01/06/2017 DAB Transcript

Genesis 13:5-15:21, Matthew 5:27-48, Psalms 6:1-10, Proverbs 1:29-33

Today is January 6th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today for the next step forward. And we’re completing our first week in this new year. So, one week from today, give it another week, and we will be settling into a rhythm. And as we move through the rest of this month we’ll be seeing how we are starting to look differently at things, simply because the Bible is counseling us, and correcting us, and cheering us on, and pulling us forward. So, let’s dive in and take the next step. We’ve been reading from the New International Version this week, which is what we’ll do today, and then we’ll switch to something else tomorrow. Genesis chapter 13 verse 5 through 15 verse 21.

Commentary:

All right. So, we’ve got some things going in the book of Genesis, some battles, some moving around, some parting of company, and probably we should get our geography in order. So, Abram, and I don’t think this is a spoiler alert, Abram is going to have a name change to Abraham. He starts his journey in what would be modern day Syria and he moves his way into the land where the Canaanites live. And this is the land he is promised, the land that becomes Israel, the land that most of the Bible happens in. And this area of land isn’t that big, like, maybe the size of the state of New Jersey in the United States. It’s not that big. But for its lack of size, it has huge significance, because the land goes all the way to the Mediterranean Sea on its west and in its southwest it leads into the Sinai Peninsula, which leads to Egypt and the African continent. So, for trade to flow between Africa and into the Middle East and Asia, this was the only land route that wasn’t completely desert. And because it borders the Mediterranean Sea, it was also invaluable for sea trade. So, Abram comes into this land and God promises this land, but it’s very important land. The nations had to travel through there to trade with one another. So, later, when the children of Israel do become a nation, and the children of Israel at this point in the book of Genesis haven’t even been born yet, but when they do come into the promise land and conquer the promise land, they really are proverbially in the center of the world and control the flow of trade. So, we can see why this land is so valuable and why so many people have wanted to control it. And today Abram and his nephew Lot, they have to split up and go in different directions, simply because the land can support all that is required of both of them. So, Lot chooses the Jordan Valley. So, the Jordan River runs basically between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and those are two very different bodies of water. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake while the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. So, everything kind of flows down to that point, but there’s no way to get out. From the Dead Sea, moving inland toward the Mediterranean Sea, the land begins to rise and rise and rise all the way to the point that Jerusalem is. It’s a pretty steep climb. So, Lot is going down into the valley and Abram is staying more in the high lands. And Lot gets taken as a prisoner of war and this happens near the city of Sodom. There’s been lots of conjecture about where Sodom and Gomorrah actually were, but, I mean, we can just, as a ballpark, say, somewhere in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. And, so, they’re carried northward and then eastward toward Damascus, through the city of Dan. So, from the Dead Sea to Dan. And the ancient ruins of the city of Dan are still in existence today. I’m going to guess, about 100 miles. So, Abraham has to go in pursuit to recover his kin and he goes through the city of Dan. What’s interesting about that is that, in this ancient city of Dan, an even more ancient city gate has been uncovered. And the ruins of this city gate are Canaanite, dating back to the time of Abraham. So, it’s likely that Abraham and his men, Abram and his men, moving in pursuit of rescuing Lot, pass through those city gates. So, there’s your geography lesson for the day. If you see this on a map, it can help. Just kind of being acquainted with where things are is helpful so when things happen you kind of see where they happen, how they had to travel to get to that place. And at the end of next month when we go to Israel, we’ll be posting lots and lots and lots of pictures on social media and staying connected to that pilgrimage. And a lot will happen in the Bible between now and then that is all situated in this land. So, it will start coming alive and it’s very exciting when it does.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. And we see that Your word is situated on planet Earth among earthlings and it’s rooted in a geography. And we thank You that we can see these places and get an understanding of what life was like in these times because this gives us context and we see that context is important in Your word. So, come Holy Spirit, plant what has been read today in our hearts, and may it sprout and yield the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that the next time we’ll be out on the road we will be in Louisville, Kentucky on the 14th of January and I’ll be speaking at New Song Christian Fellowship Louisville. So, if you are in the area, love to see you, love to say hi. You can get all the details for this at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section, and all the details that you would need to know. So, looking forward to that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible, this is Rebecca from Michigan and it’s January 2nd. Happy New Year. I have a verse for us since we are doing the word Hope. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope __ and in future. Jerimiah 29:11. And I want to say, one, realize I’m not God, I admit that I am powerless to control my tendencies to do the wrong things and that my life is unmanageable. Happy are those who know they are spiritual poor. Matthew 5:3. Have a happy New Year Daily Audio Bible and I hope that God uses me to minister to other people and win them to the Lord. Thank you. Bye. I love you.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Shelia calling from Massachusetts. Happy New Year to all of you. Brian, Jill, China, I just want to say, thank you so much for the work that you do. This is Bob’s and my 10th year joining you on our trip through the Bible, out of your 13 years. And China, this year I am adding your version of the Chronological reading into my daily spiritual life. So, I’m very excited to go through that with you. And the dedication that your family has for spreading the word of the Lord is truly amazing. And your there to sit with them day after day after day serving the Lord. It’s such an inspiration, it’s such a blessing. I lift you up Lord. Lord Jesus, I just, I say prayers to the Hardin family, continue to provide them with the strength and the wisdom and the courage to spread Your name, Lord. They’re such a __ of Christians out there, such a role model. We love you. Thank you.  

