Old Testament Personalities #10 - Jacob and Esau "Jacob the Usurper and Profane Esau"

 Today, I want to start looking at Jacob’s life.  He was born when Isaac was sixty years old.  Abraham was one hundred sixty years old. Isaac had a twin brother named Esau.  Esau was considered the oldest because he came out first.  Rebeckah, Isaac’s wife had a difficult time during her pregnancy:

Genesis 25:21-22 NKJV

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD

She must have been very uncomfortable, because she went to God and said, “If all is well, why am I like this?”  She’s like us isn’t she?  When things in our lives are difficult and uncomfortable we all say, “Why is it like this God?”  She may be thinking “God, you gave this blessing to me when Isaac cried out to you for me. If this is from You, why is it so hard?”  We think if it came from God, it should be easy, with no difficulty, don’t we?  But it isn’t always like that.  Life sometimes intrudes on the blessings of God in our lives.

Look at God’s reply to Rebeckah:

Genesis 25:23-24 NKJV

And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

She gave birth to twin sons, Esau and Jacob.  Esau was born first, followed closely by Jacob, who had actually grabbed ahold of Esau’s heel.

Genesis 25:25-26 NKJV

And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

The name Jacob, literally mean – Heel Grabber.  The implication is that he is a usurper, as if he was attempting to keep Esau from being the first born. 

In Isaac's time, the firstborn son held a privileged position in the family and was entitled to special inheritance rights. This was known as the birthright, which included:

• A double portion of the inheritance: The firstborn received twice as much as the other sons (Deuteronomy 21:17).
• Leadership of the family: He would become the head of the household after his father’s passing.
• Blessing from the father: A special blessing was given, which carried significant spiritual and material implications.

But that inheritance could be lost or transferred.  Look at this interaction between the two brothers:

Genesis 25:29-34 NKJV

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

So this is one of the ways in which Jacob’s name was a prophecy of who he would become.  Basically, he’s taken advantage of Esau and STOLEN his birthright. This gives you an idea of Jacob’s character during this part of his life.  But I want you to understand that we can change who we are during our lives.  For example, I am not the same person that I was in my twenties.  There has been a change in my personality as well as my character.  I’ve changed as a result of my encounter with Jesus.  Jacob’s character changes for the exact same reason later in his life and we will examine that in another lesson.

Esau and a Bowl of Beans

I want to look, though at this episode with respect to Esau.

Genesis 25:32-34 NKJV

And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau had been out hunting, and he returned, and the Bible says he was weary.  We, in the times we live in, use the word weary to mean tired or exhausted.  But the word translated from the Hebrew carries the idea of being faint or weak from hunger.  It implies a great need for rest and nourishment.  This is the state that Esau was in when he returned and saw Jacob had cooked a stew made of Lentils. 

But remember Jacob was a usurper and an opportunist and uses this to manipulate Esau into giving him his birthright, which is his inheritance.  I want you to think about this for a moment.  Basically, his birthright had so little importance in his life that he gave it up for one meal.  He said, “Look, I am about to die, what does this birthright mean to me?”  That’s really another way of saying, “Who cares? It’s not important to me!”  The Bible says he “despised” his birthright.  So, according to the Bible he had disdain for his birthright. You could say he took that birthright for granted.

Each of us, through virtue of our salvation also have a birthright.  We have an inheritance in God:

Romans 8:16-17 NKJV

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

How many of us take that inheritance for granted.  How many of us are willing to give up the promises because of some trivial thing.  Have you seen people backslide because of some old habit that they can’t break free from? Or maybe because of some hot girl or handsome guy?  Or maybe leave the church to take a job that pays just a little more, but requires that they work during service times?  Is this much different than what Esau did when he sold out his birthright for a bowl of beans?  Not too much.

Here is the really sad part that is a warning for us:

Hebrews 12:16-17 NKJV

lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Do we really want to take such a risk with our inheritance.  Are we so willing to throw away the promise of God.  We need to guard our hearts and our thoughts.  What we care about we will do what we must to protect it.  We need to diligently seek God to protect our birthright in Salvation.

