Month: February 2013

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 21, Day 3: Genesis 25:27-34 with Hebrews 12:11-17

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Genesis 25:27-34:  Esau became a hunter while Jacob stayed home.  Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob more.  Esau sold his birthright for a meal, implying he despised his birthright.

Hebrews 12:11-17:  Discipline is never pleasant but it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.  Strengthen yourself.  Make every effort to live in peace with others and be holy so those others will see the Lord in you.  Make sure trouble is not sown and bitterness nor sexual immorality or godlessness like Esau because you weren’t holy.  Because Esau could not inherit his blessing after he had rejected it.

Questions:

5a)  Because Esau would bring Isaac wild game.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  It’s hard to say since this is all that is recorded of Isaac’s love.  Based off of what we know, superficially.  If that is the only real reason Isaac played favorites, then it would have saddened God (as it does us).  He probably didn’t approve of the rationale but we are human.  We all play favorites whether we admit it or not.  It’s what we do when we know we have a favorite that matters.

c)  Not shown such outward actions.  Shown more love towards the non-favored.  Made their best effort NOT to play favorites and treat each equally.

d)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Same as in c.  It’s hard not to play favorites with your kids.  Shower the others with just as much as you would the favorite.  If the kids recognize the favorite, make extra effort to prove to them as least otherwise.

6)  In this case, you received the promise of Abraham which is having nations bow down to you, be lord over your brothers and all your relatives and others, and may those who despise you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.  Deuteronomy says the firstborn should receive a double share and is the sign of his father’s strength.  God’s mercy and grace to bless those whom He chooses.

[NOTE:  I think this is a typo in the passages.  It should probably be Romans 9:14-15 but I would read all of Romans 9 for Esau and Jacob are mentioned specifically from 8-18.]

7a)  No

b)  Highly unlikely.  Abraham is rich and had many servants.  I’m sure one of them was cooking something at that exact time as well.  Snacks?  I’m sure there were some snacks lying around.  Or I’m sure Esau could have made his own food or ate some leftovers or something.  This is why he despised his birthright.  He took the easy way out.

c)  He despised it.  He didn’t care enough.  He let his immediate needs of hunger supercede his birthright.  Seriously?  If that’s not disdain, I’m not sure what is.

d)  God knew all along the choice Esau would made and that’s why He chose Jacob as the worthy one to carry on the Promise.  Esau is called “godless” in Hebrews 12:16.  God Himself even says He hated Esau and He turned Esau’s mountains into wasteland and left Esau’s inheritance to the jackals (Malachi 1:3).  This passage is repeated in Romans 9:13 by Paul.

Lessons learned:  God knows our heart and He will give us what we deserve.  As Romans says, all things are through God’s mercy and compassion, not our effort (Romans 9:15-16).  Esau was not worthy of the birthright even though it was his right by birth so God took it from him.  We must be worthy in God’s eyes to receive His blessing.  We must have a heart for God and not for ourselves.  We must make choices in line with God’s Will and Word.  We must seek Him and not our fickle needs.  God’s needs.  Not ours.

Conclusions:  I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be “hated” by God like Esau was.  Can you imagine?  We’re told as little kids not to hate anyone.  But God hated.  So are we allowed to as well?

Well “hate” in this context is really “reject”.  God “loved” or “chose” Jacob.  He rejected Esau.  Our human emotions are not the same for God.

I think hate though doesn’t correlate with forgiveness and compassion.  We can hate someone but still forgive their wrongs towards us and show them compassion when the occasion arises.  But we don’t have to like them or approve of them.  For God still blessed Esau who became the father of the Edomites (Genesis 33:9, 36) despite his hard heart.  As we must do as well.  Feelings are different than knowledge of God’s will.  Great lesson for me!

Great explanation of God’s love and hate HERE

I also like the favoritism lesson for, admittedly, I favor my son over my girls.  Because he’s the youngest.  I did this with all my babies before the other one came along.  But I am conscious of it and I try with all my might to hide that from my kids and shower my girls with extra attention.  For I love all of them more than myself.  And I bet over time as my son becomes less needy this will change.

