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BIBLE STUDY LESSON

For the week beginning Sunday August 26, 2018

THE CALL OF ABRAM

Genesis 12

   Abram, whose name GOD later changed to “Abraham”, was born and raised in the fabled city of Ur. Ur was located in the southern division of ancient Babylonia known as “Sumer” (SOO-mehr), which was situated between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (now southern Iraq). Sumer is the territory referred to as “Shinar” in the Old Testament (Genesis 10:10). It was a part of the kingdom of the great Nimrod who attempted to build the infamous “Tower of Babel” there.

   The Sumerians, developed the first “high living civilization” in the history of mankind, and Ur was the center of their rich culture. They were the first people to develop a writing style that consisted of “Cuneiform script”, which were “wedged shaped” characters that became synonymous with Persian and Babylonian culture and literature. They were proud of their vast wealth, monumental architecture, grand homes, music, and art.

    While living in this ultra “worldly” culture, Abram worshiped many gods (Joshua 24:2), however, when the real and true GOD spoke to him, he was willing to leave this enchanting atmosphere, and travel, “on faith”, to the unknown land of Canaan, where he would live a “nomadic” life in tents for nearly 100 years. He traded the fading glory that is inevitable in the world, for a personal, trusting, eternal relationship with GOD.

    Here in Genesis chapter 12 we see the literal “calling” of Abram by GOD, into a life-changing commitment of humility and dependence on the promises of the only wise, sovereign CREATOR of the universe. Abram was 75 years old when he first received instructions from GOD to leave the land in which he was born, including, leaving his relatives and the entire house of his father (v.1). Abram, in spite of those instructions from the LORD, decided to take his nephew Lot and all of his clan with him (v.5). This disobedience would later cause many problems for Abram as we shall see (Genesis 13:5-7, 14:11-16, and 18:22-33).

    We see beginning in verse 2, GOD reeling off a list of five promises to Abram that will not all be realized in his lifetime. Here HE tells Abram that;

·         I will cause you to become the father of a great nation

·         I will bless you and make you famous

·         I will make you a blessing to others

·         I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you

·         All the families of the earth will be blessed through you  

    And so Abram left Haran and traveled to the land of Canaan. While traveling through Canaan, he came to a place near Shechem where he set up camp beside the oak trees at “Moreh” (which means “teacher”). This is significant in that, the Canaanites had worship shrines already set up there in the area among the oak trees of Moreh, and this in fact may have been the site of one or more of their many cult worship centers. Ironically, it is here that the LORD appeared to Abram and informed him that “this land will be given to your offspring”. And so Abram built a shrine for the LORD, right there among the shrines of the pagans. Perhaps thus bodes as a symbolic gesture that the GOD of all gods was about to manifest HIS glorious presence in the cursed land of the Canaanites.

    Afterwards, Abram and his family traveled south, by stages, toward the Negev, the 4500 square-mile wilderness (desert) area of southern Judah. At that time there came a severe famine in the land, which forced them to travel down to Egypt and wait it out (v.10). Before crossing the border into Egypt, Abram reminded his beautiful wife, Sarai, of their policy (which is explained in Genesis 20:11-13) that, whenever they entered into a pagan land, to tell the occupants of that land that she is his sister, rather than say that she was his wife.

    Here (Vs.11-13), we see a scheme (human ingenuity) by Abram, that was born out of his fear of man, as his concern for his life, overpowered his faith and trust in GOD’s plan. Remember, GOD had already made a promise to him that he would live to become the father of a great nation of people, something that could not happen if he were killed. Here it appears that GOD’s promise to Abram may have been thrown into jeopardy, however, GOD, through HIS faithfulness to man, despite man’s unfaithfulness to HIM, would later rescue Sarai from their “self-imposed” predicament.

    In the ancient pagan world of monarchy, it was a universal practice by kings to set up “two stages” harems for the advancement of women, from the time of being chosen by the king, to actually being admitted, or summoned into his presence for marriage, and consummation of their marriage. Each woman chosen by the king to be his future wife would have to spend at least a year getting groomed and prepared to actually be his wife, and have personal or sexual contact with him as a wife (see Esther 2:12-14 for further understanding of this practice in the Persian dynasties).

