Chapter 1

(Verses 1 and 2) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

There are two words in verse 2 that I am told can have a little clearer translation than that given them in the KJV. The first of these is “void.”  According to those with whom I have discussed it, this word is actually in the passive voice, and should have been translated, “was voided,” or emptied out. The next is, “moved,” which is an acceptable translation, but might have been a little clearer if translated, “hovered,” or “brooded,” as a hen does over her chicks. This is by no means intended to change the meaning, but simply to, possibly, make it a little clearer. When the scriptures say, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” it refers only to the beginning of the heaven and the earth, not the beginning of God; for God is eternal, with neither beginning nor end. This is the basic concept of all true religion. Without it there could be no hope of any continuing future. No power can control anything, except during the time it exists. If God could cease to exist, so would all His works; but that cannot be. 

There is no statement of continuity between verses 1 and 2. How long it may have been between God’s creation of the heaven and the earth and the time of His voiding, or emptying out the earth so that there was left in it no “form,” that is, no form of life, is not given. And it has no relevance to us, because man was not yet created.  So it could have no effect upon him. 

With the earth thus voided and without any form of life, it was also in total darkness, and covered with water. This “darkness was upon the face of the deep” That is, the earth was in this great abyss, which we call space, and the entire face of this abyss was covered with darkness. While it was in this condition, “The Spirit of God moved (hovered, or brooded) upon the face of the waters.” Nothing is said about His moving upon the “face of the deep” (the abyss). His concern was for the earth which was under the waters; and He hovered over it. Make no effort to find out how long this situation continued. Had it been any of our business, He, no doubt, would have told us. 

(Verses 3 and 5) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 

As before mentioned, none but God knows how long it was from God’s creation of the heaven and the earth till He said, “Let there be light:” and that really doesn’t concern us. What does concern us is the fact that He said. “Let there be light,” and there was light. There was no failure, no argument, and no delay. He spoke, and it immediately came to pass. So we shall find it to be with every item about which He said, “Let it be.” He saw that light, and declared it good. When He sees that something is good, it needs no adjustment or fine tuning. It is just as He purposed it to be. He further made a separation between light and darkness; and that separation still holds today. In the absence of light there is darkness; but when light is brought
in, the darkness must leave, and that in proportion to the strength of the light that is brought in. When God had brought forth the light, He called, or declared, it “Day;” and the darkness He called “Night.” Since until God created the light, all things were in darkness, it appears that, chronologically, God created the darkness before He created the light. Thus we find that “the evening and the morning were the first day.” That is, according to God’s rule, the evening, or the darkness, comes before morning, or the light. And that is the sequence God established for the counting of time. Lest any should argue that God did not create the darkness, read what Isaiah says (Isaiah 45:7) “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” 

(Verses 6 through 8) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 

Here we again see an example of the irresistibility of the power of the word of God. When He saw fit to place the firmament, that unbroken expanse which we later see is the place prepared for everything from all the fowls that fly, to even the planets, the stars, the sun, the moon, etc., and which He called “Heaven,” around the earth, He simply said, “Let it be.” And so it was. At this point He only says that it is to separate the waters that are under it from the waters that are above it. As we soon shall see, the earth was at this time completely submerged in water. When He had established this firmament in place, He called it “Heaven.” This is the heaven often referred to in other scriptures, meaning not the throne of God, but what we sometimes call the atmospheric heaven, or sometimes, “outer space.” And it is often referred to in the plural, as, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.” (Psalms 19:1) As this work was finished we are told, “And the evening and the morning were the second day,” the same sequence as given for the first day. 

(Verses 9 and 10) And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good. 

This is, perhaps, as strong internal evidence of the truth of the Bible as can be found. It proves beyond doubt that this has to be the testimony of God. Men argue about when this was written: some holding that it was written by Moses, the man of God, during his lifetime, and as God revealed it to him, while others claim that it was written at a much later date, and by someone else according to his own imagination. Nevertheless, all agree that it was written sometime before the birth of the Christ. If it had been written as late as 500 years ago, it would have been impossible for man to have known by his own wisdom that the land mass of the earth was once all joined together in one body, as it must certainly have been when the waters were all gathered together unto one place. While today all reputable scientists in that
field agree that the land was at one time all joined together, (and, by looking at a map of the world, and making allowance for erosion, even we who are not scientists can see this to be true) when the Bible was written, man by his own wisdom knew nothing of this. It had to be a revelation from God Himself. Scientists from the whole world, and to the tune of many millions of dollars, have been studying the bottoms of the oceans, trying to determine when and why the continents were separated. If they ever satisfy themselves on these points it will have done them no good. They could have learned just as much, and at far less expense, by reading the Bible. The “When” was when God saw fit to divide it. And the time for it is given in Genesis 10:25. The “Why” is, no doubt, the same as that given by Christ Jesus in Matthew 11:26. “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” If anything seems good in the sight of the Father, that should be enough for anyone. 

(Verses 11 through 13) And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 

Having created the light, separated it from the darkness, established the firmament, and separated the dry land from the waters, God saw fit to clothe the land with vegetation. So He commanded the earth to bring forth grass, herbs bearing seed, and trees bearing fruit. All vegetation, including grass, herbs, and trees, was first created, and brought forth its seed after its kind. That is, God caused the earth to bring forth the plant first; and it produced seed that would make another plant like, or of the same kind as, the original. All these things were done according to God’s purpose. Therefore the whole operation was good. For the third day the sequence of evening and morning were the same as for days one and two. 

(Verses 14 through 19) And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Again we see that when God saw fit to make anything, He only spoke and the work was done. There was no failure, and there was no delay. The “greater light,” of course, is the sun; and the “lesser light” is the moon. The stars were also made by Him at the same time as the sun and the moon. Some of our modern scientists try to tell us that some stars are billions of years older than others, all of which seems to have no substance in provable facts. About all this does is to make those who believe the scientists think them to be somewhat wiser than they really are, thus feeding their ego. In the text before us we are told that God had more than one purpose in making these lights. First, they were to give light upon the earth; second, they were to rule over the day, and over the night, thus dividing the light from the darkness, or the day from the night; and third, they were to be signs to indicate divisions of time, such as days seasons, and years. Just as with all other of His works, when God looked upon them He found them good. That is, they were just exactly as He had purposed them to be. 

(Verses 20 through 23) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 

Here is another instance of internal evidence of the truth of the word of God. At the time of the writing of the book, Genesis, it would have been impossible for any man, by his own wisdom, to know that the beginning of the life of the “living creatures that move” was in the seas, or waters. God’s word declares it to be true; and now even the scientists proclaim it to be the case. Of course, they claim to have discoveredthis truth by a great deal of scientific research and work. Again, all that work was wasted, because all they had to do was to read Genesis 1:20—21. Why will theybnot believe God’s word? To some there may appear to be a discrepancy between verse 20 and verse 21. In verse 20 God commanded the waters to bring forth “the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven;” while in verse 21 we find, “and God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and winged fowl after his kind.” There is no discrepancy. Verse 21 simply explains that God is the One Who created all these things, although He caused the waters to bring them forth. The whole operation was still by His power, and no other. Notice should be taken that just as it was with vegetable life, so it was with animal life.  Each was to bring forth “after his kind.” Since this is true, not only does it hold that an apple seed will bring forth, not a peach tree, but only an apple tree, and a cow will bring forth only another member of the bovine family, but also that no member of the vegetable kingdom can bring forth a member of the animal kingdom. Neither can any member of the animal kingdom bring forth a member of the human species. So the whole theory of evolution is stopped in its tracks. Our Lord Jesus takes this a step further in John 3:6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” Nothing can, of itself, rise above the level of its source. By natural generation it is “after its kind.” Again God declares that the sequence of evening and morning continues for day five as it has for the previous days. 

(Verses 24 and 25) And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 

What is said here presents nothing unusual in God’s manner of bringing about the fulfilling of His purpose. It is the same as in earlier acts of creation. He said “Let it be,” and it was done. So far as vegetable life is concerned, He said, “Let the earth bring forth,” and the vegetation was there. Then He said “Let the waters bring forth,” and that command was immediately obeyed. Now, again He has said “Let the earth bring forth,” and that also is done. Notice should be taken that in all these cases, He has commanded that each item of His creation, vegetable, marine life, fowl of the heaven, and living creature of the earth, to “bring forth after his kind.” Thus He has set the order for each to continue in its proper place. Then, as He looked upon His creation, He saw that it was all good. That is it was exactly as He had purposed it to be. One more work of His creation remained to be done. And, as we shall see, He makes some changes between it and those things already done. 

(Verses 26 through 28) And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

There are several things about the creation of man that differ from all other acts of creation. The first one we notice is His approach to this work. Heretofore He has simply said, “Let it be,” and the act was done. Here He takes counsel with Himself before doing the work. And since He said, “Let Us make ----,” it seems reasonable that there were more than one in this council, which could only be the three Persons of the Godhead, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. Another difference is that He did not say, “Let anything bring forth,” as He had concerning the vegetable and animal creations. Concerning none of the former created items did He say anything about their being in His image, or likeness. But of man He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Thus man is by God’s creation made in His likeness. This does not mean that he looks like God. For none can see God. But as God is a Trinity, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, so is man a trinity, body, soul, and spirit. Thus he is made in the image of God. Not only so, but God also gave to man a differentposition from that of any other of His creatures. Having created man (and woman) in His own image, He blessed them, and gave them a commandment: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” No doubt, David had reference to this when he wrote Psalm 8:3—9, although the writer of the Hebrew Epistle points out that it also refers to the Christ. Man is nothing but an object of the creation of the Almighty God. Yet that same great God set him up as the caretaker, under Him, of all His earthly creation. So, what is man that God should thus honor him? This question has yet to be answered, unless we simply accept Jesus’ answer in Matthew 11:26. Some argue that when God said, “Replenish the earth,” this means that humanity was once before on the earth, and when God emptied out the earth they were destroyed, and therefore they are to be replaced, thus replenishing the earth. But “replenish” does not always mean “Replace that which has been taken away.” It can also simply mean “supply.” So His command to man is to supply, or produce, humanity to do the job that has been delegated to him. 

(Verses 29 through 31) And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (food). And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 

Notice is to be taken that as God created all creatures of the world, including man, there was not a carnivore among them. To every one of them He gave only the green herb for food. Only after the curse was placed upon the earth for the sin of man did the “law of tooth and claw” enter into the world. Isaiah speaks several times of a time to come when the bear, the lion, the leopard, etc., shall be tame, and shall lie down with such as the cow and the sheep. And many, when reading this, will immediately say, “That can never be, literally. We have to ‘spiritualize such statements.’”  Please take notice that it was that way before the curse. And it will also be that way when the curse is removed. God Looked upon His creation, and saw that it was very good, just as He had created it. “And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” The same sequence of morning and evening has prevailed all the way.

(Verses 1 and 3) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.

Thus the writer declares the fact that in the first six days God created all things that He considered necessary to His plan, and brought His work of creation to an end on the seventh day. And on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then because He rested on the seventh day, He then blessed that day, and sanctified it, or set it apart, because it had been His day of rest. We notice that, in the center column reference of our Bible a note is given on the last three words of verse 3, indicating that the literal translation of those words is, “created to make.” This might shed some light on what some have deemed a discrepancy between Chapters 1 and 2 concerning the order of creation. Chapter 1 may be giving the order in which all things were created, but the order of their being formed, or set up, is given in Chapter 2.

(Verses 4 through 7)  These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

“These,” that is, these things recorded in the preceding chapter, are “the generations of the heavens and of the earth,” or the record of their being created, “in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,” as well as the record of the creation of every plant and every herb of the field before they were placed on the earth. Thus it appears reasonable that it is the record of the creation of animal life, and also of the creation of man before either was placed upon the earth. We might look at it as an architect creating a building. It is all brought together in His mind, and perhaps, even on paper, to the very last detail before there is even any “ground breaking” for it. But He can envision it as complete in his mind, and declare it “good,” although there is none of it in place. God is certainly greater than any architect. So, surely, He could see it completely finished before any of it was in place. He did thus see it, and declared it good, or exactly as He had purposed it. He had not yet caused it to rain upon the earth, and so the earth was not yet ready for the vegetation, and in the absence of vegetation it was not yet ready for animal life, or for man, since “the green herb” is what the Lord had given for their food. Then God caused a mist to go up from the earth, “and water the whole face of the ground.” Thus the vegetation could grow upon the earth. Then the LORD God took dust of the ground, and of it formed, or made, man. Notice that this is another thing that is peculiar to the creation of man. It was not done for any of the animal, fishes, fowls, or creeping things of the earth. In addition to this God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of man, and man became a living soul. This special treatment of man by the Creator might well be another reason for us to ask the question, “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” And the answer still has to be the same. “There is nothing in man to cause such. It can only be because it seemed good in the sight of God.”

(Verses 8 through 14) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden : and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water  the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah , where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia . And the name of the third river is Hidekel; that is it that goeth toward the east of Assyria . And the fourth river is Euphrates .

