. But God’s man, Abram, went to their rescue.  With the blessing of God, Abram was able to free the captives and bring them back home to Sodom.  What a beautiful example of Abram’s unconditional love for his nephew, Lot.

As I read about Sarai being barren, I was saddened.  Abram and Sarai both ached for a child.  Abram cried out to God, and God heard his prayer and responded with this promise:
 “A son coming from your own body will be your heir. 
Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.
So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:4

In our reading over the next few weeks, we will learn that Abram and Sarai did have a son named Issac.  But Sarai didn’t know what we know - so she took matters into her own hands.  She knew of God’s promise, but she didn’t want to wait any longer on God.  Sarai gave Hagar, her maidservant, to Abram as a substitute wife.  By ancient custom, it was lawful for a barren wife to give a slave to her husband.  Any children born were considered the wife’s rather than the servant’s.  No wonder Hagar developed an attitude toward Sarai - Hagar knew the child she carried would not be considered her own child.  And because of Hagar’s hurt and anger, she was mistreated by Sarai.  When I read between the lines, I sense jealousy, insecurity, and hurt between these two women.  I can’t help but relate to both of their emotions during this time.  Sarai desperately wanted a child and her maidservant was the one carrying Abram’s child – did that make her feel less of a woman because she couldn’t bear children?  Hagar was pregnant with her first child and would be forced to turn the sweet baby over to her mistress. 

What if Sarai and Abram had waited on God’s timing in giving them a child.  Was this another “oops” for Abram?  By sleeping with Hagar, Abram was acting in line with the custom of the day, but his action showed a lack of faith that God would fulfill his promise.  That really hits home to me.  When my faith falters and doubt sets in, or when God’s timing isn’t timely enough for me, how often I want to step in and give God a nudge, or just do things myself.  Thank God, He is patient, loving and understanding.  Thank God He is forgiving. 

In Abram’s example, we see a man that was faithful to God, with a prayerful attitude toward worship and a heart that desired to please God.  At times we see his faith falter and we see him ‘slip-up’ – what an encouragement to us that from Abram’s example we see a God that loves us in spite of our occasional doubt and sinful ways.  We see a forgiving God.

Lord, when we want things our way and when we want things now, please help us to kneel before you, at our altar, and ask you for your understanding and power in learning to live and walk in your will and ways.  Help us not to get ahead of you, but to learn to follow you.  Keep our faith in you strong, and teach us to love you more every day.
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As I sit down to write this study, I have to laugh to myself.  These issues are so difficult that I would prefer to skip these four chapters, and move on. But the lessons learned from these chapters are valuable.  I’ve used more scripture than normal, and this lesson is longer than normal, but hey – you have to admit – these are difficult topics. 

I want to begin, however, with something precious rather than difficult.  It’s a change – not just any change, but a name change!

Genesis 17
In verses 4 and 15 we read where God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah.  Their new names were based on what they were going to become.  Abraham means “the father of many nations” and Sarah means “blessed lady.”

If you could choose a name for yourself based on what you want to become in the future, what would your name be?  Perhaps it would be Naomi (which means beauty) or Florence (which means prosperous).  Or perhaps you would change your name to Faith.  Oh, to learn to walk with God by faith alone – never again to doubt God’s word, character or workings.  Never to wonder whether He would take care of your today and your tomorrows.

What a beautiful thing God did for Abram and Sarai – He gave them new names that would confirm to everyone who spoke these names that God was in control of their lives.  What a testimony.  Let’s take a break and listen to a ‘pretend’ conversation: 

Abrahams’ friend: “Hey Abram … I mean, Abraham … what’s up with the new name?”
Abraham:  “It’s a new name that the Almighty God has given me.”
Abrahams’ friend:  “Why didn’t He give you something a little different, like Bob?”
Abraham: “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but God has promised that He will make me the ‘father of many nations’.
Abrahams’ friend: “Well, you’re 99 years old and Sarai, I mean Sarah, is 89 years old.  How can you be the father of many nations if the two of you don’t even have a child?”
Abraham: “God has promised that we will have a child, and He is always true to His word.  Sit down and let me tell you about ‘My Almighty God’.”

