What Does It Mean to Have the Faith of Abraham in Our Day?

I chose to do a chronological Bible study this time.  I enjoy it because I get to see when something happened in relation to something else.  I get to read a psalm in context when it was written or sung as opposed to as just one in a huge chapter of many psalms.  If there are more than one telling of an incident, as in the gospels, I get the full picture of it with each writer's slightly different details.  Rather than reading a chronological Bible, I chose this time to use a chronological guide by Skip Andrews.  It is this guide that leads me from the story of Abraham to this commentary of it in the New Testament:

(Romans 4:1) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found?

The fourth chapter of Romans begins with the Apostle Paul asking the question about Abraham.  Abraham is the Jews' ancestral father, the founder of their nation, and being the father of all believers, what he has found would be of extreme importance and relevance to the readers of Paul's letter.  "As pertaining to the flesh" may mean simply that Abraham was their natural father, but it may be that Paul is asking the question about what Abraham has found with respect to the flesh, as opposed to the spiritual.  Because this chronological guide has us beginning in the middle of Paul's thought, we don't get the best understanding.  In the strictest chronological sense, Paul's letter didn't occur at the same time as the events in Abraham's life, so for that reason, this has not been my favorite chronological study, but it's different, and different gives a different perspective!

(2) For if Abraham were justified by works, he has something of which to glory, but not before God.

So what has Abraham found?  We return to Paul's answer to his question.  IF Abraham were justified by his own works, he would have something to boast about, as he was certainly a very faithful and obedient follower of God.  But as all men sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), he would have no room to boast before God; therefore he is not justified by his own good works.

(3) For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

Paul refers back to scripture to answer his question.  Genesis 15:6 says, "And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness."  Because Abraham believed God, and all that goes with that belief, faithfulness and obedience, therefore God counted it as righteousness, although the actions of themselves were not altogether righteous.  We certainly read of many cases where Abraham was not altogether righteous, truthful, or completely trusting of God, as no sinful man can be.  It is a gift from God that He counted Abraham's belief in Him as righteousness.

(4) Now to him who works, the reward is not reckoned as grace but as debt.

If all we had were our own good works to make us righteous before God, then our reward would not be as a gift from God, but would be in payment of a debt.  We would be constantly working to keep ourselves out of hell, and we would be sometimes failing.  

(5) But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

It must be pointed out that this doesn't mean that the believer does not work at all, but he is not working for his salvation.  James will later show in his writing that the believer will naturally do good works because of his salvation in Christ, but he does not do them to be justified before God.  The man who does not work for his salvation, but believes in the One who through His grace justifies ungodly sinful men, his faith will be counted as though he was completely righteous before God.  What a much easier path God has provided for us!  Jesus said that His yoke was easy and His burden light, and that if all who labored and were heavily laden, would come to Him, He would give them rest (Matt. 11:28-30).  What a hard and hopeless life it would be to be constantly working, working, working to please God, and knowing that you sometimes failed.  However, God provided a way that we could be righteous and justified before Him, by believing in the only One Who can do that for us.

(6) Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works, (7) Saying, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (8) Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin."

Paul uses an example of David, again someone the reader would greatly esteem as someone to emulate, who said in Psalm 32, which Paul quotes, that a man is blessed to be seen as righteous without working for that righteousness.  He is blessed to have the sins which would have prevented him from being seen as righteous, covered and not counted against him.

(9) Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Paul asks the reader to then examine whether this blessedness of God comes only to the circumcised Jews, or to the uncircumcised Gentiles, as well.  Paul points out that it has been established that Abraham's faith is what made him righteous.

(10) How then was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

Paul asks and then answers that the blessing of righteousness actually came to Abraham while he was uncircumcised.

(11) And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had still being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them who believe, though they are not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,

Abraham was justified first and then as an outward sign and a seal of that righteousness, he was circumcised.  It was a seal of the covenant between God and Abraham that Abraham would be the father of all believers, even though they were not circumcised, that righteousness might be counted to them, as well.  God had said that all nations would be blessed in Abraham's seed.  Abraham was the physical ancestral father of the Jews, but he was the spiritual father of the Gentiles, because in his seed, specifically in Jesus Christ, the Gentiles could come to be considered righteous children of God.

(12) And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

Thus is Abraham the father of that seal of that covenant to not only the circumcised Jews, but also to those who have the faith that Abraham had, even before he was circumcised.

(13) For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

The heir of the world is the same, in essence, as the father of many nations, which is what God had promised to Abraham and to his seed.  Paul says this was not promised based on Abraham's score of how well he adhered to the law, but was promised through the righteousness counted to him for his faith.

(14) For if they who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, (15) Because the law works wrath, for where no law is there is no transgression.

Paul goes on to explain why it is that the promise could not have been made to Abraham according to the law.  If those who work to adhere to the law are the ones who are the heirs, then faith would be of no use, and a promise of God would be unnecessary, because if people achieved the "proper score", they'd achieve their salvation with no special promise of God needed.  The law works wrath because its very purpose is to define right and wrong.  If a person breaks the law, he is found to be wrong, and judged accordingly.  If there is no law, then there is no breaking of the law and no crime to be judged harshly.

(16) Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

Therefore it, the promise, is of faith, not by obedience to the law, that it, the promise, is by the grace of God, a merciful gift from God, not as a result of a score on the works card.  And this is so that the promise is guaranteed to all, not only to those who adhere to the law (the Jews), but also to those who are heirs because of their faith like Abraham's (the Gentiles).  That is not to say that true believers would be lawless, but the law that Paul refers to in these passages is that of circumcision, and he makes it clear that it is not circumcision, or adherence to any law, for that matter, that makes one heir to the promise.  It is by faith that he is given this gracious gift of God.

(17) As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations" in the presence of Him whom he believed, God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which are not as though they were;

Paul goes on to qualify what makes Abraham the father of us all from the scripture before this one, and that is because God said it to Abraham.  God, who gives life to the dead, gave life to a dead womb.  God, who calls things that are not, called someone a father who had no children and whose wife was past the age of possibly having children, as though he already was a father.  Abraham believed God who said these impossible things because he knew, or had faith, that He could do the impossible

(18) Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, "So shall your seed be."

Abraham, against all probability, against all apparent and usual grounds for hope, believed in the hope of, or rather, was very hopeful for what was promised him, specifically because that is what God told him.

(19) And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, now dead (since he was about a hundred years old), nor the deadness of Sarah's womb; (20) He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (21) And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

This passage pretty well sums up the scripture before it.  The reason Abraham was able to believe in hope against hope, was because he had strong faith, and did not look at his personal circumstances, but rather looked to God, giving Him glory, knowing full well that God could do whatever He said He would do.

(22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Because of this great faith in God, this faith of Abraham was accounted to him for righteousness, before there was any circumcision law by which he could be "justified".

(23) Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, (24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, (25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Verse 22 is actually a quote from Genesis 15:6, "And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness."  That was not written for Abraham's sake alone, that he alone might be found righteous before God, but for all of us who believe...... Believe exactly what?  This is the important part--what we believe is essential, and Paul sums it up beautifully for us.  We believe in God, knowing that He raised Jesus Christ, our Lord, from the dead, knowing that He was delivered up to death as a sacrifice for our sins, not for any of His own, as He was sinless, and that God raised Jesus from the dead that we sinful humans may be justified before God.  This is the only belief and faith that makes us justified before God; this is the specific faith that lets us be counted as righteous before God.  People today say so casually, "Oh, I believe in God", and "I believe in Jesus."  Well, so does Satan!!  Believing that either exists is not the specific belief that saves us.  We must have the specific faith of Abraham!  That God will do what He said and save us, but just as Abraham had to pass the faithfulness test, so must we, in order to be found righteous and given this gift of salvation.  Specifically, we must believe and have faith and trust in the One who provided the only one Way through Jesus Christ that we might be found righteous before Him.  We must believe that God sacrificed Jesus Christ for our individual sins, and that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that He was raised for us, and as a perfect illustration that we might also be raised, even though we are sinful.  We are justified because of Christ.

Abraham believed God; he believed what He said.  So must we believe what God says, not what we feel must be right.  To believe in a god of our convenience, who does what we think he ought to do, is to believe in a false god.  There is only one true God and there is only One Way to Him, whether it is convenient or comfortable to all or not!  In this day and age many choose to believe that there are many paths to God; this is absolutely false and DEADLY!  To true Christians, believers and followers in the One true Jesus Christ, they see these people as headed for certain eternal death!  It IS certain death!  So what an unsaved world sees as Christians "pushing their faith" on others is really their maybe-often-sloppy attempt to save the lost people of that world.  Because the lost world does not understand what a true Christian knows, its people cannot see the truth of why Christians do what they do.  They apply their own worldly feelings and actions, and decide they must be judgmental and bigoted or living in fairy-land.

