Tag: Genesis 12

Patterns through Generations

The large trunks sat untouched in the attic for years, gathering dust in a dark corner. Sometimes one of my boys or their cousins would ask if they could rummage inside them on a rainy day. And although my mom was usually a pushover for her grandkids’ requests, the answer about opening the trunks was always the same: No. She didn’t have an interest in being reminded of her painful childhood. 

Recently my brothers opened those trunks and found a treasure trove of old photos and other mementos dating back over 100 years. Among our favorite finds were dozens of pictures of our mom’s mother—the grandmother we never had. She contracted tuberculosis when my mom was six and eventually moved to a sanitarium in hopes of recovering there. Because TB is airborne, my grandmother couldn’t hug my mom or even hold her on her lap. They had to remain on opposites sides of the room during her brief, infrequent visits home. Three years later, my grandmother died in the sanitarium at age 32, leaving behind a grieving, young husband and a nine-year-old daughter. For my mom, the trunks were filled with reminders of what could have been.

With the newly discovered photos, we pieced together parts of our grandmother’s life we’d never known. There were pictures of her on high school sports teams, clowning around with friends, on a trip to see relatives in Europe, and on dates with my grandpa at the Jersey shore. This woman who had always been such a mystery came to life for us. She seemed funny, energetic, fashionable, and just a bit mischievous. We were surprised and delighted to discover the many interests we shared with her—sports, travel, friends, and the beach, to name a few.

The generations that go before us pass down their genetic code, but they also lay foundations and patterns in our lives, both good and bad. We often follow in the footsteps of those who have preceded us, whether we mean to or not. We see this regularly in the Bible, where God’s people follow familiar paths from one generation to the next.

Take, Abraham, for example. Before becoming the father of the Israelites, the Lord called him to leave his home and travel to a different land. He was 75 when he obeyed God by taking his wife, nephew, servants, and belongings to make a new start in the land of Canaan (described in Genesis 12).

In the opening session of Finding God Faithful: A Study on the Life of Joseph, author and teacher Kelly Minter paints a picture of Abraham’s life. She describes his faithfulness to the Lord that laid the foundation for his great grandson, Joseph, who is the topic of her study. Minter highlights five key aspects of Abraham’s life that proved to be true in Joseph’s life as well. Abraham’s and Joseph’s obedience led to an outpouring of blessing for their descendants and for the entire world, including us. 

Here are the key points from Kelly Minter’s first video teaching:

1) When God sets you apart it’s an invitation to relationship with Him.

The call of Abram in Genesis 12:3 showed that God intended to use Him to bless the entire world: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This is the beginning of the good news stated in Galatians 3:8-9: “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

2) Being set apart will always be in keeping with God’s grand plan of redemption. Joseph was set apart for the blessing of others. Blessing moves through us to bless others.

3) When God sets you apart for a task, He shoulders the responsibility for its outcome. When we respond with obedience, there’s no limit to what He can do.

4) Being set apart is initiated by God but carried out through our obedience.

5) Neither your history nor heritage has to be unblemished for God to set you apart.

Joseph’s story is one of redemption filled with practical wisdom. Through the lens of his life we’ll examine how to deal with difficult family issues and mend broken relationships. We’ll learn how to choose forgiveness and respond with wisdom amidst unexpected challenges and disappointments. Joseph will show us how to give mercy and kindness to the undeserving. And he’ll reveal how a good God and suffering can co-exist. 

I’m excited to learn how these truths played out in Joseph’s life and to see how I can apply them in mine as well. Join me on this journey and let God’s faithfulness breathe new hope into whatever you’re facing.

Abraham established a foundation of faith that we’re still benefiting from today. Let Pat Barrett’s song “Build My Life” remind you of the importance of building your life on the solid ground of Jesus’ love.

Kelly Minter, Finding God Faithful: A Study on the Life of Joseph, Lifeway Press, 2019.