END NOTE:  Please read Romans 9.  I think this lesson will have greater value for you and you’ll see more of what BSF is trying to teach you if you do.

FINAL END NOTE:  See?  I did get something out of this lesson, didn’t I (referring to my doubts from YESTERDAY)? So just keep plugging away.  God will show you what you need.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 21, Day 2: Genesis 25:19-26

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah.  Isaac prayed when he discovered Rebekah was barren and God granted her twins.  The Lord told her she carried two nations, one will be stronger and the older will serve the younger.  Esau was the first born (his name may mean hairy.  He was also called Edom which means red for he was red-headed).  The second born was Jacob who came out clasping Esau’s heel (his name means he grasps the heel or he deceives).  Isaac was 60 years old at their birth.

Questions:

3a)  20 years

b)  Yes

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  The passages we are referred to say so God’s work can be displayed and so that they (Isaac and Rebekah) will learn God’s decrees and so they will cast their cares on the Lord so He can sustain them.  It is estimated that about 12-15 percent of women can’t have kids, have trouble getting pregnant, or have trouble carrying a baby to term.  They could have been one of these couples.

d)  Personal Question.  My answer:  They prayed and the Lord answered in His timing.

4)  “Two nations are in your womb” refers to how Esau will be the father of the Edomites (Genesis 36) and Jacob the father of the Israelites.  Abraham was promised in Genesis 17:4-6, 16 that many nations would descend from him and Sarah.

“Two people within you will be separated” means they will live apart.  1 Kings 11:14-16 shows how the Edomites fought against the Israelites and lost.

“One people will be stronger than the other” is the Israelites will be stronger.

“The older will serve the younger” shows how the Edomites will be subjects of the Israelites.  2 Samuel 8:12-14 discusses how David struck down the Edomites and subjected them to his rule.

2 Chronicles 21:8-10 speaks of how Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule.

The tiny book of Obadiah is prophecy from the Lord about Edom and Israel, basically saying in sum that Israel will be the last one standing and Edom will disappear from the face of the earth.  The last people of Edom were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 when they took Jerusalem and destroyed the temple of the Lord.

Conclusions:  I’m not exactly thrilled about re-visiting Scripture we have already visited for an entire week.  And tomorrow is Hebrews–again.  Help.

I didn’t like 3b.  That was a “duh” to me.  Obviously.  Isaac was God’s chosen one to establish His people.  How else is he going to do it?  I thought we’d pick up at Genesis 28:10.

Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to this week.  To me, this is another filler lesson. Or I’m too impatient.  All year I’ve been looking forward to Joseph.  I’m ready.  Let’s move on!

End Note:  Just being honest here for those of you whom I’m sure will comment what a bad attitude I have and how I should drop out or quit or what-have-you (it could be a reflection of my state-of-mind right now as some of you have suggested as well.  I don’t know.  I’m not a psychologist).  This is how I feel about this lesson.  And I make no apologies for saying so.  But see this POST.  I’m doing it despite how I feel about it.  For I’m sure God has something here for me whether I see it or not or whether I feel like learning it or not.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 20, Day 5: Review Genesis 27:1-28:9

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Isaac, now old and blind, asks Esau to hunt him some wild game and prepare him a meal at which he will give him his blessing.  Rebekah overheard Isaac tell Esau this so she told Jacob to go and bring her some young goats to prepare for him so that Jacob can go and receive Isaac’s blessing.  Jacob wonders though if Isaac touches him what to do because Esau is hairy and he is not.  His mother said not to worry.

Rebekah prepared the food and then dressed up Jacob in Esau’s clothes.  She covered his hands and neck with goatskins and sent him in to Isaac.  Jacob says he is Esau and bids his father to eat.  Isaac wonders how he found the game so quickly.  Jacob says the Lord granted him success.

