JURONG OUTREACH - May 07

HAGAR: ADULTERER, CONCUBINE OR WIFE?
8th Aug 07

Please explain to me if Hagar was married to Abraham when the initial sex act between them took place. Did she become his wife or just his concubine? Did Abraham commit adultery with her? Did he marry her before initial sex contact took place? The Bible says "Sarah gave her to Abraham to be his wife." 

The passage under consideration reads: 
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes (Genesis 16:1-4). 

Verses 3-4 may be all the further one has to go to answer the query satisfactorily; it says, "...gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived......" The sequence of events suggests no attempt to commit adultery or fornication, but instead the intention to comply with civil law with which Abram and Sarai were contemporary. "The proposal, originating with Sarai, was entertained by both herself and Abram in the integrity of their hearts" (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown). "V. 3 -- Sarah then took Hagar and gave her (i.e., gave her in marriage) to her husband. 

Two generations later, in the same family, Jacob likewise practiced polygamy, including taking a secondary wife or concubine. In this case, also, the legal status and the sequence of events are included in the text. And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan (Genesis 30:1-6, emphasis added; see also Genesis 30:9). 

Obviously, God intended mankind to practice monogamy rather than polygamy (or even polyandry) when he instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:20). God brought marriage into being as the social and physical union of one man and one woman. Note that, strictly speaking, no ceremony was observed regarding the establishment of the first family. There were no civil governments or laws of men yet. Equally obvious, Jesus Christ restored the divine plan for marriage of one man for one woman for life (Matthew 5:32; 19:1-9). Only death and fornication may interrupt a marriage whereby the surviving marriage partner or innocent spouse may marry again with God's approval (Romans 7:1-3; Matthew 19:9). Mankind is obligated to conform to civil law (Romans 13:1-7) except in the instances where civil law may require one to violate God's law (Acts 5:29); in the Gospel Age, Jesus disallows divorce and remarriage for any reason while one's spouse lives except for the cause of fornication, irrespective of what man's law allows (Matthew 5:32; 19:9). "Christianity has restored the sacred institution of marriage to its original character, and concubinage is ranked with the sins of fornication and adultery (Matt. 19:59; 1 Cor. 7:2)" 

However, in the years intervening between the institution of marriage in the Garden and the restoration of marriage to God's high ideals by Jesus (during Patriarchy and Judaism), polygamy became firmly established. Polygamy's biblical debut occurred in Genesis 4:19 when Lamech took two wives. Civil law and God's law regulated polygamy, which included secondary wives, called "concubines." It appears that polygamy was some of what God "overlooked" (Acts 17:30, ASV, NKJV and other translations) before the Gospel Age, but it is something he is no longer willing to overlook.

The Bible presents monogamy as the divine ideal. The Creator made marriage as a union between one man and one woman (Gen 2:18-24; Matt 19:4-6; 1 Cor 6:16). Apparently polygamy, like divorce, was tolerated because of the hardness of peoples' hearts (Matt 19:8). (Nelson's)

Hence, Abram and Sarai complied with contemporary manmade laws and with what God tolerated. Numerous resources portray the polygamy of Abram, though inferior to God's ideal for matrimony, as consistent with marriage laws extant in his part of the world and in his time. As far as can be gleaned from Scripture, Sarai determined to give her handmaid to Abram as a concubine or secondary wife; in Abram's time, there were two classes of wives, primary and secondary or concubine, but a concubine was nevertheless a wife.  Therefore, it appears that Abram did not commit adultery with Hagar, according to both man's law and God's law at the time

Funny things people do 

People are funny. They want the front of the bus, middle of the road, and the back of the church building.  

Some people are kind, polite and sweet-spirited …until you try to get into their pews.  

Some want to serve God, but only as advisers. 

“A merry heart doeth good…” —Proverbs 17:22

SARAH: WHOSE DAUGHTERS YE ARE
12th Aug 07 

"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). That is, the Old Testament is very important in guiding us in the Christian life. One area of study concerns the characters of the Old Testament. In Peter's instructions to Christian women, he calls attention to the manner of "the holy women" "in the old time." Then he mentions Sarah specifically, and says we (Christian women) are her daughters. Christian women are her daughters in the sense that Abraham is the father of all faithful children of God. Peter's point is that those who do well in emulating her good qualities can be counted as her daughters.

It is interesting that Peter has emphasized the importance of a beautiful "inside," as more important than outward appearance. Outward beauty may attract attention, but this inner beauty can lead the lost to Christ. The apostle has said that an unbelieving husband might be won by the influence of his wife's godly lifestyle.

"While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man [person] of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek an quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:1-4). It is her loving service to God that makes her beautiful rather than the costly ointments and gaudy baubles of worldliness.

Some have misinterpreted what is said here and insisted that women ought to give no attention at all to appearance. Accordingly, they have completely forbidden any jewelry ("gold"). However, Peter is not giving an absolute. Such would lead to the foolish position of no clothing at all ("putting on of apparel").

