Monthly Archives: December 2023

GENESIS 22 GOD MULTIPLIES ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING

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December 31

GENESIS 22

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

                                                                         – Genesis 22:15-24

GENESIS 22 GOD MULTIPLIES ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Abraham’s obedience gave him favor from the Lord with much offspring

Because he has obeyed God’s voice and didn’t spare Isaac from the Lord

God reiterated his promise for numerous descendants as countless as the stars

Just as God said these, Abraham’s brother bore many children by his wives.

What an amazing response God gave Abraham after he obeyed his voice and didn’t withhold to offer his only beloved son as an offering! When we prioritize God first and obey whatever he asks from us, we are showered with blessings and favor from the Lord.

Even though Abraham had only Isaac that time and Ishmael somewhere in the wilderness, his brother Nahor’s concubine had already a total of twelve children. Just as God has promised Abraham to have many offspring and the father of nations, even his own siblings were also multiplying. God is a promise keeper.

REFLECTION

  • Share something in your life that was a blessing resulting from your obedience to the Lord.

GENESIS 22 THE LORD PROVIDES

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December 30

GENESIS 22

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”– Genesis 22:9-14

GENESIS 22 THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Abraham totally trusted the Lord with his son’s life

He was stopped by an angel of the Lord to spare Isaac

The Lord will provide was his answer to Isaac when he asked

And true enough, God was faithful to have a ram nearby.

What faith Abraham had! When Isaac asked earlier where the animal for the offering was, he answered “The Lord will provide.” That was God’s mind that he spoke. Our faith comes from the Lord and because he was righteous and faithful to give up his one and only beloved son, God himself provided an offering.

How many of us would have this confidence that no matter how impossible the situation is, God has us covered? The faith of Abraham is such an inspiration and model for all Christians to follow. Sometimes the world system can draw us into a lack of faith and trust that God is in control. Our little minds do not see what the Almighty God sees and we tend to rely on our own ability to comprehend things.

REFLECTION

  • How can we grow our faith in the Lord amidst living in this world?

GENESIS 22 GOD TESTS ABRAHAM

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December 29

GENESIS 22

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. – Genesis 22:1-8

GENESIS 22 GOD TESTS ABRAHAM

I can’t imagine what was going on in Abraham’s mind when God told him to bring Isaac to Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering. I would have gone so scared to let go of my one and only son whom I waited for so long to have and be asked to be used as an offering. I would have been confused as to what God was doing asking me to snap off the life of the only one who would fulfill the promise of many offsprings. Only by the grace of God could he have that much faith and trust. In recent chapters, we see Abraham’s weakness when he was fending for his life in Egypt and Greer and lied to these two kings in order to save himself from being killed. His faith must have grown so much by then after God has shown him many miracles. He and Sarah had a child in their very old age of ninety to a hundred years old. That was an impossibility that God made possible.

The constant character of Abraham that sets him apart from others is his obedience. He follows God’s instructions without questions. How many of us can do that? Even though he laughed at the announcement of Sarah bearing a child at her age, it was a joyful laughter, not a mocking one. It shows that he truly trusts God especially after witnessing many impossible things that had happen in his life since he left Ur of the Chaldeans.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think Abraham never doubted God even at this challenging test?

GENESIS 21 TREATY IN BEERSHEBA

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December 28

GENESIS 21

22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba,because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines. – Genesis 21:22-34

GENESIS 21 TREATY IN BEERSHEBA

In this account, we witness once again the integrity of Abraham. When Abimelech and his commander Phicol wanted Abraham to swear to them that he wouldn’`t deal falsely with them, Abraham had to confront the claim of one of Abimelech’s servants who tried to seize it. Abraham prepared seven sheep to offer to Abimelech so that he can swear to Abraham that he will honor that the well was dug by Abraham himself and that it must not be taken away from him. Abimelech and Phicol responded and made a covenant with Abraham to acknowledge that the well was dug by him. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree and called this well Beersheba meaning “watering place” or “well of underground water.”

