Don't Look Back--Talk to God

Well, today has been a typical Monday. I was going to take a break from Genesis tonight, but knowing that the next couple of chapters were on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, it just seemed to be “apropos” :]

(Genesis 18-19)

The Lord appeared to Abraham one day while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. Three visitors came (angels), and Abraham hurried to meet them and bowed before them, ready to assist them. He offered to bring water for them to wash their feet, and offered refreshment for them while they rested. When they were ready to leave, the Lord decided to let Abraham know about the grievous state of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Lord said,

The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know. (18:22)

Then Abraham stood before the Lord and pled for the salvation of these cities. This is the first record of a person praying for the sparing of another person in the Old Testament. Abraham asked,

Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are 50 righteous people in the city?...Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? (18: 23-33)

Abraham continued to be so bold as to beg for 45, 40, 30, 20, and finally 10 people. The Lord agreed, “For the sake of 10 [righteous people], I will not destroy it” (18:32).

When the two appointed angels arrived at the gateway of the city, Lot happened to be there. When he saw them, he offered for them to stay in his house, where they could clean up, eat, and rest from their journey. Lot feared for their safety and sought to protect them from the perverted men in the city square. Soon, men of all ages surrounded the house and called for Lot to bring the men outside. Lot went outside to make them go away. He remembered his two virgin daughters inside and offered them to the men. They refused and tried to break down the door. The men inside (the angels) reached out and pulled Lot back inside the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men outside with blindness so they couldn’t find the door.

The two angels instructed Lot to leave the city with any others who belonged to him, because they were sent by the Lord to destroy this wicked place. So Lot went to speak with his future sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. They thought he was joking, so they did not leave. At dawn, Lot hurriedly left with his wife and two daughters. The Lord was merciful to them.

One of the angels said to them,

Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away! (19:17)

Lot pled with them to let them go as far as Zoar, a smaller town nearby, instead of the mountains. Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah; but, before it was all over, Lot’s wife disobeyed and looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt (19:26).

God remembered Abraham’s appeal for the safety of the righteous. His pleading with the Lord is similar to a "prayer of faith", and that is why his nephew Lot was spared.

In the New Testament, James (a brother of Jesus) explained the importance of praying by faith. Such a prayer can make a sick person well, bring physical and emotional healing, and cover a multitude of sins:

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring them back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the way of error will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5: 13-20)

Circumcision of the Heart

When Abram was 99, the Lord appeared to confirm his earlier covenant with Abram. He desired for Abram (and mankind) to "walk before Him and be blameless" (Genesis 17:1).

God declared that Abram would no longer be called Abram, “exalted father”, but Abraham, “father of many”. God also told Abraham to no longer call his wife, Sarai, “my princess”, but Sarah, “a princess”. She would be the mother of nations, beginning with her firstborn son, Isaac.

Abraham fell face down and laughed, thinking to himself, “Will a son be born to a man 100 years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?” Having lived in Canaan for about 23 years, Abraham was still considered a foreigner, but God pledged to give this land to him and his descendants as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17: 7-8).

Then Abraham remembered his firstborn son Ishmael (from Hagar). He pled to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” God reassured Abraham that Ishmael would not be forsaken; he would be blessed and his descendants would increase in number. He would be the father of 12 rulers, and he would be made into a great nation. This covenant, however, would not be established through him; rather through Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac.

As an outward sign of the everlasting covenant made between Abraham and God, all the male members of Abraham’s household, including those to come in future generations, would be required to undergo circumcision. This act would be expected of every male at least 8 days old, including those bought with money from a foreigner. Any male, who would not circumcise the flesh, will have broken the covenant requirement and will be cut off from his people.

So on that very day, Abraham (age 99), Ishmael (age 13), and all other males in the household were circumcised. For Abraham to undergo this procedure (and require it of his entire household) signified his belief in the faithfulness and judgment of God.

It was not merely for physical reasons that circumcision was required. It was to show outwardly what had been pledged inwardly--a total submission and devotion to God. The cutting away and removal of flesh was symbolic of the cutting away and removal of fleshly desires (carnality) in the life of a person who is said to be godly, or righteous. This is symbolic of a "circumcision of the heart", by the Spirit of God.

