PM Jan 8th Gen 19

January 8^th Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed

1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2: And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3: And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4: But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6: And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7: And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8: Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9: And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10: But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11: And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15: And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16: And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18: And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21: And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22: Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23: The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24: Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25: And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27: And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 28: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29: And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

Incest in Lot’s family

30: And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31: And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 32: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 33: And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34: And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our Father. 35: And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36: Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37: And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38: And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Genesis 20 Abraham & Abimelech

1: And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2: And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. 4: But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5: Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6: And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7: Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. 8: Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9: Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10: And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11: And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. 12: And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13: And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. 14: And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15: And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16: And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17: So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18: For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

In today’s Bible reading we have three incidents all of them are sad. First we have the judgment of God on Sodom and Gomorrah. Then we will read of sin in Lot’s family and lastly we see judgment averted on Abimelech. First we see that the two angels arrive at Sodom. Previously Lot had pitched his tent toward Sodom but mow he sits ‘in the gate’. This phrase indicates he is a judge or magistrate. The men of Sodom were glad of Lot’s judgment. He was a righteous man. When he saw the men coming he pleaded with them to stay at his house. (He has left off living in a tent) They initially refused but afterward consented and sat down to a meal of unleavened bread. However the men of the city surrounded the place demanding to take the men to rape them. Lot shut the door behind him and pleaded with them to not do this wicked thing. Then Lot offered his two virgin daughters to satisfy their lust. They said stand aside, you came to live with us and you insist on being judge over us now we will have you instead and they pushed forward to take Lot and they tried to break down the door. The angels pulled Lot into the house and shut the door and then they blinded all the men who were outside so that they couldn’t find the door. The men asked Lot to collect his family because the Lord was going to destroy the city. These angels were sent specifically to destroy the city. To his sons in law he seemed to be joking. When the daylight broke the angels told Lot to take his wife and his married daughters and their husbands and children and his virgin daughters and to leave. Possibly 10 altogether. Because they lingered unwilling to go the angels took them by the hand and pulled them along. When they were outside the city they said escape for you life and do not look behind you. Escape to the mountain lest you are destroyed. Lot pleaded with the angels because he was afraid of the mountains. He asked to go to a little city nearby and they relented. The city is on the east of the valley and called Zoar to this day. As soon as the sun shone on the valley the family arrived at Zoar. And it the moment fire and brimstone fell from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah and all the people perished. However Lots wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. When Abraham woke early to meet the Lord he looked toward the cities and saw the smoke rising from the whole valley. Both Lot and Abraham saw the destruction of the cities of the plain but from either side of the valley. Abraham on the west and Lot on the east. Perhaps they never met again. God remembered the prayer of Abraham and saved Lot. God got Lot out of Sodom but he could not get Lot’s wife into safety and he could not get Sodom out of Lots virgin daughters. Lot eventually overcame his fear of the mountains and left Zoar and he took his virgin daughters with him. He was afraid to live at Zoar and he lived in a cave. Next we have the sad incident of the incest of Lot’s virgin daughters which they committed against him. They turned to strong drunk to overcome him. After this great wickedness both his daughters were pregnant and had sons. One was called Moab and the other Benammi (the father of the Ammonites). These two men led tribes that were a snare to Israel all their days. These tribes lived on the east of the dead sea valley. Abraham left the area and journeyed south. It was on the plain between Gaza and Beersheba on the road to Egypt. Again Abraham took the ploy of calling Sarah his sister. The king of Gerar Abimelech took Sarah with the prospect of being his wife but God stepped in and spoke to Abimelech in a dream saying you are a dead man! because the woman to have belongs to another. Abimelech had not touched her yet and he pleaded with God will you slay a righteous man? he said l have done what l understood to be right, Abraham did not give me all of the information. The Lord said yes l know you are a honest man and that is why l kept her from you. But if you do not give her back to Abraham you will die. The king rose early and told his servants what had happened and Abraham was called. The king demanded of Abraham why he had brought this great sin into his kingdom. Abraham said l did not know whether you feared God and so l told you Sarah was my sister in case you killed me to have her. And it is true she is my fathers daughter but not my mothers daughter. She is my half sister. Abimelech gave great riches to Abraham servants and herds and he gave his Sarah. Then Abimelech said all the land is available live wherever you please. Abraham prayed unto the Lord and the Lord healed Abimelech and his wife and family and they bare children. God has cursed them with barrenness.