Isaac’s Final Blessing

Isaac has become blind and is very old and near death.  It’s become time for him to bless his sons with their inheritance.  He tells Esau go and hunt some game, cook it for me so that I can eat it and bless you. Rebeckah overhears this:

Genesis 27:6-7 NKJV

So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'

Let’s leave the story for a moment and look at the relationship between all of them:

Genesis 25:28 NKJV

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Isaac had more affection for Esau…and Rebeckah had more affection for Jacob.  In other words, they each had their favorite.  Rebeckah was determined that Jacob would receive the blessing and she gives him some diection:

Genesis 27:9-10 NKJV

Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."

She has come up with a plan to deceive Isaac and usurp Esau’s blessing for Jacob. 

Genesis 27:14-17 NKJV

And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Remember that Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was not.  So, she put the goat fur on his hands and neck so he would appear to be hairy to his father who was blind.  Then she put Esau’s clothes on him so that he would carry Esau’s smell. Then she cooked the meal and bread and gave it to him.

Jacob received the blessing that was meant for Esau, through this deception:

Genesis 27:22-24 NKJV

So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."

Genesis 27:27 NKJV

And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.

Jacob has deceived Isaac and now receives his brother’s blessing:

Genesis 27:28-29 NKJV

Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"

Jacob now has stolen his brother’s birthright, deceived Isaac, and usurped his brother’s blessing.  He goes on to become one of the great patriarchs of our faith.  How can God use this deceitful, lying, thief to perpetuate the lineage of Jesus and to be the father of the nation of Israel?

I’m going to dive into this next week, and you will see how God can do this.  It is a testament to God’s power to change lives and use those who we would consider to be unusable.

 

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #9 - Isaac "A Type of Jesus"

 In Today’s Bible Study, I want to look at Isaac, the son of Abraham.  Isaac is the “Son of the Promise.”  He’s the one that God said:

Romans 9:7 NKJV

nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED."

It’s through Isaac that all of God’s promises to Abraham would begin:

1)      I will make you a great nation (Gen 12:2)

2)      I will bless you and make your name great (Gen 12:2)

3)      I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you (Gen 12:3)

4)      In you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen 12:3)

5)      To your descendant I will give this land (Gen 12:7)

Here, though is what I want to look at.  We already looked at this through Abraham’s faith but now I want to look at it with regard to Isaac.  In Old Testament there are a number of people that are considered to be a “TYPE” of Jesus.  This is a person that foreshadows some aspect of Jesus.  For example:

·       Adam is a type of Christ because both were representatives of humanity, but while Adam brought sin, Jesus brought salvation.

• The Passover Lamb is a type of Christ, as its blood saved Israel from death, just as Jesus’ sacrifice brings eternal life.
• Jonah spending three days in the belly of the fish foreshadows Jesus’ three days in the tomb before His resurrection.

Those things, “which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Col 2:17)

As we look at Isaac, we can see that in one experience in his life, he is a type of Jesus.  That’s what I want to look at today!  So, let’s begin with the story of God’s call and we will work from there:

Genesis 22:2 NKJV

Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

I want you to see the ways in which Isaac is a type of Jesus so as we go through the story we will break it down.

Only Begotten Son

God told Abraham, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." 

Isaac was Abraham’s only son, just like Jesus was the “only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This is the first way in which Isaac is a type of Jesus.  Both were only begotten sons that were to be sacrificed.  Now look at this:

Genesis 22:3-6 NKJV

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

Carrying the Wood

Abraham gave Isaac the wood for the burnt offering.  Isaac carried it up the mountain to the place where the altar was built.

Jesus carried His cross to Golgotha (Calvary):

John 19:16-17 NKJV

Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

So, both Jesus and Isaac carried the methods of their execution upon themselves.

The Promised Son

Abraham was seventy-five years old when God called him out of Haran.  It was then that God promised him descendants:

Genesis 12:1-3NKJV

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The inference of this statement is that Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation.  But Abraham was childless and his wife was barren.  So, in a sense God was promising him a son to carry on his lineage.  Then there was this:

Genesis 15:3-4 NKJV

Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed, one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."

God tells him, “…but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."  This is a definite promise of a son.  God is making a promise of a son.

There was another son whom was promised by God.  Here’s God speaking through Isaiah:

Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Abraham waited twenty-five years for the son of God’s promise.  This prophecy by Isaiah was made approximately seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth.  So Jesus is also a promised Son.