    Also in pagan societies it was a common occurrence for men to be killed by other men, especially rulers, in order to take possession of their wives from them. However, it was also common practice for a man in any society, pagan or otherwise, to woe the father, or the responsible brother of a beautiful woman, in order to get permission from them to marry her. And so Abram, as any other man would, rationalized that this plan would be the safest way to go for both of them.

    When Abram and Sarai entered into Egypt, sure enough, Sarai, because of her beauty, was noticed by members of the king’s court, and they quickly informed the pharaoh of her presence in his kingdom. As a result she was immediately taken into his harem to begin her “preparation process”, before actually being brought to the king to be married, and consummated in marriage. Believing that Abram was Sarai’s brother, the pharaoh gave him many gifts, and in fact, he enriched Abram greatly with many sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and, male and female servants (Vs.14-16).

    Even though Abram was treated very well by the pharaoh, GOD sent a terrible plague upon the house of the pharaoh to get his attention, and to inform him of his unintentionally sinful plans regarding Sarai. At the same time, with this plague, the LORD instilled fear and respect for HIMSELF in the heart (mind) of the pharaoh, so that he might not seek revenge on Abram (GOD’s special servant),  for his deceit toward him, which was only successful because of his own lust toward Sarai. And so the pharaoh called Abram before him, rebuked him strongly, and sent him and Sarai out of Egypt under armed escort, along with all of their relatives and belongings (Vs. 17-20).

    And so GOD intervened and protected Sarai from her husband’s foolish plan because of his promise to Abram, and despite Abram’s unwitting failure to trust GOD at HIS word, the very first time his life came under duress from the world. We can all count our blessings that GOD’ faithfulness to deliver us, does not hinge totally upon our obedience to HIM, but rather, it hinges on HIS OWN mercy and grace, HIS reputation of faithfulness, and HIS prevailing, sovereign plan for HIS greatest creation, mankind.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

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BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

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BIBLE STUDY LESSON

For the week beginning Sunday August 19, 2018

THE TOWER OF BABEL

Genesis 11:1-9

   At one time in human history (up until about 5 centuries after the Flood), the whole world spoke one language. As a result, they developed a “unity” that is unsurpassed by any generation since that time. Unfortunately, GOD the CREATOR was not at the center of that unity, but rather, their “pride” was. The people began to follow “the demon possessed heroes” like the great “Nimrod”, who had so impressed the world with their seemingly supernatural talents and abilities.

    In those days, man had began to believe only in himself and his own achievements (sound familiar) and this led them to take on a “GOD-complex” that would ultimately lead to their downfall and “scattering abroad”, which of course, was engineered by GOD HIMSELF. It was a move by GOD that was designed to save mankind from total demise at its own hands, as their ambitions had gone awry in a way that was reminiscent to that of a Heavenly Lucifer, who was able to pull a third of the angelic force in Heaven down with him, because of his pride, which led to his conspiracy against GOD.

    Here in Genesis chapter 11, verses 1-9, we see how man’s ambitions can lead to tragic results, if his plans don’t include GOD. By the sixth century following the Great Flood, the people of the world had, once again, firmly asserted their independence from GOD, and their attitudes regarding this was clearly being exhibited through their behavior under HIS watchful eye. Man was once again, unwittingly proving to himself that, without GOD, man can’t do anything right, for too long.

    As the people, under the rule of Nimrod, moved eastward, increasing their boundaries by force, they decided to settle in the plains of Shinar, or, Babylonia, an area that is located in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). There they decided to construct another city, calling it “Babylon”, one of many cities that had already been built under the leadership of Nimrod, their king.

    It was also there that they decided to build a monument to commemorate their own greatness as a people, one that would unify them permanently, and stand as a symbol of their commitment to each other forever. Unfortunately, it was their very desire to increase their unity and strength that, consequently, provided them with their greatest potential to do evil.

    GOD, through HIS wisdom, will never allow the achievement of “total unity” in the world, because, to allow that, would be to fortify satan against HIM, and all that represent HIM in the world. GOD will never allow “total unity” anywhere in the world except in “HIS Church” (the people whose hearts agree with HIM, through CHRIST JESUS), where HIS OWN greatness, and the greatness of CHRIST JESUS can be exalted.

