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February 23, Sunday
Reading A54 — Genesis 12 — Beautiful Sarai Audio: Genesis 12 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Yahweh Said, So Abram Went — Abraham was plowing new ground in relationship to God, one that was personal and filled with promises. In the previous chapter of Genesis, when Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans with his family, there is no stated indication of God’s leadership, although it was said that they intended “to go into the land of Canaan” (11:31), and later, God said, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans” (15:7). God was behind it all because He had an evangelistic plan for descendants of Abram, through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (12:3). Sometimes God leads people directly and sometimes indirectly. It then became more direct for Abram when God said, “Go from your country … to the land that I will show you … and I will bless you” (vv. 1-2). Perhaps because Canaan was Terah’s original destination, Abram headed in that direction in immediate obedience (“So Abram went as the LORD had told him”—v. 4). It was a great but vague promise. That sounds a bit like the heaven Paul later promised: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). There is so much in this life and the next that God has planned but not revealed to us. Some of it is vague, but we must keep going with the light that God gives us. We will all be ultimately and infinitely blessed. God promised.
February 24 Monday
Reading A55 — Genesis 13-14 — The Rescue of Lot Audio: Genesis 13-14 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Generosity Begets Gratitude — We start today to combine some shorter chapters together in order to finish reading through the Bible in a three-year period. In chapters 13-14, we see the generosity of Abram as he allowed his rather selfish nephew, Lot, to claim the well-watered Jordan valley for his flocks (13:10). In response, God rewarded Abram with the vast land of Canaan for his descendants (13:15). In gratitude and worship, Abram built a second altar to Yahweh at the oaks of Mamre (13:18; cf. 12:8). Notice the significant sequence here of generosity, blessing, gratitude, and worship. When we are generous toward others, God provides a way to bless us so that we see His hand and respond in gratitude and praise to Him. God blessed Abram in a second way when he helped him, with only 318 men (14:14), to conquer the combined armies of four kings who captured Lot. After that victory, Abram received another blessing from God as expressed through the priest-king Melchizedek: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” (14:19-20).
February 25, Tuesday
Reading A56 — Genesis 15-16 — Substitute Wife, Wild Son Audio: Genesis 15-16 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Believing and Manipulating — God had already promised Abram that from him would come “a great nation” (12:2), and in a vision in today’s reading, the promise was that Abram’s “reward shall be very great” (15:1). This brought Abram back to the first promise, as he reminded God, “I continue childless … [and] you have given me no offspring” (vv. 2-3). After his confusion, God added that His promise applied through Abram’s own son (v. 4), and that those descendants would be slaves for 400 years (v. 13) and would eventually occupy the Promised Land (vv. 16, 18). Abram “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (v. 6; also quoted 4 times in the NT). Although he knew that he would never see the fulfilment of all the promise, he still believed. That is what faith is all about. It is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Then, the impatient and manipulating Sarai complicated the picture with the introduction of Hagar as a substitute wife that she thought might fulfill God’s promise to Abram. God then made a promise to Hagar through “the angel of the LORD” (16:7), who was probably the pre-incarnate Christ because she later said that it was “the LORD who spoke to her” (v. 13). We also sometimes try to manipulate circumstances to “help” God do what we think He should be doing for us. It always works out better if we just believe and wait.
February 26, Wednesday——————-ACCOUNTABILITY TIME!
Reading A57 — Genesis 17 — The Covenant of Circumcision Audio: Genesis 17 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Signs of the Covenant — After seeing the brief mention of the Abrahamic covenant in 15:18, there are 13 references to the covenant in chapter 17. The first aspect of the covenant referred to in this chapter concerns the multiplication of the descendants of Abram. A partial sign of that covenant was the change of Abram’s name (meaning, “exalted father”) to Abraham (meaning, “the father of a multitude of nations”—17:5). The second aspect of the covenant had to do with the promised “land of Canaan, for an everlasting covenant” (v. 8; cf. 15:18). The second, and more significantly featured sign of the covenant, was that of circumcision: “This is my covenant, which you shall keep … Every male among you shall be circumcised” (17:10). Fourteen years earlier, God had promised that a son would be born to begin the fulfillment of the covenant, but now He provided the additional information that the promised son was not Ishmael but Isaac, who was to be born to Sarah. Abraham responded with laughter because it sounded so impossible. This covenant was an unfolding promise to God’s chosen people who were given land as “an everlasting possession” (v. 8) and circumcision as the sign of “an everlasting covenant” (v. 13). Almost 1,500 years after establishing that covenant, God promised a new covenant through Jeremiah, saying, “the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jer. 31:31). That promise was fulfilled a little over 600 years later at the Last Supper when Jesus created a new sign for that new covenant and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).