There are several different theories about just where The Garden of Eden was located. And these we will not attempt to discuss. Neither will we try to discuss these rivers. The only one of them that we can positively identify on a map is the Euphrates . The other names have through the ages been changed. And, of course the topography of that area of the world has undergone tremendous change in all these past ages. So today we can find no four rivers that appear to have sprung from one source, as did these. However, the LORD God did plant a garden in which He planted every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and that was good for food. And since such fruit and the green herb is what He had given man for food, man was well supplied. God also placed in the midst of that garden both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

(Verses 15 through 17) And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

This seems clear enough to stand on its own with no need of explanation. The LORD God placed the man in the garden that he might be the caretaker of the garden. When He did, He also gave the man liberty to eat of the fruit of any tree of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But He strictly forbade his eating of it, and told him that to do so would bring certain death. There was no antidote for the poison of that tree mentioned.

(Verses 18 through 20) And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Sometimes we hear someone say that the purpose of bringing all these creatures before Adam was to see if a mate could be found for him. But that is not what the LORD God said about it. He said, “I will make him an help meet for him.” Then these were all brought before Adam to let him give names to them. Some might wonder why the LORD would let Adam name them instead of naming them Himself. Remember that God had already given Adam dominion over them. Therefore it was appropriate that Adam name them. The last statement of verse 20, “But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him,” does not suggest that there was any search for an help meet for him being made in this act of bringing all these things before him. It only tells us that the human race is not to try to cross breed with any of the animal kingdom. Ancient myths and legends abound in which some human being had cross bred with an animal of some sort, and produced a monster. And in some of the ancient heathen religions, such was a part of some of their rituals. But it is forbidden by the laws of God.

(Verses 21 through 25) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

So far as God’s work in making the woman from the rib of man is concerned, it seems to be so clearly set forth that comment will not improve it in any respect. It may be that the fact that He took a rib, and not some other bone, from which to make the woman has greater significance than is sometimes noticed, especially since the relation of husband and wife is also used to illustrate the relation between our Lord Jesus and His bride, the church. The position of the rib is under the arm, thus signifying that the wife should always be under the protection of her husband, just as the church is always under the protection of her Lord. Much more could be said concerning this relationship. But suffice it to say that since the wife is bone of her husband’s bones, and flesh of his flesh, he should always be just as careful to avoid bringing pain or sorrow upon her as he would be to avoid bringing it upon himself. For they are one. Because they are one flesh the man is to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. And the same things that apply to him also apply to his wife. It is a reciprocal relationship, just as binding upon one as the other. Remember that Adam’s statement in verses 23 and 24 had to be revealed to him by the LORD God, and is therefore His word instead of that of Adam, because during the whole operation the LORD God had made a deep sleep to come upon Adam, so his only way of knowing about this is either that God told him, or revealed it to him. At that time sin had not raised its ugly head in the earth, and though they were both naked neither the man nor the woman was ashamed.  

(Verses 1 through 6) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her: and he did eat.

This is the record of the first temptation and also the first sin that entered into the world. Notice should be taken that nothing is said about “a serpent,” but “the serpent.” And in view of what he does, no doubt, the reference is not to just any serpent, but to the one that is, in Rev. 20:2 called ,“that old serpent which is the Devil, and Satan.” He makes his appearance in the garden, finds the woman, and addresses her, saying, “Yea, hath God said, ‘ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” He was too cunning to ask directly about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He generalized the situation by asking if they had been forbidden to eat of every tree of the garden. The woman told him that such a prohibition was not given them, but that only one tree was forbidden to them, and that was the tree that was in the midst of the garden, which was, of course, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We have no record that God told them not to touch it, but she said He had. Sometimes it is dangerous to add anything to what the LORD has said. So the serpent said, “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Thus he planted two seeds in her mind. One was distrust of God, to think that He was not being fair with them, and the other was that by eating this fruit they would be wiser, more important, and even equal to God in knowledge. Both of these were false, but she was deceived into thinking that they were true. So as, in this state, she looked upon the tree, she saw it to be “good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.” She was completely entangled in his web. So she took some of the fruit of this tree, and ate it. And since her husband was with her, she also gave the fruit to him; and he ate it. No explanation is given as to why he ate that fruit. The scriptures tell us that she was deceived, but he was not. (See 1 Timothy 2:14) Some try to claim that the man’s action was a type of the Christ coming down to the level of His bride, because she could not come to Him. And that may be so. There are a few scriptures that seem to hint at such. But none that openly declare it.

(Verses 7 and 8) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Indeed their eyes were opened; but not as the serpent had told them. Apparently the only new knowledge they gained was to know that they were naked. And this caused them such shame that they sewed fig leaves together and made aprons for themselves. And fig leaves would make very poor clothing. Their shame was so great that they could no longer rejoice at the approach of the LORD. So when they heard His voice as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day, they tried to hide from His presence. They had, in the very day in which they ate the forbidden fruit, died to the fellowship they had enjoyed with the LORD God. They had become dead in trespasses and sin.

(Verses 9 through 13) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

It is not to be thought that the LORD God did not know where Adam was. His call to him was not for information, but to remind Adam of his terrible loss. Adam admitted that he had heard the LORD God in the garden, and hid himself because he was naked, and afraid. So the LORD God’s next question was, “Who told you that you were naked.” Heretofore Adam’s being naked had not caused him to be afraid. Then He asked Adam, “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you to not eat of?” Then Adam began to do as is so popular today. He tried to lay the blame on someone else, actually upon the woman that God had made as a companion to him. Then the LORD questioned her, and she laid the blame upon the serpent. We often think, and often hear others say, “In this modern day nobody will take responsibility for his own actions.” Guess what! It has been that way since the time of Adam and Eve.

(Verses 14 and 15) And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Certainly this needs no explanation except for the last statement of verse 15. This is the first direct prophecy of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. He is the seed of the woman whose heel the serpent, Satan bruised by having Him crucified. But Glory to GOD! He bruised Satan’s head by His resurrection from the dead. And He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the appointed time to come back, and gather together all of those whom He has redeemed.

(Verses 16 through 19) Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Thus the LORD God placed upon both woman and man a penalty for disobedience. All of this is, of course in addition to the fact that by their disobedience to His command, they had suffered death in trespasses and sin. They were no longer in fellowship with God, nor could they be until He provided a sufficient sacrifice that could cancel their sin. And this was not to be until the fulfillment of the prophecy of verse 15. To the woman He added sorrow to her conception and delivery of children, as well as making her desire subject to her husband. As we shall later see, even if she made a vow to the LORD, when her husband heard the vow, if he did not disallow it, it would stand; but if he did disallow it, it was no longer binding upon her. And we are all aware that a human mother is much more subject to pain and sorrow in her delivery than any of the mothers in the animal kingdom. And because Adam listened to his wife, and partook of the forbidden fruit in spite of knowing better and not being deceived, the LORD even cursed the ground for his sake. It would no more bring forth of itself sufficient fruit to sustain him; but he must till it, and put forth much effort to make it produce the herb of the field that would be his sustenance until he returned to the ground. For he was taken from the ground: and to it he must return. Not only so, but during his stay on earth, the earth would bring forth thorns and thistles to him.  And this is the legacy he has left to all humanity, even to this day. We might also note that life brings forth to most of us thorns and thistles that do not grow out of the ground. They too are the result of Adam’s transgression.

(Verses 20 and 21) And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and unto his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Verse 20 surely needs no explanation, it only tells us that, as the Lord God had previously given him the authority to name all things, Adam called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living, that is all the human family that should be. And that reaches even to the present day. Not long ago I watched a program on TV concerning DNA. Now I have no expertise in this field, and therefore cannot testify to the accuracy of this report. But according to those who made this report, They have proven that every human being on earth today is descended from one woman; and that her time of life was about 5,000 or 6,ooo years ago. That would make her lifetime to have been at about the time that is usually calculated to have been the time of Eve’s life. In verse 21 we are told that the LORD God clothed both Adam and his wife by making for them coats of skins. This may have more significance than appears on the surface. In order to obtain the skin of an animal in order to make of it a coat, the animal must first be killed. This may be a type of the death of the Christ, and the clothing of those for whom He died with His righteousness, thus completely hiding, or putting away, their sin, that they may appear before Him clothed in His righteousness, and thus free from sin.

(Verses 22 through 24) And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims , and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Thus did the LORD God, because of the disobedience of man, put him out of the garden of Eden, and set a barrier that no man can, by his own power pass to get to the tree of life. Man now has no access to either the garden of Eden or to the tree of life. The tree of life shall be in plentiful supply in the New Jerusalem, but only those whom our Lord Jesus has by His sacrifice redeemed shall be there; and they not by their own power, but by His.  

(Verses 1 and 2) And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Thus began the increase of the human family. Adam had intercourse with Eve, and as the result she bore Cain. Then after that she bore another son called Abel. When these sons grew up Abel was a shepherd, or a keeper of sheep, while Cain was as many of us have been, a “dirt farmer.”

(Verses 3 through 7) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desires, and thou shalt rule over him.

There is much about these offerings that we do not know; and very little that we do know. We do know that Cain’s offering was of the fruit of the ground, and Abel’s was of the ‘firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof.” We also know that Abel and his offering were acceptable to the LORD, while Cain and his offering were rejected.  Now for some of the things that we do not know. We do not know when, or whether, the LORD had called upon these men to make offerings to Him. Neither do we know what, if any, instructions God may have given them concerning  either the manner of making these offerings, or the substance of them. We do not know whether these offerings were for sin offering, for thank offerings, offerings for vows, or just what is their purpose. There is one other thing that we know about this whole matter. And that information comes from Hebrews 11:4. “By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” At this point we do not know if indeed Cain had no faith in God, and Abel did, or whether Abel’s faith was greater, causing him to adhere strictly to what God had told them concerning making an offering, and Cain’s was weaker so that he thought he could do as he pleased. So we are left with a great blank concerning the matter. Some of our brethren have from some source come up with the idea that the whole matter hinges upon the fact that Cain’s offering, “of the fruit of the ground” in no way speaks of the shedding of blood without which there is no remission of sin, while Abel’s offering does testify to the shedding of blood, since it is of the firstlings of the flock; and the animals had to be killed before they could be offered. But nowhere in scripture do I find anything said about this. There are offerings under the law in which the fruit of the ground is acceptable. But in this case neither it nor he that offered it was accepted. And the only reason we can find anywhere is that given in Hebrews 11: 4.

Since Cain was very angry at being rejected, the LORD asked him why he should be angry, and look so crestfallen. There can only be one reason for failure. And that is a fault of the one who fails. If one attempts something and does well at it, that is acceptable, and that applies to making an offering as well as to anything else. On the other hand, if it is not acceptable there is something amiss. And the fault is with the one who has failed. Whether or not it is true, I cannot say; but I have heard it said that in the Hebrew language the same word is used for “sin offering” that is used for “sin.” If that is true, then the second statement of verse 7 could be read, “And if thou doest not well, a sin offering lieth at the door.” That is, since the sheep often lay around near the tent, all he had to do to was to take one of them and make it an offering, and everything would be all right. I rather think, however, that the LORD is actually telling Cain that the fault lies at his door. He is to bear the blame. Therefore he has no right to be angry. Then, since the manner of inheritance is that the younger is subject to the older, the LORD tells him that Abel’s desire shall be subject to him, and he shall rule over Abel. So he has no reason to be angry.

(Verses 8 through 12) And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is thy brother? And Cain said, I know not: am I my brother’s keeper? And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

In 1 John 3:12 we are told that Cain “was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.” Being such, he waited for his opportunity which came as he and Abel were in the field together, and killed him. Of course, the LORD knew all about it, but He asked Cain, “Where is thy brother?” Cain evidently did not think that the LORD knew anything about the situation, so he very flippantly answered, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” But the LORD let him know that He knew much more about the matter than Cain thought. Even the blood of Abel cried out to Him from the ground. So He placed a curse upon Cain. Verses 11 and 12 tell what that curse amounted to, and they are explicit enough to need no comment.

(Verses 13 through 15) And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth: and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

When the LORD pronounced sentence upon Cain, Cain said that it was greater than he could bear. He feared that his being a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth would cause everyone that met him to attempt to kill him. So the LORD declared that if anyone did kill him, vengeance would be taken upon him sevenfold. And He also set a mark upon him to warn anyone lest they should try to kill him. Do not attempt to discover what this mark was; for the LORD has never told us anything more about it. But it seems to have been something recognizable.

(Verses 16 through 18) And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod , on the east of Eden . And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

At this time Cain left from the area near the garden of Eden, and moved to the land of Nod , which was farther east. Then he had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived, and had a son whom they named Enoch. There is no reason to question as to who his wife was. Since Eve was the mother of all living human beings, Cain’s wife had to be one of her daughters, or one of her granddaughters, which, of course makes her either Cain’s sister, or niece. We cannot find fault with this on our modern grounds of restricting marriage to no closer kin than first cousins. Abraham and Sarah were half brother and sister. They were both the offspring of the same father, but of different mothers. Much later, the Egyptian ruling family insisted upon the marriage of brother to sister. At the time of Cain, there was no other family to which to turn. In verses 17 and 18 we are given the names of the heads of five generations of Cain’s descendants. They are Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methusael, and Lamech. Until we come to Lamech there is nothing said about there being any more members of this family.

