Genesis Lesson #31

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GENESIS 17
LESSON #31
EMERGING FROM A SPIRITUALLY DRY PERIOD

• MEMORY VERSE: COL 2:11

• READ GEN 17:1-27
• CHAPTER 17 OCCURS 13 YEARS AFTER CHAPTER 16.
• ABRAHAM’S FAITH TOOK A DIP IN CHAPTER 16 WHEN HE HAD A SON WITH HAGAR. WE, THEREFORE, HAVE AN OBVIOUS DRY PERIOD OF 13 YEARS IN ABRAHAM’S SPIRITUAL LIFE.
• IF YOU ARE IN A DRY PERIOD, PERHAPS IT’S BECAUSE OF SOME DISOBEDIENCE, A LACK OF STEPPING OUT IN FAITH TO MOVE ON WITH GOD, OR A NEED TO COME TO THE END OF YOUR OWN STRENGTH AND RESOURCES. IT COULD BE A TESTING OF FAITH OR TO DEVELOP PATIENCE.
• GOD’S DELAYS ARE NOT WITHOUT REASON AND ARE AN IMPORTANT LESSON FOR US.
• REMEMBER THAT GOD DOES NOT REVEAL THE NEXT STEP UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL TO THE LAST THING HE SHOWED YOU.
• ABRAHAM HAD DISPLEASED GOD BY HAVING A CHILD WITH HAGAR. HE, THEREFORE, HAD TO COME TO THE END OF HIS PHYSICAL ABILITY TO HAVE A CHILD OF HIS OWN DOING. GOD WAITED UNTIL HIS BODY WAS “DEAD” TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A CHILD.
• MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S POSSIBILITY. WHEN YOU COME TO THE END OF YOURSELF, GOD IS NOW ABLE TO WORK.
• THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF 13:
• THE NUMBER 13 IN THE BIBLE IS ALWAYS FOUND IN AN EVIL CONNECTION SIGNIFYING UNBELIEF, REBELLION, APOSTASY.
• OTHER SCRIPTURES: GEN 14:4 1KIN 7:1 EST 3:12,13
• ABRAHAM’S 13 YEARS IS A PERIOD OF REBELLION AND UNBELIEF, BUT WE SEE GOD’S MERCY SUSTAIN HIM.
• ABRAHAM FALLS ON HIS FACE (3) IN GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S EXTENDED MERCY.
• WHAT SHOULD THE BELIEVER DO IN A SPIRITUALLY DRY PERIOD?
• STUDY THE WORD.
• LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT GOD AND HOW HE WORKS WITH PEOPLE.
• KEEP PRAYING.
• KEEP IN FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
• CONTINUE TO WORSHIP GOD.
• GOD AGAIN REVEALS TO ABRAHAM A NEW NAME FOR GOD. (1)
• “EL SHADDAI” = TRANSLATED “GOD ALMIGHTY”
• ORIGINALLY IT MEANT = GOD, THE MOUNTAIN ONE. THEN THE NAME CAME TO MEAN, GOD, THE ONE WHO STRENGTHENS, SATISFIES, AND KNOWS.
• THE WORDS “ALL SUFFICIENT” GIVES US A BETTER SENSE OF THE NAME THAN “GOD ALMIGHTY”
• THE PICTURE IS ONE OF A NURSING MOTHER WHO KNOWS HER CHILD’S NEEDS. SHE SATISFIES AND STRENGTHENS THE CHILD WITH NOURISHMENT.
• THIS NAME FOR GOD ESPECIALLY MEETS ABRAHAM’S NEEDS AT THIS TIME. HE AND SARAH WERE OLD AND INSUFFICIENT WITHIN THEMSELVES TO PRODUCE A CHILD. GOD WILL STRENGTHEN THEM AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR NEEDS.
• THE REVELATION OF THIS NAME FOR GOD IS UNIQUELY TIED TO THE CHANGE OF A PERSON’S NAME IN 2 BIBLICAL SITUATIONS:
• GEN 17 WHERE ABRAHAM AND SARAH RECEIVE THEIR NEW NAMES.
• GEN 35:9-11 WHERE JACOB’S NAME IS CHANGED TO ISRAEL, AND GOD REPEATS TO JACOB THE SAME COVENANT PROMISES HE GAVE TO ABRAHAM.