• What was Sodom like and what was Lot like?
• Why did the angels go to Sodom?
• What happened in the life of Lots family?

AM Jan 8th Matt 6

January 8^th Matthew 6 Almsgiving in secret

1: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3: But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Prayer

5: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8: Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11: Give us this day our daily bread. 12: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16: Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17: But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18: That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Christ is very concerned that the works of righteous of the Jews are not performed for the praise of men, because this distracts the giver from the motive of benevolence to the motive of pride and thus spoils a good work. The same is true of prayer. So often the public prayers of Israel degenerated into ‘show prayers’ which say - look at me! Christ takes the Jewish Kaddish and adds to it a personal section expressing our need of Gods intervention. However the prayer remains firmly rooted in Judaism and its focus is on the coming kingdom. Lastly Christ speaks about the Jewish custom of fasting and again the emphasis is on fasting before God rather than before men. The reward that the Jew seeks is only given to those whose minds are pure.

• What was the main mistake that the Scribes and Pharisees made about their law in this passage?
• How does Christ correct their thinking?
• What are your thoughts on the Lords prayer?

PM Jan 7th Gen 15

January 7^th Genesis 15 The Covenant with Abram

1: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2: And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3: And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4: And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7: And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8: And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9: And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10: And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11: And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12: And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17: And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20: And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21: And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Today we read of the Covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. Then after this the Lord appeared to Abram again in a vision (this is a waking dream). The Lord says to Abram do not be afraid. I will protect you and l will be all the reward you will ever need. Abram replied, what could you give me? The only thing l want is a child! He says, is my heir Eliezer of Damascus? (Abram’s trusted servant) Then the Lord said, he will not be your heir, your heir will be your own child. Then the Lord said, took at the stars l will make you children as many as the stars of heaven. Abram believed what God had said, and God credited to Abram righteous for his faith. Then the Lord gave Abram instructions as to how to make an offering of a 3yr old heifer and a 3yr old nanny, and a dove and a young pigeon. They were all killed and divided into two - apart from the birds. When the carrion came to eat the flesh Abram drove them away. In the evening a very deep sleep fell on Abram and he had a dream and a great horror of darkness came on him. Then the Lord brought to Abram a prophecy of his descendants. They would be strangers in a foreign the land and they would be slaves and afflicted for 400 hundred years. Then the Lord would judge that nation (Egypt) and they would come out with great riches. The Lord told Abram that he would die at a good old age but after the forth generation they would return to Canaan (Because the sin of the Amorities was not at its height yet) When it was dark, a burning flame passed between the pieces of the sacrifice (A sign of its acceptance) On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram saying that the whole of the promised land would belong to Abraham. From the Nile to the Euphrates. This promise has never been fulfilled yet.

• What are the promises that the Lord makes to Abram?
• How does Abram almost complain about his childlessness?
• How does the Lord answer his point?

AM Jan 7th Matt 5

January 7^th Salt & Light

13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The Law

17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25: Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26: Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Adultery

27: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30: And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Divorce

31: It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Oath’s

33: Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37: But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Retaliation

38: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40: And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41: And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Love your enemy

