Read-Post Through the Bible

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 6)  And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
 
V.2 “ daughters of men that they were fair.” The degree of the effects of the ravages of sin such was later seen in proceeding centuries  with  it's famines and plagues which affect both health and beauty, had not yet been so realized and the condition of all females might have been that they all were “fair.”  But “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (Gn. 31:30).

What is meant by “the sons of God”  who  took them wives of all which they chose is a cause of disagreement among commentators. I would say that only two real possibilities should be considered,  1st being that this refers to fallen angels, such as is indicated in Job. 1:6; 2:1; 38:3; Dan. 3:25, with the 2nd position being that this refers to the Godly line of Seth. The main objection to the 1st postulation is that demons cannot take on human flesh. While we do not fully know what manner of being the anti-Christ shall be, i do no think the manner of copulation by these beings here necessitates that they were formally incarnated, but that they could have inhabited human bodies as in the case of demon possessions. The Gadarene demonic (Mk. 5:4) who was bound with with fetters and chains,  plucked asunder the former and broke the fetters in pieces, and perhaps that explains the extra-ordinary size and strength of the offspring of these “sons of God (which is set in contrast to the “daughters of men” of the giants and “men of renown.” As for the 2nd position, if the line of Seth were Godly, why is it said that only Noah found grace in God's sight?

V.3  “My spirit shall not always strive with man...” This is an important verse to remember in dealing with sinful unrepentant souls and countries.  Evidently God gave man 120 years to repent during which time Noah, a “preacher of righteousness” (1 Pt. 2:5) was building the ark.

V.6 “it grieved Him at His heart.” In contrast to the distant, capricious deities or unfeeling gods of so many other religions, the God of the Bible is one that is both Almighty, holy and just, and one that does not need anything (Act 17:25), yet  He is one whose eye is not only on the sparrow but on the children of men, and who heart is expressed in emotion in accordance with His immutable word, and  who offers sacrificial mercy and grace to those who will repent, and reveals Himself in personal and often spiritually intimate ways to those that seek Him.  Here in Gn. 6, the world over which man was given stewardship, is become  “filled with violence,” as the “imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” so much so that it “repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth.” I will not here (and maybe cannot) seek to go into on how we might reconcile this with the foreknowledge of God and His Sovereignty, but both God's omnipotence and omniscience as well as man's rebellion are evident in Scripture.  Though the goodness of God should have led the souls of Noah's day to repentance” (Rm. 2:4), they went on still in their rebellion, like souls today who are in days like unto “days of Noah,” but Noah's generation were yet wicked to a more extreme universal degree (somewhat like a universal Hollywood?), breaking God's good laws and misusing the good things which He gave us for our own good. Now His just wrath shall of necessity be executed, and no man shall stay it, but those who find safety in the Ark, which is a figure of Christ, shall find refuge and salvation. 

V.7ff. Time does not allow me today to go into substantiating why i hold the flood to be universal, nor how all kinds of animals (and by what criteria a “kind” is defined) could fit into the ark (or “barge”) that Noah was commanded to make. However, as i recall, the word for “pitch” that sealed the ark is the same as for covering, such as the blood of the unblemished Lamb of God that covers the sins of those who repent and believe on the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise be to God.

V.18 “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.” This is seems to be what 1Cor. 7:14 speaks of. 

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 7)  And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. 17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

[daniel1212av]

The Biblical account of the flood has parallels in other ancient oracles, such as the Sumerian myth of Ziusudra and the Babylonian poem “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” which, although they are distortions of the original, testify to an epic cataclysmic flood. No less than 200 cultures worldwide tell of a legendary flood upon the earth. In America, the Hopi Indians told a story to early Spanish explorers that was similar to the story of Noah's Ark. 
 
The effects of the flood are a key element in young earth science, and which must be examined in pages beyond this one. http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/sizeark.htm deals with how the ark could have carried it's cargo etc. http://www.theoutlaws.com/unexplained9.htm adds to that testimonies of people who have claimed to see the ark. http://www.worldwideflood.com/ark/anti_broaching/anti-broaching.htm shows different techniques for preventing capsizing (and why must one assume that extremely rough seas had to occur?).  And John Morris and Ken Ham, respectively, respond many questions that pertain to the flood and Genesis overall: http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=type&ID=3 http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/flood.asp
On the Number of animals: http://www.ldolphin.org/cisflood.html (overall good resource).
 
