Genesis 24 - Marriage then and today

A couple of notes from the sermon for tomorrow:

Genesis 24:1

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.

How old was Abraham?

· This takes place three years after Sarah’s death (Genesis 23) and Abraham is now 140 years old.

· That would make Isaac 40 years old.

Genesis 24:2

He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh.

Why “under the thigh?” 

· This practice is a type of covenant or promise made with physical contact – much like we would shake hands.  So why the thigh?  Some say that this is because it is close to the area of procreation and Abraham was asking Eliezer to help his son in the area of picking a wife and in turn, creating a family (furthering the line toward the Savior).

Genesis 24 - The Sixth Commandment. Honoring God's gift of sex

In our series on the Ten Commandments we are at the sixth (thou shalt not commit adultery - or to put it in more modern day parlance: "sex is a big deal to God, He invented it and He can help you use it correctly so that you don't get burned and leave a trail of brokenness in your life.")

The passage we are using for the main message is from Genesis 24 where Abraham has his Property Manager take a 500 mile trip to find a wife for his son Isaac.

here is one clip from the text:

Genesis 24:¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. ²¹ Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka^[c] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.

So my question to you is, "What is a beka?  How much gold would that be and roughly what would it be worth?

Here's a hint:  at that time they weighed out silver and gold on scales with small round stones as the counterweight.

Psalm 31

Starting the day with God thoughts - here are two very positive ones from Psalm 31:

verse 7  I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul.

to be "glad" in the Love that flows from Heaven's King to me, to you, to all.

If we are not "glad" and able to rejoice, then our focus is often more on the negative events that encircle our life.  We can be glad and rejoice because God's love is at the center of our existence and troubles float in the periphery.  If we are glum, sad, despairing, then we have left God's love somewhere on the periphery of our minds and let troubles take center stage.

Lord, Bless us to see your love as constant and enticing and intriguing and fulfilling.  Let us strive to see you better and better.  Kneel down to us so we can see you face to face in your Word - Your Holy Word.

Verses 23-24  

Love the Lord, all his faithful people!

    The Lord preserves those who are true [trust] to him,
    but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.

The Lord is at work preserving those who know they can't make it without Him.

Preserve us, Lord!

thank you for being our strength.  Thank you for giving us a stronghold in which to hide.

Amen.

Where is the treasure?

What is your precious possession?  How long can you hold onto it?  Is it a family member, a job, a jewel, a gold or silver coin from your Uncle?  Jesus makes no bones about holding onto a good and lasting treasure:

Matthew 6:21

New International Version (NIV)

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Lord let me find my treasure in the beauty of you.
Amen.

Body . . . How is yours?

Gary Player has some great comments on Americans and our obesity issue.  So does God.  1 Corinthians 3 and 6 encourages us to look at our bodies as a special place: the place where God lives.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple? God’s Spirit lives in you. 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. God’s temple is holy. And you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you. You have received him from God. You do not belong to yourselves. 20 Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God.



Here is the link to Gary's article on health and fitness:
Gary Player blasts American physical health

Rest - Sabbath . . . and Psalm 23

Morning to you all.  when i started writing this today it was morning (11:59) but it may be afternoon before I finish.  Yesterday was a glum start but things picked up.  I can attribute that to several things:  God's Word, giving thanks (raises endorphins - natural high), seeing God's purpose for me - why He created me and the uniqueness of me, exercise always has a way of chasing away stress, and my dear wife to come home to.

Today's study is on Psalm 23 - but I'm also trying to put together a sermon on REST, the SAbbath day commandment.  So the following might fit that theme also.  Let's see where we ramble.

Psalm 23 - The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

• The LORD - that's God's name.  Some pronounce is "Jehovah,"  some say "Yahweh"
• My - personal and connected.  He is not Only someone else's God and Lord and Shepherd; He is MINE!  He has committed to that - and I love it.
• SHepherd - taking me, His rather ignorant and arrogant and obnoxious sheep, and gently leading me.
• I shall not want - so why do I find myself "wanting"?  do I forget that He is shepherding me and leading me and do I rather, want to lead myself and assume that I know what is better for myself?  Probably.

Lord Jesus, the human and divine embodiment of YAHWEH, don't let me escape your shepherding.  I know looking back how much I neeeeeeeeed you.  Help me on these good days to not take your peace and satisfaction for granted.  Give me a steadfast heart that searches your Word and gets closer to you.

AMEN.

the Prodigal _________ Luke 15:11

This is a very interesting article that makes me, a life-long Christian, think.  In the prodigal story, I'm the oldest son (or sometimes the straying younger son) who is indignant about having "done all the right things."  Maybe I'm the real hang-up when it comes to the younger sons coming back to Jesus.

Bread for Beggars blog

here is the book that the article/blog refers to:  The Prodigal God.  by Tim Keller

well worth checking out.

blessings,

Al

PSALM 100 verses 4 and 5 . . . one other thought.

another thought on the commandment about the name of the Lord . . .

to take up God's name for "nothingness" would be like taking a stick of dynamite and sticking it in your back pocket or carelessly tossing it around your living room, letting your kids play with it, setting it next to the stove, tossing it in a campfire.  You miss out on the amazing potential and power of that stick of dynamite and it could literally hurt or kill you.

we wouldn't do that with dynamite - why would we do that with the Name of the LORD which has the power, REAL Dynamite power, to save?!?

Lift up Jesus' real powerful name in thanks, praise and conversation with Him.  . . . and be real about what you are going through: the temptations, the frustrations, the hurts, the worries, the joys and pleasures.

be blessed,

Al

Travelling closer to God, to Jesus. . . . . . . . . . PSALM 100: 4-5

This weekend I got to speak on the second commandment, "do not lift up the name of the LORD your God for nothingness."  That is the Hebrew translation.  It means that we are not to misuse the name of the Lord, "use it or lift it up for nothingness."  Nothingness would be to curse, swear, take the name of the LORD lightly, to just say it without meaning it, etc.

So to use the Name of the LORD - Jesus - for "somethingness" would be to call on Him in trouble, talk to Him in confession, ask Him for blessings in our life, or to simply talk to Him as a friend, a Savior, a Redeemer.  They there is the aspect of calling on the name of the LORD for Thanks and Praise.  

I confess that these have often caused me to be squeemish because they seemed so . . . innocuous, harmless, without energy, etc.  But Psalm 100 and some other truths about thanksgiving and praise have turned my understanding around.

Psalm 100:4-5

New International Version (NIV)

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thanks and praise DO something to us.  Thanksgiving actually activates endorphins to be released into your brain - a sort of natural high.  Praise may have similar changes.  Here is what the Psalm speaks about.  When you give thanks, it brings you to the gate, the entryway of God's presence.  When you give praise (applause, celebrating all that God is) it brings you into His actual presence.  

That definitely has the power to change our mindset.  If we are grumpy, tense, worrying - we have the opportunity to turn our mood around because in His presence, all things can take on a different flavor.

I like this new insight on verses 4 and 5 of Psalm 100 because He is forever Good - He can't help it.  that is His nature.

Blessings,
Al