Surprise of the Day

How many times did Abraham have to move before settling in his Promised Land?

Genesis 11:26 – 25:10

Fact Of the Day

Abraham and Sarah moved 12 times covering over 1000 miles before finally settling in his Promised Land.

Ur to Haran = 600 miles.
Haran to Shechem = 450 miles
Shechem to Bethel = 20 miles
Bethel to Negev = 100 miles
Negev to Egypt = 250 miles
Egypt to Negev = 250 miles
Negev to Bethel = 20 miles
Bethel to Hebron = 20 miles
Hebron to Gerar = 50 miles
Gerar to Negev = 20 miles
Negev to Beersheba = 25 miles
Beersheba to Hebron = 50 miles

Oops Of the Day

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son to him in order to find out how much faith Abraham had

Genesis 21:5; Genesis 22:1-12

Fact Of the Day

NO! God knows everything.  Abraham believed he would have a son but needed reassurance periodically during the 35 years waiting for that son.  He was reassured by God every time he made a major move that he would have that son.  When a child learns to walk, the parents say things like, “Come on.  You can do it.  I know you can!”  It is a confidence builder.  This is what God was doing  The word “Now” with “I know” is not in the original Hebrew of the Bible.  God knows everything.  He said, “I know your faith is burned deep in your heart.”  It was reassurance.  And in the process, Abraham learned just how strong his faith was. 

Oops Of the Day

Abraham had to wait 25 years from God’s promise to the birth of son, Isaac at age 100.

Acts 7:2-4; Nehemiah 9:7; Genesis 11:25-32; Genesis 15:7; Genesis 2:10-14

Fact Of the Day

Abram was 75 when he left Haran, not Ur.  His original call was in Ur down near the former Garden of Eden. Father Terah died at age 205 when Abram was 75, so was 130 when Abram was born. According to the Talmud, Terah was born c. 2135 BC. So Abram was born 130 years later around 2005 BC.  Ur was conquered around 1940 BC by Elam (part of today’s Iran) when Abram was age 65.   This may have been the reason God called Abraham out of his city at that time.  Then ten years later up in Haran, Abram was called again and resumed his journey to Canaan. at age 75.  Therefore, Abraham had to wait 35 years from the original promise of God until the birth of his promised son, Isaac.  

Surprise Of the Day

We know where the Garden of Eden was.

Genesis 2:10-14

Fact Of the Day

“Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden: and from there it divided and became four rivers.”  We do not recognize the names of the first two rivers – Pishon and Gihon.  Their courses may have disappeared during the flood.  But the other two are still there:  “The name of the third river is TIGRIS.   It flows east of Assyria. [today’s Iraq].  And the fourth river is the EUPHRATES.”

Oops Of the Day

There were giants on earth called Nephilim but they were all destroyed in the flood.

Genesis 6:4; Genesis 10:6-9; Genesis 13:33; Genesis 14:5; Genesis 15:20; Numbers 13:30-33; Deuteronomy 2:9-11; Deuteronomy 3:10-11; Joshua 11:21-22; II Samuel 20:18-22

Fact Of the Day

• NO:  Noah’s son was Ham and Ham’s son was Canaan (Genesis 10:6-9).  Canaan settled what was later called Abraham’s Promised Land (roughly today’s Palestine).  From Canaan descended the following giants, the last of whom lived around the time of David.
• Genesis 13:33- ANAKITES
• Genesis 14:5 & 15:20 – REPHAITES
• Numbers 13:30-33 – ANAKITES
• Deuteronomy 2:9-11 – EMITES
• Deuteronomy 3:10-11 – REPHAITES
• Joshua 11:21-22 – ANAKITES
• II Samuel 20:18-22 – GOLIATH THE ANAKITE

Oops Of the Day

When God limited the age of man to 120 years, it meant that in 120 years he was going to send the flood and drown them all

Genesis 6:3,5; Genesis chapters 5 & 10 & 11

Fact Of the Day

It meant the vast ages of man (up to nearly 1000 years) would be reduced to an average of 120 years. HOW? Because the ozone layer was nearly eliminated with the flood when the constant cloud covering (like on Venus) was removed and rain was made possible. WHY? Be reducing their ages, they had fewer years for “every intent of their thoughts and heart to be only evil continually.”