V. 1. The LORD is faithful to keep His promises, including the sure judgment (negatively) of the wicked (and such were all of we); “Thine hand [JESUS] shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them” Ps. 21:8, 9). Gn. 6  records a judgment by water, but the future one will be by fire (2 Pt. 3). But the Lord is also faithful to deliver those that fear Him:  “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psa 97:10). Not that we may expect to be delivered out of every trial or persecution on the earth, for such is promised us who will live Godly (2 Tim. 3:12), but we can both see the Lord work providentially and supernaturally in sustaining us during trials, as well as in deliverance from them, as He is both our strength and our salvation (Ps. 62). Hebrews 11:32-38 manifests there are two aspects of faith; that which believes God for deliverance and the other that enables us to endure suffering which is in accordance with God's will (1 Pt. 1:6) as we await deliverance. And the final and most sure deliverance is that of eternal salvation for those who truly do trust (and thus follow) the Lord Jesus (Jn. 10:27, 28). “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power” (Rv. 20:6).

V. 2 “Of every clean beast.” Here, for the first time, is mentioned the two categories of beasts, that which was clean and fit for sacrifice and that which was unclean. This is part of the larger Biblical doctrine of separation. And those who, because of their faith in Christ, have “separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God” (Neh. 10:28), to walk in holy liberty under the New covenant, will one day judge  men and angels (Lk. 22:30; 1 Cor. 6:3; 2Cor. 6:14-18). “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not (Mal. 3:18; cf. Heb. 5:14). The revelation here that Noah knew of clean and unclean] animals indicates that there was an oral and likely some sort of written tradition of holy laws which would later be completed and codified by Moses.

V.3 “Of fowls also of the air by sevens...”  “But what was the use of the seventh? It was manifestly reserved for sacrifice” – JFB.  As well as for possibly food. 

“the male and his female..” Noah was spiritually, not politically, correct. It it also reasonable to assume that like as the effects of sin after the fall were progressively realized, so it is likely, and i think almost certain, that the degree of enmity between man and beast, and between animals themselves which we now realize was unknown then, making it far easier for  Noah and family to round up even normally viscous animals, and for them to live together. And considering that Noah had 120 years to prepare, it might be also reasonably assumed that Noah + Co. may have started the original wildlife refuge in the many years leading up to boarding. And even more certain would be that they usually would have taken the youngest of the larger kinds of animals into the ark, which he would have had experience with according to the preceding theory.  It is estimated that the average size of the animals was about the size of a small sheep or even rabbit.

As for food, the Ark would have had a gross volume of about 1.5 million cubic feet, and total floor space of around 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²). Animals, like man, are actually designed by God top be able to go long periods with little food if little expenditure is required, and the later would be the case on the ark. The most pressing need would be for water, which certainly was abundant – outside, and could have been gathered via the window (6:16) somehow and collected and distributed daily inside.

“V. 4 “will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” The destruction of the flood was that which was on the land and in the air.

V.5 “And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” Noah was a “just” man; one whose faith worked by love (Gal. 5:6) in obeying God. Thus He found grace in the sight of the Lord.

V.13  Noah and his family entered the ark. “..that is, eight souls were saved by water” – 1Pet. 3:20.  It is in this later verse that we see that the flood was a type, or figure, of baptism, which itself is a figure, that of an example of death (and which symbolism is thus properly illustrated by immersion); but it is the faith which baptism both demands and manifests that saves, in the primary sense of salvation (Rm. 4).

V.16 “And the LORD shut him in.” This is not to be missed.  Jesus, not Peter, is “the door,” who keeps the sheep gate.  By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (Jn. 10:9) and  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  I am the door:  If you are not “shut in” with Jesus, then you must forever be shut out of His kingdom, into a place completely opposite in experience, yet the same in duration (Mt. 8:12; 25:41, 46; Rv. 20:10-15).

