Tag: Abraham

• H2a4-d – El Olam, The Everlasting God, part 4

  

  🤔 I. HISTORICAL 4.

  What got me started on this Names of God series of blogs was when I researched and wrote the blog about the 10 times God ‘showed up’ in Abram/Abraham’s life. From the first time, when God appeared to tell him to leave his family, friends and home for the past 75 years, to the tenth time, when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac, although the ages are not exactly known, assuming it was about halfway between his birth and Sarah’s death, was about 45 years. That means God appeared to Abram/Abraham, on average, about once every 5 years after the first time.

  

  Even condensing Abraham’s life of 175 years to our average age of 85 years, adjusting the age from him starting at 75 to us starting at 20, we could easily have 5 years between significant encounters with God from 20 to 80 years old.

  So, what did Abraham do in between times when God showed up? What should WE do?  We have a clue in our theme verse, “…he called on the name of the LORD…”

  

  To understand this practice, it helps to know the cultural situation better.

  Worship and identifying with a god was a bigger part of everyone’s lives in those days. Compared to the people of the Bible in Abraham’s place and time over 4,000 years ago, we live in a very godless society.

  It seems like, from the Genesis stories, that the peoples of Abraham’s day and region in this earlier part of history were closer to Elohim, the Creator Godhead. He spoke to King Amalek and Pharoah in dreams. There were other priests of God, such as Melchizedek, who served and worshipped Him as El Elyon. And it seemed that God expected a certain level of obedience to His natural laws or He would take a personal hand in punishing or destroying, such as the case of Sodom and Gomorrah.

  

  

  To summarize, “calling on the Name of the Lord meant:

  

  

  

  🤔 It seems to me that maybe we could use a little more of this public aspect in our worship today…?
  _________________

  📖 II. Additional verses:

  

  

  

  🙌 III. WORSHIP 4: As we’ve seen, the concept of God’s eternal nature is expressed using different words in the Bible. Following are some of those words, verses and concepts, interwoven so that you can pray them back to God in worship.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  October 22, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, faith, genesis, god, jesus, The Eternal God, The Everlasting Father, Worship

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• H2a4-c – El Olam, The Everlasting God, part 3

  

  

  

  

  3. Genesis 17:13b “…thus (circumcision) shall be My covenant in your flesh for an everlasting covenant (librit olam).”

  

  It was God that hammered the idea of eternity (olam) in His covenantal communications with Abram/Abraham. It would make sense that he would use God’s own words to call on Him. After all, God’s words are for us–to tell us and remind us what we need to know about Him and remember from Him.
  ____________________

  🎓 II. INSTRUCTIONAL: This Name for God has three main meanings:

  

  

  

  📄 III. OTHER VERSES.

  Although this Name for God is specifically used only twice in the Hebrew Bible, the concept of an eternal/everlasting God is frequently expressed using the Hebrew word olam and equivalent words in the New Testament. Here are two such verses.

  

  This verse is at the end of a wonderful song of praise to God written by King David for the dedication and celebration of the ark of the covenant arriving in Jerusalem. (Parts of which are also included in other psalms.)
  _______________

  ⁴ ha’Olam we’ad ha’Olam – David uses our theme Name for God in his blessing.

  

  In his introduction of the letter to the Christian believers in Rome, Paul states that the basic characteristics of God, the invisible Supreme being, should be obvious by His visible creation.

  Although Paul listed those invisible qualities as God’s ‘eternal power and divine nature,’ he could just as easily have reversed the nouns and adjectives to say, ‘His eternal nature and divine power,’ and been just as accurate, and in line with the Hebrew Name, El Olam.

  =====================

  🙌 IV. WORSHIP: As we have seen, the concept of God’s eternal nature is expressed using different words in the Bible. Following are some of those words, verses and concepts, interwoven so that you can pray them back to God in worship and thanksgiving.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  October 18, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, Eternal God, Everlasting Father, faith, genesis, god, jesus

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• H2a4-b – El Olam, The Everlasting God, part 2

  

  The account does not record whether or not Abraham prayed and asked God for help. Although in my opinion he should have asked for guidance before he went to town and for help when his wife was taken, but it doesn’t appear he prayed either time.

  When I was researching for the blog on Genesis 20 and noticed that omission, I got the impression that Abraham was still learning what it meant to walk with the God who had called Himself, El Shaddai, ‘The Almighty God.”

  It didn’t matter, though; God took the initiative to deal with the situation and King Abimelek was seriously cursed, along with his household. Even though God allowed Abraham to pray for the king and God removed the curse, you could say the experience, “put the fear of God,” into the King. I also think it was intended as a learning experience for Abraham.

  So, when King Abimelek heard that the wandering Abraham had returned to the neighborhood, he was just a little worried…

  

  After the formalities were seen to and everyone was settled, the King said to Abraham, “It is clear that God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. That you will show to me and this country, where you now reside as a sojourner, the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

  Abraham said, “I so swear.”

  

  When King Abimelek heard this, he said, “This is the first I have heard of it!  I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me when it happened, you’ve only told me about it today.”

  (Do you see how nervous the King was about maybe being cursed again because of inadvertently harming Abraham? Abraham didn’t do that to him, God did it because He had promised, “I will curse those who curse you.”)

  

  Abraham replied, “Accept these seven ewe lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well here,” and the king did. So that place was called Beer-sheba, “Well of the Oath of Seven,” because the two leaders swore an oath there.

  After the treaty ceremony and feast had been completed, King Abimelek and his guard returned to Gerar, their city-state in the land of the Philistines.

  

  

  

  Although this Name for God is specifically used only twice in the Hebrew Bible, the concept of an eternal/everlasting God is frequently expressed using the Hebrew word olam and the equivalent words in the Greek New Testament. One of each is being presented with each devotional.

  

  ---

  ¹Elohe qədem = the Ancient God or the God from Antiquity.

  ²zero’ot Olam = and here is our theme Name.
  ____________________________

  🤓 This second OT verse is from the blessing of Israel by Moses before his departure. The fact that half of our four key OT verses about the Eternal God are from Moses hints at just how much the time spent in God’s presence led to him understanding more about who God was.

  

  

  

  🤓 We have our relationship with the Eternal God through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ.

