Beth-El: House that will Not Die:III-broadcast

Genesis 13-14, Strife, Famine, Division and War Meet the House that Will Not Die

The House That Will Not Die begins with a call to an unknown man, in the city of Haran, to go out into the desert to a particular place, where God will tell him what to do. He was not famous, or a great preacher, for at that time, the House of God was not yet fully come into vision. But Abram obeys and before the story is over, there is the wonder and mystery of Beth-El, the house that will not die, and the High Priest who receives a tithe of men, and a Father of Faith willing to sacrifice even a son of Promise on Moriah.

The House That Will Not Die, is established at Beth-El, and a second altar between Beth-El and Hai, or Ai. It is met immediately with opposition: first of famine, then of division and strife after a return from Egypt where the flesh won out for a time,

Gen 13:6-7 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
then outright war, and the temptation to worldly riches.

This satanic opposition to the House Eternal fails because of faith, and surrender of Abram, and each time his faith is rewarded with the great plan and house of God moving forward in a powerful way.

Gen 13:13-7 But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered.
Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

There are set in the foundation of this House the following:

A. An Altar of Sacrifice-Ch13
B. A Promise of Land and Seed-Gn 13-15
C. The Wine and Bread Gn 14:18-
D. The High Priest and a priesthood 14:18-
E. The Tithe Gn 14:18
F. The Presence of God

A pattern of faith is set by Abram in the following:

A. Surrender to God's will and call
B. Faith over sight
C. Humility
D. Prefering the Spirit over the flesh
E. Repentance from 'dead works' in the flight to Egypt

Even after a momentary fall to the carnal in the escape to Egypt, when rectified, Abram returns to the second altar near Beth-El, and calls on the name of the LORD.
Faced with division and strife in the 'cattle war' Abram takes the 'less desireable' land preferring peace to contention, and prevails and grows. Faced with war to regain the more carnal Lot, he expends his own riches and men, and wins Lot back and defends and establishes the safety of the fledgling but growing house of God. His move adds another altar. Turning down the riches of this world offered by the King of Sodom, he is instead enriched by God, and the presence of the High Priest, Melchisedek, the King without ancestry, graces the growing House.

Each step of faith leads to the firm foundation of Beth-El. Each act of faith resulted in promise, blessing, and foundation of a House that Will not Die and has lasted till today.

The Prophetic Vision and the Healing of a Nation

In the previous discussions regarding the healing of a nation, the 'broadest' healing spoken of in the Bible after the Salvation of mankind, we have seen that

1. A Nation Must Recognize their sin or be shown it
2. A Nation must own their sin and admit it
3. A Nation must turn in Mourning from their sin
4. A Nation must plead with God for forgiveness, mercy and direction and guidance
5. A Nation must obey God

In the course of this healing process, which is very simply bringing a nation into God's correct order and to obedience, the Prophetic Utterance often occurs and is seen in prototype in the Assyrian/Babylonian exile. Warnings occur regarding the 'ill' or dissensioned nature of the nation long before the actual overthrow, as Isaiah and Micah prophesy long before the event. Nearing the time of Nebuchadnezzar's overthrow of Jerusalem, after Assyria has already taken Hazor and the North of Israel, Jeremiah cries in constant pleas to heed God's Word and call for repentance, but except for a few Rechabites, Jeremiah and a few at court, none hear.

The Affliction of Jerusalem

After Jerusalem falls, and the Jews are carried away into captivity the demoralization, alienation and 'dissolving' of the national spirit of the Jews takes place to the point that after 70 years in captivity, their national identity has waned, their resolve is gone. At the end of the period as mentioned before, Daniel discovers the time of a prophesied return is at hand by reading the book of Jeremiah. But other things happen near the end of captivity as well, heralding the healing of the nation that is to come:

-Nehemiah becomes the King's cupbearer and mourns for the re-establishment of Jerusalem (Neh 1:1-6)

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

-Cyrus declares for Ezra the rebuilding and restoration and replenishment of the Temple,

-Hadassah, or Esther, ascends to Queen in Vashti's place, and implores the King under Mordecai's guidance for the deliverance of her people from Haman's edict of genocide.


The time is at hand in the above passages for the healing of the Nation of Israel, but a few things are going on-

1. Certain key Jews are moved into position in a pagan nation: Daniel as court advisor, Ezra as courtier, Nehemiah as the King's cupbearer, Mordecai as the King's rescuer, Esther as the Queen of Artaxerxes.

2. The discovery of the prophesied time is determined for healing

3. Mourning and Repentance are called for and accomplished,

4. The Remembrance of the Afflictions of Jerusalem is made, e.g.

The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Neh 1:3
or
I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Dan 9:3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
or
Esther 7:4
For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

The Remembrance first is made, followed by mourning.

----------------------------
More to follow....