Bible: Beginning to End - Genesis 1-17: Creation, the Fall of Man, Noah's Ark, God's Covenant with Abram

Episode Date: June 9, 2020

*For copyright reasons, I had to combine these episodes into one episode. Click Here for our YouTube Channel. Here begins our journey of reading through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We are starting with Genesis chapters 1-2. I hope you enjoy! Genesis 1 - 2 (Read) Listen as I read through and ask questions about Genesis 3 and 4. Use this time to meditate on God's word. Genesis 3 - 4 (Read) Today we are diving into the familiar story of Noah and the Ark. Genesis 5-9 (Read) Today we are reading through the story of Noah's Descendants and God's Covenant with Abram. (Genesis 10-17)  *Forgive me for any mispronunciations or inconsistent name pronunciations because Bible names are not the easiest and I'm no Bible scholar. :) Genesis 10-17 (Read) Contact Us Visit our Website        On Instagram @biblebeginningtoend   On Twitter: @biblebeginning1     Via email: [e-mail] Discuss each episode on Reddit Supporting the Show Financial contribution is never required, but if you'd like to support the show, here are a couple of ways: Be a listener and share the show with your friends! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to become a monthly supporter via Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠* ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to make a one-time contribution via Paypal⁠.* *Note that the Bible Beginning to End podcast is not a registered 501(c)3 or charitable organization. Therefore, any monetary support provided is not tax deductible. 10% of any profits made from this podcast via ad revenues or listener support will be donated to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Asha's Refuge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a Christ-centered nonprofit that "exists to assist the most disadvantaged refugees/asylees in achieving a successful resettlement in the Memphis, TN area.". Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Intro Part 1 00:58 - Ad Break 01:04 - Genesis 1  07:36 - Genesis 2 13:24 - Outro Part 1 14:30 - Intro Part 2 15:11 - Genesis 3 23:22 - Genesis 4 31:30 - Outro Part 2 32:29 - Intro Part 3 33:52 - Genesis 5 38:21 - Genesis 6 43:16 - Genesis 7 48:08 - Genesis 8 52:11 - Genesis 9 56:40 - Outro Part 3 56:51 - Intro 4 58:04 - Genesis 10 63:21 - Genesis 11 68:37 - Genesis 12 74:09 - Genesis 13 77:21 - Genesis 14 82:36 - Genesis 15 87:16 - Genesis 16 90:57 - Genesis 17 96:40 - Outro 4 Bible Verse Copyright Statement Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. To purchase an NLT, please visit https://amzn.to/3wUpUef

Hello everybody and welcome to Bible beginning to end. We're going to be starting at the beginning, of course, in Genesis 1. This might be a very familiar passage to many people out there. You may know it, you may have read it, you may have heard it many times, but I'm going to challenge you to look at it with fresh eyes today as we read or whenever you're viewing or listening to this. I might stop and ask some questions, but as always, I'm not going to be giving a lot of commentary

because I want the word to speak for itself. I want you to listen and meditate on this scripture and think about the questions I'm asking and how you would answer them. Let the spirit move. I'm reading from the New Living Translation if you have a Bible, you can turn and follow along, or you can just listen. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters, and the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, let there be light, and there was. light and God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness night. An evening passed and morning came marking the first day. So that's day one of creation. Think about what it might be like for the world to be completely dark and then all the sudden light enters the world. Day two, sky, waters. Then God said, let there be a space between the waters to separate the

waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space sky. An evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. Day three, land, sea, vegetation. Then God said, let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear. And that is what happened. God called the dry ground land, and the waters seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let the land sprout with vegetation, every sort of seed-bearing plant and tree that grow seed-bearing fruit.

These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came. And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation, all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit, their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind, and God saw that it was good. An evening passed and morning came marking the third day. Reflect on how many times you hear the word good in this section. Think about why that word was used.

Think about why God saw all of his creation as good. Day four, sun, moon, stars. Then God said, let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth, and that is what happened. God made two great lights, the larger one to govern the day and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth to govern the day and the night

and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. An evening passed and morning came marking the fourth day. Also, as you're reading, think about God's power. How is it reflected in this passage? What is he doing that makes us see how powerful? and strong he is. Day five.

Birds, fish. Then God said, let the waters swarm with fish in other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water and every sort of bird, each producing offspring of the same kind,

and God saw that it was good. Then God blessed. them saying, be fruitful and multiply, let the fish fill the seas and let the birds multiply on the earth, and evening passed, and morning came marking the fifth day. Day six, animals, humankind. Then God said, let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground and wild animals. And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let us make human beings

in our image to be like us. They will rain over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals of the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in his own image. Pause there and think about what that means in his own image. In the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and govern it. Rain over the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky and all the animals that scurry along the ground. Then God said, look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals,

the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground, everything that has life. And that is what happened. then God looked over all he had made and he saw that it was very good. That's interesting that he says very good there instead of just good. Think about why that is. An evening passed and morning came marking the sixth day. Chapter 2. Sabbath rest.

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. on the seventh day God had finished his work of creation so he rested from all his work and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy because it was the day when he rested

from all his work of creation this is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth think about how significant it is that God rested on the final day of creation and then he marked that day as a day of rest. Consistently, God looked back at the work that he had done and he said,

this is good. And because he had done good work, he was able to rest. Think about how that applies to us now and how we structure our lives around work and rest and finding a balance. Everything in God's creation at the beginning had this perfect balance. Creation of of man and woman. We got a little piece of creation of man just a second ago, but we're going to go into a little more detail now. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth.

