Read-Post Through the Bible

[daniel1212av]

[3-6-07] (Gen 14)  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 Elparan, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. 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, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 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 king's dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 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 shoelatchet, 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.

[daniel1212av]

Vs. 1-12 Four kings against five kings, with the latter being defeated and their goos taken. The pertinence is that Abram's  nephew and his family and goods were among those taken.

V. 13 “And there came one that had escaped...” Like the men who lowered Paul down by ropes to escape the city (Acts 27:32), unnamed “soldiers” in Scripture often play a necessary part in the deliverances and victories of others by the hand of the Lord.

V. 13b “...and these were confederate with Abram.” Though these men were likely pagan, Godly Abram had a covenantal relationshiop with them as far as dwelling in the land and evidently defending it.

V. 14a he armed his trained servants,..” This is extremely notable as it reveals the first instance of the formation of an army and the use of such in war by  a man of God, and as such it reveals the part of the criteria for a “just” war. Though Lot had made an unwise and prayerless choice,  and as such his loss could be considered chastisement, yet he had lawfully settled in an established state,  and there was evidently no reason (outside of lust for possessions and prestige) for the four kings, Amraphel, Arioch,  Ellasar and Tidal, to invade and spoil the land. Yet Abram would not have interceded except for the fact that his brethren were attacked and held captive.

V. 14b “..three hundred and eighteen,...” There is no number of how large a host Abram was attacking, but considering that he was fighting four kings, it would certainly seem that Abram would have been vastly outnumbered, which is usually the case in which men of God win wars with the Lord's help.

V. 15a  “..by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah...”  Battles by men of God in Scripture   manifest the use of strategies and tend to victories, not ending in stalemates or armistices.

V. 16a  “And he brought back all the goods...” Abram's purpose was not to gain more than he had, but to simply recover that which was lost. 

V. 18  “And Melchizedek king of Salem..” Enter the most mysterious (i think) man in Scripture, who is only mentioned 2 other times (Ps. 104:4, Heb. 7:1ff), and “to whom 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” (Heb 7:2-3).

By Salem, pr Shalom, Jerusalem is meant. Melchizedek is remarkable in that he was a NOT priest  of any of the pagan Phoenician gods, but of the most high God, the true and living God of Creation and Scripture. I cannot now deal with the his absence of genealogy which Hebrews states, suffice to say that this king was a type of the Saviour, the Lord and king Jesus.  And we who believe in Him are made a “royal priesthood” (1 Pt. 2:9). For further reading, Barnes, among others available in the e-sword (.net) modules, gives a good overview of this chapter, as does K+D of  Melchizedek in particular.

V. 20 “And he gave him tithes of all.” And so sets forth the principal of giving to the Lord out of our increase, as Prv. 3:9 exhorts, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” And here Abram gives 10% of ALL to the Lord, as is the case in Biblical tithing, and not just money. Yet we are not to focus on a 10% tithe as our reasonable service in giving, but to the cross and to Christ, “who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” (Ps. 116:12). 100% really belongs to the Lord, and if a preacher focuses on 10%, he may get 2%, but it he  preaches cross, he ought to get the heart of true believers, and all that the Lord directs them to give to the work of the Lord and diligent servants in it. “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Cor. 8:5). Indeed, the Lord said  “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees [who tithed over 10%], ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:20).  Though everyone who is justified by faith in Christ has His imputed righteousness (Rm. 4), an evidence of such faith is a practical righteousness, of which voluntary sacrificial giving as unto the Lord, and in accordance with what we have, is a part of (2 Cor. 8, 9), versus the often hypocritical, or merely outward righteousness that characterized the Pharisees.

Vs. 23, 24  “I will not take from a thread.... Save only that which the young men have eaten,.”..”let them take their portion.” Abram again manifests his propriety and utter lack of covetousness, and care for others and putting them above care for himself, when he might have made personal gain of grace given to him. And formal Christian ministry is not to be a “business,” of making profits off the grace of God, but it is to be one of faith, in which we trust our Almighty God to provide for His work which He called us into, as we trust and obey Him in accordance with Mt. 6:33. It has been my experience (in a small faith tract and counseling ministry) that if and as we are diligent to care of the business (peoples needs etc.) coming in the “front door” and seek to be like Him, then He will bring the basic “deliveries” needed to do such in the rear door, to  keep things flowing and growing (Prv. 27:23-27). Praise ye the Lord! 

[daniel1212av]

[3-7-07] (Gen 15) 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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: 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 Girgagotcha2es, and the Jebusites.

[daniel1212av]

This is one of the most weighty chapters in Scripture, and took a while this morning to work thru.  I hope it is not too verbose, and that God is glorified and others are edified!
 
V. 1 “After these things the word of the LORD [YHWH] came..” This is the first of the 92 occurrences (KJV) of this phrase in Scripture, which would be a study in and of itself.  Here, after Abram's obedience, the LORD  speaks to him in a vision, assuring him that He is Abram's “shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” God is to be our chief source of security and ultimate object of spiritual affection; when anything else is then that is idolatry.

V. 2 “And Abram said, Lord GOD..” Here the word Adonay[136] , which seems to mean sovereign, master, owner (and is usually rendered Lord in the KJV, versus LORD[3068] for YHWH), is used for the first time in referring to God, which it almost always denotes.

Vs. 2-5 “.. what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,.. Though the Lord has assured Abram of His protection and  blessing, and perhaps because of it, Abram addresses his anxiety about a lack of posterity. Indeed, how shall Abram's posterity be as innumerable as “thy seed as the dust of the earth” (Gn. 13:16) when Abram has no children? But God's “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9), and rather than explain how He would perform what He has promised, God, as He often does elsewhere, reaffirmed His power and His promise to Abram but in a a more emphatic sense, “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.” 