I know that Christians do not always act in the most loving manner, but for the most part, I believe they are just misunderstood.  Let's face it, we know that the largest part of our government is Godless.  How else could we allow abortion and sexual immorality, including homosexuality, to be considered right?  How could a true follower of Christ really believe that the taking of innocent human life is okay for the convenience of the mother?  Some may say that once it was the law of the land, then leaders must uphold the law.  But those same leaders do not uphold the laws they don't like, like the Defense of Marriage Act.  If true followers of Christ were running this country, there is no way they would be voting to take God out of their political platform and trying to erase Him from the public square.  It is very obvious we let Godless people run our country and then we wonder what is going wrong!

It's also obvious that the majority of media, at least what we consider the mainstream media, is Godless.  Why else would they glory more in the immorality and violence, and be so biased toward the Godless views of man?  Yes, I know they are supposed to be reporting news, and they report what they see, but who could truthfully argue that they don't report the news with a bias?  It used to make me so angry about how blatantly biased the media were, but I am beginning to understand that they can't help themselves.  They truly cannot understand a Godly perspective, so they attempt to report what they do not understand through their corrupt worldly views.  I suppose the same is to be said of our leaders; they honestly don't know any better.  After all, the Bible tells us over and over again, there is no wisdom but God's, so Godless leaders are incapable of making Godly moral laws!  Godless news people are incapable of reporting the truth of those Godless laws.  And the people who vote for Godless leaders likewise can't really know what they are doing.  Why would a true follower of Christ intentionally vote for a man who voted on three separate occasions to KILL by neglect fully born ALIVE babies who happened to survive botched abortions?  There are so many more reasons for a true Christian to flee from such a leader as the president we as a country have chosen, but to me that one reason is so black and white and blatantly illustrative of just how far we have let ourselves go if we can justify the killing of people!

I'll never forget a call-in listener on ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) with Jay Sekulow when he was fighting against partial birth abortion.  The woman used her liberal talking point about how she didn't believe the government had the right to tell a woman what to do with her body.  Jay asked her then if she believed the abortion procedure was okay, and proceeded to tell her what they did in a partial birth abortion.  She was terribly indignant, and said well, if he was going to put it THAT way, they just couldn't discuss it!  THAT was the truth!!  But it was too uncomfortable for her to hear.  Many times the truth is too difficult, but we are doing a disservice to ourselves and to our country, and certainly in this case, to the millions of lives that could be saved, if we do not take responsibility to simply vote against it, if we did nothing more.  But to turn our backs and pretend it's something that it's not...  Just think of how Godless leaders take moral issues and give them names the very opposite of what they are.  Killing babies becomes "freedom of choice" and homosexual marriage, something God called an abomination, becomes "marriage equality".  "Separation of church and state" is an absolute myth, but repeating that mantra over and over again has certainly worked, as people think it is fine and lawful to remove God completely from the public square, and then we wonder why there are so many problems in our schools.  If people really understood what "freedom of choice" meant, if it were called the "Brutal Murder of Innocent Babies Act", how many people would then go along with it?  Bad laws are purposely given names to make them more palatable.  Why hide what you are doing behind deceptive names?  If there was nothing wrong with abortion, there would be no reason we couldn't call it what it was and describe it!

Wicked leaders do lead the people to do wicked things.  That was stated over and over again with the kings in the Old Testament:

"Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins," - 1 Kings 16:2

The media helps to perpetuate wickedness.  Sex and violence and all kinds of sinful behaviors are glorified, and there is a definite liberal bias, as bad laws are usually reported as good, and attempts to change them to more Biblical laws are seen as bad, hateful, and bigoted, because they simply do not understand the Truth.  Although leaders and media do help to cause people to sin, the people have no excuse.  The Bible tells us they are "without excuse".  They know better, but they choose to ignore the truth:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. - Romans 1:18-25 (NKJV)

How is it people cannot see this truth?  Because they choose not to see it.  God will reveal Himself and His truth to all who seek Him first, but in this day and age, people seek personal pleasure first and seek the things that they want to hear, regardless of truth:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, because they have itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and will be turned to fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

How true and sad it is that people are willing to read other spiritual books, listen to Oprah, listen to what other people have to say, but resist reading the only true Word of God!

Continuing this chronological study, the author of Hebrews, who may have also been Paul, said this about the faith of Abraham:

(Hebrews 11:17) By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

I believe the point here is to emphasize that Abraham was promised numerous posterity, too numerous to count, and yet when God told him to, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only begotten son, the only one through whom the promise seemed possible.

(18) Of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called",

Indeed, the author of Hebrews quotes Genesis 21:12, showing that it was through Isaac himself that the promise would be fulfilled, and yet Abraham willingly obeyed God and was going to sacrifice Isaac.

(19) Concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

The author of Hebrews answers the question about how Abraham was able to do what he did, which I have pondered a great deal in my lifetime.  Here we see that if God was to use Isaac, there really seemed to be no other way for God to fulfill His promise other than to raise Isaac from the dead.  So great was Abraham's faith in God, that he did what seemed absolutely contrary to what would have seemed humanly "right"!  What a lesson there is to be learned in this!  As it was already pointed out above in Romans 4:17, God gives life to the dead and calls those things which are not as though they are; the things of God are often opposite of what our sinful human nature may feel is "right".

The second part of the scripture above actually reads in the old KJV, "...from whence also he received him in a figure."  I try to stay true to the KJV, as, after much study (see this), I believe it to be the most accurate, but in my personal study, I sometimes use the NKJV for more modern terminology that I can better understand if I feel it agrees with the original meaning.  "From whence", meaning "from which", would mean from the thing just previously spoken of, that is, from death.  It can also mean "whereby" or "for which reason", but the general idea is the same.  In "receiving him", Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a "figure", the original word being "parabole", meaning "parable".  This was meant to be an example of faith and obedience for a parable.  The same way in which Jesus used parables to explain the supernatural plan of God for His death and resurrection and salvation of the world, God used this incident in Abraham's life as a parable that was to be purposely recorded for the benefit of all generations to come.

Finally, in this particular chronological study, we have the words of James, the brother of Jesus:

(James 2:20) But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

"Will you know", meaning "are you willing to know" that faith without works is dead?  James goes on to use Abraham as an illustration of his point.

(21) Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

At first glance, this appears to be a contradiction to Paul's assertion that Abraham was justified by faith, but James continues to explain his point:

(22) Do you see how faith worked with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Abraham had the faith first, and because of his great faith, he was able to do what he did, with regard to being able to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God.  As much as I enjoy a good chronological study, this particular study fails a little in that we don't get the benefit of reading what James had said up to this point, which more fully explains the point he was trying to make:

What does it profit, my brethren, though a man says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them those things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? So also faith alone, if it does not have works, is dead. A man may say "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, you do well; the devils also believe, and tremble. - James 2:14-19

Wow!  This should give lukewarm Christians great pause!  People who believe that just believing in God, just believing in that "salvation" moment when they went down the aisle and accepted Jesus into their hearts, and yet do not live as Christians, and continue to live worldly lives contrary to the word of God, are given a rude awakening by the brother of Jesus.  So-called Christians today may say they believe, but James says that by a Christian's works, you will see his true faith.  Indeed, Jesus said, "By their fruit you will know them."

(23) And the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.

The scripture being referenced above is Genesis 15:6 which says, "And he believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness."  Later in scripture, 2 Chronicles 20:7 refers to Abraham, God's friend.

(24) You see then how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

James concludes, at least, he concludes in this chronological study (he goes on with another example in his letter), that a man is justified by his works and not by only his faith.  Paul had concluded that a man was justified by faith without the works of the law.  This is why it is so essential to know the entire word of God in context!  Both are correct and are not at all contradictory!  It is a person's faith in Jesus Christ that justifies him/her before God, but you will know that a person is truly a follower of Christ by his/her works!   Anything less than that, taking only one part of that out of context, is to distort the whole meaning, as Satan, who also believes in God and Jesus Christ, does, as evidenced by his deceptive temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10-11.

In my conclusion, I have to now admit that this was a good chronological order after all, as it sums up what true faith in Jesus Christ really means in its entirety!

A Beautiful Illustration of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 22:1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did test Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham," and he said, "Behold, here I am."

