Author: Charlie Garrett

Genesis 17:9-14
The Covenant of Circumcision
(Shadows of the Coming Messiah)

Introduction: I have to admit that there are times I find it hard to put together a whole sermon on a particular passage. But then there are times when I have only a couple of verses and I mourn over how much I have to leave out.

Every sermon I type is the same length so that it will take about the same amount of time to preach. But sometimes I wish I could go on for hours about a subject. Today is one of them.

The topic of circumcision is so vast and so important that we could be here until late tonight going over different avenues that it takes in the Bible. I apologize, in advance, for all we will skip over concerning the subject.

Text Verse: Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.” Jeremiah 4:4

You see, even in the Old Testament, circumcision was more than a physical sign. It was something that was to be accompanied with an internal change of the heart – away from the world and directed toward God and so… May God Speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Covenant of Circumcision

Mention “Jim the anabaptist fireman.”

Last week we went over Genesis 17:1-8. Let me read those verses to you again so you have a context for today’s sermon –

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”’”

So Abraham, with his new name and his new identity has had the promise from 25 years earlier restated once again with new details added. The Lord is moving in His perfect timing and He is preparing a great new beginning for His chosen servant.

⁹ And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

In our sermon verses last week, verse 4 said, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,…” After saying this, the Lord renamed Abram to Abraham and restated and refined His promises to him. In the process, we read the word “my” or “I” seven times. This was the Lord’s promises and His vow.

Now He says to Abraham, “As for you…” The conditions God expects are laid out in verses 9-14. The very first thing we see though is that the conditions apply not only to Abraham, but to his descendants after him through their generations.

¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised…

Circumcision is the sign of the covenant that God mandates. Last week we established that we are heirs of Abraham and we are his spiritual descendants by faith. If this is so, then what God mandates to Abraham could be interpreted as being mandated to us in the church as well.

The question before you is this: “If we are Abraham’s descendants by faith and all of Abraham’s male descendants must be circumcised, then are we in the church required to circumcise our male children in the flesh? It is a confusing issue for many.

In fact, certain denominations and sects, without taking the time to understand our position in Christ, do mandate that their followers be cicumcised. Can you defend why this is wrong? Pay attention today and hopefully you’ll understand where the error in this lies.

Remember our great rule of interpretation – context, context, context. If we keep things in context, we’ll keep from the error of heresy. And mandating circumcision to meet the requirements of the law is, according to Paul, heresy.

Just so you know what a heresy is, I’ll explain it to you. Bad doctrine isn’t always a heresy. The difference is that bad doctrine doesn’t keep someone from being saved, but heresy does. Bad doctrine can lead to a loss of joy or simply looking stupid, but heresy will lead to hell. And teaching a heresy doesn’t keep someone from being saved; it keeps the next guy from being saved.

Now, let’s take a minute and think about the covenant God made with Noah and see the difference between that and the one made with Abraham. Noah’s covenant was one-sided and unconditional. The sign of it was a natural phenomenon, the rainbow. A rainbow comes about without any help or intervention from man.

In the same way, the land covenant to Abraham’s descendants was given on an oath. The physical descendants of Abraham are the recipients of the covenant. Regarding the land, there were no strings attached to it. However, God is now making a condition to the people who would receive the promises made to Abraham.

This doesn’t change the land covenant, but it defines those who will qualify to receive it. So let’s think of it like this to help you understand. A jillionaire comes to me and says, “I am giving to you and to your descendants the island known as Siesta Key.” This is unconditional and one sided. This is what has come about since chapter 12 of Genesis with the land promise.

Later the same jillionaire comes to me and says, “This is the sign of the covenant. Every one of your male descendants will have a beard. Anyone without a beard is excluded from the promise.”

The land promise hasn’t changed. The land is still given to me and my descendants, but those who are actually entitled to it have certain obligations. If only one of my descendants grows a beard, then only one will get the land, but the land still belongs to me and my descendants. If they all grow a beard, they all can live here.

I hope this clears this up. Unlike the promise to Noah which was unconditional, and the earlier promises to Abraham which were also, this clarification of the promise defines the parameters. And they are voluntary.

In this verse, there is a responsibility in the individual toward the word of promise. An assent to the promise allows its fulfillment.

If one of my descendants doesn’t want to be handsome like me, Then he doesn’t get to live on beautiful Siesta Key.

¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

Circumcision for the purposes of the covenant is to be in the flesh of the foreskins. This sign then is what brings males into the covenant and it is the longest continuously practiced ceremony pertaining to a covenant on the earth today. It is so inextricably tied to the covenant that in the book of Acts, Stephen calls it the “covenant of circumcision.”

But there is something to note. Not everyone who is circumcised is a member of the covenant. There have been and there are even today other groups of people who circumcise their children, but they don’t qualify. We’ll discuss why in the coming verses.

¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

Muslims circumcise their children, but they are not inheritors of the promise. Does anyone here know why? There are a couple reasons. First, the promise was later given to Isaac, not Ishmael and then to Jacob, not Esau. Only this line receives the promises.

But even if some of them did descend from these two, they still wouldn’t be entitled because muslims circumcise their children without regard to a specific age. They do it anywhere from birth all the way up to 18 years old. They are excluded from the promise because they don’t participate in it.

For the covenant sons of Abraham, circumcision of the foreskin isn’t just mandated to bring someone into the covenant, but there are specific procedures which accompany the rite. The first is that it is to be accomplished on the child when he is eight days old. The number 8 in the Bible consistently signifies “new beginnings.”

For example, there were 8 people on the Ark of Noah, all of which entered the new life – a picture of the resurrection and a new beginning. The covenant with Abraham is brought up 8 times and the 8^th occurred at the binding of Isaac when he was asked to sacrifice him, a picture of the resurrection – the new beginning.

Joseph had 8 specific times he communicated with his brothers. The 8^th time is when his brothers met with him in Genesis 50 – another veiled picture of a new beginning. We could go on with the number 8 for hours and hours, but it’s clear that the number 8 has a special spiritual significance – new beginnings.

However, the 8^th day also has physical significance – something not discovered until the 20^th century. The Apologetics Press reports the following from 1953: “Holt Pediatrics observed that a newborn infant has ‘peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life… Hemorrhages at this time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination.” Obviously, then, if vitamin K is not produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven, it would be wise to postpone any surgery until some time after that. But why did God specify day eight? On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin present actually is elevated above one-hundred percent of normal—and is the only day in the male’s life in which this will be the case under normal conditions. If surgery is to be performed, day eight is the perfect day to do it. Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak.’”

Dr. McMillen observed that “We should commend the many hundreds of workers who labored at great expense over a number of years to discover that the safest day to perform circumcision is the eighth. Yet, as we congratulate medical science for this recent finding, we can almost hear the leaves of the Bible rustling. They would like to remind us that four thousand years ago, when God initiated circumcision… Abraham did not pick the eighth day after many centuries of trial-and-error experiments. Neither he nor any of his company from the ancient city of Ur in the Chaldees ever had been circumcised. It was a day picked by the Creator of vitamin K.”

Even in the seemingly bloody ritual of circumcision we have a display of the wisdom of the Creator and His tending to the health and welfare of His covenant people. If this is how God treats the physical nature of His people, how much more sure and reliable will He treat the spiritual promises that He has made to us!

But there is something important for us to consider in circumcision that can help us with our own Christian families. Starting with Abraham, but following through every generation since, the parent…the parent is the one responsible for circumcising their child. The child is a passive recipient of the rite.

If we look at this example of the Hebrews, we can understand why they’ve held together and prospered for the past 4000 years. It’s because they are acknowledging their responsibility to the covenant and demonstrating a hope in the promises it holds.

If we, as faithful Christians, act in the same responsible manner, we can trust that our families will be equally blessed. This isn’t talking about physical blessing, but the blessing of knowing that our children will be a part of the spiritual heritage which Christ established for us.

We have the responsibility to raise our children in a godly manner, just as the Hebrews were to faithfully circumcise their children. When we do, we have the hope that Christ will take hold of them and carry them through to His eternal dwelling.

There are no ultimate guarantees because every person is an individual with free-will, but by following the guidelines of the Bible, we have a much stronger hope than if we neglect our responsibility as Christian parents.

¹³ He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Him-owl yim-owl y’lid b’tekha or “in circumcising shall you circumcise.” This repetition was given to denote the absolute necessity of doing it and the care to be followed in the practice. There was to be no uncircumcised male among the people.

Every male born in the house and every person who came into the house as a servant or a slave was to be circumcised. Unless you understand what circumcision symbolizes, this passage doesn’t make much sense, but when – in a few minutes you learn – it will be something I hope you never forget.

This rule is the same concept of rule that’s given by Jesus when He said that we were to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

It is for this reason that many churches base membership on having been baptized… and that by full immersion. Unfortunately too many churches put the cart before the horse and baptize infants as a sort of New Testament substitute for circumcision.

But… these children aren’t members of the covenant of faith, nor are they members of Israel – which is a covenant in the flesh. Baptism can in no way be considered a replacement for circumcision in the family life of Christians as you’ll see.

The only way to become an adopted child of God is by the mental assertion and vocal pronouncement that Jesus is Lord. Only after this is baptism a recognizable tenet of the inner conversion. The only thing baptism of infants does is promote false security in a person that may not have accepted Jesus as Lord.

A second problem with comparing infant baptism with circumcision is the obvious overlooking of women in the rite of circumcision. If we were to carry the concept through as much of the church has done, then we would simply skip the baptizing of women. But this would be as unscriptural as baptizing infants.

The entire purpose of circumcision has a greater fulfillment in the Person of Jesus Christ and looks forward to Him. It, therefore, cannot be equated with infant baptism. To understand this ancient rite more fully pay attention in a few minutes and we will discover the symbolism which points back to the Fall of Man and forward to the restoration from that Fall in Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

The law for the people was circumcision, but it was the parent who had the child circumcised on the 8^th day. In this verse, we see the consequences of the parents’ decision affecting the children and the owner’s decision affecting the servant.

In such a case, we’d also see the failure of the society at large because anyone who knew the child was uncircumcised, including the priests who were to perform the rite, would be guilty of negligence. This is actually a way of keeping the entire corporate body accountable to each other.

And this, once again, finds a parallel in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians in particular addresses the handling of people within the church that aren’t meeting the requirements that have been laid out. There is in the church a corporate responsibility of ensuring that we act in the manner that the Lord has laid out for us.