  

  10. I touch base with Him once per day. 🤏
  :
  :
  30. I spend a little time in His Word, in prayer, church, or talking about Him 3 times a day, just like eating my meals, so that I can stay spiritually nourished. 😃
  :
  :
  100. I think about Him all the time, just like when I’m separated from someone that I love very much. I see His hand in everything around me. I hear His voice speaking to me through Nature and through my brothers and sisters in the faith. Everything that happens to me reminds me of Him. I can’t wait until I can get home and can spend personal time with Him in praise, worship and devotion. ❤️

  🍎 Obviously this is a spectrum from a little to a lot when it comes to how we feel about God and Jesus Christ. The point is, we should always be growing from where we are towards more and more of Him in our lives. I hope you are doing that. Do you have a strategy to help you?

  

  

  🙌 III. WORSHIP 2:  Pray the following collection of personalized verses to God, our Eternal Father, and Jesus, our Everlasting Savior, as an act of worship.

  

  O El Olam, Eternal God, ♾️
      My Heavenly Father,
           Abbá d’Celestiál mí Patrē, 👳‍♂️
  There is no changing or shifting shadow with You. ☀️
  You are the same yesterday, today and forever. ♾️

  

  

  By Your eternal nature You have established this, ♾️
  By your eternal Word You have promised this, 📖
  By Your Eternal Son You have purchased this– ✝️
  –redemption, salvation and eternal life. 🛐

  AMEN, HALLELUJAH❗️🙌

  

  October 16, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, faith, genesis, god, jesus, Worship

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• H2a4-a – El Olam, The Everlasting God, part 1

  

  “The Eternal God” is the fourth Name of God from Genesis that I’ve been looking at. I ended up with too much material for a single blog, again, so I’m splitting it into four devotionals.

  📜 I. HISTORICAL READING 1: Genesis 20:

  SETTING THE SCENE
  In Genesis chapter 20, Abraham and Sarah had moved into the Philistine city of Gerar for a while. Even though Sarah was old by our standards, she was still a very beautiful woman and the King, Abimelek, sent soldiers to bring her to the palace to add to his harem. Abraham had been telling everyone that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife.

  

  King Abimelek made a generous restitution to Abraham and Sarah and they moved away. See the following blog for a more in-depth treatment.

  D10 – Generational sin 2 – Genesis 20

  However, in Genesis chapter 21, after Isaac was born, Abraham moved the family close to the city of Gerar and when King Abimelek heard about it, he became a little worried… (continued in the next blog.)
  _________________________

  📜 IIa. OLD TESTAMENT VERSE 1, Psalm 90:2

  The actual Name in Hebrew, El Olam, appears only twice, but the word, ‘olam,’ meaning eternal or everlasting, is frequently applied to God in the OT. We’ll look at four of the key verses, one in each devotional.

  

  🤓 COMMENTARY: I think we can say that Moses understood or came to understand what God meant when He revealed Himself to Moses as “YHWH,” ‘I am that I am;’ meaning He was the self-existent God.

  

  God as the ‘Initiator’ can be seen throughout the Bible in that He initiated contact with the people he chose in Genesis, then with Moses, with prophets throughout the nation of Israel’s history, and finally by sending His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, the Christ.

  📃 IIb. NEW TESTAMENT VERSE 1. There are also many NT verses with the same idea of the ‘Eternal God.’ We’ll also look at four key ones, one each in the four devotionals.

  

  🤓 COMMENT: Although Paul listed those invisible qualities as God’s “eternal power and divine nature,” he could just as easily have reversed the nouns and adjectives to say, ‘His eternal nature and divine power,’ and been just as accurate, and in line with the Hebrew Name, “El Olam.”
  __________________________

  🙌 III. WORSHIP 1. Earlier, I mentioned how the Eternal God was the initiater of Creation and of contact with many of the people in Genesis. It was because He had a plan; a plan to save a remnant from this sin-stained world, and we are the beneficiaries of that plan today. Pray the following from various verses about the Eternal God and His plan as a way to worship and thank Him for His initiative.

  

  🤲 Thank You that You came to save me. ✝️
  🤲 Thank You that You prayed for me; 🙏
  That I would know You, Jesus, the Christ ✝️
  And through You Your Father,
            the Everlasting God, ♾️
  🤲 Thank You for the Good News
            of Your salvation. ✝️
  🤲 Thank You for the gospel of Your love, ❤️
            –Your undying love,
  Thank You My Eternal, Heavenly Father. ♾️

  

  

  

  October 12, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, Eternal God, Everlasting Father, faith, genesis, god, jesus, Psalms, Worship

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• H2a3-1 – God Almighty – Devotion 1 of 6

  

  🙏 The following 6 devotionals on El Shaddai, ” God Almighty,” and Shaddai, the “Almighty” pull from:

  1. The six occurrences in Genesis, which give us historical context,
  2. Six passages about the Almighty in Job, which are very instructive, and
  3. Six episodes of worship of the Lord God Almighty in heaven as described in Revelation.

  It will be the ones from Revelation that are most appropriate to pray back to God and Jesus as worship.

  

  🤔 REFLECT: God as the ‘Almighty,’ Shaddai, was already known in Abram’s time from a Middle Eastern oral tale of suffering from persecution, called in the Hebrew “Iyov,” that was later codified and expanded into what we know as “The Book of Job.” Thirty-one of the 48 Old Testament uses of Shaddai appear in Job.

  Up until Genesis 17, the Name of the God that had called Abram to leave his home and family was not stated, instead, whenever God was mentioned, as in Genesis 13:18, YHWH is used in the existing manuscripts. Some Bible interpreters point to these passages as indications that YHWH was a known Name of God prior to the burning bush revelation in Exodus. However, that interpretation directly contradicts God’s own statement in Exodus 6:3,

  

  Instead, history points to a movement among Jewish scribes called the “Yahweists.” They went back to Genesis and changed many references using God’s other names to YHWH, so there was no doubt this was the same God of Israel. Since that is how the existing manuscripts read now, thousands of years later, that is how they are translated.

  

  I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
  Questions to ponder: 🤔
  1. What did God do?
  2. What did the people do?
  3. What did God promise to do in the future?
  4. What did God expect the people to do in the future?

  

  Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said,
  “I am El-Shaddai, God Almighty;

  Walk before Me, and be blameless.
  • I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
  • and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

  

  “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
  No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham;
  For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
  • I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and
  • I will make nations of you, and
  • Kings will come forth from you. 

  I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

  I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. . .”

  

  

  But God said, “Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

  🤔 REFLECT:  What word(s) or phrase(s) did you notice that God, El Shaddai, used over and over again in His message?

  What do these repetitions reveal to you about God Almighty?