V.6 “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”  For “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” (Rom 4:20-22). Behold the depth and importance of these few words, which like ”the just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rm. 3:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38) are foundational for the “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3)! In so establishing, Gn. 15:6, is quoted by the apostle Paul and referred to by James (2:21), with the inclusion by the latter manifesting that he is not contradicting Paul, as is often thought, for indeed Abraham was justified before God before he offered up Abraham. But while we are not justified on the merit of our works, but by faith in the Lord Jesus and His work, yet the only faith that is Biblical saving faith is that which is manifested by “faith works,” and which fruit justifies our faith, but which faith God sees before man might.

The condition and faith of Abram here is like that of any soul  that will be saved:

1. Abram had no power. Abram could not affect that which was promised, that which God has purposed he wold perform, hence Abram's inquiry to the LORD.  Likewise, though God “is not willing that any should perish” (2 Pet. 3:9), but that all come to repentance, not only is repentance and faith a gift from God (Jn. 6:44; Acts 11:7; Eph. 2:, but they are necessary because we are sinners who are absolutely destitute of any merit whereby we may escape our just punishment in the Lake of fire nor gain Eternal life in the Heavenly City (Rv. 20-22). It is God's way of salvation or the Hell – way.  We can neither satisfy justice nor holiness, but in Christ both requirements are fulfilled,  “Whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rm. 3:25, 26). .

2. Abram had a promise given to Him by God, which manifested two things that Abram would believe:. 

A. Abram believed that God was willing to save him. It is Almighty God, not man that takes the initiative in saving rebellious man.  “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.” (Jn. 15:16a). So likewise we must believe that the Lord is willing to save us, and not wiling that we should perish, which is what we deserve. As the Lord assures, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (Jn. 6:37). Yet it is also written, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man” (Gn. 6:3). “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:1, 2).

3. Abram believed that Almighty God not only had the willingness but that He was able to perform that which He had promised. Many a sinner has doubted both, but the precious, sinless blood of Christ is able to redeem any who come to Him,  and “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18). Yet this also applies to the redeemed, as the apostle Paul said, “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (1 Tim. 1:12b).

V. 6 “I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.” So likewise the LORD who brought me out of the world, and out “an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Ps. 40:2) has also blessed us with eternal life in “the land of the  living” (Ps. 27:13), and with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). To God be the glory!

V. 8-1-10 “...whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?..” All this revelation must be astounding to Abram, and he evidently requests formal confirmation, a sealing of the promise, which the Lord provides via the ancient ritual of sacrifice (cf. Jer. 34:18, 19). (And which has it's origin with the people of God (Gn. 4:4; 8:20), and not pagans, as is often erroneously asserted) . “Yet the transaction itself was not a real sacrifice [after the practice of the Levitical priests], since there was neither sprinkling of blood nor offering upon an altar (oblatio), and no mention is made of the pieces being burned” – K+D. The split pieces seem to signify the two parties involved in this promise, yet speculation exists as to what the three year old aspect may signify, though the use of the threefold number (or multiples thereof) is prevalent in Scripture (Is. 6:3) and may sometimes refer to the Triunity of the Godhead.

V. 11 “..the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.” These vultures likely represent the enemies of Israel, and the “false brethren like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), who seek to make merchandise of the people of God who keep His covenant. Eating is often used metaphorically in Scripture,  as a quick study will reveal. “Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God” Ps. 53:4).

V. 12 “..and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”  Abram, now asleep in darkness, realizes an even greater darkness than that which is naturally occurring in present time, and which likely signifies the 400+ year time of affliction that is prophesied by God in the next verse, and which came to pass.

v. 13b “shall afflict them four hundred years.” Which they did but 30 years more, with 400 likely being a prophetic round number for the more precise 430 years (Ex. 12:40, 41; Gal. 3:17).

V. 14 “..afterward shall they come out with great substance.” The night shall have a morning, and the nation that afflicted Israel shall be punished and he shall be delivered. As the Lord Jesus said, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Lk. 18:7,8), so it shall be.

V.15b “..thou shalt be buried in a good old age.” And the spiritual equivalent is true for believers under the New Covenant, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death” (spiritually; Jn. 8:51). Praise ye the Lord.

V. 16 “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Abram “was informed at the same time why neither he nor his descendants could obtain immediate possession of the promised land, viz., because the Canaanites were not yet ripe for the sentence of extermination” – K+D. This, along with other texts, reveals one reason why judgment does not fall immediately upon persecutors. Meanwhile, the Bible speaks much about the need for patience, “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rm. 8:25; Heb. 10:36; Rv. 14:12).

To be continued..

[daniel1212av]

V. 17 “..when the sun went down..” Blessed is the man to whom God reveals all the meaning and depth of this chapter, and yet has charity (1 Cor. 13:2), of which i am deficient in. This has been a time like no other for Abram. When God gave the two major covenants He made it manifest, which smoke and light are a part of.  In the giving of the Sinatic covenant, on the third day of consecration, the Lord would speak to Moses in a thick cloud. “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Ex. 19:18). And the people saw “the mountain smoking” (Ex. 20:18).In the manifestation of the New Covenant, “there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” 2:3). And Peter declares, “And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come” (Acts 2:19, 20; cf refers to Joel 2:30, 31). “Where there's smoke there's fire,” and the smoke may refer to God's holy judgment, as “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29), and in which which He is the pure light. But in Gn. 15 the smoke seems to refer more to the related manifestation of God's glory, the Shechinah, or majesty of God, as in Rv. 15:8: “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” In any case, the Lord's choice of and promise to Abram would continued to be be confirmed in most evidential manner. 