For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth. And there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.

The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground, trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden, He placed the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden, and then dividing into four branches. The first branch called the Pission. Floed around the entire land of Havela, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure, aromatic resin.

and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch called the Gaon flowed around the entire land of Kush. The third branch called the Tigris flowed east of the land of Asher. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates. The first command. The Lord placed the man in the Garden of Eden

to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God, warned him you may freely eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if you eat its fruit you are sure to die think about why God gave Adam a choice in this moment because God is all-powerful knowing and He could have created the Garden of Eden without the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and Adam could have lived there forever. But why do you think, you know, what is God saying to you about the reason he gave Adam the choice

to either eat of the fruit or not? He gave him the warning, so Adam fully knew what would happen if he did. Why do you think he was given that choice? creation of the woman then the lord god said it is not good for the man to be alone i will make a helper who is just right for him so the lord god formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky he brought them to the man to see what he would call them and the man chose a name for each one he gave him names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still, there was no helper just right for him. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep.

While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. At last, the man exclaimed, this one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She will be called woman because she was taken from man. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that they were able to be naked together and feel no shame in Eden? So that is the end of Genesis chapter 2 and that concludes the creation story.

It tells us where we came from and it shows us the perfect balance that God intended for the world. the balance between man and woman, the balance between creatures of the earth and humankind, the balance between day and night. Think about that perfect balance. We're going to stop here for today. But we have something coming up next time that will change creation forever.

So you can read through these again and meditate on them and let God speak to you and see if you can take a look at these either for the first time or with fresh eyes and see what God is telling you about his scripture today. So thank you for joining. Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. Today we are going to be reading through Genesis 3 and 4. As always, I won't be giving much commentary. but I will be asking some questions for you to meditate on as we read through this scripture.

I will also be reading from the New Living Translation, so crack open your Bible, pull it up online, or just listen along as we read through this together. Think about where we left off. We left off with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and I said this week that we would be reading through a section that would change the course of history forever. and that starts in chapter three, titled The Ruin of God's Creation. So here we go with Genesis 3. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made.

One day he asked the woman, Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? Okay, stop right there and think. Think back to what God said. what did God actually say to Adam? What was his commandment? And how is the serpent twisting God's word here in this statement? Eve's response, verse two.

Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said you must not eat it or even touch it. If you do, you will die. You won't die, the serpent replied to the woman. God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God knowing both good and evil. Think again when the serpent says, you won't die.

How is he contradicting what God said in the previous? chapter. Man and woman rebel against the creator. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it too. Stop and think about that. What caused Eve? to make the choice to eat from the forbidden tree. It says the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious. Think about your own sin, my own sin, as I'm thinking about it now.

What is it about sin that entices us? For Eve, what was it about the tree that enticed her? And how can we apply that to our lives and see the way our mind works and how the devil twists God's words to cause us to fall. Verse 7. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sowed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Think back to the end of chapter 2. Compare verse 25. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Compare that. to this verse. At that moment, their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. What happened? What was the shift that caused them to suddenly feel shame? Think about that. Next section, God interrogates the man and woman. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid

from the Lord God among the trees. Pause and think, why are they hiding from God? What's happened that has caused this shift in their relationship? Verse 9. Then the Lord God called to the man. Where are you? Pause again and ask yourself this question. Do you think God knew where they were physically?

And if he did, why is he asking this question? Verse 10. He replied, this is Adam speaking. I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked. Who told you that you were naked? The Lord God asked. Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit?

I commanded you not to eat. Again, pause and ask yourself, does God already know the answers to these questions he's asking? And if he does, what kind of opportunity is he giving Adam and Eve by asking these questions? Adam says, I was afraid because I was naked. Was he afraid because he was naked? Or was he afraid because he now felt shame from his nakedness?

Verse 12. The man replied, it was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit and I ate it. Then the Lord God asked the woman, what have you done? The serpent deceived me, she replied. That's why I ate it. Next section, God indicts and convicts. Verse 14. Then the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed more than all

animals domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head. and you will strike his heel. Then he said to the woman, I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth, and you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. And to the man, he said, since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to

scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. Think about this last section and God's reaction to this original sin. Think about the specific judgments he made each party involved and consider why he chose those specific punishments for each person were being involved. The next section, expulsion and hope. Verse 20. Then the man Adam named his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all who live and the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. Think about the significance of God making clothes. Think about the

significance of God making clothes for Adam and Eve after he is given his judgments. Does that show his mercy? Does that show his grace? Verse 22. Then the Lord God said, look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life and eat it? Then they will live forever. So the Lord God banished them from the garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden, and he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth

to guard the way to the tree of life. Remember before we move on to Chapter 4 that God gave Adam and Eve a choice in the Garden of Eden to eat of the fruit or not to eat of the fruit? Why do you think it's significant that God gave them that choice? And think about why God had to make the decision to banish them from the Garden of Eden, but also focus on the hope, how he still gave them a life outside of the garden, one of hard work, but also one of fulfillment through his mercy and grace.

Let's move on to chapter four. Kane and Abel. Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Kane, she said, with the Lord's help, I have produced a man. Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Kane cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Kane presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift, the best of the first-born lambs from his flock.

