What Ever Happened To Ishmael?
(The Biblical Ishmael: A Successful, Worldly Man Short On Decisions Of Faith)
Genesis 16:1-16; Gen 17:19-27; Gen 21:8-20; Gen 25:6-18; Gen 37:25-27;
Key verse: Genesis 17:20-21 Shpd Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-3-11
“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Have you every felt that God put you into the wrong family? This question must have cropped up in his mind. From the beginning, Ishmael felt like an outsider. His mother’s name meant, “Stranger” and he felt like a stranger too, the son of a stranger. His whole life and his position in society were not in his hands. It was bound up in a conflict between his mother and the matron of the clan, Sarah (Sarai). Into this tense home atmosphere, Ishmael was born. As a teenager, he grew outside of the Abraham’s tent village, away from all the friends and family he had ever known. He and his mother etched out a life for themselves in the harsh desert. Despite of the hardships he grew up as a successful man, overcoming a lot, religious, but disrespectful at times and making no decisions of faith. Later in life he was blessed with 12 sons, who became 12 Arab tribes. His descendants became enemies of ancient Israel. Today Ishmael is honored by over a billion Muslims as a spiritual forefather of their faith. We will learn today how to grow up in circumstances that are very trying, but beyond our control. We can learn the importance of how to overcome bitterness and live in God’s unfolding stream of history. We will also learn about God who blesses and who takes the mistakes of others and incorporates them into his plan. Let’s see what all this means.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
Prior to his birth, there was a conflict between two women, Sarai and his mother Hagar. Sarai, impatient with God’s timetable, had taken matters into her own hands, deciding to have a child through a surrogate, her servant girl named Hagar. Hagar, because she was a servant, submitted to being used this way. She had no choice. Her pregnancy stirred strong feelings of superiority towards Sarah in her heart. She despised here mistress. Sarah sensed this and mistreated Hagar and young, pregnant and single Hagar fled finding herself all alone into the desert.
An angel of the Lord met her personally in the midst of her suffering and comforted her with words that were from God. Look at 16:7-10, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ 10 The angel added, ‘I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.’” God was so gracious to the expectant single mother. He was like a true husband to her.
In this encounter, God revealed a prophecy concerning her unborn child. Genesis 16:11-12 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: ‘You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.’” (We will discuss this prophecy later in the message.) Though it was not a humanly glorious prophecy concerning her son, she accepted it. Hagar’s heart was touched. She met God personally. Look at Genesis 16:13, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” She did not know the name of God but she was awestruck that the Lord saw her and her misery. She commemorated the well, where she was at, calling it Beer Lahai Roi, in honor of the God who sees her. Later on, whenever Hagar and Ishmael came near this well, Hagar would share her personal faith and encounter with the Lord that occurred there.
The Lord told Hagar to go back and submit to her mistress Sarai. God had a plan to bless her and the child. She followed God’s direction. No doubt there were tense feelings between Hagar and Sarah, but they learned to live through them and co-existed. There will be times in life where we must endure “tough” feelings towards others around us as we live out the will of God. But we must not run from these difficult moments, rather overcome by practicing forgiveness and grace.
After a few months, Ishmael was born. Hagar told Abraham what the Lord said to name the child and Abraham obeyed God’s direction and gave him the name Ishmael. (16:15) which means, “God hears” in Hebrew. He would forever be reminded of the God who heard his pregnant mother’s cries in that dangerous and lonely desert. It must have been hard for Ishmael to grow up in the tense atmosphere, knowing that his mother was not a fully accepted person in the tribe.
Part ll: The Teenage Ishmael (Gen 16:15-17:27)
Ishmael grew up with a huge generation gap between him and his dad. Most of our fathers are 25 to 35 years older than us. I was 30 when Jennifer was born. But Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. That is almost a three generation difference! It was not easy for Abraham to keep up with young Ishmael. Not only that, but Abraham was busy taking care of his tent village of nearly 1,000 people. It must have been hard for Abraham to make time for his son. And so Ishmael grew emotionally closer to his mother, who was probably 18 or so, years older than him.
Ishmael was religious but not spiritual. Once, God told Abraham to renew his covenant with him. Part of the renewal meant that he and all the males in his household needed to be circumcised. There must have been 500 men in the little village of his. But they were all convinced to undergo that painful procedure…even Ishmael. Genesis 17:26, “Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day.” Ishmael was a teenager, in his mid teens. It is not easy to get a 15 year old boy to do certain things especially to be circumcised. Ishmael must have submitted to the religious life of those who worshipped the God of Abraham. But there is no indication that he had faith in God. Just submitting to a painful and humiliating religious ritual does not mean that a person has faith. Some adherents to a certain religion whip their backs and cut their brows until they draw blood. They do it as an act of group mourning. It does not mean that they have faith in the Creator God. Ishmael was religious but not spiritual as we shall see in the some of the decisions he made later in life.
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
Ishmael’s spiritual blindness was eventually revealed after 15 years. Disrespect towards what God was doing through Isaac was shown. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,” Mocking in this passage is a little more serious than just poking fun at someone. The definition of mocking is “to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mocking) Galatians 4:29 reveals that Ishmael’s mocking was something a little more serious. It reads, “At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.” Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Why? He was bitter at the birth of Isaac. He might have been bitter about how his mother was treated and about his family’s life’s circumstances. Isaac was weaned at the age of two or three. Ishmael was fifteen. But his behavior at the weaning ceremony revealed that Ishmael was not supportive of what God was doing nor was he repentant of his bitter feelings. His spiritual eyes were not opened. He could not control his hatred nor his jealousy. He managed to hold it all in, quietly, for 15 years, but now it was coming out and he was pouring out his aggression on a little child. What did this baby ever do to him? Have you ever seen an adult give a child a hard time because of unrepentant issues in their own hearts? It is not pretty. In doing so he was creating a bad atmosphere for little Isaac to grow and to prosper as a man of faith. But Ishmael did not care about his spiritual influence. Maybe he had adopted his mother’s own personal sentiments and was playing them out. And why didn’t Hagar try to stop him?
Sarah saw a problem and wanted it solved. Look at Genesis 21: 8-10, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’” Sarah knew that there would be a problem having Ishmael around Isaac. As Isaac grew his older brother could have verbally abused him, year after year, saying, “You’re not the blessed one. You never were and you never will…looser!” Ishmael’s persecution could have continued on forever. Some kids develop ticks, like blinking constantly or grimacing in order to overcome. If there is bitterness in our hearts and we don’t repent of it, then these feelings can last, ten, twenty or thirty years, yes…even a lifetime. We can even pass down our bitter feuds to the next generation or more. Think about the Hatfields and the McCoys. It has happened in our family. Sarah knew this and knew that Ishmael needed to be sent off to make a life for himself elsewhere so Isaac could grow unhindered.
Abraham did not want to send his son away. After all it was his son. He loved him. He watched him grow for 15 years. The sight of his boy growing up infused new life into his weary bones. But God was behind this plan. What God was asking Abraham to do was not without a word of promise. Look at Genesis 21:12-13, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’” Abraham accepted this as God’s will. He knew that he needed to create and maintain the best spiritual environment for the child of the promise to grow. He knew the Ishmael was not going to stop and Hagar was not stopping him either. And so he made the difficult decision. Look at Genesis 21:14, “Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” He provided of their physical needs and sent them off. He must have been crying as he saw them walking off over the horizon. There are times when we need to make the tough decision to send things away in our hearts, sometimes, seemingly innocent things, that are hindering the growth of the seed of faith that God is trying to blossom in your life.
We are tempted to blame Abraham and Sarah. But remember it was God who told Abram to send him away. Abraham still concerned about their welfare when he gave them food and a skin of water. The Bible says that he even gave gifts to the children of his concubines.
Hagar and Ishmael suffered a lot initially. More than we can imagine. We can see their suffering in 21:14b-17a, “…He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. 17 God heard the boy crying …” They were wandering in then parched desert. They were thirsty. Their water was gone. The teenage boy was so weak that his own mother had to help him keep walking. They had lost all hope and felt like they were going to die. All they could do is cry. There are times in our lives when we feel that we are at the end of our ropes and there is no more hope to carry on. We are just waiting to die. But God had a plan to reveal himself in a very personal way to Hagar and Ishmael. He was going to reveal himself to Hagar once again. Indeed, it is more likely that we will meet Jesus personally in our times of extreme suffering, rather than our times of prosperity. (Psalm 78a) Is there a time in your life now that God is leading you to himself? I will wager that it is through a time of adversity.
God indeed revealed himself to them. Look at Genesis 17-18, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’” God would bless Ishmael on account of Abraham. He would become a very prosperous person, with many sons and at least one daughter and his descendants would form twelve tribes. His name would be perpetuated throughout history.
Not only that, God took care of their immediate needs. Look at verse 19, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” Our God is a merciful God who takes care of our needs. Our greatest needs are spiritual needs for eternal life and salvation, but he also cares about our physical needs. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” I don’t think that they were seeking God and his kingdom, but God still took care of them.
Ishmael never went back to live with his dad in the Promised Land. He remained in the desert with his mom. Look at verse 20, “God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While living in the desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” He found his career path. He would be an archer. Archers are used in battle and to hunt game. He found his profession. This would make any parent happy when their child finds out their career path and has success in it.
I am inspired that Hagar cared about her son’s marriage. She saw her son’s need to marry. To marry someone is good. Proverbs 18:22 reads, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” The fruitfulness of your life is influenced by who you marry. His wife may not have been a spiritual woman, but she was fruitful. They had at least 13 kids. Julie and I need to concern over our kids future marriage. Not that we are going to tell them who to marry, but we need to pray for them and counsel them about the Biblical standards of marriage. May God raise up parents who really care about their kids marriages and dedicate themselves to pray for them.
Ishmael had enough faith to marry. That is important. He also had enough faith to have kids. His wife bore him 12 sons and at least one daughter. Our young people today need enough faith to marry and our married couples should not be afraid to have kids. I thank God for Jesus who helped me and Julie to marry in our 20’s and plant enough faith in our hearts to begin building our family. We were dirt poor and I was in nursing school. People told me marry after nursing school and not have five kids. They were planting fear in my heart. We are living on the edge financially. But God blessed our marriage and our kids. It was all through faith in God.
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
There were no signs of bitterness between Isaac and Ishmael and Abraham later in life. Genesis 25:6 and 9 read; “But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. ….. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite,”. Abraham sent gifts to Hagar and Ishmael. He still provided child support. Ishmael is seen going to his fathers’ funeral along with his half brother, Isaac. If he was bitter he would have boycotted the funeral. Ishmael also provided a wife for his nephew, Esau. We read in Genesis 28:9, “so he(Esau) went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” I wonder what kind of person Ishmael was in order to give his own daughter in marriage to an ungodly person like Esau. I would never agree to that. It shows you once again that Ishmael lacked some spiritual sense.
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
Ishmael died at the age of 137. (25:17) He lived his life outside the Promised Land. The Bible gives an account of his descendants. Genesis 25:12-18 reads, “This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward[a] all their brothers.” Ishmael had twelve sons who became twelve tribal chiefs throughout the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt). His children are listed as follows: Nebaioth , Kedar, father of the Qedarites (A northern Arab tribe that controlled the region between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula) Adbeel, (whose people established a tribe in northwest) Arabia, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, associated with Adummatu (a tribe that is described as "a fortress of Arabia" in Saudi Arabia) Massa, (father of a nomadic tribe that inhabited the Arabian desert toward Babylonia or modern Iraq), Hadad, , Tema Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath or Bashemath, a daughter who married Esau. (Wikipedia) In the time of Joseph they traded using camel caravans and bought and sold slaves.
His descendents were fighting continuously against Israel. Gideon fought a battle against them. Judges 8:23-24 reads, “But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.’ 24 And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)” Apparently they wore gold earrings. And the dead Ishmaelite soldiers’ earrings generated a significant plunder.
The were allies with other enemies of God’s people. Psalm 83:5-8, “5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal,[a] Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.” The prophecy, “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (16:12) came true throughout the centuries. God blessed Ishmael on account of Abraham. And he used Ishmael’s descendants in order to train ancient Israel to grow strong as a nation, through their continuous harassment.
What about Ishmael today? Today Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Muhammad. Muslim scholars state that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac, who was the son that Abraham almost sacrificed. Islamic traditions hold that the Kaaba, in Mecca was first built by Adam and that Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba on the old foundations. The Qur'an states that Abraham dreamed he was to sacrifice his son. The son is not named in the Qur'an (Qur'an 37:99–113) and, in early Islam, there was a controversy over the son's identity. However the belief that the son was Ishmael prevailed. In some Christian biblical interpretations, Ishmael is used to symbolize the older—now rejected—Judaic tradition. Isaac symbolizes the new tradition of Christianity with its faith in Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice.
In conclusion we found the Biblical Ishmael as a quiet, but bitter teenager, estranged from his father and close to his mother. He grew to be a hard working and successful man who was supported and encouraged by his mom. He was very fruitful humanly, etching out a life for himself in the desert. But there are no signs of faith in Ishmael. He made decisions to work hard and succeed but no decisions to support what God was doing right before his very eyes. We can learn from him to work hard and find a good wife and a career, and you can succeed even in a harsh environment. This is good advice in a worldly sense. But we can also learn from what he failed to do. We learn to not hold bitterness in our hearts. We learn to not mock the work of God, but to recognize it and support it. We also learn to think about whom you are marrying and your influence on your own future generations. May it be an influence that pleases God and perpetuates his work.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
1. What was the circumstances of Ishmael’s birth? Who was his mother and what was her social situation? What was the prophesy concerning Ishmael? (16:11-12) What was the faith of his mother? (16:13) What does Ishmael mean? Why did she give that name to her son? (16:15)
2. How old was his father, Abram? (16:16) What was it like for a young boy to grow
up with such an old father? What struggle would he have to go through? What
shows that Ishmael shared in the faith of his father? (17:26) How do you think
Ishmael felt about his place in the family for the first 13 year of his life?
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
3. What happened when Isaac was weaned? How did Ishmael feel about the birth of his new brother? (21:8-9; Gal 4:29) What did Ishmael fail to recognize? (Romans 9:7-9)
4. How did Abraham and Sarah react? (21:10-11) What was God’s direction and promise towards Ishmael? (21:12-13) How did Abraham provide for Ishmael and his mother, Hagar? (Gen 21:14) How old was Ishmael? How do you think he felt?
5. Describe the suffering that they endured? (21:14b-17a) How did God reveal
himself to them at this time? What was God’s promise? (21:18) What shows his
mothers’ dedication? (21:16, 19, 21) What career path did Ishmael take?
(21:20a)
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
6. What shows that their was a good relationship between Ishmael and Isaac
and even his nephew, Esau, later in life? (Gen 25:6, 9; 28:9) What does the fact that he gave his daughters in marriage to Esau reveal about him? (28:9; 36:3)
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
7. When did Ishmael die? (Gen 25:17) What was his eternal destination? What is said about the descendants of Ishmael? (25:12-18) How was the prophecy given to him, just before his birth fulfilled? (25:18) What were his descendants like? (Gen 37:25-27; Judges 8:23-24; Psalm 83:5-8)
8. How is Ishmael viewed today? Think about the various viewpoints of world
religions?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Genesis 16:1-15
What Ever Happened to Hagar?
(A Single Mom Who Tried Her Best Despite Her Difficult Circumstances)
Genesis 16:1-15; 21:8-21 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 16:13
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”
Today we want to meet Hagar. She was Abram’s maidservant, who was forced into a very difficult situation. She is a good example of a single mom who did her best to bear up under life’s hard circumstances to raise her son. Through her sufferings, Hagar met God personally and confessed her faith, "I have seen the One who sees me." She accepted God's love and comfort. Through a study of this passage may we learn about Hagar and how to be a good parent despite our difficult and unavoidable circumstances in life. May we also discover the God who sees us and promises to be with us. Let’s see.
