Bible Study for the Biblically Challenged Anyone?

Making a note to be praying for you on Wednesday.  LOL @ being immune to anaesthesia!  bahahahahahahaha...

Your forum plans sound exciting! I'd also love to know which sites you have bookmarked. Sometimes it's hard to find a good one. I know that there is a good list of downloadable Bible programs somewhere on the site I mentioned. I remember one site that emails a daily verse. Maybe that is a feature you could add to your forum at some point?  For some reason nowadays, I find it easier to read words on a screen rather than paper. I got an awesome new Bible last Valentine's Day and have barely cracked the cover. 

Be SURE to take all the time you need to recouperate. We'll be ok and those of us lagging behind will have a chance to catch up.

(((HUGS)))

Diane

Moody, happy to help out ........ but you continue to lead and I can support  you!  I love that you will divide by subjects .. I love an in depth study.  Possibly even daily bible reading ..

I have my women's study bible, maybe I can look thru that and see if any subject appeal?

What is interesting about Sarah and Abraham both laughing is that Abraham was not "called out" for his laughing ... he was probably laughing for joy ...... she was thought it humorous, though!!  We have to remember though that it was not just because she old ... and past her time... but she NEVER had children.  She was still close in geneology to Adam and Eve .. so she would be at 90 not like our 90 year old women of today .....  maybe like a 50 year old? or even 45??  But if you were 45 and never had kids and obviously no birth control existed and now you are going to be pg???  Quite humorous thought ... she was not "disowned" by God or derided ....... why?  because God understands ... She was not laughing that it was impossible.  She wasn't be wicked or acting bad.  But really?  How would you feel? 

I would be like..... laughing in humor but mixed with a little hope .... a dream come true impossible at it seems!!!!   Would that laughter be condemned?  No!!  But she was reproved.

Was Sarah happy?  Yes!!!  The baby had been their desire for years!!!!  Abraham named their son after the laughter .....  Gen 21: 1-7.  Obviously, Abraham, Sarah and others were amazed at the blessing and miracle that God was able to give according to his promise.

Today??  We may laugh when people tell us that life after death exists ...... does that mean God will deny us?  No ...... we want it but sometimes we think that it's such a hard thing for US to imagine .... something so good .... something we want and hope for ..... well we laugh giddily, too scared to really hope.  So we laugh.

Laughing at God's promises doesn't mean you lose out ....... but remember how you laugh!!  Not mocking, not evilly ....  a little bit of doubt?  God understands.  And maybe he will have to take our hand and squeeze it and say, See, told ya!

Gosh I hate when I type a post and it leaves or poofs!  Anyway, not sure if I am the only one reading for the first time or if we have closet readers just following along to see what I (the lone sould to speak out) is learning of what I read.  I am amazed that I grew up in a religious family, went to catholic school most of my life and never ever read the bible, nor was I encouraged to pick it up and just read it.  Of course we all had one but just didn't read it.  So not as a adult I am off and running.  I have been on alot of missions lastely and maybe part of this is behind my nature to get things in order or not but nonetheless I have been very busy getting alot of things organized and ordered that hasn't been done in a very long time!

I sat and read some this evening before I became too tired to read or worse yet to understand what I read.  I read through genesis chpter 22.  What I am curious about is Sarah, she obviously is a very important woman in the bible and is a mainstay by abrahams side.  But she does seem to have a mean vindictive side.  Is that just me seeing this or am I misunderstanding something.  She obviously got uspset when she found out that Abraham could impregnate her slave and not her and had a problem with that.  But now that she herself has a child she has no patience for her servants child and wants her sent off.

As I am learning there is always lots of reasons for what happens in the bible and later on we will learn why one person is doing something or other but I am enjoying the stories as I go.  I am just kind of taken a bit back by the harshness or what I perceive to be harshness of sarah to hagar when she offered the slave to abraham.  I know lots of soap opera drama.

So ladies help me here, am I misperceiving things?  Am I getting it right and will learn later?  I did see first mention of rebekah that was brought up in the accelerated lessons early on in this thread, but I am moving at my snaials pace but really trying to take in the meanings in everything.  That and the only time of the day I get that is really quiet to understand what I am reading is late when I am then very tired.....

So, am I on the right track?  Am I moving to slow for those of you that lurk?  For the lurkers please share thoughts or questions because it helps make my thought process go deeper.  I have always had a love for the Lord and always wanted to read the Bible since I was a child but could never do it because 40 years ago there were to many thee, thou and thousts for you to understand a dang gone thing!!!!  I have a great respect for all the men and women that devoted their lives to God and really had to study that hard language.