A Sacrificial Offering

Genesis 22:2 NKJV

Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

God has called Abraham to “offer him there as a burnt offering.” This is a call to offer his son as a sacrifice.  Abraham in his obedience gave his only “begotten” son.  Although Ishmael was his son, also, Isaac was his only legitimate son.

God also gave His Only begotten Son:

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Hebrews 9:28 NIV

so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

In the same way that Abraham freely gave his son for a Sacrifice, God also freely gave His Son for a sacrifice. 

Substitutionary Sacrifice

Isaac was spared when God gave a Ram (lamb) as a substitution for Isaac.

Genesis 22:13 NKJV

Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

The Ram was killed so that Isaac would be saved.  Look at the following verses about Jesus:

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Hebrews 9:28 NIV

so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Jesus was sacrificed as a substitute for us.  He was the “Lamb of God.” Offered freely for us.  A substitutionary sacrifice.

Resurrection

Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Abraham was tested by God in all of this.  Go was testing his faith.  We discussed that in our last study, as we talked about Abraham’s regained faith. He understood and was confident that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead, in order to fulfill his promises to Abraham.

Luke 24:44-46 NIV

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

There are a number of prophecies concerning Jesus’ death and resurrection.  His death was the fulfillment of these promises.  In the same way that the lamb offered in stead of Isaac was the fulfillment of promises that God made to Abraham.  I am sure that the prophets spoke as confidently of God’s fulfillment of these promises as Abraham did.

Submitted to Father’s Will

Do you remember that I said last time that Isaac must have had great faith, because he willingly submitted to Abraham tying him up and setting him on the altar.  He didn’t fight, he didn’t run, he just allowed Abraham to prepare him to be the sacrificial lamb.  He submitted to his father’s will in this sacrifice.  This is a powerful example of faith and obedience.  He was willing to submit to death to obey his father.

Jesus, when his time to be betrayed came to pass, He went to Gethsemane to pray.  Three times He went to His knees and said this prayer:

 Luke 22:42 NKJV

saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

He is submitting to His Father’s will.  He is obedient in the same way that Isaac was obedient. 

So, after looking at this comparison you can see how Isaac is a foreshadowing, a picture, of Jesus in the Old Testament.  They both:

1)      Were the Only Begotten Son

2)      Carried the Method of Their Execution

3)      Were Promised Sons

4)      Were to be a Sacrifice

5)      Substitionary Sacrifice

6)      Resurrected (Isaac Figuratively, Jesus Literally)

7)      Submitted to Their Father’s Will

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #8 Abraham Part 3 "Faith Regained"

 This week we’ll continue with our study on Abraham.  Last week we looked at his struggle with faith.  It centered around God’s declaration that he would have a son, through his wife Sarah.

If you remember Abraham was lamenting the fact that he had no children and that Eliezer of Damascus would be his heir:

Genesis 15:2-4 NKJV

But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."

In fact, look at this Abraham laughed when God told him his ninety-year-old, barren wife would have a child.

Genesis 17:16-17 NKJV

And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

Sarah also laughed when presented with the news:

Genesis 18:12-13 NKJV

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'

They had even gone to the extent to take Sarah’s maidservant and cause her to conceive a child, because they couldn’t see how God could cause her to have a child.  This is a picture of Abraham’s loss of faith.  This s when the “Father of our Faith” allowed his faith to fail.

Even so, God wasn’t done with Abraham. He set a test for Abraham:

Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

God is testing Abraham on his obedience ad faith.  Think about this God has made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son through Sarah.  He promised that Abraham would be the father of a great nation.  He promised that through him all the nations of the world will be blessed.

Now, though, God is telling him to sacrifice that same son; the son of the promise.  It’s through Isaac that all of the promises were to be made true.

Genesis 21:12 NKJV

But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.

Isaac’s descendants will inherit the land promised to Abraham.  Isaac’s descendants are the ones through whom Jesus will be born.  They are the ones through whom the world will be blessed. 

Space and Time

This promise was originally made to Abram (Abraham) twenty-five years earlier.  This tells us that God has a longer-range view of events than we do.  We see things only in the present, what’s happening before us at any given moment, but God can see through time.  He can see outcomes. 

