Genesis (Written)

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…

 

 

Genesis 14:17-24
Melchizedek
(Greater than Levi)

Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of every biblical picture and figure which looks forward to the coming Messiah. All the way back to the time of Eusebius who lived during the second and third century, the three-fold office of Christ is noted – that of being the prophet, priest, and king.

And this concept is believed to have been built on even earlier Jewish sources. But in the end, it’s the Bible that reveals this for those who study it and peer into the beautiful gemstones which look forward to this coming Messiah.

In Deuteronomy, the great Prophet is predicted who would come in the manner of Moses –

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’” 18:15, 16

In Jeremiah, a great King is anticipated who is God incarnate –

“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 Jeremiah 23:5, 6

And also in Jeremiah is the anticipation of a new High Priest –

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. Jeremiah 31:31, 32

A New Covenant implies a change in priesthood. Many other times the uniting of the offices of prophet, priest, and king into one is alluded to in the Old Testament. Isaiah speaks of these three offices belonging to the LORD. Because they are fulfilled in Jesus, Isaiah’s words are a veiled reference to the deity of Jesus Christ –

(For the Lord is our Judge,
The Lord is our Lawgiver,
The Lord is our King;
He will save us). Isaiah 33:22

Interestingly, this same concept of a judge, lawgiver, and king was used in the three-fold division of our own government. The king is replaced with a president because the true King of our nation is the Creator to whom our leaders were recognized as subordinate.

In the New Testament, we see the three-fold concept realized in the Person of Jesus. If we were to look for a first picture of this though, we don’t need to even leave Genesis. Today we’ll see a person show up in only three verses and yet these three verses are so important that the author of Hebrews will spend three entire chapters speaking about them.

Introduction: Our enigmatic figure is Melchizedek and he is mentioned 11 times in the Bible. All but two of these are in the book of Hebrews. The other two are once in Genesis and once by David in the psalms.

If you ever want to enter into the truly goofy, you can read all kinds of crazy stuff about Melchizedek, just like the crazy things people make up about the Nephilim in Genesis chapter 6.

But what we have recorded about Melchizedek is very clear and there’s no need to make up a crazy theories when the Bible’s purpose in introducing him is to simply prefigure our true Prophet, Priest, and King – Jesus.

Text Verse: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ Zechariah 6:12, 13

Yes, because of Jesus, there is peace between the offices of the King and the Priest. And also because of Jesus, we have the full revelation of God’s word as is prophetically breathed out by the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus fills these wonderful roles for us… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Introducing and Explaining Melchizedek

¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Our last sermon covered the battle which occurred between the four kings from the east and the five kings who lived in the area of Sodom. When the battle was over, Abram’s nephew Lot was captured and taken captive, but Abram marshaled together his troops, went off in pursuit of Lot and safely returned him with all the other captives, and their goods.

Now we see the victorious Abram being met by the king of Sodom in the Valley of Shaveh. This king is named Bera who was introduced in Genesis 14:2 and he’s the same king who fled from the battle in 14:10. But now he comes forward to meet Abram and receive from him what he had lost.

The valley of Shaveh is where they met, which is also called the King’s Valley. Shaveh means “level” and it’s possible that the idiom that we use today “Meet me on the level” comes from this very phrase.

As Abram was returning from the slaughter of Chedolaomer and the other three kings, he may have sent a messenger to Bera with a note, “meet me at Shaveh” or as we would translate “meet me on the level.” Anyway, this same “King’s Valley is also the valley mentioned in 2 Samuel 18:18 and tells us the story of a sad figure in the Bible, Absalom the son of King David –

“Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.”

If you go to Israel today, you can see a large monument called “Absalom’s Monument” off to the side of the Temple Mount. It’s definitely not the same monument mentioned in the Bible, but because it was given this name, its face is all marred up from people throwing rocks at it. If you know the story of Absalom, you’d understand why. He was the son who attempted to overthrow Israel’s great king – his own father David.

 ¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.

