Biblical perspective vs. Secular perspective.
Intention, not Random
Expectation, not "Whatever"
Interaction (intervention), not "We're it"
Gen. 6:5 “...Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually...”
The time period from Creation to the Universal Flood was about 25% of the earth's history. God created with intentions and expectations. God intervened when man’s evil intent reached ‘continual’ status.
Failure to join the intentions of God led to destruction.
Now let’s see how the do-over went.
Gen.11:6-9 “...The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech." So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
Are we more or less advanced than the people who settled on the plain in the land of Shinar? Does superior technology equate to smarter or better?
Why didn’t God like what they were doing?
What was God’s motivation for thwarting them? Did He see them pulling away from His original purpose (relationship) to their own selfish purposes?
Does God still thwart us when His purposes aren’t the center of our lives? Marriages, Schools, Business, Politics. Do we find that we’re not speaking the same language?
When man is proud, communication breaks down.
When man submits to God, communication is restored.
Will we take (assume/serve) our place or will we try to make (presume/grab) our place?
Gen.12:2 ”...And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;...”
Gen.26:4 “...I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;...”
Gen.28:13-14 “...And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. "Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed...”
What were God’s intentions when he called Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel?
Is God still looking to accomplish this?
Does God have a people living to bless the world?
Are we striving to bless, or to be blessed?
Gen.15:12-14 “...Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. "But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
How much does God know about timelines? About your timeline?
Can God see the future the way we see the past?
Gen.16:2 “...So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai...”
Gen.16:11-12 “...The angel of the Lord said to her further, "Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. "He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers..."
ISAAC / ISHMAEL
PROMISE / PREFERENCE
Do we ever grow impatient with God, and try to birth the future in our own way? What happens?
Have you ever given birth to something that wars against God’s best?
How soon must you see the promise? How can we make sure we ‘wait on the Lord’ instead of taking matters into our own hands?
Gen.17:11 “...And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you...”
What’s on God’s mind here? Does he need to brand people to keep track of which people are His?
Mark of beast (Rev.16:2) Mark of God (Ez.9:4-6)?
Romans 2:29 “...But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit...”
What do you think circumcision of the heart means?
Can our flesh become forefront in our lives? Must the fleshly desires of our heart be removed for us to live by the Spirit?
What mark do you wear? What marks your life?
Gen.13:13 “...Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord...”
Gen.18:20 “...And the Lord said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave...”
What was the problem in Sodom?
Ezekiel 16:49 “...Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy...”
Their sexual sin was secondary to their self indulgent, careless life in “the good land”. Fat and sassy. Arrogant and careless.
These things lead to what really grieves God - not helping the poor and needy.
Adultery (unfaithfulness in marriage), fornication (sex outside of wedlock), and homosexuality - all originate from an underlying careless way of life - caring less about God’s ways than our own preferences.
America?
Gen.19:11 “...They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway...”
The simplest tasks become wearyingly impossible when we are moving contrary the purposes of God.
Is this similar to the communication issue of Babel - God resisting by direct intervention.
Gen.22:1-2 “...Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you..."
What was the test? Why the test?
Can the blessings of God become an idol? Can we elevate a Promise above God?
Does this help you understand Mark 10:21? The man was asked to give all he possessed for the poor, but went away sad.
What was the result of Abraham passing the test (Gen.22:18)?
Is the world still blessed through God’s obedient people? Hear. Obey. Be a blessing.
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