This event came to pass after the weaning of Isaac, and the other things we read about in the last chapter.  The word transcribed as "test" was originally translated as "tempt" in the KJV.  Although I have come to realize that the KJV is probably the most accurate translation we have (please see my previous post on Biblical translations), the KJV translators missed the boat on this word.  The original word is "nasah"and it means "test, try, prove, tempt, or put to the proof or test".  Actually, as I see where this word is used in other places in scripture, it's most often used as "prove" and other times used as "tempt", but never as "test".  The KJV translators did not use the word "test" anywhere in their transcription of the Bible, so perhaps the word was not so much a part of their vocabulary back then.  The Biblical scholar, Adam Clarke, wrote that the word "tempt", from the word "tento", means no more than to "prove or try", but it has come to be understood by us as a solicitation to evil, but God never tempts any man to do evil as evil is not a part of His nature.  The word used here is absolutely meant to be "test or prove".

2) And He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Note that God called Isaac Abraham's only son.  God is well aware that Ishmael is also his son, as He blessed Ishmael in the previous chapter because he was Abraham's son.  However, Isaac was the son willed by God, his only legitimate son, his only son by his lawful wife Sarah, the only son of the promise, and actually, he was the only son left to Abraham, as Ishmael had been cast out.  Wow!  God told Abraham to take this only son, the son Abraham loved, and go to a land of His designation, and offer that beloved son as a burnt offering!

(3) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place of which God had told him. (4) Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

It appears that God may have spoken to Abraham in a dream or a vision, and Abraham awoke early in the morning and was immediately obedient, preparing for and starting out on his trip that apparently took him three days.  Dr. John Gill wrote about the significance of the third day, saying that the Jewish people interpreted the day as the third day of the resurrection; the deliverance of Isaac on this third day was a symbol of Christ's resurrection from the dead.  When Abraham began on his journey, he would have considered his son dead because he was going to offer him up as a sacrifice at the end of his three day journey.  Dr. Gill pointed to Hosea 6:2, "After two days He will revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."

(5) And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; and the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and come back to you."

Abraham told his two servants to stay with the donkey, while he and Isaac went to worship.  Isn't it very interesting that Abraham stated that they would go worship and that they would come back?  The fact that he did not want his servants to go may mean he didn't want them to know what he was going to do.  Surely they would have tried to stop him if they saw him binding his son with the intent of offering him as a sacrifice, so maybe in saying this, he was further hiding the truth from them.  However, could it be that Abraham was speaking by faith in prophecy that he and his son would both return?  When you think about it, how else could Abraham do such a thing?  He had great faith and trusted God with all his heart.  He had obeyed before when he didn't know how it would work out.  He had even tried to "help" God before and found it wasn't necessary.  He had learned that he could totally trust God, so he was completely obedient, but he also may have truly known in his heart or by the Holy Spirit that he and Isaac would both return.

(6) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they both went together.

Wow!  Again it is Dr. Gill who points out that Isaac is a picture of Christ carrying his own "cross" on which he will be sacrificed.  Even more than that, note that the father laid the wood upon the son, a symbol of God the Father laying our sins on His Son.  Wow!

(7) And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father", and he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (8) And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." So the both of them went together.

Once again, wow!  Imagine his only beloved son asking Abraham where the sacrificial lamb was, and Abraham answering that question, knowing his intentions to sacrifice that son!  The general understanding of Abraham's answer is that "God will provide the sacrifice", meaning either that if it be God's will that Isaac was the sacrifice, then it would be, or God would provide another way.  For the first time I am struck by the exact wording, "God will provide Himself".  Not only did God provide for Himself the perfect Lamb sacrifice, but God provided Himself!  God Himself came down from heaven in the human form of Jesus Christ, God the Son, to be the perfect unblemished sacrifice for our sins!

(9) And they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

I can only imagine the protests of his son while Abraham bound him.  Just imagine a father hearing the cries of his son who does not understand while he raises a knife to slay his only beloved son!  To speak the words he did and to do what he was doing, Abraham was surely acting and speaking from the Holy Spirit of God this beautiful prophetic depiction of God's ultimate plan to save sinful man.

As I read old Biblical commentaries of this passage, I was struck by something of which I had not thought.  Actually, the scripture says nothing of Isaac protesting.  That was my imagination.  Because of historical chronological studies (of which I am not learned), it is the consensus of most Biblical scholars that Isaac is a grown man by this time, anywhere from 25 to 37 years of age.  Some suggest he was probably 33, considering all the other perfect similarities between him and Christ.  Could a strong young man not have overcome an old 125 to 137 year old man if that is what he wanted to do?  So also must Isaac's character be considered in this.  He must also have trusted God or was, at the very least, also acting by the Holy Spirit of God, even if he didn't fully realize what he was doing. Adam Clarke states it beautifully, "All this was most illustriously typical of Christ. In both cases the father himself offers up his only-begotten son, and the father himself binds him on the wood or to the cross; in neither case is the son forced to yield, but yields of his own accord; in neither case is the life taken away by the hand of violence; Isaac yields himself to the knife, Jesus lays down his life for the sheep."

(11) And the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." (12) And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

Obviously, God did not need such a test to prove Abraham's faith.  He already knew Abraham's heart, but through Abraham's obedience to his Lord in this, we have a beautiful historical record of his faith and of his giving his all, all that was dearest to him, to his Lord and Savior.  It was also meant to be a prophetic illustration of God sacrificing His only beloved Son.  It must be noted that this particular sacrifice of Isaac's son was prevented.  God does not approve of human sacrifice.  I have often thought about this story, and whether or not I could ever have enough faith to do what Abraham did.  However, I have come to realize he was acting through the Holy Spirit to give us a perfect picture of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  We can do all things through the Holy Spirit of God!

Not to over-think this too much, but I don't think we would be called to sacrifice our children in this day and age, as a test of faith.  We are told to always try (test) the spirits to see if they are of God.  As the Bereans were commended because they searched the scriptures to see if what they were told was true, we also use the Word of God as our reference to determine if something is true, and we know God has told us not to kill, and He hates the sacrifice of children.  Additionally, when Satan told Jesus to throw Himself down because scripture said God would save Him, Jesus told him that we are NOT to tempt (test) the Lord with such acts.

(13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns, and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

The Lord Himself provided another sacrifice rather than the death of Isaac, as the Lord has provided the sacrificial Lamb in exchange for our eternal deaths.

(14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh, as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be seen."

The strict definition of "Jehovah Jireh" is "Jehovah sees", meaning Jehovah sees to it, or the Lord provides.  Dr. John Gill writes that from this time to his present time, the phrase had been used "as a proverbial saying, that as God appeared to Abraham, and for his son, in the mount, just as he was going to sacrifice him, and delivered him, so the Lord will appear for his people in all ages, in a time of difficulty and distress, and when at the utmost extremity, who call upon him, and trust in him."  He takes it a step further and writes that it might also be taken literally, that the Lord will literally be seen, "This may also refer to the presence of God in this mount, when the temple should be built on it, as it was...and to the appearance of Christ in it, who was often seen here..."

(15) And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, (16) And said, "By Myself have I sworn, says the LORD, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, (17) That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. (18) And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

I have to smile at the phrase, "By Myself have I sworn".  While we humans swear by God, there is no greater than God Himself for God to swear by!  God is swearing by His own nature and by perfection itself, that because Abraham was willing to give his only beloved son, God will bless and multiply Abraham abundantly.  God repeats His blessing to Abraham that his descendants will be millions, as numerous as the stars in heaven or the grains of sand on the shore.  In addition, Abraham's descendants will possess the gates of their enemies, as in "the gates of hell", meaning they will triumph over their enemies and overcome the world.  Gates represented the security and strength of a city; a strong gate fortified by troops meant a strong city.  Also at the gates of a city were where the courts were, so the idea is that no evil strength or wicked counsels will be able to prevail against Abraham's descendants.

There is much more to Abraham's blessing that God swore to him; an incredibly wonderful part of the blessing is that ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED, because of Abraham's faithfulness and obedience.  Imagine that!  Because of Abraham, and of course, more exactly, because of the Messiah who will come from his descendants, all people from all nations will be blessed, and will have the opportunity to be saved and overcome the world and the eternal death that goes with it.  God promised OUR salvation to Abraham, and that fact He beautifully illustrated in the "test" of Abraham's faith.

(19) So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (20) And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah has also borne children to your brother Nahor; (21) Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, (22) And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel."

Abraham returned to the young men he had left with his donkey when he took Isaac with him "to worship".  They all proceeded to Beersheba, where it is said that Abraham dwelt.  It was apparently there that Abraham heard from someone that his brother's wife had borne him children

(23) And Bethuel begat Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. (24) And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Note that there is a distinction between the eight children borne by Nahor's wife and the ones borne by his concubine.  Just as God called Isaac Abraham's only son, it seems He may give a little more honor to the legitimate children of marriage; at least He did distinguish between the two.  The history is continued to set up the genealogy of Rebekah, who was to become Isaac's wife.  But that, my friends, is a different story!  :-)

Can God Bless America?