This is all that’s recorded about Melchizedek. So why is it that he is mentioned again by David in the psalms and is referred to for three chapters in Hebrews? There’s obviously a lot more in these three verses than may be apparent at first.

Because the entire point of these three verses is to introduce what is explained in Hebrews, I’m going to read you David’s comment about Melchizedek from the psalms and then read you Hebrews 5-7 and attempt to explain them as we go. This may take a while, but hopefully you’ll see why this account is mentioned.

Before we do though, I’ll tell you that even in antiquity this great priest of God brought out and gave a blessing over bread and wine. This is something we do to this day and it prefigures the body and blood of the coming Messiah, Jesus.

Here is what David says about Melchizedek in Psalm 110 –

⁴ The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

This may not seem very instructive, but it’s based on the introduction to the psalm recorded in verse 1 –

The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
² The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Jesus used this very verse to explain something about the coming Messiah that the scribes of His day had missed –

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”
⁴³ He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. Matthew 22:43-45

Well, now let’s read Hebrews 5-7 and discover why Melchizedek is mentioned in these three verses in Genesis, but before I do I’ll tell you that if you want to witness to a Jewish person from the New Testament, the two best places to do it in my opinion are from the book of Matthew or the book of Hebrews (EXPLAIN) –

(5) For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. ³ Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. ⁴ And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.
⁵ So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
⁶ As He also says in another place:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
⁷ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸ though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, ¹⁰ called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” ¹¹ of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
(6) Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits.
⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸ but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
⁹ But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
(7) For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” ³ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
⁴ Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. ⁵ And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶ but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. ⁸ Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. ⁹ Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
¹¹ Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. ¹³ For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.
¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵ And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶ who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. ¹⁷ For He testifies:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
¹⁸ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
²⁰ And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹ (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:
“The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
‘You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek’”),
²² by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
²³ Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. ²⁴ But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
²⁶ For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; ²⁷ who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

II. Abram’s Wisdom

Although we’ve covered a lot of ground, but there’s a few more verses in Chapter 14 before we’re finished. They demonstrate the wisdom displayed by Abram in dealing with the king of Sodom.

²¹ Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

The king of Sodom acknowledges Abram’s right to all of the booty recovered in the war and only asks for his people back. This is an ancient tradition and is, until recently, the inviolable rule of war. Any land or possessions won in war become the property of the victors.

Occasionally but very infrequently, a nation will give up that right. America, for example has defeated enemies around the globe, but has graciously granted freedom to the vanquished. They have been allowed to retain their own societies, cultures, religions, monetary systems, languages, etc. This is the exception, not the rule.

There is one other exception to this rule which is being forced on the victors by the nations of the world – the Land of Israel. The Jewish people defeated their enemies in war and gained right to Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, etc. In this case, and only in this case, are the nations of the world up in arms about the results of the battle.

What was rightfully won, is being slowly but surely stolen away from Israel and for this reason the nations will come under God’s judgment. But that is for the future to handle. In Abram’s time, the war booty was acknowledged as his.

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— ²⁴ except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

Instead of exercising his right to the spoils of war, Abram made a vow to “the Possessor of heaven and earth,” meaning the One true Creator God, that he wouldn’t accept anything personally from the king of Sodom.

By using the same term about God that Melchizedek used – the Possessor of heaven and earth – he was acknowledging in front of the king of Sodom that the same God whom Melchizedek was loyal to was the God that he also was loyal too.

In his vow – which he made by an uplifted hand – Abram said he wouldn’t accept anything, from a thread to a sandal strap. The Hebrew word for thread – khut – was something women used to tie up their hair.  A sandal strap was used by men to secure their sandals. He was saying he wouldn’t take even the smallest thing that belonged to a man or woman, from their head to their feet.

The only thing that would he would accept is what his soldiers had eaten along the way to, during, and coming back from the battle. Along with that, there were three Amorites who went with him to defeat the enemies and Abram allowed them to decide to take whatever they wanted.

There are probably three good reasons why he didn’t accept anything for his efforts. First is that Sodom was notoriously wicked and he didn’t want to have anything of theirs simply because of the principle of “guilt by association.”

