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Study No.12 : Self Help! : Genesis 16:1-6

A. Find Out:

      

1. Who suggested they take action to have children? v.1

2. What reason did Sarai give for not being able to have children? v.2

3. How did Abram respond to the suggestion? v.2

4. How did Hagar react when she realised she was pregnant? v.4

5. How did Sarai then react? v.5a

6. How did Abram respond to this? v.6

7. So what did Sarai do? v.6

 

B. Think :

  In this passage we see a list of wrong behaviour - which always results when people try to fulfil God's purposes through their own scheming.  

 

1. How did Abram do wrong ? (see v.2,6)

2. How did Sarai wrong? (see v.2,5,6)

3. How did Hagar do wrong? (see. v.4)

   

C. Comment :

 

      This is a sad passage of Scripture. Sarai & Abram decide to take matters into their own hands, the results of which live on in the world today (the Arab nations who are still against Israel come from the baby that Hagar was carrying here!) Abram fails as a husband to stand for what is right. Sarai fails as a wife who badgers her husband into a wrong course of action. God has said HE will ensure Abram has children, and what Abram has yet to learn is that God means through Abram and his wife, not through a slave girl!

  

     The amazing thing about this is that God ALLOWED this to happen, KNOWING what the long term outcome would be. Perhaps He will yet use it for His own purposes. Watch history! Again and again God amazingly allows us to exercise our free wills, foolishly!

   

D. Application?

1. Let's not be silly and say, "God won't allow me to do what is wrong". He

    has given you responsibility for the free will He has also given you!

2. Thank Him that He will even use our failures or the wrongs of others to

     His purposes. (see Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28)

   

Study No.13 : Angelic Encounter : Genesis 16:7-16

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What did the angel command Hagar to do? v.9

2. What did he promise Hagar? v.10

3. What did he say she should call her son? v.11

4. What (from the margin) does that mean? v.11

5. What did she realise about the Lord? v.13

6. How old was Abram when all this happened? v.16

 

B. Think :

1. Hagar was not God's choice of mother for the nation He was going to

    raise up from Abram's descendants, but He does honour her. How ?

2. Why do you think the Lord sent her back to Abram?

3. What sort of man does the angel tell her Ishmael is going to be?

   

C. Comment :

 

      The first thing we note is that the Lord did not leave Hagar to wander but sent His angel after her, to first of all make her face up to what she is doing. God wants honesty in us, even in facing our failures. Facing our failures is the first step in allowing the Lord to bring new direction and blessing into our lives! Perhaps by sending her back to Abram & Sarai, the Lord wants them to live with the consequences of their actions, as we said yesterday, especially when you think of the sort of man Ishmael is going to be! Ishmael is still Abram's son so God is still going to bless him!

  

      The fact that the angel tells her what sort of man her son will be doesn't mean that God will MAKE him be like that but just that He KNOWS he will be turn out like that. Hagar suddenly realises that God sees her all the time and her understanding of God is enlarged, so she returned to Abram, as she had been instructed

 

D. Application :

 

1. Remember again that we have to live with the consequences of our

    actions - but the Lord will be there with us working it for good, but He

    does want us to be honest about where we are with Him!

2. Thank Him that He will be with you wherever you are, and His grace is

    available to you to help you cope (2 Corinthians 12:9) and his wisdom is

    there (James 1:5) to show you HOW to act.

   

Study No.14 : Abram Renamed : Genesis 17:1-8

A. Find Out:

       

1. How old was Abram now? v.1

2. What did the Lord promise? v.2

3. How did Abram respond to God's promise? v.3

4. To what does the Lord change Abram's name? v.5

5. What did the Lord covenant? v.7

6. For how long did He promise to give Canaan ? v.8

 

B. Think :

1. Look back to 12:4 How many years had passed since God first spoke to

    Abram about making him into a nation?

2. How many times does mention of "covenant" and promise to be father of

    nations come in this passage?

3. Why do you think the Lord repeated His promises so many times?

 

C. Comment :

 

      Note first, that twenty four years have passed since God first spoke to Abraham about having many descendants, and he still hasn't got his first one!!! Sometimes the Lord appears to be waiting and waiting and waiting before He moves.

