Tag Archives: Genesis

Finally, a Birth! – Genesis 21

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The story of Abraham and Sarah is long and detailed, because God wants to embed in us the beginning of his people, a nation we have been grafted into as believers of Jesus Christ. After all their wanderings, in the midst of protection from sin, God answers their prayers with a new beginning.

Not much is said of the actual birth. In some ways, it was quite ordinary, just like the birth of a baby in a stable, placed in a manger.

But it signaled a new beginning. 

It signaled the potential for the promise, all those visions, to come true. 

We don’t hear about Abraham’s emotions, although they must have been plentiful. But we hear Sarah’s –

God has made laughter for me;
everyone who hears will laugh over me… 
Who would have said to Abraham
that Sarah would nurse children?
Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.

Sarah’s laughing again, but not in scorn. She’s laughing in fulfillment. Her doubting has turned to joy.

There are times when I doubt and God surprises me. Just recently I gave up hope, resigned myself, on ever being able to walk normal again, to not have to use a wheelchair when going out for the day with family. And then, after consulting several doctors, one gave me hope. And now I’m walking…and laughing!

A new beginning…

So Human – Genesis 20

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So lot has escaped from Sodom and the city is destroyed because of sin. God has just taught Abraham about justice and mercy. Don’t you think Abraham would have learned about sin and its consequences?

But, just like us, he falls back on human patterns of sin.

Moving to a new place, Abraham gave his wife to the local ruler, repeating the same lie he told Pharaoh, “She is my sister.” 

Once again, in what seems like endless patience, God speaks to the uncircumcised ruler to cause him to reprimand Abraham. And Sarah has an active part in all this, saying “He is my brother.”

But nothing can get in the way of God’s promise.

God needed to keep Sarah’s womb pure so that there would be no question of who the father of her child would be. His desire to complete his work in Abraham and Sarah’s lives was stronger than their faith.

Sometimes we get this backward. We believe that if we have faith, then God can work through us. But God reminds us once again that his work is not limited by our faith.

Do you ever wondered when you miss a witnessing opportunity if that person will ever know Christ? Let me assure you, if he desires to know God, God will reveal himself to him. He is a just and merciful God. He will not punish the person for your lack of faith. He is not limited by your abilities.

That doesn’t mean you were right to not share your faith, just as it was not right for Abraham and Sarah to lie. But God goes beyond our abilities to show his justice and mercy.

God is not limited by our unbelief.

Consequences of Sin – Genesis 17-19

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In Chapter 16, we looked at Hagar, who identified God as “the one who sees.” But God doesn’t only see an abused woman in the desert, crying desperately. He also sees the sin of the masses. Genesis 6-8 shows us a time when God saw communal sin and destroyed them with a great flood. Genesis 11 showed God causing confusion amongst the people when, in their pride, they tried to make their own way to God.

Sin has consequences. God does not ignore sin.

Then the men set out from there,
and they looked down toward Sodom.

God saw the sin the people of Sodom. He wanted to include Adam in his thought process to learn about justice and mercy.

The Lord said, 
“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
For I have chosen him, that he may command his children 
and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord
by doing righteousness and justice, 
so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

God knew Sodom’s sin. But he wanted to have the conversation with Adam to show him his just judgements. He had incrediable patience with Abraham in this duel, but the message was that God will not allow sin to go unchecked.

God also wanted to show Abraham his mercy, through providing a way of escape for Lot and his family. But even then, there was judgement for Lot’s wife, who still could not separate herself from her love of the sin of the city. And even after Lot and his daughters relocated, sin learned in that city continued.

Why do we think that we can get away with sin? Why do we question the justice of God? And even when God is in the midst of saving us, offering us redemption, why are we tempted to look back?

God is a just and merciful god. 

Let’s Review – Genesis 17

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Since Abram blew it so badly with Hagar, taking matters into his own hands (or arms) to make God’s promise become reality, God needed another “review lesson” with Abram. He wanted Abram to understand that no matter how impossible his promises may seem, they are “His” promises, and he needs no help.

Abram’s response: to fall “on his face.”

God made his point clear. 

And to make it even clearer, he renamed Abram to Abraham, giving him a new beginning.

And he asked for a sign of obedience: circumcision. I’ve often wondered where that creative thought came from but putting it in the context of Hagar/sex outside of marriage, I think it may have been appropriate.

And God knew Sarai needed a new beginning also, renaming her Sarah, to make her the mother of his people. 

This is when Abraham laughed. 

