Study Desk

Lamech named his son Noah. Lamech said, "We work very hard as farmers because God cursed the ground. But Noah will bring us rest."

Abraham bowed his face to the ground to show he respected God. But he laughed and said to himself, "I am 100 years old. I cannot have a son, and Sarah is 90 years old. She cannot have a child."

At exactly the time God said it would happen, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age.

Then God said, "Take your son to the land of Moriah and kill your son there as a sacrifice for me. This must be Isaac, your only son, the one you love. Use him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. I will tell you which mountain."

Abraham answered, "God himself is providing the lamb for the sacrifice, my son." So both Abraham and his son went together to that place.

When they came to the place where God told them to go, Abraham built an altar. He carefully laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

The angel said, "Don't kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you do respect and obey God. I see that you are ready to kill your son, your only son, for me."

Then Abraham noticed a ram whose horns were caught in a bush. So Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it, instead of his son, as a sacrifice to God.

Now I want you to make a promise to me. Promise to me before the Lord , the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry a girl from Canaan. We live among these people, but don't let him marry a Canaanite girl.

The Lord , the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family, but he promised that this new land would belong to my family. May he send his angel before you so that you can choose a wife for my son.

The servant said, " Lord , you are the God of my master Abraham. Please show your kindness to my master by helping me find a wife for his son Isaac.

But Isaac said to his son, "How have you hunted and killed the animals so quickly?" Jacob answered, "Because the Lord your God allowed me to find the animals quickly."

Joseph named the first son Manasseh. He was given this name because Joseph said, "God made me forget all my hard work and everything back home in my father's house."

Joseph named the second son Ephraim. Joseph gave him this name because he said, "I had great troubles, but God has made me successful in everything."

Then Joseph saw his brother Benjamin. (Benjamin and Joseph had the same mother.) Joseph said, "Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then Joseph said to Benjamin, "God bless you, my son!"

Joseph said, "Hurry up and go to my father. Tell him his son Joseph sent this message: ‘God made me the governor of Egypt. So come here to me quickly. Don't wait.

The other son was named Eliezer, because when he was born, Moses said, "The God of my father helped me and saved me from the king of Egypt."

Balaam said to God, "The king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, sent them to give me a message.

You must remember that the Lord your God teaches and corrects you as a father teaches and corrects his son.

But the Israelites did not obey God. There was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan son of Carmi, grandson of Zimri, great-grandson of Zerah. Achan kept some of the things that should have been destroyed. So the Lord became very angry with the Israelites.