  ___________________
  II. 🎓 INSTRUCTIONAL from Job:

  In Job there is a lot of correct theology, but some very incorrect assumptions about the why of what happened to Job. While the things said about God in Job are generally true, the Almighty is infinitely so much more than our finite minds can grasp.

  🤔 Question to ponder, what do we learn about God Almighty from this passage?

  

  “Blessed is the man who God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” (THEME)

  

  In famine He will deliver you from death,
  • and in battle from the slash of the sword.
  You will be protected from the harsh tongue,
  • and need not fear when destruction draws nears.
  In fact, you will laugh at destruction and famine!

  You need not fear even wild animals.
  For you will have a treaty with the fields,
  • So that the wild animals will be at peace with you.
  You will know that your house is secure;
  •  You will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.
  You will know that your children will be many,
  • and your descendents will be plentiful like the grass.
  You will come to the grave in full vigor,
  • like sheaves gathered in harvest time.

  

  🤔 REFLECT: These statements could be interpreted as promises. What do you think you would have to do to receive these promises from God?
  _______________________

  

  Dear Jesus Christ ✝️, my Lord and Savior:
  You are the Faithful Witness for God,
  • Your and my Heavenly Father.
  You are the firstborn from the dead. 🌅

  Thank You for giving me this assurance that I too will rise from the dead on the Last Day.
  All power and authority have been given to You, Jesus, ✝️
  • You are the ruler of all the kings of the earth. 👑
  I submit myself to Your rule over me as my Lord. 🛐

  Thank You for loving me, Jesus, 💖
  • and for redeeming me from my sins by Your blood.❤️
  Thank You, Jesus, for sanctifying me 🤍
  • and making me a part of Your kingdom of priests to God, Your Father.

  ( To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever❗️)

  

  Jesus, you’ve promised that this shall be so,
  🌎 world without end, ♾️
  🙏 I accept it in faith and believe. 🛐
  👋Amen and amen❗️

  

  September 18, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, El Shaddai, faith, genesis, God Almighty, jesus, Job

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• H2a3-0 Names of God – El-Shaddai

  

  🧐 REVIEW: The Names of God so far:

  ○ The first name, Elohim, used ~2,600 times in the Hebrew Bible, established that there was a pre-existent, supernatural being that created the heavens and the Earth, and still claimed dominion over and possession of all His creation. 

  This is basically the definition of “God,” and Elohim is interpreted as such in English. In the Bible, we, as a part of His creation, are expected to acknowledge and worship Elohim, God the Creator, as He deserves.

  ● The second name, Elyon, used only 53 times on the Hebrew Bible, emphasizes God’s preeminence in His creation–the ultimate Authority and Supreme Judge. He didn’t just create the Universe and walk away, as some people think and some religions teach. He has a vested interest, especially in us, because we were made in His image. He has expectations for how we live our lives, and El Elyon, God Almighty, will hold us accountable.

  🤔 REFLECT
  This third of the three most common Genesis Names for God, El-Shaddai, used 48 times in the Hebrew Bible, is translated as ‘God Almighty.’ It is the first time we see God get personal. El-Shaddai is God’s covenant Name with Abram and his descendents, inheritors of God’s promises to:
  1. Become a great nation and
  2. Messiah will come through their lineage.

  These blogs on El-Shaddai will be divided into seven devotional segments. There are six passages in Genesis where El-Shaddai is used by the Patriarchs, but then historically it drops to just an occasional use by Israel in the rest of the Old Testament, having been replaced by a new covenantal Name. I will be pairing these six passages with six New Testament passages where the Greek translation of ‘Almighty’ is used in the worship of God and the exalted Jesus Christ.

  🎶 RECORDING 🛐😔
  Before we repeat a passage back to God as El-Shaddai in prayer, there is a very pretty contemporary worship song using some of the names of God, especially featuring this week’s name, “El Shaddai.” Listening to it always puts me in a worshipful frame of mind and it helps with the pronunciation of some of the Hebrew names for God.

  

  LYRICS EXPLANATION:

  Divine Names and Hebrew Phrases (Chorus)

  

  

  

  Old Testament Deliverance and Provision (Verse 1)

  

  

  

  

  The rest of this first blog for El-Shaddai  contains a personalized devotion from Psalm 91, a very well-known use of El-Shaddai in one of only three of the Psalms.

  🙏 REPEAT: pray Psalm 91; The Security of Trust in the Almighty.

  

  • O LORD,YHWH,
  You are my refuge and my fortress:
  • Deliver me from the snare of the entrapper,
  • Protect me from the deceit of sinners.
  • Save me from the wrath of the storm.

  I seek refuge under Your wings, Adonai;
  • Cover me with Your pinions,
  • Shield me with Your faithfulness.
  • Assure me with Your love.

  Selah (Stop and think about it.) 🤔

  

  Because of Your protection,
  • I am not afraid of the terrors at night,
  • I am not afraid of the sneak attack from ambush,
  • I am not afraid of the sickness that creeps unseen,
  • I am not afraid of the disaster that looms waiting,
  Whether day or night, You protect me.

  A thousand may fall at my side,
  • And ten thousand at my right hand;
  But I know destruction will not come near me.
  • I will only see it with my eyes,
  When You punish the wicked.

  I know this because I make you, OYHWH,
  • I make You, the LORD, my refuge,
  I make You, O Most High,
  • I make You, Elyon, my dwelling place.

  You have promised,
  • That no evil will happen to me,
  You have promised,
  • That no plague will come near my home.
  You have promised…,

  I trust in You, Yahweh Shaddai,
  • Therefore I trust in Your promises, O Mighty LORD.

  Selah (Stop and think about it.) 🤔

  

  O LORD, you have given Your angels charge concerning me,
  • They guard all my comings and goings.
  • They bear me up in their hands,
  So that I don’t even stub my foot against a stone.

  If I step on a lion’s tail,
  • Even the young lion I will stomp into the ground.
  If I step on a cobra’s coils,
  • Even the serpent I will trample into the dirt.
  Because you are my Shield, my Shaddai.
  • You are my Protector, Lord Adonai.

  Selah (Stop and think about it.) 🤔

  

  • I love You, O Lord, my God,
  Adonai Elohim, deliver me when I stumble.
  • You are my LORD and my God,
  Yahweh Elohim, lift me up when I fall.
  • Because You are my LORD.

  Because I know You by Name.
  When I call on You, my Lord,
  • O Adonai, please hear me;
  My God, when I am in trouble,
  • O Elohim, please save me.

