Tag Archives: Bible Study

Isaac is Born (Gen 21)

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Bible Summary:

In her nineties, Sarah gives birth to a son for Abraham as God said would happen. Abraham circumcises his son Isaac as God commanded.  Sarah tells Abraham to send the slave Hagar and his son by her Ishmael away without any of his wealth.  God tells Abraham not to worry about Ishmael, since he will father a great nation too.  Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, but God watches out for them in the desert.  Ishmael grows into a skillful hunter and Hagar gets him an Egyptian wife.

My Thoughts:

Fulfilling Promises: God fulfills his promise to Abraham by giving him a son by his wife. Abraham reciprocates by circumcising Isaac.  I am sure this is the point where Abraham and Sarah finally believe in God and his promise that they will have many descendants. No more laughing disbelief from them.

God Cares for Ishmael: Even though Ishmael is out of favor with the chosen family of Abraham, God still cares for him.  The Old Testament is a story passed down over many centuries by one line of people, so they will naturally show themselves in a better light. However, God loves and cares for us all just the same.

Abraham deceives Abimelech (Gen 20)

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Text Summary:

Abraham moves to the southern part of Canaan (modern Israel).  Fearing he will be killed for Sarah, Abraham tells everyone she is his sister, which is true by their father but not mothers.  King Abimelech has Sarah brought to him.

In a dream, God tells Abimelech he is going to die for taking a married woman.  Abimelech tells God he is innocent, since he never went near Sarah.  God says he kept Abimelech from sinning with Sarah, but he needs to give her back to her prophet husband who will pray for him so he and all his people will live.

Abimelech gives Sarah back, plus sheep, cattle, slaves, land and 1,000 pieces of silver. Abraham prays to God to allow Abimelech’s wife and slave girls to be fertile again.

My Thoughts:

A Scam?  Okay, it might be sacrilegious to question the actions of Abraham, the father of half the current world’s religions, but doesn’t this seem like a scam?  Abraham lies about his wife being his sister, a king takes her in, God threaten death to the king, and the king lets her go and gives Abraham great wealth.  This is the second time Abraham has done this; remember the King of Egypt in Genesis chapter 12?

Caveat Emptor: Maybe the moral of the story is “Buyer Beware”.  These kings didn’t have to take Sarah before confirming her marriage status.  Similarly, don’t believe everything you read (or are told), like many of the email stories floating around.  Try to verify the facts before getting upset about an email or forwarding it to others.

Lot’s Daughters (Gen 19: 30-38)

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Text Summary:

Abraham’s nephew Lot moves his daughters from Zoar to live in a cave.  The daughters get him drunk and have intercourse so they can have children since they believe there are no other men in the world.  Their sons are the ancestors of the Moabite and Ammonite tribes.

My Thoughts:

Incest is Not Right: The incest in this story does not sit well with me.  It makes you wonder though, if the rest of the world blew up, would you agree to incest to keep the human race going or let it end with you?  Theoretically, we are all related either through Adam and Eve or, as science would say, though Mitochondrial Eve, the mother of all modern humans that lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago (Wikipedia story).

The daughters obviously knew incest was wrong or they would not have gotten Lot so drunk that he never knew what happened.  Lot likely thought God miraculously blessed his daughters with pregnancies.

Holes in the Story: It’s strange that the daughters thought no men were left on earth. Yes, they watched all the men blow up in Sodom and Gomorrah, but wouldn’t there have been men in the small town of Zoar?

The title of this section in my Bible is The Origin of the Moabites and Ammonites.  I think this was more of a fanciful story made up to explain the origins of these tribes, back to Lot’s daughters.  Not being of direct descendants of Abraham, these tribes were likely looked down upon by the author, so the incest was added as a derogatory jab at them.

Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen: 18:16-33, 19: 1-29)

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Text Summary:

The Lord tells Abraham he has heard great accusations about Sodom.  Abraham negotiates with God to spare Sodom if He finds 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, and finally only 10 innocent people.  God agrees.

Abraham’s nephew Lot urges two Angels to stay at his house.  The men of Sodom surround Lot’s house and demand he give up the two men so they could have sex with them.  Lot begs them to take his two virgin daughters instead.  The men try to barge their way in but are struck with blindness by the Angels.

The Angels tell Lot to leave Sodom for the hills before they destroy it.  Lot negotiates for the small town of Zoar since the hills are too far.  The Angels agree.  At sunrise, the Lord rains burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot’s wife looks back and turns into a pillar of salt.

My Thoughts:

Negotiating: This story was likely used periodically to teach the next generation how to negotiate.  I mean, if Abraham can negotiate with God, you can negotiate with anyone.  It shows how to find a common point to agree on, like that God does not want to harm innocent people, and the whittling technique of slowly moving your counterpart down towards your goal.

Pillar of Salt: This story sounds right out of science fiction.  Three men show up and all of a sudden men are blinded outside a house, two cities are destroyed by flames from the sky, and a woman is turned into a pillar of salt.

