Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:
(Genesis 17:1) And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and you be perfect. (2) And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
Thirteen years have passed since Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Abram is now 99 years old and Sarai would be 89. The Lord reiterates His promise to Abram, but note the covenant is mutual. Abram is to walk before the Lord, upright and blameless, and the Lord will multiply Abram exceedingly.
(3) And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, (4) "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be a father of many nations."
Abram fell on his face before the Lord, in total reverence or perhaps overcome by the divine glory of His Lord, and God assured Abram of His covenant with him and told him he would indeed be a father of many nations. In the first verse God told Abram to walk before Him and He will make His covenant with him. In verses 3 and 4, Abram fell on his face before the Lord indicating his willingness to follow Him, actually probably to continue following Him, and God confirmed the covenant.
(5) "No more will your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations."
"Abram" meant "high or exalted father". God declared that Abram's name should now be "Abraham", meaning "father of a multitude".
(6) "And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come out of you. (7) And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your descendants after you. (8) And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
Among Abraham's descendants will be many nations and kings. The covenant is not only established with Abraham, but also with his descendants after him. It is an everlasting covenant. God will give them all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and He will be their God. However, from verse 1, Abraham's (and therefore his descendants') part in the covenant was to follow God, and that is why there were times when they did not actually possess the land. When they were disobedient, they were carried captive from it, but when they returned to their Lord, they would return to the land to possess it. I cannot help but think about this everlasting covenant when I read and hear about all the fighting over Israel's borders. Many people would choose to ignore this promise of God, even some self-proclaimed Christians. They would say the covenant was spiritual and that it changed with the death of Christ. However, the more I study, the more I see that the God portrayed in the Old Testament never changed. Never was it stated in scripture that all God had said in the Old Testament didn't matter now; He just gave us a way to be forgiven when we didn't measure up to His standards:
(God said) "For I am the LORD, I do not change"... - Malachi 3:6a
(Jesus said) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." - Matthew 5:17-18
Just because we are forgiven and have mercy and grace, it does not give us a pass and allow us to ignore all that God said:
"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? God forbid. Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, you are that one's servants whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" - Romans 6:15-16
(9) And God said to Abraham: "You shall keep My covenant therefore, you and your seed after you, in their generations. (10) This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you; every male child among you shall be circumcised; (11) And you will circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it will be a token of the covenant between Me and you."
Abraham's and his descendants' sign that they intended to honor their covenant with God is that every male child be circumcised. Quoting Dr. John Gill, "...this was the first institution of circumcision, and it was an institution of God, and not of man." Apparently, some historians have claimed that the Egyptians were the first to circumcise, but from everything I have read from Biblical scholars, there is no evidence of it before the Egyptians learned it from the Jews in the time of Joseph.
(12) "And he who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male child in your generations, he who is born in the house or bought with money from any stranger who is not of your seed. (13) He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."
The reason they were to be circumcised on the eighth day will be learned later in scripture when the Levitical laws are detailed. Leviticus 12:2-3 says, "...If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be
unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall
be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised."
Dr. John Gill points out something very interesting about the servants who were to be circumcised among Abraham and his descendants. Babies born in the household were to be circumcised on the eighth day and babies and children older than eight days were to be circumcised when they were purchased and brought into the household. However, grown servants were given a choice. They did not have to be circumcised and forced to accept the true religion of Almighty God. If the servant was unwilling to submit to circumcision, the owner could keep him for up to a year, at which time the servant must be circumcised or be sent back "to the heathens". I love that even among Old Testament slaves, there was still freedom of choice. God has never forced Himself on anyone! We have always been free to choose between life or death!
(14) "And the uncircumcised male child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Any who chose not to be circumcised were cut off from his people, and therefore God's blessings, because that was a sign he had broken the covenant with God. Obviously an 8-day old child could not be held responsible for such a decision. Dr. John Gill again wrote a more detailed explanation of the law: "...if a father does not circumcise his son, the sanhedrim are bound to circumcise him; and if they do not circumcise him, he is obliged when he is grown up to circumcise himself; and if he does not circumcise himself, he is guilty of cutting off."
(15) And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. (16) And I will bless her and also give you a son of her; yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her."
Sarai meant "princess", thought of as "my princess", but Sarah had a stronger meaning of a princess, noblewoman, or even queen of a multitude. Incredibly, at 89 years of age, God tells Abraham that Sarah will bear a son, and as Abraham will be a father of many nations, Sarah will be a mother of nations.
(17) Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?"
