Delight in the Lord Ministries - Life Lessons

When Overwhelmed by Responsibilities ~ 1 Kings 3:1-15

Delight in the Lord Ministries — 2008-09-01T00:01:01-04:00

Solomon brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. v.2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name had not been built. V.3 Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the statutes of his father David, but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. v.4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.

Focus on What’s Important (3:5-9)
v.5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, God said, “Ask, What should I give you?” v.6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. v.7 “Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. v.8 Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. v.9 So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

Walk in God’s Ways (3:10-15)
v.10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. v.11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, v.12 I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. v.13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. v.14 If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” v.15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.

v. 1-4 Solomon, was David’s son by Bathsheba. Shortly before his death, David instructed Solomon to obey the Lord. However, while Solomon genuinely loved the Lord, his early decisions tended to compromise with the world system. One example of his compromise was to make alliance with a pagan king, Pharaoh king of Egypt. Solomon married the Pharaoh’s daughter, but he didn’t stop with one marriage. Over the course of his lifetime, Solomon accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines! His personal passions resulted in destructive pressure to honor false gods as a result. While marriages were often used to solidify political treaties, Solomon was supposed to be walking in the ways of God, not the world.
Since a temple had not yet been constructed in Jerusalem, many people worshiped by sacrificing on high places. The high places were the locations of pagan religious practices before and after the arrival of the Israelites in the promised land. When the Israelites came into Canaan long before the time of Solomon, God commanded them to destroy the high places of worship the Canaanites used lest the Israelites be tempted to worship the Canaanite gods.

Faced with his weighty responsibility as King of Israel, Solomon turned to the Lord. He traveled to Gibeon to offer burnt offerings. Gibeon was the most famous of all high places, and Solomon’s hugh sacrifice there of 1,000 burnt offerings indicates he felt great need of God’s help. Already the weight of responsibilities was heavy, but that weight drove him to God for help.
Our first step in managing responsibilities as well is to turn to the Lord for help!

v.5-9 God responded to Solomon’s worship with an expansive offer. God said, “Ask, What should I give you?” Solomon’s responded with an affirmation of God’s character. He acknowledged that God had shown great and faithful love to his father David. David’s blessings were connected with his walking with the Lord in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. Solomon knew that his own existence was due to God’s faithful love for David and that his reign as king in the place of his father was a part of God’s purpose.
Solomon also spoke of his youth and lack of experience. He didn’t approach God with pride. Instead, he realized the daunting task of managing people that not only were too numerous to be numbered but who also were the uniquely chosen people of God.
Humbly acknowledging our neediness can help us focus on what is really important in life.

Solomon asked God for an obedient heart! He understood that the key to wisdom was obedience. He also knew that true obedience was not a result of keen intellect but of a loving heart.
Solomon demonstrated in his prayer the important principle that a life pleasing to God must be lived from the inside out. He knew no amount of money or victory over enemies or worldly power made any eternal difference. He knew the qualities most necessary for managing weighty responsibilities were spiritual in nature.

v. 10-15 Solomon’s selfless prayer pleased the Lord. The Lord noted that Solomon had not asked selfishly for long life or riches or even the death of his enemies. God responded by giving Solomon a wise and understanding heart that would be unparalleled to anyone before or after him. The Lord went beyond Solomon’s request and granted him what he had not requested. He would have both riches and honor in such large portions that there would be no man in any kingdom who would be his equal during his lifetime.
God’s blessings were somewhat conditional. If Solomon wanted to enjoy God’s fullest blessing, he would walk according to the Lord’s ways and keep God’s statutes and commandments in the same manner as his father David.
God loves us enough not to give us unlimited blessings without expecting loving obedience on our part.
Solomon then woke from his dream and publicly marked his determination to keep the covenant God made with him. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant. There, in the place associated with the unique presence of God, Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. Burnt offerings reflected total commitment to the Lord, often combined with personal sin. Fellowship or peace offerings represented the restored covenant relationship between the worshiper and the Lord.

Solomon acknowledged his sin and committed himself to walk with God in obedience and faithfulness.

Living 3:16 ~ It’s All About Love John 3:16, 1John 3:11-5:5

Delight in the Lord Ministries — 2008-08-15T22:34:25-04:00

God’s Love is in You ~ 1 John 3:16-20
v.16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. v.17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him—how can God’s love reside in him? v.18 Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; v.19 that is how we will know we are of the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, v.20 because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.

God’s Love Removes Your Fears ~ I John 4:15-18
v.15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. v.16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. v.17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. v.18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.