  You have honored me with knowledge,
  • The knowledge of Elyon, the Most High;
  Please grant me a long and satisfying life;
  • And at the end that may I see Your face,Yah-Shua,
  That I may see the face of Jesus,
  • the God of my salvation.

  Amen.

  

  September 14, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, El Shaddai, faith, genesis, god, jesus, Psalms

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• H1e. When God Showed Up-Abram/Abraham

  

  Up until now, I’ve been focusing on the dysfunctional effects of sin as it worked itself out in the lives of the people who God had chosen as the lineage for His promised Redeemer. As a result, I’ve essentially been ignoring how God is insuring things come out the way He plans for them to.

  Exactly how does God do that? Understanding His techniques from my original study was very enlightening. See Blog D2, Genesis, Part 2, Introduction for an overview. https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/07/25/d3-genesis-part-2-introduction-long-lives/

  In this blog, let’s look at the 10 times God showed up in Abram/Abraham’s life, (or eleven if you count the last two around the sacrifice of Isaac as separate) since that was the most until Moses, and see what we can learn about WHEN GOD SHOWS UP!

  

  God’s Seven Promises:
  1. God would make Abram a great nation.
  2. God would bless him.
  3. God would make his name great.
  4. Abram would be a blessing.
  5. God would bless those who blessed Abram.
  6  God would curse those who cursed Abram.
  7. All families on Earth would be blessed through Abram.

  

  

  

  NOTE that God acted unilaterally without Abram praying to Him. For whatever reason, GOD had chosen Abram and Sarai specifically, but they weren’t quite ready yet for the promised son. GOD acted when part of His plan was threatened by their fumbling, bumbling actions. I can’t help but think God is also teaching Abram and Sarai about Himself, and how to have a faith relationship with Him.

  For a deeper treatment of these events, see blog D9 Genesis 26 and 12 – Generational Sin 1 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/08/25/d9-genesis-26-and-12-generational-sin-1/

  

  I see this appearance partially to reassure Abram as he was probably very hurt and discouraged about what had happened with his nephew. GOD KNOWS, and GOD CARES!

  

  

  

  For a closer look at Isaac the Son Promised by God, see blog C2.
  https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/14/isaac-the-son-promised-by-god/

  

  

  

  

  

  As the messengers prepared to continue their journey, the (2) Lord decided to reveal to Abraham the impending judgment of destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham bargained with God, finally getting Him to agree that the cities would not be destroyed if 10 righteous men could be found in them. Ten were not found, so the next day, before God rained down destruction,(3) He had the three angels rescue Abraham’s nephew, Lot, his wife and their two daughters.

  

  

  Abimelech rebuked Abraham for the dangerous deception, and Abraham explained it was a half-truth born of his fear. Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, and gave him sheep, oxen, and servants as recompense, and then offered him choice land to live in, as long as it was somewhere else!  Abimelech also gave Sarah 1,000 pieces of silver as a sign of her vindication. Abraham then prayed for Abimelech, and (3) God healed the king and his household.

  For a more detailed look at this story, see blog D10 – Generational sin 2 – Genesis 20 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/09/01/d10-generational-sin-2-genesis-20/

  

  

  

  For a more in depth treatment, see the following story blogs:

  B1. Origin Stories –
  THE SACRIFICE, part 1 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/08/origin-stories-the-sacrifice-part-1/

  THE SACRIFICE, part 2 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/09/origin-stories-the-sacrifice-part-2/

  THE SACRIFICE, part 3 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/10/origin-stories-the-sacrifice-part-3/

  THE SACRIFICE, part 4 https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/11/origin-stories-the-sacrifice-part-4/

  THE SACRIFICE, epilogue https://billsbibleblog2.blog/2025/05/12/origin-stories-the-sacrifice-epilogue/

  

  The next blog:

  In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abram,

  • “I will make you into a great nation, and
  I will bless you;
  • I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
  • I will bless those who bless you, and
  • whoever curses you I will curse; and
  • all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

  Note the repetition of the word ‘bless,’ (four statements) offset by it’s opposite ‘curse’ (one statement). In the ten times when ‘God showed up’ in Abram/Abraham’s life, what were the ‘blessings’ he or others received from God, and what were the ‘curses’?

  If this is an accurate ratio, then there should be a ratio of 4 to 1 out of 5 instances. In my next blog, I’m going to run through the ten events again when God showed up with an eye on ‘blessings’ and ‘cursings.’

  

  August 14, 2026

  Abraham, bible, faith, genesis, God shows up

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• H1c. Love Triangle #1 – Abram, Sarai and Hagar

  

  There are many examples of dysfunction as we move from one origin story to another in Genesis. But since the focus of this series is going to be on the story of Joseph, I’m going to jump ahead to his great-grandfather, Abraham and look at the story of Abram, Sarai, Hagar and Ishmael.

  THE STORY:

  1. Abraham, Sarah and their Maid, Hagar.

  

  

  This was dysfunction number 2. First, a lack of faith on Sarai’s part–she had given up hope and thought SHE was the problem, but that her husband–10 years older–could still engender a child.

  The second part of the dysfunction was a cultural one–following a pagan custom from other, ungodly people rather than trusting and obeying God. God’s ways are perfect, even if difficult to wait for. Man’s ways are dysfunctional and always result in creating more problems than they solve.

  

  

  D. God intervened and appeared to Hagar, calling her back from her precipitous flight away from Sarai’s persecution and encouraging her to return to Abram’s household. This was God acting as ‘anti-entropy,’ putting things back to the right.

  

  

  

  E. Sarah demanded of Abraham that Hagar and Ishmael be exiled. This was the result of the dysfunction of jealousy where we make people choose between two things or people that they love. “It’s either me or them!”

  

  

  📋 SUMMARY
  Children learn what they live. So, to summarize, these are some of the dysfunctions that Isaac grew up with, which would have set his functional moral compass.🧭

  1. It’s not okay to not have children. If you can’t have them with your wife, it’s okay to have them with someone else.

  

  2. It’s okay to mistreate and persecute those who are less powerful or less privileged than you are.

  

  3. Passivity instead of leadership. It’s okay not to intervene in family problems, but take a ‘let them settle it between themselves’ approach. Then when the wife makes a demand, the husband acquiesces with a “Yes, dear.” This is not Christian leadership as God intends and as the Bible teaches.

  

  4. If you can’t stand someone for whatever reason and you are in the more powerful position, it’s okay to exile them, kick them out, send them away from the family, to let them take their chances on their own in the unfriendly world, maybe secretly hoping that they will die and no longer be a problem? Just so long as they’re “out of sight, out of mind.”

