comments on the book of genesis-l m grant

8/9/2019 Comments on the Book of Genesis-L M Grant

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Comments on the Book of Genesis

By Leslie M. Grant

http://www.biblecentre.org

PREFACE

Can we imagine a God of infinite glory and dignity who never had a beginning? Can we

understand His existing from eternity, yet having no created universe over which toexercise authority? s to these things there are problems that our finite minds can never

hope to penetrate. Genesis says nothing about them, but opens with the sublime

declaration, !"n the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.! #his is written forthe sa$e of man$ind, but God does not have to explain Himself to us.

#he writer of Genesis, who was no doubt %oses &'u$e ():(*+ could not get hisinformation from anyone but God. eople have supposed that he gathered material for

this boo$ from other human sources, but this is settled by ( #imothy -:: !ll scriptureis given by inspiration of God.! Humans have imagined all $inds of silly answers to the

0uestion of origins, but none of these answers comes near to the ma1estic dignity and

truth of what God has revealed in the boo$ of Genesis.

Genesis, being the boo$ of beginnings, has been called the seed plot of the 2ible. "tcontains in admirable seed form all the truths that are later developed throughout

scripture. Here is seen the beautiful simplicity of earthly life on earth before creation was

so greatly marred by the complications that sin has introduced. Genesis symboli3es the

life4giving wor$ of God begun in a soul 44 new birth 44 with promise of fruit to come. #he boo$ specially revolves around the lives of seven outstanding patriarchs 44 dam, 5noch,

6oah, braham, "saac, 7acob and 7oseph.

CHAPTER 1

"n our human nature is a thirst to $now about origins. God has given us this nature and

God supplies the answer to our desire simply and decisively in the first statement of His

own revelation to man$ind. He goes no further bac$ than to the beginning of the history

of the created heavens and earth. nyone who has faith understands this, !that the worldswere formed by the word of God! &Heb.:-+. some may 0uestion and reason as to how

God could create so tremendous a universe, but faith simply believes what the word ofGod says, !He spo$e, and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast! &s.--:8+.

#his was the beginning of God9s activity in creation. 7ohn : also uses the expression,!"n the beginning,! but does not spea$ of what was done, rather that !"n the beginning

was the ord.! Christ, the ord of God, had no beginning: He was in the beginning; so

that verse ( declares, !all things came into being by Him! &6


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=erse stands alone in its solitary grandeur. e have no means of telling how long a time

intervened between verses and (. =erse ( tell us the earth was !waste and empty! &76>

trans.+, but "saiah ):@ declares, !not as a waste did He create it! &76>+.


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#H5 >

6ow God spea$s to introduce a firmament to divide waters from waters &vs.4*+, those

waters under the firmament from those above. He called the firmament heaven. #hisheaven is plainly the atmospheric heaven, and the waters above are no doubt those

contained in the clouds. #hey are fresh, pure waters: those beneath are salty, unfit forhuman consumption. "f the first day symboli3es God9s beginning His wor$ in a soul by

new birth, the second day illustrates the fact that one has cause to loo$ up to recogni3ethat true blessing comes from above, and therefore that authority also is from above. !#he

heavens do rule! &>an.):(+. How important for the believer to learn early that he is to be

in sub1ection to the authority of the 'ord 7esus. "f all below seems to be a watery wastewith no order, yet in being refreshed by the pure water of God9s word from above in true

sub1ection to the 'ord 7esus, the believers life may be greatly changed from disorder into

calm, orderly obedience, even when surrounded by the swelling seas of the world9sconfusion.

#he second day also compares with the second age of God9s dealings with man, thedispensation of human government, beginning with 6oah9s being given instructions as to

how to govern &Gen.8+, though he failed in properly governing himself. #his has provento be the main great problem with every government in the hands of men. #he end of that

age is seen in the tower of 2abel, when men were determined to wrest all government out

of the hand of God and rule independently of Him.Go upto "ndex

#H5 #H"D> >

Bn the third day &vs.84-+ God spea$s twice in accomplishing two distinct results. Eirst

He commands the waters under the heaven to be gathered together unto one place,

allowing the dry land to appear. "t has been observed that all the seas of the world areconnected, while all the land is not. "n order for the dry land to appear it would have to beraised up above the level of the water.


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#he fruitfulness of earth is a picture of the new spiritual nature in the believer that brings

forth fruit of God. !#he wor$s of the flesh! &Gal.:8+ are put in direct contrast to !the

fruit of the


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fruitfulness. #he person of the 'ord 7esus is that Bb1ect, and when we are blessed with

the sight of His own glory, this lifts our hearts above our circumstances and above our

own spiritual state and experiences, to see in Him what fully satisfies and delights theheart. #his is a precious climax in the history of a believer, when the glory of the person

of the 'ord 7esus bursts on his vision, to lift him out of himself, to see all beauty and

virtue in Him alone.

>ispensationally, the significance of the fourth day is seen in the present age, !thedispensation of the grace of God.! ll the glory of God is revealed in His beloved


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unrest, that is, our experiences of deep trial, will miraculously bring forth abundant

blessing. s aul says, !Bur light affliction, which is but for a moment, is wor$ing for us

a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory! &( Cor.):*+. "ndeed, we shall reali3ethis as true in 1ust the measure that we ma$e the 'ord 7esus the Bb1ect of our lives. #he

waters of unceasing disturbance and restlessness may seem to us hopelessly

unproductive, but the power and grace of God produces some of the greatest blessing forus through the greatest trouble and sorrow. #he birds flying in the heavens teach us that

by faith our spirit may rise high above the level of our circumstances in a world that is the

!valley of the shadow of death.! !s birds on the wing we rise and sing, and our troublesseem far away.!

#he dispensational application of this should be clearly evident to us also. Eollowing the

dispensation of the grace of God &in our present age+ is the time of great tribulation such

as the world has never seen nor will ever see again &%t.():(+. !But of these waters ofdeep trouble God will bring blessing for a multitude which no man can number!

&Dev.*:84)+. #hus the power and grace of God will triumph over all man9s ruin and

sorrow, at a time when everything appears to be most hopeless.Go upto "ndex

#H5


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creation. #he fact is stated, !%ale and female He created them.! Chapter (:@4(- explains

how the woman was created.

God then blessed them and told them, !2e fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth andsubdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the s$y, and over every

living thing that moves on the earth.! #his was said before sin entered the scene.


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#he first three verses here are directly connected with chapter . !#hus the heavens and

the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.! #he wor$ of the first creation occupied

six days. !ll the host of them! evidently refers to the innumerable host of stars and planets which are set by God in the heavens for the benefit of man on earth.

6umber * is the number of completeness, and on that day God rested from all His wor$."n this case only we read of His blessing the day, as well as sanctifying it. "t is set apart

from all the others as having a far superior significance, !because in it He rested from allHis wor$ which God had created and made.! Creating is bringing into existence from

nothing, but ma$ing is modeling something from what had already been created. God9s

literal rest on that day is significant of something much more important.

s to the personal application, this indicates the completeness of God9s wor$ in a

believer. God rests and the believer rests in the calm satisfaction of God9s sufficiency.

#his corresponds to what is said of !fathers! in 7ohn (:-4), !" have written unto you,

fathers, because you have $nown Him who is from the beginning.! "n spea$ing to fathers,

nothing is added in the way of exhortation &as for young man and little children+, forfathers are loo$ed at as mature in the $nowledge of the 'ord 7esus and calmly at rest

because of His sufficiency.

#he dispensational application of the seventh day ta$es us beyond time !unto all thegenerations of the ages of ages! &5ph.-:( 4 7.6.>.trans.+. #hough in the first six days we

read of the evening and the morning, yet there is no mention of this on the seventh day,

for there is no rec$oning of time in eternity. God has wor$ed and will wor$ until thethousand years of peace is completed and the 1udgment of the great white throne ta$es

place. #hen He will rest with a rest unbro$en by morning and evening. His rest after the

six days of wor$ in connection with the first creation was bro$en by dam9s sin, and

since that time, until sin is totally banished from God9s creation, God has wor$ed, as the'ord 7esus said, !%y Eather has been wor$ing until now, and " have been wor$ing! &7ohn

:* 4 6I7=+.