This spiritual "circumcision of the heart" is available to all who walk in the footsteps of faith of Abraham (Romans 4:12, 20-25).

Not Quite Ready

In the years to follow, Abram and Sarai continue to wonder when they will have children. When Sarai is approximately 76 years old, she persuades Abram to sleep with her Egyptian maidservant saying, “Perhaps I can build a family through her”. Sarai believes the Lord has kept her from having children so she decides to find a solution. It was not uncommon at the time for a woman to do this and legally the child would belong to Abram and Sarai.

So Abram agrees to the plan and sleeps with Sarai’s maidservant. When Hagar discovers she is pregnant, she despises her mistress. Sarai complains to Abram that this turn of events is his fault and scolds, “May the Lord judge between you and me”. Abram reminds Sarai that Hagar is still her maidservant (not his wife), so he instructs her to do with Hagar whatever she thinks is best. Then Sarai mistreats her, and Hagar flees to the desert.

The angel of the Lord finds Hagar near a spring in the desert. He graciously addresses her by name and tells her to remember her position as a servant and to go back to Sarai and submit to her. The angel declares that she is with child and she will have a son. The Lord has heard her misery and the boy will be named “Ishmael” (God hears). The angel promises that her descendants will be too numerous to count.

Hagar is humbled at the encounter, and addresses the Lord, “You are the God who sees me…I have now seen the One who sees me.” Hagar obeys and returns to submit to Sarai. By doing so, Hagar is able to see fulfilled what the angel said would happen. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore him a son, and he named him Ishmael.

While reading this story, I couldn't help but notice some contradictions. Previously, Abram had believed what the Lord promised concerning his future, but now he is agreeing to a plan devised by his wife. Sarai believed the Lord kept her from having children; yet, she tries to have a child anyway (by Hagar). When the plan works and Hagar conceives, Sarai mistreats her. Hagar runs away, nearly forfeiting her place in Abram's household--this might have caused her to eventually lose her health, her baby, and possibly her life. Similar to a modern-day soap opera, nothing is working out as planned, and although Ishmael is eventually born, it is under less than ideal circumstances with a foreshadowing of pain and difficulty for Ishmael, his mother, and future generations. It would be 13 more years before the Lord appears again to confirm the previous covenant with Abram (and Sarai).

A Solemn Covenant (Genesis 15)

The Lord God Most High promised to Abram that he and his descendants would be blessed. In Genesis 15, Abram appeals to the Lord explaining that he remains childless and the only heir in his household is his servant, Eliezer of Damascus. The Lord reassures Abram that this man will not be the heir, but a son that will come from Abram’s own body, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars…so shall your offspring be” (v. 5).

The Lord instructed him to bring a sacrifice, and Abram prepared it. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep. A dreadful darkness came over him, and the Lord explained to him what would happen in the next four generations.

Abram’s descendants would be strangers in a country and enslaved and mistreated for 400 years. Afterwards, the Lord would punish the nation they served in as slaves, and they would come out of the land with great possessions. Abram would be at peace and die at an old age. At the end of the 4^th generation, the descendants would return to the land of Canaan.

When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces of Abram’s sacrifice. It was on that day that the Lord made a covenant with Abram,

“To your descendants I give this land [of Canaan], from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates--the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." (v. 20)

It was stated that Abram believed what the Lord promised him, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness (v. 6). Though God was trying to reassure Abram, it would take many years before Abram understood and saw the fruition of this promise.

A Blessed Escape

I am finding that the only way to keep track of all these names is to write them down. Thus, my list:

In Genesis, chapter 14, battles are taking place in the Valley of Siddim (also called the Salt Sea, or Dead Sea).

The 4 kings are:

1. Amraphel (of Shinar)
2. Arioch (of Ellasar)
3. Kedorlaomer (of Elam)
4. Tidal (of Goiim)

They waged war against 5 kings:

1. Bera (of Sodom)
2. Birsha (of Gomorrah)
3. Shinab (of Admah)
4. Shemeber (of Zeboiim), and
5. Zoar (of Bela)

In the 14^th year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites, the Zuzites, the Emites, and the Horites. Then they turned back to Kadesh and conquered all the land of the Amalekites and Amorites, who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

This resulted in the 5 kings marching out and drawing battle lines in the Valley of Siddim against the 4 kings.

