Genesis 1-26

So I really want to try to read through the entire Bible before I go to Japan this summer. I realize that there really isn't any excuse for not spending time in the Word. I have about 30 + days before I leave, and I'm in a season of fasting and prayer - sounds like as a good time as ever to be diligently studying the Word. So I didn't really know what to do - should I start on a reading plan, should I start in the New Testament, should I start in a random book.....So I finally decided to do what most people do when they get a book....start at the beginning.

So I started reading through Genesis, and I honestly thought it would be kind of boring going over the same stories that I read and heard about growing up a little kid in Sunday School at my Christian school. But as I started reading, I realized that the characters in the Bible were pretty radical. I began to saw details that I never really realized before.

It is amazing because if you look at the lives of all the major biblical characters who we look up to today like Noah, Abraham, Jacob - they were all flawed people. Even after God had made them promises, they seemed to lose sight of God and go on there own way.
Like Abraham for example, I never realized that he lied more than once about Sarah being his sister instead of his wife. First, he lied to the Pharaoh when they were in Egypt (Gen 12); then Abraham lies to Abimilech (Gen 20); and even Isaac lies about his wife Rebekah to Abimilech again in (Gen. 26).

There were some other things that I found really interesting reading through the first few chapters of Genesis as well. In chapter 18 of my Bible, the caption in front of verse 22 reads "Abraham intercedes for Sodom." I always knew about the story of Abraham asking God to spare the people of Sodom if he found at least 10 righteous people, but I don't think I ever saw it as "interceding." I think its cool to think of it in that term. Abraham was literally interceding for his nephew lot and the people of Sodom by going before God and asking Him to spare them. I think that changes my whole perspective of intercession. I'm not sure what it really was before, but to see the kind of communication God had with Abraham inspires me to press on in my own relationship with God. I mean it's interesting because reading earlier in chapter 18 it seems like the only reason the LORD told Abraham His plans to destroy Sodom was because Abraham was "chosen" (v. 19) by God to fulfill His promise. God truly had favor on Abraham by revealing His plans to him. So what's interesting here about intercession is that God reveals his oncoming judgment to a city, and yet through Abraham's intercession God was willing to reconsider the judgment and wrath He was about to pour out on the Sodom.

And so, I think the same goes for us when we pray and intercede on behalf of our friends, family, our churches, and the nations. God reveals Himself to us in many ways, and as we pray and intercede on behalf of our friends and family, God considers our prayers. If we earnestly seek God, we an ask him to hold back His judgment, and instead ask for Him to send revival. We see it all around, we live in a corrupt society that does not live according to God, and now more than ever we need to intercede on behalf of the sins of our generation and ask God for mercy and to bring his revival.

Furthermore while reading through Genesis, I thought it was really cool that God spoke to Abraham's enemies in dreams and visions. When Pharaoh and Abimilech were about to take Sarah as their own wives, God revealed Himself to them in dreams to stop them. Even in Abraham's sin and His distrust to God, God was faithful and extended His favor upon them.

What I also thought was really cool was that Abraham prayed to God for healing of Abimilech and his family because their wives were barren. Genesis 20:17-18 says, "Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimlech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife (Gen. 20:17-18)." This is a really cool verse because I think it might be the first time that there is prayer for healing in the Bible. So basically, Abraham is totally blessed by God. He disobeys, yet God has favor on Him. God chooses him to be the father of many nations. Abraham is able intercede with God on behalf of his nephew and a wicked city, and God hears Abraham's prayer and brings healing when Abraham asks.

It's so cool to think that because of Abraham's faith in God, it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). He became the father of many nations, and through his faithfulness and through his lineage, Jesus was born; and because of what Jesus did for us we have the same access to the Father that Abraham had to God. God has called us to be His children, his favor is upon us, and we can intercede on behalf our friends and family. We even can pray for healing through the power that Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit. I think its cool to see the kind of relationship that Abraham had with God, and how we can have this kind of relationship also thanks to what Jesus did on the cross for us.

Another verse that really caught my eye was Genesis 25:21. It states, "Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his request..." I thought this was really cool because here is an example of a husband praying for his wife, and the LORD answering. It is really cool to see a biblical example showing how men should be praying for their wives. I think this type of prayer goes more than just for husband and wives; I think it pertains for anyone praying and again interceding on behalf of their family. God hears our requests and our petitions when we cry out to him on behalf of people we really care about. Abraham interceded for Lot and Isaac interceded for His wife. Thus intercession for family seems like it is looked upon favorably by God, and as it shows, God answers our prayers when we pray for those we love. I especially am moved by the example of a husband praying for a wife though; it shows to me the importance that prayer will be in a marriage and how it will be important for husband and wife to be interceding for one another. It shows the importance of being a prayerful man in marriage.

Also, it is cool to see the generational characteristics of the men that are passed down. Isaac was blessed and had favor with God which I'm sure had a lot to do with his father Abraham's faithfulness and obedience to God. Abraham established a lifestyle of prayer which we see then passed on to his future generations. Its cool to think about because I know doing Steps of Freedom, I learned about not only the generational curses on a family, but the also the generational blessings. For example, James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the family, talks about how every man in his family has been a pastor for the past four generations - even his brother in laws - because of the promise God made to his very prayerful great-great-great-grandfather.

That's encouraging to me because I know that my own great-grandfather on my Mom's side was a man of prayer, and it was through his prayers that my family is even in America today. Also, i know that my grandfather on my Dad's side of the family was a man of prayer, and so is my Dad today. Its really encouraging to think of the generational coverings of prayer that have been passed on to me. It encourages me to pursue the prayer and intercession that has been passed down to me and pray fervently that it will be passed on and cover my future generations.

Woo, so i wasn't really expecting to get into all that, but God is good and brought a lot of things to my mind while I was typing. I also found some really interesting things about wells in the Bible and the phrase "Redigging wells of revival" came to mind. But that's story for later....