In Genesis 17:9, we read about a new covenant between God, Abraham and the descendants of Abraham.

Genesis 17:9“As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants…for the generations to come…Every male among you shall be circumcised … My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant … Any uncircumcised male will be cut off from his people, he has broken my covenant.”

The physical act of circumcision was to remind Abraham and his descendants of their covenant with God.  The covenant was a binding pact between God and His people, but the people could still choose whether to accept or reject it.  In choosing to accept God’s covenant, the Israelites chose to trust and obey Him.    The physical circumcision symbolized a readiness of the people to be obedient to God.

Today rather than a physical circumcision, God asks us to circumcise our hearts.  What does that mean?  The word circumcision means 'to cut off'.  To circumcise our hearts is to 'cut off' or turn our lives completely away from things and ways that are contrary to God's way (sin),  and turn our eyes and hearts toward God.  If we turn to God, he will teach us, help us grow and mature spiritually, and help us open our eyes and ears to Him.  He will circumcise our hearts - a whole new meaning to a word that usually makes me cringe.

Deuteronomy 30:6 says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and live.”

Chapter 18
Normally I would be glad to leave Chapter 17 because it is so difficult for me to explain, but Chapter 18 makes me want to go back and talk about circumcision all over again!  (smile).

Let’s just jump right in, okay?

Remember when Lot and Abram came to the Negev region, Abram let Lot choose where he wanted to live?  Lot chose the most fertile land that was located by the city of Sodom.  From our reading this week, we see that Lot and his family – at some point – moved into the city to live.  Our reading showed us how wicked and evil the city was.  And trouble was brewing.

Genesis 18:20,“Then the Lord said, the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.  If not, I will know.”  God’s plan was to destroy the cities.

Genesis 18:22-32  (condensed for shorter reading)
Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
Abraham: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? 
The LORD: "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 
Abraham: “What if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" 
The LORD: "If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it." 
Abraham:  "What if only forty are found there?" 
The LORD: "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."
Abraham: “What if only thirty can be found there?" 
The LORD:  "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 
Abraham: “What if only twenty can be found there?" 
The LORD:  "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 
Abraham:  “What if only ten can be found there?"
The LORD:  "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."
"When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home."

Doesn’t that make you smile?  It reminds me of a few negotiating techniques my children have tried to use on me!  Isn’t it enlightening how God allowed Abraham to plead for any righteous people living in the city.  God already knew that there were not any righteous people living there.  He knew the outcome would be the same, yet He allowed Abraham to plead on the behalf of any that may exist.  God allowed only Lot and his family to leave before the cities were destroyed.  What does this teach you about our God?  That He is interested in our concerns.  That He does hear us when we pray.  That He is kind and fair.

Chapter 19
Remember how we were taught that if we couldn’t say anything nice about a person not to say anything at all?  Good advice.  That leaves me at a loss for discussing Lot’s behavior recorded in this chapter.  About all I can say is that he had lived amidst sin and wickedness for so long that he lost sight of what was right and wrong. 

Look at verse 19:8.  I understand that during Lot’s time, it was a custom to protect visitors in your home at any cost, but I do not understand how Lot could offer his daughters in their place.  In his defense (I’m still looking for the positive), perhaps he thought that since the rioting mob outside his house were interested in the male visitors then they wouldn’t have any interest in his daughters.  Nonetheless, the angels of the Lord (the visitors) protected Lot and his family from the angry mob.

The visitors (angels of the Lord) told Lot, “We are going to destroy this place.  The outcry of the Lord against its people of Sodom is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”  The two visitors had to physically drag Lot and his family from the city.  Why did God save Lot?  19:29 says“God remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.”

From reading the rest of the chapter, you may come to the same conclusion that I did.  Lot’s time spent in Sodom seems to have warped his mind of the difference between righteous living and self-centered living.  When we are obedient to God, we allow Him to lead our lives so that our hearts and minds remain ‘circumcised’ to Him, tender to His voice and His call.

