Podcast

Yesterday, we saw Abram and Sarai backtrack from Egypt to a place of worship.  We listened as Abram separated from Lot in order to keep the peace, and we heard God make a promise to Abram to bless him with land and descendants as numerous as the dust on the earth. Let’s continue his story with Genesis 14.

Reflection Questions

1.  Did anything in your life come to mind as you listened to this chapter?  Do you know someone living in captivity?  Does the enemy seem too large to conquer because others have failed?  Tell God what is on your heart today.

2. Abram was able to conquer those who captured Lot even though 5 armies couldn’t do it.  What does that teach you about God and who He is?  How might this help you see your circumstance in a new light? 

3. In the end, Abram wouldn’t take any of the spoils of war for himself.  Why do you think that is?  How might this apply to your life?

Yesterday, there was a new guy on the scene.  We met Abram and connected his story with Noah’s story through Shem’s lineage.  God told Abram to leave his family and his home and go to an unknown land – a land God himself would show him.  And Abram did just that.  When we left him, he and his wife, Sarai, had a run-in with Egypt’s Pharaoh who very politely kicked them out of town.  Let’s see what happens next in Genesis chapter 13.

Reflection Questions

1.  What did you see God doing in this passage?  What does that tell you about who He is?

2. God gave Abram a promise to give him land and descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth.  Why do you think this is important in the context of where we are in Genesis?

3. What jumped out at you?  What surprised you?

Resources:   11 Easy Steps to Studying the Bible
website: coffeewithchrist.org

Yesterday, we saw God confuse all the people by thwarting their plans to glorify themselves with the Tower of Babel, and we met a very important family.  Terah and his son, Abram.  Let’s listen to his story in Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12

Reflection Questions: 

 

1. What did you see God doing in this passage?  How was He working and moving?  What does that tell  you about who He is?
2. Abram is a very pivotal person in the Bible.  What did you see him doing in response to God?   How might that apply to your life?
3. Where did Abram fail?  And how did God respond?
4. How do you need to respond to God in light  of this? 

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This is a place where we set everything down, read some scripture, and listen to what God might be trying to say to us through His word.  Hopefully, it is a time marked on your calendars daily.  If not, you have come to a great place to make that happen.

These episodes are around 15 minutes and are guided reflections.   As a reminder, I read from the New Living Translation because it sounds more like every day English and it helps me to hear scripture in a new way.  I hope it does those things for you too. 

These sessions include periods of time for you to process what you heard.  But if you need more time on any given section, just hit pause.  Remember, not rushing is what makes this time with Him more beautiful.

We ended last week with the fall of Noah, his curse on his son, Ham, and his blessing on his son, Shem.  Ham birthed Canaan and his people would become the Canaanites  – which is important throughout the rest of the Bible.  This week is an exciting week.  So, let’s continue with Genesis chapter 11.

Reflection Questions:

 

1. How did humans fail in this chapter? 
2. Was God’s response to that failure?  Did you see Him moving?  What does that tell you about His character?
3. Is there a tower that you’re building to glorify yourself?  Or is there something in your life that you worship more than God?  Isaiah 42:8 tells us that God will not share His glory or His praise with another.  How might you need to respond to Him today?

These episodes are around 15 minutes and are guided reflections.   As a reminder, I read from the New Living Translation because it sounds more like every day English and it helps me to hear scripture in a new way.  I hope it does those things for you too. 

These sessions include periods of time for you to process what you heard.  But if you need more time on any given section, just hit pause.  Remember, not rushing is what makes this time with Him more beautiful. 

OK.

Let’s get started by taking a deep breath,
By releasing the stresses of the day,
And by being still.

-Interlude-

Tell God what is keeping you up at night; what thoughts keep your mind swirling when you need to rest.  Holy God – Meet with us today in the quiet.  Help us to find you in Your Word.  Will you teach us today?   

-Interlude-

Yesterday, we  heard about the animals and God’s people being set free from being shut in the ark for other a year.  We learned about the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, the requirement of blood for the death of another; and the covenant between God and his people to not destroy the land with a flood again.  We also learned once again about humanity’s bend towards failure.   

Today, I’m going to slaughter some words.  It’s true.  It is going to happen.  We’re in another chapter of genealogy.  And these names….well, they’re challenging.  So, bear with me as the slaughter begins.  Before you decide to skip this part, keep in mind, 2 Timothy 3 tells us that all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).”  That is ALL of scripture.  Not just the fun parts or the cool stories.  But all of it – even the genealogies.  Remember, God promised a serpent crusher.  And God’s people were still waiting for him. 

Chapter 10

This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood.

Descendants of Japheth

² The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan (Havan), Tubal (Tu-val), Meshech (mee-shek), and Tiras.

³ The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath (Ri-fath), and Togarmah (Toe-gar-ah).

⁴ The descendants of Javan were Elishah (Eli-Sah), Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.^* (Ro-da-nim)⁵ Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.

Descendants of Ham

⁶ The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim (Miz-RI-am), Put, and Canaan.

⁷ The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah (sav-TAH), Raamah, and Sabteca (Sev-ta-ah). The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

⁸ Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. ⁹ Since he was the greatest hunter in the world,^* his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” ¹⁰ He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia,^* with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. ¹¹ From there he expanded his territory to Assyria,^* building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, ¹² and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).