Part l: A Young Girl In Circumstances Beyond Her Control (16:1-6)
Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant. Her name means, “Stranger” in Hebrew. She was a stranger for she was a slave. She was not a Semite like Abraham. She did not know the God of Abraham. She might have been bought or born in Abraham’s tent village, which could have had 1,000 people. Her life as a slave was not to be desired. A slave has no plans of their own. All they do, they do for the master. They can not choose the place where they live, their jobs, nor their own husbands and in Hagar’s case she could not choose whether to have children or not. A slave lived a hopeless life of servitude with no future.
One day this maidservant was told what to do even in the most intimate in realms of life. Genesis 16:2 reads, “Sarai said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Abram and Sarai could not have any children. It had been ten years since they had been called to live by faith. They had thought that their nephew Lot may produce offspring to make a great nation. But Lot left. Now they were getting impatient. Where was this baby through whom God was going to raise up a people for himself? Sarai was already 75. She became fatalistic about herself. Things were getting too late. She loved Abram. But they did not pray. She decided to sacrifice her own feelings as a woman and solve Abram's “no son” problem in a “human” way. When she suggested that he sleep with Hagar, he was shocked but quickly acquiesced. Such things were common practice at that time. It was through Abram’s and Sarai’s desperate act that Hagar was flung into this story.
And so Hagar conceived. To this young slave a revolution of thought took place. She was a slave, a nobody with no hope for the future. But now she was pregnant with the child of the leader of this small tribe…the child of the great Abram. She could produce something that the matriarch of the tribe could not, a baby. Pride began to grow in her heart. Genesis 16:5 reads, “Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.’” Hagar had forgotten who she was. She thought that she could be Abram’s number one wife. She felt a sense of importance. She decided to challenge the authority of Abram’s true wife, Sarai. Her pride was putting her in a very dangerous situation. If she got on Sarai’s wrong side, she could suffer a lot and even be cast out of the village and into the desert wilderness where there were bandits and wild beasts, like lions and bears. She was in precarious situation.
It is always important to remember who we are and not and become proud thinking that we are more than we are. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Jesus says that when we come to a banquet we should take the place of least honor and wait until we are invited to the more coveted places at the banquet table. Who are we? Are we not forgiven sinners, saved and called by the grace of Jesus alone? Our pride may lead us away from the fellowship of believers and away from God’s blessings and protection. May God always help us to take the way of humility.
Abram and Sarai did not respond to Hagar’s lack of humility very gently. Look at Genesis 16:6, “‘Your servant is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Maybe Sarai was responding with human emotions to Hagar, punishing Hagar with more chores, verbally abusing her, and taking away privileges. But then again, maybe it was Sarai’s attempt to help Hagar keep her place in the tribe so Hagar could continue to live there in safety. What ever the case, God was using these events, to help Hagar meet God personally as we shall see.
Part ll: Hagar…Go Back And Submit (16:7- )
Hagar felt that her back was against the wall. Pregnant, she took off into the foreboding desert. But it was at this time that God was going to reveal himself to her in a very personal way. Genesis 16:7-8 reads, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’” Hagar had always thought that God was Abram’s God and not hers. But now the God of Abram whispered to her own heart. And where did he meet her? It was at the side of the road, in the midst of her extreme suffering.
We think that God should come to us at nice place, like an expensive church production, or over a latte at Starbucks or at a sunset on the beach at Cancun. But in the Bible, people met the Lord at times of suffering, in the desert of their lives. Jesus comes to them, when they are at the side of the road of life. He asks them the same question, “Where have you come from and where are you going.” If God came to you, what would you say? Do you know where you came from and where you are going in a spiritual sense? Some do not where their lives are head or what the meaning of their present circumstance is. They need to tune into God. Can you hear God whispering to your heart in the midst of your current sufferings? Deuteronomy 4:29 reads, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” From where? Your own personal, present place of deepest sorrow and suffering. It is there you will find God.
God gave Hagar some very uncomfortable direction to follow. Look at Genesis 16:9, “ Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’” God told her to go back and submit. To submit means “To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” How hard could that have been? She had to submit to Sarai who was mistreating her. She might have been punished. But it was God’s will for Hagar to go back and submit.
God calls each of us to submit to God in various situations. Nowadays marriages are prone to divorce. Maybe it could be God’s will to submit to your spouse and work things out and fall in love all over again. We may not like our professors and so we want to drop a class. But it may be God’s will to humbly submit and learn and get an “A”. We may not like our job and so we may quit without any other alternative. But maybe God wants us to submit for a promotion is just around the corner. We may rather avoid people we don’t get along with rather than saying , “I am sorry” and submitting to a relationship. We may not like a pastor and want to switch churches. But it may be God’s will to submit to his leadership. We are all called to submit to the authority of the word of God. How is God calling you to practice submission in your life right now?
. This direction, however, was not given without a blessing. Genesis 16:11 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” Hagar had always felt like a stranger. She felt all alone. But now she had a personal relationship with God and a child was coming, who would be her very own, to love and to hold. This child’s name would be “Ishmael” which means, “God will hear”. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael) Every time she would call her son’s name, she would remember the grace of God who heard her cry. The meaning of Ishmael also has a meaning, “outcast”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael)
We all need to realize that God is the God who sees us and hears our cries. When Noah was floating in the ocean for almost a year the Bible says that “But God remembered Noah...” (Gen 8:1) God did not forget him and was working out a way to bring him and his whole family to a safe place. God sees you and is actively working in your life, drawing you to himself. You just need eyes to see that God is right there, shepherding your soul today and every day.
She also accepted the prophecy given her concerning her son, though it was not good. Look at what God told her in verse 16:12. “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” We all like to hear that our kids are going to be honor students; will go to the best universities; will make 6 figure incomes; will have professional careers, beautiful spouses and be involved in many charitable works. Who wants to hear that their son will be a wild donkey of a man and be in perpetual fighting with the nation of Israel? But Hagar was humble and she accepted God’s prophecy concerning her son. Her attitude was, “May the will of God be done, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Hagar was very obedient. Maybe she learned how to obey by being a slave. First, she decided that she was going to have the child. She was a single mom, living in a hard world. She could have aborted the child. But she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to raise her son. Though Abram named him, she also accepted God’s name for her son. To obey God, and the truth of God, takes great humility.
Hagar was very excited about God revealing himself to her. She wanted to commemorate it at a very public place where she and others would come to over and over again. Look at verses 16:13-14, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.” She would never forget the grace of God that was given to her. She wanted all future generations of her people to know that that place was where God met her personally. And they would remember, each time they came to draw water from the well.
I met the God who sees me at the MSU campus in 1986. After one month of Bible study, I went to Bible conference and thought seriously about what God was saying in the book of John in the Bible. I was amazed that the Bible had all the answers to all people’s life problems…even mine. It gave real solutions. I realized how deep the Bible was. I repented of my unbelief and accepted Jesus into my heart. Jesus forgave me of all my hedonistic sins and gave me a new hope and a new life direction to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher. I met the God who sees me. I should rename MSU campus, “Beer lahai Roi” Campus.
Part lll: Hagar Begins An Independent, New Life (21:8- )
Hagar repented and lived under Sarai’s leadership for 15 years. At that time Abraham and Sarah had a baby, Isaac. When Isaac was weaned, at 2-3 years old, something definitive happened to Hagar. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking” Ishmael was a teenager. He was not very respectful however. He mocked Isaac, God’s chosen one. Mocking is not good even if it done as a joke. People’s hearts are hurt when we mock. There is no indication that Hagar stopped Ishmael. Maybe she gave up trying to correct him for he was already and teenager. Maybe she was blind to what her son was doing. Maybe she felt like mocking the child herself. So often the condition of our own hearts is reflected in our children. Anyway, Hagar was not perfect. Her humanness is showing. This point is that Ishmael was beginning to be a hindrance to the growth of young Isaac.
Sarah took charge once again. She could not bear to see her son being mocked. She could not bear to see the promised son being emotionally attacked by a jealous person. She did not want anything to hinder the growth and the developing faith of young Isaac. And so she said in 21:10, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Abram did not want this to happen. He loved Ishmael. He was his own son.
It was the last thing that he wanted, but he submitted after God spoke to his heart. God said to Abraham in 21:12-14, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” It was God’s will to send Hagar and her son away for good. God had a plan, not only to protect and nurture Isaac, but also to bless Hagar and her son on account of Abraham.
This family suffered a lot in the desert once again. But as with the other time, it was the best time to meet God personally. We can see their suffering in 21:15-16, “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there nearby, she[b] began to sob.” The teenage boy was crying and too weak to walk without the help of his mother. They were about to die of thirst. They were without hope. But the God who sees her saw her again. He saw her tears and her sorrow and he spoke words of comfort and hope to her heart. Let’s read verses 21:18-20a, “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up….” He planted his promises, that they would not die, but live and become a great nation. God also took care of her practical, immediate needs. He revealed to her how to get water. Our God is the God of hope, comfort and grace.
With God’s help Hagar and her son survived and even thrived in the desert. Look at verse 20b, “He lived in the desert and became an archer.” She experienced the joy of seeing her son find his career path in life. I will be very happy when I live to see that all of my kids have found their career paths and have become productive adult citizens. Hagar also took personal responsibility for her son’s marriage. Look at 21:21, “21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” Hagar was a good mom, but not very spiritual. If she was, then she would have tried to get a wife for Ishmael, from among Abraham’s relatives. She did not care if his wife worshipped idols. But she did try to help her son out in regards to his marriage. We all should care about the marriage partners our children may have. We may not be able to choose for them, but we can pray and counsel our children in regards to marriage. It is part of our responsibility as parents.
Part lV: The Heritage Of Hagar
The heritage that Hagar left behind is not a very fruitful. Her descendants are the Ishmaelites and the Hagrites. In 1000 B.C. both of these people groups were enemies of God’s people. Look at Psalm 83:5-6. It reads, “With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,” They formed alliances together to fight against Israel. Israel defeated them. Listen about the outcome of one battle in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22, “ 18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”
In the New Testament, Paul used Hagar as a symbol to help illustrate the difference between being slave to the law and free spiritually by the Gospel of God’s grace. Listen to what Galatians 4:21-23 reads, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.” Paul goes on to explain what this symbolism means in verses 24-26, "These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother." Symbolically, the mothers represent two different covenants. Hagar represents the law, which emphasizes human beings' obligation and duty with words such as "You must do this. You must not do that." There is no salvation found in obeying the law. Sarah has come to represent faith in the promises of God and the grace of God which brings us spiritual freedom. All of this is the topic of a future message. We must be mindful of the heritage that we are laying down that will be passed on to the future generations.
There is much to learn from Hagar. Sure, she had her weaknesses. She became proud and forgot who she was in the society she was in. She did not stop her son from mocking the obvious work of God in Isaac. She also got a wife for him from among idol worshippers. She did not lay a foundation of faith in the God of Abraham for the future generations. We can learn from these weaknesses. But there were some good things about Hagar. She met the God who “sees her.” She submitted to a very difficult situation out of obedience to God. She kept the baby and raised him as best she could. She took care of her son until he could find his place in the world and she even helped him find a wife. I pray that the young people of America may meet the God who sees them in their hour of suffering. I also pray that all single moms may take a lesson from Hagar and do their best, in their situation to overcome this world and raise their child to maturity, planting faith in the God of Abraham in their hearts.
Part l: Hagar Flees From Her Situation
1. Who was Hagar? (16:1) What was the role of a maid servant? How did she come
to live in Abram’s tent village?
2. What was the situation of Abram and Sarai that brought Hagar into a very
uncomfortable situation? (16:2)
3. What happened when Hagar conceived a child? (16:5) Why is this wrong and
even dangerous for Hagar? How did Abram and Sarai react to the situation?
(16:5,6)
4. Where did Hagar flee too? (16:7-8) What was the Lord’s direction for her? (16:9)
What doe it mean to submit?
5. What promise did God give Hagar if she obeyed? (16:10) What was the
prophecy concerning her son? (16:11) How do you think she felt about this
prophecy? What shows that Hagar was obedient to God? (11b, 15) Why was it
hard to obey?
Part ll; Hagar Meets The God, Who Sees Her
6. What things did Hagar learn about God? (11b, 13) How did she commemorate
this revelation? Are there others in the Bible whom received the same
revelation? (Gen 8:1) What does it mean that God sees you?
7. What happened when Ishmael was 13 years old? (21:8-9) Did Hagar try to stop her son from mocking Issac? What did Sarah demand? (21:10) and why? What did God tell Abraham to do and why? (21:12-14) How hard was this for all of the people involved? What is the spiritual application?
8. Describe the distress that Hagar and Ishmael felt as they were wondering in the desert?
(21:15-16) What promise did God give her? How did he provide for her? (21:18-21)
What became of her descendants? (Psalm 83:1-6; 1 Chron 5:18-22; )
9. In what ways was Hagar and good example for single moms? (21:16; 19; 21) Think about
the responsibilities that we have towards our own children. How did she feel about the
man her son had become?
10. What is Hagar a spiritual symbol of, in the Bible? (Gal 4:21-31) What allegory did
Paul use to help them understand the difference between being slave and free? (21-23)
What do these two women stand for? (24-26)
(A Single Mom Who Tried Her Best Despite Her Difficult Circumstances)
Genesis 16:1-15; 21:8-21 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 16:13
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”
Today we want to meet Hagar. She was Abram’s maidservant, who was forced into a very difficult situation. She is a good example of a single mom who did her best to bear up under life’s hard circumstances to raise her son. Through her sufferings, Hagar met God personally and confessed her faith, "I have seen the One who sees me." She accepted God's love and comfort. Through a study of this passage may we learn about Hagar and how to be a good parent despite our difficult and unavoidable circumstances in life. May we also discover the God who sees us and promises to be with us. Let’s see.
Part l: A Young Girl In Circumstances Beyond Her Control (16:1-6)
Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant. Her name means, “Stranger” in Hebrew. She was a stranger for she was a slave. She was not a Semite like Abraham. She did not know the God of Abraham. She might have been bought or born in Abraham’s tent village, which could have had 1,000 people. Her life as a slave was not to be desired. A slave has no plans of their own. All they do, they do for the master. They can not choose the place where they live, their jobs, nor their own husbands and in Hagar’s case she could not choose whether to have children or not. A slave lived a hopeless life of servitude with no future.
One day this maidservant was told what to do even in the most intimate in realms of life. Genesis 16:2 reads, “Sarai said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Abram and Sarai could not have any children. It had been ten years since they had been called to live by faith. They had thought that their nephew Lot may produce offspring to make a great nation. But Lot left. Now they were getting impatient. Where was this baby through whom God was going to raise up a people for himself? Sarai was already 75. She became fatalistic about herself. Things were getting too late. She loved Abram. But they did not pray. She decided to sacrifice her own feelings as a woman and solve Abram's “no son” problem in a “human” way. When she suggested that he sleep with Hagar, he was shocked but quickly acquiesced. Such things were common practice at that time. It was through Abram’s and Sarai’s desperate act that Hagar was flung into this story.
And so Hagar conceived. To this young slave a revolution of thought took place. She was a slave, a nobody with no hope for the future. But now she was pregnant with the child of the leader of this small tribe…the child of the great Abram. She could produce something that the matriarch of the tribe could not, a baby. Pride began to grow in her heart. Genesis 16:5 reads, “Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.’” Hagar had forgotten who she was. She thought that she could be Abram’s number one wife. She felt a sense of importance. She decided to challenge the authority of Abram’s true wife, Sarai. Her pride was putting her in a very dangerous situation. If she got on Sarai’s wrong side, she could suffer a lot and even be cast out of the village and into the desert wilderness where there were bandits and wild beasts, like lions and bears. She was in precarious situation.