After the re-election of Obama, I emotionally checked out of this country.  If the majority of this country actually wants to continue down this destructive, immoral, and Godless path, then I want no part of it!  I have come to realize that all the wicked laws are not what is going to bring God's judgment on our country, but rather we accept all the wicked laws because we have rejected God.  Fighting political battles is not going to change hearts and save lives and change our country's destructive course.  There is only One Way to save this country, but this country, as a whole, has rejected Him.

I had recently changed the purpose of my blog.  Oh, my purpose was always to share the truth, but I was originally more politically based.  Then I came to realize if people just knew the real Truth, if they truly sought the Lord their God with all their hearts, He would show them the Truth and the Way, and give them wisdom.  There is absolutely no wisdom apart from God, and it is so apparent when you see the insanity of what goes on in this country.  Evil is called good, and good is evil, just as the Bible says it would be.  It is so ridiculous that it is almost laughable that we are so foolish except that it really is so incredibly sad.  For the most part, I just share the Word of God and my study of it in my blog now.  Occasionally, I can't help but note how it plays in our present culture, hoping someone might see and investigate for themselves.  That is how I came to be really saved and born-again.  It began with my soon-to-be husband scaring me with Biblical prophecy.  I remember running around the block, crying, truly scared of what I did not know.  I then decided I would read and study my Bible and find out for myself the truth.  I truly began to search God's Word; I was seeking Him with all my heart and as He said, He would be found if I did that.  So that is my wish for others, that they might seek Him in His Word, and they will come to see the Truth, too.  I guess I appear to place more importance on the Word of God first because that is tangible black and white proof of what God said.  Of course, prayer and a relationship with our Lord and Savior is essential, but without knowing exactly what God said, people can be led astray by deceiving spirits, because the Bible tells us that even Satan can appear as an angel of light.  We have to know what God said so that if some charming preacher or dream or feeling tells us something that seems right, we know if it really lines up with what God says is right.  So often people will talk about what their God would do or not do, but there is only One God and He is true only to Himself and not to what we think is right!  We know by reading Biblical prophecy, that there will come a time when the majority of the people will be deceived by the anti-Christ, and I can't help but believe that time is quickly approaching, so we must be armed with the Truth so we won't be deceived.

I came to realize I had to change the icon of the title banner of my blog.  It said, "God Bless America".  It had a vintage look, and I do believe that God has blessed America immensely since its founding.  It's because the founders looked to God to form the greatest nation in history.  However, over the years, our nation has turned from God.  We decided there was no place for Him in our schools.  We decided He might be offensive to others in the public square and we must get rid of every symbol of Him.  We've allowed ourselves to believe there must be a separation of church and state.  How else could we allow ourselves to believe it is okay to murder millions of babies, the very most innocent human life?  How else could we take something God called an abomination and hail it as "marriage equality"?  How else could we support a man who was the worst of the worst on life issues and even went so far to vote three times to kill (by intentional neglect) born alive babies who had the misfortune of surviving botched abortions?  How else could we support that same man who went further than any other president ever has to elevate homosexual "rights", to the point of ignoring our laws, the very laws he has sworn to uphold?  How else could we believe it was okay that this man had to cover up a symbol of Christ before he could speak on the same stage?  How else could we vote for the party who rejected God and Israel and wanted them out of their party platform?  How could we actually support such open and blatant Godlessness?  The only way is to ignore God and pretend that we can still be good Christians in our private lives while supporting Godless acts in our public lives. When we try to do that, we are attempting to make a little god in our own image and place him in a little box and put him in his own place, and we are following a false god, because that is not the One True God of the Bible!

I have to admit I am beginning to no longer believe that God can bless America.  I want to believe that 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, "If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land," means that Christians are the only responsible parties and that if we were to change our wicked ways, God could bless this country again, with or without the Godless people.  However, I just can't see God blessing a country that kills millions of babies and celebrates such an immoral culture.  It's not that I don't believe something God said.  Perhaps a part of Christians' evil ways is that they have completely missed the boat in sharing the news of Jesus Christ and changing lives.  I know God will continue to bless His people who follow Him and He will continue to draw His lost sheep to Him, even in the midst of a fallen country, and He can heal those personal lands, but I just can't believe that He will truly bless America again until America changes her wicked ways.  Once again, it is probably the fault of Christians and churches not doing their jobs that has led to this country's state and that is what must change, but for the time being, I just can't continue to display the banner, "God Bless America".

Because this blog is now about the study of God's Word, and because I have a love for the vintage, I looked for images of studying the Bible in old paintings.  I found many beautiful old images.  The one used in my banner above is from a painting by Hermann Kaulbach (1846-1909), entitled "Reading the Bible".  The image at the top of the right column is from "The Orphans, Reading the Bible", 1845, by Hughes Merle.  Below is Vincent Van Gogh's "Still Life with Open Bible," 1885:

This is "Old Woman Reading a Bible", 1630, by Gerrit Dou:

Another painting I found while I was searching is one I will not show here, but I found it very interesting.  It was the posting of a man whose wife had found a painting on eBay called "Proof Reader", depicting the devil reading the Bible, by Todd Hamilton.  Although I have no idea what the artist's intentions were, I found what I saw depicted in the painting to be very true.  The devil knows the Bible quite well, as evident in the way he quoted scripture to Jesus when he tempted Him:

And he (Satan) brought Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here, for it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answering said to him, "It is said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'". - Luke 4:9-12

We have to know the entire Word of God in context to know when Satan tries to deceive us with scripture out of context.  I realize we can never know everything about the nature of God or everything in His Word with 100% accuracy, but if we truly seek Him, He will guide us in His Word and by His Holy Spirit, and with the very Author guiding us, we will come as close as we humanly can in this world!

No Man Is an Island

Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:

(Genesis 21:1) And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken. (2) For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Sarah bore a son as God had promised.  Note the Lord Himself did this; after all, Sarah was 90 years old by this time!  Dr. John Gill, in his Biblical commentary, brought to my attention something of which I had never given much thought.  Notice how the scripture tells us twice that the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and that the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken (actually three times if you count that Sarah bore a son at the time God had told Abraham).  Dr. Gill says the repetition is made to cause attention to God's fulfillment of His promise, but that reminded me of something more I have come to learn in scripture.  God always states something at least twice, for "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (Deut. 19:15, Matt. 18:16, 2 Cor. 13:1).  When I was looking up references to that truth in scripture, I found that even that principle of God's is found three times in the Bible!  I marvel at how God is always so steady and so true!

In Bible study, I have found the above fact to be a great aid in determining what is really meant in scripture.  In the past, I have stumbled over obscure passages or ones that seem to state something contrary to what I thought I knew about God and the Bible.  I now know that if it is something God wants to be an established fact, then it will be repeated.  If it is only stated in one place and it seems to be an odd, obscure, or contradictory statement, then I know that we have probably interpreted it wrong.  How exciting it is that God makes it so plain and easy for us!

(3) And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

Isaac is the name God had directed Abraham to name his son (Gen. 17:19).  The original word for our Anglicized "Isaac" is "yitschaq", and it means "laughter" or "he laughs".  We remember that Abraham laughed for joy at the promise of having a son in his old age. Additionally, Sarah laughed in mockery and disbelief.  Again it is Dr. John Gill who writes an interesting observation on the fact that the name "might presignify the joy and laughter that would be expressed by others at his birth; and perhaps also that he would be the object of the laughter and derision of his brother; such a number of events agreeing with his name."  Isn't that often the way with God?  He is so much more complex than we are, and most times there are multiple meanings and lessons derived from each part of His Word.  That is how you can read the Bible again and again and always find new pearls of wisdom each time.

(4) And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. (5) And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Again Abraham strictly observed a command God gave him (Gen. 17:12).  Isaac was the first that we read of in scripture who was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth.  All others were circumcised at the time God gave the command.  God's covenant with Abraham was established with the birth of Isaac in his old age, and he is cheerfully obedient to his Lord.

(6) And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." (7) And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age."

Here we have Sarah's interpretation of Isaac's name, either that God made her laugh with the prophecy, or perhaps that she now laughed for joy at the birth of her son.  All who hear the news will rejoice with her.  A year before no one would have thought it possible that Sarah would nurse her own baby of Abraham's, but the miracle had occurred.

(8) And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. (9) And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac, and we know this because we were told earlier in scripture that he was born when Abraham was 86.  We can assume that Isaac was weaned by 2 or 3 years, so Ishmael was about 16 or 17 years of age when he mocked either little Isaac, or perhaps his old mother; we are not really told the exact object of his mocking or what he said.  Either way, Sarah didn't like it.