The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. So pause and think, why do you think God accepted Abel's gift, but not Cain's? And put yourself in their shoes,

how might you feel if you were able and your gift was accepted by God. And then put yourself in Kane's shoes. You've given a gift, but it's not accepted by God. Do you do self-reflection and wonder why your gift wasn't accepted? Or do you become angry and dejected as it says Kane was? Really look at the differences between their two offerings and what the scripture says about them

and what that might say about Kane and Abel's intentions behind their specific gifts. Cain's being some of his crops, while Abels are the best of the first-born lambs from his flock. Verse 6. Why are you so angry?

The Lord asks Kane. Why do you look so dejected? Pause there and ask yourself again, why is God asking these questions that he knows the answers to? Why do you think? God asks us questions that he might know the answer to. Verse 7, you will be accepted if you do what is right, but if you refuse to do what is right,

then watch out. Sin is crouching at the door eager to control you. Notice that imagery there, crouching at the door eager to control you. Who does that remind you of from chapter 3? But you must subdue it and be its master. Verse 8. One day, Kane suggested to his brother, let's go out into the fields. And while they were in the field, Kane attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Afterward, the Lord asked Kane, where is your brother? Where is Abel? Pause and compare that question to the one he asked Adam and Eve after they had eaten the fruit.

And he came and said, where are you? Here he's asking, where is your brother? Where is Abel? Why do you think he's asking this question? Here's Kane's response. I don't know, Kane responded. Am I, my brother's guardian? But the Lord said, What have you done? Listen, your brother's blood

cries out to me from the ground. Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood. No longer will the ground yield crops for you, no matter how hard you work. From now on, you will be a home, wanderer on the earth. We can also compare this punishment to Adam's punishment in the previous chapter, where Adam was punished to cultivate the ground. We see God's justice.

Verse 13. Cain replied to the Lord, my punishment is too great for me to bear. You have banished me from the land and from your presence. You've made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me. In this moment, what do you think is going through Cain's mind? Has he realized the weight of what he's done? Verse 15. The Lord replied, no, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you. Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. So Cain left the Lord's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Think about a time in your life when you may have made a mistake, and maybe you felt the weight of that sin, but somehow God, delivered you from it and protected you from further hurt, just like he does here for Kane. Yes, he punishes Kane, but what is he doing? He's protecting Kane, saying, I will give a seven-fold punishment to anyone who kills you. The next section, the descendants of Kane. Kane had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant, and gave birth to Enoch. Then Kane founded a city, which he named Enoch after his son. Enoch had a son named Eeyron, Erod became the father of Mahujail. Mahujael became the father of Methusel. Methusel became the father of Lamec.

Lamec married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zilla. Pause there because I know it might sound strange that Lamec married two women. We know from God's design and God's plan for humanity and marriage. that his design is for us to marry one person. But here we have Lemek marrying two women. But let's remember that this is after the fall, after the original sin.

And just because a character is in the Bible doesn't mean he or she is following every single wall that God designed. Just as we saw Adam Fall, here we see characters and people living in a way that God might not desire. But that doesn't mean God approves of, for instance, Lemek marrying two women. But it is presented in the Bible as the truth as the way that it actually happened.

Verse 20, A dog gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raised livestock and live in tents. His brother's name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. Lamek's other wife, Zilla, gave birth to a son named Tubalcane. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron.

Two ball cane had a sister named Nama. One day, Lamek said to his wives, Adah and Zilla, hear my voice. Listen to me, you wives of Lamek. I have killed a man who attacked me, a young man who wounded me. If someone who kills Kane is punished seven times, then the one who kills me will be punished 77 times.

Pause and think of him. about what Lamek just said. We are not very far removed from Adam and Eve living in Eden, but now sin has entered the world and we're seeing bitterness and anger and revenge. Pause and think about Lamek's story and his command that whoever kills him would be wounded 77 times. Do you think that the way Lamek behaves, the way he lives his life, is an effect? of sin entering into the world. The final section, epilogue the birth of Seth. Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son.

She named him Seth, for she said, God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom King killed. When Seth grew up, he had a son named Enosh. At that time, people first began to worship the Lord by name. Think about how beautiful that is. Sin is in the world, but people recognize the Lord and his glory and his holiness and are worshiping him by name, understanding that he is the life giver. So these two chapters were very different from the ones we read last time. Do you see the shift in the world before sin and after sin?

Do you see how sin has affected the people were meeting in these chapters? This might be a tougher section to read because it hits a little bit closer to home. Eden is what we desire. Eden is a piece of heaven. Eden is the hope that we hold on to when we put our faith in God. But the fall of man is the reality we live in now. As you meditate on these passages, think about the people who came before us and who we're going to meet. And how, despite the sin in the world, they hold on to God's prime.

Because he makes many promises and he keeps them all and it's very beautiful. So thank you for tuning in this week and I will see you next time as we keep diving into Genesis. Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. Remember that this is a time to listen to God's Word and meditate on the scriptures. I'll be asking questions throughout our reading that you can think about so that you will be able to interpret God's word as it is presented. Listen to God's spirit as he leads you into a deeper understanding of his word. Last week we finished up with Genesis 4, where we met Adam and Eve's children, Kane and Abel. We discussed some of the first sins that entered the world, and now we are

going to be reading through Genesis 5 through 9. This starts with an account of Adam's descendants. Throughout the Bible, you will find genealogies listed, and you might be tempted to overlook them and skip them, but they are actually very important in our Christian history. So as we read through Genesis 5, consider why it's included in the scripture. Why is it important that God include this genealogical line? Does it show God's purpose? Does it at the very least show that God knows us all by name? As we we read, think about your own family and your own history and how important and impactful that is in your life. So let's begin with Genesis 5, the account of Adam's descendant. This is the written

account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them human. Genealogy. Adam to Noah. When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him in his very image. He named his son Seth. After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. Compare that phrase in his very image, says that Adam had a son in his son. very image. Where else have you heard that? God created man in his own image. And then we get to see a little

piece of that in our own lives as we have children. Verse 6. When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Inosh. After the birth of Inosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Keenan. After the birth of Keenan, Enoch lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. When Keenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalal. After the birth of Mahalalal, Keenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Keenan lived 910 years, and then he died. When Mahalalalal was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared.