This is kind of a difficult concept, but God always was.  He has no beginning and no end.  He is outside of time as we understand it.  Human beings are constrained by space and time, but God is not. That’s why the Bible has statements like:

2 Peter 3:8 NKJV

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Twenty-five years may be a long time for us, but it isn’t a long time for God.  We get caught up in the idea that God would respond to us in a time that seems timely to us.  I talked to someone in church one time about tithing.  I told them that God would bless if they would tithe.  After all this has been my experience.  They said “Okay, I’m going to tithe.”  They started tithing, but then gave up.  I asked, “What happened?”  They said, “I tithed for three weeks and there was no blessing!”

A lot of the time, it’s faithfulness over time that sees the blessing.  It isn’t a one and done kind of thing.  When we first got married, we got a word from God through Pastor Glen Cluck.  It turned out to be a prophetic word, but it took at least twenty-five years to come to fruition.  Over all that time we continued to believe and stay faithful. 

Abraham received a long-range prophecy from the mouth of God.  Abraham must have struggled a bit with God’s timeline, just like we do, or he wouldn’t have agreed to impregnating Hagar.  Twenty-five years later Isaac was born.  This is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy.

The Testing of Abraham

Look again at Genesis 22:1-2:

Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

So, God tells Abraham, “Here is the child I promised.  This is the one that I said would be the beginning of your lineage.  The one who will inherit all the promises I made to you.  Now take him and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah.”

How would you react to that?  Would you be hugely disappointed?  Would you be obedient to what God is asking.  Think about your children, would you be able to do this thing?  God doesn’t always ask for easy things.   Sometimes, he asks for difficult things.

So, what does Abraham do?

Genesis 22:3 NKJV

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Once again, Abraham responds to God’s call and immediately leaves for Mount Moriah. This was a journey, mount Moriah wasn’t next door it was more than a three-day walk.

Genesis 22:4-5 NKJV

Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."

You guys wait here, and we’ll go and worship!

Genesis 22:6-8 NKJV

So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

Isaac is beginning to put it together.  Look, here’s the wood, and the fire, but there’s no lamb to burn.  Abraham makes a faith statement here…God will provide.  He’s not just trying to hide it from Isaac.  He’s not just trying to keep from telling Isaac, “you, you’re the lamb!”  He truly believes that God will provide an offering. 

Look at what happens:

Genesis 22:9-10 NKJV

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

I think this is an interesting moment, right here.  Abraham is following God’s instruction.  He knows that all the promises that God made to him are tied to Isaac.  He is fully prepared to o through with this.  He’s fully prepared to sacrifice Isaac, I fact he takes the knife to do that.

What makes this so interesting is Isaac’s response during all of this. Abraham is 100+ years old but Isaac is much younger.  He’s not a child, probably a young adult.  I would think he‘s much faster and stronger than Abraham.  He could have resisted.  He could have fought.  He could have run away, but he submitted to what God had called Abraham to do.  We talk about the faith of Abraham but right here is great faith also. 

Abraham knew that all the promises of God rested in Isaac, but he decided that he was going to do what God asked.  Why?  Here is the answer to that question:

Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

He was convinced that even if he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise him up in order to deliver on his promises.  Can you believe like that in your own life?  What if God called you to sacrifice that thing in your life that’s important to you?  Would you be willing to put it on an altar and sacrifice if God asked you to do that?  Isaac is the most important thing in Abraham’s life and God said, “Give Isaac to me!”

Remember the story of the rich, young ruler.  Jesus asked him to sell his possessions and follow Him.  He couldn’t do it!  His possessions were too important to him.  What do you have in your life that you couldn’t give up if God asked?

Look at how this whole thing ended up:

Genesis 22:10-13 NKJV

And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

God did provide the lamb for the sacrifice.  He was testing Abraham, “I know that you fear God…” Do you think God tests our faith?  I believe that He does.  There may be a point where God asks you for something…can you do what Abraham did?

Summary:

Abraham responded immediately to God’s call to offer Isaac.  No hesitation. 

He believed that even if he sacrificed Isaac, that God would raise him up in order to bring about his promises.

Isaac had great faith as well to submit to this.

Abraham also believed in God’s provision.  We sing that chorus Jehovah-jireh; this is where it comes from.  Jehovah-jireh literally translates as the Lord Who Provides.