V. 17b “behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. “God alone went through the pieces in a symbolical representation of Himself, and not Abram also. For although a covenant always establishes a reciprocal relation between two individuals, yet in that covenant which God concluded with a man, the man did not stand on an equality with God, but God established the relation of fellowship by His promise and His gracious condescension to the man, who was at first purely a recipient, and was only qualified and bound to fulfil the obligations consequent upon the covenant by the reception of gifts of grace” – K+D.

V. 18 “In the same day...” This is the day which began in v. 17, “when the sun went down, and it was dark.”  “And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gn. 1:5b). The Jewish day went from sundown to sundown. It would seem that perghapas the word of the Lord came while it was still dark enough to see the stars(v.5) and later Abram sacrifices; Then, when the sun was going down, he experiences the great darkness and receives the prophecy of posterial bondage and deliverance and inheritance, and personally for long life; And at the beginning of the 2nd day, “when the sun went down, and it was dark,) the smoking furnace and a burning lamp passes between the sacrifices.

..the LORD made a covenant with Abram... The LORD made a covenant, reaffirming His prior oratorical promises, and naming 10 nations whose land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates, Abram's posterity was to possess.

“They were not possessed of all these countries when God brought them into Canaan. The bounds are fixed much narrower, Num_34:2, Num_34:3, etc. But, (1.) In David's time, and Solomon's, their jurisdiction extended to the utmost of these limits, 2Ch_9:26. (2.)” – Henry  Why did not posses all the land awaits other chapters (Ps. 74, etc.).

“In other passages we find sometimes seven tribes mentioned (Deu_7:1; Jos_3:10), at other times six (Exo_3:8, Exo_3:17; Exo_23:23; Deu_20:17), at others five (Exo_13:5), at others again only two (Gen_13:7); whilst occasionally they are all included in the common name of Canaanites (Gen_12:6). – K+D, and who adds more on this matter, including somewhat on the mystery of the Kenites  (Jdg. 1:16;  4:11). I will leave the issue  of  the number of tribes to others, or another time if God permit.

Meanwhile, we who have been translated into the kingdom of God's own dear Son (Col. 1:13), are to be  seeking first that which pertains His kingdom and righteousness, and occupy till He comes (Lk. 19:13), in which the kingdoms of this world shall “become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). Wherefore  let us labour.. (2 Cor. 5:5).

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 16)  Now Sarai Abram's 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 Abram's 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. 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. 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. 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 man's 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 Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

[daniel1212av]

V.1  “Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children..” another situation of a soul in need, and a lesson in how not to handle it.

V. 3 “And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid... and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.” “...the trying of your faith worketh patience” (Ja. 1:13), and when experiencing such a test it is our tendency to  seek to deliver ourself. Approx. 10 years into this test, we see Sari's solution, to which Abram dutifully assents. Perhaps Abram thought this was a practical means to go after so long a wait, however, we are to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, and  He was never sought here. A man heeding his wife over the Lord, as Adam did, is guilty of idolatry, as we all are whenever we put anything before the Lord. And thus the Lord's words, “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt. 10:37; cf. Lk. 14:26). Having more than one wife may have been the custom that was allowed in those times, but it was not a wise one, and avoidable problems were often seen as a result. In restoring the institution back to it's original commitment (Mt. 19:5, 6), the Lord went back to Gn. 2:24, in which wife is singular, as is mother. Likewise 1 Cor. 9:5 1 Tim. 3:2 and elsewhere New Testament reveals no provision for marrying more than one wife (though i surmise that converts who already had more than one wife perhaps kept them) .

V. 4a  “and she conceived:“ Behold the consequence of sin. In Adam's case, “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;” (Rm. 5:12), while in Abram's case (also heeding his spouse over God), by one man entered a nation that would become a historical enemy of both the physical and spiritual decedents of Abraham. But in Christ “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).   

V. 4b  “the LORD judge between me and thee” How difficult for pride and jealousy not to result in such a structure?

Vs. 6, 7  “..Behold, thy maid is in thy hand;.”  “..Sarai dealt hardly with her.” Sarai giveth, Sarai taketh away. This was a sad consequence of accepting Sarai's offer in the first place.

V.7  “And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water”, probably seeking to go back to Egypt,  “ It is a great mercy to be stopped in a sinful way, either by conscience or providence.” – Wesley. Outside of the cherubims of Gn. 3:24, which seem to belong to the angelic class, this is the first mention of an angel, which means deputy, or ambassador, or messenger. Therefore how fitting it is that it be “the angel of the Lord”, which seems to be an angelophany of Christ (Ex. 23:20--23; 1 Cor. 10:4), the Divine son of God, and who, in His incarnation “came to seek and to save that which is lost”  (Lk. 19:10). Hagar, is said by Barnes to mean “flight,” as used in Hejrah, the flight of Muhammad.

V. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid,”.. The narrative indicates that Hagar had been proudly exalting herself due to the measure of grace given her in conceiving a child whilst Sarai remained bare, and the Lord reminds her of her God – given station in life at this time. While we can take advantage of opportunities that would enable us to serve the Lord better, worldly advancement is not be our real goal, but submission to Christ and service and conformity to Him is, in whatever position we are in. (cf. 1 Cor. 7:20-24). 

