· Web viewThe atheist would say, "Good riddance, we would be better off if he had never been born," but not the student of the word of God, because it is through Abram's seed

Introduction

Abram and the Promise

I cannot even begin to explain the importance of a study on a person who has touched more people’s lives than almost anyone who has ever lived.

Without Abram where would this world be? The atheist would say, "Good riddance, we would be better off if he had never been born," but not the student of the word of God, because it is through Abram's seed that redemption is made available to every member of Adam's race.

Atheists have been thumbing their noses at God during their youth, and during their struggles, but many have later discarded their unwarranted bitterness towards God and have received mercy from Him in return.

Remember friend, God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

For any Pagans reading this you have a lot in common with Abram because Joshua 24 tells us that Abram's family were also idol worshippers before God got ahold of him:

Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

The Early Years

Genesis 11:26-32

To find the story of Abram we must go to the eleventh chapter of the book of Genesis. But to understand the whole story we must go back even further.

We must go back through the story of creation, through the fall of man, and through the flood by way of the ark of faith before we can begin to fully understand the significance of Abram's life.

Which brings us to the place where we are now, back in Ur of the Chaldees (modern day Iraq). It is interesting to note that the Bible begins in a Garden of Eden and it also ends in a Paradise.

The Bible then proceeds from Eden to Babylon and it culminates with Mystery Babylon just prior to a Kingdom on this Earth in the Last Days ruled by Christ himself.

It is also interesting to note that today the focus of the world is once more directed towards the place of Abram's birth, especially with ISIS threatening the world.

The story of Abram begins with his Father Terah, who was living in Ur of the Chaldees when his firstborn son Haran is born unto him.

Although Abram's name is mentioned first in verse twenty-six, he is not the firstborn son as many would suppose, he was most likely born second for reasons I will share with you later in this chapter.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The three brothers were not triplets as you might suppose at first glance, but it was at the age of seventy that Terah had the first of his three sons.

Abram is mentioned first because of his preeminence over the other two, as is often seen throughout the Scriptures.

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

This verse initially leads us to believe that Haran is most likely the oldest of the three because he is the first to have a son.

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

How or why Haran died is not the story here, Abram is. All too often we waste God's time and our own by asking questions that God never intended for us to know the answers to.

We do know that Haran's death was especially hard on his father Terah because as we shall see later that Terah names a city after his firstborn son and stays there until his own death. (Some say Terah named his Son after the city which is also possible).

It is most likely that Haran's wife was dead by this time as well because it was customary to have the oldest surviving brother marry his deceased

brother’s wife to raise up seed unto his brother, but this, as we shall see, does not happen.

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abrams wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahors wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

Notice that Nahor takes his brother Haran's daughter as his wife. This implies a considerable age difference between the two siblings.

Nothing is mentioned ever again about Iscah or his fate. He may have lived out his days in Ur of the Chaldees with his Uncle Nahor. Nothing is recorded in Scripture to substantiate that Iscah made the trip to Haran with Abram.

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

God withheld Sarai from having a son for many years for His own glory. Sarai did not become bitter during this trial as many through the ages have, but she allowed God to work through her during this time to prepare her for a much greater task later, to be the mother of a great nation.

God would have Abram's heir and the future heir of the promise that would soon be made to Abram born in the land of promise, not in the Pagan cities of Ur or Haran.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his sons son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abrams wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot to go to the land of Canaan but for some reason stopped short (halfway) and ended up either establishing a city named after his firstborn son Haran or sojourning in the very city named after Haran.

We have a clearer understanding from chapter twelve and in other places that it was Abram alone that God called to leave that area. Terah, I believe, just decided to tag along, most likely not wanting to be separated from Abram, his second son.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Now we come to the death of Abram's father in the city named after his older brother and we learn a little more about the ages of Haran and his much younger brother Abram.

If Terah was seventy years old when he begat Haran, and two hundred and five years old when he died, that would mean that Haran, if he would have lived, would have been one hundred thirty-five years old at the time of his father's death.

And if Abram was his older brother he would have been older than that, but the Bible records that Abram was only seventy-five years old when he left his father’s grave in Haran. That would make Abram sixty years younger than his older brother Haran.

If the age difference is too much of a gap for you to swallow I suggest you go back to Genesis chapters one through eleven and re-read them by faith, for in them you find men living up to nine hundred and sixty-nine years, as was the case with Methuselah.

If you don't believe that then this book is just another book of fairy tales to you and it is hardly worth your time.

But if you want to believe the Bible and are struggling with it, remember this: God, who is all powerful, created man to live forever and mankind fell into sin and the Bible records that the wages of sin is death.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth it shall die.

God warned Adam that in the Day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. Adam died spiritually, as most believe, but he also died physically in that same Day.

Remember,

A Day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as a Day. 2 Peter 3:8

Adam died in the same spiritual day that he disobeyed God which was prior to his reaching a thousand years on man's time clock. Adam died at 930 years of age according to Genesis 5:5.

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

A New Dispensation (Economy) would now begin

God was now going to operate differently than he had in the past with mankind. A new dispensation, or economy, was beginning between God and mankind.

It would be through the person of Abram and his descendants that would come to be called Israel who would make up a future Kingdom that would one day rule and reign here on the Earth with the Messiah as a nation of Kings and Priests.

The word dispensation comes from the Greek word: Oikonomiah or Economy. The word is used of the Apostle Paul four times in his epistles, three of those times he refers to the dispensation, or economy, of grace that was given to him: 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 3:2 and Colossians 1:25.

It bears record that if a dispensation was given to Paul during the latter part of his life then there must have been other dispensations that came before the one God gave specifically to him.

Paul also mentions the word dispensation regarding a future dispensation called the dispensation of the fullness of times, so from just these four times in Paul’s Epistles we learn that God is a dispensationalist, or God works differently with mankind at various times.

God also uses the Greek word Oikonomiah three more times in the Gospel of Luke which spoke to Israel just prior to the dispensation/economy of grace that was given to Paul to give to us in the body of Christ today.