Verse 1 states that Abraham is 99 years old at this time, so either he is rounding up or he is indicating the age at which he will actually have the child. When Abraham laughed, it was from joy! There was no scorn or disbelief at the prophecy. Abraham fell on his face out of reverence for his Lord and possibly from overjoyed amazement of what had just been told to him. We are told in Romans 4:19-22 of this account, and Abraham was said to have never wavered in his faith in the Lord to achieve what He had promised, so we know with assurance that Abraham was not laughing disrespectfully here.
(18) And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
In his joy over this news, the father Abraham remembers his other son and hopes that he, too, may live before the Lord in worship and share in His blessings.
(19) And God said, "Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. (20) And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; he shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. (21) But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year."
God reiterates that Sarah will bear Abraham a son and it is through Isaac that the covenant will be established. By the way, Isaac means "laughter". Additionally, God indicates that He has heard Abraham's desire and will bless Ishmael and will make a great nation of him, too. Twelve princes will be named later, true to this prophecy, and the nation that stems from Ishmael is the Arab nation. It is very interesting to note that there will be twelve Arab princes as there will likewise be twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation. Bishop Newton wrote of the Arab tribes descended from Ishmael:
"It was somewhat wonderful, and not to be foreseen by human sagacity, that a man’s whole posterity should so nearly resemble him, and retain the same inclinations, the same habits, and the same customs, throughout all ages! These are the only people besides the Jews who have subsisted as a distinct people from the beginning, and in some respects they very much resemble each other 1. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are descended from Abraham, and both boast of their descent from the father of the faithful. 2. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are circumcised, and both profess to have derived this ceremony from Abraham. 3. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, had originally twelve patriarchs, who were their princes or governors. 4. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, marry among themselves, and in their own tribes. 5. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are singular in several of their customs, and are standing monuments to all ages of the exactness of the Divine predictions, and of the veracity of Scripture history. We may with more confidence believe the particulars related of Abraham and Ishmael when we see them verified in their posterity at this day. This is having, as it were, ocular demonstration for our faith.”
In addition, I can't help but think about the tension between the Arabs and the Jews to this day, that started with Sarah's impatience with the fulfillment of God's promise.
(22) And He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
God "went up" from Abraham! It sounds as if God Himself, in whatever
form He chose in which to talk to Abraham, ascended to heaven in his presence. This was no earthly messenger who talked with Abraham!
(23) And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
Abraham immediately complied with his part of the covenant and circumcised all the males in his household, beginning with his son, Ishmael. The scripture states that all were circumcised, so not one servant rejected this excruciatingly painful rite, as we have previously read was their right to do. Obviously, they must have been convinced by Abraham that God Himself ordained it.
(24) And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (25) And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Because Ishmael was circumcised at 13, so began the Arab tradition of circumcising their males at that age.
(26) That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son; (27) And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money from a stranger, were circumcised with him.
God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants was confirmed by Him, and Abraham immediately confirmed his part with the physical sign of circumcision. Circumcision was just a sign that they intended to follow God. Salvation and life are in the Lord Himself; circumcision was to be an everlasting sign in their flesh of their promise to follow God and of His great covenant with them.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Example of What Happens When We Are Impatient with God
Continuing my chronological Bible study, I begin this post in Genesis 16, with the continuing story of Abraham.
(Genesis 16:1) Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children; and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.
Biblical scholar Adam Clarke writes a ponderance about Hagar. Since she is Egyptian, it is very likely that she was one of the maidservants that Pharaoh gave Abram for Sarai's sake, when they sojourned in Egypt. The name Hagar is a Hebrew name, and it means "foreigner" or "stranger", so Abram (or someone in his household) probably gave her the name.
(2) And Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children; please go in to my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her." And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Wow! Here begins the trouble with impatience with respect to waiting upon the Lord, and when one gets too focused on the "thing" promised, rather than just trusting the Lord to accomplish it. Sarai apparently believes that the Lord will give them an heir, but she fails by limiting God to the bounds of human nature. Oh, how often we do that! We try to put God in our little human box and try to limit Him to what we know and think best! Adam Clarke points out that female slaves were the property of the mistress of the household, so Sarai had the absolute right to dispose of her servant as she saw fit, with her husband having no authority in this case. Abram was just a willing participant in this crazy mixed-up scheme! Sarai's female servant being her personal property, she also had absolute right to the possession of her servant's children.
(3) And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.
