Untitled Sermon (11)

Genesis 25:1-28

P.O.P.

The grace of God is displayed through the life of Abraham and His continued fulfillment of promises to the next generation.

Kids

God was with Abraham and continued to be with his children.

I. The grace of old age.

We have breezed through 100 years of Abraham’s life.

He was 75 when he left Haran (Gen. 12)

He is 175 when he dies in Canaan (Gen. 25)

He is 100 when Isaac is born.

He is 135 when Sarah dies.

Abraham marries Keturah.

How are we to think about these types of relationships in the Bible?

We cannot count verses of description as prescription…meaning we cannot take the description of lives and events as being what God wants his people to do.

God has already once corrected Abraham concerning this type of relationship. He is instructed that his relations with Hagar were outside of God’s design.

We must follow the example of Jesus and refer back to the Creation order:

Creation poses creation in complimentary patterns - heaven and earth, land and sea, night and day, days 1-3 and days 4-6....he ends it by making his image bearers in a complimentary way - male and female. (Sam Emadi)

The pattern of Creation is forming and filling and posing God as Creator and giver of all that is good.

Therefore, Creation is clear, Jesus’ teaching reminds us of the Created order, and Revelation gives a picture of God’s intended purpose and plan of Creation restored.

God’s design and intent for marriage are never changed or altered but instead upheld and recovered by God in his redemptive plan.

II. The expanding of nations.

The expansion of nations here is not necessarily positive.

While God filling the earth is always part of his gracious plan of giving life, this expansion is happening outside God’s created order and leading to strife.

Keturah’s line - marriage of concubine

Midian

Sheba

Ishmael’s line - marriage of servant (Hagar) outside of God’s plan

The graciousness of God is emphasized in the continued giving of life despite man’s continued sin and rebellion.

A good theological point to understand that is being modeled is the relationship between the wills of God and man.

God’s will is displayed in Creation and continually revealed in His word.

Man does have a will but after the fall the will is tainted and bent toward sin.

Man has lost any true free liberty to choose because of sin.

God’s will cannot be overcome, changed, ruined, or thwarted by man’s will. His gracious will to save and his gracious will to judge will be accomplished in his plan of redemption.

III. The conflict of brothers.