Isaac suspects a trick and asks to touch Jacob.  He knows Jacob’s voice but falls for the goatskin trick.  Isaac blessed Jacob but is still unsure if he is Esau or not.  Jacob lies again, saying he is.  Isaac ate of the game and then kissed his son.  He smelled Esau’s clothes and concluded this was Esau.

Isaac blessed Jacob, asking God to give him abundance and have the nations serve him and bow to him, have him be lord over his brothers and have those who curse him be cursed and those who bless him be blessed.

Esau returned from hunting and brought in the food to Isaac.  Isaac realizes he had been tricked by Jacob.  But it was too late.  Isaac cannot bless both.  He did not reserve another blessing.  Esau wept and held a grudge against Jacob and planned to kill him once Isaac died.

Rebekah hears Esau’s plans and sends Jacob to live with her brother Laban in Haran until Esau’s temper cools. She tells Isaac she doesn’t want Jacob to marry a Hittite woman so Isaac blesses him and commands him to go to Paddan Aram to the house of his mother’s father Bethuel and take a wife from the daughters of Laban.  He blessed him again with fruitfulness and with the blessing given to Abraham.

Esau learned what had happened and he took a wife from Ishmael’s line in an effort to please his father.

Questions:

11)  When God told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and the older will serve the younger.

12a)  He called Esau to him privately and was going to bless him without others around or tell anyone else.

b)  Isaac knew Jacob was the chosen one but he was going to bless Esau instead (his favorite).  But once he was tricked, he blessed Jacob willingly.  He realized that God’s will would prevail, not his.

13a)  Isaac definitely had a heart for God.  He willingly submitted to being a sacrifice.  He trusted God to bring him Rebekah as his wife.  He dealt kindly with Abimelech when the disputes arose over the wells.  The Lord appeared to him (Genesis 26:24) to reassure him of his covenant.  His weakness was that he favored Esau over Jacob and tried to circumvent God’s will with the blessing.  But God prevented that as well.  He played favorites with his kids.  In the end, Isaac does bless Jacob for he realizes God’s will after the trick.

Isaac is like most Christians I think.  Has a heart for God but is human with faults and mistakes.  But eventually he corrects them and comes back to God.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  To always seek and trust God.  He is in control.  He will bless those who follow Him.  To deal kindly with unbelievers.  To not judge.  To shine Christ as best as humanly possible.  Even when you fall, Isaac showed you get right back on God’s path.

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  To not play favorites (which is hard with multiple kids).  To treat all equally.  To pray and follow God.  It is useless to fight God for He will win every time.  His will not mine.

Conclusions:  God’s will prevails no matter what man does to circumvent it.  So why do we fight it so?

End Note:  Interestingly, even if Esau had received Isaac’s blessing, it wouldn’t have mattered.  Only God can truly bestow the blessing and in God’s eyes it would have been invalid.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 20, Day 4: Genesis 26:12-35

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Isaac planted crops in the land of the Philistines and the Lord blessed him.  He became rich and had so many flocks that the Philistines became jealous so they filled all his wells with dirt.  Finally, Abimelech told Isaac to move away because he had become too powerful.

So Isaac moved to the Valley of Gerar and re-opened the wells.  Isaac’s servants dug two new wells but the locals quarreled over them.  He dug another well that was undisputed, which showed Isaac the Lord would provide.

At Beersheba the Lord appeared to Isaac and told him He would bless him and increase his descendants. Isaac built an altar there and called on the Lord.  He also dug a well there.

Abimelech saw how Isaac continued to prosper because the Lord was with him and became afraid.  So he along with his  adviser and commander approached Isaac to make a treaty not to harm them.  This was done.  Another well was dug.

Esau married Judith and Basemath, Hittites, and they were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Questions:

9a)  God multiplied Isaac’s crops by a hundredfold.

b)  The Philistines became jealous of Isaac’s success so they filled all of his wells.

c)  Abimelech kicked him out of the land

d)  He just moved and kept digging wells until he found one undisputed.

e)  God appeared to Isaac and told him He will bless him and have descendants.  Isaac responded by building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord.  He pitched his tent there and dug another well.

