Abraham's Saga part 4

Read Genesis 15:1-21

The entire chapter chronicles the Lord God reassuring Abram of the promise given in ch.12. It is followed by a blood covenant between God and Abram and a prophecy of Abram’s posterity enslaved in Egypt 400 years, and concludes with the boundaries of the Promised Land being spelled out.

       At this time the Lord God speaks to Abram in a vision [a vision is: an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, under influence of a divine or other agency. ¹ Random House Dictionary College Edition]; or [a spectacle sight, an appearance ² Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.] In the New Testament church, one might refer to a vision as a “prompting” or “moving” of the Spirit. This is important as God still communicates to His people/children in similar fashion as in the OT. John 10 shares the Shepherd’s communication with His sheep, His sheep knowing His voice. God communicates with His sheep in a broad variety of ways and isn’t bound by human presumptions.

       Fear not is a phrase of comfort, as it is indeed a fearful [awesome] thing for God to speak directly to us in our fallen state. Because we are His children, we need not fear His voice [fear may mean either a sense of awe as well as being afraid or scared, depending upon the context]. It is also noteworthy that He identified Himself as Abram’s shield; He is our shield as well, though we often forget. Shield means He is our provider and protector as well.

The Promise Reiterated

       Because of our human frailty it is often necessary for God to revisit His promises to us as with Abram. Perhaps because our faith may waver from time to time; nevertheless, it’s vital to stay in fellowship with His written Word, in prayer, and worship.

       The latter part of vs.1 may be somewhat confusing in the KJV; while it is clarified in the Amplified, RSV and others to read as: your reward shall be exceedingly great; which coincides with Abram’s query in vs.2 What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless.

Abram’s question prompts an answer from the Lord God; vs.4b but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

       The Lord God also revisits His promise to Abram that his seed would be in number as the stars of heaven…innumerable. Such is the Nation of Israel today. They occupy the four corners of the earth, yet without number. It is said that Hiller slaughtered over 6 million Jews during the holocaust; and yet they are more in number than ever before.

Vs.6 because Abram believed God it was counted unto him for righteousness. The very foundation of our salvation rests not on our great works, innumerable deeds and contributions to mankind, but simple because we believe God’s salvation plan of Jesus dying for our sin, thus paying the death penalty for us, and being raised from the dead for our justification. Rm. 4:25; 1Cor.15:1-20

Blood Covenant

       In vs. 7 Abram asks for a sign of God’s promise to inherit the land. It is not, as some would propose, an act of unbelief, rather it underscores his faith through his obedience, as all he is asking for is confirmation that he has heard correctly.

The Lord’s response is to give Abram instructions for the preparations for a blood covenant. Interestingly, the five animals he was to prepare are the same prescribed by Moses; each a sacrifice for a different occasion. See Lev.1-7

Note: each animal was divided in half with the pieces laid side by side; however the birds were left whole.

1.    A three year old heifer: Lev.1:2-9—a burnt offering; Lev.3:1-11—a peace offering by fire

2.    A three year old female goat: Lev.1:10-13—a burnt offering; Lev.3:12-16—a burnt offering as a sweet smelling savor

3.    A three year old ram: Lev.1:10-13—aburnt offering—a sweet smelling savor

4.    A turtledove: Lev.5:11-13—a sin offering

5.    A young pigeon: Lev.5:11-13—a sin offering

Matthew Henry asserts the sacrifices were in accordance with Jer.34:18-19 and laid in such a manner that the Lord should pass through; however the Genesis text confirms that the Lord passed through, as signified by the smoking furnace and burning lamp (not mentioned before) also signifying the offerings were burnt by the furnace and lamp.

He further asserts that when vain thoughts arise within us, symbolic of the fowls, we need to drive them off. See 2Cor.10:3-6. This makes sense as impure and vain thinking destroys faith, though it may be deemed by some as spiritualizing, in this instance it may be warranted.

Horror of Darkness

Abram must have been exhausted to fall into such a deep sleep. It is possible that the horror mentioned in vs.12 was in fact a revelation of the affliction and slavery his posterity would experience in Egypt those 400 years. It certainly does symbolize our plight in slavery and bondage to sin, as sin is nearly always a type of Egypt. I’m sure Abram would be fearful to learn of his seed being in slavery, I know I would; wouldn’t you? We would all wish the absolute best for our offspring as opposed to slavery to sin, knowing its terrible consequences. We have two brand new grandsons for whom we are in daily prayer for their lives and souls. We pray God’s best in life for them; at the same time we realize trials and temptations may be God’s tools in leading them to salvation.

Comfort comes to Abram as the horror [a terror, shuddering fear Amp.] described is offset with deliverance, and his posterity plundering their tormentors. Egypt shall be visited by the hand of God for their evil toward His people (most often Egypt is a type of bondage to sin in Scripture).

I know if I had a dreamed my children would be slaves, for any amount of time, it would have seemed a horrible nightmare; I’d awaken scared to death!

Then the Lord lays out the boundaries of the Promised Land.