Those three times are all found in Luke 16:2-4, and the word Oikonomiah is here translated as the word, Stewardship. We are to be stewards or the stewardship we have been entrusted with from the Apostle Paul today just like any steward of any other dispensation.

Luke 16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

Of course, the word stewardship comes from the root word steward also found in these verses and it means a ruler over a household:

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

In Titus 1:7 Bishops (Pastors) are called the stewards of God.

Genesis 12

Separation from the World

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Abram had to separate himself from his past as an example to the nation that would eventually come out of his loins.

Genesis 12:2-3 God makes seven promises to Abram:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

1. God promised to make a great nation from Abram:

This was a first. With no other person did God make such a promise. If a person or a nation wanted to be blessed by God they would have to bless Abram, or eventually his offspring.

This promise of a nation is later repeated to his son Isaac, and later to Jacob and then to all twelve tribes that descends from Jacob’s loins.

This promise is latter mentioned to Moses concerning the descendants of Abram becoming a great nation. This promise will ultimately be fulfilled in the future Millennial Kingdom.

2. God promised to bless Abram:

Up unto this time, God had not given Abram anything according to the scriptures, but that was all about to change. Notice what God's word says near the end of his life:

Genesis 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

Isaiah 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3. God promised to make Abram’s name great:

Nehemiah 9:7 Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

Abraham means: Father of Nations

4. God promised that Abram would be a blessing:

Abram blessed his 316 hired servants with food, tents, employment, protection and he blessed Lot and the five kings after he had defeated the army of Chedorlaomer in Genesis 14 by returning all the spoils and those held captive to their families.

The list goes on and on, but you see other examples as we continue our study.

5. God promised to bless them that blessed Abram

Melchizedek blessed Abram with wine and bread after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and God blessed him for blessing Abram with a tithe of the battle. Genesis 14

This is the only time we read about Abram tithing in the scripture and it was not from his salary but from spoils of war.

6. God promised to curse them that cursed Abram

What happened to the five nations that had captured Abram’s nephew Lot, they were cursed. What later happened to the Egyptians? Cursed. Just go down the list, nation after nation that cursed Abram’s offspring were cursed.

There will be a judgment of Nations after the Tribulation Period that we will look at later in or study of Israelology Future and we will see how

these nations will be judged for how they treated Jesus’ brethren, the Jews. Matthew 25:31-46

7. God promised to bless all the families of the earth in Abram.

How could God bless all the families of the earth in Abram? All the families of the earth had not been born yet, but when the promised seed of Genesis 3 (Jesus) dies for mankind, then all families could be blessed in Abram through his seed the Messiah.

Genesis 12:4 Abram’s obedience to the LORD:

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Abram was obedient even though he did not know where he was going. Did Abram obey completely? No, he brought Lot and he went to Haran and stayed there until the death of his father.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

These promises made to Abram are not just to Abram but also to his descendants as we shall see later, and these promises were unconditional.

God is going to keep his promises because he gave his word regardless of how Abram or his descendants behave. The Calvinist would have us believe that God has fulfilled every promise made to Abram/Abraham and the Jewish Nation, but we will see that simply isn’t so as we continue chronologically going through this study on Israelology.

God later would make a conditional covenant with Israel (not a promise) and if they were obedient to that covenant they would be blessed but if they were not they would be punished, but that is also for a later chapter in this study. The Law Covenant however did not disannul the promise:

Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls

that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

And the Canaanite was then in the land. Why did God inspire Moses to write that line in the text? Was it just filler, or something to enhance our image of what it was like in the land at the time Abram arrived in it?

No! It was to remind us of the curse on Canaan which we read about earlier in Genesis and that God, because of their vile sexual practices mentioned in Deuteronomy 18, was going to expel them out of the land because they had defiled.

The Land is Promised to Abram’s Seed

7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

This is the first time we see in the Bible that God appeared to someone. We read about God talking to man in the Garden or with Noah but not appearing unto man.

We also see a very important statement here that God tells Abram that this promise is not just to Abram himself but that it will pass down unto his seed.

At this time in Abram’s life he had no seed, so this is a two-fold blessing. Abram is going to have a seed and the land of Canaan will belong to his seed as well as him.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Why was Abram constantly journeying around building altars? He was commanded to travel up and down in the land that he would possess, and he was doing just that while looking for a city:

Hebrews 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the

heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

A famine in the Land of Promise?

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

Abram is barely in the land anytime at all before a famine comes in the land of Promise and Abram makes a decision without consulting God and he heads down to Egypt, which is seen as a type of the world that is contrary to God throughout the Bible.

17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Notice that Abram left with his wife and all that he had. Pharaoh let him keep all that he had given him. We don’t know how Pharaoh figured out that Sarai was also Abram’s wife.

We do know that God was not going to allow Sarai to be taken by Pharaoh because she was going to be an integral part of the Promise as she was to be the mother of the Jewish People.

Pharaoh and his house was plagued with great plagues because of her so someone had to tell Pharaoh that it was because of Sarai being the wife of the man to whom God had chosen to do great things that they were being plagued.

It was either Sarai, or God, or possibly someone who had seen them together that informed the Pharaoh, but it didn’t matter.

What should have Abram done differently? He should have told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Why? He would have been killed you might think.

There is no way Abram could have been killed because God had made a promise to Abram to give him the land of Canaan.

I guess Pharaoh could have killed Abram, but God would have just had to resurrect him to keep his promise to Abram.

Abram should have trusted the God who brought him to the land to provide for him and to protect him, but he was human like you and I and God has consistently showed us that he uses flawed people to do his will.

Abram would not have been killed if he had told the truth because God who spoke to him was bound to protect him. We will learn more about God’s protection in later chapters.

We do not have this same type of hedge of protection around us as believers today. We are not the father of a future Kingdom that will one day rule with Christ, but Abram was.

Genesis Thirteen

Separating from Lot

Genesis 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Abram should have called on the name of the LORD before going down to Egypt. Doing wrong to do right is never right. Stick with the truth.