V.19b, 20b  “...all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered” ... “and the mountains were covered.”This hardly fits the description of a local flood. The height of mountains we know not, but they can grow.

V.23 “And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground.” apart from Noah and family, this was it. Even birds must be able to find food and rest. 

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 8 )  And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

[daniel1212av]

V. 1 “God remembered Noah...” Not that God forgets, but now turns His attention to act in behalf of His  servant whom God has beholden of a long time. Noah was a type  “faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season”  (Luke 12:42), and the time is come for his deliverance from this special ministerial task, in which Noah saw the evident hand of God. The superintendence of the Lord is that which is manifested in every ministry that the Lord has planted, and is   what every faithful servants of God needs and will realize as they seek His kingdom and righteousness, and walk in His will, though such ministry often requires patience.

V. 2 “The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped.”  The extent of the geological and climatological changes which the flood entailed were extraordinary, the effects of which rendered the earth dramatically different than before.

V.4b “..upon the mountains of Ararat.” Not singular but a group of mountains now in E. Turkey. But the strongest evidence for it's existence is that it is on Arafat, and which Josephus seemed to be refer to, and who  claimed that the ark still existed in his day. However, one Arabic historian stated that the final remains of the Ark were taken away around 1000 A.D.
V.7 “and he sent forth a raven.” The significance of the raven and the dove has puzzled many but i concur with many in that the meat-seeking raven, which loved the world so much that it did not return, most likely refers to the carnal heart which lusts for the things of this world, and seeks not rest in the ark; Whereas the dove found fruit of the tree, and returned to it's rest in the Ark of Refuge. “ So he that is spiritual seeks spiritual fruit (Rm. 1:13), and finds rest for his souls in Christ. “O that I had wings like a dove, to flee to him!” (Psa_55:6).

V.14 “in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.,..”  “assuming a lunar calendar of 360 days, Noah was on the ark for approximately 370 days.” http://www.gotquestions.org/Noahs-ark-questions.html. “Between the second month's seventeenth day [Gn. 6:10] and the seventh month's seventeenth day were 150 days. Thus five months averaging thirty days each were involved. A very regular order in the "very good" (Genesis 1:31) is implied. Today's 365¼ day year must be an altered remnant of created order. “ – John Morris, Ph.D.

V.16 “Go forth of the ark...” Noah the just man, and “preacher of righteousness,” who likely endured “the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud” (Ps. 123:4) for close to a hundred years (Gn. 5:32; 7:11) in building the ark, now is brought forth with his family out of his unique trial of labor. Such an example of the Lord's faithfulness to perform that which He has promised, and Noah's example of faith in Him, gives encouragement and motivation to others who labour under heavy burdens: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not., that due season we shall reap, if we faint not” Gal. 6:9). Though we suffer persecution from without because we look for a better resurrection - “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you” (1 Pt. 4:4) – like Noah, the righteous shall one day victoriously rest from their labours, while the wicked shall shall have no rest from their torments (Rv. 14:11, 13). For which we must pray and seek the salvation of, while it is still called To day.”

“v.20 "And Noah builded an altar..” ”..offered burnt offerings..” This is one part that is often left out from the  story books. Noah's first act after his deliverance was to worship the Lord, offering in sacrifice that in which was blood and valuable, and as the record of Noah's worship shows, such was not an adopted from pagan's but vice versa.  Animals (like nature in general) are neither to be worshiped nor tormented, but are ordained by God, to be used of man in serving the Lord who made them. Here, as in after the whole law was formally given, clean animals were ceremoniously slain on the altar, and which animals provided a temporary atonement, awaiting the coming of the perfect and sinless Lamb of God which take away the sins of the world” (Jn. 1:29), but which those which believe are redeemed”with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:, “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pt. :18). Blessed be God.

V.22 That the present earth shall one day be destroyed, to be replaced by a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Pt. 313), is clear, but what is also indicated by this verse is that of either the continuation or beginning of 4 temperate seasons.

