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Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh
Genesis
Chapter Fifteen
V 1. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram. I am your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.
After Abram's declaration that the Lord was his portion, The Lord appears to him and says, "Fear not, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward." A far greater reward than all the gold of Sodom.
Note that in this chapter, four phrases appear for the first time. These phrases will be repeated through out the word, many times and in many variations. They are....
1. The word of the Lord came
2. The Lord God is a shield
3. Fear not
4. Believed
V 2. And Abram said, Lord God, what can you give me, since I am going on [from this world] childless, and he who shall be the owner and heir of my house is this [steward] Eliezer of Damascus?
3. And Abram [continued], Look, You have given me no child, and [a servant] born in my house is my heir.
Abram has a fear. He fears leaving this world with out the promise of God. It has been more than 10 years since chapter 12, and Abram has developed an unworthy suspicion concerning the faithfulness of God, to His Word. God has promised to make of Abram a great nation. In effect, Abram says, "What good is a covenant, this late in my life?" "It will last only through my life which is but a brief time longer."
Now God speaks to him concerning his fear and the seed to come.
V 4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying, This man shall not be your heir; but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.
V 5. And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be. Hebrews 11:12
The Lord says "Abram, get you eyes off the age of your body, and your servant, look up. Stop dwelling on Eliezer. Get your eyes off of the circumstances, Abram, and on to the promise.
Faith must go beyond reason. It does not need to understand why or how. It is the substance of things hoped for and it comes by hearing the word of God. Abram must have been really listening, for now he believes.
V 6. And [Abram] believed, (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to the Lord); and He counted it to him as righteousness [right standing with God]. Romans 4:3, 18-21
V 7. And He said to him, I am the [same] Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land as an inheritance.
V 8. But [Abram] said, Lord God, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?
Abram wanted a sign, God responded with a covenant (oath).
V 9. And He said to him, Bring to Me a heifer three years old, a she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
Apparently, Abram, understood what God had in mind for these animals, since he did not question the purpose of the animals.
V 10. And he brought Him all these, and cut them down the middle (into halves) and laid each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not divide.
The three animals that walked on the earth represented the humanity of Christ. The heifer stands for the vigor and strength of Jesus. The goat represents the sin offering of Jesus. The ram represents the consecration of Jesus.
The two birds that fly represent the divinity of Jesus. They were not divided. It was the son of man (Jesus in His humanity) who went to calvary. The birds speak of one who came from heaven.
Death passed over all. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. It is only through the blood of an innocent (one who is without sin) that man may enter into covenant with God. The sacrifices were placed in piles, arranged so the parties involved in taking a covenant oath could walk a figure eight around them. The walk was literally a walk of blood, the two circles of the eight represented eternity, with out end. With this covenant, God guarantees to Abram that the promises will come to pass. Just as we enter into covenant with God by looking back at Calvary and believing; Abram, entered into covenant with God by looking forward to Calvary and believing.
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw <it>, and was glad.
Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
V 11. And when the birds of prey swooped down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
The birds of prey represent demon forces that seek to destroy and devour the sacrifice. It is satan who comes to steal the word of God from our lives. If he can steal the sacrifice, then he can kill and destroy. Note that it was Abram, not God, who stood against them. God has given us the power to defeat the enemy, He expects us to use it.
Luke 10:19 Behold , I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
The enemy of God goes to and fro on the earth seeking whom he may devour. May is a permissive term. He can't devour you unless you let him. When he comes to you, tell him, NO!!!YOU MAY NOT DEVOUR ME OR MINE.
V 12. When the sun was setting a deep sleep overcame Abram, and a horror, (a terror, shuddering fear), of great darkness assailed and oppressed him.
V 13. And [God] said to Abram, Know positively that your descendants will be strangers dwelling as temporary residents in a land that is not theirs [Egypt], and will be slaves there, and they will be afflicted and oppressed for 400 years, [Literally fulfilled, Exodus 12:40.]
V 14. But I will bring judgment on that nation, whom they will serve, and afterward they shall came out with great possessions. Acts 7:6
Not only would they come out with silver and gold, but there would not be one feeble one among them.
Psalms 105:37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and <there was> not one feeble <person> among their tribes.
V 15. And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old (hoary) age.
God is telling Abram, don't fear. The promises that I have made to you will come true. Even though you will not live to see the mighty nation, I am showing their future to you.
V 16. And in the fourth generation they shall come back here [to Canaan] again; for the iniquity of the Amorites [name of the most important group of that region and later included the people of all Canaan] is not yet full and complete. Joshua 24:15
The delay is caused by God's abounding love toward man. He would give the people of this land every opportunity to change, even though He foresaw that they would not.
V 17. When the sun had gone down and a (thick) darkness had come on, lo, a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between those pieces.
There are several schools of thought concerning this scripture. One is, before time began, God the Father and God the Son being all knowing, entered into a covenant. This covenant spelled out the giving of the Son of God as a sacrifice to redeem mankind. Here God allows Abraham to prepare and actually walk the field of blood with Him, symbolizing the covenant made in eternity between two who can not change. This school of thought says Abraham gave God his faith in Him as an exchange for God's redemption, love and protection. They say the smoking oven and a flaming torch probably indicate the sacrifice was consumed by fire. An indication it was acceptable to God.
Another school of thought is, Abraham slept while Jesus walked the figure eight with the Father (symbolized by a smoking oven and a flaming lamp.) This line of reasoning comes about because of statements like, "Our God is a consuming fire and Jesus is the light of the world." This group says, Abraham had nothing of value to offer God, so Jesus took Abraham's place, then offered Abraham a part in the covenant by faith.
Either way, the result was a covenant of strong (ahab) friendship that required Abraham to have faith in the perfect sacrifice to come. A blood covenant that has endured even to this day.