It is always important to remember who we are and not and become proud thinking that we are more than we are. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Jesus says that when we come to a banquet we should take the place of least honor and wait until we are invited to the more coveted places at the banquet table. Who are we? Are we not forgiven sinners, saved and called by the grace of Jesus alone? Our pride may lead us away from the fellowship of believers and away from God’s blessings and protection. May God always help us to take the way of humility.
Abram and Sarai did not respond to Hagar’s lack of humility very gently. Look at Genesis 16:6, “‘Your servant is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Maybe Sarai was responding with human emotions to Hagar, punishing Hagar with more chores, verbally abusing her, and taking away privileges. But then again, maybe it was Sarai’s attempt to help Hagar keep her place in the tribe so Hagar could continue to live there in safety. What ever the case, God was using these events, to help Hagar meet God personally as we shall see.
Part ll: Hagar…Go Back And Submit (16:7- )
Hagar felt that her back was against the wall. Pregnant, she took off into the foreboding desert. But it was at this time that God was going to reveal himself to her in a very personal way. Genesis 16:7-8 reads, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’” Hagar had always thought that God was Abram’s God and not hers. But now the God of Abram whispered to her own heart. And where did he meet her? It was at the side of the road, in the midst of her extreme suffering.
We think that God should come to us at nice place, like an expensive church production, or over a latte at Starbucks or at a sunset on the beach at Cancun. But in the Bible, people met the Lord at times of suffering, in the desert of their lives. Jesus comes to them, when they are at the side of the road of life. He asks them the same question, “Where have you come from and where are you going.” If God came to you, what would you say? Do you know where you came from and where you are going in a spiritual sense? Some do not where their lives are head or what the meaning of their present circumstance is. They need to tune into God. Can you hear God whispering to your heart in the midst of your current sufferings? Deuteronomy 4:29 reads, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” From where? Your own personal, present place of deepest sorrow and suffering. It is there you will find God.
God gave Hagar some very uncomfortable direction to follow. Look at Genesis 16:9, “ Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’” God told her to go back and submit. To submit means “To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” How hard could that have been? She had to submit to Sarai who was mistreating her. She might have been punished. But it was God’s will for Hagar to go back and submit.
God calls each of us to submit to God in various situations. Nowadays marriages are prone to divorce. Maybe it could be God’s will to submit to your spouse and work things out and fall in love all over again. We may not like our professors and so we want to drop a class. But it may be God’s will to humbly submit and learn and get an “A”. We may not like our job and so we may quit without any other alternative. But maybe God wants us to submit for a promotion is just around the corner. We may rather avoid people we don’t get along with rather than saying , “I am sorry” and submitting to a relationship. We may not like a pastor and want to switch churches. But it may be God’s will to submit to his leadership. We are all called to submit to the authority of the word of God. How is God calling you to practice submission in your life right now?
. This direction, however, was not given without a blessing. Genesis 16:11 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” Hagar had always felt like a stranger. She felt all alone. But now she had a personal relationship with God and a child was coming, who would be her very own, to love and to hold. This child’s name would be “Ishmael” which means, “God will hear”. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael) Every time she would call her son’s name, she would remember the grace of God who heard her cry. The meaning of Ishmael also has a meaning, “outcast”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael)
We all need to realize that God is the God who sees us and hears our cries. When Noah was floating in the ocean for almost a year the Bible says that “But God remembered Noah...” (Gen 8:1) God did not forget him and was working out a way to bring him and his whole family to a safe place. God sees you and is actively working in your life, drawing you to himself. You just need eyes to see that God is right there, shepherding your soul today and every day.
She also accepted the prophecy given her concerning her son, though it was not good. Look at what God told her in verse 16:12. “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” We all like to hear that our kids are going to be honor students; will go to the best universities; will make 6 figure incomes; will have professional careers, beautiful spouses and be involved in many charitable works. Who wants to hear that their son will be a wild donkey of a man and be in perpetual fighting with the nation of Israel? But Hagar was humble and she accepted God’s prophecy concerning her son. Her attitude was, “May the will of God be done, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Hagar was very obedient. Maybe she learned how to obey by being a slave. First, she decided that she was going to have the child. She was a single mom, living in a hard world. She could have aborted the child. But she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to raise her son. Though Abram named him, she also accepted God’s name for her son. To obey God, and the truth of God, takes great humility.
Hagar was very excited about God revealing himself to her. She wanted to commemorate it at a very public place where she and others would come to over and over again. Look at verses 16:13-14, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.” She would never forget the grace of God that was given to her. She wanted all future generations of her people to know that that place was where God met her personally. And they would remember, each time they came to draw water from the well.
I met the God who sees me at the MSU campus in 1986. After one month of Bible study, I went to Bible conference and thought seriously about what God was saying in the book of John in the Bible. I was amazed that the Bible had all the answers to all people’s life problems…even mine. It gave real solutions. I realized how deep the Bible was. I repented of my unbelief and accepted Jesus into my heart. Jesus forgave me of all my hedonistic sins and gave me a new hope and a new life direction to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher. I met the God who sees me. I should rename MSU campus, “Beer lahai Roi” Campus.
Part lll: Hagar Begins An Independent, New Life (21:8- )
Hagar repented and lived under Sarai’s leadership for 15 years. At that time Abraham and Sarah had a baby, Isaac. When Isaac was weaned, at 2-3 years old, something definitive happened to Hagar. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking” Ishmael was a teenager. He was not very respectful however. He mocked Isaac, God’s chosen one. Mocking is not good even if it done as a joke. People’s hearts are hurt when we mock. There is no indication that Hagar stopped Ishmael. Maybe she gave up trying to correct him for he was already and teenager. Maybe she was blind to what her son was doing. Maybe she felt like mocking the child herself. So often the condition of our own hearts is reflected in our children. Anyway, Hagar was not perfect. Her humanness is showing. This point is that Ishmael was beginning to be a hindrance to the growth of young Isaac.
Sarah took charge once again. She could not bear to see her son being mocked. She could not bear to see the promised son being emotionally attacked by a jealous person. She did not want anything to hinder the growth and the developing faith of young Isaac. And so she said in 21:10, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Abram did not want this to happen. He loved Ishmael. He was his own son.
It was the last thing that he wanted, but he submitted after God spoke to his heart. God said to Abraham in 21:12-14, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” It was God’s will to send Hagar and her son away for good. God had a plan, not only to protect and nurture Isaac, but also to bless Hagar and her son on account of Abraham.
This family suffered a lot in the desert once again. But as with the other time, it was the best time to meet God personally. We can see their suffering in 21:15-16, “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there nearby, she[b] began to sob.” The teenage boy was crying and too weak to walk without the help of his mother. They were about to die of thirst. They were without hope. But the God who sees her saw her again. He saw her tears and her sorrow and he spoke words of comfort and hope to her heart. Let’s read verses 21:18-20a, “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up….” He planted his promises, that they would not die, but live and become a great nation. God also took care of her practical, immediate needs. He revealed to her how to get water. Our God is the God of hope, comfort and grace.
With God’s help Hagar and her son survived and even thrived in the desert. Look at verse 20b, “He lived in the desert and became an archer.” She experienced the joy of seeing her son find his career path in life. I will be very happy when I live to see that all of my kids have found their career paths and have become productive adult citizens. Hagar also took personal responsibility for her son’s marriage. Look at 21:21, “21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” Hagar was a good mom, but not very spiritual. If she was, then she would have tried to get a wife for Ishmael, from among Abraham’s relatives. She did not care if his wife worshipped idols. But she did try to help her son out in regards to his marriage. We all should care about the marriage partners our children may have. We may not be able to choose for them, but we can pray and counsel our children in regards to marriage. It is part of our responsibility as parents.
Part lV: The Heritage Of Hagar
The heritage that Hagar left behind is not a very fruitful. Her descendants are the Ishmaelites and the Hagrites. In 1000 B.C. both of these people groups were enemies of God’s people. Look at Psalm 83:5-6. It reads, “With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,” They formed alliances together to fight against Israel. Israel defeated them. Listen about the outcome of one battle in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22, “ 18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”
In the New Testament, Paul used Hagar as a symbol to help illustrate the difference between being slave to the law and free spiritually by the Gospel of God’s grace. Listen to what Galatians 4:21-23 reads, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.” Paul goes on to explain what this symbolism means in verses 24-26, "These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother." Symbolically, the mothers represent two different covenants. Hagar represents the law, which emphasizes human beings' obligation and duty with words such as "You must do this. You must not do that." There is no salvation found in obeying the law. Sarah has come to represent faith in the promises of God and the grace of God which brings us spiritual freedom. All of this is the topic of a future message. We must be mindful of the heritage that we are laying down that will be passed on to the future generations.
There is much to learn from Hagar. Sure, she had her weaknesses. She became proud and forgot who she was in the society she was in. She did not stop her son from mocking the obvious work of God in Isaac. She also got a wife for him from among idol worshippers. She did not lay a foundation of faith in the God of Abraham for the future generations. We can learn from these weaknesses. But there were some good things about Hagar. She met the God who “sees her.” She submitted to a very difficult situation out of obedience to God. She kept the baby and raised him as best she could. She took care of her son until he could find his place in the world and she even helped him find a wife. I pray that the young people of America may meet the God who sees them in their hour of suffering. I also pray that all single moms may take a lesson from Hagar and do their best, in their situation to overcome this world and raise their child to maturity, planting faith in the God of Abraham in their hearts.
Part l: Hagar Flees From Her Situation
1. Who was Hagar? (16:1) What was the role of a maid servant? How did she come
to live in Abram’s tent village?
2. What was the situation of Abram and Sarai that brought Hagar into a very
uncomfortable situation? (16:2)
3. What happened when Hagar conceived a child? (16:5) Why is this wrong and
even dangerous for Hagar? How did Abram and Sarai react to the situation?
(16:5,6)
4. Where did Hagar flee too? (16:7-8) What was the Lord’s direction for her? (16:9)
What doe it mean to submit?
5. What promise did God give Hagar if she obeyed? (16:10) What was the
prophecy concerning her son? (16:11) How do you think she felt about this
prophecy? What shows that Hagar was obedient to God? (11b, 15) Why was it
hard to obey?
Part ll; Hagar Meets The God, Who Sees Her
6. What things did Hagar learn about God? (11b, 13) How did she commemorate
this revelation? Are there others in the Bible whom received the same
revelation? (Gen 8:1) What does it mean that God sees you?
7. What happened when Ishmael was 13 years old? (21:8-9) Did Hagar try to stop her son from mocking Issac? What did Sarah demand? (21:10) and why? What did God tell Abraham to do and why? (21:12-14) How hard was this for all of the people involved? What is the spiritual application?
8. Describe the distress that Hagar and Ishmael felt as they were wondering in the desert?
(21:15-16) What promise did God give her? How did he provide for her? (21:18-21)
What became of her descendants? (Psalm 83:1-6; 1 Chron 5:18-22; )
9. In what ways was Hagar and good example for single moms? (21:16; 19; 21) Think about
the responsibilities that we have towards our own children. How did she feel about the
man her son had become?
10. What is Hagar a spiritual symbol of, in the Bible? (Gal 4:21-31) What allegory did
Paul use to help them understand the difference between being slave and free? (21-23)
What do these two women stand for? (24-26)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Genesis 8:15-11:26
What Ever Happened To Shem, Ham And Japheth?
(Three Sons Who Quietly Co-worked With Their Dad, Noah)
Genesis 8:15-11:26 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 3-13-11
Key verse 9:1
“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’”
Today we are going to study about the son’s of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were basically good sons. They believed what their father said concerning God’s judgment and they co-operated well with him to build the ark. They stood on God’s side and the side of God’s people. They were blessed along with Noah and their mother. They received God’s holy mission and the same covenant promise as Noah did. They were good boys. But as we know sin has its way of wielding it ugly head, even among believing children. We will see it in Ham. We will see it in the descendants of these three boys. Through a study of this passage let us find some principles of a house church. Let us see believers humbly and quietly co-working together at a crucial moment in God’s history. Let us discover the importance of our influence on future generations. But mostly let us see God, who is the sovereign Lord and who is in control of all world history and who is working out his holy purpose among us, even today.
Part l: A Beautiful Co-working Housechurch (6:9-9:17)
In this passage, we find Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Japheth was the oldest, Shem was the youngest and Ham was the middle child. They were a Sumerian or Mesopotamian family. In the names of the three sons, we do not find so much spiritual meaning. Their names appear prophetic in nature. Shem means “name”, or “fame”. Ham means “hot”, or “cry out”. Japheth means, “spread out”. These are perfect names for the boys. Shem become the forefather of the Jews and Jesus. Ham was cursed. And Japheth became the maritime people. Our God, who knows the end from the beginning, is so wise in giving the names of these young men.
All three of them were also married. Their wives seemed to have quietly and humbly co-worked together. They were newer families, as they had no children yet. It is so rare for all siblings to be married. Many are opting not to marry; others cohabitate; others wait until late in life. How blessed Noah must have been to see his sons all married to women who believed God’s way of salvation. Noah’s family set a good example for the young people of our generation. I pray for all my kids to have faith enough, and the God-given opportunity, to marry godly spouses, like Noah’s sons.
The three sons also respected the spiritual insight of their father. The Bible says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5) He walked with God each day and preached to the people around him about God and how to have a proper relationship with God. It was not easy to do this in that generation. The people of the earth were godless and the violence had spread to the point that God was not going to take it anymore. Even those who were called to be servants of God, had corrupted their ways. (Gen 6:1-2) When Noah spoke about the righteousness of God, he must have been met with rejection and disdain. One day God told Noah about this upcoming judgment and his way of salvation. One day, Noah began to talk about how God would destroy the earth with a flood and anyone who believed God and helped build the ark and get into it, would be saved. The people did not believe Noah. They mocked him, saying, “You foolish old man...What are you doing? Why waste your time. Everything is going on as it always has. There will not be huge flood.” But Noah was steadfast as a preacher of righteousness.
It was not easy for Shem, Ham and Japheth to hear what the people were saying about Noah. This was their father. But God had opened their eyes to see that what their father was saying was absolutely true. They were confident that they were also included in God’s plan of salvation. And so they stood by their father’s side. They were not afraid to identify with the servant of God, Noah. They were not afraid to be despised and reject for the sake of righteous. Jesus once said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:10-12) Shem, Ham and Japheth stood on the side of their dad, but more importantly on the side of truth and righteousness.
They quietly co-worked with their father. There is no way that Noah could have built this ark on his own. Some to those beams must have weighed hundreds of pounds. God was not like an invisible crane lifting the beam in place. I am sure that the sons and their wives were not just sitting in front of the TV. while Noah was working so hard. They were helping Noah. And their help went on year after year. They were quietly working side by side with their father. Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” Noah’s sons obeyed Noah as Noah obeyed God. They honored Noah through their faith. Their obedient faith also honored God. I thank God for the humble co-working of our children in the work of God. They believe the Gospel. They have spiritual eyes to see what is going on here and they are co-working to reveal Jesus and build up the work of God. Praise the Lord!
God recognized the personal faith of these boys. He included them in his salvation plan. Look at Genesis 7:1-4 “The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’” They were saved on their personal faith in God and their obedience born out of their faith, and not just because they were doing what their father told them. May our young people repent of following someone else’s faith and have their own personal, obedient, saving faith in Jesus Christ and have personal conviction to follow the way of salvation, the Gospel.
Their life in the ark together also revealed their faith. If one considers the time they spent in the ark, they would discover that it was about one year. That was one year of living in a barn that was rocked by the waves. It was not easy for them to live together in such conditions. There must have been many fights and arguments and tears. During storms they all had to lash themselves to the beams of the galley. But they overcame through the power of faith and forgiveness. When Shem complained that he was being forced to clean out the stalls everyday simply because he was the youngest, the others repented and divvied up the tasks evenly among them. They actually helped each other, even if it wasn’t their job. In this way they maintained the ark like a navy vessel. You may think that you can get along with people, but you don’t really know yourself until you live with others in limited space. Then you can discover what it means to love and forgive and serve others. Since leaving home for college at 18, I have always had roommates. For almost a year we had our seven family members and four sisters and three pets in our house. It was common life in the Lord. I thank God, for in these times I could learn faith. May God establish common life among us with growing disciples of Jesus like Shem, Ham and Japheth.