Additional note: The ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet deep, which would have been built using advanced (in regards to 18th century) techniques.  As the pyramids testify, ancients often demonstrated remarkable intelligence, but i expect that Noah was also supernaturally gifted. May we, by His grace, both seek to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pt. 4:10), and by His strength serve others today to His glory. 

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 9)  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. 18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

[daniel1212av]

“And God blessed Noah..”  God is a God of blessing, and “the blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Prv. 10:22). But with blessing comes responsibility, and here it is, “ Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 

V.2 “And the fear of you and the dread of you..” Up until now, the animosity and general universal fear of man by creature under man was not instilled Though the degree of this fear is not universal, all animals now  must be tamed if they are to be of direct use by man.

V.3 “every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you.” Up until now man and animals had been  vegetarians (Gn. 1:29, 30). 

V.4 “but flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” Here is the 1st of the oft repeated injunction against eating blood. 

V.6 “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”  Whereas before Cain escaped death, now capital punishment is ordained for those guilty of murder (which under the law, would require 2 or 3 the eye witnesses, who would suffer the same penalty if they caused death by false testimony). This is necessary to preserve life, as it recognizes that life is so valuable that the ultimate physical penalty is required as a deterrent against the unjust, unlawful destruction of it. This law is part of what is called (by dispensationalists) the dispensation of human government, in which we see implementation of new laws, and which would later be expanded upon and codified under Moses. The execution of this law requires recognition of a government with civil powers, which we will see manifested in the developing history of man in the Bible. .

V.7 “And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply..” Again, we see this command and exhortation, and the Bible is a “pro-life” Book.

V.9-11 “I establish my covenant...” with Noah and his posterity,  and with every living creature that was with him. “either shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood.” Here is one of the strongest evidences that the flood was global. Notice how important is the word “all,” for whereas devastating local floods would and have occurred, never again would there be a global flood, but the final and necessary destruction will be by fire (2 Pet. 3). And in the spiritual  aspect of punishment, in Hell, they most abundant thing on earth (water), is the most coveted. While in the Heavenly City, stones which are precious and rare shall be common (Rv. 21). And “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?. See Rm, 12:1, 2. To God be the glory). 
 
V.13 “I do set my bow in the cloud..” This rainbow was ordained by God as a sign of His perpetual covenant, between God and the earth, “between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh”.

V.18 “the sons of Noah” were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham was the father of Canaan. The past note of prologue to what is to follow.

V.20 “Noah began to be an husbandman.” Noah became a farmer man of the soil, and as such he is vocationally married to the earth, which brings forth a vineyard, which brought forth grapes, which, being squeezed brought forth juice that fermented, and of which Noah drinks and becomes drunk. This does not indicate  that Noah had any kind of habit, but rather that this was the first time Noah was in such a condition, and that it was accidental. I would even posit that perhaps a rapid fermentation of grapes occurred that was an unknown thing before the dramatic climatically changes occurred to the flood.

Vs.22-24   “...Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without...” And Noah “knew what his younger son had done unto him..” The sin, or sins of Ham was not an accidental seeing of his father's nakedness, but an evident irreverent delight in it, and the publishing of Noah's shameful state to others. But the later words that Noah “knew what his son had done unto him” may indicate that Ham committed an unnatural act as well, as seeing one's nakedness is used elsewhere as an euphemism for sexual activity; but the former sins are the most clearly evidenced were sufficient for the penalty imposed.   Ham has disobeyed the 5th commandment to “honor thy father.., and to “rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32), and in a specificaly disobeyed Lv. 18:7; “The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover”,  as   well as others (and which also must include our hearts). In Ham we see the first pornographer and possibly homosexual.   

v.25 “And he said, Cursed be Canaan..” God is a God who also curses, and here God as places ”the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Ex. 347), so the of Canaan would be a servant of servants shall unto his brethren, with his posterity for generations being overall subject to servitude. Like in the case of  Adam, we are subject to (and subject others to) the consequences of sinful actions, as well as becoming (or making others) the beneficiaries of blessing procured by obedience to Almighty God. We are all born with a fallen nature, which God takes into account and gives grace of overcome, while on the other hand we in America (as an example) have also entered into “other men's labours” and enjoy blessings others do not, and “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Lk. 12:48). It is my opinion, in accordance with the principal of Ezek. 18:20,  that this does not mean that the posterity of parents are actually being punished for their sins as if the children were guilty, or rewarded is if they were just,  rather we cannot escape affecting others to varying degrees by our actions, whether they be for good or evil. But “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”, and we in Christ can become overcomer's  by faith and obedience to God which “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son“ (Col. 1:13). To God be the glory! .