(Verses 19 through 24) And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah. By Adah he had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. The descendants of Jabal were nomadic. They lived in tents, and kept cattle, while Jubal’s family were more inclined to make and use musical instruments, such as the harp and the organ. The children of Zillah were a son, Tubalcain, and a daughter Naamah. Nothing is said about what Naamah did; but Tubalcain was an instructor of those who worked with brass and iron. Most of our modern scientists try to tell us that at the time here spoken of man had not learned to make anything of iron. But in a documentary aired a few years ago, a group of scientists claimed to have found a piece of wood that they scientifically determined to be about 5,000 years old, and cut from an oak tree about five feet in diameter. And, according to them, it had to have been cut out with an iron instrument. So much for the arguments of science. Here we have the word of God telling us that in that day there was an instructor that taught men to make things of brass and of iron.

Lamech came to his wives one day and told them, “I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” This seems to indicate that some young man had attacked and wounded him, but he killed the young man. So he said, “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Inasmuch as Cain had no excuse for killing his brother, but if anyone killed him, he was to be avenged sevenfold, surely, since Lamech was only defending himself when he killed the young man, if anyone should kill him, he should be avenged ten times as much as Cain.

(Verses 25 and 26) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: for God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

We are never told anything about any other children Adam and Eve may have had between the birth of Abel and the birth of Seth. However it is apparent that they must have had some. Otherwise how could Cain have had a wife, since Eve was the mother of all living. Nevertheless Seth is the one who is now brought up for discussion, because it is from Seth that all who survived the flood in the days of Noah are counted. There was born to Seth a son whom they named Enos. The last statement of verse 26 is, “Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” This seems a little strange, since in the next chapter we find that this was 235 years after Adam was formed. And, surely, in all that time some had called upon His name. The note in the center column of my Bible gives this alternate translation of that statement, “Then began men to call themselves by the name of the LORD.” If this is the correct translation, it may shed some light upon another question about which many men have done much arguing through the ages. That we shall mention at the proper place.  

(Verses 1 and 2) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

This is the introduction to the genealogy of Adam. He and his wife, (male and female) were made in the likeness of God. As we have previously explained, just as God is a Trinity, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, so is man (male and female) a trinity, body, soul, and spirit. And God “blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day they were created.

(Verses 3 through 8) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: and the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Adam were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the years of  Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

As we previously mentioned, we have no record of any other children born to Adam between the birth of Abel and that of Seth. But , although no length of time is mentioned between the creation of Adam and the birth of Cain and Abel, in view of the command that God gave the man and woman to multiply and replenish the earth, one would think it to have been reasonably short, and yet Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. So, no doubt, other children were born to him during this time, just as they were after Seth’s birth. Yet, since Seth is the one through whom the human succession is counted, he is the only one mentioned. All other lines of descent were terminated by the flood. Since Adam was 130 years of age when Seth was born, and Seth was 105 years old when he begat Enos, this makes the time 235 years from the creation of Adam till the birth of Enos, at which time, depending upon which translation we follow, “Men began the call upon the name of the LORD,” or “Men began to call themselves by the name of the LORD.” The latter translation could very well mean that they began to call themselves “the sons of God.”  We shall mention this again in our discussion of Chapter 6.

(Verses 9 through 20) And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: and Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel; and Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years and begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: and Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

The principal advantage this is to us is that, it and the information given us in the remainder of this Chapter and in Chapter 7, can calculate how long it was from the creation of Adam to the flood, if this is any real advantage to anyone. It also gives us the line of descent from Adam to a man who was blessed with an experience that only one more human being has ever had. He was taken out of this world without having to pass through death, That man is Enoch, the last one mentioned in these verses.

(Verses 21 through 27) And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine tears: and he died.

So far as the genealogy given here is concerned, it seems clear enough to need no comments. But the life of Enoch is another matter. The scriptural testimony is that “he walked with God.” And as a result of his walking with God, God simply took him from the earth, to be with Him in glory. Hebrews 11:5 tells us that he was “translated.” So he did not have to die. The only other person in the history of humanity who was taken out of the world alive was Elijah; and he was carried up in a whirlwind, with Elisha witnessing the event.

(Verses 28 through 32) And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

This brings us to the man who, at the command of God, built the ark, in which he and his family were preserved through the flood. And from whom all humanity has descended. That man was Noah. His father Lamech named him Noah because he believed that this son would be a comfort to humanity for the curse with which God had cursed the ground. He became the man by whom God preserved the human species, and all living creatures of the earth.  

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 4) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth ; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

This brings up a situation that has sparked many arguments among men. The question is, ”Who were these ‘sons of God?’” Some contend that these were the angels that followed Satan in his rebellion against God and were cast out of heaven with him. Nothing that I have ever seen in scripture gives any support for this theory. Since the alternate translation (given in the center column reference of some of our Bibles) for the last statement in Chapter 4 reads, ”Then began men to call themselves by the name of the LORD,” it would seem that the descendants of Seth called themselves “the sons of God.” In verses 16 through 22 of Chapter 4 a genealogy is given of the descendants of Cain; and they may very well have been called “men” in distinction from “the sons of God,” as the descendants of Seth designated themselves. This by no means establishes the matter, but is only suggested as a possibility. It really makes no difference to us, because the flood destroyed all humanity except Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. So all the giants that were in the world in that day mean nothing to us; for they no longer exist. During this time the LORD declared that His Spirit would not always strive with man, since man is also flesh; but man’s days should be one hundred and twenty years. However, He did permit some men to exceed that limit.

(Verses 5 through 8) And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Man had, in the short time he had been on the earth, become so wicked that the LORD declared that He was sorry that He had made man. Most theologians hold that, since with God there is no variableness and no shadow of turning, this could only mean that, in His providential dealings with man, He acted as would one who had become sorry that He had made man, but not that He had actually changed to a sorrowful being.. However I will not get into that question, on either side. There are many scriptures that speak of His being angry; and if He can become angry, why can He not become sorry, or “grieved at His heart?” At any Rate, He determined to destroy man, the land animals, and the fowl of the air. And in all this there was only one man who “found grace in His sight.” That man was Noah.

(Verses 9 through 13) These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

This is the family that would be left after the destruction God had determined to bring upon the earth. Noah was a man who was “perfect in his generations,” that is he was a just man, keeping God’s laws and walking with God. Some might suggest that there is no record that God gave man any laws after Adam was driven out of the garden. But the fact that Enoch and Noah both walked with God, shows that there must have been communication between God and them. And any communication of the will of God to man is a law of God. Noah had three sons born to him, and their names were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Aside from this family all flesh, that is all mankind had turned aside into sin so that the whole earth was corrupted. We sometimes hear people arguing about whether or not every person destroyed in the flood was lost, in the sense of being eternally condemned. I consider this a totally inappropriate question, since the word of God plainly says, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was full of violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. I care not to make excuses for someone about whom all I have any way of knowing is what the word of the LORD tells me, and it only portrays them as so corrupt that He destroyed them for their wickedness.

(Verses 14 through 18) Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish My covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

These are the instructions God gave Noah about how to build the ark. They seem plain enough to need no comments. The LORD also told Noah that He, the LORD, would send a flood of waters upon the earth that would destroy every thing, including man, in which was the breath of life upon earth. But He would establish His covenant with Noah, so that he and his family should come into the ark before the flood, and thus be spared.

(Verses 19 through 22) And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Thus The LORD instructed Noah what to bring into the ark in addition to himself and his family. And Noah followed His commandments.  

(Verses 1 through 6) And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

When the ark was completed, the LORD told Noah to come into the ark, and bring his family with him, because he was the only man in the earth that the LORD had found righteous. He was also to gather into the ark, seven of each kind of clean animals, (animals acceptable for sacrifice,) two of each kind of unclean animals, and seven of each kind of fowls of the air, in order to preserve seed of them in the earth.. The LORD also said that seven days from that time He would cause it to rain upon the earth, and the rain would continue for forty days and forty nights. He said that by this means He would destroy, from the face of the earth, every living substance that He had made. Noah obeyed the commandment of the LORD. And he was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth. Some have argued, and, perhaps, rightly so, that this was the first time it had ever rained upon the earth. The scripture says , Genesis 2:5-6, that at the time of the forming of Adam, “For the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth------. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” However there is nothing more said about this subject. And we do not know whether this system continued, or whether God had set the weather under the manner of operation that has continued to the present time. Some contend that the LORD’S statement in verse 4 of this Chapter, “I will cause it to rain,” signifies that it had never before rained. But the fact remains that He is the One Who, even today, causes it to rain. The argument seems to have little value for us today; for it has rained many times since that incident.

(Verses 7 through 10) And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters were upon the earth.

Here is a prime example of how perfectly the choice of God works. He had chosen to save Noah and his family from the flood. So at His command, Noah built the ark, and when the LORD told him to go into the ark and take also his family. He did so. That all seems so simple that most people would consider it not worthy of remark. But God had also chosen the animals that he would save. This is evidenced by the fact that at the proper time for them to be brought into the ark, “There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.” There was no great rush of all the animals trying to get into the ark; and neither did Noah have to go out and gather them up. Those which God appointed to be saved came at His command, and to the place to which they were appointed.. “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” Whether this means that, seven days after their entering into the ark the rains began, or that in seven days it had rained enough that there was much water of the flood upon the earth, may be debated by some. But inasmuch as he says “the waters of the flood were upon the earth,” I would incline to the latter meaning.

(Verses 11 through 20) In the sixth hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; they, and every beast after his kind, and all cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird after his sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. And the flood was forty days and nights upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

There has never, in all the history of the world, been a rain such as this; nor will there ever be. That the LORD has promised. All of this took place in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life. Even the month and day are given, to wit, the seventeenth day of the second month. The same day in which they all went into the ark, the flood began. It was, by no means, an ordinary rain. “The fountains of the great deep were broken up.” Remember that when God created the firmament which He called heaven, He said that it was to divide the waters above it from the waters on the earth. Now the waters above it, in “the great deep,” or the abyss, were released, and the windows of “heaven” the firmament He had placed for the separation of these waters, were opened, so that these waters could come upon the earth. And this flood lasted for forty days and forty nights without abatement. Sometimes a great storm will come upon the earth today, and we think it covers a great territory, and pours down much water. But when we compare the territory it has covered with a map of the whole world, we find that its coverage is comparatively small, and it is only raining from the clouds that are with it. But this rain was worldwide, and from a much greater source. And it never slacked up during the forty days and nights. This flood continued until the waters were fifteen cubits (approximately twenty-two and one-half feet) above the tops of the mountains. The greatest rains we ever have, although they do sometimes wash away whole communities, and even fairly large towns, never do this. But they are not fed by such a supply of water as was this flood.

(Verses 21 through 24) And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, , and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

This gives us the summary of what was accomplished by this flood. God had said that He would destroy in it everything in the earth that had in its nostrils the breath of life, except those that He saved in the ark. This included, man, beast, cattle, fowls, and creeping things. And when it was over, it had accomplished exactly what He had said He would do with it. The flood continued for forty days and nights with no let up. And the waters of the flood remained upon the earth for one hundred and fifty days. So His purpose was accomplished.  

Chapter 8

(Verses 1 through 5) And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pas over the earth, and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month were the tops of the mountains seen.

After forty days and nights of this rain, and five months of floating around on the waters, the ark was brought to rest upon the “mountains of Ararat.” As concerning most things that the Bible tells us, there has long been discussion about whether the mountain upon which the ark was brought to rest is the same as the one called Mt. Ararat today. And indeed through the ages, many have claimed to have seen. In the area of this mountain, what they firmly believe to be the ruins of the ark. All of this makes us little difference, since, if we cannot believe the word of God without natural evidence to prove it, we don’t have much faith anyway. The important thing about it is that after the waters had sufficiently abated, the ark was brought to rest upon the mountain. And in a little over two months the waters had decreased enough that the tops of the mountains were seen. No doubt, this means not only the peak upon which the ark rested, but also those around the area.

(Verses 6 through 12) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark: and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet another seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

Noah waited forty days after the tops of the mountains were visible, before he made any attempt to find out whether or not the waters had completely dried up. Then he sent out two birds, one a raven, and the other a dove, as scouts to see if they were gone. The raven kept going to and fro until the waters were completely dried up, since its habit is to rest in a tree, on the ground, or upon anything available. But the dove, being a bird that, although it will alight  in a tree, or on some other object, prefers the ground for a place of rest, finding the water still upon the earth, came back to the ark, and Noah took her in. Then Noah waited another seven days, and again sent the dove out. The dove stayed out until evening, and came back with an olive leaf in her mouth. By this Noah knew that the waters were gone. So he waited another seven days for the ground to dry, and sent the dove out again. This time the dove did not come back at all.

(Verses 13 and 14) And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month was the earth dried.

Remember that the starting point of all the counting of time given here is based upon the age of Noah. He was six hundred years old when the flood was brought upon the earth; or rather, it was on the seventeenth day of the second month of his six hundredth year. So in his six hundredth and first year, on the first day of the first month he removed the covering from the ark, and looked out upon a dry earth. According to verse 14, he must have remained yet in the ark until the twenty-seventh day of the second month, and of course, the earth was still dry. So this is the day upon which the earth was officially declared to have been dried.