#here is also another application of the seventh day to the nation "srael. #he millenniumwill be a comparative rest to the nation as such, after centuries of trouble and sorrow. s

to this time, Jephaniah -:* tells us, !7ehovah thy God is in thy midst, a mighty one that

will save: He will re1oice over thee with 1oy; He will rest in His love; He will exult overthee with singing.! et this is only a partial fulfilment of the truth of the seventh day rest,

for it is not God9s final rest, but a foreshadowing of it.

#H5 GDC5 BE #H5 'BD> GB> "6 CD5#"B6

Fp to the end of Chapter (:- the name God appears - times. 2eginning with verse )

there is a change, however. 6o longer is the name God used alone, but !the 'ord God! or!7ehovah 5lohim,! used times in chapter (. #he reason is simply that in the first

section the great power of God is seen in creating and ma$ing. "n the second section the

creation is loo$ed at from the viewpoint of God9s gracious relationship with man$ind.#he name !7ehovah! is significant of the $indness of God in drawing near to man$ind in


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blessing. #hus it is used consistently in regard to God9s covenant relationship with "srael

&5x.:(4@+.

Creation therefore did not come into being merely as a display of God9s power, but as asphere in which God9s tender interest in man is wonderfully evident.

2eginning with verse ) is !history of the heavens and the earth when they were created,!

and expanded view of what has been told us in Chapter . #he 'ord God made the earth

and the heavens before plant life of any $ind existed. #hen even when He had introducedvegetation there was no rainfall, but a mist that went up from the earth to water the face

of the ground &v.+. #his is another evidence of God9s authorship of the 2ible, for this is

something that man would never have imagined. #hough there were !waters above,! Goddid not use them as rainfall. How the earth produced the mist we do not $now. However,

plants were made to grow in the earth 44 grass, herbs and trees 44 only three days before

God created man to care for them.

hile we are told of God9s creating man on the sixth day, now we are told the means ofHis doing this &v.*+. 6othing li$e this is said of the fish, animals or birds. 2ut !the 'ord

formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and

man became a living soul.! "t is man9s body that is formed of dust. #his is certainly

intended to $eep us from being proud of ourselves 2ut on the other hand, man is given adignity far above the animal creation. God9s breath in his nostrils separates him

completely from the rest of earthly creation. #his should ma$e us both than$ful and

serious in reali3ing that such a dignity brings the responsibility of representing the Godwho has breathed into us.

#hough fish and animals are also said to be !living souls! &Chapter :(,() 4

7.6.>.trans.+, yet man differs from the entirely in the say in which he became a livingsoul. e learn later in scripture that man has a spirit and soul and body & #hess.:-(+, but in his present state he is characteri3ed more by his soul than he is by his spirit,

therefore is called !a living soul.! et when God breathed into him there is no doubt that

he received a spirit as well as a soul, for the very word !breath! is the same Hebrew wordas !spirit.! 5lihu says, in 7ob -(:@: !2ut there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the

lmighty gives him understanding.!

%an9s soul gives him feelings, emotions, desires and even intuition, similar to what is

seen in animals. 2ut his spirit gives him intellect, understanding, reasoning power thatcan lift him above the level of his feelings and desires. lso, now that sin has entered

creation, his spirit gives him a conscience to discern between good and evil, and which

warns him against evil.

%en have planted and developed magnificently beautiful gardens in our day, but whenthe 'ord planted a garden in 5den before sin caused the curse to affect the ground, before

weeds, thorns and thistles did their unsightly damage, the beauty of that garden must have

been wonderful. #he place was ideal in every way for the comfort and blessing of man.5very variety of fruit tree was there, beautiful to the sight and its fruit edible and good.


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#he tree of life is singled out as being !in the midst of the garden,! but in spite of this is

was evidently ignored by dam and 5ve. "ts great significance, however, is brought into

sight again in the boo$ of Develation &ch.(:* and ch.((:(+, while in between the shadowof death broods over the whole history of man.

2ut there was another tree in the garden, !the tree of the $nowledge of good and evil.!#his was a fruit tree also, its fruit good, its appearance pleasant &ch.-:*+. #his tree and the

tree of life stand in direct contrast to one another. 2oth were put there as a test for man.hich would he choose? #he tree of life spea$s of Christ. 2ut man naturally will ignore

the blessed Christ of God and choose that which has been forbidden by God.

river is also mentioned, flowing out of the garden, evidently having its source by aspring from the earth, but watering the garden as it flowed. #his spea$s of the blessing of

God by His word and


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since believers have $nown the living reality of the grace of God revealed in the person

and wor$ of their 'ord and


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to ma$e one wise: it appealed to her pride &


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decided enmity between


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#herefore the 'ord God sent them out of the garden of 5den, banished from the abundant

provision they had en1oyed, to till the ground that was not so bountiful, having to contend

with weeds, thorns and thistles in order to survive &v.(-+. Having driven them out, God placed in the east of the garden Cherubim with a flaming sword, which spea$s of the

severe holiness of God, !to $eep the way of the tree of life.!


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However, Cain did not even answer the 'ord, but did tal$ with bel, no doubt in an

arrogant, self4righteous way, for he was not only angry at God, but so 1ealous of his

brother that he $illed him. How sad a picture of the multitude of unbelievers since thattime, who have resented God9s authority and His grace &as though they were not in need

of it+ and have persecuted those who have honestly confessed their faith in the


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receive the due reward of our deeds! 'u$e (-:). How much better it is to submit to

God9s penalty rather than to resent it, for submission leaves the way open for God to

show mercy. 2ut Cain says that God has driven him out from the face of the earth &notGod9s actual words+, and adds that he would be hid from the face. et it was Cain himself

who had chosen this: he had sought to hide his evil wor$s from the 'ord. How can one

deliberately lie to the 'ord and expect the light of God9s face in his life? God practicallyconfirmed Cain9s choice by His word, and Cain is unhappy. "n fact, he goes farther and

says that whoever finds him would $ill him. 2ut is it not only to be expected that a

murderer should live in fear of being $illed? hy did he not thin$ of this before he $illedbel?

However, the 'ord set a mar$ upon Cain, saying that vengeance would be ta$en

sevenfold on whoever would $ill Cain. God was dealing with him, and man must not

interfere. "n 6oah9s day, later on, God gave authority to governmental powers to executea murderer &Gen. 8:4+, but in Cain9s time human government had not been introduced.

God was dealing with Cain directly. #his is also a stri$ing picture of God9s dealing with

the nation "srael after they had suffered as a fugitive, fleeing from the God of theirfathers, and as a wanderer, finding no resting place for the sole of their foot.


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commerce, the arts and the sciences. Bf course the unbeliever concentrates on these

things rather than on the $nowledge of God, and often the ungodly prosper in the world.

However, lin$ed from the very first with this prosperity are two principles of evil thatcannot but undermine the whole society. #hese are seen in verse (-, corruption and

violence. 'amech corrupted God9s institution of marriage by having two wives. 2ut healso confesses to his wives that he had been guilty of murder. #hese two degrading evils

have spread throughout all the world, and today are continually advertised in the media,while government unsuccessfully tries to control the wild beastly character of men.

However, he claims that he $illed the young man because he had been hurt by him, and

under these extenuating circumstances he thought he would be more protected fromretribution than was Cain. "f seven fold 1udgment fell on one who $illed Cain, then the

1udgment against 'amech9s $iller would be seventy4sevenfold. Cain is a picture of "srael

having $illed the 'ord 7esus and not confessing their crime. 'amech seems to be a typeof "srael too, in a coming day confessing their guilt in having $illed the %essiah. #hen

those nations that are determined to exterminate "srael will be punished with an

overwhelming vengeance &Jech.(:84)+.

% 4 #HDBFGH


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God9s decision, in having the wife accept her husband9s name. some have resented this,

but the only reason is pride and self4will, as though the creature is wiser than his Creator.

"t may seem strange that


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among the ungodly and being separate, believers ta$e a place where God says of them,

!ye shall be my sons and daughters! &( Cor.:*4@+.


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Cain. "6 B65 %6

Bne man alone found favor in the eyes of the 'ord &v.@+. 6oah was righteous as regards

his human relationships and blameless in his personal character, because !he wal$ed with

God.! hen the population of the earth had increased so tremendously, it is tragically sadto consider that only one man wal$ed with God. "n this he is typical of the 'ord 7esus.

et he does illustrate the fact that it is possible for a believer to wal$ in true, godly

separation from an evil world, even when he has no fellowship of others in so doing.


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closed. Bf course there may have been other ventilation also, for we are not told the full

details of the construction of this great vessel.

