GENESIS REVEALED – LESSON 7

Lesson 7

ABRAHAM CONTINUED, SODOM AND GOMORRAH, ISSAC

Genesis Chapter 18:1-23:20

Genesis 18:1-15

Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.4 “Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.5 “And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’14 “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

“And he believed the Lord: Gen. 15:3-6 Without supporting evidence from his physical circumstances, Abraham believed that God would fulfill His promises.

Related Scripture:

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

God was pleased with Abraham’s trust in His word and counts this response as righteous v6. In Romans 4:19- 21 the Apostle Paul cites the faith of Abraham as an example for us to follow.

Romans 4:19-21 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Our trust in God that He will save us, provide for us, heal us, protect us etc. as He has promised to do produces assurance within us.

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

In fact, our faith in God as faithful to His promises makes “all things possible.”

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Summary Gen. 18:1-15

God confirmed the promise that Sarah would have a son by Abraham.

The hospitality of Abraham to the three visitors is an example for Christians. Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”
Sarah’s unbelief changed to belief.
God had previously promised Abraham a male heir in one year (See 17:21).
Sarah’s laughter was an indication of her lack of faith at that moment.
In her statement in verse 21, Sarah called Abraham her “lord.” (This is noted in the New Testament by Paul. 1 Peter 3:5-6 “…In former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, [6] as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.”)
The censure of Sarah by the visitor apparently convinced her that the promise would come true, because she did have a child. Hebrews 11:11 “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 18:16- Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, (word in Hebrew, kadeshim, literally means hallowed or sacred which referred to the pagan temples inhabited by some of the descendents of Ham and Canaan, the Canaanites) and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, (Abraham was God’s friend)

2 Chronicles 20:7 “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

WE ARE ALSO GOD’S FRIENDS

John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Genesis 18:18-20“since 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 known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,

Sodom’s sins:

Serving false gods
Apathy
Sacrifice to demons
Idolatry
Gluttony
Forsaking God, showing contempt for God
Oppression of strangers, the poor, widows, fatherless
Discrimination
Homosexuality, sodomy

REALLY ONLY ONE SIN: THE SIN OF UNBELIEF/DOUBT

Hebrews 3:12-19Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Deuteronomy 29:26; 32:15-19

Deut. 29:26 ‘for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.

Deut.32: 15-19 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear. 18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you. 19 “And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters. 21 They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;

Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:8-11,15

Is. 1:9-10 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord,

Is. 3:8You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 23 Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

3:8 For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against the Lord, To provoke the eyes of His glory. 9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. 10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Is. 3:15 What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord God of hosts.

NOTICE THAT THEY BROUGHT EVIL UPON THEMSELVES (By Their own Words)

JUDGMENT IS A RESULT OF THE OVERFLOW OF SIN. At the end of this lesson I will expound upon God the Good God; God of Judgment.

Genesis 18:21-33

Gen. 18:21 “I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

By way of illustration, God himself (Genesis 18:21) seems to declare that the reason that Sodom & Gomorrah were judged was because of the outcry against it.

I wonder– if there is judgment coming against our nation, or against “famously sinful” cities in our nation (San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, New Orleans, etc) – whether the judgment is not from God, but from God’s people.

So I’m pretty careful about speaking un-lovely things about people or nations; I’m really,really careful that I’m not interpreting prophetic words according to my own expectations. Your Words are Powerful!

Gen. 18:22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

A Theophanie is a Pre-Incarnate (Old Testament) appearance of God the Son in angelic or human form. That is, God the Son , the second person of the Holy Trinity (Jesus), appeared to men in a form that they could see. He also appeared by Manifested Glory (Exek. 1) and in a manner not described (Gen. 17.1) These appearances are most times shown by the terms “the Lord” (Gen. 12:7; 18:1-2, 17, 22, 33; ), “Angel of the Lord” (Gen 16:7-13; Jud. 2:1); “Angel of God” (Gen 21:17); Angel of His Presence” (Isa. 63:9); and probably “Messenger of the covenant” (Mal.3:1).

He is clearly identified with the Lord Himself in His self-manifestation to men. Let us look at a few of the scriptures that prove this.

In Gen 18: 1-16, one of the three angels clearly and definitely identifies himself with Jehovah. Compare chapter 19 where it is seen that only two of the angels have come to Sodom; the other has remained behind.

Gen. 18:22 tells who this angel is.

“And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the Lord”

In Gen. 22:11-12 we find the “Angel of the Lord“ says ” seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me.”

In Gen. 31:11-13 the angel said to Jacob, “I am the God of Bethel,”

Gen. 18:24 “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:28 “Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

This is the second time that Abraham intervened for Sodom, Lot, and his family; 10 would have been Lot, his wife, 2 daughters, 2 son-in-laws, 2 sons and servants = 10

Summary Gen. 18:16-33

God revealed to Abraham the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In this story of the three visitors to Abraham, we gradually learn that one of them was the Lord in human form, while the others were angels that went to Sodom.
The “Lord” complimented Abraham for his role in teaching his descendants to “keep the way of the Lord, (and) to do righteousness and justice.” Verse 17 2. The Lord then revealed His intention to examine the morality of the cities.
The language used here could cause some to doubt the omniscience of God, since he says, “I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Verse 21 b. The angels who later visited Lot tell him that the destruction of the cities was predetermined by God. Genesis 19:13 “For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
Abraham bargained with God regarding the destruction of the cities.
He believed that the Lord would not destroy the righteous with the wicked.
He started his bargaining with a number (50) that could be considered low, in relation to the greater number of the people living in the cities.
As he bargained from 50 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 20, and finally to 10, Abraham became increasingly humble, respectful, and apologetic to God.
God did not get angry, because he already knew that 10 righteous people would not be found in the cities. (Only 4 were found in the city of Sodom.)