(Verses 15 through 19) And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

Notice should be taken that Noah remained in the ark almost two months after he knew that the waters were dried up from the earth. And only at the command of the LORD did he cone out, bringing with him his whole family, and all the creatures that were with him in the ark. This should be a good lesson for us. No doubt, with all the animals, birds, creeping things, etc., that were with him and his family in the ark, it must have been rather crowded and uncomfortable; but he waited till the LORD’S command to make any move. We often get in too much of a hurry, even about things that we consider things God would have us do.

(Verses 20 through 22) And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And God smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Noah’s first work, after coming forth from the ark, was to build an altar to the LORD, and offer thereupon an offering unto God. For this offering he took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, that is, he took at least one of each kind. This offering was pleasing to God, and He determined that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done with the flood. Not only so, but as long as the earth remains, “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” These will all come in their proper sequence. I used to hear some say that the Bible says, “The time will come when you cannot tell summer from winter except by the budding and putting forth of the trees.” That saying is definitely NOT in the Bible; and if it were it would be a direct contradiction of what the LORD said in verse 22. Notice that God did not say that He would cancel the curse which He had placed upon the earth for Adam’s sin; but only that He would not “curse the ground any more for man’s sake.” The original curse is still in force.  

Chapter 9

(Verses 1 through 7) And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every  fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

God gave His blessing to Noah and his sons, and told them to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” He also delivered to them the dominion over all living creatures, including not only those in whose nostrils was the breath of life, as He had caused to come into the ark for preservation, but even the fishes of the sea. He promised to put the fear and dread of them upon all these things. Then He told them that just as He had given them the green herb for food, so it now would be with all these living creatures. Previous to this some of the human race may have eaten flesh; but they had not been given the privilege by the LORD. Now He does give them that right. But He also gave them a very strong commandment against eating blood, or eating the flesh with the blood. The blood must be drained out of the flesh before preparing it for food. He declared that in the blood is the life of the living creature; and if one should eat the blood, in which was the life, his blood would God require. It would be required “at the hand” of both man and beast. This is the reason the apostles included the abstention from blood in the letter they wrote “to the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia .” See Acts 15:23—29. This law antedates the whole set of laws given to the Jews by the LORD by hundreds of years, and is binding upon all humanity, not just the descendants of Israel . Then God declares that “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.” Again God told them to be fruitful, and multiply in the earth.

(Verses 8 through 17) And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be in the cloud: and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between  God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

We usually think of a covenant as an agreement between two parties; and it usually specifies things to be done by both parties. But this covenant neither specifies anything to be done, nor any agreement to be made by anyone other than God Himself. He establishes it as a solemn promise that this world and its contents shall never again be destroyed by a flood. This doesn’t mean that no storms or what we call floods will come upon the earth, and destroy some things; but there will never again be one sent that will destroy all flesh as did the one God had just sent upon the world. Although God’s bow in the cloud (the rainbow) is seen by man, and those who know of God’s covenant do remember it when they see the bow, it was not given just for their benefit. Instead God said, “And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Although God never forgets, as do men, He has set His bow in the cloud as His own reminder of His covenant. It is His token of His covenant.

(Verses 18 through 23) And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan . These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan , saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

By the descendants of these three sons of Noah the whole earth was populated. And Noah became a farmer, and planted himself a vineyard. When it produced, he made wine of the grapes, and drank enough of it to get drunk. Then as men often do when drunken, he went to sleep in his tent. As he was lying there uncovered, his son Ham came into his tent, and saw him thus. This, evidently, he had been told not to do. But having seen him thus, he went out and told his brothers, without making any move to cover him. They, putting a garment across their shoulders, and backing up to their father with their faces turned away from him, covered him with the garment, without seeing him as he lay there.

(Verses 24 through 27) And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

There is no explanation given of the reason Ham was not cursed, since he is the one who had committed the wrong. But the curse was pronounced upon his son Canaan , and, seemingly, it was to continue through his generations. Noah pronounced a blessing upon both Shem and Japheth, and gave Canaan to them as a servant.

(Verses 28 and 29) And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years, and all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Certainly this needs no explanation. It simply closes out the record of Noah. From hereon we have to deal only with his descendants.

(Verses 1 through 5) Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. And the sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

There seems to be no need of comment here except that, we might note that the dividing “of the isles of the Gentiles” probably did not take place until the Lord confounded the languages of men at the tower of Babel, as did all the other spreading abroad of the people. Until then they were all of one language, and their purpose was to not be scattered over the earth. That was one of their reasons for attempting to build the tower.

(Verses 6 through 14) And the sons of Ham; Cush , and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan . And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba , and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel , and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar . Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh , and the city Rehoboth, and Calah ; and Resen between Nineveh and Calah : the same is a great city. And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

This gives us, as far as it goes, a list of the descendants of Ham. Nothing special is mentioned about the accomplishments of any of them except Nimrod and Asshur. “Nimrod began to be a mighty hunter before the LORD.” So far as I can find in scripture, nothing is ever said to tell us what kind of game Nimrod hunted. But it is commonly believed that he was a hunter of (and a killer of) men. He also built up a kingdom for himself, and the cities thereof are listed as Babel , Erech, Accad, and Calneh, all in the land of Shinar . And from that kingdom went forth Asshur, and built the cities, Nineveh , Rehoboth, Calah , and Resen. Of all the rest of Ham’s descendants only the names are given.

(Verses 15 through 20) And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Gergasite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite, and afterwards were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon , as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza ; as thou goest unto Sodom , and Gomorrah , and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. These were the sons of Ham, and their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

The principal information we get from this text is that all the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham made up the tribes of Canaanites that gave the Israelites so much trouble, after the LORD led them to the land of Canaan . These are the nations that were driven out by the LORD that He might give Israel the land He had promised to Abraham. It seems a little strange that after listing Sidon and Heth, no more of the sons of Canaan are listed. Instead their descendants are listed, “the Jebusite, and the Amorite,” etc,. When we come to some of the later historical writings, we shall  find many, if not all these “Ites” listed again, with, perhaps, more information concerning them.

(Verses 21 through 32) Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. The children of Shem; Elam , and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram . And the children of Aram ; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad begat Salah, ; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, and Obal, and Abimael, and Shebah, and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. These are the sons of  Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Thus, in this chapter we have the alignment of the nations and tribes when they were scattered over the earth. However, as we shall see in the next chapter, this scattering over the earth did not take place until after their attempt to build the tower of Babel . One man mentioned in this chapter is said to have been given his name, Peleg, because “in his days was the earth divided.” Whether this means that it was in his days that the continents were separated, or that men were divided, we do not know. However, it certainly is not impossible that both were accomplished at the same time.

(Verses 1 through 4) And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar ; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Although to Adam, and again, to the sons of Noah, God had given the command to “multiply and replenish the earth,” the people were very reluctant to spread over the earth. They remained together, as they journeyed from the east. As they traveled, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar . And there they stopped, and decided to make a name for themselves, and build a monument unto themselves that would prevent their being scattered upon the face of the earth. This plain was in the land that today is called, Iraq ; and its location was at what has been called, Babylon . Notice should be taken of the fact that they were not going to use stone a product natural to the earth, which God had made. Instead they were going to use a man made product, brick. This might well be a type of man’s effort to obtain salvation by his works. And it certainly does him the same amount of good; for although their purpose, as they expressed it was, “Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth,” God brought it to nothing, just as He has always done for every effort of man to gain salvation by his own works. They were only seeking to save themselves from what they considered a natural calamity, and could not accomplish that; how then can man gain eternal life by his own works?

(Verses 5 through 9) And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel ; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Thus the LORD put a stop to their building of the city and the tower, by giving different languages to various ones of the multitude, so that they could no longer understand one another, and He scattered them abroad over the earth , the very thing they were bent on avoiding. Regardless of the efforts of man, God’s will shall be done The name of this city was called Babel , which means Confusion, because of the confusion of languages that God placed upon them. Later men changed its name to Babylon . Some have claimed that God did not even let these men get started to building this tower, but there are many who claim that some ruins of that tower are still extant today.

(Verses 10 through 26) These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: and Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah; and Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: and Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu. And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat  sons and daughters. And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Nahor lived nine ant twenty years, and begat Terah: and Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Thus we have the record of one line of Shem’s descendants, down to Abram, later to be called Abraham. At this point we will leave the genealogies of the other families of the earth, and follow the history of Abram and his descendants.

(Verses 27 through 32) Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran ; and Haran begat Lot . And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: and the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran , the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai  his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan ; and they came into Haran , and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran .

This brings us down to the point where the principal story of Abram (Abraham) begins. Abram’s brother Haran died in Ur of the Chaldees, the land of their nativity, after having a son, Lot , born to him. Then Abram and his brother Nahor both married. Abram’s wife’s name was Sarai, and as we shall later find, she was his half sister, being the daughter of Terah, but not of the same mother as was Abram. Nahor married Milcah a daughter of Haran . Sarai was barren, so she and Abram had no children. But nothing is here said about whether or not Milcah had children. Later we shall find that she did at a later date. At this point Abram’s father took Abram, Nahor, Lot, and the wives of Abram and Nahor, and left Ur of the Chaldees, to go to the land of Canaan . They got as far as Haran , a town where they decided to dwell, and did until the death of Terah. Whether this town of Haran already existed, or whether it is one that they built and named Haran in honor of Terah’s son Haran who had died in Ur , we are not told. They did not leave from there until after Terah’s death. To this point nothing has been said about the LORD’S calling Abram to go into the land that He would show him.

Now the LORD had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

We sometimes hear it said that God called Abram while he was in Ur of the Chaldees, told him to leave the land of his nativity, and follow Him to the land that He would show him. Apparently they never read Genesis 11:27 through Genesis !2:3. According to this account, the movement from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran was the idea of Abram’s father Terah, and, since He was the head of the family at that time, the whole responsibility was his. After his death, the LORD called Abram, told him what to do, and gave to him the wonderful promises herein recorded. We might add that in the history of the world the promise, “I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee,” has been often fulfilled. Every nation that has shown kindness to the Jew has been blessed of God, and every one that has abused the Jew has been cursed. And take notice that the promise, “And in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” is a prophecy of the coming of Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Verses 4 and 5) So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran . And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran ; and they went forth to go forth into the land of Canaan ; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Here we find that Abram did just as the LORD commanded him. The expression, “and Lot went with him,” seems to indicate not that Abram put any pressure on Lot to go with him, but that Lot voluntarily went with him. And who, having a nephew whose, father was dead, and wanted to go with him, would refuse. To me this seems to negate any blame that some seem to want to lay upon Abram for not “getting out from his kindred,” as is literally said in the command in verse 1. Evidently Abram, and perhaps, Lot also, had gotten many servants, and had accumulated some wealth while in Haran . Abram, Sarai, and Lot, taking all of these things with them, left Haran , and went into the land of Canaan .

(Verses 6 through 9) And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the land of Moreh . And the Canaanite was in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, Who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

When Abram had reached Sichem, the LORD appeared to him, and made to him a promise, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Notice should be taken that this is an additional promise to those already given to Abram. In verse 1, God had only said, “A land that I will shew thee.” Here He says, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” So that land belongs to the Jews, not by right of conquest, but by the gift of God. Abram there built an altar unto the LORD. At this time, the Canaanites were already in the land. But God gave the land to the seed of Abram, the Jews. Abram left Sichem, and went to a place between Beth-el and Hai. There he pitched his tent, and built another altar unto the LORD, and called upon Him. No doubt, though nothing is said about it, he offered sacrifice to the LORD. After leaving this place, he continued on southward.

(Verses 10 through 13) And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they shall kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

 We are not told what triggered the famine, whether a drought, a locust invasion, or some other cause altogether, but such was not altogether uncommon in that area. When Abram began to feel the pinch of the famine, he decided to go down into Egypt for a while. But, fearing that the Egyptians would kill him and take his wife, he instructed her to tell anyone who might ask, that she was his sister. Then, because of their kinship, the Egyptians would let him live. This may seem to us to be somewhat dishonest. But Abram was afraid, and, perhaps, his faith wavered a little. So this was his plan.

(Verses 14 through 20) And it came to pass when Abram was come into Egypt , the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why sadist thou, She is my sister? So I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Abram’s and Sarai’s deception of the Egyptians worked well for them initially, but the LORD sent plagues upon the Egyptians, and revealed to them that Sarai was actually Abram’s wife. And this made Pharaoh very angry; but he was afraid to do any harm to Abram because of the situation. So he and his men sent Abram and Sarai away with all that belonged to them, apparently including all Pharaoh had given Abram at the first.

(Verses 1 through 4) And Abram went up out of Egypt , he, and his wife, with all that they had, and Lot with them, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

There seems to be little in this that needs any explanation. It is a very short account of the journey of Abram from Egypt back to the place where he had previously pitched his tent, and built an altar unto the LORD, between Beth-el and Hai. Apparently this journey was uneventful. But Abram, when he had reached this place, again called on the name of the LORD, probably with sacrifices, for that was the usual manner of calling upon the LORD.

