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 19, 2020
Chapters: Genesis 22-24
Message: Enduring Temptation
Hello My Friend,
Tempt; To incite or solicit to an evil act; In Scripture, to try; to prove; to put to trial for proof. There are two types of temptation, one is of course, of the devil to entice one to commit sin. The other is of God, and it is not to entice rather to prove or show proof of our faith in Him. How do we know if we are being tempted by God or the devil? God’s temptations lead to goodness and life, the devils lead to sin and death. When God sends or allows temptation to come our way, He always gives us a way out of temptation even before we act upon it. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” – James 1:12-14.
No, I am not talking about the devil’s temptations today, we all know that the temptation to sin is all around us on any given day, but it only becomes evident when our flesh is weak. We are going to talk about how and why God tempts or proves us, and if we are willing to trust, and stand by Him, no matter what He asks us to do? Now, whenever we are tempted we have to stop and think about God’s promises. When God came to Abraham, He promised him that he would have a son, and that through his son there would be so many children born that it would be like trying to count the stars or the sand. And while it may have taken several years, that son did come, ans he was named, Isaac. Now, God was about to tempt Abraham with the most unthinkable request.
“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” – Genesis 22:1-4,7-10.
“thine only son Isaac,” We can compare this to the sacrifice that God gave us, Isaac is the son of promise, just like Jesus is the Son God promised to send. “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,” Think about it, for three days Abraham believed his son to be dead, three days he contemplated what he should do, but since he was the son of promise, he also had faith that even if he did kill his son, God would have made a way. “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:” God did indeed provided a lamb for the burnt offering, His own Son. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by being placed on the altar, being the cross, and dying a sinless death for you and me. Remember, God’s tests lead to life, not death, even upon our physical death we have eternal life with Jesus, and the hope of the resurrection as He arose three days after His death. Now, as soon as Abraham lifted up that knife God called out to Him, and stopped him immediately.
“And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” – Genesis 22:11-18.
“for now I know that thou fearest God,” See the key here, fear God, and this is not a scared fear, this is godly fear, the type of fear that we, honor, respect, and trust God no matter what He challenges us with. We must realize that God will never take a life to save a life, which is why He gave His own to save us through His Son.“and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” God always requires a sacrifice to receive His promises, since Jesus became the one and only sacrifice needed, it is important that we become living sacrifices. “and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:” God kept reminding him that he was willing to give up all that he had for the promise that He had given. Whenever God tempts us it is not for evil, rather obedience, I wish I could say that I have always obeyed His voice, but I have not. And yes, I have hindered God at times because I got impatient or did not understand, and instead of waiting I took things into my own hands. Whether we are doing things for ourselves or others it is best to seek God for guidance, in fact, it is the only way you can know that you are even doing the right thing. History proves that when we seek God for guidance we always see the best outcome. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” – Hebrews 11:17-19.
Now, Sarah lived over thirty years after she gave birth to Isaac, a hundred and twenty-seven years old, and is the only woman in Scripture that God recorded the age of her death. Abraham grieved, then prepared to bury his wife in the city of Hebron which is where David would dwell years later.
“And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure” – Genesis 23:1-4,8-9,11-13.
“were made sure” Think about what it represented when he purchased the land that would be for not only his wife’s burial, but his and Isaac’s. First; It was bought and paid for with a price. Second; it was a sure place, meaning, the purchase was sealed, never to be sold again. And third; It was a token of Abraham’s belief and expectation of the resurrection. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” – II Timothy 2:19.
Now, that Sarah died, Abraham’s health was deteriorating, he decided that it was time for Isaac to have a wife. He sent his servant to seek out a wife for him, he did not give any specifics, only that she be of his brothers kin.
“And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.” – Genesis 24:10,12-15,21,23-24,26.
“And it came to pass, before he had done speaking,” This is another one of those challenges that we wonder why we are even asked to do it. I mean, an employee picking out a wife for his employers son? His only option was to pray to God for guidance and before he even said Amen, God answered his prayer. God does not always answer our prayers in an instant, most of the time He will challenge us before He gives us the things we ask, but as long as we endure the challenge we will see it in some form. Whether we are seeking things for ourselves or others, it is best to seek God for guidance, in fact, it is the only way you can know that you are even doing the right thing. History proves that when we seek God for guidance we always see the best outcome. “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” – Isaiah 48:17.
Today’s Prayer: God, Although you tempt us by trying our faith, it never comes without void, and while we do not always understand the ways in which You do try our faith, everything You do has a purpose and a meaning, and comes out good if we simply trust You. Lord, I will never forget the day You came to me and revealed Your purpose for my life and I want continue to fulfill that purpose, lead me and guide me, give me Your power to trust You no matter You ask of me, and keep me in obedience to Your Word, not out of obligation, but because You chose me. Give me the strength to fight evil temptation, let me not be hindered from fulfilling Your will for my life, and fill me with Your love, mercy, and grace that I may accomplish all that You have for me to do. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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