06- Genesis Part 4

Genesis 18-19

Walk in the Way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.

48 times used in Old Testament
The Way of Jeroboam is reference to wicked way
The Way is the first name of the New Testament Church
Abraham once again intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah.
God views Sodom and Gomorrah as filled with great and grievous sins (Ezekiel, 2 Peter, Jude) list the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The power of intercessory prayer: Abraham appeals for the Right and Just God to extend grace for just 10 faithful.

PRACTICING HOSPITALITY

Abraham and Sarah with the three men (Angels)
Lot with the two men (angels)
Hebrews 13:2
1 Timothy = elders characterized by hospitality
1 Peter = all Christians practice hospitality
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Mosaic Laws about being a neighbor, helping the poor, strangers, and those seeking refuge.

IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE
Lot and his family hesitate in obedience
”EARLY the next morning “ obedience theme throughout Old Testament = immediate obedience, without delay.
Abraham did this with Isaac and the sacrifice
Joshua did this in leading the people into the Promise Land
Hesitation by Lot has grave and generational consequences.
Hesitation leads to refusal to obey in other areas: Lot refuses to flee to the mountains seeking shelter in the small town of Zoar instead.
“FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS” theme of obedience in the Bible
Flee as a bird to the mountains = safety
Flee to the hills is command refused by Israel and those who did not suffered harmful and grave consequences.
Jesus’ (Matthew 24) prediction of the Fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) to flee to the hillsides
Lot’s wife death because of disobedience
Lot and his daughters in exile and the drunken, incestuous sexual relationship consequences.
- Moabites and Ammonites

READ GENESIS 20-22
CHOSEN NATION and the other Nations
Decisions of the Patriarchs led to other nations that become the bitter enemies of the Hebrews
Ishmael and his descendants
Descendants of Lot and his daughters sexual sin - Moabites and Ammonites
Esau’s descendants become the bitter enemies of the Hebrews (Malachi 1:3)
The Promise Nation = Abraham and Sarah = Isaac must be protected from these other nations.
- Hagar and Ishmael sent away from Isaac
- Abraham gives gifts to his sons with Keturah and sends them away from Isaac. chapter 25)

Chosen Seed through Miraculous Births
Childless women are used to produce the Promised Seed line in the Old Testament.
Miracle birth of Isaac to Sarah
Miracle birth of Esau and Jacob to Rebekah
Miracle birth of 12 children to Rachel
other miracle births:
Samson
Samuel
New Testament: Elizabeth’s birth of John and Mary’s birth of Jesus.

Chosen Seed and Primogeniture (1st born son inherits everything)
Younger sons selected for the Chosen Seed over the oldest:
Isaac - not Ishamel
Jacob- not Esau
Judah - not Reubern
Ephraim - not Manasseh

Later in selecting a king to replace Saul, David, the younger is selected over all his older brothers who look more like a king than he does.
- In each case, the older is presented as the stronger most obvious one to be the one chosen by God. However, God chooses the younger.

THEME: GOD PROVIDES AND PROTECTS HIS CHOSEN ONE

Promised Seed always protected- even when just a remnant remains. God promise cannot be broken.
Hagar and Ishmael sent away to protect the Chosen Seed
Abraham sends sons with Keturah away to protect Chosen Seed
Promise given to Abraham and his Chosen Seed nation descendants that if they walk in the way of the Lord and do what is right and just they will be blessed.

THEME: FAITH TESTED
Faith is always tested by God - quality assurance
Hebrews 11:17-19
Believed God
Reasoned by faith
Believed all things possible with God
Came from a deep and abiding trust in God who always keeps his promises and will provide.
Obedience in faith - EARLY THE NEXT MORNING- no hesitation
Others throughout the Old Testament (David, Jeremiah) ask God to search their hearts and test their mind.
Abraham calls the place: The Lord will Provide.