(Verses 5 through 9) And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot ’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot , Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

This is the first disagreement mentioned between any of Abram’s servants and those of Lot . At the first sign of trouble Abram recognizes the fact that both he and Lot have so many servants, cattle, etc., that it will be much better for them to separate as friends than to continue to try to dwell together, and have strife between their servants, and let it escalate to the point of being strife between them. So He presents to Lot the choice of which direction he will go, whether to the right, or to the left. And whichever way he goes, Abram will go the other. Would it not be wonderful if all men would use this manner of settling their disputes?

(Verses 10 through 13) And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan , and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom . But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Lot was as many of us are today. He was ambitious, and when he saw how well suitable the plains country was for raising cattle, He chose all the plain of Jordan, and moved his substance there, and there he dwelt. The expression, “and pitched his tent toward Sodom ,” seems to indicate that he gradually moved closer to Sodom . “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD,” may have been inserted at this point to indicate that either they would not allow Lot to approach too closely to them, or that he was repulsed by their wickedness. But be that as it may, we later find him dwelling in Sodom . And Abram remained in the land of Canaan .

(Verses 14 through 18) And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron , and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Notice that in all the time Lot was with Abram, after they left their first encampment at Sichem, the LORD had made no further promises to Abram. Now after Lot left him, the LORD renews His promise to Abram, telling him that not only will He give him this land, but that it will also be given to his seed for ever. This is the very promise upon which the Jews today base their ownership of the whole land of Canaan , not just that part which the UN wants them to have, but the whole land. This, the LORD promised them in perpetuity, not just temporarily. After God made this renewed promise to him, Abram followed the command of the LORD, and removed his tent to the plain of Mamre, thus beginning his journey throughout the land. At Mamre he built another altar unto the LORD.

(Verses 1 through 7) And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Barsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Sidim, which is the salt sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mount Seir , unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

Reading all these names may seem a little tedious, but the gist of the whole matter seems to be that four kings joined together to put down a rebellion raised by five other kings who had, for twelve years been tributary to them. Then we are given a short summary of the conquests of these four before they actually joined battle with the five they had started out to subdue. This sets the scene for the battle.

(Verses 8 through 12) And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Sidim; with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against five. And the vale of Sidim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah , and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom , and his goods, and departed.

We are given no details of the battle. But, apparently it was short, and the four kings were successful in putting an end to the rebellion. So, as conquerors were accustomed to do, they took all the spoils of war, including Lot and all that he had; for, at this time, he had already moved into Sodom , and taken up residence.

(Verses 13 through 16) And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus . And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot , and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

One man escaped from the battle of the kings, and carried the news of its outcome to Abram, who, when he heard that his nephew (”brother”) Lot had been taken captive, took his own “army,” three hundred and eighteen of his trained servants, and went after the kings. We do not know how large an army the kings had, and three hundred and eighteen seems a very small number to go against the army of four kings. But we have to remember that the greatest Warrior of all was on the side of Abram. That Warrior is the LORD. With His help, and by striking the kings unexpectedly, Abram was successful. He put the kings and their army to flight, and pursued them all the way to Hobah. He, apparently, made no effort to capture them. But he did take all their captives, including Lot, from them, as well as all the plunder they had taken from Sodom .

(Verses 17 through 20) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh , which is the king’s dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, Which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The king of Sodom came out to honor Abram for overcoming the enemies that he and his associates had not been able to stand up to. But he is not the most important person here; and neither is Abram, although he has been blessed of God to have a great victory. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high GOD.” This is a man about whom there has been much arguing. Some of the Jews claim that he is Shem, or “the same as Shem,” if that makes a difference. Some men today claim that he was not a real mortal man, but a Theophany, an appearance of God in the flesh. Others maintain that he was a mortal man who was king of a city called Salem (“Peace.”) Perhaps one thing that gives rise to some of the argument is Hebrews 7:2-3. “To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Those who consider him a Theophany take the expression, “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life,” literally, and thus it would tend to support their claim. Those who hold that he was a mortal man, take this to mean that in the office of King of righteousness, King of peace, and priest of the most high God, there was none before him, and none after him, and  there is no record of either his birth or his death, and yet he is a mortal man who was at that time a king of the city of Salem. The name, Melchizedek, means King of righteousness, and Salem means Peace, Whatever arguments men may raise concerning him, he was a unique man for the era in which  he lived. He was not A priest, but The priest, of the most high God. Yet nothing is said about his making any burnt offerings unto God, which was the common practice, starting with Abel, and mentioned again with Noah. These burnt offerings were types of the great sacrifice that was to come, the offering of our Lord Jesus on the cross. Instead of these, he brought forth bread and wine, the types of a finished offering, the Bread of life which is the flesh of our Lord Jesus, which was crucified for us, and His blood, without which there is no remission of sin. Melchizedek pronounced a blessing from the Most high God upon Abram, and he also said, “Blessed (Praised) be the Most high God, Which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And Abram gave to Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he had taken from the kings. We find no more said of Melchizedek at this time.

(Verses 21 through 24) And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the Most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Here we see that the men mentioned in verse 13 as confederate with Abram must have gone with him to the battle against the kings. Although the king of Sodom told Abram to just give him the persons he had recovered, and keep all the spoils for himself, Abram did not trust him, and replied that he had already sworn to the Most high God that he would take nothing for himself. All that he would take was that which his young men had eaten, and the portion earned by the three men who had gone with him. They were to take their portion. Thus the king of Sodom could not claim that he had made Abram rich.

(Verses 1 through 7) And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Barsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Sidim, which is the salt sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mount Seir , unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

Reading all these names may seem a little tedious, but the gist of the whole matter seems to be that four kings joined together to put down a rebellion raised by five other kings who had, for twelve years been tributary to them. Then we are given a short summary of the conquests of these four before they actually joined battle with the five they had started out to subdue. This sets the scene for the battle.

(Verses 8 through 12) And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Sidim; with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against five. And the vale of Sidim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah , and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom , and his goods, and departed.

We are given no details of the battle. But, apparently it was short, and the four kings were successful in putting an end to the rebellion. So, as conquerors were accustomed to do, they took all the spoils of war, including Lot and all that he had; for, at this time, he had already moved into Sodom , and taken up residence.

(Verses 13 through 16) And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus . And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot , and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

One man escaped from the battle of the kings, and carried the news of its outcome to Abram, who, when he heard that his nephew (”brother”) Lot had been taken captive, took his own “army,” three hundred and eighteen of his trained servants, and went after the kings. We do not know how large an army the kings had, and three hundred and eighteen seems a very small number to go against the army of four kings. But we have to remember that the greatest Warrior of all was on the side of Abram. That Warrior is the LORD. With His help, and by striking the kings unexpectedly, Abram was successful. He put the kings and their army to flight, and pursued them all the way to Hobah. He, apparently, made no effort to capture them. But he did take all their captives, including Lot, from them, as well as all the plunder they had taken from Sodom .

(Verses 17 through 20) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh , which is the king’s dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, Which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The king of Sodom came out to honor Abram for overcoming the enemies that he and his associates had not been able to stand up to. But he is not the most important person here; and neither is Abram, although he has been blessed of God to have a great victory. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high GOD.” This is a man about whom there has been much arguing. Some of the Jews claim that he is Shem, or “the same as Shem,” if that makes a difference. Some men today claim that he was not a real mortal man, but a Theophany, an appearance of God in the flesh. Others maintain that he was a mortal man who was king of a city called Salem (“Peace.”) Perhaps one thing that gives rise to some of the argument is Hebrews 7:2-3. “To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Those who consider him a Theophany take the expression, “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life,” literally, and thus it would tend to support their claim. Those who hold that he was a mortal man, take this to mean that in the office of King of righteousness, King of peace, and priest of the most high God, there was none before him, and none after him, and  there is no record of either his birth or his death, and yet he is a mortal man who was at that time a king of the city of Salem. The name, Melchizedek, means King of righteousness, and Salem means Peace, Whatever arguments men may raise concerning him, he was a unique man for the era in which  he lived. He was not A priest, but The priest, of the most high God. Yet nothing is said about his making any burnt offerings unto God, which was the common practice, starting with Abel, and mentioned again with Noah. These burnt offerings were types of the great sacrifice that was to come, the offering of our Lord Jesus on the cross. Instead of these, he brought forth bread and wine, the types of a finished offering, the Bread of life which is the flesh of our Lord Jesus, which was crucified for us, and His blood, without which there is no remission of sin. Melchizedek pronounced a blessing from the Most high God upon Abram, and he also said, “Blessed (Praised) be the Most high God, Which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And Abram gave to Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he had taken from the kings. We find no more said of Melchizedek at this time.

(Verses 21 through 24) And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the Most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Here we see that the men mentioned in verse 13 as confederate with Abram must have gone with him to the battle against the kings. Although the king of Sodom told Abram to just give him the persons he had recovered, and keep all the spoils for himself, Abram did not trust him, and replied that he had already sworn to the Most high God that he would take nothing for himself. All that he would take was that which his young men had eaten, and the portion earned by the three men who had gone with him. They were to take their portion. Thus the king of Sodom could not claim that he had made Abram rich.

Chapter 16

(Verses 1 through 3) Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan , and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Although in, the last chapter, the LORD had told Abram that one born of him would be his heir, He did not, at that time, tell him that this heir would also be the offspring of Sarai. So, seemingly, Sarai got a little anxious about the matter, and told Abram that since she had not borne him any children, maybe, they could help the LORD bring His promise into being, by Abram’s taking her maidservant Hagar to be his wife also. Since Hagar was her slave, any child born to her could be claimed by Sarai. So Abram agreed; and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife.

(Verses 4 through 6) And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do unto her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

When Abram and Hagar came together, Hagar conceived. And when she realized that she had conceived, she looked down on Sarai. This is hardly a strange result of such; because in that day, a barren woman was considered almost a disgrace. Therefore when Hagar realized that she had conceived, she felt that she was better than her mistress Sarai. So Sarai, seeing this, tries to lay the fault upon Abram. Certainly it was partly his fault; but she was the one who initiated it: so at least a part of the blame was hers. But Abram reminded her that Hagar was her slave, and told her to do what she pleased to her. Whereupon Sarai began to treat her harshly, and Hagar ran away.

(Verses 7 through 14) And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And He said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself to her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, Thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And He will be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

When Hagar ran away, the angel of the LORD found her at a fountain of water in the wilderness. He asked her from whence she came, and whither she was going. When she told him that she fled from the face of her mistress Sarai, He told her to return to her mistress, and be subject to her. Then he told her that she would bring forth a son, and that his name would be Ishmael. The meaning of this name is, “he will hear God.” The reason for this name is that “the LORD hath heard thy affliction. Then he also gave her a prophecy concerning both him and his descendants, “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” As anyone who looks can see, this describes his people even today. So Hagar called the name of the LORD Who spoke to her, “Thou God seest me.” the well, or fountain, was also called Beerlahairoi, which means “the well of Him that liveth and seeth me.” It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

(Verses 15 and !6) And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to him.

 Certainly these two verses need no explanation.

Chapter 17

(Verses 1 through 8) 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. And I will make My covenant between Me and  thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for Me, behold My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 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. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 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. 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.

According to the definitions give in Cruden’s Concordance, Abram means, “a high father, or father of a multitude;” and Abraham means, “father of a multitude.” Perhaps, there is another meaning also to the name Abraham, as signified by the statement of the LORD as he was talking to Abraham. He said, “For a father of many nations have I made thee.” To be a father of a multitude might mean that the whole multitude is of one nation, while to be a father of many nations would mean that the multitude of which he is the father are not all of the same people. When we look at his natural descendants we find this to be true. The Jews claim him as their father; and so also do the many nations of the Arabs. And in a spiritual sense, he is the father of all who believe in our Lord Jesus, and follow after the faith of Abraham. Notice that the LORD establishes His covenant, not only with Abraham, but also with his descendants after him for an everlasting covenant. That covenant was that He would give to Abraham and his seed, after him, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and that He would be their God. This covenant is often interpreted in two ways; and, no doubt, both are purposed of God. The natural import of it is that God has promised that He will take care of the Jews, and that, although they have been driven out of that land because of their iniquities, He will finally restore them to the land. The spiritual import thereof is that all, of every nation, to whom are given the faith of Abraham, that is all who are made to believe in Christ Jesus our Lord shall be saved, and He will raise them up in the last day, the day of the resurrection of the righteous. See John 6:40. And one side of the covenant is just as sure as the other. Neither can fail.

(Verses 9 through 14) And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be for a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money from any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.

This is clearly concerning the natural fulfilling of this covenant of the LORD between Himself and Abraham and his descendants, inasmuch as this circumcision was to be done in the flesh. And it was to be done in all their generations that they should have in their flesh the token of this covenant. The Apostle Paul tells us that this circumcision is of no value to the Christian. The only circumcision that is worth anything to him is the circumcision of the heart, which is done only by the Holy Spirit, and man has nothing to do with obtaining that. It is done according to the purpose of God, without the works of man being involved. But for the Jews according to the flesh, this is something that must be done for every male child. For one who is not circumcised, “That soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.”

(Verses 15 through 19) And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 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. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah that is ninety years old bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee! 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.

