Genesis 11-20

Okay, here we go -- here's hoping this doesn't take more than an hour.  I'm kinda getting a late start today, so, it probably won't be the best.....

Genesis 11

vs 1-9 -- Story of the tower of Babel -- languages are counfounded, and people are scattered.
vs 10-26 -- generations of Shem, down to Terah, Abraham's(or, as the was then called, Abram) father.
vs 27-32 - Abram's siblings, etc -- Lot's dad is Haran; Terah and family move to land of Canaan; Terah lives to be 205. 

It's amazing how long people used to live!  I wish I could live to be 205.  There's another example here of how God punishes the unrighteous.  I also thought it was interesting that God thought that the people would be able to do everything that they imagine(vs 6).

Genesis 12

vs 1-5 -- the Lord makes a covenant with Abraham, and tells him to depart; Abram leaves, and they go to the land of Canaan.
vs 6-9 -- they come to the place of Sichem; God promises to give the land of Canaan to Abraham; he continues traveling to the south.
vs 10-13 -- Abram goes down to Egypt, and tells Sarai to say that she's his sister, rather than his wife.
vs14-20 -- Sarai does that; Egyptians think she's fair; Pharaoh's house is plagued b/c of Sarai; Pharaoh gets mad b/c Abram lies, and sends him away. 

It was cool that God made a covenant with Abram.  I was impressed that Abram followed the Lord's direction to move to a new place -- it must've taken a lot of faith.

Genesis 13

vs1-4 -- Abram journeys to bethel, to the altar he first made.
vs 5-13 -- Lot and Abram argue -- Lot takes the land of Jordan as his own, where Sodom and Gomorrah were, because the land looks good. Abram dwells in Canaan, and Lot near Sodom, where the people are wicked.
vs14 - 18 -- God promises to give Abram the land east, north, south, and west; his seed will be as the dust of the earth; the length and breadth of the land are given to Abram

I love all the promises that God gives Abraham -- what would it be like, to know that you'll have as many posterity as the dust of the earth? That's amazing!  Of course, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we believe that we are descended from Abram, and thus also heirs to the Abrahamic covenant.  I can't wait to see the fulfilment of this.

Genesis 14

vs 1-12 -- People go to war; they end up taking the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and their victuals; they also take Lot, and his goods.
vs 13-16 -- Abram is told off this; he took 318 of his servants, and pursued those who took Lot, and brought him and his goods back.
vs 17-24 -- Melchizedek blesses Abraham; the King of Sodom tells him to take the goods to himself; Abram says no, but his servants get to take their portion.

This illustrates that God is willing to help those who are faithful to him when they are in difficult situations -- He blessed Lot, who was righteous, and delivered him from those that took him.  It also shows that God can use other people to  help us -- in this case, he used Abraham to deliver him.

Genesis 15

vs 1-20 -- God promises to give Abraham a son, even though he and Sarah had not been able to have children.  Abraham also offers sacrifices; God promises to give Abraham the land of the Hittites, Perizzites, and many other people. 

It's amazing how generous God can be -- he promised to give Abraham soo much -- it shows that, if we are righteous, God will do anything and everything for us. 

Genesis 16

vs 1-3 -- Sarah gives Abraham Hagar to wife. 
vs 4-6 -- Hagar conceives; Hagar despised her mistress, so Sarah dealt hardly with her.
vs 7-14 -- Hagar flees; the Lord's angel finds her in the wilderness, and promises that her seed will be multiplied; her son will be a wild man; the well that she was by was called Beer-lahai-roi; between Kadesh and Bered.
vs15-16 -- Hagar bare Abram a son, and called his name Ishmael; Abraham was 80.

It's amazing how God knows everyone -- he knew where Hagar was, and blessed her as well.

Genesis 17

vs1-8 -- when Abram was 99, God changed his name to Abraham; he'll be fruitful, and nations will come out of him; God makes his covenant with him -- God will be the God of his posterity.
vs 9-14 -- circumcision is established; God tells Abraham to keep his covenant;
vs 15-22 -- Sarai's name changed to Sarah;  she'll be blessed to be a mother of nations; sarah will bear a son, and call his name Isaac.  Ishmael will also have 12 princes come from him.
vs 23-27 -- all of Abraham's house is circumcised; Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised. 

Again, awesome promises made to Abraham!

Genesis 18

vs 1-15 - -three men(angels) come to Abraham, and promise that Sarah will bear a son; they eat while at Abraham's.  Sarah laughs, the angels know, and she denies it. 
vs 16-22 -- The men look to Sodom and Gomorrah, and tell Abraham that they'll be destroyed. 
vs 23-33 -- Abraham pleads with the Lord, who eventuallly agrees to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there are 10 righteous -- Abraham started at 50, and gradually went down to 10. 

I love the second 1/2 of this chapter -- it shows that the Lord is willing to be merciful if there's even very few people who are righteous. 

Genesis 19
 vs 1-11 -- 2 men come to warn Lot that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed; the men of Sodom and Gomorrah come and want them; Lot offers his daughters in exchange for them not hurting the men.   When the wicked men try to take them, the angels make them blind. 
vs 12-14 -- Lot and his daughters leave; his sons mock him
vs 15-16 -- Lot and his family are taken outside the city.
vs 17-22 -- they escape to the city of Zoar.
vs 23-16 -- the Lord destroys Sodom and Gomorrah; Lot's wife looks back and is turned to salt.
vs 27-29 -- Abraham sees the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah; the Lord remembers him. 
vs 30-38 -- Lot's daughters lie with him, and each bear a son -- Ben-ammi, and Moab.

It's great the the Lord chooses to warn the righteous of what he'll do before it actually happens.

Genesis 20

vs1-18 -- Abraham and Abimelech -- once again, Abraham tells Sarah to say she's his sister; Abimelech is warned by the Lord not to touch Sarah; she's the daughter of Abraham's father, but not mother;  Abimelech gives sheep, etc to Abraham; the Lord removes the curse of barrenness that he put on the women in Abimelech's house. 

This shows that if we do righteous, God will be merciful, and if wer're unrighteous, God will take action against us. 


So, sorry for the virtual lack of commentary.  I'll do better tomorrow.

~Praise His Name