God’s Love Moves You to Obey ~ I John 5:2-5
v.2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. v.3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, v.4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. v.5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

v.16 John 3:16 reveals to us at least 3 important truths about the gospel: (1) God loves us; (2) He gave His Son for us; (3) anyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life. God loved the world, and it was His love that motivated Him to send His Son to die on the cross, providing salvation for the world of lost humanity who trust Jesus. The world indicates that God’s love is not exclusive, not even to Israel, His chosen people. John 3:16 shows that God love people all over the globe—from every nation, people group, culture, and language. He gave His One and Only Son. God is one God, but He is also God in 3 persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father delights in His Son (Matt. 3:17). God the Father loves Jesus with a more perfect love than an earthly father ever loved his son. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God will keep you from perishing in the judgment. Instead, you may receive eternal life. This offer excludes no one. Everyone who believes, down to the worst offender, will find grace at the cross. Yet, to receive eternal life you must believe in Him, His death for sin, and His resurrection unto life.

v. 16-20 John wrote that we have come to know love. How has this happened? He laid down His life for us. The death of Christ is how God demonstrated His love for us (Rom. 5:8). God needs nothing from anyone, and yet He desired to share His love with a people who would know Him as Lord and be astonished by His mercy and grace. What should be the result of coming to know love? We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. When John used the word “brothers” he spoke specifically of the covenant community in the church. John was not excluding care and concern for non-believers, but there is a special concern in the New Testament church for those who have publicly identified with the body of Christ. The word compassion here actually refers to a person’s inner organs and conveys a burden for a hurting person that one feels deep in the gut, which leads to action. Little children reveals John’s tender regard for his readers, but he also gave to them a firm warning. Loving only in word or speech is not sufficient. In deed emphasizes love’s action. Anyone can say loving words, but the words become truth only through deeds. Expressing love through deeds actually becomes a way we convince our hearts in His presence. This is where Christian deeds come in, not as a means of salvation, but as a consequence of salvation. One consequence is confidence of God’s presence in our lives as we share God’s love. Our hearts condemn us refers to those doubts that can creep in. God is greater than our hearts is the assurance that God’s promises are more powerful than our doubts. He is faithful to us even when we falter.

v. 15-18 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God develops great confidence in life. This confident trust connects the believer with God so that God remains in him and he in God. John’s confidence is ultimately expressed in 3 English words: God is love. People do not understand God apart from love. Love is not one aspect of God; it is His nature. We are to remain in love and thus remain in God, and through love God remains in us. As the title of this lesson reflects, “It’s All About Love,” People believe what they see, and if they see love they will listen. The confidence we derive from knowing God loves us extends all the way to the Day of Judgment. A Christian has nothing to fear on that day because perfect love drives out fear. The lack of confidence, or fear, is the result of not trusting fully in God’s love for us. We often retain doubts that God can really love us this much. Those doubts indicate we have not reached perfection in love. John did not mean we reach spiritual perfection in this life, but that any fear or doubt we have indicates we need to more deeply abide or remain in God’s love.

v. 5:2-5 As we love God we also obey His commands, which in turn involves loving others. Consequently, loving God and loving people are interrelated; each strengthens the other. But love for God is the foundation for all manifestations of love. Love binds us to God and makes us want to live in ways that honor Him. All believers who love God keep His commands, and by doing so they experience the victory of living by faith. One paradox of the Christian faith is that by losing yourself in love and service to God you find your true self, or the self God created you to be. For this reason obeying God’s commands is not a burden. John then pointed out that God’s commands are not burdensome because those who are born of God are in fact victorious over the world. All believers have supernatural power to stand successfully against the world’s forces. John said: this is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. The victorious ones are those who overcome the world because they are those who are born of God! And who are the one born of God? They are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Please join us on the 1st of September for another LIFE LESSON from God’s Word

BE BLESSED!

Exploring Devotion ~ Genesis 22:1-14, 17-18

Delight in the Lord Ministries — 2008-08-01T15:54:44-04:00

Hard Obedience ~ Gen. 22:3-10
v.3 So early in the morning Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. v.4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. v.5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” v.6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together. v.7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” v.8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together. v.9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. v.10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Obedience Rewarded ~ Gen 22:11- 14, 17-18
v.11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” v.12 Then He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld you only son from Me.” v.13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. v.14 And Abraham named that place THE LORD WILL PROVIDE, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