• THE NAME, “EL SHADDAI” OCCURS MOSTLY IN THE BOOK OF JOB
• THE TWO-FOLD PROMISE AND THE 7 “I WILL’S”:
• THE TWO-FOLD PROMISE:
• THE LAND (15:18) AND DESCENDANTS (17:2,4-6,8,16) ARE FOREVER LINKED TOGETHER.
• THE 7 “I WILL’S” OF GOD:
• I WILL MAKE YOU EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL (6)
• I WILL MAKE NATIONS OF YOU AND KINGS (6)
• I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT (7)
• I WILL GIVE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN THE LAND (8)
• I WILL BE THEIR GOD (8)
• I WILL BLESS SARAH (16)
• I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH ISAAC (19)
• THE CHANGE OF ABRAHAM’S AND SARAH’S NAMES:
• THE MEANINGS:
• ABRAM MEANS “HIGH FATHER”
• ABRAHAM MEANS “FATHER OF MANY NATIONS”
• SARAI MEANS “ONE WHO DOMINATES” AND IS ANOTHER DERIVATION OF THE NAME OF THE MOON GOD.
• SARAH MEANS “PRINCESS”
• WHY THE CHANGE?
• THE CHANGE OCCURS WHEN GOD SEALS THE COVENANT IN ABRAHAM’S BODY TO INDICATE THAT GOD WILL FULFILL THE PROMISE.
• THE NATURE OF THE CHANGE:
• THE NAME OF GOD AS A COVENANT MAKER IN HEBREW IS “YHWH” (JEHOVAH).
• GOD MADE THE COVENANT VERY PERSONAL TO THEM BY PUTTING ONE “H” FROM GOD’S NAME INTO ABRAM AND ONE “H” FROM GOD’S NAME INTO SARAI.
• THE HEBREW “H” IS AN ABBREVIATION FOR GOD.
• IT IS AN IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR LIFE WITH GOD.
• CIRCUMCISION (17:10)
• WHY DID GOD GIVE THE COMMAND TO CIRCUMCISE?
• HE GAVE IT TO SEAL THE COVENANT IN ABRAHAM IN A PHYSICAL WAY THAT ABRAHAM WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EASILY FORGET.
• REMEMBER THAT GOD “CUT” THE COVENANT IN CHAPTER 15 WHILE ABRAHAM SLEPT. NOW, THE COVENANT IS CUT INTO ABRAHAM’S BODY.
• ALL COVENANTS AFTER THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE REQUIRE THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD.
• CIRCUMCISION IS THE PHYSICAL SIGN OF THE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. (17:11)
• IT IS PERFORMED ON A MAN’S MEANS OF REPRODUCTION BECAUSE THE COVENANT EMPHASIZED THE PROCREATION OF DESCENDANTS (THE PROMISE OF A SON).
• GOD SPECIFIED THAT IT WAS TO BE DONE ON THE 8TH DAY OF A CHILD’S LIFE.
• MEDICAL SCIENCE HAS DETERMINED THAT THE BEST TIME TO CIRCUMCISE FROM A BABY’S STANDPOINT IS THE 8TH DAY. IT IS THEN THAT THE PAIN LEVEL IS LOW AND THE FLOW OF BLOOD IS LESS. MANY NON-JEWISH DOCTORS RECOMMEND IT AS A CLEANLINESS MEASURE.
• THE HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF CIRCUMCISION:
• CIRCUMCISION WAS NOT NEW OR UNIQUE TO ABRAHAM AND THE JEWS. IT WAS PRACTICED IN EGYPT AND WITH OTHER HEATHEN TRIBES IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR CENTURIES BEFORE ABRAHAM. IT DIED OUT GRADUALLY IN OTHER CULTURES BUT REMAINED PART OF JUDAISM THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT TO INDICATE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GOD.
• HERE IN GENESIS GOD GIVES THE PRACTICE A NEW AND UNIQUE MEANING FOR THE JEWS.
• THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CIRCUMCISION:
• READ PHIL 3:3 COL 2:11
• IT WAS TO SYMBOLIZE THE REMOVAL OF UNCLEANNESS. THE WORD IS FREQUENTLY USED IN A FIGURATIVE SENSE IN BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS TO INDICATE THE REMOVAL OF ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL UNCLEANNESS. (DEU 10:16 JER 6:10)
• IN PAUL’S NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS HE USES THE TERM TO INDICATE THE REMOVAL OF THE SINFUL FLESH NATURE.
• ABRAHAM’S FAITH RESPONSE:
• AFTER A LONG DRY PERIOD, GOD, IN HIS MERCY, CONTINUES TO WORK WITH ABRAHAM AND HIS LEVEL OF FAITH BY REVEALING:
• A NEW NAME OF GOD
• A NEW NAME FOR ABRAHAM AND SARAH
• A PHYSICAL SIGN OF THE COVENANT
• ABRAHAM IMMEDIATELY CIRCUMCISES ALL IN HIS HOUSEHOLD.
• AN IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE IS HIS ACTION OF FAITH.
• ABRAHAM LAUGHS (16) BECAUSE HE KNOWS HIS BODY IS NOW DEAD TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A CHILD. HE IS TRUSTING GOD, BUT THERE ARE STILL DOUBTS.
• FAITH DOES NOT MEAN THERE ARE NEVER ANY DOUBTS. DOUBTS ARE NOT UNBELIEF. IT IS WHAT YOU DO WITH THE DOUBTS THAT CAN LEAD YOU INTO UNBELIEF.
• GOD REVEALS THAT THE CHILD’S NAME WILL BE ISAAC. ISAAC MEANS = “HE LAUGHS”.
• ROM 4:13,17-22 INDICATES THAT DESPITE ABRAHAM’S DOUBTS AND FAILURES AT FAITH, HIS OVERALL PROGRESS WAS A GROWING FAITH.
• WHY DO YOU THINK ISAAC, THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROMISE OF A SON, WILL NOT BE BORN UNTIL AFTER THE CIRCUMCISION?
• ABRAHAM NEEDED A PHYSICAL IDENTIFICATION WITH GOD AND HIS PROMISE.
• ABRAHAM NEEDED A PHYSICAL MARK OF FAITH THAT GOD WILL FULFILL THE PROMISE WHEN ABRAHAM CANNOT DO SO.
• ABRAHAM HAD TO BE UNDER THE COVENANT SO THAT ISAAC WOULD BE HEIR IN THE BLOOD LINE AND INHERITOR OF THE COVENANT.
• OF WHOM IN THE CHURCH TODAY IS ISHMAEL A TYPE (PREFIGURE)?
• THOSE WHO ARE CHILDREN OF THE FLESH NATURE WHO DO NOT BECOME CHILDREN OF THE SPIRIT = PEOPLE WHO GROW UP IN THE CHURCH, WHO TRUST IN THEIR OWN GOODNESS FOR SALVATION, AND WHO DO NOT ACCEPT CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR.
• APPLICATION:
• THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IT INVOLVES A UNIQUE WALK OF FAITH THAT WE HAVE SEEN DEMONSTRATED BY THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS:

• THE CHRISTIAN WALK

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION

• APPLICATION OF GEN 17
• WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD:
• AS A FRIEND?
• AS A CHILD?
• AS A SERVANT?
• AS A MEMBER OF HIS BODY OF BELIEVERS?
• PREPARATION FOR GEN 18
• READ GEN 18:1-33
• IDENTIFY THE THIRD MAN (2). HOW DO YOU KNOW?
• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT SARAH’S FAITH? (HEB 11:11)
• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT INTERCESSORY PRAYER?
• MEMORY VERSE: 1TIMOTHY 2:1