Chapter 20
Here we go again – Abraham’s slip-up.  It sounds like a recording.  Abraham and Sarah moved again and stayed in Gerar for a while.   And while there, Abraham told people that Sarah was his sister.  Thus, Abimelech the King sent for Sarah and took her to live in his home.

Ever feel like you’re so hardheaded that God puts you to the same test over and over again and you keep failing it?  I do!  Usually after three or four times, I finally catch on and ask God to help me “pass” the test with His strength!

I imagine that’s what was happening to Abraham.  God was trying to teach Abraham to “trust in Him” no matter what the cost.  And Abraham just didn’t have the faith, yet, to know that he and Sarah would be taken care of.  But God’s protection and rescue of Sarah shows us more of God’s characteristics  – He is patient, a protector, and forgiving!

And as with all things, God can work good from anything … anything!  King Abimelech sent Abraham away with four S’s.
·      Sarah
·      Sheep and cattle
·      Slaves
·      Silver (1000 shekels)
      And he told Abraham that he could ‘live anywhere he wanted to live’.

And they lived happily every after.  Okay, not really … but didn’t that sound like the perfect ending to this difficult lesson? 
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When Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, one of God’s promises to Abraham was fulfilled, and their prayer for a child was answered.  With the blessed birth of Isaac, my mind turns to Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, born to him by Sarah’s maidservant Hagar.  Ishmael was about 14 years old when Isaac was born. Ishmael had spent the first 14 years of his life with his father, Abraham, as an only child.  He received the benefits and love of being Abraham’s oldest and only son.  Remember the jealousy and bitterness between Sarah and Hagar when Ishmael was born?  Jealousy and bitterness were still in the heart of Sarah.  As Isaac was weaned and a great feast was held to celebrate, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac and had both Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, sent away.

This saddens me for Ishmael and Hagar, but also for Abraham, who truly loved his son, Ishmael.  It was Sarah’s decision to have Hagar lay with Abraham in order to give Abraham a son, and now it was Sarah who decided to send them away.  In verse 12, God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant.  Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.  I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Abraham was distressed.  He watched them leave, I’m sure with tears in his eyes, a lump in his throat, and a hole in his heart.  But Ishmael was not alone.  He may have been sent to live in the desert, but Genesis 21:20 says tells us, “God was with the boy as he grew up.”

Abraham had experienced distress over the loss of Ishmael.  Some time later, God tested Abraham with the possibility of losing his beloved son, Isaac.  Genesis 22:2, “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”   In Genesis 22:3-7, we read that Abraham did all that the Lord told him. 

As Abraham prepared the altar and laid his son Isaac there, I wonder what he was thinking.  Was he questioning God?  His journey to the region of Moriah  took about three days.  Was he in agony over that three-day journey wondering what God had in mind, or did he have a peace that everything would be all right?  I cannot imagine the pain in his heart as he pulled back his arm, knife in hand, ready to sacrifice his son to his God.  And, oh, the feeling of relief that he must have felt as the angel of the Lord stopped him from carrying out the plan.  Abraham’s ears were opened to God – he heard the angel tell him to stop.  Abraham’s heart was opened to God – he was willing to give his all – his only son – if that was what God required.  And because of Abraham’s willingness to do as God asked him – even to sacrifice his son to God – God blessed him with a strengthened heart, a stronger faith, and a complete knowledge of how he much he loved his God. 

Last year I felt God leading me to be a living organ donor for a friend that needed a kidney.  After extensive testing, we were scheduled for the surgery.  As I lay in the hospital bed before being rolled into surgery, the thought entered my mind, ‘What if this is it?  What if something goes wrong and I die?  Who will watch after my husband, my children?”  That was a turning point in my life – because my answer was a prayer to God.  I prayed, “Lord, if it is my life that you want, you may have it.  If it is my life that you want, I know that you will provide for my husband and children, and I know that you will use my life to glorify you.”  God gave me a peace before the surgery that I cannot describe.  I knew that if it were to be my last day on earth, then it would be the day that God had planned for me and it would be a good day.  I learned that day that the most important thing in my life is to serve God – to be obedient to Him. 