Genesis 19:1

Now 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 he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. (Lot was probably a member of Sodom’s ruling council because of where he was sitting)

Evidence of Lot’s progressive backsliding: Lot made a choice. The same decision that every believer must make whether he will put God of mammon (the world) first.

Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom
He moved into Sodom
He sat at the gate of Sodom

Genesis 19:2-5

2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

Jude 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Ezekiel 16:49-50“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.50 “And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

AGAIN THE SINS OF SODOM WERE:

PRIDE
FULLNESS OF BREAD
ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS
DIDN’T STRENGTHEN THE HAND OF THE POOR AND THE NEEDY
WERE HAUGHTY
COMMITTED ABOMINATIONS BEFORE THE LORD

Romans 1:26-27For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

Genesis 19:6-11

6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!8 “See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

Summary Gen. 19:1-11:

The Angels came to Sodom on their mission.

Lot, like Abraham, was hospitable, and insisted that they come into his house. B. When the men of Sodom sought to “know them carnally,” Lot refused.
Lot’s reason for insisting that the angels come into his house was apparently to protect them from being approached with this demand.
His offer of his two virgin daughters to the homosexuals was probably based on the knowledge that homosexual desire does not usually involve women.
When the Sodomites tried to take Lot’s visitors by force, they were blinded.
This device was used by a prophet to protect himself. 2 Kings 6:8-19
It was also used by the Apostle Paul to silence a sorcerer. Acts 13:2-12
The chief sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality.
Lot called the act “wicked,” so it was considered a sin before Moses’ Law.
This sin was later forbidden in the Law of Moses.
Leviticus 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”
Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.”
It is also condemned under the New Testament.
Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. [27] Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…”

Gen. 19:12-26

Gen. 19:12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!13 “For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!19 “Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.20 “See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.22 “Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. (5 CITIES WERE DESTROYED: SODOM, GOMMORAH, ZEBOIM, ADMAH, AND LASHA) 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife “looked back” (the phrase might even be rendered “returned back” or “lagged back”) seeking to cling to her luxurious life in Sodom (note Christ’s reference to this in Luke 17:32,33) and was destroyed in the “overthrow” (Genesis 19:25,29) of the city. There are many great deposits of rock salt in the region, probably formed by massive precipitation from thermal brines upwelling from the earth’s deep mantle during the great Flood. Possibly the overthrow buried her in a shower of these salt deposits blown skyward by the explosions. There is also the possibility that she was buried in a shower of volcanic ash, with her body gradually being converted into “salt” over the years following through the process of petrifaction, in a manner similar to that experienced by the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
– Henry Morris (taken from: “The Defenders Study Bible”)

Genesis 19:28 KJV “And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.”

The place that Lots wife killed was never meant to be a memorial – she perished as the result of her own misjudgment. Her body was reduced to ash and salt – That whole area is now salt – its not just one tiny pillar somewhere so we wouldn’t expect to find one human shaped mound or anything. The bible warned that they would “be consumed.” Genesis 19:17 KJV

However, these pictures are of the area:

Lot’s Wife’s Disobedience and Turning Back

Points to remember:

Salt used to preserve
Looking back means turning back to the old

LOT’S WIFE WAS TURNED INTO A PILLAR OF SALT BECAUSE SHE TRIED TO PRESERVE THE OLD?

Luke 17:28-33 “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;29 “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.30 “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.32 “Remember Lot’s wife.33 “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Summary Gen. 19:12-26:

The escape of Lot and family from Sodom.

The angels gave Lot time to try to persuade his other daughters and sons-in-law to escape with them, but he was unsuccessful.
His willingness to allow his daughters to marry sinful men of the city shows that he had not been very concerned about the possible evil influence of such marriages. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’ ”
His sons-in-law treated his warning like many do today.
When King Hezekiah attempted to restore the celebration of Passover, his messengers were scorned. 2 Chronicles 30:1-10!!
Israel’s scorn for the warnings of God brought His wrath. 2 Chronicles 36:16 “But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.”
The men of Athens scorned the message of Paul. Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”
Lot’s family was reluctant to leave the city.
They “lingered,” and had to be pulled by the hand out of the city. Verse 16 2. They were told not to look back, but flee into the mountains surrounding the valley. Verse 17
Lot was afraid of possible danger in the mountains.
He persuaded the angels to let them go to the small city of Zoar.
Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt, when she disobeyed the charge of the angels, and looked back at the city where her other children lived.

Genesis 19:27-29

Gen. 19: 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

450 THE NUMBER OF REAPING WHAT WAS SOWN

450 YEARS FROM THE FLOOD TO THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMMORAH, 450 YEARS FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE CANAANITES, 450 YEARS FROM THE CANAANITES TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE AMALEKITES AND 450 PROPETS OF BAAL WERE DESTROYED ON MT. CARMEL.

2 Peter 2:6-8 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

Abraham was the first intercessor; God answered his prayer.

