GENESIS: Snoopy's Short & Snappy Review

[paradox3]

And what is Abraham blameless of? Any sin at all?

These Genesis stories get weirder and weirder the more you think about them.

 

[BetteTheRed]

Correct. I mean, Noah was not "blameless" and I'm not seeing that Abraham had any exceptional qualities, except that Godde talked to him.

 

[BetteTheRed]

These Genesis stories get weirder and weirder the more you think about them.

I wish we could find a Jewish person to belong to this group to give us some Jewish insights into these texts.

 

[paradox3]

That's right. It was never explained why God chose Abram in the first place.

 

[Delightful Life]

That's right. It was never explained why God chose Abram in the first place.

I'm guessing the beard

Beards were BIG in those days

 

[paradox3]

Good Morning! Here is Genesis 18:

Snoopy's Snappy Review: Clear as mud.

Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 18 - New English Translation

Three Special Visitors - The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and...

www.biblegateway.com

God appears to Abraham and Abraham receives three special visitors.

Snoopy is going to tell you right now this story is totally confusing. The visitors are offered water for their feet and a meal is prepared for them which they eat. So they seem like human beings yet they provide direct communication from God.

It is sometimes thought they might actually be God in human form. Or they might be angels. Or perhaps two angels in the accompaniment of God.

The text Implies the food was prepared quickly but Snoopy doesn't think so. How long would it take to slaughter a calf and roast it? Plus bake some bread from scratch? At least a few hours, right?

However you figure all this, the visitors consume the food and impart messages from God.

God's covenant with Abraham is confirmed and Sarah will have a baby within a year. She is incredulous and laughs at the news. God seems not to appreciate her laughter.

Abraham pleads with God to consider the righteous people who might be living in Sodom and Gomorrah before annihilating these cities.

 

[paradox3]

We were wondering yesterday why God would have chosen Abraham to settle in Canaan. What special qualities did he have?

He seems like a decent fellow in this passage. He offers hospitality to the three visitors. He doesn't laugh at the news about the baby. And he is concerned about the residents of those cities.

 

[paradox3]

We are not very far into Genesis and already I am noticing themes that show up in the NT. We talked about the Flood as a possible precursor of baptism. And new life after Noah emerged from the Ark.

There was also a flight into Egypt.

In today's passage we have three special visitors. A pregnancy in a woman of advanced age. A supernatural announcement about the baby. And the presence of angels. Hmmm. . .

 

[unsafe]

So here we see that Abraham is 99 years old when God speaks to him again ---he was 86 the last time ---so 13 years has passes since God speaks to Abraham and we see that God says to him --

this is from the Amp B

“I am [b]God Almighty;
Walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me].

Abraham disregarded God's Promise of Him giving him a Child and he went with self efford -God was displeased with this ----so he is telling Abraham to be blameless of disobedience and be complete in being obedient to this Covenant sign ----

God brought in Circumcision as to be the sign of His Covenant with Abraham ----this was a outward Physical sign which would later become an Inward sign of the New Covenant of Grace ---Circumcision of the heart -------

The we see that God say this ---that an everlasting Covenant will be made with Isaac --- and his descendants ---Jacob becomes Israel -----

Abraham laughs when God tells him that that at 100 years old he will have a son ------so God gives him the Name Isaac which means laughter -----go figure

19 But God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.

 

[paradox3]

This is Genesis 17 you are discussing here @unsafe with the name changes and the requirement of circumcision.

Today's post is about Genesis 18 with the three special visitors.

Interesting that it is Abraham who laughs in Genesis 17. It is Sarah who laughs in Genesis 18 and then denies laughing.

Both chapters have the announcement of the child arriving in a year's time. It almost seems like two versions of the same story. (Not the first time this has happened in Genesis.)

 

[unsafe]

This is Genesis 17 you are discussing here @unsafe with the name changes and the requirement of circumcision.

ya ---sorry about that but didn't get a chance to write yesterday on 17 ---so just wanted to add my 2 cents worth ----

And the name change is interesting as some of the disciples had a name change as well and under this New Covenant of Grace -----we also have a name change ---from Sinner to Saints -

 

[paradox3]

Thanks for mentioning that Isaac means laughter @unsafe. The version of the bible I am using has this in the notes but not in the text itself.

When Sarah gives birth to Isaac she laughs again, seemingly with delight. (Genesis 21)

 

[unsafe]

We were wondering yesterday why God would have chosen Abraham to settle in Canaan. What special qualities did he have?