Talk about patience! Sarai had waited 10 years in the land of Canaan for the fulfillment of the promise that they would have a child! She was now 75 years old! We know this because of a combination of scriptures that indicate Abram was 85 years old at this time, and Sarai was 10 years younger than he was. I get tickled to think how we can be so impatient in this day and age that we think God has forsaken us if things don't happen our way in a week or a month or even a year. My husband and I have an inside joke about his lack of patience, actually mine, too, but it started with regard to his patience. He always says, "I've already done that", meaning he has had patience already and now looks to the fruit of that patience. Oh, but the patience demonstrated in the Bible often meant decades! Another word for "patience" used in the Bible is "longsuffering", meaning "LONG (emphasis on LONG) suffering"!
(4) And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
While it may be that Hagar acted scornfully insolent toward her mistress, I wonder if it may just be she despised her because she knew she had the absolute right to take her baby from her.
(5) And Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I have given my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me."
Sarai tries to blame Abram for what has happened. Indeed, he apparently did take Hagar willingly, but as pointed out before, it was totally Sarai's right to give her maid as she wished. It was never Abram's right to take her.
(6) But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
Abram pointed out that Hagar was Sarai's property and that she could do with her what she wished. Hagar ran away when Sarai dealt harshly with her.
(7) And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. (8) And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where will you go?" And she said, "I flee from the presence of my mistress Sarai." (9) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."
God told Hagar to return to her mistress, even though she may be mistreated. God has asked Hagar to do her part, her best, if you will, to do what she has been called to do in her life at this time, and that is to submit to her authority. That is what we must all do. I think about this when there is conflict between two parties, especially in the case of a husband and wife. The wife may think that it is unfair that she has to endure certain behaviors from her husband, but she is called by God to submit to her husband, and let God deal with her husband. Likewise with a husband who has a disrespectful and unloving wife, he is called to love her as Christ loved the church, and he must let God deal with her heart. All we can do is what we are called to do; we have no power over the other party. If we are obedient to God, He takes care of the rest. When we fight for our "rights", we make a bigger mess of things.
(10) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." (11) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction."
The angel of the Lord prophesies to Hagar that she will have a son named Ishmael, and his descendants will be too numerous to count. "Ishmael" means "God will hear". God did hear Hagar's distress, but His answer to her is that she do her best part by going back and submitting to her mistress, and let God deal with Sarai.
(12) "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he will dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
The angel of the Lord further prophesies that Hagar's son will be a wild man, untamed and fearing no man. He will be a fighter, fighting against all others and them against him. His people will be a separate people. Indeed, the Ishmaelites were a wild and wandering people.
(13) And she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You God see me", for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"
The meaning here is a little unclear. The NKJV translators supposed that Hagar actually gave the Lord a name, "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees", but this may mean that Hagar called upon the name of the Lord, realizing that she had just seen and heard from God Almighty, the One who sees all and saw her in her distress.
(14) Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
The name of the well literally meant “well of the Living One seeing me”.
(15) And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called his son's name, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. (16) And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
I find it interesting to ponder if Abram's wife's slave would dare to tell Abram what the name of the child should be according to the word of the Lord. I don't find that likely at all. Therefore, it was purely prophetic that Hagar should know the name of her son before Abram gave him the name. How awesome is that?
(Genesis 16:1) Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children; and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.
Biblical scholar Adam Clarke writes a ponderance about Hagar. Since she is Egyptian, it is very likely that she was one of the maidservants that Pharaoh gave Abram for Sarai's sake, when they sojourned in Egypt. The name Hagar is a Hebrew name, and it means "foreigner" or "stranger", so Abram (or someone in his household) probably gave her the name.
(2) And Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children; please go in to my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her." And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Wow! Here begins the trouble with impatience with respect to waiting upon the Lord, and when one gets too focused on the "thing" promised, rather than just trusting the Lord to accomplish it. Sarai apparently believes that the Lord will give them an heir, but she fails by limiting God to the bounds of human nature. Oh, how often we do that! We try to put God in our little human box and try to limit Him to what we know and think best! Adam Clarke points out that female slaves were the property of the mistress of the household, so Sarai had the absolute right to dispose of her servant as she saw fit, with her husband having no authority in this case. Abram was just a willing participant in this crazy mixed-up scheme! Sarai's female servant being her personal property, she also had absolute right to the possession of her servant's children.
(3) And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.
Talk about patience! Sarai had waited 10 years in the land of Canaan for the fulfillment of the promise that they would have a child! She was now 75 years old! We know this because of a combination of scriptures that indicate Abram was 85 years old at this time, and Sarai was 10 years younger than he was. I get tickled to think how we can be so impatient in this day and age that we think God has forsaken us if things don't happen our way in a week or a month or even a year. My husband and I have an inside joke about his lack of patience, actually mine, too, but it started with regard to his patience. He always says, "I've already done that", meaning he has had patience already and now looks to the fruit of that patience. Oh, but the patience demonstrated in the Bible often meant decades! Another word for "patience" used in the Bible is "longsuffering", meaning "LONG (emphasis on LONG) suffering"!
