| |
The
Age of Human Government
Genesis 11
Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord. He was the first man to establish a great empire.
This empire is referred to in Micah 5:6. This is the
beginning of the “Age of Human Government.” Everyone
on Earth spoke the same language. All or most were of the same mind. The Bible text speaks about how they thought “let us make,” “let us build,” and
“let us make a name for ourselves.” Nimrod’s name signifies
rebellion against God. This is all about what they (man) planned to do and is
against what God planned to do. They build the tower of Babel
which was an affront to God. Two types of government are illustrated here. One is illustrated by Nimrod and a second as exemplified by Abraham. A Nimrod culture is 'man driven' while an Abraham culture is 'God driven.' A modern extreme example of a
Nimrod culture would be Communism. Communistic governments are godless and, at least in theory, supply
all mankind's needs through government. This type of government has never worked very well anywhere at anytime.
So God came down and confused their language and scattered them.
This is sin and judgment followed by God’s mercy.
Can you imagine the confusion?
The foremen try to speak to the workers who cannot understand them. Neighbors
cannot understand one another’s speech. It is chaos. The nations separate. That was God’s purpose.
“At Babel, God confused the tongues of men to alienate them.
At Pentecost, God gave them tongues of fire to unite His church.” (Hagee, p. 112)
Abram (later Abraham) is born to his father Terah (descendant
from Shem). Their family settles in the land of Ur of the Chaldees. (See bottom of this page) Abraham is one of the most important people in the Bible. He is the
patriarch to the Jewish people, Christians and Muslims. The three great faiths
all claim Abraham as their patriarch. Abram marries Sarai (later Sarah) but she is childless and barren. Terah takes his family and moved into the land of Canaan
(son of Ham) in Haran. Terah died
in Haran.
The
Age of Promise
or
The
Age of the Patriarchs
Genesis 12
“The Age
of Promise began with the call of Abram . . . and lasted 430 years, until the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt. During this period of time, God began to emphasize the coming of the promised Seed
of the woman through a particular branch of the human race—Abraham’s lineage.
Not only did God promise that the Messiah would come from Abraham’s line, but He also stated that He would give
the Promised Land eternally to Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people.”
(Hagee, p. 117)
As we begin this chapter, Abram is 75 years old. He has lived in comfort in the land of Ur. God calls Abram for His own reasons. “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go the land I will show
you.” Genesis 12:1 (NCV)
The next verse is a covenant and one of the most important promises in Genesis and in the Bible.
“And I will
make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless
them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 12:2-3
(KJV)
So why did God want Abram to leave his country, his father's family
and his relatives? They were all pagans and worshiped other Gods. God was looking for a person, really people
who would worship Him. More importantly, why did Abram leave? I believe it was because he had a personal encounter
with God and it changed him forever. (See Stephen's comments below)
Abram, Sarai, and his nephew Lot (and their
servants) take what they own and leave. They set out on the road, destination
unknown. Abram is a pagan or heathen just like everyone else. But God saw something in Abram He liked. God promised to make
a great nation out of Abram but Sarai was barren. But from Abram’s faith
all nations will be blessed through Jesus of Nazareth.
“just as Abraham
“believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore
know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles
by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Gal
3:6-9 (NKJV)
God then gave Abram a land grant of the land
of Canaan forever. Abram built an
alter and worshiped God. But there came a famine and they all travel to the land
of Egypt. And Abram, a man of faith,
believed Pharaoh would see Sarai’s great beauty and kill him to get Sarai. Abram
used this same deceit a second time, recorded in Genesis 20:1-18.. As the account
progresses, we find that Pharaoh is just and that Abram, a man noted for his faith, falls into deceit (lying about Sarai being
his sister) because he doesn’t trust God to protect him and his family. But
Pharaoh sees through the deceit, and sends Abram and his family on with great wealth.
Despite Abram’s deceit, God delivers him and his family. (More Mercy).
 |
|
|
|
| |
It would be difficult to spend too much time studying the life of Abraham. Isaiah 41:8 describes
Abraham as a "friend of God."
"So how does a friend differ from an acquaintance? Amongst other things,
a friend is someone whom you have become close to, enabling you to share life experiences and feelings that you would not
normally disclose to an acquaintance. What has all of this got to do with this study? In calling Abraham His friend, I believe
that Abraham was allowed to experience many of the key events which God the Father would experience. Along with this, and
the fact that Abraham is clearly the pictured as ‘the Father’, I believe that Abraham is a clear picture of God
the Father just as his son Isaac is a clear picture of the Son of God, Jesus Christ."
Source:
http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/jcabraham.htm
|
|
|
|
Genesis 13
Abram and Lot become wealthy. Their herdsman argue because of the number of their animals. Abram
and Lot decide to separate. Abram offers Lot first pick on the portion of land. Lot takes what looks to be the
best for him but it is a poor choice.
Genesis 14
Lot is captured and then rescued by Abram. After Abram rescues Lot, Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought
out bread and wine. The Word states he was a priest for God Most High and he blesses Abram. Abram thens gives
him a tenth (a tithe) of the plunder from the battle.
|
|
|
|
| |
"Deuteronomy 30:2 encourages us to obey God wholeheartedly. To whatever degree we obey
God, that's the measure of our love for Him. Our love for Jesus grows as we obey Him."
From: "The Everyday Bible," Amplified Version , A "Life Point" by Joyce Meyer, p. 322.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
More Detail:
Because of archaeological research, much is known about Ur. C. Leonard Woolley, in 1922-1934, an archaeologist, found evidence of a high state of civilization. Houses were more than adequate consisting of several rooms with upper rooms for family
and lower rooms for servants. A school was found with clay tablets that indicated
students learned math (multiplication and division), reading and writing. A bill
of lading indicated commerce was in existence and has been dated about 2040 B.C. about the same time as Abraham. Abraham’s name was even found on a clay tablets demonstrating his presence. (Amplified Bible, p. 14 footnotes)
Here's a good link:
Biblical archaeology
Read more on Charles Leonard Woolley and his work. Click the below link. Ur is found in present day Iraq.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Woolley
|
|
|
|
|
