Sunday School September 10th, 2006 Genesis 17: (1-8), (15-22)
Abraham (from Smith’s Bible
Dictionary)
(father
of a multitude ) was the son of
Terah,
and founder of the great Hebrew nation. (B.C. 1996-1822.)
His family, a branch of the descendants of Shem, was settled in Ur of the
Chaldees,
beyond the Euphrates, where Abraham was born.
Terah
had two other sons,
Nahor
and
Haran.
Haran
died before his father in Ur of the
Chaldees,
leaving a son, Lot; and
Terah,
taking with him Abram, with
Sarai
his wife and his grandson Lot, emigrated to
Haran
in Mesopotamia, where he died. On the death of his father, Abram, then in the
75th year of his age, with
Sarai
and Lot, pursued his course to the land of Canaan, whither he was directed by
divine command, (
Genesis 12:5) when he
received the general promise that he should become the founder of a great
nation, and that all the families of the earth should be blessed in him. He
passed through the heart of the country by the great highway to
Shechem,
and pitched his tent beneath the
terebinth
of
Moreh.
(
Genesis 12:6)
Here he received in vision from Jehovah the further revelation that this was
the land which his descendants should inherit. (
Genesis 12:7)
The next halting-place of the wanderer was on a mountain between Bethel and
Ai, (
Genesis 12:8)
but the country was suffering from famine, and Abram journeyed still southward
to the rich corn lands of Egypt. There, fearing that the great beauty of
Sarai
might tempt the powerful monarch of Egypt and expose his own life to peril, he
arranged that
Sarai
should represent herself as his sister, which her actual relationship to him,
as probably the daughter of his brother
Haran,
allowed her to do with some semblance of truth. But her beauty was reported to
the king, and she was taken into the royal harem. The deception was
discovered, and Pharaoh with some indignation dismissed Abram from the
country. (
Genesis 12:10-20) He left
Egypt with great possessions, and, accompanied by Lot, returned by the south
of Palestine to his former encampment between Bethel and Ai. The increased
wealth of the two kinsmen was the ultimate cause of their separation. Lot
chose the fertile plain of the Jordan near Sodom, while Abram pitched his tent
among the groves of
Mamre,
close to Hebron. (
Genesis 13:1) ... Lot with
his family and possessions having been carried away captive by
Chedorlaomer
king of Elam, who had invaded Sodom, Abram pursued the conquerors and utterly
routed them not far from Damascus. The captives and plunder were all
recovered, and Abram was greeted on his return by the king of Sodom, and by
Melchizedek king of Salem, priest of the most high
God, who mysteriously appears upon the scene to bless the patriarch and
receive from him a tenth of the spoil. (
Genesis 14:1)
... After this the thrice-repeated promise that his descendants should become
a mighty nation and possess the land in which he was a stranger was confirmed
with all the solemnity of a religious ceremony. (
Genesis 15:1)
... Ten years had passed since he had left his father’s house, and the
fulfillment of the promise was apparently more distant than at first. At the
suggestion of
Sarai,
who despaired of having children of her own, he took as his concubine Hagar,
her Egyptian main, who bore him Ishmael in the 86th year of his age.
(
Genesis 16:1)
... [
HAGAR;
ISHMAEL]
But this was not the accomplishment of the promise. Thirteen years elapsed,
during which Abram still dwelt in Hebron, when the covenant was renewed, and
the rite of circumcision established as its sign. This most important crisis
in Abram’s life, when he was 99 years old, is marked by the significant change
of his name to Abraham, "father of a multitude;" while his wife’s from
Sarai
became Sarah. The promise that Sarah should have a son was repeated in the
remarkable scene described in
ch.
18. Three men stood before Abraham as he sat in his tent door in the heat of
the day. The patriarch, with true Eastern hospitality, welcomed the strangers,
and bade them rest and refresh themselves. The meal ended, they foretold the
birth of Isaac, and went on their way to Sodom. Abraham accompanied them, and
is represented as an interlocutor in a dialogue with Jehovah, in which he
pleaded in vain to avert the vengeance threatened to the devoted cities of the
plain. (
Genesis 18:17-33) In
remarkable contrast with Abraham’s firm faith with regard to the magnificent
fortunes of his posterity stand the incident which occurred during his
temporary residence among the Philistines in
Gerar,
whither he had for some cause removed after the destruction of Sodom. It was
almost a repetition of what took place in Egypt a few years before. At length
Isaac, the long-looked for child, was born. Sarah’s jealousy aroused by the
mockery of Ishmael at the "great banquet" which Abram made to celebrate the
weaning of her son, (
Genesis 21:9)
demanded that, with his mother Hagar, he should be driven out.
(
Genesis 21:10)
But the severest trial of his faith was yet to come. For a long period the
history is almost silent. At length he receives the strange command to take
Isaac, his only son, and offer him for a burnt offering at an appointed place
Abraham hesitated not to obey. His faith, hitherto unshaken, supported him in
this final trial, "accounting that God was able to raise
up his son, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure."