About this verse, Adam Clarke says, “it was impossible for a person who had not received the spiritual purification to enter into eternal glory. The spirit of this law extends to all ages, dispensations, and people; he whose heart is not purified from sin cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

II. Shadows of the Coming Messiah

The questions that we should ask now are, “Why was there no requirement on women?” “Why is circumcision given and it only pertains to men?” “What is God doing this for?” In other words, “Why wasn’t a physical sign given that could have been more obviously seen by others like a tattoo or a certain hairstyle and why cut males only and in such a personal way?

The answer to this goes all the way back to Genesis 3:15, a verse known as the Protoevangelium, or the “First Gospel.” When God cursed the serpent, He said this to him –

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

We learned right in the first pages of the Bible that a human being would come to redeem man, but that He would be from the seed of the woman. What is implicitly stated here and explicitly stated in the book of 1 Corinthians is that sin came from one man. What is implicit in circumcision is that it also comes through man. In other words, sin is transferred to us from Adam through man.

By cutting the male organ in the rite of circumcision, a picture was being made of the cutting away of sin. This is why even those who were purchased as slaves were to be circumcised. It was a picture of cutting away the transfer of sin within the covenant community.

But as like so many things in the Bible, this is only a picture. The sin still transfers from father to child. And all people – males and females alike inherit that sin from the father – thus the need for a Father without sin in order for there to be a Child without sin.

This is the reason for both the virgin birth and the incarnation. If these didn’t come about, then there would be no salvation – ever – for any human. Man would be eternally lost and separated from God. But God in His infinite wisdom solved the problem.

Sin transfers through the man, but Jesus was born sinless because He was born of God the Father and Mary. However, in order to prevail over sin, He would have to live a sinless life as well. If He failed, He wouldn’t have been a qualified substitute for Adam.

It is the resurrection that proves that Jesus was born of God. It also proves that He was not only was born sinless, but He also lived a sinless life, fulfilling the law. You see, the resurrection is 100% conditional upon the virgin birth.

No virgin birth equals no resurrection. We can know this – 100% – because babies that die don’t resurrect. If this weren’t true, then babies, who have never sinned when they died, would come back to life. Sin is inherited from the father.

However, the virgin birth doesn’t guarantee the resurrection. Nor does living a sinless life if one isn’t virgin born. Both the virgin birth and a sinless life are conditions for the resurrection. If Jesus wasn’t born of a virgin, then He would have inherited Adam’s sin. But even though He was born of a virgin, He still needed to live perfectly sinless throughout His entire life.

1) The resurrection is conditional upon a sinless life.
A sinless life is conditional upon the virgin birth.
Therefore, the resurrection proves the virgin birth.

2) The resurrection proves the virgin birth.
The virgin birth proves Jesus was born of God and of Mary.
Therefore, Jesus is God’s Son – the God/Man.

If you can grasp this, then you can see why God gave the people who would usher in the Messiah a picture of what was coming –

One who would be born without sin. And hopefully you can see why baptism did not replace circumcision as a sign for the covenant community and why infant baptism is a pointless gesture.

As one final validation of this, that infant baptism is not a New Testament sign comparable to circumcision, all we need to do is go to 1 Corinthians 10 – “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

Paul says that these Hebrews, whose men were circumcised, were also baptized into Moses. Therefore these are two distinct and separate concepts and baptism cannot be a replacement for circumcision.

Both men and women come from Adam and received his sin through their father, and therefore both men and women receive baptism and that – only after accepting Christ as Lord. Children of believers are already sanctified by their believing parent according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:14.

As Peter states in his 1^st epistle when speaking of the regeneration by the Spirit, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,…” (3:21)

Baptism – the regeneration of the human spirit by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – is what saves us. Water baptism is a picture of this regeneration and so it comes after accepting Christ, not before. If you’ve never been baptized since your conversion, now might be a good time to think about it.

Paul sums this up in Colossians chapter 2 –

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

III. The Blessedness of Grace through Faith

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
⁵ But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, ⁶ just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
⁹ Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, ¹² and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
¹³ For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4

¹⁷ But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. ²⁰ Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 1 Corinthians 7

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29

Stand fast… Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. ² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³ And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. ⁴ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. ⁵ For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (and isn’t infant baptism such confidence!), ⁴ though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish (skybala – dung), that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:2-11

The Covenant of Circumcision

God said to Abraham, this is what He did say
As for you, you shall keep my covenant, this you shall do
You and your descendants, every generation shall obey
All of those in your house who are coming after you

This is My covenant which you shall perform
Between Me and your descendants in every coming year
Every male child, yes everyone bought or born
Shall be circumcised, make sure you get this clear

And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin
It shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you therein

He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised
Every male child in your generations
This is the rite that shall be exercised
And thus you will be holy among the nations

He who is born in your house or one bought for a price
Even if he is a foreigner and not your descendant
Both alike shall be circumcised the command is precise
And on this rite the covenant for you is dependent

Any uncircumcised male child that you have around
That person shall be cut off, on this you must stand your ground

Such a person shall be cut off from the people
He has broken My covenant and must be put away
Pass on this rule, shout it out from the steeple
The rule must not be broken, you shall do as I say

You see, the rite looks forward to the coming One
The Messiah of the world will be born free from sin
I am sending through your line My only begotten Son
To reconcile the world to me for fellowship once again

This rite is a picture of the Incarnation you see
When God will be clothed in robes of humanity

And He will walk among the people to fulfill the law
And in Him will be perfection, there will be no flaw

Jesus our God it all points to You
Every word and picture in the sacred scroll
All praise, honor, and glory – You alone are due
And so we proclaim Your worth with all our heart and soul

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 17:1-8
A Father of Many Nations

Introduction: In the Bible, certain figures are noted, above all, for one or two particular aspects of their demeanor and disposition. Job is the Bible’s best known example of patience in suffering. Solomon is especially noted for his wisdom.

Moses is known for his humility and David for the depth of his emotion and often strong passions and his great heart for God. King Ahab is known for his mixture of weakness and wickedness, Korah for his rebellion, and Aachen for his covetous heart.

The Bible doesn’t sugar-coat the faults of its heroes and it doesn’t hide the evil that men have committed. If you could be remembered in a specific way or for being like one or two people, who or what would you choose? Personally, I’d like to be remembered as a mixture of Abraham and David.

Today, we’re going to continue through the life of Abraham and in the verses ahead, we’ll see where God changes his name from Abram to Abraham in conjunction with the continued unfolding of His promise to the Bible’s great man of faith.

In both Testaments and in many passages, it is faith for which Abraham is noted. Of all of the things God looks for in His wayward creatures, the Bible speaks of those who live by faith as being the epitome of those who please God.

Text Verse: See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them. Deuteronomy 1:8

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness until all the disobedient generation had perished. Then, at Mount Horeb they received the final words of instruction from Moses and proceeded into the land promised them so long before.

The Lord has always kept His promises and He continues to do so even our time, and so … May God Speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Blameless Walk Before the Lord

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

In the past chapters, we’ve seen the promise of God on several occasions that Abram and his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. The promises came in Chapters 12 and 13 and then in Chapter 14 Abram received Melchizedek’s blessing.

After that, in Genesis 15 the promise was again made to him. When it was, God told him “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

John explains fear for God’s people in his first epistle –

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18

Abram is now 99 years old and it has been 13 years since his maidservant Hagar bore him Ishmael. For all he knows, this is the son of promise that he had waited so long for and he is raising him in this fashion and without fear.

But now God appears to him again. Instead of “do not be afraid,” He states that He is Almighty God or El Shaddai. This revelation of Himself is one of existence and performance.

He is the eternally lasting, absolute, all powerful God. His nature is unchangeable and yet He causes change in His creation. In the books of Isaiah and Joel, He is the Destructive power which is transcendent over all things. In Isaiah, we read this –

Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
⁷ Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,
⁸ And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames. Isaiah 13:6-8

In the day of the Lord, the workings of God are as “destruction from Shaddai.” There is both judicial and punitive power and performance in the terrifying name. Because of this, holiness is the hallmark of the name.

When man sins, His holy nature is violated. And so because of this act against His nature, He acts accordingly. And yet, at the same time, El Shaddai is also a reconstructive power, building new that which has been laid waste.

He is therefore the God of providence and abundant supply. All of this is tied up in God’s potency. When it is combined with a promise, such as has been given to Abram, it gives man a basis for faith – “If God be for us, who can stand against us.”

Because of His proclamation of being El Shaddai, he says to Abram “walk before Me and be blameless.” Before, He spoke comfort to Abram – “Do not be afraid…” but now He speaks words of admonition and resolute purpose. This is a command, a rule for the guidance of his life, and a direction for conduct.

During that past 13 years, Abram probably considered the promises as being fulfilled in Ishmael. He is now old and has had his child. He believed the promise of God and has rejoiced in it.

He has no reason doubt about any future promises because the past ones have come to pass. It is as if Abram says, “I have Ishmael and I know that God hears and responds. I am content in this.”

Now the Lord tells him to “walk before Me and be blameless” – hit-ha-lech le-pha-nai v’yⁱeh tammin. To walk before the Lord doesn’t mean just taking literal steps; it’s a metaphor for having a completely detailed accounting for every move one makes.

It includes the thoughts, the words which proceed from one’s lips, the very heart and intent of every action. “Before Me” is another metaphor – le-pha-nai – which translated literally would be “before my face.” El Shaddai doesn’t literally have a face.

He is the power and presence of God working through the Holy Spirit. He is omnipresent and so to walk before Him is an axiom. Every move is before Him and so an explanation is given – “and be blameless.”

“Abram, you are to be always perfect before me. For you this is more than just a sincere and yet imperfect walk. You are to be perfect in your heart and in your actions. Be sincere in both through the upright and holy in the conduct of your life.”

Righteousness was credited to Abram for his faith when the covenant was established and now a blameless walk before God is needed for the continuation and confirmation of the covenant.

At my house is a bee-hive. When we take out the forms where the honey is stored and we have a process we go through to separate the honey from the comb, but there is always a bit of wax floating around in the honey and it will affect the purity if it isn’t removed.

The word “sincere” is believed to have come from two Latin words – sine and cera – “without wax.” To perfectly purify the honey, we take a pair of pantyhose, which have the finest mesh possible, and we pour the honey through it.

The wax we couldn’t even see before this process began accumulates into a pile in the middle of the funnel and what is left is completely pure and without wax. It is sincere. This is the state that Abram is being called to.

I can assure you that along with Abram, the Lord asks each of us to be likewise holy and upright. This isn’t just an arbitrary truth because we have a little angel on our shoulder watching us, but because we – as Christians – bear the name of Jesus Christ.

