Genesis- Chapter 17-Divine Choice

Please read Genesis chapter 17 in your own Bibles.



In verses 1-6, We learn about God giving Abram (meaning, "Father of Exaltation") a new name, Abraham (meaning, "Father of a Multitude)

verses 7 & 8. Next, God reminds Abraham of the promised "seed". This Abrahamic Covenant is "a covenant to time indefinite". It's terms require that it extend on until the destruction of all God's enemies and the blessing of the families of the earth have been accomplished.
(Compare: 1 Corinth. 15:23-26)

verses 9-14. Now at age 99 years, Abraham enters into the covenant of circumcision, which Jehovah made with Abraham and his natural seed; all males of the household, including slaves, were to be circumcised; anyone refusing would be cut-off from his people. Circumcision served as a seal of the righteousness Abraham had by faith while in an uncircumcised state, and it was the physical sign of the covenant relationship of Abraham's descendants, through Jacob, with Jehovah. (Compare: Romans 4:11, 12) God recognized circumcision until the ending of the Law Covenant in the year 33 of our common era. (1 Corith 7:19; chapter 15 of Acts.)
Even though physical circumcision was carried out under law, Jehovah, repeatedly showed that he was more concerned with its symbolic significance, counseling Israel "to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts."--Deut 10:16; Acts 7:51

verse 15. God gives Abrahams' wife a new name from, Sar'ai, meaning "Contentious" to Sarah, meaning, "Princess".

verses 16 & 17. Abraham receives an "extraordinary" promise! His faithful wife, Sarah, who is past childbearing years, is promised a child! What a joyful miracle! Yes, Sarah is to receive the child of promise. (Romans 9:9) Amazingly, Abraham put full faith in this promise.
(Romans 4:19, 20; Hebrews 11:11) I wonder, could I have faith like that?

verses 18-21. As a kind and loving father, Abraham is concerned about his son, Ishmael. And Abraham takes this concern to God in prayer. Jehovah is very clear, and explains to Abraham that the promised "seed" (Genesis 3:15) would come through Isaac. Yet, Ishmael would not be forgotten, he would be blessed, and would be fruitful and become a great nation. But, it would be by Divine choice, the promised "seed" would come through Isaac. How would Ishmael react to this Divine choice? We shall see as we continue reading Genesis.

verses 22-27. But for now, we see, Abraham giving proof of his strong faith! As a sign of God's covenant with him, Jehovah told Abraham to get circumcised along with every man in his large household. How does Abraham react to this command? "He went circumcising the flesh of their foreskins in this very day, just as God commanded him" Abraham was 99 years, his son, Ishmael was 13 years old.

As we progressively learn how God dealt with his people in Abraham's day, we can see how he deals with his loyal ones today. What a loving God he is! Jehovah directs his will clearly for us to follow, when others receive privileges, we rejoice with them, knowing that God will not forget his promises and blessings for all.

Writers are Different Breed!

Have you ever known a real life writer?
I have heard stories handed down of our Great-grandfather sitting and drinking beer, with the poet James Whitcomb Riley.

James Whitcomb Riley was born on Oct. 9, 1849 in Greenfield, Indiana. That's where our Great-grandpa lived, where our Grandma Carrie was raised. This poet wrote his first poem in 1870 at the age of 21. The poem "Little Orphant Annie" is known by any kid raised in Indiana, in fact, all school kids had to memorize this poem! Or was that just me? In 1883, James Whitcomb Riley had his first published work entitled, "The Old Swimming Hole and 'Leven More Poems."

I wonder what our Great-grandpa thought as he watched his friend progress in his chosen writing career. Maybe, it's like what I feel as I watch my young friend, as she proceeds to write a kids book. It is kinda exciting to hear about her writing process. Watching her learn about the ins and outs of publishing world is very interesting.... AND entertaining! One of the things she has done is start a blog. This seems to be the first step these days in getting a publisher to pay attention to your work. I have been following HER story from the first day she blogged, it is to me very entertaining and I wanted to share my friend with you.

But don't take my word for it.
I encourage anyone who has an interest in writing or just enjoys reading, to take a look at Shannon's Blog, see if it brings a smile to your face.

Be sure to start from the beginning as she tells her story of how she found joy in writing!

Check Shannon out here:

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com

For the Whole story (be sure and start from the beginning) click here: http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com

Who knows? Someday when she becomes famous, you can say, "I've known about her from the beginning!"

I've Always said, "I could live in a Tent!"

You know, similar, to Abraham and Sarah's tent, or think the sheik's tent, in the the movie, Hildago.

This is a traditional Bedouin tent, made with goat hair, usually by the mother of house. A lot of care and love goes into the making of this tent. And it is greatly appreciated by her family.

Inside of Bedouin tent

This is my dream tent! The kind I would want to live in.

I love the poles and ceiling and would want this in my dream tent.

You could go very luxurious with your furnishings,

however I personally think less is more.

This one looks like something for the deck or patio. What do you think?

TENTS -continued

This is a walled tent with a heater! This tent is used up in the snow country! Cozy Huh?

And who doesn't love a Circus Tent?

This is a nomad tents near Morraco.


Chinese like tents too!

More tents to come......

This is not actually a tent, but I liked it. This is a disaster house, put together without fasteners. Interesting, don't you think?