(4) And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
While it may be that Hagar acted scornfully insolent toward her mistress, I wonder if it may just be she despised her because she knew she had the absolute right to take her baby from her.
(5) And Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I have given my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me."
Sarai tries to blame Abram for what has happened. Indeed, he apparently did take Hagar willingly, but as pointed out before, it was totally Sarai's right to give her maid as she wished. It was never Abram's right to take her.
(6) But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
Abram pointed out that Hagar was Sarai's property and that she could do with her what she wished. Hagar ran away when Sarai dealt harshly with her.
(7) And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. (8) And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where will you go?" And she said, "I flee from the presence of my mistress Sarai." (9) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."
God told Hagar to return to her mistress, even though she may be mistreated. God has asked Hagar to do her part, her best, if you will, to do what she has been called to do in her life at this time, and that is to submit to her authority. That is what we must all do. I think about this when there is conflict between two parties, especially in the case of a husband and wife. The wife may think that it is unfair that she has to endure certain behaviors from her husband, but she is called by God to submit to her husband, and let God deal with her husband. Likewise with a husband who has a disrespectful and unloving wife, he is called to love her as Christ loved the church, and he must let God deal with her heart. All we can do is what we are called to do; we have no power over the other party. If we are obedient to God, He takes care of the rest. When we fight for our "rights", we make a bigger mess of things.
(10) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." (11) And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction."
The angel of the Lord prophesies to Hagar that she will have a son named Ishmael, and his descendants will be too numerous to count. "Ishmael" means "God will hear". God did hear Hagar's distress, but His answer to her is that she do her best part by going back and submitting to her mistress, and let God deal with Sarai.
(12) "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he will dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
The angel of the Lord further prophesies that Hagar's son will be a wild man, untamed and fearing no man. He will be a fighter, fighting against all others and them against him. His people will be a separate people. Indeed, the Ishmaelites were a wild and wandering people.
(13) And she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You God see me", for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"
The meaning here is a little unclear. The NKJV translators supposed that Hagar actually gave the Lord a name, "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees", but this may mean that Hagar called upon the name of the Lord, realizing that she had just seen and heard from God Almighty, the One who sees all and saw her in her distress.
(14) Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
The name of the well literally meant “well of the Living One seeing me”.
(15) And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called his son's name, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. (16) And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
I find it interesting to ponder if Abram's wife's slave would dare to tell Abram what the name of the child should be according to the word of the Lord. I don't find that likely at all. Therefore, it was purely prophetic that Hagar should know the name of her son before Abram gave him the name. How awesome is that?
Friday, July 13, 2012
Jesus Christ in the Old Testament?
Continuing with a Bible study of Abraham:
(Genesis 15:1) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram; I am your shield, and your exceedingly great reward."
I love this! I love the message, but I also love pondering the vision itself. How does a spoken word come in a VISION, something that is visible, something that is seen? When it is the Word of the Lord, Jesus Christ! This is the same Jesus who hasn't appeared on the earth in a physical human form yet, but the One who has been in existence since the beginning, as told beautifully in John, chapter 1:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (v. 1-5)
Are those not the same words Jesus repeated throughout the New Testament? "Fear not" anything, not even them who kill the body, because I (Jesus) am your salvation and your reward; My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weakness; I am your shield. I just love seeing glimpses of Jesus Christ and God's plan from the beginning in the Old Testament!
(2) And Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" (3) And Abram said, "Behold, You have given to me no seed; and, lo, one born in my house is my heir."
God had already told Abram his seed would be as the dust of the earth, too numerous to be counted. Abram's question here is, in a sense, "How will You accomplish it, seeing I go childless?" Eliezer is, as the head steward of Abram's house, Abram's heir since he had no children. How is this to be Abram's seed too numerous to count? Abram has faith in His Lord, but he cannot understand how fulfillment of the promise can happen.
(4) And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who shall come forth out of your own body shall be your heir." (5) And He brought him forth abroad, and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your seed be." (6) And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness.
God reiterated His promise to Abram, and assured him that his heir would be his own child. And Abram believed "IN THE LORD", and it was counted to him for righteousness. It is probably no accident that the scripture is worded this way. We assume that Abram believed what God had told him, but it was more than that. From Abram's seed would come the Messiah, the One who would be the righteousness for all who believed in Him as Lord and Savior, the spotless sacrifice for their sins. THAT is where our faith must be! Not in the thing that is promised, as will become evident in future studies, but in the LORD.
(7) And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give this land to inherit it."