Connecting the Dots: 1 Peter 3:5-7

I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, but I almost did when I saw this week’s topic in my Bible study. I won’t lie to you, it’s not easy material to swallow and it’s certainly not embraced by mainstream culture today.  Nonetheless, God’s Word contains eternal truth that transcends the many opinions about marriage that have come and gone over the centuries. Here’s what it says:

“This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:5-7, NLT)

Whew! Those are some hard words to read in current times! And right in the middle of the passage, Peter throws in an example from the Old Testament without much explanation. Reviewing the stories of Sarah and Abraham with Peter’s teaching in mind is an eye-opening experience. Rather than being examples of those who did everything “right,” their lives show us the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

We meet Abram and Sarai in Genesis 12 when the LORD calls Abram to leave his father’s household, his people, and his country to go to a new land. (Later in Genesis 17 God changed their names to “Abraham” and “Sarah.”) God promised Abram He would make him into a great nation and would bless all the people of the earth through him. Following God’s invitation, Abram packed up his possessions at the age of 75 and left home to travel to a new land with his wife, Sarai, and their nephew, Lot. Imagine Sarai leaving the only home she’d ever known at age 65. Scripture doesn’t tell us how she felt, only that she went. Abram trusted God and submitted to His will and Sarai followed his lead. She trusted her husband and yielded to him. And this is where their story really begins.

The Good and The Bad

The story continues with Abram and Sarai traveling to Egypt to escape a famine. As they approached the border, Abram said to his wife, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” (Genesis 12:11-13, NLT) Despite being put in a precarious position, Sarai submitted to Abram’s plan. And as Abram predicted, Pharaoh took Sarai into his palace. Here we see the opposite of what Peter tells husbands to do. Abram behaved dishonorably toward his wife, yet she still yielded to his plan.

The good news is that God was looking out for her in a way her husband wasn’t. “The LORD sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 12:17, NLT)  Even though his plan dishonored her, Sarai submitted to her husband. And God stepped in to protect her.

Ironically, a very similar situation occurred later when a different king admired Sarah’s beauty and took her into his harem after Abraham said she was his sister. In Genesis 20 God protected Sarah by revealing Abraham’s deception and preventing King Abimelech from touching her. Once again, she submitted to her husband despite his dishonorable plan. And once again, God came to the rescue.

The Ugly

Sarai is probably best known for her worst mistake. After waiting ten years to conceive the child promised by God, she finally decided to give up and take matters into her own hands: “So Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.’ And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.” (Genesis 16:2, NLT) As much as we want to criticize her for this decision, we’d be hypocrites if we did. How many times do we, as women, decide make things happen OUR way? We love to tell our husbands how to implement our plans, don’t we?  Sarai’s choice not only portrays a lack of submission to her husband, it reveals a lack of trust in God. And with his passive response and willingness to go along with her plan, Abram relinquished his leadership and authority. The results, as you may remember, were disastrous. Ishmael, the child born to Hagar, became a constant source of grief to Sarai. His birth brought animosity into their household that would last for every future generation. And all because Sarah assumed authority where she shouldn’t have. Ouch!

A Good God

Finally, twenty-four years after His original promise, the LORD appeared to speak with Abraham and told him he would have a son by Sarah less than a year later. Eavesdropping nearby, Sarah laughed to herself quietly saying, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Genesis 18:12, NLT) Perhaps referring to him as her “master” here shows she’d learned a lesson from exerting authority over him with the whole Hagar-Ishmael incident.

Scripture goes on to tell us, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.” (Genesis 21:1-2, NLT) So at ages 90 and 100, God fulfilled the promise He made when He first called Abram and Sarai to leave home when they were 65 and 75.

Connecting the Dots

Remember those “dot to dot” pictures we did as kids?  You’d take a page full of tiny black, numbered dots and would draw lines to connect them in numerical order.  At the end, a picture would take shape.  For me, reading the stories of Sarah and Abraham is a little like that. When I read Peter’s words about marital submission, they rub me the wrong way because I’m viewing them from a secular worldview, not a biblical one. However, when I consider examples from Scripture, those dots start to be connected into a clear picture. God designed His creation to function with order.  First and foremost, we submit to Him. Peter explains that we also submit to others such as government authorities and employers, as well as our spouses.  And like a dot to dot picture with the lines connected out of numerical sequence, when we disregard the order of authority God has established, life becomes much messier and more complicated. It’s still a hard passage to embrace, but I trust God more than I trust the constantly changing worldviews that influence each generation and distort ultimate truth.

*Inspired by the Bible study 1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin (Lifeway 2016)