God gave warning of the flood well in advance, and there was no doubt of its coming. llanimate life on earth would be destroyed &v.*+.

Certainly so tremendous a pro1ect as the preparing of the ar$ would attract great attention

by all the people, for in spite of 6oah9s preaching of righteousness &( eter (:+, nonewere persuaded that God would 1udge the world by a flood. #hey li$ely considered him

mentally affected and became !scoffers wal$ing after their own lusts! &( eter -:-4*+.

hen the time came, God instructed 6oah to enter the ar$ with all his household, not

because his household is said to be righteous, but because God had seen 6oah to berighteous, the only one in his generation. t least he had enough influence in his own

family that they would willingly enter the ar$ also. et they were included on the basis of

his faith, a principle of real importance in God9s dealings. He is concerned not only as toindividuals, but as to households.

God9s instructions as to animals and birds are repeated in verses ( and -. #hen a respite of

seven days is given before the flood would come. #his shows again the long suffering of

God. hen men saw the large number of animals coming to the ar$ and then the familyof 6oah all entering this completed gigantic vessel, at least then they ought to have

reali3ed that this pro1ect was not merely conceived by 6oah9s imagination, in spite of the

fact that rain had evidently never before fallen &ch.(:4+. but God gave men anotherwee$ to change their minds. erhaps as those few days passed, people were becoming


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more confident each day that nothing was going to happen, rather than being sensibly

concerned.

"n verse God gives the date of the beginning of the flood in relation to the age of 6oah, not only the general time, but the exact day, the *th day of the second month, in

6oah9s AAth year. #he many dates, names and places recorded in scripture are aninvitation to anyone to chec$ as he pleases as to the accuracy of the word of God. "n this

verse we are told however that, not only were the windows of heaven opened, but firstthat the fountains of the great deep were bro$en up. #his must have involved a

tremendous tidal way, the seas throwing up such waters as to cover the whole habitable

earth. Eor it is claimed that the s$ies above us would be absolutely full to saturation pointif they contained enough water to cover the earth to a depth of only thirty feet. Bne

scientist has written that if a planet, 44


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still no land visible &v.)+. Eour and one half months later the tops of the mountains were

seen &v.+.

llowing forty days more, 6oah opened the window of the ar$ and sent out a raven, andthe raven did not return &v.*+. He also sent out a dove as a test, but the dove did not find

any favorable circumstances and returned to the ar$ &v.8+. #he unclean raven would nodoubt find carrion to feed upon, which would be offensive to the clean dove. #he raven is

typical of the unclean, while the dove pictures the pure, renewed nature of the believerthat can find pleasure only in what is pure and holy.

6ow ten and a half months had passed since 6oah9s entering the ar$. He removed the

covering of the ar$ and found the face of the ground dry &v.-+. et of course it would bedry on the higher elevations where the ar$ was, while re0uiring more time in lower areas

to have the waters recede.


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summer and winter, and day and night.! 6o one but the Creator Himself would even

venture to suggest this. "n the 6ew #estament, however &( eter -:A+, God has as

definitely foretold that the earth is not going to remain as it is: !#he heavens shall passaway with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and

the wor$s that are therein shall be burned up.! God foretold the flood (A years in

advance: the flood came. He has foretold the constant cycle of seasons so long as theearth remains: this has been thoroughly accurate for thousands of years and will remain

so until, as He has also foretold, the earth and its wor$s shall be burned up. How vitally

important it is that we believe the revelation of God

65 25G"66"6G EBD %6

#he earth itself having been purged by water, furnishing a totally new condition of

circumstances for man$ind and animals, now God establishes man in a new dispensation

of things, blessing 6oah and his sons with the promise of fruitfulness and of their

multiplying to fill the earth that had been so reduced in the number of its inhabitants. God

had told dam and his wife to !have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowlof the air, and over the cattle, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth!

&Gen.:(@+. #he same cannot be said to 6oah because the entrance of sin spoiled thisdominion.

Dather, 6oah is told &v.(+ that the fear and dread of man would be on beasts, birds and

fish. "t is a great mercy that this is so, for if the beasts, with their superior physical

strength, had no fear of man, they could practically destroy all human population. 2utGod has implanted that fear within them, though they no longer have the nature of

spontaneous sub1ection to man as was true in the garden of 5den.

2esides this, man$ind was no longer limited to a vegetarian diet &v.(+. nimals, birds andfish were allowed him as food, 1ust as fully as herbs and fruits. #here were no restrictionssuch as were later introduced for "srael under law &'ev.+, and again abrogated after the

death of the 'ord 7esus &cts A:4; #im.):)4+. Bf course it is evident that if one

finds any food causing him physical difficulty, it is only wise to avoid that food, but Goddoes not forbid the use of any.

However, when the meat of animals was eaten, God firmly prohibited the blood being

eaten with it &v.)+. Erom this time, the time that the eating of meat was first allowed,

blood has been always forbidden. "n every dispensation this has been true. #he reason isthat the blood is said to be !the life! of the creature, and life belongs exclusively to God.

"n refraining from eating blood then, we recogni3e the rights of the Creator. Bn the other

hand, the rights of human beings were to be recogni3ed. "f a man or a beast shed human blood, then proper government demanded the death of that man or beast &v.+. #his also

remains true throughout history.

#he 'ord9s instructions to 6oah in verses -4 indicate that this is the beginning of human

government being established on earth. %an being left to his conscience after dam hadsinned, totally bro$e down and the flood came. #herefore, something more than


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conscience must be necessary to meet man9s need, so that at this point the dispensation of

human government was introduced. #his was necessary in order to restrain evil and to

maintain order. God, however, leaves man with a minimum of legislation for government,only the two laws, involving the rights of God and the rights of man$ind. #oday

governments have become extremely top4heavy with legislation. 6o individual can

possibly $now all the laws that are on the boo$s in his own state or city. Government hascertainly not proven to be the answer to the need of man occasioned by his own sin.

#he encouragement of verse to multiply on the earth is repeated in verse * with even

more emphasis. #hough multiplying would bring more sinners into the world, yet God

would not be defeated by this: by His own pure grace He is able to save sinners. eopletoday try every method of $eeping the population of the world down, but God has not

told them to do this. He $nows how to ta$e care of this problem and will do so in His

own way. #he world worries over a !population explosion,! but God will relieve this verysoon when the 'ord 7esus comes to rapture Home to heaven all who have received Him

as


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#he names of 6oah9s sons are given us in verse @, 44


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descendants of Canaan under servitude to them. 2ut since Ham was not properly sub1ect

to government, then his descendants would learn by experience what obedience to

authority means. "n fact, we may all ta$e a lesson from this, that we should willingly bowto authority that God has allowed to be over us. 6ot only Canaan9s seed, but all man$ind

has been put under a curse, that of not continuing in obedience to all that the law

commands &Gal.-:A+. #herefore, let us not thin$ we are better than Ham.

6oah continued to live -AA years after the flood, attaining an age of 8A years, only 8short of %ethuselah. He lived long enough to see a large population of his own

descendants.

>56#< BE 6BH

"n this chapter the genealogy of 7apheth is given first &vs.4+. #heir history is not pursued in the boo$ of Genesis: their character was that of the energy of independence,

and though at first it seems they were involved in the building of the tower of 2abel &for

all 6oah9s family evidently remained at that time close to that area+, yet they soon spreadnorthward and had no significant connection with braham and his descendants.

#here is more said about the family of Ham &vs.4(A+. 6imrod was his grandson, and he

became a mighty hunter in the earth &vs.@48+. #here is more implied in this than merely

his being a literal hunter of animals. His name means !we will rebel! not only !willrebel.! He was a leader in hunting the souls of man, to ma$e them rebels. #he beginning

of his $ingdom was 2abel, where man was exalted in defiance of God. Bther places are

also mentioned in the land of


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Fp to this time there was only one language. "n the world today men wish they could

have this advantage, but God is wiser than men. %en desire this for the very same reason

that Caused God to impose various languages upon them. #hey are infected by pride thatwants to unite independently of God, so as to have a great civili3ation.

#hey 1ourneyed !from the east,! literally !from the sun rising.! #his is stri$ingly typicalof man9s turning his bac$ upon the promise of the coming of Christ &!the


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into his own incapable hands. 2ut the 'ord 7esus is exalted !far above all principality and

power and might and dominion, and every name that is named! &5ph.:(A4(+.