Unfortunately this is not the last time Abram tells Sarai to say she is his sister to save his neck. We will look at that in a later chapter.

5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

Where did Lot get his wealth from? Part of it was from his inheritance from his father Haran after his death as a third of the cut of what Terah would have divided amongst his sons at his death with Lot getting Haran’s share since he had died before Terah.

7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

The Land of Canaan

12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

The Sodomites and their neighbors from Gomorrah were descendants of Canaan and because their wickedness was exceeding before God’s eyes and they were defiling the land as mentioned in Deuteronomy 18.

God was not going to just overthrow them or have them taken away as captives, but he was going to destroy them for their wickedness. We will study the circumstance surrounding that event a little later in our study.

14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Only after Lot was separated from Abram, who was not supposed to be with him in the first place, did God announce to Abram that the land he was going to give him that he would also give it to his descendants and to their descendants as well and it would continue to be theirs forever as part of an everlasting promise.

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

When Abram finally arrived in Hebron after obeying God and walking through the length and breadth of the land he still dwelt in a tent, which is a temporary dwelling place.

Abram, yet, had not received one inch of land. He did eventually buy a place to bury his wife. Why is that so? Was God not able to fulfill his promise to Abram in his life time?

We will answer those questions later in this study, but the answer shouldn’t surprise you. God will have to resurrect Abram and his descendants to keep his promises to them.

Genesis Fourteen

Abram goes to War

War would soon come to Lot's house because he chose the pleasures of sin for a season while Abram chose God's path.

While this study is about Abram, I wanted to emphasize that our disobedience may cause others to stumble and to go through hardships as well.

We may be called upon to rescue someone who we helped put into their situation in the first place, as was the case here.

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 these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale 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 came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; 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 victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abrams brothers son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom and it cost him dearly, for twelve years the residents of Sodom served Chedorlaomer before rebelling, but after the rebellion Lot ended up in a worse situation than at the beginning.

Notice the King of Shinar came against the area where Lot chose to dwell. Shinar is the area around Babylon.

It is very interesting to note that the first war in the Bible is fought with Babylon leading it and it is in connection with the land promised to Abram as well as the last war in the Bible. Just a coincidence? I don't think so. Coincidence isn't a kosher word.

13 And there came one that 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 these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, 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 kings dale.

Abram is called the Hebrew here for the first time. Hebrew means simply a descendant of Eber found in Genesis 10:21-11 and 1 Chronicles 1.

Abram comes to the rescue and chases Lot's captors deep into Syria and slaughters them there at Hobah and is then greeted by the formerly defeated king of Sodom.

But there is another king that shows up as well, the king of Salem which is a person of great importance, even today.

Introducing Melchizedek

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which is the Hebrew word Shalom, which means peace. Notice that Melchizedek along with Salem is not mentioned as being involved in the battle.

He is however mentioned in a unique role as both a king, and the priest of the most high God just like the Messiah of Israel would be one day.

This most high God is the very same God that Abram worshipped, and it must have been very refreshing for Abram to have someone else in this Idol worshipping land that believed in the one true God.

For any Jew to understand the priesthood they must understand the first priest found in the bible and build their understanding from there.

Notice what Melchisedek brought to Abram, bread and wine, just like the Lord's Supper. I wonder why, you should too.

For there to be a King, there of a necessity needs to be a Kingdom. Bread and wine have to do with a King and his Kingdom.

Jesus told his disciples in the Upper Room when he instituted the Lord's Supper, that he would not partake of it again until he drank it new with them (believing Israel) in their Kingdom.

The Lord's Supper had to do with the institution of the New Testament which was promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah in their kingdom when they would have God's word written on the hearts and they would know to choose good and not evil.

That has not happened yet, but it will in the Kingdom. The New Testament could not take effect until after the death of the Testator according to Hebrews 9, but that is another subject for another lesson.

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, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Where does Melchizedek rule from and perform his Priestly functions in his Kingdom of PEACE called Salem, which is the Hebrew word Shalom, which means PEACE.

What will the world experience for a thousand years when Christ sits as Priest and King in Jeru-salem? Peace or Shalom.

Abram is also referred to as belonging to the most high God as well, to make it perfectly clear to the reader that it is the same God being referred to.

This was prior to the Law of Moses and it is the only time Abram tithed that we know of. Tithing was required under the Law, it is not required under Grace today, nor was it required prior to the Law.

Today God wants and loves a cheerful giver. Don't be a Scrooge with what God has given to you. The writer of Hebrews had this to say concerning Melchizedek.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without

mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Psalm 110:4 says it even stronger: The LORD hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an

high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the peoples: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. Hebrews 7:1-28

If anyone did the things that the Old Testament said the Messiah would do, then we should take the time to at least examine these things for ourselves and not just blindly take our leaders word for it.

Matthew 15:14 And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Back to Abraham in Genesis

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

The king of Sodom had no right to ask anything back from Abram, but because God would not share his glory with anyone, Abram was impressed upon by God no doubt, to give him back everything.

It is not over with Lot however, because despite all this Lot continues to stay in Sodom and things gradually get worse.

Also notice what is said about the God of Melchisedek, that he is the possessor of heaven and earth. That has a lot to do with some differences that Paul will point out in his epistles but is a mystery to the descendants of Abram until Paul reveals it to the world thousands of years later.

Genesis Fifteen

The Promise of a Son

1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

God had indeed shielded Abram and protected him in his battle with Chedorlaomer, but Abram was looking for the promise of a seed, the great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Remember the name of Abram's servant because in a later chapter he will appear as a type of the Holy Spirit of God that goes to find a bride for Abram's son from his own family.

Rebekah was a Gentile because she did not descend from the loins of Abram although she is related to Abram, she was a Gentile none the less.

4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Notice this last verse because it will help you for all eternity with your Theology. Abram lived before the Law of Moses and was declared righteous with God by his faith.

Notice also that this is the second time that God tells Abram about his offspring, the first was in Genesis twelve where he compares his descendants with something that is earthy, but this time he compares them with something that is out of this world, the stars of heaven.

