Walking in their shoes...communicating with God

I have been reading along with you all but this is my first post. Each time I read Genesis (or any part of the Bible for that matter), I feel like I can see things in a new light. There is always so much more to learn and think about. While reading up to chapter 31 I see how much information there is on family dynamics and I can't help but think about what it would feel like to be Sarah, Rebekkah, Leah, Dinah, or any one. I think it would have been tough.
There are some people that one could consider role models (i.e. Abraham with regards to his faith). But there is also so much sin (jealousy within families) and it registers that they are all human just like us.

One major difference that strikes me and you may say "duh" to is the way communicating with God is described. For example, 31:10-13 Jacob described his dream where God spoke to him...31:29 God says to Laban, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' I know that this continues throughout the Old Testament. I can't help thinking about how it must have felt to hear God's voice or have dreams directing specific messages. Wow! Frightening and exciting at the same, I imagine. The Bible, prayer, and praise are our communication tools now. Are these means of communicating with God that much different? Does it matter?

One more thought on this: Our method of communicating with God now requires actions from us. He doesn't appear in dreams or have an audible voice. We open the Bible and read it. We go to Church. We sing aloud. Actually the list can go on and on when you think about it. Actions displaying our faith facilitate communication. I love the passage, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8 If I were living back in that day, cultural differences aside, or if all else was the same except for how I communicated with God, would I live my life differently? I guess what I'm saying is, 1) is God less tangible now? 2) If so, how does that influence how I live my life as a Christian? 3) Is He really less tangible or is that just a silly excuse?

Thanks. Please let me know if I said anything incorrectly. I'm new to this format of Bible study and don't want to say anything in error or with the wrong tone.

Seeking God's Counsel

Today's sermon made me think of our reading this week when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. Before the servant entered the city (Genesis 24:10-21) he spoke to the Lord and asked for him to show love to his master, Abraham so he might choose the right wife. Before he finished speaking Rebekah was approaching the spring and the events following allowed the servant to find a wife for Isaac.

Verse 21 tells us that the servant gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. Even though all of the events that had just happened were identical to his request, he still waited to confirm that this was the wife for Isaac.

Today we learned that the Israelites took the Gibeonites at face value and did not seek counsel from the Lord (Joshua 9:14). As a result, the Israelites were tricked into a covenant that God did not want and they had to live with the consequences.

Abraham's servant sought out God's counsel and he answered his request. Let's remember to include God in our daily decisions.

Abraham and Issac

I'm struck by the fact that God can ask people to do things that are difficult, seemingly without purpose, and, from our perspective, wrong.  God asking Abraham to sacrifice Issac was all of those things. Would I be willing to do to my son what Abraham was willing to do to Issac? I certainly get choked up even thinking about it.  But then I say to myself, "What choice would I have?"  I cannot accept rejecting God completely.  So, the only alternative is to do what He says and trust Him.

While we may not have to sacrifice our sons, there are plenty of things that God requires of us that are hard.  There are plenty of unanswered question in our lives.  There are plenty of things that don't make sense to me.  In all these things, though, the truth remains that God is real. He loves us.  He has told us what he expects through His Word.  And, as long as those truths stand, we just have to press forward often into the unknown, trusting in Him.  There isn't an alternative. Perhaps that a grim perspective, but it may be the only one when you're asked to do something as hard as sacrificing your son.

Abraham's Assumptions

Abraham seemed to be pushing his luck when he kept requesting the Lord to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a good reminder that God’s ways are higher than our ways and that he knows infinitely more than we do. The Lord said “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Abraham then made an assumption that there were 50 righteous people in those cities and based on that assumption he thought the Lord should and would spare those cities because they had at least 50 righteous people.

His assumption was obviously wrong as there were not 50 righteous people, there were not even 10 righteous. This fact had to surprise Abraham. Abraham's assumptions got him nowhere and didn’t change the outcome of what happened. He should have simply left the decision up to the Lord. The Lord knew exactly how many righteous folks there were in Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham didn’t need to bring his questions to the Lord.

