INTRODUCTION OF SARAI

February 11-13, 2019

Genesis Chapters 12-23

INTRODUCTION OF SARAI/SARAH

Wife/Sister of Abram/Abraham

Son & Daughter of TERAH

***Note Genesis 20:12 for more explanation about Sarah being Abraham’s sister

The first significant woman following the flood is simply introduced as 

“Abram’s wife was named SARAI…

Sarai was unable to conceive, she did not have a child.”

Background info:  (More information is in the previous post.)

TERAH was from the lineage of SHEM.  He was 70 years old when he fathered ABRAM, NAHOR, and HARAN.  His native land was in Ur of the Chaldeans.  After his son, HARAN died, he took his son, ABRAM, grandson LOT (Haran’s son), and his son ABRAM’s wife, SARAI and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.  But when they came to Haran, they settled there.  TERAH lived 205 years and died in Haran.

            

Point #1 ~  The LORD speaks to ABRAM and tells him to leave his land, relatives and father’s household and go to a land that He will show him.  He is 75 years old.

The LORD promises ABRAM that He will make him into a great nation; He will bless him, and makes his name great; he will be a blessing; He will bless those who bless him and He will curse those who mistreat him; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through him.

 

Point #2 ~ ABRAM, husband of SARAI, we know will become a great man of FAITH; however, his journey to that was made up of trials and errors.  It becomes apparent that he has an ego problem that will endanger his wife, Sarai; and he has his own self-centered idea about The Lord's instructions and promise.

Mistake #1 ~ ABRAM does not follow directions about who and what he was to leave behind, and brought “trouble” with him.

Mistake #2 ~ When he got to the land The Lord told him to go to and that HE said was to be his and his offspring, ABRAM’s eyes and curiosity caused him to slowly venture away from the land of Canaan and “he went down to Egypt to stay there for a while to avoid a famine in the land!

Mistake #3 ~ ABRAM had a beautiful wife that he cherished…as long as it didn’t threaten his well-being.  Listen to his reasoning:

He said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are.  When the Egyptians see you, they will, say, ‘This is his wife.’  They will kill me but let you live.  Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”  

to be continued...

2nd FEMALE NAMES RECORDED SINCE EVE

February 8, 2019

Genesis Chapter 11

2^nd FEMALE NAMES RECORDED

SINCE EVE

SARAI ~ Wife of Abram

MILCAH ~ Wife of Nahor,

Daughter of Haran

ISCAH ~ Daughter of Haran

These ladies are connected to the Family of TERAH

TERAH had 3 Sons: 

ABRAM ~ married to SARAI

NAHOR ~ married to MILCAH, daughter of Haran

HARAN ~ His wife is not mentioned.

He has 1 son, LOT and

2 daughters:  MILCAH & ISCAH

He dies in Ur before God calls ABRAM.

We don’t hear any more about ISCAH, but we will

hear a lot more about SARAI and MILCAH will

be back in the picture a bit later…so keep reading!

FIRST FEMALES RECORDED AFTER EVE

February 7, 2019

“Genesis Chapters 4-7”

FIRST FEMALE NAMES RECORDED

AFTER EVE ~  ADAH, ZILLAH, NAAMAH

Genesis 4:19-24

    It is interesting where we find the first women names following Eve’s.  Cain has murdered his brother Abel and been banished from the land of Eden to the land of Nod east of Eden.

        Cain’s lineage begins and he has a grandson down the line whose name is Lamech; and Lamech took two wives for himself, one named ADAH and the other named ZILLAH.

What we learn from these ladies is that they were the mothers of nomadic herdsmen; 

the father of all who play the lyre and the flute and the maker of all kinds of bronze and iron tools…

and, Zillah also had a daughter named NAAMAH.

Their story ends with Lamech telling them to make sure he is avenged for killing a young man for striking and wounding him.  

This would make him the 2^nd murderer since Creation!

 <<<>>>

We don’t have any more female names recorded until the Flood and Noah.  I find it amazing that the entire population of the earth is destroyed except for Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives; and these 4 women are to begin the re-population of the earth and they are never given names!!!