10a)  Proverbs says “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him”.  The Philistines sought a treaty with Isaac out of fear of the Lord.  God approved of Isaac, blessed him, and protected him by giving him peace.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  If you follow God’s ways, you will have peace with your enemies.  I’m unsure how to answer this one for I have no real enemies like Isaac did.  We live in a time of relative peace compared to ancient times so it’s hard for us to understand this.  Even if we have personal enemies we must love them and do what is right and trust God to bring the peace.

Conclusions:  Good lesson of overcoming adversity.  Most of us don’t have wells that are taken from us but we have other things (and if you’ve been through bankruptcy you know what I’m talking about here).

God gives and takes away and at some point most of us have had things taken from us (either jobs, finances, kids, dogs, family members, relatives, or personal items such as homes or cars).

It’s how we respond that God is seeking.  Like Jesus?  Or not like Jesus?

We will have peace if we do what Jesus would do.  That is God’s promise.

End Note:  Note the name of the wells.  Esek means dispute.  Sitnah means opposition. And Rehoboth means room.  God uses dispute and opposition to give us room.  Neat, huh?

Abraham is known for building altars.  Jacob will be known for tents.  Isaac is known for wells.  All different ways of God’s provision for His people.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 20, Day 3: Genesis 25:19-26:11

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah.  Isaac prayed when he discovered Rebekah was barren and God granted her twins.  The Lord told her she carried two nations, one will be stronger and the older will serve the younger.  Esau was the first born (his name may mean hairy.  He was also called Edom which means red for he was red-headed).  The second born was Jacob who came out clasping Esau’s heel (his name means he grasps the heel or he deceives).  Isaac was 60 years old at their birth.

Esau became a hunter while Jacob stayed home.  Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob more.

Esau sold his birthright for a meal, implying he despised his birthright.

A famine came into the land and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar (different guy than Abraham’s Abimelech.  Remember, Abimelech is the name they give to rulers).  The Lord appeared to Isaac and told him to not go to Egypt but to stay here. He will bless him and give all this land to his descendants.  He repeats the oath He gave to Abraham.  He will bless all nations because Abraham was faithful and his descendants will be as numerous as the stars..

Isaac, however, lied who Rebekah was, saying she was his sister just like Abraham had done in Egypt out of fear of being killed.  But Isaac got caught in his lie and was chastised by Abimelech who orders no one to touch or molest Isaac or Rebekah.

Questions:

5)  He prayed

6)  Isaac loved Esau because he brought him wild game to eat.  It’s a shallow reason.  Yes, providing food is important in life but to love your son just because he does this is not loving the heart.  It’s loving for actions and not for who the person is.  You love the entire person and not because of what they can do for you.  Sad, really.

7)  God commanded Isaac not to go to Egypt during the famine.  He promised him He would be with him and He would bless him.  He confirmed the oath He gave to Abraham, saying He will give all his descendants all these lands.  He will make Isaac’s descendants as numerous as the stars and all the nations will be blessed because Abraham obeyed and kept God’s laws.

8a)  He lied about who his wife was.

b)  I don’t think he could have.  Abraham’s sin was committed before he was born so Isaac would only have heard stories told and he would have seen first-hand the pain that Hagar had brought to all.  Sin is a personal choice, an act of Free Will.  Parents can no more prevent their kids from sinning than they can prevent themselves if they so choose.  We have no control.  Abraham could have told Isaac not to lie, etc but Isaac chose to follow his way instead.

[Note:  Commentaries I read said Abraham could have set a better example and that the sins of the father are often found in the children because of the sinful environment in which they grew up in.  I, however, reject this.  Abraham sinned before Isaac was born and we all have our own choices to make.  I’m sure Abraham told his son the story and not to do what he did.  Personal responsibility and Free Will reign here.]

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Tell them honestly what you have done and implore them to make better choices.  Show them the consequences of your sin and do not hide it. Kids need to know there are consequences for sin.  Don’t sugar-coat anything and live an honest, repentant life.

