Episode 287 - "Like Father, Like Son" - Genesis 26:1-16

Gen. 26:1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Gen. 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Gen. 26:12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

It would seem most appropriate to title this study, “Like Father, Like Son.” So this particular story about Isaac parallels his father Abraham's, right? There was a famine in the land, and Abraham had gone down to Egypt. (Gen 12:10) Do you remember what happened? Abraham was worried the Egyptians would kill him to take Sarah, his wife, and give her to Pharaoh. So, he had Sarah tell people she was Abraham’s sister. Later, Abraham tried the same trick with Abimelech, King of the Philistines. God protected Sarah both times in order to protect the seed. Now, in Genesis 26, after Abraham has died, there’s another famine in the land. God told Isaac, Don’t go to Egypt! But stay here in this land (where the Philistines are) because God is going to give this land to his progeny. (Gen 26:1-5) In fact, the LORD fully affirmed the covenant promises he’d made to Abraham with Isaac. God was demonstrating that he intended to fulfill the promises he made to Abraham and his descendants.

So what happens next? Isaac told the Philistines that Rebekah was his sister. He tried the same trick his dad had used twice to save his own skin. But this time the LORD did not need to strike Abimelech with some condition or warn him in a dream not to touch Rebekah. Instead, Abimelech witnessed Isaac “laughing” with Rebekah. Scholars suggest that this laughter was not common humor, but more of a playful interaction characteristic of a husband and wife. The bottom line is that the LORD protected Rebekah in the same way he’d prevented sexual encounters in the two situations with Abraham and Sarah. Once again, a pagan king appears to act more righteously and have a sincere fear of the LORD than Isaac does.

As promised, the LORD blessed Isaac in the land, and he was very successful. He became wealthy to the extent that the Philistines envied him. So, they started to fill in wells dug by Abraham’s servants so that his flocks and herds would not have access to water. So, Abimelech, apparently playing the role of the politician, told Isaac to leave.

I’ve chosen to make this story a two-part episode due to its length. If you haven’t read the rest of the story yet, I assume that you can envision the Philistines being envious of Isaac’s success, and you are not surprised at the actions of the Philistines. But from what we know about the Abrahamic covenant and what God had already done for Abraham and Isaac, how do you think it will work out for the Philistines by sending Isaac away from them? Will they be more successful now that Isaac has left? Why or why not? We’ll see how this works out next week.

Some scholars have suggested that these stories cannot be historically accurate because of the similarities between what Isaac did in telling the Philistines that his wife Rebekah was his sister to what his father Abraham did. In my opinion, the similarities with variances in some of the details lend credence to these accounts being very accurate to the historical events. It seems unbelievable to me that the author or later people who had the opportunity to edit or make changes for stylistic purposes would have overlooked the similarities. They would certainly have changed it if they thought it was too coincidental to be true. Instead, these stories have been preserved because people have been convinced they reflect actual events.

Most importantly, in these stories, we see the humanity of people like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah. They seem like real people with the same fears, doubts, and inclinations as normal people. They are not superheroes. But God chose to use them for a special purpose, and he did it despite their human limitations and frailties. It’s an encouragement to think that God may use us for his purposes and will protect us and use us for those purposes.

Episode 286 - "Esau despised his birthright" - Genesis 25

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

Gen. 25:7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

Gen. 25:12 These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.

Gen. 25:19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other,

the older shall serve the younger.”

Gen. 25:24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

Gen. 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Gen. 25:29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

I am not one inclined to believe that the Bible has filler, information that has no purpose. Genesis 25 has plenty of information that, on the surface, may seem irrelevant filler. Let me see if I can remind us of a few facts that might help us understand the purpose of some of this information.

First of all, we need to remember God’s promise to Abraham to give him a vast land and innumerable descendants. The LORD told Abraham that he would use him and his descendants to be a blessing to all nations. The problem for some time was that Abraham and his wife Sarah had no children and were getting old. They tried to help God by Abraham having sexual relations with Sarah’s servant Hagar. She conceived and had a son named Ishmael. But this wasn’t God’s plan. Ultimately, the LORD gave Abraham and Sarah Isaac. Isaac was the son of promise and the one through whom a descendant (the seed of the woman) would ultimately come to defeat the serpent (devil) and restore life and remove the curse upon the ground.

At this point in the story Sarah has died and Isaac has a wife through whom the reader should expect more descendants. But Moses tells us that Abraham took another wife and had multiple sons by her. The point of Genesis 25:1-6 is to explain that the LORD is fulfilling his promise by giving Abraham multiple descendants. However, they are not the children of the promise. So, they will not share the inheritance with Isaac. Therefore, Abraham sends them away from Isaac as he had done to Ishmael.

Genesis 25:7-11 clarifies that Abraham died and the LORD blessed Isaac. God’s plan of redemption and hope will come through Isaac.

Genesis 25:12-18 shows how even though Ishmael was not the son of the promise, the LORD still blessed him because of his relationship with Abraham.

Genesis 25:19-23 is interesting because now the focus is on Isaac. There is a brief mention that Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, was barren. But this detail is not dragged out and repeated as it was for Sarah. The resolution was simply that Isaac prayed for her and she conceived. It emphasizes Isaac’s relationship with the LORD and that the LORD answered his prayer. In verse 22, a conflict in this story develops when we learn that Rebekah has conceived twins and they are struggling within her. She inquired of the LORD why this was, and she received the answer that there are two nations within her, they will be divided, and the older will serve the younger. This is an important detail to remember for later. When they were born, the older was named Esau and the younger Jacob. Jacob was grabbing Esau’s heel. Bible interpreters have often suggested this as a foreshadowing of Jacob “tripping” his brother.

We know nothing about their childhood because the next thing we read about is what they are like as young men. Esau became a hunter, and Jacob was a “quiet man, dwelling in tents” (Gen 25:27). Esau was Isaac’s favorite because of the meat he brought home, but Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite. Already, we sense another conflict coming, right?

Genesis 25:25-34 is the core part of the story in this chapter. Esau had been out hunting and came home very hungry. Remember that he was the older son and therefore possessed the birthright, which would have entitled him to a greater inheritance and authority from his father. Jacob had made some stew, and Esau wanted some. Jacob would only give some to him in exchange for the birthright. Esau seemed to have no problem with that and, as Moses puts it, “Esau despised his birthright” (Gen 25:34). This is the first incident in which we see how the older would serve the younger.

Even in the less exciting details of chapter 25, there is evidence that the LORD fulfills his promises and that his word is true. I like to be reminded of that. It encourages me to be thankful and trust in him.

Episode 285 - Rebekah becomes Isaac's wife - Genesis 24:22-67

Gen. 24:22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD 27 and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

Gen. 24:29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”

Gen. 24:34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house. 41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

Gen. 24:42 “I came today to the spring and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go, 43 behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’

Gen. 24:45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

Gen. 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”

Gen. 24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands,

and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!”

Gen. 24:61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

Gen. 24:62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Even though this is a bit longer than I normally take, I felt it best to follow this story through to its close. It’s simply a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness to Abraham and Abraham’s servant's faith. Up to this point in the story, Abraham’s servant has sought to honor his task to the best of his ability and with complete trust in the LORD. He’d asked the LORD for a specific sign that would confirm his right selection of a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. The LORD brought Rebekah to the well where the servant was, and her interaction with the servant was in accordance with the sign requested by the servant.