V. 9 “Return to thy mistress,” Family breakups are to be avoided if possible, and it would be better for Hagar to submit to Sarai, even with the lack of charity, rather than be out on her own. “And submit thyself under her hands” Submission to others is not popular today, but Biblical submission in obedience to God (first) to others to whom God has placed over us is enjoined (Heb. 13:17), and with it comes God's approval and future rewards.

V. 10  “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly..” It is God that gives the increase.

V. 11 “call his name Ishmael because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.”   Ishmael = “God will hear.”

V. 12  “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”  History has confirmed both, sadly so in the former case. 

V. 13 “Thou God seest me...”  “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” Prv. 15:3). Unlike idols (Ps. 115), in this chapter we again see the Almighty God who sees, speaks, hears, and acts, and is ultimately benevolent toward man, who is quite the contrary toward his Creator.

V. 14 “Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered”, thought to be twelve miles south of Beersheba.

V. 15  “And Hagar bare Abram a son..” But he is not the son of the Promise, and God's covenant shall be with Isaac. Muslims have gone to great contortions of Scripture in seeking to make Ishmael the covenantal child of the promise, but this clearly is not the case, as the next chapter plainly reveals. Yet it is not even physical lineage back to Abram that makes one a child of God, but it is Abrahamic type faith in the Biblical gospel of the grace of God that make one a child of God (Rm. 2:28, 29). ”Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Rm. 9:7). Yet it is my understanding that the Sovereign Lord will one day graft (what may remain of) the “natural branches” back in again: http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/israel-chosenorforgotten.html

V. 6 “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.” Abram at this time was still virile, and later (Gn. 18:7) we will see that he can still run. But the performance of the promise would wait until Abraham and Sarah were unable to have children naturally, “that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9). May we recognize our inability to do anything for God apart from Him (Jn. 15:5), and as laborers together with God (1 Cor. 3:9) and in dependence upon Him, serve the Lord gladly with all we have, and trust him for the increase. And i repent for not always doing so. Blessed be God.

[daniel1212av]

[3-9-07] (Gen 17)  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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Abraham's 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.

[daniel1212av]

V. 1. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine..” It is 13 years alter the birth of Ishmael that we see the Lord appearing and speaking to Abram, and this is the first time that the Lord is called by the compound name, “the Almighty God”, or El Shadday (Ezk. 10:5). The Lord's referencing to Himself by certain names in Scripture reveals certain attributes which befit the circumstances and need of the persons involved. Here it is the “performance of those things which were told” him from the Lord (cf. Lk. 1:45). And certainly if Abraham would believe that what God “had promised, He was able also to perform” (Rn. 4:21), then He had to be Almighty. This declaration and reassurance is given here.

V. “the LORD appeared.” 21 times does this phrase appear in Scripture (KJV). Others include Isaac, Moses,, the whole congregation of Israel, Solomon, plus Gideon and Joseph (as the angel of the Lord). 

V. 1b “..walk before me, and be thou perfect..” The word “perfect” can mean complete, or mature, and as the promise of a son (Isaac) was to come pass, so would Abram later reveal his true salvific, and mature faith in being willing to offer him up.

V. 2 “And I will make my covenant between me and thee..” This is a continuance of the covenant already established, to which circumcision will be a sign of. 

V. 3 And Abram fell on his face..” A proper place to be when the Lord appears (cf. Ex. 34:8; Lk. 5:8; 8:28, 41; 17:16; Jn. 11:32; Rv. 5:8, 14; 19:4).

V. 4 “thou shalt be a father of many nations.” “as he was of many Arabian nations, and of the Turks in the line of Ishmael; and of the Midianites, and others, in the line of his sons by Keturah; and of the Israelites in the line of Isaac, as well as of the Edomites in the line of Esau; and in a spiritual sense the father of all that believe, in all the nations of the world, circumcised or uncircumcised, as the apostle explains it, Rm. 4:11. – Gill. Concerning the latter aspect, see Rv. 5:9.
V. 5 “ thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” Not Abram (high father) but  Abraham, which seems to be mean populous (see Barnes if you want to be technical). In Scripture a change of name denotes a new identity of sorts, in a prophetic way, whether for good or bad (Gn. 32:28; Num. 13:16; 2 Sam. 12:25; Jer. 20:3; Hos. 1:9; Jn. 1:42).  . In Rv. 2:17 we see that all believers are to have a new name.

V. 6 “6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” In children, for he had not only a son by Sarai, from whom sprung a numerous offspring, but he had six sons by Keturah, who became the heads of large nations:
    and I will make nations of thee; as the nations of Israel and Judah, of the Midianites and Edomites, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks:
   and kings shall come out of thee; as the twelve princes of Ishmael, the kings of Edom and Midian, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks, and of Israel and Judah, and especially, as observed by Grotius, and others, the King Messiah: to which may be added, in a mystical sense, all Christian kings and princes of the same faith with him; nay, all believers, who are all kings and priests unto God. -Gill

V. 7 “ for an everlasting covenant” to Abram and all his posterity, and is referred to in such places as 1 Chrn. 16:17 and Ps. 105:10. The term “everlasting covenant” is found 15 other times in Scripture (KJV), and a brief study of such indicates that it refers to, (1) The everlasting covenant “between God and every living creature” on the earth, signified by the rain bow (Gn. 9:16); (2) The everlasting covenant of the 7th day Sabbath (Lv. 24:; (3). The Davidic covenant in 2 Sam. 23:5, whereby God would establish his kingdom forever though Christ (2 Sam. 7:12-15); (4) The national covenant of Israel with God to be His people in Is. 24:5, or the “Noahic covenant,” and which laws in essence are written in the heart of man, which ancient laws, or perversions of them, testify to that; (5) To the New covenant of grace in Is. 61:8 and Jer. 32:40 and Heb. 13:20 (Jer. 31:31-33), whereby the Gentiles shall be grafted into the vine of the elect of Israel by the blood of Christ (Rm. 11); (6), (Perhaps) to a future covenant in Ezek. 16:60 and 37:26, under which the Davidic covenant is fulfilled, when God deals once again with Israel during the millennium;

The word for everlasting [5769], as noted in Gn. 13B, sometimes means till the end of an time, but more often it means for eternity – time without end, as many for – ever type things have spiritual fulfilments. 