"I am the LORD who brought you out of"...insert any personal place or situation here. The significance here is that the Lord brought Abram out of a lost world to save him. Giving the land to him is just a part of the promise; the most important part is the salvation that will come from the seed of Abraham, in the form of Jesus Christ.
(8) And he said, "Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?"
It sounds as if Abram is asking for a sign, but I don't think that is really what is meant here. Once again, Abram just can't understand how the Lord will accomplish His promise. We are told more than once that Abram believed God, so I don't believe he is asking for a sign to prove anything. He already believes, but he also knows he is past the age (or more importantly, his wife is past the age) of bearing children, so he can't fathom it will happen in the natural way, so he wonders how he will know when it happens.
(9) And He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
Abram may have been expecting a sign from heaven, but God begins by asking for obedience. I believe this is no accident; obedience to God is paramount. It continues to play a part throughout the process of bringing God's plan to fruition. God asks for three-year-old animals. Dr. John Gill points out that the early Levitical law required creatures of only a year old to be offered for sacrifice. The significance of God's asking for three-year-old animals is that these animals were at their full growth and full strength, and nearest their greatest perfection. God must be served with the best we have.
(10) And he took all these to Him and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece against another, but the birds he did not divide.
There is a general consensus among the old commentaries that the division of the animals refers to a covenant between two parties. Adam Clarke took it a step further showing incidents in history where the separation of the animals also was symbolic of what would happen to the offending party if it broke the covenant, to submit to the punishment of being cut asunder. One such incident is when Xerxes ordered one of the sons of Pythius to be cut in two, and one half to be placed on each side of the way so that his army might pass through between them. There are scriptures that seem to suggest punishments like this, as well: The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill." (Daniel 2:5); And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:51); The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:46).
The birds are two without being divided. There are varying ideas on what this represented with some along the lines of the fact that Abram's people would be torn asunder, but would afterward be rejoined. Some scholars suggest that the animals chosen represented idolatrous nations, as sometimes in scripture those animals are used to describe such nations, as in "Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me." (Psalms 22:12); "The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia." (Daniel 8:20); and "And the rough goat is the king of Greece". (Daniel 8:21); and the Israelites are compared to doves. I'm not sure that latter interpretation totally works for me, although there are often many truths found in prophecy, I can't deny. However, since this is a covenant between God and Abram's descendants, I believe that the animals cut in two do represent the two parties, and the Israelites are indeed often "cut asunder" when they break their part of the covenant and follow after idols, but a remnant is always preserved whole. Also one of the whole birds is a dove, which is often used to represent God's Holy Spirit. Abram's descendants will be made whole again and will live through Jesus Christ. I can't help but think of the dove descending upon Jesus after He was baptized: "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him." (Matthew 3:16)
(11) And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
I love what Matthew Henry writes about this verse: "While God's appearing to own His sacrifice was deferred, Abram continued waiting, and his expectations were raised by the delay; when the fowls came down upon the carcasses to prey upon them, as common and neglected things, Abram drove them away, believing that the vision would, at the end, speak, and not lie. Note, a very watchful eye must be kept upon our spiritual sacrifices, that nothing be suffered to prey upon them and render them unfit for God's acceptance. When vain thoughts, like these fowls, come down upon our sacrifices, we must drive them away, and not suffer them to lodge within us, but attend on God without distraction." In a word - patience. We must wait upon the Lord. I love it!
(12) And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. (13) And He said to Abram, "Know certainly that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (14) And also that nation whom they will serve, I will judge; and afterward they will come out with great substance. (15) And you will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. (16) But in the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
As the sun was going down and Abram fell into a deep sleep, the Lord spoke in prophecy to him. He told him that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and that they would have to serve and would be afflicted by that nation for four hundred years. After that time God would punish the nation that enslaved them and they would come out with great riches. But Abram would die in peace and not have to see the affliction of his descendants. His descendants would return to this land in the fourth generation (four hundredth year), for then God would judge the iniquity of the Amorites in this land his descendants were to possess.
(17) And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold (there appeared) a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Surely the burning lamp represents God passing between those pieces cut in two, indicating He is a party to this covenant. The smoking furnace may be the afflicted descendants of Abram. John Wesley gives us a good analogy; they were in the furnace of affliction, their eyes so darkened by smoke that they could not see the end of their troubles.
(18) In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (19) The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, (20) And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, (21) And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
Thus the Lord indicates this is a done deal. He has given this land to Abram's descendants. Before God had said He will give it to Abram; now He said He has given it, from the river in Egypt (probably the Nile) to the Euphrates, the land of the ten tribes named above. This covenant is sealed and delivered; the possession of the land is as sure in due time, as if it were actually delivered to Abram's descendants now.
