Day 37/365 Bible in a Year

After reading Genesis 20-23 today, I came to realize just how much sleep I DIDN'T get last night. I am sorry to let you guys all down again, but I am almost passing out as I type.. and as you are reading I am most likely asleep  or in the process of getting there. Ha ha! Today I learned that I need to trust God with everything that I am. Yes, I already knew this, but how often is it that we take the things that we learn for granted. For instance, I took this piece of information for granted which made me not do it because I think in my head, "God will be there anyway, whether I do what He intends me to do or not. He will be there when I am done sinning to forgive me." We have ALL done it. And for those of you thinking, "whatever, I would NEVER do that!" you are lying. You've done it before at least once, and if you haven't you will very soon. It's human nature to take what is given to us for granted. Am I right? Yes, I am. Well in my reading I was awoken from this day dream I've been living in. FOR REAL!

Chapter 20

Abraham lies to Abimelech and tells him that Sarah is his sister and that he is her brother. Lie. He LIED to Abimelech which was for the good of them both, supposedly. Abraham thought when he came to Gerar that everyone there was a sinner and didn't know who God was so if they all knew that Sarah was his wife they would surely kill Abraham and take his wife for themselves. Right? Not so. King Abimelech calls for Sarah to come to his palace. They fall asleep, but they didn't do anything, no sex, no touchy-touchy, no NOTHING! While Abimelech is sleeping God tells him what's going on so Abimelech wakes up and take Sarah back so he and his people won't get punished for anything thought to have been wrong. He give Abraham cattle, sheep, goats, servants, his wife back, a piece of land to live on, AND 1000 silver pieces. (That BTW is enough silver to buy 10 nicely sized pieces of land.) They pray and the problems between them are fixed.

Chapter 21

Remember that baby boy that God promised Abraham and Sarah He would give them in Abraham's old age? Well, his name is Isaac and Abraham was 100 good years old when he was born. After Isaac was weaned they all celebrated, then Hagar and Ishmael (old servant of theirs and Abraham's son, not Sarah's son) show up and begin making fun of Isaac. Sarah orders Abraham to make them leave, which hurts him because Ishmael is his son. God tells his that it's okay and that Ishmael will be the father of a nation. He gives Hagar a can of water and send her and Ishmael to the desert where they are supposed to wonder. They run out of water and Hagar sets the kid down and walks a hundred yards away and starts crying because she doesn't want Ishmael to die in front of her eyes. They are both crying and an angel of the Lord calls to Hagar and shows her a well, she gets water, gives it to her son and they live. :D Our God is so magnificent! Abraham also makes a covenant with Abimelech that he will never lie to any of his descendants ever again.

Chapter 22

One day God calls Abraham to do something no father could ever imagine doing to his son. But you know what? It wasn't anything God wouldn't do. God gave His Son for us to live...if His Son had lived, we would all have died. Abraham was called to sacrifice his son to God. Before you freak out and say WHAT?! Keep reading.

Human sacrifice was what the pagans did and Abraham was NOT pagan, but God called him to do this. It was a step of faith... trust in God. Keep reading.

They leave to go to the mountains of Moriah where God told Abraham to take his son. They get there and leave the servants behind and tell them they will be right back...then there is this conversation that makes me cry EVERYTIME I read it guys... Genesis 22:7-8... Absolutely beautiful. Abraham trusts God to give a lamb for sacrifice. They reach their destination and Abraham ties his son up, probably full of agony for what he is about to do and God sees that he trusted Him with EVERYTHING...and sends an angel to say "Abraham, ... Abraham..." And just before Abraham kills his son the angel stops him and tells him that the Lord has seen his heart and provides a ram for sacrifice. BEAUTIFUL. Right? So the father and son sacrifice the ram together and leave.

Chapter 23

Sarah..loving Sarah...dies. Abraham cries and mourns her death and goes into the town and asks for a place to bury her.. There is a man there who sells him his piece of land for his family to have a burial there. he man could sell the land for 200 silver pieces... what it is worth, but instead tells Abraham it's free, but Abrahama resists and says he'll pay, but again the guy insist it be free, Abraham again denied and says he'll even pay full price (200 silver pieces) but the man says okay. 400 shekels for the land (400 silver pieces) which is twice the price. Abraham pays it. 

The deal with this barter is that merchant even today use this technique. The land was 200 shekels. They insist it be free, but if  you take them up the first time it is insulting. The second times, insulting, the third time they double the price if you resist still which means they want to sell it for 200 still, even though they offer it for 400. The technique is that the customer will think he or she is bartering when they say "200 shekels? 400 is too much for my pocket book.." They get it for 200 shekels because that is the price. But Abraham was mourning so that he didn't care. He didn't even try to barter. Poor baby. I kinda wished I was there for him, ya know? He buries his wife and mourns more.. 

And that's where it left off at...

TRUST GOD!!

Prayer requests? Comment them below or email them to me at livin4christ0129@yahoo.com!!

 

God bless!