    And so GOD came down, and HE disrupted the peoples’ idea of “worldly unity” by confounding their speech so that they could no longer communicate their GOD-less, evil ideas, among each other. HE then separated them physically into relatively small groups, and scattered them throughout the earth, giving each group a separate and distinct language, and thereby, greatly reducing their access to their wealth of “shared data”, and “self-destructive human ingenuity”, which they insisted on applying without taking GOD into account in their planning and application.

    This biblical account here in verses 1-9 depicts the city of Babylon as a dominant power in the world at that time, and as the epitome of an ungodly kingdom. It emerges as the first world power recorded in Scripture. Ironically, in their lust to make a name for themselves apart from GOD, and that was equal to GOD, they were successful only in making a mockery of themselves forever, becoming world renowned as the place where “mass confusion” quite literally, began, and, that fact will forever manifest itself in the name “Babylon”. It is a name, quite literally derived from the word “babel”, which means “confused”. It is where GOD confounded the languages of the world, and then scattered man throughout the face of the earth.

    The sin of the Shinerites was their “immense pride”, and after all, the very essence of any sin itself is “pride”. Here we see that the core of their sin manifests itself in the thought of “individualism”, which itself is something that finds its origins in pride, and as it grew, they eventually longed very badly to separate themselves, first from other people, and then ultimately, from GOD HIMSELF.

    Sin always occurs when people decide to “do what they want” instead of “doing what GOD wants”. This action always leads to an infestation of spiritual pride. Whenever a man’s ambitions began to promote an attitude of “my way, or no way”, it is always accompanied by “an inadequate view of GOD”, and “a heart that lacks allegiance to GOD and CHRIST JESUS, our LORD and SAVIOR”. It is the kind of ambition that is fueled by satan, and it causes a man to not hear GOD, or even when GOD makes HIMSELF heard to us, we refuse to believe HIM because “we so want to do what we want to do”. This attitude, over time, makes us impervious to GOD, and in fact, our words and actions show that we think we know better than GOD. We begin to say things like “Yeah, I know what GOD says about it, but HE won’t mind if I do it my way. After all, I am doing it for HIM, and besides, GOD knows my heart”.

    Whenever man’s “human ingenuity” to “rationalize the sin of ignoring GOD” becomes a habit, he is already in the final stage of “pride”, which comes just before the fall. Remember, there can never be a “right time” to do the “wrong thing”. The only way available to us, as Christians, to do GOD’s work is “by HIS rules”, not ours. Any other route that we choose to take, is always, “the wrong way to go”. Whenever we choose to do things our own way, especially in the Church, ultimately, we are going to end up in “the middle of nowhere”, separated from GOD, WHO wants to be “our source of provision”, “our source of protection”, and, “the source of all of our plans”.

       

FROM SHEM TO ABRAHAM

Genesis 11:10-26

   This is the “vertical” genealogical record that traces the line of descendants from Noah’s son, Shem, to Abram (later called Abraham). This list successfully shows the legitimate ancestry of the Shemites, and is generally used to trace the origins of that group of the human race, who would later be named by GOD as “HIS chosen people” (Israel), and, whom the world now knows as “the Jews”. This section of chapter 11, is an airtight chronology that distinguishes Abraham as the towering figure, to whom, all Jews trace their origin.

    Unlike the list in chapter 5, this chronology here in verses 10-26 of chapter 11, does not tell of the total number of years that each person lived, and at what age they died. Whereas the section of Genesis 5:1-6:8 stresses “death before the Flood”, here in this section of chapter 11, we see an emphasis on “life and expansion after the Flood”, even though the earthly lifespan of man had been decreased significantly by GOD, because of the onset of sin into “the human race”.

   

THE FAMILY OF TERAH

Genesis 11:27-32

   Here begins what is now known as “the Patriarchal Narratives of the Bible” (Genesis 11:27-50:26). They detail the history and origin of the Jews, beginning with Abram (later called Abraham), who was the son of Terah.