At the end of the year, the ark came to rest on the slopes of Mt Ararat. The Bible says that even after the ark came to rest, they did not leave the ark for about a month. Noah was waiting for God’s clear direction to come out. Noah knew that God knew best. Maybe God was protecting them from malaria or from flash floods or mud slides. God always knows best. But these sons, if they were ordinary men, could have told Noah, “I don’t care, I am leaving this ark now. I am sick of being here. And don’t tell me what to do. I am already a grown man.” They could have jumped ship and did their own thing. But they believed and obeyed their father when he told them to wait on God.
When God finally gave the “go ahead” what did they do? They built an ark and sacrificed some the clean animals and the clean birds. How difficult this would be! If it was me, I would have a big party, slaughter a cow and have a huge barbeque and celebrate. It shows that God was first and foremost on their minds. They also offered some of the clean animals and the clean birds. There were not many of these to be had. There were probably lots of sick and dying animals and unclean animals. Why not offer these? But they offered the best. They remembered the faith of their ancestor Abel. (Gen 4:4) They made and “Able offering” that cost them something. Their first impulse was to worship and thank God. May that be our first impulse in all important events in our lives.
They all received a new beginning in God. God restored their mission in Genesis 9:1, which reads, “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” God recognized them all and made them covenant sons, for since they shared in the same faith as Noah, they also were part of the same covenant.
God then set out to build the image of God in them. Look at 9:1-11. They had been through a lot and seen a lot of things that no person should ever see, like extreme violence and death. There were so many wounds and scars on their hearts. But God began the healing process. They were to not eat the life blood of animals while it was still in them. God was establishing the value of blood sacrifice but he was also telling mankind to respect all life and not to treat animals cruelly even when slaughtering them. He respected mankind’s position in creation, keeping their position above the animals and all creation, even though mankind had sinned greatly against God. This is the unconditional love of God, who forgives and respects us and gives us a place in his family and a position in his glorious redemptive work. Thank God for his grace. God also instituted capital punishment. The boys were desensitized because of the violence they grew up with and the carnage of the flood. Human life seemed cheap. God wanted to change that because a person’s life is valuable simply because they are made in the image of God.
Part ll: The Seeds Of Sin Were Still There…Ready To Sprout. (9:18-28)
The flood did not solve mankind’s sin problem. In Genesis 9:18-28, we see an incident involving Noah and his three sons. Apparently, Noah had planted vineyards. He was being fruitful in every way. He was making wine. One day he was walking around his tent naked and drinking too much wine, and he passed out naked in the tent. OK, he was doing this in the privacy of his home. But it is still never good for a father and a servant of God to drink to the point of passing out naked. But the point of the whole story is the reaction of the boys. Ham happened to enter his father’s tent and saw him lying there. He went out and told his brothers, “Hey! Look at dad!” and brought them in to see him. He wanted to hang Noah’s sins and weaknesses out for all to see. The response of the other two sons reveals the right response. They would not gaze upon their father’s nakedness. They went in backwards and covered his nakedness. They respected Noah, their father and spiritual leader.
When Noah awoke he was so angry at Ham. Ham had disrespected his father. He had also disrespected the servant of God appointed for that new society. He had also diss’d the governor (for Noah was all three). God was very serious about also this. God wanted to establish the new society on a foundation of truth, grace and mercy. Sure Noah had his weakness. Maybe he should not have done what he did. But he is not perfect, just forgiven. He was made righteous by God’s grace. Ham should have forgiven and respected his father and covered over his weaknesses with grace. He should have prayed for his did and if his drinking was a problem then he should offer ways to help him. Ham’s descendants were cursed and 6 centuries later they would be enslaved by the descendants of Shem, the Israelites, when they took over the Promised Land under Joshua.
The Bible tells us to “honor your father and mother” (Ex 20:12), not only if they are perfect, but because they are our parents. We expect our pastors and church leaders to be perfect speakers, managers, counselors, accountants, parents, CEO’s etc. But they are imperfect too. If we are going to build a church and families on love and respect then we must practice love and respect ourselves at home and in the church. May our lives be marked by grace and mercy, love and respect.
Part lll: The Heritage Of Shem, Ham and Japheth (10:1-11:32)
We can see the outcome of the lives of the sons of Noah in the genealogy. Their descendants spread out to in all directions. This could have happened quickly as families might have had 20 kids each. Shem’s people became the Hebrews, (Israel) Chaldeans, Assyrians, (Iraq) and the Persians (Iran). Abraham came through the decedents of Shem. And so did Jesus. That fulfilled the meaning of his name, “Fame”. Ham’s people became the Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites and the Amorites. They were at odds with ancient Israel, and so the name Ham, meaning “Hot”, is very prophetic. Japheth’s people became the Greeks, Thracians and Scythians. The meaning of his name, to “spread out” was fulfilled through them. After Jesus came, Gospel faith spread through the descendants of Japheth, the Greeks, especially through Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. (Life Application Study Bible).
There a couple of verses concerning the descendants of these boys. In Genesis 10:8, we see a Cushite, a descendant of Ham who was a mighty hunter before the Lord and a mighty warrior on the earth. I don’t know if this is sinful. Actually it sounds kind of cool to me. In 10:25 we find that the earth was divided. It could mean that the earth was divided by water or there could have been political divisions. Whenever there are people there is divisions. God wants his people to be united in faith, hope, love, mission and purpose. We can have this when we have Gospel centered faith, the Holy Spirit and when we serve and glorify Jesus along with other Christians. Then we can have unity. We can have unity when we forgive each others and cover over each others’ weaknesses’ with grace. Factions, that is, divisions among God’s people, are the fruit of the sinful nature and not the fruit of the spirit. (Gal 5:20) So let’s not be divided, but united in Jesus.
Sin slowly grew in the hearts of their descendants is culminating in the Tower of Babel incident. After several generations of spreading, it seems that they did not want to scatter any longer. Civilizations and cultures had advanced to the point where people became proud. They ignored God’s will and concocted a plan to build a huge tower that reached to the heavens. Their motive is revealed in Genesis 11:3-4, “They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” They set out to make a name for themselves. They wanted to stick together and challenge God’s authority. They were proud of their abilities and thought that, with their latest technology (Tar, mortar and baked bricks), coupled with human ingenuity and co-operation, nothing they planned would be impossible for them to do. So, in their pride they disobeyed God and challenged his sovereignty by building a tower that would reach to heaven.
The fact that they wanted to glorify themselves goes against God’s original purpose. Mankind was created to glorify God, to live for the sake of his name. But people become very proud and set out to bolster their own names for their own glory. They unite in their own strength and challenged God. This was nothing new. When Satan tempted Eve, he promised her, "...You will be like God..." (3:5) He planted pride in her heart and led her to rebel against God. Pride is the greatest of all sins. Pride is living for one's own glory and apposing God. Are we using all of our human power and ingenuity to build our own personal Tower of Babel?
God loved them still. Yet he could not let them carry on as they were doing. And so he came up with a plan. Look at 11:6 & 7, "The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'" God did not destroy them. He forgave them and bore with them. He still hoped in them. He simply broke up their sinful plans by confusing their languages so they could not co-operate, and then he scattered them all over the earth. They would still spread out and fill the earth, obeying God, despite of their own plans. God is going to accomplish his will despite of our own plans. And so it is wise to get “on board” with what God right from the beginning.
God confused their language so that they could not understand each other. For the time being, the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, would not be able to communicate and work together. This would carry on for thousands of years. But nowadays people are starting to communicate together more, through English, the modern trade language, and through computers and the internet. It seems that if we put our minds together there is nothing impossible for us to do. I heard that the Japanese want to clone a mammoth in the next five years. There is talk about extending human life to 200 years. Science is good, but will we use science and technology to build our own tower of Babel and rebel against the Lord? I pray not.
At the time of the building of the Tower, God was already making a long-range plan for the salvation of mankind. God wants people to work together to do good and not to do evil. But to do so our hearts must be changed. One day he would send his Spirit to work in regenerated people to enable mankind to praise him with one voice and heart. He nurtured the line of Shem, and at the right time, called one man Abraham, to become the ancestor of a new redemptive history that would generate a people holy who can live for the glory of God. This would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In this passage we see a beautiful house church in the lives of Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were quietly co-working to serve God’s holy purpose. They were standing on the side of righteousness, and bearing with each other, creating a new beginning for mankind in God. In Ham and their descendants we also see the limitations of our efforts to over come the power of sin on our own. There were still the seeds of sin. We need more than just a new start with a godly family. We need Jesus and his gospel to be saved. We also need to get on board with what God is doing, for God’s redemptive work is rolling on like a river. All aboard!
Part l: A Beautiful Co-working Housechurch
1. Who are Shem, Ham and Japheth? What was there birth order? (9:24; 10:21) What was
their marital situation? (7:13) What had God told their father, Noah, to do? (7:13-14)
How did the sons respond to Noah’s preaching? (2 Pe 2:5; 2 Pe 3:3-7; Ge 19:14) How
were they good co-workers with their father? (Eph 6:1-4)
2. How long were the three sons in the ark? What was their attitude? How long did they
stay in the ark after the ark came to rest on the Mount Ararat? (8:13-19) What would
ordinary people do? What does this show about them?
3. What was the mission that God gave Noah and his sons? (9:1, 7) Why did the animals fear mankind? (9:2) Why the strict laws concerning the life blood of animals and capital punishment? (9:4-6) What covenant did God make with Noah and his sons? (9:8-17)
Part ll: The Heritage Of Shem, Ham And Japheth
4. What did Noah do after starting a new life? (9:20) What happened to him? (21)
What was Noah’s position in this new society? What did Ham do? Why is this wrong? (Ex
20: 12; Ro 12:10b) What did his brother’s do? (23) What was Noah’s reaction? (9:24-27)
How did he curse Ham? What does this mean? (Lev 18:2-3; Jdg 1:30; Jos 9:27; 16:10)
5. Look at the descendants of Japheth? (10:2-5) Which nations did his descendants become?
Look at the descendants of Ham. (6-20) Which nations did his descendants become?
Look at the descendants of Shem. (21-31) Which nations did Shem’s descendants
become? What effect had sin made on the developing nations? (10:25)
6. What happened to mankind over the centuries after Noah’s flood? (11:1-4) What did God
want them to do? What was their intention? (4) How much effort did they make for this
project? (3)
7 What did God think about this? (5-6) What danger did God foresee? (6) What did God do? (7-9) Did they eventually obey God? What does this teach us about God? What happened to the descendents of Shem? What can you learn concerning your own influence?
(Three Sons Who Quietly Co-worked With Their Dad, Noah)
Genesis 8:15-11:26 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 3-13-11
Key verse 9:1
“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’”
Today we are going to study about the son’s of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were basically good sons. They believed what their father said concerning God’s judgment and they co-operated well with him to build the ark. They stood on God’s side and the side of God’s people. They were blessed along with Noah and their mother. They received God’s holy mission and the same covenant promise as Noah did. They were good boys. But as we know sin has its way of wielding it ugly head, even among believing children. We will see it in Ham. We will see it in the descendants of these three boys. Through a study of this passage let us find some principles of a house church. Let us see believers humbly and quietly co-working together at a crucial moment in God’s history. Let us discover the importance of our influence on future generations. But mostly let us see God, who is the sovereign Lord and who is in control of all world history and who is working out his holy purpose among us, even today.
Part l: A Beautiful Co-working Housechurch (6:9-9:17)
In this passage, we find Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Japheth was the oldest, Shem was the youngest and Ham was the middle child. They were a Sumerian or Mesopotamian family. In the names of the three sons, we do not find so much spiritual meaning. Their names appear prophetic in nature. Shem means “name”, or “fame”. Ham means “hot”, or “cry out”. Japheth means, “spread out”. These are perfect names for the boys. Shem become the forefather of the Jews and Jesus. Ham was cursed. And Japheth became the maritime people. Our God, who knows the end from the beginning, is so wise in giving the names of these young men.
All three of them were also married. Their wives seemed to have quietly and humbly co-worked together. They were newer families, as they had no children yet. It is so rare for all siblings to be married. Many are opting not to marry; others cohabitate; others wait until late in life. How blessed Noah must have been to see his sons all married to women who believed God’s way of salvation. Noah’s family set a good example for the young people of our generation. I pray for all my kids to have faith enough, and the God-given opportunity, to marry godly spouses, like Noah’s sons.
The three sons also respected the spiritual insight of their father. The Bible says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5) He walked with God each day and preached to the people around him about God and how to have a proper relationship with God. It was not easy to do this in that generation. The people of the earth were godless and the violence had spread to the point that God was not going to take it anymore. Even those who were called to be servants of God, had corrupted their ways. (Gen 6:1-2) When Noah spoke about the righteousness of God, he must have been met with rejection and disdain. One day God told Noah about this upcoming judgment and his way of salvation. One day, Noah began to talk about how God would destroy the earth with a flood and anyone who believed God and helped build the ark and get into it, would be saved. The people did not believe Noah. They mocked him, saying, “You foolish old man...What are you doing? Why waste your time. Everything is going on as it always has. There will not be huge flood.” But Noah was steadfast as a preacher of righteousness.
It was not easy for Shem, Ham and Japheth to hear what the people were saying about Noah. This was their father. But God had opened their eyes to see that what their father was saying was absolutely true. They were confident that they were also included in God’s plan of salvation. And so they stood by their father’s side. They were not afraid to identify with the servant of God, Noah. They were not afraid to be despised and reject for the sake of righteous. Jesus once said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:10-12) Shem, Ham and Japheth stood on the side of their dad, but more importantly on the side of truth and righteousness.
They quietly co-worked with their father. There is no way that Noah could have built this ark on his own. Some to those beams must have weighed hundreds of pounds. God was not like an invisible crane lifting the beam in place. I am sure that the sons and their wives were not just sitting in front of the TV. while Noah was working so hard. They were helping Noah. And their help went on year after year. They were quietly working side by side with their father. Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” Noah’s sons obeyed Noah as Noah obeyed God. They honored Noah through their faith. Their obedient faith also honored God. I thank God for the humble co-working of our children in the work of God. They believe the Gospel. They have spiritual eyes to see what is going on here and they are co-working to reveal Jesus and build up the work of God. Praise the Lord!
God recognized the personal faith of these boys. He included them in his salvation plan. Look at Genesis 7:1-4 “The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’” They were saved on their personal faith in God and their obedience born out of their faith, and not just because they were doing what their father told them. May our young people repent of following someone else’s faith and have their own personal, obedient, saving faith in Jesus Christ and have personal conviction to follow the way of salvation, the Gospel.
Their life in the ark together also revealed their faith. If one considers the time they spent in the ark, they would discover that it was about one year. That was one year of living in a barn that was rocked by the waves. It was not easy for them to live together in such conditions. There must have been many fights and arguments and tears. During storms they all had to lash themselves to the beams of the galley. But they overcame through the power of faith and forgiveness. When Shem complained that he was being forced to clean out the stalls everyday simply because he was the youngest, the others repented and divvied up the tasks evenly among them. They actually helped each other, even if it wasn’t their job. In this way they maintained the ark like a navy vessel. You may think that you can get along with people, but you don’t really know yourself until you live with others in limited space. Then you can discover what it means to love and forgive and serve others. Since leaving home for college at 18, I have always had roommates. For almost a year we had our seven family members and four sisters and three pets in our house. It was common life in the Lord. I thank God, for in these times I could learn faith. May God establish common life among us with growing disciples of Jesus like Shem, Ham and Japheth.
