25. Beginner Bible Course: The story of Abraham and Sarah, Pt. 1 - God's amazing promise of land, kids, blessing

EPISODE 25  The simple Bible overview of…THE STORY OF ABRAM (ABRAHAM), PT 1

Genesis chapters 12 through 40 are primarily about three guys, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They're called the patriarchs poetry father Archaius rulers, daddy rulers. As the Bible story unfolds, these three represent the trunk of the tree. The end of chapter 11 sets up our story. Chapter 12, doubles back and explains what happened. Somehow. God speaks to this Beto in Abraham and says, go leave your country, your father's house in your relatives, and go to a land that I will show you Abraham and Sarah pack up their stuff.

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00:00:43

This is extraordinary for at least two reasons. First in those days, nobody moved. I mean, they never left their area. I mean, they would pack a lunch if they went more than a mile from home, there's no ye hall moving services we've seen previously. They didn't like to budge. The second reason that's extraordinary is God didn't tell him where they were going. It reminds you a bit of Noah building that boat in the wilderness for something that had never occurred. They moved from or in Mesopotamia up the fertile Crescent to the top and stopped in Huron. It doesn't tell us how long they made a pit stop.

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00:01:24

It could have been years. The text tells us that Tara Abraham's father died there. They then continued their journey down. The fertile Crescent. Abraham Sarah and nephew. Lot till they came to Canaan. Canaan is present day Israel along the Mediterranean sea. You'll remember in our story. Canaan was ham sun. The ham that was cursed by Noah, his dad, before we go on there's something else at the end of chapter 11 tells us Sarah couldn't have kids. Soon. The text tells us Abraham was 10 years older than her. He's 75 she's 65. God had previously set the normal lifespan at 120 years.

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00:02:07

So these folks are just to the right of midlife in today's years, 45 ish. In other words, even if she could have children, her body clock is ticking loudly. At the beginning of chapter 12, God says something extraordinary to Abraham. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous and make you a blessing to others. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you. This is one of those ironies in scripture. Abraham middle-aged with a wife. Who's barren is told by God he'll be a great father. Even more ironic is Abram's name. It means exalted father that could be qualitative or quantitative qualitative.

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00:02:53

He's going to be a great dad. Quantitative. He is going to be dad of great many people. That's like taking your car to a mechanic. He's easily 400 pounds with muscles on his muscles. You strike up a conversation and ask his name. He says, they call me skinny. That's Abraham exalted father, father of many. God said, I'll make you famous. That's been fulfilled today. Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Look back on him with honor. It's that last phrase we want to catch through you? All the families of earth will be blessed. All of the sinful trespassing, twisted families of the earth, something blessing coming through.

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00:03:37

You will impact all the sinful trespassing, twisted kids on earth. What could that be? Only the STOMPER God will use Abraham the middle-age childless Bedouin to bring the STOMPER Abraham the Bedouin camps and Cain. And until a severe famine strikes the land and then moves to Egypt. It's here. The story tells us we're not dealing with a perfect guy, believing Pharaoh might hear about, and then see Sarah, his wife, and take her into his harem. He lies and says, she's his sister. My students will often wonder why Pharaoh would take a 65 year old woman into his harem.

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00:04:21

Then I remind them she's middle-aged and there are some middle-aged ladies on this planet that are quite stunning. God intervenes and protect Sarah from, from being glued to Pharaoh, Pharaoh, scolds Abraham and sends him packing back to Canaan. Shockingly, he sends him away with gifts, making Abraham much richer back in Canaan. God continues to bless. Abraham so much so that the herds of Abraham and lot are so large. They can no longer graze together. Abraham suggests they split up and offers lot first dibs on where he wants to go lot looks East at the fertile Jordan river Valley and chooses that Abraham stays put continuing on the land, continuing on the West side toward the Mediterranean.

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00:05:11

When lots of parts God says to Abraham look around all of this land is going to be yours someday. On top of that, your descendants will be a numerable let's stop for a minute. God's promised Abraham three things, a special land that God identifies from Egypt to the Euphrates river, including Canaan, lots of kids and the STOMPER will come through him in chapter 14. The story continues lot migrates from the country down to two cities that are really happening Sodom and Gomorrah, chapter 14 then tells us about some bad blood between the local towns around Sodom and Gomorrah.

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00:05:52

I should clarify one thing as you read the text, you read a lot about in Genesis a better translation would of been mayor's in almost all cases when it says King and Genesis it's Maier the leader of a city, Sodom and Gomorrah, and to other local towns, get into a fight with five other towns and their mayors. The side lot is on loses and all this stuff is taken. Abraham hears about this and heads out to rescue him. Abraham takes with him 318 male servants that tells you how wealthy Abraham is becoming. The quick story is Abraham wins the battle against those mayors have the five towns who have lot in all his stuff at the end of chapter 14 on his way back home to return.

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00:06:41

Lot to Saddam, Abraham passes a little town called Salem and the mayor comes out to greet him. His name is mayor Mel Kizza deck. My students call him mayor, Mel. There's something weird about mayor Mel. Remember this is in the wicked land of Canaan. It says he was a priest of the most high God, as well as the King of the city. It also says he brought Abraham bread and wine and blessed him. Let that soak in may or Mel blessed. Abraham the shim EIT who God had picked to bring the STOMPER. When he is finished, Abraham gives him a 10th of all his plunder, a 10th, a tie given to mayor Mel.

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00:07:29

I asked my students who is mayor Mel. The new Testament book of Hebrews talks about mayor Mel. At the very least, he's a clue about the STOMPER, but possibly more than that and angelic being, or even an appearance of God himself. When we get to chapter 15, Abraham has a proposal for God. He's now probably closer to 85 and his wife, 75 God's plans to make him an exalted father, quantitative or qualitative. Aren't moving along very well. So Abraham has a proposal. He says to God, how about you officially adopt my favorite servant Eliezer of Damascus.

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00:08:14

As my son noticed the phrase of Damascus. He's not a sham. Might I picture God, very graciously declining. Come here. Abraham I want to show you something. Step outside. When Abraham goes outside his tent, God says, take a look up there. Abraham sees a canopy of almost infinite stars. God says that's how many descendants I'm going to give you from a child who comes from your own body. Like those stars, they won't be countable. Then we get to an extraordinary verse. Another circle it double circle it dog. The page verse in scripture, Genesis 15 and six, and Abraham believed God, and God counted it to him for righteousness.

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00:09:03

Let me run that by you again. And Abraham believed God and God counted it to him for righteousness believed what did he do? And righteousness, what did God declare him to critical terms we need to understand, and we will understand them in our next wordpicture.