      For us that waiting seems to strain our believing almost to breaking point, but the Lord keeps on encouraging us to believe. What He says WILL happen - in His timing! Faith is believing the Lord when He has spoken - however long it takes! The reason why we sometimes have to wait and wait is normally not made clear at the time. Sometimes it is enemy opposition (see Daniel 10:12 -14), sometimes the Lord is just maturing our faith, and at other times the Lord is waiting for various other things to happen.

      Ishmael is now 13 years old, a young man, and God speaks to Abram (meaning exalted father) and changes his name to Abraham (meaning father of many). By this means and by constant reference to His covenant and promise of being a father of nations, God seeks to encourage Abraham to keep on believing.

 

D. Application?

1. God's timing is perfect. Re-affirm today that you WILL be patient and

     wait on Him for His timing.

2. The Lord understands our weakness and brings many reassurances.

   

Study No.15 : A Sign of Relationship : Genesis 17:9-16

A. Find Out:

       

1. What does God want Abraham to do as part of the covenant? v.10

2. What is it to be? v.11

3. When was it to happen? v.12

4. Who was it to include ? v.12,13

5. To what does the Lord change Sarai's name? v.15

6. What does the Lord promise about Sarah? v.16a

 

B. Think :

 

1. What, according to the Lord, was to be the point of circumcision?

2. What does the Lord know about us that he gives us these things?

3. What reminder of His covenant has the Lord given Christians today?

    (See 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

 

C. Comment :

        Circumcision would act as a constant reminder to every Hebrew male of the covenant he had from God. As God said, it would be a sign or reminder that it was there with every Hebrew male from eight days after birth for the rest of their lives. It was to include every male who was part of the community of God's people whether they were born into it or bought into it.

  

      The way the Lord speaks to Abram about it is yet another way of convincing Abraham or reassuring Abraham that he IS going to have children. These instructions are so sure and certain that Abraham can be left in no doubt that the Lord means it! We see here the Lord who knows our tendency to forget who we are, so He gives a means of constant reminder.

   

       For us, Communion or the "Lord's Supper" is supposed to be the same sort of thing. The Lord knows we need to DO something as a positive reminder of who we are and the relationship we have with the Lord. Forgetfulness is a trait of every person, redeemed or not, and so the Lord who constantly helps us, provides a means.

    

D. Application?

 

1. Thank the Lord that He understands us and has given us means of being

     reminded who we are.

2. Circumcision was a sign of being set apart to God. Do I consider that I

     am set apart to God?

   

Study No.16 : Reassurance & Obedience : Genesis 17:15-27

A. Find Out:

       

1. What did the Lord promise Sarah? v.16

2. What did Abraham ask the Lord? v.18

3. What name were they to give Sarah's son? v.19

4. What did the Lord say about that son? v.19,21

5. What did the Lord say He would do for Ishmael? v.20

6. How was Abraham obedient to God? v.23-27

 

B. Think :

1. Why did Abraham ask the Lord to bless Ishmael?

2. How does the Lord clearly show Abraham that the scheming of he and

    Sarah to have a family was pointless?

3. What does this say about the Lord?

 

C. Comment :

 

      First, in this passage, the Lord reiterates that Sarah will have a son. Abraham struggles with this thought and asks God just to bless Ishmael. The Lord perseveres with His slow-to-believe son and so yet again says twice more that she will bear a son, which means that at least TEN times so far God has spoken about Abraham's offspring, over a period of twenty four years!

 

      If we ever had any ideas about Abraham being a super spiritual giant we should bury them now. He is a very ordinary man who waited and waited and struggled and struggled with the revelation of God. What IS amazing is the patience and persistence of God who puts up with all of Abraham's faltering doubts. Along the way let's remember that the Lord who put up with Abraham is the same God who will put up with us today.

  

      However, we shouldn't forget that it is the Lord who is making Abraham wait all this time, and along the way we keep seeing little signs of Abraham's faith coming out in the midst of his doubts as the Lord guides, directs and trains him. Abraham in a further act of obedience and faith, circumcises all the males.

    

D. Application?

 

1. Will I hold steady to God's promises and wait His purposes?

2. Thank and praise the Lord for the way it is becoming clear that He had

     irrevocable purposes for Abraham that would need time.