Secondly, he received his nephew back alive and he was surely grateful to God for that. And thirdly, he had received Melchizedek’s blessing. This was something of far greater value than any earthly goods.

If you look at what Abram did here, it should be a life lesson to us all, especially Abram’s – “guilt by association” and the perception others would draw from it.

If you’re looking to get into a business deal or accept anything from someone else, it’s always important to have the highest moral ethics, especially when you bear the name of Christ Jesus.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6 – “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

And when speaking to Titus about giving instructions to church members he said this, “Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, ⁷ in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorrupt-tibility, ⁸ sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”

Despite the way the media portrays Christians, throughout the Bible – Old Testament and New – we are shown that living lives of integrity and holiness are the hallmarks of being faithful and obedient children of God.

And that brings me to the point where I’d like to share with you the way of becoming a child of God. Let me take a couple minutes and explain to you why Jesus came and why it’s important to you.

Abram’s Meeting with Melchizedek

The king of Sodom went out to the valley of Shaveh
To meet Abram after his return from the defeat of the eastern kings
And there Melchizedek over bread and wine, a blessing he did say
In the name of God Most High he accomplished priestly things

And Melchizedek blessed Abram, and this he said
Blessed be Abram of God Most High
Possessor of heaven and earth, our heavenly Head
Yes, he is the Creator of the earth and sky

And blessed be God Most High too
Who has delivered your enemies into the hand of you

And Abram gave him a tithe of all the spoil
All gained in war through the battle’s toil

Now the king of Sodom to Abram said
Just give me my people and all the spoil you shall keep
But Abram declined as he shook his head
He knew his integrity was worth more than goats and sheep

I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High
Yes my hand to the Possessor of heaven and earth
I will take nothing from you be it low or be it high
Nothing here to me contains that much worth

You will never be able to say to a friend or to your brother
I have made Abram rich, yes, it was me and not another

Just what the young men have eaten
And the portion of the men who were with me too
All my gain comes from God’s blessing and not from a’cheatin’
But let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre have what they wish from you

Let us remember Abram’s example and trust in God, not in man
For the many blessings we receive each and every day
Let us praise Him for these blessings as oft as we can
And from our mouths, let us continually say

“Great and awesome God
In Your light I will trod
Thank you for all good things
To You my heart forever sings”

Above all I thank You for my Lord Jesus
Whose precious life He gave for us
And so in His glorious name I say
All of my praises to You, each and every day

Hallelujah and Amen…

Instruction from Hebrews concerning Melchizedek –

Hebrews 6:4 – This verse is actually one sentence when combined with verses 5 and 6, but we’ll take them one at a time and wrap them up as one in verse 6. Today we learn that some things are impossible. This is not some minor description as if to say, this is impossible “unless.” Rather, what will be relayed in this sentence is something that God has spoken about in the absolute sense. So I ask you to pay close attention to what the three verses are going to state. Those “who have once been enlightened” are those who have heard the message of salvation which comes through Jesus. The message of Jesus is enlightening because it is the path which God has chosen to reveal Himself and direct us back to fellowship with Him. “Those who have tasted the heavenly gift” are those who have understood the message which they heard. They have in their mind all the knowledge sufficient to be saved through the work of Jesus Christ. Theirs is no longer a problem with comprehending the message, but their heart hasn’t been touched – something which must occur.  Those “who have shared in the Holy Spirit” are those who have seen the effective power of God displayed in the lives of the converted. They may have personally witnessed the miracles and power of Jesus and/or the apostles, or they may have seen the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated in the conversion of another – they “have shared in” this experience. This cannot mean that these people have received the Holy Spirit personally as we will see at the completion of the thought. For today, understand that what is to be said about being enlightened, tasting the gift, and sharing in the Holy Spirit is of utmost importance for the person to whom the thought is being directed…so if it pertains to you, don’t miss the final explanation of what’s going to be said in verse 6 – it is an eternity-making decision.