(10) Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." (11) And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

The child of Abraham by Hagar might be considered as having a right at least to a part of Abraham's inheritance, and Sarah wanted there to be no possibility of that.  However, the idea of casting them out greatly grieved Abraham, for after all, Ishmael was his son, too.

(12) And God said to Abraham, "Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad and because of your bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said to you, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac shall your seed be called. (13) And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is your seed."

It is indicated here that it is God's will for Ishmael and his mother to be turned out, for it is Isaac alone from whom God's promised seed would come.  This is not to say that it was initially God's will to be cruel in allowing Sarah's harsh intentions to come to fruition.  We must remember that it was Abraham and Sarah who brought this dilemma upon themselves.  God will also bless Ishmael; He reiterated His promise that from Ishmael will also come a nation.

(14) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Abraham rose early the morning after God spoke to him, and did send Hagar on her way, with provisions, and with her son.

(15) And the water was gone in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. (16) And she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said, "Let me not see the death of the child." And she sat across from him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

Scripture states that Hagar wandered in the wilderness.  Surely, Abraham had given Hagar enough water to reach the next well, but she wandered around in the wilderness.  However, regardless of whether or not she had been given enough provisions, when God tells us to do something, we should do it, and rest assured that God will take it from there.  So now we find Hagar at the end of her rope, so to speak.  She expects she and her son will die, and she can't bear to face the death of her child, so she pushed him under a shrub and sat a little distance away from him, crying.

(17) And God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. (18) Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in your hand, for I will make him a great nation." (19) And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad a drink.

God did indeed hear their distress, as the scripture says He heard the lad, who probably cried, also.  God's angel spoke to Hagar to comfort her.  He told her not to fear, because God knew where the child was.  We must remember that nothing ever catches God unaware; He always knows where we are.  He instructed Hagar to get up, raise her son up, and take him by the hand.  It's as if it's sort of an instruction to pick herself up by the boot straps and push onward, and in doing so, she saw the well.  God also repeated His promise that her son would be a great nation, which meant he would not die, so stirring her to action to get up and take care of him.  Often in despair and hopelessness, we cannot see or think clearly.  Usually when we get calm and quiet (and get in prayer), God helps us to see.  There's no indication that Hagar or the child actually prayed to God, but this was the promise He had made to Abraham, and it was His will that the child live and this He helped Hagar to see.

(20) And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. (21) And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran, a desert region of Arabia near Mount Sinai, where God was with him, and he grew and prospered in health and in ability as he became an archer.  Hagar found a wife for him of the women of her own country, Egypt.

(22) And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the chief captain of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do. (23) Now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt." (24) And Abraham said, "I will swear."

Sometime after Abraham and Sarah had left Abimelech and dwelt in the land of their choosing, Abimelech and the chief captain of his army spoke to Abraham.  They could see that God was surely with Abraham and blessed him in all that he did.  Seeing he was a powerful man of God (or with God, he was powerful), they wanted him on their side.  The fact that Abimelech wanted Abraham's word not just now, but for future generations, makes me wonder if Abimelech knew or had heard of God's promise to give the whole land of Canaan to him and his posterity, and therefore wanted to insure that his own posterity would not be driven out.  Abraham, undoubtedly mindful of Abimelech's fair treatment of him, agreed that he would always deal fairly with Abimelech and his future generations.

(25) And Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

It appears to be at the same time that Abraham is swearing to deal as kindly to Abimelech as Abimelech has dealt with him, that Abraham points out that Abimelech's servants have not dealt so kindly concerning a well they had seized.

(26) And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; neither did you tell me, neither had I heard of it until today."

Abimelech claimed to have known nothing about the seizing of the well.  From all we have seen up to this point, I believe we can assume that this man found the fear of God by observing His work in and through Abraham, and truly wished to deal fairly with Abraham, and probably truly did not know his servants were doing things not so fairly.

(27) And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and both of them made a covenant.

It appears that Abraham believed Abimelech to be truthful about the well as he agreed to enter into a covenant with him.

(28) And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. (29) And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" (30) And he said, "For these seven ewe lambs you shall take from my hand, that they may be a witness to me that I have dug this well."

Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and oxen, but he made it a point to separate seven ewes from the rest of the flock.  The original word for "seven" is "shibah" or "sheba", and it means "the sacred full and complete thing".  Nothing could be added to it or taken from it. Abimelech asked about the separate ewes and with Abraham's explanation, it is established by both men that these were to be a testimony that the well that had been taken away from Abraham was one that he had dug, and was his property, and Abimelech acknowledged this by his acceptance of these seven ewes.

(31) Therefore he called that place Beersheba because there they swore both of them.

The actual meaning of the name appears to me to be "well of seven", but by the explanation in the verse, it was intentioned to mean "well of the sacred agreed upon complete oath".  Those are my words, but that pretty much sums it up for me.

(32) Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba; then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. (33) And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. (34) And Abraham dwelled in the land of the Philistines many days.

Abimelech and the chief of his army left the place of his and Abraham's covenant, but Abraham remained there.  He planted a grove, and I believe that was to mark this place and it gave him a physical place to worship his Lord, and I believe it was, in his heart, a place to honor his Lord, the everlasting God.  Maybe it was to be a public display of the acknowledgement of God while he dwelled in the land of the Philistines, and left as a memorial to Him after he left.

As I read over these scriptures and my notes, I saw that this chapter contained two different "stories", one about the turning out of Hagar and Ishmael, and the other about the covenant between Abimelech and Abraham, but I was struck by a similarity and connection of the two.  Abraham, as a blessed friend of God, brought blessings to the people who were associated with him!  He was a blessing to others!  Some blessings were due to his direct actions, but others were due to God's blessing of Abraham that brought blessing to those close to Abraham.  What a beautiful thought that not only can we be (or bring) a physical blessing to others, but that they might be blessed because we are blessed by God!  I am always in awe about how God moves in such intricate ways.  No man is an island, for sure!  The fact that our little individual portions of the earth can bless others is an awesome truth of our sweet everlasting Lord!

Encouragement for Backsliders

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 20:1) And Abraham journeyed from there toward the south country, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. (2) And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

It's hard to believe that Abraham did this a second time, but he once again stretched the truth to say that Sarah was his sister.  Technically, Sarah was indeed Abraham's half-sister as he will explain later in verse 12, but as he did before, Abraham said this because he thought it might bode better for himself if he was not beautiful Sarah's husband.  Not only should Abraham have learned from the first time he did this, think of how he endangered Sarah's honor and chastity, and she was probably pregnant with Isaac by this time!  Actually, this incident should serve as encouragement to us backsliders who constantly find ourselves falling into the same sin.  Good righteous men, even friends of God (James 2:23), can relapse into the same sins over and over again.

(3) But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Behold you are but a dead man for the woman you have taken, for she is a man's wife." (4) But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay also a righteous nation? (5) Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands have I done this."

God came to Abimelech in a dream with the message that he was a dead man for he had taken another man's wife.  Whether in his dream or as a result of it, Abimelech's plea is in answer to God.  He, in fact, had not come near Sarah (in that way), and asked the Lord would He punish his kingdom for something he had not done.  He proceeded to explain his innocence in recounting that Abraham and Sarah had both said Sarah was Abraham's sister, and he in his heart never knew she was Abraham's wife.

(6) And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, for I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her."

God protected Sarah, even though Abraham had put her honor in danger, and thus protected Abimelech's life, knowing his intentions were not sinful.

(7) "Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live; and if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

God gave Abimelech a choice.  Some may think it wasn't much of a choice, but is it not always this choice with God?  Choose life or choose death.  God's way is life more abundant and life everlasting and the other choice is death.  As I read and write this, it is election day in our country.  When my step-son was much younger, he was stating his opinion about whom he would vote for if he could, and he responded that the Democrat wanted abortion, so he had to be for the other guy.  I remember thinking then that it really is that simple...always "CHOOSE LIFE".

(8) Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very afraid.

Abimelech rose early in the morning after his dream and it appears he certainly took the dream very seriously, as he related it to all his servants, and he must have been very convincing, as his servants are very afraid.

(9) Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done." (10) And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you seen, that you have done this thing?"

Abimelech took his complaint to Abraham whose lie was the cause of his almost sinning against God and losing his life.  He asked what he had done to deserve such treatment, or what Abraham had seen that gave him reason to think what he had done had to be done.

(11) And Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me for my wife's sake. (12) And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. (13) And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness which you will show to me; at every place where we shall come, say of me, "He is my brother."'"