This section begins with Rebekah revealing that she indeed is a relative of Abraham. This was one of Abraham's requirements for his servant that the wife taken for Isaac should be from his kin. This was all the servant needed to confirm the LORD had answered his prayer. The servant had sought the LORD’s provision in accordance with the covenant relationship between the LORD and Abraham. Now the servant gives thanks and worships the LORD for answering that prayer. What an appropriate response.

What follows is that the servant is welcomed at the home of Rebekah’s family, where his chief priority is to inform them of who he is and his mission. He recounts all the details of what has transpired and how the LORD has blessed his mission by leading him to Rebekah. It’s a testimony to others of what the LORD has done.

After Laban and Bethuel agree that this is from the LORD, the servant’s priority is to complete his assignment and return to Abraham with Rebekah. This leads us to the final element of the servant’s assignment: Will Rebekah agree to go with him and become Isaac’s wife? She does, and the story is closed when they are brought together and Isaac took her into his tent, and he loved her, and he was comforted after his mother had died.

What I think is most important in this story is how the servant responds at every significant moment. He’s perfectly obedient to the assigned task. He seeks the LORD’s work in the success of his task. He blesses the LORD when the LORD answers his request. He testifies to others about the LORD’s amazing work in bringing it all about.

Episode 284 - The LORD answered a prayer for a wife for Isaac - Genesis 24:10-21

Gen. 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

Gen. 24:15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not.

In our last episode, we began with the story of Abraham, who was getting very old and wanted to find a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham insisted that Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman who would likely lead Isaac away from the LORD. He sent his most trusted servant to his homeland and relatives to search for a wife for Isaac there. The primary point is the strong commitment Abraham had to the LORD and trust in his promises to Abraham and his descendants.

This next section focuses on the servant who goes out to fulfill Abraham’s wishes. When he reached his destination, the first thing Moses recorded that he did was to pray and ask the LORD for success on behalf of Abraham. In his prayer, I see a man who has been as impacted and formed by God’s faithfulness to Abraham as Abraham himself. There is nothing about this prayer that is self-seeking. Abraham has already absolved the man of responsibility of the results, providing that he simply acts per his directions to go to Abraham’s homeland, among his relatives, and look for a wife for Isaac there. Abraham’s servant is not responsible for the results. He is only responsible for being obedient to the instructions he was given. There are any number of ways in which he might have sought to fill the basic requirements of this assignment. But his priority was to seek favor and success from the LORD based upon Abraham’s covenant relationship with the LORD. The whole thing here is his humility in seeking first, the LORD’s will in this matter, and secondly, that the LORD’s answer shows his “steadfast love” to Abraham. What a model of humility and servanthood.

In his request to the LORD, he considered a means by which he might recognize that the LORD was truly granting his request. He prayed, “Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” This is quite specific. But it’s not an attempt to trick the LORD as if he will establish the rules by which the LORD would be obligated to fulfill this request. Rather, the request suggests that the servant is desiring the LORD to provide a wife for Isaac who is also humble and servant-minded. It’s beautiful!

Moses wrote that before he finished the request, Rebekah, Abraham’s niece came to the well. The servant didn’t waste any time approaching her and asked her for a drink. She responded exactly in the manner the servant had requested of the LORD.

I love the way Moses records the servant’s reaction. “The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not.” (Gen 24:21) Are you imagining this as I am? I’m envisioning this old guy sitting near the well with a mix of shock and amusement on his mind. Maybe even the thought, “Well, that was easy” went through his mind, followed by “Was that just a fluke?”

I think there are prayers that the LORD is just waiting for people to ask and he starts to answer them before they are finished being asked. It’s God’s way of saying, “I’m with you. I want to give you what is best for you. But I want you to want what I have in store for you.”

What can we learn from this? In all things seek what is good and right from the LORD and for the benefit of all instead of seeking our own interests. Humility and servant-mindedness are valued by the LORD.

Episode 283 - "Finding a wife for Isaac" - Genesis 24:1-9

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

Isaac is the promised, miracle son of Abraham and Sarah and is the one through whom the LORD will ultimately bring numerous descendants. But that can only happen if he marries and has children. So, this next story tells us how Isaac gains a wife. It’s a long story. So, I’m going to break it down in smaller chunks to point out some things we can learn along the way.

The story opens with Abraham being old. He was 100 when Isaac was born, and now Isaac is of an age to marry. So, he’s really old. He called an elderly servant of his who was, clearly, a very trusted individual. He made the servant swear an oath to not find a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites where he was dwelling, but that he would go to Abraham’s home country and relatives and find a wife among them for Isaac. The first point that I want to make here is that this is not an issue of racism or ethnocentrism. What is at stake here is purity in faith. Abraham knew that the Canaanites worshipped other gods. If his son Isaac married a Canaanite woman, there would be a temptation to accommodate her faith, lead Isaac and any children they might have away from the LORD, and bring an abrupt end to the covenant the LORD made with Abraham. The harmony of a common faith within a household is an essential theme throughout the Scriptures. The LORD warned King Solomon not to take foreign wives for this exact reason: they would lead him away from faithfulness to the LORD. Solomon failed to heed that warning, and the result was exactly as the LORD had warned. This led to a division of the kingdom after Solomon died.

Abraham’s servant was diligent to ask questions to make sure he had the expectations correct and worked through the “what if” possibilities with Abraham. He didn’t want to make such a strong promise and be unable to fulfill it. His first question was, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” (Gen 24:5) Abraham’s response was an emphatic negative. Why? That seems like a reasonable alternative. Abraham explained to his servant that the LORD had led him from that land to the land of Canann and promised to give him the land they were on. If Isaac were to go back to his father’s homeland and wanted to marry someone, there would be pressure to stay there. Therefore, Abraham told his servant that in such a case, he would be free from the oath.

What we see here in the big picture of this story is a strong trust of Abraham in the LORD’s covenant promises. Abraham had some missteps earlier in his life. But the LORD had led him to grow in his faith of the LORD and his promises. He believed that the LORD would provide those descendants, that they would come through Isaac, and that the LORD would provide the wife who would most likely live and act in concert with Isaac’s faith.

May the LORD grant us such confidence in him that we would not trust our human reasoning over God’s word.

Episode 282 - "Sarah's death - A Model of Faith" - Genesis 22:20-Genesis 23

Gen. 22:20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Gen. 23:1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”

Gen. 23:10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

Gen. 23:17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

Having just finished the remarkable story of Abraham demonstrating he was willing to trust the LORD in offering Isaac up as a sacrifice, the story has to move on. Moses writes a little detail of how his brother, back in his homeland, is having children. Notice the little sidenote that one of the sons, Bethuel, was the father of Rebekah. This is a detail to tip us off that the reader will hear more about Rebekah later on.

The next story is about Sarah's death and burial. She lived to the age of 127 years and died in the land of Canaan. To be clear, the Hittites with whom Abraham barters for the cave were descendants of Heth, who was a son of Canaan. This story is the back-and-forth conversation between Abraham and the residents of the land about Abraham having a place to bury Sarah. They insisted that he just bury his wife. Then Abraham responded that he would like to entreat the owner, Ephron, of a specific cave and pay him full price for the property. Like the men, Ephron suggests that Abraham can just take the cave for nothing. But, he also casually threw out the value of the property as 400 shekels of silver, which Abraham counted out to purchase the cave.