Heb 6:5 – Remember that today’s verse is actually part of one sentence in combination with yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday the author mentioned those “who have once been enlightened,” those “who have tasted the heavenly gift,” and those “who have shared in the Holy Spirit.” Today he mentions 1) those “who have tasted the goodness of the word of God.” Remember that the author is writing to first century Jews who were considering returning to the sacrificial system of temple worship. These people had both the Old Testament and any word which was then in circulation – either orally or written – which confirmed Jesus’ ministry and spoke of how the Old was fulfilled in the New. By hearing and understanding this word, they could taste and understand its goodness. 2) The “powers of the coming age” indicate the promised time when Jesus will return to rule the nations and “He will rule them with an iron scepter…” (Revelation 2:27) However, these people had seen or heard of this power demonstrated in the resurrection – the very proof that Jesus is God. These points would have been made known to those who received this letter – that Jesus both fulfilled the role of Messiah and would return again in that capacity at some point in the future. To have an understanding of these wonderful tenets and then to reject them for an inferior system would not only make no sense, it would show a complete lack of faith in God’s provision which was provided in the Person and work of Jesus. Tomorrow we’ll see what the result of such a rejection of these glorious points would lead to. The same is true with us today – if we hear the message and understand it and then reject it, there will obviously be repercussions.

Heb 6:6 It is the stand of this devotional that a person can never lose their salvation; once a person is sealed with the Holy Spirit, they are eternally saved. This is made clear in many verses and by Jesus’ own words. Therefore, today’s verse cannot be used as a basis for the loss of salvation. Unfortunately, many have taken it to indicate that possibility, but the past two days have demonstrated that the context has been in opposition to this view. The author was writing specifically to first century Jews who had heard, understood, and seen the power of the gospel and who had in fact tasted the words of this gospel and seen its power – both present and that promised at a future date – and decided for whatever reason that they were going back to participate in the temple rites. In essence, the perceived security of what they knew in temple worship was what they chose rather than accepting the gospel of Jesus’ ministry. By doing this, there was no sacrifice sufficient to bring them back to the truth. The entire Old Testament ministry prefigured the work of Christ. In other words, Christ is the fulfillment of the ages of temple worship; the cross ended their need. There is no possibility that these sacrifices could ever be effective again. By returning and relying on what was less than the greatness of God’s completed plan, these people had rejected salvation. The very nature of this turning away proclaims, “We trust in our deeds to reconcile our sin.” But the ultimate deed has come in Jesus…so they are, in effect, re-crucifying Him all over again. The Bible is clear that Christ Jesus died once for the sins of man. It is only by looking to His cross that true atonement can be made. No other sacrifice is acceptable and to re-crucify Him can only lead to condemnation.

 

 

Genesis 14:1-16
Abram the Hebrew

Introduction: One of the things that I’ve noticed that really affects people – to the point that they never accept Jesus, or that unevenly affects their walk with Him to the point where they are always questioning His goodness and His love, are things like war, death, famine, suffering, etc.

These are also used by people who hate God, like self-proclaimed atheists, as an unwise basis for rejecting Him. I cannot tell you how many discussions or posts on the internet I’ve been in where people use these things to attack the very God that allows them to make their attacks against Him.

Think about it… I mean think it through. It is so stupid and so childish to blame God for the world’s troubles and then expect you have every right to speak badly of Him, call Him names, or claim He must not exist. It is, really, the height of hypocrisy.

Anyway, I’m saying this now because today we’re going to see the first war recorded in the Bible. And of course, along with war comes suffering, death, plague, pain, sorrow, etc.

The people who want to dismiss the God of the Bible will use these things in order to show how cruel He is or how incompetent He is because He allows these things to happen.

But then they turn around and exercise their free will by sleeping with someone’s wife – something that will cause its own little war. Or they will do one of a million other things that will cause anger and division in another person or people without ever considering that God simply allowed them to work out their own life.

And if God did stop them, they’d say He was being unfair. Just keep thinking it through this week and you’ll see that how things make much more sense when you’re dealing with people who have free will. If not, then there would be no possibility of loving God either. Any love would be forced, which is no love at all.