Summary Gen. 19:27-29:

Abraham saw the destruction of the cities, and was given credit for saving Lot.

Abraham realized that the Lord did not find the 10 righteous souls in Sodom. B. Verse 29 reveals that God saved Lot as a favor to Abraham.
God saved the joint armies of Judah and Israel, as a favor to Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. 2 Kings 3:4-17 (especially, Verse 14)
At other times, the presence of the righteous will not be enough to save. Jeremiah 15:1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.”
Today, Christians may be credited for “preserving” the world. Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?

There were four cities of the plain that were destroyed: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. See Deuteronomy 29:23-28 “The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath.”

God says, “I did it.”
(or at least it was written that way)
Genesis 13:10

“…the Lord destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah.

(again the OT mentality was if it happened, id it.)

God says, “They did it.”
(God gave them up to their sinful ways)
Hosea 11:8

“How can I give you up Ephraim?
“How can I hand you over Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within Me.
My sympathy is stirred.”

God is saying that He doesn’t want to give up Ephraim or hand over Israel as He gave up Admah and handed over Zeboiim, the cities that were destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah. God is telling us that THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES!

How could these four cities have been responsible for their own destruction? Genesis 14:10 says, “Now the Valley of Siddim (where Sodom, Gomorrah and the other two cities were) was full of asphalt pits.” Today “the shores around the Dead Sea are covered with lava, sulfur, and rock salt. Gases escape from the surface of the water.” (World Book Encyclopedia, 1954, Vol 4, p. 1891).

All the elements necessary to destroy these cities by earthquake or fire were present; oil, gas, asphalt. “Brimstone” (sulfur) which rained down on these cities is a major export of this region today.

The Dead Sea, where these cities are thought to have been located, lies on a geological fault according to the Encyclopedia Americana, p. 351, “Outpourings of lava formed volcanic plateaus at places along the sides, as well as volcanoes in and near the valley.”

So it’s not difficult to suggest how the destruction of these four cities could have occurred naturally, or could have been a direct result of “corporate” greed and carelessness caused possibly by excessive mining or other technological efforts.

Lessons To Be Learned from Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot/ Lot’s Wife, Daughters

The wickedness of that place and time is so notorious that it is remembered to this very day … Jude 7.Throughout the New Testament, Christ and others use Sodom figuratively to represent wickedness in this world. Luke 17:20, Matt. 24:17.

There are many valuable lessons to be learned about the consequences of allowing the world to enter our hearts as it did the family of Lot.

1.Not only did Lot’s family live in Sodom – He was a chief official sitting at the gate, Sodom lived in Lot’s family. Yet they did they hold righteous Lot in too high a regard. Sin is progressive.

2.When Sodom lived in Lot’s family there was a reluctance to flee evil.

3.Today Christians are to told flee the evils of the world. We are in the world, not of it.(1 Cor. 6:18) (1 Cor. 10:14) (1 Tim. 6:10-11) (2 Tim. 2:22)

4.When Sodom lived in Lot’s family fear reigned in the place of faith. Lot did not trust God. Fear is a lack of trust and, of course, faith.

Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He (JESUS CHRIST) became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

5.The angels specifically told Lot he would be safe in the mountains, but he was, incredibly, too afraid.

He was so influenced by the sinful society of Sodom that he was conditioned to be afraid.

7.When Sodom lived in Lot’s family a deadly yearning for the earthly was stronger than the will to obey God. This powerful lesson was learned in the most graphic way

8.God told Lot’s family not to look back at the wicked city, but Lot’s wife was too enamored with it. Her glance back was fatal. She tried to preserve the old.

9.When Sodom lived in Lot’s family Sodom’s immorality had taken root in their actions. Unfortunately, the problems of Sodom were not completely removed, even after its destruction.

Sodom was still very much in the hearts of Lot’s daughters. They had regular contact with the citizens of Sodom, and its influence rubbed of on them.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.

Proverbs 6:27-2827 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared?

Conclusion

It was not a sin for Lot and his family to live in Sodom – the sin came when Sodom started living in them. Notice these interesting words of Jesus … John 17:15 We must live in this world, but the world does not have to live in us. How do we do that? Heb 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Gal. 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

LOT AND HIS DAUGHTERS

Genesis 19:30-38

30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.32 “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”35 Then 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 were with child 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 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.(The Ammonites and the Moabites became evil enemies of Israel)

Summary Gen. 19:30-38:

The sad ending for Lot.

Lot and his daughters leave Zoar.
They go into the mountains to live in a cave.
Lot had expressed fear of going to the mountains, when the angels told him to do it. Verse 17
He was also afraid to stay in Zoar, and went to the mountains he had feared.
Lot’s daughters conceive children by their father.
The older daughter supposed that there was no man left for them to marry, after the widespread destruction of the cities of the valley.
She persuaded her sister to follow her example, so that they could have children by their father to carry on his lineage.
The children that were conceived, Moab and Ben-ammi, were the founders of the nations of Moab and Ammon.
When they began the conquest of Canaan, the children of Israel had trouble from these nations, though they were related by blood.
(1)Moab troubled Israel. Numbers 21-26, Joshua 24, Judges 3, etc.

(2)Ammon’s oppressions are mentioned in Deuteronomy 2, Judges 3, 10-11, etc. (NOTE: It is interesting to note that the capital city of the modern country of Jordan is called Amman.)