I don’t know that there’s any profound spiritual truth in this story that we need to glean and apply to our lives. I think this story is intended to communicate to the Israelites that Abraham was not a thieving bully. Rather, Abraham acted honorably around the residents in the land when he was living there. I believe it’s possible that Abraham has reason to believe that by him taking a cave to bury Sarah and not purchasing it outright would result in a perceived obligation to later concede to their demands and expectations. Abraham was wise enough to manage the exchange without putting him or Isaac in jeopardy of compromising themselves with these pagans.

Likely, the most important thing is that Sarah has died without receiving the promises made by the LORD to them. Yet, Abraham buries her in the land that he has purchased in faith that the LORD will ultimately fulfill all the promises he has made to them. The author of Hebrews says this of Abraham and Sarah,

“Heb. 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

The point is that the author of Hebrews understood that Abraham and Sarah didn’t expect their death to be the end of the line. God had proved himself faithful to his word and powerful to accomplish anything. That’s a good lesson for us.

Episode 281 - "God will provide for himself the sacrifice" - Genesis 22:1-19

Gen. 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Gen. 22:9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Gen. 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

As strange as it may sound, this is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Why? Well, I’ll get to that. For now, I want to invite you to set aside tendencies to think, “How can a loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?” or something like that. The reason is that I don’t think that was the intended response this story was supposed to evoke from the original audience.

If we examine this story in light of the greater story that’s happening, we recall that the primary problem that needs to be solved is the problem of sin, the curse, and death. God wanted his creatures to have life in fellowship with him. In light of Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey God and bring the curse into the world and death, the LORD provided hope for a restoration to the way the LORD intended it. That hope was to be found in the “seed of the woman” who would crush the head of the serpent (Satan). There have been a series of characters revealed throughout Genesis that appear to be qualifiers, but none of them completely fit the bill. The story leads us forward to Abraham and a promised son through whom he would have innumerable descendants. As Abraham and his wife Sarah advanced into old age with no biological son, they came up with ideas on how to help the LORD fulfill that promise. What we notice is that the LORD let them make these choices to show them his power and to build their faith.

Finally, when Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 90, the LORD gives them a miracle son, Isaac. Clearly, Isaac is either the seed, or the seed will come through him since through him, Abraham’s descendants will be innumerable “like the stars.” This context brings us to the shock component of this story. Our response, as I think what was likely for the original audience would have had, should be, “What is God doing? How can there be multiple descendants through Isaac, if he has not yet married and had children and is dead?”

Our next question might be, “How is Abraham going to worm out of this or will he really do it?” That question is answered rather quickly. Notice that Moses didn’t record Abraham questioning or arguing with God. Instead, he set out for the destination God gave him for this sacrifice. As many times as I’ve read this or thought about it, I get uncomfortable at this point. I can’t believe he’s going through with this.

Perhaps the most important thing about this story is revealed when Isaac, making a logical observation, asks Abraham, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7) Abraham responded, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Stop there. Did Abraham just lie to Isaac, or is it possible that Abraham heard something come out of his mouth and thought to himself, “Where did that come from?” The fact of the matter is that God did provide Isaac as a miracle son. So, technically, Abraham’s answer is correct while not revealing the details to Isaac. This answer, though, will be fulfilled by what appears to be a prophetic utterance by Abraham. It will also have a more significant fulfillment in the future.

The plot of this story moves quickly. They arrived, Abraham bound Isaac and was about to slay him on the altar. Then the LORD stopped him at the last second. What happened next was that Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. Many Bible teachers have observed that this was an important detail to the Jewish audience because a sacrificial animal could not have any deformities or blemishes. This detail suggests that the animal was perfectly fine and acceptable. So, God provided a sacrifice for himself, and Isaac lived. This is a picture of what God actually did with his own Son Jesus many years later. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). Paul infers the comparison in Romans 8:31-32: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” When we look at this story in hindsight, we see a patient God who needed to develop Abraham’s complete trust in him, and this was the final test that he passed with flying colors. We see a loving God who provided a substitute so that Isaac could live, and later, he provided a substitute so that the world might live.

The last part of this story in Genesis 22:15-19 is the message from the angel of the LORD affirming how he is undoubtedly going to bless Abraham. “And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” This is an affirmation that the promised seed is yet to come and will bless the nations of the earth. That’s Jesus. That is the good news.

Episode 280 - "Abimelech's covenant with Abraham" - Genesis 21:22-34

Gen. 21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

Gen. 21:25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

Does the name Abimelech sound familiar? (Scholars suggest that Abimelech is not a name but a title like Pharaoh or Caeser.) Go back to Episode 277 and review that. He was the king of Gerar (the people were Philistines), to whom Abraham had told Sarah to say that she was his sister because he was afraid the Philistines would kill him to take her. That was the second time Abraham pulled that stunt.

Furthermore, he did this soon after the LORD had revealed to Sarah that she would soon conceive and have a son by Abraham. One of the purposes of the story is to heighten the tension through the threat to the promised “seed.” The conflict is resolved by the LORD appearing to Abimelech in a dream and telling him that he’s a dead man because he has another man’s wife. Abimelech feared the LORD and did what the LORD told him to do by giving Sarah back to Abraham and having Abraham pray for him to heal him and all in his household. The irony in the story was that Abraham’s excuse was that he didn’t think anyone in the land feared God. Yet, Abimelech demonstrated fear of the LORD when Abraham’s actions revealed a greater fear of Abimelech than of the LORD. The bottom line is that the LORD preserved the promise of the son in Abraham and Sarah.

In this story, Abimelech approaches Abraham and desires to make a covenant with him. Abraham has been allowed to stay in that region, and it seems that he doesn’t want to run crossways with God again, so he wants to have a peaceful relationship with this one who is favored by the LORD. The second part of this story is about a conflict that arises between Abimelech’s people and Abraham over a well. The conflict is quickly and peaceably resolved. The purpose here is to show that not only has the LORD preserved the promised son to Abraham and Sarah, but he has also given them peace in the land that he was promised to Abraham and his descendants. This is an essential story at this point of the greater narrative of Genesis because Moses is writing this primarily for the Israelites who were about to enter this promised land 400 years later. This story would testify to them that the LORD would be with them to fulfill his covenant promises to them by blessing them with all they needed and giving them peace with their neighbors. But they needed to trust the LORD.

The story closes with Abraham planting a tamarisk tree there and calling upon the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. I believe these two things go hand in hand. Abraham would have no purpose in planting a tree if he didn’t think he would be around for a while to enjoy it. Furthermore, he trusted the LORD to sustain its life with water. His confession that the LORD is Everlasting God expresses his faith the LORD will not go away or let him down concerning his promises. Abraham is learning.

What I love about Abraham is that he is so human. It is not difficult to empathize with him in his failures and celebrate his successes in his walk with the LORD. May we learn and grow in our faith, confessing and holding fast to the conviction that God is our shield. He is good and faithful to fulfill his promises. He is everlasting. He is not going away.