After the birth of Jared, Mahaloel lived another 830 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Mahaloel lived 895 years, and then he died. When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years,

and he had other sons and daughters. Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. When Enoch was 65 years old, he became. became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared because God took him. Pause and think about Enoch. What did it say about Enoch? He lived in close fellowship with God. And it didn't say he'd

died, it said that one day he disappeared because God took him, almost as if his work on earth was complete because he had walked closely with God, and God was able to take him into the kingdom of heaven. I just want you to think about how that might apply to our lives now as a picture of how our relationship with God should be. Verse 25, when Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamec. After the birth of Lamec, Mithuzella lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. When Lamek was 182 years old, he became the father of a son. Lamek named his son Noah, for he said, may he bring us relief from our work and painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.

Pause and think, could that be foreshadowing anything that you know already about Noah? Verse 30. After the birth of Noah, Lamek lived another 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. LeMek lived 77 years, and then he died. By the time Noah was 500 years old, he was the father of Shim, Ham, and Japheth. End of chapter 5. So that was a lot of names and people, but it was leading up to whom? To Noah. You might have heard many times the story of Noah, just as you did, the story of Genesis 1. But let's take a look at it with fresh eyes, as if you've never heard it before, and really dwell on what is going on in the story.

Again, I'll be asking questions, but we are going to read through Genesis 6 through 9, the entire story of Noah and the ark, a very familiar story, but it is one of God's providence and promise and covenant. Chapter 6. Corruption of the human race. Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. The sons of God saw the beautiful women, and took any they wanted as their wives. Then the Lord said, my spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years. In those days, and for some time after giant Nephelites lived on the earth, for whenever sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children, who became the

heroes and famous warriors of ancient times. The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth. And he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes. And I will destroy every living thing, all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I'm sorry I ever made them. But Noah found favor with the Lord.

Consider the state of the world. We've been told that everyone is living in wickedness. So what do you think distinguished Noah from everyone else so that he might find favor with the Lord? Often in Christianity we're called to live against the culture of the world. But God promises us better, fuller lives when we stay true to him and remain faithful. This might be a good time to pause and think about your own life and ways in which you might live against the culture of today and how you stay faithful to God.

The next section is the account of Noah's family. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Who else lived in close fellowship with God that we talked about in the last chapter? Noah was the father of three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everything on earth was crum. corrupt. So God said to Noah, I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth. Build a boat from

cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out, then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat, put the door on the side and build three decks inside the boat, lower, middle, and upper. Look, I'm about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breeds. Everything on earth will die, but I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat, you and your wife and your sons and their wives, bring a pair of every kind of animal, a male and a female, into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird and every kind of animal and every kind of small animal that scurries along the

ground will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals. So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. The way it's presented in the text, Noah doesn't hesitate when God asks him, to build this arc. And it makes me think sometimes, even the simplest things God asks me to do now, I hesitate. Maybe think about what God might be asking you to do in your life right now

that you're unsure about or you're nervous about. And think why you might be nervous about those things. And look back to Noah and to the covenant God made with us to protect us and to keep us. You see, God was merciful to Noah because of Noah's faithfulness. So as we continue reading with Chapter 7, just pay attention to Noah's responses to God's calls. Does he immediately jump into action, or does he second guess and question God?

Chapter 7, the universal flood. When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. take with you seven pairs, male and female, of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others, and also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. Seven days from now, I will make the rains pour down on the earth, and it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have

created. Right here we have very specific instructions from God. What does that say about God's plan and how he takes action? Verse 5. So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. He went on board the boat to escape the flood. He and his wife and his sons and their wives. With them were all various kinds of animals, those approved for eating and for sacrifice, and those that were not, along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground. They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth. Where have we heard seven days before?

Think back to Genesis and how many days it took God to create the earth. When Noah was 600 years old, on the 17th day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. The rain continued to fall for 40 days and 40 nights. That very day, Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. With them in the boat were every pair of every kind of animal. Domestic and wild, large and small, along with birds of every kind, two by two they came into the boat representing every living creature that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered just as God had commanded Noah.

Then the Lord closed the door behind them. Who was with them in this moment? Do you think Noah and his family might have felt a little bit of fear? But then, right as the waters are coming down, who's closing the door behind them? Verse 17. For 40 days, the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. Finally, the waters covered even the highest mountains on the earth, rising more than 22 feet above the highest peaks.

All the living things on earth died. Birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground and all the people. That phrase, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground is repeated many times in this section. Why do you think that repetition is there? Look back and see how many times you see that phrase. Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. God wiped out every living thing on earth people. Livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky.