When we fail to walk in a manner which is holy, then others see and perceive this as well. Abram walked among the Canaanites and Amorites and they could see his conduct and make judgments about God based on his actions. We too walk in the land of the Philistines and live among the pagan people of the world.

Their perception of our God and our Lord is derived from watching each of us. Do we serve a God who doesn’t see? Our words and our actions often don’t square up and therefore we’re termed “hypocritical” by those who watch us.

And of course, there is always the person who would say this simply because they do see upright living and know they should live that way too. But normally it is our failings that others see and make their value judgments against. And so the Lord would ask each of us to walk before Him and be blameless.

Jesus said the same to His disciples in Matthew 5 – “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

And Peter, in both of his epistles reminds us of the same – “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16

Yes, fellow Christian, walk before the Lord and be blameless.

² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

A command followed by a promise – “I will make My covenant between Me and you.” Despite what most scholars on the subject say, I’m in complete disagreement about the birth of Ishmael from the union with Hagar. Here is John Wesley’s thought on it –

“Full thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael. So long the promise of Isaac was deferred; Perhaps to correct Abram’s over – hasty marrying of Hagar.”

A promise was made and appeared to be fulfilled in Ishmael. Even what the Lord said to Hagar seemed to reflect it – “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” This is very similar to what is said to Abram now.

When Hagar returned from running away, she would have told him this and it certainly would have seemed to him that Ishmael would be the fulfillment of the promise.

But now he’s told that the covenant would be established. Hearing this, Abram must have even been a bit confused. The promise was given and the covenant was made even before the birth of Ishmael. He must have questioned why it needed to be established when the boy was already born and 13 years old.

It would be like saying to your son, “I’m going to make your birthday great. It will be the best day of your life.” And so you take him out and give him a wonderful day full of fun and gifts. As you’re heading home he’s happy and content with what he has.

It’s late in the afternoon, but you say again, “I’m going to fulfill my promise to you. I’m going to make your birthday great. It’ll be the best day of your life.” He may wonder what you’re talking about. He thinks he’s already been given that. But as you walk through the door, there is a surprise party waiting, keys to a Maserati, and you flew in his girlfriend who’s been off at college.

Abram’s surprise party is coming and God won’t disappoint when He gives it. Today we will look at the set up for the party, but only next week will we be given the details. The promise of a seed comes forward again as the prominent benefit of the covenant.

II. A Father of Many Nations

³ Then Abram fell on his face,…

This is the middle-eastern method of prostration used by many people even day. A person goes to their knees. After this, they lower their head to their knees, and then they touch the earth with their forehead. It’s not a very comfortable posture, but is signifies great humiliation and reverence.

Abram fell on his face in reverence of the majesty of God and in acknowledgment of his unworthiness at the visit and the promise. He was probably completely overwhelmed because all along he had figured that Ishmael was the fulfillment of the promise, but now he’s being told there is more than he realized.

^3(con’t) and God talked with him, saying: ⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.”

There are two parties in the covenant. God is the first party and says, “As for Me…” “As for Me, My covenant is with you.” The Lord is making a guarantee based on His spoken word to Abram. If you remember, back in Genesis 12, God made this promise –

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God is now giving Him both a restatement of the promise and a refinement of it as well. The term “nations” is normally used when speaking not of the chosen people, but of the other branches of humanity. He is told that he will be the “father of many nations” and it will be fulfilled in an amazing and unsuspected way – both physically and spiritually.

His literal, physical descendants will come from both Ishmael and the son Isaac who is yet to come, but he will also be the spiritual father of people from every nation group on earth. And Paul explains that this is finally realized in what Jesus did –

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; Romans 4:16, 17

⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

In verse four, the Lord said, “You shall be the father of many nations.” Now, one verse later, He says, “I have made you the father of many nations.” The change from the future to the present tense came about by a single definitive act – renaming Abram to Abraham.

The giving of this name is a tangible pledge of the fulfillment of the covenant He has spoken. Any name which the Lord gives cannot be merely the sounds of the letters as they’re spoken, but they must be the very expression of something which is actual and tangible or that will be fulfilled in such a way.

The Lord has personally named him, signifying both His authority over him and His completion of the promise in one great act. Any doubts or anxieties about how things would transpire have certainly melted away from Abraham’s thoughts. He has received an inheritance that is as certain as the ground under his feet.

The Lord makes promises and He keeps promises. The Bible is the written testament of those promises and each will be fulfilled exactly as they have been recorded. In a similar mark of surety to each one of us, God has also given every person who has been saved by the blood of Christ a new name as well.

This is recorded in Revelation chapter 2 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” Revelation 2:17

Although we haven’t been told what our new name is, it is already recorded and engraved in stone if we have accepted Jesus as Lord. For those who haven’t, other promises have been made as well and they will be fulfilled, just as the Lord has spoken them.

It is better, by far, to receive the promises which come through accepting Jesus than their alternative, so make sure of your own salvation before this day goes by.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

The promise of being exceedingly fruitful seems to be redundancy, but what I think is being relayed is a promise of actual children. He had Ishmael and now realizes that Ishmael isn’t the only child to come, but with this verse is the promise of many children.

In addition to Ishmael and Isaac, we’ll see in Chapter 25 that Abraham will have many more children in the days to come –

Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. ² And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴ And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. ⁵ And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. ⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

From his wife Keturah, he would have six sons. He also had sons from his concubines as well and he probably had many daughters. These became even more nations, all with their own kings, just as he was promised. In all, Abraham was exceedingly fruitful.

This verse then is a physical fulfillment – an earthly, temporal blessing. The next verse will include the spiritual fulfillment – a heavenly and eternal blessing.

⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

The covenant is established and it is what is termed in Hebrew “berit olam” an everlasting covenant. It will never fade away, it will never lessen or diminish, it will never fail. The Lord dealt with Adam, the Lord dealt with Noah, and the Lord is now dealing with Abraham. He will be his God and also of his descendants to come.

Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse is so exact in its analysis that I’d like to quote it for you. He says this covenant is “Not to be altered or revoked; not with thee only, then it would die with thee but with thy seed after thee; and it is not only thy seed after the flesh, but thy spiritual seed. It is everlasting in the evangelical meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting; it is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it; and the external administration of it is transmitted, with the seal of it, to the seed of believers, and the internal administration of it by the Spirit to Christ’s seed in every age. This is a covenant of exceeding great and precious promises. Here are two which indeed are all-sufficient, that God would be their God. All the privileges of the covenant, all its joys, and all its hopes, are summed up in this. A man needs desire no more than this to make him happy. What God is himself, that he will be to his people: wisdom to guide and counsel them, power to protect and support them, goodness to supply and comfort them; what faithful worshippers can expect from the God they serve, believers shall find in God as theirs. This is enough, yet not all.”

III. The Land Promise

We have one more verse to look at today. It is a promise which is misunderstood, misapplied, mishandled, and generally mistaken. All of the words which the Lord has spoken to Abraham have their own circumstances and their own ultimate fulfillment. Each thought needs to be looked at in the context of the rest of Scripture.

Oftentimes misapplications are made simply because God is still in the process of working things out in human history. They’re also made when people knowingly or unknowingly attempt to insert themselves into promises to which they aren’t entitled.

Sometimes, people knowingly twist things in order to personally benefit from others who aren’t willing to check things out for themselves. Understanding the promises of God and how they find their fulfillment can be confusing and even tedious, but when the true intent of a verse is known, it must be applied as God intends.

This is the case with verse 8 of chapter 17. Regardless of what has been said or believed, a careful and thoughtful acceptance of the truth of this verse must be made, regardless of our personal biases, likes, or dislikes. Stand back and accept God’s decisions as given.

⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

This is a land promise and it is speaking specifically about the land in which he is standing and which is known today as Israel. There is no spiritual application here.

We can know this, one hundred percent because in this verse it’s called the land of Canaan. This is the name of the physical land, the same land where Jesus walked and taught. It is given to the physical descendants of Abraham, not to the church or anyone else.

The promise is made by God, the Creator of the Land and the Sovereign Lord over the nations. Therefore, there should be no dispute over whose land it is. He has spoken and ended the discussion. Oh, but dispute we do.

In order to understand whose land it is today, we can’t stop with this verse or we will have a rather large mess on our hands. How many people around the world trace their lineage back to Abraham? Billions is the answer.

So why aren’t all of them included in the promise? The answer is because the promise is restated to only one of his sons – Isaac. Therefore only those who are physical descendants of Isaac are included in the promise. Here is what Genesis 26 says –

² Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; ⁵ because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

After Isaac, the promise was again passed down to only one son, Jacob, who is Israel. This was in Genesis chapter 28 –

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

I quoted these verses when Abram was first given his promise in Chapter 12, but now the land promise is restated to Abraham. In order to avoid the confusion and misrepresentation of countless people who have gone before, and who exist today, these verses need to be restated and analyzed many times.

Our heads are thick and sometimes the only way to get something ingrained in them is to hear the same thing many times. The Promised Land, the Land of Canaan which is today the Land of Israel, has the same owner as it did in the past – God. And He has chosen to give it to one group of people – Israel.

When we fight against this, we are only bringing God’s wrath down on ourselves. In fact, the judgment of the nations is coming, probably soon, because of the world’s robbery of this very land from its rightful inheritors –

For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
² I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land. Joel 3:1-2

The captives have been brought back and the nations are working to divide God’s land. And judgment is the only end the world will face because of it. Anyone in the church who doesn’t understand this, or who disagrees with it, needs to spend more time studying their Bible and less time listening to bad theology.

Regardless of whether you like the Jewish people or not, God has planted them in Israel and planted they will stay. We are promised this in the very last words of the book of Amos –

I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God. Amos 9:15

Let us remember to pray for Israel – the land and the people – and to pray for God to deliver them from their enemies, both within the church and in the world at large.

Yes, God has been faithful to His unfaithful people and He will be faithful to you as well. Earlier we read that God told Abraham to walk before Him and be blameless. We’re admonished to do the same. God directs all people to be perfect, even as He is perfect.

But there’s a problem in our lives and it’s called sin. Let’s take a moment and see how that problem has separated us from God and yet how we still have the opportunity to make things right and be perfect in the sight of God.