Keep these things in mind and don’t get sidetracked by people who are atheists or God haters who think they have a good argument against the God they claim they don’t believe in. They don’t.

Text Verse: He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore. Micah 4:3

We look forward to the day when Christ reigns on earth and war is ended forever, but until that day we should accept that God is in control and that war – past, present, and future – happens, not because God desires it, but because He allows it. And so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name every be praised.

I. The Warring of the Nations 

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, ² that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁴ Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

There are times when you’re reading the Bible and you may wonder to yourself “Why is all this recorded here? A good example of this is the account of the sailing journey of Paul which included a storm and a shipwreck in Acts 27 and 28.

It’s a nice story, but why would God include it in there, especially when it takes up such a large portion of the book? These are the times we need to dig into the accounts and ask, verse by verse, “What are you trying to tell me Lord?”

The account today is like that. There are minute details of a battle. The details include the names of people, the countries they come from, and who they are fighting against, but when you’re done, other than saying, “Ok,” you may not have really come to any big conclusions about why the story is even given.

There have been billions of skirmishes and wars in history. Why did God tell us about this one? We note here that this is the first war recorded in the Bible, but not the first war in history.

I say this because these verses tell us that the rebelling nations served Chedorlaomer for twelve years before they rebelled. The logical assumption is that he waged war with them in the past and then subjected them to paying tribute. This battle is recorded because it affects God’s people who have now entered the picture.

Any other wars happen as wars have happened throughout history. People want, people take, people die. God has allowed us to destroy each other and to exercise our free will. When we do and we are the victors, then we boast about our strength and how great our achievements are, but when we lose, we blame God… “How could he allow this to happen?”

Nobody ever questions why God allowed them to win the battle, nor do they question why He allowed their poor enemies to die. It’s only when things go wrong that we question God. I’m bringing this up now so that you know it is the weaker in faith who question God’s ways when things go bad.

He is sovereign over His creation. We are man and are a part of His creation. In the end, we have no right to hold our fist in God’s face and tell Him how things should be done.

I’m not saying we don’t all do it, but the stronger the faith, the less the complaining when tragedy strikes – just read the book of Job. Keep this in mind as things go well and as things get tough. Give God the credit for the victories and give God praise when you lose. If you do, you will be living the life of a faithful Christian.

We all have free will, just as the nations which war against each other. When things go bad, it’s normally because of a bad decision – let’s do our best to not blame God at these times, but to see His hand in the lesson we learn.

Another thing we see these verses is the beginning of a particular type of conflict which continues even to this day. These nations aligned with each other even though they were nations which were scattered during the time of the Tower of Babel.

In the conduct of nations, alliances are made and people who may not really like each other still work together for a commonly shared goal. As the world’s superpower, America has alliances with many nations. We had a treaty with Kuwait in the 1990s.

When Iraq attacked them, it was a test of our faithfulness to our treaty. Was it worth the paper it was printed on? If not, then all the other nations we’d signed treaties with would know they couldn’t trust us either. We may or may not have agreed with the president, but he did the right thing by standing up for Kuwait.

This is the way of the world we live in and often people who are innocent will get caught in the crossfire. One of them in today’s story is named Lot.

There are four overall points to be seen in this chapter. We won’t finish it today, but we can break it down in anticipation of what’s ahead. First, there is a war involving the king of Sodom and four other kings who rebel against their oppressors.

The second is that Lot, Abram’s nephew is taken captive during the battle. The third is that Abram will rescue him from his captivity during a battle he wages over the conquering forces.

And the fourth item to note is Abram’s return and his encounters with the king of Salem and the king of Sodom. This chapter will be the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram that He would make his name great.

This battle is waged in the area of Siddim which is now where the Dead Sea is located. Siddim means “fields” or “ploughed lands” and to stand there today and look at the area, ploughed lands are the very last thing you could imagine.

The land is a barren waste and it drops down to the lowest spot on the face of the earth, 1388 feet below sea level. There are some plantations by the Dead Sea now, but they are either desert crops like date palms or things that are watered by modern irrigation.