God tests our faith to strengthen it and reveal its depth.

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #7 - Abraham Part 2 "Struggling with Faith"

 Today, we’re going to continue with our Study of Abraham.  Last time we discussed Abraham’s calling.  Although he was raised in a pagan society, he recognized the voice of God, and obeyed God’s call, following God, even though he didn’t know where God was taking him. 

He believed God’s promises that God would raise from his descendants a great nation, and give them a land on which to dwell.  God also said He would bless them that blessed him and curse them that cursed him.  Finally, God told him that through him the entire world would be blessed.  Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness!

In this week’s study we’ll look at Abraham’s faith and where it wavered, through the birth and childhood of Isaac:

The “Child of Promise” and the “Child of the Flesh”

One of the most significant parts of Abraham’s life is the birth of Isaac:

Genesis 15:2-6 NKJV

But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

When Abram was called by God out of Ur and out of his father’s house Abram was 75 years old.  God had promised him descendants, but Abram was an old man and his wife was barren:

Hebrews 11:11-12 NKJV

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

So, there is no question that Abram and his wife had faith.  Let’s examine this more closely.  Abram goes to God and complains that he is heir is not his bloodline but is born into his household.  This was the custom of the time, if you had no children of your own, the inheritance would go to someone that as born into your household, maybe a slave or another relative.  Abram is telling God that Eliezer of Damascus is the heir to his household. Look at what God says in Genesis 15:4:

Genesis 15:4 NKJV

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."

God says, “Nope!  The heir shall come from your own body!”  Now think about this Abram is about 85 years old at this time.  Sarai, his wife is about 75 years old, but the scripture in Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abram believed God.  How about you?  How easy would it be for you to believe God at this point?  Do you have faith like Abram? 

God then made a covenant with Abram; it’s in Genesis 15:9-21. God did this, because Abram wanted an assurance of God’s promises. A covenant is a binding contract.  God is assuring Abram that He will be faithful to his promise.

We think we don’t have the faith of Abraham, but I want to show you something. After all, Abraham is one of the “Heroes of Faith,” isn’t he?  We call him the “Father of Faith,” don’t we?  Look at what happens next:

Genesis 16:1-4a NKJV

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.

God has promised him an heir that would come from his own body; the “Child of Promise!”   This is something God is saying that He will do.  Sarai thinks that this can’t happen through her at this point in time, so she gives her servant, Hagar, as a concubine to Abram so that a child will be born.  This was also custom at the time that a servant could conceive a child, and it would be born onto the legs of the wife and that child would be the heir.  Abram listens to Sarai and goes through with this process and Hagar conceives a child.

Sarai is looking at her circumstances.  She knows that in all the years that they’ve been married she has never had a child.  She knows that she’s barren.  God promises Abram that he will have an heir from his own body. However, Sarah feels compelled to intervene and help fulfill this promise in her own way, and Abram consents to her plan. This serves as a cautionary tale for us today. We must be mindful, as our own struggles with doubt can influence others, potentially leading them into a lack of faith as well.

Hagar gives birth to a child who is named Ishmael.  Look at this description of this moment:

Genesis 16:10-12 NKJV

Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

It was in their flesh that they came up with this plan to conceive an heir.  It's like Abram ran out of faith in this moment.  Has that ever happened to you about the things God has promised you?  Have you ever let your circumstances control your faith?  Have you ever thought, “I don’t see how God could do this, so I have to make it happen myself!”?  That’s a moment of doubt on your part and it can get in the way of what God is trying to do in you or through you!

Genesis 16:15-16 NKJV

So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

If the heir that is promised to Abram is the “Child of Promise”, then Ishmael could be considered the “Child of the Flesh.” 

You Do This and I Will Do That

Genesis 17:1-2 NKJV

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

When there is a covenant or contract made, both parties have obligations under the contract.  “You do this, and I will do that.”  First God states his responsibilities to the covenant:

Genesis 17:4-8 NKJV

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

God changes Abram’s name to Abraham.  That name means Father of a Great Multitude.  This takes place when Abraham is ninety-nine years old.  He has only one child and that child is born to him through his lack of faith with Hagar!