(
Hebrews 11:19)
The sacrifice was stayed by the angel of Jehovah, the promise of spiritual
blessing made for the first time, and Abraham with his son returned to
Beersheba, and for a time dwelt there. (
Genesis 22:1)
... But we find him after a few years in his original residence at Hebron, for
there Sarah died, (
Genesis 23:2) and was buried
in the cave of
Machpelah.
The remaining years of Abraham’s life are marked by but few incidents. After
Isaac’s marriage with
Rebekah
and his removal to
Lahai-roi,
Abraham took to wife
Keturah,
by whom he had six children,
Zimran,
Jokshan,
Medan,
Midian,
Ishbok
and
Shuah,
who became the ancestors of nomadic tribes inhabiting the countries south and
southeast of Palestine. Abraham lived to see the gradual accomplishment of the
promise in the birth of his grandchildren Jacob and Esau, and witnessed their
growth to manhood. (
Genesis 25:26) At the goodly
age of 175 he was "gathered to his people," and laid beside Sarah in the tomb
of
Machpelah
by his sons Isaac and Ishmael. (
Genesis 25:7-10)
Abrahamic Covenant Last week we studied the covenant known as the Noahic Covenant. This week the covenant we will be studying is called the Abrahamic Covenant. It should be pointed out that God mentioned this agreement to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 15. God repeats the agreement here in Genesis 17. God will stand to his promise. It was for Abraham’s sake the promise is repeated and more revelation is given to it. It is important to note that this covenant has never been repealed. It is because of it that the Arabs are so angry today at the occupancy of the Jewish people in the Holy Land. They know their presence is a reaffirmation of the Bible and Jehovah God. Governments have never understood that this conflict is not about land rights or political issues; it is a struggle between followers of and idol god and God’s promised people. This land belongs to Israel. The title deed from God is in our lesson today. Someone should stand up in this world and protect their rights. Someone will appear to do so, but when he does, his name will be anti-Christ. He will appear to bring peace, but actually sudden destruction will come upon this world. I pray that you give your heart to God before it is too late so that you can avoid this time of terrible tribulation!
Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
El Shaddai
I want to point out something wonderful to you about the character of God. The names God uses for Himself in the Scripture reveal some characteristic of His personality to us. The name “Almighty God” is “El-Shaddai” in the Hebrew. The “El” prefix means the strong or mighty one. The second part of this word is the interesting part. Shaddai means breasts; it is used in the Bible when speaking of the breast of a female, especially of a mother. It is from the mother’s breast that a child receives nourishment, comfort, peace, and satisfaction. It is not nourishment only, but a child who is frightened or weary will be satisfied at the breast even if he is not hungry. God is revealing Himself, not only as the mighty one, but as the one we can count on for safety, nourishment, comfort, and satisfaction. When you are afraid, call on Him! When you need a blessing, call on Him! When you need peace, call on Him! The McKameys used to sing a song which went like this: He can be your mother, Father, and friend, and on Him you can always depend, for I know whatever I need, that’s just what He is!
17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
God promises a son
This is the first promise of the Abrahamic Covenant; God promises Abraham a son. Don’t forget the words of verse 1 of our lesson. Abraham was 99 years old and his wife Sarai was well past the age of conception. It would be humanly impossible for this couple to have a child. That’s OK because God is not going to use human means, but He is going to supernaturally allow this child to be conceived and born. Isaac will not be born of the Holy Spirit like Jesus. He will be born to human parents, but they will receive supernatural strength for this to happen.
17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
A name change
The name Abram means “exalted father.” God will now change the name of Abram to Abraham. Abraham means “father of many nations or father of a multitude.” The purpose of this act is to allow Abraham’s name testify to the promise of God. Every time Abraham told someone his name it spoke of his faith in the promise of God. This 99 year old man was telling the world that God had promised him a son. Let me allow the Scripture to interpret this for you: Romans 4:17 “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” By the way, God changed my name one day also. My name was Adam or man. It meant that I was lost without God, bound for a devil’s hell, but one day I came to Christ and He changed my name to child of God. I took upon myself the name of the family of God. I was adopted into the Heavenly family. My name was written in Heaven. The title deed to my mansion was inscribed.
17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
God goes first class
God didn’t just give Abraham a son, but He gave Him a heritage. From Abraham would come princes and kings which have never been forgotten in thousands of years. King Saul, David, Solomon, and all the rest came from Abraham. The dukes of Edom would also come from Him though Isaac’s son Esau. Truly God performed and fulfilled His promise. The greatest King who would come from Abraham would be the one they call the King of Kings. He was crowned with a crown of thorns when He came to earth the first time, but He is coming again to receive the Kingdom promised from the Father. Jesus Christ is that one who would come from Abraham who would bless the entire world.
