The Book of Genesis: Perspectives

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The Book of GenesisPerspectives

• Chapters 17-23 251-10
• Life of Abraham
• Part 2

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Announcements

• Chili for Children fund raising luncheon
  Friday, January 22, 1100 AM-130 PM, at Wesley
  Foundation, 1111 N. El Paso. Tickets are 7.00.
  Call 968.4159 for more details.
• Join us Sunday morning for a youth led worship
  service. The ladies will be greeters and work in
  the Nursery. Neil Reynolds will give the lesson.
• Everyone is invited to a 50th wedding anniversary
  celebration for George Wanda Reed, Sunday,
  January 24, 100-300 PM, at the Family Center.
• Ladies are invited to Pajamarama Movie Night
  Friday, January 29, 630 PM, in the chapel.
  Please sign up in the hallway, call the office,
  or RSVP on Facebook.
• We need bottled water and lemon-aid for
  CHRISTeens in February. Please contact Fern
  Combs, 280.3110, for more information.
• The international students at the Student Center
  need a bicycle, a microwave and a car (for under
  3,000). Please contact Craig Davis if you can
  help.

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Prayer List

• Carolyn Williams St. Marys 201.
• Jim Bob Humphrey at home after surgery for a
  broken wrist.
• Jan Parker (Joel Tippits sister) went home from
  the hospital January 17.
• Yvonne Dunbar (Selby Baileys teacher) surgery to
  be scheduled to have a growth removed from her
  eye.
• Sympathy to Suzanne Josey in the loss of her
  grandmother, Flo Gardner-Williamson, who passed
  away Friday, January 15, in Missouri.
• Clay Reed hospital after a suspected fall,
  cant have visitors yet

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Genesis
Week Date Topic
1 09 Dec 09 Introduction and the Creation 11-225 (Ben)
2 16 Dec 09 The Fall 31-532
3 23 Dec 09 Elder Selection Discussion (Herb)
4 30 Dec 09 The Flood 61-929
5 06 Jan 10 Table of Nations/Tower of Babel 101-119
6 13 Jan 10 Life of Abraham Part 1 1110-1616
7 20 Jan 10 Life of Abraham Part 2 17-23 251-10
8 27 Jan 10 Life of Isaac 24 2511-2635
9 03 Feb 10 Life of Jacob 271-3643
10 10 Feb 10 Life of Esau 361-4334 (Ben)
11 17 Feb 10 Life of Joseph Corruption 371-3830
12 24 Feb 10 Life of Joseph Exaltation 391-4157
13 03 Mar 10 Life of Joseph Salvation 421-5025
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Todays Objectives

• Provide a review of last weeks lesson
• Learn how God renews his covenant with Abraham
• Learn what happens to Sarah that continues the
  line of Christ
• Learn why Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed and how
  Lot is saved
• Learn about the birth of Isaac and how God tests
  Abraham with Isaac
• Learn why Hagar and Ishmael are driven away from
  Abraham
• Learn about Sarah and Abrahams death

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Last week
Provide a review of last weeks lesson Learn
about the descendants of Shem Learn about the
descendants of Terah Learn about about Terah's
travels Learn about Abram and Sarai Learn about
Abram and Lot Learn about God's covenant with
Abram Learn about the conflict between Sarai and
Hagar Learn about the birth of Ishmael
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Authorship

• Bible scholars attribute Genesis to Moses
• Inspired by God, Moses was the human instrument
  through which God spoke
• Also attributed to writing the first five books
  of the bible
• Date of writing
• Uncertain
• Probably between 1500-1400 BC
• Spans more time than any other book of the Bible
• Approximately 2370 years, more time than the
  other 65 books combined
• Oldest and most detailed record of ancient
  history in existence

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Terminology

• Bereshith
• Hebrew name for the book meaning in the
  beginning
• Septuagint
• Oldest Greek translation of the OT, around 270 BC
• Torah
• Hebrew word for the law, refers to the first
  five books
• Pentateuch
• Greek name for the first five books of the OT
• Dead Sea Scrolls
• Ancient manuscripts found in 1947 contain parts
  of all books of the OT except Esther, confirming
  translations

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Covenant Renewal (Genesis 171-8)

• Thirteen years passed since the birth of Ishmael
• God gave a simple command for Abram which by
  extension applies to us to this day. walk before
  me and be blameless. (v. 1)
• God commanded Abram to walk before him in
  righteousness, purity, and total dedication
• God confirms his covenant
• Greatly increase your numbers (v. 2)
• Will be the father of many nations (v. 4)
• Renames him Abraham (v. 5)
• Land of Canaan (v. 8)

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Circumcision Instituted (179-14, 23-27)

• Symbol of the covenant between God and Abraham
• Circumcision (v. 13)
• Was Abraham justified by his circumcision?
• Romans 49-12
• Circumcision was a sign or a seal of the
  righteousness that Abraham already had
• It became a symbol of the covenant which God made
  with Abraham and his descendants after him
• Abraham renews his faith in Gods promise
• Immediately circumcised his household and Ishmael

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Sarais Future (1715-22)

• God changes Sarais name to Sarah (v. 15)
• Princess versus a Queen
• Sarah would give birth to a son by Abraham
• She would become a mother of many nations (v. 16)
• Of course, Abraham was amazed
• Abraham then asks that Ishmael be given the
  blessing (v. 18)
• God restates what is to happen, Isaac would be
  born
• Isaac meaning laughter
• Ishmael would be blessed (v. 20, also see Gen
  2512-16)
• Gods covenant established with Isaac (v. 21)

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God Appears to Abraham and Sarah (181-15)

