Category: Pentateuch Genesis-Deuteronomy

IN THE BEGINNING… Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy – Pentateuch [5 books] It’s the LAW of GOD!
Forgive us our trespasses. Jesus teaches many lessons from these books of the Bible and we have forgotten MANY of the issues and applications to our 21st century life. How can you SHARE from the beginning of the Bible with your SOCIAL ‘Friends’ and talk of Jesus as Lord? Please TITLE your post by the topic, not the verse. Include links to scriptures and helpful references. — Please post or tell us in a COMMENT how you talk of Jesus through this topic and these Old Testament scriptures.

You Will Not Be Led -4- Death in the Wilderness
The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go up from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt..
.. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people..
Exodus 33::1a,3b CSB

Sojourning through the Shifting Sands of a Wilderness Encounter

What happened? Did the LORD GOD change His mind?

That’s what we might think when our journey following the Lord becomes difficult. But we know and neglect some of the warnings to this chosen people.

Yes, they are still chosen; but who will follow the Lord and Moses, obeying Commands of the Lord? Will we obey leaders chosen by the LORD who command us in our journey?

How did we arrive in this wilderness?

The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. The Lord sends 10 plagues which finally convince Pharaoh to allow Moses to lead them away. (Most of us know this part.)

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said,

“The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation. –Exodus 13:17-18 CSB

Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

“Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea..

.. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this. – Exodus 14:1-2,4b

GOOD so far .. and most everyone knows of their escape by crossing the Red Sea.

BUT, now the trouble begins. (You probably know about the 40 years thing, too.)

Exodus 17:

17 וַ֠יִּסְעוּ כָּל־עֲדַ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל מִמִּדְבַּר־סִ֛ין לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ בִּרְפִידִ֔ים וְאֵ֥ין מַ֖יִם לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת הָעָֽם׃

2 So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!”

We can hardly take time to detail all the complaints and all the rebellion, but a selective look after the triumph of crossing the Red Sea will set the scene of their 40 year punishment as our warning to obey to the Lord our God.

4 .. “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Scene at Mount Sinai

19 בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Exodus 19:17 NASB

It is not a mere burning bush not consumed.

A PILLAR of FIRE from Heaven to earth!

NOT an insignificant spewing of fire and brimstone from within the bowels of the earth through the peak of a volcano. Sinai has neither exploded nor been consumed, but the Presence of the LORD IS AWESOME to behold!

LOUD TRUMPETS from above warning a consecrated people of God NOT to come near the place of the LORD as they have been warned and prepared.

18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder.

Then the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

And now what?

“Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt ..
And I will send an angel before you .. for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
Exodus 33: 1-3 excerpt NASB

This is what the LORD would tell Moses later. Now, after seeing the awe of the Lord our God on Sinai, the faithful chosen of God must wait — the consecrated people of the LORD must wait for Moses to give them HIS WORD which must be obeyed.
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To be continued...
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March 5, 2021
You will not be led 3 – Lot’s wife turns back
Two Cities DESTROYED!! 1:47 suggest viewing until end as you read of Abraham negotiating with the LORD to spare some souls of this city of Sodom & also Gomorrah

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!

Have you forgotten what happened before?

Did you hear the WARNINGS?

Lot’s wife is not only returned to her new home after being captured by enemy kings, but they move from their tent into the city of Sodom. In addition to tending his sheep, her husband is now an important man of the city.

Previously: You Will Not Be Led -2- Lot’s Wife

Genesis 18:

18:1 וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃

Ordinary men near cities of kings

Abraham, whose pastures were separate from Lot, welcomes three heavenly visitors. With the help of the Lord he had rescued Lot. Therefore, Lot, his wife and daughters and servants were returned to the land near Sodom, where they moved within the walls of the wicked city of the land they entered as sojourners.

Messengers of Mamre

20 Adonai said, “The outcry against S’dom and ‘Amora is so great and their sin so serious that I will now go down and see whether their deeds warrant the outcry that has reached me; if not, I will know.”

22 The men turned away from there and went toward S’dom, but Avraham remained standing before Adonai.

What follows in Mamre is a very personal negotiation between Abraham and G-d.
- 23 Abraham approached and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- .. will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
- .. “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only dust and ashes. Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five..?
- .. forty..?
- “Oh may the Lord not be angry.. thirty..?
- ..twenty-one..? ..ten..?
- .. And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”
Two angels sojourning to Sodom

The two strangers have traveled from Mamre and entered the gates of Sodom at a time when darkness falls.

Genesis 19:

When Lot saw them, he stood up to meet them and bowed himself to the ground.

“Here now, my lords, please come over to your servant’s house. Spend the night, wash your feet, get up early, and go on your way.”

“No, we’ll stay in the square.”

3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, baking matzah for their supper, which they ate.

A Bible story not preached ‘at church’

The actions of evil intentions which follow are too intense for common preaching to our socially-correct, all-inclusive gatherings of 21st century ‘christian families.’

Even so, we bring with us to church (sometimes) our own children who are heavily influenced by such things in the world of media and by their everyday school friends.

4 Before they lay down, the men of the city—the men of Sodom—surrounded the house..

[MANY MEN, a MOB perhaps drunken with wine and other spirits] 5 and they called to Lot..

“..Bring them out to us! We want to have sex with them!”

6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said,

“Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.

Who will judge sin?