Vs. 8-11 The promised land, “all the land of Canaan”, is to be an “everlasting possession”, and the  token of the covenant made here which Abraham and all his posterity must keep is that every man child in Abraham's generations, including their servants, must be circumcised. 

V. 12  “..eight days old shall be circumcised..” This is said to be the earliest best time for such, due to the level of clotting factor.

V. 14 “..not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.” A study of the phrase “cut off”  is quite revealing, as this is not the only thing that resulted in being cut off from the commonwealth of Israel. Here, rituals, though symbolic, are to express what they signify, and are not to be perfunctory practices, nor observed hypocritically, as the selfish Corinthians did in supposedly commemorating the utterly unselfish death of our Lord, and so themselves died (1 Cor. 11:20-34).

V. 16 “..thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.” “Sarai signifies my princess, as if her honour were confined to one family only; Sarah signifies a princess” – Henry.  Sarah = “noblewoman” – BDG. With Abraham, an abundant generational heritage is promised her. Among other things, who you marry, especially of what spiritual character, typically has generational effects.

V. 17 “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed..” The is the first of the rare occurrence of laughter[H6711] in Scripture, most which is in scorn. While Abram believed God years ago for a child and children, now it seems to appear incredulous to him that a 99 year old man and 90 year old women should have a child.

V. 18 “...O that Ishmael might live before thee!” Abraham thus proposes what originally was Sarai's solution to her barren womb. But Lord's purposes will stand, and thus.. 

V. 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. As noted before, the child of the promise is Isaac, not Ishmael.

v. 20 “And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee:..” The LORD has regard unto the object of Abraham's affection, and he also bless him, and “twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”  Gen. 25:12-16 reveals who these princes were, and history records the latter fulfillment. A revealing study would be to see how the purposes of Almighty God are not thwarted by the declensions of man which are allowed by Him, and the deleterious consequences of man's faith-lessness or  rebellion, and yet God's grace in the results of such.

v. 21 “But my covenant will I establish with Isaac...”  “For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal. 4:30), and which relates to those who are born into the household of faith in Christ.

V. 27 “And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. Circumcision, like that of the 7 day Sabbath, is an everlasting covenant, and like numerous other perpetual and forever - type ordinances, it is never reiterated under the New Covenant, but such have their spiritual equivalents. As regards circumcision, the New Testament declares “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God“ (Rm. 2:29). “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God” (1 Cor. 7:19). “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Gal. 5:6).  “For in “Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Gal. 6:15).

May we serve the Lord with a poor and contrite spirit, that trembleth at His word (Is. 66:2).

[daniel1212av]

[3-10-07] (Gen 18)  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, 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. 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. 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. 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 forty's 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 twenty's 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 ten's sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

[daniel1212av]

V. 1 “And the LORD appeared unto him..."  Here we see one of the ways Abram sought to be perfect in the sight of the Lord. Sitting in his tent in the heat of the day, he literally leaps at the chance to show hospitality, ”and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground”. And as it turns out, his guests were not of this world. From this comes the New Testament exhortation, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2). Such exemplary Middle Eastern hospitality is surely a rebuke to the Christian church in the west, who i think at best typically might have put them up in a hotel.   

“in the heat of the day..” I am sure some liberal “scholar” will tell us that this is a fable, or a vision, but the narrative here does not lend itself to such a rendering. 

V. 2  “..three men stood by him..” Indicative of the Triunity of God i think.  “..he ran to meet them..” Here, Abraham, at 99 years old, runs. The is the first of two times in this narrative that he does so, and which shows not only a good degree of Abraham's physical vigor, but the eagerness of his heart to minister, despite being “old and well stricken with age.”

V. 3 “And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour..” This seems to indicate that Abraham understood this was a Divine visitation, that of an angelophany of the Lord, and Abraham considers it his honor to be able to minister to his Lord. Would that this should always be our attitude.

Vs. 4, 5 “Let a little water,..” “I will fetch a morsel of bread..” One of the most basic fruits of regeneration is love for the brethren, and it is with importunity that Abraham seeks to constrain them to receive his  hospitality.

Vs. 6, 7 “Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah..”  “And Abraham ran unto the herd..” Here we see more revelation of Abraham's zeal! Being holy and spiritual need not be opposed to energetic service. How contrary this is to the ethereal depictions of holy men in so many Hollywood movies.

V. 8 “.. and they did eat.” How supernatural beings, who can pass through walls, can eat, is beyond our comprehension.  One will notice the similarity of this revelation of God to that of the Lord Jesus in Luke 24:13-31. There, Jesus drew near 2 unnamed disciples as they walked,  disconsolate and disillusioned after their Messianic expectations went  unfulfilled. He asks a rhetorical questions, and proceeds to give them the word of God. And like Abraham, they constrain Him to abide with them, but what they hungered for was spiritual truth. And “He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.”   

V. 9  “..Where is Sarah thy wife?..”     Not that God did not know, but to direct the subject to her is this question asked. 