I think the answer is more geological.  The middle-east is sitting on top of the world’s largest oil reserves.  It is possible that an earthquake caused a huge reservoir of underground petroleum to explode, destroying the area.  This would explain the raining down of sulfur.  The pillar of salt is likely that Lot’s wife was covered in ash.  See an example in this 9/11 picture of Marcy Borders.

Golden Rule: Lot serves and protects the Angels, so is saved from the destruction.

Homosexuality: It sounds like the storyteller is trying to teach the listener not to be homosexual.  Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their sins as pointed out by the gay men wanting to have sex with the men Lot was protecting in his house.

I’m in a catch-22 here.  No matter what I write, some people will perceive me to be anti-gay and others that I am pro-gay.  What I would like to address is the fear in the topic of homosexuality.

Prior to the 1980’s, gays feared about “coming out” because they would be ostracized by their families and friends and could even lose their jobs over this “socially unacceptable behavior”.  The 1980’s added the hysteria of catching AIDS to this burden and gays kept very quiet about their sexual orientation.

In the 1990’s, movies like Philadelphia with Tom Hanks portrayed gays as real people and opened the doors for acceptance of gays in films and TV shows.

Gays have “come out” in droves and with their new found freedom are now demanding their rights; the biggest being marriage that has now become legal in many states.  I’m not sure gays and lesbians are looking to be recognized as married as much as they want to gain the same benefits as a husbands and wives: insurance, social security, common law property, etc.

The scale of fear seems to have tipped in the opposite direction today.  Now, all the heterosexuals are afraid to make any negative comments about gays for fear of not being “politically correct” and potentially losing their jobs.

Frankly, I believe we are all people on this little blue marble cruising through space and we need to figure out how to get along with everyone and stop labeling and stop judging just so we can feel superior.  It should not matter about a person’s color, religion, sexual orientation, height, age, weight, job, economic status, hobbies (as long as they are legal), shoe size, or where their ancestors happen to have lived.  We are all human beings.  We all eat, breath, sleep, and bleed the same.  We all dream, hope, want someone to listen, and wish to be loved the same!

The only way to reduce fear is to open yourself up to new experiences.  Meet other people. Find out what they like, dislike, do for work, do for fun, eat and don’t eat.  You will discover that we are all not much different from each other.

God Promises Abraham a Son (Gen 18: 1-15)

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Text Summary:

The Lord appears to Abraham with two other men.  Abraham serves them humbly, even though he is like a king in that area.  One of the men said Sarah would have a son nine months from then.  She laughed since she is so old and her periods have stopped.  The Lord asks, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”  Sarah denies laughing since she is afraid.

My Thoughts:

Repetition: This shows the repetitive nature of the storytelling of old, being the second time in a row that God has told Abraham he will have a son.

Two Other Men: This story seems more like three wise men show up and one foretells the coming of Sarah’s son.  Maybe Abraham sees God in many people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta did.

Doing Right: Okay, I was wrong, it looks like the storyteller is showing how to “do right” before the Ten Commandments.  This passage shows how people, even in high places, should serve others humbly.  It illustrates the Golden Rule, treat others as you wish to be treated, thousands of years before Jesus.

Belief: God finally questions them about their belief in his power, in this case to give Sarah a son.  Sarah fears God enough to deny she had laughed.

It is so hard to believe without concrete proof.  That is what faith is about.  Don’t give up. Believe!

God’s Promise to Abraham (Gen 17)

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Text Summary:

Thirteen years later, God appears and basically repeats his promise to Abram, now 99, of many descendants and the land we know as Israel.  He tells Abram to obey and always do what is right.  God demands Abram agree to circumcision of all males, which he shows by having all males circumcised, including himself and Ishmael.  He also renames him Abraham and his wife Sarah.  God promises to bless Sarah with a son, Isaac.  Abraham bows, laughs that they can have kids at such an advanced age, and then asks God why Ishmael can’t be his heir.  God says Isaac will be the one, but blesses Ishmael with many descendants as well.

My Thoughts:

Obedience: Obedience is a persistent theme throughout the Bible, likely because God was talking to some very strong-willed individuals like Abraham.  It is also likely because these stories were also told to children by adults seeking their obedience.

Doing Right: Emphasizing doing right in the Bible was likely for the same child education reason.  These were the first stories ever told.  There were no Mother Goose rhymes, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Eric Carle, or Harry Potter books back then. We will have to wait until Exodus for Moses and the Ten Commandments to find out what defines “right”.

Circumcision:  Okay, I have no clue about circumcision (find details at Wikipedia Circumcision).  Here again, I think the storyteller uses God’s command as the reason for continuing the practice.

Changing Names: So, what is the significance of changing their names?  I think it shows a break from Abraham and Sarah’s past lives into this new covenant of their lineage with God.