    Abram, had two brothers, whose names were Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot, whom would later become the responsibility of, and figure prominently in, the life and chronicles of Abraham. Haran died at an early age, while they were still living in their birthplace, which was called “Ur”, located in the land of the Chaldeans.

    Abram married Sarai, who could not bear children at that time, and his brother Nahor, married Milcah, one of the daughters of his deceased brother, Haran (Haran’s other daughter was named Iscah). After this, Terah, who was an idolater, moved his family, including his sons and their wives, and his grandson Lot, out of Ur, with intentions to move to the land of Canaan. However, they made a stop in a place called “Haran” (no connection to his dead son), which was known as “sin city”.

    Through spiritual eyes, one can clearly see this as an early attempt by satan, on a “paganist thinking person”, Terah, to interrupt the line of the coming MESSIAH into the world, through the line that GOD would later sanction to begin with Abraham and Sarah. It is something that can often be detected (satan’s evil strategies) throughout the annals of Old Testament literature. Terah lived out the remainder of his life (205 years) there in Haran with his family.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

Larry Dell Alexander (1953–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

LARRY D. ALEXANDER'S BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

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BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

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BIBLE STUDY LESSON

For the week beginning Sunday August 5, 2018

THE DESCENDANTS OF JAPHETH, HAM, AND SHEM

Genesis 10

   In Genesis 10 we find chronicled, the history of the families of Shem, Japheth, and Ham, the three sons of Noah who became the origin of all the people that now reside on the earth today. This chapter is known to bible scholars as the “Table of Nations” and it traces the relationships between all the peoples known to ancient Israel. It explains their links to the sons of Noah, and the people of those nations are classified by language, land, treaty, and ethnicity. 

    Seventy descendants of Noah are listed here in this chapter, including 14 from Japheth, 30 from Ham, and 26 from Shem. In this table, the writer, Moses, uses two basic themes to lay out its framework, “bene”, which means “the sons of”, and “yalad”, which means, “he begot”, or, “was the father of”. The “yalad” verses of this passage probably suggests, or traces what may be important developments of personages, or, “people of note”, that exist within this Table of Nations, for example, Nimrod, the mighty hunter and great builder of cities.

    It is worth noting that this Table is a “horizontal” table, rather than a vertical one like in chapter 5, and later in chapter 11. In other words the list goes across the direct descendants who lived simultaneously, or who all lived during the same time period as natural brothers and sisters do. It starts with the sons of Japheth, Noah’s middle son. His sons and their offspring are the only ones listed, and so on with his brothers, and their sons:

THE DESCENDANTS OF JAPHETH

·         Gomer – Gomer, Japheth’s older son, is the father of the Cimmerians that are related to the infamous and feared Scythians, a barbaric race of people who lived in Scythia, an ancient region of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. It is the site today known as the Soviet Union, or Russia. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah . All of their descendants settled in this area to the north, far away from where Israel is located.

·         Magog – the second son of Japheth, is father of the aforementioned Scythians who settled in the north. They settled in the land of Gog between Armenia and Cappadocia, southwest of the Black Sea, (the area of Russia and Persia, present day Iran). However, they were expansionists barbaric, expert warriors, who, always sought to widen their territory at the expense of others, much like 20^th century Soviet Union did, before their breakup in the early 1980’s.

·         Madai – is the ancestor of all of the Medes east of Assyria and southwest of the Caspian Sea.

·         Javan – was the ancestor of those of the Hellenic race, the Ionians of western Asia Minor. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. They were all seafarers in various lands, each having its own language. They settled the entire area around the north Mediterranean Sea, the site of Paul’s hometown of Tarsus along the north shores of the Mediterranean Sea. They became great fishermen and shipbuilders, and were known for their vast wealth and prosperity.

·         Tubal – settled the area around Greece (became a military state)

·         Meshech – settled the area around Greece ( like Tubal, became a military state)

·         Tiras  - the direct descendants of Tiras are not mentioned in the bible, and they are thereby, not believed to be connected to the family of scribes who lived in Jabez that are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:55. His descendants may have become the seafarers around the Aegean Sea coasts. None of these northern tribes figure prominently in Israel’s history, however, they do occur frequently in prophetic writings, particularly in the book of Ezekiel.