V. 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.” (cf. Lk. 5:17). God has a time, or season, for everything, and it is in His time, not ours, that what He has promised shall be performed.   However, in most cases our obedience is required, and only then will fulfillment be realized (2 Cor. 10:6). 

V. 11 “Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” They were utterly unable to  effect the promise of God by their own power. 

V. 12   “..shall I have pleasure..” Marital relations were not simply a duty to Sarah, but only in marriage between man and women is the “bed undefiled” (Heb. 13:4).

V. 13 “And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” It was incredulous to Sarah that she should have a child, as both she and her husband were sexually superannuated. But,

V. 14a “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?”  Sarah, and it seems to a degree, Abraham's doubt is close to that of Zacharias in Lk. 1:1-20, whose response to the angelic promise of a child was “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”  Having spoken unbelief to the Lord's manifest promise of a child (John), he was made unable to speak till the performance came of that which was spoken.  Compare this to Mary, who  expressed similar words in response to Gabriel's promise, but received an explanation of how such a thing could be.  “The judgment of God is according to truth” (Rm. 22), and He sees the heart behind every word and deed, and judges according to the light and grace given. In  case of Zacharia the priest, his response seemed to come out of some sort of hard cynicism, while Mary's was more of amazement. There also seemed to be some difference between Abraham's and Sarah's response to the promise of a child, with indicated some unbelief, both but only God knows the heart. 

V. 15  “Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid.”  Fear will often makes liars out of us, or blame givers, if we do not die to self, and commit ourselves unto Him that judges justly – and hope in His mercy.

V. 15b “And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.” It is impossible to “con” God, and in the day of judgment every soul will know that the Lord knows all. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prv. 28:13).

V. 16 “And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.”  Abraham's heart is with His Lord, in coming in and going out.

V. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;....”  “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant”  (Ps. 25:14). 

V. 20 “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous.”  scripture records that iniquity of Sodom to be, “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezek. 16:49). And that “Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7). All of which is true, with fornication, especially that of a perverse manner (Lev. 18:22), being concomitant with “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness” and selfish pursuit of pleasure. Homosexual activity marks the last formal stage of progressive moral degeneration going before to judgment (Rm. 1:18-32).

v. 21  “I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it..” As in other places, such  as Gn. 11:5-7, the Lord going down to see if a report is true does not mean that the omniscient  (Prv. 15:3; Ps. 139), God did not know something, but the language here conveys in a human manner that the time is come for God to manifest their sins, and execute judgment.

V. 22, 23, “And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom:  but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”  As in Gn. 14, Abraham shows himself to be one of the original writers of “rescue the perishing, a “soul winner” who seeks to “stand in the gap” (Ezek. 22:30), and again it is in regard to his nephew Lot and family.     

We will do well to notice and emulate Abraham's manner of entreaty. To God we have “access by faith” (Rn. 5:2) as our Father, but He is infinitely holy, and perfectly just, and His throne is in Heaven, that we should reverence Him. The heart of the believer should be one of symbiotic contrasts, in that we are to “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” Ps. 2:11), “walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost,” (Acts 9:31). Though he drew near to him, Abraham exalted and sanctified the Lord in his heart (1 Pt. 3:15),  and his entreaty manifests close spiritual affection, as well as the reverential fear that is part of holy love for Almighty God. And which love loves what He loves, and hates what He hates, and  acts accordingly. “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 22, 23). 

v. 32 “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 ten's sake.” Though relatively speaking, a remnant will be saved, the Lord will not execute His consuming devastating global judgment until he has delivered the just out of the land.  In the first global judgment the Lord delivered just Noah via an Ark, and here Lot and family will be delivered out of Sodom, and in the end i think the elect will be called,  “Come up hither” (Rev. 11:12). But in lesser judgments, the redeemed are often called to go through things with their brethren according to the flesh, as did men like Jeremiah, but the Lord will be with them. May we set our face like flint to follow our Lord, who promised, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). amen.

[daniel1212av]

[3-12-07] This is such a substantive chapter - and i am quite verbose - that is will be split into two posts.
(Gen 19)  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; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's 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. 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. 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. 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.
To be contd.

[daniel1212av]

V. 1  “And there came two angels to Sodom at even..” At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death” (Dt. 17:6). The Father bore witness to Christ on the earth (Jn. 5:31-37),  and the Lord will also send two witnesses before He sends His climatic judgment upon the earth (Rv. 11:3). 

V. 1b “and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom “ “The gate, generally an arched entrance with deep recesses and seats on either side, was a place of meeting in the ancient towns of the East, where the inhabitants assembled either for social intercourse or to transact public business (vid., Gen_34:20; Deu_21:19; Deu_22:15, etc.)” – K+D.

Why Lot sat in the gate is the question. Was it because it was a practice for him to “to observe strangers that might pass by, and invite them into his house, and that they might not fall into the hands of the wicked Sodomites”? – Gill. Or was it because “as the gate was the place of judgment [2Sam. 15:2], he might have been sitting there as magistrate to hear and determine disputes” – Clarke.  Some charge that it was because he enjoyed the social discourse that such a place offered. The latter is not likely, as 2 Pt. 2:7 states that just Lot was “vexed with the filthy conversation [lifestyle] of the wicked.” If the reason is the first possibility, then it testifies to a virtue of Lot, though it would seem that Lot would already have had a type of confrontation with the wicked men of Sodom like unto the  subsequent event here. If it was that Lot occupied the position of some sort of judge, as verse 9 may allude to, then it would seem a weak Christian character is indicated, in order to gain and retain such a position. Such is national politics today. 