1.    From the river in Egypt to the Euphrates river.

2.    Kenites

3.    Kenizzites

4.    Kadmonites

5.    Hittites               

6.    Perizites                                     descendents of Ishmael]

7.    Rephaims

8.    Amorites

9.    Cannanites

10. Girgashites

11. Jebusites

The map below illustrates the boundaries of the tribal inhabitants of Canaan as promised to Abram. These are the peoples God drove out that Israel might possess the land. As you recall He drove out the inhabitants of Canaan a little at a time as opposed to all at once. It is also a type of deliverance from sin in our lives as God drives out the wickedness from within you and me that the Spirit might abide within and produce the fruit of the Spirit John 15:1-8; Gal.5:22-26.

Map 1

As one can easily see from the map below the Promised Land encompasses more than the narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, currently occupied by Israel.

The land was a gift from God by grace, and not deserved by Israel or anyone else.  He is the owner of the land and will bestow it on Abraham’s seed when the time is right. But if Israel is not a blessing, if they do not receive the love of God and enter the covenant by faith in Christ, they will not have a share in it.  Now that Christ has come, they can only receive the promises by faith in their Messiah. 

Map 2

Interestingly, the Jews have lived and sojourned in the land from time to time without ever having possessed it. During the 70 year captivity in Babylon they were also held in the land of the Chaldeans. A land promised to Abram, occupied, but never owned or possessed! Only the small strip of land by the Mediterranean Sea does Israel currently own and occupy. For only the Lord God will literally give it to them, in His timing!

Seed of Abraham

At this point, the question arises as to whether Ishmael has legitimate claim to the aforementioned land. Although both Ishmael and Isaac were the sons of Abraham, however, only Isaac was the:

·         Son of promise

·         Son by blood covenant

·         Heir to the land with conditions to be met [circumcision, Gen.17:10; walk before Him blameless; a precept of Christianity which necessitates living a life acceptable to God,

·         Called the seed of Abraham Gen.21:10-12

Ishmael’s Promise

·         A great nation Gen.21:18 [12 tribes or nations] [12 princes]  Gen.25:12-18 ¹²Now these are the records of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham; ¹³and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam ¹⁴and Mishma and Dumah and Massa, ¹⁵Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes. ¹⁷These are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. ¹⁸They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives.

·         Not to share the same promise with Isaac Gen.21:10: ¹⁰Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even Isaac. ¹¹And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. ¹²And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

·         Ishmael also Abraham’s seed Gen.21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

·         Not promised land

·         Although Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham yet he was not called to inherit the same promise [land] as his younger brother Isaac. Ishmael was 13 years older than Isaac.

Because Ishmael was the elder son of Abraham he contends with Isaac for all the blessings and inheritance of his father, Abraham.

Spiritual vs. Fleshly Conflict

       From the outset of Scripture the conflict between the two brothers appears to be one of material blessings and wealth. However, an in depth study reveals it to be far more. It is indeed both a natural or fleshly and a spiritual contention. That is, when God told Abraham to cast out the bondwoman, he was also referring to the spiritual battle. Ishmael always represents the fleshly side of mankind attempting to secure God’s promises and blessings via man’s own works rather that obedience to the Lord God. Abraham, while being faithful in his obedience to God, took it upon his own initiative to listen to Sarah’s counsel and lay with Hagar the Egyptian slave, thereby entitling Ishmael to Abraham’s blessings and inheritance. But God always has different plans as later He tells Abraham that Ishmael will not be heir to Abraham’s blessings; rather Isaac is to be called the seed of Abraham. Isaac then becomes the type of a righteous believer, by faith, and Ishmael the type of unregenerate who depends not upon faith in God but his own works to inherit eternal blessings and life. It matters not that God did not tell Abram, from the beginning, that his seed would come from Sarah. It is a given that God’s promise should also be fulfilled, not by man’s fleshly endeavors, but by divine providence, even Sarah. Even today, man is striving to achieve the eternal through temporal means. It is a universal malady of mankind, a classic battle between Satan and Christ to achieve the blessings of God through the flesh.

Ishmael, as Abram’s firstborn and, at this point, only son. Islam² is the religion of the Muslims¹, with Mohammed as their founding prophet. Islam, therefore, is a religion of works and not faith, as they believe in attaining the blessings through works and not faith. Allah³ is the god of Islam.

¹ Muslim is an Arabic word meaning: one who submits to God. ² Islam means submission. ³ Allah is not the God of Israel, but the personal name of the divine spirit.

The blessing pronounced by God upon Ishmael shows God’s love for Ishmael as the son of Abraham; and also demonstrates God’s love for all humanity despite our rebellion.. He still loves us.

Faith Building Practice and Review

1.    What was God’s promise to Abraham?

2.    Review map 1.

3.    Did you ever wonder about the boundaries given in 15:18 as shown in map 2.

4.    Does God not love Ishmael?

5.    Does not God love everyone?

6.    Find notable passages whereas the Children or Israel periodically occupied the land in map 2.

7.    Who is the rightful owner of the Promised Land?

8.    Notice: 15:19-21 details the strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea pertain to the land mass now possessed by Israel.

Knowing God

A brief [not complete, add to the list] synopsis of the persona of God:

·         Love

·         Gracious

·         Merciful

·         Righteous

·         Longsuffering

·         Gentle

·         Faithful

·         Compassionate

·         Forgiving

·         Friend

       The ultimate goal of Bible study is to know God and not to merely memorize Bible trivia. As you study, identify the attributes of God. For instance: make a note when you read of God extending His forgiveness or compassion, and remember how He has done the same for you.