Genesis Lesson #39

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GENESIS 25:1-18
LESSON #39
THE PATTERN OF LIFE

• MEMORY VERSE: ROM 3:29

• READ GEN 25:1-6 ABRAHAM’S MARRIAGE TO KETURAH:
• THE NAME, KETURAH, MEANS = “PERFUMED ONE”. SHE WAS ABRAHAM’S MISTRESS BEFORE HE MARRIED HER. (1CHR 1:32). SHE PROBABLY BORE HIM CHILDREN BEFORE HE MARRIED HER.
• SARAH HAD DIED IN CHAPTER 23. ABRAHAM’S MARRIAGE TO KETURAH OCCURS AFTER CHAPTER 23 AND BEFORE CHAPTER 24. IN CHAPTER 24 WE SAW HOW ABRAHAM WAS PROBABLY CLOSE TO DEATH WHEN HE SENT HIS SERVANT TO FIND A BRIDE FOR ISAAC.
• KETURAH BORE ABRAHAM 6 SONS WHO BECAME THE ANCESTORS OF SOME OF THE NORTH ARABIAN PEOPLES WHO INTERMARRIED WITH THE DESCENDANTS OF ISHMAEL AND PERSECUTED THE JEWS DOWN THROUGH HISTORY.
• THESE 6 SONS INDICATE THAT THE HEALING OF ABRAHAM’S BODY FOR THE BIRTH OF ISAAC WAS A PERMANENT HEALING BY GOD.
• THIS SECTION ABOUT KETURAH AND HER RELATIONSHIP TO ABRAHAM SEEMS TO BE OUT OF CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE HISTORICALLY.
• WHENEVER THAT HAPPENS, I ALWAYS ASK, “WHY”, TO SEE IF THERE IS A DEEPER MEANING TO THE SEQUENCE BY WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS PLACED THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY.
• WHAT SIGNIFICANCE IS ABRAHAM’S MARRIAGE TO KETURAH?
• REMEMBER THE CHRONOLOGY OF PREFIGURES IN GENESIS 21-24?

• IN CHAPTER 24 WE SAW HOW THE SEARCH FOR A BRIDE FOR ISAAC PREFIGURES THE SEARCH FOR A BRIDE FOR CHRIST. ACCORDING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHERE DOES GOD FIND THAT BRIDE FOR CHRIST? HE FINDS IT AMONG THE GENTILES, NOT AMONG THE JEWS.
• THE NATION OF ISRAEL IS CALLED “THE WIFE OF GOD ” (JER 3:20). SARAH IS, THEREFORE, A PICTURE OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL.
• GOD, HOWEVER, LOOKS FOR THE BRIDE FOR CHRIST AMONG THE GENTILES PICTURED BY KETURAH. (ROM 9:25-33 ROM 11:7-11)
• NOTICE THAT KETURAH’S NAME MEANS “PERFUMED ONE”.
• 2COR 2:15 INDICATES THAT BELIEVERS IN CHRIST ARE A SWEET SAVOR (A SWEET PERFUMED SMELL) TO GOD.

• KETURAH PREFIGURES THE GENTILE BRIDE OF CHRIST

• ACCORDING TO GEN 25:6 ABRAHAM GAVE GIFTS TO ALL HIS SONS, BUT THE BULK OF HIS ESTATE WENT TO ISAAC, THE SON OF THE PROMISE.

• READ GEN 25:7-11 THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM
• ISHMAEL, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SENT AWAY (GEN 21), EVIDENTLY RETURN ED FOR THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM. THE PRESENCE OF OTHER SONS IS NOT MENTIONED.
• ABRAHAM WAS 175 YEARS OLD WHEN HE DIED. HE LIVED 38 YEARS AFTER SARAH’S DEATH. THEY BURIED HIM IN THE CAVE OF MACHPELAH WHERE SARAH WAS BURIED.
• WE HAVE A CASE FOR LIFE AFTER DEATH BASED ON VERSE 8.
• “GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE” = THIS PHRASE DOES NOT MEAN ABRAHAM WAS BURIED IN THE GROUND WHERE HIS ANCESTORS WERE BURIED. WE KNOW ACCORDING TO GEN 23 SARAH WAS THE ONLY ONE BURIED IN THE CAVE AT MACHPELAH.
• IT, THEREFORE, MEANS ABRAHAM JOINED HIS DEAD ANCESTORS WAITING FOR THE RESURRECTION. (1COR 15:20-26,51-54)
• THE WELL AT BEERSHEBA CALLED “LAHAIROI”
• REMEMBER THAT THIS IS THE WELL ABRAHAM DUG. THERE WAS A DISAGREEMENT WITH KING ABIMELECH OVER THIS WELL IN GEN 21:22-34
• THE WELL IS ALSO MENTIONED IN GEN 24:62 GEN 25:11.
• WHAT SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE IS THE WELL TO ISAAC’S LIFE?
• IT SHOWS US THAT ISAAC MADE A DECISION TO FOLLOW IN ABRAHAM’S FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH. THE NAME OF THE WELL MEANT = “THE PLACE WHERE THE OATH WAS MADE”.
• A REVIEW OF ABRAHAM’S LIFE:
• ABRAHAM IS CALLED THE FATHER OF FAITH. (ROM 4:16 GAL 3:29)
• ABRAHAM’S EXPERIENCES WITH GOD PARALLEL OUR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH GOD.

