Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20080706.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part VII: Explaining God's Plan To Bless Men Regardless Of Apostasy
F. Relying On God To Meet Man's Deepest Needs For Blessing
(Genesis 17:1-27)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Before I could begin typing up these sermon notes last Tuesday, two totally unrelated parties, one who spoke to my wife, and then one who spoke to me, told of deep, pressing needs in their family lives:

(1) On Monday, my wife Nadine's birthday, she received a call from a party out-of-state whom she has known for many years who had initially called just to wish her a happy birthday. However, in the process, the party opened up and talked for an hour about serious family needs they faced.

Later that evening, as Nadine and I were at a restaurant celebrating our wedding anniversary [that had been postponed from Sunday, June 22nd due to obvious ministry-related conflicts -- we celebrated her birthday July 4th with family], she shared at length her concerns about the critically important family needs the other party was facing. We both marveled at the depth of human need that afflicts people we know, even of Christians we have known for many years!

(2) After I entered my office the next morning, Tuesday, but before I could begin to type up this sermon, a different party came by the Church office to express an emotionally wrenching account of still another critical family crisis! As the words and tears poured out of this party, I recalled the discussion Nadine and I had had the night before in the restaurant about the other out-of-state party, and was impressed with the intensity of family needs people face both here in Connecticut and around the world! (Later, to confirm this recollection, when I told my wife of this second event, she interrupted to say it was so similar to the need she had talked about at the restaurant!)

I had previously glanced ahead to the Genesis 17 passage I was set to study to prepare this message, and I had already been made aware that it dealt with God's meeting intense personal needs in Abram's and Sarai's lives, so I knew the message was to be applied in addressing INTENSE, PERSONAL human NEEDS many families have. However, I had not been prepared to see the Lord ABUNDANTLY EMPHASIZE the NEED for this message!!



So, one may ask, "When we have DEEP PERSONAL and FAMILY needs that we find helpless to meet, WHAT can we DO about it to find a SOLUTION?!"

