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