At the end of the year, the ark came to rest on the slopes of Mt Ararat. The Bible says that even after the ark came to rest, they did not leave the ark for about a month. Noah was waiting for God’s clear direction to come out. Noah knew that God knew best. Maybe God was protecting them from malaria or from flash floods or mud slides. God always knows best. But these sons, if they were ordinary men, could have told Noah, “I don’t care, I am leaving this ark now. I am sick of being here. And don’t tell me what to do. I am already a grown man.” They could have jumped ship and did their own thing. But they believed and obeyed their father when he told them to wait on God.
When God finally gave the “go ahead” what did they do? They built an ark and sacrificed some the clean animals and the clean birds. How difficult this would be! If it was me, I would have a big party, slaughter a cow and have a huge barbeque and celebrate. It shows that God was first and foremost on their minds. They also offered some of the clean animals and the clean birds. There were not many of these to be had. There were probably lots of sick and dying animals and unclean animals. Why not offer these? But they offered the best. They remembered the faith of their ancestor Abel. (Gen 4:4) They made and “Able offering” that cost them something. Their first impulse was to worship and thank God. May that be our first impulse in all important events in our lives.
They all received a new beginning in God. God restored their mission in Genesis 9:1, which reads, “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” God recognized them all and made them covenant sons, for since they shared in the same faith as Noah, they also were part of the same covenant.
God then set out to build the image of God in them. Look at 9:1-11. They had been through a lot and seen a lot of things that no person should ever see, like extreme violence and death. There were so many wounds and scars on their hearts. But God began the healing process. They were to not eat the life blood of animals while it was still in them. God was establishing the value of blood sacrifice but he was also telling mankind to respect all life and not to treat animals cruelly even when slaughtering them. He respected mankind’s position in creation, keeping their position above the animals and all creation, even though mankind had sinned greatly against God. This is the unconditional love of God, who forgives and respects us and gives us a place in his family and a position in his glorious redemptive work. Thank God for his grace. God also instituted capital punishment. The boys were desensitized because of the violence they grew up with and the carnage of the flood. Human life seemed cheap. God wanted to change that because a person’s life is valuable simply because they are made in the image of God.
Part ll: The Seeds Of Sin Were Still There…Ready To Sprout. (9:18-28)
The flood did not solve mankind’s sin problem. In Genesis 9:18-28, we see an incident involving Noah and his three sons. Apparently, Noah had planted vineyards. He was being fruitful in every way. He was making wine. One day he was walking around his tent naked and drinking too much wine, and he passed out naked in the tent. OK, he was doing this in the privacy of his home. But it is still never good for a father and a servant of God to drink to the point of passing out naked. But the point of the whole story is the reaction of the boys. Ham happened to enter his father’s tent and saw him lying there. He went out and told his brothers, “Hey! Look at dad!” and brought them in to see him. He wanted to hang Noah’s sins and weaknesses out for all to see. The response of the other two sons reveals the right response. They would not gaze upon their father’s nakedness. They went in backwards and covered his nakedness. They respected Noah, their father and spiritual leader.
When Noah awoke he was so angry at Ham. Ham had disrespected his father. He had also disrespected the servant of God appointed for that new society. He had also diss’d the governor (for Noah was all three). God was very serious about also this. God wanted to establish the new society on a foundation of truth, grace and mercy. Sure Noah had his weakness. Maybe he should not have done what he did. But he is not perfect, just forgiven. He was made righteous by God’s grace. Ham should have forgiven and respected his father and covered over his weaknesses with grace. He should have prayed for his did and if his drinking was a problem then he should offer ways to help him. Ham’s descendants were cursed and 6 centuries later they would be enslaved by the descendants of Shem, the Israelites, when they took over the Promised Land under Joshua.
The Bible tells us to “honor your father and mother” (Ex 20:12), not only if they are perfect, but because they are our parents. We expect our pastors and church leaders to be perfect speakers, managers, counselors, accountants, parents, CEO’s etc. But they are imperfect too. If we are going to build a church and families on love and respect then we must practice love and respect ourselves at home and in the church. May our lives be marked by grace and mercy, love and respect.
Part lll: The Heritage Of Shem, Ham and Japheth (10:1-11:32)
We can see the outcome of the lives of the sons of Noah in the genealogy. Their descendants spread out to in all directions. This could have happened quickly as families might have had 20 kids each. Shem’s people became the Hebrews, (Israel) Chaldeans, Assyrians, (Iraq) and the Persians (Iran). Abraham came through the decedents of Shem. And so did Jesus. That fulfilled the meaning of his name, “Fame”. Ham’s people became the Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites and the Amorites. They were at odds with ancient Israel, and so the name Ham, meaning “Hot”, is very prophetic. Japheth’s people became the Greeks, Thracians and Scythians. The meaning of his name, to “spread out” was fulfilled through them. After Jesus came, Gospel faith spread through the descendants of Japheth, the Greeks, especially through Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. (Life Application Study Bible).
There a couple of verses concerning the descendants of these boys. In Genesis 10:8, we see a Cushite, a descendant of Ham who was a mighty hunter before the Lord and a mighty warrior on the earth. I don’t know if this is sinful. Actually it sounds kind of cool to me. In 10:25 we find that the earth was divided. It could mean that the earth was divided by water or there could have been political divisions. Whenever there are people there is divisions. God wants his people to be united in faith, hope, love, mission and purpose. We can have this when we have Gospel centered faith, the Holy Spirit and when we serve and glorify Jesus along with other Christians. Then we can have unity. We can have unity when we forgive each others and cover over each others’ weaknesses’ with grace. Factions, that is, divisions among God’s people, are the fruit of the sinful nature and not the fruit of the spirit. (Gal 5:20) So let’s not be divided, but united in Jesus.
Sin slowly grew in the hearts of their descendants is culminating in the Tower of Babel incident. After several generations of spreading, it seems that they did not want to scatter any longer. Civilizations and cultures had advanced to the point where people became proud. They ignored God’s will and concocted a plan to build a huge tower that reached to the heavens. Their motive is revealed in Genesis 11:3-4, “They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” They set out to make a name for themselves. They wanted to stick together and challenge God’s authority. They were proud of their abilities and thought that, with their latest technology (Tar, mortar and baked bricks), coupled with human ingenuity and co-operation, nothing they planned would be impossible for them to do. So, in their pride they disobeyed God and challenged his sovereignty by building a tower that would reach to heaven.
The fact that they wanted to glorify themselves goes against God’s original purpose. Mankind was created to glorify God, to live for the sake of his name. But people become very proud and set out to bolster their own names for their own glory. They unite in their own strength and challenged God. This was nothing new. When Satan tempted Eve, he promised her, "...You will be like God..." (3:5) He planted pride in her heart and led her to rebel against God. Pride is the greatest of all sins. Pride is living for one's own glory and apposing God. Are we using all of our human power and ingenuity to build our own personal Tower of Babel?
God loved them still. Yet he could not let them carry on as they were doing. And so he came up with a plan. Look at 11:6 & 7, "The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'" God did not destroy them. He forgave them and bore with them. He still hoped in them. He simply broke up their sinful plans by confusing their languages so they could not co-operate, and then he scattered them all over the earth. They would still spread out and fill the earth, obeying God, despite of their own plans. God is going to accomplish his will despite of our own plans. And so it is wise to get “on board” with what God right from the beginning.
God confused their language so that they could not understand each other. For the time being, the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, would not be able to communicate and work together. This would carry on for thousands of years. But nowadays people are starting to communicate together more, through English, the modern trade language, and through computers and the internet. It seems that if we put our minds together there is nothing impossible for us to do. I heard that the Japanese want to clone a mammoth in the next five years. There is talk about extending human life to 200 years. Science is good, but will we use science and technology to build our own tower of Babel and rebel against the Lord? I pray not.
At the time of the building of the Tower, God was already making a long-range plan for the salvation of mankind. God wants people to work together to do good and not to do evil. But to do so our hearts must be changed. One day he would send his Spirit to work in regenerated people to enable mankind to praise him with one voice and heart. He nurtured the line of Shem, and at the right time, called one man Abraham, to become the ancestor of a new redemptive history that would generate a people holy who can live for the glory of God. This would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In this passage we see a beautiful house church in the lives of Shem, Ham and Japheth. They were quietly co-working to serve God’s holy purpose. They were standing on the side of righteousness, and bearing with each other, creating a new beginning for mankind in God. In Ham and their descendants we also see the limitations of our efforts to over come the power of sin on our own. There were still the seeds of sin. We need more than just a new start with a godly family. We need Jesus and his gospel to be saved. We also need to get on board with what God is doing, for God’s redemptive work is rolling on like a river. All aboard!
Part l: A Beautiful Co-working Housechurch
1. Who are Shem, Ham and Japheth? What was there birth order? (9:24; 10:21) What was
their marital situation? (7:13) What had God told their father, Noah, to do? (7:13-14)
How did the sons respond to Noah’s preaching? (2 Pe 2:5; 2 Pe 3:3-7; Ge 19:14) How
were they good co-workers with their father? (Eph 6:1-4)
2. How long were the three sons in the ark? What was their attitude? How long did they
stay in the ark after the ark came to rest on the Mount Ararat? (8:13-19) What would
ordinary people do? What does this show about them?
3. What was the mission that God gave Noah and his sons? (9:1, 7) Why did the animals fear mankind? (9:2) Why the strict laws concerning the life blood of animals and capital punishment? (9:4-6) What covenant did God make with Noah and his sons? (9:8-17)
Part ll: The Heritage Of Shem, Ham And Japheth
4. What did Noah do after starting a new life? (9:20) What happened to him? (21)
What was Noah’s position in this new society? What did Ham do? Why is this wrong? (Ex
20: 12; Ro 12:10b) What did his brother’s do? (23) What was Noah’s reaction? (9:24-27)
How did he curse Ham? What does this mean? (Lev 18:2-3; Jdg 1:30; Jos 9:27; 16:10)
5. Look at the descendants of Japheth? (10:2-5) Which nations did his descendants become?
Look at the descendants of Ham. (6-20) Which nations did his descendants become?
Look at the descendants of Shem. (21-31) Which nations did Shem’s descendants
become? What effect had sin made on the developing nations? (10:25)
6. What happened to mankind over the centuries after Noah’s flood? (11:1-4) What did God
want them to do? What was their intention? (4) How much effort did they make for this
project? (3)
7 What did God think about this? (5-6) What danger did God foresee? (6) What did God do? (7-9) Did they eventually obey God? What does this teach us about God? What happened to the descendents of Shem? What can you learn concerning your own influence?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Genesis 5:18-24
What Ever Happened To Enoch?
Genesis 5: 18-24 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 5:24 5-7-11
“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
We are continuing on, exploring obscure people in Genesis. This week we want to learn more about Enoch. Enoch was commended as one who pleased God. He walked with God for most of his adult life. He was taken up to heaven, before he even died. Who was this Enoch? What was his faith like? What does it mean that he walked with God? Where did he go and how? What was his spiritual legacy? This message will explore a few of these issues. May God help you to walk with Jesus, who is God.
Part l: Born Into A Regular Family
OK…there are not so many verses here to draw from, so let’s see what the passage says. Look at verses 18-20, “When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.” Well, it looks like Enoch had a mother and a father and brothers and sisters. His father’s name was Jared. Having other siblings is a good thing. Children learn how to negotiate, compromise and share things. He learned a lot through playing. He had personal struggles and learned forgiveness. Siblings influence each other. If the oldest child decides to live a spiritual life then their influence will trickle down to the others. I thank God for Jenn’s good influence. She has always set the standard when it comes to school, singing and spiritual life. The rest of her siblings have been blessed because of her and she has also made Julie’s and my life a whole lot easier. Enoch was the first child. His good spiritual influence trickled down to the others.
Part ll: Enoch, A New Father Who Got Serious With God (21-22)
Enoch got more serious about God after the birth of his son. Look at verses 21-22. “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” The Bible says that after the birth of his first son, Enoch walked with God the remainder of his adult life. His was a life long commitment.
Before having children, we are more interested in building our careers and families and getting established. We may even put Jesus on the backburner. But then the first child is born, we begin to think about the kids. We realize there is more for them to accomplish then just good grades and sports. We wonder how we can pass our faith onto them. We realize that they need morals and truth and faith. One can be the best parent in the world, but there are forces at work in our kids’ hearts that undermine our influence. There is the media, like television, movies and the internet. There are their friends. Sometimes parents feel helpless to influence their kids. And they are helpless. They can not be around their kids all the time. They cannot watch all of their internet activity or censure every movie or control what is going on with their friends. They need help from Jesus. The need to plant Gospel faith in their kid’s hearts somehow. They need to fan into flames the gift of God, and not suffocate it with their own fears and doubts. They need to trust that God’s Holy Spirit will work in their kid’s hearts when they pray.
Parents need to set the example. Like Enoch, they must decide to make a lifelong commitment to walk with God. We can not downplay the importance of a parent’s influence on the faith of their kids. A recent study found that if a mother has Christian faith, then 30% of the kids will have Christian faith. If the father has Christian faith, then 70% if the kids will have faith. We are blessed because both Julie and I have Christian faith and our kids appear to have faith and follow the Lord. Enoch knew the importance of his own spiritual influence on his son, Methuselah.
Part lll: To Walk With God (22-23)
Walking with God means starting out small. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God 300 years. This was the majority of his adult years. But as we know a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Those who walk with God start out small. They are not born walking with God. They start out having a weekly Bible study, attending various spiritual meetings. They have daily devotional time and prayer, even though it is not easy. Soon, they taste the goodness of the word of God. The word of God becomes like honey to their souls. They no longer have to be pushed. Walking with God becomes their love, their joy and their passion of life. Jesus becomes their all in all. Enoch must have gone through such a process as he learned to walk with God.
Walking with God means that you do not walk in the ways of the world. We are tempted to walk according to the prevailing culture. We walk with our peers. We walk with the popular philosophies and the cultural trends of the day. We walk with our own ideas. But the Bible teaches us that wide is the way that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and very few find it. (Matt 7:13) Do not follow the majority. The majority is not always right. What about Nazi Germany or the Segregated South? Enoch never walked with the majority, he walked with God.
Walking with God means not walking with our feelings and emotions, for they are changeable. One day they are positive, building us up and giving us strength to move forward, the next day they are negative and bringing us down to where we before. Those who live according to their feelings and emotions are changeable and their lives are like a roller coaster ride. But one who walks with God is one whose heart is like a deep ocean current, strong, steady and unchanging …unaffected by the storms and the squalls on the surface. They are like those who build their houses upon a rock, able to stand the harshest of storms. Walking with God leads our hearts into paths of peace. So, instead of following our hearts, let us walk with God, just as Enoch did.
Walking with God means recognizing God’s leading and following him. We may not know all the details of God’s calling. The Holy Spirit is like the wind, the wind blows where it pleases. You don’t know where it comes from and where it is going, but it is God. (Jn 3:8) Abraham didn’t know where God was calling him, or what God was calling him to, when God told him to go the Promised Land. Yet he had faith and trusted God. (Gen 12:4) God’s leading is like this. In a general sense, we know that God is leading us to draw closer to Jesus. He wants us to be more like Christ. He calls us to walk the narrow way that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. He calls us to a particular calling, or mission in life. These are givens for all Christians. As individuals we need to pray and wait and find out the details. When I was a new Christian, there were so many people telling me what I should do in regards to my Christian life. There were so many opinions and confusion. And so one day, I got on knees in my bedroom and prayed, “Lord, I don’t know the narrow way that leads to eternal life. Please lead me on that path.” I trusted God and continued to seek after Jesus. Jesus heard my prayer and showed me the way. May you all pray a similar prayer in the privacy of your rooms, where there is just you and God, and trust that God will shed light on your walk with him, as he did to Enoch.