I do not know for sure why Lot sat in the gate, but my own sense of Lot himself is is that he was a type of weak Christian, but not that of a rebellious nature, and there is a difference. He choose to dwell in such a sinful city for economic reasons, and seems to have manifested little convicting and pro-active witness, and raised his children there without imparting much evident Christian character. And like unto that of believers whose work shall be burned and suffer loss, “but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13-15) so Lot would lose all, but escape with his own soul, and (physically) with that of his 2 daughters. Yet Lot desired to do right, and was grieved by the wickedness around him, which he apparently overall abstained from, and clearly manifested the most basic attribute of a believer, which is love for the brethren  In this we should realize that every Christian is either a pro-active witness to Christ where he lives (or works) or is weak or backslidden, and why we choose to live where we do much determines that. We can live or work in gospel – hardened areas (like here in Massachusetts) if that is where the Lord leads and if our real end is to be a Godly and real witness for Christ (and such places need more witnesses). But sadly many of us have chosen to live where we do simply for economic or social reasons, without waiting on the Lord and without the spiritual  being a priority, and thus a weak testimony follows, if at all. And in which case any children are usually conformed to the world, rather than to Christ . 

Vs. 2, 3 “Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house..” Lot, like Uncle Abe, constrains the Godly stranger to receive his hospitality and in so doing “entertains angels.” And it would appear he does so unaware that they are such. 

Vs. 4-8 “But before they lay down, the men of the city.... called unto Lot,...... bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”  “And Lot went out at the door.. And said, I  pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.....  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:”

Herein we must deal with the 'homo-apologist” contention that the desire to “know them” (SO WICKEDLY) was simply for interrogation purposes,  indicative of their  inhospitality inferred in Ezek. 16:49, rather than out of sexual lust, as referred to in Jude v. 7.  However, the word “know” or “knew” in such a context is easily manifest to be a euphemism to “know” sexually (Gn. 4:17, 25; 24:16; 38:26; Num. 31:17, 35, 1 Kg. 1:4; Mt. 1:25). And which intent Lot clearly understood, as evidenced by his offering of his virgin daughters that they may DO unto them as they pleased. If all the men of Sodom wanted to do was interrogate them then what logic would there be in offering virgin daughters to interrogate rather than the men? Do daughters and especially virgins makes better witnessing? In this alone the homo-apologist rendering is shown to be non-sense.

And though we may rightly shrink back in horror at the offer of  Lot's daughters to such lust crazed men, it does manifest the extremes Lot would go to in seeking to protect the men of God over his own flesh.

V. 9 “..This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.” They would not tolerate Lot acting as a protector of the object of their lusts.  What is their threat to “deal worse with thee?”  To interrogate Lot worse than them, or abuse him worse sexually as they sought to do unto Lot's guests? Obviously the latter. And their refusal of Lot's daughters shows they much preferred men.

Vs. 10, 11a “But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness.” Perhaps the men of Sodom somewhat knew that Lots guests were not ordinary, but now they found out that they were no push overs. Herein is what Jude 7 refers to when it states the type of fornication that Sodom was noted for, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after STRANGE FLESH, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Further confirmation is clearly manifest in the parallel account of a sexually similar event in Judges 19, in which a host of a sojourner is besieged by sodomites who want to “know him.” And to which men the host offers in substitution his “daughter a maiden, and his concubine” that they may “do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” This time the sodomites do take advantage of a substitute “and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning...” and she died. (Jdg. 19:11-30).  Here, as in Gn. 19, the “VILE” (which word is most often used in a sexual sense) thing in which they “knew her” was surely not interrogation! For a fuller refutation of pro homosexual attempts to negate Biblical prohibitions against it,  see http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/homosexual_refuted.html

V. 11b  “that they wearied themselves to find the door..” Now they were both spiritually and physically blind.

V. 12a  “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?” This would seem to relate to 1 Cor. 7 14, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” Not that such are eternally saved by proxy faith, as God has commanded all men every where to repent, but they share in this life both spiritual and material blessings from God that are results of faith in the Lord Jesus.

V. 13a “For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great..” The general iniquity of Sodom was that of “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness” and lack of care for the genuinely poor and needy (Ezek. 16:49, and which is likened to Israel, who went after any lovers), and the specific, climactic sin which was concomitant with such fleshly indulgence was rampant fornication, and that of a perverse kind (Jude 7) such as is manifest here in Gn. 19.  Isaiah 3:9a refers to Sodom as an example of prideful, shameless sinful insolence, “The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not.” Jeremiah 23.14 refers to Sodom and Gomorrah as an an example of unrepentant sexual sin, "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah."   

V. 14  “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law,..” At first reading of the chapter it would seem that Lot  only had two daughters, the virgins offered to the sex-seeking men of Sodom, but then we see Lot has sons in law.  But a closer reading indicates Lot had daughters besides those which were in his house, and thus “Lot went out” to speak with his son's in law, and which would have lived with his daughters. Later the angels will say, “Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are HERE”, versus those that are without.  I do not think other explanations are valid, such as that the two virgin daughters (which virgins they also seem to be in the next chapter) had only been espoused to men who never consummated the marriage, or that  Lot lied in seeking to protect his Godly guests.

v. 14b  “he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.” Either Lot had little credibility as a witness,  or these men were so spiritually callous that they would not take Lot's warnings seriously. I think perhaps both are true.

To be contd.

[daniel1212av]

Gn. 19, contd.
 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. 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 showed 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. 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.

