[NOTE: Unfortunately, we had a wireless microphone die during this class, so there is a couple minutes of silence that have been cut from this recording at around the 8:30 mark. Sorry about that!]
Genesis 17
- Genesis 17:1-8 - God repeats His covenant with Abraham and changes his name:
- Abram: exalted father
- Abraham: father of a multitude
- Genesis 17:9-14 – All males commanded to be circumcised as a sign from God.
- Genesis 17:15-22 – God blesses Sarai and says she will be the mother of nations. God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. The change is very minor but reinforces the fact that both Abraham and Sarah were given new names by God. God confirms that the blessing will come through Sarah.
- Genesis 17:22-27 – Abraham did as God commanded that very day.
Genesis 18
- Genesis 18:1-8 – Abraham and Sarah are visited by three men. Abraham prepares them a tremendous amount of food (thirty pounds of flour, over thirty loves of bread). Abraham calls one of them lord (H112 adon).
- Genesis 18:9-15 – At some point Abraham realizes that these men are different and that one of them is God. Sarah laughs at herself and gets called out. In Genesis 18:13, one of the men is referred to as Jehovah.
- Genesis 18:16-33 – God tells Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom. Abraham asks God to spare the city. Abraham calls Him adonay (H135), a reverent term for Yahweh (Genesis 18:27, 30, 31).
Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorrah
- Genesis 19:1-7 – Two men enter the gates of Sodom and Lot invites them to his house. The people of Sodom come to sin with them.
- Genesis 19:8-11 – Lot offers his daughters. Men complain of Lot’s judgment, and they are struck with blindness.
- Genesis 19:12-23 – The men had to drag Lot and his wife and daughters out of Sodom. See II Peter 2:7-8.
- Genesis 19:24-29 – God destroys Sodom and the whole area except where Lot had gone. Lot’s wife looks back (Luke 17:32). Abraham looked on from a distance and saw the destruction.
- Genesis 19:30-38 – Lot’s daughters get Lot drunk in order to have children. The people of Moab and Ammon are born.
Lessons from Sodom and Gomorrah
- Fame and fortune are not worth your soul.
- Stay away from things that torment your soul (II Peter 2:6-8).
- Tradition is not an excuse to sin.
- Excuses can be made for just about anything.
- Sin is the worst thing in the world.
- Be honest when someone is judging you truthfully.
- Be patient.
- Alcohol can cause us to do unspeakable things.
- Bad choices can affect our family for generations.