A Lesson in Death and Dying, Part Two

Genesis 23: 1- 20

Is cremation biblical? Is burying biblical?

Genesis 23:19 - Abraham bought a burying place for Sarah

Leviticus 10: 1-3 - Nadab and Abihu were burned by God for serving in the tabernacle wrongfully

Numbers 11: 1-3 - God sent fire to burn the people as punishment

I Samuel 31: 8-13 - Saul and his sons were cremated and then their bones buried after they died in war

Deuteronomy 34: 1- 8 - Moses died in Moab and was buried by God

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 - A command was given by God to bury the dead

Numbers 11: 31-34 - People were buried after dying from a plague

Genesis 47: 29-30 - Jacob dies and is buried

New Testament examples of people buried:
Ananias and Sapphira
Judas
Lazarus
Jesus

The Bible gives us 133 examples of people being buried in the Bible.

Testing That Teaches us to Trust

Genesis 22: 1- 19

vs. 1 - God tempted Abraham
tempt means to test
God does not tempt us to do evil
James 1:13 - God does not tempt with evil

vs. 2 - God wants aBraham to “offer” Issac as a sacrifice
God doesn’t say to kill him, just offer him.

vs. 3-4 - They walked three days

vs. 5 - Abraham said they were going to go worship.
Worship means to commune with God, to bow down.

vs. 6 - Abraham took his supplies with Isaac up the mountain

vs. 7 - Isaac was not too young to know all the supplies that was needed

vs. 8-9 - Isaac trusted Abraham. They loved each other

vs 9 - Abraham had faith that Isaac would live on to fullfill God’s promise. He believed that God would raise him from the dead.

vs. 10-11 - The Angel of the Lord spoke from heaven. This is Jesus.

Isaac did not fight with his father about being placed on the altar. In this way, he encouraged his father’s faith and did not hinder it.

vs. 12-13 - Abraham sacrificed the ram that was caught in the thicket. This is the first example of substitutional atonement.
Substitutional Atonement - is when someone or something else takes the punishment in our place. Jesus was our substitutional atonement for us. Our punishment for our sins is death, but Jesus died on the cross, in our place.

vs. 14-15 - Jesus calls Abraham a second time with a message

vs. 16 - 18 - Jesus repeats the Abrahamic Covenant to him which consists of the Land, Descendants and Blessings. There is a little more added to the Land, which Jesus states to him. He says that Abraham will own the gates of his enemies, which refers to the Israelites conquering enemy territory from Joshua on forward.

Keeping the Air Clear of Conflict

Genesis 21: 22-34

22 - The unsaved watch us. They should see Jesus in us.

23 - Abimelech wants to be friends with Abraham and make a peace treaty with him.

24 - Abraham promises to be peaceful toward each other

25 Abraham brings up a problem between the two of them. Abimelech’s servants took avay one of Abraham’s wells.

26 - Abimelech says he did not know anything about this well.

27-32 - Abraham gives Abimelech extra presents of frendship to Abimelech

33-34 Abraham planted a grove of trees and worshiped the Lord there. From here on, the planting of groves was wicked since the people would worship idols instead of the One, True God. God wanted worship in the Tabernacle after it was built.

2 Kings 17:16 - idolatry happened in the groves

Separation is a Good Idea Sometimes

Genesis 21:9-21

vs. 9 - Ishmael’s mockery towards Isaac impacted Sarah

vs. 10 - Sarah was worried that God’s blessing and the inheritance would have to be shared with Ishmael

vs. 11 - Abraham was sad that Ishmael and Hagar would have to leave

vs. 12 - God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah and send them away, even though he loved them

vs. 13 - God tells Abraham that Ishmael will be a great nation

vs. 14-15 - It seems that Hagar forgot that God promised to make Ishmael a nation. Hagar was thinking that she and her son would be dying out there in the wilderness.

vs. 16-21 - The angel of God came to Hagar and opened her eyes to the fountain of water. God promises Hagar that a nation will come from Ishmael.

The God Who Keeps His Promises

Genesis 21: 1-9

vs. 1 - God keeps His promises

vs. 2 - God is the miraculous God, who sets the clock

vs. 3 - God wants us to laugh. Isaac means laughter

vs. 4 - God gave a sign for the Covenant. Circumcision

vs. 5 - God proves this miracle, by the ages of Abraham and Sarah

vs. 6 - God changed Sarah’s laughter of unbelief to a laughter of faith

vs. 7 - God gave Sarah a song

vs. 8 - God desires all of us to go from milk to solid food

vs. 9 - God confirms that mocking may turn to murdering today.

Abraham's Faith was in One Greater Than Himself, Part Two

Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham travels to Gerar.

He lies about Sarah being his wife to King Abimelech.