The Israelites were sometimes persuaded to worship the Idols of Moab and Ammon. 1 Kings 11:33 “…they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.”
The sins of Lot and his daughters have always been forbidden by God.
Intoxication.
Lot became drunk with wine.
(1)He may have justified his action by the fact that he had lost his wife and all his other children, in the destruction of the cities of the plain.

(2)One passage suggests this use of wine. Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart.

Intoxication is forbidden in both the Old and New Testaments.
(1)Leviticus 10:9 (To priests) “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations…”

(2)Isaiah 28:7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.” (3)Romans 13:13 “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and

drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”

Incest. (Incest is taboo in most cultures)
As we have seen, earlier in this study, Abraham was married to a half- sister, but this was forbidden later in the Law of Moses.
Father/daughter incest was also forbidden in the Law of Moses, along with other forms of illicit sex. Leviticus 18:6 “None of you shall approach any-one who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.” (See also, Leviticus 18:7-18, 20:11-21; Deuteronomy 22:30, 27:20-23.) 3. Even though Lot made many mistakes, in contrast to the people of Sodom, he was a righteous man. 2 Peter 2:6-8 “(God turned)…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; [7] and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked [8] (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).”

ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH

Genesis 20:1-2 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ( This is the 2nd time Abraham said she is my sister.)

Abimelech was a title rather than a proper name, just as Pharoah is a title rather than a name. All the kings of the Philistine city Gerar apparently used Abimelech as a public title. Abimelech meant “ My father, my king,” and is used to show respect and reverence on the part of his subjects. In Genesis 26 Isaac and Rebekah will use the same ploy about heir identities with the King Abimelech of Gerar. But it is not known whether Isaac dealt with the same Abimelech as Abraham or another king with the same title. If they are different kings, they are both presented as upright rulers.

SAME STORY AS IN GENESIS 12:10-20

Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

(Dreams and visions, visitation of angels, and God’s audible voice were frequent modes of revelation in the OT because the Holy Spirit was not in man, but moved upon man.)

Genesis 20:4-6 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?5 “Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”6 And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

Psalm 105:13-15When they (Abraham and his company) went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people, 14 He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, 15 Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.”

CASES OF CONDITIONAL PROPHECIES OR PROMISES

Genesis 20:7-16 “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

The first use of “prophet” in the Bible: Gen 20:7.The first job of a prophet:

“…he will pray for you and you will live.” This is the prophetic voice for today, his/her job description. There are many functions of the prophet; yet, this is the main one.

Gen. 20:8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.12 “But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.13 “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ” 14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.15 And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”16 Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Abraham — A Man of Faith?

Abraham is Biblically known as the Father of the Faithful. But during the outset of his calling Abraham did not always trust God. As we recount Abraham’s experience you will see that Abraham was not always faithful. He lacked faith on many occasions. Abraham’s experience is inspiring and encouraging. Notice that Abraham was not unlike ourselves:

When Abraham went down to Egypt for the 1st time why did he think that the Egyptian people might kill him? Abraham was filled with doubt. He did not believe God. As a result, fear and anxiety filled his mind. Instead of walking by faith, he walked by sight. We too sometimes, when faced with a difficult or awkward situation, can forget God’s promises and walk by sight and not by faith.
On two occasions God had promised Abraham that He would make his descendants (offspring) as the dust of the earth. But Abraham replied, “What will you give me, seeing I go childless…”, as if God had not already explained it to him. Abraham had his doubts.
Abraham’s impatience and lack of faith in listening to Sarai caused him to do things his way. Instead of turning to God he took matters into his own hands. Abraham made many mistakes before God finally got him to do His will and have faith in His word.
On previous occasions God had told Abraham that He was going to bless him with his own progeny and multiply them as the dust of the earth. But on this last occasion God had said to Abraham, “I will bless her [Sarah] and also give you a son by her…” You would have thought that Abraham would have thanked God, but he didn’t. Instead of believing God, he laughs in disbelief.
With the next situation with Abimelech, Abraham was again overcome by fear and anxiety, and was too afraid to tell the king that Sarah was his wife. But why? Notice what the following passage of Scripture reveals: “Then Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?’ And Abraham said, ‘Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.’ ” (Genesis 20:10–11).

Genesis 20:17-18 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;18 for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Job 42:10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

FULFILLMENT OF A PROPHETIC WORD

Genesis 21:1 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.

Numbers 23:19“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Genesis 21:2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time (KAIROS TIME) of which God had spoken to him.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, 1 A time for every purpose under heaven:

Eph.5:15-17 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Abraham’s Faith Development; Our Faith Development

Abram had clearly heard the call of God upon his life. Have you clearly heard the call of God upon your life? If so, now is the time of commissioning.
Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Seek Him with all your heart and you will find Him closer then your next breath. Make a decision of your will to desire to do the destiny God has planned for you. Ask Him to make it clear to you what He would have you to do. (Rhema Word)
Don’t be surprised that after you receive revelation from God’s Word or after He gives you a Rhema Word or a Prophecy you experience a testing of the word. There will be a test. satan will bring about contrary situations and circumstances to challenge the Word of God in your thought life. Don’t be concerned; there is nothing in the World that the Word can’t handle because the Word of God spoke the world into existence.
Keep the vision that God has given you before your eyes. God’s provision follows His vision. You will sleep peacefully when you stay in the perfect Will of God. Pursue peace; that’s how you know if you’re in God’s perfect will. Also, be patient.
God wants to get you to a place where you can “Live by Faith”, (we live by His faith Gal. 2:20) so you can be perfect and complete lacking nothing. God fulfilled His covenant with Abraham. The New Covenant has been fulfilled with you by the blood of Jesus Christ, the finished work of the cross.
If you have gone your own way and have grieved the Spirit of Grace, then go back to your place of Worship like Abram. (Genesis 13:3) Grace and mercy abounds for us.
Even though he produced an Ishmael, Abraham eventually did not put his confidence in what he could see with his natural eye, he put his confidence in what God had said; “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.” When in Christ you are blessed with the blessing of Abraham, you need only to look to God……….