 

   

Study No.17 : Divine Visitors : Genesis 18:1-15

A. Find Out:

       

1. In what form did the Lord come to Abram ? v.2

2. What did Abram do ? v.3-5

3. When did the Lord say they would have a son ? v.10

4. How did Sarai respond when she heard this ? v.12

5. Why ? v.11

6. What did the Lord ask ? v.14

7. What did she feel at the Lord's response? v.15

 

B. Think :

 

1. Note (3 ?) things that you have learnt about the Lord in this passage.

2. What do we learn about Abraham from this passage ?

3. What do we learn about Sarah ?

   

C. Comment :

      Here we find the Lord visiting Abraham and Sarah in human form accompanied by two angels. We see Abraham acting as the perfect host, welcoming them (without probably realising who they were) and providing food for them, in every way his behaviour being that of the perfect host. Having eaten, the Lord enquires of Sarah and then promises that within a year she will have a son.

  

      This is the most specific promise that Abraham has had from the Lord so far. This promise the Lord gives within Sarah's hearing, almost as if He wants her to hear and to respond. Her response is one of disbelief! She has presumably given up on the idea of having children and so the Lord challenges her with a most wonderful question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" The obvious answer is NO.

  

      It seems that perhaps the Lord's visit was purely to confront Sarah with her unbelief and challenge her to believe again. We see here the Lord who KNOWS and SEES all things. Don't let's try and hide things from Him!

   

D. Application?

 

1. Am I a welcoming, hospitable person like Abraham? 

2. Am I trying to hide things from the Lord?

3. Declare in faith that NOTHING is too hard for the Lord and that when

    He has spoken He WILL do it.

   

Study No.18 : The Lord Shares His Heart : Genesis 18:16-22

A. Find Out:

       

1. When the men left, what did Abraham do? v.16

2. What did the Lord wonder? v.17

3. What did the Lord remember of His purposes? v.18

4. Why did He say He had chosen Abraham? v.19

5. Why was the Lord going down to Sodom and Gomorrah ? v.20,21

6. As two men went down to Sodom , what did Abraham do? v.22

 

B. Think :

 

1. How did Abraham come to be with the Lord when He started talking

     about Sodom & Gomorrah ?

2. What do we learn here about those who fellowship with the Lord ?

3. What further extension of revelation about God's plans for Abraham are

    seen in this passage?

   

C. Comment :

   

      Abraham walks a little way with the Lord, seeing Him on His way. A picture of a man who is hospitable and who, perhaps, is loath to let the Lord go. It is with such people that the Lord shares His heart. As they walk, the Lord communicates His thoughts about Abraham. Because Abraham is one of God's chosen ones he can share something of the Lord's heart. The Lord WILL share His heart with those who spend time with Him, who open their lives and their homes to Him.

  

      We also see in the Lord's musings His desire for Abraham which hasn't been expressed openly before. He wants Abraham to learn and to teach his family to do what is right and just. The Lord doesn't just call a person, He calls with a purpose, so that person will walk in the way God originally planned, to do good and treat others rightly as well. Here is the Lord's desire for every man expressed, to bring change and blessing to us. What a lovely picture of the possible fellowship we may have with the Lord!

 

D. Application?

 

1. Do we long to have fellowship with the Lord as Abraham did?

2. Do we allow the Lord to share His heart with us?

3. Are we walking in goodness, treating all others in the way the

     Lord wants us to?

Study No.19 : Intercessory Opportunity : Genesis 18:22 - 19:1

A. Find Out:

       

1. Put Abraham's question to God in your own words. v.24

2. How many righteous did Abraham plead for in:

                                     v.24 ... v.28 ... v.29 ... v.30 ... v.31 ... v.32?

3. How does Abraham refer to the Lord? v.25

4. Who is resident in the city? v.1

5. Where was he sitting? v.1

 

B. Think :

 

1. What of Abraham is shown in these verses as he "prays"?

2. Why do you think he pleads for the righteous in the city?

3. The gateway was the place where the leaders of the town met.

     What do you think this says about Lot ?

