James Reed's FORGE

Esau and Jacob- the two sons of Isaac. One is favored by Isaac. One is favored by Rebekah. Do you know which one was favored by God?

In Genesis 24 we read an amazing story of love, and we see a picture of things to come. We have as characters in this story: a father, a son, a helper, and a bride.

This summer has brought some changes to our episode schedule to be sure! I'm trying to get back on track as we continue on with Genesis 22 and 23. Here we find some beautiful shadows of things to come. We will also read about the death of Sarah, but we will also be reminded of the hope of life we have in Christ.

Sorry for the delay in getting this out there. It's July and there's been a lot going on. In this episode, we will see how God defines love. We also see a shadow of things to come. May this podcast continue to be a blessing to all those God has called!

This episode is a little short. I am also not recording in my studio, so the quality suffers. Give it a listen anyway! We see in this chapter that Abraham and Sarah lie to another king about their marriage. Apparently, this was a pre-arranged story between the two of them. They knew what they would do if a king or other ruler wanted to kill Abraham and take Sarah. They would just tell their lie. But God was faithful-- even when Abraham was not. There was never a time where God was not protecting Abraham. Dear Christian, God is faithful to you too!

In this chapter we see what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We also see God's provision for Lot. Lot was blessed because of his relationship with Abraham; however, we see a sad conclusion to Lot's part in the narrative. Interestingly, Jesus makes reference to Lot in the New Testament (Luke 17:28-37). Jude 7 also makes mention of the events found in Genesis 19. This is significant because once again it shows the intricate weaving of scriptures together in such a way that to take away part is to take away all.  

We're going to cover a lot of material in this episode. First off- there's something I overlooked in our last study. So, there is a little bit of back-tracking to make sure we get that covered. Next, we're going to take a look at God's revelation of Himself to Abraham and Sarah. This is where He changes their names and reminds them of a promise He intends to keep in their old age. We're also going to give some consideration to circumcision as the sign of the covenant and how this relates to water baptism today. Why do we believe in and practice infant baptism? We close out this study with a look at yet another visitation from God to Abraham and Sarah. Is anything too difficult for the Lord? And finally, we will see the precursor of judgement upon the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. What lessons can we take from Genesis and apply to our world today? 

God keeps His covenant. What God has promised, God will do, and has already done.

Get your colored pencils out and make a family tree. We're going to be talking about Father Abraham and his many sons. Then, we take a look at one of the most interesting characters in the whole Bible. Do you know his name?

“Covenants in Scripture are solemn agreements, negotiated or unilaterally imposed, that bind the parties to each other in permanent defined relationships, with specific promises, claims, and obligations on both sides (e.g., the marriage covenant, Mal. 2:14).

When God makes a covenant with His creatures, He alone establishes its terms, as His covenant with Noah and every living creature shows (Gen. 9:9). When Adam and Eve failed to obey the terms of the covenant of works (see Gen. 3:6 and theological note “The Fall”), God did not destroy them, but revealed His covenant of grace by promising a Savior (Gen. 3:15). God’s covenant rests on His promise, as is clear from His covenant with Abraham. He called Abraham to go to the land that He would give him, and promised to bless him and all the families of the earth through him (Gen. 12:1–3). Abraham heeded God’s call because he believed God’s promise; it was his faith in the promise that was credited to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:18–22). God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai is in the form of the ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties. These are covenants imposed unilaterally by a powerful king on a vassal king and a servant people.

Although the covenant at Sinai required obedience to God’s laws under the threat of His curse, it was a continuation of the covenant of grace (Ex. 3:15; Deut. 7:7, 8; 9:5, 6). God gave the commandments to a people He had already redeemed and claimed (Ex. 19:4; 20:2). The gracious promise of God’s covenant was further defined through the types and shadows of the law given to Moses. The failure of the Israelites to keep His covenant showed the need for a new covenant that would bestow the power to obey (Jer. 31:31–34; 32:38–40; cf. Gen. 17:7; Ex. 6:7; 29:45, 46; Lev. 11:44, 45; 26:12).

God’s covenant with Israel was preparation for the coming of God Himself, in the person of His Son, to fulfill all His promises, and to give substance to the shadows cast by the types (Is. 40:10; Mal. 3:1; John 1:14; Heb. 7–10). Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant, offered Himself as the true and final sacrifice for sin. He obeyed the law perfectly, and as the Second Adam (second representative head of the human race) He became the inheritor, with those united with Him by faith, of all the covenant blessings of peace and fellowship with God in His renewed creation. The temporary Old Testament arrangements for imparting those blessings became obsolete when what they anticipated was realized.

As Heb. 7–10 explains, through Christ God inaugurated a better version of His one eternal covenant with sinners (Heb. 13:20)—a better covenant with better promises (Heb. 8:6), based on a better sacrifice (Heb. 9:23) offered by a better high priest in a better sanctuary (Heb. 7:26–8:6, 11, 12, 13). This better covenant guarantees a better hope than had ever been made explicit by the former version of the covenant—glory with God in “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:16; cf. v. 40)."

R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), 30.