#he real ob1ect of these ambitious builders is expressed plainly in their words, !let usma$e a name for ourselves.! they want a great name for themselves. 2ut the only Bne

whom God gives a great name is the 'ord 7esus Christ. !God also has highly exalted Himand given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of 7esus every $nee

should bow! &hil.(:84A+. How wonderful therefore is the privilege of the assembly ofthe living God to be gathered together unto His name &%t.@:(A+.

#hey considered their building to be the means of $eeping them from being scattered

over the earth, but they defeated their own ends, for because of this God scattered them.He !came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built! &v.+. Bf

course He could see this without coming down, but His coming down shows the reality of

the interest He ta$es in men9s affairs, intimating that He comes close enough to $now all

that is involved in what they do. He sees that they are ta$ing advantage of their being

united in order to execute their ambitious schemes, in independence of Him Having begun to accomplish such things, nothing would restrain them from whatever imaginative

pro1ects came into their minds.

7ust as nothing would restrain the builders of the tower of 2abel, so today ambitiousleaders in the world will be restrained by no barriers. #he nations want to share their

technology so that they may out do every past generation in their advances in science and

every other element of men9s culture. #hey wor$ hard to overcome all the difficulties oflanguage barriers and of national pre1udice, but God continues to wor$ by these things in

order to frustrate them. #here is constant tal$ of a one world government, but the great

tribulation will prove this to be mere folly. 6ations will not co4operate with one another

to ma$e this possible. Bnly when the 'ord 7esus ta$es His throne will this ta$e place,when all shall submit to Him.

#he means by which God halted this great underta$ing was simple for Him. 2ut it would

be a great shoc$ to them to find their languages confused &v.*+, some being suddenlyunable to understand others, and probably thin$ing that others had suddenly lost their

reason. #he world speculates and argues about the origin of languages, but God has

settled the matter very simply. ll are the result of His great wisdom. #hose of the samelanguage would of course be drawn together, and separated from those who spo$e

different languages. #heir city was left unfinished and all were scattered in every

direction &v.@+.

#he name 2abel was given to the city afterward, its name meaning !confusion! becauseof the confusing of languages. #he 2abylonian empire rose later than this, and many

nations &including 7udah+ had to bow to its authority 44 typically bowing to the shame of

their own confusion because of disobedience to God #he 6ew #estament


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2abylon &with head0uarters at Dome+ has caused confusion in the ran$s of Christendom,

and will be brought down in 1udgment at the time of the great tribulation, as shown in

Develation * and @.

#H5 >56#< BE


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which was not faith on bram9s part. How easily we too may be led by nature to go only

halfway in the path of obedience to God

bram remembered that God had spo$en to him before he came to Haran, and there wasno need of God9s spea$ing to him again until he had obeyed his first instructions. et only

when God had removed his father by death was bram prepared to go further than Haran,cross the 5uphrates Diver and 1ourney to Canaan. He departed !as the 'ord had spo$en to

him.! 'ot !went with him,! evidently moved by some attachment to his uncle, not by personal energy of faith. bram9s age at this time was * years. ith his wife


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positive fact of his relationship to God in the altar. #his first altar is the altar of

submission and learning, a most important beginning of a path with God.

bram moves on, going westward, and pitches his tent with 2ethel to the west of him andi to the east. i means !ruins.! #he man of faith reali3es that what he has left behind is

of no real value, 1ust as aul writes in hilippians -:*4@: !2ut what things were gain tome, these " have counted loss for Christ. et indeed " count all things loss for the

excellency of the $nowledge of Christ 7esus my 'ord, for whom " have suffered the lossof all things, and count them as rubbish, that " may gain Christ.! aul had before greatly

prided himself on his outstanding advantages and accomplishments, but when the glory

of the 'ord 7esus burst on his vision, those things became totally worthless to him.

H"< '#D

#herefore, bram had his bac$ toward i and his face toward 2ethel, which means !the

house of God.! He had left his father9s house, to find infinitely greater value in God9s

house. #he most important feature of the house of God is that God dwells there, yet God9shouse involves all of God9s interests. #oday the typical meaning of this for us is most

significant, as is expressed in #imothy -:, !the house of God, which is the church of

the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.! God9s interests in the present

dispensation of grace are centered in the church of God, which includes every redeemedchild of God worldwide #his therefore pictures the leaving behind of selfish aspirations

and advantages, to find true 1oy and blessing in the things of God, and in unselfish love

and consideration toward every member of the body of Christ, the church. Here bram builds his second altar, which we may well designate as the altar of decision. ll true

decision for God is based upon the value of the person of Christ &the altar itself+ and His

great wor$ of atonement, His sacrifice.

>5C'"65 6> E'#5D"6G E"#H

bram continues 1ourney southward. #he south spea$s of favorable, pleasant

circumstances &cf.cts (*:-+. #hough we may have made a firm decision to leave our

former life behind and choose God9s interests, yet there are still dangers to which we may

be exposed. leasant, easy circumstances change, and we should reali3e that it is Godwho changes them, and therefore should see$ the face of God as to every move we ma$e.

"f we have been loo$ing too much at circumstances, then when they change for the

worse, as in bram9s case of a famine in the land &v.A+, we are in danger of see$ingmeans of ad1usting ourselves according to circumstances instead of more earnestly

see$ing the guidance of God.

Could God have sustained bram in the land in spite of the famine? Certainly He could

2ut bram forgot to consider this: he went down into 5gypt, which was outside the landof promise. "t is a type of the world in a little different form than %esopotamia, where he

had come from. 5gypt9s idolatry may not have been so blatant as that of Fr of the

Chaldees, but 5gypt symboli3es the world in its independence of God. "ts name means!double straits! because of its dependence on the river 6ile to water the land on both


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sides. "ts character is portrayed in 53e$iel (8:-, where she is 0uoted as saying !%y river

is my own; " have made it for myself.!. 5C5#"B6

s they are about to enter 5gypt, bram, because of


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Bn the other hand, while haraoh gives 'B#

6ow the wealth of both bram and 'ot raises a serious problem. #heir possessions weretoo great to allow them to subsist comfortably together. Luarreling began between their

herdsmen &v.*+. t the same time it is noted that !the Canaanites and the eri33ites thendwelt in the land.! "s this not told us because they would be observers, and li$ely to moc$

at the friction between brethren, specially those who were believers in the living God? "f

believers today have 0uarrels, the world is 0uic$ to ridicule the testimony of the 'ord

rather than to be impressed by it.

bram did not want to continue any such friction: he would not ma$e this an issue with

his nephew, but instead as$ed him that there should be no conflict between them or

between their herdsmen, for they were brethren &v.@+. He saw only one solution to the

problem, that they should separate from one another &v.8+. 'ot had been in a goodmeasure dependent on bram9s leading, and should have by this time learned to have

such wisdom as to depend on the 'ord for himself. 2ut though he had not really learned

this, it was time that he must be on his own.

His lac$ of faith is seen immediately when bram offers him the opportunity to ta$e the

first choice as to where he wanted to dwell. "nstead of his depending on the 'ord, and

therefore rightly giving the first choice to his uncle, !he lifted up his eyes! &v.A+, but not


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high enough He had no idea of as$ing the 'ord9s guidance. hat tragic mista$es we can

ma$e by following such and example He is guided only by what his eyes saw. #he plain

of 7ordan was well watered everywhere 44 though it is added !before the 'ord destroyed


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because of the long delay, as it did to bram, but God9s promise was absolute: it could

not possibly fail. t this time God only spea$s of !the dust of the earth,! for He infers

only an earthly people, primarily "srael, though later &Gen.:+. He tells bram his seedwould be as the stars of heaven, involving the great number called !sons of braham,!

whose inheritance is in heaven, as Galations -:* tells us, !#herefore $now that only those

who are of faith are sons of braham.!

Bn that occasion &Gen.:+ bram was told that he would not personally have part inan earthly inheritance, but would go to his fathers and !be buried in a good old age!. lso

Hebrews :A tells us, !he was loo$ing for the city which has foundations, whose

architect and builder is God.! =erse further describes the city as !a heavenly one.!