We turn again to the meanings given for names. Accordingly, Sarai means “my princess,” and Sarah means “princess,” without the possessive pronoun before it, which evidently is the reason for the changing of names. Since Sarai was barren, she was a princess only to her husband, but as a woman from whom would come nations of people, she would be a princess to all. So the LORD promised Abraham that Sarah would bear him a son. Abraham must have for a moment had a lapse of faith, for he fell on his face, and laughed, and questioned the possibility of such a promise being fulfilled. Then he said, “O that Ishmael might live before Thee!” But the LORD told him that what He had said about Sarah was indeed going to be fulfilled; that she would bear him a son, and he would call his name Isaac (laughter, or he will laugh;) and that He would establish His covenant with him and his seed after him. In Galatians 4:21-31 the Apostle Paul gives us a very clear discussion of this situation, so far as the spiritual side of it is concerned. But remember that it also has its natural application to the Jews.

(Verses 20 through 22) 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. But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

The LORD told Abraham that he would answer part of his prayer for Ishmael; but only that He had blessed him, and would make him fruitful, and multiply him greatly. In fact, he would be the father of twelve princes. But He would not establish His covenant with him: it would be with Isaac, the son that Sarah would bear “at this set time in the next year.” This was all that the LORD said to Abraham at this time. “And God went up from Abraham.”

(Verses 23 through 27) And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house: and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

This tells us that Abraham followed the LORD’S command, and he, his son Ishmael, and all the males of his household, those who were homeborn and those bought from strangers, were circumcised the same day. Abraham was ninety- nine years of age at this time, so Ishmael was thirteen years old. The difference today between the circumcision of the Jews and that of the Arabians is that the Jews circumcise babies at eight days of age, and the Arabians wait until the age of thirteen years.

Chapter 18

(Verses 1 through 8) And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day: and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away from thy servant: let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hastened to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them under the tree, and they did eat.

Certainly this account is clear enough that no comment is needed to clarify it. It only tells us that Abraham was a very hospitable man. And when he saw potential guests approaching, he welcomed them, prepared food for them, and invited them to partake of it. He also had water brought for them to wash their feet, and refresh themselves. No doubt, it was quite a treat to him to have visitors come by. So he prepared to serve them in the best way possible. This is the first time we find anything in the scriptures concerning the custom of the host’s providing water for the guests to wash their feet. Although their feet were dusty from their walking in sandals along the dusty paths they had to travel, it was not for the cleaning of the feet that the water was provided, but for the refreshing it would provide in cooling the tired feet, and making the guests rest more comfortably. We might add that this custom was practiced, at least until the time of our Lord Jesus. But it is not the reason, as some claim, for His washing the disciples’ feet at the last supper. Notice that according to this custom, water was provided at the arrival of the guests, not at the end of the meal. The host only provided the water, and the guest washed his own feet. But when our Lord washed the feet of His disciples, the act was done after the meal, and He both provided the water, and washed their feet. So He could not have been following the custom, as some try to tell us He was. Evidently there was a seat of some sort in the shade of a tree near Abraham’s tent; for he invited his guests to rest “under the tree,” that is, in its shade. When he had set before them the food that had been prepared, he stood by them while they ate.

(Verses 9 through 15) And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And He said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind Him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And He said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

It seems, from verse 9 that the men whom Abraham was entertaining were the ones who inquired where Sarah was. But when verse 10 says, “And He said, “ we can be sure that it is the LORD who declared that  Sarah would bear a son to Abraham. She could not believe it; and she laughed within herself at what she regarded as such a ridiculous saying. She could not believe such a thing. But the LORD knew that she had laughed in disbelief. So He asked the question, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Then He repeated His promise, that she should, indeed, bear a son. Then Sarah denied that she had laughed. But the LORD knows all things; and He rebuked her by saying, “Nay, but thou didst laugh.” This clearly shows us that we cannot hide anything from the LORD.

(Verses 16 through 22) And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom : and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom : but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

This may seem a little strange, since there has been no mention of Abraham’s seeing anyone other than the two men; but all along the LORD is the One Who has been doing most of the speaking: and now, as the two men leave Abraham is still standing before the LORD. God did not openly show Himself to men, even in Abraham’s day. Remember that in Chapter 15, when Abraham prepared, at God’s command, the sacrifice of confirmation for the covenant that the LORD made between Himself and Abraham, Abraham was not permitted to see God. Only after a deep sleep had fallen upon Abraham, did the smoking furnace and the burning lamp which were the representation of the LORD appear, and pass between the pieces of the sacrifice. So here the two men, who were the representatives of the LORD, were seen; but the LORD, nevertheless, was there. Abraham had, as a courtesy to the men whom he had entertained, gone with them a little way on their journey toward Sodom . Now they have gone on, but he is still standing in the presence of the LORD. Because of His love for Abraham, and because His blessing to all the nations of the earth is to be through Abraham and his seed, He tells him that He has purposed that because of the wickedness of the men of Sodom, He is going to destroy the city.

(Verses 23 through 33) And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee: Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find fifty righteous within the city, then will I spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And He said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto Him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto Him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went His way, as soon as He left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned to his own place.

Abraham was, no doubt, greatly concerned over the safety of his nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom . For this reason he began to plead with the LORD to spare the city of Sodom for the sake of the righteous that might be there. I sometimes think that one of God’s purposes in having this scene recorded might be to indicate to us that He will not bring destruction upon this world as long as a comparative number of righteous can be found therein. And, certainly, as we follow the story to its conclusion, it assures us that He will not bring judgment upon the world until all of His children are in a place of safety. Abraham began with fifty righteous; and the LORD agreed that if fifty righteous were found in the city, He would spare the whole city for their sakes. And He agreed that he would spare the city for each number that Abraham named, even down to ten righteous in the whole city. For them He would spare the whole city. This shows us the preserving quality of righteousness in the world. Jesus told His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” We do not know the population of Sodom at that time; but it is spoken of as “a great city.” Yet, if the LORD found ten righteous in it, He promised to spare the whole city. We find, as we continue the story, that there were fewer than half that number: and, yet, until they were in a place of safety the city could not be destroyed. In verse 22 of Chapter 19 we shall find the destroying angel saying to them ,”Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.”

Chapter 19

(Verses 1 through 3) And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and bowed himself with his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will tarry in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

We should remember that the word, “angel,” literally means messenger, instead of always signifying a celestial creature with wings, as most of us visualize when we hear or see the word. Surely these were celestial beings, and in that respect were the angels of the LORD, with powers to do whatever they were commissioned to do for Him. Yet, so were the men that had come to Abraham. No doubt these angels were also in human form; for Lot received them as men who were just passing through, just as Abraham had received the three men who came to him. Whether these were the same ones who had come to Abraham, or not, is not ours to inquire, for nothing is said to that effect. Lot , being a righteous man and thus hospitable to strangers, had taken his seat in the gate of the city for the very purpose of welcoming travelers. So when these two came into the city, he was there to welcome them. And he invited them to come to his house to spend the night. This they refused to do at first, declaring that they would spend the night in the streets. So Lot insisted, and finally persuaded them to come with him. He provided a feast for them, and even baked unleavened bread for them; and they ate what he had provided.

(Verses 4 through 9) But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom , compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: and they called upon Lot , and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye unto them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing: for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot , and came near to break the door. 

How quickly the word got around over the city! Before bedtime, all the men of Sodom, both old and young, had made their way to Lot’s house, and were demanding that he bring out his guests, that they, the men of Sodom might have homosexual intercourse with them. Thus they showed their wickedness by their demands. Lot , in an effort to quiet them down went out to speak to them, and closed the door behind him. He even made to them a proposition that we today think was a terribly bad one. However, in that day, women, whether wives, or daughters, were considered more as possessions, than as we think of our wives and daughters today. They were considered as little, if any, above slaves. So to protect his guests, which was considered a sacred obligation, Lot offered to bring out his two virgin daughters to these men for them to do as they pleased with. This only angered the wicked men of Sodom even more. They accused him, whom they had permitted to come into the city to sojourn, (They did not even consider him as a citizen of the city.) of trying to take over the office of a judge over them. And they threatened to do worse to him, than to the strangers. They even began to attack him, and almost broke down the door, to which Lot had evidently retreated.

(Verses 10 and 11) But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door. And they smote the men that were at the door with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

This is the first demonstration of the supernatural power of Lot ’s guests. They reached forth from the door, pulled Lot back to safety, and shut the door. Then they caused blindness to all those outside, so that they could not even find the door. Their searching vainly for it finally wore down the men so that they evidently went back to their own places, and left Lot ’s house alone.

(Verses 12 through 14) And the men said unto Lot , Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD: and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which had married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

After having saved Lot from the wrath of his neighbors, the men told him to take whatever he had in the city, including his sons, sons in law, and daughters, and get out of the city, because the LORD had sent them to destroy it, and that they were going to do. So Lot went out to see his sons in law, and tell them what was to take place, and warn them to leave. But they could not believe him. Apparently, he had no sons, for none are mentioned. So the only ones over whom Lot had any influence were his wife and his two daughters who were still in his house. Although the LORD had agreed to spare the city if ten righteous were found therein, less than half that number were there.

(Verses 15 and 16) And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot , saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

The angels waited until morning, possibly, to give Lot time to try to persuade others to go with them. But none was willing to leave Sodom , and go with them. So, when morning came. The angels became very insistent that Lot take his wife and his two daughters who were with him, and leave the city lest they also be destroyed in the destruction of the city. Even then Lot seemed to be reluctant to go. So the angels took him, his wife, and his daughters, by their hands and led them outside the city, since the LORD was merciful to them, and spared them from destruction. We may try to find much fault with Lot for his reluctance to leave Sodom . But do we not also have difficulty leaving our loved ones when they are engaged in things that we know are not right. We may think that if we could spend a little more time with them we could persuade them to leave what they are doing, and go with us. But here we have seen how futile that can be. And even sometimes the LORD must Himself deliver us from such, or we also would be consumed.

(Verses 17 through 22) And it came to pass, when they brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

When the angels had brought Lot, his wife, and his daughters out of Sodom, one of them said to Lot, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape thou to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Since God’s angels do and speak only that which the LORD has commissioned them to do and speak, this is the word of the LORD. Yet Lot , though a righteous man, was afraid to do what the angel told him to do. So he began to complain. He said, “Oh, not so, my Lord: behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy , which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” Just as we often think when the LORD sets a task before us, Lot thought he knew a better way than that which the LORD had set before him. As we shall later see, he finally does what the LORD at first told him by the angel; but it was not at the time the Lord told him to do it; and it brought serious consequences. Now the angel of the LORD tells him, “See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.” So the LORD allowed Lot to go to the little city he had chosen instead of fleeing to the mountains. Verse 22 sets up a principle that is again evidenced in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. ( 2 Thess. 1:7—10) “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the LORD, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” Thus, until all his saints are in a place of safety, He will not bring judgment upon the wicked. The little city to which Lot fled was called Zoar, which according to CRUDEN’S CONCORDANCE, means “smallness.”

(Verses 23 through 25) The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

As always, true to His word, the LORD waited until Lot had entered into Zoar before He rained down the destruction upon Sodom , Gomorrah , and all the plain in which they were built. This destruction included even the people and all the vegetation of the area. It is thought by many that The Dead Sea now covers most of what was the plain in which Sodom and Gomorrah were located.

(Verse 26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Until some three or four hundred years ago, it was not uncommon for some one who had traveled in that area to report that he had actually seen this pillar of salt. And even far more recently some have made this claim. Whether or not their claims be true is of little consequence. In the nearly five thousand years since this incident, a pillar of salt may have completely weathered away. I firmly believe that it was there; for God’s word declares it. And that is enough for me.

(Verses 27 and 28) And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah , and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

No doubt Abraham was concerned about Lot and his family. So early that morning he went up to the place where he had stood before the Lord. as the LORD told him of the upcoming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . What he saw was, no doubt, a dreadful sight to him. Surely he had heard nothing from Lot, and could not know, unless the LORD had revealed it to him, that Lot had been delivered from the destruction. And now he saw the smoke of that whole country going up as the smoke of a furnace.

(Verse 29) And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

This passage is, no doubt, clear without comment. But one thing appears, of which we should take notice. Nothing is said about God’s remembering Lot . He “remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” He had promised Abraham, “In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Certainly, this is a promise of the spiritual blessings in the Christ for all the nations on the earth; but it also carries with it natural blessings also. This is one of them. It was for Abraham’s sake that Lot was delivered from Sodom .

(Verses 30 through 38) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters . And the firstborn said unto the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab : the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

After having obtained permission from God to go to the little city of Zoar , Lot went there, but he became afraid to stay there. So then he left Zoar, and went to the mountain, where God had told him to go at the beginning. There he and his daughters dwelt in a cave. Then his daughters, being afraid that they three were the only people left in the world, planned, and executed their plan to become pregnant by him, as they thought, to preserve the human race. There is no need to quote the account given of this operation; but as the result of it, they each bore a son. Moab was the name given to the son of the older daughter; and from him the Moabites descended. The son of the younger daughter was named Benammi; and his posterity are known as the children of Ammon, or sometimes, the Ammonites.”