 However, because I think they deserve recognition I have named them:  

MRS. NOAH, MRS. SHEM, MRS. HAM and MRS. JAPHETH…

…We salute you for giving life to the ends of the world!

FIRST WOMAN ~ EVE

FIRST WOMAN ~ EVE

Genesis 2-3

“⁷ Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”  (Do go and read both chapters for all the wonderful details.)

<<<<<<<>>>>>>> 

Adam was made from DUST – soil, the ground.  

Everything else was made out of nothing but God’s imagination that spoke it all into being.

Adam was made from what was already made, but he did not live until the BREATHE OF GOD breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life prepared for him beforehand

Every animal had a mate, but Adam had none...and God said it was not good for man to be alone (incomplete.)

God did not made Adam’s mate the same as he did Adam…He made his mate out of him!

God does first surgery and puts Adam into a deep sleep; removes one of his ribs; and closes him back up. Adam shed some of his own blood to get his bride!

God took a part of Adam that was already living with blood cells in it and fashioned it and breathed into her the spirit of life prepared for her beforehand…

God performed the First Marriage 

God brought her to Adam as a Special Gift for a Special Person to complete him and be an equal to help him…not to serve him – to be as one…like two sides of a knife that make ONE blade!

A Helper is one who helps to do what you can’t do by yourself!  That is true of husband and wife…and it is true of us and The Holy Spirit.  He is our Helper to do what we can’t do by ourselves.  

Notice that Adam and Eve were naked, but had no shame…until sin, and then they were ashamed of their nakedness and covered themselves.

God sacrificed the first animal and shed its blood to make clothing to cover their sinfulness!

Adam named the animals…and he named his wife, EVE

 because she was the mother of all the living.

She would be partner with God in giving life!

 WOW!

NOTE:  I am studying the women God has recorded in His Word to see why we were created so magnificently in His Image and from His Heart.  He created us as His crowning glory and we need to embrace His Purpose to find true Delight!

WOMAN

DELIGHT...NOT DUTY!

ALLYSON’S SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH

SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2013

She wants me to teach about “Prayer being a Delight, not a Duty”!  She learned this at Nana’s Camp.  Her S.S. class has made this their motto.

Her S.S. Teacher, Caleb emailed me their lesson that is on Nehemiah building the walls to Jerusalem.  It is to be a character study.  I’ve asked the Lord to show me how to incorporate the two themes…and to have a visual aid to reinforce and remember.

This was my teaching outline:

BEGIN WITH PRAYER ~ wear red covering

Read Chapter one of Nehemiah and see the primary character of his life was prayer. 

Chapter 2:1-6  note prayer

Chapter 4:4-6; 9; 15; 20 note prayer

Wall completed in 52 days…they celebrate to the Lord…

Chapter 8 Ezra reads the Word of God and the people’s hearts are broken and they weep and repent, then Nehemiah says in verse 10 to rejoice…

Chapter 9 confession of sins; repentance and prayer.

Their memory verse is Isaiah 41:10

  So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

New Testament version:  Hebrews 13:5-6

For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   

So that we may boldly say:

   “The Lord is my helper;
   I will not fear what man
   shall do unto me.”

Point out Nehemiah’s relationship with God…and the evidence.

Our relationship with God and the evidence.

How was God with Nehemiah and Isaiah in the Old Testament?

How is God with us today?

Relationship produces confidence in God!

How did God speak in Nehemiah’s day?

How does God speak today?

Visual Aid and Remembrance:  According to today’s memory verse, God says He will hold us with His righteous right hand!  If He is using His right hand to hold our hand; which hand of ours is He holding?  The left! 

Before medical science discovered how the circulatory system functioned, people believed that a vein of blood ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. Because of the hand-heart connection, they chose to call this the vein of love. Based upon this name, their contemporaries, purported experts in the field of matrimonial etiquette, wrote that it would only be fitting that the wedding ring be worn on this finger. By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other.