A Father of Many Nations

When Abram was an old man of ninety-nine
The Lord appeared to him and there He said
“I am Almighty God the Creator divine
“I am the one whom Melchizedek blessed over wine and bread

Walk before Me and be blameless
And I will make My covenant between Me and you
I will multiply you exceedingly
This is the thing that I will do

Then Abram fell down upon his face
And God talked with him as he lay prostrate
As for Me, behold my covenant is with you
These words to you I once again restate

You shall be the father of many nations
And you will be remembered for all generations

No longer shall your name be called Abram
But now Abraham shall be your name
For I have made you a father of many nations
You will be great, a man of everlasting fame

I will make you exceedingly fruitful
And I will make nations of you as well
Kings shall come from you by the bowlful
From you, the nations of the earth will swell

I will establish my covenant between me and you
And your descendant in their generations
For an everlasting covenant, one you know is true
To be your God and theirs… eternal expectations

Also I give to you and your descendants after you
The land in which you are a stranger
All the land of Canaan, a promise I will attend to
It will never fail, of this there is no danger

It is an everlasting possession and I will be their God
It is given to Israel, it is their land on which to trod

Let us thank the Lord for His faithfulness
For He keeps every promise He has made
We have the surety of a heavenly promise
Because of Jesus, for our sins He bestowed His righteousness, a wonderful trade

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 16:1-16
El Roi – The God Who Sees 

Japan is a country of great beauty and feeling. It’s very different from the US and many of the things they do are quite foreign to our ideas about how things should be done. When I lived there, I made two friends not long after arriving – Minoru and Atsushi.

They worked at Fussa-dempo or the telecom in the town of Fussa. I used to go out with them or meet them at their work, or they’d come over and we hang out. One of the things I saw them do, and which I found out is the norm in Japan is that they would go out with their boss almost every night and buy him drinks at the bar.

And on holidays, they would buy him presents – not the other way around. In the US, we have special and not so nice terms we use for people that do it this way. But this is how things are done there.

Another thing that might seem a bit odd is that the cleaning ladies would walk right into the restroom and start cleaning the urinal right next to you as if you weren’t there. They didn’t knock or put up a sign that there was a lady in there.

There were all kinds of things like this that might seem nutty or odd to us, but that’s just the way those things were. The problem wasn’t with them, it was with us. We were in their culture and needed to adapt – not the other way around.

Today’s sermon contains some things like this. They seem foreign, odd, and even down right sinful to many, but this isn’t the way it was at all. It was a different culture with different views on the world and we need to understand that the things we think are wrong aren’t always that way.

We are entering into their culture and we need to adapt to it or we’ll end up finding fault where there is no fault.

Introduction: Some time ago, I said that if the Bible doesn’t condemn an action, neither should we. Instead, we should accept it at face value and attempt to learn from it and not point fingers and act as if our values are so much more dignified.

The things we’ll read about today are recorded for us to see how things transpired, why things are the way they are in the world even today, and how God’s plan is being accomplished in amazing ways – and all from people’s actions that often seem contrary to the way we may think things should have been done.

Text Verse: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1, 2

Sometimes submitting to authority is something we simply don’t want to do, especially when that authority is one that rules over us harshly. In times like these, we need to trust that God has placed us in that position for His own good purposes and we need to attempt to live under that premise to the extent that we will bring Him the glory and honor He’s due. And so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Different Culture, Different Time – Be Nice to Abram and Sarai

¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

Chapter 16 begins with the problem which has now afflicted Abram for right at 10 years – ever since he entered the Promised Land and was given the promise of his descendants possessing the land. He still has no children.

God made this promise to him in Genesis 12, 13, and 15 and the one in Genesis 15 is very specific –

“And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Genesis 15:4

It’s appropriate to note before we get into the coming verses that what was promised doesn’t mention Sarai at all. Let’s remember this as we go on in the story. At this point, Abram is now 85 and Sarai is 75. They’ve probably been married for at least 50 years and maybe even longer. It’s pretty evident to them that Sarai is barren and won’t have children.

Although the Bible doesn’t say this, we can make the logical assumption that the Egyptian maidservant came into Abram’s home at the time they were in Egypt.

If you remember what happened down there, Sarai was taken in to Pharaoh’s home in order to become his wife. This happened because he didn’t know Sarai was Abram’s wife. When Pharaoh took her in, he gave Abram a great deal for her, including servants.

Hagar is probably one of those servants. After coming into their home, they named her Hagar as this is a Hebrew, not an Egyptian, name. Hagar’s name means “flight” which is closely related to the term “the sojourner.”

² So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

At seventy five, Sarai finally decided that she probably wasn’t going to have children and she certainly wanted them as much as Abram expected them. He had been given a promise and she couldn’t fulfill it, and so – using the customs of the day – she does the natural thing one would expect.

Hagar belonged to her, solely and entirely. She was her possession and anything that Hagar worked for or any children she had would be the possession of Sarai. Therefore, the child would belong to her as much as to Abram.

In what might seem even more unusual is the custom of the servant actually having her child in the lap of Sarai. By doing this, the child would symbolically be coming from her. Children born at this time came out while the woman was in a sitting position and so sitting in her lap would be just an added step in the process.

The term Sarai uses here when she said “perhaps I shall obtain children by her” is a word which means to build or lay a foundation. In other words, she’s looking to establish the house of Abram through this union between him and Hagar.

After making the proposition to him, the Bible records “And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.” Ok,,, I’ll do this difficult task for you my beauty…

³ Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

We can stand back and see in our minds what has happened here. Sarai certainly took Hagar by the hand and led her into Abram’s tent and grabbed his hand and placed it on Hagar’s. Thus the verse says she “gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”

The two are joined in a rite that had probably been conducted many times in the land and would have been perfectly acceptable to everyone around them. It was a union without scandal.

The same thing happens in various cultures even to this day and we can’t look down on them for it. We need to remember that it is their culture and their tradition. What we see as abnormal is, to them, a regular part of the society in which they live.

⁴ So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.

No sooner had Hagar conceived then she began to act harshly toward her mistress Sarai. She was probably much younger than her and thought she would now move into the presidential palace and move out the first lady because she now bore the child and would also find Abram’s favor.

At this point in the narrative, most Bible scholars say that what’s happening is a direct result of the mischief that had been conducted in the whole affair, as if there is blame on both Abram and Sarai for doing what they’ve done.

But this is a very poor analysis of the situation, particularly considering the culture and circumstances. The fault rests not in Abram or Sarai, but in Hagar’s grabbing at the chance to usurp Sarai. And later in the Bible we see Solomon’s words about this exact situation –

For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
²² For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
²³ A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. Proverbs 30:21-23

The earth simply cannot bear up under the injustice which has occurred because of Hagar’s actions. Abram, as the head of the household will have to act judiciously in order to keep things from spiraling out of control.

II. Now Sarai, That’s Just Not Nice

⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.”

Sarai at this point is letting her emotions rule the day and she blames Abram for what’s happening. According to the account, she is the one who initiated the action and set the entire thing up. Hagar is her property and at her disposal. But as soon as things go wrong, she turns around and blames him.

Truth be known, he probably didn’t even know what was going on. Because Hagar is her maid, he would be completely uninterested in whatever they were doing. But in an almost hysterical note, Sarai exclaims “The Lord judge between you and me.”

Unfortunately, this is exactly the type of situation that causes grief in families, friendships, and even between nations. Instead of coming quietly and resolving a matter, we storm into situations with almost reckless abandon and end up paying for it in the end.

How Abram responds here will be really important because, as Proverbs says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 16:1

⁶ So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.

Abram took the calm route and passed the matter right back to where it belonged. When he did, Sarai took it to an unnecessary extreme and caused even more trouble… Hagar fled.

Do you see the irony here? Abram allowed Sarai to go into the Egyptian Pharaoh’s house in order to preserve his own life and when the ordeal was over, Pharaoh rebuked him and kicked him out of Egypt and so he heads home to Canaan.

Now Sarai asked Abram to go into the Egyptian servant who came from Pharaoh’s house to continue on Abram’s name and she ended up rebuking him and finally the maid runs away from her home, heading back towards Egypt.

In both instances, Abram is caught in the middle of a situation that was intended for good and which turned out to be a headache. Anyway, Abram did exactly the right thing. He handed it back to Sarai. Hagar is her maid, not his, and she needed to handle it.

There actually is a good life lesson for us here and something I need to be better at myself which is the proper delegation of authority. When something should be handled at a lower lever, then it needs to be sent back to that level.

If something isn’t one’s direct business, it needs to be sent to the right place to be handled. This will, in the end, save even more grief. Again to the Proverbs we go –

He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears. Proverbs 26:17

III. El Roi, The God Who Sees

⁷ Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

This Angel is none other than the eternal Christ – our Lord Jesus. He has already appeared at other times and will continue to appear at specific intervals in the Bible. This is our Lord, directing human history which leads to Himself and all of which is intended to teach us spiritual lessons about His wonderful working in our lives.

As will happen time and time and time again in the Bible, it is by a spring or a well of water than many pivotal moments occur. This land is a dry and barren waste and water is precious.

Finding it in the open like this must have seen miraculous to her, but it points to the spiritual side of the account – that Jesus is our Water of Life and the director of our steps.

Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, Rachel, Moses, Samson, Jesus

Having been brought into Abram’s camp, she would have been familiar with his worship of God and this visitation would comfort her and assure her that the true life which springs from God would continue to uphold her.

⁸ And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”

In this address, the Lord calls her as “Hagar, Sarai’s maid.” Before He allows her to speak, he preempts her by stating that she is the property of Sarai.

I’m guessing He did this and then asked His questions in order to keep her from saying something untrue. By telling her who she is and who she belongs to, He’s hinting that He already knows the whole story.

As parents, we do this quite often with our own children in an attempt to get them to fess up to the situation. It’s a way of building character while preempting someone from being caught in an unnecessary lie.

And in turn, because of the way He addressed her, she speaks honestly and without hiding anything – “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Because she acknowledged this openly and truthfully, He directly gives her His response – “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”

Had he not appeared to Hagar like this, there would be a much less complete understanding of the doctrine of Divine Election and there would be a lack in our understanding of the Law versus Grace which Paul lays out in Galatians 3 & 4 and which uses Hagar and her son, who is yet to be born, as object lessons about the superiority of the ministry of Jesus over the Law of Moses.

After you’ve gone through the entire Bible and put together pieces like this, accounts which seem to have no real significance or purpose come into clarity of focus. God Himself is working out a plan and He is using these real people and their circumstances in the execution of that plan.

¹⁰ Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”

I’m certain that this verse is placed here specifically to show us the superiority of the gospel of Jesus Christ over the Law of Moses. I said a minute ago that Hagar and Ishmael will be used as examples of this in the book of Galatians. They will be compared to the barren Sarai who will eventually have a child named Isaac.