All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days. This might be a tough. section to hear because God is wiping out his creation. But remember why he's doing it. Remember how the people were acting at this time. God knows us inside and out. He knows our heart. And he knew the hearts of those who are living on the earth. And then put yourself in Noah's shoes. Noah and his family are the only people left, putting their trust in God, living on this boat. No other

or animals around, and then we jump into chapter 8. The floodwaters recede. But God. What a beautiful phrase. Everything else that came before, all the tragedy that came before, but God, the most holy one, he himself, but God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible. Just put yourself in Noah's shoes. You're living in this boat and then all of a sudden you start to see mountain peaks and little glimpses of hope along the way. How do you feel? After another 40 days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. but the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the grounds, so it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside.

After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. this time it did not come back. Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, 10 and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry. Then God said to Noah,

leave the boat, all of you, you and your wife and your sons and their wives, release all all the animals, the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground, so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. I feel like in this moment you can breathe a sigh of relief. Like throughout chapter six and seven, you're just holding your breath because Noah is living on this boat, nowhere to go, all these animals and his family to take care of. And then the dove comes back with an olive branch and you can let out a little bit of air because you know the waters are receding.

And then the dove doesn't come back. You can breathe a little more air because you know that the dove is found land. And then God says, it's time. Leave the boat. You have been faithful. And you can exhale because God fulfilled his promise. Verse 18. So Noah, his wife, and his sons, and their wives left the boat.

And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. And there he sacrificed. burnt offerings, the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. I want you to think about the significance of the very first action Noah took when he came off the boat. What did he do? Who was he honoring? Who was he putting first in his life? Verse 21. And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything

they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood, I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. Chapter 9. God's covenant with all living creatures. Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, all the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it. And I will require the blood of anyone

who takes another person's life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person's life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. Now be fruitful and multiply and repopulate the earth. Think about those life-affirming words God just said. For God made human beings in his own image. What does that tell us about the human race? What does that tell us about people and how important they are. Think about people in your life, people you struggle to get along with, people who are easy to get along with, and reformat that image that you have of them into an image of them as someone who was made by God in the image of God, flaws and all. Maybe that'll

change your perspective a little bit. Verse 8, then God told Noah and his sons, I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants and with all the animals that were on the boat with you, the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will flood waters kill all living creatures. Never again will a flood destroy the earth. Then God said, I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is a sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember

my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth. Then God said to know yes. This rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all. creatures on earth. Think about the last time you saw a rainbow. Close your eyes and think about what it looked like. Was it raining? Was it sunny out? Remember that that is a

symbol of God's covenant with us. What is a covenant? It's more than a promise. It is a guarantee. Verse 18, the sons of Noah who came out of the boat, With their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan. From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth. After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made and became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers.

Then Shim and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. Father. As they did this, they looked the other way so that they would not see him naked. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham his youngest son had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham. May Canaan be cursed. May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives. Then Noah said, May the Lord the God of Shem be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant. May God expand the territory of Japheth. May Japheth share the prosperity of Sheph. and may Canaan be his servant. Noah lived another 350 years after the Great Flood. He lived 950 years,

and then he died. This might seem a very strange ending to the epic story of Noah and his heroism. But remember, this is not the Garden of Eden anymore. Sin is in the world, whether we like it or not. And although Noah was a righteous man and the one God chose to save humanity, he is not without fault. Sometimes it's good to remember that we all have our faults. We have times in our lives when we're following closely to God in times in our lives when we're straying. That's why what's coming is so important. God sees humanity and he sees need for a Savior. God is perfect, but no human is perfect, not until Jesus comes in the New Testament.

And we'll get there. It'll take us a while, but we'll get there. We will see the new covenant, and we can compare it to this covenant. As we end today, just think about God's mercy and God's promises. I want you to think about where in your life you see God's love and God's faithfulness every day. Thank you for joining and listening, and I will talk to you next time as we jump in to Genesis 10. Hello, and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. I'm glad you're with us again for another reading through the scriptures.

Last week, we ended with Noah and the Ark and God making a new covenant with all of creation. We're going to pick up where we left off starting in Genesis 10 and see where humanity goes after Noah and the flood. God has said, repopulate the earth, and we are going to see some of those people and important figures in our faith. Today we're going to read Genesis 10 through 17 to see another covenant God makes with Abram. We are going to walk through the beginning of his story right up until the point God changes his name from Abram to Abraham. As always, I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. I will be pausing to pose questions along the way, but the main point of this is for you to listen to these scriptures and use my questions as a jumping off point to let the Holy Spirit lead and help you interpret God's word as it is presented. So let's start in Genesis 10.

As we begin Genesis 10, think about how it naturally flows from Genesis 9, where we were talking about Noah and his sons after Noah has passed away. We're getting another account of descendants, this time descendants of Noah's children. Remember these are long lists of names, just like we got a list of Adam's descendants, earlier in Genesis. And as we read through these names, just remember that as important as these names are to God, your name is also important to God.

He knows each of these characters, each of these people by name, but he also knows you by name. And when we put our faith in him, we are written into his family, adopted into his family, just as we see these people being born into a family.

We are born into God's family. So let's begin with Jen. Genesis 10. This is the account of the families of Shim, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the Great Flood. Descendants of Japheth. The descendants of Jepheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tabal, Meshik, and Tyrus. The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Rapheth, and Tagama. The descendants of Javan were, Elisha, Tarshish, Kittam, and Roddenham. Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.