I can only somewhat relate to Abraham’s willingness to give his most prized and cherished possession – his son – to God.  He was willing.  And God blessed his willingness and obedience.  I can just see the tears streaming down Abraham’s face as the angel of the Lord stopped him.  I can just see him bowing to his knees in worship and thanksgiving to God for saving his son.  I can feel the swelling in his heart, as he realized that after all those years of testing, he had finally reached a place where he could trust in God no matter what.  He had finally come to a place where he loved his God with all of his heart, mind, body and soul.  What a day of praise that must have been.   A true hero of faith.

Sacrifice means ‘the act of offering’.  Abraham offered his only son to God.  What are you willing to offer?  Are you willing to give all of yourself to Him?  Will you be a hero of faith?  Will you allow God to strengthen your faith in Him by being obedient to Him, no matter the cost?

Part II – Eliezer  (Genesis 23-24)
When Sarah died, Isaac was 37 years old.  The bond between Sarah and Isaac had to be strong – he was the child she had always dreamed of, prayed for, waited for.  I imagine she loved him with a love that was more than words can describe, and that Isaac loved her with all of his heart.   He mourned her death.

In Chapter 24, Abraham sent his chief servant, Eliezer (Genesis 15:2) to his country, Aram Naharaim, to his relatives, to find a wife for Isaac.   Who was Eliezer?  He was Abram’s most trusted servant, acting as household administrator.  Abraham told Eliezer, “God will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for Isaac from there.”  (Genesis 24:7).  I love the heart of Eliezer.  He had been with Abraham for so long that he knew the God of Abraham as a God of trust and he knew that God would honor the request of Abraham.  Eliezer, the chief servant, allowed God to pick out the perfect wife for Isaac.  He didn’t take matters into his own hands, but asked for God’s help and then waited on God.

Eliezer prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham … May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink’, and she says ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’, let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.”   Prayer is the key that unlocks faith.  Eliezer’s prayer opened the door for God to provide. 

God’s answer:  Rebekah.  When Eliezer received the answer from God, he “bowed down and worshipped the Lord.”  He BOWED down on his knees and he thanked God for answered prayer.  In all things, great and small, we are to give thanks to God – all things!  How we need to learn this lesson and apply this to our lives.

Next, Eliezer went to the family of Rebekah and gave his testimony.  He shared how God had answered his prayer.  And Rebekah’s family basically said, 'if this is from God, who are we to argue?  God has directed this so we must do as He directs.'  And Eliezer bowed down, on his knees with his forehead touching the ground, and gave thanks to God. 

A prayerful mind, a grateful heart and a willingness to share his testimony.  How many times has God answered prayers in our lives and we have failed to thank Him or to share His answers with others.  How else can nonbelievers come to know God, except they experience Him through the lives of those who believe?  Are you holding back from sharing with others what God is doing in your life?  Take a step outside your comfort zone and share.  Open your mouth and share.  You will be in awe of what God can do with your testimony, as you share what He is doing in your life!

Eliezer - a hero of faith – obedient, prayerful, thankful.

As Eliezer and Rebekah approached the Negev, Isaac was in the field meditating and saw them coming.  Eliezer told Isaac all that had happened – how he had prayed to God for a sign, how God had answered his prayer, how Rebekah’s family had sent Rebekah to be married to Isaac.  Genesis 24:67 says, “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother, Sarah, and he married Rebekah.  So she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mothers death."  Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah.  His mother died three years earlier, and still Rebekah was able to comfort him after the death of his mother.  What a  way to end our study today.  God chose the perfect wife for Isaac.  She comforted him and she loved him. 

Heroes of Faith – Abraham and his chief servant, Eliezer.  They were both given very different assignments from God, each had a different level of knowledge about God, but both were obedient to God.  Had Eliezer belonged to another master, would he have known the God of Abraham?  What does this tell you about your faithfulness to God?  Do others have the desire to know your God by watching the way you live, love and worship?

As you worked through this study today, did God speak to you?  If He did, write down what He is telling you in a prayer journal.  That’s a great way to learn how to recognize the voice of God when He speaks to you. 
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To continue the study of Genesis, click here:  Genesis 25-50

In Him,
Mary 

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