Walking with God means making the effort. In the warm months I do a lot of walking. But in the winter I don’t want to make the effort. I want to stay where it is comfortable and warm. And so my dog suffers and I carry a few extra pounds all winter. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he called many people to follow him. But only those who decided to do it, leaving their old lives behind actually became his disciples. Jesus did not stay in one location, begging people to follow him. No! He moved on, carrying on with his mission. Whoever valued that calling followed him throughout Israel. They became his disciples and the future spiritual leaders of the world. Luke 9:23 reads, “Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” We don’t like to hear about such a dry topic as self denial, but it a necessary component in walking with God. Enoch denied himself, for a long time, in order to walk with his, and our God.
Walking with God means to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. This does not mean wearing a robe and sandals and growing your hair long and sleeping out under the stars. It means emulating Jesus’ lifestyle and applying the spiritual principles contained within. What are the principles of Jesus’ lifestyle? Jesus preached and taught about the kingdom of God, sometimes to one person, like the Samaritan woman and sometimes to thousands, like on the Sermon on the Mount. He prayed, before dawn each day before people woke up. He raised disciples. There were the 12, the most committed, then the 72, who were in the next group and then the 500. Jesus showed compassion, even touching a leper, healing the demon possessed and healing the sick. A bruised reed he did not break and a smoldering wick he did not snuff out. He faithfully helped those who allowed him, until they could stand on their two feet. He loved the one who betrayed him. He prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing” (Lk 23:34) for those who falsely accused him, mocked and tortured him and nailed him to the cross. Walking with God is to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. Enoch strove to apply God’s character in his own life as he walked with God.
Walking with God requires humility. To walk with someone else means that you have to submit your own plans and agenda to someone else’s. You have to change your pace and direction. This is not easy for anyone, especially for those who are used to self directing their own lives. But Jesus shows us the way. He submitted himself to the agenda of his Father. Once when his mother, Mary came to him at a wedding, telling Jesus that they had run out of wine, what did Jesus tell her? “Dear woman why do you involve me?...My time had not yet come?” (Jn 2:4) Once Jesus’ brothers pushed him to go the feast and show the crowds his miracles. Jesus to them, “The right time for me has not yet come: for you any time is right.” (Jn 7:6) Jesus was always sensitive to the time schedule of his Father in heaven. He was sensitive to God’s leading. He bent his own will to walk with his Father. Enoch was sensitive to God’s leading timing. He showed us the way that we can walk with God.
Walking with God requires that we confess that we don’t know the way. Psalm 23:1-6, “ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” If we really think about it, do we know the way to green pastures and quiet waters? We don’t know the way to take when the shadows of death encircle us. We don’t know the way that leads to goodness and love and to dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. No GPS system can lead you there, but Jesus can. Let Jesus lead. Jesus came from God and went back to God. Jesus is our good shepherd. He knows the way. He can lead us back to the kingdom of heaven when we humbly walk with God. Enoch was humble enough to know that he was lost without God.
Walking with God requires the right priorities in life. There are so many things that demand our time and energy. Even Christians seem to let everything get in their way of walking with their God. Their lives of faith become full of good intentions but devoid of power. The key verse of the whole Bible has been said to be Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” “First” means, as top priority. When we set seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority in our lives then we can have some spiritual traction and we can begin to walk with God. Enoch had the right priorities and that is how he could walk with God throughout his life.
Walking with God requires obedience. The Bible says that Noah walked with God. The defining factor of his faith was his obedience. He believed God’s word concerning the upcoming judgment. He trusted God’s way of salvation and he built the ark according to God’s plans, not his. He knew that if he obeyed he would not only save himself and his family but also be a source of salvation for the whole human race. He walked with God by obeying God. Our situation is very similar. Jesus has told us that there is a time when he will come again. There will be many trials and tribulations. And a time will come when “each one must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good of bad.” (1 Cor ) Those who are found in Jesus Christ, through faith, will be saved. They will taste spiritual victory in this life and will pass through the judgment to dwell with Jesus forever in the kingdom of heaven. If we are to walk with God, then we must believe it and determine to be found in Christ Jesus. We must obey God, starting now. Enoch obeyed God each and every day trusting God’s way of salvation.
Walking with God requires trust. It means that we need to trust that God is leading us along the best possible path in life. Jesus is our good shepherd. (Jn 10:10) He came to this world to make sure that we have life and have it to the full. He laid down his life for us. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to your purpose.” We can trust God that he will work for our good, not just when everything is going well, but in all things. Julie just got foot surgery. She is not bitter, blaming God for her present predicament. She trusts God and walks with God from the couch, praying and reading her Bible and doing what she can for the glory of God. God is our heavenly Father who loves us. We can trust Jesus as we walk with him. Enoch trusted in the love of God.
Walking with God involves preaching the truth. Jude 14-15 mentions about Enoch. It reads, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” This quotation is from an apocryphal book called the Book of Enoch. One thing that can be said concerning this quote is that the Jews felt that Enoch was a prophet and that he prophesied, calling people to repentance and faith. Since it is in the New Testament, we also know that God wants us to know this. Prophecy in the Old Testament times is different than New Testament. New Testament prophets do not go beyond what is written. They speak the truth of God to the people of their generation in meaningful, pertinent ways. Those who walk with God must open their mouths to speak the truth of God, like Enoch did.
Part lV: God Took Him Away (24)
Verse 24 reads, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” What does it mean that the Lord took him away? There are other instances in the Bible where people were taken up to heaven. In 2 Kings 2:11-12a, we read, “As they (Elijah and Elisha) were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more…” Elijah was taken up to heaven without dying. The other prophets had a difficult time believing what they saw. They wanted to search for Elijah. (2 Kings 2:16-18) Finding no trace of him confirmed what had happened and strengthened their faith. The only other person to be taken up to heaven in bodily form was Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. (Acts 1:9)
The Bible teaches us that one day Jesus will come again and when he comes he will take us to be with him. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.” Christ will return visibly, with a loud command. There will be an unmistakable cry from an angel. There will be a trumpet fanfare such as has never been heard. Believers in Christ who are dead will rise from their graves. Believers who are alive will be caught up in clouds to meet Jesus. They will not experience death. They will be changed also and be resurrected along with the multitude of people who have walked with God throughout the ages. They will all stand in God’s presence, safe and secure. We will experience exactly what Enoch experienced and will one day even meet Enoch.
There is one more question that you may be asking yourself. Where did Enoch go to? The passage says that God took him away. Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Taken him away to where? I believe that God took him to heaven to be with him. His journey on earth was complete. His mission was over. He had sacrificed enough and now it was time for him to receive his reward. He was commended as one who pleased God and God was happy bring Elijah close to his side.
Would you be happy if Jesus came again to gather you up to be with him today? Many of us wouldn’t. We tend think that life in this world is everything. We think of all the unfinished projects. But nothing in this world compares to Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. If God calls us to go, we need to go with no regrets, without delays, with only a joyful expectation of what is to come.
What ever happened to Enoch’s descendents? Well, he passed the faith on to the next generation. His great grandson was Noah. Enoch also left a great legacy of faith. People for thousands of years have been inspired to walk with God their entire lives because of the lifestyle he decided to live.
Enoch did not live as long as many of his peers. But he was commended as one who pleased God. He pleased God because, as a new father, he decided to walk with God. Walking with God means starting out small; it means not walking in the ways of the world; it means not walking with our feelings and emotions; it means recognizing God’s leading and following; it means making the effort; it requires humility; it means confessing that we don’t know the way; it requires having the right priorities in life; it requires obedience; it requires trust; and it involves preaching the truth. There are many other things that walking with God means but I couldn’t write a book. If we walk with God, we too can please God. We too will be taken up to heaven to be with Jesus for all eternity. David Starr Jordan, a biologist, educator and peace activist, once said, “Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it is lived for.” Our life completeness depends if we have walked with God or not and if we are ready to meet Jesus when he calls us to be with him in heaven.
Genesis 5: 18-24 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 5:24 5-7-11
“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
We are continuing on, exploring obscure people in Genesis. This week we want to learn more about Enoch. Enoch was commended as one who pleased God. He walked with God for most of his adult life. He was taken up to heaven, before he even died. Who was this Enoch? What was his faith like? What does it mean that he walked with God? Where did he go and how? What was his spiritual legacy? This message will explore a few of these issues. May God help you to walk with Jesus, who is God.
Part l: Born Into A Regular Family
OK…there are not so many verses here to draw from, so let’s see what the passage says. Look at verses 18-20, “When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.” Well, it looks like Enoch had a mother and a father and brothers and sisters. His father’s name was Jared. Having other siblings is a good thing. Children learn how to negotiate, compromise and share things. He learned a lot through playing. He had personal struggles and learned forgiveness. Siblings influence each other. If the oldest child decides to live a spiritual life then their influence will trickle down to the others. I thank God for Jenn’s good influence. She has always set the standard when it comes to school, singing and spiritual life. The rest of her siblings have been blessed because of her and she has also made Julie’s and my life a whole lot easier. Enoch was the first child. His good spiritual influence trickled down to the others.
Part ll: Enoch, A New Father Who Got Serious With God (21-22)
Enoch got more serious about God after the birth of his son. Look at verses 21-22. “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” The Bible says that after the birth of his first son, Enoch walked with God the remainder of his adult life. His was a life long commitment.
Before having children, we are more interested in building our careers and families and getting established. We may even put Jesus on the backburner. But then the first child is born, we begin to think about the kids. We realize there is more for them to accomplish then just good grades and sports. We wonder how we can pass our faith onto them. We realize that they need morals and truth and faith. One can be the best parent in the world, but there are forces at work in our kids’ hearts that undermine our influence. There is the media, like television, movies and the internet. There are their friends. Sometimes parents feel helpless to influence their kids. And they are helpless. They can not be around their kids all the time. They cannot watch all of their internet activity or censure every movie or control what is going on with their friends. They need help from Jesus. The need to plant Gospel faith in their kid’s hearts somehow. They need to fan into flames the gift of God, and not suffocate it with their own fears and doubts. They need to trust that God’s Holy Spirit will work in their kid’s hearts when they pray.
Parents need to set the example. Like Enoch, they must decide to make a lifelong commitment to walk with God. We can not downplay the importance of a parent’s influence on the faith of their kids. A recent study found that if a mother has Christian faith, then 30% of the kids will have Christian faith. If the father has Christian faith, then 70% if the kids will have faith. We are blessed because both Julie and I have Christian faith and our kids appear to have faith and follow the Lord. Enoch knew the importance of his own spiritual influence on his son, Methuselah.
Part lll: To Walk With God (22-23)
Walking with God means starting out small. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God 300 years. This was the majority of his adult years. But as we know a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Those who walk with God start out small. They are not born walking with God. They start out having a weekly Bible study, attending various spiritual meetings. They have daily devotional time and prayer, even though it is not easy. Soon, they taste the goodness of the word of God. The word of God becomes like honey to their souls. They no longer have to be pushed. Walking with God becomes their love, their joy and their passion of life. Jesus becomes their all in all. Enoch must have gone through such a process as he learned to walk with God.
Walking with God means that you do not walk in the ways of the world. We are tempted to walk according to the prevailing culture. We walk with our peers. We walk with the popular philosophies and the cultural trends of the day. We walk with our own ideas. But the Bible teaches us that wide is the way that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and very few find it. (Matt 7:13) Do not follow the majority. The majority is not always right. What about Nazi Germany or the Segregated South? Enoch never walked with the majority, he walked with God.
Walking with God means not walking with our feelings and emotions, for they are changeable. One day they are positive, building us up and giving us strength to move forward, the next day they are negative and bringing us down to where we before. Those who live according to their feelings and emotions are changeable and their lives are like a roller coaster ride. But one who walks with God is one whose heart is like a deep ocean current, strong, steady and unchanging …unaffected by the storms and the squalls on the surface. They are like those who build their houses upon a rock, able to stand the harshest of storms. Walking with God leads our hearts into paths of peace. So, instead of following our hearts, let us walk with God, just as Enoch did.
Walking with God means recognizing God’s leading and following him. We may not know all the details of God’s calling. The Holy Spirit is like the wind, the wind blows where it pleases. You don’t know where it comes from and where it is going, but it is God. (Jn 3:8) Abraham didn’t know where God was calling him, or what God was calling him to, when God told him to go the Promised Land. Yet he had faith and trusted God. (Gen 12:4) God’s leading is like this. In a general sense, we know that God is leading us to draw closer to Jesus. He wants us to be more like Christ. He calls us to walk the narrow way that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. He calls us to a particular calling, or mission in life. These are givens for all Christians. As individuals we need to pray and wait and find out the details. When I was a new Christian, there were so many people telling me what I should do in regards to my Christian life. There were so many opinions and confusion. And so one day, I got on knees in my bedroom and prayed, “Lord, I don’t know the narrow way that leads to eternal life. Please lead me on that path.” I trusted God and continued to seek after Jesus. Jesus heard my prayer and showed me the way. May you all pray a similar prayer in the privacy of your rooms, where there is just you and God, and trust that God will shed light on your walk with him, as he did to Enoch.
Walking with God means making the effort. In the warm months I do a lot of walking. But in the winter I don’t want to make the effort. I want to stay where it is comfortable and warm. And so my dog suffers and I carry a few extra pounds all winter. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he called many people to follow him. But only those who decided to do it, leaving their old lives behind actually became his disciples. Jesus did not stay in one location, begging people to follow him. No! He moved on, carrying on with his mission. Whoever valued that calling followed him throughout Israel. They became his disciples and the future spiritual leaders of the world. Luke 9:23 reads, “Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” We don’t like to hear about such a dry topic as self denial, but it a necessary component in walking with God. Enoch denied himself, for a long time, in order to walk with his, and our God.
Walking with God means to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. This does not mean wearing a robe and sandals and growing your hair long and sleeping out under the stars. It means emulating Jesus’ lifestyle and applying the spiritual principles contained within. What are the principles of Jesus’ lifestyle? Jesus preached and taught about the kingdom of God, sometimes to one person, like the Samaritan woman and sometimes to thousands, like on the Sermon on the Mount. He prayed, before dawn each day before people woke up. He raised disciples. There were the 12, the most committed, then the 72, who were in the next group and then the 500. Jesus showed compassion, even touching a leper, healing the demon possessed and healing the sick. A bruised reed he did not break and a smoldering wick he did not snuff out. He faithfully helped those who allowed him, until they could stand on their two feet. He loved the one who betrayed him. He prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing” (Lk 23:34) for those who falsely accused him, mocked and tortured him and nailed him to the cross. Walking with God is to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. Enoch strove to apply God’s character in his own life as he walked with God.
Walking with God requires humility. To walk with someone else means that you have to submit your own plans and agenda to someone else’s. You have to change your pace and direction. This is not easy for anyone, especially for those who are used to self directing their own lives. But Jesus shows us the way. He submitted himself to the agenda of his Father. Once when his mother, Mary came to him at a wedding, telling Jesus that they had run out of wine, what did Jesus tell her? “Dear woman why do you involve me?...My time had not yet come?” (Jn 2:4) Once Jesus’ brothers pushed him to go the feast and show the crowds his miracles. Jesus to them, “The right time for me has not yet come: for you any time is right.” (Jn 7:6) Jesus was always sensitive to the time schedule of his Father in heaven. He was sensitive to God’s leading. He bent his own will to walk with his Father. Enoch was sensitive to God’s leading timing. He showed us the way that we can walk with God.
Walking with God requires that we confess that we don’t know the way. Psalm 23:1-6, “ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” If we really think about it, do we know the way to green pastures and quiet waters? We don’t know the way to take when the shadows of death encircle us. We don’t know the way that leads to goodness and love and to dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. No GPS system can lead you there, but Jesus can. Let Jesus lead. Jesus came from God and went back to God. Jesus is our good shepherd. He knows the way. He can lead us back to the kingdom of heaven when we humbly walk with God. Enoch was humble enough to know that he was lost without God.