7 characteristics of Abraham’s faith

Romans 4:18-21 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Contrary to hope, in hope he believed
According to what was spoken
Not being weak in faith; not believing what he saw in the natural
Did not waiver at the promise of God through unbelief
Strengthened in faith
Giving glory to God
Being fully convinced that what God had promised He was able to perform (total trust)

Summary Gen. 20:1-18:

Abraham’s trust in God’s protection is still not perfect.

This incident should be compared to a previous one in Genesis 12:10-20. 1. There are similarities in the two events.
In both incidents, Abraham withheld the whole truth about his relationship to Sarah.
(1)Before these incidents, only two deceptions are recorded in Genesis.

(a)That of the Devil in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:13 “And the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ ” (The truth of this is confirmed by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

(b)And that of Cain, when he was asked about his brother. Genesis 4:9 “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ He said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’ ”

(2)The devil is the father of lies, according to Jesus. John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

In both incidents, the nations reaped what they sowed
(1)Egypt received plagues. 12:17

(2)Abimelech’s nation was under threat of destruction. 20:4 (Also, the wombs of the women in Abimelech’s household. 20:17-18)

In both incidents, the rulers heaped gifts on Abraham.
In both incidents, Abraham is not rebuked or punished for his deception. (1)Since there is no written or expressed prohibition against lying in the Genesis record of the Patriarchal Age, to the time of Abraham, there would possibly be no punishment. Romans 4:15 “…the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.” Sin was not imputed until the law.
(2)However, both rulers were angry because of Abraham’s deception, which indicates that lying was not approved in the two cultures.

(3)It would not be wise to assume from this narrative that we, as children of God under the New Covenant, can avoid the consequences of lying, as Abraham seemingly did. Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. [8] But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

There are also details in the two events that are different.
Each ruler discovered the true identity of Sarah in different ways.
(1)Pharaoh seems to have learned it in some natural way. 12:18-19

(2)Abimelech was made aware of it directly by the revelation of God. 20:3

Abraham explained the reason for his deception to Abimelech, but not to Pharaoh.
Abimelech is told by God to ask Abraham (described as a “prophet”) to pray for him, and the prayer was answered by God. (Pharaoh was given no similar instruction.)
There is a good lesson to be drawn from God’s dealings with Abimelech.
When God rebuked Abimelech for seizing Sarah, the king pleaded his innocence. (Compare similar pleas in 2 Kings 20:1-5 and Nehemiah 13:14.)
God acknowledged his innocence, and said this was His reason for pre- venting sin. (Compare the context of 1 Samuel 25:26.)
Abimelech must have had a good relationship with God, if he received this direct message from Him, and was able to converse with Him.
Abimelech indirectly accused Abraham of returning evil for good. 20:9
This sort of attitude is shown to be wrong in all the Bible historical ages.
(1)Proverbs 17:13 “Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.”

(2)Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Even though Abraham suffered no consequences from Abimelech’s rebuke, the king appears to be more righteous than Abraham.
(1)Abraham made no restitution to Abimelech, because of his sin.

(2)Instead, Abimelech gave Abraham cattle and servants, plus 1000 pieces of silver, to vindicate (and reprove) Sarah . 20:14-16

Genesis 21:2-14

2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.

Gen. 21:4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Why an Eight Day Circumcision?

The number eight gets its primary definition from the Old Testament practice of circumcising newborn males on the 8th day. Genesis 17:12 states:

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

So why did the Lord command that newborn males be circumcised on the 8th day of life? Here’s an answer found online:

This has been posted before but bears repeating.

“In 1935, professor H. Dam proposed the name “vitamin K” for the factor in foods that helped prevent hemorrhaging in baby chicks. We now know vitamin K is responsible for the production (by the liver) of the element known as prothrombin.

If vitamin K is deficient, there will be a prothrombin deficiency and hemorrhaging may occur. Oddly, it is only on the fifth through the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K (produced by bacteria in the intestinal tract) is present in adequate quantities.

Vitamin K, coupled with prothrombin, causes blood coagulation, which is important in any surgical procedure. Holt and McIntosh, in their classic work, Holt Pediatrics, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life…. Hemorrhages at this time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination” (1953, pp. 125-126).

Obviously, then, if vitamin K were not produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven, it would be wise to postpone any surgery until some time after that. But why did God specify day eight?

On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin present actually is elevated above one hundred percent of normal—and is the only day in the male’s life in which this will be the case under normal conditions. If surgery is to be performed, day eight is the perfect day to do it. Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak.”

We read earlier that vitamin K is released at levels of over 100 percent on the 8th day in a newborn males life. How does this relate to the church? If the church is going to survive the cutting away or circumcision of the Levitical priesthood and not hemorrhage (lose people) we need some vitamin k or vitamin Kingdom of God!

