Friday, January 11, 2019

Dear Church Family,

Last Sabbath several inquired about the verses and numbers shared from the sermon. Here’s a quick synopsis:

Gen 12 – Abraham was 75 when he was asked to leave Haran.

Gen 21:5 – Isaac was born 25 years later when Abraham was 100.

Gen 21:8 – Isaac was weaned likely at 3yrs of age based on 2 Chronicles 31:16 which says weaning was typically at age 3.

Gen 16:3 says Abram slept with Hagar after being in Canaan 10 years making Abram 85 at the time. Thus Ishmael was roughly 17 or so at the time of Gen 21:8 when Abram threw a feast for Isaac who was weaned.

Gen 21:9 – we find Ishmael scoffing. The exact date for this we know not but we might assume that the seed was planted in vs 8 and two years later the jealousy grew to persecution. Why this is significant is because Gal 4:29 likens this mocking to persecution which is significant because of Gen 15:13 which says the affliction would be for 400 years and not the 430 years that we read of in Exodus 12. Notice how this works out.

Gen 15:13 states that Israel would be in a foreign land and afflicted for 400 years. Ex 12:40-41 states that Israel was in Egypt 430 years. The Greek version of the OT known as the Septuagint states in Ex 12:40-41 that they were in Egypt and Canaan for 430 years. Based on history, it is clear that Egypt was very influential in Canaan when Abram first arrived in Gen 12. Galatians 3:17 states that the 430 years began with the covenant (i.e. Gen 12) and ended with the law given at Sinai which was 50 days after the Red Sea crossing.

As an aside, the chronology of the story informs us that 215 years of the 430 in Egypt was actually in Canaan and the other 215 years in Egypt. The Bible says that Isaac was born to Abram when he was 100 which was 25 years from when the covenant was made. So 25 minus 430 leaves 405 years to go. Then the Bible says that Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born according to Gen 25:26. Subtract that from 405 and you have 345 years left. Then Gen 47:9 says that Jacob was 130 years old when he appeared before pharaoh after coming to see Joseph in Egypt. Thus we arrive at 215 years when Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt.

So you might think big deal. But here’s what is interesting. God does test his people as we saw with Abram and Sarai when they were in Egypt. But the affliction that began with Isaac and Ishmael didn’t begin until roughly 30 years after the 430 years began with the covenant. Thus the 400 years of affliction began when it did as a result of Abram’s lack of faith in sleeping with Hagar because that was what brought about Ishmael. If we will trust God and do as He says, He will test us yes, but the affliction need not be as severe as it often is if we would but trust Him.

You can watch last weeks sermon by scrolling to the bottom of today’s post. You can also read more about these dates and times by reading the SDA Commentary on Ex 12:40, Gen 15:30, 21:8-11, Gal 3:17 and 4:29. There’s also a helpful article that you can read by clicking here.

In the news:

This Sabbath we will have Eric Flickinger with us from It Is Written to share a message with us entitled, “Waiting.” He will have his family with us. This is a great time to invite your friends from the prophecy series. Letters did go out inviting our guests from the meetings who attended but there’s nothing quite like a personal invite. So, help us get the word out.
There will be a fellowship lunch this Sabbath with the Emde team hosting.
Come to AYA this Sabbath January 12th at 5:00 pm and learn about missionaries Miguel and Tara Tello located in Bolivia at the Eben-Ezer Orphanage and Boarding School. Their school logo above translates: To heal, to grow and to prosper in Christ. Here is what the Eben-Ezer school does: At Eben-Ezer, we strive to provide a safe home and learning environment for those escaping situations of abuse and domestic violence. With nearly 80% of Bolivian children facing physical, psychological, and/or sexual abuse in their homes, the need for such safe havens is paramount.
An elders’ meeting is scheduled for this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at our home. We will share in a light potluck supper together.
This Monday evening the school board will meet in the fellowship hall at the church from 5:15-7:15 p.m.
The church board will meet this Monday at 7:15 p.m. The agenda and reports will be emailed to board members Monday morning.
Our upcoming prophecy series is set to begin in less than a month. Opening night is scheduled for Monday, February 11 at the Crescent school. Remember the schedule is Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 6:30-7:30pm for five weeks. Supper will be served at 6pm each evening. Thank you to those who responded to the survey. I am still in great need of TABLE HOSTS! Please consider assisting with this important ministry.
A new round of Diabetes Undone begins this coming Tuesday evening. Help us get the word out. Alumni can attend free this time if they bring a friend to register.
There is a meeting planned for this coming Wednesday, Jan 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the church for those interested in attending the mission trip to Peru. We need to determine who is going and who plans to speak and deliver an evangelistic series. Remember, notes and powerpoint slides will be shared in advance of the trip for you to review and edit to make your own. The cost of the trip is airfare plus $1000 a person or $2000 for a family. These figures may be slightly reduced but too early to tell.
This week pastor Alex met with some of the youth and young adults to brainstorm and plan a calendar of events for the year, which includes spiritual events, social activities and outreach. What an exciting year we have ahead!! Stay tuned!
Dinner with the doctor was a big success this past week with Dr. Odell. There were 65 attendees, mostly guests from the community.
This week Pastor Alex and I attended ministers meetings at Cohutta Springs in GA. Dr. John Paulien from Loma Linda was the featured guest. We also learned about some exciting resources for evangelism. Enjoyed visiting with pastors from around the conference. Interesting note too is that Paulette Green, Kristine’s daughter, is the new secretary for the ministerial department at the conference.
I shared a worship talk at Pathfinders last night. They’ve got a great group assembled. This is the year for the big international camporee in Oshkosh. Pastor Alex was there last night as well as he is helping teach one of the honors.
The school is collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste to take to the children in Kenya. There will be a donation box in the foyer. Thank you for helping G.A.A. high school mission trip participants give healthy, happy smiles to the children of Kenya!
We had the greeters from church out to our place this past Wednesday for supper and a meeting. The meeting went well but I was reminded yet again how much fun it is to get together even during the week for fellowship and food. What a blessing to share a meal together.
Just a reminder that we are live streaming now via Facebook and soon hope to also stream on YouTube. At present we are only streaming the sermon until we secure the proper licensure to stream the entire service. Click here to see last weeks stream.
The Grapevine can now be accessed more easily by simply visiting http://www.greenevillegrapevine.org