Lot includes himself in their community of Sodom, calling them brothers. For after their rescue by his uncle he is now esteemed to sit at the gate among Sodom’s leaders.

So Lot now bids his fellow rulers of Sodom, ‘do not act wickedly.‘

He actually offers his two betrothed daughters (of whom we will hear more of later) to satisfy the passions of the mob who would surge past him if possible and into his house.

As now is evident to US, wicked mobs are not easily dissuaded.

“I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.“

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again,

This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.

And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10 But the men [the two angels, messengers of the Lord] put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness..

Flee the Wrath to Come

“Whom else do you have here? .. for we are about to destroy this place,

because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
Do NOT miss the WARNING!

For it is not entirely about the destruction of SODOM & GOMMORAH, or even a fading recent memory from a century past of two cities: HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI.

The END of these last days will come upon us suddenly!!

A.D. 2021 may or may not be the time, but no flesh and blood can hide from the wrath which is to come at the fulfillment of time.

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March 3, 2021
You Will Not Be Led -2- Lot’s Wife
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!

As the world reports with great frequency, something BIG just happened (somewhere); and now you ask (if again threat of impending doom is not dire), “What does this have to do with Lot’s wife?”

If kings or enemies have caused it, let’s quickly CONVICT them so they cannot do this to US again.

And if ‘mother nature’ reeks unpredicted peril to our precious environment of sin, let’s legislate change (to keep things the same).
Lot’s wife

Do we even know her name?

No, only the caution (and we don’t know much about that).

Do you know who Lot is?

Perhaps, but not fully.

How about their home town: do you know where they lived?

Not really. (I think they had to leave suddenly, but I don’t know how they got there or where they went when they left.
Kings, alliances, wars & ordinary men

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.
Mark 13:7 NASB

Powerful and ambitious men and kings frequently impact the everyday lives of those in their path. This warning of Jesus about WHEN the end will come is given millennia beyond the times of Abraham and Lot.

Even now as in every age we see kings and wars affect the outcomes of life, even for men of faith like Abraham, Moses or David.

Sojourners in the lands of kings

כִּֽי־גֵרִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ וְתוֹשָׁבִים כְּכָל־אֲבֹתֵינוּ כַּצֵּל יָמֵינוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין מִקְוֶֽה׃
“For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
1 Chronicles 29:15 WLC, NASB – words of the shepherd king, David

Who was Lot? (& where is he from?)

Really, like Abraham, Lot was a shepherd sojourner a long way from home (back in kingdoms of the eastern kings near Haran and river Euphrates) now traveling in a land of western kings near the Jordan (or southern kings like those along the Nile).
- Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. – Genesis 11:31
- Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. – Genesis 12:4b-5
- So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. – Genesis 13:1,5
Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
Genesis 13:10 – Lot separates from Abram

Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. – Genesis 13:12

(Of course, shepherds follow sheep to places of pasture.)

Ordinary men near cities of kings

By grace of the Lord God, Abraham and Lot, shepherds called into other lands were leaders of men (although not kings of cities as were the men with whom they kept covenants to live nearby).
- Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. And the land could not support both of them while living together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time. – Genesis 13:5-6,7b
- When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, numbering 318, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
These are not poor men, but ambitions merchants of wool trading with men of other leaders(i.e. kings of nearby cities) to support their own wives, children and servants, men protecting their households – tents, at times – and goods (the sheep of their pastures).

Are we not ordinary men caught up in the struggles of the powerful men of the world struggling for advantage against each other, even though the Lord is our Shepherd?
Roger @talk of Jesus {dot}.com

The Alliances of War

Genesis 14:

And it came to pass.. That these made war..

We need not get into the details of who were the ‘democrats’ or ‘republicans,’ so to speak, among these big city kings opposed to each other.

The outcome will later prove to be the end for Lot’s wife and a blot on Lot’s legacy which lingers for all time as a warning to any dwelling too near the city of destruction destined by sin. (Read it for yourself, if you’d like.)

Brief highlights:
- Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations VS.
- Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (Zoar).
- The battle takes place in the Siddim Valley, near the Salt Sea.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. 11 Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed.

Captured, then rescued

The kings where Lot and his family lived lost the war and all of them (including the wives of the men, riches and sheep) became the spoils of war to the winning kings.

BUT, Abraham hears of it and saves not only Lot, but many others.

16 He brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the other people.

17 Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

(After its rescue, it seems the city of Sodom has a new king.) An important communion of the victorious kings takes place here when Abraham returns. Our focus today, however, is only on Sodom.

18 וּמַלְכִּי־צֶ֙דֶק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵ֔ם הוֹצִ֖יא לֶ֣חֶם וָיָ֑יִן וְה֥וּא כֹהֵ֖ן לְאֵ֥ל עֶלְיֽוֹן׃

Avram gave him a tenth of everything.

It is Abraham, the victorious shepherd (though not a king) who with the help of the Lord returns from battle with the spoils of victory.

21 The king of S’dom said to Avram, “Give me the people, and keep the goods for yourself.” But Avram answered the king of S’dom,

“I have raised my hand in an oath to Adonai, El ‘Elyon, maker of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal thong of anything that is yours..

Therefore, Lot, his wife and daughters and servants were returned to the land near Sodom, where they moved within the walls of the wicked city of the land they entered as sojourners.

Messengers of Mamre

18:1 וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃

22 The men turned away from there and went toward S’dom, but Avraham remained standing before Adonai.
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To be continued...
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March 1, 2021