But the Bible records that at the time of Abram, the land was a fertile valley and it was known for its ploughed fields. It’s almost impossible to think that there was ever anything there the way the Bible describes. That only 4000 years ago, but this is what the Bible says and when it was written, people didn’t dispute it.

⁵ In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

So, these people had paid tribute for 12 years and finally got sick of it and rebelled in the thirteenth year. When they realized they weren’t getting any benefit from them in the 13^th year, the four kings from the east gathered together in the fourteenth year and headed to Canaan to reestablish their authority over the people.

This scenario is played out time and again in the Bible. A nation will conquer another nation and tribute will be paid for a while until either the conquering nation gets soft or until the conquered nation grows strong enough to revolt or it makes an alliance with another nation so that together they can conquer the conquerors.

And this has been happening ever since biblical times as well. The Roman Empire overthrew nations as far north as England, but eventually it simply faded away under its own weight and because of the constant revolts which occurred and weakened the empire.

The same thing happened with England. At one time the saying was true, “The sun never sets on the British empire.” Eventually because of mismanagement, a lack of discipline, and over-extension, they too faded off the scene as a world empire.

America is heading in the same direction and the world is being lined up for the end times where Israel will again be the head of the nations. Isaiah looked forward to this glorious time 2700 years ago and His words march ever closer to their fulfillment –

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
³ Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:2-4

As faithful believers in Jesus Christ, we’re waiting for that wondrous day when He returns and sits on the throne of David, ruling in righteousness and judging among the nations.

Going back to our verses, it said that on the way to deal with the rebels in the land of Canaan they attacked the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites. After this, they turned back and attacked all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites.

These kings didn’t just come after the rebels. They attacked other nations as well. They probably did this for a few reasons. First, they were showing their strength to the surrounding nations as a warning not to make alliances with the nations they’d conquered.

They also probably wanted to increase the number of nations that would pay them tribute and keep them so busy so that they wouldn’t even think of making other alliances. And a third reason is to plunder the people enough to keep their war campaign going.

This is a lot like what Hitler did in Germany. Sometimes he did it with false alliances like the agreement he made with hugely naïve Neville Chamberlain. Sometimes he did it with blitzkrieg raids like in Poland. And sometimes he did it with longer battles like his attacks against Russia. As he conquered nations, he used their resources for feeding his own military.

And believe it or not, this type of thing occurs in politics as well. The left has been waging all out war on the right. Anyone who disagrees with them or their policies is fair game in their attacks.

What they can’t win through the vote, they win through their troops lined up in the media, the unions, and the courts by litigation. War never affects just the people directly under attack. It affects those who stand idly and blindly by and naively hope that things will turn out for the best.

By the time these kings had gotten to their main targets of attack, many other people groups had been affected by their cunning. May we in America be more willing to stand and defend our rights now, before they are gone.

⁸ And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.

The Bible returns to the account of the main forces lined up for battle which was mentioned in verses 1 and 2. But this time, the rebels are mentioned first and the attackers are mentioned last.

In other words, when you read both accounts, it is first from the vantage point of the four kings of the east – “we will attack.” Then the second time they’re mentioned, it is from the vantage point of the five kings of Canaan – “we will defend.”

The four kings from the east say –

We will subdue you as we did 14 years ago
You will be beaten and to us tribute you will pay
When we are finished then you will surely know
You shouldn’t have revolted; this is what you’ll say

And the five kings of Canaan replied –

We will stand and defend our land
This is the thing that we will do
Many of you will die by our hand
And we will be the victors over you

Who will win the battle and what will be the result?

¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits;

If you want to learn the Indonesian or Malaysian language, both of which are very similar, one of the things you’ll notice right away is that instead of using a plural marker on a word the way we do when we add an “s” – such as in star in the singular or stars in the plural, they will often simply say the word twice to make a plural.

So to say “I see a star” you would say “Aku melihat bintang.”
To say “I see stars” you would say “Aku melihat bintang-bintang”

The verse we just read does this in the Hebrew – v’emek ha’sideem b’erot b’erot emar

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits. Or “And the valley of the fields was pits pits tar.