Episode 279 - "The Son of Flesh and the Son of Promise" - Genesis 21:8-21

Gen. 21:8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Gen. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

This is one of those stories in the Bible that make us feel uncomfortable. Perhaps we think that Sarah is cruel and unfair for demanding that Abraham send away Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham certainly doesn’t like this proposal, and after all, wasn’t this all Sarah’s idea in the first place? She made her bed. Now, lie in it. Once again, I suggest that we press the pause button on our 21st-century western lens of interpretation and judgment. Let’s examine what is going on in the scope of God’s plan that has been revealed so far.

The scene is that of the celebration for Isaac, who has been weaned. He’s a young child. It seems to be such an insignificant thing that sets Sarah off that she demands Abraham send away Hagar and Ishmael. What happens is that Sarah sees Ishmael laughing at Isaac. Why it is such a significant thing to Sarah is not clearly defined. Perhaps she’s insecure. Maybe she’s never come to terms with the consequences of her suggestion that Abraham have relations with Hagar and conceive a son. But I find it interesting that the Hebrew word that is translated, “laughing,” is the exact same verb and form as the response of Lot’s sons-in-law when Lot told them to get out of Sodom because the LORD was going to destroy it. They laughed at him. The laughter was not simple amusement. There was a sense of derision in the laughter. Sarah had laughed herself at the LORD’s prophetic announcement that she would have a son within the following year. One thing we can be sure of is that Sarah knows that nothing is impossible with God, and he will fulfill his promises.

Furthermore, Sarah understands that her biological son Isaac is the son promised by the LORD. Perhaps in her newfound wisdom, she recognizes Ishmael’s laughter as a potential threat to what the LORD has promised to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah’s demand upon Abraham to send them away may seem rooted in jealousy and insecurity, but it may also be the LORD’s wisdom to her to manifest or guard what the LORD will reveal through Isaac.

Abraham, like us, is upset by this demand. But notice that the LORD spoke to Abraham to affirm that he should do what Sarah has told him. What is essential to notice through the rest of this story is that even though Ishmael is not the son of the promise and was the result of Abraham and Sarah trying to bring about the promise in their own way, the LORD does not despise Hagar or Ishmael—quite the contrary. God promised to “make a nation of the son of the slave woman also.” (Gen. 21:13).. Then verses 15-21 are all about the LORD providing for Hagar and Ishmael. Verse 20 records, “And God was with the boy, and he grew up.” God did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael. God permitted the separation of Ishmael from Isaac because, as he told Abraham, “through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” (Gen. 21:20). This means that the LORD has a special purpose for the son of the promise. This sounds a lot like a fulfillment of the promised seed of the woman back in Genesis 3 that will crush the head of the serpent.

Many years later, the apostle Paul, in writing to the Romans about the Gentiles being saved through faith in Jesus Christ, cites Genesis 21:20 and explains, “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” (Romans 9:8) Paul understands that what the LORD was doing with Ishmael and Isaac was to foreshadow how we as Gentiles could attain the same hope of eternal life. We don’t gain it by being a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or observing the Law of Moses. We gain it by faith in the promised seed, the promised Son, Jesus Christ.

I would encourage you to read Romans 9-11 this week. Paul writes about God’s work through the Jews and his work among the Gentiles and how it reveals the grand mercy of God to all. He concludes Chapter 11 with the following:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

“Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

Episode 278 - "The LORD does what he said he would do" - Genesis 21:1-7

The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

I hate to treat these first seven verses of Genesis 21 by themselves because what we have here is just part of the story. Yet this section reveals important theological truth for us to understand today, and I don’t want to gloss over it.

Notice verse one, “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. What is this revealing? Who was the original audience, and why would they need to know this? The answer to this latter question is the Israelites whose parents came out of Egypt and who themselves were about to be led into the land God had promised Abraham and his descendants. Their parents had witnessed God do amazing things but quickly and repeatedly fell into disobedience. They wouldn’t consistently obey what the LORD told them to do. They did not trust him. It was important for this generation who was entering into the Promised Land to trust and obey the LORD.

This first verse strongly affirms that the LORD is faithful to do what he says he will do and fulfill his promises. Is that important for people who identify with the LORD today? Absolutely! Verse 2 continues to affirm that the LORD’s fulfillment of his promise matches the timing of the fulfillment as well. The LORD left no ambiguity as to what he would do, and he acted in exact accordance with that promise.

Verses 3-4 also reveal something very important in the story, for the understanding of the Israelites entering the land and for us today. Abraham responded to the LORD’s fulfilling his promise by obeying the LORD’s command to circumcise his son Isaac. That was the sign of the covenant the LORD made with Abraham. The right heart or attitude of obedience to the LORD should be one of desire and willingness. It should not be obeying as though out of duress. It seems to me that the spirit of both Abraham and Sarah is one of gratitude and amazement at what the LORD has done for them by giving them this miracle son. The way Moses tells this story makes it feel like Abraham didn’t waste any time responding in obedience to the LORD because of what the LORD did for them. Moses reminds his audience of the miracle quality of Isaac’s birth by stating that Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. (v. 5)

Do you remember what happened when the LORD visited Abraham and Sarah at their tent and revealed that Sarah would have a son by Abraham about the same time the next year? Sarah laughed. The context of that scene suggests that skepticism was coincidental with her laughter.

But now I hear a sense of amazement and joy. She laughs because it’s so unlikely for a 90-year-old woman to have a child, much less if the man is 100. It’s funny. I laugh, too, when thinking about it. Just as long as it doesn’t happen to my wife and me. We would not find that too funny.

We have some good thoughts for this week. The LORD is faithful to his word and promises. In light of who the LORD is and what he does, we should obey him with joy and amazement.

Episode 277 - “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” - Genesis 20

Gen. 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Gen. 20:8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Gen. 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

As I read this, I decided that this blog and podcast should be called, “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” You would think Abraham would have learned his lesson from his time in Egypt since he pulled the same thing on Pharaoh.

This story takes an entire chapter. So, we’re not going to do a deep dive into it. But that’s ok because I think it’s most important to see how this story fits in the greater narrative. Let’s recall what has just happened, according to Genesis. First, Abraham got a visit from the LORD. The LORD told Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would have a son sometime in the next year at the age of 90. Then, the LORD revealed that a cry had gone up against the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham, knowing that his nephew Lot and his family lived there, reminded the LORD that surely he wouldn’t destroy the righteous along with the wicked. Lot and his daughters were saved from that judgment by obeying the command of the angels to leave and not look back.

So, in Genesis 20:1, Abraham moved again. Why? We’re not told. But it might be a reasonable speculation that, as one with many livestock to feed, he’s moving his animals to a different area. Whatever the reason, its location is in the direction of Egypt, although not that far. It’s southwest of the Dead Sea. He’s stayed in Gerar, where a man named Abimelech was the king. He was a Philistine. These are the same people with whom Israel will have much conflict later in time. They did not worship the LORD. The giant Goliath, whom David would kill many years later, was a Philistine. For the Israelites who had come out of Egypt and were entering the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants, this story would help them understand the long history their ancestors had with the Philistines.

