Tag Archives: ILMA ARTS STUDIO

GENESIS 15 ABRAM’S DESIRE FOR A SIGN FROM GOD

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December 4

GENESIS 15

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. – Genesis 15:7-11

GENESIS 15 ABRAM’S DESIRE FOR A SIGN FROM GOD

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Though the Lord promised Abram the land of Canaan and many offsprings

His mind still goes back and forth from faith to some doubting

So, the Lord God reminded him how he called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans

Yet Abram wanted a sign of the covenant promise for the promised descendants.

God instructed Abram to prepare a heifer, a female goat, a ram,

A turtledove, and a young pigeon, all of them three years old

Abram cut the animals in half except for the turtledove and pigeon

When the birds of prey came down on the remains, he drove them away.

This is an interesting account when Abram just got assurance of God’s promise of a land of his own and many offspring. He believed, but not long after that, he still had some doubts as to how these promises were going to be fulfilled by God. So, he wanted a sign from God. Instead of a visible sign, God instructed him to prepare a sacrifice to solidify his covenant promise to him. We still witness Abram’s obedience to follow the demand of God for such offerings. The ESV study notes says that that the ritual described here is possibly a type of oath. God is saying that he will become like the dead animals if he does not keep his word referred to in Jer. 34:18-20. Another interpretation is that the sacrificial animals symbolize Abram’s descendants and the “birds of prey” (Gen 15:11) signify their enemies (unclean nation). Human’s limited minds cannot fathom how the promises of God will come to pass, but he wants us to trust him completely with no doubting.

REFLECTION

  • What does James 1 tell us about wisdom and faith that Abram struggled here?

GENESIS 15 THE LORD’S PROMISE & ASSURANCE TO ABRAM

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December 3

GENESIS 15

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continueto be childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. – Genesis 15:1-6

GENESIS 15 THE LORD’S PROMISE & ASSURANCE TO ABRAM

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After the meeting with the Kings and winning the battle

Abram was concerned that those defeated enemy will hit back

After all these worries, God’s word came to Abram in a vision

The Lord appeased him and told him He was his shield and protection.

The Lord reminded him of his promise of countless offspring to him

But he wondered how that would happen since he has no child

The Lord God gave him his word and led him outside to look up

He showed him his descendants will be as countless as the stars.

It was probably valid for Abram to be worried after winning the battle over the four kings. He’ll never know if they plot a revenge after he overcame them. Since he was very rich, he was also concerned that his riches would end up with his servant Eliezer of Damascus since he had no child. But the Lord showed him how much offspring he would have and Abram believed and the Lord counted it as righteousness to him. What a great faith he had! To trust the Lord when he can’t understand its possibility is remarkable.

REFLECTION

  • How can we have such faith as Abram had?
  • Is it possible to grow our faith? How do we do this?

GENESIS 14 ABRAM MEETS MELCHIZEDEK

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December 2

GENESIS 14

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessorof heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand! ”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” – Genesis 14:17-24

GENESIS 14 ABRAM MEETS MELCHIZEDEK

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After Abram won the battle in Chedorlaomer and he met the kings at Shaveh

It was in the Valley of Shaveh wherehe met the king of Salem, Melchizedek

This King, who was also a priest, welcomed and blessed Abram

He declared the hand of God in Abram’s triumph in the battle.

As a priest of God, he blessed Abram by honoring him and sharing his resources

Abram was blessed and so he blessed back Melchizedek in return

Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all his wealth and possessions

He also declined the plunder that the king of Sodom offered him.

Once again, Abram continues to manifest his righteousness in this incident. When he won the battle against those kings and regained back his nephew Lot. There was a meeting of those who were allies to him. There he met Melchizedek, king of Salem. In some commentaries, Salem was the old name of Jerusalem. Very little is known about this king but he seemed to be a significant priest as Hebrews 7:13-17 refers to Jesus as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron. Abram also didn’t accept the plunder from the king of Sodom, which shows his integrity.

REFLECTION

  • What was most interesting in this meeting between Abram and Melchizedek?

GENESIS 14 ABRAM BRINGS AN ARMY TO RESCUE LOT

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December 1

GENESIS 14

13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaksof Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people– Genesis 14:13-16

GENESIS 14 ABRAM BRINGS AN ARMY TO RESCUE LOT

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Abram heard of Lot’s captivity at Sodom from someone who escaped there

He didn’t waste any time but gathered all his trained servants 318 of them

Abram’s vast number of servants manifest God’s blessings on him

By training them in advance, Abram was always ready to fight and defend his flock.