In Genesis 26, Isaac dug this well again and built an altar in Beersheba. In Genesis 28 & 46, Jacob stopped at Beersheba before he entered the promised land. In 1 King 19:3, it was in Beersheba that the prophet Elijah found refuge when he was being chased to be killed by Jezebel. This well is a significant place for God’s people.

REFLECTION

  • Why are treaties very important when dealing with boundaries and ownership?

GENESIS 21 GOD BLESSES ISHMAEL

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December 27

GENESIS 21

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.  – Genesis 21:15-21

GENESIS 21 GOD BLESSES ISHMAEL

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

As Hagar roamed the wilderness with her child, she was worried

They ran out of water supply and she panicked and watched Ishmael

She didn’t want to witness her own child die of hunger and thirst

So, she placed him under one of the bushes and sat nearby.

Hagar wept as she was filled with fear at their predicament

She called for help and pleaded heaven to save her beloved son

Then an angel of the Lord came and said God blesses Ishmael

He will make a great nation for he is also one of Abraham’s offspring.

What a helpless situation it was for Hagar to watch her son Ishmael wilt and die of thirst. She had no idea that God had a plan for Ishmael too even though they were banished in the wilderness by Sarah and Abraham. I feel for Hagar who was given as a surrogate for Sarah to bear children and later be sent away to die in the wilderness.

It is amazing how we can be desperate when we do not know God’s plan for our lives. Had she known the plan, she wouldn’t have been so fearful and helpless.

REFLECTION

  • Share a time in your life when you felt so desperate but was blessed by God later.

GENESIS 21 ABRAHAM SENT HAGAR & ISHMAEL AWAY

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December 26

GENESIS 21

8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. – Genesis 21:8-14

GENESIS 21 ABRAHAM SENT HAGAR & ISHMAEL AWAY

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Abraham celebrated Isaac’s coming and had a great feast when he was weaned

At this time Sarah asked Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away

Sarah didn’t want to share the heirship of Isaac with Ishmael

Though Abraham was displeased, God told him to follow Sarah’s wish.

When morning came, Abraham got up and took bread and water

He placed it on Hagar’s shoulder along with the child and sent her away

Abraham trusted and obeyed God though it was painful for him

Hagar and Ishmael left and wandered in Beersheba’s wilderness.

We see another manifestation of Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience to the Lord. It must have been difficult for him to let go of his oldest son Ishmael, but it was more important for him to please the Lord and obey him. It must have been God’s plan to have Sarah sent them so that God’s covenantal promise will be fulfilled in Isaac and not shared with Ishmael. God honored Sarah’s decision to let Hagar and Ishmael go. He wouldn’t have allowed it if it wasn’t in his plan.

REFLECTION

  • Why did God allow Hagar and Ishmael to be sent out in the wilderness?

MATTHEW 1 GOD WITH US IN JESUS

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December 25

MATTHEW 1

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

                                                                   – Matthew 1:20-25

MATTHEW 1 GOD WITH US IN JESUS

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Mary was engaged to Joseph when she conceived by the Holy Spirit

Joseph was going to quietly leave her because he never touched her

But an angel of the Lord appeared to her in a dream to take Mary as his wife

He told Joseph that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy for a Savior.

The angel declared to him that the Son will be named Jesus

And he will be Immanuel, meaning God with us

So, Joseph obeyed as he was instructed after he woke up

He took Mary as his wife and she gave birth to the Savior.

It must have been confusing for Joseph to discover that Mary was bearing a child when he had never touched her yet. Like Sarah’s miracle child with Isaac, Mary’s pregnancy was also God’s doing. Sarah giving birth in her nineties was a miracle, and so is Mary’s virgin birth. This was all in God’s plan for saving mankind. The coming of the Savior had to be from a pure and undefiled way.

What a gift for the whole humanity Jesus was. Because we cannot save ourselves from our sinful nature, God provided the way for us to be cleansed from sin.  He gave his only begotten Son Jesus to come in the form of a human so that he can do for us what we can never do for ourselves. He cleansed us from sin.

