Genesis

Chapter 11 & 12

The Tower

• They resolved to build themselves there "a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven,"

• For the twofold purpose :• of making themselves "a name," • and lest they "be scattered abroad upon

the face of the whole earth." • Such words read singularly like those

which a Nimrod would employ

Nemrod

• Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, regards Nimrod as the father of heathenism, the characteristic of which is to find strength and happiness in sin, and not in God.

• Its essential principle is to reject all that is not seen, and to cling to that which is temporal.

• Thus we also may be heathens in heart, even though we are not such in mind, and do Idolatry is the religion of sight in opposition to that of faith.

• Instead of the unseen Creator, man regarded that which was visible the sun, the moon, the stars — as the cause and the ruler of all

Nemrod

• he assigned to everything its deity, and thus had gods many and lords many; or else he converted his heroes, real or imaginary, into gods.

• The worship of the heavens, the worship of nature, or the worship of man — such is heathenism and idolatry.

• The worst of it was, that man gradually became conformed to his religion.

• He first imputed his own vices to his gods, and next imitated the vices of his gods.

• Romance Chapter1

Job

• Job had evidently perfect knowledge of the true God; and he was a humble, earnest worshipper of Jehovah.

• Without any acquaintance with "Moses and the prophets," he knew that of which Moses and the prophets spoke.

• Reverent, believing acknowledgment of God, submission, and spiritual repentance formed part of his experience,God Himself.

• Then Job offered sacrifices; he speaks about the great tempter; he looks for the resurrection of the body; and he expects the coming of Messiah.

Job

• "When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.“

• Mathew Chapter 25

Faith

• The one grand characteristic of the patriarchs was their faith.

• The lives of the patriarchs prefigure the whole history of Israel and persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth.

• faith which lays hold on the word of promise, and on the strength of this word gives up that which is seen and present for that which is unseen and future.

Idolatry• Idolatry is the religion of sight in opposition to that of faith. Instead of

the unseen Creator, man regarded that which was visible

• John 20:25-29• So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails,

and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

• 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

• 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" • 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you

have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Salvation

• Rom 8:23-25• 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope

that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

• Abraham was the man of joyous, working faith; • Isaac of patient, bearing faith;• Jacob of contending and prevailing

• Gen 11:10-26• This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot

Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. 13 After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. 17 After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. 21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

• 26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Shem 100 lived 500 years 600 years

Arphaxad 32 400 432

Salah 35 403 438

Eber 34 430 464

Peleg 35 209 244

Reu 37 207 244

Seurg 30 200 230

Nahor 29 119 148

Terah 70

402

Shem was 402 When Abram was born

Abarm

• Acts 7:1-4• 7:1 Stephen's Address: The Call of Abraham • Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?" • And he said,"Brethren and fathers, listen: The

God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.' 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

Abram

• Abram was the tenth in the succession of fathers born to Shem after the great flood. ‘Abram’ , a word meaning (a respectable father), was changed to ‘Abraham’, that means (A father of many nations) (Gen. 17: 5). As he started his life as a dignified and respectable father, God made him a father of fathers; a father of many nations.

The Joureny

• Gen 11:31-32• 31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot,

the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. 32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran

• Terah was an old Man• Abram was a Man• Lot was young Man

HARAN

• HA'RAN, CITY OF. An ancient and still-existing northern Mesopotamian commercial city on the Balikh River, sixty miles from its entrance into the Euphrates.

• It was located in Paddan-aram ("field of Aram"). The city was on the busy caravan road connecting with Nineveh, Asshur, and Babylon in Mesopotamia, and with Damascus, Tyre, and Egyptian cities in the W and S.

• It was a natural stopping place for Terah and Abraham on their trek to Palestine. Interestingly, Haran, like Ur, was a center of the moon god cult.

HARAN

• It was probably "the city of Nahor" to which Abraham's servant came to find a wife for Isaac (24:10 ff).

• Hither came Jacob when he fled from Esau's anger (27:43). Here he met his bride

• Luke 14:25-28

• 26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.