Without fear, Abram divided his army of servants against these enemies

He pursued them relentlessly as far as Dan, Hobah which is north of Damascus

Then he was able to rescue his nephew Lot from his captivity

He restored all of Lot’s possessions and his women and people.

In this account, we see many different traits of Abram that we never heard spoken before. We knew that he was blessed by the Lord and was given a promise of many offspring coming from him. But in this account, we can deduce that he was also very wealthy. For someone to have three hundred eighteen trained servants to be good soldiers was astoundingly amazing. He was very rich but kept a humble attitude. We also see his wisdom and courage here. He was wise to invest in training his own servants so that when occasions like enemy invasions happen, he is not blindsided. We also see his love for his nephew Lot that he would do anything to get him back. He was in his old age by this time because he left Haran at seventy-five. What a blessed man of God is Abram!

REFLECTION

  • What can we learn from Abram in this account when he rescued his nephew Lot?

GENESIS 14 LOT’S CAPTIVITY IN THE WAR AT SODOM

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November 30

GENESIS 14

In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. 11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

                                                                    – Genesis 14:1-12

GENESIS 14 LOT’S CAPTIVITY IN THE WAR AT SODOM

When Lot separated from Abram and chose to go towards the Jordan Valley near the cities, he got caught up in the war happening at Sodom. The kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and Goiim made war with the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela (also called Zoar). Four kings fighting with five kings at the Valley of Siddim which is the Salt Sea. During this war, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled to the hill country and some of them fell in the bitumen pits that were in the Siddim valley. As these two kings fled, the enemy took all the possession of Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot’s who was then living in Sodom. He was held captive in this war. Lot chose the Jordan Valley and it’s surrounding cities as his area when Abram gave him the choice. He thought that he will be more prosperous in this area, only to be caught up in the middle of this war.

REFLECTION

  • What can we learn from Lot’s predicament in this war?

GENESIS 13 GOD REITERATES HIS PROMISED LAND TO ABRAM

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November 29

GENESIS 13

14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. – Genesis 13:14-18

GENESIS 13 GOD REITERATES HIS PROMISED LAND TO ABRAM

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After Abram and Lot went separate ways to avoid strife with their herdsmen

The Lord God reminded Abram what was going to be his promised land

God instructed him to look upwards from where Abram was

To the north, south, east and west, he showed him what’s going to be his.

God promised Abram the breadth of the land that he is visibly seeing that time

This is the land that he will inherit from the Lord which will be for his sons as well

All his offspring will have as much land as they can count the dust of the earth

Abram moved his tent by the oaks of Mamre at Hebron and built an altar for God.

Abram must have felt sad that he and his nephew Lot had to separate ways. When Lot chose the better part of the area without even thinking how Abram must have felt letting him go another way Lot had his eye focused on the benefits of choosing that land that have water running through it. Many times, we become fixated on benefits and profits from something without even thinking how it will affect our souls or other people.

Then, God reiterated his promise to Abram about Canaan. Can you imagine if you were in Abram’s place and God was showing you the vast space that your eyes could see which was going to be yours? Even though it seems that Lot chose the better part, Abram had God’s promise which is far much better than anything that the world offers.

REFLECTION

  • How can we fight our nature for selfish ambitions?

GENESIS 13 WHEN ABRAM & LOT SEPARATED WAYS

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November 28

GENESIS 13

8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. – Genesis 13:8-13

GENESIS 13 WHEN ABRAM & LOT SEPARATED WAYS

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

In order for strife and conflict not to thrive between Abram and Lot,

They agreed to separate ways to avoid fights between their herdsmen

Abram gave Lot the choice to select which area he preferred

So, Lot chose the Jordan Valley since it was well watered.

Abram chose the one which was left from Lot’s preference

That was so kind of him do so even though he had more seniority

Despite occupants in that land, Abram settled and stayed in Canaan

While Lot settled among the cities, he also stayed away from Sodom.

In this account, we witness the gracious character of Abram once again. He was kind enough to make his nephew Lot make his choice which area he wanted to occupy. Even though he could have chosen the better option, he gave Lot that choice. How often do we know people as gentleman as Abram in our world today.  There is much prevalence of making oneself first rather than others in our world today. It also shows that whichever area he chooses, God will always bless him and give him favor. It is a good lesson to learn from Abram about how the Lord will always provide for his people’s needs.