There is a lot we can learn from Abraham’s encounter with the Lord. The main point is that we should not make assumptions when it comes to what the Lord says. For example, if Jesus Christ says the only way to the Father is through him then that is the only way. We don’t need to think to ourselves or ask others or the Lord “what about this” or “yes, but what if that happened.” The secret things belong to God and he says what he means and means what he says. We must trust in him. Our prayer lives should not be composed of telling God what he needs to do and when.

Trust and Obey

When God told Noah to build the ark He gave specific instructions. “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood...This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits...Make it with lower, second, and third decks.” Gen 6:14-16

In v22 we see that Noah followed the instructions, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” That must have taken a tremendous amount of faith and trust in the Lord, because building an ark isn't something you can do in a week or even a month. I'm sure the people around him thought he was crazy and they probably let him know it. Of course Noah was right to trust God as he and his family were the only people saved when the flood came.

As we're living our lives we have the freedom to do anything, but we need to make sure we're paying attention to God's commands for us in the Bible and following His instructions so we, like Noah, can be saved.

Cush?

Does anyone know if Ham's son Cush (Genesis 10:6) is the link to the Cushite family mentioned that Moses (Numbers 12:1) marries into?

Troy - I'm thinking this would be a perfect Bible Trivia question for you! It could read something like this..."Which of Noah's sons did Moses later marry into?"

Read a good biography?

Since we have been blessed with Todd's job it has been so tempting to rejoice by boasting. It made me think about the autobiography genre; many people enjoy sharing in someone else's triumphs and failures by reading about them. What does it say about the person who writes one? Often famous people or people we would consider important, how do we decide who that is? The Bible is God's biography. The only opportunity He took in writing to share His miracles and His plan. God destroyed the earth and provided for its rebirth through one family in just over a year! Certainly something to boast about! What strikes me is that He choose over the span of eternity to produce only one book. John talks about the many miracles not recorded for us. We can really learn something from God about self-importance! My faith increases by reading about the miracles that God has worked and reflecting on the blessings He has given me.

Wisely, God has other ways to share His biography - through us, through ME. I am inspired to think and pray much more about how people are reading my life. Am I the living biography I should/could be?

Land of Nod?

In Genesis 4 Cain kills his brother Abel and becomes a wanderer and a fugitive. "Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the Land of Nod, east of Eden" (v16) where he apparently got married.

Any thoughts on who these people in Nod were?

Before the world began, God had a great plan!

A few years back I had the opportunity to teach the baby class with Jennifer at church. For nine weeks our curriculum repeated Genesis 1. We would begin each class singing "Before the world began, God had a great plan...Jesus was the plan for man." From there we would lead into the story of creation and all of the wonderful things God created for man to enjoy. Finishing up with our responsibility to God. I'm not saying that the 1's & 2's comprehended how the story all fits together, but the beauty of seeing young ones making connections to the world around them and God (the creator) was extremely rewarding. This was a good reminder to take the time and appreciate every little thing...even the creepy crawly things...that come from God. God is so good!

New Year

I am excited about the oppurtunity to read the Old Testement all the way through this year. The new year is a great time to commit to bible reading, prayer, and thinking about spirtual things.

Amazing

The creation account is pretty straight forward. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Gen 1:3

It almost sounds simple. I've heard/read the story of creation many times and sometimes I think I gloss over it without appreciating the magnitude. When I stop to think about the complexity of His creation (a gazillion species of wildlife, mountains, oceans, sun, moon, the human body, etc) it's mind boggling. God created everything from nothing in six days and today - thousands of years later - people are still learning new things about His design. Amazing.

Starting the year off right

We got our yearly Bible reading schedule at church today and this year's theme is Old Testament history - definitely something I could learn more about. Kendra and I decided that we'd like to make the reading more interactive and share it with friends both locally and around the world. I can now say that since Tracey is in South Africa and Vanessa and Chris are in Guam. :)

The reading schedule is on the right sidebar. You're invited to read along with us and post your thoughts. We look forward to studying with y'all!