The real problem in this story is revealed in verse 2. Abraham did the exact same thing that he did in Egypt: he told the Philistines that Sarah was his sister and had Sarah go along with it. He did this to protect himself. As was the case with Pharoah, Abimelech took Sarah into his harem. Now, I don’t know why a king wanted another wife and one that was 90 years old as well. He’s probably not thinking about having more children by her. But maybe he didn’t know she was 90. Maybe she’s aged exceptionally well. We’ll just take this at face value. We’ve already been made aware that Sarah will have a son. So, would that son be from Abimelech or Abraham? Abraham has put the certainty of his and Sarah's bringing about the promised “seed” at risk.

Here’s where the real irony sets in. The pagan Philistine king is visited by the LORD in a dream who tells him that he’s going to die because he has another man’s wife. The LORD had spoken directly to Abraham and told him that he and his wife Sarah would have a son together. However, Abraham’s actions don’t evidence a strong conviction that that he’s buying it. Conversely, the pagan Abimelech believed every word the LORD revealed to him in a dream.

Then, Abimelech appealed to the LORD, “LORD, will you kill innocent people?” (v. 4) Who does that sound like? That was Abraham’s argument to the LORD when he knew what the LORD would do to Sodom and Gomorrah. For a pagan, Abimelech has some pretty good theology happening at the moment. The great irony happening is humorous. But don’t miss the extent of God’s grace to Abimelech. God didn’t have to reveal anything to Abimelech. But he spoke a clear message to him and actually prevented him from sinning with Sarah. (v. 6) Then, he gave Abimelech a chance to do what was right. That’s what the LORD did with Cain, remember? But Cain chose to ignore the LORD’s warning and did what he wanted. Abimelech obeys the LORD’s instruction and blesses Abraham.

The story closes with Abraham praying to God to heal Abimelech, his wife, and female servants so that they would have children. (v. 17)

I think we often look to the Bible for instruction on what we should do. We open its pages to find tips for a happy marriage and so forth. But I really think the Scriptures are more about revealing who God is and what he is like. In this story, we are reminded again that Abraham, whom God chose, is human with weaknesses like everyone else. Yet, God will not abandon the plan that he has for Abraham and Sarah. God steps into the story to ensure that what he has promised will come about. It reveals that the LORD is able and willing to reveal himself to anyone or everyone. Furthermore, as he did with Abimelech, he protected him from ignorantly sinning and, with the new knowledge, gave him the choice to obey or disobey. God showed grace and mercy to a pagan king.

This is what our God is like. May this lead us to trust the LORD and know that his ways are good.

Episode 276 - "Lot's daughters and a foreboding of things to come" - Genesis 19:30-39

30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Sometimes, the Scriptures tell stories that may not have some profound theological truth or application that we need to take to heart for ourselves. Sometimes, its purpose is to give us information that helps us better understand the greater story that is happening. I think that’s the case in this story of what happens with Lot after he and his daughters escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah shortly before the LORD destroyed those cities.

The scene is that Lot and his daughters are living in a cave, and the daughters conspire together to have children by their father. Their reasoning is basically, “There aren’t any men left ‘in all the earth’ (v.31) to give us descendants. Is that true? As we read further into Genesis, we’ll find that Abraham sends one of his servants to his family back in his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. It appears to me that these daughters of Lot who were engaged to men who refused to listen to Lot’s warning about the LORD destroying Sodom and Gomorrah were not accustomed to trusting or seeking the LORD’s provision for them. There is no indication whatsoever in this text that their plan is from the LORD.

They know their plan would not be accepted by their father because they immediately plan on getting him drunk and removing such inhibitions that he would have if he were sober. The reader should not overlook the parallel to Noah. Just like Noah’s drunkenness led to Ham’s sin, this plan of Lot’s daughters will not go well either. Both of them get pregnant by their incestuous intercourse with their father.

While Moses doesn’t specifically call this out as evil, the reader is left to interpret this as the story transitions from the wicked culture of Sodom and Gomorrah and God’s judgment upon them to Lot’s hesitancy even to leave before the destruction and bartering with the angels as to where he would go. Then, his daughters get him drunk and sleep with him on two consecutive nights. Moses concludes this by giving us the names of the sons born through incest. Moab would be the father of the Moabites, and Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites. Remember, this story is written to the Israelites who’ve come out of Egypt and are being led back to the land the LORD promised to Abraham. Do you think the Moabites and Ammonites will reappear in future stories? You can bet it. They will not throw a welcome party for the Israelites.

This story would help the Israelites understand the history of these people groups. Even though there will be conflict between Israel and each of these people who worship other gods, we’ll also see the LORD reveal his grace and sovereign will in future stories. For instance, Ruth is a Moabitess who trusts in the LORD and will become an ancestor to David and, ultimately, Jesus.

Episode 275 - "Offered mercy from the Imminent Wrath of God" - Genesis 19:12-29

Gen. 19:12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Gen. 19:15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

Gen. 19:23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Gen. 19:27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

Gen. 19:29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

I can’t help but notice the presence of God’s mercy and imminent wrath in verses 12-14. The angels allowed Lot to intercede for others, to give them a chance to obey the warning and escape. Otherwise, they would experience the divine wrath of God. Tragically, his future sons-in-law took Lot’s warning and exhortation as a joke and did not heed his word.

As I write this blog post in January of 2025, we have a little more understanding of the sense of urgency to heed warnings regarding rapidly moving catastrophic fires. Terrible fires are destroying vast neighborhoods around Los Angeles, California. Winds at speeds of 100mph are giving people little time to prepare for evacuation. At least a few dozen people have died, and it’s yet to be determined what the loss in property will ultimately be. As fast as the fires have spread, many people have heeded the warnings and have escaped to safety. Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be utterly destroyed within a very brief span of time with no time for people to escape. The reason for it stated again was, “because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD.” (Gen. 19:13) Yet, as Abraham had interceded for Lot, Lot was allowed to intercede for others. But they did not respond positively to that warning.

Surprisingly, at the eleventh hour, when the angels were about to destroy the city. Lot lingered. (Gen 19:16) The angels had to take them out of the city. Why did they bother? The answer is given to us: because the LORD was “merciful to him.” (Gen 19:16) When we think of this story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we don’t often think of grace and mercy, do we? We think of God’s wrath and judgment. But this story demonstrates plenty of God’s grace to Lot, his family, and others. Unfortunately, no one outside of Lot’s family will receive it, and Lot is not demonstrating the ideal response to God’s grace to him. He was slow to leave and then petitioned the angels to let him go where he wanted rather than where they directed him. After the angels told him to take his family, escape to the hills, and “Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley” (v. 17), Lot convinced the angels to let him go to the small city of Zoar. They conceded. But after they arrived, Lot’s wife looked back. She directly disobeyed their command from the LORD. We’ve seen that before in Genesis, haven’t we? It always leads to problems. Lot’s wife was judged for it.

Moses made an important statement about this judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah in verse 29. Speaking of this judgment, he writes, “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” (Genesis 19:29) This is not saying that God had forgotten Abraham. It informs the reader that God is acknowledging his covenant promise to Abraham, and Lot, as part of Abraham’s family, is receiving the benefit of God’s protection from this judgment. It seems to me that this is what happens with us who’ve placed our faith in Christ. We may be like Lot and we don’t always act the way we should. But because of our relationship to Christ, we receive the benefits that offers. God demonstrates amazing grace and mercy to us each day.