Walking with God requires the right priorities in life. There are so many things that demand our time and energy. Even Christians seem to let everything get in their way of walking with their God. Their lives of faith become full of good intentions but devoid of power. The key verse of the whole Bible has been said to be Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” “First” means, as top priority. When we set seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness as top priority in our lives then we can have some spiritual traction and we can begin to walk with God. Enoch had the right priorities and that is how he could walk with God throughout his life.
Walking with God requires obedience. The Bible says that Noah walked with God. The defining factor of his faith was his obedience. He believed God’s word concerning the upcoming judgment. He trusted God’s way of salvation and he built the ark according to God’s plans, not his. He knew that if he obeyed he would not only save himself and his family but also be a source of salvation for the whole human race. He walked with God by obeying God. Our situation is very similar. Jesus has told us that there is a time when he will come again. There will be many trials and tribulations. And a time will come when “each one must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good of bad.” (1 Cor ) Those who are found in Jesus Christ, through faith, will be saved. They will taste spiritual victory in this life and will pass through the judgment to dwell with Jesus forever in the kingdom of heaven. If we are to walk with God, then we must believe it and determine to be found in Christ Jesus. We must obey God, starting now. Enoch obeyed God each and every day trusting God’s way of salvation.
Walking with God requires trust. It means that we need to trust that God is leading us along the best possible path in life. Jesus is our good shepherd. (Jn 10:10) He came to this world to make sure that we have life and have it to the full. He laid down his life for us. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to your purpose.” We can trust God that he will work for our good, not just when everything is going well, but in all things. Julie just got foot surgery. She is not bitter, blaming God for her present predicament. She trusts God and walks with God from the couch, praying and reading her Bible and doing what she can for the glory of God. God is our heavenly Father who loves us. We can trust Jesus as we walk with him. Enoch trusted in the love of God.
Walking with God involves preaching the truth. Jude 14-15 mentions about Enoch. It reads, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” This quotation is from an apocryphal book called the Book of Enoch. One thing that can be said concerning this quote is that the Jews felt that Enoch was a prophet and that he prophesied, calling people to repentance and faith. Since it is in the New Testament, we also know that God wants us to know this. Prophecy in the Old Testament times is different than New Testament. New Testament prophets do not go beyond what is written. They speak the truth of God to the people of their generation in meaningful, pertinent ways. Those who walk with God must open their mouths to speak the truth of God, like Enoch did.
Part lV: God Took Him Away (24)
Verse 24 reads, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” What does it mean that the Lord took him away? There are other instances in the Bible where people were taken up to heaven. In 2 Kings 2:11-12a, we read, “As they (Elijah and Elisha) were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more…” Elijah was taken up to heaven without dying. The other prophets had a difficult time believing what they saw. They wanted to search for Elijah. (2 Kings 2:16-18) Finding no trace of him confirmed what had happened and strengthened their faith. The only other person to be taken up to heaven in bodily form was Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. (Acts 1:9)
The Bible teaches us that one day Jesus will come again and when he comes he will take us to be with him. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.” Christ will return visibly, with a loud command. There will be an unmistakable cry from an angel. There will be a trumpet fanfare such as has never been heard. Believers in Christ who are dead will rise from their graves. Believers who are alive will be caught up in clouds to meet Jesus. They will not experience death. They will be changed also and be resurrected along with the multitude of people who have walked with God throughout the ages. They will all stand in God’s presence, safe and secure. We will experience exactly what Enoch experienced and will one day even meet Enoch.
There is one more question that you may be asking yourself. Where did Enoch go to? The passage says that God took him away. Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Taken him away to where? I believe that God took him to heaven to be with him. His journey on earth was complete. His mission was over. He had sacrificed enough and now it was time for him to receive his reward. He was commended as one who pleased God and God was happy bring Elijah close to his side.
Would you be happy if Jesus came again to gather you up to be with him today? Many of us wouldn’t. We tend think that life in this world is everything. We think of all the unfinished projects. But nothing in this world compares to Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. If God calls us to go, we need to go with no regrets, without delays, with only a joyful expectation of what is to come.
What ever happened to Enoch’s descendents? Well, he passed the faith on to the next generation. His great grandson was Noah. Enoch also left a great legacy of faith. People for thousands of years have been inspired to walk with God their entire lives because of the lifestyle he decided to live.
Enoch did not live as long as many of his peers. But he was commended as one who pleased God. He pleased God because, as a new father, he decided to walk with God. Walking with God means starting out small; it means not walking in the ways of the world; it means not walking with our feelings and emotions; it means recognizing God’s leading and following; it means making the effort; it requires humility; it means confessing that we don’t know the way; it requires having the right priorities in life; it requires obedience; it requires trust; and it involves preaching the truth. There are many other things that walking with God means but I couldn’t write a book. If we walk with God, we too can please God. We too will be taken up to heaven to be with Jesus for all eternity. David Starr Jordan, a biologist, educator and peace activist, once said, “Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it is lived for.” Our life completeness depends if we have walked with God or not and if we are ready to meet Jesus when he calls us to be with him in heaven.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Genesis 4:25-5:32
What Ever Happened To Seth?
Genesis 4:25-5:32
Key Verse 4:26 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-13-11
“Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
Today we want to look closely at a little known, but very influential, man of God, named Seth. After the double tragedy of loosing two sons, one to murder and the other to the power of sin, God granted Adam and his wife a third son, Seth. His descendants through Seth were different from the descendants of Cain. Cain's descendants were corrupt and full of violence, but Seth's descendants called on the name of the Lord (4:24). Seth bore the image of his father Adam, and the image of God. The Bible says that when Seth's son Enosh was born, people began to call on the name of the Lord. God used Seth and his family to influence the all the people towards faith in God. His descendants form the slender, unbroken thread of God's life in people. Through such people as Seth, hope is always alive. Through a study of this passage we will see how God works in the world to turn the hearts of the people to him in prayer and worship. We will see the importance of one man of faith. May God also work in our hearts, so that through our lives, people at NIU and DeKalb may call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
At the murder of Abel and the loss of their son, Cain, to his sin, Adam and Eve could have easily given up on God and life. They could stop trying to move forward and building a future for themselves and their people. But they did not succumb to despair. Look at verse 25, “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’” She said, “God has granted me…” They named their son, Seth, which means “granted”. There is no trace of bitterness in her words. Adam and Eve never blamed God for what happened to their kids. They attributed the birth of their child to God’s grace. They did not blame each other either but loved each other and set out to build their family. They continued on their mission from God to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen 1:28) They had hope for a future beyond their pain.
How easy it is for us to give up when we have experienced failure and tragedy in our lives. We end up blaming God and each other for the way things work out. These things make us fall into such a deep sense of despair that we don’t want to try again. How many parents in Adam and Eve’s situation would not want to parent another child? How many, when experiencing failure in college, would never want to study again? How many in ministry, when they have tasted rejection and no outer fruit, even after decades of sacrifice, would just want to close up shop? The majority. There is only a few, who, in the depth of their dungeons of despair have faith enough to look up to heaven to try again, and again and again. It takes faith.
Mother Theresa once wrote poem, that holds a dear place in my heart. It is called, “ Anyway” It was written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, India. It was even written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room. These words express the spirit in which she lived her life. Listen closely… “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” Forgive and be kind and succeed anyway. Be honest and sincere and happy anyway. Create anyway. Do good anyway. Give your best anyway. Such was the atmosphere of the home in which Seth was born and such can be the atmosphere of our own house churches and ministry here at NIU UBF. A positive attitude, full of faith to move ahead despite of anything that has happened or is going on around us.
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
Seth was also a man who grew in the image of God Look at Genesis 5:1b-3, “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them ‘man.’ 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” According to the Law of Syllogism, if A = B and B = C, then A = C. In the same way, since Adam was made in the image of God and had a son in his own image, then Seth also bore the image of God. What does it mean, that Seth was made in Adam’s image, who, in turn was made in the image of God? The image of God is God’s character and personality. God is holy, just, truthful, full of sacrificial and unconditional love, righteous, hopeful, kind, pure, gentle, joyful and powerful. Jesus is the exact reflection of the image of God. (Hebrews 1:3) Seth bore the image of God.
Does that mean that he is perfect? By no means. Seth was still a sinner, born into a fallen world. He was prone to sin and his weaknesses just like another person. But, unlike Cain, Seth bore God’s image. As he engaged in a positive spiritual struggle to do what is right before the eyes of God, he grew in God’s image. He became more holy, more just, more truthful and loving. His was a journey of growth in the image of God. In life we can grow in two ways, we can grow in the image of God or in the image of the devil. It all depends on our personal spiritual struggle to come to God in repentance and faith. Also, have you noticed that when children fix their eyes and a certain adult, they begin to become like that adult? They start to dress like them and talk like them. Likewise, growing in the image of God depends on fixing our eyes on Jesus. It is a life long journey that will not end until we are resurrected and go to heaven. Then we will be like him.
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
Seth was keenly aware about the reality of life in this fallen world. Look at verse 4:26a, “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh…” Enosh, literally means “mortal.” Seth saw people living a long time in the world. How easy it would be for him to think that life in this world as actually as good as it gets…that life in this world is the only thing worth living for. That is what Cain felt. He tried to immortalize himself through building a walled city and naming it after his son. But Seth was not deceived. He remembered God’s word to Adam, “…from dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Gen 3:19b) Seth’s naming of his son reminds us that we are on a pilgrimage. The truth is that we came from God and we are going back to God. While living in this world we learn faith. We learn to love God and love one another. We draw near to Him as we prepare for eternal life.
The Bible teaches us that we must always be aware of the end of our days. King David says in Psalm 39:4-5, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” (2010 NIV) James says in James 4:14b “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” There is a certain disposition to those who know that they are mortal beings. They see the world as it really is, with eternal life on mind. Peter writes about the practicalities of this hope. He says in 1 Peter 1:13-15, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” Seth knew that he while living in this world he needed to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. (Matt 6:33) May God open our spiritual eyes to adopt the world view of Seth.
But nowadays our young people forget that they are mortal. We ignore our seniors and hide them away in nursing homes. They die alone in private rooms in hospitals. They are cremated so that no one can even see a tombstone. Our Hollywood stars spend millions to hide their age with one plastic surgery, and one “insanity workout” after another. Technological advances and media bolster the culture of perpetual youth. People, who forget they are mortal, spend their whole hearts trying to living a better life in this world, rather that living for the Kingdom of Heaven. I personally thank God for my nursing job. Through it, I am always confronted with end of life issues each time I go to work. I can keep the proper perspective and understand that we are mortal and that we must engage in a holy pilgrimage.
The fact that he named his son, Enosh, after a spiritual epiphany, revealed that Seth had spiritual priorities. Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch. Cain was living for his glory and the glory of his son. Seth had a son and named him after an eternal, spiritual truth. Seth lived his life for the glory of God and wanted the same for his children.
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
After Seth was married and started to have children, something wonderful happened among the populace. Let’s read 4:26b, “…At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Somehow, because of Seth’s family’s influence, people began to call on the name of the Lord. The prevailing culture was influenced by Cain and his descendents. It was filled with violence, pride and misuse of the word of God. (Gen 4:23-24) The spiritual awakening occurred at this most improbable time. The revival, brought about through Seth’s family, flowed counter to the prevailing godless culture. Any work of God, in any generation, will flow counter to the majority culture in which is resides.
Nowadays, our young people are falling away from Jesus at 4-5 times the historical rate. (Dr. John Armstrong 2010) People are thinking that Christian life is all about doing acts of charity only. Calling on the name of the Lord does not seem to be a goal. We think that the current of the prevailing godless culture is to too strong to swim against. But we can see that through the influence of one family of faith, our young people in America can begin to call on the name of the Lord, even in today’s context!
What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Well, for one, it means to pray to God. We call out to Jesus in times of distress and in times of thanksgiving; in times of plenty and times of want. Crying out to God means that there is a recognized need in us. St. Augustine once said that there is a “God sized” hole in each person’s heart. Those who cry out to God realize that only God can fill that void. There is a worship song called “I Cry Out”. One of the lyrics reads, “I cry out…for your love to revive us…cry out”. Some of us have given up crying out to Jesus. We don’t even cry out to others. We silently remain in our despair hoping things will get better. For some, it never does. But when we cry out to the Lord, things change. May we decide to cry out to Jesus each and every day.
There is only one way that people can begin to call on the name of the Lord. Paul tells us very clearly in Romans10:14-15 which read, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” The ministry of the word of God is the key to helping people to begin to cry out to Jesus. Seth and his family must have literally preached about God and taught others about faith and worship. Our mission is to teach God’s word until our Bible students can seek after Jesus and begin to call on his name. When they do then they come to know God personally and grow in an intimate relationship with him. The word of God is the seed, and men and women who call on the name of the Lord are the outer fruit.
People whom help others to call on the name of the Lord have a unique quality. They break through barriers to befriend others whom they normally wouldn’t be friends with and minister to them. They are more then just friendly with people. They do more than just quickly hand out a gospel tract. They have a sense of mission in their hearts. They move beyond friendliness to actually plant God’s word along with prayer until the person they serve can begin to call on the name of Lord independently. (That is discipleship.) They also keep going with a hope and a prayer in their hearts that there will be a spiritual awakening in the land. They are a good influence, like salt. Salt permeates through a pot of food until it becomes more flavorful. Jesus says that Christians must be the salt of the earth. (Matt 5:13) This is why our ministry constantly prays that American may be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
If we faithfully teach the word of God, then eventually, those whom we minister to will call on the name of Jesus. I thank God for helping me see this happening in a few students hearts. I can see Steve praying to God and being faithful. I can see Cornel being inspired by nine Bible verses and copying them down on a piece of paper. I can see Joey rejoicing that God is helping him to get rid of some idols in his heart and sharing his epiphanies with is friends on Facebook. I can see Jason loving the word of God and having a hope and a vision to grow as a Bible scholar. I can see DeKalb High School students calling on the name of Jesus every week through FCA. I can see Hope and Sarah calling on the Lord every week at Clinton Rosette Middle School. I can see all of you growing spiritually and calling on the name of the Lord. It is all because of the faithful study of the word of God. May God raise up five Bible teachers among us in this year so the students of NIU, Kishwaukee College and DeKalb can call on the name of Jesus. May God work through us as he worked through Seth and his family.
In chapter 5 we get a glimpse of Seth’s family tree. Seth’s life of faith was an important link in Adam’s line. We can learn several things about Seth through this genealogy. First, Seth’s descendants were part of the solution…Cain’s was not. Both Cain and Seth had an Enoch in their family line. Enoch was Cain’s son. He was a godless megalomaniac like his father. (3:17) Seth’s g-g-grandson was an Enoch also. But this Enoch had faith. He walked with God and was taken away by God to heaven. (5:22) Cain also had a great grandson named Lamech. His Lamech was a boastful, proud and violent man who twisted the word of God for his own benefit. (4:23-24) Seth’s Lamech was a his g-g-g-grandson. This Lamech was the father of Noah. (5:29) He was a hard working, gentle man. Most likely he was a man of faith to nurture and raise such a godly son, as Noah. Here we see two different men and two different influences on their descendants.
Second, Seth left a great legacy of faith. By examining the name list, we see that there are some men of faith. For example Enoch and Noah were godly men whose lives were found worthy of special mention in this genealogy. Enoch walked with God and even experienced a bodily resurrection, and Noah obeyed God by faith and became a source of salvation for mankind.