Then God tells Abraham what his responsibilities to the covenant will be:

Genesis 17:9-11 NKJV

And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

Look at what happens after this:

Genesis 17:15-17 NKJV

Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

Where has Abraham’s faith gone?  He actually laughs at God saying, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”  In fact, the literal translation of the name Isaac is “Laughter.”

As I said before, we think we don’t have the faith of Abraham.  We look at a lot of our “Faith Heroes” as being people of unusual faith.  Look at some examples:

Elijah was a prophet, a miracle worker, a man who could call down God’s judgment.  A man of great faith?

James 5:17 NKJV

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.  He had his moments of doubt, his own lack of faith at times.  For example, in 1^st King’s 18, Elijah has a contest with the prophets of Baal, and calls fire down on the altar to demonstrate that God is the true God. 

1 Kings 19:1-3 NKJV

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

In one moment, powerful faith. In the next hopeless fear.  Where did his faith go?  Fear and faith cannot coexist.  Fear is the absence of faith.  So, what has happened to Elijah’s faith? He allowed his circumstance with Jezebel to overwhelm him.  These powerful men of faith, like Abraham and Elijah also had their moments of doubt.

How is that any different from you or I?  Where does our faith go in those moments of doubt; in those moments when our faith flees from us?  Faith can be restored, though, we’ll look at that in the next study!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #6 - Abraham Part 1 "Faith to Follow"

 Today, we will be continuing our Bible Study with a look at Abraham’s life.  Before we do that though, I want to review the study of Noah that we’ve been doing.  According to our study, why was Noah considered a righteous man?  Because he had faith.  Why did God want to preserve Noah as a remnant of mankind?  In order to preserve the lineage of Jesus.  What is obedience to God’s calling a sign of?  Humility before God.  What was Noah’s first act when he got off the ark?  To build an altar and honor and thank God for his deliverance.  Last question, what was God’s covenant with Noah?  That He would never destroy all living things off the face of the earth again.

There is so much about Abraham that we will just focus on some key points.  So, let’s start with the verses about Abraham’s mention in the “Timeline of History.”

Genesis 11:27-30 NKJV

This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Ur of the Chaldeans

Abraham was born in the Ur of the Chaldeans.  This is the place where the ziggurat of Ur is located.  A ziggurat is a “high place” where the worship of pagan gods takes place.  Ur was a major center of worship to the pagan mood god Nanna. 

This is the environment where Abraham (who was known as Abram, at this time) was raised.  In fact, his father Terah was involved in pagan worship.  He didn’t serve the God of the Bible:

Joshua 24:2 NKJV

And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.

The remarkable thing, in my opinion is that when God spoke to Abram that Abram recognized that it was God.  God called him out of that country and out of his father’s house and Abram knew it was God and obeyed.

Genesis 12:1 NKJV

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.

Genesis 12:4 NKJV

So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

So, we determined that Abram lived in a country that was a major place of worship of other gods, and that he lived in a home where those other gods were worshipped.  God called him out of that place and away from his family.  God took him out of that worship of other gods.

God basically does that with all of us.  Prior to salvation many of us were caught up in the traditional Taiwanese religions, or were atheists.  God called us out of that worship (Atheism is a worship of people, it is often called Humanism) and into His will. God has built into us a desire to seek Him.  We are all looking for God, even though we may not realize it. 

Act 17:26-27 NKJV

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

This scripture talks about periods and boundaries in which men and nations flourish, so that they might recognize and respond to God’s call on them, so that we would reach out to find Him, even though He’s not far from us.

This scripture also points to a personal seeking of God, “…though He is not far from each of us…”  Abram was no different from all of us.  He was seeking God and recognized His voice as God called to him.

God’s Calling

This is the calling of God on Abram’s life.  There are three parts to this calling, obedience and faith, blessings, and covenant that we want to look at:

Obedience and Faith

Genesis 12:1 NKJV

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And your father's house, To a land that I will show you.

First, God’s call was a test of Abram’s faith and obedience.  In the last few last week when talking about Noah, we emphasized Noah’s obedience and faith and how God accounted it to him as righteousness.  “Get up out of your nation and from your father’s house.”  This is the first part of the test.  Will Abram be obedient in God’s calling.  How hard is it to leave your family and go to another place knowing that you will never see them again?  It was difficult for me to leave the US and come here, when Emily and her family were remaining in the states.  I can go back and see her whenever I want, and still it was difficult to leave.  It must be more difficult to leave knowing that you’ll never see your family again.  This is what Abram’s calling meant.  This is the obedience that God was looking for from Abram.