Gen. 21:5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” 8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.13 “Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. (now southern Israel)

Beersheda is a compound name made up of beer, which means well and sheba which means seven. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection. (Gen.21:28-30) In addition, sheba is very similar to the word oath. So, Beersheba means “ well of oath .” (v31)The very name of the place where Hagar wandered means, I have made an oath with you of perfection.”

Genesis 21:15-34

Gen. 21:15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. (The name Ishmael means God hears) 18 “Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him 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 lad a drink.20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Gen. 21:1-21 Summary:

The birth of Isaac causes a rift between Sarah and Hagar.

Sarah resented the scoffing of Hagar’s son, Ishmael, during the feast held in honor of the weaning of Isaac.
Sarah asked Abraham to send Hagar and her son away.
Abraham was reluctant, until God approved the action, and reminded Abraham that his legitimate heir was to be Isaac.
The Apostle Paul used this incident in an allegory. Galatians 4:21-31
Paul also used this incident in the same allegorical sense in Romans 9:6-8. “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, [7] nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ [8] That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”

Gen. 21:22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.23 “Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.” 25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. (Seven is the number of perfection and comleteness, used 600 times in the Bible) 29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.”31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.

Gen. 21:22-34 Summary:

Abraham’s continued peaceful relationship with Abimelech.

They swore an oath of mutual good will. Verses 22-24
Abraham seized an opportunity from this to settle a dispute over the ownership of a well. Verses 25-33

NOTE: There is some geographical information in these verses regarding the area ruled at that time by the Philistines. It is said to include the area where Abraham was living, around Beersheba. Other place names given here are Kadesh, Shur, and Gerar. Some maps indicate that the immediate region of Beersheba was surrounded by Philistine territory, indicating that this is the reason for the treaty between Abraham and Abimelech. The Philistines did not control this area a thousand years later, during the reign of King David over Israel. Philistia was then only a narrow area on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

ABRAHAM AND ISAAC: A CLOSEUP OF CALVARY: A TRIAL RUN

Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested (Hebrew, proved, refers to the proving of Abraham’s faith with the intent of proving his faith as acceptable)and he said to him, Abraham. And he said, Here am I.

ASV (Gen 22:1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. And he said, Here am I.

Exodus 20:20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test (prove) you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

Deut. 8:2 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test (prove) you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

James 1:2-3,13 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,3 knowing that the testing/proving of your faith produces patience.13 Let no one say when he is tempted, (tested) “I am tempted (tested)by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt(test) anyone.

The word test in the Hebrew is “nasa” In most contexts the word nasa has the idea of testing or proving the quality of someone or something, often through adversity or hardship. The rendering tempt used frequently in the AV and ASV generally means to prove, test, or pout to test rather than the English idea of enticing to do wrong. The verb nasa occurs 36 times in the OT. “Nasa” is used when God tested/proved Abraham’s faith (Gen. 22:1) and Hezekiah’s (2 Chron. 32:31). The allowing of testing by God, however, is the testing or trying of one’s faith. In testing God allows it with the intent is to refine one’s character that he might walk more closely in God’s ways.

Remember as believers we have the faith of God already inside us ( Gal. 2:20); the testing/proving of your faith is in the soulish realm.

AGAIN THE OLD TESTAMENT MENTALITY: IF GOD ALLOWED IT HE DID IT.

Does God Permit Bad Things to Happen to Us?

A loving God doesn’t send or even permit death and destruction in His children’s lives to instruct them. If these things are happening, there is another reason. In the beginning when God created man, He gave us authority to rule the earth, to have dominion over it, and to subdue it (Genesis 1:26-28). God couldn’t interrupt or interfere in man’s business after that unless He was invited. He kept His word to Adam, even though He had to swear to His own hurt to keep it. Did God send the devil in to get Adam? No, He gave Adam authority over the whole situation. It was Adam’s decision and responsibility. Adam was the one who gave the devil entrance into man’s realm. In the same way, it’s not God Who lets the devil influence our lives, it’s us. We do it through our words, and also through our actions. Ignorance of God’s Word and spiritual principles, which operate whether we understand them or not, opens the door wide to satanic attacks.

God never afflicted any man with disease or anything of the curse. Satan has always been the thief, killer and destroyer. In the Old Testament, when a man stepped out from the protection of the Law, satan attacked. Man was punished for his mistake through Satan’s physical harassment, but God was often able to use it for good to teach and correct him. By doing so, God received the credit for the harassment in error.

THE TEST OF FAITH OR TESTING OF THE WORD

If anything is worth anything it must be tested.

In industry we call it quality control.

God always allows faith to be tested for it to run its full course pure and strong. God allowed the testing of Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice the thing that he loved the most in his life, his only son. Since God knows the end from the beginning, He knew what was going to happen, also this was needed as a trial run or mankind’s permission for Calvary, permission for God to send his only begotten Son to die for man’s sin.

Genesis 22:2

2 Then He said, “Take now 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.”

LATER IN MOSAIC LAW IT WAS UNLAWFUL TO SACRIFICE A CHILD

Deuteronomy 18:10

10 “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,

Only son translates yachild. Yachild describes Abraham’s unique miracle child, Isaac now in his thirties. Christ was 33 years old when he died. Zechariah describes what the Messiah will one day become to Israel’s repentant, weeping citizens, precious son, yachild.