The valley was full of tar pits, so when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah tried to flee, some of the men fell into the tar pits, while some escaped. The 4 kings seized all the goods and food belonging to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. They also captured Abram’s nephew, Lot, who had been living in Sodom.

One man who escaped made it to Abram and reported what had happened. Abram called the 318 men who had been born in his home (belonging to his household), and they went to find and rescue Lot. They defeated the 4 kings and returned to the Valley of Shaveh (the King’s Valley). The king of Sodom met Abram there. Also, a king named Melchizedek, king of Salem.

The king of Salem was a priest and brought bread and wine to Abram for nourishment. He also blessed him, saying:

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. (Genesis 14: 19-20) 

The king of Sodom told Abram to give him the captured people and, in return, Abram would be able to keep the captured goods for himself. Abram declined taking anything from the king of Sodom (since he was declaring his dependence and blessing from the Lord, God Most High). Abram did not want this king to be able to declare, “I made Abram rich”. He only accepted what his men had already eaten, and would allow for the men who went with him (Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre) to receive their share.

Why is this detailed account so important?

After reading this, I decided that Abram’s rescue of Lot is in one way symbolic of the sacrifice and effort required to save any person from evil. In modern language, this could also refer to any controlling power, substance, or situation. It was Abram, 3 men, and 318 other trained men from his household, who went out to find Lot and defeat the notorious “5 kings”.

Likewise, Abram’s encounter with the king and priest Melchizedek is symbolic of another king and priest named in the New Testament. In Hebrews, chapter 7, Melchizedek is mentioned again, as the “king of righteousness”, the “king of Salem”, and the “king of peace”. He is a person referred to in the Bible without a father or mother, without a genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God [Jesus], a priest forever (Hebrews 7:1-3). The symbols of offering bread and wine to Abram are significant since these are the elements that Christians are told to “take in remembrance of Him” during communion.

Additional notes from online commentaries can be found at biblos.com. I liked Matthew Henry’s at: http://bible.cc/genesis/14-18.htm.

Traveling Mercies

I am finding out there is too much information in the Old Testament for a daily (or weekly) blog. Therefore, here is a list to briefly highlight the "family drama" in Genesis, chapters 12-13!

1. The Lord God tells Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father's household and go to the land God would show him.
2. Abram sets out with his wife (Sarai) and his nephew (Lot). They leave from the land of Haran, with all the possessions they have accumulated and the people they have acquired (so far).
3. They arrive in Canaan, and the Lord appears and promises, "To your offspring I will give this land". Abram builds an altar there, in Shechem, and also later in the land between Bethel and Ai.
4. Due to a severe famine, they travel on to Egypt, where Abram fears for the safety of himself and Sarai. They pretend that Sarai was his sister, not his wife.
5. Pharaoh's officials believe Sarai is beautiful and report this to Pharaoh. He lets them in the palace and lavishes gifts and praise on them, for Sarai's sake.
6. The Lord inflicts diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai.
7. Pharaoh questions Abram about this sudden curse. He is furious with Abram for misleading him into thinking he could take Sarai into the palace to be his own wife. He orders his men to send Abram away, with his wife Sarai, and all that he has.
8. Abram, Sarai, and Lot head for the Negev, with all the people, animals and possessions they have acquired.
9. The land will not support them all in one place and the different herdsmen begin complaining and fighting.
10. Abram doesn't want hostility between himself and Lot since they are "brothers" (relatives...since Lot was actually his nephew). He instructs Lot to choose which direction of land he would prefer.
11. Lot chooses the land to the east, near Sodom. It would turn out that the men there were very wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.
12. After Lot leaves for the east, the Lord reminds Abram that one day all the land in every direction will belong to Abram and his offspring. Abram moves his tents and goes to live near the trees of Mamre at Hebron. He builds an altar to the Lord there.

In the New Testament, references are made to the significance of Abraham's faith in God at that time in history. His wife Sarai was barren, but (like Noah before) Abram believed God, "and He credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). In the chapters that follow, we will read of Abram and Sarai's doubts, their efforts to bring this promise to fruition in their own timing, and the mercy God would eventually show to them and Hagar.