Paul will compare Hagar and her son to the giving of the Law of Moses at Mount Sinai and also Jerusalem where that law was carried out through Israel – a law which Paul calls “bondage.”

He will then compare Sarai and her barren state to the work of Jesus and the Jerusalem which is above, which is freedom. After making this comparison, Paul will reach back to the words of Isaiah and say this –

For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.” Galatians 4:27

The Lord promised Hagar that He would multiply her descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude. And yet, despite this vast number, it will be inconsequential to the multitude who will be received into God’s kingdom through the spiritual rebirth which comes by faith in Jesus.

¹¹ And the Angel of the Lord said to her:
“Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.

Ishamel means “God hears.” Again as has happened so many times and as will happen numerous times in the future, the explanation of a name is given in the very verse in which the name is given. The Lord has heard Hagar’s affliction and has responded.

I think anyone who has ever called on Jesus in their time of need could call out with confidence “Ishmael.” Once you’ve been through the valley of tears and poured out your heart to God, you know perfectly well when He responds that it was in the exact way you needed for the moment in which you were burdened.

As Matthew Henry so beautifully stated about this verse – “Even there, where there is little cry of devotion, the God of pity hears the cry of affliction: tears speak as well as prayers.”

¹² He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” 

Here we have a comparison of Ishmael to a wild ass. The word for “wild man” is pe-ray adam which finds its comparison in the wild donkey. He will be against every man and constantly fighting with them and he will live in the presence or in the face of his brothers.

And 4000 years later, the sons of Ishmael who inhabit the world still fit this description. Ishmael is the son of Abraham that the Arab world traces its ancestry and culture to. What an apt description of much of the Arab world today. Job makes this comparison about the wild ass which fits them even now –

“Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the onager,
⁶ Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the barren land his dwelling?
⁷ He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after every green thing.

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

One thing we can’t do without taking trouble into our own hands is to assign names to God. To assign a name to someone is to claim a type of ownership over that person. To name a baby is granted to the one who will raise the baby. To name a business is directly the choice of the principle owner. It can be delegated as a sign of favor, like to one’s wife though, “Honey, you choose the name.”

To name God is not within our right or authority and we need to be careful not to be presumptuous like this. In this instance though, Hagar – an Egyptian, is given the grace of bestowing upon Him a name which not only was accepted, but which is recorded for us today. She said, “You are El-Roi.” You are the God who sees.

After saying this, she says something that is very difficult to understand in the Hebrew and is therefore translated many ways by various translators.

It is a type of verse that the translators of the King James Version would say, “…it hath pleased God in his divine providence, here and there to scatter words and sentences of that difficulty and doubtfulness … that fearful-ness would better beseem us than confidence.”

What she said is ha-gam ha-lom raiti akharey roi. Have I also seen Him who sees me? Or, “I have now seen the one who sees me.” Or something like this. One scholar seems to have rightly seen in this the exclamation, “Have I here also seen the Latter Purposes or Designs of him who seeth me?”

In other words, because the Lord told her what her son’s name would be and then explained all that would come to pass from his generations, she is saying “I have seen what you intend.” It is an exclamation of His transcendence over time. He is the God who sees, not just now, but into the future and through all things.

Before we move on, we should look at 5 particular reasons why we can discern that this is, in fact, the Lord Jesus who is fully God and who was manifest in the flesh. It was He who spoke to Hagar and not just a messenger.

The first is that He promised to accomplish something that only God could accomplish and He foretold the future in a way only God can. He did this at the time of Adam, at the time of Noah, earlier with Abram, and elsewhere. He told her that she would bear a son and then described what he would be like, even throughout future generations.

Secondly, when she spoke to Him, she clearly identified Him as God – El Roi, the God who sees. Were this not true, then it would either be Satan trying to usurp God or if a good angel he would have refused the title just as the angel in Revelation refused worship. Scripture records neither and therefore this is Jesus who is God.

Third, when this was recorded by Moses, the writings designated Him as Jehovah. The record states, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her.” “Lord” in this verse is the divine name Jehovah. This name is not ever, ever given to a created being. It is the divine name of the God of power and perfection.

We can compare this account and the Angel who appears with the Redeeming Angel in Genesis 48:16, the Angel of God’s Presence in Isaiah 63:9, the Angel of the Covenant in Malachi 3:1, as well as other appearances by this Angel which are always and only applied to the divine God.

Fifth, what we have seen cannot in any way be related to a created being. The knowledge, works, and authority belong to God alone. And because this Angel is visible to the human eye, it must be the second member of the triune Godhead, Jesus Christ.

We know this because the Bible on many occasions says that no one has seen God, that God is invisible, that God dwells in an unapproachable light, etc. Only when God united with humanity could man see the image of God in human form – Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

The well at this spring of water is named because of the meeting and account which we’ve just seen. Again, in the coming pages of the Bible, we’ll see wells named based on what occurs around the wells as they are discovered.

It is a tangible and permanent tie to the supernatural and spiritual light which has temporarily shone through the fabric of our temporal reality.

Beer Lahai Roi means “The Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me” and it is located between Kadesh and Bered. Kadesh is the same location which will be seen again in the book of Numbers during the wanderings of the Israelites through the wilderness.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

In fulfillment of the promise to Hagar, and in obedience to the name given by the Lord, the son born to Abram by Hagar is named Ishmael. God heard, God saw, God promised, and God delivered.

Before we go to our last verse of the day, I’d like to provide a spiritual application to you concerning this very thought. God gave Hagar a promise. He heard her cry, He saw her affliction, He made the promise, and He delivered.

God has done the same for each and every soul alive today. “I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.” says Proverbs 8. And I am sure that in the process, God will reach out to them to help along that road.

God has said that those who seek Him will find Him. And He doesn’t make it hard to do. In Acts 17 it says that in Him we live and move and have our being. He is right here waiting for the lost soul and even more, He has given us His word which tells us of His Son and His Son reveals Him.

When we seek God with tears and afflictions, He responds and He delivers. This isn’t only about salvation though, but about every good blessing that He desires us to have. He is there waiting for us to receive the fullness of the promises in His Son, Jesus.

¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

It’s now 11 years since Abram entered the Promised Land and the year is 2095AM. He has finally had a son at the youthful age of 86. This is where the chapter ends and it leaves us in anticipation of more excitement in the lives of Abram and Sarai as they live in the presence of the God who sees and controls the destinies of man.

God is in control of your destiny as well and He may be calling out to you if you will only call on Him. Let me tell you how you can…

El Roi, The God Who Sees

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had born him no son
Getting old she figured her baby bearing chances were done

But she had a maidservant, an Egyptian named Hagar
So she spoke to Abram, words difficult to say
“Our chances of having a baby are surely gone by far
So please go into Hagar to have a child, yes… go this very day

Maybe I can bear children by her instead”
So Abram heeded Sarai and Sarai brought her to his bed

And when this came about, yes Hagar a child she conceived
But because of this, she despised her mistress in her eyes
Sarai felt now like the one who had been deceived
And she went to Abram so that Hagar he would chastise

My wrong be upon you – I gave her to your embrace
And now she mocks me, yes… mocks me to my face

The Lord judge between me and you
But Abram said, this isn’t for me to do

So Sarai dealt harshly with her Egyptian maid
And Hagar fled her presence and took off for home
But in the wilderness she stopped for water and some shade
And it was here she met the Lord who spoke words of shalom

“Hagar, Sarai’s maid whence come you, where are you going to”
I’m fleeing from the presence of my mistress, this is the thing I do

“Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand
I will multiply your descendants exceedingly you see
They shall not be counted for their multitude will be grand
In my hand is the future and I’ve showed it to you plainly

“Behold you are with child and you shall bear a son
You shall call him Ishmael because the Lord has heard your woes
He shall be a wild man, his hand against everyone
And everyone against him too, where he dwells and where he goes

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her
“You are the God Who Sees and it is Him I did see”
And the well was called Beer Lahai Roi which does refer
To the Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me

So Hagar bore Abram a son and his name was Ishmael
At 86 is when it happened, what a story to tell

Yes God keeps every promise which proceeds from His word
Because He is the covenant keeping, all knowing, all seeing Lord.

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

Genesis 15:7-21
The Lord’s Covenant with Abraham

Introduction: The Bible is full of stories about people, places, and circumstances. As we read it, we can often get so caught up in the story that we forget about what the purpose of it is and why it was placed in the Bible.

We all have a million stories about our own lives too. Although some of us are boring, just like some of the boring people in the Bible. And some of us live super duper exciting lives, just like the super duper exciting people mentioned in the Bible. The difference though is that they are in the Bible and we’re not.

God has chosen these people and real events in their lives, boring or exciting, to help us understand what He is doing and why. Eventually, we’ll get to the book of Leviticus and we’ll be going through page after page of what seems repetitious, complicated, outdated, and to many people, downright uninteresting.

I’ve noticed time and again people start reading the Bible from Genesis, all excited about the challenge. The reading is easy and things go quickly. But after a few weeks, I stop hearing from them. I know they’ve gotten through some of Exodus and have quit.

The reason is that they don’t understand the need for all of the things that are placed there and they fall back on, “Well, I know Jesus loves me… that’s good enough for me.” In one respect, that’s true. But in another, it’s the farthest thing from reality for the believer. Understanding what the Bible is trying to tell us is like understanding your computer better.

As long as you have the basics and the computer is working fine – “Well, I have the internet… that’s good enough for me.” Most people are content with that – “I have Facebook, a site with the weather radar, some news sites… I’m good.” But when things stop working, then trouble begins.

And just like that, when things in your life stop going well, suddenly “Jesus loves me” doesn’t seem enough. It didn’t stop being true, but now you need to evaluate the process a lot more to understand why bad things are happening to the one Jesus loves.

There are a couple ways to do this. One is to ask your pastor, if you have one. He can brush you up on the whole, “It’ll work out ok” thing. Or, you can post your troubles on Facebook and hope people will keep saying nice things to make the problems fade away. Maybe you can post on a prayer group and the problems will disappear because people are praying for you.

Once again though – the pastor could be wrong. Most pastors disagree on even minor points of doctrine. How much more in the important issues that affect your “Jesus loves me” thinking? The people on Facebook are eventually going to get tired of saying nice things to you all day.

If you’re a constant bummer… well, no one wants to be around a constant bummer. And prayer groups are fine, but believe me – most people who promise to pray for you probably don’t and those who do may not even be saved.