(Genesis 15:1) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram; I am your shield, and your exceedingly great reward."
I love this! I love the message, but I also love pondering the vision itself. How does a spoken word come in a VISION, something that is visible, something that is seen? When it is the Word of the Lord, Jesus Christ! This is the same Jesus who hasn't appeared on the earth in a physical human form yet, but the One who has been in existence since the beginning, as told beautifully in John, chapter 1:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (v. 1-5)
Are those not the same words Jesus repeated throughout the New Testament? "Fear not" anything, not even them who kill the body, because I (Jesus) am your salvation and your reward; My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weakness; I am your shield. I just love seeing glimpses of Jesus Christ and God's plan from the beginning in the Old Testament!
(2) And Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" (3) And Abram said, "Behold, You have given to me no seed; and, lo, one born in my house is my heir."
God had already told Abram his seed would be as the dust of the earth, too numerous to be counted. Abram's question here is, in a sense, "How will You accomplish it, seeing I go childless?" Eliezer is, as the head steward of Abram's house, Abram's heir since he had no children. How is this to be Abram's seed too numerous to count? Abram has faith in His Lord, but he cannot understand how fulfillment of the promise can happen.
(4) And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who shall come forth out of your own body shall be your heir." (5) And He brought him forth abroad, and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your seed be." (6) And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness.
God reiterated His promise to Abram, and assured him that his heir would be his own child. And Abram believed "IN THE LORD", and it was counted to him for righteousness. It is probably no accident that the scripture is worded this way. We assume that Abram believed what God had told him, but it was more than that. From Abram's seed would come the Messiah, the One who would be the righteousness for all who believed in Him as Lord and Savior, the spotless sacrifice for their sins. THAT is where our faith must be! Not in the thing that is promised, as will become evident in future studies, but in the LORD.
(7) And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give this land to inherit it."
"I am the LORD who brought you out of"...insert any personal place or situation here. The significance here is that the Lord brought Abram out of a lost world to save him. Giving the land to him is just a part of the promise; the most important part is the salvation that will come from the seed of Abraham, in the form of Jesus Christ.
(8) And he said, "Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?"
It sounds as if Abram is asking for a sign, but I don't think that is really what is meant here. Once again, Abram just can't understand how the Lord will accomplish His promise. We are told more than once that Abram believed God, so I don't believe he is asking for a sign to prove anything. He already believes, but he also knows he is past the age (or more importantly, his wife is past the age) of bearing children, so he can't fathom it will happen in the natural way, so he wonders how he will know when it happens.
(9) And He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
Abram may have been expecting a sign from heaven, but God begins by asking for obedience. I believe this is no accident; obedience to God is paramount. It continues to play a part throughout the process of bringing God's plan to fruition. God asks for three-year-old animals. Dr. John Gill points out that the early Levitical law required creatures of only a year old to be offered for sacrifice. The significance of God's asking for three-year-old animals is that these animals were at their full growth and full strength, and nearest their greatest perfection. God must be served with the best we have.
(10) And he took all these to Him and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece against another, but the birds he did not divide.
There is a general consensus among the old commentaries that the division of the animals refers to a covenant between two parties. Adam Clarke took it a step further showing incidents in history where the separation of the animals also was symbolic of what would happen to the offending party if it broke the covenant, to submit to the punishment of being cut asunder. One such incident is when Xerxes ordered one of the sons of Pythius to be cut in two, and one half to be placed on each side of the way so that his army might pass through between them. There are scriptures that seem to suggest punishments like this, as well: The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill." (Daniel 2:5); And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:51); The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:46).
The birds are two without being divided. There are varying ideas on what this represented with some along the lines of the fact that Abram's people would be torn asunder, but would afterward be rejoined. Some scholars suggest that the animals chosen represented idolatrous nations, as sometimes in scripture those animals are used to describe such nations, as in "Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me." (Psalms 22:12); "The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia." (Daniel 8:20); and "And the rough goat is the king of Greece". (Daniel 8:21); and the Israelites are compared to doves. I'm not sure that latter interpretation totally works for me, although there are often many truths found in prophecy, I can't deny. However, since this is a covenant between God and Abram's descendants, I believe that the animals cut in two do represent the two parties, and the Israelites are indeed often "cut asunder" when they break their part of the covenant and follow after idols, but a remnant is always preserved whole. Also one of the whole birds is a dove, which is often used to represent God's Holy Spirit. Abram's descendants will be made whole again and will live through Jesus Christ. I can't help but think of the dove descending upon Jesus after He was baptized: "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him." (Matthew 3:16)
(11) And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
I love what Matthew Henry writes about this verse: "While God's appearing to own His sacrifice was deferred, Abram continued waiting, and his expectations were raised by the delay; when the fowls came down upon the carcasses to prey upon them, as common and neglected things, Abram drove them away, believing that the vision would, at the end, speak, and not lie. Note, a very watchful eye must be kept upon our spiritual sacrifices, that nothing be suffered to prey upon them and render them unfit for God's acceptance. When vain thoughts, like these fowls, come down upon our sacrifices, we must drive them away, and not suffer them to lodge within us, but attend on God without distraction." In a word - patience. We must wait upon the Lord. I love it!
