King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2022
Chapters: Genesis 12-15
Message: Call Upon The Name of The LORD
Hello My Friend,
As I began reading these chapters I was so excited that I was jumping ahead and writing out everything that was going to happen even before I started reading them. I have been really anxious, and have no idea why, other than perhaps I am a little excited and overwhelmed as God is bringing me out of my affliction. Do you know what the strangest thing is when we are coming out of affliction? We kind of get scared. For me, I have gotten so use to the bad things happening that it is a shock to see the good. And we just read how Job received double the blessings that were taken away after he endured his afflictions so I should not be. So, instead of always expecting the worse and hoping for the best, we should come to expect the good knowing that the best comes when we leave this earth, [It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. – 2 Timothy 2:11-13]
Oh, we know that the best is yet to come, but right now, God still has great things in store for us, and it is not to spend the rest of our lives in misery, that is, unless we are provoking Him with wicked living, [Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. – 1 Peter 4:12-14]
Do you realize that every person, from Adam to Moses, to David, and even to the virgin Mary, had to live by the same faith that we live? They were no more righteous than we are, but God used them, and for one reason only, the believed in His Word. As we return to the Book of Genesis, we learn how God decides that He was going to for a nation of His own, one nation of believers, that would not only know who the only living God is, but that other nations would join in with them. Now, we must understand that God was not giving up on the rest of man, in mean, Job and other believers were still around then, but God was about to establish one nation that would be under Him completely, and it all began with Abraham (Abram). Abram gets the call of a lifetime from God Himself. Remember, Abram’s father, Terah, took him and his other son Nahor, as well as their wives and family and headed to Canaan, but ended up staying in Haran, [Genesis 11:27-32]. Now, that his father had died, it was time for them to move on. God tells him to leave Haran and go to Canaan.
[Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. – Genesis 12:1-5]
[and Lot went with him:] Again, Abram was no more righteous than the rest of God’s faithful, and he did not always make the best decisions either. Now, wherever we do get out of God’s will that does not mean that He is done with us as we do not always know that we have gotten out of His will, it just means that we delay Him. God is so patient that He is willing to wait for us, to a certain extent, to get back into His will before He but that does not mean that there may not be any struggles along the way. I do not think that Abram realized his error, he raised Lot as his own son after his own father died, so he probably assumed that meant that he take Lot as well. Now, they pack up and as they are passing through Sichem, Abram feels the need to build an altar and send an offering up to God, and that is where He appeared to him, and told him why He had sent him to Canaan. It was not until they arrived in Bethel that Abram did what all believers do when they come to Christ.
[And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. – Genesis 12:6-9]
[and called upon the name of the LORD.] This is when Abram truly believed what God had told him, and called upon Him. It does not matter what time we come from, Christ is always the LORD, even when they did not even know that was His name. It is not enough to believe in Him, we must call upon the name of the LORD in order to be one of His, and all the way from Adam, [And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. – Genesis 4:26]
What exactly does it mean to call upon the name of the LORD? It means that we literally call on Him, not only believing in all that He is, but accepting Him, and making Him a part of our lives. Out of the gazillions of people that are born over the centuries how many of them do you think God knows as His? That number is incredibly smaller than we think and gets smaller as we get closer to Christ returning. Now, both Abram’s and Lot’s tribe of people leave Bethel, once again, Abram does not make the best decision, and this time it effected others.
[And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. – Genesis 12:11-14,17,20]
[And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house] Abram, fearing for his own life with that little lie brought a virus to the people over something they had knowledge of. There is something else to consider here, God protects us once we call upon His name, He will not let anyone get in between His will, [Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. – Romans 8:26-27]
Since God’s will for Abram did not include Lot, it was time for them to separate, and you will see why God chose to separate them, we thought Abram made did not make the best decisions, well, Lot, made bad decisions. There was some strife going on between Abram’s servants and Lot’s, Abram decides it may be best if they separate, [And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. – Genesis 13:8-11]
[Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan;] Unlike Abram living by faith, Lot lived by sight, and that was his biggest downfall. His bad decision would cost him dearly, and would eventually separate his entire family from God all together as God Himself would come to despise his descendants, who would become Moabites. And now that Abram was separated from Lot, God revealed more of His will for him and his entire family that would come, [Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. – Genesis 13:12-15]
[But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners] There are sinners, which we all are, and then there are wicked and sinners. While we all have a little bit of wicked in us, wicked and sinners are truly wicked, reprobates to the fullest. In fact, Sodom actually got its name by the way these men lived, there were sodomites, ruthless and lawless men who were not only with men, they were also with women as well and physically and sexually abusive toward them. God will send us out into the world, but it will never be in His will that we become like them. God has no tolerance for reprobates, He will give them up in a heartbeat if they are not repentant.
