Part 7 - Book of Genesis

 

 

 

A story of two women

16.1-6 Sarai, Abram’s wife has been with Abram in Canaan for ten years and she has not borne him a son. She is worried by this and tells Abram to take her servant/maid and conceive an heir. Abram takes her maid, Hagar, and she bears him a son. After bearing Abram a son, Hagar now has feelings of superiority towards Sarai. Now Sarai blames Abram for making this mess! She demands Abram choose between her and Hagar. Abram tells Sarai that Hagar is her slave and she should do what she thinks is right. Sarai treats Hagar harshly and she runs away.

Abram was promised by God that he would have a son from his own issue, but Abram does not wait for Sarai to give birth, but listens to her and takes her slave. He had a moment of doubt and he acted on his own rather than waiting. In Proverbs 30.21,23 it says “the earth shudders” at three things, one of which is a slave girl who supplants her mistress. This was an earth shaking event as this child, Ishmael, is the father of the Arab nations which still are at odds with the nation of Israel unto this day. How many times have we acted on our own, not waiting for God, and made a mess of things like Abram did here?

16.7-11 Hagar runs away, and as she sits by a spring of water, an angel of the Lord appears to her and asks her where she is going. She tells him she has run away from her mistress Sarai. The angel tells her to go back and submit herself to Sarai. He tells her she shall have offspring too numerous to count if she obeys, that she should name her son Ishmael ,“God heeds”, as god has paid heed to her suffering.

God shows compassion and mercy on Hagar and tells her to return to her difficult situation. If she obeys, her offspring will be too numerous to count and she will be blessed. She is told to name the child Ishmael. From him would come the twelve tribes of today’s modern Arabs (Gen 25.12-18).


16.12-16 The angel continues to tell Hagar that Ishmael will be a wild ass of a man and will fight against everyone and everyone will fight with him as he dwells among his kinsmen. Hagar proclaims that she has seen God and lived! From then on that well or spring was known as “The well of him that lives and sees me.” Hagar goes back and bears Abram’s son Ishmael. Abram is eighty-six years old when Ishmael is born.

God blesses Abram’s offspring through Hagar. There is a blessing and a purpose for the Arab people’s through this promise of God that will yet be fulfilled.

It is also true that the Arabs are wild and even fight among themselves unto this day. Shiite and Sunni Muslims are always at odds.

Abrahamic covenant

17.1-3 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appears to him and says, I am El Shaddai, Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

El Shaddai also means, “God, the One of the Mountain.” God tells Abram to walk blamelessly--to obey and not try to make things work out the way you think it should be worked out. (Hagar and Ishmael.)

17.4-8 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

The change in name from Abram to Abraham also signifies a change in destiny. The childless couple will now become the ancestors of many nations, including royalty. Abraham means, “father of a multitude.”

17.9-14 God tells Abraham that he and his descendants are to keep covenant with Him. The sign of this covenant will be circumcision of the male foreskin. This will be the sign of the covenant between Abraham and God and all Abraham’s offspring. Throughout the generations the male child shall be circumcised on the eighth day of life. In addition, all slaves and strangers bought with money in the household must be circumcised. This is the mark of the covenant--those who refuse shall be cut off from their kin.

God continues to make covenant with Abraham, now passing a covenant sign down to the coming generations. I have read that it is medically proven that a baby is most healthy on the eighth day of life and that this is the best time to circumcise a child.

The eighth day

Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day)." Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: our Creator is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day. Another related explanation: Sukkot is a holiday intended for all of mankind, but when Sukkot is over, the Creator invites the Jewish people to stay for an extra day, for a more intimate celebration.

In a traditional Jewish wedding, the bride and bridegroom spend an extra day to “linger together” after the wedding guests have left. This symbolizes the bride (church) and bridegroom (Jesus) spending time together at the end of the age. We see the eighth day has many other shadow meanings.

17.15-17 God tells Abraham that He is changing Sarai’s name to Sarah which means “princess.” God is going to bless her and her offspring will give rise to nations and kings. Abraham throws himself face down on the ground before God and laughs to himself, “Can a man who is 100 years old have a baby with a woman who is 90 years old?”

17.18-22 Abraham asks God if Ishmael might live by His favor and God tells him Sarah’s son will be named Isaac and the everlasting covenant shall be with him. The Lord tells Abraham he is going to bless Ishmael and that he will have 12 tribes of descendants--but the covenant is to be maintained through Isaac. Then God was gone from Abraham--he left.

Ishmael is blessed--but we know the covenant is with what today we call the Jewish people. Ishmael inherits a large portion of the Abrahamic promise--but only Isaac inherits the covenant and the promise of the land.

17.23-27 Abraham takes Ishmael at the age of 13, and all his household and they are all circumcised on that day--even Abraham at the age of 99 years old.


Conception of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

18.1-8 As the day grew hot Abraham is sitting at the entrance to his tent when the Lord appears to him. Looking up, Abraham sees three men standing near him. Abraham runs over and greets them and bowing down he invites them to stay and bath, eat, and drink. He tells them he will bring them a “morsel” to eat. The men agree and Abraham hastens to tell Sarah to quickly make cakes of flour. Then he has a servant prepare a calf and sets curds and milk (yogurt) in front of them to eat as they wait for the main course.

Abraham knows the Lord when he sees him! He is excited and has them stay and refresh. The three men represent the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost--the triune God. Abraham tells them he will bring them a “morsel” to eat but runs and makes elaborate preparations. He is expecting a word from God.

18.9-15 The men ask where Sarah is. Abraham says she is in the tent. One of the men say they will return next year and Sarah will have a son. Sarah, who is quite old, is listening near the tent door and laughs when she hears she will have a son next year (she is about 90 years old). The Lord says to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? She will truly bear a child--is anything too hard for the Lord?” Sarah denies she laughed but the Lord says, “You did laugh.”

18.16-21 When the men leave Abraham walks a ways to see them off. They look of towards Sodom and Gomorrah and the Lord decides to tell Abraham something. The Lord is going to speak to Abraham because Abraham is to become a great and prosperous nation and has been singled out to instruct his children the way of the Lord. The Lord tells him that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is so bad that they may have to be destroyed.

God is treating Abraham as a prophet and is revealing His secrets to him. God is looking for a specific reaction from Abraham.

18.22-33 The two men continue and Abraham and the Lord have a conversation. Abraham humbly asks the Lord if He is going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? Abraham pleads with the Lord for justice and mercy. Abraham starts out asking if fifty innocent are in the cities will God spare them? God replies the for fifty innocent He will spare all. Abraham continues pleading for mercy until he has God promise not to destroy the cities if a mere ten innocent people are there. God agrees to spare them if ten innocent people live there.

The Lord wanted to see if Abraham had a heart of mercy. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded for God’s mercy on the innocent. The Lord must have been pleased with Abraham’s heart. The Lord desires that we too plead in prayer for our country and for His mercy on mankind. The righteous effect deliverance for the entire community.


Next: Part 8