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

[daniel1212av]

V.  15b “.. lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”  “But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor 11:32). “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rv. 18:4). “Wherefore come out from among them,... And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,...“ (2 Cor. 6:14-18). “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk. 21:46). “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1Jn. 2:17). Such Godliness is an attribute of saving faith, which faith those justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ are to live out.

V. 16 “And while he lingered the men laid hold upon his hand,... Apparently, even though Lot was troubled by the iniquity of Sodom, he did not feel entirely uncomfortable and was slow to service when the time was short. So it is with much of the church today in the west, “at ease in Zion,” where both the opportunities and freedom to witness are yet abundant but perilously close to being curtailed and lost.

v. 16b “...the LORD being merciful unto him:..”

v. 17-21 “...Escape for thy life; look not behind thee,.... “Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither,..... See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city..”  This shall be a  lesson in the permissive will of God (cf. v. 30).

v. 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.”  As the Lord promised, He would not destroy the just with the wicked.

Gn. 19, contd. V. 24, 25a “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain,..”  The ancient famous historian Josephus states that “The traces or shadows of the five cities are still to be seen."  Aside from the dubious, unexaminable evidence claimed by the late Ron Wyatt and his organization, these links offer some archaeological evidence for the destruction of sodom:  http://home.att.net/~nathan.wilson/sodom.htm http://christiananswers.net/archaeology/ http://www.probe.org/content/view/31/77/

v. 26 “ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”  Josephus, among other ancients, said that this pillar was standing in his time, and that himself had seen it (Clarke). We not only tend to become like what we worship – or worship what we have become –  but we shall realize the like end as the object of our allegiance (Mt. 25:41, 46; Rv. 20:10-15; 1 Cor. 2:9). 

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62). We are not to long after “Egypt,” to the “world” – whose “leeks and the onions” our flesh sees through rose colored glasses – .from which the Lord saved us out of, and into His kingdom (Col. 1:13).  But victorious saints (which i am not fully) are those who know that if “thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Mt. 6:22), and who effectively see “no man, save Jesus only” “with themselves”, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Mt. 17:8; Mk. 9:8; Heb. 12:2). Praise be to God.

V. 27 “And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD“.  I think Abraham had his day of intercession in mind continually, and literally did watch and pray.

V. 28, 29a  “...the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.”  “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live unGodly;  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Pt. 2:6-9).

V. 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..” Lot, who had pleaded to go to Zoar against the perfect will of God, finds it too fearful to dwell in Zoar, and so ends up in where the wisdom of God instructed him to go in the first place (v. 17). Lot was graced to be even able to do this. More serious are instances wherein a soul rebels against God's revealed will and ends up in a “place” he/she cannot retreat from such, as a marriage to the wrong person.

Vs. 31a, 32, 35b  “And the firstborn said unto the younger.....Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.” “..and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.” Outside of indicating that these two daughters were in fact virgins, this is another sad story of children either not being sufficiently brought in the way that they should go (Prv. 22:6) – indicating here Lot's weakness as a believer – or rebelling against it. But here i think it is more the former. But it also reveals the tremendous importance that the ancients had in bearing children, and stands much in contrast to today, in which having children are so much often avoided that abortion has claimed the lives of over 41,000,000 infants in the U.S. alone: http://www.biblehelp.org/abortioncnt.htm  Lot's daughters were also before the formal and complete giving of the law,  though they certainly had enough light to know that homosexuality and pre marital sex was wrong.

V. 36  “Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.” And so ends the record of Lot's life, except for references to the children of Lot (Dt. 2:9, 19), or days of Lot (Lk. 17:28, 29), and the redeeming statement of “just Lot” in 2 Peter's 2:7-9. In what way was he just? Certainly not because he was flawless morally, as the Holy Spirit sets forth that plainly to see, but he stands for one justified by faith, and which faith the Holy Spirit also makes manifest. Lot is NOT seen as a rebellious believer (cf. Heb. 10:26ff), but is one with a weak will and with tendencies to choose the natural over the spiritual and who raised children who did worse. But he is seen as one who (in a period before the Law was fully given) does know to whom he belongs, to Whom he yields when given  commands (though he may try to negotiate), and evidences earnest love for the brethren. He thus is need of more intercession and help from stronger brethren than others, to whom he both burdens and seeks to bless.  We likely can see some of both aspects Lot in ourselves, and in the church, and probably lack some degree of the positive aspects of Lot even if not possessing all the negative. 

Vs. 37a, 38a  “And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab:..[Moab = “of his father” – BDG]. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi:..” [Ben-ami = “son of my people” – BDG.] And like the case of presumption by Abraham and Sarai, thus were begotten future enemies (the Moabites and Ammonites) of the children of the promise. “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith“ (Prv. 15:6). Yet as with Ishmael, the Lord did show favor unto “the children of Lot” in giving Ar to Moabites and the Ammonites for a possession (Dt. 2:9, 19).  The Ammonites would later make war with Israel, and were defeated under Jephthah (Jdg. 11), and judgment would be pronounced against them by Jeremiah (21:21ff), and Amos (1:13 -15). The Moabites, also excluded from the congregation of Israel (Dt. 23:3) were defeated by Ehud, David, and Jehoshaphat and Jehoram (Jdg. 3:12; 2 Sam. 8:2; 1 Kng. 1:1; 3). judgment is pronounced in many places against Moab, by such inn polaces as  Isaiah 16, Jer. 48, Ezek. 25, Amos 2, with Zephaniah foretelling of both, that “Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them” (2:9)

May we take heed to neither deliver ourselves out of our trials apart from the Lord, nor presume upon His grace in walking in our liberty, but with purpose of heart ....cleave unto the Lord (Acts 11:23), acknowledging Him as Lord in all our ways.