(12) And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. (13) And He said to Abram, "Know certainly that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (14) And also that nation whom they will serve, I will judge; and afterward they will come out with great substance. (15) And you will go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. (16) But in the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
As the sun was going down and Abram fell into a deep sleep, the Lord spoke in prophecy to him. He told him that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and that they would have to serve and would be afflicted by that nation for four hundred years. After that time God would punish the nation that enslaved them and they would come out with great riches. But Abram would die in peace and not have to see the affliction of his descendants. His descendants would return to this land in the fourth generation (four hundredth year), for then God would judge the iniquity of the Amorites in this land his descendants were to possess.
(17) And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold (there appeared) a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Surely the burning lamp represents God passing between those pieces cut in two, indicating He is a party to this covenant. The smoking furnace may be the afflicted descendants of Abram. John Wesley gives us a good analogy; they were in the furnace of affliction, their eyes so darkened by smoke that they could not see the end of their troubles.
(18) In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (19) The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, (20) And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, (21) And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
Thus the Lord indicates this is a done deal. He has given this land to Abram's descendants. Before God had said He will give it to Abram; now He said He has given it, from the river in Egypt (probably the Nile) to the Euphrates, the land of the ten tribes named above. This covenant is sealed and delivered; the possession of the land is as sure in due time, as if it were actually delivered to Abram's descendants now.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The First War Recorded in the Bible
Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:
(Genesis 14:1) And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, (2) That they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
As best as I can understand from reading historical accounts of this, the "kings" of Sodom and Gomorrah and other adjoining cities had been tributaries to the king of Elam and had combined to throw off his yoke. The king of Elam, with the help of three allies, invaded the territories of the rebellious princes. The king "of nations" ("goy" or "goyim") may refer to the leader of various other clans, or it might actually be the name of a place called Goim, so named because there were gathered together many out of various nations and places, and they set Tidal to reign over them.
(3) All these were joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the salt sea. (4) Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (5) And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (6) And the Horites in their mount Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. (7) And they returned, and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities served under the king of Elam for twelve years and then rebelled. A year later, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked. We can only assume that the tribes attacked along the way were seen as allies of the five kings listed in verse 2.
(8) And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Siddim, (9) Against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities, five kings in all, responded to the attack of Chedorlaomer and his three allies, in the valley of Siddim.
(10) And the valley of Siddim was full of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. (11) And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. (12) And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
The victors in this battle, Chedorlaomer and his allies, pillaged the cities of the kings they had defeated and took everything of value, including Lot and his goods.
(13) And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they were confederate with Abram.
Someone who had escaped from the battle or the pillaging, came and told Abram what had happened. Mamre and his brothers joined together with Abram.
(14) And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and pursued them as far as Dan. (15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Abram, his trained servants, and his allies, pursued Chedorlaomer and his allies. It appears they divided their forces and attacked by night.
(16) And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and also the women and the people. (17) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley.
Abram and his allies were victorious and brought back all the goods that had been taken from Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot and his goods, and also brought back the other women and people who had been taken. The king of Sodom came to meet and obviously congratulate Abram on his victory. This is probably not the same king who was defeated in the valley of Siddim. Verse 10 said that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell there, so this was probably a successor.
(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. (19) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him tithes of all.
So much has been written and speculated about Melchizedek and just who he is, but at this point in a chronological Bible study, I choose to accept only what has been written here. Melchizedek is said to be the king of Salem, which may be Jerusalem, because David supposedly referred to Jerusalem as Salem. However, I have also read that there was a town called Salem about this time near Scythopolis, a town that may be the same called Shalem elsewhere in the Bible. There is also a Salim referenced in the New Testament. So who really knows for certain? We do know he was king of a city, and evidently a very pious and religious man of God. He brought Abram bread and wine for refreshment after his battle, and then he blessed him. Abram is the one who gave tithes to Melchizedek, not the other way around, and we know this for certain, as this account is retold in Hebrews. Abram gave a tenth of the spoils, again knowing this as certain from the retelling in Hebrews. It can only be assumed from this account that Abram gave a tenth of the spoils in gratitude to God for the victory, and Melchizedek accepted it as he was a priest of God. Period. Like I said, there has been much to-do about Melchizedek, some even claiming he was Christ Himself, with which I do not agree, and there is nothing in this account of Melchizedek to suggest any more than what I have written. If there is more later, I'll explore it then.