This is where Abraham justifies his deception as truth.  Don't we often want to justify our apparent misdeeds?  Notice that Abraham thought.  Maybe it was true that the fear of God appeared not to be in that place, but then again, was Abraham judging the outward appearance and making snap assumptions?  However, even if he knew for a fact that these people did not fear God, was His God not mighty enough to protect him, or as in this case with Abimelech's dream, cause the people to fear Him?

(14) And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored to him Sarah his wife.

Abimelech restored Abraham's wife untouched by him as God had directed him in a dream.  Also understanding from his dream that this man was a prophet of God and apparently respecting that fact, he also gave Abraham sheep and oxen and servants.

(15) And Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you."

It is interesting to contrast Abimelech's behavior with the king of Egypt who merely sent Abraham and his wife on their way.  I can't help but think that Abimelech did indeed find the fear of God as he not only heeded God's warning, but went a step further in sending Abraham away with gifts and offering him any dwelling place he wanted.  Perhaps he only did it for the promise of prayer by the prophet as God had told him in the dream, but in any event he appears to have believed every word God said to him in his dream.

(16) And to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed he is to you a covering of the eyes to all who are with you and with all others." Thus she was reproved.

It's interesting that most of the newer translations translate the very last word, "yakach" as "vindicated" or "justified", making it sound as if Sarah was justified and found to be right in all this.  But I don't think that is the case at all.  The word is "reproved" and is almost always used as "reproved", "rebuked", or "corrected" in other places in the Bible.  The king probably had a bit of sarcasm going as he called Abraham "her brother".  As her husband, Abraham would be as a veil, a protective covering to her, so that no one would look upon her, desire her, and take her to be his wife.  Some Bible scholars took this a bit further than I think it actually states in the words, but I suppose it is a possibility, since he reproved Sarah.  They say that Abimelech may have been sarcastically suggesting that Sarah buy a veil with the thousand pieces of silver he had given "her brother".  They say this because later in scripture it is seen that married women wore veils, and if Sarah had been wearing one, it certainly would have prevented much trouble.  That may be reading more into the words than are actually written, but it is apparent that he was a bit irritated by her deception in concealing her identity.

(17) So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants, and they bore children; (18) For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

So as God told Abimelech in his dream, Abraham did pray for Abimelech, undoubtedly thanking God for making him restore Sarah to him unharmed and untouched, but probably also asking for healing for Abimelech and his household, as well, as we read that God had closed up all the wombs of the women in Abimelech's household.  Note the scripture said God healed Abimelech, as well, so Biblical scholars have speculated that there may have been some disease that prevented Abimelech from being able or even wanting to bring Sarah into his bedroom, and that disease may have made child-bearing impossible, as well.

I do believe the moral of this historical account is that there is great hope for backsliders.  Imagine Abraham, that great man of God, that friend of God, falling into the same sin, and God was merciful and patient to protect him and bring him through again.  That should give us backsliders now much encouragement! 

Unexpected Lessons in the Life of Lot

Continuing my chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 19:1) And there came two angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

We might assume that these are two of the three angels who just left Abraham in chapter 18.  As Abraham did, Lot waited to invite strangers to his house for refreshment.  However, while Abraham waited at his tent door, Lot waited at the gate of Sodom.  This might be merely because Lot lived within a busy city, whereas tents were fewer and farther between where Abraham lived, but it might also be that Lot sought to make sure strangers did not fall into the hands of the wicked Sodomites, who might abuse them.  At this point, we may assume that Lot bowed merely out of respect and not because he recognized the men as angels.

(2) And he said, "Behold now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; and you will rise up early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will abide in the street all night." (3) And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in to him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

"My lords" is a term of respect.  There is no reason to assume that Lot knew these were angels at this point.  Just as Abraham was a righteous man who willingly gave to strangers, so it appears Lot is.  This was not merely show with Lot, as he "pressed" upon the strangers to stay with him.

(4) But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. (5) And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them."

There is very little doubt that the phrase "know them" means to have sexual relations with them.  The phrase is first used in this sense in Genesis 4:1 when Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived and bore a son.  As we will see shortly by Lot's answer, it is very evident that he knew this is what they meant.  Isaiah 3:9 spoke of the people of Sodom as declaring their sin and not trying to hide it.  Imagine the depravity of a city that all the people from the city surround the house to get to the "new" men!  It's like wild dogs surrounding a slab of meat!

(6) And Lot went out at the door to them, and shut the door after him, (7) And said, "Please, brethren, do not do so wickedly! (8) Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, bring them out to you, and you do to them as is good in your eyes; only do nothing to these men, for therefore they came under the shadow of my roof."

This certainly was an unconscionable act of Lot's to offer his daughters to these depraved men.  All that can be said in any sort of defense of him is that he must have considered their intended sodomy to be a much greater evil than his pimping of his virgin daughters.  I suppose it can also be said that he placed the rights of hospitality in very high regard and took them very seriously.  It is said that a man who had taken a stranger under his care and protection, was bound to defend him even at the expense of his own life, but I'm not sure that means the lives of his daughters.  Lot probably did not realize it would come to their lives, but acted foolishly in haste to avert what he saw as a greater evil.

(9) And they said, "Stand back!" And they said, "This one came in to sojourn, and he wants to be a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." And they pressed greatly against the man Lot, and came near to break the door.

Lot was not a native citizen of Sodom, but was perceived as a stranger who had come to their city and now set himself as judge against them.  They vowed to deal worse with him than what they had intended to do with the visiting men; we can only assume this meant violence and sexual abuse.  Lot was outside the door talking to the men, and they pressed against him and came at the door to break it down.

(10) But the men put forth their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. (11) And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.

The men showed themselves to be more than just mere men and rescued Lot from the depraved men of Sodom.  They struck those at the door with blindness.  "Both small and great" appears to be said of the blindness, which seems to be a plural of the word, so the men were struck with small and great blindnesses.  This may mean both a blindness of sight and a mental confusion or some other such condition, because if they were already pressed in toward the door, it seems that they could have found the door even if visually impaired.  But these men completely tired themselves out trying to find the door, and we know that is because the angels of the Lord prevented them from getting to it.

(12) And the men said to Lot, "Have you any others besides you here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. (13) For we will destroy this place, because the cry against them is waxed great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."

Obviously angels of the Lord know the members of Lot's family who are in the city, so this is said for Lot's benefit that they regard his kindness toward them and for his sake would save all in his family if they would take the benefit of their protection.  "Son-in-law" as singular may be part of the question, as in "Do you have a son-in-law here?"  Then it is more of a statement for Lot to take his sons and his daughters and anyone else he has in the city and get them out of there, for they are going to destroy it.  

(14) And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed as one who joked.

There may have been other daughters of Lot's besides the two in his house that had not known men because in the next verse the angels of the Lord speak of his daughters "who are here".  It has also been speculated by Biblical scholars that the daughters were espoused to Lot's future sons-in-law, but the marriages were not yet consummated.  His daughters "who were there" is in contrast to the sons-in-law who were not, as they did not take Lot seriously.

(15) And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." (16) And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

In the morning the angels urgently hurried Lot and his family out of the city so that they would not be destroyed with the city.  They apparently dawdled, but God in His mercy, had the angels take hold of their hands and they brought them forth out of the city.

(17) And it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that He said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain; escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed."

"They", the angels, brought Lot and his family outside of the city, and "He", the Lord Himself probably speaking through another angel of the Lord, but distinguished from the angels sent to destroy Sodom, spoke to Lot. John Wesley has a beautiful commentary of this scripture, describing it as a perfect picture of what we are called to do when rescued from sin.  Don't look back to the sinful world (Sodom), don't rest in the world (the plain), but constantly reach up to Christ and heaven (the mountains).

(18) And Lot said unto them, "Oh, not so, my Lord; (19) Behold now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. (20) Behold now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one; oh, let me escape there, is it not a little one? And my soul shall live."

Lot actually argued with the angels of the Lord who were saving his life!  He does recognize that the Lord has been extraordinarily merciful to him, but he saw himself physically incapable of making it to the mountains, and asked if he might be allowed to flee to a little city and be safe there.  I suppose a little city, as opposed to a big one, he thought couldn't possibly be as bad as the rest.  Some scholars suggest that perhaps it is not the city that Lot is suggesting is a little one, but maybe what is meant is that Lot says his request is just a small thing that he asked.  Either way, Lot is showing great weakness of faith.  Could he not see that the Lord who personally grabbed his hand and hurried him out of Sodom was well able to carry him safely to the mountains if he tired?  God would not have given him a command that he was unable to fulfill.  Oh, but I suppose this is a perfect illustration of how we now can be guilty of this and forget what God has done for us and lose faith that He can deliver us out of (or carry us through) any trouble.