THEME: HAND OF GOD
Hands of God in the Old Testament - create, help, protect, and provide.
Angels take the hands of Lot, his wife, and daughters to lead them to safety.
Angel stops Hagar from using her hands to kill Ishmael. Instead, Hagar lifts up Ishmael with her hands and sees the oasis ahead.
Angel stops the hand of Abraham from killing Isaac on the altar. The LORD will Provide

05- Genesis Part 3

Genesis Part 3 (11-18:15) Notes

READ Genesis 11:10-12

God Direct Contact with People: Personal Involvement: Not a “distant” God
Adam
Cain
Enoch
Noah
Tower of Babel
Abram
Pharaoh

The World will Always Need a Savior
Garden of Eden
To the Flood
After the Flood
Noah
Ham
Tower of Babel
Sin is not glossed over in Genesis with the Patriarchs: Connection with the Mosaic Law

The Seed of the Woman Promise Being Fulfilled
Adam- Seth- Enosh- Kenan- Mahalalel- Jared-Enoch-Methuselah- Lamech- Noah- Shem- Eber- Terah- Abram (Abraham)- Issac- Jacob- Judah- Christ

The Covenant Relationship between God and People
Adam- Noah- Abraham
Shem- Terah (Semites)
Three sons of Terah
Haran dies in Ur but has a daughter - Milkah
Nabor marries Milkah and Lot is their son
Abram marries Sarai (Sarai is his half-sister: same father- different mothers)

The Call and Faith to Leave Ur for Canaan

Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Lot, the grandson of Terah and nephew of Abram and Sarai.
Moon god background worshipers in Ur (Joshua 24:2)
Adam created personally by God
Noah called because of his faithful and blameless ways
Not told why God called Abram (Grace)
Settled in Harran (southern mesopotamia) until Terah dies.

Hebrews 11:8ff

Story Line
After Terah dies, Abram resumes journey to Canaan.
In Shechem- altar to God
Famine - Egypt
Abram, to protect life- concocts with Sarai to deceive Pharaoh about Sarai’s relationship.
God intervenes- Abram leaves Egypt with wealth

GENESIS 13-15

Dispute between Lot and Abram
Lot chooses the best land- toward Sodom and eventually ends up as a leader in Sodom.
Abram told by God that everywhere he steps will belong to his descendants. This stepping into the land by faith is a common theme throughout Genesis- Joshua.
Lot is rescued by Abram from the 5 Kings
Abram and Melchizedek:
New name for God - God Almighty
Blesses Abram
Abram tithes Melchizedek (priest of Salem- Salem will later become Jerusalem). Click here to find out more from podcast on Melchizedek from Hebrew series

Abram refuses to accept gifts from King of Sodom.
Covenant expanded and renewed by God and Abram: Visible signs
1. stars in the sky
2. sacriice
Abram believes and God credits it to him as righteousness.

GENESIS 16-18:15

Plan to help God: Hagar
Hagar escapes Sarai’s jealousy by fleeing to the desert
Hagar blessed through Isamel- her son to be born
Hagar returns

Bitterness and Enmity between future Ishmael and Issac descendants.

13 years pass - Abram 99 years old
- God renews covenant: Ishmael is not the promised one.
Three signs:
1. Change of names to Abraham and Sarah
2. Circumcision of all males in Abraham’s household and a permanent mark for all descendants.
3. Three heavenly visitors- one is the Angel of the Lord
Genesis 16:7-11
Genesis 21:17
Genesis 22:11-12
Exodus 3:2
Judges 6:11-22

Laughter by both Abraham and Sarah represented in Isaac’s (mean’s laugh) name.

Is anything to hard for God?

04- Genesis Part 2

Genesis 9:18 - Chapter 11

Adam Covenant- Garden
Noah Covenant - Near Shinar
Abraham Covenant- New Land
Mosaic Covenant- To the Promised Land
Christ Covenant- Whole World for all People

Noah’s Covenant- Chapter 9
1. Sacrifice ratified the covenant
2. Promise given to never destroy world by flood again.
3. Rainbow sign
4. Noah’s descendants, like Adam covenant, told to be fruitful and multiply
Noah’s descendants are to spread over the earth and not stay in one place.

Question: Why is there sin in the world after the Flood if the flood was destroyed living things because of sin?
1. The Flood was the judgment of sin but did not rid the earth of sin.
2. Noah was faithful but what about his family?
3. Noah was faithful but he was not sinless.

Noah lives for another 150 years after the Flood which means he is still living when Abraham is alive.
Adam lived long enough (930 years) to be alive when Lamech, Noah’s dad was alive. Doesn’t mean they knew each other but there is a connection between Adam covenant through the Abraham covenant by longevity:
Adam (1st Covenant) was alive until Lamech- Noah’s dad was alive.
Noah (2nd Covenant) was alive when Abram (3rd Covenant) was alive.
Shem, Noah’s son lived to be 600 years old and was alive during the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Again, doesn’t mean they knew each other but what a connection between the generations by such long life spans.

