God promises. Time passes. Everything seems to stay much the same. And then God speaks to a man like Abram (later Abraham) and gives him a message that reignites the plan never forgotten and brings a new sense of hope for redemption. And that’s what is seen in Genesis 12. Following an extended genealogy from Noah down to Abram’s father, Terah, Moses traces what hasn’t happened yet—the birth of the awaited offspring, the anticipated serpent-crusher. Did God decide after some contemplation that people were still just too wicked or that it was going to be too much work to make a way for the promised one he told Adam and Eve about all those years before? In looking at the account of Abraham, Pastor Daniel explores how the gospel of Jesus Christ was further revealed. He states, “The gospel to Abraham proclaims that there is a king who will establish a restored kingdom for all who will enter through faith.”

Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff

Can law and love go together? You don’t see much in the way of bumper stickers or refrigerator magnets highlighting mantras like, “I love my lawgiver!” or “Honk if you love law codes!” But a faithful Israelite in Moses’s day would have linked love and law. Obeying God’s law was an expression of love for Him. Pastor Daniel speaks specifically of this, saying, “To understand the fullness of God’s love and character and the hope of the good news of Jesus Christ, I need to understand the law.” In what ways is this true? 1) The law challenges me to love God. 2) The law reveals my sin. 3) The law justifies no one. 4) The law promises something greater. And finally, 5) The law demands we live not by works but by faith.

Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff

During the time when the Judges governed Israel, rest and refreshment were hard to come by. The Hebrews, by in large, chose their own way instead of submitting to the God who had brought them into the land under the strong and righteous leader, Joshua. But even though it was a dark period of their history, God was not absent and did not forget His people. When Israel needed Him most, he would choose individuals to deliver them, oftentimes unlikely individuals, even men like reluctant Gideon who had to learn to submit in faith to his persistent King. Pastor Daniel emphasizes the truth that Gideon needed to understand and that every follower of the Lord needs to learn today—“You were made to be ruled by and submit to the King of Kings.”

Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff

What are you to do when tragedy strikes? What is there to hope in when everything seems to be in shambles? The people of God who were still faithful to Yahweh had to be asking those questions when, after hundreds of years under mostly wicked kings, the Lord finally brought judgment against His chosen nation and her beautiful city, Jerusalem. Was there any hope for a future? If there was, it was going to have to come from above, through very clear and powerful divine intervention. It would have to come from the only one worthy of worship and honor in a world turned sour, a world terribly in need of the gospel. Pastor Daniel speaks to our ultimate need and purpose in stating, “Worship is the goal of the gospel” and asks the question, “What will God need to do to restore your heart to worship?”

Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff