The Blessing of the Jews
Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him. Gen. 12:1,4. The Lord had talked to Adam, Enoch and to Noah in person (face to face). The Lord had also told Abram to leave his comfort zone. Strike out, become a blessing to the world. He said, "You do the walking, I will do the blessing!"
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Gen. 12:3. In any society in which Jews are found one also finds their rules, laws, moral cleanliness and stability. They are probably the most maligned people in the world and yet they are among the greatest assets to any economy.
Of course, in any generalization such as this, there are exceptions. The aforementioned blessings, however, are not all that was included in that promise. Christ, the redeemer of mankind is from the Jewish race, and He is the greatest blessing to all the families of the earth.
Of course, in any generalization such as this, there are exceptions. The aforementioned blessings, however, are not all that was included in that promise. Christ, the redeemer of mankind is from the Jewish race, and He is the greatest blessing to all the families of the earth.
When he was close to entering Egypt (12:11) Abram assumed that Pharaoh was an immoral, wicked man. He expected that Pharaoh would have him killed so that his wife, Sarai, would be an unmarried woman.
As we read the story, though, we find that Pharaoh's moral standards were higher than Abram expected. This story repeats itself, almost to the last detail, in Genesis 20, when Abraham was journeying in Gerar. He just could not believe that a king from another country, or religious background, could be moral enough not to kill him just so that the king could have his wife.
As we read the story, though, we find that Pharaoh's moral standards were higher than Abram expected. This story repeats itself, almost to the last detail, in Genesis 20, when Abraham was journeying in Gerar. He just could not believe that a king from another country, or religious background, could be moral enough not to kill him just so that the king could have his wife.
Lot in Ninivah
Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. Gen. 13:12. After Lot and his people had settled down and become very comfortable in Sodom, it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, ... (that he) made war with Bera king of Sodom. Gen. 14:1-2.
We saw in the last post that Amraphel is believed, by some scholars, to be Nimrod, king of Shinar, great-grandson of Noah. Now, if all the people that inhabited the land were descendants of Noah, and if Amraphel was, indeed, Nimrod, he would be at war with his own third cousins. This, however, does not at all agree with the genealogical list given in Genesis 11. It has Abram's generation as about the tenth from Adam; that is not a third cousin.
We saw in the last post that Amraphel is believed, by some scholars, to be Nimrod, king of Shinar, great-grandson of Noah. Now, if all the people that inhabited the land were descendants of Noah, and if Amraphel was, indeed, Nimrod, he would be at war with his own third cousins. This, however, does not at all agree with the genealogical list given in Genesis 11. It has Abram's generation as about the tenth from Adam; that is not a third cousin.
Lot, his people and his belongings were all captured by Amraphel. Abram heard about this and, with 318 trained servants, he pursued the retreating army and rescued Lot and all that was important to him. Was it Jehovah's plan that Sodom and its inhabitants should be destroyed, by war, at that time, because of their sinful lifestyle? Abraham got involved and the planned destruction did not happen. If this idea is true, then, Jehovah needed to resort to plan B; destroy Sodom with an atomic bomb. We will get to this theory later.
Melchizedek
On his way back from rescuing the captives Abram met one of the most interesting people in the Bible. What makes him so captivating is that we know almost nothing about him, but we do know enough to wish that we knew more.
It is recorded that he was a priest of God most high and that Abram gave one-tenth of the spoils of war to him. In the Book of Hebrews, in the NT, he is mentioned again, and there he (Melchizedek) is compared to Christ. Some Bible teachers even believe that Melchizedek of the OT, was Christ before Christ was born to the Virgin Mary. It seems that if one wants to believe this, one must also believe in reincarnation, which most Christians do not believe.
Slaves in Egypt
Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ... “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. Gen. 15:13+16. According to these two verses, in Abraham's time, one generation was considered to be 100 years long.
The statement, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete, takes us directly to the thought in a previous sentence; Jehovah is tolerant, just and loving and it is only when humans prove themselves to be incorrigible that He finally takes action to reprimand, correct or even destroy those whom He had chosen for destruction.
The Lord was keeping a close eye on the Amorites, and He is giving them 400 years more to repent, to smarten up their lifestyle, and if that doesn't happen He will have the Israelites come to their country and destroy them. When Israel marched towards the promised land they took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her villages. Num. 21:21-25.
Later, in the days of Jonah, there was a similar situation. The difference was that Jonah went and warned the Ninevites of impending doom, and the people of Nineveh repented, and their society was saved for about a hundred years more.
The Lord was keeping a close eye on the Amorites, and He is giving them 400 years more to repent, to smarten up their lifestyle, and if that doesn't happen He will have the Israelites come to their country and destroy them. When Israel marched towards the promised land they took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her villages. Num. 21:21-25.
Later, in the days of Jonah, there was a similar situation. The difference was that Jonah went and warned the Ninevites of impending doom, and the people of Nineveh repented, and their society was saved for about a hundred years more.
Those of us who believe that saucerians inhabit the pages of the Bible find corroboration for that all throughout the Bible, and it is not scholarly that those who reject the idea refuse to even look at the evidence with an open mind.
Note, for example, Gen. 17:22, Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. If Jehovah is a spiritual Being only, why would the writer say, and God went up? This would be a proper thing to say of a physical being.
Notice, though, that perhaps He walked away or maybe He went up ( with a jet-pack) but He did not just disappear as a spiritual being might have. In any case, let us not throw out the clues without looking at them!
Note, for example, Gen. 17:22, Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. If Jehovah is a spiritual Being only, why would the writer say, and God went up? This would be a proper thing to say of a physical being.
Notice, though, that perhaps He walked away or maybe He went up ( with a jet-pack) but He did not just disappear as a spiritual being might have. In any case, let us not throw out the clues without looking at them!
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