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Reflections Sunday Message Recap:
“The Return”
Pastor Louis H. Straker, Jr.
Communion Sunday
July 4th, 2021
Jeremiah 4:1 - 4
Life is filled with returns. Almost nothing in this life truly goes on into infinity or eternity, and at some point there usually has to be a return.
There are things that you put out there that you expect a return (like school, a degree, children).
There are benefits to something being refurbished. They are cheaper than the new counterparts. It is a better product sometimes. These items undergo stricter testing.
The original manufacturer can repair, refurbish, and recondition better than that which was returned in the first place.
As we return to the house of God, there is always the expectation for the return. There was a pause and disruption due to the pandemic, but there was always an expectation of the return.
What is the product coming back into the house of God. There are a lot of things that was deteriorated during Covid.
Question #1:
Do you feel an obligation to help when your family members are in trouble? Explain your answer.
Genesis 14:1-16 (Bible App)
1 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. 13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of 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.
LESSON:
(Genesis 14:12) Lot … was living in Sodom. Note the progression from having settled near to the town (Gen. 13:12) to living within its walls. Predictably, tragically, Lot succumbed to the temptation of the evil city. Thus, he became part of the loot carried away by the conquering tribes.
Question #2:
What steps have you taken to resist the that thing that tempts you? Have you moved farther, or closer to it?
LESSON:
Lot, to relocate to the especially inhospitable region along the southern shore of what is today the Dead Sea (the general area where most scholars locate Sodom and Gomorrah). The fact that Lot chose land that was well watered everywhere (Gen. 13:10) contrast with the situation familiar to the Israelites and to people today.
Fun Fact: the Dead Sea is also known as the Salt Sea, an modern phenomenon consisting of such a high percentage of sea salts that no living creature can inhabit its waters.
The answer is that all of this took place before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, the inhospitable, barren state of that portion of the upper Negev and lower Jordan Valley (i.e., the “Dead Sea”) region is the direct result of the manner by which God judged the sins of the Canaanites who lived there.
This stands in direct contrast to the theory that the formation of the Dead Sea and the barrenness of the surrounding area resulted from millions of years of interrelated geologic processes. The sudden transformation of this region that was well watered and filled with life like the garden of the Lord, to a region whose land and water are all but dead serves as a reminder of the consequence of sin (2 Pt. 2:6)
LESSON:
(Genesis 14:13) HEBREW. Abram is the first character in Genesis with this title. The Hebrew people were God’s chosen people, which has confounded numerous people groups throughout the history of the Jews who are considered be many to be inferior.
LESSON:
The only explanation for his amazing victory, was God fulfilling His word to Abram - that those who hurt Abram were hurting God, and God Himself would defend Abram. God also wants to be our protector when circumstances raid our lives.
Question #3:
When did you first hear about the concept of tithing?
Genesis 14:17 - 24
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, Possessor of 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.”
LESSON:
This passage concerning the conquest of the five Canaanite kings by the four kings of the east, may seem tangential, but serves some significant purposes. It is the first explicit evidence of the prophetic nature of Noah’s statement in Gen. 9:25-26, that Canaan, son of Ham, descendants would be subordinated/enslaved to the his siblings descendants.
The conquering quartet was led by the king of Elam, and the Elamites were descendants of Shem (Gen. 10:22). This historical precedent would als o have served as further encouragement for the Israelites, who were also descendants of Shem.
The message of the passage gives a vivid example of God’s military concern for His people. This would serve as a precedent of future military successes for the Israelites, both in their initial conquest of Canaan as well as in the ensuing battles to maintain control of the land (cf. 2 Sam. 5:24-25).
This narrative also sets up the immediate following episode in which Abram gave “a tithe of all” the spoil (i.e., the spoil he had taken from the four eastern kings, who themselves had taken it from the five Canaanite kings) to Melchizedek.
Melchizedek, means “King of Righteousness,” and Salem means “peace.” So this person is also the King of Peace. The peculiar thing about Him is that He is both a king and a priest. Kings rule people, while priests stand between the people and God. No Jewish person has ever occupied both offices. The only other OT reference to Melchizedek is in Psalms. 110:4, and both passages are mentioned in the book of Hebrews.
Jesus is the true and permanent King of Righteousness and Peace, and He is the great high priest who bridged the gap between God and humanity. Melchizedek is a prototype of the Son of God. In theology we call this a theophany, or Christophany (an appearance of the preincarnate Christ).
Genesis 15:1 - 3
1 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 continue 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.”
Question #4:
When have you ever felt frustrated or impatient with God?
Genesis 15:4 - 7
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. 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.”
Question #5:
What reasons did Abram have to “believe” God? How would you describe the relationship between faith and righteousness?
LESSON:
About ten years had passed since Abram first picked up and moved his family toward Canaan (Gen. 12:1 - 4). He still had no kids - a fact he felt compelled to point out to God (Gen. 15:2-3). His faith was starting to falter. When he informed God that he made his arrangements that a servant, Eliezer of Damascus, to become his heir; the Lord strongly answered, This man (not even using Eliezer’s name) will not be your heir. Instead a son coming from Abram’s own body would be his heir. God then showed Abram the stars, pointing out that Abram’s offspring would be just as innumerable (cf. 22:17; 26:4). The word by which God created the stars would also guarantee Abram’s seed.1
1 Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 55). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
KEY VERSE: (Genesis 15:6) “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” 1
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ge 15:6). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
God saw this faith and credited it to him as righteousness. The apostle Paul would pick up on this verse in Romans 4:3, using Abram as an example of how faith works. God spoke to Abram, and Abram took Him at His word. That is the essence of faith.
Genesis 15:8 - 20
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. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
LESSON:
Abram believed but wanted more details about how all this would come to pass. He asked, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess this land?” (Gen. 15:8)
God responds with patience and grace. He affirmed His promise and assuaged Abram’s doubt by condescending to participate in the human convention of covenant “ratification” (establishing a binding agreement). In this act the conditions of the agreement are ratified or agreement on by the blood of a sacrifice - either by walking between the bloody parts, or being sprinkled by the blood, as in Ex. 24:6-8.
LESSON:
The key detail here is that God alone - in the form of a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch - passed through the path of the torn animals (Gen. 15:17). Covenants like this were supposed to have two parties involved. Both people were supposed to walk between the slain animals reciting the terms of the agreement, indicating that if either party broke their side they would suffer a fate like that of the animals.
CLOSING:
The Abramhamic covenant is radically unique. Abram was not even awake when is was made. God walked through for both of them, promising to bear the fatal burden of either of them broke the covenant. This unconditional covenant was dependent on God alone.
This foreshadows our covenant with Christ, we were asleep, nonexistent in the seed of the fathers, and the womb of the mothers that bore us. So, centuries later, after a mountains of human sin had accumulated, the Son of God bore the covenant penalty on the cross or Calvary.