BIBLE FOR YOU!--No.38!   11/90    DFO 2805
--Genesis 17 Test!--Study of Genesis 18!

         1. Well, the more we get of the Bible the better! (Maria: That's the way I think about prayers--the more the better!) Amen! Would one of you kids like to pray for class now?
         2. (Techi: Thank You Lord! Thank You for this class time with Grandpa. We pray that You'd please really bless it & help us to learn from it. And bless Mommy, too, Lord. Please bless her eyes & head.) (Maria: Amen, in Jesus' name.) All right! Chapter 17 Test!

Test on Genesis 17!
         3. No. 1: So what did Abraham do when God told him he was going to have a child at the age of 99? He fell on his what?
         4. No. 2: God changed Abram's name to what?
         5. Nos. 3-9: The Lord said, "And I will make nations of thee & kings shall come out of thee." Can you name seven nations that came out of Abraham? (Techi: Do they have to be in order?) I'd put the most important one that came out of Abraham first, & then the six Arab nations that surround it, & you could put those in any order. They're becoming real college students, Mama! (Maria: They really are, God bless them!) I'll bet they learn more Bible here than they would at a Bible college!
         6. No. 10: What's another word to use for "covenant"? The Lord said He was going to make a covenant with them. You could use two or three different kinds of words. Or you could use the one He calls it right in here.
         7. No. 11: What kind of a covenant? How long was it supposed to last?
         8. No. 12: And part of the covenant was that He promised him the land of what? I want its ancient name, not its present name. The Lord promised him that land as far as he could see. Actually, if you're on flat land or you're standing by the ocean, do you know how far you can see? (David: Is it about six miles?) No, no, no, 20 miles! If you're about five or six feet high, you can see 20 miles, on the flat ocean or flat desert. Well, Israel isn't very wide, but actually He promised Abraham a lot more than just Israel, He promised him the land between what two rivers? (Techi: The River of Egypt...) Yes, & the Euphrates. (Gen.15:18.)
         9. No. 13: And what did the Lord require them to do to show that they were going to keep His covenant? He ordered every one of them to be what? "Every man child among you shall be..."--blank.
         10. No. 14: And this required them to cut off what? What part of their body was mentioned specifically?
         11. No. 15: This included every one of them in his household right then, & all male babies that were born after that should have the same thing done to them at how many days from birth?--Both his own family, relatives, & even his servants & slaves.
         12. Did you know the Bible says nothing against having slaves? It was only bad if you had a bad master or even a bad slave. Look, we've got servants in our house, love slaves for the Lord. In fact, we're all slaves! You & I are slaves, love slaves for the Lord.
         13. Later on it tells you that there was something you were supposed to do besides this other if you joined the family voluntarily & submitted yourself as a love slave. In other words, even if the master was going to set you free, if you wanted to stay, do you remember what they did? (David: They pierced their ear.) Yes, they wore a golden earring. It tells you exactly how to do it. You stand with your ear up against the door post, & then they pierce your ear with an aul (awl). An aul is like an icepick. And I'm sure it was supposed to be a clean aul. (See Exodus 21:5-6 & Deut.15:16,17.)
         14. No. 16: And God changed Sarai's name to what?
         15. No. 17: And when Abraham heard that he would have a child, he fell on his face & did what? Here's Abraham, who is known as "the Father of Faith!" But in this case he obviously must have doubted the Lord. He doesn't say it right out, but he says it in his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah that is 90 years old, bear?" And of course the Lord knew what he was thinking.
         16. No. 18: "And Abraham said unto God, O that who might live before Thee?" Who was his other son at this time? He wanted God to recognise him as his child.
         17. No. 19: "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name..."--what?
         18. No. 20. And He said of the other son, "I will make him fruitful & I will multiply him exceedingly."--And how many princes shall come of him?
         19. All right, exchange papers! Be sure the Chapter of the test is at the top of the paper, along with your name & the date.