So after all my ramblings, am I misjudging Sarah or am I on que?  I really am looking forward to reading further and was going to take it to the chemo room tomorrow for tx but in reality I am getting benedryl as premeds......give me a break if you really think I am going to read anything!!!!!  LOL

See Shirley, I jump into all the controversial topics, polictic, now religion!!!!  What's next????  LOL

I'm still reading! 

LuAnn, I don't think we really have to worry about getting into "fights" over THIS Bible study.  Unless someone who is just trying to cause trouble.  But Moody has that worked out with the Lord.  She'll pray him/her out!  LOL

Shirley

By Jessica Wilkinson

It seems like every time I turn on the TV, or open the newspaper, I'm faced with one horror story after another. A child is in intensive care after being strangled by her mother. A woman is accosted in a parking lot and raped. A young girl is molested by her father. An elderly woman in a care facility is mistreated by the staff. A man is cheated of his hard earned money through a clever scam. Everywhere you look, trust is being violated. We are caught in a web of fear, not knowing who is trustworthy, afraid to trust anyone. Fear can easily begin to dominate everything we do - from getting on an airplane, to driving down the street, to checking into the hospital, to eating at a downtown restaurant, even to sending our children off to school.

In a desperate attempt to combat the fear, we struggle for control of our lives. If we are the only ones controlling our lives, then we no longer have anything to fear. Or so we hope. We choose to stay single or at least "uncommitted" rather than marry and risk getting hurt. Women work for independence of every kind - economical, intellectual, professional, emotional, and even spiritual. Morality is determined by each individual for themselves. Anything else is inexcusable and intolerant. It is all about control. It is all about trusting in no one but myself.

About 4000 years ago, a young girl named Sarai married her half-brother, Abram, (marriage of close relatives wasn't frowned on at this point in time) and began the journey of a lifetime. It was a journey in which she would learn about trust. For years, they lived a pretty normal life for their time in history. They lived first in Ur, and later Haran. Both were flourishing cities in which every comfort was available to them. Both were cities filled with family and friends. Then, when Sarai was 65 years old, God told Abram to pack up and leave it all behind to go to an as yet undisclosed location. Not only that, but God promised Abram that he would make him "into a great nation". That was a pretty big promise for a 75 year old man with a 65 year old wife who was barren. Yet it was with this promise at this time in their lives that the first step of faith on the journey of trust was taken.

Not long after the journey began, Sarai got her first lesson in trust. As they entered Egypt, Abram told her that if she loved him, she would tell people only that she was his sister, not his wife. (Genesis 12:11-13, 20:13) This request of Abram's was made out of fear. Sarai was an extremely beautiful woman, and Abram was afraid that the Egyptians knew she was his wife, they would kill him in order to get her for themselves. Sarai agreed to do this to save her husband, and as a result was taken by Pharaoh to be added to his harem. What went through Sarai's mind as she was taken to the palace, while her husband remained behind, making no effort to stop the events that were unfolding? Did her unknown future make her afraid and uncertain? Did she feel angry and betrayed that Abram had let this happen in order to save his own life? Or did she feel calm acceptance that she was acting in obedience to her husband for his benefit? The Bible doesn't tell us. What it does tell us is that God took care of her, despite the mess her and Abram's actions had gotten her into. God sent disease to Pharaoh's household, causing Pharaoh to send Sarai back to her husband, along with orders to leave Egypt.

Sarai means "to play the prince, to have power over, to prevail over, to Lord over", or "the Dominating One". As Sarai and Abram returned to Canaan and began their life their, Sarai lived up to her name. God reiterated to Abram that he would become the father of offspring as numerous as the stars. Yet Sarai was still barren. She didn't see how God's promise could possibly ever come true. So, Sarai finally took matters into her own hands and told Abram what they should do. She told him that she would give him her servant, Hagar, with whom to conceive a child, which they could then raise as their own.

It seemed like a good enough plan, so Abram took Sarai's advice, and he and Hagar conceived a child. After this, Hagar began to despise Sarai, and probably flaunted her ability to bear a child for Abram. Sarai's plan was backfiring on her. Rather than being honest with herself and admitting that she had caused her own problems by taking it upon her self to make things happen rather than waiting on God, she instead blamed Abram, saying it was all his fault! Sarai has become bitter and frustrated and is lashing out at everyone around her. She's angry with both her husband and her handmaiden. With Abram, she can only lash out verbally, so she begins to vent her frustration on Hagar and mistreats her. But the truth is, it was her own desire for control which created the miserable situation she found herself in.