__ calling from California. I’m calling because I have a few different prayer requests. The first one is that we have been under steady, heavy, attack from the enemy. I have been sick for going on two months now. Constantly different things, strep throat, infection in one of my teeth, flu, cold, but now my voice is gone. We’ve also been heavily under attack with our financial situation. As I remain sick, I’ve been in and out of work. So, we’ve been struggling financially and I’ve been just praying. And because of the financial struggle, me and my husband have been in constant battle. We’ve been constantly fighting __. Now, my husband’s bi-polar, so, any issue when he’s stressed triggers an additional anxiety attack with him. So, it’s been very hard to not only stay positive but to stay focused. So, I pray and I ask for prayer that God turns it around. It’s the second of the year and we are barely able to pay December’s rent now and we have all of the new bills coming in this month. I just ask that God __ focus on the other side. That we’re not behind but ahead. We had to borrow money from someone and I was very uncomfortable with it. This person is very…he’s just someone I don’t feel comfortable with in my husband’s life. So, I pray that either God changes him or my husband’s able to influence God into him. My husband has between wavering between God because of the situation. So, I ask for prayer for that as well. Thank you for your time. Thank you DAB family for always being there for me. Brian thank you for this podcast.

Hi this is Scottish Tom calling from the Cleveland Ohio area. I’m actually calling for prayers for my mother. She called me from Scotland on Friday and has told me that she’s been diagnosed with Leukemia. The good news is she’s got kidney transplants a few years ago and they do regular blood tests and they had caught it almost right away and she’s had no symptoms. So, we’re very hopeful that we can, she can beat this. And they’re saying that she’s very healthy. She’s 66. So, She’s not to old. So, they’re doing the most intense treatment. So, she’s going to be going to hospital for five weeks starting tomorrow. So, the first day to that treatment and I think she gets out for a week and then goes back in for another five weeks. So, if I could just ask you to pray for her and to pray for my dad and the rest of our family, that the Lord will keep us strong, strong for my mom, and that she’ll get through this and have a full recovery. Thank you for your prayers in advance. And I pray for you guys all the time, although I don’t always call in. Thank you. God, bless. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Chris from London. I haven’t called in in forever. I’m just calling with a praise report. I want to thank God for China and Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I listen for the first time and it’s just crazy…I’m just…oh my goodness…China’s reading the Bible. It’s just mad. So, I’m just so grateful to God because I remember meeting China and Brian at the Daily Audio Bible retreat, family retreat, in London, it was probably around 5 years ago, way before I was working, probably 5 years ago. And now I’ve got…I’m, married. I’ve a married. I’ve a daughter as well who is three months old. I just took it like how that she’s growing and I’m just like…wow…God…I pray that my daughter Ava will grow in the same way, in the way of the Lord. __ pray for. Just praise report. Praise God.