What do you think it took for Abram to actually do that?  He had to believe that God was THE God.  He had to have rock solid faith.  God was saying, “follow Me to a place that I will show you.”  Abram had the faith to follow God, even though he had no idea where God was leading him. 

Hebrews 11:8 NKJV

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Blessings 

Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The second aspect of God’s calling on Abram is the blessings God gave him.  God promises that He will make Abram (soon to be Abraham) the father of many nations.  There are a few things here that are important.  The first is that when this promise is made Abram is 75 years old:

Genesis 12:4 NKJV

So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

It is also important to remember that Sarai, his wife, was barren.  That is, she is unable to give birth.

Genesis 11:29-30 NKJV

Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

God is promising Abram that he will father a great nation.  God also tells him that his descendants will number as the stars in the sky.  So, here is Abram, 75 years old with a barren wife and God is promising him that he will have many children.

Genesis 13:16 NKJV

And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

God promised him descendants, and that He would make Abram a great nation.  This took place in about 2000 BC.  About 4,000 years ago and we still know Abraham.  We still study this story.  God did indeed make his name great.

Covenant

The third part of this is that this is the beginning of the Covenant that God made with him.  God promised that he would have descendants.  God promised that He would be the father of many nations.  God promised that, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

This is a foreshadowing of Jesus. Jesus is the blessing, “of all the families of the earth.”  This is another instance when the faith of an Old Testament person extended to Jesus.  He is seeing this promise afar off:

Hebrews 11:13 NKJV

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Finally, the covenant between God and Abram included a land for the people of God, Abraham’s descendants.  Follow me to a land that I will show you.  This is the place that is promised to Israel.

Genesis 12:6-7 NKJV

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Abram, built an altar again to honor and thank God for this great blessing.  Look at this scripture:

James 2:23 NKJV

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." And he was called the friend of God.

I want to stop here for today but I want to reiterate God’s covenant with Abram.  We’ll go into more detail on some things next week.

Summary of Abraham’s Covenant with God:

God's covenant with Abraham is one of the most significant agreements in the Bible, marking the beginning of God's relationship with the Israelite nation and His promises to humanity. It is outlined in various passages, including Genesis 12, 15, and 17. Here's a summary of its key aspects:

• Promise of Land: God promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as their inheritance. This is referred to as the "Promised Land."
• Promise of Descendants: Despite Abraham and Sarah's initial inability to have children, God promised that Abraham would have numerous descendants who would form a great nation.
• Blessing to All Nations: Through Abraham's offspring, God promised blessings to all the families of the earth, foreshadowing the role of Jesus Christ as part of Abraham's lineage.

The covenant emphasizes faith, obedience, and God's unwavering commitment to fulfill His promises.

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #5 - Noah Part 2 "The Obedient Man"

 We want to continue our study on “Old Testament Personalities.”  We’ll be looking at the second part of our study on the personality of Noah.  If you remember las week’s study, we found that Noah found favor with God.  He was the only righteous man, in the world at that time.  We discussed that Noah was accounted as righteous because of his faith.  In the same way that Abel and Enoch were righteous because of their faith. 

We also saw that God preserves the righteous and doesn’t destroy the righteous along with the wicked.  Noah was preserved because of his righteousness.  God destroyed the wicked but did NOT destroy Noah.  He was a preacher of righteousness for one hundred-twenty years.

Today, I want to look at the flood and Noah’s reaction to God’s warnings and his behavior.

Obedience

Genesis 6:13NKJV

And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

God is warning Noah of His intentions.  People have become wicked.  Remember we talked about this when we said that two lineages descended from Adam: Seth, (The Lineage of Jesus), and from Cain (The Lineage of Wickedness).  Noah has descended from Seth and is found to be the only righteous man in the world.  So, God wants to deliver him, and through him, preserve the lineage of Jesus. So, He warns him and gives him these instructions:

Genesis 6:14-16 NKJV

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

God also told him to take two of every animal, male and female, and seven of certain types, mostly for sacrifice, as well as:

Genesis 6:21 NKJV

And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them."