v.1-2 The phrase after these things refers to the events prior to God’s test of Abraham’s devotion, such as the birth of Isaac, the dismissal of Hagar and Ishamel, and the covenant with Abimelech for water rights in the region of Beersheba (Gen. 21:1-9) Each of these incidents generated tough situations that revealed both strengths and deficiencies in Abraham’s faith. God tested Abraham to discern the quality of his faith and devotion. The test had several important characteristics. First, requiring great faith, such as moving from Ur to Canaan or giving Lot first choice of prime grazing land. Now God initiated a test that demanded of Abraham radical devotion to Him. Second, the test was personal. God called Abraham by name. Abraham responded by saying, “Here I am” a phrase indicating Abraham’s readiness to follow wherever God called. God wanted Abraham to take his only son Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice of burnt offering to God. The burnt offering was one in which the sacrificial animal was totally consumed. Thus God was asking Abraham to take the son he loved and give him to the Lord completely. For him to pass the test, Abraham’s love for God had to exceed his love for Isaac.
Question: Why do you think that the test involved Isaac, when God clearly was so displeased with child sacrifice?
v.3-10 This passage takes us from Abraham’s first steps of obedience in Beersheba where he rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey to the final decisive step of obedience of reaching out and taking the knife to slaughter his son. Abraham’s split wood for the burnt offering, as he no doubt had done many times before. This time was different, however. Previously, Abraham split the wood with joyful anticipation of worshiping God; this time, the sacrificial animal was to be his beloved son! Abraham set out to go to the place God had told him about. reminiscent of his journey to Canaan. His leaving Haran for Canaan probably caused some anxiety, but this journey to Moriah no doubt caused sadness and heaviness of heart. Never was obeying God more difficult!
Abraham’s obedience to God was demonstrated in his faith to his young men by saying he and Isaac would worship and then come back to them. Though obedience was hard, Abraham was determined to obey God, believing He could give Isaac back to him from the dead (Heb. 11:17-19)
As we read the story, it seems grimly ironic that Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son. Isaac would have to carry the wood for his own sacrificial death up the hill. In the simple narrative of events, it could not have been otherwise. Isaac was young and vigorous, and Abraham was very old. It would have been strange for Abraham to volunteer to carry the wood himself. Even this, however, is a kind of hidden prophecy. Jesus, too would drag the wood for his own execution up a hill until He collapsed under the load. Abraham bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Obeying God was never harder than at this precise moment. What about Isaac? For the first time, he realized he was the sacrifice! Did he scream in horror, protest, or plead for his life? The text does not provide an answer. We can imagine that Isaac was afraid as any child would be, making Abraham’s compliance to God’s request all the more difficult. In the final detail of Abraham’s obedience, he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

v.11-14, 17-18 God had seen enough: Abraham had passed the test. Seeing Abraham’s determination to follow His instruction, God prevented him from taking Isaac’s life. God commanded Abraham to not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. Then God stated His reason for the test. He said, For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me. The statement seems puzzling at first since presumably God knows everything all the time. The puzzle is solved when we realize that the term know in this instance means “to experience,” and the term fear refers to a deep reverence. The test did not teach God something about Abraham’s faith He did not know previously. Rather, the test gave Abraham the opportunity to show God his devotion firsthand. Seeing Abraham’s determination to follow His instruction, God provided a substitute sacrifice. Abraham subsequently saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Some of the most powerful words in Scripture are when Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham learned in that moment that full obedience to God, no matter how hard did not necessitate the death of Isaac. Going to the land of Moriah, Abraham could not see how God would work things out: but returning home he saw clearly that God provides for His people’s needs. Therefore, Abraham named that place the Lord will provide. God was so pleased with Abraham’s obedience, even to the point of letting go of the one he held dearest, that God reaffirmed His promises and covenant with him. The phrase I will indeed bless you literally is “blessing I will bless you” and thus emphasizes the idea of blessing. Abraham’s obedience secured the blessings of God on his life. God promised to make Abraham’s offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, a reiteration of the promise to make of him “a great nation”. God would enable Abraham’s offspring to possess the gates of their enemies, a refining of the promise to “bless you” and “curse those who treat you with contempt”. Finally through Abraham’s offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, a replication of the promise to Abram, Isaac, and Jacob.

How could God make of Abraham “a great nation” if He required the sacrifice of his “only son’? When God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering, He was testing Abraham’s faith in God’s promises. God rewarded Abraham because he passed the test. Abraham passed the test because he obeyed God, though such obedience threatened the one he loved the most. Believers today can maintain confidence that God rewards obedience, whether that obedience is in response to simple or difficult tests of faith. Believers are to “walk by faith, not by sight”. Let us always remember that God can provide even when we see no help in sight.

Be Blessed!