 

C. Comment :

 

       In this unique episode in Scripture we find Abraham interceding before God for Sodom . The Lord revealed His purpose to Abraham and then seemed to stay with Him, almost as if He was waiting to see what Abraham's response was going to be.

      Revelation often brings with it responsibility. Abraham knows Lot and his family are at Sodom and so he asks the Lord to spare Sodom for the sake of righteous people there. He starts at fifty and works his way down to ten, and there he stops. How sad that Lot was there, living in the midst of unrighteousness and apparently sitting and accepted with the town leaders who usually sat in the large gateway area of the city.

  

      It is likely that as Abraham prayed he began to realise the true state of Sodom . He starts out with perhaps a random number, fifty, but actually wonders if there ARE fifty righteous there. As he prays on he realises how unlikely it was that there were many righteous there. He also realises something more about the Lord, that He is judge of all the earth. The more we intercede, the more we start to understand further truths about the situation we are praying for.

    

D. Application?

1. Do we allow knowledge of unrighteousness to stir us into intercessory

    prayer?

2. Do we receive greater understanding AS we pray?

 

Study No.20 : Sitting with Scoffers : Genesis 19:12-30

A. Find Out:

       

1. Why was the Lord going to destroy Sodom ? v.15

2. How many people eventually left? v.15

3. How eager was Lot to obey the angels? v.16

4. Why did the Lord spare Zoar? v.18-22

5. Why did the Lord rescue Lot from Sodom ? v.29

6. Where did Lot end up living? v.30

 

B. Think :

1. How is Lot shown in this passage?

2. How is the Lord shown?

3. Why is Abraham significant?

 

C. Comment :

      This passage reveals the confusion that affects Lot . First of all we need to remember WHO he is: the nephew of the man of God. He has gone with Abraham and has known much of the Lord. Tragically he forgot who he was and settled in a place that was far from the sort of place he should have been in.

      Second, we should note his foolishness in settling in that evil place. You don't stay in such a place unless you like it! He was loath to leave it when he is told the Lord is about to destroy it. He has become part of it and this creates unbelief that hardly believes the angels. Psalm 1 shows us the downward slope : walk, stand, sit, and Lot was now sitting in the seat of mockers!

      Third, when he does leave he still doesn't want to disassociate himself from the towns of the plain and go to the mountains Finally we leave Lot living in a cave in the mountains. Despite all this we find the apostle Peter declaring Lot to be righteous (2 Peter 2:7,8) because in the midst of it he hated what was going on around him! What that tells us is that even righteous men who hate what is happening around them, often don't have the courage to get up and leave it! It was only the grace of God through the angels that eventually got him out!

 

D. Application?

 

1. Will we learn from Lot to stay away from sin?

2. Will we be obedient when the Lord calls us to leave?

 

RECAP No.3  "Failure & Fellowship"  Genesis 16-19

SUMMARY :  

         

In this third group of 9 studies we have seen :

- Abram & Sarai "helping God out"

- a whole series of wrongs following

- Ishmael being born but the Lord bringing promises to Abram

- circumcision being a sign of covenant

- God changing Abram's & Sarai's names

- The Lord promising Sarah a child

- the Lord visiting Abraham & revealing his plans

- Abraham interceding for Sodom & Lot being rescued

 

COMMENT:

       Here is a remarkable example of the grace of God: Abram and Sarai disastrously try to fulfil God's promise by their own efforts, and yet the Lord simply comes and blesses them and draws them into closer fellowship with Him as he reveals His plans for neighbouring cities.

  

      The lesson here surely, is that when the Lord chooses someone He doesn't let them go, even when they fail him.

 

LESSONS?

 

1. All our actions have consequences

2. Don't try to do God's work for Him

3. Wait for God patiently to fulfil His word

4. Be hospitable & communing and sharing with God

5. Learn to intercede

6. Keep clear of sinful situations

 

PRAY :

 

      Especially ask the Lord to help you be patient in waiting for Him to fulfil His word to you.

 

PART 4 : "Faith Fulfilled"

      In this final Part watch for the way this man of faith has become a mature man of God. At first we will see him still weak and fearful, but then comes the wonder of prophecy fulfilled! Subsequent to that we will see Abraham passing the most difficult test put before any man in the Bible and going on to be a respected leader in his old age.