  

  God actually instituted the practice of exile instead of execution, not because it was a good thing to do, but because it was the best option available in a Fallen, sinful world when dealing with Fallen, sinful people.

  

  Note that even though God said that the day they ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil they would die, He didn’t execute them. The first death was the animals killed by God to use their skins as coverings for Adam and Eve’s sin and shame. This was the first substitutionary death.

  

  Abel mimicked God’s act of substitutionary sacrifice when he offered a lamb to God. God accepted it as a substitution for him and his sin, and killed and consumed it as an indication of His acceptance.

  The first death of a person wasn’t until Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy.

  

  Instead of immediate death, God exiled Adam and Eve from the easy living in the blessed garden. They did eventually die, which leaves us with the question, might they still have died before sinning? Or could it have been that they would have been allowed to eat the fruit of the Tree of Eternal Life when senescence approached?

  

  Of course, we’ll never know, BUT WE who believe through Jesus Christ WILL eat from the ‘Tree of Eternal Life,’ and thus live forever.

  🍎 APPLICATION

  What moral values did you grow up with that have unknowingly set your 🧭 moral compass differently than how God intends?

  I think that’s why there is such an emphasis in the New Testament on the death of the old person and ‘rebirth’ as a new person 👶. For example:

  

  

  

  In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul uses the language of rebirth to describe how the old passes away and new things come to replace them.

  

  

  

  In essence, Christian growth is a shared responsibility–God makes change possible, we would never be able to do it on our own–and then we have to obey in faith, make an effort to change, and keep at it in faith.

  

  

  A ‘Trickster’ is featured in many cultural myths around the world. A trickster is usually someone who crosses social and cultural boundaries, is morally ambiguous, and often a shapeshifer. 

  • ‘Tricksters’ tend to be rule breakers. They defy social norms, cosmic laws, and divine authority, sometimes just for the fun of it, but at other times to prompt needed change. 🚫

  • ‘Tricksters’ often are capable of shape-shifting for the purpose of disguise. 🐵

  • ‘Tricksters’ are both creators and destroyers: They bring gifts to humanity, like fire or wisdom, while simultaneously causing disruptions and chaos. ☄️

  Some examples:

  

  

  Coyote or Raven are Indigenous North American heroes who shape the earth and teach people hard lessons through their  mistakes.

  

  In East Asian mythology, the Monkey King rebelled against heavenly beings using cleverness and a magical staff.

  

  
  Jacob, son of Isaac, meaning “The Supplanter,” exhibits some of the characteristics of a trickster and has been called such. Check out my next blog for his story and see what you think.

  July 31, 2026

  Abraham, bible, christianity, faith, genesis, god, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael

  ---

• D10 – Generational sin 2 – Genesis 20

  

  This blog is dedicated to my dear Christian brother Marcus, who has finally found his “Sarah,” and her name means “Blessedly Beautiful.” On their journey together with God, may they find joy, even in difficulties; may they always support each other, even when not exactly in the right; and may they give each other the courage to follow where God leads them, especially when the way seems frightening. Amen.

  Genesis chapter 20 – The Story

  After witnessing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham journeyed toward the fertile territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur. One day he decided to visit the city state of Gerar, ruled by King Abimelech, taking his wife, Sarah, with him.

  

  When they entered the city, Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” When Abimelech, king of Gerar, heard about this new beautiful woman in his city, he sent some soldiers and took Sarah for his own harem.

  

  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are as good as dead because of the woman who you have taken as one of your wives, because she is another man’s wife.” 

  Now Abimelech had not yet gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you kill a righteous person? Did he himself not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And did she herself not say, ‘He is my brother.’  In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 

  Then God answered him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. 

  Now then, return the man’s wife to him, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours, even to your kingdom.”

  

  So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his people and his manservants together, and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 

  Then Abimelech called Abraham to join them and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom such a great curse? You have done things to me that should not to be done to another man.” And further, Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see in us that caused you to do this thing?” 

  

  Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my beautiful wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 

  And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the favor you must do for me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

  

  Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female servants to tend them, and gave them to Abraham as recompense, and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my entire land is before you; live in it wherever you please.” (Just not here.)

  

  To Sarah he said, “See this?  I have given you and your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and a sign before everyone here that you are vindicated.” 

  

  Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wives and servants so that they bore children again. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the women in the household of Abimelech, because he had taken Sarah, Abraham’s wife, to be his own.

  SUMMARY:

  

  As mentioned in the last blog, Abraham and Sarah (renamed since Genesis chapter 12) faced 10 tests of their faith in God. This chapter details test number 8 – The abduction of Sarah by a Philistine king named Abimelech. (From Inspired Scripture, (open source) see more at inspiredscripture.com)

  Although Abraham’s faith had grown, he failed this test. Even worse, this was a repeat of his prior failure when Pharaoh Senusret III abducted Sarah. Abraham showed that he had not learned from his prior mistake. (Sometimes it takes more than once to get it for all of us, right?)

  In my introduction to this Genesis series, I mentioned that I had noticed a few things in our Bible study. Let’s look at those general observations as they apply to Genesis chapter 20.

  

  1. We shouldn’t be surprised that sinful people act sinfully. Abraham and Sarah were not any kind of special sanctified saints who lived completely holy and blameless lives. They were sinners, like the rest of us, that God had chosen as the Patriarch and Matriarch of His promised nation that would eventually produce His Annointed One, who would bring God’s blessing to all the nations.So, why did Abraham decide to go to the big city? Was he tired of sitting around and watching his sheep, goats, donkeys, camels and cattle eat grass? Was he tired of settling the squabbles between his servants who were tired of sitting around watching Abraham’s sheep, goats donkeys, camels, etc…?

  

  Also, Abraham had just been through a very stressful and traumatic event trying to save the city where his nephew Lot lived from God’s judgment and destruction, but instead, having to settle for just saving Lot’s family. Maybe Abraham needed something to replace the horror in his mind of watching God rain down destruction on the two sinful cities. I suspect this was a side of God, the judgmental and vengeful side, that Abraham had not seen in action before.

  Maybe the memory of the trip to Pharaoh’s city–the hustle and bustle, the excitement of new sights, sounds and smells, the myriad riches, the unexpected wonders around the next corner–had stayed with Abraham and he craved some of that excitement amid the boredom of life out on the sameness of the open plains? If so, there was some serious selective memory going on!