Chapter 20

(Verses 1 through 7) And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of  Gerar sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said unto him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Though he was a prophet of God, Abraham was not perfect. And again he used the same deception he had formerly used in Egypt , thinking that it would protect him in a dangerous situation. However his protection, instead of being because of his deception, was in spite of it. It was the LORD Who did protect him. So far as the incident here recorded is concerned, there is little need of comment, except to say that, it was not unusual in that day for someone, especially a king, to have a man killed in order that he might take the man’s wife. We have already seen, from Genesis 12:11, that Sarah was a beautiful woman. We also see that Abimelech desired Sarah, and that he took her with the intention of making her his wife. But he did not have Abraham killed, because be thought Abraham was her brother, and not her husband. But the LORD intervened on Abraham’s behalf.

(Verses 8 through 13) Therefore Abimelech rose up early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me: at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

We do not know whether or not Abimelech believed in God before this incident: but one thing is certain; God got his attention. Abimelech let no time pass, but called together all his servants the next morning, and told them all that the LORD had said to him in the dream, at which message they were all very much afraid. Then he called for Abraham, and rebuked him for the deception he had put upon him. Abraham gave as his excuse, that he did not think that the fear of God was even in that place, and he was afraid that they would kill him to get his wife, if they knew that she was his wife. Then he also told Abimelech that Sarah was indeed his half-sister, being the daughter of his father, but not of his mother. Today we would consider this an incestuous relationship; but it was not so considered in that day. Of course, if we look back to the time of Adam and Eve, we see that marriage had to be between brother and sister; for there were no other human beings in the world.

(Verses 14 through 16) And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

Abimelech gave unto Abraham a royal present, not because Abraham had deceived him, but because God had told him that Abraham was a prophet, and that upon the prayer of Abraham for him, He would spare him from the death He had pronounced upon him for taking Sarah into his house. Then Abimelech gave to Sarah a proper reproof for her complicity in the deception they laid upon him. He gave Abraham permission to dwell anywhere in his land that he might choose.

(Verses 17 and 18) So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Thus the LORD fulfilled His promise that He made to Abimelech. Abraham prayed for him, and the LORD healed him, and all his household.

Chapter 21

(Verses 1 through 8) And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare unto him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said. God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

This is a very straightforward account of the fact that God fulfilled his promise to Abraham by causing Sarah to bear a son. They called his name Isaac, just as had been predicted. When he was eight days old, they circumcised him, according to the commandment of God; and when he became old enough to be weaned, they weaned him, and at that time Abraham made a great feast to celebrate the occasion.

(Verses 9 through 11)And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

As children will do, Ishmael was mocking Isaac, and Sarah saw him. His actions angered her so much that she determined that he should not be an heir of Abraham with her son Isaac. So she demanded that Abraham “cast out” both Ishmael and Hagar. That is, he was to send them away without any support from him. Since Ishmael was his son  he was very much disturbed about this.

(Verses 12 through 16) And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of the bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba . And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

The manner in which this is worded might lead one to believe that Hagar carried Ishmael as a babe in arms. But such was not the case. He was thirteen years of age when God gave to Abraham, the rite of circumcision. And it was after this that God said unto Abraham, “At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18: 14) Then after Isaac was born, he grew old enough to be weaned before Hagar was cast out. So Ishmael must have been at least fifteen years of age at this time. Since polygamy was very common in that day, and wives were usually treated more like property, than as they are to day, one might wonder why Sarah was so adamant about having Hagar and Ishmael cast out. But, obviously, this was of the LORD; for He told Abraham, “In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” In Romans 9: 1-9, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the promise, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called,” has a spiritual side to it as well as a natural side. When the water that Abraham had given Hagar had all been used up, she felt that surely she and Ishmael would die of thirst in the wilderness. So she left Ishmael under the shade of a shrub, and walked away from him for a little way, so that she would not have to see him die. There she sat down and wept.

(Verses 17 through 21) And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

As Hagar was weeping because of the certain death by thirst, to which she felt that she and Ishmael were doomed, the angel of the LORD spoke to her from heaven, inquiring what it was that ailed her, and calling upon her to not be afraid. Then he told her that God had heard the voice of her son, “where he is.” This seems to carry with it the idea that the place in which we are when we pray has nothing to do with whether the LORD will hear our prayer. This lad was in the desert, and had even been left by his mother to die. Yet God heard his cry, just where he was. Then  the angel commanded her to go to the lad, lift him up, and hold him by the hand (in her hand.) He also promised to make of him “a great nation.” This expression usually has to do with the size of the nation, from a viewpoint of population, more than importance, although it can apply to both. To this day, the population of the nations descended from Ishmael is very great. Then “God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.” Some may contend that the well was not there until God answered the cry of Ishmael, and surely such a thing is possible: for God can do anything He will. But the wording of this seems to indicate that Hagar had been, as we often are, so blinded by her sorrow that she could not see clearly, and she did not see the well, although it was present all the time. But only when God opened her eyes could she see it. So, under the blessings of the LORD, Ishmael grew up in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother got him a wife from Egypt . In that day marriages were often arranged by the parents of the contracting parties. So this was not an unusual practice.

(Verses 22 through 31) And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it but today. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beersheba ; because there they sware both of them. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba : then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Abimelech had kept his eye upon Abraham ever since their original encounter. And seeing that God blessed Abraham so that every thing he did prospered. He was a little afraid of what Abraham might do in the future to him and his kingdom. So he and the general of his army, one Phichol, came to see Abraham, and proposed to him a treaty of friendship that would last even through the generation of his grandson. To this Abraham agreed, and they both took an oath to bind the agreement. Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and oxen to bind the agreement also. Although it is not here mentioned, likely, Abimelech also gave Abraham some gift of value. During their discussion, Abraham had brought up a matter of some of Abimelech’s servants having taken violently a well that he had made, whereupon Abimelech declared that he knew nothing about this incident. Among the sheep that Abraham gave Abimelech were seven ewe lambs separated from the rest. When Abimelech asked the meaning of these, Abraham told him that they were his witness that he had digged that well. They finished their business of swearing the oath, and Abimelech and Phichol went back to their place. They called the name of that place “ Beersheba ,” which means “the well of an oath.”

(Verses 33 and 34) And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba , and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.

I notice that the center column reference gives an alternate reading for “grove” in verse 33. It simply says “a tree.” Here also he called upon the name of the “LORD the everlasting God.” This is the first time this name occurs. Abraham remained in the land of the Philistines for quite a while after this.

Chapter 22

(Verses 1 and 2) And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get the into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

In ancient usage the words “tempt” and “try” were often considered as synonyms. And, perhaps, according to our present usage, the expression, “God did tempt Abraham,” should be read, “God did try Abraham;” for James tells us, (James 1:13,) “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.” And our present usage of the word, “tempt,” has an evil connotation. God did, indeed, try Abraham, not that He might know whether or not Abraham was faithful, for He knows all things. But the trial was that we and Abraham might know of his faithfulness, and in that we might find comfort in the thought that no matter how hard we feel the task is that He has assigned us, He will provide a way for us to do His will. The task He gave Abraham was to take Isaac to the land of Moriah , and there, upon a mountain that God would show him, offer Isaac as a burnt offering to Him.

(Verses 3 through 5) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

Even with such a terrible prospect before him as killing and offering his son Isaac for a burnt offering, Abraham made no delay. He arose early the next morning, and prepared for his journey to the place of which God had told him. In addition to Isaac, he took two of his young menservants with him, and on the third day he saw the place afar off. At this place he stopped, and left the two young men with the ass, and told them, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” (Up to this point in scripture, the ass and the ox are the only beasts of burden that have been introduced. The first mention of the horse is in Genesis 47:17.) This speech of Abraham to the two young men is remarkable, in that Abraham knew that he was going to the mountain for the purpose of offering Isaac to God as a burnt offering; yet he says to the young men, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” In Hebrews 11: 17—19 we are given the explanation of this remarkable speech. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence he also received him in a figure.”

(Verses 6 through 14) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and he said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

In the narration of this incident there is really nothing that is in need of any comment to clarify it. But it presents a type that is of great value to us who believe in the Christ. In Isaac we see our Lord Jesus, as the only begotten Son of God, having no sin of his own, yet through His entire walk through this world of sin bearing the burden of the cross, the wood of the offering, and being offered upon the altar as an offering unto God. In one respect Abraham is a type of the heavenly Father, for Isaiah says, in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” Although Isaac was not slain, he was bound and placed upon the wood on the altar. And in that experience, no doubt his soul suffered the agonies of death. Our Lord was crucified, and He died. And just as He was by the power of God raised up from the grave, so was Isaac raised up from under the very knife of Abraham by the angel of the LORD, Who commanded Abraham to do nothing unto the lad, that is nothing evil. And upon which Abraham looked, and saw a ram caught in a thicket by his horns, and offered him as a burnt offering instead of Isaac. This seems that it could also add another type to this incident in that Isaac, bound on the altar, and under the knife of Abraham might be considered to represent God’s elect who were dead in trespasses and sin and under the sentence of death; and the ram caught in the thicket by his horns might represent our Lord Jesus, who became our substitute, and died in our place. However, the former type seems to be the one more generally accepted by Christians. Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh, which, according to Cruden’s Concordance, means, “the LORD will see,” or “the LORD will provide, i. e. a means of deliverance.” And indeed He did provide a means of deliverance.

(Verses 15 through 19) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto the young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba ; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba .

Again the angel of the LORD spoke to Abraham out of heaven, and told him that the LORD had sworn by Himself (since there was no greater by whom he could swear) that He would bless Abraham, and would multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the seashore. And not only so, but his seed should also possess the gate of their enemies. This is a part of His promise that had not heretofore been mentioned And He repeated that “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” We again point out that this promise includes the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus to all nations. After this Abraham returned to the young men, and they all went back to Beersheba , where Abraham remained for a long while.

(Verses 20 through 24) And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

When Abram left Haran , his brother Nahor remained there. He had married, but, at that time he still had no children. Now Abraham receives word that his family has, in these intervening years, increased. He has eight children by the wife that he had at that time; and also he has taken a concubine who has born him four children. Perhaps the principal reason for this having been recorded is that one of Nahor’s children, Bethuel, is the father of Rebekah, who, as we shall find became the wife of Isaac.

Chapter 23

(Verses 1 and 2) And Sarah was  an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan : and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

This concludes the story of Sarah. Today we consider one hundred and twenty-seven years as a very long life span; but it was not so considered in that time.

(Verses 3 through 16) And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. And he communed with then, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is at the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even all that went in at the gates of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

This seems a very straightforward account of Abraham’s purchase of the cave of Machpelah and the field that was before it, from Ephron the Hittite. The integrity of both Abraham and Ephron, and also of all the Hittites (sons of Heth) is very clearly shown forth in this account. Although God had promised to give all this land to Abraham and his posterity, he was at this time only “a stranger and a sojourner” in it. And He identified himself as such when he first addressed the Hittites. They, on the other hand, considered him as a mighty prince among them. When he offered to buy the cave, Ephron immediately offered to give both it and the field that was before it to Abraham. But Abraham insisted that he name a price for it, which he did; and Abraham paid that price without any argument. We later on will find this cave mentioned again.

(Verses 17 through 20) And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave in the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan . And the field and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

Chapter 24

(Verses 1 through 6) And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

This Chapter tells a story that is very often used as a type of the bringing of the elect to the Christ. In this type, Abraham is used to represent God the Father, and Isaac to represent our Lord Jesus the Christ, while Rebekah represents the elect, the bride of the Lamb. Abraham’s servant is usually seen as representing the gospel minister. But some things said about him make him appear to better represent the Holy Ghost, than the gospel minister. He is said to be Abraham’s “eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had.” And it is by Him that the elect were brought to the Christ, even before Jesus was born into the world. It is by Him that Jesus cast out devils, and performed other miracles while here on earth. And it is by him that sinners are given life, and thus brought to the Lord , even now. And Jesus said of Him, (John 16:14 -15) “He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.” Gospel ministers have not been given this power. True enough, we are to set forth the things of Christ Jesus, but only as the Holy Ghost gives them to us, and then we cannot show them to anyone until He gives them eyes to see those things. (I have not injected this thought in this to cause controversy, but simply to show that there may be a slightly different type here, than that commonly considered. Abraham called his oldest servant, to whom he had committed the ruling of his whole household, and gave him a solemn commission to go to Abraham’s home country and his kindred to get a wife for his son Isaac. And under no condition could he take Isaac back to that country to obtain a wife. Although our Lord Jesus will return to the earth, it is not to win a bride, but will be after His bride is resting in His protection. Then it will be to bring judgment upon this world, upon Satan, and upon the wicked. (See Matthew 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:13 -17, and 2 Thess. 1:7-10.)

(Verses 7 through 9) The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and Which spake unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; He shall send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this oath: only bring not my son thither again. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

Abraham declared to his servant that the same God, the God of heaven, Who had spoken to him, and had promised this land to his seed, would send His angel before the servant to provide a wife for Isaac. In what Abraham tells the servant, and in some of the servant’s actions when he reaches the place of residence of Nahor, there seems to be ample cause to consider him as the representation of the gospel minister in the type previously mentioned: but the prohibition Abraham places upon him against bringing Isaac to that land seems to indicate that, without that prohibition, the servant might have had the power to bring Isaac to that land; and the gospel minister has never had, and will never have, the power to bring Jesus back to this earth. He will come back, but only as mentioned above.