We in the body of Christ are Abram’s seed by faith and are a heavenly people with a heavenly destiny. We do not inherit Israel’s physical blessings here on earth in her kingdom. We have spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 3:1).

Let us look at what Saul of Tarsus (Paul) had to say about Abram when addressing this subject of justification or righteousness (salvation).

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarahs womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to

him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

This Saul of Tarsus is also known as the Apostle Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles Romans 11:13, the writer of thirteen books of the Bible.

7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

Abram got his answer in the form of a covenant promise in which God has Abram offer a sacrifice as a sign between him and God.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

A hundred and twenty years before Israel's captivity happened God foretold of it and he even gave the duration of it which must have excited the desire of the Nation as they awaited their deliverer Moses (A type of Christ).

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

The iniquity of the Amorites is a prophetical reference to the time when Israel would be prevented from retreating by the Amorites and taken into captivity by the Babylonians.

God was not going to allow Abram's descendants to possess the land until the Amorites had gotten so bad in defiling the land that God would have to spew them out of the land through numerous means that he had at his disposal.

Israel was one of the tools God would use to remove the Amorites from the land which they defiled with their perversions.

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

The thing that is of most importance here is that God alone passed through the fire without Abram. In a normal covenant between two people, both people would walk between the pieces of animal, but God alone walked through twice. Once for himself and once for Abram.

That meant that this Covenant was not dependent upon Abram's keeping his end of the bargain, because he couldn't, it was solely dependent on a perfect God who never changes and who delights in keeping his promises.

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.

These ten nations possessed the land that belonged to the descendants of Abram. God gave it to them back during the time of Noah when the descendants of Ham forfeited it by the actions of Ham the night he went in unto his father and saw his nakedness.

How many nations temporarily possess the land of Israel in the time of Jacob's Trouble? Ten. Another coincidence I know. But the same thing happens but on a much grander scale in the Millennial Kingdom.

Genesis Sixteen

The Son of the Flesh

1 Now Sarai Abrams wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abrams wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after

Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Ten is the number of trial and testing with God and just as the time is expiring Sarah becomes impatient and leads Abraham into sin just as Eve did with Adam in the Garden. (See verse 5)

The fact that Hagar was an Egyptian is mentioned twice for us to remind us that she was not a part of what God had promised to Abram.

The promise was through Sarai not Hagar. Hagar was not with Abram when God made his promise of children through Sarai. Once again, we turn to the words of Saul of Tarsus in his letter to the believers in Rome where he said,

"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all the children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh (Hagar’s descendants), these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise (Sarah’s descendants) are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son." Romans 9:6-9

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Sarai recognized her sin and her drawing Abram into it with her and ultimately the entire world has suffered because of her and her impatience.

One wrong did not justify another, and Sarai's sin against Hagar was not justified because Hagar now despised her because of her bareness.

7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

Gentiles prior to the dispensation of grace were to submit themselves to Israel, for salvation at that time was of the Jews, as it will be again in the kingdom but today Israel is an enemy of the cross.

Israel will be judged for her rebellion during the time of Jacob's (Israel's) Trouble which shall come upon her for seven years of tribulation such as she has never seen, but praise God all of Israel that endures unto the end of that time will be saved and enter her long-awaited kingdom.

10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every mans hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

The world has felt the brunt of this prophecy throughout the ages and will see only more of wildness of Ishmael until the return of the Redeemer. It is time for Jews and Gentiles to come together in Christ and only then can they begin to put away their prejudices.

15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his sons name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Just because Hagar's descendants are not the children of the promise does not exclude them from salvation which is free to all who will call upon Christ. God is not a respecter of persons. God has elected Israel's descendants for a specific purpose to bring the word of God (oracles as Paul calls them) to the world.

The Jews were not chosen for salvation as some claim. This wrong interpretation of Scripture has kept billions of souls from coming to God because of prejudices and hatred as well.

Genesis Seventeen

The Covenant of Circumcision

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

In the Hebrew language there is what is called and infix, where a letter or letters are added, not to the beginning of a word like a prefix, or to the end of a word like a suffix, but into the middle of the word, or as in this case, to the middle of a name to change the meaning of the name to add to it a fuller meaning.

The letters "ha" meaning "the" is added to Abram to give us Abraham: Ab the father, ram meaning high and combined gives us the name: the highest father.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Notice that the land is an everlasting promise to Israel. These borders will be recognized one day during the Millennial Reign of Christ and not before, for the world hates the children of the promise because the devil hates them. We are all children of our father the devil until we come to faith in the Messiah.

Be sure to remember when this promise was given to Abraham. It is after Ishmael is already thirteen years old. It is not until Isaac is born that Abraham can circumcise his child at the age the covenant requires which is when they are 8 days old.

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin;

and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Eight is the number of new beginnings with God. God began a Covenant with Abraham that would remain until it was added to with the giving of the Mosaic Covenant (the Law) some four hundred years later.

Remember the promise is specifically through Isaac as we shall see in the following verse. Those that did not adhere to this covenant were then cut off from his people. They were not killed but they could no longer intermarry within the 12 tribes.

They could not obtain any land inheritance, they could not enter paradise when they died because they had rejected the covenant that God had made with them by not circumcising their children.

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Pride has kept many of Isaac's descendants from coming to the Messiah as it has kept many descendants of Ishmael from faith in him as well. Both

still hate one another. Today however they can have unity in one body under the Messiah of the entire world.

The Jews became self-righteous with the Law and the Promises while the descendants of Ishmael were deceived into the religion of Islam which claimed Ishmael was the child of promise not Isaac.

Consider the words of Saul (Paul) as he corrects the false teaching of the Jewish Christians in his letter to the believers in Galatia:

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abrahams house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. 24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, 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. 26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

Notice here that Ishmael is not circumcised on the eighth day but rather after his thirteenth birthday, this is just more proof that Isaac is the seed promised by God.