43: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47: And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Because Christ is addressing Israel he can talk about salt being worthless and thrown out to be trodden under the foot of men. (Christ could never say this about any christian. christians are never castaway) In AD70 When the Romans marched into Jerusalem and 1,100,000 Jews were killed, then they knew what Christ meant by being thrown out – only to be trodden under the foot of men. Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles but if their light is hidden then darkness falls on the whole world. So Christ says do not let your candle be covered by the kitchen grain bowl but let the light shine out to all in the house, so that they might see the light and glorify God. Next Christ says that he has not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but he has come to fulfil them and not one bit of OT will pass away until Christ has fulfilled all prophecy. Christ states clearly that those who keep the Mosaic Law will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. In this sermon Christ exposes the shallowness of the rabbinical theology. They believe that sin is only sin in the act, but Christ says no, sin is sin when the sinner decides to sin in his heart and before the act. And so the standard of righteousness of the Mosaic Law extends to the inner man and especially his motives. The Lord then goes on to explain the significance of this principle - in murder and hatred, adultery and lust, touching and lusting, false accusations for the purpose of fulfilling lust, oaths and swearing and in fair judgment and compulsion.

• What do you think that Christ is trying to teach in this famous sermon?
• Why does Jesus keep going on about the Law of Moses?
• What was the mistake that the Scribes and Pharisees made and how does Christ correct it?

PM Jan 6th Gen 14

January 6^th Genesis 14 Abram rescues Lot

1: And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2: That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3: All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. 4: Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5: And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6: And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7: And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. 8: And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9: With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10: And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11: And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12: And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13: And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. 14: And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15: And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16: And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Melchizedek meets Abram

17: And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. 18: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19: And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21: And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22: And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23: That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

In todays Bible reading we have the rescue of Lot by Abram and the intervention of Melchizedek. The first incident, of the rescue of Lot is something that should have taught Abram and Lot that there was something seriously wrong with Lot living at Sodom. What happened is that a war broke out between four kings on one side and four kings on the other side. Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer and Tidal fought against Bera, Birsha, Shinab and Shemeber. It is difficult to determine exactly how all these battles went. There were alliances and oppressions, battles and counter battles. Later the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela engaged in battle in the vale of Siddim; with Chedorlaomer, Tidal, Amraphel, Arioch. It was four kings against five. The battle went bad for kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their cohesion broke down and many died there and their forces fled to the mountains. Sodom and Gomorrah were sacked and they took captives including Abram's nephew. When Abram heard the bad news of Lots capture he raised his own trained men of war and went out to battle. It was a force of 318. They routed the army and chased them far into the north and then he attacked at night from two directions and chased them again as far as Damascus. Abram recovered all the goods but more important be rescued Lot and all the women. All of this hassle was due to Lot living in Sodom and this was due to the excessive herds and that was due to the excursion into Egypt. How much trouble comes into a mans life from one act of doubt in God provision. On Abram’s return, the king of Sodom went to meet him to give him gifts of thanks, but then a remarkable event occurs. Suddenly Melchizedek (Priest/king of Salem) appears with bread and wine. He blesses Abram and blesses Abram’s God. Abram gave to Melchisedec a tenth of everything he had. Then when the King of Sodom appears he says give me the people and keep the booty, but Abram says no take everything. I do not want even a shoe lace from you. I never want it to be said that the king of Sodom had made Abram rich. (This is what happened in Egypt! Abram is learning)

• Describe the Military expedition of Abram.
• Who was Melchizedek and what happened when he met Abram?
• What happened when Abram met the king of Sodom?

AM Jan 6th Matt 5

January 6^th Christ calls four fishermen

18: And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20: And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22: And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Christ’s mission in Galilee

23: And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24: And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25: And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Matthew 5 The Beatitudes

