About the Reading:
The first thing we read about is the birth of Ishmael, Abram’s child with one of Sarai’s slave-girls. It showed how Sarai’s feelings changed towards Hagar once she was pregnant as well as how Hagar responded. God basically says that Ishmael will be an outcast, “living his life in defiance of all his kinsmen.”
We then hear of God renaming Abram to Abraham as He will make him the father of many and many nations. We are also introduced to circumcision and God’s instruction that all males are to be circumcised as a mark as a covenant to God.
God also renames Sarai to Sarah. He promises that Sarah will bear a son. In response to this, Abraham laughs while offering God Ishmael in place of a son that Sarah may have. He promises Abraham that Ishmael will, too, be blessed with many children as will Isaac (the future son to Abraham and Sarah).
We also learn of Sarah’s doubt of bearing a child when God appears to them explaining that she will have a child by this time next year. God reprimands them saying, “Nothing is impossible for Yahweh. I shall come back to you at the same time next year and Sarah will have a son.”
A bit later in Chapter 18, we find Abraham interceding for Sodom convincing God to not destroy the city. He finds a very philosophical argument to talk God out of destroying the city.
We quickly learn that the city of Sodom will be destroyed because of the people in it. God, honoring Abraham, makes sure that Lot and his family are sent to safety before destroying the city. Lot, his wife and two daughters are to go to the next city and not look back. Lot’s wife does not heed the warning and looks back, thus turning her into a pillar of salt.
It is explained where the Moabites and Ammonites begin their heritage through Lot and his daughters.
Lastly, today, we learn about the travels once again of Abraham and how he and Sarah told the king that they were sibling, and not that she was his wife. This again brings trouble from God and Sarah is returned. God spares the king as he did not touch Sarah and Abraham intercedes for the king for God to give him children.
My Thoughts and Notes:
When I first began reading today’s assignment I first thought, “I recall reading this before, but it never really stuck with me.” Then I began to realize that, although Abram was such a true follower of God, he still did not fully trust. In yesterday’s reading we read (Genesis 15:4):
The Yahweh’s word came to him in reply, ‘Such a one will not be your heir; no, your heir will be the issue of your won body.’
In other words, God promised that he would father his own child. I guess, one could argue, that God hadn’t said that he would father a child through Sarai, however I wonder about Abram’s thinking. Did his faith in God’s word falter, or did he really think that God had wanted him to find a way to father a child?
We do learn that both Abram (now Abraham) and Sarai (now Sarah) have doubts about God’s promise of bearing a child. Abraham laughs when God tells him that he will have a child through Sarah.
Sarah herself laughs when she hears God, Himself, say that within a year’s time she will have a child. After all, she has been well past the childbearing age. I can understand their hesitancy. She then has the audacity to lie to God by denying that she laughed. God was simple in his response (18:15)
Sarah said, ‘I did not laugh,’ lying because she was afraid. But he replied, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
As a preschool teacher, I come across this quite a bit. I like to think that I see it a bit like Him. Usually a child “lies” when they think they are in trouble. It’s a defense mechanism in our brains. Sarah had the same response. When a child tells me, “I didn’t hit him!” with that wide-eyed look, I can say I respond the same as God, “Yes, you did hit him.” It’s that simple. Often times, when faced with someone lying to us, the best response is the simple truth.
I find Genesis 18:16-33 very intriguing. God allows Himself to be talked out of destroying the city of Sodom. Well, does God really “allow” Himself to be talked out of it? I don’t think so. I know that God knows all and knew that Abraham would debate the point. In my opinion, this was a lesson from God to Abraham. It’s a lesson to all of us. At what number to we say a person shouldn’t be saved from destruction?
It’s a tough question to answer. Do we bomb a city because it is the home of terrorist who are training to destroy us when we know that there is just one person there who is not a terrorist?
When we get to the origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites, I struggle. I struggle for many reasons, mainly being that it is not made clear that this turned out badly…until you know the history of these two places in which the nations of Moab and Ammon fought for centuries with Israel. I mean, I know what the daughters did was completely wrong, but I don’t find it made clear until I look at the information.
Today’s reading was an interesting one for me with all the history and information, yet I didn’t find much that really stood out to me.
How about you? Did anything stand out for you? What did you learn?
I love reading the story of Abram and Sarai, they were so dedicated to God and so faithful, but at the same time, so human. They couldn't see how they could have a son, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. The custom of that time was that if a woman was barren, she would give her hand-maiden to her husband, and when the hand-maiden gave birth, she would do it sitting on the wife's lap, and the child would become the wife's. This is what Sarai proposed to Abram. This, however, wasn't God's plan. How many times have we (I) done the same thing. God says that He will do thus and so, and I can't see how that could ever possible happen, so I take matters into my own hands, usually making them worse.
ReplyDeleteLater, when the Lord again told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, they both laughed. I can relate to that. I think I would laugh if someone (even God) told me I would have a baby now. As old as I am, and never having had a baby, it would just seem a little ridiculous. I think that is why I love Abraham and Sarah so much. They are so human in how they react to things, yet they are so faithful at the same time. The same with Abraham telling another King that Sarah is his sister (then justifying it because 'technically' she is). Again I think that Sarah must have been one beautiful woman, if men were still pursuing her at 90 years old!
I once had a preacher that made the comment that if God doesn't come soon, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. I cannot imagine how wicked these towns must have been for God to destroy them. Yes, Abraham kept asking God not to destroy the cities if 50, 45, 40, 30 20, 10 righteous souls could be found. Unfortunately, they could not be found. Lot and his family were spared, not because of their righteousness, but because of Abraham. Ever wonder if God has spared you some disaster because of your parents, grandmother, aunt, or someone who has spent hours praying for you?