Chapter 9-11 reminds us that there is no human solution for sin. Sin can’t be solved or stopped by people. It must be dealt with by God.

Sin doesn’t skip Noah and his family just because they were saved on the ark.
9:18
Noah’s son are “scattered over the whole earth.” Didn’t do this voluntarily but were scattered.
See chapter 11 how this took place.

Sin in Chapter 9 destroys the relationship between Noah and Ham
Noah: vineyard: wine: drunk-naked in the tent
Ham: exploits the drunkenness of Noah: either some form of sexual abuse and/or mocking his father.
The other two sons do not participate: Cover their father.
Once Noah finds out- He curses Ham and his bloodline through Canaan. He blesses his other two sons and their descendants.

CHAPTER 10 and CHAPTER 11 Connection
Chapter 10 is a summary of the Table of Nations
Chapter 11 explains the details how the descendants became scattered into the whole world.

All three lines of genealogies in Chapter 10 end with the summary
Their territories
Their clans
Their languages.

Chapter 11 explains how this happened.

GENESIS 10 TABLE OF NATIONS

70 nations from 3 Sons and their descendants
Much of genealogy is divisible by the complete number 7.
Only one is not - line of Canaan- the cursed line- chaotic genealogy.

Learn from Chapter 10 and 11
God is Sovereign and in Control.

Japheth Line: Indo-Europeans, Russia, and Greece
Ham: Far East, Africa, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan, Hittites (Modern Turkey)
Shem: Persia, Assyria (Mesopotamia), Lydia, Arabia, Arameans, Hebrews- Abraham

NIMROD (Genesis 10:8-12)
Hunter- Warrior- First Major Empire builder- pre-written history
Mesopotamia (Shinar= Babylon) ark landed near here.

TOWER- TEMPLE OF BABLYON (GENESIS 11)
1. Same language
2. People did not spread out but remained all together in the same area of the Fertile Crescent.
3. Universal language.
4. Historically: polytheists, astrology, worship of gods and goddesses.
Created zigguarats (idols shape of steppe pyramids) of the Tower built to heaven.
This religion continue for a long time after God scatters the people from the area.
5. Building with bricks and tar.

PURPOSE OF BUILDING THE TEMPLE TOWER
1. Name for themselves
2. Keep unified
Thought spreading out was a weakness not a blessing from God
God scatters them by language.
God will scatter the Kingdom of Israel (721 B.C.) because of sin as well throughout the
world.
God will use language on the Day of Pentecost to gather all people to the Christ and unify them in Christ (Acts 2)
3. God is in control- his plan to spread the people out he carries out (Romans 13:1; Isaiah 40:15,17)

The people are scattered from the Mesopotamia area to their per-determined territories with their per-determined languages.

The most important scattering will happen in the same region later in the city of Ur when God calls Abram and his family to leave his homeland and go to the land of Canaan to establish a new covenant and his descendants are promised to inherit the land and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him,

03- Genesis Part 1

Genesis 1-11:9

Read Genesis 1-3: The Creation and Fall
1. Only One God who is Creator:
a) Polytheism: belief in many gods most prominent religion in the world till today.
i.e. Hinduism (one billion adherents
2. Creation is orderly process, like a painting - the finger painting of God. Contrasts with the Ancient Near
Accounts of the time Genesis was written of wars between the gods and chaos.
3. How we got here as humans is perfectly clear:
Created not evolved
Image God
Keepers of the planet
Relationships
4. What God creates is Good

Genesis 3: The Consequences and Effects of Sin
1. The Serpent in the Garden
2. The Temptation
3. The Fall and its consequences
4. Promise of Grace
Genesis 4-5 Cain Abel and Seth
1. Cain and Abel
2. Cain line: inventions, urbanization, wickedness and ungodly.
3. Seth line: godly calling on the name of the Lord
4. Longevity prior to the Flood: Seth line Adam- Methuselah many live over 900 years old.
5. Enoch lives to 365 but is taken into heaven prior to death.
6. Lamech is 777 years old and Noah is 500 years old when he has his three sons.
7. His three sons live @550 years on average.
8. Patriarchs: Abraham (175): Isaac (180): Jacob (147): Joseph (111)
9. Moses 120 and Joshua 110. In the Psalm of Moses (90) 70-80 years is the norm.
10. King Saul (80): King David (70): King Solomon (80)