[For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. – Romans 1:26-28,32]
Do you see why God wanted Abram to be separated from Lot? While Lot was well aware of God’s blessings, his faith was no further than his sight. While God does separate us from family and friends because of their lack of faithfulness, that does not mean He does not give us the opportunity to love them, care for them, and show them Christ. Lot probably thought that God blessed him with that beautiful land, he soon found out that that land was no blessing from God, it was so bad that he built on land that was away from it, and still ended up being captured during a war that broke out. Abram, hearing that Lot had been captured, being the nobleman that he was, gathered his army together to go after them, and was successful at retrieving them.
[And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. – Genesis 14:1-3,10,12,14,16]
[And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive,] We may not like the way our brothers and sisters in Christ live their lives, and for good reason, but we are all brothers and sisters and ought to be right there for them when they are in trouble. Probably the biggest factor in God delaying His will is when we are not there for those who need us, [Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. – James 5:13-16,19-20]
Now, something interesting happened after Abram and his army had rescued the people, the king of Salem
[And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: – Genesis 14:18-23]
[and he was the priest of the most high God.] Melchizedek, king of Salem, afterwards called Jerusalem, was a priest even before the thought of any priests were considered in Israel, which is Canaan. Melchizedek was a type of Christ in his kingly and priestly offices, who is both King and Priest upon His throne, [A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. – Psalms 110:1-2,4]
[lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:] Abraham did not want the king going around saying that the riches he was about to receive came from him, as they had already begun. When we trust God and His promises, we will receive them, and we dare not trust the world’s riches because they always have an agenda. Now, after all that, God reassures and reconfirms to Abram that He was going to make a nation of His people from his seed or descendants. There was only one problem, at least, that is what Abram thought, he had no kids, not even one son.
[After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. – Genesis 15:1-4,6]
[I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.] Now, how can you argue with that and not call upon the name of the LORD. You not only get saved, and get to talk directly to Him, you also get His protection. [and he counted it to him for righteousness.] Is this not proof that everyone is saved by the same grace and promises that we receive before Christ’s passion? No one can say that a Jew cannot be saved or that anyone prior to Jesus dying on the cross was not saved by grace, God may have dealt with their sin differently under the Law, but their faith was counted for their righteousness, and Abraham did not have the Law yet at this point.
[By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. – Hebrews 11:8,11,39-40]
God knows everything about us, in fact, even before we are born, God already knew all the crazy things we would do, when we would get saved, and even what we are doing today. But could you imagine getting a glimpse of what is to come of our lives and the lives of our families for future generations? Well, Abram was about to. While Abram did believe in God and had faith in His promise, he wanted to know how God was going to fulfill that promise. Well, God did show Abraham what he was getting, but He also showed him something else, a grim look at that is about the happen to his descendants, for generations.
[And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. – Genesis 15:8-13-14]
[an horror of great darkness fell upon him.] This was a down right nightmare, God showed Abram what would happen to his descendants when they would go down to Egypt and become servants. [whom they shall serve, will I judge:] Wow, and right here God is foretelling of the ten plagues that He will send upon Egypt, how the Israelites would be literally thrown out, then turn on God and be judged themselves. And yet, with all that knowledge, God still used Abram and had another promise for him, [And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: – Genesis 15:17-18]
[In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,] You know, we have also been given a grim glimpse of what is going to happen when God sends judgment upon the entire earth and where our future lies, whether we are a believer or not. Since I started my job and being in the midst of all these people from every walk of life, it reminded me that we are all sinners and all need the Saviour. There are some truly lost people in the world, and I mean so lost that they do not know what to believe or who to trust, but have faith in God. There are also some who truly are reprobates, although, I have yet to see any who have been that wicked. It is God’s will that each and every one of His faithful be the light that shines Christ upon them, so they too can know how to call upon the name of the LORD, [And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. – Mark 16:15-16]
Baptized meaning, baptized spiritually unto Christ, not baptized with water, [But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. – Galatians 3:22,26-29]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is amazing how much You bless us just by receiving Your Son as our Saviour, but what You do after we are saved is hard to comprehend sometimes as You tell us to follow You by faith, and yet it is all planned out. The paths You lead us down are often unknown and quite scary sometimes, but with faith and faithfulness, we not only live a blessed life, we live a prosperous life, one that leads to the promise land. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your power and strength to walk by faith and remain faithful, even when we are not always in Your will. Let us not walk in fear or by sight, only walk in courage and by faith. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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