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 #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.

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #4 - Noah Part 1 "Favor with God"

 Today, I want to continue our study on Old Testament Personalities.  We’re going to focus on Noah today.  Before we start, though let’s review last week’s lesson.  I would encourage you to take notes so you can remember what you learned.  You can also go to http://ssbiblestudies.blogspot.com to review them, because they’ll be posted there!

Review of the Last Lesson

Review of Seth:

Adam was created in the image of God, but Seth was begotten by Adam in his own (Adam’s image) image and likeness, what was the difference between God’s image and likeness, and Adam’s? There was the taint of Adam’s sin in the Garden.  He was no longer in the blameless and sinless likeness of God! Sinfulness is passed down through natural generations, (father to son).  Holiness and grace can only come from whom?  God, through Jesus!  What does the name Seth mean?  “Appointed”.  Why was He called that?  Because he was appointed to be the seed of the lineage of Jesus.

Review of Enoch:

The Bible says, “Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him.”  What is this a picture of for us?  Rapture!  What does it mean to walk with God?  He had a deep relationship with Gofd, much like Adam’s relationship with God in the Garden prior to Adam’s sin!

Noah

Noah Found Favor with God

Noah is a famous character, so famous that even many non-Christians know him and his story.  So, lets start with the “Timeline of History” mention of Moses and build from there.

Genesis 5:28-30 NKJV

Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters.

If you remember the "Timeline of History" then you know that Noah’s name means rest or peace.  I showed you the prophecy of Jesus that comes from the meaning of the first 10 names in the lineage of Jesus.  “Mankind, appointed mortal sorrow, the blessed God comes down teaching, His death will bring the Despairing REST (peace or comfort).”

In this prophecy built on the first ten names in Genesis, Noah is a picture for us off redemption, but I want to look at Noah in more depth: 

Genesis 6:5 NKJV

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:7-8 NKJV

So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Men had become wicked; we talked about this a bit in last week’s study.  There is a separation that sprung up between the lineage of Seth (which is the lineage of Jesus), and the lineage of Cain.  The wickedness had sprung up through the lineage of Cain, but Noah who was in the lineage of Seth found favor in God’s sight.  This is where that separation is important, God sought to destroy the wickedness of man, but he preserved the lineage of Seth through Noah.

Hebrews 11:7 NKJV

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The heir of the righteous which is according to Faith.  It’s the same righteousness that was accounted to Abel:

Hebrews 11:4 NKJV

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

And Enoch:

Hebrews 11:5-6 NKJV

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "AND WAS NOT FOUND, BECAUSE GOD HAD TAKEN HIM"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Righteousness was accounted to them for their faith!  In the Old Testament righteousness came by faith, in the same way it does in the New Testament.  Faith in Jesus.  These men did not see Jesus in the flesh, but saw the promise afar off and believed it.

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.

What that verse means is that they saw Jesus as redeemer, savior in the future and even though they didn’t see Him personally walking the earth, they believed. 

Genesis 15:5-6 NKJV

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.

This verse is speaking of Abraham, but this is why I believe that Noah found favor in God’s eyes.  He was a righteous man because of his faith and:

2 Peter 2:5 NKJV

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

He was a preacher of “righteousness” and from what we have seen righteousness comes from faith.  Not just faith in God, but in faith of the promise of redemption to come.  We might even be able to go so far as to say, “Noah was a preacher of Jesus, in a way.”  We find God’s favor through our faith in Jesus, just as Noah did!

God Preserves the Righteous

Genesis 6:13-14 NKJV

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. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

So, God had decided to destroy all living things through a flood.  He warned Noah, that this would happen and gave him instructions on how to build the ark. God wanted to rid the world of the wickedness that existed, but God does not destroy the righteous with the wicked.  We can look ahead and see this in God’s judgment of Sodom. 

Genesis 18:22-23 NKJV

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

God has told Abram (Abraham) that he was going to destroy Sodom and we can see that Abram asks, “What about the righteous?”

He asks God if there are fifty righteous men will you still destroy it?  God vows to preserve it for fifty men.  Abram counts it down, “What about forty?” “What about thirty?” “What about ten?”  Each time God says he will preserve the city if that many righteous can be found. Only one man is found that is righteous.

Only Lot:

2 Peter 2:6-8 NKJV

and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

God preserved Noah, because he will not destroy the righteous with the wicked.  Only Noah was found to be righteous in all the world.

The Flood

God commanded Noah to build an ark.  And the Bible says that Noah did all that was commanded him by God.

Genesis 6:22 NKJV

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

He prepared for the call of God.  Sometimes, we have a calling on our lives, but we think, “If this is God’s calling, then God will make it happen.”  We think we don’t need to do anything and God will just make sure it comes to pass.  But many times God’s calling requires preparation on our part. We need to be ready to complete the task that God calls on us to perform.  Noah builds the ark following what God told him to do.  God directed his steps, but Noah had to prepare. 

After all that was done, God spoke to Noah again:

Genesis 7:1 NKJV

Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

God calls him into the ark in order to preserve him and his family.  Noah’s sons participated in the construction of the ark, demonstrating their faith as well. Here is something that’s interesting to note: Noah built the ark and prepared for the rain and flood on the earth.  Some commentators (Jamieson Fausset and Brown) believe that the construction of the ark took one hundred-twenty years.  It was completed when Moses was 600 years old.  His son Shem was 98 years old.  If this is the case, although the Bible doesn’t specifically tell us how long it took the God gave mankind 120 years to repent, as Noah preached righteousness to them. God will always give us space to repent:

Revelation 2:20-21 NKJV

Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

This is a biblical pattern; God gave Jezebel the opportunity to repent as he gave the people of Noah’s time the time to repent. Remember Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He does not change. 

We’ll stop here for today, and we’ll pick up the rest of the story in the next one.