No descendant of Ishmael should be upset at this as the descendants of Isaac are not better than anyone else in the world for God is not a respecter of persons, but there must be a recognition that Isaac's descendants were commissioned by God to be a light unto the Gentiles by giving us the Messiah and the word of God.

Genesis Eighteen

Abraham Sees the LORD

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

Notice in verse one that the word LORD is in all capital letters and as you will see in verse three Abraham calls him Lord which shows a reverence but not a knowledge of just exactly who he was talking to.

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Uh oh! Meat and milk in one meal, doesn’t this go against the Law of Moses?

Exodus 23:19 Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Well first the Law of Moses doesn't come around for another 400 plus years yet, but Abraham and Sarah did not boil (Seethe) the animal in its mother's milk, they were however both a part of the meal along with butter, a dairy product as well.

The butter was used as either something to flavor the meat after it was cooked, or as a spread on the bread that was prepared by Sarah.

Also something that is often overlooked is who was eating with Abraham and Sarah at this meal? The LORD! It was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ who ate meat and dairy products offered to him by Abraham.

The context of the command is always given in connection to the offering of first fruits and it was forbidden because the heathen would do that very thing in their hopes of making themselves fertile.

As part of their (the heathens) offering they would eat, and part they would offer to the Pagan god and God didn't want his nation to act like all the other nations with their fertility rites.

The Pagans also believed that this offering would give them fertile crops as well. Notice the context of what happens next, (It is about an unfertile Sarah), what a coincidence.

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 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 unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Why must we put up a false picture of ourselves before others? Sarah could have just apologized for her disbelief and that would have been the end of it, but she lies to the face of God as if he could not discern her thoughts, all to keep her false image before others.

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 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 hath spoken of him. 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 unto me; and if not, I will know.

Notice first that from the descendants of Ham who was cursed by God for going in unto his father (Noah) and seeing his nakedness, from them we have the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Ham's sin did not depart from his lineage.

Also notice this Angel of the Lord that spoke with Abraham had knowledge that was supernatural and yet seemed limited. God sent his Son for Abraham's benefit and as the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord.

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 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. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for fortys sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twentys sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for tens sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as

he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Once again, we see the number ten as a number relating to testing. If ten righteous could be found the city would be spared but they could not find ten.

Sodom was not so much destroyed for her sin as she was for her lack of saints. Lot apparently was not the positive witness of God to the Sodomites that he could have been.

Genesis Nineteen

Angels Destroy Sodom

1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; 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; 12 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servants house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

Lot knew of the wickedness of his city and how that sin loved the cloak of darkness and he feared for the safety of these visitors who had just come from Abraham's home, but he didn't fear it enough to protect his family from its evil influences.

His daughters were negatively influenced by the sins of their hometown just as their father who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, in seeing and hearing, it vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds, according to 2 Peter 2:7-8.

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring

them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

These men wanted to Sodomize Lot's visitors. Imagine the audacity of the Devil, these men if you will remember were servants of the LORD (angels) which just shows us how perverted the Devil is.

How could a father even imagine making the comment Lot made to these men? What must have been going through the minds of his daughters at that moment? Lot had truly drifted far from what he knew was right.

While it was and still is the custom in many countries today to protect and provide for those who have come into your home it does not supersede protecting your own flesh and blood.

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Even though these men were blinded they still tried to get inside to commit their wicked deeds. Sin will stop at nothing to destroy a person's life.

12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

If someone were to tell us the same thing today, we would have had the same response most likely. There is no respect for our elders today and they would laugh at us as they laughed at Lot.

Perhaps if we didn't allow the secular world to raise our children they would have more confidence in our words and those of our heavenly Fathers.

15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

Why do we linger in places where we shouldn't be when certain destruction will come upon us? Thank God we have a merciful God who often must yank us to safety.

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

Zoar got its name from this encounter between Lot and an angel, each name in Hebrew means something. Zoar means a little city.

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire 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 upon the ground.

This area even today looks as if it were destroyed only a few years ago by God. It will remain a wasteland forever.

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

This is no fairy tale! God says what he means. How many times have we turned back from following the LORD? God is so merciful to us.

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

Abraham got up early in the morning to talk with the LORD and we should do likewise, but when he got up to pray this day he saw something he had never seen before.

What a terrible sight to see. Abraham was worried for his nephew Lot and his family and no doubt this sight moved him to prayer because we see in the next verse that God hears Abraham.

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 the which Lot dwelt.

Sometimes it’s the prayer of the righteous that saves the wayward ones such as Lot. Are you still praying for those close to you that are far from God?

Had Lot not been related to Abraham he would not have been under the protection God promised Abraham. We know Lot must have been some kind of blessing unto Abraham, perhaps he was a link to the past.

A reminder of his family back in Ur and especially of his older brother who had passed away. Maybe he saw his brother whenever he looked into Lot's eyes, but whatever the case God because of his promise to Abraham spared Lot.

30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

What else can you expect from a couple of girls who were raised up by a worldly father in a wicked city? Lot cared for the things of this world and did not invest in his children's future by keeping them close to the godly influence found in Abraham's presence.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not

when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou 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 perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Lot fathers the Moabite nation from which Ruth is born some 800 years in the future. Up until Ruth, the Moabites remained an idol worshipping people. Ruth was the exception.

I'm sure that was not Lot's intent, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Our compromises today will affect those who follow us.

Genesis Twenty

Abraham goes South

Going south or going down is often seen as a negative direction spiritually speaking in the Word of God as it is here in this story.

This is one of two times that Abraham asks his wife to say she is his sister and neither chapter in which Abraham does this is the promise of a seed mentioned. It is mentioned thirteen times in fifteen other chapters however.

1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Abimelech’s name means my father is King in Hebrew. This pagan king only after Abraham was heading south again asked Abraham about Sarah.

Abraham obviously forgetting the lessons from his previous time with Pharaoh said the same thing (a little white lie), no, a lie. The fear of death will make you do things you never would have otherwise.

I know she is his sister as well as his wife, but Abraham meant to deceive. You may say, yes, but it was for a good reason but that does not make it okay because God has promised he would protect Abraham on numerous occasions.