17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
Everlasting Covenant
This covenant does not have an expiration date. Some think that God is done dealing with the Jewish people, but they are wrong. The promises made to Abraham to his blood kin are as good as the ones made to his Spiritual kin. Christians are the Spiritual sons of Abraham and we receive the blessings of Abraham though Jesus. The Jews will receive the promises made to Abraham when the Millennial Kingdom comes in its full power.
17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
The title deed to Israel
Another point of this covenant is the ownership of the “Promised Land.” This is the title deed to Jewish ownership of the land of Israel. I don’t use the word Palestine as that name which is used by the media is bogus. The Romans called this land Palestine after the Philistines who no longer lived there when they brought the name out of mothballs. They knew this wasn’t Philistine land; they called it that to humiliate the Jewish people. The media today have bought this bill of goods. In reality this land has had only two names. It was called Canaan and then Israel. The Canaanites lived there before the Israelites returned from Egypt and conquered the land. There were no Palestinians before the nation of Israel came into being. This land belonged to the Ottoman Empire before WWI and then to the nation of Jordan after that. This land belongs to the Jews; God said so!
17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 17:16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Another name change
Sarai means “princess;” Sarah means “noblewoman.” God had earlier told Abraham that he would have a son, but He had not specifically said that the boy’s mother would be Sarah. He also didn’t say it wouldn’t be Sarah who would be the mother. Sarah thought she would help God with this promise and talked Abraham into having relations with her Egyptian handmaid Hagar. From this union came Ishmael; Ishmael is the father of the Arab people. What a terrible price has been paid for this lack of faith. God didn’t need Sarah’s help. She didn’t help; she opened up a can of worms that will not be closed until the coming of Jesus in the clouds of glory. These 2 sons of Abraham have hated each other for thousands of years. They still do tonight.
17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Laughing at the promise
Abraham is called “faithful Abraham,” but he was not always so faithful. This is one of the times in which he had a hard time believing God. When told Sarah would conceive and be the mother of this child, Abraham laughed. He said shall I father a child with me being 100 years old? Shall Sarah be a mother with her being 90 years old? Abraham not only laughed he fell on his face and laughed. He tried to hide his laughter from God. You cannot hide your thoughts and feelings from God. By the way, if you check Genesis 18:12 you’ll find out that when Sarah heard this promise she laughed too. God wasn’t joking. A son would be born to these two old codgers. Through this boy would eventually come the Messiah. It was the plan of salvation. God would see to it! Abraham wanted to go the easy way. He wanted God to use Ishmael for this promised son, but God would have none of it. It would be through a son born the correct way, not one conceived by man’s manipulation.
17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 17:22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
God blesses Ishmael, But the promise is through Isaac
Ishmael was not the son of promise, but God would not forget him. He blessed his family and great princes came from his lineage. God has blessed them in natural things. They have turned their backs on God and worshipped an idol God, but God was faithful to do what He said He would do. God blessed Ishmael, but the promise would be through Isaac. Ishmael and his people could never come to grips with this decision. Mohammed, the supposed prophet of Islam, apparently traced his lineage directly from Ishmael. He claimed that the promise was to Ishmael and not to Isaac. If that was so, then why did Abraham cause Hagar and Ishmael to separate from him? He gave gifts to Ishmael and to the sons of Keturah, but Isaac inherited everything Abraham possessed. We are the children of promise today. We will inherit great wealth from our Father. It will be wealth beyond man’s imagination.
New Living Translation (to be used as a commentary only)
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to make you into a mighty nation.” 3 At this, Abram fell face down in the dust. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of not just one nation, but a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham,* for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will give you millions of descendants who will represent many nations. Kings will be among them!
7 “I will continue this everlasting covenant between us, generation after generation. It will continue between me and your offspring forever. And I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 Yes, I will give all this land of Canaan to you and to your offspring forever. And I will be their God. 15 Then God added, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai; from now on you will call her Sarah.* 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings will be among her descendants!” 17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of one hundred?” he wondered. “Besides, Sarah is ninety; how could she have a baby?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Yes, may Ishmael enjoy your special blessing!” 19 But God replied, “Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac,* and I will confirm my everlasting covenant with him and his descendants. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will cause him to multiply and become a great nation. Twelve princes will be among his descendants. 21 But my covenant is with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 That ended the conversation, and God left Abraham.
THANKS FOR STUDYING WITH US THIS WEEK. OUR LESSONS CAN BE FOUND EACH WEEK ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.ADDISONCHURCH.COM. BE SURE TO SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK WHEN YOU VISIT. WE ALSO WILL EMAIL THE LESSON DIRECTLY TO YOU BY REQUEST AT ADDISONFWBCHURCH@BLUESTARR.NET. YOU WILL NEVER BE ASKED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS, NOR WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE GIVEN OR SOLD TO ANY OUTSIDE SOURCE. SEE YOU SOON!!!!
PASTOR RICK BARCUS
