Holy God, Fallen World: Book 1 Fascinating Old Testament Stories That Reveal God's Interaction with Sinful Mankind

By David W Rece

Have you ever wondered why stories of biblical events that occurred thousands of years ago can still be relevant? More to the point, what are the lessons from those events that God wants us to learn, and to apply to our lives?

Holy God, Fallen World is a collection of fascinating Bible stories that reveal God's interaction w

• Language: English
• Publisher: David W. Rece
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087965666

David W Rece

David Rece is a retired executive who lives in Schertz, Texas, a small community near San Antonio. He and his wife Jan have been married for more than twenty-five years, and their two families together have five children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. David completed the General Bible Course from Liberty University, and has a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and graduated with distinction from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. David has taught Bible classes for the past twenty years, and he and Jan have hosted Bible Study classes in their home, often twice a week, ever since David retired in 2005. David also has taught a weekly Men's Bible Study at his local church, although classes are presently in recess. For all his classes, David has written the notes that are used as a textbook, and for many years prepared a brief weekly bulletin for his classes with the objective of raising the level of interest in the Bible by his students. David also is the author of two other books: Did You Know? Two Hundred Short and Simple Bible Stories Having Eternal Significance; and Holy God, Fallen World: Book 1---Fascinating Old Testament Stories That Reveal God's Interaction with Sinful Mankind.

Book preview

Section 1 --- The Fallen World

Introduction

Just a short time after God created the world, the perfection of His creation was destroyed because of the original sin of Adam and Eve.  With just a few words and a subtle suggestion, the serpent (Satan's representative or Satan himself) persuaded Eve to disobey God's instructions, and she convinced Adam to join her in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree.  As a result, the perfection of the world was destroyed, and Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden to fend for themselves, and to make their own way in what had suddenly become a dangerous, fallen world.

From that moment on, the conflict was joined between the Holy God, who demands righteousness, and the people of the fallen world, whose thoughts and behavior are continuously antagonistic to God's principles and commands.  That conflict has continued over several thousands of years on many separate battlefields, and it continues to this very day.  Some of the conflicts are minor skirmishes that involve only a few individuals, but some are major battles that involve entire nations.  However, regardless of the size or type a battle might be, the real conflict takes place in the heart and mind of every individual. 

Each and every man, woman, and child must choose on which side they will stand in this life or death conflict.  There are only two choices.  You can choose the righteous army of God through belief in His Son Jesus Christ, and you will become a child of the Most High God, or you can choose to renounce the things of God, and join the massive army of supporters of the fallen world.  Every person must choose one way of life or the other.  There are enormous and eternal consequences depending upon which choice is made. 

God's path leads to truth, righteousness, joy, and eternal life.  The fallen world's path leads to violence, turmoil, corruption, and eternal punishment.

Holy God, Fallen World is a collection of individual, stand-alone stories taken from the Old Testament of the Bible that are examples of this eternal conflict between God and the fallen world.  Most of the stories involve, or relate to, God's covenant people, the Israelites. For most of Israel's history, the people rejected God's principles, and embraced the influence of the fallen world. 

God  liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and gave them a body of righteous covenant requirements that they promised to obey.  Under the Mosaic Covenant, obedience and faithfulness would have resulted in a blessed existence for the Israelites, because God promised to provide for their needs and protect them from all enemies. However, the covenant was conditional.  If the people failed to be faithful and obedient to God's principles, those promised blessings would be removed, and severe punishment would take their place.

History shows that, for most of their existence, the people of Israel were unfaithful to God, and chose instead to live in the fallen world, in a state of disobedience to God's principles.  Ultimately, their rebellion resulted in their destruction and the loss of the Promised Land

Even though God has total control of the world, He has allowed Satan to have limited power over the events of this fallen world for a period of time.  You will recognize satanic influence in many of the actions by the characters in the stories and in the decisions they made.  You will also see what God's responses have been, and the consequences of those actions. 