Episode 274 - "God is not blind to injustice" - Genesis 19:1-11

Gen. 19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Gen. 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

Does anything strike you as unusual about this segment? Genesis 19:1 says, “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening.” Where did these angels come from? This is another opportunity for us to exercise one of the most important principles of interpretation: examining the context. If we back up to Genesis 18:22, we read that the “men” that had visited Abraham (Gen. 18:2) “turned from there (where Abraham was residing) and went toward Sodom. Could these angels be those men?

But wait a minute! There were three men who visited Abraham. (Gen. 18:2) If they are angels, what happened to the third angel? Remember that the story of Abraham’s visitors began with “And the LORD appeared to him.” (Gen. 18:1) I speculated that one of the three “men” might be a Christophany (a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ). This theory has support in Genesis 18:22 when, as the men turned toward Sodom, Abraham “still stood before the LORD.” It would seem that the other two continued on toward Sodom in order for them to carry out their mission to bring judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah while Abraham petitioned the LORD to spare the righteous.

What happens when the two men approach the town is intriguing to me as well. The fact that Lot is at the gate of the city and that he offers hospitality does not seem all that strange. What intrigues me are Lot’s words to the angels and his sense of urgency for them to stay with him and to leave the next morning. Is Lot saying indirectly, “You don’t want to stay here long”? I could be reading that into this text. This may simply be a customary means of showing hospitality to strangers. But it sure seems that the narrative is heightening the tension of imminent conflict.

That conflict develops very quickly in the story. Apparently, others were at the gate or near the city and saw Lot take the angels into his home. Before long, the word got out, and the men of the town, “young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house” (Gen. 19:4). This was not a welcoming committee. They had a collective evil spirit that was common among every male in town. A scene like this, where all the men of the town are surrounding the house, trying to break in and have their way with Lot’s guests, helps us understand Lot’s insistence and urgency for the visitors to stay with him and leave first thing in the morning. Lot knows the culture in which he resides. In verses 6-8, Lot steps outside his home to dissuade them from their intent.

Personally, I find Lot’s speech disturbing. First, he addresses them as “brothers.” He is not. He’s related to Abraham. They are, in all likelihood, Canaanites. The second disturbing thing is that he offers them his virgin daughters for them to gang rape instead of his guests. At the very least, he tells them that their intent is wicked. (v. 7) They respond to this by becoming more violent. They do not recognize him as a brother. They call him a “fellow” who “came to sojourn” and “has become the judge.” (v.9). These people have no regard for Lot, his visitors, or anyone else.

What happened next was the men of the town tried to break into Lot’s house. The visitors pulled Lot back into the house and caused blindness upon the men at the door.

I’m going to pause in the story at this point to call our attention to a few things. First, I want to think back to Genesis 18 when the LORD asked, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Gen. 18:17). The explanation and revealing of his plans are in verse 20. “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave.” My question is, “From who is this outcry coming?” I doubt that it’s coming from the men of Sodom. Perhaps it’s their wives. Maybe it’s from others who witnessed or experienced similar treatment while in the town. I don’t have an answer. But my observation that corresponds to this is that it doesn’t escape the LORD’s notice. God sees injustice. God may not react or address injustice right away. I don’t think this pervasive evil attitude developed overnight. But the LORD does notice, and the LORD cares, and the LORD will act accordingly. Lastly, as the story reminds us, the LORD will not sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Those who the LORD sees as righteous, he will deliver from the judgment that he brings upon the wicked. We often don’t think about God’s grace in the Old Testament. We tend to think of it as a New Testament concept. But we are going to witness God’s grace in this story.

Episode 273 - "Will the LORD sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" - Genesis 18:16-33

Gen. 18:16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

Gen. 18:22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Gen. 18:27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

In our last episode, three “men” appeared to Abraham. Somehow, the LORD is represented in the presence of these men. Abraham showed them great hospitality, and the LORD revealed that he would visit about the same time the following year and that Sarah would have a son.

We are picking up where we left off. The men are still with Abraham. But they are about to leave and go to Sodom, where Lot and his family reside. As they departed, the LORD spoke again. In my opinion, his speech is not unlike his question to Abraham, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” I argued that the LORD knew where Sarah was, but asked the question to direct attention to Sarah. These apparent strangers knew Sarah’s name and her relationship to Abraham. Certainly, they knew where she was. Asking this question suggests that part of their mission concerns Sarah. The progress of the narrative works because Sarah is listening to the conversation as the LORD continues and says that Sarah will have a son.

In verse 17, the LORD asked the question, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” Am I mistaken, or does this question not direct our attention (and Abraham’s) to the plan the LORD has to do something significant? The LORD is not taking a poll. To the question, he adds an explanation of his great plans for Abraham, but that he is going to Sodom and Gomorrah “because their sin is very grave.” (v. 20) Without saying explicitly, “I am going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah,” Abraham gets the message.

In verses 22-33, it is Abraham’s turn to communicate a message by asking questions. There are two related questions that we need to notice to understand and appreciate the LORD’s plans and actions. The answers to these questions are relevant to people throughout time. The first is, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (v.23) The second is, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (v. 25) People today question whether God, if a god exists, is fair? Abraham asserts that the LORD must be fair and just and certainly would not treat those the LORD has deemed righteous as he does the wicked.

The means to make this point is by a series of hypothetical questions asked by Abraham. What if there were fifty righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah? Would the LORD destroy them along with the wicked? The LORD replied that he would not destroy the whole place if there were fifty righteous. (v. 26) What does that suggest? As wicked as they were, God would be patient and merciful to the whole city if there were fifty righteous. Abraham’s continued line of questioning reduces the number with each question, and the LORD’s response is the same until finally, Abraham asks if the LORD would destroy it if only there were ten righteous people within the city. The LORD again affirms, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (v.32)

What does this tell us? It answers those key questions, doesn’t it? The LORD is just. He will not treat those he deems righteous as he does the wicked. In fact, I would suggest the LORD is probably a lot more patient than we would be.

There are terrible things that happen in this life. We hear about a child who dies from a terminal disease or a mass shooting that kills innocent people, and we naturally ask, “Where was God?” or “If there were a loving and just God, why would he let this happen?” I think the most appropriate answer is, “We cannot understand many things about God, and why he allows or does not prevent such things.” But I personally believe that the effects of disease and the hateful violence of some people are not the work of God judging people as he would do with Sodom and Gomorrah. Instead, like Cain’s violence against and murder of his brother Abel, Cain acted out of his own broken free will. Everything that is wrong in our world comes from humanity’s sin. When these terrible things happen, we should not blame God or think of him as unjust, but trust that he is just and merciful and that the LORD alone can fix the problem. That is what the Good News of Jesus is all about.

Episode 272 - "Nothing is impossible for the LORD" - Genesis 18:1-15

Gen. 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

Gen. 18:9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

In my opinion, this is a fascinating story in this section of Scripture. Notice that verse 18 begins with “the LORD appeared to him.” The “him” is Abraham, as is evident from the context of chapter 17. Our English translations spell “LORD” with all capital letters it represents the divine name God gave to Moses later in Exodus. In verse 1, Moses tells the Israelites whom God has led out of Egypt that the God who delivered them had appeared to their ancestor Abraham. We do not have evidence that Abraham knew that name. So, when we read “Lord” with lower-case letters, as in Abraham addressing the three men as Lord in verse 3, the Hebrew word is different, and Abraham is simply addressing them with a term of respect. The text does not help us much concerning whom Abraham thinks he is addressing. Abraham simply did what was culturally normal and sought to offer hospitality to these “men.” In fact, he offered to give them a little bread, but actually gave them much more.