Test Answers!
         20. No. 1: Abram fell on his...--what? (David: Face.)
         21. No. 2: And God changed his name to what? (David: Abraham.)
         22. Nos. 3-9: What seven nations came out of Abraham? (David: Techi said: Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia & Egypt.) Right! That's correct. Did you get them all too? (David: Well, I didn't say Egypt, I said Kuwait.) Did you forget? (David: Well, I thought we had said Egypt, but since Abraham already went to Egypt, I couldn't see how the Lord could make Egypt a nation from Abraham if it was already in existence at the time. That's what threw me off.) It's because the Arabs were going to go there, see? (Techi: But the Egyptians are Black.) Yes, those ancient ones were. But the most modern ones are largely light-skinned because of the Arabs. The Arabs threw most of the Egyptians out & they populated Egypt. Sorry about that. (David: That's OK!) So you said Kuwait? Well, I said before you didn't have to name the little rinky-dink countries like Kuwait, but I'll give you credit for it because Kuwait is one of the Arab countries, one of the descendants of Abraham.
         23. (Techi: Actually I was under the impression that Lebanon was Phoenician & not Arab.) Well, it was Phoenician at first. The Lebanese are a mixture of Ishmael & the Phoenicians. Did you put Phoenicia? (David: No, she put Lebanon.) Well, Lebanon is fine. So what are you worried about? (David: She was just wondering, I think.) That's my girl! She's always full of questions, like her Mother.
         24. No. 10: What is another word for "covenant"? (David: An agreement.) Yes, an agreement or a contract. (David: Or a promise.) Right! What did you put, Techi? (David: She put agreement.) That's good. Right!
         25. No. 11: And what kind of covenant was it? (David: Everlasting.)
         26. No. 12: And part of the covenant promised him the land of what? (David: Canaan.)
         27. No. 13: And the Lord ordered them to be what? (Kids: Circumcised.)
         28. No. 14: Which meant they had to cut off what? (David: The foreskin.) Yes.
         29. No. 15: How many days from birth? (Kids: Eight days.)
         30. No. 16: Sarai's name was changed to what? (David: Sarah.)
         31. No. 17: Abraham fell on his face & did what? (David: Laughed.)
         32. No. 18: "And Abraham said unto God, O that who might live before thee?" (David: Ishmael.)
         33. No. 19: And what would be the name of the son Sarah would bear? (Techi: Isaac.)
         34. No. 20: How many princes would come of Ishmael? (Techi: Twelve.) Right!
         35. All right! There were only 20 questions, so each one is worth five points. So subtract five points from a hundred for each wrong answer & grade your papers. Return your papers & enter your grades on your test record sheet. How many tests does this make? (David: 23!) PTL! And what were your grades? (David: 100%.) Both of you? (David: Yes.) Good for you! You're good scholars!

GENESIS CHAPTER 18!
         36. Well, we'd better get going on reading the next Chapter! Amen! Lord bless it & help the kids to remember & understand, in Jesus' name.

Three Mysterious Visitors!
         37. (Verse 1:) "And the Lord appeared unto him (Abraham) in the plains of Mamre (near Hebron): and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day." It was even hot in those days! "And he lift up his eyes & looked, & lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, & bowed himself toward the ground." He must have known they were pretty important men!
         38. (Verse 3:) "And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from Thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, & wash your feet, & rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, & comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said."
         39. Now these are three very mysterious men. We don't yet really know who they are, except Abraham called one of them Lord. Could it have been the Lord? (Techi: Well, it does say, "And the Lord appeared unto him.") Yes, but there is still some controversy over exactly who the other men are. If one of them was the Lord, that probably would have had to have been Jesus, & the other two were probably Angels. (David: Yes, especially since in Chapter 19 it talks about the two Angels who visited Lot.) Right! They were probably Angels & His bodyguards! (Techi: The Lord wouldn't need bodyguards, would He?) Well, why would He want to make a trip alone? You know the Devil was around, too, & he has his devils.
         40. (Verse 6:) "And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, & said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, & make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, & fetched a calf tender & good, & gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it." They were going to stay there quite a while at this rate!--A late lunch! "And he took butter, & milk, & the calf which he had dressed, & set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, & they did eat."
         41. (Verse 9:) "And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And He said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham & Sarah were old & well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women." She'd even stopped menstruating, stopped having her monthly periods, after which women can no longer get pregnant & have babies. She was past menopause. "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" In other words, "You mean to tell me I can still make love & have a baby?"
         42. (Verse 13:) "And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, & Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid." So what did she do? (Techi: She lied, because she laughed.) "And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh."