Exploring Humility ~ Genesis 32:1-33:20

Delight in the Lord Ministries — 2008-07-15T12:56:52-04:00

Humble Yourself Before God ~ Gen. 32:9-12
v.9 Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’ v.10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. v.11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mother, and their children. v.12 You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

Humble Yourself Before Others ~ Gen 33:1-3
v.1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves. v.2 He put the female slaves first, Leach and her sons next, and Rachel and Joseph last. v.3 He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

Acknowledge God’s Role ~ Gen 33:4-5,9-11
v.4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept. v.5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.”
v.9 “I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.” v.10 But Jacob said, “No please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. v.11 Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

v.3,6-8 When Jacob deceived his father Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing, Esau sought to kill Jacob. Jacob fled to Haran where he served his uncle Laban for 20 yrs. As Jacob journeyed back toward his homeland, his fear of Esau resurfaced. He did no know exactly what he was facing, so he sent messengers ahead of him to access the situation. Esau, Jacob’s older twin, was entitled to the birthright, an arrangement whereby the oldest son was the principal heir of the family’s fortunes. But Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for some bread and stew. Later, in conspiracy with his mother Rebekah, Jacob stole the family blessing from Esau. In the intervening 20 yrs., Esau had moved to Seir, the country of Edom, a mountainous area located to the south and east of the family home in Beersheba. As Jacob assessed the situation, he feared the worst, so he took measures to minimize his losses. He divided the people with him into two camps. Jacobs two camps included people and the flocks, cattle and camels. If Esau attacked one camp, the remaining one can escape. By dividing the livestock in addition to his family members, Jacob assured the survival of at least some of his livestock and family. If Jacob’s assessment of the situation was correct, Esau would be only half as destructive as Jacob feared.

v.9-12 Twenty years under Laban’s treachery gave Jacob the necessary humility to realize how much he needed the Lord. Jacob humbled himself before God as he prepared for the encounter with his brother. He addressed God as the God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, a reference to his grandfather and father respectively, the first 2 recipients of God’s covenant promises. Jacob reminded God of His command for him to go back to your land and to your family. This command included the promise that the Lord would be with him. Jacob paraphrased the promise that the Lord would be with him by saying I will cause you to prosper. Jacob humbled himself before the Lord proclaiming, I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Jacob spoke to God with gratitude. He acknowledged that he began with nothing I crossed over this Jordan with my staff –the staff was all he owned in the world and that now he has more than he ever expected to possess—now I have become two camps. Jacob asked God to rescue him from Esau, for I am afraid of him. He also mentioned he was not the only one in danger, observing that the mothers and their children were at risk. Jacob reminded the Lord again of His promise I will cause you to prosper, thus supporting his request for help with reminders of the divine promises. Jacob clarified God’s blessings in terms of the multiplication of his descendants who were to become like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted. Jacob understood the contradiction between the Lord’s promise of great descendants and the impending threat of Esau destroying his family.
The only thing he could do was humble himself before God and rely on His promises.

v. 1-3 If the mere verbal report about Esau and his troops terrified Jacob the day before, what must he have felt when he saw Esau and his 400 men approaching? Following the tactic he devised the previous day, Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves, Zilpah and Bilhah. He then sent them toward Esau’s approaching hoard in order of least to most favored. Therefore, the female slaves went first, followed by Leah and her sons. Since Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife and Joseph was her son. He put them in the very back of the pack, thus hoping for their escape if Esau attacked. Upon approaching Esau himself, he bowed to the ground seven times. This was an act of great humility and even of remorse. It acknowledged that in spite of Jacob’s purchase of the right of the firstborn, Esau was in fact the elder brother and therefore worthy of respect.

Humility means that we value reconciliation above our pride!

v.4-5,9-11 No doubt Jacob was surprised to Esau’s greeting. He feared an attack from his older brother, but Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Esau’s running conveyed his joy in seeing Jacob and his desire to be near him. The hugs and kisses surpassed mere formality and demonstrated Esau’s genuine pleasure that his twin had come home. After their embrace Esau saw the women and children who were trailing behind Jacob. His question “Who are these with you? reflected his eagerness to meet Jacob’s family. Jacob had increased in number & wealth and God was the sole reason. God had also blessed Esau, so he declined Jacob’s gifts saying, “I have enough, my brother.” and “Keep what you have.” Jacob was so pleased Esau rec’d him as a brother instead of attacking him as an enemy that he insisted Esau accept his substantial gift consisting of 550 animals. Jacob recognized that God had prospered him materially and insisted that Esau accept part of that abundance for the gracious way he accepted him. Jacob equated seeing Esau’s face to seeing God’s face, and he realized his encounter with God the night before had led to a peaceful reunion with his brother.
Jacob’s soul seemed flooded with the realization that God had delivered him from Esau. He viewed his family, his livestock, and his brother’s warm reception as gifts from God. Therefore, he determined that Esau share in God’s blessing. Jacob’s entreaty please take my present is significant because it reverses what he had done to Esau 20 yrs earlier. Jacob urged him until he accepted.

