Tag Archives: Abraham

Read the Bible: Genesis 25

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I’ve been thinking today about the difference between teaching and preaching. A preacher should be able to teach, but a teacher should be able to teach without preaching. Teaching is about explaining things in ways that people can understand. The Read the Bible series isn’t really about teaching the Bible; the stated goal is to read the text and discuss it’s just I’m the only one doing the discussing. Anytime someone wants to jump in just start leaving comments and we can interact. Preaching involves not only reading the text and doing some teaching but giving application. It starts with “what do we learn from this passage” and transitions into “what are we going to do about it.” When you leave church after hearing a good sermon you should have some goals for the upcoming week. There should be one or more action points; you should be able to answer the question What does the pastor/preacher want me to do? Sometimes a well-taught lesson will lead us to do things differently or take action but a good sermon will provide application. Some of the passages as we read through the Old Testament, I’m not sure how I would preach those from the perspective of how should we respond? You can learn a lot about God by reading the Old Testament so I hope you hang in there and find it worthwhile.

Read the Bible: Genesis 22

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In some ways, Abraham is like God the Father in that he was willing to offer up his only son. In some ways, Isaac is like Jesus in that he was the son of promise. At some point every analogy breaks down. The plan of salvation was God’s design and while Abraham was faithfully doing what he was told but it was a blind faith. Jesus willingly laid down his life; Isaac may have been an unwilling participant in this exercise. Substitutionary sacrifice is illustrated here when Abraham slays the ram… oh, spoilers. Maybe you better play the audio.

Read the Bible: Genesis 21

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Isaac is born, as God said in Genesis 19. Tensions flare again between Sarah and Hagar and Abraham is consoled that he will be the father of a great nation also. We take a deep dive in the discussion into Christian and Jewish belief compared to what Muslims teach.

The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Seen at the bottom of this picture is the Wailing Wall, or Western Wall, which is all that remains of the Temple destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70. Jews still gather at the base of the wall to pray, because that is as close as they can get to the site of the former Jerusalem Temple. Muslims control the actual hill top and tensions between Jews, Christians and Muslims are always high.

Read the Bible: Genesis 20

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Chapter 19 was kind of long and I felt some things needed to be said. Good news: Genesis 20 is a shorter chapter, only 18 verses, and it gives us a break from some of the heavy stuff of the past two chapters. Abraham is traveling abroad telling people that Sarah is his sister, which we have seen before.

I presume at this point if you are listening to these recordings that you are familiar with The Master’s Table, and are most likely a subscriber of some type. We may try to offer Read the Bible as a podcast on other outlets in the future. It is also possible that you have come across a website or someone on social media that has stolen this content and reposted it. So in today’s broadcast we will add some type of identifier, probably a closing (outro) that identifies The Master’s Table and Clark Bunch as the original producer of this content. You can listen to it, download it, share it with others, just don’t pass it off as your work. Please give credit where credit is due and include a link back to The Master’s Table.

Read the Bible: Genesis 18

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This chapter is longer than the last and there is a lot to say about this one. Three men visit Abraham – long discussion about who they might be – and they deliver two pieces of information. 1) Sarah will give birth at the age of 90 and 2) Sodom and Gomorrah will be judged for their great sins.

Link to Read the Bible: the LORD for a refresher in the Old Testament name for God.

Read the Bible: Genesis 17

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God has made promises to Abram and in this chapter will establish his covenant with him and give the sign of circumcision. Abram will be known as Abraham, Sarai as Sarah, and the birth of Isaac is promised. This chapter is a little longer than the past couple we’ve read and I felt a lot needed to be said.

Bible Study: Hebrews 11

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Read Hebrews 11

The first verse of Hebrews 11 is one I memorized many years ago in the King James Version. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The substance of things hoped for; the KJV was written to be read out loud and it’s poetic language, combined with rhythm and cadence, is the reason it is so often read today in public ceremonies and gatherings. In my case it’s what I grew up with so with many important passages of scriptures those are the words I know by heart.

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Bible Study: Hebrews 6

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Read Hebrews 6

It’s a corny joke and I apologize for repeating it but when we see the word “therefore” in the Bible we need to stop and consider what it’s there for. At the end of Hebrews 5, we find a warning against those that have failed to mature. The writer laments that believers who should be on solid food (of God’s Word) still need to be given milk like infants. So 6 begins with a call to move on to maturity, leaving the elementary things behind.

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God Will Provide Himself a Lamb

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Abraham, IsaacGenesis 22 tells the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. For clarity’s sake perhaps we should say almost sacrificing his son. Abraham was willing, able and just about to offer his son Isaac when he was stopped by the Angel of the Lord.

Abraham believed God and that belief was counted to him as righteousness in Genesis 15:6. Isaac had been born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, so Abraham had no reason to question God’s instructions. Hebrews 11 commends his faithfulness, so great that he believed God could restore Isaac to life. An interesting conversation took place as they hiked up the mountain together. Isaac noted they had wood and fire but asked about a lamb to sacrifice. Abraham said that “God will provide himself a lamb.” When Isaac was spared at the last moment, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns and sacrificed that as an offering of thanksgiving. He named the place Jehovah-jireh or the LORD will provide.

As we prepare to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ it’s hard to miss the parallels. We have in the Genesis account a father that is willing to sacrifice the son that he loves. They walked up the mountain together. And even though Isaac is ultimately spared we see the ram serve as substitute sacrifice. It was guilty of nothing but its blood was poured out. Now consider the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and recall the words of Abraham; God will provide himself with a sacrifice.

Before Abraham Was, I AM

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jesus_teachingIt’s quite a few verses but to get the full context we need read John 8:31-59. 

In an oft quoted verse of scripture Jesus tells his followers “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Many of us are familiar with these words even those who have not read the Gospels. But the audience that day asks how they can be set free, claiming they have never been enslaved to anyone. Let’s think about that claim. The defining moment of Jewish history is the Exodus from Egypt and the way they encountered God at Mount Sinai. They had served as slaves for hundreds of years in Egypt. The nation of Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity and later by the Assyrians. In Jesus’ day their land was a province of the Roman Empire. To claim they had never been enslaved to anyone was an exaggeration at best, but what Jesus really meant was that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. He really riles them up by telling them their father is not Abraham but the devil, and they do what their father does which is try to kill him. They will then claim they have only one father and that is God! Jesus says if that were so they would love him for he came from God, but instead they are the offspring of murdering Satan who is a liar and the father of lies. They accuse him of being a Samaritan and possessed by a demon, and it all comes to a head when Jesus tells them Abraham rejoiced to see them in his day. Continue reading →