9 Dec (Hebrews 5-7)

Hebrews 5

(v.1) Depending on the age of your kids, use discretion on describing the practice of killing and sacrificing animals for sin. With that said, God ordained and commanded this...why? To show the Jews (and all believers) that there is a cost for our sins.

This started in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve tried to clothe themselves from their shame, and God killed a lamb and gave them it's hide to wear to cover their sin. Gen 3:21

God later put it in writing by the pen of Moses, to offer animals as sacrifices for sin. These practices only "covered up" sin, but it took the blood of God Himself to wash away the sin! John 1:29

(v.8) It's hard for us to fathom that Jesus learned obedience, since He is God, a part of the Holy Trinity. But when He became man, He lived as we are to strive to live...in obedience to the Father, loving and serving others.

(v.14) When we are new to Christ, we only understand the basics. God is showing us that like a baby, we can only take easy to digest wisdom. Later, as we mature in Christ, we are to be hungry for more meat and solid food, so we can grow and understand God's character better.

Hebrews 6

(v.6) This is a difficult section of Scripture, for there are many opinions and theories about salvation. Some people (the Calvinists for example) believe that God called some people to salvation, and not others...there is no way of changing who He called...there is no way for those who weren't called to be saved.

Others, the Armenians, for example, believe the opposite. They believe that we can attain and lose our salvation at will...it's a daily struggle. This also means that what God sanctifies, can be changed by man.

In each case, both are correct, and both are false. Only God can save us, but He does wish for all of us to be saved. John 3:16

What I have learned from some great Bible teachers, is that what the author is saying here, is when we are saved but fall away, or go back to some sinful lifestyle that prevents us to grow in the LORD. This is key...we are still saved, but we are not walking or growing in the LORD. Only when we repent of that sinful lifestyle, can we again be walking with God, and having fellowship with Him.

Hebrews 7

(v.1) Here is an example of the translators creating chapter breaks incorrectly! Nonetheless, the important thing to show our kids, is that Melchizedek is really Jesus in the Old Testament...a theophany or Christophany! Abraham gave tithes to Mechizedek, and Melchizedek performed communion. Melchizedek had no beginning or end, and he was both a King and a Priest...unlike the roles for the sons of Judah and Levi. Gen 14:18-20

(v.25) Jesus is our King, but He's also our High Priest. Because of this, Jesus is able to save us from sin, and speak to the Father on our behalf.

(v.27) This is one of many verses that rebuke religions and churches that say that the communion actually becomes the body and blood of Jesus! No, He died once and for all, and we only take communion to remember what He did for us.

Jan 5 (Genesis 14-16)

Genesis 14

(v.5) This chapter starts out with some seemingly innocuous names, but I wish to note the name Rephaim. This word in Hebrew means "the living dead" which is pretty creepy. Many Bible scholars believe that the Rephaim are the souls of the Nephilim that died in the flood. Everyone's spirit lives forever, so the spirits of these hybrids are believed to be what we today call demons. There are many views as to the existence and nature of demons, but the Bible validates the existence of demons in both the Old and New Testaments. So the Rephaim are demons that possess a person's body who worships Satan. This is not easy stuff to talk about with your kids, so use your best judgement since you know your kids best.

(v.13) This verse gives the first mention of the term Hebrew. When you look up this term in a great resource, The Blue Letter Bible (see link below), you will see that it was commonly referring to Abram as a stranger to an area, and one who "crossed over" the Euphrates River. I like to point out that all of us believers in Christ are Hebrews as well...we are foreigners to this earth, since our real home is in heaven with our Lord!!!

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=getTopic&topic=Hebrew&entry.x=53&entry.y=11

(vv.18-20) Here is a fascinating part to the life of Abram...he meets this mysterious person named Melchizedek. There is no record of a birth or death of this man, and he is not only the king of Salem (which means "Peace" in Hebrew), but he's also a priest! Melchizedek in Hebrew means "King of Righteousness." This is unusual for a man to be BOTH a king and a priest...even when God gave Moses the Law, He had the Levites be priests, and the kingship went through the tribe of Judah...never a combination of the two. Coincidentally, Jesus promises to us believers in Him, that we will be glorified in heaven and be kings and priests who will reign with Him (Rev 1:6, 5:10).

So who is this Melchizedek?

Well, he issues communion by giving bread and wine, and he accepts a tithe from Abram...does this sound familiar? The King of Righteousness and the King of Peace titles are only given to Jesus in the New Testament and is foretold in Psalm 85:10.

Many Bible scholars believe that this man, Melchizedek, is actually Jesus in Old Testament times! This is often called a theophany or Christophany, where Jesus appeared to people before His birth in Bethlehem many centuries later!

For further study on this, please note:

~ Psalm 110:4

~ John 8:56

~ Hebrews 7:1-10

Genesis 15

(v.2) Please note the servant of Abram, who's name is Eliezer. The name, Eliezer, in Hebrew means "helper, servant or comforter." These traits are also names for the Holy Spirit! As we shall see in Genesis 24, this "servant" is sent out by the Father (Abraham) to search for a bride for His firstborn Son (Isaac). If we complete the typology, then the Bride is the Church...you and me!

(v.6) This is a key verse in our walk with God...Abram believed in the Lord, and God accounted it to Abram for righteousness. This shows us, early in the Old Testament, that faith is what God focused on, not works. Abram wasn't accounted righteous in God's eyes because his works showed his faith, but it was Abram's faith that impelled him to obey and show he believed.

It might be fun to talk more with your kids here, to show them how much faith Abram was showing at this time in his life. After all, Abram was very old, had no sons, and only had one servant with whom he could pass on his estate to. But Abram believed that God would do what He said He would do, and we can all take a lesson and some comfort in knowing that God will follow through on His promises to us as well.

(v.14) Here, God is showing a prophecy to Abram...that his descendants will be taken out of a nation that will receive God's wrath and judgement...Egypt (Exodus 6:6, 12:36).

(v.18) Abraham and the Jews were given this area of land by the Creator of the universe! Who are we to try to meddle with Isreael's land? What is now modern-day Israel is only a fraction of what God allotted for them.

Genesis 16

(v.1) In Biblical times (and sometimes even today), a wife feels less than whole if she would like to have children, but can't. No doubt, Sarai knew what God promised Abram, but at least five years had passed, and she hadn't bore a child. This is where we all make mistakes...we try to "help God out" by taking matters into our own hands. Both Abram and Sarai lost their faith in what God said, and they devised a way to go around the problem.

(v.7) This is the first time the term, Angel of the Lord, appears in the Old Testament. There are many other references of the Angel of the Lord, and many Bible scholars believe that this is a reference to Jesus Christ...a theophany or Christophany!

(v.12) God would bless Ishmael, but God did prophesy that Ishmael's descendants would fight and live close to each other. We see this as true with the history of Muslims and all the peoples surrounding Israel over the centuries (often called Arabs).

(v.13) Hagar reveals to us who was speaking with her...it was Jesus Himself! She said she saw and spoke with God, and according to many accounts in the Bible, if one saw the Father, they would instantly die, so it must be Jesus as a theophany!