Destruction of Sodom Revealed to Abraham!
         43. (Verse 16:) "And the men rose up from thence, & looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do..."--In other words, what I'm going to do. "...Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great & mighty nation, & all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him?" By Whom? How could all the nations of the Earth be blessed through Abraham? (David: Because of Jesus.) Right! Not by the Jews, that's for sure! "For I know him, that he will command his child & his household after him, & they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice & judgement." Too bad his descendants didn't continue to do that. "...That the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him."
         44. (Verse 20:) "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom & Gomorrah is great, & because their sin is very grievous..." What was their sin? (Techi: Sodomy.) Right. And what do they call Sodomites nowadays? (Techi: Gays.) Or what's the technical word? (Techi: Homosexuals.) Yes, men having sex with men. Isn't that sickening? (Kids: Yes!) "Because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, & see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, & went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord."

Abraham's "Argument" with the Lord!
         45. (Verse 23:) "And Abraham drew near." And who do you think he was thinking about? (David: Lot.) Yes! From what the Lord said, he apparently guessed what God was going to do to them & he didn't want his nephew Lot to get it. "And Abraham drew near, & said, Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou also destroy & not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee: Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?" Ha! He's trying to argue with the Lord!
         46. (Verse 26:) "And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust & ashes."--I'm just dust & ashes. "Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And He said, If I find there forty & five, I will not destroy it." Abraham was a real lawyer, wasn't he?
         47. (Verse 29:) "And he spake unto Him yet again, & said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto Him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, & I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake." (Techi: Jesus was sure patient!) Yes, the Lord was very patient with the Jews!
         48. (Verse 32:) "And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, & I will speak yet but this once."--Once more, in other words. "Peradventure ten shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." (Techi: The Lord left before Abraham could go below ten!) Yes. He stopped just in time! So there was Lot & his wife & two daughters, & their husbands. We're not told if there were any children of the daughters, but between Lot & his family there must have been less than ten.
         49. That's one of the funniest arguments I ever heard! (David: Oh yes, that was pretty funny.) (Techi: "Peradventure!" Ha!) (David: "Please don't be angry with me, Lord!") Do you know what "peradventure" means? (Techi: Perhaps.) Yes, perhaps or maybe. "Maybe there are only 30 there, maybe there are only 25!" I'll probably ask you what the word "peradventure" means on your test. There are several different words you can use.--"Possibly" or "maybe" or "perhaps" or "what if."
         50. Okay! So we'll have a test on Genesis what tomorrow night? (David: 18!) Genesis 18, righto! It didn't take long to read that, did it? And we're within our time yet. How about that? Pretty good! Amen! Thank You Lord!

Closing Prayer!
         51. OK! Shall we pray? (David: Thank You Lord! Thank You Jesus for our test & how we did well on it, & thank You for the Bible reading. We pray, Jesus, that You'll help us to remember what we read tonight so that we'll really know it & not forget it. Please bless the rest of this evening, in Jesus' name. Amen!) Amen! Had you ever read these Chapters before? (David: Well, a long time ago.) Not the way we're reading them now though! (David: That's for sure! There's a lot more there than we realised!) Are you learning something? (Kids: Oh, yes!) Praise the Lord! God bless you! ILY!