And he and God had a dialogue. Abraham is still trying to fix things with Ishmael. God patiently repeated Sarah, not Hagar, would be the mother of the nation, even naming her son Isaac.

The discussion was over; now faith steps needed to be taken. Have you ever wondered what the men in his household said when he told them about circumcision? “You want to do what?” But it looks like everyone followed their leader.

And Abraham, once again, was leading…

Simple Faith – Genesis 16

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A great injustice was done to Hagar. She didn’t ask to be a slave in Egypt. She didn’t ask to be given to a foreigner and then taken to another land. And after ten years, I doubt if she asked to be given sexually to Abram.

But when she conceived, “She looked with contempt on her mistress.”

And she probably had good reason. Remember Sarai had allowed herself to be given to Pharoah who almost took her sexually. That deceit caused Hagar to lose all she had known. 

And Abram didn’t want to get in the middle of two women. He’d already tried to please his wife by “embracing” Hagar and lost. So he punted again, afraid to lose with Sarai, but knowing he could lose his child, the only heir he might ever have.

Sarai was wrong to treat Hagar harshly. Only God can judge if Hagar was wrong to run.

But what we learn as Hagar weeps at the spring in the wilderness is that God sees EVERYTHING. He saw all of Abram’s sin, Sarai’s sin, and Hagar’s sin. 

He seeks us out and finds us, just as he sought out Adam and Eve, Cain, and so many others. He wants to dialogue with us, not because he doesn’t know the situation, but because it is healing, clarifying, for us to talk out loud. Dialogue builds relationship. And Hagar needs relationship if she is going to have the strength to return.

She also needed a vision, not of the reality that Sarai is really mad, but that she has a purpose before God. She was to have a son, and even though he would cause conflict, he would, and she would, survive.

Her response: “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 

She trusted God would “look after me.” She couldn’t trust that Abram would, even though he slept with her. And she couldn’t trust that Sarai would, even though she was her master.

But she knew God would take care of her.

Simple faith.

What do I need simple faith in that God will take care of me?

Dialogue – Genesis 15

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And Abram’s reward for defeating the Four kings when he returned home? God visited him in a vision, not just with a proclamation, but with a dialogue.

God said: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”

I’m sure at this point “shield” takes on a more vivid meaning after the blood of the battle!

Abram replied: “O Sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus? Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!”

Translated: “Promises, promises – let’s see some action.” Abram is growing weary waiting, looking, anticipating in faith, for God to act. Do you ever feel that way?

God replied: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 

God must have seen Abram’s continued skepticism as, “The Lord took him outside and said, ‘Gaze into the sky and count the stars—if you are able to count them! So will your descendants be.'”

Then, “Abram believed.” 

God goes on to give him more details about the promise after Abram believed, but first Abram needed a vision.

Sometimes all we need to obey is God clicking his fingers. We are ready and eager, filled with faith. We’ll pick up and go anywhere.

Sometimes, we are weary of the battle, the wanderings, seeing our own sin and the sin of others. We question, even doubt, the promise we so much wanted to believe in.

Dialogue is the basis for relationship. It’s the give and take. It’s the meeting in the middle. It’s the meeting of each other’s needs.

That’s when God, in his grace, dialogues with us. He woes us with his presence. He does not judge us for our limited faith, our doubts. Instead, he answers us with his truth, and leads us by the hand to remind us of his character. 

He fills our heart with vision.

Warning – Genesis 14

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Poor Lot. He chooses what looks like the best land, with strong nations to protect him, and what happens? Four kings go to war again five other kings, including Sodom, and the four kings prevail, taking all the possessions of Sodom, including Lot and his family. 

I wonder if this was the first time Lot regretted his decision. I wonder what his thoughts were as he was being led away in chains, not sure where his wife or children were? Not sure of his fate?

But Abram “to the rescue” when he was told him of the defeat. He pulled together his little forces and friends, 318 trained men, against 4 kings! But he chased them and retrieved all the stolen property, including Lot and his family.

Can’t you just picture the scene? All the confusion Lot heard and witnessed as his capturers fled. Then he sees a familiar face! The reunion and finding his wife and daughters. A triumphant march towards home, next to his uncle, telling others, “This is my Uncle!” The king of Salem greeting them, blessing Abram and praising him. Then on to Sodom and a very different response, when the King of Sodom greets them with a demand for his people and possessions.  You would have thought this would have given Lot a pause about his choices.