#herefore the 'ord tells bram, !rise, wal$ through the land in the length of it and he

breadth of it; for " will give it unto thee! &v.*+. He was not to settle down and ta$e

possession of any part of the land, but pass through all of it, as '#D

bram moves on then to dwell !by the terebinth &or oa$+ trees of %amre, which are inHebron,! and there built his third altar to the 'ord. %amre means !fatness! and Hebron

!communion.! #his appropriately follows the second altar, which was that of decision

&between 2ethel and i ch.(:@+. #rue decision to put God9s interests first will lead tofatness, that is, spiritual prosperity, which is found in communion with the 'ord. #his is

therefore the altar of communion, for communion with God is based upon the truth of the

person of the 'ord 7esus &the altar+, and involving also His sacrifice, for this was the purpose of the altar. #here is no approaching God without this.

#H5 BD'>9< CB6E'"C#

e read now for the first time in scripture of war among nations of the ungodly world.

bram has no part in this. "t is recorded mainly because of 'ot. Eour $ings war against

five. #he names of the four $ings have meanings that imply a religious significance, thefirst one, mraphel meaning !sayer of dar$ness,! and


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human religion fights hard to bring the world into bondage to its rules and dogmas.

ctually this only glosses over the world9s corruption with a thin layer of religion,

ma$ing it seem outwardly less corrupt while it remains inwardly the same, but it hasadded religious deception to its moral corruption.

#he five $ings became sub1ect to Chedorlaomer for twelve years, typically the worldunder sub1ection to false religion, but finally rebelled against this bondage &v.)+.

However, 1ust as the history of the professing church through the middle ages teaches us,false religion can be determined and strong. Chedorlaomer and his allies began with

defeating six nations &vs.4*+ before approaching


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arfare was not the ob1ect of bram9s life: his ob1ect was the $nowledge of God. amascus.

#hen bram returned with all the goods that had been ta$en, as well as with 'ot and thewomen and other people who had been captured &v.+. 6othing is said of any slaughter

ta$ing place, but bram gained his ob1ect of liberating 'ord, while also liberating others

and retrieving property that had been ta$en. >o we have such energy of faith to see$ to

recover saints of God who have been ensnared by falsehood? "t was not anger against the

enemy that moved bram, but love for his brother.

2'5


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#his was a spontaneous, voluntary response to the grace of God, 1ust as every believer

today ought to respond to the remembrance of the sacrifice of the 'ord 7esus and His

blessing poured upon us.

#his unusual experience of bram with %elchisedec prepares him fully to refuse the

offer of the $ing of o

not be afraid, bram, " am your shield, your exceedingly great reward! &v.+. "t is not

simply that God would protect him and reward him, but rather that the 'ord Himself washis protection and the 'ord Himself his reward. bram therefore was not merely to have

confidence in what God would do for him, but to have confidence in God Himself. #he

'ord may allow circumstances to test us severely as to such things, but however adversethe circumstances, God9s faithfulness and grace remain. #herefore, 1ust as bram had no

reason for fear, so this is true for every believer: he may confide at all times in the 'ord,

and find the 'ord Himself a wonderful reward as well as protection.

However, bram9s circumstances pressed deeply on his soul at this time, so that inresponding to the 'ord, he did not rise to the level to which God sought to lift him. He

answers, !'ord God, what will ou give me, seeing " go childless, and the heir of my

house is 5lie3er of >amascus?! #hough God had promised him many descendants inChapter -:, yet, as he says, God had not given him any offspring &v.-+. He was no

longer a young man and did not see any prospect of having a son.


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2ut rather than reproving his lac$ of faith, God encourages his faith by telling him that

5lie3er would not be his heir, !but one who will come forth from your own body shall be

your heir! &v.)+. God9s promise was absolute, though it too$ longer to fulfil than bramexpected. #hen God brought bram outside and directed his eyes toward heaven. Could

he count the stars? He did not tell bram at the time that he could only see a very small

percentage of the number of stars actually in the heavens, but tells him that hisdescendants would be as the stars &v.+.

reviously God had told him that He would ma$e his descendants !as the dust of the

earth! &ch.-:+. #hus there was to be both an earthly !seed of bram! and a heavenly

seed. God had wonderful purposes in view, higher than bram would naturallyunderstand. et we are told here &v.+ that !he believed in the 'ord, and He rec$oned it to

him as righteousness! &6


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#he heifer spea$s of the faithful service of the sacrifice of Christ; the female goat spea$s

of its substitutionary value; and the ram of the devotion or submission of that wonderful

offering. ll of these are good to meditate upon, for they are all of vital value in regard toour being given absolute assurance of being accepted by God and having certainty of the

future. #he turtledove and the young pigeon indicate the heavenly character of the 'ord

7esus, Bne who is not of this world, but the only Bne who could possibly be a sacrificesatisfactory to God.

"n presenting these bram divided the animals, but not the birds. #his is because the

animals spea$ of the 'ord 7esus in His earthly wal$ and character of service and devotion

to God. e may divide this for our own spiritual profit. Eor instance, in His service wesee both unswerving faithfulness and truth on the one hand, and on the other hand

gentleness and love. "n His being our


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"n the four hundred years of affliction for bram9s descendants in a strange land, we can

see also a secondary application of the picture of the deep sleep and horror of great

dar$ness that fell upon bram. "srael was virtually a dormant nation when in 5gyptian bondage, as in the misery of !a horror of great dar$ness! in some measure, though

nothing li$e the 'ord 7esus bore at Calvary. #his was to be true for "srael for four

hundred years, but again it has been true since "srael re1ected their true %essiah nearlytwo thousand years ago and has suffered many horrors while in a deep sleep of ignorance

concerning the fact that all their blessing actually center in the 'ord 7esus Christ. #heir

eventual awa$ening will be li$e a resurrection from the dead &Dom.:+.

God9s promise included His 1udging the nation that oppressed "srael, and not onlyliberating "srael, but blessing them with great substance. #his was true at the time of the

exodus &5x.(:-4-+, and it is typical also of the great blessing "srael will receive when

at last the nation receives their %essiah who will liberate them from their bondage to sinwhich has enslaved them for centuries.

#he promise as to braham9s descendants then involved long years, but with absolutecertainty of fulfilment. 6ow in verse the 'ord tells bram himself that he would not

remain on earth, but would go the way his fathers had &that is, through death+, and be buried in a good old age. "ndeed he would have a far better inheritance than his children,

"srael. Eor Hebrews :A tells us that braham !waited for the city which has

foundations, whose builder and ma$er is God,! and verse of the same chapter furtherassures us, !now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.!


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nations. when "srael returned from 5gypt they did not possess anything li$e that whole

territory, and never have. 2ut the promise of God stands, and the fulfillment of this awaits

the millennium.

HF%6 5EEBD# #B CCB%'"9< DB%"


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#hen Hagar, though a bondmaid, is given the promise that the 'ord would multiply her

descendants so greatly that they would be more than could be counted. #his is true: all of

"shmael9s family &of rabic descent+ who have ever lived and are living today cannot possibly be numbered.

"n these verses where the angel of the 'ord is mentioned &vs.*,8,A+ the angel is clearlythe 'ord Himself, for it is He who multiplies bram9s posterity. #he term !angel! is used

to signify a messenger, and %alachi -: spea$s of !the 'ord whom you see$! as !themessenger of the covenant.!

#hough Hagar was not to be the mother of God9s promised child to bram, yet the 'ord

is interested in her and concerned about her and her expected child. He tells her that sheis to name the child !"shmael,! meaning !God will hear! &v.+. However, the character of

the boy would be consistent with the fact of his being born from a union of contrary

parents, the father a free man but the mother a slave. "shmael would be figuratively !a

wild don$ey of a man,! self4willed and rebellious &v.(+. He would be contentious, his

hand against all other men, and of course they would therefore be against him. #his had been one of the characteristics of the rabs from that time, and their animosity will

culminate in the violent attac$ of the $ing of the north against "srael in the tribulation period &>an.:)A+. 2ut it will be God9s sovereign way of teaching "srael a lesson they

sorely need &"sa.A:4+. Consider also verse ( of the same chapter. bram learned by

experience, and all this history teaches us that a wrong union leads to trouble and sorrow.

dded to this is the interesting statement, !he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.! #his is an intended contrast to his father bram who made a practice of

dwelling in the presence of God. Chapter (:@ also tells us that "shmael !died in the

presence of all his brethren.! 'egality always places more importance upon the people

and the opinions of the people than it does upon God and His word. 5ven in death a legalminded man does not abandon his desire for men9s approval in order to ma$e God the

supreme ob1ect of his heart.