(21) And He said to him, "See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. (22) Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you come there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The Lord confirmed to Lot that He had accepted Lot's prayer and granted his request.  Isn't it wonderful to know that even in our weakness, God is so patient and merciful with us?!  It even sounds as if He must delay His plans of destruction until Lot gets safely to the small city.  Zoar means "little".

(23) The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. (24) Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of heaven. (25) And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.

The Lord rained fire and brimstone onto the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the plain (except Zoar as we know from the previous verses), and destroyed all the inhabitants and all trees and vegetation on the ground.  This area is what now forms the Dead Sea or the Salt Sea.  It is said the sea is much saltier than normal salty waters and that not many fish can live in it.  Interestingly, there were frequent eruptions of a bituminous matter from the bottom of the sea that gave the illusion that the sea continued to bubble and burn long after God destroyed the region.

(26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot's wife apparently didn't make it to Zoar.  From the text, it sounds as if she tarried behind Lot, so perhaps she was not so eager to leave.  Then she disobeyed the Lord and looked back to Sodom and Gomorrah, at which time she became a pillar of salt.  Whether she was struck by the lightning and brimstone that was pelting the plain because she lingered too far back and suffered the same salty fate as the rest of the plain, or whether she was instantly struck by God because she disobeyed, I believe the moral of the story is the same.  Lot's wife lingered behind and looked back, probably because she did not really want to leave, and God left her with her wish.  I feel very comfortable in this assumption because we have already seen that God was merciful with Lot even though his faith was weak.  Lot petitioned the Lord, recognizing how merciful the Lord had been with him.  If Lot's wife's heart was toward the Lord, I have no doubt that the Lord would have been as patient with her.

(27) And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. (28) And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and he beheld that the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Abraham went to the same place where he had petitioned the Lord to save Sodom and Gomorrah if He could find at least ten righteous people there.  Seeing the smoke of the destruction, he must have surely felt that God had not found that small number of righteous people.

(29) And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

But God did answer Abraham's prayer.  Even though He obviously did not find ten righteous, He brought Lot and those members of Lot's family who wished to be brought out of the cities before destroying them.

(30) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

So Lot was able to get the mountains after all!  He was afraid to dwell in Zoar probably because he now realized that God's first advice was probably better than his own.  Then again God had promised to spare the little city, so it seems that Lot once again showed a lack of faith.  These are perfect illustrations of how we often choose our own wisdom over God's.  John Wesley points out that it is also an illustration of those who finally bring themselves to the Lord at last, who for a long time "forsake the communion of saints for secular advantages".

(31) And the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the manner of all the earth."

Lot's older daughter observed to the younger daughter that their father was old (and may not last long, I suppose) and that there were no other men on the earth to marry them and make children with them which was the manner of the propagation of mankind in the earth.  It seemed to them that the entire earth had been destroyed by fire.  They had just left the small city of Zoar, so either it was also engulfed with fire after they left it, or perhaps the older daughter meant there were no other men of their own kind that they felt lawful to marry, as they could not marry wicked men who had been destined to destruction and were only spared because of Lot.

(32) "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father."

The older daughter reasoned that they must get their father drunk because otherwise he would have never agreed to such a thing, so on some level, she knew it was wrong.  However, it was probably not a totally wicked lustful act on her part, but she may have genuinely believed it was the only way to preserve their family line.  As did her father, she showed a lack of faith, or at least impatience, for once again, could not the Lord who brought them out of the total destruction they observed, not bring them righteous men to marry?

(33) And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

The girls did succeed in making their father so drunk that he did not realize that his oldest daughter lay with him that night.

(34) And it came to pass on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father." (35) And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

The younger daughter succeeded in accomplishing the same the next night.

(36) Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

Dr. John Gill wrote a sensible observation on the life of Lot and how we should learn from it.  Lot was a good and righteous man, deserving of salvation, as the Lord did save him from the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  However, he often looked to his own human understanding, rather than to the Lord, and it made his life messy.  Dr. Gill reminds us that it was Lot who offered his pure daughters to the men of Sodom, and now in an ironic twist, it was he who impregnated them both.  Although Lot was not totally to blame as far as the incestual act, he did drink excessively and allow himself to become so drunk that he did not know what happened to him.  That is why drinking to excess must be avoided as it can lead to sinful behavior to which one might not otherwise succumb. 

(37) And the firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

"Moab" is a form of a word meaning "of the father" indicating that the daughter was not ashamed of what she had done, so she had done it for what she thought to be just reasons.  However, because it was a godless act done without the Lord's guidance, it became quite a thorn in the side of God's people, as the Moabites became a wicked people often troublesome to the Israelites.

(38) And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.

"Ben-Ammi" means "son of my people".  Likewise, the younger daughter demonstrated with the name of her child that she merely intended to preserve her father's family.  However, the children of Ammon also were enemies to the children of God.

Thus we learn from the life of Lot what can happen to righteous men when they choose to live too intimately with the world's people and customs and do not seek God first in all they do.  Evidently, Lot's heart was right with his Lord.  He surely loved the Lord, as he was saved and was even referred to in the New Testament as "just".  However, from that scripture in the New Testament, we learn that "just Lot" was worn down by his surroundings:

"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" - 2 Peter 2:7

That is why we should avoid being unequally yoked with the wicked:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" - 2 Corinthians 6:14

Once again, it must be emphasized that Lot was a righteous man of God, but because he allowed himself to be so involved within the lives and customs of the wicked, he often did not see the truth of God clearly.  Indeed, his heart was right with God, but his life was not one that furthered the kingdom of God on earth.  Boy, what a lesson this has been for me!  There may be many "just Lots" among us in this world today!  Only God can judge the heart and motives of people, so we must be careful not to judge.  However, we can see in the life of Lot what can happen to a people who do not consciously seek God in all they do.  At the very least, they do nothing to further the cause of God, and they can unconsciously do things that complicate it!  At most, they can become lost in the world, slowly fading into the world.  I think of the lines of a song by Casting Crowns:

Be careful little eyes what you see,
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings.
Be careful little feet where you go.
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow.

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away.
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray.
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid,
When you give yourself away.
People never crumble in a day.
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade.

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking.
Be careful if you think you stand,
You just might be sinking.

It's how people can justify removing God from the public square because they've slowly begun to accept that it's proper to separate God and government.  It's how people come to accept an act God called an abomination and one of the things for which He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah as "marriage equality".  It's how we can accept the murder of innocent babies as a woman's right to her own body.  It's how we can continue to vote for leaders who would even take that a step further and kill innocent babies who are born alive because they have accidentally survived abortions.

Although I have learned a great lesson in that I must not judge all who have faded into some of these beliefs as being lost and Godless, I recognize there is a great danger in allowing our minds to accept the world's gray view of things and not to arm ourselves continually with God's black and white truth. Romans 1 tells of the progressive downward spiral of a people who reject the truth of God:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it to them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.- Romans 1:18-32

Does this not sound like what is happening in our country today?  We are a country founded on God and Christian principles.  We have no excuse!  We didn't glorify God, but pushed Him aside, in our schools and in the public square.  We allowed ourselves to believe it was loftier to imagine a world without Christ where all people worship the same God, but not the one true God of the Bible, but one they imagined for themselves.  We serve God's creation "Mother Earth" more than we do Him. And for this reason God has given them over to their vile affections and reprobate, or morally unprincipled minds.  That is when they begin to lust after those of the same sex.  Then comes every imaginable sin and strife.  Think of this scenario in our country today - a self-righteous people, knowing the judgment of God, openly defy His Word, and even if they personally might not partake in something like same-sex relationships, rejoice in the "right" of same-sex "marriage", calling it marriage equality!  Or they rejoice in free speech that blasphemes God or in "art" that shows a crucifix in a jar of urine!

At what point can "just Lots" become lost as the people described above?  Maybe they don't.  Maybe that is where the "once saved, always saved" argument comes in, but that's not the point.  "Just Lots" do nothing to further the kingdom of God on earth.  They can be lukewarm, and God hates that! (Rev. 3:16)  They can become part of the strife and debate!  What is happening in this country today is a direct result of a people who have first rejected God, or more specifically, Christ, because He is the only way to God, and then we see the downward spiral.  Fighting the individual sins within the spiral does nothing to help.  People have to be shown salvation in Christ!  Jesus is the ONLY answer to our country's problems - God's Good News Gift to a lost and dying world!