Third, Seth was a good influence on those who came after him. Though there are only a few verses about him, he is famous. He is known for his spiritual life for thousands of years. People lived by faith because Seth lived by faith. People believed that they can make a difference in their society because Seth believed it. Today, we need to think about the influence of our lives. We need to go beyond our own needs and wants and think about our spiritual legacy. Will our kids and grandkids follow Jesus, like Seth’s decadents did? Will our culture be changed through our life of faith? Let’s take time to think about these matters.
Fourth, the people of great faith, are always a minority. They are never the majority. There is always a remnant. We should not be surprised, nor discouraged about this, feeling like we are the only ones. It is God’s grace that we can be a remnant people of God. The Bible says that many are called and few are chosen. (Matt 22:14) They are the holy stump in the land from which new works of God can sprout. The “remnant of God” have always been used by God to keep the lamp of faith burning in the darkness. Rejoice that we are called to live as a remnant people of faith. Live as God’s remnant. Keep the faith. Live like Seth and be salt of the earth. Preach the word. of God. Minister to others. Dedicate your family to this same task. Then through you, God will do a mighty work and people will begin to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
1. How did Adam and Eve respond to the murder of Able and the loss of their son,
Cain? (25) What does this show about their attitude towards God and life?
2. What did they name their son? What does the name mean? What does this
show about their faith and their relationship with God?
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
3. What kind of man was Seth? (Gen 5:2-3) What does it mean that Seth was made in the
image of Adam? What is the image of God?
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
4. What did Seth name his son? What doe this mean? What was Seth keenly aware of?
(Psalm 39:4-5; James 4:13-15; 2 Cor 4;7) What should be our response to this
revelation? (1 Peter 1:13-15)
5. What happened in the world after Seth started to establish his family? (4:26b) How did this spiritual movement flow counter to the prevailing culture? (Gen 4:23-24) What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
6. What is required for people to begin to call on the name of the Lord? (Ro 10:14-17)
What does teach us about the importance of the ministry of the word of God? (Acts 6:3-
4) How did Jesus reveal this faith? (Luke 9:1-2)
7. What does Seth’s example show about the influence of one man of faith? (5:13) Explain
how Seth and his family were like salt?
8. Think about Samuel and his ministry. What was the spiritual condition of Israel when
Samuel was a young boy? (1 Sam 3:1) How did God reveal himself to Samuel? (1 Sam
3:21) What was Samuel’s attitude towards the word of God? (1 Sam 4:1)
9. Think about King Jehoshaphat. What did he do in his realm? (2 Chron 19:4-10) What
was the result of his ministry of the word of God? (2 Chron 20:4; 13; 27-30) How can the
ministry of the word of God come through you? How can people in your part of the
world begin to call on the name of the Lord?
10. Who were some of the people of faith who were descended from Seth’s line? (Gen 5:24;
Gen 5:28) How can we establish a legacy of faith in this generation?
Genesis 4:25-5:32
Key Verse 4:26 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-13-11
“Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
Today we want to look closely at a little known, but very influential, man of God, named Seth. After the double tragedy of loosing two sons, one to murder and the other to the power of sin, God granted Adam and his wife a third son, Seth. His descendants through Seth were different from the descendants of Cain. Cain's descendants were corrupt and full of violence, but Seth's descendants called on the name of the Lord (4:24). Seth bore the image of his father Adam, and the image of God. The Bible says that when Seth's son Enosh was born, people began to call on the name of the Lord. God used Seth and his family to influence the all the people towards faith in God. His descendants form the slender, unbroken thread of God's life in people. Through such people as Seth, hope is always alive. Through a study of this passage we will see how God works in the world to turn the hearts of the people to him in prayer and worship. We will see the importance of one man of faith. May God also work in our hearts, so that through our lives, people at NIU and DeKalb may call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
At the murder of Abel and the loss of their son, Cain, to his sin, Adam and Eve could have easily given up on God and life. They could stop trying to move forward and building a future for themselves and their people. But they did not succumb to despair. Look at verse 25, “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’” She said, “God has granted me…” They named their son, Seth, which means “granted”. There is no trace of bitterness in her words. Adam and Eve never blamed God for what happened to their kids. They attributed the birth of their child to God’s grace. They did not blame each other either but loved each other and set out to build their family. They continued on their mission from God to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen 1:28) They had hope for a future beyond their pain.
How easy it is for us to give up when we have experienced failure and tragedy in our lives. We end up blaming God and each other for the way things work out. These things make us fall into such a deep sense of despair that we don’t want to try again. How many parents in Adam and Eve’s situation would not want to parent another child? How many, when experiencing failure in college, would never want to study again? How many in ministry, when they have tasted rejection and no outer fruit, even after decades of sacrifice, would just want to close up shop? The majority. There is only a few, who, in the depth of their dungeons of despair have faith enough to look up to heaven to try again, and again and again. It takes faith.
Mother Theresa once wrote poem, that holds a dear place in my heart. It is called, “ Anyway” It was written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, India. It was even written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room. These words express the spirit in which she lived her life. Listen closely… “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” Forgive and be kind and succeed anyway. Be honest and sincere and happy anyway. Create anyway. Do good anyway. Give your best anyway. Such was the atmosphere of the home in which Seth was born and such can be the atmosphere of our own house churches and ministry here at NIU UBF. A positive attitude, full of faith to move ahead despite of anything that has happened or is going on around us.
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
Seth was also a man who grew in the image of God Look at Genesis 5:1b-3, “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them ‘man.’ 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” According to the Law of Syllogism, if A = B and B = C, then A = C. In the same way, since Adam was made in the image of God and had a son in his own image, then Seth also bore the image of God. What does it mean, that Seth was made in Adam’s image, who, in turn was made in the image of God? The image of God is God’s character and personality. God is holy, just, truthful, full of sacrificial and unconditional love, righteous, hopeful, kind, pure, gentle, joyful and powerful. Jesus is the exact reflection of the image of God. (Hebrews 1:3) Seth bore the image of God.
Does that mean that he is perfect? By no means. Seth was still a sinner, born into a fallen world. He was prone to sin and his weaknesses just like another person. But, unlike Cain, Seth bore God’s image. As he engaged in a positive spiritual struggle to do what is right before the eyes of God, he grew in God’s image. He became more holy, more just, more truthful and loving. His was a journey of growth in the image of God. In life we can grow in two ways, we can grow in the image of God or in the image of the devil. It all depends on our personal spiritual struggle to come to God in repentance and faith. Also, have you noticed that when children fix their eyes and a certain adult, they begin to become like that adult? They start to dress like them and talk like them. Likewise, growing in the image of God depends on fixing our eyes on Jesus. It is a life long journey that will not end until we are resurrected and go to heaven. Then we will be like him.
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
Seth was keenly aware about the reality of life in this fallen world. Look at verse 4:26a, “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh…” Enosh, literally means “mortal.” Seth saw people living a long time in the world. How easy it would be for him to think that life in this world as actually as good as it gets…that life in this world is the only thing worth living for. That is what Cain felt. He tried to immortalize himself through building a walled city and naming it after his son. But Seth was not deceived. He remembered God’s word to Adam, “…from dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Gen 3:19b) Seth’s naming of his son reminds us that we are on a pilgrimage. The truth is that we came from God and we are going back to God. While living in this world we learn faith. We learn to love God and love one another. We draw near to Him as we prepare for eternal life.
The Bible teaches us that we must always be aware of the end of our days. King David says in Psalm 39:4-5, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” (2010 NIV) James says in James 4:14b “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” There is a certain disposition to those who know that they are mortal beings. They see the world as it really is, with eternal life on mind. Peter writes about the practicalities of this hope. He says in 1 Peter 1:13-15, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” Seth knew that he while living in this world he needed to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. (Matt 6:33) May God open our spiritual eyes to adopt the world view of Seth.
But nowadays our young people forget that they are mortal. We ignore our seniors and hide them away in nursing homes. They die alone in private rooms in hospitals. They are cremated so that no one can even see a tombstone. Our Hollywood stars spend millions to hide their age with one plastic surgery, and one “insanity workout” after another. Technological advances and media bolster the culture of perpetual youth. People, who forget they are mortal, spend their whole hearts trying to living a better life in this world, rather that living for the Kingdom of Heaven. I personally thank God for my nursing job. Through it, I am always confronted with end of life issues each time I go to work. I can keep the proper perspective and understand that we are mortal and that we must engage in a holy pilgrimage.
The fact that he named his son, Enosh, after a spiritual epiphany, revealed that Seth had spiritual priorities. Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch. Cain was living for his glory and the glory of his son. Seth had a son and named him after an eternal, spiritual truth. Seth lived his life for the glory of God and wanted the same for his children.
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
After Seth was married and started to have children, something wonderful happened among the populace. Let’s read 4:26b, “…At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Somehow, because of Seth’s family’s influence, people began to call on the name of the Lord. The prevailing culture was influenced by Cain and his descendents. It was filled with violence, pride and misuse of the word of God. (Gen 4:23-24) The spiritual awakening occurred at this most improbable time. The revival, brought about through Seth’s family, flowed counter to the prevailing godless culture. Any work of God, in any generation, will flow counter to the majority culture in which is resides.
Nowadays, our young people are falling away from Jesus at 4-5 times the historical rate. (Dr. John Armstrong 2010) People are thinking that Christian life is all about doing acts of charity only. Calling on the name of the Lord does not seem to be a goal. We think that the current of the prevailing godless culture is to too strong to swim against. But we can see that through the influence of one family of faith, our young people in America can begin to call on the name of the Lord, even in today’s context!
What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Well, for one, it means to pray to God. We call out to Jesus in times of distress and in times of thanksgiving; in times of plenty and times of want. Crying out to God means that there is a recognized need in us. St. Augustine once said that there is a “God sized” hole in each person’s heart. Those who cry out to God realize that only God can fill that void. There is a worship song called “I Cry Out”. One of the lyrics reads, “I cry out…for your love to revive us…cry out”. Some of us have given up crying out to Jesus. We don’t even cry out to others. We silently remain in our despair hoping things will get better. For some, it never does. But when we cry out to the Lord, things change. May we decide to cry out to Jesus each and every day.
There is only one way that people can begin to call on the name of the Lord. Paul tells us very clearly in Romans10:14-15 which read, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” The ministry of the word of God is the key to helping people to begin to cry out to Jesus. Seth and his family must have literally preached about God and taught others about faith and worship. Our mission is to teach God’s word until our Bible students can seek after Jesus and begin to call on his name. When they do then they come to know God personally and grow in an intimate relationship with him. The word of God is the seed, and men and women who call on the name of the Lord are the outer fruit.
People whom help others to call on the name of the Lord have a unique quality. They break through barriers to befriend others whom they normally wouldn’t be friends with and minister to them. They are more then just friendly with people. They do more than just quickly hand out a gospel tract. They have a sense of mission in their hearts. They move beyond friendliness to actually plant God’s word along with prayer until the person they serve can begin to call on the name of Lord independently. (That is discipleship.) They also keep going with a hope and a prayer in their hearts that there will be a spiritual awakening in the land. They are a good influence, like salt. Salt permeates through a pot of food until it becomes more flavorful. Jesus says that Christians must be the salt of the earth. (Matt 5:13) This is why our ministry constantly prays that American may be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
If we faithfully teach the word of God, then eventually, those whom we minister to will call on the name of Jesus. I thank God for helping me see this happening in a few students hearts. I can see Steve praying to God and being faithful. I can see Cornel being inspired by nine Bible verses and copying them down on a piece of paper. I can see Joey rejoicing that God is helping him to get rid of some idols in his heart and sharing his epiphanies with is friends on Facebook. I can see Jason loving the word of God and having a hope and a vision to grow as a Bible scholar. I can see DeKalb High School students calling on the name of Jesus every week through FCA. I can see Hope and Sarah calling on the Lord every week at Clinton Rosette Middle School. I can see all of you growing spiritually and calling on the name of the Lord. It is all because of the faithful study of the word of God. May God raise up five Bible teachers among us in this year so the students of NIU, Kishwaukee College and DeKalb can call on the name of Jesus. May God work through us as he worked through Seth and his family.
In chapter 5 we get a glimpse of Seth’s family tree. Seth’s life of faith was an important link in Adam’s line. We can learn several things about Seth through this genealogy. First, Seth’s descendants were part of the solution…Cain’s was not. Both Cain and Seth had an Enoch in their family line. Enoch was Cain’s son. He was a godless megalomaniac like his father. (3:17) Seth’s g-g-grandson was an Enoch also. But this Enoch had faith. He walked with God and was taken away by God to heaven. (5:22) Cain also had a great grandson named Lamech. His Lamech was a boastful, proud and violent man who twisted the word of God for his own benefit. (4:23-24) Seth’s Lamech was a his g-g-g-grandson. This Lamech was the father of Noah. (5:29) He was a hard working, gentle man. Most likely he was a man of faith to nurture and raise such a godly son, as Noah. Here we see two different men and two different influences on their descendants.
Second, Seth left a great legacy of faith. By examining the name list, we see that there are some men of faith. For example Enoch and Noah were godly men whose lives were found worthy of special mention in this genealogy. Enoch walked with God and even experienced a bodily resurrection, and Noah obeyed God by faith and became a source of salvation for mankind.
Third, Seth was a good influence on those who came after him. Though there are only a few verses about him, he is famous. He is known for his spiritual life for thousands of years. People lived by faith because Seth lived by faith. People believed that they can make a difference in their society because Seth believed it. Today, we need to think about the influence of our lives. We need to go beyond our own needs and wants and think about our spiritual legacy. Will our kids and grandkids follow Jesus, like Seth’s decadents did? Will our culture be changed through our life of faith? Let’s take time to think about these matters.
Fourth, the people of great faith, are always a minority. They are never the majority. There is always a remnant. We should not be surprised, nor discouraged about this, feeling like we are the only ones. It is God’s grace that we can be a remnant people of God. The Bible says that many are called and few are chosen. (Matt 22:14) They are the holy stump in the land from which new works of God can sprout. The “remnant of God” have always been used by God to keep the lamp of faith burning in the darkness. Rejoice that we are called to live as a remnant people of faith. Live as God’s remnant. Keep the faith. Live like Seth and be salt of the earth. Preach the word. of God. Minister to others. Dedicate your family to this same task. Then through you, God will do a mighty work and people will begin to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
1. How did Adam and Eve respond to the murder of Able and the loss of their son,
Cain? (25) What does this show about their attitude towards God and life?
2. What did they name their son? What does the name mean? What does this
show about their faith and their relationship with God?
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
3. What kind of man was Seth? (Gen 5:2-3) What does it mean that Seth was made in the
image of Adam? What is the image of God?
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
4. What did Seth name his son? What doe this mean? What was Seth keenly aware of?
(Psalm 39:4-5; James 4:13-15; 2 Cor 4;7) What should be our response to this
revelation? (1 Peter 1:13-15)
5. What happened in the world after Seth started to establish his family? (4:26b) How did this spiritual movement flow counter to the prevailing culture? (Gen 4:23-24) What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
6. What is required for people to begin to call on the name of the Lord? (Ro 10:14-17)
What does teach us about the importance of the ministry of the word of God? (Acts 6:3-
4) How did Jesus reveal this faith? (Luke 9:1-2)
7. What does Seth’s example show about the influence of one man of faith? (5:13) Explain
how Seth and his family were like salt?
8. Think about Samuel and his ministry. What was the spiritual condition of Israel when
Samuel was a young boy? (1 Sam 3:1) How did God reveal himself to Samuel? (1 Sam
3:21) What was Samuel’s attitude towards the word of God? (1 Sam 4:1)
9. Think about King Jehoshaphat. What did he do in his realm? (2 Chron 19:4-10) What
was the result of his ministry of the word of God? (2 Chron 20:4; 13; 27-30) How can the
ministry of the word of God come through you? How can people in your part of the
world begin to call on the name of the Lord?
10. Who were some of the people of faith who were descended from Seth’s line? (Gen 5:24;
Gen 5:28) How can we establish a legacy of faith in this generation?
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