God's interaction with the people of the fallen world over the centuries has included advice, support, discipline, correction, and punishment, even to include destruction, when all else failed to bring sinners to repent and return to Him.  Learning how God responded in the past to the sinful behavior of the fallen world is vitally important in helping us better understand who God is, and what He requires from the people who occupy His world.

While these events took place more than two thousand years ago, they remain totally relevant.  The nature of the people of the fallen world has not changed.  Every day throughout the world, we see evidence of  the immorality and violence that occur when God's righteous principles are ignored.  The conflict is not over; in fact, with every passing day it seems to be intensifying!  

Very important lessons can be learned from a study of Old Testament characters and events.  The stories in this book reveal God's eternal principles and many truths about God's eternal plan for the world.  Most directly, the stories reveal the constant conflict between God and the fallen world, and how He has responded to its rebellion.  These are timeless lessons that are relevant to every person. 

1

The Beginning of the Fallen World

In the beginning, the One True God of the universe created the earth and everything in it and on it (Genesis 1:1).  He created man in His own image, a model of perfection, and God placed the man, Adam, in the perfect Garden of Eden.  It was a perfect place in a perfect world. 

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: ... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.                           (Gen. 1:27-28, 31 KJV)

Tragically, the world would not remain perfect because Satan soon launched a subtle attack on the vulnerable Eve, the wife of Adam.

The first act of disobedience by man against God's commands was when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had forbidden Adam to eat of that tree, and warned him that there would be deadly consequences if he disobeyed that one simple command.  If Adam were to eat of the fruit of that tree, God warned, thou shalt surely die.  However, Genesis 3 tells us that the serpent, which was Satan's representative, or perhaps Satan himself, deceived Eve into eating the fruit, and she in turn convinced Adam to disobey God's command. 

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen. 2:16-17)

That marked the beginning of man's rebellion against God, and brought devastating eternal consequences into the world.  Adam's sin caused the fall of mankind from the perfect world that God created into a world where sin roamed freely, and death became an inexorable part of life.  Adam and all mankind thereafter were thrust out of the perfection of the Garden of Eden into a fallen world, a world in which the people would live continuously in rebellion against God's perfect plan.

Adam's disobedience changed his life forever. God could no longer allow Adam, who now knew the difference between good and evil, to remain in the Garden of Eden, so he was cast out of that perfect home into a fallen world of thorns and thistles and sorrow and dust, never to be permitted to return.

Even more tragic is the realization that Adam's one act of disobedience caused every person who would live on the earth thereafter to inherit a sinful nature that repeatedly opposes God. As a result of Adam's sin, all men and women became destined to die. They will suffer physical death; but even more important, every person also faces spiritual death because they now live in a continual state of unrighteousness, which God cannot accept.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. ... Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen. 3:17-19, 23-24)

The Bible does not reveal much about the events that took place in the centuries that followed Adam's banishment from the Garden of Eden.  However, the story of Adam's sons, Cain and Abel, confirm the sinful nature that descendants inherited from Adam. Cain became the first murderer when he killed his brother Abel.  This tragic event reveals the conflict that exists between people like Abel, who honor and obey God, and those like Cain who oppose Him.  Not only did Cain willfully murder Abel, but Cain then feared that the other people of the earth would slay him.  Murder had become an accepted way of life!

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. (Gen. 4:9-12)

Over the many centuries that have passed thereafter, a continuous conflict has existed between the Holy God, who demands righteousness and obedience, and the men and women who want to control their own destinies without reference to God's commands.  This conflict between God and the fallen world became increasingly more intense, until the violence, the corruption, and the evilness of the people of the world reached a level where God determined to destroy mankind. The rampant sinfulness of the world caused God to send a Great Flood to destroy the entire earth.  All of the inhabitants of the world were destroyed except the small family of a man named Noah. Through Noah and his family, God gave the world a second chance.