What is being shown is that physical beauty can never take the place of spiritual beauty. It is interesting, therefore, that he mentions Sarah in this context, because particular attention is given in the Old Testament to her physical beauty. Abraham described her as "a fair woman to look upon," and the Egyptians saw "that she was very fair" (Gen. 12:11, 15). It was her beauty, however, that created a crises. Fearing that someone might kill him in order to have his beautiful wife, Abraham had persuaded her to claim to be his sister. He was willing to put her into a compromising situation. Surely the greater blame in this was on Abraham himself, but it illustrates that there are far greater concerns than being attractive to men.

We shouldn't be obsessed with fashion but neither should we be so unconcerned that we neglect to care for ourselves. Hygiene, neatness and grooming are important, but even more important is our attitude and spirit. True beauty begins inside. Others will find us beautiful in spirit when we wear our Christianity quietly and consistently in our lives. If we are beautiful in God's sight, we have a beauty that never fades.

The passage in 1 Peter uses Sarah especially as an example of a wife who was in subjection to her husband. She even called him "lord" (1 Peter 3:5-6). This is not, of course, "lord" in the since of deity, but a term of respect for his position of leadership. Many are troubled by the Bible's requirement that wives are to be in subjection to their husbands (i.e., Ephesians 5:22-24). Submission means to cooperate voluntarily with someone, out of love and respect for God and that person. Ideally, submission is mutual (Ephesians 5:21).  

There are limits to submission, of course. And while Sarah is a wonderful example of one meekly following her husband's instructions, she should have known where to draw the line. We do not know what discussion, if any, followed Abraham's request that she lie to say she was his sister, not his wife. It is certain, however, that she should not have complied. Even Pharaoh, and later Abimelech, saw that this was a dangerous course which could only result in great tragedy. By the providence of God, she was kept from being an adulteress, but she should have been admired more if, in this matter, she had refused to submit to Abraham's plan.

Christian women are to submit "even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well." (Christian submission never requires us to disobey God.) We need to be in submission for the orderly function of the home. Within any group or organization there must be a leader. If the military did not have its chain of command, there would be chaos. If there were not a final authority in a company such as a president or CEO it would fail. Even in a business partnership there must be some way to break a tie so the business can move forward.

A Christian woman should be in submission to save an unbelieving husband. Men have been converted because women have maintained their submissiveness to their husbands and Christ in such a way that Christ shone through in their lives.

If a husband is a non-Christian, unfaithful, or even unconcerned about spiritual matters, the wife is not going to convert him by playing sermon tapes real loud or leaving scriptures in his lunch box. He will be converted because of the difference Christ is making in his wife’s life.

Christian wives must be submissive to honor Jesus through obedience. If they ignore God's designated authority in the home, one would have to question their level of spiritual commitment. We can learn a lot by the study of Sarah. We need to emulate her strengths and learn from her weaknesses. 

Points to ponder
The more you give
The more you get-
The more you laugh,
The less you fret!

LABAN
19th Aug 07 

Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Isaac's wife, and also the nephew of Abraham. He came from that branch of Terah's family that stayed in the land of Haran after Abraham and Lot left for Canaan. He is the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. Most of what we know about Laban is during his twenty year encounter with Jacob, Isaac and Rebekah's son (Genesis 29-31).

Jacob, having tricked Isaac, his father into giving him Esau's rightful blessing (Genesis 27:22), had to flee for his life. So, Isaac and Rebekah decided to send him to Laban in Haran until Esau's anger cooled. While he was there, Jacob took two wives, both Laban's daughters, Rachel and Leah. He worked seven years for each of them, and six additional years for his own livestock--a total of twenty years.

During this time, both Jacob and Laban seem intent on besting the other in their dealings with each other. But no matter what else happens, God is with Jacob and continues to bless him, a fact to which even Laban concedes (Genesis 30:30). But after the deal with the "spotted, speckled, and ringstraked" cattle (Genesis 30:31-34), Laban and his sons feel that Jacob is cheating them, and stealing what is rightfully theirs. Jacob takes his wives and children and all the livestock rightfully his as per the agreement and slips away quietly and is gone three days before Laban notices his absence and begins to pursue him. Laban is considered an undesirable character in the Bible. Why is that? The Bible reveals that Jacob's faults are very similar to Laban's although Laban's faults seem to be more exaggerated than Jacob's.

A Man Easily Impressed With Wealth

The first mention of Laban is in Genesis 24. Here, the servant of Abraham has come to Haran at the behest of his master to find a wife for Isaac among his own kindred. Laban is quick to invite the man to his father's house simply because of his appraisal of the man's expensively equipped party (Genesis 24:30-31). God is never impressed with a man's possessions, although, men often are. Jacob, while concerned about profit, does not seem to be so enamored with it as to allow it to cloud his spiritual judgement.  