God could not allow anything to happen to the future mother of the Jewish people because the God of the Universe had promised Abraham that he would have a Son with Sarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a mans wife.

God hates adultery and Abraham almost allows his wife and Abimelech to commit this awful deed all because Abraham was afraid. Why should Abraham be afraid?

He has received promises from God of his supernatural protection because he is to be the father of the Jewish Nation. We sometimes forget who we are as did Abimelech and get into a mess of trouble.

One of the main reasons that God hates adultery is because marriage is the union of two into one just as is Marriage for life, so we become one with God eternally in our salvation. Marriage is a picture of our salvation.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Abimelech asks God if he will slay "also" a righteous nation. He is aware that God destroyed Sodom and he could do the same to his nation if he so desired, but Abimelech appeals to God by saying they (Sodom) were a wicked nation and his was righteous in comparison.

Abraham is said by God to be a prophet although he never prophesied anything. His life however was a life of fulfilled prophecy as well as the life of his family and his Servant were prophetic pictures of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Messiah (Son of God).

Since God made a Covenant with Abraham when he was called Abram, Abraham was untouchable to Abimelech or Pharaoh. Just because Abraham was supernaturally protected by God does not mean that you are.

If you choose to do something stupid you will suffer the consequences of your stupidity. Well God meant for me to lose my arm while mowing my grass some may say, not so!

If you are stupid enough to stick your arm under a spinning mower don’t blame God for your stupidity. If you text and drive and you kill 13 people, it is not God’s will that they died. What is God’s will? That you don’t text and drive. Don’t blame God!

God had to do for Abraham what Abraham wouldn’t do for his wife and the future nation of Israel. God wasn’t about to let Abraham’s weakness keep him from fulfilling his promise to bring forth a nation out of him and Sarah.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

Hebrews 1:1 God at sundry times and diverse manners spake in times past unto fathers.

God spoke to a Pagan King in a dream and told him not to touch his Prophet. He was a liar, but he was still the man God was using at that time to bring about a future Kingdom of Israel and nothing any king or prophet did was going to stop God from doing his will.

This is not a precedent for you to do whatever you want and claim it as God’s will. This was a different dispensation. A dispensation of Promise.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

Abraham saw the physical realm around him at that moment and did not remember by faith what he had been told. It is hard to let the spiritual realm override the physical but we must walk in the Spirit, so we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Abraham wanted or lusted to stay alive more than to do the right thing.

11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wifes 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 fathers house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

Abraham was the one who did not fear God enough to trust him. He feared what Abimelech would do more than doing God’s will. Abraham was acting in opposition to God’s will by lying to Abimelech which would have led to terrible consequences if God had not intervened.

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

God would have blessed Abraham in far greater amounts if he would have been obedient unto him. Abimelech was practicing Genesis 12:1-3 without even knowing it because God spoke to him in a dream and told him that Abraham was his Prophet.

Abimelech wanted God to bless him and not curse him, so he blessed Abraham and told him he could live wherever he wanted. Notice that Abimelech didn’t shame Sarah when he said Abraham was her brother but reproved her and in a way that didn’t embarrass her too much.

17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abrahams wife.

God was going to do a work very shortly with Sarah and Abimelech (whose name means my Father is King) was not going to come in and mess things up. How many times did Abraham tempt God and yet God remained merciful?

God was going to use Sarah to bring in the promised seed to Abraham and her having conceived with Abimelech would have really messed things up.

One thing that is interesting to note in this chapter like in the chapter where Abraham goes into Egypt and calls his wife his sister that God does not repeat his promise of an heir in these two chapters where Abraham is out of God's will.

Genesis Twenty-one

Sarah conceives a Son

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Isaac name means to laugh (as Sarah and Abraham both did). Notice that Isaac, not Ishmael, is circumcised on the eighth day after his birth beginning a biblical tradition that is still practiced unto this day.

This was commanded by God to Abraham but all who were circumcised on that day were too old to completely fulfill God's word. Ishmael was already thirteen when this command was given to Abraham. Isaac and the Messiah each had miraculous births.

6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. 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, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abrahams sight because of his son.

Ishmael, who was half Egyptian, began the persecution of Abraham's seed on this day and it would last another four thousand years.

Sarah had no idea that day of the significance of her words, Hagar had earlier mocked Sarah after Ishmael was born and Abraham, as scripture records, believed Ishmael would be the heir until God corrected him.

This no doubt caused much strife between these two ladies. Hagar also taught Ishmael to hate by her example of hating her mistress and look at what that has led to today.

Hagar must have become very worried at the birth of this child because he would become the one to replace Ishmael as the heir and Sarah made the comment that Ishmael would not even get a share of the inheritance. Amazing!

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

Some bread and some water were all that Hagar received and no inheritance remained for Ishmael. How this must have caused Hagar to hate Sarah and her seed. This hatred was instilled in the mind of her son and has remained until this day.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine 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 drink. 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 marries an Egyptian which would make his descendants three quarters Egyptian and that percentage would increase as their descendants married other Egyptians.

22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my sons son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 24 And Abraham said, I will swear. 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelechs servants had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day. 27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? 30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31 Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines land many days.

Genesis Twenty-two

The Tempting of Abraham

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

This chapter above all other is the chapter which best shows God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Notice first that God refers to Isaac as Abraham's only son.

Abraham has another Son. his name Ishmael, but he is gone by this time with his mother, Hagar the bondwoman. Ishmael is the child of the flesh not the child of the promise.

Ishmael was conceived from an unlawful union with the Egyptian handmaiden that Sarai picked up down in Egypt while Abraham was out of the will of God.

Notice where Abraham, a type of God the Father, is to sacrifice his Son, a type of Christ, on one of the mountains that God will tell him of in the land of Moriah.

Jesus Christ God’s Son was sacrificed on Mount Moriah which just so happens to be 777 meters above Sea Level. Just another coincidence. I don’t think so.