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 10)  Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. 13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. 15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. 21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

[daniel1212av]

V.1 “Now these are the generations..” As noted before, the Lord provides us periodically in Scripture with genealogies, and here is what is called “The Table of Nations,” as part of the original “Roots.” Though many liberal “scholars” give little credence to this in keeping with their general unbelief, it does in fact provide us with the origin of nations after the Flood. In the previous chapter, God has twice reaffirmed His directive to “be fruitful and multiply,” and that of sons of Noah  “was the whole earth overspread”, and this chapter provides basic details of that, including the “liberal” pagan line of Ham (via Nimrod), whose sins possibly included one which perverts the procreation purpose, among other things. 

V.5  “..every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” As initially all the people were “one” (Gn. 11:6), this refers to the dispersion after the confusion of tongues. I have not studied much about the peoples that the sons of Noah were progenitors of, and which involves some speculation as to their modern nations, but here is a link to Ken Ham's page concerning such.
  http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i4/noah.asp  THis one has a nice genealogical tree: http://www.ldolphin.org/ntable.html

V.8 “And Cush begat Nimrod..” the renowned hunter and builder of Babylon, and from which it may be said that all the false religions began, although in Gn. 11 all seem to be guilty of unholy aspirations to self glory. Much has been written in speculation about Nimrod, which i will not seek to add to here, suffice to say that his tribe  has increased to the point where it is the dominant religion and spirit in colleges and the media (etc.) in America today.   

V.25  “..Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided..” We do not want to mis this, as it likely refers to the breaking up continents, of continental drift via catastrophic plate tectonics.  http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c001.html.

V. 32b “...and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” Acts 17:26, 27 affirms and adds, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.”  Here we see that both the scattering of peoples “after his tongue, after their families” as well as their residency were ordained of God, yet that they were not all abandoned to perdition, but that they should “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Is. 55:6), and “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

Meanwhile, as the church, which has found safety in the Ark of Refuge (Christ!) is also called to go forth and multiply, we must take heed to spiritually “cleave unto the Lord” “with purpose of heart” (Acts 11:23), that the disciples we make may grow up into Christ in all things (Eph. 4:15), rightly “holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God” (Col. 219). To God be the glory. .

[daniel1212av]

[3-2-07] (Gen 11)  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's 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. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

[daniel1212av]

Vs 1a-2b “.. the whole earth was of one language..” “....they found a plain in the land of Shinar;..” The vast scope of man's ability to creatively communicate via language is another attribute that distinguishes him from animals, and God has gifted each to suit him according to their respective purposes. As language, like many other things,  is a tool, it can be used can be used for good or evil. ”Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (Ja. 3:10). It is the heart that determines which it shall be (Mt. 12:42), and the although the earth was purified, the heart of man remained the same, and the ability for all mankind in a small area to all speak one language became a tool for evil, more than good.  Meanwhile, the land of Shinar is that of Babylon and is evidently where modern day Iraq is: http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaHistory_of_Babylonia.htm.

V.4b “let us make us a name...” Mans' desire to exalt himself, like that of the devil's, is only to his own detriment, and when God, who does not need anything, commands us to love Him above all else, it is for our own good. The tower that would reach into Heaven was likely like that of the pyramids, and which reveals the intelligence and strength primitive man possessed, which he sadly chose to use for the evil imaginations of  his heart.   

Vs.6+7 “the people is one,..” “,,let Us go down,..” The former is a composite unity, which is what i see in the latter, as in “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,..” and “who will go for us?” (Gn. 1:26; Is. 6:.