Abraham was afraid of being killed for Sarah

King Abimelech takes Sarah. God punishes him and his household with fertility problems and disease.

God talks to King Abimelech in a dream and tells him to give Sarah back and to have Abraham pray for his healing.

Abraham was living in the flesh when he lied. He was not relying totally on God in this fearful situation.

King Abimilech gives Abraham sheep, oxen, land, and money to show how sorry he was for taking Sarah, and to also get forgiveness in their eyes.

When Abraham prayed for Abimelech, he had to humble himself and confess his lie. He also had to pray for King Abimelech’s healing even when he knew that he was the one that had caused it in the first place with his lying.

Bad Seeds Produce Bad Fruit

Genesis 19:30-38

30 - Lot leaves mountains and goes to Zoar.
Lot, at first, did not want to go to Zoar, he wanted to go to the mountains.

31 - The two daughters come up with their plan for children with their father.

32 - Lot is careless and drinks the fermented wine.

33-38 - Lot didn’t know what his daughters had done.
The Moabites and the Ammonites came from these two daughters of Lot.
The Israelites disobeyed God and did not destroy all of these people.
The people in this land are still giving the Israelites trouble today.

Bad Seeds Produce Bad Crops

Genesis 19:23-29

vs. 23: Lot went into Zoar

vs. 24: The Lord rained the fire from heaven

vs. 25. God destroyed the entire plain, the cities, people/animals, plants
Overthrew = turned it over

vs. 26: Lot’s wife looked back. She disobeyed God. She still had an attachment to the city.

vs. 27-28: Abraham got up early with the Lord. Abraham saw the smoke, like the smoke from a furnace

vs. 29: God remembered Abraham and his intercession for Lot

God Delivers the Just, Righteous, and the Godly, Part Two

Genesis 19:9-22

9. The mob’s attitude shifts from the two men to Lot. They even attempted to break down the door.
The mob didn’t appreciate Lot, being a stranger, coming into the city and criticizing them for their homosexuality.

10. The angels pulled Lot into the house.

11. Young and old men were stricken with blindness from the angels. They had trouble finding the door and got tired. Moral blindness led to physical blindness, in this case.

12. The angels command Lot to get all his family members out of the city.

13. Lot is informed that the city is going to be destroyed because of the wickedness

14-16. Lot and his family had to be drug out of the city

17. Angels tell Lot to escape to the mountains.

18-22. The Lord appears to Lot again. Lot does not have faith when he is told to go to the mountains. He is scared and wants to go to the city of Zoar. God’s grace and mercy is what saved Lot. He certainly did not deserve it with his compromising personality.

God Delivers the Just, Righteous, and the Godly

Genesis 19: 1-8

1: Lot was a judge, and officer of the city, and he was sitting at the gate (the central area of activity).
Lot bowed to the men because it was the custom, he probably thought the angels were men.

2: Lot called them lords for respect

3: Lot knew the dangers of the city and he pressed them greatly to come into the house.

4: A lot of wicked men came outside Lot’s house

5: These wicked men wanted to “know” the two visitors
Leviticus 18:22 - homosexuality is a sin

6: Lot went to speak to the sodomites

7: Lot called homosexuality wicked

8: Lot had at least a little morality with having two virgin daughters and he calls the homosexuality wicked

Interceding for the Righteous, Part Two

Genesis 18: 20-33

vs. 20: God hears the cry of the wicked

vs. 21: God judges carefully

vs. 22: God teaches us about Himself

vs. 23: God hears our questions and gives us answers

vs. 23-24: Abraham asks of His mercy

vs. 25-26: Abraham asks if He will spare the righteous

vs. 27: Abraham asks respectfully and humbly

vs. 28-32: Ask how merciful He is

vs. 33: Believe God’s answers

Interceding for the Righteous

Genesis 18:16-33

vs. 16 - God watches the wicked
God knew of the people’s sins in Sodom and the surrounding cities

vs. 17 - God teaches judgment
Abraham knew God would punish the sinners

vs. 18 - God teaches blessings
God discusses His judgment so that Abraham realizes God’s blessings are for him, the coming nation, and those that love God.

vs. 19 - God expects proper child training
Abraham was in charge and commanded his entire household in the things of the Lord.

For by Flesh or by Promise?

Genesis 16: 1-16

1-4 - Sarai means princess
handmaid = servant
Hagar - flight
LORD - Jehovah = A self-existing One

The custom of the day = Sarai was looked upon as having kids because Hagar had a child.
Hagar was Sarai’s handmaid.
This was an accepted practice of the day, when the wife could not have children.

5-6 - Living by flesh, comes by suffering
Abraham does not love Hagar.
After conceiving, Hagar despises Sarai.
Sarai complains to Abram and he allows Sarai to do with Hagar what she wants to do.