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,

These servants were believers in the God of Abraham by faith and they were all Gentiles that had been circumcised. These were not justified by the law for the Law was still hundreds of years in the future under Moses.

Abraham said that they would both go up on Moriah to worship and come again. Abraham believed that God would raise his Son up again because he knew his Son Isaac was the Son of the Promise.

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

God's own Son had wood placed upon his back in the form of a cross and he also had to walk up this very same hill to be sacrificed. Imagine the faith of Abraham to take his son up this hill.

Notice also that it says that they both went up together because in just a few verses we find out that only one person (Abraham) comes down.

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Notice that it says that God would provide himself a lamb, the blood of lambs could not ever wash away Abraham's sins, but they did provide a covering until the true Lamb of God would offer his sinless body as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Daniel 9 says the Messiah would be cut off (killed) but not for his own sin.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:

The time frame mentioned here leads us to only one person who could have fulfilled this prophecy because the time mentioned passed two thousand years ago in the person of Jesus of Bethlehem.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Notice that God calls Isaac Abraham’s only Son. Isaac is the Son of Promise and the only son that God uses here. Is God a respecter of persons?

Does he condemn the descendants of Ishmael to Hell just because he likes one family or people more than the other? No! God simply chooses a line through which to bless the nations with the Messiah and it is through Isaac not Ishmael.

Ishmael's descendants are no worse than the Jews or Gentiles. The Jews are no better than any of the others because they are the children of promise.

They are responsible as the children of promise to share God's word with the world and instead often they push many of Ishmael's descendants away from God's word by their own self-righteousness.

The descendants of Ishmael refused to come to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because of their pride and have fallen for a lie that makes them feel special as they preach that it was Ishmael who is the son of promise.

Notice that it said that God now knew that Abraham feared God and would not hold back even his only Son from him. This is not the same Abram who said on two occasions that Sarai was his sister because he did not think that God would preserve him alive to keep his promises. Abraham has learned his lessons with age.

Jehovah-Jireh means the LORD (Jehovah) shall be seen. Yes, Jehovah was seen on that very Mountain 2000 years later as the Lamb of God which took away the sin of the world.

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

In Genesis 24:60 Laban told his sister to be the mother of thousands of millions and let her seed possess the gates of her enemies, just like God prophesied. How did Laban know what God told Abraham on Mount Moriah? Lucky guess? Naaah

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

Isaac is a type of the Messiah (the Lamb of God) who dies as an atonement for the sins of the world. Isaac does not die but he is intentionally not mentioned as coming back down with Abraham to fulfill the type of the Messiah not being seen again until later. (He is not mentioned again in Genesis until he sees his bride coming as he goes to meet her at the end of chapter Genesis 24.

Verse eighteen is a promise that the Messiah shall come from Abraham’s seed and bless the entire world with salvation if they will but call upon his name. Today Jew and Muslim alike are stiff-necked with pride and will not trust in the Messiah and be blessed.

Remember that I said that both Abraham and Isaac went up to the mountain together but if you notice here only Abraham is mentioned as coming down and we do not hear of Isaac again until the end of chapter twenty-four when Abraham (A Type of God the Father) sends his unnamed servant (a Type of the Holy Spirit) to get a bride for his Son (A Type of the Messiah).

20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abrahams brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Genealogies should never be ignored, there is always one or two nuggets in them. Here Rebekah is listed which of course later becomes Isaac's wife. Rebekah of course fulfills a major type or picture in scripture.

Isaac, a type of Christ, gets a Bride from his own family. Rebekah was Abraham’s brother’s granddaughter. Shemites, not Canaan’s or Japheth’s descendants.

Genesis Twenty-three

The Death of Sarah

This chapter needs very little commentary as it is very self-explanatory. Sarah will forever be remembered by all nations.

1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. 7And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. 8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. 10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. 13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. 16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. 17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure 18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

Hebron today is in the hands of the Palestinians and is a hotbed of terrorist activity. This activity has behind it a spiritual force that is led by the Devil. Demons are very territorial and will continue to fight throughout the ages to maintain the same piece of real estate.

Genesis Twenty-four

A Bride for his Son.

Here we see in this chapter a beautiful picture of God the Father (represented by Abraham) sending the Holy Spirit (the unnamed Servant) to get a bride for his Son (Jesus Christ) represented by Isaac.

The church has been called the Bride of Christ by many well-meaning individuals, but the term is never used in scriptures in association with the church which is Christ's body, but rather with the very Jewish City known as New Jerusalem, the Lamb's wife in Revelation 22.

1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

As we have seen earlier Abraham is a type of God the Father and here we have God's servant, a type of the Holy Spirit, being sent to find a bride for his son.

Often times you will see stories in which a prominent person in the story has his name go unmentioned as it is here to serve as a sign that this person is a type of someone.

Abraham’s servant is named earlier in Genesis 15:2 as Eliezer of Damascus. If Abraham is a type of God the Father, then who is his son? The Messiah is the only answer to such a question.

Who does Rebekah represent? She is a Gentile bride just as Ruth was that came to trust in the God of Abraham while she lived back in Nahor. If this offends you then ask yourself, who is a Jew?

A Jew is a descendant of Abraham, period! Since she is not a daughter of Abraham she is not a Jew, even though she is related, and she and her father believed in the one God that Abraham had told them all about after he had left Ur.

Notice also that Abraham did not want a bride for his son that worshiped other gods. Since two become one in a marriage God does not want us unequally yoked together with an unbeliever.

4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? 6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

The Son had to stay in the land among his own people because Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He came unto his own and his own received him not.

The Body of Christ however is not a person but rather a group of believers that are called out of this world as Rebekah was from Nahor, the city founded by Abraham and his father after leaving Ur of the Chaldees.

This is also a picture of the believer having the free will to choose to believe. Calvinist need to spend more time here.

7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my fathers house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

This servant had to take a wife from afar because if it would have been a Canaanite wife then the Canaanites would also be entitled to the land along with Abraham.

God had promised to take away the land of the Canaanites back in Noah's day when Ham, Canaan's father had seen Noah's nakedness.