Well for me I would say that God called Abraham ---Abraham worshiped a pagan god ----and God Called Abraham out of paganism ---so he could bless him -and Bless the world through Him -----God is sovereign and God will choose who he wants to being His plan into action -----and he chose Abraham ---- who may have had a higher moral standard than his fellow pagan friends -----and God knows one's heart -----

Abraham when approached by God --listened to Him ---believed Him and obeyed him ------and so for me when God calls someone their heart and mind as had a change ----the old is put off and the new replaces the old ----

Abraham's qualities ---first Faith in God ----Obedience ----in this chapter 18 --he shows his hospitality in his willingness to entertain strangers -----and shows that he is a person of compassion in caring for what happens to others ------

 

[paradox3]

Agreeing with @unsafe that Abraham has a lot going for him. Can't say I am too crazy about his involvement with Hagar even though he does right by Ishmael.

We'll see what we think when he takes more wives later and when he is willing to sacrifice Isaac.

 

[jimkenney12]

Good Morning! Here is Genesis 18:

Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 18 - New English Translation

Three Special Visitors - The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and...

www.biblegateway.com

God appears to Abraham and Abraham receives three special visitors.

Snoopy is going to tell you right now this story is totally confusing. The visitors are offered water for their feet and a meal is prepared for them which they eat. So they seem like human beings yet they provide direct communication from God.

It is sometimes thought they might actually be God in human form. Or they might be angels. Or perhaps two angels in the accompaniment of God.

The text Implies the food was prepared quickly but Snoopy doesn't think so. How long would it take to slaughter a calf and roast it? Plus bake some bread from scratch? At least a few hours, right?

However you figure all this, the visitors consume the food and impart messages from God.

God's covenant with Abraham is confirmed and Sarah will have a baby within a year. She is incredulous and laughs at the news. God seems not to appreciate her laughter.

Abraham pleads with God to consider the righteous people who might be living in Sodom and Gomorrah before annihilating these cities.

In cultures where travel is slow and visitors are few, 6 to 8 hours to prepare a meal would be rushed when 12 to 24 hours to prepare the meal would be normal.

The possibility of one of the visitors being God implies God could be incarnate without going through the birth process. Or is pretending to be incarnate not the same as being incarnate?

Where would they be walking from? Why would they walk? How did Abram know they were angels?

I recently finished reading of a book on the mind by Jay Ingram written about 16 years ago. A researcher working with people whose brain hemispheres received different visual information. The left brain made up stories to explain incongruous connections between objects. At the time this story was written, either before or during the Babylonian exile, the creators of the story combined the story of Sodom and Gomorah, the promise to Serai, and the change of names. The story does not need to make sense. It affirms the power of God to enable older women to have children, the chosenness of Abraham, an explanation of why the two cities were destroyed, and clears the way for Lot to get a new wife so he cian have a daughter the right age for Isaac to marry. The story blends elements that could have been over a thousand years old when the story was created along with more current elements.

 

[jimkenney12]

Why God chose Abraham: we can only speculate why anyone makes choices of other people. Why did God choose Saul to be king? Why did Jesus choose the disciples he chose?

Of course the claims of being chosen by God and deemed blameless validates them and their descendants which a good history for a people should do.

 

[paradox3]

God seemed to have selection criteria when Noah was picked to build the Ark. I think that's why we are wondering about the later choice of Abram.

 

[Waterfall]

Does anyone know what Galatians 4:22-24 means when Paul says the story of Abraham is allegory?

 

[Mendalla]

Does anyone know what Galatians 4:22-24 means when Paul says the story of Abraham is allegory?

If you read the whole chapter, I think it's pretty clear. He is using the story of Abraham's two sons, one born to a slave and one to a free woman, as an allegory for the freedom that comes in Christ. Hagar is a slave so her children are born in slavery, as are the followers of the present covenant ("the present Jerusalem" in Paul's language, which appears to mean the Law if you go back a chapter or two) while those born to Sarah are born free in as are those under Christ ("the Jerusalem above"). Seems to be part of his debate with the faction who wanted Christian converts to be subject to the Jewish Law. IOW, he is not so much saying it is allegory as using it as one. Absent Christ, his allegorical reading is meaningless.

 

[paradox3]

But remember Ishmael is a wild donkey of a man who doesn't live in slavery

The connections between the OT and the NT are fascinating!