Exploring New Direction ~ Genesis 12:1-13:18

Delight in the Lord Ministries — 2008-07-01T23:27:52-04:00

Called to Change ~ Gen. 12:1-3
v.1 The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. v.2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. v.3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Clarity Follows Obedience ~ Gen. 12:4-8
v.4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 yrs old when he left Haran. v.5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,v.6 Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. v.7 But the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. v.8 From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched this tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped Him.

Conflict Comes ~ Gen. 13:5-7
v.5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. v.6 But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together, v.7 and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At the time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.

Count on God’s Promises ~ Gen. 13:8-9, 14-16
v.8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.v.9 Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
v.14 After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, v.15 for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. v.16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

v.1-3 Abram’s father Terah, lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, a city in Mesopotamia that played an important political and cultural role in its area. Terah took his family, intending to move to the land of Canaan. But they stopped in Haran, where Terah later died. The Lord did not revoke His call from Abram’s family. After Terah’s death, the Lord spoke to Abram and called him to move out of Haran. When God called Abram to move his family, He gave one command followed by many promises. The command was for Abram to gather his family and go to a land that God would show him. The call to move was also a call to change in Abram’s life. God promised that if Abram would follow Him, He would make Abram into a great nation. He would bless him and make his name great. God also promised that He would take personal responsibility for the safety of Abram’s journey by blessing those who blessed Abram and cursing those who cursed him. Through Abram’s small family, God promised to bless all the peoples on earth.

God’s call of Abram was the true beginning of the story of salvation. After Abram’s call (and obedience), the entire plan of God for the world would be focused on a single nation descended from a single man. That plan would culminate into the birth of Jesus Christ, the descendant of Abram, who would send out His followers to make disciples of all nations.

v.4-8 When Abram set out to follow God’s call for his life, he did not know where he was going! God had told him only “to the land that I will show you”. Thus Abram’s faith was in God’s presence and leadership, not in his own knowledge of a suitable destination or in his personal navigational skills. Leaving his community, security, and identity behind, Abram went, as the Lord had told him. These 8 words encapsulated what would become a century of faith for Abram. He was 75 yrs old when God called him and 175 when he died. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him and continued the journey he began with his father. Lot was the son of Abram’s deceased brother Haran. Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, the name means “shoulder” since it was located a the pass between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal about 40 miles north of Jerusalem. Abram stopped at the oak of Moreh, the designation of a tall tree that marked a religious shrine. The land was inhabited by the Canaanites, a general classification for several people groups. The Lord appeared to Abram, promising to give this land to your offspring. The land represented the very foundation of the covenant. To dwell in the land in peace was a sign of divine blessing. Abram’s earlier uncertainty about what land God would take him to and where his offspring would find a home was now gone; he had a clear statement from God. But the clarity only came about after he had obeyed God and left his extended family behind.
v.5-7 Walking in God’s will does not mean that one will have no conflict. As God began to bless Abram’s obedience, a conflict erupted. Abram’s nephew, Lot, also rec’d some of God’s blessings. His flocks, herds, and tents (wealth) were great. However, the land they shared was now unable to support both families. This caused quarreling among Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen.

v.8-9,14-16 Abram responded beautifully to the conflict between his herdsmen and those belonging to Lot. He did not want the conflict to come between them, so he offered Lot the first choice of the land. Abram’s confidence that the conflict would be handled properly came from his belief that God had promised the whole land to him and his descendants. Abram said, “Isn’t the whole land before you?” No matter which land Lot chose, Abram knew that it was part of the land God had promised to him.
God rewarded Abram’s response to the conflict and his faith in God’s provision. He spoke to Abram and told him to look north and south, east and west. God would give this land to him and his offspring forever. He would also bless Abram’s offspring so that they would be as many as the dust of the earth. Abram could only receive this guarantee of a family through faith since his and his wife were advanced in years and his wife was barren.

Having faith means counting on God’s promises, realizing that He is the One who is responsible for making them come to pass.

Please join us on the 15th of the July for another LIFE LESSON from God’s Word

BE BLESSED!