Fri.’s Devo - Obedience

Read: Genesis 20:1-22:24; Matthew 7:15-29; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 2:16-22 God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son and immediately thye move to Gerar where Sarah is taken by King Abimelech. (How quickly Satan tried to steal the seed of God from the earth.) God intervened and gave Abimelech a dream about Sarah and told him that she was a married woman. If he didn’t return Sarah to her husband him, all his people would die. God also told him to have Abraham pray for him. *** Abimelech took Sarah back to Abraham the next day and confronted Abraham about it. Abraham explained that he and Sarah had agreed to tell everyone they were brothers and sisters to save Abraham. They did have the same father. *** Abimelech gave Abraham some of his sheep and goats, cattle and male and female servants and returned Sarah to him. He also gave Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver and Abraham prayed for him. God healed all the women because God had made them infertile until Sarah was returned. *** Sarah became pregnant and had Isaac that same year. Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. When he was weaned Abraham had a huge party to celebrate. Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac and demanded that Abraham get rid of Ishmael and Hagar. God backed Sarah up on this and Abraham let her do what she wanted to do. But, God promised Abraham that Ishmael would become a great nation since he was his son. *** Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away the next morning with food and a container of water. She roamed the wilderness of Beersheba till she ran out of water. She put Ishmael in the shade and left him there to die. She went a little way away so she didn’t have to watch him die. God spoke to her and told her not to be afraid but to go and comfort Ishmael because he would become a great nation. He showed Hagar a well full of water and they were saved. They lived in the wilderness and Ishmael became a skillful archer. Hagar found a wife for him in Egypt, where she was from. *** Meanwhile Abimelech came to visit Abraham and made a covenant of peace with him. Abraham told Abimelech about a well that his men had stolen from Abraham. Abraham gave him some of his sheep, goats and cattle. They made a treaty of peace. Then he gave him seven female lambs for the well. The name of this well was Beersheba. After Abimelech left, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and worshiped the Lord. *** Abraham was put to the test. God called him and told him to take Isaac to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on the mountain he would show him. Abraham left the next morning with Isaac. He took wood and a donkey and two of his servants. God showed him the mountain the third day. He left his servants at the camp and took Isaac, telling them they would return. *** Isaac carried the wood on his shoulders just like Jesus carried his cross. Abraham carried the fire and the knife, just as God was the one to kill Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins. Isaac asked where the lamb was and Abraham told him that God would provide it. When they made their altar, Abraham tied Isaac on the altar. He picked up the knife to kill him and the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. He stopped him and told him he had passed his test. Then he showed Abraham a ram that was caught by its horns. He sacrificed it instead. *** God was pleased and promised to bless him and multiply is descendants beyond measure. His descendants would conquer the cities of their enemies and by them all the nations the earth would be blessed. *** Abraham learned that his brother Nahor had had eight sons through Milcah and four other children through his concubine Reumah. The eighth son of Nahor was Bethuel, who became the father of Rebecca. Rebecca would become Isaac’s wife. *** In Matthew, Jesus told us to beware of false prophets who appear to be harmless but are really vicious wolves. They can be identified by their fruits - their actions. Not everyone who calls the Lord as their Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven - only those who do his will. His true disciples will survive the storms of life. *** Jesus finished his sermon and the people were amazed because they had never heard anyone preach with such authority. *** Lord, may our fruits reveal that we know you and follow you. May we endure the trials like Abraham who immediately obeyed.