Epistle for February 13, 2009
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation February 13, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
Material Prosperity & Family Disruption
(Genesis 13:1-18)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on Abram's journey into Egypt . . . into sin (Genesis 12:9-13)
1. Straying: Abram sinned by moving his family to a place outside of God's
promised land . . . out from under the Lord's canopy of blessing, v. 9.
2. Doubting: Abram moved "in the flesh" to seek a place where he could avoid
famine, rather than trusting in God's providence, v. 10.
3. Lying: Abram conspired with Sarai, and lied to the Egyptian Pharaoh about
his husband-wife relationship with her . . . as a means of self-preservation,
vv. 11-13.
4. Stealing: Abram received Pharaoh's rich gifts under false pretenses, with
the implication that he was accepting a dowry . . . for which deception he
was strongly reprimanded and exiled, vv. 13:1-9.
II. Meditation: on Abram's return from Egypt (Genesis 13:1-9)
1. Abram returned to Canaan from Egypt with abundant wealth, vv. 1-2.
2. Abram came "back to Bethel" where he had built an altar (Genesis 12:8),
and there he called on the name of the Lord, vv. 3-4.
3. Material prosperity caused family disruption, vv. 5-7.
4. Abram, the head of the family, deferred to his nephew, Lot, giving him the
first choice of the land, vv. 8-9.
III. Revelation: on results of the choices made by Lot and Abram (Genesis 13:10-18)
1. Lot chose the well-watered fertile plain of Jordan, which included the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah, vv. 10, 12.
2. Lot associated himself with the men of Sodom, who were exceedingly wicked
and sinful against the Lord, vv. 12-13.
3. Abram dwelt in Canaan . . . and, at God's word, walked through the length and
width of the entire "Promised Land," vv. 12, 17.
4. Abram received God's promises of blessing:
(1) Land as far as the eye can see in all directions, vv. 14-15.
(2) Descendants as numerous as all the dust particles on earth, v. 16.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Repent of my sins away from God "in Egypt" and by faith return to Bethel (God's
house) for forgiveness, cleansing, renewal of spiritual relationship and revival of
intimate fellowship with God.
2. Build altars for me and my family, where together we can worship, praise, and
thank the Lord.
3. Realize that material possessions often can cause family dissension, and know
that as a genuine Christian I am not to demand my own rights. Matthew 5:39-44;
Luke 12:13; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21.
4. Make all my important decisions with an eye on the revealed, spiritual purposes of
the Lord . . . for His plan is my roadway of blessings.
Shady Ladies in Jesus' Lineage
(Matthew 1:1-25)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Matthew traced the genealogy of Jesus Christ back through David
to Abraham, vv. 1-17.
2. Matthew focused on Joseph who was betrothed to Mary; when he
discovered she was pregnant, he thought about divorcing her privately,
but an angel appeared in a dream telling him that the child had been
conceived by the Holy Spirit, vv. 18-20.
3. Joseph was told to name the child Jesus, because He would save His
people form their sins, v. 21.
4. Matthew stated that this fulfilled the "virgin birth" and "Immanuel" prophecies
of Isaiah 7:14; Joseph obeyed the commands of the angel, vv. 22-25.
II. Meditation: on the genealogical list
1. The genealogical list contains the names of people, good and bad, godly
and ungodly, worthy and unworthy.
2. According to Matthew (1:17), God had a specific time frame: 14 generations
each from Abraham to David, from David to Babylonian Captivity, and from
Babylonian Captivity to Christ.
3. Between David and Babylonian Captivity, all men were of the royal line;
Jesus is the King of the Jews.
4. Only four women are mentioned in this listing, not Sarah, Rebecca, etc.
III. Revelation: on the four women mentioned here
1. Tamar (v. 3) – Reference Genesis 38 – A woman who intentionally committed
incest with Judah, her father-in-law.
2. Rahab (v. 5) – Reference Joshua 2; 6:22-25 – A harlot or prostitute who aided
Joshua's troops and who was saved when Jericho fell.
3. Ruth (v. 5) – Reference Ruth 1-4 – A Gentile from Moab who married Boaz and
became the great-grandmother of David.
4. Bathsheba (v. 6) – Reference II Samuel 11 – Uriah's wife who committed adultery
with King David.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Realize that God keeps a detailed record of all that I do, say, or think . . . He
knows my influence on family members and others.
2. Recognize that God has a time-table for the events in the world . . . including
my life and destiny.
3. Acknowledge Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, as both God and man; "Immanuel"
means "God with us."
4. Rejoice that God can and does use flawed, sinful persons . . . like me . . . to
accomplish His divine purpose.
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