Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20080803.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part VII: Explaining God's Plan To Bless Men Regardless Of Apostasy
J. Relying On The Eternal Creator For Stability In A Sinful World
(Genesis 21:22-34)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

A great need exists for stability in our world and even in our own lives due to the destabilizing effects of sin (as follows):

(1) One of our members whose business handles replacement parts not long ago told me how the widespread importing of defective parts from China by parts suppliers threatens their own workmanship reputation with their customers! There is little they can do about it, especially if the government fails to screen import parts well!

(2) Another Church member reports that a federal INS law enforcement agent he knows has told him of the deep depravity he has found in the wrongdoers he encounters in his work. The agent reports that some of the most inhumane crimes he has seen are committed by white collar, allegedly "upstanding citizens", and he is so bothered by this, he has even questioned how a Good God like the Bible presents could possibly coexist in a universe with such vast hypocrisy and evil!

(3) We face instability due to unrighteousness in spiritual ministries as well. The June 2008 issue of Dave Hunt's newsletter, The Berean Call, p. 7, printed a letter from a reader that said: "I have begun to be very concerned about some of the teaching in the church I'm in. The emphasis on Scripture and good solid music is heartening, but the increasing amount of legalism as demonstrated by strict guidelines on what believers must wear is certainly a concern. There are no elders and the pastor is the sole authority in the group. RS (Colorado)"

This is one of many such letters TBC regularly receives about the unrest or instability in churches caused by unrighteousness in their leaders.



Accordingly, we may ask, "In a world of INSTABILITY due to SIN, how am I to enjoy STABILITY in my life?!"



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

Need: "In a world of INSTABILITY due to the EFFECTS of SIN, HOW may we find real STABILITY in our everyday lives?!"
  1. Due to SIN, Abraham HUMANLY felt INSECURE as he continued to live among the Philistines, Genesis 21:25 with Genesis 20:1-15:
    1. After God had caused the Philistines under their king, Abimelech, to respect Abraham's marriage to Sarah back in Genesis 20:1-15, they forcibly seized a well belonging to Abraham, Genesis 21:25 NIV.
    2. Though Abimelech had treated Abraham well out of fear for his God in Genesis 20, in Genesis 21:26, Abraham did not confront Abimelech about the well incident from insecurity due to the effects of SIN:
      1. Abraham came to distrust and to stop being open with Abimelech:
        1. Abimelech told Abraham he did not know that his servants had seized Abraham's well, Genesis 21:26.
        2. However, Abimelech had earlier told Abraham to stay anywhere he chose in Philistine territory (Gen. 20:15), and since a well is important in a wilderness area like Beer-sheba (Gen. 21:14, 32), and since Philcol, Abimlelch's military commander was present at this conversation (21:22, 32), Abimelech's claim of ignorance of the well seizure by his own armed servants seems suspicious!
        3. Abraham had evidently kept quiet about the well to live in peace with the Philistines, for he had reason to distrust them, 21:26.
      2. This distrust was supported by Abraham's realization that at least Abimelech's servants no longer feared God as they had in Genesis 20:8, that they had seized his well in belief that God, like their fickle gods (Merrill F. Unger, Arch. and the O. T., 1973, p. 66-67), no longer cared to help him keep a well as He had his wife!
      3. Such distrust would have been ENHANCED by Abraham's own FAITHLESS pagan background's AFFECT on his view of God:
        1. Abraham's own pagan heritage had taught him that the gods were unreliable and inconsistent OVER TIME, Jos. 24:2; Ibid.
        2. So, though God showed He was sovereign over Philistines in Genesis 20:8, their seizure of his well led him to think God might not keep them respecting His help to him NOW!
      4. That led to insecurity in Abraham as he lived in Philistine territory, producing instability in his way of life due to his loss of a key well!
  2. Yet, God evidenced that He KEPT the Philistines RESPECTING His HELP to Abraham, for they THEN CAME to HIM to ask for a treaty of PROTECTION from ABRAHAM due to GOD'S CLEAR CONTINUED BLESSING of ABRAHAM, Genesis 21:22-23!
  3. Abraham then saw God was ETERNAL, that He RETAINED His COMMITMENTS, so he AGREED to the treaty PROVIDING he could REGAIN his WELL in FAITH that his ETERNAL God would STILL PRESS the PHILISTINES to RETURN it, 21:24-25!
  4. The Philistines DID RETURN it, and Abraham gave an EXTRA GIFT of 7 ewe lambs WITH the treaty sacrifices in friendship, Gen. 21:27-30; H. C. Leupold, Exp. of Gen. , 1974, v. II, p. 613. The well was named "Beer-sheba," meaning "Well of the seven," Ibid.
  5. To honor his ETERNAL God, Abraham planted a TAMARISK tree in Beer-sheba, and lived there MANY MORE days, 21:33-34:
    1. The KJV word "grove" is really a "tamarisk tree" (NIV, ESV) in the Hebrew text ('esel, cf. B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 79).
    2. These bushy evergreens have deep tap roots, and show high tolerances for alkaline and salty soils (36,000 ppm of salt versus 1,500 ppm for willows and cottonwoods) and dissolved solids. They handle heat, cold, flood and drought well, and grow soon after fires. Tamarisks push salt in the soil out to their leaves, attracting the night air moisture to it to form drops, and these cool the plant when the sun evaporates the drops. The tree thus offers a reliably cool shade like the stable ETERNAL God amid unstable paganism, so Abraham honored God by planting it, Gen. 21:33 [Jew. Herit. Online Mag., "Underneath the tamarisk tree" by Nogah Hareuveni; Earlham College biology majors online senior project: a focus on tamarisks by Jason Hart, 5/2/1999].
    3. Abraham lived many more days in Philistine territory, confident the ETERNAL God would KEEP his Philistine neighbors respecting God's blessing of him, producing stability in his life! (Genesis 21:34)
Application: In a world of instability due to the effects of sin, (1) may we trust in Abraham's God, Jesus Christ, for eternal life, John 3:16; 8:56-58. (2) If facing instability due to sin, (a) may we recall God is ETERNAL, producing CONSISTENCY in His attitude and work toward us as seen in Abraham's planting the tamarisk tree, (b) and so RELY on such a God for STABILITY in our lives!