ABRAHAM WAS A LOST SINNER SURROUNDED BY IDOLATRY WHO DID NOT KNOW GOD.	WE ARE ALL LOST SINNERS SURROUNDED BY IDOLATRY WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD. ROM 3:23 EPH 2:11
GOD APPEARED TO ABRAHAM AND CALLED HIM TO THE PROMISE LAND. ACT 7:2	GOD MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO US BY THE ILLUMINATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CALL US TO THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. JOH 15:26 JOH 16:8-15
ABRAHAM SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM HEATHEN IDOLATRY TO FOLLOW GOD.	BELIEVERS ARE SEPARATED FROM HEATHEN IDOLATRY TO FOLLOW CHRIST. 2COR 6:16-18
ABRAHAM’S RESPONSE TO GOD WAS AT TIMES SLOW AND PARTIAL.	WE OFTEN HESITATE IN FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.
ABRAHAM LEFT THE PROMISE LAND IN TIME OF FAMINE DOUBTING GOD’S PROVISION.	WE OFTEN TURN TO THE WORLD FOR ANSWERS IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY, DOUBTING GOD’S PROVISION.
ABRAHAM WAITED FOR GOD TO FULFILL THE PROMISE OF A SON, BUT HIS PATIENCE CAME TO AN END AND HE HAD A SON WITH HAGAR.	WE WAIT FOR GOD TO FULFILL HIS PROMISES TO US. OFTEN WE LOSE PATIENCE AND WORK THINGS OUT IN OUR OWN HUMAN WISDOM.
GOD WAS STILL FAITHFUL TO ABRAHAM EVEN THOUGH ABRAHAM FAILED GOD.	GOD IS STILL FAITHFUL TO US EVEN WHEN WE OFTEN FAIL GOD. 2TIM 2:13
ABRAHAM, NEAR THE END OF HIS LIFE, FAITHFULLY PASSED THE SUPREME TEST OF FAITH BY OFFERING UP ISAAC.	GOD OFTEN TESTS BELIEVERS REGARDING THEIR FAITH AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD. THE LONGER WE WALK WITH GOD, THE STRONGER IN FAITH WE BECOME.

• READ GEN 25:12-18 GENEALOGY OF ISHMAEL
• THE 12 PRINCES OF ISHMAEL’S DESCENDANTS ARE A FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY GIVEN BY GOD IN GEN 17:20. (16)

• HOMEWORK
  GENESIS 25:19-34

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

• APPLICATION OF GEN 25:1-18
• IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE SO, WRITE THE MAJOR EVENTS OF YOUR LIFE SNCE ACCEPTING CHRIST, AND SEE HOW THEY PARALLEL ABRAHAM’S LIFE.
• PREPARATION FOR GEN 25:19-34 ISAAC AND HIS 2 SONS
• LIST THE POINTS OF THE PROPHECY IN GEN 25:23
• MAKE A CHART OF THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS PASSAGE AS FOLLOWS:

	ISAAC	REBEKAH	ESAU	JACOB
ATTITUDE:
ACTION:

• WHAT WAS THE BIRTHRIGHT AND WHY DO YOU THINK THE BIRTHRIGHT WAS SO IMPORTANT?
• ESAU IS ALSO A PREFIGURE OR TYPE. READ HEB 12:16-17 AND DECIDE OF WHOM HE IS A TYPE?
• MEMORY VERSE: MAT 16:26