V.8 “they left off to build the city.” They left off building due to confusion of languages, and any such worldwide communal effort by mankind would have to wait for another day, for man, aided by the universal decimal language of computers and the web, to so globally manifest the evil imaginations of his heart and exalt himself as if he were God.   

V.9 “Therefore is the name of it called Babel” (confused).

V.11a+32a “And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years [600 tot.],..”  “..the days of Terah were two hundred and five years..” The is an evident gradual decrease in antediluvian longevity, till Moses would write, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:2). May we thus work the works of Him that sent us while it is day, for the night cometh, when no man can work (cf. Jn. 9:4; 1 Cor. 7:29-31). “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Perhaps never before has such a nation as America had so much gospel truth available – with perversions of it – with the freedom and ability  to share it worldwide, with so little response proportional to those that claim it.  May i respond and do more myself for Jesus by His grace. 

[daniel1212av]

3-3-07 (Gen 12)  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 show thee: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

[daniel1212av]

V.1 "..Get thee out of thy country .... unto a land that I will show thee.."  "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" " (Luke 14:33). The call of God is one that requires faith and those who heed it will see the Lord faithful as they trust and and obey. The the call of Christ to discipleship necessitates forsaking all, not always literally but i every case the honest surrendering and consecrating of all of our time, talent and treasure unto the Lord; in the light of the cross upon which Christ gave His all for us, and upon which cross we are to place our “old man” and the world, that we might live unto God (Rm. 6; Gal. 6:14). Such forsaking and consecrating with be tested, and how often this living sacrifice crawls off the altar, but those who trust and obey will see the Lord work in ways unknown to others, and will receive the promises of the Lord for such obedience.

V.2 "And I will make of thee a great nation.."  The spiritual counterpart to this is again found in the New Testament under Christ, “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30).

It is faith in the Lord Jesus that saves, but faith worketh by love, and shall be rewarded in addition to eternal life (1 Cor. 3:11-15).  How succinctly is the exchange Christ call us to summed up in the words of the martyred missionary, Jim Elliott, “He is not fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.”  http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b4jelliot6ra.htm 

V.3 "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." And indeed the Jewish race has been a blessing – and  among the foremost persecutors of Christ and His followers, – but also His most fervent followers. Yet  spiritually only of those who place Abrahamic type faith in the Christ of the Biblical “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24b; cf. Jn. 8:44; Rm. 1:28, 29) are the children of God, and thus they follow Him.

V.4b "...and Lot went with him:.."  Lot is somewhat of an enigma, but stands for the carnal Christian, one who showed some fruits of salvation amid his often carnal disposition and choices, and his history reveals both his merciful preservation as well as the unnecessary problems he caused for to himself and others.

V.5 "and all their substance...”  This stands in contrast to Christ's call to mission in the gospels, in which a literal forsaking of goods and kindred was required for a time (Mt. 4:21, 22; Mk. 10:28; 1 Cor. 9:5ff).

V.6 “And the Canaanite was then in the land.” The Lord's call to follow Him is not in some sort of repristinated earth, such as will come, rather He sends us forth as “lambs among wolves” (Lk. 10:3), “with persecutions,”  (the experience of which much of the contemporary church seems to think is a sign of a lack of love,  and much seeks to avoid).

V.7 "..and there builded he an altar unto the LORD.who appeared unto him."  "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). The apostle Paul's response to the revelation of God, like that of  Abram's, was worship and obedience. May it be thus with us in all our ways.

V.8 "and he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel." The latter means “house of God” and stands for being in the place of God's blessing and will.

V.9 "Abram went down into Egypt.." Due to famine, Abram seeks sustenance Egypt, which is manifestly revealed as a type of the world, and thus begins a pattern of souls seeking refuge in the enemies campfire during times of hardship.

V.12a “..when the Egyptians shall see thee..” Perhaps this is a minor incident that the apostle Paul could have referred to when he warned those who would get married, “such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you” (1 Cor. 7:28). In any case it reveals the fallibility of man, as we see the faithlessness of Abram, who would become our father in faith, in seeking to make Sarai only his sister out of fear for his own life.