Zechariah 12:10

10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Here is the place where God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac which is the same place where God sacrificed His own Son: the hills of Moriah, now called Mt. Zion, once Calvary outside Jerusalem. Equally noted is the phrase “His only begotten Son in The Hebrew New Testament is translated : His Son, His “Yachild.”

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Genesis 22:3

Gen. 22: 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

TYPES AND SHADOWS OF Jesus Christ

Isaac was his father’s only son- Jesus Christ is the Father’s only begotten Son

Luke 19:35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the donkey, and they set Jesus on him.

While making the journey Isaac was dead three days in the mind of his father. Jesus Christ was dead 3 days and nights before he was resurrected.

Genesis 22:4-5 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

WHAT DID ABRAHAM KNOW IN HIS HEART? He knew that even if Isaac’s life had to be taken then God would raise him from the dead so that he could come back with his father. Or he knew a sacrifice was to be furnished instead.

Third day- day of resurrection- 3 the number of divine completeness, perfection, perfect testimony

Abraham saw the place (Mt. Moriah, the future place of the temple mount where sacrifices were later offered, yet he also saw a far off into the spirit and saw the death of Jesus Christ.)

Matt. 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Luke 22:40-41 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

Hebrews 11:17-19

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Abraham in offering Isaac enacted in a figurative sense, Calvary. It was not just a foreshadowing, but a trial run.

Isaac carried the wood on which he was to be sacrificed, Jesus carried His own cross.
Gen. 22:6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

John 19:17

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

Genesis 22:7

7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

GOD ANSWERED ISAAC ‘S QUESTION

John 1: 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:34 “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.

Rev. 5:12 saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

God provided a ram for a substitution sacrifice to replace Isaac. God provided Jesus Christ as the substitution sacrifice to replace all of mankind. Abraham’s sacrifice was a ram. God’s sacrifice was Jesus Christ.
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

ABRAHAM’S WORDS MUST BE MADE GOOD; ABRAHAM GAVE GOD PERMISSION TO SEND HIS SON; GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF A LAMB; THE ACTUAL HEBREW TRANSLATION IS : GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF AS A LAMB.

ABRAHAM HAD TO SPEAK IT, DECREE IT FOR IT TO BE ESTABLISHED.

Job 22:28

28 You will also declare a thing,

And it will be established for you;

So light will shine on your ways.

Mark 11:23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Genesis 22:9

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

John 18:12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.

Genesis 22:10

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord (CHRIST AS THE MESSENGER OF GOD)called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. (this later originated the shofar, the trumpet of Israel). So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Abraham acted in faith, he believed and was obedient.

James 2:17-24

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

GOD PROVED THAT ABRAHAM WOULD KEEP THE COVENANT HE HAD MADE WITH HIM, AND WITH Jesus Christ. This again is the total picture of what Christ would accomplish on the cross. Isaac is the type of Christ and Abraham is a type of God the Father, They exhibit the same love relationship, the same sacrifice that Jesus and God shared.

Because Abraham kept the covenant by obeying God’s command, it was legal under the earth-lease agreement, for God to send His Son to earth to redeem fallen man. Abraham had validated the Blood Covenant in an act of obedience by offering his son; thereby making it legal for God to send His Son to planet earth to redeem mankind. It is evident that Abraham understood this for in John 8:56 Jesus said:

John 8:56

56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

We are that city!

Galatians 3:8

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

Genesis 22:14

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; (Jehovah Jireh)as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

Jesus Christ- Yeshua Ha Messiah

Isaac carried the wood of the sacrifice on his back, Gen 22:6, and Jesus carried His cross on His back, John 19:17.
He is the Yachild- only begotten Son of the Father- Isaac is a type and shadow. The place where God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac is the same place where God sacrificed His own Son: the hills of Moriah, now called Mt. Zion, once Calvary outside Jerusalem.
He is the Lamb during Isaac’s sacrifice- GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF A LAMB; THE ACTUAL HEBREW TRANSLATION IS : GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF AS A LAMB.

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE, Christ Jesus, 1st prophesied in Gen. 3, now established.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.

SUMMARY OF FORESHADOW, TYPE OF DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST, TRIAL RUN OF CALVARY.

Abraham represents the Father who out of love for mankind gave his only son as a sacrifice for sinners. John 3:16
Historians stare that Isaac was 33 years old at the time of the sacrifice. Jesus Christ was 33 years old at His Crucifixion.
As Abraham was 132 years old at that time, Isaac would have been physically able to overpower him. Instead Isaac was submissive to the wishes of his father even when he meant his own death. Jesus Christ was able to stop the Crucifixion at any time, (could have called 10,000 angels) but instead He was submissive to His Father‘s wishes..
4.. Isaac is a type of Christ who submits to the will of his father; Isaac bore the wood as the Lord bore his cross gen. 22:6; John 19:17

It was 3 days from the time Abraham left to sacrifice his son until they returned together. After 3 days Abraham received his son back. Hebrew 11:19. After 2 days our Lord arose from the dead. John 20; 21 Cor. 15:4
Isaac was sacrificed at the place on Mt. Moriah where the temple would be erected, also in view of Mt. Calvary, outside Jerusalem.

Old Testament Order

The Cross was in God’s mind and was the redemptive provision of His Master Plan from the beginning.