THE DESCENDANTS OF HAM

    The, descendants of Ham settled in northern Africa, and also consists of the eastern and southern peoples of Mesopotamia.

·         Cush – The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. They settled in south Arabia and the area that is now southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia. Over time they intermarried with Semitic tribes who lived in the same area, thus, even today there exists a repetition of names among the nation of that region. Seba settled in northern Egypt, Havilah, which means “sand land”, refers to northern and eastern Arabia on the Persian Gulf (Ethiopian coast), Sabtah settled on the western shore of the Persian Gulf, Raamah and Sabtecah settled in southern Arabia.

Strangely inserted into this passage, verse 7b to be exact, we find mention the offspring of one of Cush’s sons, Raamah, who had two sons of his own, Sheba and Dedan. A quick study of their genealogy tells us that Sheba settled in southwest Arabia, and Dedan settled in nortern Arabia.

·         Mizraim – often referred to in the bible, literally, as “Egypt”, the name speaks for itself. He was the ancestor of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lahabites, the Naphtuhites, the Pathrusites, the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from where the Philistines migrated. His tribes spread from northern Africa to Crete.

·         Put – This nation of people is mentioned in bible in connection with Egypt and Ethiopia. It was known for its great warriors, and probably refers to certain Libyan tribes west of Egypt.

·         Canaan – was the fourth son of Ham, the one who received and carried the “generational curse” that was prophesied by his grandfather, Noah, as judgment for what his father Ham did when he tried to make a mockery of Noah’s nakedness. He is the ancestor of the most notable enemies of Israel that are chronicled in the Bible. His descendants were dispersed into several distinctive tribes including the Sidonians, the Jebusites, the Amorites, and the Zemarites. He was also the ancestor of the Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, and Hamathites. They were known collectively as the Canaanites, the pagan inhabitants of the land GOD promised to the Israelites. The land of Canaan stretched from the Jordan River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and from north to south it covered all of the territory between the Sinai Peninsula and Phoenicia. It covered the area from Sidon to Gerar, near Gaza, and to the, now-infamous, former homosexual strongholds of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, near Lasha.

NIMROD

   Nimrod was one of the sons of Cush and a grandson of Ham. He was a skillful hunter, warrior, and expert builder of cities. He became a powerful king and was the first man described in the bible as a “mighty hero”. He built many principal cities in his Mesopotamian kingdom, namely Babel, Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:10).

    From the land of Babylon he went to Assyria, where he built the great city of Nineveh, and other cities. His name, “Nimrod”, finds its root in the Babylonian god of war and hunting, “Ninurta”, who was called “the Arrow, the mighty hero”.    

THE SONS OF SHEM

    The sons of Shem, the oldest son of Noah, are recorded last. Shem was the father of the Hebrews from which came the nation of Israel, the people GOD chose to represent HIM on earth in the most personal way, and to receive HIS word, and make HIM known to the unsaved world. He was also the father of all the people of the ancient Near East, in general. These are the descendants of Shem, identified according to their tribes, languages, territories, and nations;

·         Elam (Persia) – settled in the highlands east of Babylonia, an area bounded by Assyria and Media on the north, the Persian Gulf on the south, and Persia to the east and southeast.

·         Asshur (Assyria) – settled in the area of Assyria where Nimrod, the Hamite, founded several cities, including Nineveh.

·         Arphaxad (Chaldea) – settled in the area northeast of Nineveh. He was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber, who was the father of Peleg (which means “division”) and Joktan. Joktan begot thirteen sons Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. It was during their lifetime that the, now infamous, “Tower of Babel” was being built, moving GOD to anger, causing HIM to disperse the people of the world into different language groups, forever.

·         Lud (Lydia) – settled in the area that is now western Turkey.

·         Aram (Syria) – settled in the grassy plains of Mesopotamia. He is the ancestor of the Aramean people.

    These are the families that came from Noah’s sons, listed by nations, according to their line of descent. The earth was populated with the people of these nations after the Flood.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

LARRY D. ALEXANDER'S BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

            Larry D. Alexander's Books and Publications Spotlight

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