REFLECTION

  • Why is it important to let others needs and preferences come first before our own?

GENESIS 13 OVERFLOWING BLESSING TO ABRAM & LOT

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November 27

GENESIS 13

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

                                                               – Genesis 13:1-7

GENESIS 13 OVERFLOWING BLESSINGS TO ABRAM & LOT

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After their release from Egypt by Pharaoh Abram went to the Negeb

The Lord God has blessed Abram and his nephew Lot with much blessings

They both have livestock, gold and silver and proceeded between Ai and Bethel

It was here that Abram built an altar for the Lord, so they worshiped there.

Because God was with them always, despite no permanent place to live

With so much possessions Abram and Lot couldn’t fit in one place

The herdsmen of Abram’s livestock were fighting with Lot’s herdsmen

They were still unable to occupy Canaan since there were occupants there.

What an interesting problem Abram and Lot have in this account. Because of the overflowing blessings in riches and livestock, they couldn’t live in one place together. Their numbers were growing and so with the livestock. It’s probably a good problem to encounter rather than having so much lack. It must have been a challenge to follow God’s leading to the Canaan since they had so much riches to bring along with them wherever they pitch their tents. Despite all these challenges, they never forgot to worship the Lord and called upon him between Ai and Bethel where they had built an altar for the Lord.

REFLECTION

  • What riches and blessings have you received from the Lord as a proof of his providence for you?

GENESIS 12 PHARAOH RELEASES ABRAM AND SARAI

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November 26

GENESIS 12

17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. – Genesis 12:17-20

GENESIS 12 PHARAOH RELEASES ABRAM AND SARAI

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Abram thought of using Sarai to spare his life

Even though it didn’t honor God doing such plan,

The Lord God still protected him and Sarai

By afflicting Pharoah with great plagues.

Plans that we take in our own hands may not be good

It still doesn’t change the love of God for his people

This is how faithful and loving our heavenly Father is

Let’s not forget to always rely on Him instead of our own strength.

In this narrative of Abram’s deception of Pharaoh to spare his own life at the expense of using his wife’s beauty and letting Sarai lie for him, we are presented with the reality of man’s bent nature. We tend to take control of things especially when we perceive dangers that may not be truly there. Fear can always spur us to do the wrong thing. It filters our perception and thwarts it. It goes on automatically taking care of our own instead of going and running to God.

After the fall, we cannot hide from the wickedness that is so prevalent in all of us humans. In this situation, despite the way Abram took control of the events, we still see God protecting him and Sarai from the possible evil plan of Pharaoh to take Sarai as part of his concubine. They were all set free because of the plague that God sent Pharaoh. We learn from this story how God takes care and protects his own people.

REFLECTION

  • Share an incident when you were protected by the Lord even though you made a foolish or rash decision.

GENESIS 12 GOD SHOWED HIMSELF TO ABRAM

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November 24

GENESIS 12

When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oakof Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So, he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. – Genesis 12:5-9

GENESIS 12 GOD SHOWED HIMSELF TO ABRAM

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Abram reached the land of Canaan

It was still occupied by Canaanites that time

But the Lord showed himself to Abram at Shechem

It was to the oak of Moreh God showed himself, so he built an altar.

God told Abram that he’ll grant the promised land to his descendants

Then he began moving to the east of Bethel and there, he built another altar

So, he could continually praise him as he moved towards the promised land

After that, Abram continued his journey towards the Negeb.

What a blessing it was for Abram to actually experience God’s presence at the oak of Moreh. Notice how it must have been for Abram. He saw that the Canaanites where still occupying the land that God was leading him to. Before he could ask the question to God how he can occupy that land, God showed himself to Abram at that moment. What amazing response from God! Abram was promised that place to be given to his offspring. What an assurance that was. As God’s people, don’t we also get answers even before we ask it? This is how amazing our Lord is. Yahweh means God the provider. No matter how impossible it seems in our naked eye how much obstacles are in our way, God always makes a way for us to reach that place that he wanted us to be at.

We see in this time frame that Abram built two altars as a result of God’s appearance to him. His faithfulness and complete trust in the Lord are astounding.

REFLECTION

  • How has God manifested his provision in your life in your most trying moment?