I Should Have Been an Architect- TENTS!

What's summer without a tent?

I think ,this was one of the first tents I ever experienced.
Mine was actually, a sheet on the clothes line,
staked to the ground.
I had a cool, Mom!

I remember camping in a tent similar to this.
Grandpa and Grandma Cris would take us on trips in their station wagon!
What fun, to set up the tent.
First, down went the drop cloth, then up went the poles,
the canvas would come next,
just when we thought we were done Grandpa would get out his little shovel ...
and dig trenches all around the tent to guide any rain away from the floor.
It's a good thing too, because sometimes we would get rain,
but we were nice and cozy inside
-as long as we did not touch the sides of the tent.
(If we did, the wet would seep through)

But look at these new tent designs:


These tear-shaped tree tents can be found in Holland.
They are about 9' in diameter. You can rent one if you like.

This tent just folds back up onto the top of your vehicle,
where all the sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, etc. are stored.
Very convenient!

And of course! One of the originals and a favorite of mine. A Teepee!
Uncle Garland built one for us girls when we lived on Spencer Street in Gary.
I had the best time in it!

Stay tuned - more tents to come!

Summertime- Cool Treats!

Semifreddo!

Gelato!

Homemade Popsicles!

Who Wants a Dairy Queen?
I do! I do!

The Cherry Tree Upon the Line

The Cherry Tree upon the line
A line, we could not see
Right next to Grandma's home
We claimed that cherry tree.

The birds would sing in pure delight
'Til Grandma would cause their flight
"It does not belong to me."
But guard it, she would with all her might.

This tree is not a climbing tree!
Grandma says, "it does not belong to me"
With fruit so luscious and bark so smooth.
With stealth we'd climb it taste it's fruit.

We knew, just as Indians did
This tree belongs, neither to man or kid
It was a gift from our Great God
Who, we would praise, yes long and loud.

I do see three urchins where?
High up in the cherries, there!
Davey, Becca, Ronna, Now!
Jump Down! Jump Down!
I'll tell you how!

There was Nance, with feet on the ground
I told you so, uh oh! uh oh!
Now we are in trouble big!
I hung my head like a naughty pig.

Cherry juice from head to toe
The birds flew off with a big loud tweet
And left us with our heads held low.
"Now, how will I make a pie so sweet?"

Genesis Chapter 16-

Humility - A Quality to Cultivate

Sarai was now 75 years old, too old to bear children. But her hope in the promised seed was still intense. (Gen 3:15; 15:4, 5) She wanted that seed to come as promised, through Abram. It was with this in mind that, Sarai offered Abram her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar.- Genesis 16:1, 2.

Was it proper for Sarai to offer her maidservant Hagar as a wife to Abram?

Sarai's offer was in line with the custom of the day- that a barren wife was obligated to provide her husband with a concubine in order to produce an heir. The practice of polygamy first appeared in the line of Cain. Eventually, it became a custom and was adopted by some worshipers of Jehovah. (Gen 4:17-19; 16:1-3; 29:21-28) However, Jehovah never abandoned his original standard of monogamy. (Gen 2:21, 22) Noah and his sons, to whom the command to 'be fruitful and fill the earth' was repeated, were evidently all monogamous. (Gen 7:7; 9:1; 2Peter 2:5) And this standard of monogamy was reasserted by Jesus Christ. -Matthew 19:4-8; 1Tim 3:2, 12.

Abram and Sarai acted in good faith, adopting a course that was an acceptable practice in their day. However, it was not Jehovah's way of producing Abram's seed, as we shall see later.

As a secondary wife to Abram, Hagar became pregnant. She should have been deeply grateful for her honored status. Instead, she allowed her heart to become haughty. -Gen16:4.
That attitude caused such strife in Abram's household that Sarai chased Hagar away. (Gen 16:5, 6)

Could this stressful situation be resolved? If so, how?
God's angel was sent to counsel Hagar. Please read this counsel at Gen16:7-10. Hagar followed this counsel, adjusted her attitude toward Sarai, returned to Abram's household where her son was born in a safe environment. She became ancestress to a multitude.-Gen 16:11-16

What happened to Hagar shows us that when someone's situtation changes for the better, haugtiness may result. The lesson is that even a Christian who has shown a good heart in serving God can become haughty when gaining wealth or authority. That attitude can also develop if others praise him for success, wisdom, or ability. A Christian should therefor, be alert to keep haughtiness out of his heart. That is espeically true if he acheives success or recieves more responsibility. The most powerful reason to avoiding haughtiness is God's view of this trait. Compare: Proverbs 21:4.

Ishmael, true to prophecy became a "Zebra of a man". This meant he had a fiercely, independent disposition. (Gen 16:12) He was a restless wanderer who roamed the wilderness of Paran and lived by his bow and arrow. We will learn more about Ishmael in later chapters of Genesis.

Summer Sky!

When was the last time you laid on the grass looking up at the clouds, just enjoying the moment?

Remember, when we would look for different shapes and pictures in the moving clouds?

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky is hardly a waste of time" -John Lorbock

And then the monsoons arrive in the west!

An exhilarating experience!
These next pictures are taken in my yard looking up!
There was thunder and lightning and even a few BIG DROPs of rain.