  For whatever reason, like his prior trip to Egypt that was unsanctioned by God, Abraham made an unsanctioned trip to the nearby city in southern Canaan, Gerar, capital of the local king. In both places, the theft of wives was common. In both places, Abraham had Sarah lie to protect himself. Abraham had apparently failed to learn his lesson in Egypt. Are we any different?

  

  2. The second thing I realized is, Genesis isn’t just about the characters, it is really ‘His-story.’ The real story in Genesis is about God shepherding those He chose from one generation to the next as He furthered His plan for salvation of the world along. Therefore  to really understand what is going on, look for when God ‘shows up.’

  

  The first thing that stuck out to me in Genesis chapters 12 and 20 was how and when God acted. Here in Chapter 20, I kept wondering, where was God? For example:

  

  A. Abraham decided to take Sarah and go to what he knew was a “godless city’ where his life would be in danger because of his beautiful wife, and she would be in danger of abduction. No excuse of a famine this time. GOD DID/SAID NOTHING.

  

  B. Abraham and Sarah lied about their relationship when they reached the city. GOD DID/SAID NOTHING.

  

  C. The king took Sarah from Abraham to be his own wife. GOD DID/SAID NOTHING.

  God (finally) showed up im the night in a dream to the king. I’m sure it gets your attention when God speaks to you in a dream, but when God leads off with, “YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!”, it really gets your attention. So, let’s look at the dialogue between God and the king again.

  

  GOD: Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is the man’s wife.KING: (Now Abimelech had not yet gone near her, so he replied ) “Lord, will you kill an innocent person?  Did the man not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And did she not herself say, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.GOD: Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then, restore the man’s wife to him, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.POSTSCRIPT: After the king returned Sarah, his wife, to Abraham, then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wives and female servants so that they bore children again. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.WOW! Are you as blown away by the things God said and did as I am? When the king took Sarah to be his latest wife, it didn’t look like God was doing anything about it, but we now can see God did two things behind the scenes:First, God supernaturally restrained the king from becoming intimate with Sarah.Second, God also supernaturally prevented the King’s wives and female servants from conceiving any more children.

  

  First let me say that the punishment very well fit the crime. God’s sense of justice is appropriate, maybe even a little ironic. The king had grabbed up another beautiful woman for his pleasure, but also for the purpose of having quality children. You can get a hint as to how important having children was to them at that time in history by their reaction to their women losing the ability to conceive. So, first, the king was prevented by God from having that pleasure. King 0, God 1.

  Next, God prevented every woman there from being able to conceive. King 0, God 2.

  

  So, not only was the King’s immediate purpose thwarted, but his long-term purpose was thwarted, and because everyone under his authority was included in the judgment, he was penalized maybe a thousand times. Moral of the story? You you don’t mess with those who God has chosen for Himself, because then, you’ll find out you’re messing with God, and He wins, every time. King -1,000, God wins!

  It is also suggestive here that the events stretched over a longer period than the brief narrative seems to indicate if they had realized that none of the women were conceiving, then after Abraham prayed for their healing, that the women had begun conceiving again.

  But the whole thing about supernaturally restraining the king from intimate relations with Sarah says a lot more than that.

  

  In our modern ‘enlightened’ society, people say that premarital and even extramarital sexual relationships don’t matter–they’re okay, they don’t mean a thing. However, it is very clear that the sanctity of Sarah’s womb was important to God.

  ‘Why was it important to Him that Sarah not have sexual relations with anyone but her husband,’ you might ask?
  I think partly because that is the way God made things to be between a man and a woman who join in ‘holy matrimony.’ Not only does God sanctify the couple as man and wife, but everything unique to a marriage; i.e., having sexual relations and producing children, becomes holy to Him too.

  But I think there was also the element that God had chosen the couple for His Divine purpose. That apparently meant protecting them not only from dangers outside of them, but it also meant protecting them from the dangers of their own sinful self within them!

  

  3. My third takeaway from Genesis last Spring was that we should not spend a lot of time condemning the characters if God doesn’t condemn them. Note in the exchange between God and Abimelich that God never mentions a word of condemnation for Abraham or Sarah. In fact, God actually honored Abraham by calling him His prophet and then by placing the means of healing God’s curse in his hands. I’m sure this elevated Abraham very highly in the King’s estimation.

  

  We learn in the Bible that the three highest positions in a God-centered society–equal, but very different in their functions–are Prophet, Priest and King. By naming Abraham as a prophet, God elevated him to be equal to the king in God’s eyes, and in the eyes of those who revere and honor God, which it seems Abimelech did more than Abraham had thought.

  

  It’s also interesting that there is no record of Abraham having done anything exactly like this before. We saw Abraham negotiate with God’s angel to save Sodom and Gomorrah from punishment, for his nephew Lot’s sake. (Although that didn’t turn out well.) That conversation between Abraham and the angel was not dissimilar from the pushback the king showed when God was speaking to him in that dream.

  But for that same God to say that Abraham, once he got his wife back, could pray for the king and his household to be delivered from the curse and then for it to happen! Well, I suspect that not only the king was impressed.

  So, it seems interesting that God used the situation that was caused by Abraham’s sin to show him a new supernatural ability that came with God’s calling. I guess it’s really true that God does not waste our suffering. As a result, at the end of Genesis 20, we also get a glimpse of something other than ‘sinners being sinful’–we saw a man whose voice God would listen to. We saw a man of compassion who prayed for the needs and hurts of others. At the end of Genesis 20, we got a glimpse of what a godly man should look like.

  

  The question still remains, though, why no condemnation for Abraham and Sarah? From my previous blog, the answer was that God had chosen them for His plan. There are some implications for that choosing explained by Paul in Romans 8:30 (New Living Translation):

  “And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.”

  Paul is saying this about us as Christians, but I think we can see the same things here in God’s relationship with Abraham and Sarah:

  

  First, God chose Abraham and Sarah, and then He called them to leave Haran and go to an unrevealed land.

  

  Second, Abraham believed the promise of God and God counted it as righteousness. Even these two times that Abraham and Sarah were deceitful, there was no condemnation from God, because He had awarded them right-standing with Him.

  

  And third, God gave Abraham part of His glory when He allowed him to pray for the healing of Abimelich and the cursed women, and then did heal them after Abraham prayed for them.

  APPLICATION:

  

  So, who are you going to follow in your life? Are you going to live life based on your fears? Are you going to live a life of lies and deceit? Are you going to live for personal gain, no matter what the cost to others? Or are you going to follow Jesus?

