Genesis 14 - Nehemiah 3 - Matthew 13 - Acts 13

Genesis 14
- 4 foreign kings fought against five others in the Valley of Siddim
- People fell into a bitumen pit (also known as a tar pit) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_pit
- Kings if Soddom and Gomorrah fled
- Was Lot Abram's brother or nephew (see v. 12)?
- A survivor told Abram what had happened to Lot. Abram was staying with an Amorite near the oak (terebinth) tree - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terebinth
- Abram and 318 other men defeated the army and brought back the possessions and Lot.
- Lifting a hand to God can also mean taking a solemn oath to God.
- Melchizedek king of Salem brought Abram win and bread. Melchizedek was a priest of God meaning that God was still communicating with other people beside Abram. Melchizedek attributes Abram's successes to God. The king of Sodom says that Abram can take all of the possessions he brought back, but Abram refused because he wanted God to receive all credit for Abram's wealth, not the king of Sodom.
- Melchizedek appears 2 other times in Scripture Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7
- Abram gave Melchizedek one tenth of everything because he was a priest of God. Melchizedek has no known genealogy, but simply appears in these three places in Scripture.
- How did Melchizedek come to know so much about God and become a priest of God in this era?

Nehemiah 3
- Nehemiah had men (and women) rebuilding the walla and gates that were next to their own homes. This probably made the people take the work more seriously because it directly was affecting their own safety.
- A map of Old Jerusalem http://www.theglobeandmail.com/series/jerusalem/map500x500.gif
- This chapter dives into the specific parts of the rebuilding and shows how families work together to rebuild certain portions of the wall. It wasn't done in just one area at a time.
- Key structures mentioned: Sheep Gate, Dung Gate, Fish Gate, Water Gate, Horse Gate, East Gate, Gate of Yeshanah, Fountain Gate, Valley Gate, Muster (Hammiphkad) Gate, Pool of Shelah, Tower of Hannel, Tower of the Hundred, Tower of Ovens, Broad Wall, and the Wall of Ophel.
- The Tekoites nobles refused to serve their Lord (or their lords) - interesting that it could go either way.

Matthew 13
- everything that Jesus spoke to the people was done in parables.
- Jesus told the disciples that they had been given the ability to hear and understand
- Parable of the Sower - Jesus explains the 4 different types of "soil" (people) that the "seed" (Word of God) can fall on.
The Path = people who do not understand what they hear,
The Rocky Soil = people who hear and get excited but then lose joy when trials come
The Thorny Soil = people who hear the word but is choked out by cares of the world and person in unfruitful (which has already been address by Jesus in 2 previous parables)
Good Soil = believer who understands the Word and is fruitful
- (v.14-15) - fulfill Isaiah's prophecy.
- (v.34-35) - fulfil what Isaiah said about speaking in parables
- Parable of the Weeds and the Parable of the Nets both show how God's angels will sort out the righteous and unrighteous at the "harvest" Last Days
- Parable of Hidden Treasure and Pearl explain how we should take hold and value God's Word as a great treasure. The man sold everything he had and bought the field. We need to see God's Word as a great treasure, better than ANYTHING this world can offer us.
- (v.51-52) seem to be saying that godly people will take out the valuable old and new testament treasures and use them as one. "All Scripture is God breathed" as is stated in 2 Timothy 3:16
- Jesus returns to Nazareth, His hometown, and is rejected.
-Jesus' mom was Mary and his dad, Joseph, was a carpenter and had 4 other sons; James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas and other daughters. Jesus was from a big family.
- Does it say anywhere that Jesus was actually a carpenter himself?

Acts 13
- The Holy Spirit said for Barnabas and Saul to be sent out.
- Saul is first called Paul in this chapter
- John helped Barnabas and Paul at first but then John returned to Jerusalem
- Bar-Jesus a false prophet was speaking against them, and Paul rebuked him and struck him blind. The proconsul believed.
- Did they believe because of what happened or because or what they heard Paul preaching?
- Paul spoke boldly the Gospel to the people of Antioch during the Sabbath. He tied in 5 OT references mainly from the Psalms. He also addressed Israel's whole history, building upon what they knew.
- The people begged for Paul to speak again at the next Sabbath and the whole town came.
- The Jews were jealous and tried to dismiss them, so Paul said that since the Jews were resisting the Truth of the Gospel that he and Barnabas would preach it to the Gentiles (which Peter had just started doing after the "sheet vision".
- (v.51) states that " they (the Gentiles) began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed - This seems to tie in with predestination, because the Gentiles who believed had been "appointed".
- Paul and Barnabas were driven out of Antioch but were rejoicing and went on to Iconium.