So why am I bringing this up… so what, right? This verse, which is talking about tar pits, along with several other verses found in the Old Testament, have pointed to the great possibility of there being immense reserves of oil in the land of Israel.

One key indicator that oil is normally present is when asphalt is seen bubbling up from the ground. Another possible indication of this is the fact that the Dead Sea is there now, but there once was a fertile valley with ploughed fields as Genesis tells us.

What could cause trillions of tons of rock to be moved in order to make such a large rift in the earth?

Some people believe that an underground cavern of gas or oil exploded when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. This is as reasonable as any other explanation and very well may be what happened. And this verse is the first indication of the oil there.

If you want to track the oil and gas finds in Israel, there are a few sites which keep up to date on these things and some of the testing and drilling has been in the Dead Sea area.

There are also indications of large amounts of oil and gas in other areas of Israel leading some to believe that Israel could at some point become a major source of both oil and natural gas.

If this wouldn’t get Israel’s enemies up in arms, I can’t think of what else would. This very well could be the impetus for the great battle of Gog and Magog which is recorded in Ezekiel 38 and which may soon be leading to another great Mideast war near you.

^{10 (con’t)}  and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.

Any place full of asphalt pits wasn’t the smartest choice for the five kings to line up for battle. They probably went there thinking that if things went bad, they could flee to the mountains, which is exactly what happened as the battle turned against them.

Unfortunately for them, some of the people fell into the tar pits as they fled. Kind of a goopy way to die…

¹¹ Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. ¹² They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Exactly what the people of Sodom had hoped to avoid by going away from the city to fight is what ended up happening. As the men of the armies fled, the people who remained in the city, and all of their goods, were taken captive. Unfortunately for the conquerors, they took Lot, Abram’s nephew too. This would cost them in the end.

II. Abram the Hebrew

¹³ Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.

This verse marks the first time the term Hebrew is mentioned in the Bible. It is tying Abram in with Lot and is showing a designation of what Abram is, just like the designation of Mamre when he is called an Amorite.

The term “Hebrew” is tied directly to Abram’s great-great-great-great grandfather Eber in both Genesis 10 and 11. Eber means “he who crossed over” and it is signifying that he and his family are the ones who crossed over the Euphrates and away from Babel.

The term is used here for the first time to make the distinction between Abram and the attacking armies who came from the other side of the Euphrates and also from the people whom he was allied with – the Amorites.

He is of the chosen people and he is the center of focus in the Bible at this time. He is the one who will lead to the Messiah. The refugee from the battle knew that Abram was related to Lot and so he came to tell him about what had happened, probably hoping to get Abram to go after him, not only to rescue Lot, but to get back his own things which had been taken by the raiders.

¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Abram took no time in responding. As soon as he heard what had happened, it says that he armed his 318 trained servants who were born in his house and took off in pursuit. This shows how large of a company he must have had.

He had 318 men who were ready for battle, but he would have had many others who would stay behind to keep the camp from attack. And these are only the trained men. He would have also had women and children and young and old.

His company probably reached into the thousands. But the number 318 is very specific and the rule of the Bible is that every name, every number, and in fact every word is important. The question is, why is this curious number used? The answer probably comes from the name of a person who will be introduced in chapter 15.

He is the chief servant of Abram named Eliezer, whose name means “God is help.” Because Abram has no children, the next in line to inherit all he has is this servant Eliezer. If his name is turned into numbers, a science known as gematria, they equal 318.

As the chief of the servants and the heir apparent of the household, 318 fighting men are chosen from the same group within Abram’s home based on Eliezer’s name. It is a way of saying, “In this battle, God is my help. He is my right hand.”

And so off they go – Abram and only 318 men against many thousands of people who had just destroyed numerous kingdoms as they stormed through the land. The chances seem slim, but with many or few, the battle belongs to the Lord.

David knew and understood this when he went out as a young shepherd boy to fight the mighty Philistine named Goliath –

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

When America engages in a war, it is almost always begun in the darkest moments of the night, just before dawn. It is the time when the enemy is least ready to counterattack and the majority of them are asleep. Abram knew this 4000 years ago when he divided up the forces under him and attacked the armies at night.