– Men in the Old Testament dispensation had to look above the animal sacrifice, by faith, to see Christ, and they had to look forward, by faith, to the time Jesus Christ would come in a body of flesh and become a propitiation for sin.

God had to receive Abraham’s permission to send Jesus to die for our sin. And for a new creation to come.

(Gen 22:14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Will See; so that it is said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it will be seen.

(Joh 8:56) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and He saw and was glad.

(Heb 11:9-10) By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of the same promise with him. For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

That city is us.

Genesis 22:15

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

Gen 22:17 “blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants (us, the Body of Christ) shall possess the gate of their enemies.

New words added to the covenant. God’s word is progressive.

Matthew 16:18

18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Genesis 22:18-24

18 “In your seed (Christ) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

LAST OF THE COVENANT SPOKEN TO ABRAHAM; IT WILL BE REPEATED TO ISAAC AND REBEKAH.

Gen. 22:19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Gen. 22:1-19 Summary:

The supreme test of Abraham’s faith.

Abraham’s trust in God grew to the point that he did not hesitate to obey the command of God to sacrifice Isaac.
This act of trust confirmed the faith that the childless Abraham had, many years before, when God promised that he would have many descendants. Genesis 15:5-6 “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ [6] And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
In the choice between Ishmael and Isaac, God chose Isaac as the heir to continue the lineage of Abraham. Genesis 21:12 “God said to Abraham, ‘Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad (Ishmael) or because of your bondwoman (Hagar). Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.’ ”
God’s promise was trusted, completely. Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, [18] of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ [19] concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
Abraham’s faith was perfected by works. James 2:21-24 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? [22] Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? [23] And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. [24] You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”
God assured Abraham that His promises would be fulfilled, by swearing an oath on Himself.
God swore on himself as the highest form of an oath. Hebrews 6:13-14 “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, [14] saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and
multiplying I will multiply you.’ ”

This oath is mentioned in two other places.
(1)Psalm 105:8-9 “He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, [9] the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac…”

(2)Luke 1:72-73 “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, [73] the oath which He swore to our father Abraham…”

The faith of Abraham is our model.
We follow his “steps.” Romans 4:11b-12 “…(Abraham is the) father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, [12] and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.”
By faith, we can become “sons of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7-9 “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. [8] And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ [9] So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Our inheritance, or salvation in Christ, is based on faith, in the pattern of Abraham. Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Gen.22:20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:21 “Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,22 “Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

Gen. 22:20-24 Summary:

The genealogy of Abraham’s brother, Nahor.

Nahor had remained in Haran of Mesopotamia, after Abraham left with Lot, his nephew, to go to Canaan. See 24:10, and 29:4-5
The key generation in this list is in the first part of Verse 23, which tells of the birth of Rebekah, who would later become the wife of Isaac, her 2nd cousin.

Genesis 23:1-20

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

The Abraham and Sarah Anointing”

Long life and prosperous

There is a special anointing upon older men and women in the Body of Christ. God is not through using you. Your age is not against you, it is for you.

Job 12:12 “With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.”

GOD WILL USE YOUR UNDERSTANDING

You have more wisdom now than ever. With years comes understanding. This anointing is causing you to live longer. It will be an anointing similar to Caleb when he reached eighty-five years and he said to the Lord, “I am as strong now as when I was at forty and I still want that mountain!”

There is a “spiritual fountain of youth” in your midst. A renewing, a release of God’s strength. Psalm 68:28 “Your God has commanded your strength…..”

God is commanding His Strength into you!

SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE LONGER, BECAUSE . . .

Some of you are going to have to live longer because God is not through using you. Many of you are going to go into a second “childhood” in the Spirit. You will be re-activated by God to live out your dreams that you are just dreaming about right now.

This anointing is rising up within you to take mountains, to do exploits, to run
and not be weary, to walk and not faint.

Our older years are when we are in our prime to be used and bring forth fruit. Psalm 91 says, “With LONG life will I satisfy you and show you My Salvation.” There is an anointing upon God’s people to live longer. The joy of the Lord which is our strength is
lengthening our days upon the earth.

MANY WHO HAVE MADE OUT THEIR WILLS…ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE FOR AWHILE

As Abraham and Sarah conceived in old age, you are to conceive and live to see your Isaac (IMPOSSIBLE DREAM).

Gen. 23:3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,4 “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,6 “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,9 “that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.”10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,15 “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.”16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.

17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

Gen. 23:1-20 Summary:

The death and burial of Sarah.

Sarah lived 37 years after the birth of her son, Isaac. (She was 90 at his birth.) B. The rest of the chapter illustrates the manner in which negotiations were held for the purchase of land, among the Hittites.
The cave of Machpelah, and the field surrounding it and the surrounding borders, were owned in the land of Canaan by Abraham.
Sarah was buried in the cave. 23:19
Abraham was also buried there. 25:7-10
Other descendants of Abraham were buried there (Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob). 49:29-32, 50:13

Gen. 23: 17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham as a possession…………………

LAND PURCHASED IS NOW ISRAEL.

Messianic Prophecies

Gen. 22:8…The Lamb of God promised…Jn. 1:29
Gen. 22:18…As Isaac’s seed, will bless all nations…Gal. 3:16
Gen.26:2-5..The Seed of Isaac promised as the Redeemer..Heb.11:18