(21) And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods to yourself." (22) And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, (23) That I will not take even a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'; (24) Except only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
The king of Sodom, who had come to meet Abram and congratulate and thank him for the victory, told him he could take all the goods, as long as all the people were restored. However, Abram said he would not take the smallest thing from the king of Sodom, for if he did, the king could later claim that he had made Abram rich. Lifting his hand to the Lord indicates he had vowed to the Lord he would not take anything, and he didn't, except what had already been eaten by the young men who went with him to battle. However, Abram did not go so far as to deny Mamre and his brothers their portion of the goods recovered.
(Genesis 14:1) And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, (2) That they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
As best as I can understand from reading historical accounts of this, the "kings" of Sodom and Gomorrah and other adjoining cities had been tributaries to the king of Elam and had combined to throw off his yoke. The king of Elam, with the help of three allies, invaded the territories of the rebellious princes. The king "of nations" ("goy" or "goyim") may refer to the leader of various other clans, or it might actually be the name of a place called Goim, so named because there were gathered together many out of various nations and places, and they set Tidal to reign over them.
(3) All these were joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the salt sea. (4) Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (5) And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (6) And the Horites in their mount Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. (7) And they returned, and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities served under the king of Elam for twelve years and then rebelled. A year later, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked. We can only assume that the tribes attacked along the way were seen as allies of the five kings listed in verse 2.
(8) And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Siddim, (9) Against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities, five kings in all, responded to the attack of Chedorlaomer and his three allies, in the valley of Siddim.
(10) And the valley of Siddim was full of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. (11) And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. (12) And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
The victors in this battle, Chedorlaomer and his allies, pillaged the cities of the kings they had defeated and took everything of value, including Lot and his goods.
(13) And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they were confederate with Abram.
Someone who had escaped from the battle or the pillaging, came and told Abram what had happened. Mamre and his brothers joined together with Abram.
(14) And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and pursued them as far as Dan. (15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Abram, his trained servants, and his allies, pursued Chedorlaomer and his allies. It appears they divided their forces and attacked by night.
(16) And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and also the women and the people. (17) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley.
Abram and his allies were victorious and brought back all the goods that had been taken from Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot and his goods, and also brought back the other women and people who had been taken. The king of Sodom came to meet and obviously congratulate Abram on his victory. This is probably not the same king who was defeated in the valley of Siddim. Verse 10 said that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell there, so this was probably a successor.
(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. (19) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him tithes of all.
So much has been written and speculated about Melchizedek and just who he is, but at this point in a chronological Bible study, I choose to accept only what has been written here. Melchizedek is said to be the king of Salem, which may be Jerusalem, because David supposedly referred to Jerusalem as Salem. However, I have also read that there was a town called Salem about this time near Scythopolis, a town that may be the same called Shalem elsewhere in the Bible. There is also a Salim referenced in the New Testament. So who really knows for certain? We do know he was king of a city, and evidently a very pious and religious man of God. He brought Abram bread and wine for refreshment after his battle, and then he blessed him. Abram is the one who gave tithes to Melchizedek, not the other way around, and we know this for certain, as this account is retold in Hebrews. Abram gave a tenth of the spoils, again knowing this as certain from the retelling in Hebrews. It can only be assumed from this account that Abram gave a tenth of the spoils in gratitude to God for the victory, and Melchizedek accepted it as he was a priest of God. Period. Like I said, there has been much to-do about Melchizedek, some even claiming he was Christ Himself, with which I do not agree, and there is nothing in this account of Melchizedek to suggest any more than what I have written. If there is more later, I'll explore it then.
(21) And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods to yourself." (22) And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, (23) That I will not take even a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'; (24) Except only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
The king of Sodom, who had come to meet Abram and congratulate and thank him for the victory, told him he could take all the goods, as long as all the people were restored. However, Abram said he would not take the smallest thing from the king of Sodom, for if he did, the king could later claim that he had made Abram rich. Lifting his hand to the Lord indicates he had vowed to the Lord he would not take anything, and he didn't, except what had already been eaten by the young men who went with him to battle. However, Abram did not go so far as to deny Mamre and his brothers their portion of the goods recovered.
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