Before I move forward, I caution against reading too much into the identity of the three men. One of them could be a “Christophany” (a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus) and two angels or something else. I think the textual insinuation of these three men representing the LORD’s appearance to Abraham serves to inform the reader that these three figures have the authority from the LORD and this helps prepare us to listen to and accept the message and actions that come from them.

When they accept Abraham’s invitation, Abraham instructs Sarah, who is in the tent, to make the bread. The rest of the paragraph gives us details about the meal and how Abraham stands by while they eat. Perhaps he’s just being a good host. Maybe he suspects these three men have a divine purpose in his life.

In verse 9, they ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?” We could make a few observations about this question. First of all, how did these three unidentified men know the name of Abraham’s wife? Second, if one of them is the pre-incarnate Jesus or even if all three of them were angels, don’t they know where Sarah is? I believe these men not only know the name of Abraham’s wife, but also know where she is. They are not asking this question in order to gain information. They are asking this question to indirectly let Abraham know that they have knowledge any average traveler stopping by would not. This question gets Abraham’s attention that these men are not normal men. Furthermore, asking this question draws the reader's and perhaps even Sarah’s attention, as their visit directly involves her, and it’s not just about Abraham.

When Abraham tells them that she is in the tent, the text reads, “The LORD said” (v.10). Notice the all-capitalized “LORD.” It’s God’s message that he would return in a year, and Sarah would have a son. Moses tells us that Sarah was at the tent door listening to this conversation. This supports the idea that their question of where she was got her attention, and she wanted to know why they were asking.

It was now Sarah’s turn to laugh. We can certainly empathize with such a response from a 90-year-old lady who has never been able to have children and has reached menopause.

Verses 13-14 reveal the key theological point of this text. The LORD questioned Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Then, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (v. 14) There it is. I must confess that there have been some occasions where my limited faith revealed that I thought some things might be too hard for the LORD. Then, the LORD chose to demonstrate that it wasn’t too hard for the LORD, and he exposed my weak faith and impatience.

This message needed to be heard by these Israelites who had witnessed the LORD do amazing things that would normally seem impossible, yet struggled to trust him in all things. They would need to trust the LORD’s promises to give them the land he’d promised in the Abrahamic covenant. For the sake of Abraham and Sarah, he repeated the promise that she would have a son within a year.

Our lesson is that there is nothing too hard for the LORD. The LORD may choose to say “no” to our requests. But we should never avoid making a request believing the LORD can’t accomplish some great miracle that seems otherwise impossible. The LORD has made promises to us that seem impossible, namely, resurrection from the dead and eternal life. But that is not impossible for the LORD because he has already proven he can do it. We can trust in the power of the LORD.

Episode 271 "Sarai get a new name and a crazy promise" - Genesis. 17:15-27

​​​​Gen. 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Gen. 17:22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

This part begins with God changing another name. He had just changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and now he has changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. The difference is that the author explains the meaning of Abram and Abraham but does not explain the difference between Sarai and Sarah. Sarai means “Princess.” It’s possible that there is no significant difference in the meaning of the name change. Rather, the LORD changes it to signify her part in the covenant as the one who would bear the promised seed. It would be Sarah’s son who would inherit the covenant given to Abraham and not the son Ishmael born to Hagar. The LORD’s message to Abraham regarding Sarah echoes the promise the LORD had made to Abraham. It emphasizes that Sarah is the one through whom kings and nations would come and, more importantly, the descendants who would inherit the Abrahamic Covenant.

Verse 17 gives us Abraham’s response. He fell on his face and laughed. What a natural and appropriate response to being told that you would be able to beget a child at 100 years old and your wife would bear that child at ninety years of age. His thoughts, best summarized as “Is this really possible?” might make us wonder if he’s doubting the LORD. The LORD does not challenge him. So, I believe this is just a reasonable pondering in his mind of “How could this be?” Then, Abraham responds to God, suggesting that Ishmael fits the bill just fine with him.

It’s at this point that the LORD corrects him and tells him that he will have a son by Sarah, and they will name him Isaac. The meaning of this name is not given directly in the text. However, a word study reveals that this name may be associated with laughter. Since Abraham laughs at the thought of this child in their old age, and Sarah later laughs when she hears that she will have a son in her old age, the name may serve as a reminder of their response to the LORD’s providence in bringing about this miracle in their old age.

In verse 20, the LORD reveals that he will also bless Ishmael and bring nations through him. But Isaac is the son of the promise and will inherit the covenant God made with Abraham. We must see God’s mercy toward Hagar and Ishmael in these Scriptures.

Verses 22-27 can be summarized in one word, “Obedience.” Despite the illogical possibility of Abraham and Sarah having children at such an old age, Abraham responds to the LORD’s revelation by obeying the LORD and having every male in his household circumcised according to the LORD’s requirement for their participation in the covenant.

It seems to me the most evident lesson we can learn is to obey the LORD even when what we are doing may seem contrary to what we want to do or think. Maybe that is giving something to a homeless person. We think, Oh . . .they’ll just sell it to buy drugs or alcohol.” The LORD may not speak audibly to us or communicate through a dream. Yet, there may be a sense that we need to do something good, yet one part of us resists. If we know it’s not in conflict with God’s word, we’re free to step out on faith and act. We may laugh and wonder to ourselves if it’s worth it. But we can trust the LORD can use it however he wants.

Episode 270 - "The Sign of the Abrahamic Covenant" - Genesis 17:9-14

Gen. 17:9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Picking up where we left off as God is confirming the covenant promise he made to Abram, now renamed Abraham, the LORD is now giving the sign of the covenant. I’ve already made the point that when the LORD first revealed this covenant to Abram, the LORD took full responsibility for making this covenant viable. The LORD alone passed through the sacrificed animal pieces, making what is understood as an unconditional covenant.

Now, the sign of the covenant is given to Abraham. The sign is male circumcision. The sign is not only for male biological descendants of Abraham. It is for every male who identifies with Abraham and partake of the covenant blessings.

If you're like me, you may be wondering, “Why circumcision?” I cannot say I have found a historical and scholarly answer to that question. So, I will give you an answer that is more of a guess than a rock-solid, authoritative answer. The key to my response is in the word “sign.” It’s a sign of the covenant. Signs are concise messages to those who see them. What better constant reminder/message to every male Hebrew than circumcision? This is a sign that cannot be missed.

Furthermore, it’s a sign that could remind these men about the promised “seed.” We’ve already discussed how “the seed of the woman” has been an ongoing theme since the fall of humanity. Each male descendant should be reminded to walk righteously before the LORD, knowing he may be used to bring about that seed. Finally (and this is a bit of an interpretive stretch), there is a common analogy in the Scriptures that equates the “flesh” with acting according to one’s own desires and not according to the word of God. Is it possible the LORD intended this sign, a removal of flesh, to be a reminder that to receive blessings from the LORD, we need our flesh/fleshly desires removed and trust in God? Whether that has any connection with the sign of circumcision or not, I cannot be sure. I don’t know where that could be defended in Scripture. Yet, the principle is true. Check out Romans 8, where Paul tells Christians they must put to death the deeds of the flesh and walk by means of the Holy Spirit.