Once God gives a person over to a reprobate mind, I don't know if He ever brings him back. Indeed Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near", indicating there will be a time when He won't be found.  The idea of God giving up on a person and leaving him to himself is a terrible thought!  But God did not leave us defenseless and without a clue.  Besides the fact that God constantly makes Himself known in His creation and in His Spirit who calls us, God has left us His Word!  He left us a historical record of flawed people screwing up just like we all do, but shows us the way out through Jesus Christ.  He left us countless insights into His love, mercy, and majesty.  He left us His guide for living!  He left us with a tangible hold-in-our-hands way to get close to Him when things get tough and we need a little peace and wisdom.  It is why I have tried to turn this blog mainly into a Bible study rather than being part of the constant strife.  It's not that I have changed my mind about any of the Godless issues that plague our country, but I have come to realize that it's not the Godless acts that will bring about God's wrath and the loss of His blessings on this country, but it's because we first turned our backs on God and rejected Him by pushing Him out that we are naturally on this decline, as described in Romans above.  It's important that we Christians turn back to God and that we show Christ to an unsaved world.  I need the constant help from the Lord's guide and my desire in posting these pages is that someone else might find something that will draw him/her to God's Word.  I know once people get into God's Word, He will take them from there!  Actually, I know that He can bring His lost sheep to Himself in any way, but I suppose because I first came to Him by investigating His Word, I have the desire to encourage others to seek Him that way.  I will close with these thoughts from my Lord's Word:

"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life..." - Philippians 2:14-16a

The Amazing Mercy and Patience of our Lord

Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:

(Genesis 18:1) And the LORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (2) And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself toward the ground,

The Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men, probably three angels in human form to be able to be seen by and communicated with Abraham.  It is unclear if Abraham immediately recognized them as messengers of God, and that is why he ran to meet them, or as some scholars have suggested, he just invited whom he thought to be travelers in need of rest and refreshment in the heat of the day, and that he bowed, not out of adoration, but merely out of respect to the men.

(3) And said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass on by your servant. (4) Please let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. (5) And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort your hearts; after that you shall pass on, for therefore you have come to your servant." And they said, "Do as you have said."

Perhaps Abraham did not recognize these three as from the Lord initially as he sat in his doorway, but it seems as if he is getting a clue now.  The word Lord here is "adonay", rather than just "adon", and is usually used as a proper name for God.  Scholars much greater than I am have suggested that Abraham still didn't know at this point that these three were sent by God, and that it was customary for travelers to expect such refreshment from the first tent they came to on their journey, and that Abraham saw every opportunity to do good as designed by the providence of God.  "Adonay" leads me to believe a little differently, but I have not yet studied all Biblical occurrences of the word to know with certainty that it always meant God, but so far, that is the only way I have seen it.

(6) And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes on the hearth." (7) And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. (8) And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree and they ate.

Abraham and Sarah and all others who helped him hurried to prepare a meal for these visitors, as evident by all the verbs and adverbs, "hastened", "quickly", and "ran".  This must have taken some time, but they did it as quickly as possible while the men rested, and finally they did eat.

(9) And they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "Behold, in the tent." (10) And he said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

"They", the men, asked about Sarah, but "He", one man, obviously prophesying as speaking from the Lord Himself, said that He, the Lord or angel of the Lord, would return to give Sarah a son.  Obviously only God Himself could accomplish such a thing in Sarah's advanced age, so some scholars have speculated that this was God Himself or Jesus Christ in the flesh who spoke to Abraham.  I see no reason to jump to this conclusion as often God spoke through "angels of the Lord" or other messengers.  I believe "the time of life" probably meant in the time it normally took to bear a child, i.e. 9 months, although God would certainly not have needed that time.

(11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; and the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

I was tickled to see that one scholar of old had put it that Sarah's "monthly visitors had left her", so she could not possibly conceive a child in the natural way.

(12) Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" (13) And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I which am old surely bear a child?' (14) Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a son." (15) Then Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"

Whereas Abraham laughed with joy, Sarah obviously laughed in scorn and disbelief; this is evident by the fact that she lied about it.  But certainly nothing is too hard for the Lord and He reiterated His promise that she would indeed bear a son.

(16) And the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. (17) And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing I am doing, (18) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? (19) For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him."

As the men left on their way, and Abraham walked them out on their way, they looked toward Sodom.  The Lord makes known that He has a plan underway.  Obviously it is not necessary that the Lord explain His thought processes to anyone, but I believe this is for our learning and for Abraham's benefit, because Abraham is part of His great plan to bring salvation to the world through his descendant, Jesus Christ, and because God knows Abraham.  We are told elsewhere in scripture that Abraham was a "friend of God" (James 2:23).  God loves Abraham, but more than that, He knows that Abraham will teach his children and all those in his household the way of the Lord.  He would teach them to do "justice", which is also translated as "rightness".  I believe God wants to include Abraham in His decision here because He knows Abraham will use this as a teaching experience, and it gives us an example, as well.  Later in scripture we are told that Sodom and Gomorrah were set forth as examples (Jude 1:7) and (2 Peter 2:6) to us.

(20) And the LORD said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, (21) I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to Me; and if not, I will know."

The first word translated as "cry" is more like a shriek or outcry.  Once again, it is not necessary for God to go and investigate the matter.  Of course, He knows the complete circumstances, but again, I believe this was to include His friend Abraham and to show the process of His justice and judgment in a way that we can understand.  Perhaps this is to show us that God does not act in a rash manner or punish merely upon the report of others, but only after His complete investigation and knowledge of the matter.  Again, it's not that He need investigate, because He simply knows.  We can rest assured He does know the entire situation, and indeed He knows it better than we can ever know, as He knows what will come in the future as a result of it, and He knows the hearts of men involved in it.  So while we can never know entirely the processes of God, although we often try to conform Him to our little human boxes, I believe this was to be an illustration to us of how God does indeed act justly and without rash anger.

(22) And the men turned their faces from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Three men first came to Abraham, and we may assume that two men now went toward Sodom, as Abraham still stands before "the Lord".  It might be otherwise assumed that all three men went to Sodom and Abraham figuratively stood before the Lord in prayer, except that later in verse 19:1, we are told that two angels came to Sodom in the evening. It's a pretty safe assumption that this is at the same time, so it appears two angels appearing as men went toward Sodom and one angel of the Lord stood with Abraham now.

(23) And Abraham drew near and said, "Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (24) Suppose there be fifty righteous within the city; will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it?"

Dr. John Gill writes that the area of which they are speaking is actually the Pentapolis which consisted of five cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar.  Therefore Abraham is estimating ten righteous people in each city.  Gill cites the Targum of Jonathan on the Prophets, used in the third century of the Christian era.

(25) "Far be it from You to do so in this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; that is far from You. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

I believe Abraham is stating a fact that it is not the way of the Lord to slay the righteous with the wicked.  I don't think he means to challenge Him, but rather seeks mercy for the few righteous in the city, perhaps namely his nephew Lot and his family.  It is certainly in God's power and He would be justified to destroy wicked cities, even if a few righteous died with the wicked.  That certainly happens today.  Bad things happen as a result of men's wickedness and rejection of God.  Because good people live among the wicked, bad things often happen to good people.  I have come to realize that just because God takes the life of a person doesn't mean He destroys that person.  Isaiah 57:1 talks about God taking righteous men away to save them from the evil to come.  After all, to leave this world as a true Christian, is to live forever with the Lord in paradise.

(26) And the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."

The Lord indeed showed Abraham that His judgments were made with great mercy as He told him that He indeed would not destroy Sodom (the general area surrounding the city) even if there were found only fifty righteous people living there.  The word translated as "city" does not always mean just a city as we know it, but in a wider sense, means a place being watched or guarded.

(27) And Abraham answered and said, "Behold now, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, when I am but dust and ashes; (28) Suppose there are five less than the fifty righteous; will You destroy all the city for lack of five?" And He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."

Abraham recognizes it is very bold of himself to dare to approach Almighty God with his petition, but he humbly asks Him if He would spare the city if there were a few less righteous there.  God states He indeed would not destroy the place if even only 45 righteous were found there.

(29) And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" And He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty." (30) And he said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak; suppose there shall be thirty found there?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

Abraham proceeds gradually in his requests.  Perhaps he does not want to ask too much at once, or more likely, this is for his and our learning that we understand that our Lord is truly a just, merciful, and patient God.

(31) And he said, "Behold now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord; suppose there shall be twenty found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for twenty's sake." (32) And he said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more; suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for ten's sake." (33) And the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Knowing that his nephew Lot and his family practiced the true religion of God, Abraham probably could not imagine that there were less than ten righteous people to be found in the area of Sodom, and the Lord assured him He would not destroy the place if He found at least ten righteous there. Therefore, Abraham stops his petitions and goes back to his tent to await the events that would be.