1: And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7: Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The next major thing in the ministry of Christ is to call disciples to follow him. He finds two brothers, Andrew and Simon Peter casting a net into waters of Galilee. He simply says, follow me and l will teach you to catch men. Notice he takes the initiative and he promises to teach them. And he tells them clearly what his objective will be. Then going on further he finds James and John. They leave their father to follow him. Jesus takes them with him a goes through all the synagogues of Galilee teaching, preaching and healing. He teaches the true meaning of the Law, he preaches the good news that the kingdom is coming and he reverses the physical effects of unfaithfulness to the Mosaic covenant. The fame of Christ spreads like wild fire through out all Syria and the people came searching for him. None were disappointed. The fame of Christ extended from north to south and east to west. Christ at the height of his popularity teaches the people in an open air meeting on a hillside. In this passage Matthew records the most sublime things that Christ ever taught. He is not giving Christian ethics or church truth, but he is describing the blessing of God that comes to those who are touched by the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Christ. It is the complete opposite of what the world and the scribes would say. Gods blessing is on the poor in spirit because they will possess the kingdom of heaven. Then Christ says the blessing of God is on those who will mourn (in spiritual bereavement) because one day they will re-united with the LORD. The blessing of God rests on those who are meek. (that is they are gentle and restrained in their dealings with hurting people) because they will become heirs of the very earth upon which the messianic kingdom will be built. Christ says the blessing of God rests on those who long for righteous living according to the law of God which will be written on their hearts. They will be filled with the Holy Spirit to enable them to live righteously according to the New Covenant. Christ says the blessing of God will rest on those who show mercy and through this act of righteousness will find mercy. The blessing of God will rest on those whose minds are pure, because they will see the King of kings seated in glory. (Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart etc, etc.) The blessing of God will rest on those who make peace between brethren because they will be called ‘the children of God’. Lastly Christ says the blessing of God will rest on those who persecuted because they are righteous before God. They will possess the Kingdom of heaven. Christ says the blessing of God will rest on all those of you who are reviled, persecuted and slandered because of Christ. In that day, they are to rejoice and be exceedingly glad because their reward will be very great. And they are in great company, they are in the company of all those who prophets who were persecuted before them.

• Why did Jesus call these fishermen to follow him?
• What did Jesus preach in the synagogues of Galilee?
• Make a list of the Beatitudes and then your your thoughts about each one?

PM Jan 5th Gen 11

January 5^th Genesis 11 The Tower of Babel

1: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2: And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3: And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4: And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5: And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6: And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7: Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Shem’s Genealogy

10: These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11: And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12: And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13: And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14: And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15: And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16: And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18: And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19: And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20: And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21: And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22: And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23: And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24: And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25: And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26: And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Terah’s Genealogy

27: Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28: And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29: And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30: But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31: And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32: And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12 E. Abraham Abram Called by God

1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4: So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5: And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6: And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9: And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Abram in Egypt

10: And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11: And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13: Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14: And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15: The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16: And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17: And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18: And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19: Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20: And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Genesis 13 Abram and Lot separate

1: And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2: And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3: And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4: Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5: And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6: And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7: And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the anaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9: Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12: Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13: But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Abram goes to Hebron

14: And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16: And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17: Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18: Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