My point isn’t about the wedding ring but about the left hand.  In Isaiah 41:10 and Hebrews 13:6 The Lord says not to fear because He will be our Helper.  What is a helper?  One who helps me to do what I can’t do by myself. 

Illustrate using hand without thumb.  The thumb is vital to the hand.  Something else interesting about the thumb…No one else in the whole world has my thumb or your thumb.  It identifies who we are…and God etched it especially on each one of us.  We are you-nique!  One of a kind.  And, made with purpose!  And equipped with the power of God by His Spirit to live out our purpose to His glory.

But The Holy Spirit only works by our asking…this would be prayer!  As we delight in spending time talking to Him and reading His Word, He will give us direction and more…the desires of our heart.

So, I have the idea to remind us to delight in Him in prayer and witness by painting my left thumb white to designate the Presence of the Holy Spirit of God…my Helper…and delight in Him!

GIFTS OF GOD

“We have received…the spirit which is of God;

 that we might know the things

 that are freely given to us of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:12

HE MUST BE LORD!

“We have received…the Spirit of God” ~ He must be Lord!  We have received as a result of believing Jesus is our Redeemer,  having paid our sin debt.

Not…we have read or heard about Jesus and what He has done and know/believe it in my mind.   That is just the beginning!  We MUST turn from our sinful life which He paid our debt for; and…receive our new righteous life of The Spirit of God living in ME!

“so that, we may know.” ~ so that we may know He IS Real and what He did is Real and that we really know we are a new creation with ALL things new!

We have been freed from SIN so that we can freely receive ALL the gifts God has for our new life!  This is called GRACE!  Grace is receiving something we don’t deserve and do nothing to receive it!  These are NEW gifts we’ve NEVER known before! 

Here’s a few listed in Galatians 5:

LOVE

JOY

PEACE

PATIENCE

KINDNESS

GOODNESS

FAITHFULNESS *in word and deed

GENTLENESS

SELF CONTROL

(*It also lists all the things that are replaced and put to death because of the Blood of Jesus paid for them.)

IMMORALITY

IMPURITY

SENSUALITY

IDOLATRY

SORCERY *Drugs & magical potions

ENMITIES

STRIFE

JEALOUSY

OUTBURSTS OF ANGER

DISPUTES

DISSENSIONS

FACTIONS

ENVYING

DRUNKENNESS

CAROUSING

AND THINGS LIKE THESE

(Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.)

Lord, I know that You have lavishly given everything and  especially the Greatest Gift of Your Spirit.  Every day is a another gift and new opportunity for the delight of walking and working with You.  I am so blessed – help me to give them back to You.

WITHOUT GOD...I AM NOTHING!

“Being justified freely by His grace.”

Romans 3:24

Without God, I am destitute…I am NOTHING!

John 15:5

We cannot earn or win anything from GOD…we MUST receive it as a Gift or do without it!

Nothing in my hands I bring;

Solely to the Cross I cling…

Freely ~ it is a gift of Love & Grace, unmerited!

“…Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh;

And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

John 3:5-6

WOW!

“The gift of the essential nature of God is made effectual in us by the Holy Spirit, He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, which puts “the beyond” within, and immediately “the beyond” has come within, it rises up to “the above,” and we are lifted into the domain where Jesus lives.”  ~Oswald Chambers

“My Kingdom is not of this world…it is within you.”

John 18:36; Luke 17:21

“…and raised us up with Him, and sealed us with Him

in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:6

2017 

Lord, how slow I am to grasp the reality and full blessing of knowing You.  I desire to experience the full joy of all the benefits of Your Holy Spirit within me, and raising me up to the heavenly places where You are…interceding for me.

I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened so that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of Your Power toward us who believe...brought about in Christ when He was raised from the dead and seated at the Right Hand of The Father.

2018

Wow Lord!  I am blown away at the Reality of YOU living in me!  That which was beyond me attaining; and lifted me up to where You are, and covers me in Your grace and undeserving Love.  Be glorified!