But it apparently did not. Lot went back to Sodom, to the King of Sodom, to everything he knew there. I don’t know if he was stubborn, stubborn like me when I don’t want to admit things aren’t going as well as I would like them to. I don’t know if he was already intrigued with the relationships and lifestyle he had there. All I know is that he went to Sodom, even after this warning.

What more would it take?

Worship – Genesis 13

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So after his failure in Egypt, God still provided for him, and… 
He returned to the place where he had pitched his tent 
at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.
This was the place where he had first built the altar,
and there Abram worshiped the Lord.

I really appreciate that Abram went back to where he had known God, where God has spoken to him, where he had worshipped him. Unlike Adam who hid after his sin, when Abram was confronted, he moved towards God. That’s a great lesson to me – that no matter how humbled I am, how ashamed I may feel, I can approach God by going back to him and recapture relationship.

But there were still problems. Abram, now reconnected with God in worship, realized continuing with Lot was problematic. While he was the elder with all the power, he humbled himself and gave Lot first choice of the land. Lot looked over the land and took what he thought was best for himself.

But God’s ways are not our ways, and Lot overlooked the power of sin which would someday undo his family and fortune. 

Abram was the peacemaker in this situation, giving of himself and his desires for the free choice of another. Right or wrong, he let Lot make his own decision.

Abram’s reward was God reaffirming his covenant with him, giving him and generations to come the land: “Get up and walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you.”

And, Abram’s response once again, was to worship God: “So Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oaks of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.” (remember this location…it will comeback again!)

When we make bad decisions, its a reason to worship. And when we make good decisions, that’s a reason to worship. 

There is always a reason to worship. 

Separation of the Nations – Genesis 11

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It’s interesting that in chapter 10, in describing the descendants of Noah and their nations, it also mentions several times, “These are the sons of _____, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.”

And yet, in the sequence of the story, we have not gotten to the creation of languages or nations! So, Genesis 11 is almost like a, “let me catch you up on how that happened while we were growing families…”

Thus, the story of the tower of Babel.

I’m not going to tell it again, except to think about the power of language, of communication, of understanding people. When man had a common language, he felt he powerful enough to reach to the heavens. It seemed like the only person he strove against was God, wanting to be a God. 

With Babel, there entered a world of confusion. Can you imagine being “on the job” and all of a sudden, the man you handed the brick to doesn’t know where you wanted it placed? And when he asks you about it, you can’t understand him? I don’t know, maybe he gets mad and throws the brick at you?

All we know is that this caused the separation of nations. Evidently, people from one family could still understand each other. And in their confusion, probably got closer to each other because no one else could understand them. And, instead of staying in one place and trying to figure it out, they moved farer from others, forming their own culture.

The issue is that there is still sin, very active in the world. It would be one thing to be your own nation, people group, but when one nation or people group starts to think they are better than another, that spirit of competition that can turn so easily into sin.

Misunderstandings turn into who is right and who is wrong, which turn into who is better or more powerful. Now, we enter into an atmosphere for war, cultures dominating others for their own gain.

It’s still true today. Individuals want to feel good about themselves, so they overpower others. Nations and leaders don’t want to be “less than,” so they assert themselves to be bigger and better. Cultures and languages hinder communication, until we sit in the mess of our own sin.

Maybe this is why God allowed Babel and the creation of nations – so that we could see the devastation that comes out of our choices, our selfish choices, our ambition, to lord over others. It makes me wish for the redemption that will come with Christ, when we will be one nation again, when every tear will be wiped dry.

No more misunderstandings…

New and Old – Genesis 9

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For in the image of God He made man.
As for you, be fruitful and multiply;
Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Noah was spared, but God determined that things would be different. Mankind would be the same, and he reminds us that we are created in the image of God, and our purpose would be the same, to be fruitful and multiply.

This is the sign of the covenant
which I have established between Me
and all flesh that is on the earth.”

The creation of the rainbow was the sign of the first covenant between God and mankind. He would never destroy the earth through flood again. Can you imagine their wonder as they saw the first rainbow – it’s brilliant color floating above the earth, so real but so imagined? Roger and I still pull off the road when we see a beautiful rainbow, amazed at this floating, ethereal creation.

But then, by the end of the chapter, we’re back to the old: sin. It doesn’t seem like much, giggling about someone’s nakedness, especially after the sin of the culture that drowned a generation before. But that’s how sin starts, a giggle here and a selfishness there. It was enough to get God’s immediate attention. Noah knew his children needed to be reprimanded and took the lead of a father in disciplining his children. 

Noah knew how devasting sin could be, and how he never wanted anyone to go through judgement again.

Nor should we.