I have news for you, if someone isn’t saved, they can pray all day and all night for you and the prayers are wasted breath. The Bible tells us that the prayers of the unrighteous are an abomination to God. If you think I’m kidding –

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9

So what are you to do when your computer stops working? You figure out the problem, fix it, and get back to your computing. And when your life is having troubles, if you’re smart, you’ll say “I know where the answer is” and you’ll pull out your Bible, which you are already familiar with because you read it every day, and you refresh your memory about how to handle the problem.

Text Verse: Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.
⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Psalm 119:74, 75

Yes, we may have afflictions as faithful Christians, but those afflictions are because God is building us up in character and reliance on Him. And so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. How Shall I know, Lord

Today we’re going to look at a most unusual ritual recorded in the Bible. It’s called “cutting a covenant” and its significance is not to be taken lightly. Before we get into our first verse of the day, let’s read the first 6 verses of chapter 15 that we went over last week –

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

² But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

In these verses we discovered once again, the very Source of righteousness for the people of the world – the imputed righteousness of God which comes by faith in His promises and in what He has and will accomplish for His people.

When we get to those “tough to understand why they’re there verses” in the Bible, we will be able to look back at Chapter 15 of Genesis and understand better that whatever these things mean, the problem has already been resolved for Abraham and so it must be resolvable for us too. And it will be.

All we need to do is finish up by reading the New Testament and then we’ll see the larger picture,,, which leads us right back to Chapter 15 of Genesis. We are righteous by faith. But we will understand it more clearly because we will see that it is faith in Jesus and what He did. Genesis 15 is just looking forward to that.

Hold on to this knowledge I’m giving you right now, because the law and all of its tedious sacrifices and demands does serve a purpose. God doesn’t waste breath or words. Every thing He says is for the purpose of revealing the greatness of Himself and the marvelous workings of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We will see that righteousness before God cannot come from us because we’re already fallen and we are already separated from Him. We’ve learned this in Genesis chapter 3 and will continue to learn it until the last pages of the Bible. Only by an imputation of righteousness can we hope to be reconciled to God.

This “justification by faith alone” must be emphasized because if we somehow believe that what we do plays a part in our righteousness, we deny the perfect justice of the Lord and destroy the only basis by which we came come before Him clean and forgiven.

If God were to declare us just and righteous based on our deeds, then Jesus was lying when He said in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Our deeds are already tainted with imperfection. So how can we be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect? By faith alone.

I’ll explain this later, but remember that God declared Abram righteous simply by believing God. Therefore, it is faith in what God has promised and what God has done that made him righteous.

⁷ Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”

In verse 5 we read, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And then in verse 6 it says, “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Nothing else is recorded here specifically because nothing else happened. God made a promise and Abram had faith in that promise – “Righteous…You are now righteous.” After crediting Abram with righteousness based on his faith alone the Lord now reminds him of who He is – “I am the LORD.”

“I am the self-existent Creator who spoke the universe into being. I heat the day with the sun and I call the stars into brightness at night. I am the LORD – Jehovah, the God of Power and Perfection.”

“I am also the one who saved you out of the greedy flame of hell when I called you from Ur of the Chaldeans. And not only did I call you, but I brought you – I carried you on eagle’s wings from the place of fire and destruction to this land…the land of your inheritance. I have brought you this far and I will be with you and guide you always.”

The Lord glories in what he has accomplished as both an act of power and of grace. Yes, Abram got on his donkey with his family and headed out, but it is the Lord who both told him to do so and who ensured he’d make it safely to the Promised Land.

And when He speaks about the land, He doesn’t just say that He would give it to him, but that He would give it to him as an inheritance. This is the surest title to the action and we see that the providential hand of God has secret and yet gracious intents in all that He does.

Abram is a picture of us and the Lord is repeating what He has done to show us what He will do. We as humans stand in flames, represented by Ur where Abram was called from, and we are called out and brought out of those flames by the same God.

We can’t conceive of the great workings of God until the events have come to pass and only then do we see what He was driving at. How many of you here have called on Christ. Before it came, did you see it coming? In my case I never could have imagined what God would do until is was done.

And every moment of history unfolds in the same way. It’s all leading to an end which will be far more wonderful than even the promise to Abram. In what is only a picture of what’s ahead, God uses Abram to show us of even greater glory to come.

⁸ And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”

The Lord just got done telling Abram of everything He’s done for Him so far and what He will do in the time ahead. And He’s told it to him in a single concise and yet perfectly full explanation. This brings about Abram’s obvious question – “Adonai God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”

I mean, he’s standing there speaking to God who has already fulfilled the first half of what He’s said. Of course he should wonder about the rest. “Jesus, you said that you would forgive me if I called on you. And sure enough, you forgave me.

You’ve also promised that You would never leave me nor forsake me… How can I know this is true?”

It’s the constant battle of believing God in what has been done while at the same time wondering if He’s capable of following through on the rest. In Abram’s case though, this shouldn’t be seen as a question of doubt. Instead, he’s looking for a confirmation of his faith which has already been expressed in the promise.

At other times in the Bible, people have asked God for a sign. In Judges 6, Gideon asked the Lord for one. Let’s read it –

³⁶ So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— ³⁷ look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” ³⁸ And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” ⁴⁰ And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

King Hezekiah of Israel was given a promise from the Lord and he also asked for a sign. And in Isaiah 7, the Lord spoke a promise to King Ahaz and then offered a sign to confirm His word.

Asking God for a sign isn’t sinful, but demanding one is. And there is a difference. God has stated that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit the moment we believe in Christ. This is how God has spoken this truth to us –

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13, 14

We have every assurance this is true because God spoke it in His word. We can ask God for a sign if we wish. If He provides it, that is His prerogative, and if not, so be it. However, there are churches and seminaries which demand a sign such as speaking in tongues.

If you don’t speak in tongues, then according to them you haven’t been baptized into the Holy Spirit, which is both contradictory to the Bible and is a demand upon God. This is both presumptuous and sinful.

Abram has asked for a sign and the Lord agreed to give him one –

⁹ So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

In response to a request for a sign, the Lord tells Abram to bring five animals to Him. The heifer, goat, and ram are all three years old, meaning that they are fully grown and in the prime of life.

Abram might have expected a sign from heaven, like speaking in tongues, but God gives him a sign by requesting that he bring what he already had in his possession.

A good lesson here is that if you want to speak in tongues, go to language school and learn your Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or whatever and then offer it to the Lord.

If you want the assurance of God’s favor then attend to the things which will result in that favor. Only then can you expect to meet with God in and through them.

¹⁰ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

The Bible doesn’t say that God told Abram to do this. Instead, he just did it. This means that he already understood what was coming and how to get ready for it. The sign of God’s promise is the confirmation of the covenant and it is accomplished in a manner he was already familiar with.

Instead of the innocence of youth found in later animal sacrifices during the temple times in Israel, these animals are fully grown and this indicates the mature and accountable decision of the coming sign. This sign will be binding to the point of death as is evidenced by the animals which Abram slaughters.

¹¹ And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Abram is standing there waiting for the confirmation of the covenant and, as happens with dead animals, birds of prey came down on them. In order to maintain their purity and keep them from being defiled, Abram chases them away.

Are you going to learn from this verse? As Christians, we’re waiting on the final completion of our covenant – made at the high cost of the life of God’s own Son. As we wait, we are called “living sacrifices” by Paul. Here’s how he puts it –

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

The problem though is that as we wait on the Lord, the unclean birds of the world – our own impure thoughts and actions – fight against the holy sacrifice.

They come down and try to pollute our lives with wrong living and a morally impure lifestyle. But God has shown us that we need to chase these unclean birds away and wait quietly upon the Lord in holiness and purity.

II. Know With Certainty

How shall I know, Lord? Know with certainty…

¹² Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.

This is an almost spooky verse to read and think about. The sun is going down, a deep sleep falls on Abram, and at the same time there is horror and great darkness in his mind. The word for “deep sleep” is found only 7 times in the Bible and the last time we saw it is when God put Adam to sleep in order to take out one of his ribs and make a wife for him.

The deep sleep, the setting of the sun, and the horror and darkness are being used to show the supernatural nature of the darkness and sleep and to set up a distinction between this vision and a regular dream. The reason for the horror and darkness is given next.

¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

Earlier Abram asked, “How shall I know?” And in response to his question, the Lord said to him, “Know certainly.” When you have questions of the Lord, as we all do, it’s only right to ask Him, “How shall I know?” And His response to you is the same as it is to Abram here – “Know certainly.”

After saying this, He speaks His word to Abram and expects Abram to believe it. And He has also spoken His word to you and He expects you to believe it. How can you know? Read your Bible. It is God’s word spoken to you as surely as he spoke to Abram.

The horror and darkness that Abram experienced are given to show him what it will be like for his descendants during a time of affliction. It’s an important verse to remember because many people who study their Bible have misinterpreted this verse and one other in Exodus to mean that the Israelites would be in Egypt for 430 years. However, this isn’t the case at all.

This 400 year period is speaking of Abram’s descendants, from the weaning of Isaac to the time of the Exodus. Israel was actually only in Egypt for about 210 years, not 400. If you want to save yourself the hard work, I’ve already done it and have it on my website on a page called “Dwelling in Egypt.”

¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

This is specifically speaking about the time in Egypt and the judgment they would receive, but it is not all inclusive of the previous verse. Rather the people of Israel were strangers in both Canaan and Egypt during the 400 period.

After their time in Egypt, as we’ll see in the future, the Israelites will plunder the Egyptians and will come out with a great amount of wealth. Much of this wealth will be used by the people to build the tabernacle where God would meet with them, but some would be used to build a golden calf in place of God.

Having great possessions often leads to great mistakes. Only when we use our wealth properly is it of any true benefit to ourselves. God’s gifts may be a blessing, but we can use them in ways which bring a curse.

¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

Abram has been given the promise of a long life and a peaceful death. We’ll see that in the end, he will live to be 175 years old and he will go to his grave in peace. Unfortunately for us, we have to wait to see how our end will come about.

Because of this, it’s right that we live each day as best we can and spend our time focusing on living for the Lord. Any moment could be our last and so every moment should be lived that way.

Implied in the words that he would “go to his fathers in peace” is that they still exist – in other words, the immortality of the soul. If this sounds like this is a stretch, consider two things.

First, God said it in a comforting manner. In other words, death without continued existence has no comfort for us and therefore continued existence is implied.

Secondly, Jesus said this to the people of Israel –

But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” Luke 20:37, 38

Because God is eternal, all are alive to Him. He speaks of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the present tense. If the dead are raised and they are always alive to God, then they are always alive.

¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

There are several times in the Bible that we see the concept of sin heaping up in a land. As sins are committed, they reach a point where there is no longer a remedy for the people of the land and at that time they are destroyed. We see this here.

We also see it in the conduct, destruction, and exile of Israel twice in history, and we see it in the rise and fall of nations. It is a truth that simply can’t be ignored. In Numbers 35 it’s said as explicitly as could be possible –

So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

As I’ve said so many times in the past, the crime of abortion is a crime of blood. There is no atonement for the land which sheds innocent blood except by the blood of those who shed it.

At the same time, in this verse is also an understanding of the mercy of God. If one sin of Adam was enough to condemn the entire human race, then we can see the immense mercy of God in allowing 400 years for the Amorites to live, enjoy life, and hopefully search for God and find Him.

Instead of destruction and immediately granting the promise to Abram, he allows His own chosen people to suffer trials while the inhabitants of Canaan are given the benefits of enjoying His land. Anyone who can’t find God’s wisdom, graciousness, and mercy in this verse has both a warped and a deviant sense of who God is.

In this one verse is found the foreknowledge of God, His sovereignty in administering the affairs of nations, His mercy in sparing morally corrupt people until there is no remedy for them, and His justice in exercising judgment,

Finally there is something that we will only see later in the Bible – that the Amorite is the chief nation among those in the land who will receive first and full judgment for their deviant living.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.

When the people of the Mideast joined in a pact, they’d follow the same rites as we see here – slaughter an animal, cut it in two and pass through the pieces. In order to validate His word in a way which Abram would understand, He followed this ancient practice.

However, Abram didn’t pass through the pieces, only the Lord did. This means the promise is one-sided and unconditional. Abram isn’t bound to anything, but the Lord binds Himself to the promise.

The significance of the animals being cut in two is that it signifies the penalty for failing to keep the covenant. This is the purpose of cutting a covenant… it is a binding action with the severest consequences for failing to live up to it.

The smoking oven and the burning torch represent the protection of the promise by God. The smoke represents the destruction of those who would afflict the people to whom the promise is made and the burning torch is the consuming fire which would bring about the destruction.

At the same time as being an instrument of destruction for the enemies of the promise, they are an instrument of protection and light for the people of the promise.

At the exodus, a similar manifestation of God will be seen which will lead the people out of bondage. And this manifestation will, at the same, bring destruction on Israel’s enemies.

¹⁸ On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Ten groups of people are listed here. The land they possess now will be given to Abram’s descendants. The covenant is made, it is unconditional, and it is absolutely binding. What God has spoken will come to pass. The land is for Abram and his descendants.

Just so you know, God has also entered into a covenant with us. It is through the glory of His only begotten Son, Jesus. It is He, like the smoking oven and torch which passed through the animals, who passes between God and us.

Like Abram, we also have a sign – it is a deposit, it is a guarantee of the good things promised for all believers. It is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. If you’ve never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, let me explain how you can…

To Your Descendants I Give This Land

The Lord said to Abram, yes He did say
I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur
From the land of the Chaldeans where once you did stay
And this land I give you to inherit…that’s for sure

And Abram being an especially inquisitive sort of man
Asked, “Lord God how shall I know that I will receive this from Your Hand?”

So the Lord said to Abram, yes, this He did say
“Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram each three years old
Also a turtledove and a young pigeon bring this way”
And Abram brought them all just as he was told

He cut them in two down the middle, piece opposite piece
But the birds he did not cut in two
As vultures came down on the carcasses Abram made them cease
He drove them away, yes, this thing he did do

Now as the sun was going down, he fell into a dark sleep
And the horror and darkness that came upon him was so deep

And the Lord said to Abram, “Know for sure what I say
Your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own
And they will serve them four hundred years from that day
But I will judge the nation they serve, my greatness will be shown”

They will come out with very many possessions
From the people who gave them so many oppressions
Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace
You will be buried when at a good old age your life will cease

In the fourth generation your people shall return here
For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete
And it came to pass as the night was drawing near
Abram saw something that probably raised him from his seat

Behold, a smoking oven and burning torch did appear
That passed between those pieces he had laid out
On the same day, the Lord made a covenant sincere
This promise left Abram without a single doubt

To your descendants I have given this land
Yes, it is a present from my gracious hand

And to this day He has been faithful to Abram’s seed
They dwell in the Promised Land, yes even now
It is God’s land to parcel out, so the nations should take heed
God promised it to them, He promised it with a vow

Got keeps every promise, faithful is He
So don’t worry about what will come, it will be ok
God sent His own Son just for you and for me
And He will finish his work in us, some glorious day

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 15:1-6
The Source of Righteousness

Introduction: I don’t know how many of you have ever taken the time to tell someone about Jesus, but there are a million ways to get started. Once you do, it’s good to watch their eyes and body motion and gauge whether your words are having an effect. If not, then you need to change tact.

Some people already know they’re messed up. Usually all they need is to be told how to get right with God. You simply tell them of His grace, mercy, and love and explain the path to salvation from the book of Romans.

Others have the “I” problem. When you ask them, “Why should God allow you into heaven?” the first thing they say is “I.” “I’m a pretty good guy.” “I try to be good to others.” “I’m not as bad as this person or that.” If you hear the word “I” it is a sure sign that they are much further away from God than they realize.

In this case, you need to give them the law – God’s standard. You need to explain His righteousness, His justice, His standard of morality and then show how they measure up against that. When a person, no matter how good they think they are, is measured against perfect holiness, there is nothing left but condemnation.

Jesus says that we are to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. And yet it’s not possible for us to do. When we start doing things in an attempt to merit His favor, we actually move further away from Him because we start trusting in our own deeds. This actually becomes a source of idolatry and further separates us.

In a similar manner, when we give any other reason – and I mean any other reason – than Jesus Christ as our justification for being suitable for heaven, then we are actually making ourselves out to be gods. We have now replaced God’s word and His decision with our own decision. Any person on earth who claims they will be saved – for any other reason than Jesus Christ’s work – is actually committing blasphemy against God.

Today, we’ll discover the Source of righteousness and how to obtain it. When we do, we can confidently say that we have access to heaven and God’s eternal home.

Text Verse: “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
² Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
For I called him alone,
And blessed him and increased him.” Isaiah 51:1, 2

Today we’ll look to our father Abraham and learn to follow the true path to righteousness and so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Our Shield and Our Exceedingly Great Reward

Over the last two weeks, we went through Genesis 14 which concerned the battle between the four kings of the east and the five kings of Canaan. It was during this battle that the kings of the east took Lot captive and carried him off toward their home.

But when Abram heard about it, he took his own men and chased after them, defeated them, and rescued Lot and everything he had. When he returned, he was met by Melchizedek, the King of Salem.

He also was offered the booty of the war he won, but returned it to the king of Sodom instead. This is where the account ended and it brings us to Chapter 15.

¹After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision…

This is the first time that the Bible says, “the word of the LORD came,” meaning that Lord has revealed Himself through His word. In the Bible there are several ways in which God revealed Himself.

Sometimes he came through a personal appearance, sometimes by an audible voice, sometimes by visions – either when awake or when asleep, sometimes through an angel, and sometimes by the Spirit of God clothing or moving a person. When these things happened, and however they happened, it is the word of the Lord which was being given and it is therefore a part of His very nature.

The word of the Lord reveals the Lord. Today, we have the word of the Lord which was, as the book of Jude clearly explains, “Once for all delivered to the saints.” In other words, if you want to know the word of the Lord, go to your local bookstore, get a Bible, and read it. God has delivered His message to you through its pages.

^{1 con’t} saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Al tira Abram, anokhi magen lakh, sekhareykha harbeh meod.

In the Hebrew I just read, the word “I” is stated separately instead of being combined with another word. What this means is that the “I” to Abram is emphatic, I am your shield,,,, I am your exceedingly great reward.

The question that I’m sure each of you just asked yourselves, being the greatest congregation in the whole wide world, is “Why would the Lord say this emphatically to Abram?” “What does Abram have to fear and what reward should he anticipate?”

There are two things tied up in what the Lord says to him. First, being a “shield” means that He is the Protector from harm. Second, being an “exceedingly great reward” means that He is the giver of all that is good.

There are probably a few reasons why Abram needed to be protected from harm. First, he’d just defeated the four kings of the east and he may have worried that the people from there might gather an even greater force together to come and try to kill him because of his triumph.

He also was living in the land of Canaan and the people of the land might simply try to take what he had because he was becoming blessed more and more as time passed by. It’s the jealousy factor that we see in the world to this day.

There are people who don’t have who want to take from people that do have; along with blessing will often come jealousy. We see it in our society between individuals and we see it between societies too. People who don’t have will thieve and steal to get what isn’t theirs and what they don’t deserve.

There are also reasons why Abram would need to be promised all that is good. When living in the world, good and bad are often so inextricably tied together that when we get something good, it is inevitably tied to something which is or will turn out as bad.

In the previous chapter, Abram turned down all of the spoils of the war he won simply because he understood this very lesson. If he took the spoils, which would have benefitted him a great deal, it would have ended in something bad because others could claim that the wickedness of Sodom is where his wealth came from. It would be like getting rich by being the lawyer for the mob.

From the Lord though comes infinite goodness and there is nothing less than good that comes from Him. This is why the Lord promises to be his shield and his exceedingly great reward. In this one verse then is both something tangible and something that transcends creation and reaches into the eternal and spiritual realm.

This verse is the first real hint which leads to the term which is finally found towards the end of the Old Testament in the book of Jeremiah, “The Lord our Righteousness.” It is He who redeems us from death – the shield, and He who grants us eternal life – the exceedingly great reward.

If you’re a Christian, then as we’ll look at more closely in a minute, you’re Abraham’s seed and heir. If there’s a better verse to start a sermon than chapter 15, verse 1, I can’t imagine it. Here we are, 4000 years after the time of Abram and the very promise which we just read, in essence, applies to us today.

The promise stands because it is God’s promise, spoken by His own mouth. The Lord Himself is our shield and our exceedingly great reward.

² But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

In this verse is something for all of you to notice and learn from. This is the first time in the Bible that the term “Adonai” is used. If you’ll take the time to look at verse 1, it will say “LORD” with all capital letters. In this verse, it is translated “Lord” with one capital and three small letters. There is one more “lord” used in the Old Testament which is with all small letters.

LORD with all capitals is translated from the divine name – Jehovah or Yahweh. Lord with a capital and three small letters is Adonai. This is always speaking about the Lord, but it doesn’t use His name out of respect. The lord, which is in all small letters is speaking of a human.