This is something you will see happen again in the Bible on several occasions. Night attacks allow insignificant numbers to overwhelm opposing forces of great size. Gideon, the Judge of Israel, took 300 men into battle against 135,000 Midianites and with the Lord’s help, he prevailed.

After attacking the armies, Abram didn’t just stop and revel in his win, but he continued to chase the enemies and destroy them even farther north than Damascus in Syria. This was the wise thing to do because it depleted their numbers and gave them notice that they’d get more of the same if they tried to come back in the future.

Despite being criticized for pummeling the withdrawing Iraqis as they left from Kuwait, President Bush saved many American lives in future battles by continuing to crush them on the highway of death which lead from Kuwait all the way north deep into Iraq.

Countries or political parties which aren’t willing to fight until the battle is won only show weakness to the enemy and cause more harm and damage to themselves. We need to remember this and not listen to doves in our government harp about the wars we fight.

In the end, they only set themselves up for much worse. By following the Bible in all matters, even the conduct of war, we will keep ourselves from many harms and troubles.

¹⁶ So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

Victorious, Abram returns home. Just imagine the clan applauding and rejoicing over the return of him and his men. And in a note of the true completion of the task before him, Lot is mentioned by name. Abram had been faithful to his nephew and thus to his family name.

In the New Testament, Paul explains the importance of taking care of one’s family – But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8

We are to take care of those who are in trouble, unable to help themselves, sick, afflicted, or simply less well off than we are.

In Sodom, Lot certainly had many friends, but he found out the importance of family when he was carried away. As the Proverb says – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Each of us probably has many friends as well, but they tend to fade out of the scene as our life unfolds. Even brothers and sisters can get on our nerves. And despite the idea of marriage being a life-long commitment, that doesn’t always work out.

But the Bible says there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. That someone is Jesus and I’d like to take a few minutes and tell you about Him and His love for you…

Abram the Hebrew

In the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar
He along with three other kings went out to war

It was in the Valley of Siddim which is now the Salt Sea
That four kings faced off against another five
The five had rebelled and the four couldn’t let that be
And so to the Land of Canaan they made their warlike drive

But before these forces met in this great battle
The four kings of the east fought against many other clans
And defeating each they gained stocks of war chattel
Everything was going well, according to their plans

After all their victories, before the rebels they stood
And looked across the plowed fields, yes life was pretty good

It was the five kings who faced off against the attacking four
But only one side could claim the victory, such is the way of war

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits
And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah took off and they fled
Some fell into the tar and probably died in terrible fits
While others headed to the mountains, as the dying bled

The conquerors took from Sodom all the spoils they could find
Also they took along Lot, Abram’s nephew too
He was relaxing in Sodom, he wasn’t the warring kind
And so off to captivity he went wishing he knew kung fu

And one of the fugitives came and told Abram the Hebrew
He was certain that this great man would know just what to do

Abram was allied with the Amorites at that time
And when he heard about Lot and that he was taken captive
He got together 318 of his men and they took off on a dime
Abram was a man who was really quite adaptive

He went with his servants having counted every man
And they went off in pursuit even as far as Dan

He divided his forces against them by night
They attacked them hip and thigh, probably a bloody sight

Abram pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus
And he brought back all the goods along with his nephew Lot
And all of Lot’s stuff was safe even his little abacus
All the women and the people Abram back home brought

Are you also willing to step up for the fight
When lost souls are being carried off to hell
With you is the Lord infinite in power and might
And of His great works others you need to tell

Stand up and proclaim the good news to those who come your way
Please don’t forget Jesus is coming soon, maybe even today

Without Him in their lives there remains no hope
Because all the world lies within the devil’s scope

Be brave Christian warrior and proclaim the work of Jesus
Tell those you meet each and every day
Jesus came to purge our sins and from the devil rescue us
So please tell the world, He is the only way

Hallelujah and Amen…