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February 27, Thursday—————ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER
Reading A58 — Genesis 18 — Bargaining for Sodom Audio: Genesis 18 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Divine Encounters — We read yesterday that God promised the birth of Isaac “at this time next year” (17:21), which parallels, or is closely followed by, today’s repeated promise of Sarah’s newborn son “about this time next year” (18:14). As Abraham had laughed to himself about the possibility (17:17), so did Sarah (18:12). This supernatural visit to Abraham is described this way: “the LORD appeared to him” (18:1). It was a sudden and miraculous appearance as shown by the expression, “and behold … standing in front of him…” (v. 2). Abraham recognized at least one of them to be divine when he bowed down and called Him, “Lord” (v. 3), using, for the first time in the OT, a Hebrew word here (adón) that often refers to deity. The divine name, Yahweh (“the LORD”), was also used 11 times in this chapter in connection with these visitors. Abraham showed these special visitors great respect and generous hospitality. They demonstrated their supernatural ability by knowing the name of Abraham’s wife, Sarah (v. 9), knowing and predicting that Sarah would give birth to a son (v. 10), and knowing not only that “Sarah laughed to herself,” but also what she said privately (v. 12). Because of the threat of Sodom being destroyed, and with concern for Lot’s safety, Abraham bargained with God to save the city for only 10 righteous inhabitants. Although God probably won’t visit us today in the form of a man, we often see evidence of His “hand,” working in our lives and circumstances to show His love and power.
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February 28, Friday——————ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY
Reading A59 — Genesis 19 — Destruction of Sodom Audio: Genesis 19 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Mercy and Judgment — It becomes clear in this chapter that the two “men” who accompanied “the LORD” in their visit to Abraham, were really angels (v. 1). Their purpose for going to Sodom was an act of mercy to rescue Lot and his family from the wrath of God’s judgment because of the sin of that city. As Abraham had shown honor, concern, and hospitality toward the three visitors, Lot also acted in kindness toward these two disguised angels. We should also “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2). The reason for God’s intent to destroy Sodom was clearly because of the widespread homosexual practices and abuses of the men of the city. Just like today, these men resisted any criticism of their lifestyle, calling Lot a self-chosen judge (Gen. 19:9). The two angels rescued Lot first by pulling him into the house (v. 10), and later, by pulling him and his daughters out of the city (v. 16). Although Lot was not righteous in many ways, God rescued him in mercy, mostly because of Abraham’s righteousness: “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow” (v. 29). Additional unrighteousness is seen in the incestual plan of Lot’s two daughters to become pregnant by their drugged father, which resulted in the beginning of Israel’s longtime enemies, the Moabites and Ammonites (v. 38).
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March 1, Saturday
Reading A60 — Genesis 20 — Sarah Protected from Abimelech Audio: Genesis 20 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Rebuking Believers — God’s direct action in protecting Sarah in this chapter is very strong. Abraham repeated his deceptive claim that Sarah was his sister, revealing here that it was a half-truth because they had different mothers (v. 12). The Lord intervened, however, when “God came to Abimelech in a dream” (v. 3). God uses different ways to accomplish His purposes. He was also active in preventing Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah that first night, saying, “it was I who kept you from sinning against me” (v. 6). How? Did he forget about her? Did he have a headache? God used some means to keep them apart. It is interesting that in a single verse, although Abraham said that “God caused me to wander from my father’s house” (v. 13), God didn’t prevent him from lying about his relationship with Sarah. Abraham sinned out of his own selfish purposes and lack of trust of God. He doesn’t do for us what He has given us the ability to do for ourselves. It is also interesting that, although Abraham thought that “There is no fear of God at all in this place” (v. 11), it was the king of these assumed ungodly people who rebuked Abraham, saying, “You have done to me things that ought not to be done” (v. 9). Shame on us Christians who are rightly rebuked by those who watch our actions! Rather, we should follow Jesus’ instruction to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
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