Lesson: Abraham learned God was CONSISTENT in His commitment to help him even with the DESTABILIZING effects of sin in the culture, for God is ETERNAL, to be TRUSTED over TIME for STABILITY in living.

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

In our message introduction, you will recall I reported how a Church member faces the threat of a hurt workmanship reputation in the business realm with retail customers due to sub par imported parts the business receives from wholesale suppliers.

Well, last Sunday after the Adult Sunday School Class, this believer expressed appreciation for the class lesson out of Acts 5:12-42. She was especially appreciative of the Acts 5:41-42 verses that told how the Apostles rejoiced when assigned from the Lord the lofty task of suffering unjust persecution for Christ's sake, cf. Matthew 5:11-12. Though I had then failed to see the application, I later realized that since the owners believe God gave them their business, and as they face the threat of a bad reputation due to sin elsewhere, they likely face unjust angelic realm spiritual persecution in business.

Well, later this past week, the member received by mail the July 2008 issue of Dave Hunt's newsletter, The Berean Call, with his lead article, "In the Name of Jesus" that alluded at one point to that very same Acts passage! The article there reads: "They continued testifying for Christ and His resurrection, 'And daily in the temple, and unto every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ' (5:40-42). The rabbis' reaction was to 'take counsel to slay them' (5:17-33). The apostles were beaten and released after one more warning 'that they should not speak in the name of Jesus.' Did they obey men rather than God? No. They rejoiced that 'they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.'"

This member was so heartened by this repeat emphasis on that passage that had meant much relative to the business challenge faced, that she called and got my wife at home to report it to her! She was convinced the Lord was thus ratifying His direction and encouragement relative to the trial faced in the business!

Thus, God AGAIN showed His FAITHFUL oversight of the whole matter to this believer just as He did in Abraham's era so many thousands of years ago! The ETERNAL God revealed He was STILL at work to DIRECT, to ENCOURAGE and to HELP!



May we focus on the ETERNAL nature of God's attributes, and thus on the UNCHANGING COMMITMENT He has in our behalf, and so TRUST Him to enjoy STABILITY in our lives!