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I have a big personal and/or family need that MUST be met, but I have no capacity even to address it! What am I to do NOW?!"
  1. When God appeared to Abram in Genesis 17:1, he and his wife had a GREAT NEED they THEMSELVES were POWERLESS to meet!
    1. Abram was 99 years old, and his wife, Sarai, was 89, and God's plan called for Abram and Sarai to produce a son who would be heir of the Abramic Covenant, Gen. 17:1, 17 with 17:15-16 and Gen. 12:1-3!
    2. Thus, they needed supernatural help far beyond natural capacities!
  2. This was an INTENSE need for the couple: fertility was VERY PRESSING to them as past worshipers of fertility gods (Jos. 24:2), but no gods they had known could make such a couple reproduce!
  3. However, GOD promised to MEET this need as "EL SHADDAI," the All-Suffidient Creator God of FERTILITY, Genesis 17:1-22:
    1. At Genesis 17:1a,b, God appeared to Abram to present Himself as "God Almighty," or "El Shaddai" in the Hebrew text, the true, All-Sufficient versus false pagan God of Fertility (as follows):
      1. The word, "El" was used by northwest Semitics for the Supreme male fertility God, M. F. Unger, Arch. and the O. T., 1973, p. 170f.
      2. Then, "Shaddai" is composed of the noun, "shad" and the suffix "-ay", a old Semitic adjectival suffix that was translated "of the . . . [noun]" ( Theol. Wordbook of the O. T., vol. II, p. 907)
      3. "Shad" is the anatomical part used to feed an infant; it was also the name of a pagan maternal fertility goddess (female), Bible Know. Com., O. T ., p. 58; Koeh./Baum., Lex. in Vet. Test. Lib., 1958, p. 949-950. ["Shad" can also mean "mountain," but anatomical parts often depict geographical features, so in this Genesis 17 context on fertility, it must refer to the anatomical part, Ibid., B. K. C., O. T.]
      4. So, as "El Shaddai," God was "Creator God of Male and Female Fertility" in all-sufficient superiority to the pagan fertility gods and goddesses Abram and Sarai had once worshiped!
    2. In line with His name, "El Shaddai" promised both Abram and Sarai the respective male and female fertility they needed to do His will:
      1. "El Shaddai" promised male fertility for Abram to do His will:
        1. Abram was called to walk blamelessly before El Shaddai (Gen. 17:1c) and He would greatly multiply him in fertility, 17:2!
        2. Abram responded, falling down to worship El Shaddai, 17:3a.
        3. Thus, El Shaddai explained the blessings of this fertility, Gen. 17:3-8: (1) Abram, or "exalted father," would have his name changed to Abraham, "father of many nations," for nations of people and even kings would come from him, Genesis 17:3b-6.
        4. Abraham and his seed would forever possess the land (17:7-8).
        5. The seal of this emphasis on the fertility of Abraham would be circumcision, a procedure involving his reproductive structure, 17:9-14. " El", the Supreme God of male fertility, wanted him to trust "El" would make of him multitudes so as to yield to circumcision in heeding "El" regarding his own male fertility!
        6. This ritual would be heeded by all the males of Abraham's house and all of his seed in honor of "El's" provision, 17:10.
      2. "El Shaddai" promised female fertility for Sarai to do His will:
        1. El "Shaddai" then revealed He as the Supreme God of female fertility would make Sarai, a 90-year-old woman along with Abraham, a 100-year-old man, fertile to produce the heir of the covenant, Gen. 17:15-16! As a former fertility god worshiper, Abraham saw this as naturally impossible, and laughed, asking if Ishmael whom Hagar had born might be the heir, 17:17-18.
        2. "El Shaddai" replied He would bless Ishmael, but that He would do far above all that the pagan fertility gods or goddesses could do -- produce the heir from the elderly couple of Abraham and Sarah by male and female fertility miracles! The heir's name would be Isaac, "he laughs" recalling the miracle of his origin (Gen. 17:19-22), and Sarai's name, " my princess," would become Sarah, "princess" in general of many people, Genesis 17:15; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Genesis 17:15.
  4. Abraham BELIEVED this revelation: trusting El Shaddai to make both him and Sarah fertile so that they might have a son in their old age, Abraham was circumcised at the age of 99, Gen. 17:23-27!
Application: If we have a very DEEP, PERSONAL need that we can not ourselves meet, may we (1) trust in Abraham's God, Jesus Christ, for eternal life, John 3:16; 8:56-58. (2) Then, may we ASK El Shaddai (a) to MEET that need in His grace and power!

Lesson: Abraham TRUSTED that he and his wife who were well past the NATURAL age of bearing a son would become FERTILE by El Shaddai, the Creator and True Fertility God, to produce the heir to the covenant! He expressed this faith by submitting to circumcision and by godly living!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

Last Tuesday morning as the party that had poured out their heart in the Church office regarding their family crisis, the person said with tears, "You know, I don't really know who I am!'

I began to pray silently, asking God for insight in knowing how to answer this party in reference to their great need.

Suddenly, an Old Testament psalm came to mind, and I replied, "Perhaps reading psalm 139 will help. It mentions the infinite number of thoughts God has toward each of us. It reminds us that even before any of part of us had been formed, God had recorded all of our parts in His book, including how long we would have each one of them!

Then, at the end of that psalm, David asks God to apply His infinite knowledge of himself to his life, to see if there was some evil way in him, so that God might use it to correct or direct him into the way that was right and full of life and blessing!

How about reading Psalm 139 and asking God to reveal what you need to know regarding yourself, that you might be blessed by walking in His will for your life?!"

I was glad for the party's positive response to this idea. They wrote down the Scripture reference, and soon went on their way!

As I began to study and to form this sermon, I was moved by realizing how this Genesis 17 passage we just studied touched on what I had just told this party! The Infinite Creator Who made each of us like He miraculously created Isaac from parents who were naturally beyond the age of childbearing is the same God Who can show us what we need to know about ourselves when we wonder who we even are!



May we look to El Shaddai, the Great and ONLY TRUE and All-Sufficient Creator God of all Fertility, the God who CREATED each one of us, to address the deepest personal and even family needs that we have. He did wonders for Abraham and Sarah that His will might be evident in their lives, and He can do wonders for us!

Then, may we HEED His will as did Abraham to be blessed by God, our El Shaddai!