Hagar was so impressed by this intervention of God that she called Him !the God whosees.! !Eor,! she adds, !Have " also here seen Him who sees me?! 6ot that she had seen

God personally, but recogni3ed Him in the words He had spo$en to her, and was

evidently subdued. erhaps we cannot be fully sure if she was born again, but no4one canever be the same again after having an interview with the 'ord of glory. Fsually such an

experience either draws one nearer to Him or, if resisted, tends to harden the heart toward

Him. #he latter case does not seem to be true of Hagar.

#he well seems to infer that she was in a good place, for typically it spea$s of therefreshment of the living word of God, and this one is 2eer4'ahai Doi, which means !the

well of Him who sees me.! #hus, though Hagar is typical of the legal covenant, it is not

necessary to suppose that she was therefore personally without God. 6o doubt there weremany in Bld #estament times of whom we can not spea$ definitely as to their being born

again, but we $now that this is true even now, when there is fullest reason for a clear,

positive $nowledge of salvation, since Christ has come and brought eternal redemption


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through the great sacrifice of Himself #he birth of "shmael is recorded in verse He is

called bram9s son, not "#<


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clear to all the world that "srael is to possess all the land from the 5uphrates Diver to the

6ile Diver. 6ations continue to bitterly oppose this now, but they will fail. %eanwhile,

because "srael9s ways do not please the 'ord, they must suffer the strong opposition ofthese nations until such time as they receive their true %essiah, the 'ord 7esus.

God9s side of the covenant cannot be bro$en. 2ut braham is told that he and hisdescendants are to $eep His covenant &v.8+. #his covenant is totally different than that of

law, which re0uired obedience to all the commandments. Eor this covenant to braham,long before law was given, clearly assumes that man is totally incapable of $eeping the

laws of %oses. hy so? 2ecause it re0uired that every male of braham9s seed must be

circumcised. #he significance of this is seen in hilippians -:-, !Eor we are thecircumcision, who worship God in the


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means !the princess,! giving her the wider honor of being !a mother of nations.!


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fulfilled only when the strength of the flesh is seen to be cut off, for the wor$s of the flesh

are totally refused: the promise can be reali3ed only by faith in the living God.

>"="65 ="


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her silent words are forever recorded in the word of God &"n fact, to her credit, eter -:

spea$s of this very occasion when she called braham !lord,! indicating her sub1ection to

him even in her private thoughts+.

#he 'ord therefore as$ed braham why


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#his is 1ust what God Himself does, in contrast to great numbers who show

irresponsibility in regard to so serious a matter. "t is not merely that braham would give

orders to his children, but that his character and conduct were such as to command theirrespect. Compare Genesis ((:*48.

2ut not only does God have thoughts of future blessing for those who trust Him. He willreveal to them also another side of the truth, most solemn and terrible. He must punish

the rebellion of evil doers. #his is 1ust as faithfully recorded in the word of God as is the blessing of the godly. He spea$s to braham therefore of the sin of


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underestimate the fulness and perfection of the grace of God. Bur prayers might have

much more confidence in them than we usually show. hether braham thought there

must be at least ten righteous in


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his virgin daughters to men of such vile character? "ndeed, he had no right to offer them

to anybody, for children are not actually the property of their parents, and besides, they

were already engaged to be married &v.)+. s to the two men, he says the reason theyhad come to 'ot9s home was for protection. How different were braham9s words in

ch.@:, who reali3ed that his visitors had come to have their hearts comforted by

braham9s fellowship. e may be sure that the two angels would not have allowed 'ot togive his daughters to the men of the city.

However, the men would not even accept 'ot9s daughters, but spo$e defiantly, telling him

that he had come as an alien to their city, and now was acting as a 1udge. Bf course there

was some truth in this, as 'ot would have to recogni3e.


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5ven 'ot himself was insensitive to the imminent danger he was in. hen morning came

the angels had to urge him to leave the city. et, still he lingered. >id he want to at least

ta$e some of his possessions with him? #hen the angels literally too$ him, his wife andhis two daughters by the hand and virtually dragged them out of the house. #hey had two

hands each, so that was all they could ta$e &v.+.

2ringing them outside of


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of her soul. !Demember 'ot9s wife! &'u$e *:-(+. D5DB=5>

6ow we return to braham9s history. He 1ourneyed toward the south, which is typical of

pleasant circumstances, but nearly always having danger in it. He dwelt between Iadeshand


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"s it surprising that following this he so1ourned in Gerar? Gerar, a hilistine city, means

!dragging away.! "f we are led merely by our personal observation, it is always li$ely that

we shall be dragged away from the place of devoted separation to God. e can bethan$ful, however, that it was only a temporary visit in Gerar. 2ut it involved a

humiliating experience for braham. He fell into the same snare as when he went down

into 5gypt &ch.(:A4-+, saying that


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grace of God. 2ut then the 'ord tells him that if he would not restore


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and grace is abhorrent to God. !"f it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of wor$s,

otherwise grace is no longer grace! &Domans :+.

#H5 DB%" "


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Bn the other hand, God assured braham that He would ma$e a nation of "shmael

because he was braham9s seed. "n spite of the nomadic, wandering character of the

"shmaelites, God would preserve them as a nation, as He has for centuries. #hey are ofcourse not "sraelites, but they are typical of "srael after the flesh. e must not forget that

God9s dealings with nations as such are distinct from His dealings with individuals in the

nations. #hough "srael is His chosen nation, yet this does not limit Him in His wor$ing inthe hearts of people in any nation under heaven. 6or does "srael9s national status

guarantee the personal blessing of all who are born "sraelites. #he 6ew #estament ma$es

it clear that personal faith in the living God is an absolute re0uisite for the receiving ofthe grace of God in Christ 7esus. Consider Domans A:4-.

braham, believing God, did not delay. He rose early the next morning, no doubt

considering it well that Hagar would have an entire day in which to prepare for what to

expect by nightfall. He gave her food and a s$in of water. 2ut she had no direction as towhere to go. oes it not remind us that God, by His

grace, holds up every believer, 44 !for God is able to ma$e him stand! &Domans ):)+.

#his is true, no matter how distressing our circumstances my be. God opened Hagar9s

eyes to see a well of water that she had not observed before. How often it is the case that people are perishing for thirst spiritually because they are blinded by the legality of their

own thoughts, and do not discern that God9s source of true refreshment is actually near

them 44 !in your mouth and in your heart &that is, the word of faith which we preach+: thatif you confess with your mouth the 'ord 7esus and believe in your heart that God has

raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! &Domans A:@48+. 2ut people9s eyes are not

opened to this naturally: this wor$ must be done by God9s sovereign operation.

2y the water from the well "shmael was saved from an untimely death, and Hagar also. 6othing more is said about how they survived or where they went at the time, but it is

sufficient that God was with the boy. He grew, living in the wilderness, and became an

archer, earning his support evidently by selling the meat of the animals he $illed inhunting. #his was in contrast to "saac who owned floc$s and heard &Gen.(:)+. s a type


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of Christ, "saac had a shepherd character. "shmael9s archer character is more in $eeping

with his picturing the law with its arrows being continually fired to cause damage. Hagar,

an 5gyptian herself, chose a wife from the land of 5gypt for "shmael, for the law9s closestrelationship is with the world, symboli3ed by 5gypt.

H"'" "< "#H 2DH%

5vidently it is the same bimelech of Chapter (A who, with his chief captain, approaches

braham to tell him they had observed that God was with him in all that he did &v.((+.


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%oriah, and offer him there as a burn offering on one of the mountains of which " shall

tell you.! ho can measure what a shoc$ this would be to a father who greatly loves his

son?

et on braham9s part we read of no protest or no hesitation as to obeying the word of

God. He rose early in the morning, saddled his don$ey and split the wood for a burntoffering. #a$ing two of his servants with him as well as "saac, he began the long 1ourney

of three days. e can well imagine what thoughts would fill his heart. hy would Godso miraculously give him a son, only to as$ him to give him up again? hat was God9s

purpose in as$ing of such a sacrifice? 2ut he had learned through much experience that

God was to be fully trusted in everything, whether or not braham understood what Godwas doing. #his simplicity of faith is beautiful. Hebrews :*48 shows us that at this

time braham considered that if "saac died, God would raise him up again, because God

had promised that "saac would be a father.