  

  If you follow the call of God in Jesus Christ, you have to deny your fears, you have to give up lies and deceit, you have to give up seeking to benefit yourself. You have to follow Jesus willingly, joyfully, obediently and selflessly. Not an easy thing to do, one might say impossible, but all things are possible with God. And the greatest thing is, even when you fail, THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FROM GOD!

  

  Instead there is forgiveness, there is a chance to learn and grow, there is still a chance to be used by God in His plan. Can you think of anything more awesome than that to give your life to?

  THIS WEEK’S SONG:

  Godliness for us is defined as ‘Christlikeness.’ Jesus calls us to follow Him, to become like Him. Just like Abraham was called by God and followed that call to Canaan, so too must we follow wherever Jesus leads us.

  Here is a simple song of dedication to do just that from my favorite worship song writer. Listen to his message in an attitude of commitment to following our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

  

  September 1, 2025

  Abraham, bible, christianity, faith, genesis, god

  ---

• D9 Genesis 26 and 12 – Generational Sin 1

  

  When we studied Genesis chapter 26 last Spring, we focused on the similarity between a failed ploy Isaac used to protect himself from the Canaanite King, Abimelich, and a similar ploy his father, Abraham, used to protect himself from the Pharaoh of Egypt and also from King Abimelich; that is, trying to protect their lives by concealing their marriages and saying their wives were their sisters.

  So, why did Isaac emulate this ploy of his father, which in fact failed TWICE? Isaac wasn’t even born yet when Abraham did those things. Maybe the stories were passed among the servants and that is what gave Isaac the idea. If so, shouldn’t the failure have also been told as part of the story? That should have given Isaac pause before repeating the failed strategy.

  

  What we talked about in our study was a concept called ‘Generational Sin.’ That is, somehow children tend to repeat the sins of their parents. Why is that? Is it a case of “Children learn what they live?” There are also similar concepts called Generational Curses and Generational Trauma. The differences as I understand them are:

  1. Generational sins are the repetition of sinful actions by the adult children that they observed their parents doing while growing up. That might be a simple case of modeling and emulation without realizing there may be other options for behavior. People who are caught in generationally repetitive sins can only be delivered by Jesus Christ.

  

  2. Generational curses are similar to the above except it takes into account the curse of original sin, as well as the consequences of individual sin. We as cursed, sinful creatures just keep repeating the same sins generation after generation, and experiencing the same negative consequences of those sins, those are the ‘curses.’ People who are caught in the curse of Adam’s sin as it has mutated through the generations and in different family lines can also only be delivered by Jesus Christ.

  

  3. While doing my research on the concept of Generational Sins last Spring, I ran across a slightly different concept called ‘Generational Trauma.’ The first two concepts were developed by Christian theologians trying to understand and explain Exodus 34:7.

  

  Generational Trauma, on the other hand, is a concept developed by psychologists to explain how trauma to one generation, necessitating extremes of behavior in order to cope, are then passed on to the next generation, even if social or personal circumstances have changed and the extreme behavior is no longer necessary.

  Before we delve deeper into these concepts, though, I’ll spend the next three blogs telling those three stories in Genesis and see where that takes us.

  THE STORY: Genesis 12

  I. God Calls Abram

  

  Now the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country and your kinfolk and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and he who dishonors you, I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

  

  So Abram left, as the Lord had told him, and Lot, Abram’s nephew, also went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 

  

  And Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the servants that they had acquired in Haran, and they traveled to the land of Canaan.

  

  When they came to the land, Abram passed through to Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites inhabited the land. 

  

  Then the Lord appeared to Abram again and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him and called that place ‘Bethel,’ meaning the House of God. From there Abram moved his flocks and herds to the hill country to the east of Bethel, where there was better grazing, and pitched his tents there, with Bethel on the west and the nation of Ai on the east.

  

  There Abram built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord in daily worship and sacrifices. Eventually, Abram moved everyone on, still going southward toward the fertile valley of the Negeb.

  

  II. Abram and Sarai in Egypt

  Now there was a famine in the land of Canaan, but not in Egypt. Because of the seasonal flooding of the Nile, Egypt was rarely affected by famines. So Abram and Sarai and all who were theirs, went down to Egypt to live there for a while, because the famine had become very severe in Canaan. 

  

  When Abram and Sarai went down to Pharaoh’s city, Abram pulled Sarai aside and said to his wife, “I know that you are a very beautiful woman, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘Who is this beautiful woman, is this his wife?’ If I say ‘yes,’ then they will kill me and they will take you by force, for that is how they do things in the godless nations. If we say you are my ‘sister,’ then it may go well with me because of you, and then my life may be spared for your sake.”

  

  When Abram entered the city, the Egyptians indeed saw that Sarai was very beautiful, and the princes of Pharaoh went and praised her to Pharaoh Senusret III.* Then Pharoah Senusert sent for the couple and Sarai was taken into the Pharaoh’s harem. For her sake, Pharoah Senusret dealt well with Abram; giving him sheep, oxen, donkeys, servants, and camels as a bride price.

  * Historical research identifies Khakaure Senusret III (also written as Senwosret III or the Greek form, Sesostris III) as the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time of Abram and Sarai’s sojourn there in 1876 BC. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity in Egypt. He would have been ruling for only about two years at the time of Genesis 12, so he would probably have been a young and vigorous man as witnessed by his military victories in extending Egypt’s southern border. (Source, Wikipedia)

  

  Senusret III was famous for his realistic portraiture, compared to the idealized portraits of Pharaohs before him. His busts and statues are so realistic that you can see signs of his aging on those made later in his reign. Enough of these survive to this day that a realistic reconstruction is possible.

  

  But the Lord afflicted the Pharaoh and his household with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. When divination revealed the cause of the plagues as his newest wife, the wife and not the sister of the man, Pharaoh Senusret sent for Abram and said to him, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife back, take her and go!” 

  

  Then Pharaoh Senusret gave his princes orders concerning Abram, that they send him away with his wife, Sarai, and all that he had with him. And so they escorted him to the border and saw them on their way back to Canaan.

  COMMENTARY and APPLICATIONS:

  It is said that Abram and Sarai, later renamed Abraham and Sarah, faced 10 tests in their life. The first three are in this passage.

  1. The first test was God’s call to leave both their home and their families, and go to a new land that God would show Abram later. They passed this test. They gathered up their household and belongings and headed south, accompanied only by a nephew, Lot, and his family.

  

  God affirmed Abram’s obedience by appearing to him again when he reached Canaan and made a promise that all the land Abram had seen would be given to His descendents. Abram responded appropriately and sacrificed to God and worshipped Him. Even though the Old Testament is very Patriarchical in its presentation, you can be sure that Sarai was involved in worshipping God together with her husband.