In today’s Bible reading we have the close of the first half of Genesis. Already we have seen the Creation, the fall, and the flood. The next crisis is the Tower of Babel. Then later we will see the genealogy of Shem and Terah. This will introduce the second half of Genesis which begins with the life of Abraham followed by Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. The first thing Moses points out is that the whole earth was speaking one language and it was with one dialect. The next thing we notice is that there is a mass movement of men from the Promised Land to the east and the area of Iraq. They found a plain in the land of Shinar and they lived there. This is what we might call a one world political system. The next thing we see is another mass movement to build a tower made of brick. (God always builds in stone but men build out of inferior mud bricks) The tower is a religious edifice and it points to the stars. The third thing we find is that they say let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered. This again was a mass movement and its aim was a culture that was in contra-distinction to the name of God. This was an attempt by men to unify themselves in such a way that puts God out of their lives. Then we are told that the LORD came down to see the city and the tower. (This was probably a Christophany ). The LORD saw that men were united and that nothing would be able to stop the plans of men, and as men are sinners this could involve huge abominations such that God might need to destroy men again. The men were united religiously, politically and culturally. They had the potential to have Priests, Kings and Prophets and all united against God. the LORD stepped into human history and divided them. Right from the beginning God had been dividing and now he divides the tribes and families into nations. They found that working together was impossible and so the city was not completed. The tower was called Babel after the babbling of the languages that were heard there. In the future the Antichrist will seek to build this city again but God will destroy it again in one hour. The people were scattered to every continent. Next Moses records the fifth division of Genesis by saying ‘These are the generations of’ - Shem. Shem was 100 yrs old when he had Arphaxad and this was two years after the flood. (This is one of the most remarkable time clues of scripture. It not only pin points the year but gives as a time check on the flood as 2348 BC.) Then Moses continues to give very accurate details of the sons and dates of his family. The genealogy comes right down to Terah the father of Abram (Later called Abraham) Next a new section begins with the words ‘these are the generations of’ – Terah. Terah had three sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran had a son that he named Lot. Haran died young – before his own father. Terah lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Abram took Sarai as his wife. And she was barren. (There are seven barren women in the Bible.) The family of Terah started on a westward journey to the Promised Land, but we find that it was Abram’s vision that started the journey. The next four paragraphs describe the first four events in the life of Abram. First we have Abram’s call. Then we have the digression of Abram into Egypt and of the consequences when they returned. Then we find that Abram sorts himself out and builds another altar to the LORD. (Abram builds four altars) In Ur the LORD appeared to Abram, telling him to get out of his country and from him family and from his father’s house and to go into a land that the LORD would show him. The Lord promised to make him a Great nation and that he would bless him. He also promised that he would bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them. Abraham was obedient yet his family came with him and they seemed to be a hindrance because when his father was very old they stayed at Haran. When his father died they took up the journey again and came into Canaan. Then the LORD appeared to him again and promised that he would give Abram all the land that he could see. Faith had become sight. Abraham build an altar to the LORD. Then he moved to Bethel. Then he built another altar to the LORD and he called on the name of the LORD. Abram continued his journey and didn’t stop until he reached Egypt. (There was a famine in the land) God always tests faith. When they came near to Egypt Abram said to Sarai, Tell everyone that you are my sister. He was afraid because Sarai was very beautiful. This was half true but it was not the whole truth. We must tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The princes liked the look of Sarai so she was taken to the King of Egypt. The king gave Abram a great deal of flocks, donkeys and camels but the LORD sent a plague to Pharaoh. Pharaoh knew what had gone wrong so he called Abram and asked him why he had kept back part of the truth. And Abram replied he was afraid. This was the whole truth. Abram left but he carried with him the seeds of his exit crisis. (Lot had got a taste for the cities and they left with too much livestock!) We are told that Abram was very rich, in cattle, silver and gold. Eventually he arrived at exactly the place where he had set out. He had been restored to the LORD and he called on the name of the LORD. Then a problem occurred. Its one thing to be restored to the Lord but the consequences sometimes carry on afterwards. The small area of land where they stopped was not big enough for all the herds and livestock that they has accumulated. Now there was no difficulty between Abraham and Lot but thee was between the herdsmen. Abraham spoke to Lot and suggested that they part company. It does not seem to have occurred to them to get rid of some of the livestock. Abram gave Lot first choice instead of taking the lead and Lot choose the plain near Sodom and Gomorrah. The area was very lush like Eden and Egypt. Lot chose Jordan and so they parted company. Abram lived in Canaan. But the men of Sodom were very great sinners before the LORD. Lot was moving into danger. Abram had allowed Lot to put himself in danger morally and later militarily. When they parted the LORD appeared to Abram again telling him that all he could see north, south, east and west would be his. Yet he never personally possessed any land while he lived apart from the grave of his wife. The Lord promised that it would be his and his seed forever. The LORD also promised that his seed would be as numerous as the grains of sand on the earth. Then the Lord told him to get up and explore the land. Abraham moved to Hebron and built another altar to the LORD.

• What was mankind trying to do by building at Babel?
• How did God respond to the Building of Babel?
• Two years after the death of Noah Abram was born, What did God call Abram to do?