This first story is an example of God's close and powerful interaction with the fallen world.  The story tells of three of the most drastic confrontations between God and mankind: (1) Adam's original sin, which brought deadly consequences for all people and for the world itself; (2) God's rebuke and curse on Cain for murdering Abel; and (3) God's decision to destroy the world and its entire population because of the evilness of mankind.  No other tragedy can compare to the devastation and eternal consequences caused by these three events.

The conflict between God and the fallen world continues unceasingly throughout thousands of years of world history.  There are countless stories of conflict and rebellion against God, both written and unwritten, that are taking place among the people of the fallen world today.  Those who rebel against God are destined for eternal condemnation, having no way to save themselves. 

There is but one way for men and women to be saved from the consequences of their rebellion.  They must repent from their sinfulness, and return to God by placing their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  If you do not believe in Jesus, there is no time to delay. Seek Him now.

Section 2 --- Old Testament History

2

The Great Flood

Over the centuries following the fall of Adam, mankind increased greatly in number, and people settled in other regions of the earth.  Sadly, as population increased, the people became increasingly evil.  Under the influence of the sinful nature they had inherited because of Adam's sin, the people grew more and more distant from God, and they continually rebelled against His perfect plan.  The situation had deteriorated until the point that God judged that the thoughts of the hearts of the people was evil continually.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Gen. 6:5-6)

Eventually, God's patience reached an end.  God's conflict with the fallen world was never more intense than in His decision to destroy the world because of the extreme corruption and immorality of the people.  The wickedness of man had become so extreme that God repented that He had made man and woman.  As a result, God determined to destroy every person on earth, except a man named Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives.

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ... And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Gen. 6:7-8,13)

God commanded Noah to build an ark on which Noah and his family and the animals of the world would be saved.  After 120 years, when the ark was ready, God caused a Great Flood to cover the entire world.  The waters of the flood destroyed the people, the world, and all the immorality that had permeated it.  God preserved only Noah, his three sons and their wives, and the animals.

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. (Gen. 9:1-2)

Through Noah and his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—God gave the world a second chance.  They were commanded to be fruitful and multiply so that the earth could be repopulated.  However, this new beginning would be burdened by the same obstacle that existed before the Great Flood.  That small group of eight men and women had inherited from Adam the same sinful nature that had influenced the corrupt men and women who were destroyed by the flood.  Will those men and women of the new world and their descendants be different?  Will they place their faith and their reliance on God, or will the conflict between God and mankind continue?  Will this new generation live for themselves, follow their own ideas, and allow their sinful natures to draw them away from God.  Of course, history has shown the answer to that question.  With few exceptions, mankind has continually gone his own way, and has sought his own gods.   

Some years later, God chose a man named Abraham to become the patriarch of a new society that was God's chosen people, the Hebrews.  Over a period of hundreds of years, the descendants of Abraham grew in number, and eventually became the nation of Israel.  Israel was to be a theocracy whose religion, laws, customs, and culture were based on righteousness, and were directed by God's laws, which became known as the Mosaic Law.  The worship of God was the foundation that was intended to draw the people together in unity. 

Once again, God offered a perfect plan to draw mankind into a close relationship with Him.  Sadly, even in such a God-ordained environment, the sinful nature of mankind could not be controlled.  For the most part, the people were unfaithful, and lived in disobedience toward God's laws.  They worshiped gods of their own, ignored God's laws, and lived in continual rebellion, so the conflict continued. 

Over many centuries, God has responded to man's rebellion in many different ways.  He has provided extraordinary blessings to faithful people and punishment to disobedient people.  He has sent warning after warning to encourage men and women to repent, and return to Him.  He has applied measured discipline in an attempt to correct sinful behavior.  God has been merciful and long-suffering, not wanting anyone to perish.  However, a Holy God cannot tolerate unrighteousness forever, and He eventually destroyed the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, because the people would not turn from their evil ways.