8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

The Holy Spirit is the Servant of God. He is a person and not an impersonal force. He is one with God the Father and the Son. His leading was not irresistible!

10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

This servant had access to all the power and wealth that the Father had and used it in perfect harmony with Father Abraham, just as the Holy Spirit does today.

11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

Notice it is at the evening when the servant meets Rebekah. The Nation of Israel has had the whole light of the day to recognize the Messiah with the light of the scriptures as her guide, but she was willfully blind, and she killed many of the prophets that God had sent unto her to tell of his coming.

Today many are still ignorant of the words of the prophets concerning the Messiah. Their leaders are blind leaders of the blind.

12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

Notice in this story that the Son didn't pick whosoever he willed, but he was busy working for the Father, while the servant went and offered the son to Rebekah to accept by faith.

15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abrahams brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said,

Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

The Holy Spirit (represented by the unnamed servant) is in a hurry here to find a bride for his master’s Son.

21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy fathers house for us to lodge in? 24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. 25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. 26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. 27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my masters brethren. 28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mothers house these things.

Rebekah received of Abraham through his servant great riches, we also become joint heirs with Christ and of all he possesses once we become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. 30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sisters hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

Do you have room for God's servant to come and take up a dwelling place in your life? You must accept God's Son as your Redeemer before the Holy Spirit of God will take up residence within you.

32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the mens feet that were with him. 33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The Holy Spirit has a job to do today in drawing out a body for his master’s Son. He does not draw attention to himself but speaks only of the Son.

34 And he said, I am Abrahams servant. 35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. 36 And Sarah my masters wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. 37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: 38 But thou shalt go unto my fathers house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. 39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. 40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my fathers house: 41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath. 42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go; 43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; 44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my masters son. 45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. 46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. 47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahors son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. 48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had

led me in the right way to take my masters brothers daughter unto his son.

What is going on in these verses is that the Holy Spirit is testifying of the greatness of his Master just as this servant is testifying of his Master Abraham who is a type of God the Father.

49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy masters sons wife, as the LORD hath spoken. 52 And it came to pass, that, when Abrahams servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. 53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. 54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. 55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. 56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

Rebekah can say no as in verse fifty-eight, just as salvation is made available to all, there must be a willingness to accept the offer. Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.

59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abrahams servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

This blessing has truly come to pass and will find its ultimate fulfillment in the Millennial Kingdom.

61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi;

for he dwelt in the south country. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

Once again it is in the evening that the Groom meets his bride as the Gentiles which make up Christ's body come into these blessings long after the Jews have had the truth during the day.

It is interesting to note that God had Isaac at the well of Lahai-roi when his bride approached. This is the well where Hagar heard from God about Ishmael.

64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

Notice how Rebekah met her future husband, it was in humility, off her camel immediately, and covering her face. This is how we are to come to our Master in humility.

Notice that the Servant referred to the Son as his Master as well. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin and to point people to the Saviour. The servant first drew Rebekah to the Master and then he identified him to her before introducing her to the Master.

66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarahs tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mothers death.

This is a picture of how the Gentiles would one day be blessed as Children of Abraham by faith. Abraham is the Father of all of them that believe.

Genesis Twenty-five

His last Days

Did you ever wonder where Israel got all of her enemies? The Bible has the answers. Let’s look at the descendants of Abraham's third and final wife.

1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

Sheba, Dedan and Midian are in all in modern day Saudi Arabia. Many of the descendants of Abraham have been some of Israel's greatest enemies and yet God has seen them through just as he has promised.

5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

These descendants of Abraham and Keturah will one day unite to help defeat the descendants of Ishmael in the last days as predicted by Ezekiel in chapters 37-39.

Abraham and Isaac never possessed the city of Jerusalem, but their descendants would one day. Abraham had no certain dwelling place but rather lived in tents. Notice what Abraham did with his children that were not from Sarah, he sent them Eastward unto the east country. They were not to possess the land that Isaac was promised.

7 And these are the days of the years of Abrahams life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

One thing I failed to mention at the beginning of this study is that Abraham in his youth, that is prior to his leaving Ur of the Chaldees had the privilege to learn firsthand from his ancestors about the flood and the events prior to the flood.

Noah did not die until Abraham was between 58 - 60 years of age, and if he didn’t hear it directly from Noah he could have heard the story from his Great-Great Grandfather Shem who was still alive prior to Abraham’s departure from Ur of the Chaldees.

If I have lost you with this statement because it sounds absurd to you, then I invite you to check out the genealogical charts found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis and find out for yourself that it is backed up by the scriptures.

9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

* This field and cave are near the modern city of Hebron today. This was Abraham’s only land possession that is recorded in the scriptures up to this point and it was a burial plot not a place to live. The inheritance of the land would come a while later.

11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.

The Well of Lahai-roi is mentioned in Genesis 16 as the location of the place were God spoke to Hagar and announced the birth of Ishmael. Many of Ishmael's descendants have been blessed by a descendant of Isaac (the Messiah Jesus) but many have sadly been blinded by pride and hatred.

Many of Isaac’s descendants have also been blessed by believing in Jesus as the Messiah but many more for the same reasons as Ishmael's descendants have failed to come to the Messiah because of hatred towards many who claim to be Christians but who have persecuted Abraham's descendants.

Jesus had these words to say to the self-righteous Jew that trusted in himself that he was righteous just because of who he was:

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom (Jewish non-believers in Messiah) shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Just as there are many hypocrites in Judaism, and Islam, so are there in many of the Denominations of Christianity today. They are no more followers of the Jesus than my dog is.

A true believer in Jesus loves all and wants all to come to Messiah by faith and never by the way of the Sword.

Won't you trust Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection on your behalf alone for your salvation today? Salvation is through a person (Jesus), not a

religion. If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that he arose again the third day you shall be saved.

The End

· Web viewThe atheist would say, "Good riddance, we would be better off if he had never been born," but not the student of the word of God, because it is through Abram's seed

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