  

  This is often the same first test we face in our lives as Christians. Whether it’s after high school, college or some later time in life, God often calls us to leave everyone and everything that we’re familiar with and depend on, and go to a new place. I believe God does this in order to help us turn from depending on the familiar in our lives and turn to depending on Him. After all, that is what having a relationship with God is all about.

  I think that if we are also obedient to go when and where called, that God will affirm our decision to go in faith. That is, after all, the meaning of one of the key verses about faith:

  

  Faith and faithful obedience please God, and He will reward us.

  2. The next test was the famine in Canaan. Abram elected to go to Egypt, which was almost famine proof. However, he neglected to do one very important thing, that is, ask God what he and Sarai should do because of the famine. There are several reasons why Abram could be excused for not thinking to ask God first. His relationship with God so far had been to worship Him and live according to his understanding of what God wanted His worshippers to do, as passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next since Noah. God actually speaking to him was a new thing, and had only happened twice, so far.

  Also, God had only appeared to Abram at a time of His choosing. It might have never occurred to Abram that he could ask God for guidance and expect that he would receive supernatural guidance in response.

  

  It might well be that the anxiety of dealing with the famine–as he watched his flocks and herds and servants and their children slowly starve, as he struggled with the decision about what to do, maybe even questioning his decision to follow God into what now seemed to be a god-forsaken land–that all of this stress and anxiety gave him ‘brain lock,’ where he couldn’t decide what to do, where he couldn’t see a way out from a slow, but certain death, and he was just completely filled with anxiety and fear of losing everyone and everything.

  I know I’m reading a lot into what was going on here, but I’m drawing from my life and from seeing similar situations in the lives of others. This situation just cries out as one where Abram should have sought God, day and night, on his knees, on his face, sacrificing from his dwindling flocks–whatever it took–until he reached a place of desperate faith and God broke through his miasma of fear and anxiety to reassure him of being protected and also telling him what to do next.

  God made the promise to do this for the nation of Israel in Isaiah 41:10. Someone cleverly showed how the foundationsl idea of this promise is F.A.I.T.H:

  

  We as Christians have a similar promise:

  

  3. If Abram had sought God’s will, and going to Egypt was still the plan, the difference would have been that Abram and Sarai would have gone there trusting in God to take care of them. The third test, ‘Pharoah taking Sarai as his wife,’ might have been handled differently. Going with faith/trust in God, there would have been less fear. Granted, it was still a scary situation–two simple shepherds going to the seat of a highly sophisticated civilization–but it would have been easier to cope with that fear knowing your actions were being supported by your God.

  

  So, instead of going to Egypt in faith and confidence in God, Abram went there in fear for his life because of the beauty of his wife. There is a phrase in Abram’s justification of his strategy of deceit where he said, “Say you are my sister… that my life may be spared for your sake.” Maybe Abram was still wrapped up in the fear he had just experienced facing possible death from the famine?

  God had promised to give Canaan to Abram’s descendents. So far Abram and Sarai did not have even one child. If Abram was really understanding and trusting in God’s promise, then he should have realized that God would preserve his life. One wonders if Abram had thought that implication through? But not having done that, one failed test led to another test of faith.

  

  Not to imply that God was just throwing one test of faith at Abram and Sarai after another. The tests will still come in life, no Divine source needed. That’s the fallen world we live in.

  The difference is, in my opinion, that if we successfully negotiate one trial, that should put us in a better place in our faith to successfully negotiate the next one.

  The opposite is true too, I think. When we’ve been unsuccessful in dealing with one trial, then it will be all that much harder to trust God in the next one. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a key verse about dealing with trials. Following afterward is my paraphrase of it.**

  

  **In the advanced Bible study class I took many years ago, we were taught to paraphrase a verse or passage at the end of our study of it as a way of showing our understanding of it. Here’s mine for this verse:

  Every trial and difficulty that comes your way is the same thing that everyone else goes through. But YOU CAN TRUST GOD! God will NEVER allow you to be tested beyond what you can handle. Along with the difficulty, God will make a path through it. If you’ll just trust and follow Him, you can be confident that you will be able to hang in there and make it through to the end.

  In Abram and Sarai’s case, God didn’t forget His promise. One phrase of God’s promise was, “…he who dishonors you, I will curse.” And that is what we saw Him do in Egypt. Pharoah dishonored Abram by taking his wife to be his own, even though Abram and Sarai had lied about their relationship, but that didn’t matter to God. God’s actions are not based on our imperfect obedience to His commands. What God has promised, He will fulfill. As He said in Isaiah 55:11

  

  So, Abram failed his third test of faith–he chose the course of fear and deceit, rather than trust in God and in His promise. What about us? Do we remember to ask God for His wisdom and guidance when difficulties arise? Do we trust God will fulfill His promises? As the Bible says:

  

  When we ask, do we then wait for an answer? Waiting for God is mentioned 34 times in the Old Testament. The most famous verse is Isaiah 40:31:

  

  Let’s make sure we grab hold of these promises from God when we find ourselves in anxiety-causing situations in our own lives, follow the pattern–pray, trust, wait, follow. There is a time to wait on God, and there is a time to act in obedience, with faith and confidence in God’s provision of strength, guidance and protection. I’m praying that we can all learn to tell the difference!

  

  THIS WEEK’S SONG:

  When I think about Abram and Sarai wandering through an unfamiliar land, looking forward to some future promised by God, I’m reminded of this 19th century folk gospel song. Even though the lyrics actually refer to the Israelites crossing the Jordan River to claim the rest of the land promised by God, I think the plaintive sound well captures how alone Abram and Sarai might have felt sometimes in their life-long wanderings, and how lonely I have sometimes felt in this world too. At least they had each other!

  Wayfaring Stranger, performed by the Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra.

  Lyrics

  I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger,
  Traveling through this world alone.
  Yet there’s no sickness, no toil, no danger,
  In that bright land to which I go.
  I’m going there to see my father,
  I’m going there no more to roam.

  I’m only going over Jordan,
  I’m only going over home.

  I know dark clouds will gather ’round me,
  I know my way is rough and steep;
  Yet beauteous fields rise up before me,
  Where God’s redeemed, their vigils keep.
  I’m going there to see my mother,
  She said she’d meet me when I come.

  I’m only going over Jordan
  I’m only going over home.

  August 25, 2025

  Abraham, bible, faith, genesis, god, sarah

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