Eventually, Ishmael was born, and 13 years passed in relative quiet. Now God's plans for Abram and Sarai seem to kick into high gear. God reiterates his promise again to Abram, and gives him a new name, Abraham. He also gives Sarai a new name to go with what will become her new life. Previously she has been known as "Sarai" the "Dominating One". Now she would be known as "Sarah" the "Princess". She is coming into the inheritance God has meant for her. She is being molded into His image. But the journey is not over yet. Even with her new name, Sarah still has some things to learn about trust.

Three men come to visit, one of whom is the Lord. Sarah stands listening just inside the door of the tent as the Lord tells Abraham that Sarah will give birth to a son within the next year. When she hears this, Sarah can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. She is 89 years old, after all!! Certainly there is no way she could ever have a child at this point in her life! The Holy Visitor, still outside the tent, is perfectly aware of Sarah's reaction and chides her "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" She is being reminded of God's sovereignty and being told to trust His promise.

Over the next few months, Abraham and Sarah again travel into a new land, and Abraham again asks Sarah to lie about the exact nature of their relationship. (Just imagine still being that beautiful at 90 years of age!!) Sarah again obeys Abraham, and again she is taken by the king as his wife, while Abraham stands by and lets it happen. Again, God rescues Sarah, this time by coming to the king in a dream.

Finally, the year passes, and as was promised, at the age of 99, Sarah gives birth to a son! Imagine the great joy she felt as she held this long-awaited precious bundle in her arms. I wouldn't be surprised if a few tears of joy didn't mix with her laughter that day as she said "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." (Genesis 20:6) Her laughter of disbelief the year before had now been turned into laughter of pure joy at the wonderful way in which God keeps His promises. God proved to Sarah that He is ever faithful, ever trustworthy.

Life didn't automatically get better after Isaac's birth. There were still consequences from Sarai's early taking of events into her own hands. Ishmael began to taunt Isaac, and so, at Sarah's insistence, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away. The consequences didn't end there, however. Ishmael became the father of the Arab race, and one only has to look at any history book or pick up any newspaper to see that the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac have remained in conflict to this very day.

From this point until her death, there is no more mention of Sarah. One article I found suggested that Sarah was so upset with Abraham over the near-sacrifice of Isaac that she never forgave him. Given the nature of references made to Sarah by later Biblical writers, I find that hard to believe. The Bible doesn't say what part Sarah played in that test of God, what she thought about it, or even if Abraham ever told her about it. I think that if she did know about it, she had grown into the same level of trust and faith that Abraham had grown into, and was in full agreement with him. I think that she finally came to the place where she was able to trust both God and her husband, and to rest in that trust. By exercising that trust, Sarah would no longer be forcing her own way into events, (and now that Isaac had come along, Abraham wouldn't be able to deny she was his wife, either!!), so there was nothing much more to tell of Sarah's story. She simply lived out the rest of her life trusting in God and serving him by raising her son and caring for her husband.

Sarah's lessons in trust enabled her to act in obedience and submission to her husband (at least eventually!), as well as to God. This is evidenced by 1 Peter 3:1-6

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."

Peter tells us right here that we as wives are to follow Sarah's example in submitting ourselves to our husbands. This is not a popular notion today, and is actually usually met with anger and frustration by women who feel their independence and control threatened by such a concept. Biblical submission does not mean becoming a doormat with no ideas or opinions of one's own, but it does mean allowing my husband to become the leader of our home. Most of all, it means learning to trust. Not only must I trust my husband, but in the case where my husband does not know God or is not necessarily trustworthy, it means that I must trust God to honor my obedience and to take care of me through it all. Just like God took care of Sarah throughout the difficult times that she had to endure due to Abraham's fear and deceit.

Moody- I pray the surgery goes well tomorrow and recovery is quick and uneventful.

Elaine 

Hey sweetie ...... feel better! 

You know, I was thinking the same thing .. I found this online today so I posted it .. I was sorry it was so long but I thought it summarized and put it in perspective .. our chemo brains are still functioning!

Hey Lu, I hope you are doing ok, too ... pm me any time.