However, God had reasons for this engrossing occasion far higher than braham could

possibly $now at the time, for it beautifully illustrates the wonder of the greatest sacrificethat could be possible, the sacrifice that God the Eather was made in giving His own


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the significance of. Bnly God would provide the lamb who could be as satisfactory

offering to ta$e away sins.

t God9s appointed place braham built an altar, arranged the wood on the altar, then bound "saac, laying him on the wood. e read of no resistance on "saac9s part, yet of

course terror must have gripped his heart, and we $now that braham9s heart must have been affected to its depths. 2ut "saac9s evident submission reminds us of the more

marvelous submission of the 'ord 7esus when He was hung on the cross of Calvary. !Hewas led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He

opened not His mouth! &"sa.-:*+.

#hen braham too$ the $nife, being prepared to fully carry out what God had told him, inactually $illing his beloved son &v.A+. t this crucial moment he was interrupted by the

urgent voice of the angel of God calling him by name. How great must have been his

relief, and that of "saac too, when he is told to do nothing to the lad. #hen it is made clear

to him that this was !only a test,! the trial of his faith, which is !much more precious than

of gold that perishes! & eter :*+. #he reality of braham9s faith had been proven, andthe trial must end before "saac is actually sacrificed. et this historical record is inscribed

in the word of God for eternity, not only as a commendation of genuine, un0uestioningfaith, but as a stri$ing picture of the Eather sacrificing His


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#hen braham, "saac and the young men returned to 2eersheba, where he was living.

#his is !the well of the oath,! therefore spea$ing of living in the calm confidence of the

faithfulness of God9s sworn promise.

6#"B6< 2'5oes this not suggest the thought of

resurrection, a doubling bac$ from the direction one had come?


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5phron personally expressed his willingness to give braham the place without charge

&vs.A4+, but braham in response insisted that he should pay the full value of the land

&v.-+. e may be sure that this is intended to be compared to %atthew -:)), where weare told of a man finding a treasure hid in a field, then going and selling all that he had in

order to buy the field. #he field is the world, and the 'ord 7esus has sacrificed everything

in order to buy it, 1ust for the sa$e of the treasure. #hough


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#he willingness of the woman to travel to "saac9s country was a vital matter. "f she were

not willing, then the servant was freed from his oath &v.@+. hat a lesson concerning the

Church of God #here is no demand of law to be placed upon her.


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7acob when 7acob desired 'aban9s daughter, but there is no suggestion of any such legal

agreement in the case of Debe$ah, but rather a true representation of the proper character

of marriage. Eor marriage is a relationship of grace. !He who finds a wife finds a goodthing, and obtains favor &grace+ from the 'ord! &rov.@:((+. #o pay for a wife therefore

is an insult to her and contrary to God9s word.

#he servant, in having the approval of 'aban and 2ethuel, again bowed himself in

worship to the 'ord &v.(+. #hen he brought forth 1ewels of silver and of gold, andclothing, giving them to Debe$ah, but giving gifts also to her mother and brother &v.(+.

this is nothing li$e payment: it is free hearted giving.

#hen they were able to en1oy sweet fellowship together as they ate their evening meal.Demaining only overnight, the servant, in the true character of a servant, was purposed to

return to his master.


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s "saac went out to a field to meditate in the evening, he was greeted by the sight of a

procession of camels returning &v.-+. "t may be that thoughts of his obtaining a wife

were the chief sub1ect of his meditation, but it is a faint picture of the fact that the 'ord7esus Himself will come to meet His bride, the church, as she nears the end of her

1ourney on earth. Bf course Debe$ah needed to be told who "saac was, then she covered

herself with veil &v.+.


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fter this "saac ta$es the place of braham as a vessel of God9s testimony, and is blessed

by God &v.+, living by 2eer 'ahai Doi, !the well of Him who sees me.! #here is true

spiritual refreshment &the well+ in the consciousness of living under the eye of God.

#H5 E%"'"5< BE "


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hen grown 5sau became a s$illful hunter, a man of the outdoors, while 7acob was of a

more reserved nature, conforming to the general trends of society, and dwelling in tents.

e are told here too that "saac loved 5sau because he en1oyed the taste of wild game,while Debe$ah loved 7acob, perhaps because the 'ord had told her that he would be

given preference over his brother. 2ut it is not good that parents should ever have a

preference for one of their children over another.

7acob9s character comes out stri$ingly in the incident of verses (84-). hen he has stewalready prepared and 5sau comes in faint from hunger, as$ing for some stew, 7acob,

instead of $indly giving him some, ta$es advantage of the occasion to bargain with his

brother. He would sell him the stew for his birthright. 5sau reasons that the birthrightwould be of no use to him if he died from hunger, and the compact is made by an oath

that 7acob re0uired from 5sau. 7acob9s character as a bargainer is established from the

beginning. He is a fitting father for the nation "srael, choosing the principle of law4$eeping as a rule of life. He had to learn by later experience that this principle failed him,

and that he must eventually depend only on the grace of God.

2ut another matter here is most important. 5sau despised his birthright &v.-)+, that which

God had given him: it became of no more value to him than a mouthful of stew Howmany are li$e him, who consider satisfying their present natural appetite as being more

important than God9s long range blessing Bn the other hand, though 7acob used wrong

methods of getting the birthright, yet the fact is clear that 7acob valued what God had togive.

"


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et also, as God had said to braham, so He assures "saac, !in your seed all the nations of

the earth shall be blessed! &v.)+. #he !seed! here is not their many descendants, for

Galatians -: insists, He does not say, !and to seeds!, as referring to many, but !and toyour seed!, that is, !Christ.! braham is typical of God the Eather, and in His


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hilistines picture the mere formalism of Christian religion, without its living power.

#hey do not appreciate the pure word of God, but contaminate it with material, earthly

doctrines. 5arthly pleasures and cares displace the word of God so far as they areconcerned. #his has happened over and over again in our present dispensation of grace.

5''< D5

However, the time comes when bimelech recogni3es that "saac9s prosperity is a threat to

the hilistines, and he as$s him to leave them, which "saac does, though he does not gofar distant, for he was still in the valley of Gerar. "n that area he dug a second time the

wells that braham had before dug, but which the hilistines had filled with earth.

Eormalistic religion may obscure to us some of the most precious truths of the word ofGod, as has ta$en place extensively in Christendom. #he energy of faith will labor to

restore these, however. "saac also called them by the same names that braham had given

them. hen we are privileged to recover any truth, let us not thin$ that we have done

something original. Dather, let us remember that the truth was in scripture before we

discovered it, so that we have nothing to boast of. 'et us give it the same name it hadlong ago.

>igging in the valley, "saac9s servants found a spring of living water, but the herdsmen of

Gerar contended for this, claiming that the water was theirs. "saac named the spring 5se$,meaning !contention,! but !the servant of the 'ord must not strive! &( #im.(:)+, and

instead of continuing the strife, "saac dug another well. However, this too became a

matter of contention &v.(+, to the point that "saac named it


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place "saac9s servants dug a well, spea$ing of the refreshment of the word of God

energi3ed by the


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"n spite of 5sau9s wrong marriages, and in spite of God9s word that "saac9s older son

would serve the younger &ch.(:(-+. "saac was ready to confer his chief blessing on 5sau.

e are told in verse that his eyes were dim, and no doubt his spiritual eyes were dimalso, evidently because he allowed his natural appetite to ta$e precedence over the

revealed will of God &ch.(:(@+.

2ut in order that he might bless 5sau, he wanted 5sau first to ta$e his bow and 0uiver of

arrows to hunt deer, and bring him coo$ed venison, !such as " love,! he adds &v.)+.

hen Debe$ah overheard these instructions, she recogni3ed a threatened emergency, but

instead of going in prayer to the 'ord, who had told her that 7acob would have the chief

place, she too$ the only way she saw to change things. "t is true that her plan wor$ed inthe way she wanted, and no doubt God was over this, but still we cannot defend her

cunning scheme to deceive her husband. God could have wor$ed the matter out in

another way without both Debe$ah and 7acob being involved in deception. "f they had

acted in faith and had depended on God, they may have seen a miraculous answer to the

problem, and in this way have reason for deepest than$sgiving, rather then being left withtroubled consciences.

Debe$ah had 7acob $ill two $ids of the goats, of which the meat would be young and

tender &v.8+, and she was able to prepare it in such a way that "saac did not even suspect itwas not venison.


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His blessing first voices the desire that God would give his son of the dew of heaven.