Pause and think about how this list of names and descendants confirms the new covenant that God made with Noah in the previous chapter. Verse 6. Descendants of Ham. The descendants of Ham were Kush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The descendants of Kush were Siba, Havela, Sapta, Rama, and Sabteca. The descendants of Rama were Shiba and Deddin. Kush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world. He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Eric, Akkad, and Kalna. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rahabathur, Kala, and Resin.

The great city located between Nineveh and Kala. Mizraim was the ancestor of the Luddites, animites, Lehabites, Naftahites, pathracites, Kazlehites, and the Khafterites. From whom the Philistines came, Canaan's oldest son was Saidan, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Gergishites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvidites, Zimmerites, and Hamathites.

The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Garar and Gaza in the south and east, as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, and Zoboiam near Lasha. These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity. Pause and notice that that phrase in verse 20 was also spoken about the descendants of Japheth. Think about the world as it is now and how we are all identified by clan language, territory, and national identity. This is where that began back with Noah and the Ark and his descendants. The next section is the descendants of Shem.

Verse 21. Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shim was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber. The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asher, Arfizad, Ludd, and Aram. The descendants of Aram were Us, Hull, Gether, and Mash. Arfizad was the father of Shella. And Shella was the father of Eber. Eber had two sons.

The first was named Pelleg, which means division. For during his lifetime, the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother's name was Jokhta. Jokta was the ancestor of Almodad, Shelph, Hazarmath, Jara, Hadaram, Uzel, Dikla, Oboe, Abimeel, Shiba, Shiba, Offer, Havala, and Jabob. All these were descendants of Jokton. The territory they occupied extended from Mehah, all the way to Sefer in the eastern mountains.

These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity. These are the clans that descended from Noah's sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the Great Flood. Chapter 11. Chapter 11, the Tower of Babel. At one time, all the people of the world spoke the same. language and used the same words. Pause and imagine what you think the world might be like if we all spoke the same language. Verse 2.

As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began saying to each other, let's make bricks and harden them with fire. In this region, bricks were used instead of stone and tar was used for mortar. Then they said, come. Let's build a great city for our city. with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world. Pause and ask yourself, are they making something that honors God or honors themselves?

Verse 5, but the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. Look, he said, the people are united and they all speak the same language. after this nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them come let's go down and confuse the people with different languages then they won't be able to understand each other pause here and ask yourself why is god punishing the people in babylonia are they unifying themselves to honor god and live a holy life or are they unifying together to honor themselves are they unifying in their sinful nature Compare this to the Garden of Eden when the original sin happened. Did Adam and Eve unify themselves to eat the fruit so that they could honor God?

Or did they unify themselves and eat the fruit to honor their selves and fulfill their sinful desires? Verse 8. In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people would different languages. In this way, he scattered them all over the world. Our next section is another line of descendants. This time it's the line of descent from Shem to Abram. This is the account of Shem's family. Two years after the Great Flood, when Shim was 100 years old, he became the father of Arfizade. After the birth of Arfizade, Shem lived another 500 years, and he had other sons and daughters.

When Arfizade was 35 years old, he became the father of Shad. Shalah. After the birth of Shalah, Arfazad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. When Shalah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. After the birth of Eber, Shalah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Pileg. After the birth of Pileg, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters. When Pelleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Raiu. After the birth of Raiu, Pallag lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters. When Raiu was 32 years old, he became the father of Surug.

After the birth of Surrug, Raiu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters. When Surug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nehore. After the birth of Nehore, Sarug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters. When Nehore was 29 years old, he became the father of Tahr. After the birth of Turah, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters. After Tarah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nehore, and Haran. The family of Tarah. This is the account of Tarah's family.

Tarah was the father of Abraham, Nehore, and Haran. And Haran was the father of Lot. But Haran died in Er of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Tara, was still living. Meanwhile, Abram and Nehore both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milka. Milka and her sister Iska were daughters of Nahor's brother Haran, but Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children. One day, Tarah took his son, Abram, his daughter-in-law, Sarai, his son, Abram's wife, and his grandson, Lott, his son, Heron's child, and moved away from Err of the

Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan. but they stopped at Huron and settled there. Tara lived 205 years and died while still in Haran. So that is a lot of family history leading up to the story of Abram. Pause and ask yourself, why does God include this history? What does it show about our own family history and how important our ancestors are in our lives? Is that still relevant today?

Ask yourself these questions. Chapter 12. The Call of Abram The Lord had said to Abram, leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. Pause and ask yourself how you would respond if God came to you.

and said, leave your native country, your relatives, everything you've ever known, and go where I tell you. How do you think Abram is going to respond? Let's see, verse four. So Abram departed, as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Huron. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, and all his wealth, his livestock, and all the people he had taken into his household at Huron and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the Oak of Morah. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Okay, so let's pause and do another comparison. Think back to Noah when God asks him to build the ark because he's sending a great flood to the earth.

How did Noah respond? How long did it take Noah to say, yes? Yes, Lord. Now look at Abram. God asks Abram to leave his family and everything he's ever known. How long did it take Abram to say, yes, Lord? Verse 7. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your descendants.

And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord who had appeared to him. Pause and compare Abram's altar to the altar they were trying to build in Babel. What are Abram's intentions there? Who is he honoring with this altar? Verse 8. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country with Bethel to the west, an eye to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshipped the Lord.

Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. Abram and Sarai in Egypt. verse 10 at that time a severe famine struck the land of canaan forcing abram to go down to egypt where he lived as a foreigner as he was approaching the border of egypt abram said to his wife sarai look you are a very beautiful woman when the egyptians see you they will say this is his wife let's kill him then we can have her so please tell them you're my sister, then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you. Let's pause and take a moment to guess how this might turn out for Abram. Is he telling the truth, or is he living in fear and bending the truth, telling a lie?

Verse 14, and sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai's beauty. When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her. Sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. All right, so let's pause right here. We made our guess. Let's see how it's going so far. So far, everything's happening just as Abram predicted. And he's getting a lot of worldly possessions because of the lie he told. is he getting any blessings from God because of the lie he told. Verse 17.

But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram's wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. What have you done to me? He demanded. Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say she is my sister and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then here is your wife. Take her and get out of here.

Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country along with his wife in all his possessions. Pause and ask yourself, how did it turn out once the Lord got involved? At first, when Abram is receiving all these gifts from Pharaoh, what might he be thinking? But then it shifts. What does the Lord send? Does he send worldly gifts? Does he praise Abram? Does he bless Abram for telling this lie?

or does he punish him? What might Abram be thinking once the plagues come and Pharaoh banishes him? And what might this story of Abram deceiving Pharaoh teach us? Abram is someone who was called by God. But does that mean that he was not sinful? Does that mean he could not fall to his worldly desires? And does that mean he was above rebuke from the Lord? Chapter 13

Abram and Lott separate So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into Ngev along with his wife and Lott and all they owned. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. From the Ngev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and I, where they had camp before. This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshipped the Lord again. what is the significance of Abram continually pausing to worship the Lord?

Verse 5. Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. At that time, Canaanites and Parasites were also living in the land. Finally, Abram said to Lot, let's not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen.

After all, we are close relatives. The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land to the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left. Pause and think about how Abram handled this situation, this conflict. Did he shy away?

Or did he face it and have a conversation head on? Was he generous or stingy with the land? Verse 10. Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zohar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the Garden of the Lord, or the beautiful land of Egypt. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.

So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, and settled among the cities of the plain. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord. After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, look as far as you can see in every direction, north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land as far as you can see to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted. Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you. So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled

near the oak grove belonging to Mamory. There he built another altar to the Lord. God has given Abram many blessings and promises in this section, and how does Abram respond? Remind yourself what he does at the end of this section and what he's done many times through what we've been reading today. Chapter 14. Abram rescues Lot. About this time, war broke out in the region.

King Amrafel of Babylonia, King Ariok of Elisar, King Kedrlaeomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goim fought against King Berra of Sodom, King Bercia of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Adma, King Shemabur of Zeboim, and the King of Bella, also called Zohar. The second group of kings joined forces in Sidham Valley, that is the Valley of the Dead Sea. For 12 years, they had been subject to King Keterlaomer. But in the 13th year, they rebelled against him. One year later, Ketterlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Raffaeites at Asterov Karnayam, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emmites at Shava Curriathiam, and the Horites at Mount Sayer, as far as El Peron at the edge of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to N. Mishpat, now called Kadesh,

and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazizan Tamar. Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Zeboem, and Bella, also called Zohar, prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea. They fought against King Keterlaeomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goem, King Amrafel of Babylonia, and King Ariok of Elisar. Four kings against five. As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits, and as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah, and headed,

for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. They also captured Lot, Abram's nephew, who lived in Sodom, and carried off everything he owned, but one of Lot's men escaped and reported everything to Abram, the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamry, the Amorite. Mamry and his relatives, Escal and Aner, were Abram's allies. When Abram heard that his nephew, Lot, had been captured, he mobilized a 318, trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Ketterlaeomer's army until he caught up with them at Dan. Then he divided his men and attacked during the night. Ketterlaomer's army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hoba, north of Damascus. Abram recovered all the goods that had been

taken, and he brought back his nephew lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. pause and ask yourself, why do you think it was so important to Abram that he rescue his nephew? What does that show about Abrams' character? Next section is Melchizedek blesses Abram. Verse 17. After Abram returned from his victory over Ketterlaeomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Chavev. That is, the king's valley.

And Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and a priest of God most high, brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing. Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high, who has defeated your enemies for you. Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. Let's pause and listen to that blessing one more time. Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high, who has defeated your enemies for you. Who does Melchizedek put at the forefront of that blessing?

Who has the power? Is it Abram? Or is it God? Verse 21. The king of Sodom said to Abram, Give back my people who were captured, but you may keep for yourself. all the goods you have recovered. Pause and ask yourself what that reveals about Melchizedek. Verse 22. Abram replied to the king of Sodom, I solemnly swear to the Lord God most high,

creator of heaven and earth that I will not take as much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise, you might say, I am the one who made Abram rich. I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten. and I request that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies, Aner, Escal, and Mamary. Pause and ask yourself, what Abram is prioritizing with his response? Again, what does this reveal about his character? Chapter 15 The Lord's covenant promise to Abram.

Sometime later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, Do not be afraid, Abram. for I will protect you, and your reward will be great. But Abram replied, O sovereign Lord, What good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Elizer of Damascus, a servant in my household will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own,

so one of my servants will be my heir. Then the Lord said to him, No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir. Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have. And Abram believed the Lord,

and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Pause and remember that God has before promised Abram that his descendants will be countless. but is Abram having trouble believing it at the beginning of this section? God has to remind him, my promises are true. What does this show us about faith in God? What does this show us about patience?