The failure of any male to receive this sign is cut off from the people. He is not to receive support or any of the blessings given to the covenant people. This is an important detail that will become important as the greater narrative moves on.

So, how is this important or even relevant to Christians today? We read in Acts 15 that circumcision was not to be imposed upon Gentiles who became Christians. This covenant does not apply to us. Why? The answer lies in that we are under the “New Covenant.” The sacrifice/blood of the New Covenant is that of Christ’s when he died on the cross. We are also given a sign for that covenant. It is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the sign of our covenant is not a visible sign. It’s the third person of the Trinity who provokes us, encourages us to do what is right and good and to convict us when we don’t.

This story of the Abrahamic Covenant should remind us that our God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. His covenants testify to his holiness, righteousness, justice, love, and so much more. We receive blessings when we follow the Holy Spirit's leading.

Episode 269 - "Promises, promises" - Genesis 17:1-8

Gen. 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Since Adam and Eve disobeyed the LORD in Genesis 3, we have been anticipating “the seed of the woman” who would crush the head of the serpent and restore things to the way the LORD intended in the beginning. The narrative has led us to Abram and Sarai. The LORD has promised to make Abram a “great nation.” We even read how the LORD initiated a covenant promise as an unconditional promise. This meant that the LORD was taking full responsibility for bringing about the fulfillment of this promise. We also read about how Abram and Sarai did things that risked disqualifying them from bringing the promised seed.

This passage opens with “When Abram was ninety-nine years old . . .” (Gen. 17:1). Stop there and think about this for a minute. The LORD has made this promise to Abram for many years, and now he is ninety-nine, but he still has not had a single child by Sarai. Too late, right? It would seem an impossible thing for a couple so old to have a child.

It’s at this time the LORD speaks to Abram again and says, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between you and me, and may multiply you greatly.” (Gen 17:1b-2) The LORD is telling Abram, first of all, that there is nothing he cannot do. He is “God Almighty.” In light of that, he instructs Abram to trust him by living according to his instructions. He then reaffirms his promise to give Abram innumerable descendants.

Abram is not jaded. He is in awe of the LORD and worships him. The LORD then revealed to him that the LORD was changing his name from Abram, meaning exalted father, to Abraham. The Hebrew term for Abraham is a word play on a word meaning “Father of nations.” The explanation for this change of identity is explained by the LORD telling him, “for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:5) He continues in verse six to unpack that promise even more.

In verse seven, the LORD promised to establish his covenant not just with Abraham but with every generation of his descendants after him as an everlasting covenant. This everlasting covenant promise includes the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession for Abraham’s descendants. One would have to completely ignore history and the news to know that Abraham’s descendants of promise (Israelites) have not yet realized that promise. So, what gives? Has the LORD failed? Has he reneged on his promise?

Let me keep this as simple as I know how. Those within the Christian faith vary in how they interpret the fulfillment of this covenant promise. Personally, I’m going to take this at face value and say that I believe the LORD will ultimately fulfill this promise in a literal way. In other words, I believe the LORD still has a plan for the Jews. Other people who love Jesus as much as I may have a different understanding of how this has been or will be fulfilled. Regardless of where people fall on this spectrum of interpretation, God is Almighty. He is not powerless to fulfill his promises precisely as he intends. He certainly is not constrained or dependent upon any specific human interpretation of his word. He is able and faithful to fulfill his promises, as we will see as we continue this study.

This brings us to the last part of verse eight. The LORD states, “And I will be their God.” (Gen. 17:8c). As one continues through the Old Testament books and time passes, one will witness a recurring pattern of the Israelites abandoning the LORD as their God. When they do so, they lose possession of the land. The lesson we should learn from this ourselves is that if we expect to experience promised blessings from the LORD, he must be our God.

Episode 268 - "The LORD is a God who hears and sees" - Genesis 16:7-15

Gen. 16:7 The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the LORD said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant

and shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

because the LORD has listened to your affliction.

12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

Gen. 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

Gen. 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

We pick up where we left off in the story about Abram, Sarai, and Sarai’s Egyptian servant Hagar. If you recall, Sarai and Abram made a mess of a situation when they decided to help God fulfill his promise to give Abram innumerable descendants. Sarai had the idea that since she’d not been able to conceive, Abram should have sexual relations with Hagar and have a child through her. Even though Sarai came up with the idea and told Abram he should do this, Sarai became accusative to the LORD and to Abram when Hagar conceived and “looked with contempt” upon Sarai. Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away.

In verse 7, we pick up the story where Hagar is on the run and “the angel of the LORD found her by a spring.” (v. 7). Many people have suggested this angel of the LORD is actually a Christophany, an appearance by Jesus long before he becomes incarnate in Bethlehem. That may be what is happening. But I suspect that is an overreaching interpretation. There’s no reason this should be a Christophany. Whatever the correct interpretation, this being is a messenger of the LORD who comes with a specific revelation to Hagar along with the LORD’s compassion.

I love it when the LORD, or an agent from the LORD, asks questions. The LORD is omniscient. He knows everything. It stands to reason that the LORD asks questions to people for their benefit and not for his own. The angel asked Hagar where she had come from and where she was going. Notice that her response only answered the first part of the question. Hagar explains that she is running from Sarai, but it would appear that she has no idea where she is to go. As a side note to this story, I wonder how often we are prone to want to run from something but have no clue where we are going.

The angel instructs her where to go. The angel told her to return to Sarai and submit to her. I believe the intent here is for Hagar not to show contempt to Sarai but to cooperate with her. Is this instruction from the LORD cruel or unjust? I don’t think so. I believe the LORD intends for her to receive his blessings through her connection with Abram and Sarai.

The angel revealed to her the LORD’s promise that she would have many descendants and that the child she had recently conceived would be a son whom she would name Ishmael. This name means “God hears.” The angel explains, “the LORD has listened to your affliction.” (v. 11) I believe this is an essential point that we should learn from this story. Even though Hagar has been a victim of sorts and has run away, the LORD has never been away from her or uncaring concerning her problems. Instead, the LORD would bring some benefit to her through these circumstances. We see the Apostle Paul state this outrightly in Romans 8, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Not all things that happen to us are good. It wasn’t God’s desire for Abram and Sarai to devise their own plan. Yet, God can and does use the events that unfold from humanity’s independent efforts to bring about good things.

The angel’s statement that her son Ishmael would be a wild donkey of a man was not an insult. It was just a prophetic statement that Ishmael would be a very independent person who would find conflict. This information would be of interest to the Israelites as they would conquer the land of Canaan after their bondage in Egypt.

Hagar’s response to this revelation about Ishmael is seen in verse 13. She confesses the LORD is “a God of seeing.” (v. 13) Hagar is not a pawn in a cruel cosmic game. The LORD hears her and sees her. She recognizes that God is looking after her. This is the second important truth that is revealed concerning the LORD. How might we look differently upon the events in our lives if we believed the LORD listened to our afflictions and looked after us? What an encouraging thought.