ADAM’S DESCENDANTS BEFORE THE FLOOD: Adam 930, Seth 912, Enosh 905, Kenan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jaret 962, Methuselah 969, Lamech 777.

NOAH’S DESCENDANTS AFTER THE FLOOD: Noah 950, Shem 600, Arpachshad 438, Shelah 433, Eber 464, Peleg 239, Reu 230, Nahor 148, Terah 205, Abraham 175, Isaac 180, Jacob 147, Joseph 110

Oops Of the Day

The earth was flooded by 40 days of rain.

Genesis 7:4 & 11-20; Genesis 8:2-3 & 17; Genesis 9:13-15; Genesis 2:5-6; Genesis 8:22

OOPS: The earth was flooded by 40 days of rain.

FACT:   Springs under the ocean burst open and the floodgates of the sky were opened (Genesis 7:11-12). The waters kept rising for 5 months (Genesis 7:18-20). But at the end, the springs under the sea were closed, but the floodgates of the sky were only restrained (Genesis 8:2-3). Before the flood, the earth was watered by circulating dew (Genesis 2:5-6) For the first time, humans saw blue sky. And, with rain capabilities, the rainbow was made possible (Genesis 9:13-15). Further, the earth now had seasons (Genesis 8:22)

Oops Of the Day

Noah and His Sons Built the Ark.

Genesis 5:32; Genesis 6:14-18; Genesis 11:10

OOPS: As soon as God told Noah how to build the ark, he and his sons got to work building it while their wives planted gardens to keep their families fed.

FACT: Noah’s sons were not even born yet. The flood occurred 120 years later (Genesis 6:3) Noah was 500 years old when began to build the ark (Genesis 5:32). Shem begat his first son when he was 100 years old, “2 years after the flood ” (Genesis 11:10).  So, Noah built on the ark for probably 20 years while his sons were growing up and finding wives to marry. 

Oops Of the Day

Those people in Noah’s day thought about sin all the time. 

I would never do that.  I am not evil.

Genesis 6:5-6; Genesis 2:16-17; Matthew 15:17-20

OOPS:  Evil is worse than ordinary sins.  Only murderers, rapists, thieves and abusers are evil.  Most people are not evil.  

FACT: Eve ate a piece of fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil; therefore, she became evil.  Jesus listed things in Matthew 15 that were sins from an evil heart.  Here is a list of sins – bad we do.  (It does not include sins of good we do not do.)  

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, thievery, greed, drunkenness, slander, swindling.

Galatians 5:19-21 lists sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies.

Ephesians 4:31; 5:4f lists bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice, obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking, immorality, impurity, greed.

Philippians 2:3, 14 lists selfish ambition, vain conceit, complaining, arguing.

Colossians 3:8-9 lists anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, lying.

1 Timothy 1:9-10; 5:13; 6:3-5 lists lawbreaking, rebellion, ungodliness, unholiness, irreligion, murder, adultery, perversion, slave trading, lying, perjury, idleness, gossip, false teaching, conceit, controversial, quarrelsomeness, envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, constant friction, robbing truth.

2 Timothy 3:2-8 lists loving self, loving money, boastfulness, pride, abusiveness, disobedience to parents, ungratefulness, unholiness, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherousness, rashness, conceit, lovers of pleasure, denying power of godliness, controlling the weak- willed, never acknowledging truth, opposing the truth, depraved of mind.

Titus 3:3, 9-11 lists foolishness, disobedience, deceit, enslaved by passions, malice, envy, hatred, foolish controversies, arguments, quarrels, divisiveness.

James 3:14-16; 4:1-3; 5:3-6 lists bitter envy, selfish ambition, boasting, denying the truth, disorder, fights, quarrels, murder, covetousness, quarrelsomeness, fighting, wrong motives, hoarding wealth, failing to pay wages, living in self-indulgence, condemning the innocent.

1 Peter 2:1; 4:3 lists malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, idolatry.

2 Peter 2:14-19 lists adulterous eyes, seducing, greedy, boastful, lustful, enticing, slaves of depravity.

Jude 7-8, 16 lists sexual immorality, perversion, rejecting authority, slandering celestial beings, grumbling, faultfinding, boastful, flatterers.

Revelation 21:8 lists cowardliness, disbelief, vileness, murder, sexual immorality, false healing, idolatry, lying.