It’s important to know these for several reasons, but for now, just remember that all caps is the divine name. A cap and three small letters is speaking about the Lord or to the Lord without using His name, and all small is speaking of someone like “mister.” As you’re reading the Bible, take notice of these differences and you will better understand what is going on.

Abram, using the term Adonai, indicates that he knows he is speaking to the Creator God and yet, what may seem incredible is that he asks “what will you give me, seeing I go childless?”

This isn’t a question lacking faith though. Instead, it is demonstrating the high importance placed on having a child and not someone merely born in, or in charge of his house.

To help you understand this thought, imagine God appearing to me and saying, “Do not fear Charlie, I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” Maybe I’d say, “But Adonai, what will You give me, seeing as how I only have a teeny church on the beach, and we don’t know if from week to week it’s going to get rained out or not?”

Am I lacking faith in the question, or am I making an obvious statement that all I have is a teeny church on the beach and that I have no idea if from week to week it’s going to get rained out.

The very fact that I’m calling Him Adonai means that I understand that He is sovereign and the supreme Governor of all that happens. He is the One who will take care of every matter concerning my present and my future welfare and His personal glory.

The Lord already knows I want to be a preacher and the Lord already knows Abram wants a child. The Lord is in charge of whether I get four walls or not, and He is in charge of whether Abram will get a child or not.

And guess what! Adonai is also in charge of everything you both want and need. He knows already what you will get, and if there is a promise to you, He will fulfill it.

And if there is a desire of your heart, tell it to Him plainly. “Lord, Adonai, I really want to be a preacher and I really want to be able to afford to eat and pay my bills as a preacher. But this is Your world, this is Your word, and these are Your people. Direct my steps and fill my needs according to Your wisdom.”

³ Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

As Matthew Henry says so beautifully, “Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him.” A complaint isn’t a lack of faith. A complaint is that state of mind that says, “I am unhappy with how things are going.”

I complain all the time… I’m what you might call a whiner. And God hears every one of my sniffling little whines. My wife hears most of them too. I’m not sure why I complain to either of them. God already knows what I’m not happy with and my wife usually can’t do anything about the things I’m unhappy about.

But there is something about complaining that helps us unpackage the very frustration that we’re feeling. This might be what Abram is doing here. He’s feeling unhappy about not having a child, even after the Lord promised that his descendants will inherit the land.

By telling the Lord that he hasn’t been given any offspring, he’s looking at the other options available – which in this case is that someone born in his own house is currently his heir. He may be asking if in fact he should formally adopt Eliezer as his son.

Then Charlie said, “Adonai, you have given me no building; indeed it’s supposed to rain tomorrow morning!” And Adonai said, “It’ll all work out the way it should, Charlie.”

II. The Source of Righteousness

⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

Abram is now given the promise of a son from his own body. It won’t be an adopted son, a son of his house – meaning a servant, nor will it be a female. Abram is promised a son by the word of the Lord. When the Lord speaks, it will come to pass.

⁵ Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Before I give my thoughts on here, I want to read you what Google Answers says about how many visible stars there are in the sky –

“You can’t count the stars directly. Due to the rotation of the earth, more keep appearing on one side and disappearing from the other. As atmospheric conditions change, some stars become visible and some become invisible. Instead, people look through a tube, count the stars in that field of view, and scale that figure up to obtain an estimate for the total. If you want a specific number, The Yale Bright Star Catalog catalogs the “naked eye visible stars,” which they consider to be those with a magnitude of 6.5 or brighter. Those have been catalogued and listed, and there are 9110 entries in that list. But if you want to see all of them, you’ll need ideal conditions: good eyes, several high altitude viewpoints in different parts of the earth, a moonless night, no aurora, and air that is absolutely still, clear, and dry.”

So a complete counting of all the stars in the visible sky, from every vantage point on earth is 9110 stars. Taken in context, this seems to make the promise suspicious and less than reasonable.

However, this is with the exception of the fact that it’s actually impossible to count this number at any one time, which would make the number unknown anyway. Because of this, there are both difficulties and possibilities, based on if you are a Bible believer or a Bible pessimist.

But I’d like to propose a possibility concerning this verse which might answer both dilemmas and actually point to the Person of Jesus at the same time. But mind you, this is so far from any other commentary that you should probably take it with a grain of salt.

The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

But in just a couple verses it’s going to say this – “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram…”

This certainly implies that when the Lord was speaking to Abram about the stars it was during the daytime, not the nighttime. So in my mind, there are only two possibilities to answer this dilemma. The first is what comes from verse 1, “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision.”

The vision then showed Abram a display of the heavens that was beyond what we see with our naked eye. In other words, he saw what we get to see today with the Hubble telescope. “I am the Creator of all of this. As immense as is this universe that I have made is as sure as the promise which I am giving to you.”

This is unlikely though because we wouldn’t have the same reference as Abram. It would be mixing apples with oranges.

The second possibility, and the one I favor, is that Abram was taken outside during the day and told to count the stars if he could do so – which he couldn’t because the number was hidden from him. “But Lord, I can’t count them – it’s daytime… it’s beyond my ability to even try. I know they’re there and in an astonishing number, but to count that number would be impossible.”

And the Lord’s answer – “Just as impossible as it is for you to count them, so shall your descendants be.” But… if this is the case there is something veiled to the eyes of Abram but which is revealed later in the Bible. There actually is one star visible in the daytime sky – and that is our sun.

Abram, nor anyone else for eons, knew that the sun was just one of many stars, but the Lord did. In asking Abram to number the stars, He was giving him an impossible task and yet he was pointing to the ultimate heir of the promise – Jesus Christ. Is this possible?

In Malachi 4:2, the last page of the Old Testament, Jesus is called the Sun of Righteousness. No, Abram couldn’t count the stars in the sky because it was daytime and during the daytime the sun is so brilliant that it blocks out all the other stars from view.

They are there, but they’re hidden because of the sun’s surpassing glory. And here we are, the children of Abraham in a number so vast it can’t be counted, and above all of us – in surpassing glory – is the Son of Righteousness… Jesus Christ.

I won’t be dogmatic on any of the possibilities. No matter what, the number is ultimately a number beyond comprehension, but I do think that the possibility I’ve given isn’t just likely, but more than probable.

And this leads us directly to the last verse from Genesis 15 today –

⁶ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abram believed in the Lord, and He, the Lord, accounted it to him for righteousness. What needs to happen for the rest of today’s sermon is to define “righteousness” and then show where this quality stems from. By doing this, we will see that this verse, Genesis 15:6, is the principle key in our relationship with God.

This is only the second time in the Bible that being righteous is mentioned when speaking of a person. The first time was of Noah and it says he was righteous in his generation, but today is the first time that righteousness is said to be bestowed upon someone and it is done so because of his simple faith – His belief in the incredible.

The word “righteous” is mentioned 555 times in the Bible and we could spend eons evaluating each instance, but what I will do to keep things short today, is to quote you once from Jeremiah, once from Revelation, and then read you Paul’s thoughts on Genesis 15 as are written in Galatians chapter 3.

In Jeremiah, we see the term Yahweh Tzidkednu, or – The Lord our Righteousness. This is Jeremiah 23:5, 6 –

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
⁶ In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

In the Old Testament, if you look closely, righteousness stems from the Lord, not from us. He gives certain parameters by which a person can be considered righteous, but as Paul will explain, we fail to meet these parameters and therefore righteousness cannot come from us, but must be granted externally.

In Revelation 19, right there at the end of the New Testament, we read this in verses 7 and 8 –

“Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. ⁸And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright [and] pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.”

Most versions state that the fine linen given to these saints is the “righteous deeds” of the saints, but this is incorrect. It is the righteousness of the saints – it is a righteousness which comes not from our deeds, but from the Lord Jesus and faith in His deeds.

This might seem like splitting hairs, but it’s not. It is the fundamental distinction between Christianity and all other religions. The Christian is declared righteous, as Abram was, by faith alone. When that faith is exercised, a person is declared righteous and stands justified before God.

III. If By the Law

Paul, on several occasions in his writings, states that righteousness is an imputed righteousness and that our deeds have no merit in obtaining it. In fact, in Galatians 3, he very clearly explains how the Law of Moses fails to bestow righteousness upon us.

And so today, I’m going to read you Galatians 3 and explain it without getting into any great detail. Why Galatians 3? Because in this chapter, Paul uses Genesis 15:6 as a basis for the source of righteousness. To understand what happens to us when we exercise faith, we need to understand what happened to Abram.

¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
³ Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
⁴ Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (GEN 15:6)
⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” (GEN 12:3)
⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”(DEUT 27:26)
¹¹ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”  (HAB 2:4)
¹² Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” (LEV 18:5)
¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), (DEUT 21:23)
¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
¹⁵ Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (GEN 12:7)
¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
¹⁸ For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
¹⁹ What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
²⁰ Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
²² But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
²³ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
²⁴ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now that we’ve determined the Source of righteousness, please allow me just a couple minutes to explain how you can appropriate that for yourself and stand right before God…

Abram – Declared Righteous by Faith

After Abram’s great battle to rescue Lot
And then meeting Melchizedek next
A vision from the Lord Abram got
And at first he seemed a bit perplexed

The Lord appeared to him and told him this
Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield
Your exceedingly great reward, so don’t dismiss
What I tell you, great riches it will yield

But Abram said, “Lord God, what will you give me?”
Seeing as I continue without a child
I have no offspring as you can see
By your words, I feel interestingly beguiled

The heir of my house is this guy Eliezer
The one from Damascus will inherit my razor

Indeed one born in my house is my heir
He’ll inherit everything, from my camel to my chair

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying
Nope, this one shall not be your heir
I know about this you have been praying
And from your own body, a son will come – do not despair

Then He brought Abram outside and said
“Look now toward heaven, count the stars if you can”
Close your eyes and try counting them in your head
It’s something impossible for any man

And He said to Abram who was waiting to hear
“Thus shall your descendants be, so don’t you fear.”

And Abram believed the Lord and the promise he made
And to him righteousness was granted for his belief
From this one act came an eternal trade
And fallen man was given the hope of relief

Coming from Abram would be the Savior to all
The Messiah of the world who would give His life
So that to anyone that on His name would call
Would come to the end of all turmoil and strife

Peace with God, righteousness bestowed
By faith alone, nothing else owed

Such is the nature of God towards man
All He asks is faith in the things He has done
A little bit of faith is the heart of the plan
Because through faith in Jesus, the victory is won

Hallelujah and Amen…