Belief: Abraham and Sarah do not truly believe in God’s promise or His power.  Abraham laughs that Sarah can become pregnant at ninety years old.  I mean, who wouldn’t?  And, Sarah gave him her slave girl to impregnate 13 years earlier.  Maybe this is why God waited 13 years to reestablish the promise with Abraham.  The proof will be when Isaac is born and then they will believe.

For Us: It can take us a long time to believe in God, but he will patiently wait for us to come around.  Sometimes, we have a hard time believing in God or what he has in store for us. The proof for us is always when something is actually accomplished.  During the struggle, we often think God has abandoned us, but He is always there.  Talk to Him!  Pray.  He will listen.

Abram’s First Son (Gen 16)

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Text Summary:

Abram’s wife Sarai suggests he have a child with her Egyptian slave Hagar since she had not given him any children into their eighties.  Hagar gets pregnant, becomes proud, and despises Sarai, so Sarai treats Hagar so cruelly that Hagar runs away.  An Angel of the Lord tells Hagar to return so she can have many descendants from her son.  He warns that Ishmael will be wild and against everyone and live apart from his relatives.  Abram is 86-years-old when Ishmael is born.

My Thoughts:

Aging Legacy: Getting closer to their mortality – Sarai and Abram are in their eighties – has likely made them realize they have no one to leave their great wealth.  Sarai is too old to have children, so she offers up her slave girl as a solution.

Pride: Sarai is all for Hagar’s pregnancy until Hagar throws it in her face. Hagar’s pride triggers Sarai to become cruel enough to force her to leave.

Wearing pride on the outside may feel good at the time, but more often than not boasting causes resentment that can flair against you later.  Instead, wear your pride on the inside – just smile and enjoy the moment to yourself.  If you can’t keep it inside, run to a place where you are alone to celebrate out loud.

Karma: It is kind of ironic that Abram has Egyptian slaves and his descendants later become enslaved by the Egyptians.  I guess things ultimately come full circle.

God’s Promise to Abram (Gen 15)

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Text Summary:

God tells Abram not to fear and promises him as many descendants as the stars and all the lands of modern day Israel. Abram trusts God and sacrifices a few animals. Abram dreams his descendants will be enslaved for 400 years but the enslaving nation will be punished and his descendants will gain great wealth.

My Thoughts:

God’s Promise: God promises Abram many descendants and land.  The perspective is interesting, to be focused on ones lineage instead of just oneself for today.  This perspective drives strong marriages, interest and dedication to educating children, and building long-term family assets instead of borrowing against future generations.  We desperately need this perspective today.

Do Not Fear: From a personal perspective, the key message of this story is not to fear. Trust in God and things will work out – eventually.  We have all had fears since the dawn of time:  fear of not having enough to eat, fear of losing a job and not being able to provide for our family, fear of losing our house, fear that our children will come to harm or not be successful, etc.

Fear can keep you from a fulfilling life by preventing you from simple things like trying new foods or meeting new people.  Fear also causes stress that weakens your immune system and reduces the quality and quantity of life.  In extreme cases, fear can even paralyze a person into total inaction.

Put your mind at ease and trust in God.  It may take time.  Don’t expect things to happen overnight, in weeks, or even months.  Life is not a TV show where the issue is solved in an hour, less commercials if you DVR ;-).

Take little steps towards your goals.  Listen to what is in your heart.  Pray for guidance. Push through the fear and do it anyway.  Your confidence will grow after each little step you overcome.  Do something different today: smile and say “Hi” to someone passing by, sign up for that cooking class you always wanted to take, write down some things you would like to do or accomplish.  It is your life, make the most of it each day!

God be with you.

Abram Saves Lot (Gen 13-14)

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Text Summary:

Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) returns from Egypt very rich, so much so that he and his nephew Lot have to separate to have enough land for all their animals.  Lot moves to Sodom and is taken with all his possession when a group of kings invade.

Abram learns of Lot’s fate from an escapee and sends an army of 318 men to rescue him. Abram wins the battle and shares the loot with his allies and the remaining kings.  Abram is blessed by Melchizedek, a king and priest, in the name of the Most High God.

Interpretation:

Sounds like a historical record of how Abram saves Lot from the captors of Sodom. Abram is benevolent enough to share the resulting loot with his allies and the remaining ill-fated kings.

God Calls Abram (Gen 12)

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This seems to be more historical, introducing Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) and setting the stage for things to come, than a story with specific meaning.  Abram obeys God by moving to Canaan, modern day Israel, and is told he will be given “many descendants, and they will become a great nation”.

But, then famine hits and they all move to Egypt where Abram deceives the King into buying his wife Sarai (a.k.a. Sarah) as his sister.  The King receives terrible diseases from God, likely carried by Sarai, on him and the people of his palace, so he kicks Abram’s clan out of Egypt.  Abram returns to Canaan rich.

Abram doesn’t seem like the noblest father to the 3.6 billion Christians, Muslims, and Jewish people of today (see Wiki Number of Followers chart) in this story.