(Verses 10 through 14) And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor . And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water: and the daughters of the city come out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the damsel to which I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

Although this is the first mention of camels in the scriptures, no doubt, Abraham had many of them, and this servant had control over all of them. So he took ten of them for his journey, and went to Mesopotamia, the area where Nahor had remained when Abraham came to the land of Canaan . Evidently Nahor had founded a city, and it was named after him; for that is the city to which the servant went. His time of arrival was at evening, “even the time that women go out to draw water.” The drawing of water was a chore usually reserved for the women, and they usually went out at evening time to attend to this. So the servant stopped at the well, made his camels kneel down, and then he prayed to the LORD, and asked Him to give him a sign to indicate the woman He had appointed for Isaac’s wife. Certainly this prayer sets forth the doctrine of election; for if God had not chosen a bride for Isaac, He would not have appointed one.

(Verses 15 through 21) And it came to pass, that before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born unto Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold: and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and there is room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, Who hath not left destitute my master of His mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the LORD hath led me to the house of my master’s brethren. And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

This is quite a long text; but therein is nothing hard to be understood. Yet there is much in it that should claim our attention. Just before this portion begins, the servant had been praying that the LORD, would, in His mercy to Abraham, let a simple sign, which the servant described, come to pass, that it might give him assurance that God had blessed his journey, and would make it prosperous. He had hardly finished praying, when the very sign for which he had prayed began to take place before him. The first young lady who came to the well, fulfilled, to the letter, the sign he had asked. Yet, when she had done everything exactly as he had prayed she would, he stood wondering, and held his peace. That is, he remained silent while the camels finished drinking; and he was wondering “whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.” How like us he was! When God answers our prayers we sometimes find it hard to immediately believe that He has done so. However, by the time the camels had finished drinking, he had sufficiently recovered to give to her some very precious gifts, and to inquire about her family, and whether or not they were sufficiently well off to have room for him and those with him. Although there is no mention of any retinue with him, we can reasonably infer that on a journey of such length in those days, he would not have attempted it altogether alone. When he found that the damsel was , as we would today say, a second cousin to Isaac, and that in her house there was plenty of room for him and all that were with him, he bowed his head and worshipped the LORD, and praised Him for bringing him to the home of his master’s brethren. While he was praying, the girl ran to tell her mother and those of her house about all these things that had taken place.

(Verses 29 through 33) And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out to meet the man, unto the well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came to the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

Even though Rebekah’s father Bethuel was still living, he had, evidently given to Laban, her brother, some of the authority of his household management. For when Laban saw the gifts the servant had given Rebekah and heard her tell what had taken place and what had been said at the well, he took charge of the matter, and went out to welcome the servant and his attendants into the house. Everything was done according to the custom of the day. And we call attention to the custom of providing water for the guests to wash their feet. This was done immediately when they entered into the house. And the host only provided water for them. They washed their own feet. This ancient custom was still in use in the time in which our Lord Jesus was here on earth. So His act at the last supper could not have been according to custom. It was something new that He instituted. Remember that when He came to the Apostle Peter to wash his feet, Peter asked him, “’Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?’ Jesus answered and said unto him, ’What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.’” This is ample proof that he was not just following an ancient custom. Had He been, Peter would have understood it clearly. Laban set food before his guests: but Abraham’s servant declared that he would not eat until he had told his errand. And Laban gave him leave to speak.

(Verses 34 through 41) And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and He hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The LORD, before Whom I walk, will send His angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house: then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give thee not one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

Notice that the first thing the servant says is, “I am Abraham’s servant.” He claims no honor for himself. All that he has done is what his master Abraham has commanded him to do. So he goes back, and gives the background of it. First of all the LORD had blessed Abraham, giving him great wealth, and making him a great man. He then tells them that Sarah (of whom they had, probably, heard that all her life she was barren) in her old age had borne a son to Abraham. And to that son He had given all that he had. Then he very meticulously recounts the oath , which Abraham made him swear, that he would not take a wife for Abraham’s son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land he dwelt, but would go to the house (household, or family) of Abraham’s father to get a bride for his son. This seems a little strange to us today, but it was not at all unusual in that time. The only way he could be free from this oath was that when he went to Abraham’s kindred, they would not give him a wife for Isaac.

(Verses 42 through 48) And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way which I go: Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say unto her, Give me, I pray unto thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and led down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, Which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

Abraham’s servant recounts the things that took place at the well, all of which are clear enough without comment. But they do show how that the LORD always takes care of those whom He sends upon a mission. There is no doubt that He caused the servant to pray exactly the prayer which he prayed, and put it in his mind to ask for the very sign that took place. The Apostle Paul declares that He “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” Some will say, “But Paul was s writing concerning the salvation of God’s elect.” Certainly, he was; but since this entire chapter is the story of the bringing of Isaac’s wife to him; and that story is also a type of the bringing of God’s elect to the Christ, does it not follow that He would work the same way in both operations? Notice particularly the servant’s prayer as recorded in verse 44, and also in verse 14. The special phrase to which we refer is, in verse 44, “Let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.” And in verse 14, it is , “Let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac.” In both places we clearly have God’s election set forth in positive language. Even as He made choice of the bride of Isaac, just so, He has made choice of the bride of the Lamb, which is, of course, all the elect of God, and is therefore all the redeemed of the LORD. When the servant had finished his report on the things that had been done, he put before them the question of whether, or not they would permit Rebekah to go with him, and be the bride of Isaac. As is always the case, when the LORD works, man cannot hinder, or question; and they were wise enough to recognize this Perhaps, the most remarkable thing concerning this is that, as we shall later see, Laban was an idolater, but both he and his father Bethuel recognized the hand of the LORD in this matter. So they said, “The thing proceedeth from the LORD; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.”

(Verses 52 through 57) And it came to pass that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night: and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way: send me away that I may go to my master. And they said, we will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.

As soon as the servant had told his errand, and Laban and Bethuel had given him their answer, he bowed himself down to the earth, and worshipped the LORD, Who had so greatly prospered his journey. Then he brought forth gifts for Rebekah, and for her brother and her mother. No more mention is made of her father Bethuel. Apparently no one knows why he has not taken a more active part in this matter than he has. All anyone can do about it is to guess; and that is not worthwhile. After these things, the servant and those with him ate and drank, and tarried all night. But when morning came, the servant was ready to go back to his master, and asked his hosts to send him away on his journey. But Rebekah’s brother and her mother were not ready for her to go. They wanted her to remain with them at least ten days; but the servant insisted that he begin his journey immediately. So they agreed to ask Rebekah herself what she wanted to do.

(Verses 58 through 60) And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

So after Rebekah told them that she would go with this servant of Abraham, they blessed her and gave leave for the servant to take her. And with her they sent her nurse, the woman servant who had been assigned to take care of her as she grew up, and is now to be her companion on the journey, and will continue to be her servant. The outstanding point, not only in Rebekah’s blessing, but in all the blessings of brides in that day is that she be fruitful. A barren woman was considered as almost a disgrace. One can readily understand this when he considers how sparsely the world was populated at that time.

(Verses 61 through 65) And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide: and lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail and covered herself.

As we see here more maidservants were also sent with Rebekah. So she and they rode on the camels following Abraham’s servant. Thus he went on his way. As we would say today, the writer here “fast forwards” to the situation at the end of the journey. So we would conclude that it was of itself fairly uneventful. Isaac was at this time dwelling in the south country, that is the southern part of the land of Canaan . And at eventide he went out into the field for a time of meditation. As he looked up in the direction from which the servant and his party were coming, he saw the camels as they approached. About that time also, Rebekah looked up, and saw a man walking in the field toward them. She asked the servant who this man might be. And he told her that it was Isaac. As was proper for a soon to be bride, when meeting her husband for the first time, she dismounted from the camel, and took a veil and covered herself therewith.

(Verses 66 and 67) And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife: and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

As we see from this account, weddings were not nearly such big events in that day as they are now. There was no great feast, no great ceremony, and no great reception. All the legal matters had already been satisfactorily taken care of before Rebekah left her father’s house. So Isaac took her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she was his wife. He had never before seen her; but he loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death.

Chapter 25

(Verses 1 through 6) Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan , and Midian,  and Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begat Sheba , and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

In Chapter 24, verse 1, we are told that “Abraham was old, and well stricken in age.” However one might, from the present text, think that his principal trouble at that time was his sorrow for the death of Sarah, since here he took another wife who bore him six more children; and his children by the concubines that he had are not even named, but are mentioned in the plural. Apparently he sent away all the sons of Keturah as well as those of his concubines, since when he died we find his sons Isaac and Ishmael burying him, but none of his other children mentioned. He made Isaac his sole heir, just as the LORD had told him when Isaac was weaned.

(Verses 7 through 11) And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah , in the field of Ephron  the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

Abraham was approximately one hundred and thirty seven years old when Sarah died. But he lived to be one hundred and seventy five years of age. When he died. His sons Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury him in the cave he had bought from Ephron the Hittite. That cave is in a field near Mamre (or Hebron .) Isaac continued to dwell at the well of Lahairoi; and the LORD blessed him.

(Verses 12 through 18) Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Abdeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah: these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt , as thou goest toward Assyria : and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

God had promised Abraham that He would bless Ishmael, and make him a great nation, although Isaac was the one in whom Abraham’s seed would be called. And the expression, “These are their names, by their towns, and by their castles, twelve princes according to their nations,” clearly shows that He did fulfill His word, just as He always does. Ishmael had twelve sons, each of which founded a town of his own, and also a nation of his own. These nations are the beginning of the Arab nations that have continued to the present time. Ishmael lived one hundred and thirty seven years. Then he died in the presence of all his brethren.

(Verses 19 through 23) And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son; Abraham begat Isaac: and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Now we begin the story of Isaac and Rebecca and their descendants. A little later on we shall cut the line down to the descendants of only one of their children; for it is the lineage that is of most importance according to the purpose of God. Isaac was only about thirty seven years old at the time of his mother Sarah’s death. So it must have been three years later when Abraham’s servant brought Rebekah to him and she became his wife, for we find him, at this time, to be forty years old. The first, and so far as we have any scriptural record, the only children of Isaac and Rebekah were twins. And while Rebekah was still carrying them, they began to struggle so in her womb that she felt it necessary to inquire of the LORD why it was so. His answer was, that the two children were the beginning of two separate nations, one of which would be stronger than the other, “and the elder shall serve the younger.” This is another outstanding point of proof of the election of God. The custom of the day was that the firstborn, or elder, son was considered the heir of his father, while any younger children received only a smaller portion of the father’s fortune. Here, before the children were born, the LORD said, “The elder shall serve the younger,” which is a direct reversal of the custom. Of course, He had done the same in the case of Isaac and Ishmael, although in that case Isaac was promised before Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham for a wife. These two cases form a great deal of the background for the enmity that has existed for so long between the Jews and the Arabs.

(Verses 24 through 28) And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called him Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Although twin brothers, Esau and Jacob were almost complete opposites in both looks and temperament. And as is often the case one was the favorite of the father while the other was the mother’s choice. Isaac and Rebekah had been married about twenty years when these boys were born. Rebekah had been barren for the first twenty years of their married life; but in answer to Isaac’s prayer, the LORD had caused her to conceive these two boys.

(Verses 29 through 34) And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom . And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright.

As one casually reads this, he might get the idea that Esau was probably an honest man, and was tricked into selling his birthright by his brother Jacob who was a cheat, or con artist. But a little consideration should be given to some things that, though not mentioned, are, nevertheless, involved. In the society of the day, not only was it the custom that the firstborn receive a much greater portion of his father’s wealth, at the death of his father, than any other child, or children, but he also was to become the spiritual leader, or priest, of the family. There were some other things involved in what was considered the birthright of the eldest son, but these are the ones that come under greatest consideration in the present text. According to custom these should have belonged to Esau. In most families of the time the spiritual leader of the family was not a priest of God; for most of the people were idolaters; but Isaac and his family worshipped the LORD, so the birthright of Esau would have made him a priest of the LORD. And he thought so little of this that he was willing to sell it to Jacob for one bowl of pottage: “thus Esau despised his birthright.” As he came in from the field, where, no doubt, he had been hunting unsuccessfully, he was tired and hungry. Jacob had been cooking some beans (“lentiles.”) And when Esau saw them, he said to Jacob, “Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage: for I am faint.” No doubt, he thought that Jacob would, out of brotherly kindness, give him food. But Jacob saw an opportunity to attempt getting the superiority over him. So he told Esau to sell him his birthright. At that time Esau was hungry, and concerned about nothing but getting something to eat. So he said, “Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” Surely he was exaggerating his hunger when he said , “I am at the point to die,” for he had not been on a fast of any length. He had just been out in the field. But as he viewed it his birthright was of no value to him. It would not give him any food immediately. So he despised it; and he agreed to sell it to Jacob for one meal.