V 18. On the same day the Lord made a covenant (promise, pledge) with Abram, saying, To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates, the land of
V 19. The Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
V 20. The Hittites, the Perizzites,the Rephaim,
V 21. The Amorites, the Canaanites, the Giragashites, and the Jebusites.
Here the promised land and it's inhabitants are described. Canaan is the ancient name of Palestine. It is a land of roughly 10,000 square miles. A small piece of land that varies in width from 70 to 90 miles and is about 150 miles long. God called it a land of corn and wine and milk and honey. The word Palestine comes from the Philistines. The Philistines were the occupants of the strip of land when Israel came over to take possession.
In 1917 this piece of ground came under British rule. The independent state of Israel was established May 14, 1948. The struggle for ownership over this particular piece of real estate still continues. The descendants of Ishmael fight to claim what they say belongs to them, the descendants of Abraham declare it was given to them. Meanwhile, the land that underwent so many occupations and destructions, is once again a land of corn, wine, milk, and honey. The desert blooms like a rose.
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Chapter Sixteen
V 1. Now Sarai, Abram's wife bore him no children. She had and Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar.
V 2. And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.
In Haran, the primary purpose of marriage was to gain an heir. Love and companionship were not considered important. These customs of Haran, apparently stayed with Sarai. Marriage contracts from that area and time, allowed the childless wife to present her husband a slave girl as a concubine. When the child of such a union was delivered, the slave girl would cling to the knees of her mistress. The child would then be claimed by the mistress as her own.
V 3. So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her Egyptian maid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife.
Consider the plight of Hagar. She had no rights in this matter, whatever was decided by her mistress and master, was law.
Abram's agreement with Sari's plan, was probably based on the desire to see the promised seed. God had told him that the seed was to be from his body, but had not told him that it was to be from Sarai's body. After ten years of life in the promised land, Abram still did not understand the mind of the Lord. In fact, he didn't even realize that he was living in the promised land.
There is a similar problem among Christians today. Many have been Christians for years without understanding the mind of the Lord. We often wander all through the promises of God without realizing that they are meant to be facts in our lives instead of promises.
V 4. And he had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant; and when she saw that she was with child, she looked with contempt upon her mistress and despised her.
Hagar at this point probably felt she had been favored by Heaven. She had no doubt heard stories of the promised seed. Perhaps she even felt that Abram loved her more than he loved Sarai.
Abram may have felt great relief when he discovered the childless state of his marraige was not the fault of his body. Perhaps he looked with fondness at the expanding body of the slave girl. In any case, the girl now refuses to obey her mistress. She feels elevated from the position of slave girl.
V 5. Then Sarai said to Abram, May [the responsibility for] my wrong and deprivation of rights be upon you! I gave my maid into your bosom, and when she saw that she was with child, I was contemptible and despised in her eyes. The Lord be the judge between you and me.
Because of the conflict, Sarai is no longer willing to accept the child as her own. Sarai now falls back on the rule of, "You are the head of the house, it is your responsibility." Like Adam, he should have known better.
V 6. But Abram said to Sarai, See, here, your maid is in your hands and power; do as you please with her. And when Sarai dealt severely with her, humbling and afflicting her, [Hagar] fled from her.
Abram, like many husbands, who tire of hearing their wives complaints, washes his hands of the whole matter. His says, it is your maid not mine. Do whatever will make you happy.
It was not Hargar's fault that she was given to Abram, but it was her behavior, that brought about Sarai's severe treatment of her. Now, instead of accepting the consequences of her actions, Hagar exhibits some of the independence that her son will be famous for, instead of submitting, she flees.
V 7. But the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to Shur.
She was headed in the direction of Egypt. No plan, just running.......... away from Sarai.
V 8. And He said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, where did you come from and where are you intending to go? And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sarai,
When we run from the consequences of our actions. No plan, just running. The Lord asks us these same questions. He wants us to consider our ways.
V 9. The Angel of the Lord said to her, Go back to your mistress and (humbly) submit to her control.
He called her Sarai's maid, not Mrs. Abram. He indicated that Sarai's maid should be in Sarai's tent.
V 10. Also the Angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly so that they shall not be numbered for multitude.
V 11. And the Angel of the Lord [continued],See now, you are with child, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael [that is, God hears]; because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your affliction.
The Lord makes it clear that even though the mess we are running from, was not His will, He can and will make something of it. If, we will face the music.
Ishmael means God hears. Ishmael is the first person named before his birth. The others are Isaac, Josiah, Solomon, Jesus, and John the Baptist.
V 12. And [Ishmael] shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him; and he shall live to the east and on the borders of all his kinsmen.
It is foretold that Ishmael will be a wild man. Nothing could be more descriptive of the Arabs. From the beginning until the present they have maintain their wandering, wild ways.
V 13. So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing; for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked after Him Who sees me [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes of designs] of Him Who sees me.
Hagar reflects on her encounter with the Angel of the Lord. He is not only in the tent of Abram, or at the altar, but He is also here, in the wilderness. Here, where she never expected Him to be. Even when she was somewhere she shouldn't have been, He came for her.
Jeremiah 23:24
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Psalms 139:7-10
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou <art> there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou <art there>. <If> I take the wings of the morning, <and> dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
V 14. Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (that is, A well to the Living One Who see me); it is between Kadesh and Bered.
V 15. And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
It seems that Abram was informed of Hagar's encounter with the Lord and followed instructions.
V 16. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael.
Abram is recognized as the father of three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedism. The prophecies concerning Ishmael are fulfilled in the Arab race and in Mohammedism.
Despite the efforts of many different nations, the Arabs and the Bedouin tribes have never been completely subdued. They claim that through Abraham they have every right to Palestine.
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Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh
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