Vs.14-17 Notice however the protection God placed upon His elect servant and his wife. Abram must have assumed that they were lambs among wolves, and thus he must use guile, as Sarai was an attractive women, but not only was God's grace seen in Pharaoh treating Abram fairly, but God plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, lest he lay his hand upon His anointed Sarai. Unlike today, the ruler did not reckon such to judgments as mere coincidence, but recognized it as the evident hand of Deity, and in response “sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had” (v.20b). It is a grievous thing when the lost must reprove the elect, who have not sought the Lord in a matter, and out of fear of men have chosen their own devices of deliverance. And such are some of us. Wherefore it is written, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Prov 3:5-6).

[daniel1212av]

[3-5-07] (Gen 13)  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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

[daniel1212av]

Vs.1-4 Abram's time in Egypt (which often represents worldly strength), where he went due to famine and lack of faith and fellowship with God, has been somewhat of a chastising experience, though one in which God's care of him was yet manifest. Just because we may get some blessings when we have strayed from God's will does not mean we should presume upon His grace, which goodness should lead us to repentance. Had Abram gone to Egypt after being plainly warned not to go (cf. Jer. 42; Is. 30:2), or in search for sinful pleasures his chastisement would have been more severe. It is not mentioned that Abram worshiped the Lord in Egypt, but when he returns from the “world” back to the place where he evidently got out of God's will then Abram calls upon the name of the Lord.

Vs. 5-12 Lot evidently was wealthy as well as Abram, and the flock had grown too large for one place, and in the events that follow we see another contrast between the spirituality of two individuals. Those under “pastors” Abram and Lot had already had strife with each other due to need for pasture (the Canaanite and the Perizzite also dwelled then in the land), and this situation had all the making of strife between Abram and Lot. Had Abram contended for his “right” or preference, this would have been the case, but Abram graciously offers that Lot chose first whatever land he thought best. The Lord Jesus dealth with this in Luke 12:13-15 “And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

This situation also finds a New Testament parallel in 1 Cor. 6: “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (v.7).

Vs. 10 – 13  Though we seek unity, choices must be allowed of people, and division is sometime necessary: “For there must be also heresies [sects] among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1Cor. 11:19). Lot then, walking by sight and not be faith, chose what appears to be best materially, but not spiritually. “Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”Abram, operating on a higher plain, will end up being the one that is more truly blessed, and the rescuer of his  nephew.

V. 10b. ...as the garden of the LORD,...” Here is another confirmation of the literal account of Gen. 2.

V. 14 “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him...”  Having surrendered up the best land to Lot, who chose the best of what what he could see, after the holy separation the Lord blesses Abram with all the that he could see land “northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; the north of the land of Canaan was Mount Lebanon, the south of it Edom or Idumea, the east the plain and river of Jordan, the west the Mediterranean sea; and the word for "westward" here is "to the sea" (c); northward of it was Babylon, southward Egypt, eastward Arabia, and westward the Mediterranean sea” (Gill). 

V. 15b ..”for I will give it unto thee and to thy seed for ever.”  The word  for “ever” can mean till the end of an era , as in “shall be thy servant forever” (Dt. 15:17b),  but more often it means eternity, as in “from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Ps. 90:2). Or “Trust982 ye in the LORD3068 forever:5704, 5703 for3588 in the LORD3050 JEHOVAH3068 is everlasting5769 strength:6697” (Isa 26:4).

That this land perpetually legally can be claimed by the physical decedents of Abraham seems confirmed by Scripture and history, but even more certain is that of all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3) belonging to the spiritual posterity of Abraham, and of eternity in the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:10).

V. 18 “..and built there an altar unto the LORD.” A mark of great men of God is that of humility and dependence upon God, rendering heartfelt thanksgiving and worship to God, as they overall “acknowledge the Lord in all their ways.”  The lack of this often convicts me, as even the activity for the kingdom of God (among other things) can take upon a life of it's own, but the Lord must be both  our strength and our song.  Bless the Lord o my soul.