In the course of time, because of God's grace and mercy, He provided the perfect solution that would allow the people of the world to be saved from their sins, and to overcome their sinful nature.  God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth to sacrifice Himself as atonement for the sins of everyone who would believe in Him in saving faith.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, ...(John 3:16-18)

Sadly, not every person will believe in Jesus Christ.  Most people will still allow their sinful nature to control themselves, so the conflict between God and the fallen world continues.  Those people who continue in rebellion against God will receive eternal punishment. 

The stories in this book provide real-life examples of  the ongoing relationship between God and the people of the world.  The lessons in the stories show how God has interacted over many centuries with the men and women of the world.  The lessons also show how men and women must live in order to have a proper relationship with God.  These are important lessons that people of every era must learn.  God wants everyone to be saved.    

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.            (2 Pet. 3:9)

There is so much to learn in the Bible about God's relationship with the people of His creation.  Yes, there were times of faithfulness; however, most often the relationship between God and the people was broken because of the rebellion of the people.  People today must learn from the mistakes made in the past.  We must live in a way that pleases God, and that is possible only through belief in Jesus Christ.  Seek Him today.  Nothing is of greater importance.

3

Abraham’s First Son, Ishmael

One of the great heroes of the Bible is Abraham, the man selected by God to become the patriarch of God’s chosen people, the Hebrews.  Abraham was just an ordinary man living in pagan Mesopotamia when God called him to leave his home, and travel hundreds of miles to a new land that God promised to give to him and his descendants.  Because Abraham believed God, He promised to make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants, and to settle them in the land that came to be known as Israel.  God also promised that all families of the earth would be blessed because of Abraham and his descendants.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.                     (Gen. 12:2–3)

What made God’s promise so unique was that at the time the promise was made Abraham was seventy-five years old, and he and his wife Sarah (Sarai) were childless.  Because of their advanced ages, there was no natural possibility for them to conceive and have a son, so it was apparent that some divine action would be needed for God’s promise to become a reality.

After thirteen additional years waiting for the fulfillment of that promise, Sarah still had not borne a child, so she decided to help God out.  She encouraged Abraham to conceive a child with her handmaiden Hagar, which was acceptable under the culture and customs of that time.  Abraham agreed, and as a result, Abraham’s first son was born, and the child was named Ishmael.

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. (Gen. 16:2)

Abraham's agreeing to have a child with Hagar would prove to be a very poor decision, as is always the case when people think that human plans can have a better result than God’s.  Granted, a son would be born, but even before the birth of the child animosity arose between Sarah and Hagar.  The pregnant Hagar despised Sarah, and that caused Sarah to mistreat her to the point that she fled into the desert to escape.  Except for the intervention of God, Hagar’s impulsive act would have led to certain death for her and Abraham’s unborn child.  However, God was not going to abandon Abraham’s child.

Hagar was sitting near a spring in the desert when the angel of the Lord spoke to her, and told her God’s instructions and His plan for the child.  The angel of the Lord told Hagar to name the boy Ishmael, and promised her that through Ishmael Hagar’s descendants would become so numerous that they would not be able to be counted. 

That promise to Hagar is comparable to the promise God made to Abraham about his future descendants.  But unlike Isaac, who was to be the child of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, and from whom the blessings of God would one day extend to the entire world, Ishmael was to be a child of hostility, even toward all his brothers.

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.                   (Gen. 16:9–12)

Fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael, Abraham and Sarah, both of whom were nearing one hundred years of age, conceived, and their son Isaac was born.  However, at this time of great joy for Abraham and Sarah, the teen-aged Ishmael mocked the new child, so Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away.  Sarah's demand profoundly saddened Abraham, but God reassured him that Ishmael would be made into a great nation. However, it was Isaac who was the child of God's promise.  So Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away.

Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. (Gen. 21:10–13)

Like He always does, God made good on His promise regarding the life of Ishmael.  Genesis 21:20 tells us, And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.  Like the family that Abraham’s grandson Jacob would one day have, Ishmael had twelve sons, and his family grew into a great nation.  Ishmael lived 137 years, and he and his descendants lived in hostility toward others around them, just as the angel of the Lord had told Hagar.

And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him (Gen. 16:12).

Man’s efforts to create his world contrary to the plan of God will always lead to an inferior result.  Abraham and Sarah allowed human reasoning to control their actions, instead of faithfully waiting for God to fulfill His promises.  Although totally unintended, the result was the creation of nations and peoples who were hostile to Israel throughout its history.  Even today, that hostility continues, and the region is filled with tension and violence. 

Ishmael and his descendants are examples of the people of the fallen world, who live in hostility toward the people of God, and despise the righteous principles God requires.  By refusing to honor God's instructions, and rejecting His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, the people of the fallen world stand condemned, and are on a course to destruction. Their only avenue of rescue is to turn from their sinfulness, and come to Jesus Christ in saving faith.

The Bible so clearly teaches that only God’s ways and God’s standards can bring peace and harmony to the world and to the lives of people.  This truth should encourage each of us to seek God’s will for our life. 

Living in accordance with God's plan is the only way to a victorious life, and that is possible only through a saving belief in Jesus Christ.   If you do not know Jesus, seek Him without delay!

4

The Beginnings of Babylon

When the waters of the Great Flood receded from the earth, there were only eight people who remained alive—Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives.  Noah was 600 years old at the time, and he would have no more children.  Therefore, the re-population of the earth would be accomplished through Noah’s three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—whose children would be scattered over the whole earth.

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. (Gen. 9:18–19)

Descendants of Japheth settled in the far north, and had no direct involvement with the growth of Israel or its conquest of the Promised Land.  However, Magog, Meshek, and Tubal, sons of Japheth, are mentioned in Ezekiel 37-38, which prophesies that they will become enemies of Israel that will be destroyed by the Sovereign Lord in the end times.  They will fall on the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 39:4).

The chosen line of God would come from the descendants of Noah’s son Shem.  Some 425 years after the Great Flood, God called a descendant of Shem named Abram (later changed to Abraham) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldeans, and go to the land God chose—the land of Canaan.  Abraham became the patriarch of God’s chosen people, the Hebrews, and his great-grandchildren became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Centuries later, as God’s plan for the earth He created continued to unfold, Abraham’s descendants would include King David, and ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This story focuses on the descendants of Noah’s third son—am.  Four of Ham’s descendants were to become the most pervasive enemies of Israel—Egypt, Canaan, Assyria, and Babylon. 

—The country of Egypt enslaved Abraham’s descendants for centuries.  In addition, among the descendants of Egypt were the Philistines, who were perennial enemies of Israel.

—Descendants of Ham’s son Canaan settled in the land God promised to Abraham.  The Canaanites included several pagan nations that were enemies of Israel for centuries.  Many Canaanites were destroyed during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land, but some survivors continued to oppress Israel during the period of the Judges. 

—Cush was a son of Ham, and one of Cush’s sons was Nimrod, a great warrior who founded the cities of Babylon(Babel) in the plain of       Shinar and Nineveh in Assyria (Asshur).  Both Assyria and Babylon became enemies of Israel that were used by God as instruments to carry out His judgment of destruction on Israel and Judah for their sinfulness and rebellion.  Assyria destroyed the kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, and Babylon destroyed Judah in 586 BC. 

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, … . (Gen. 10:8–11)

Sometime after these kingdoms were established, mankind once again attempted to ignore God's plan for the earth in order to seek their own will.  The men living in the region of Shinar (located in present-day Iraq) decided to build a city and a tower reaching towards heaven in order to make us a name (Genesis 11:4). The attempted construction of the Tower of Babel was man’s first recorded rebellion against God’s plan after the Great Flood that occurred several generations earlier. 