Read Genesis 6:9-9: Noah and His Family- The First Judgement
1. The Sorrow of God over corruption of sin
6:5 Thoughts of every person
6:1 see 1 Peter 3:19; 2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6-7 for explanation.
2. The punishment of God for the corruption of sin
3. The grace of God in saving Noah and his family.
4. The Ark, The Sacrifice
5. The Blessing of Noah- same command he gave Adam and Eve (9:1)

COVENANT 9:11
1.Binding agreement that reflects relationship between parties. A covenant reflects it does not create a
relationship.
2. Covenant requires the shedding of blood.
3. Rainbow covenant: Standards of the covenant
4. Made between a greater and lesser person of power.
5. Consequences for obeying and rebelling against the covenants.

02- The Central Piece

Lesson 2. Central Piece Notes

To prepare for the lesson please read the following scriptures first:
Psalm 19
Genesis 1
Isaiah 40

Central Piece
Faith in God’s Word as Truth
Faith that God is the creator of everything

Psalm 19:1-6
God reveals Himself through Creation (Romans 1:19f)

Psalm 19:7-14
God reveals Himself through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16 parallel)
1. Moses (Deuteronomy 32:47)
2. Joshua (Joshua 1)
3. Jesus (John 5:9; John 17:7)
4. Rest of Scripture same central thought: The Bible is God revealing Himself to us.

Genesis 1:1
The Creator created Creation. Every word is essential in that statement.
God has to tell us how the universe and everything, including us, came into existence. It is revealed knowledge.
1. Reveals He is the Sole Source and Cause of Creation.
2. Reveals He is a personal God, involved in Creation, including us. Not a mechanical - non
personal force.
3. Hebrews 11:3- Creator creating creation is the central piece to understanding His Word.
John 1:1
Colossians 1:15ff

Isaiah 40

A. God comforts His people in a disastrous situation by pointing to Himself as Creator.
As strong and powerful as Assyria is (chapters 36-39), another stronger empire,
Babylon is coming to also destroy Judah.

B. 40:8 People are temporary on this earth, as well as their empires, but God is eternal and
so is His Word.
C. 40:12-13, 15-17. When everything seems doom and gloom, God is not conquered. He is in
control. The Assyrian war-gods, which will be defeated by the Babylonian war-gods, seem
more powerful compared to the One True God but all those false idols will be defeated by
the Creator God who created creation.

D. 40:18. There is nothing you can compare God to. He is the Creator who is involved in
His creation but is not dependent or part of the creation. He is outside of creation and
fully in control and sovereign.

E. 40:23-ff No is equal to the Creator. What is said in these verses tie directly to Psalm 19 and Genesis 1 as the central piece in understanding the Old Testament. God’s Word revealed in the Old Testament (and, oh course, the New Testament) is truth because it comes from the Creator who created Creation.

40:28. Our response must be the recognition of our sinfulness and the need for redemption and reconciliation with our Creator. “Those who HOPE in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.”

The Central Theme throughout the Old Testament: God repeatedly declares He is the who made us, forms us, He is our creator who redeems us- the One we call by His Name.

God is unchanging - remaining the same forever because He doesn’t need to change.
False idols and religions created by humans are always changing and evolving or devolving.
Humans are always changing but God remains the constant yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

APPLICATION
1. On the next clear night- look to the heavens and praise the Creator who created everything.

2. The next time you sit down to read the Word of God, begin with prayer, thanking God for revealing Himself and His will to us in his perfect, timeless, comforting, delivering Word.

Old Testament Class

01- Solving the Puzzle

02- The Central Piece

03- Genesis Part 1 (Genesis 1-9)

04- Genesis Part 2 (Genesis 9:18- Chapter 11)

05- Genesis Part 3 (Genesis 11:10-18:15)

06- Genesis Part 4 (Genesis 18-22)

01- Solving the Puzzle

Notes

Lesson 1: Introduction

A. Putting the Pieces Together

1. Jesus and the Old Testament

2. Memorize the Chronology of the Books

B. Categories

1. Border- Foundations (Genesis- Deuteronomy): Pentateuch, Torah, Law: Establishing principles,
covenants, faith.

2. Big Picture- Historical (Joshua- Esther): Advancing the Story of Salation
3. Details- Instructional (Poetical (5) Prophetical (17): Explaining the Story of Salvation

C. The Gap (Silent Years) Between the Old and New Testament