#his is typical of the living refreshment of the


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repentance. He ought to have repented for despising his birthright, but he found no place

to repent.

"saac could not bless 5sau now with the same blessing as 7acob, for he had made 5sauthe servant of 7acob, as he tells him that his brother had come deceitfully to ta$e away

5sau9s blessing &v -+. 5sau reminds his father that 7acob9s name means supplanter, andthat he has been true to his name in ta$ing away both 5sau9s birthright and his blessing.

>id 5sau forget that he had willingly sold his birthright to 7acob? #his being the case,7acob was entitled to the blessing too. 2ut 5sau wanted the blessing though he had

despised the birthright. He entreats his father if he had not at least reserved some blessing

for him &v.-+. #his is a common affliction among human beings. hile they have nointerest in that which God has to give in a spiritual way &for the birthright is significant of

this+, they are most importunate when it becomes a matter of their temporal prosperity

and blessing. "t is really a matter of their desiring all the blessings that God may givewhile ignoring the Giver Himself. #hus men may receive much blessing from God, yet at

the same calmly refuse to receive the 'ord 7esus, the


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evidently continued to be !a grief of mind! to her &ch.(:-+. How many Christian

mothers since then have had deep sorrow over their children being married to

unbelievers Debe$ah tells "saac therefore that her life would be miserable if 7acob wereto marry one of the daughters of Heth.

7CB2 64D%

#hough scripture tells us that "saac loved 5sau, he had not done as braham had in

ma$ing sure that "saac9s wife was of his own $indred. Debe$ah9s words to him nowevidently awa$en him out of such laxity, and he called 7acob and charged him that he

must not ta$e a wife of the Canaanites, but must rather go to adan4aram and ta$e a wife

from the $indred of his grandfather, in fact one of the daughters of 7acob9s uncle 'aban&v.(+. #oday a marriage of cousins is not wise because wea$nesses have multiplied

greatly since sin was introduced into the human family, and special wea$nesses attach to

each family. #hose wea$nesses would be doubled by the marriage of two who are closely

related, and the children therefore li$ely to be badly affected. "n early history this was not

a problem at all.

"saac again gives 7acob his blessing in verses - and ), desiring that God lmighty might

ma$e him fruitful and multiply his descendants, and that through him God9s promise to

braham should be fulfilled, both as to his descendants and as to the possession of theland of promise. "t seems clear in this passage that "saac9s thoughts had been corrected,

for he did not spea$ this way to 5sau. hen God had overruled him in having the

blessing given to 7acob, then at least "saac stayed by this action, and here confirms it inno uncertain terms.

"saac then sends 7acob away &v.+. ossibly this was some relief to 5sau, for he did not

have to $ill 7acob, yet would have him far removed from him. 2ut when 5sau $new that"saac had given 7acob his blessing and sent him away with a charge not to ta$e a wifefrom the Canaanites, and that 7acob had obediently accepted the charge of his parents

&vs.4*+, then 5sau was stirred up about the fact that his two wives had not pleased his

father &v.@+. et how sad was his effort to remedy the situation pparently he thought his parents would be more pleased by his adding another wife, 1ust so long as she had some

relationship to braham D5%

7acob goes out from 2eersheba &v.A+. #his is a stri$tng picture of the nation "srael, thesons of 7acob; for 2eersheba means !the well of the oath! and Haran means

!mountaineer.! "srael has practically left the ground of the unconditional promise of God

and has chosen rather the mountain of law4$eeping, as though this could ever bring the blessing of God 7ust as 7acob, all the time he was in Haran, retained a character of


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selfish bargaining, so "srael at present remains in a state of self4righteousness, professing

to believe and obey the law, but not submitting to the righteousness of God &Dom.A:-+.

e are told only of one of the nights 7acob spent on his way to Haran. He laid down tosleep with a stone for a pillow. 6o doubt he found the law of God rather a hard resting

place also, for it is as hard as the stones upon which it was written.

#hough 7acob was not wal$ing in communion with God, yet God was not stopped from

communicating with him. hen God sends a dream He has a captive audience &v.(+, andthis dream given to 7acob was of particular significance. He saw a ladder set up on the

earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending

on it.


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millennial glory, and in identification with "srael all the Gentile nations will be blessed.

#his is a firm, absolute declaration.

dded to this is the 'ord9s promise to 7acob personally, that he would be with him and$eep him everywhere he went, and would bring him bac$ to the land of promise &v.+.

He would not leave him till his promises were fulfilled completely. #his promise is totallyunconditional. #his is all the more stri$ing when we consider that 7acob was not en1oying

a good state of soul. 6othing therefore depended on 7acob9s faithfulness.

7acob was not really going with God at this time, but God was going in pure grace with

7acob. #his is typical also of God9s preserving hand being over the nation "srael even at a

time when they have failed miserably and are in a state of wandering and self see$ing.#hough for centuries they have been dispersed in this condition of self4will, God !has not

cast off His people whom He fore $new,! and He will yet restore them affliction not to

depend on themselves, but on their God who cannot fail.

7acob9s soul was stirred to its depths by the dream. "n wa$ing up he was alarmed by thefact that the 'ord was in that place and he had not reali3ed it &v.+. >id he thin$ it might

have been better to go on to another place? Could the 'ord not meet him wherever he

went? However, it is good that the fear of God was deeply impressed on him to such an

extent that he called the place !the house of God! and !the gate of heaven! &v.*+, andafter (A years absence he did not forget that place.

7CB29< E"D


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and therefore be concerned about en1oying the 'ord Himself. "f this had been his ob1ect,

how much trouble he would have been spared

He promises that, on condition the 'ord will fulfil all His promises, then when this isaccomplished the 'ord would be his God. ho would be his God in the meantime? lso

he promises that the stone he set would be God9s house. How many there are li$e 7acobwho thin$ that in the future they will be concerned about the truth of God9s house, but at

present thin$ their own house more important

He vows too that he would surely give to God one tenth of all that God gave to him >id

he seriously thin$ he was being very generous? God had said, !" will,! but 7acob said, !"

will surely.! Bf course God9s promise is perfectly fulfilled, but there is no record of7acob9s having ever carried out his promise to give God one tenth of all.

7CB2 %55#< DCH5' 6> '26

fter many days of travel 7acob came to the land of his relatives. He could not phone tofind his directions to their home, nor did he have any street and house number, but it did

not ta$e long for him to contact them. well was of course the most li$ely place to meet people. #hree floc$s of sheep were nearby, waiting to be watered, which they could not

until a huge stone was removed from the mouth of the well &v.(+. #he stone was evidently

necessary to prevent humans or animals from accidentally falling into the well. #heir practice was to wait until all the floc$s were gathered together, then the shepherds would

roll the stone away, the floc$s would be watered and the stone would be returned to its

place.

7acob finds through 0uestioning the shepherds that he has come to the right place, for

their home was at Haran. #hey $new 'aban also, and that he was well &vs.4+. %orethan this, at the very moment 'aban9s daughter Dachel was coming with her floc$ of

sheep to the well.

However, 7acob was pu33led that the shepherds were still waiting to water their floc$, butthey tell him that they were unable to do this until there were enough shepherds present to

roll the stone from the well9s mouth. hen all were gathered then they would do this and

water the sheep. #here is a picture in this of men waiting for the time of universal blessing, which will ta$e place in the millennial age.

#hen Dachel arrives with her father9s sheep &v.8+. hen 7acob saw Dachel, the daughter

of his mother9s brother, and the sheep of his mother9s brother, he was moved withama3ing strength, rolling the stone away by himself &v.A+. How stri$ing a lesson is thisthat the energy of faith and love is able to remove great obstacles and bring blessing

before the time of !the restitution of all things.! #his is what is seen in the present

!dispensation of the grace of God.! #he 'ord 7esus, in pure love and devotion to God, hasshown the strength of that love toward the church, His espoused bride, and toward the

sheep of God9s floc$ &another type of the church+ in the great sacrifice of Himself, in His

resurrection power, and in already having !raised us up together and made us sit together


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in heavenly places in Christ 7esus! &5ph.(:+. #hus the church has been marvelously

blessed before the time of the universal blessing in the world, and the living water of the

word of God has become most precious to her.

#he warmth of family affection then predominates the scene as 7acob $issed Dachel,

weeping for 1oy, telling her that he is the son of Debe$ah, her father9s sister. Bf coursethey had never met, but family ties can be remar$ably st

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