Because Abram has been waiting for a child, for the child promised by God. His urgency is probably similar to the urgency, see the entire world felt waiting for the promise of a Savior, waiting for the promise of God's child to come to the earth and save us all. Verse 7. Then the Lord told him, I am the Lord who brought you out of Er, of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as your possession. But Abram replied, O sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it again? Abram is, is questioning God's promises. Abram, this great man of faith, still desires assurance.

Verse 9, the Lord told him, bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side. He did not, however, cut the birds in half. Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away. As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to Abram, you can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.

But I will punish the nation that enslaves them. And in the end, they will come away with great wealth. As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. After four generations your descendants will return here to this land. For the sins of the Amarites do not yet warrant their destruction. After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, I have given this land to your descendants all the way from the border of Egypt to the great

Euphrates River. The land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizites, cardmenites, Hittites, Parasites, Rafiites, Amorites, Canaanites, Gergishites, and Jebusites. We've talked about covenants before. Where have we seen a covenant? With God and Noah. And have we seen through these chapters today, through Noah's descendants, that God has kept that promise? What does it mean then here

that God has made this covenant guarantee with Abram? Will God keep this covenant? Does God keep his covenants? We'll see as the story unfolds, but I think you know the answer. Chapter 16, the birth of Ishmael. Now, Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him, but she had an Egyptian

servant named Hagar. So, Sarai said to Abram, the Lord has prevented me from having children, go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her. And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal. So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, the Egyptian servant, and gave her to Abram as a wife. This happened 10 years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan. So let's pause here.

We just went from God making a covenant with Abram, promising him descendants, promising him land for those descendants. How does Abram respond? Does this show that he and Sarah I trust in the Lord? Abram, again, was chosen by God, but is he immune to sin? Can he make mistakes? Can he stumble? Verse four. So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, this is all your fault.

I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant, she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who's wrong, you or me. Let's pause again and compare this section with the garden. of Eden. We're playing another blame game. Sarai comes up with this idea, but it hasn't gone her way, and how is she reacting? Is this a sign of sin? Does this show how sin can affect our emotions? Verse 6. Abram replied, look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit. Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. The angel of the Lord, found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness along the road of Shur. The angel said to her,

Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going? I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai, she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit to her authority. Then he added, I will give you more descendants than you can count. And the angel also said, you are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, which means God hears, for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey. He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives. Thereafter, Hegar used another name to refer to the Lord who had spoken to her. She said, you are the God who sees me. She also said, have I truly seen the one who

sees me? So that well was named Birla-Hai-Roy, which means well of the living one who sees me. It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar gave Abram a son and Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. So let's pause and think about Hagar's story. She said, God is the one who sees me. How did God show Hagar great? How did God show Hagar great? And also think about times in your life when you felt like, yes, God sees me. How beautiful is it that God sees me. Let's go into our last chapter for today because this is going to be the turning point for Abram.

Chapter 17, Abram is named Abraham. When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am Elshadai, God Almighty. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants. At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, this is my covenant with you. I will make you a father of a multitude of nations.

What's more? I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them. I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you.

From generation to generation, this is the everlasting covenant. I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you, and I will give the entire land of Canaan where you now live as a foreigner to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be. be their God. So what do we see in this covenant? What is finally coming to fruition that Abram has been waiting for? And what does Abram do during this covenant proclamation from God? Who is the active voice in this section? Who is doing the commanding and doing the promising? And then who is the passive voice. Who's falling down to the ground? I also want you to think about the significance of

changing Abram's name. Why do you think Abram needed a new name? The mark of the covenant. Then God said to Abraham, your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep. Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. This applies not only to members of your family, but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased.

All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting, covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant. Think about this covenant and what it symbolizes what the actual act of cutting off the old to symbolize the new would mean for God's people. Also, we're constantly reading this book, looking forward to the New Testament and God's new covenant through Jesus. What has replaced this physical covenant once Jesus comes and dies for our sins. The next section is called Sarai is named Sarah.

Verse 15. Then God said to Abraham, regarding Sarai, your wife, her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her. Yes, I will bless her richly and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descent. Pause and ask yourself, why do you think Sarah I also had to change her name? Verse 17. Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief.

How could I become a father at the age of 100, he thought? And how can Sarah have a baby when she's 90 years old? So Abraham said to God, may Ishmael live under your special blessing. But God replied, no. Sarah, your wife will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac. and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. So, again, in this moment, does Abraham trust God? Does he believe him, or is he still struggling to trust that God will give him descendants? As for Ishmael, I will bless him also. Just as you have asked, I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants.

He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a good. great nation. What does this promise for Ishmael tell us about the Lord? Does he forget us or does he remember his promises to us? But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year. When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham. On that very day, Abraham took his son Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there, and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskin, just as God had told him. Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised, and Ishmael, his son, was 13. Both Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that same day, along with all the other men and boys of the household. Whether they were born there

or bought as servants, all were circumcised with him. As we end this section, think about Abraham's response to this covenant. How does he react? What does he do? And how quickly does he do it? This was a lot of information today. We covered many chapters and we covered a very important covenant God makes in the scriptures. As we go forward next time, we're going to step into more of Abraham's life and see how God fulfills this covenant. So I hope you enjoyed today's readings.

You can read them again for yourself and really meditate on them, really think about these questions that we've asked today, and let God's spirit reveal to you what he's saying and what this history of his people means to us today. And I will talk to you in the next one.