Conclusions:  We don’t know what Isaac knew about Egypt but we do know the pain Hagar and Ishmael caused so we can assume Isaac knew this as well and he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and let fear reign.  Like I said yesterday, fear is a motivating factor that often causes us to sin but God can help us trust Him and not let fear take over.

Sin is a personal choice, something we are all responsible for.  No one else is to blame. Isaac sinned just like his father.  For Isaac is human just like Abraham.  We can help our kids understand what sin is and what are the consequences and that they have a choice: to follow God or to follow themselves or the devil.

Sin is inevitable; but with Jesus sin is wiped away.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 20, Day 2: Genesis 22:6-10; 24:62-67

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Genesis 22:6-10:  Abraham places the wood for the sacrifice of Isaac on Isaac while he carries the fire and knife.  They proceed together and Isaac asks his father where is the lamb for the burnt offering.  Abraham says God will provide the lamb.

When they reached the place for the sacrifice, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood.  He bound his son and laid him on the altar.  He took the knife to slay his son.

Genesis 24:62-67:  Isaac went out to the fields to pray when he saw camels approach. Rebekah saw Isaac and asked who he was.  When she found out it was her future husband, she covered herself with a veil.  The servant reported to Isaac all that had happened. Isaac and Rebekah were married.

Questions:

3)  He is God-centered.  He submits to God’s plan of being a sacrifice.  He believes his father that this is from the Lord.  He is praying when his future wife arrives and he marries her without question.  God is first in his life and he will sacrifice his life for God’s will.

4a)  According to Webster’s Dictionary, submissive means “submitting to others.”  Submit means “to yield to governance or authority; surrender.”

b)  Numbers 12:3:  “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”

Psalm 25:9:  “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

Psalm 37:11:  “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”

Psalm 149:4:  “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.”

Matthew 5:5:  “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.”

Matthew 11:29:  “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

1 Peter 3:4-5:  “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.  They were submissive to their own husbands.”

Verse 6:  “Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.  You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

[Note:  I threw in verse 6 for 2 reasons:  1) It mentions Sarah whom we are studying  2)  I think fear is crucial in understanding why we do some of the things we do–out of fear. It’s one of the devil’s favorite weapons against us.  We are afraid to submit to our husband’s authority and on down the line.  We are afraid to give control of our lives (and our kids) to God.  We are afraid of _____ (fill in the blank).  Fear is a HUGE motivator in our lives–and we must recognize and acknowledge that in order to defeat it.

And in terms of beauty, we women are afraid to say we are beautiful if we don’t look like Gisele (and that’s 99.9 % of us).  But each and every one of us are.  Because God inhabits us.  And the world would be infinitely better if fear didn’t prevent us from shining our souls to others.]

4c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I’d be happier.  Less stress.  Less worry.  Less heartache.  Less disappointment.  I take everything personally so I often am resentful of people.  And we all know I have no patience.  I’d have more friends cause I’d be more forgiving and a nicer person to be around.

Conclusions:  I found it odd we looked up the definition of submissive but then was asked about developing meekness.  So, I looked up the definition of meek.  It is “enduring injury with patience and without resentment; mild.  Deficient in spirit and courage; submissive.”

Deficient does mean lacking, not up to normal standards, or defective (yes, I looked this up too).  So being meek according to the second definition I believe is not what we want. We want the first definition.

I think both are the goals.  Enduring injury with patience and yielding to authority–things that go against the American norm and what most of us were raised to be (thanks in large part to feminism which I believe has done more harm than good to this country).

Despite the fact we went back in Genesis, I think this was an important lesson to underscore.  I think it’s something we all need to work on.  Submissive is a borderline bad word in America and we need to change that.  The second definition of meek is the predominant thought as well where one is cowering in a corner.  Humble is usually not the first word that comes to mind when asked to describe someone.

Lesson for the week:  Pray for humility, meekness, and submissiveness in our lives.