¹³ Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, ¹⁴ Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came.^*

¹⁵ Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites,^{* 16} Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ¹⁷ Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ¹⁸ Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, ¹⁹ and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.

²⁰ These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.

Descendants of Shem

²¹ Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth.^* Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber.

²² The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

²³ The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

²⁴ Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,^* and Shelah was the father of Eber.

²⁵ Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means “division”), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan.

²⁶ Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan. ³⁰ The territory they occupied extended from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern mountains.

³¹ These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.

Conclusion

³² These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.

Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ge 10). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

May God bless the reading and hearing of his word.    

Genealogies can be challenging but did you hear any names that jumped out at you?  Did any of them sound familiar?  What questions do you have in light of this passage?

-Interlude-

Unlike the genealogy we saw in Genesis 5, this one tells us where they lived.  The author of Genesis wanted to make sure we understood not only who the people were but also where they lived.  Why do you  think this would be important then and now?   

-Interlude-

Does it give you comfort knowing God knows exactly where you are in the world and what YOUR genealogy is?  He knew your parents and their parents.  If you have children, he knows their names as well…he even knows the names of those who have not even been born yet.  What does this teach us about how God is?  How can it provide you with peace today?

-Interlude-

Ease back into your day with a few moments of quiet.  The world with wait just a few more minutes.  

-Interlude-  

Father God – Thank you that you know our name and you knew us before the creation of the world. 

Messiah Jesus – We know that you sit at the right hand of the father and that you always petition the father on our behalf, and we are grateful.

Holy Spirit – Reside with us today.  Bring us wise counsel – not as the world sees things as wise, but as You do – intercede for us today.  Amen.

Thanks for listening to this 10th episode of Coffee with Christ.   The plan is to post these every week day.  So, don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to  your podcasts, so you don’t miss an episode. 

Have a great day and be sure to tune in tomorrow for our next episode.

If you’re new here, you might want to go back and listen to the Introduction episode, so you can get the gist of what this podcast is all about and my hope for our time together.

But this is a place where we set everything down, read some scripture, and listen to what God might be trying to say to us through His word.  Hopefully, it is a time marked on your calendars daily.  If not, you have come to a great place to start.

These episodes are around 15 minutes and the plan is to post them every work day until we get to the end of Genesis.  If you need more time on any given section, just hit pause.  Remember, not rushing is what makes this time with Him more beautiful. 

OK.

Let’s get started by taking a deep breath,
By releasing the stresses of the day,
And by being still.

-Interlude-

Tell God what is keeping you up at night; what thoughts keep your mind swirling when you need to rest.  Holy God – Meet with us today in the quiet.  Help us to find you in Your Word.  Will you teach us today?   

-Interlude-

Yesterday, we listened as Noah and his family waited in the ark for what must have felt like an eternity.  For just over a year, they were shut in the ark.  There was no land, only sky and water as far as they could see.  Then, God remembered them and set them free to be fruitful and multiply.  Today, we’ll hear about the first covenant God made with his people, and we’ll uncover a tragic part of Noah’s story.  Let’s listen.

Chapter 9

God Confirms His Covenant

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. ² All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. ³ I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. ⁴ But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.

⁵ “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. ⁶ If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings^* in his own image. ⁷ Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.”

⁸ Then God told Noah and his sons, ⁹ “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, ¹⁰ and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

¹² Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. ¹³ I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. ¹⁴ When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, ¹⁵ and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. ¹⁶ When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” ¹⁷ Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”

Noah’s Sons

¹⁸ The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.

²⁰ After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. ²¹ One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. ²³ Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.

²⁴ When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. ²⁵ Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:

“May Canaan be cursed!

May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”

²⁶ Then Noah said,

“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed,
and may Canaan be his servant!

²⁷ May God expand the territory of Japheth!
May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem,^*
and may Canaan be his servant.”

²⁸ Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood. ²⁹ He lived 950 years, and then he died.

Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ge 9). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

May God bless the reading and hearing of his word. 

Think back to the details of the story…the animals and God’s people being set free; the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, the requirement of blood for the death of another; the covenant between God and his people; the sign of the covenant; and the failure – once again – of mankind.  What stood out to you?  Did anything surprise you? 

-Interlude-

Maybe you already knew about a characteristic of God but have forgotten, or maybe you saw something about him for the first time?  What did you learn about the character of God?   

-Interlude-

How did humans fail in this passage?  How have you failed God lately?  What hope is there in this story despite our failures? 

-Interlude-

Use these next few minutes to confess your failures to God.  Ask him how you should respond to him in light of who he is. 

-Interlude-

Ease back into your day with a few moments of quiet.  The world with wait just a few more minutes.    

-Interlude-

Father God, we thank you for Your Word and how it changes us; how it exposes our weaknesses in light of your strengths. 

Precious Jesus – We thank you for your sacrifice, for the blood you shed to cover our sins.  We thank you that despite our failures, in you with find mercy and grace.

Holy Spirit – We ask for your counsel today.  Will you teach us how to be more like Jesus?  Will  you help us to see You today? 

Thanks for listening to this 9th episode of Coffee with Christ.   If you like what we do here, please pass it along to your friends or leave a comment for future listeners. 

Have a great day and be sure to tune in tomorrow for our next episode.