REFLECTION

  • What can we do to prepare our hearts to receive the gift of God in Jesus?

GENESIS 21 THE BIRTH OF ISAAC

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December 24

GENESIS 21

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” – Genesis 21:1-7

GENESIS 21 THE BIRTH OF ISAAC

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When the Lord visited Sarah, he was to fulfill his promise

So, Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in her nineties

Isaac was born when Abraham was a hundred years old

The Lord God made the impossible possible by giving them Isaac.

The birth of Abraham’s son Isaac is the start of God’s promise

A covenant between Abraham and God for man’s rescue

Abraham’s lineage will bring forth the promised Savior

God did what man isn’t able to do, He gave his Son to save us.

The birth of Isaac is a clear manifestation of the beginnings of salvation history. After the fall of Adam and Eve, we hear the account of man’s inability to resist sin and wickedness. Time and time again, humans have fallen into sin. The Lord God never failed to provide all the ways that man can follow his Spirit and walk the path he planned for humans. Yet, mankind proved to be very weak and carnal.

The Lord God designed a plan so that man will be able to fight his sinful nature and bring forth deliverance through the seed of Abraham. Because Abraham believed, it was counted as righteousness for him. Even though he is still sinful in nature, God chose to make a covenant promise with him. Isaac’s birth marks the beginning of the covenant promise God made after he destroyed mankind during the flood.

REFLECTION

  • How is Isaac’s birth significant in salvation history and not Ishmael’s?

GENESIS 20 WHEN ABRAHAM PRAYED FOR ABIMELECH

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December 23

GENESIS 20

14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of allwho are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. – Genesis 20:14-17

GENESIS 20 WHEN ABRAHAM PRAYED FOR ABIMELECH

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

To protect Sarah from being touched by Abimelech, he became sick

God also caused the women in Abimelech’s household to become barren

But Abimelech heeded the warning of God and gave back Sarah to Abraham

He also gave him sheep and oxen, much wealth and many servants.

After Abimelech rebuked Abraham, he prayed for the king to be healed

And God answered his prayer and healed King Abimelech

The Lord God also opened the closed wombs of their women

This is how God faithfully protected Sarah from being taken.

What a faithful God we witness in this account when Abraham prayed for Abimelech to be healed! He responded right away even though he could have punished Abraham for lying to the king of Gerar. I think it also was a revelation for Abraham to see how he can fail in keeping his faith constantly strong and trusting God more despite his fears.

We watch how Abimelech got healed including the women in his household whose wombs were closed by God earlier and now, the curse was lifted. The account cannot stress more clearly how important prayers are. Abraham interceded for Abimelech and God granted that prayer right away.

REFLECTION

  • How could this incident have gone wrong if Abimelech didn’t follow God’s warning not to touch Sarah and if Abraham didn’t intercede with prayers?

GENESIS 20 ABIMELECH REBUKES ABRAHAM

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December 22

GENESIS 20

8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” – Genesis 20:8-13

GENESIS 20 ABIMELECH REBUKES ABRAHAM

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When God warned Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham

Abimelech followed God’s warning and told all his servants

The household of Abimelech were scared of what might happen

So, Abimelech rebuked Abraham for his lie about Sarah.

Instead of asking for forgiveness to Abimelech for his sin

He continued to justify his lying about Sarah as his sister

What things we do as humans to hide from our sinfulness!

Though he believed God, Abraham was still a sinner like all of us.

We get another glimpse of Abraham’s humanity and sinfulness in this second time that he uses Sarah as a shield to protect himself from being harmed. Once again, instead of submitting and surrendering his fears to God and letting God be his shield, he fell into the sin of lying once again. Abimelech, who is a pagan knew the consequence of adultery. What an irony to see Abraham who was a man of faith forgetting the importance of doing what is right just so he can protect himself and Abimelech confronting a man of faith.

REFLECTION

  • What is Abraham’s weakness as shown in this similar incident in Egypt?