Look at Noah’s response to these things:

Genesis 6:22 NKJV

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Noah was obedient to God’s direction.  God places value on obedience.  Look at this:

1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV

So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

This scripture above takes place in the life of King Saul.  God had commanded him to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all of their livestock.  Saul had his own ideas and kept some livestock back saying that he wanted to sacrifice them, but this was not what God commanded him.  Look at what Samuel says to him about it:

1 Samel 15:17 NKJV

So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?

“When you were little in your own eyes…”  Obedience is a sign of humility toward God.  We talk a lot about doing God’s will rather than our own.  How difficult is that for us?  As we’ve seen with Saul, we can easily call our will God’s will. God calls that rebellion and stubbornness:

1 Samuel 15:23 NKJV

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

Saul didn’t do everything God had commanded, Noah on the other hand, “according to all that God commanded, so he did.”  We need to examine our own behavior, are we acting according to all God has commanded, or according to our own will?  Are we humble enough to put aside our own will for God’s?

We’re Christians, followers of Christ, we should desire to be Christ-like. 

Luke 22:42 NKJV

saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."

This is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, looking ahead to His crucifixion… “Not My will, but Yours be done.”  Is that your prayer?

A Covenant with God

Genesis 8:1 NKJV

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

The flood was judgment on the earth.  It was God’s judgment on the wickedness that had sprung up in the world.  As we spoke about last week God doesn’t judge the righteous with the wicked so Noah was preserved to continue humanity.

After the judgment, the death of all living things on the face of the earth except those God had preserved in the ark, God turned his mind back to Noah and his family.

Genesis 8:15-18 NKJV

Then God spoke to Noah, saying, "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.

This is about a year after the flood began.  It had rained for forty days, but the ground had to dry sufficiently for them to go out. 

Noah’s first act after leaving the ark was to build an altar to thank and honor God:

 

Genesis 8:20 NKJV

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

The first thing Noah did was to worship God.  He didn’t build a home for himself.  He built an altar to praise and thank God for his deliverance.  He’s acknowledging God’s sovereignty, protection and mercy.  God could have completely destroyed every single living thing on the planet, but He didn’t.  He wasn’t finished with us. 

We often cry out to God for mercy, for help, and for deliverance.  Usually, though, these are help to deliver us from problems we’ve created for ourselves.  Noah expresses his extreme gratitude for god’s preservation and deliverance from the judgment of the flood.  It is an example for us to remember to express gratitude for what God has delivered us from.  Look now at God’s reaction to this sacrifice:

Genesis 8:21-22 NKJV

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."

God was soothed by the smell of the offering.  He’s pleased with what Noah has done here and he makes a covenant with Noah.  He says that He will never destroy every living being from the earth again.

Even during the tribulation, not everyone will be killed in the judgments.

It’s interesting that, even though God knows and understands men’s hearts, He makes this pledge.  “Although the imagination (or desire) of man’s heart is evil, from his youth…”  This is the essence of God’s forgiveness and mercy.  He knows who we are.  He knows our hearts and yet He chooses to forgive, anyway, knowing we will sin again.

Genesis 9:9-11 NKJV

"And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

God told Noah, and his sons to go and be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  We are all descendants of Noah.  Every human being can trace their ancestry back to that family.

Acts 17:26-27 NKJV

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

This covenant that God made with Noah is still in force today.

Summary of Noah

1.       Noah found favor with God – This descendant of mankind from Seth.  He was righteous by his faith.  He was a preacher of righteousness.  We are made righteous by our faith in Jesus.  Salvation comes through faith.

2.      God preserves the righteous - Noah was preserved because God doesn’t judge the righteous with the wicked. 

3.      The Flood – God’s judgment on the earth and the wickedness of mankind.  God called on Noah to prepare for the coming judgment.  We need to prepare for God’s call on our lives.

4.      Obedience – Noah was obedient to God’s commands.  He put God’s will first in all that he did.

5.      A Covenant with God – Noah’s first act out of the ark was to build an altar and thank God for his deliverance.  God made a covenant with him that He will not completely destroy all living things in judgment again. 

Noah is a lesson for us in our thoughts and behavior toward God.