• Event takes place about three months later, near
  Hebron or the plans of Mamre
• Physical appearance of God
• Three men appear before Abraham (v. 2)
• Two were angels (v. 191)
• Presume one of them is God (v. 1, 13)
• Who could the three men have been?
• Abraham offers them his hospitality (v. 3-8)
• They announce that Sarah would give birth (v. 10)
• In 1721, it states this time next year
• They were both in disbelief

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Judgment Against Sodom (1816-33)

• After the men leave Abrahams tent and turn their
  attention on Sodom
• Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was great (v. 20)
• Two of the men go to Sodom, the Lord remains (v.
  22)
• Lot lived in Sodom
• Abraham intercedes on his behalf
• Asked if God would destroy the righteous with the
  wicked (v. 23)
• Through questioning, Abraham learns that Sodom
  would be spared even if he found 10 righteous
  people in the city
• Lots immediate family included at least 10

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Lots Deliverance (191-29)

• Two angels travel to Sodom and meet Lot
• Lot welcomes them into his house (v. 2)
• Lot prepares a meal for them
• Depraved men of Sodom surround the house (v. 4)
• Demand the release of the two men (angels)
• Lot offers his daughters to them
• The men try to break into the house (v. 9)
• The angels strike the men with blindness (v. 11)
• The angels war Lot to leave Sodom at dawn
• At dawn they leave (v. 18)
• Fled to Zoar (v. 23)

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Sin and Disgrace of Lot (1930-38)

• Lot and his two daughters move to Zoar
• Lost all of his wealth
• His daughters were probably tainted by the
  sinfulness of Sodom
• Each daughter sinfully lay with Lot and have
  children
• Moab
• Ben-Ammi

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Sarah Taken by Abimelech (201-18)

• Abraham moves from Hebron to Gerar
• Reasons are varied (grazing area, sin of Lot,
  etc.)
• Abimelech was the king of Gerar, takes Sarah (v.
  2)
• Again, Abraham claims she is his sister, why?
• Belief that Abimelech did not fear God
• Remember, she was 90 years old
• God appears to Abimelech in a dream, tells him
  the truth
• Abimelech restores Sarah to Abraham (v. 14)
• Also gives Abraham livestock, servants, silver
• God heals Abimelech (v. 17)
• Implies that something had inflicted his
  household

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Birth of Isaac (211-13)

• Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah (v. 2)
• See Gen 1719 and 1721
• Circumcised as directed by the covenant with God
• Sarah sees Ishmael mocking her (v. 9)
• Ishmael was at least 14 years old
• She asks Abraham to cast them out
• God confirms that Abraham should listen to Sarah
• Get rid of Hagar and Ishmael (v. 12)
• God had still promised to make a nation of
  Ishmael
• Ishmael was still the seed of Abraham

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Hagar and Ishmael Cast Out (2114-21)

• Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away (v. 14)
• Wonders in Beersheba
• Fearing her son would die, she wept
• No record in the OT that Abraham ever saw Ishmael
  again
• God hears their cry and provides for them
• Well of water (v. 19)
• Arabic people today recognize the lineage of
  Ishmael
• God remains with Ishmael
• Wilderness of Paran
• Gains a wife out of Egypt

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Abimelechs Covenant (2122-34)

• Abimelech seeks a covenant with Abraham
• They both would deal honorably with each other
  including their descendants (v. 23)
• Abraham agrees (v. 24)
• Working out the covenant
• Before Abraham would sign off on the covenant
• Confronted Abimelech about a well that had been
  taken
• Abraham servants had taken Abimelechs well
• Abraham offered him livestock as a peace offering
• Called Beersheba, or well of seven
• Abraham remains in Beersheba (v. 34)

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Offering of Isaac (221-14)

• God decides to test (nacah) Abrahams faith (v.
  1)
• Directs Abraham to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice
  (v. 2)
• The land of Moriah (meaning chosen by God)
• Generally thought that this was precursor to
  Jerusalem
• Abraham rises and proceeds to do as God directed
• For three days (v. 4)
• Heb 1117-19, by faith Abraham obeys
• Isaac prepares the offering site
• Innocently asks where the lamb to offer is
  located
• Abraham bounds Isaac and prepares to slay him (v.
  10)
• Angel of the Lord intervenes (v. 12)

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Covenant Reconfirmed (2215-24)

• An angel of the Lord calls Abraham again
• God swore to himself that He would make Abraham,
  an in particular Isaac, a blessed man
• Reconfirming the covenant (v. 17)
• Heb 613, he could swear by no greater.
• Fifth time God confirms the promise
• Abraham returns to Beersheba
• Receives word that Milcah, his sister-in-law, had
  born eight children with his brother Nahor
• Bethuel, nephew of Abraham, was Rebekahs
  daughter
• Later would become Isaacs wife

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Death and Burial of Sarah (231-20)

• Sarah dies in Kirjatharba, known as Hebron
• Abraham negotiates with local Canaanites for a
  burial place
• They offer him a choice of gravesites
• He requests the cave of Machpelah
• Abraham buries her there

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Death of Abraham (251-10)

• Abraham takes another wife Keturah
• Six more sons are born
• Only Midian has any significant biblical history
• Become start points for various Arabian tribes
• Isaac becomes the lone heir
• Sons of Abrahams concubines sent away to the
  east
• Or towards what today is Arabia
• Abraham dies at 175 years old

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Review

• Provided a review of last weeks lesson
• Learned how God renews his covenant with Abraham
• Learned what happens to Sarah that continues the
  line of Christ
• Learned why Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed and
  how Lot is saved
• Learned about the birth of Isaac and how God
  tests Abraham with Isaac
• Learned why Hagar and Ishmael are driven away
  from Abraham
• Learned about Sarah and Abrahams death
• Next week Isaac, Genesis 24, 2511-2635