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: Monday, January 17, 2022
Chapters: Genesis 16-18
Message: Faith and Grace
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading these chapters, I could not help, but think about just how patient and quite calm God is when we make these decisions based on our own will. We fail Him more times that we can count, and yet, He never backs down on His promises, that is unless we truly have believed in Christ in vain, and if that were the case, then that would not even apply to us. God only keeps His promises to those who believe in everything that Jesus is, believe in His Gospel, and have accepted Him as their Saviour, by faith alone. Man, has not, nor ever will be saved by their works, we must call upon the name of the LORD, to be saved, [That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Romans 10:9-13]
Now, I know we touched on this yesterday, but as we read these chapters for today we will quickly realize the importance of understanding that we are truly saved by grace and not of our works. Now, our works do count after we are saved as they are what maintain our faith and faithfulness to God. However, from the very beginning, when God decided to create a nation of people who would only worship Him and give them the exact instructions on how to do that, salvation has always been about two thing, faith and grace. As we continue in the reading of Genesis, it has been quite some time since God had told Abram that He was going to give him a son who would become a nation of people so large that it would be like trying to count every grain of sand on the earth. Well, Sarai came up with an idea, she encourages Abram to use her handmaid, Hagar, to have children with, and as you can imagine that did not go over so well.
[Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. – Genesis 16:1-]
[her mistress was despised in her eyes.] Hagar looked down on Sarai because she was not able to have children and treated her with much disrespect. Now, even though Sarai was completely wrong for suggesting this, she did not need to be treated so badly by Hagar, after all, she was the one who gave her to Abram to wife for that purpose. Right there, Sarai realizes that what she suggested was the wrong thing to do, and even admitted that maybe God judged her for it, and there may be a little bit of truth to that. Whenever we go against God’s will it is usually results in some kind of chastening, even if we are not aware that what we did was not particularly in our best interest, [And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? – Hebrews 12:5-7]
Well, what is done is done, and this is where God’s mercy endures and what I call this His long suffering, He did not throw Abram to the curb and tell him that He went back on the covenant He made with him, and He did not give up on Sarai either, He would still use her. And as for Hagar, well, God had mercy on her as well, in fact, when she took off after Sarai had dealt with her kind of harshly, she received a visit.
[And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? – Genesis 16:8-13]
[And the angel of the LORD said unto her,] The angel of the LORD, is none other than Jesus Himself, this was His form before He came here in the flesh, we learn this later on as we continue reading the chapters. Jesus was right though, Ishmael’s descendants would be just as many as the Jews, and he definitely would be a wild man, and everyone would against him and his descendants, and we know them to be the Muslims today. In fact, they too mention what took place here, and take much pride as it being from God. What they fail to recognize is that God never said that He would make a covenant with them. This would bring us to question why God even gave Hagar this son? Perhaps it was to show Abram and Sarai the importance of trusting His Word and not listening to anyone who tells him to go against it, [Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5]
Well, after all that, God reconfirms His covenant with Abram, and even gave him a new name. However, it would actually be another thirteen years that God would speak to him concerning this, [And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.- Genesis 17:1-7]
[to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.] This is exactly why we can ask Jesus to save us and not lose our salvation, even after we have sinned again over and over again. God makes that promise to be our God upon our faith in Him alone, not our works. Now, just as we must call upon the name of the LORD in order for God to keep that promise, they too had to do the same thing. There are so many Jews, even from the very first day that the nation of Israel stepped foot out of Egypt, who are in hell right now because they did not believe in God, even though He was right there in front of them, [And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. – 1 Corinthians 10:4-5]
Now, God goes on to remind Abraham that it will be Sarai that would have this son, and He would make that covenant with. And as a reminder of that covenant, God commands that all the males would actually be circumcised, [This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. – Genesis 17:10-12,15-16]
[Every man child among you shall be circumcised.] Now, as we know, this would be abused over the years, so many, including the Muslims, also circumcise their sons and even their daughters, and you do not even want to know what that entails, as though they were under the same covenant. However, they were not! Today, although many religions do encourage circumcision eight days after a male child is born, this is no longer a requirement, Jesus changed that law at the cross, [Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. – Galatians 5:2-4]
Abraham laughed at the thought of him having another son, with Sarah especially since he was ninety-nine and she was eighty-nine, but God reconfirms this, once again, [And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. – Genesis 17:18-22]
[But my covenant will I establish with Isaac] Even God uses the word, “but”, and left talking with him after he said it yet again. How many times does God have to tell us something before we believe it? Well, apparently, Abraham finally did and about a year later, as Abraham sits outside his tent, three men appeared, [And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: – Genesis 18:1-4]
[if now I have found favour in thy sight,] Abraham did not get many visitors, so this was a treat to him, but little did he realize at the time that these were no ordinary men. This was Jesus and some angels, it was then that He once again, reminded him that Sarah was going to have a son, [And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. – Genesis 18:9-14]
[Is any thing too hard for the LORD?] From creation, God has been asking us this question. Why do you think God waits until it looks impossible? God wants us to live by faith in what He can do for us, not what we can do for ourselves. God always fulfills His promises, it may take days, weeks, months, or like Abraham, twenty-five years, but He never goes back on His promises. Quite often, the reason God makes us wait so long is that we get in the way of His plan and try to rush Him along by doing these ridiculous things. Sometimes we forget how big God is, what is absolutely impossible for us is always possible with God. We do not need to figure out why or how He does the things He does, we just need to trust Him, and have some patience in waiting for them, [Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. – Hebrews 10:35-36]
Speaking of doing the will of God, these men were not there just to visit with Abraham, they were on a mission. and they were about to follow God’s command to send judgment upon Sodom. As they head out, they converse with one another about where they were going, turning toward Sodom.
[And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. – Genesis 18:16-21]
[Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;] God does not hide these judgments from us for one reason, and that is so that we can tell the world. Does God want those multitudes of Muslims to die and end up in hell? No! They do believe in Him, but they, just like every other false religion, have been taught pure lies, and that is what is sending them to hell. There are many Muslims whom have escaped their teachings and turned to Christ, many of them also losing their lives as a result. Nevertheless, they are saved, and in heaven right now. God will give every soul the opportunity to come to Christ before He destroys a nation, which is why He told this to Abraham. God knows exactly who we are, His people maybe sinners, but we are His, and He cares enough to let us know that we have friends and family that will die and end up in hell if they are not saved. Abraham asks the question that every believe does at one point when they start seeing how wicked their nations are.
[And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. – Genesis 18:23-26,32-33]
[I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.] This is exactly why God has not sent Jesus yet, He will not destroy the earth while the righteous are still here, and the righteous are those who are saved. One day, all the earth will be destroyed because of all the wicked sinners. We are going to star seeing cities, states, and even countries destroyed, and yes, if He destroyed Babylon, He will destroy every nation that is wicked. Nevertheless, God will give every soul the opportunity to come to Christ before He destroys one nation, [The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. – 2 Peter 3:9-10]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for keeping Your promises, they are the hope of every one of Your children, for we truly perish without them. Thank You, also for loving me and not giving up on me, and for Your faith in me, and long suffering, for I truly can be very impatient and fail You more times that I care to admit. Part of seeing Your promises is waiting on You, You know exactly when we are ready to receive the things You promise as well as the things we are in need of. And as long as we keep standing on Your promises, trust You, walk by faith and in Your grace, we will see them faster than we think. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your patience to wait for You, Your strength to keep from making foolish decisions that hinder You, and Your wisdom to know how to apply the knowledge You have given me. And cover me with Your grace that I might take You with me and show that they too can receive Your promises as well. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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