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (Gen. 11:1–4)

Located east of Israel in Shinar, the construction of the tower is important because God confounded the language of the men building the tower, so that they would be scattered abroad throughout the earth.  In addition, a few hundred years later the Shinar plain would become the location of the great pagan city of Babylon. 

God had commanded Noah and his sons to be fruitful and increase in number, and fill the earth, which would have led to a perfect result because God’s plan is always designed to bless the people of the world.  However, the people of Shinar had their own plan that was dedicated to making a name for themselves.  They rejected the idea of being scattered over the face of the earth.  God knew that if the people could all speak the same language, they would use their unity and determination to separate themselves further from His plan, and become an even greater source of evil.  Therefore, God took action to rescue them from their ill-conceived efforts by confusing their language, and scattering the people over the earth. 

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. (Gen. 11:7-8)

Men and women under the influence of Satan constantly try to substitute their own flawed ideas instead of following the perfect will of God.  The results are readily seen in history—continuous pain, suffering, warfare, and other such disasters that always occur when people depart from the Word of God, and seek their own objectives. 

If we are to escape from the turmoil and destruction of the fallen world, we must learn from this lesson, and seek God’s will for our lives.  He knows the future, and He knows what is best for every person. God's way is always best.  To become blessed by a relationship with Almighty God, you must come to Him through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Trusting in Jesus is the only way to eternal life. 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:         no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

5

Abraham and His Sister Sarah

One of the fascinating stories in the Bible is that Abraham, the man God chose to be the patriarch of the Hebrew people, on two different occasions lied to the rulers of the countries where he went to live.  Abraham told them that his wife Sarah was his sister.  That statement was partially true because both Abraham and Sarah had the same father, but they had different mothers.

The first time Abraham told the lie was not long after he and Sarah had settled in Canaan.  There was a famine in the land, so they went to Egypt to live for a while.  Scripture states that Abraham feared for his life because Sarah was very beautiful, and he was afraid the Egyptians would kill him in order to take her.  It is difficult to understand how Abraham believed that his lie would safeguard him in such circumstances, but that was his reasoning.

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. (Gen. 12:12–13)

As Abraham feared, the Egyptians quickly saw that Sarah was very beautiful, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s palace.  Abraham was well-treated for Sarah’s sake, and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle, servants and camels.  However, it is very puzzling that Abraham did not consider the danger he had brought upon Sarah. 

Fortunately, God protected Sarah.  Because Pharaoh took her, God inflicted serious diseases on him and his household, even though Pharaoh was innocent in the matter because he had been misled by Abraham’s lie.  To remove God’s punishment, as soon as Pharaoh learned the truth he sent Abraham and Sarah away.

Abraham and Sarah, along with all their belongings, returned to Canaan, and settled near the city of Hebron.  Years later, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved to the city of Gerar in the land of the Philistines, located in the south of Canaan.  Some twenty years had passed since the incident with Sarah in Egypt when history repeated itself.

Apparently, Abraham had not learned from his experience in Egypt.  In Gerar, he once again claimed that Sarah was his sister.  Deceived by Abraham's lie, Abimelech the king of Gerar sent for Sarah, and took her.  Once again, God protected Sarah.  He appeared to Abimelech in a dream, and threatened him with death.  God knew Abimelech was innocent in the matter, so He prevented Abimelech from sinning with Sarah, but He placed a curse on Abimelech's household.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.             (Gen. 20:3–5)

Since God intervened and kept Abimelech from sinning with Sarah, no lasting damage was done, except for hurt feelings.  Abimelech was justifiably angry, and he rebuked Abraham for his deceitfulness, but he gave Abraham and Sarah herds and slaves and silver to atone for any offense he had committed against them, even though he had acted innocently.  Abimelech also gave Abraham permission to live wherever he wanted in the land of Gerar. 

Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God’s threatened punishment was rescinded. God's curse prevented all the women in Abimelech’s household from conceiving, and that curse was removed.

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