James 2:1-9 tells Christians that we must not give special treatment to the rich. In fact partiality in this regard is sinful, according to verse 4. The young preacher was admonished to warn the church not to "trust in uncertain riches" (1 Timothy 6:17). Riches are also called a snare in 1 Timothy 6:9-12:

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. the rich man in Luke 12:21, whom God called a fool. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  

It should be pointed out that it is not a sin for one to possess wealth. In fact it is God who blesses us with wealth. (See Deuteronomy 8:18.) However one can be rich in worldly possessions and fail miserably in spirituality. Such is the case of the rich man in Luke 12:21, whom God called a fool. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  

A Man Operating Under The Rule Of Deceit

One of the characteristics of a materialistic person is the fact that he will usually go to extreme lengths to receive gain. Laban was this way to the point of dishonesty. He deceived Jacob by giving him Leah as a wife, instead of Rachel, whom he loved, and for whom he had worked for seven years. Laban had realized that it was Jacob that God was blessing, and he was benefiting from that. So he devised a scheme to keep Jacob a little longer. He had to work another seven years for Rachel and so had two wives.

Jacob also worked an additional six years for a portion of Laban's livestock. The deal that was struck was one that Laban felt he could not lose. Jacob offered to take only the spotted and speckled from the herds for his wages, an infrequent if not rare variation. Laban no doubt felt that he would emerge on top of this deal, but there was a God in heaven on the side of Jacob that he failed to consider. (For the full account see Genesis 30:31-43.)

There was no power in the "pilled rods" to cause the cattle and sheep to produce speckled offspring, but the God of heaven caused it to turn out this way. It is entirely possible that God commanded Jacob to do such as a test of faith. This would be similar to the command to Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:10) or to our command to be baptized today (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38 etc.).

WHY DID CALEB LIVE ON A MOUNTAIN
26TH Aug 07

Some live on mountains to be isolated.  Others like the view.  A few (who moved from lower elevations) like it because “the basement never floods.”  In Old Testament times, mountain property was popular for a reason that might escape our modern notice.  Living for the most part in what we could call a “military state” in days of hand-to-hand fighting, they found that the high ground was much easier to defend than a valley.  Jerusalem, for instance, made an ideal capital for David because it is located on top of a mountain (cf., Isaiah 2:2-3).  Caleb received one of the mountains of Canaan as his family’s inheritance.  Why, of all the Israelites, did Caleb receive such a choice location?  

Caleb Lived On A Mountain Because He Refused To Hedge.  In a time when it was popular to diversify, Caleb put all his eggs in the same basket.  He wholly followed the Lord (Deuteronomy 1:36; Joshua 14:8-10).  Every ounce, every inch, every nerve, every fiber belonged to God (Psalms 119:145).  Jesus did not pour out his blood at Calvary so we could be half-hearted (John 6:27; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 2:3; 4:11; 2 Peter 1:10¹) or lukewarm (Revelation 3:16).  The house of Stephanas “addicted²  themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15) and the Macedonians “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5).   

Paul wrote, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:15-16).  God’s family is a “peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

A few centuries before Christ a man named Alexander conquered almost all of the known world using military strength, cleverness and a bit of diplomacy.  Once Alexander and a small company of soldiers approached a strongly fortified walled city.  Alexander, standing outside the walls, demanded to see the king.  When he arrived, Alexander insisted that the city surrender.  The king laughed, “Why should I surrender to you?  You can’t do us any harm!”  But Alexander offered to give the king a demonstration.  He ordered his men to line up single file and start marching.  He marched them straight toward a sheer cliff.  The townspeople gathered on the wall and watched in shocked silence as, one by one, Alexander’s soldiers marched without hesitation right off the cliff to their deaths!  After ten soldiers died, Alexander ordered the others to return to his side.  The king immediately surrendered.  He realized that if a few men were actually willing to commit suicide at this leader’s command, then nothing could stop his eventual victory.  Are we willing to be as obedient to the ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ?  Are we that dedicated and committed?

He Refused To Be Bitter About The Past. 

Because the ten had the hearts of grasshoppers, the lionhearted one had to delay his victory for four decades.  When Israel finally entered the Promised Land, Caleb was an old man.  He could have complained about the wasted time. He could have given up because the majority was wrong.  But he didn’t become bitter or lose focus.  Instead of looking back, Caleb looked ahead and claimed his mountain.   

We sometimes have to suffer for the mistakes of others, but we cannot become bitter and unforgiving.  with all malice (Ephesians 4:31).   

Paul wrote, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, Thomas Hood (1799-1845) said, “An irritable person is like a hedgehog rolled up the wrong way, tormenting himself with his own prickles.”  In his book, Lee: The Last Years, Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house.  There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire.  She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss.  After a brief silence, Lee said, “Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it.”  It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain and to let bitterness take root and poison the rest our life.³   Love “thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5) and focuses on “good things” (Philippians 4:8).  Jesus taught, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).  

There is some value in looking back, of course.  After all, Moses would later tell some of these very people:  “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2).  We look back to remember Christ and his death for us in the Lord’s Supper, but we also look ahead to the time when Christ will come again for us (1 Corinthians 11:24).  We need to check our rear-view mirrors occasionally when driving, but if we look back too much, we’ll have an accident.  When looking back keeps us from looking ahead, then we are disobeying God.