I

If you’ve been watching carefully over the last few chapters of Genesis, you’ve probably noticed two different storylines leading up to Genesis chapter 18.

The first involved God’s promise to give Abraham a son. This promise was mentioned in chapters 13, 15, and 17. The second storyline involved the great wickedness of the people who lived in two towns named Sodom and Gomorrah. That was spoken of in Genesis chapter 13:13. Now even though these two “trains” have been traveling down two very different sets of tracks, we’ll find that they will both begin to arrive at their destination here in Genesis chapter eighteen.

“The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground” (Genesis 18:1-2).

Remember that Abraham was leader of his group, so his tent was probably larger, more noticeable, and set apart from everyone else’s. So when Abraham looked up and saw these men, he knew that they must have come specifically looking for him.

Now it’s important to recognize that whenever you see the word “LORD” in capital letters (as we see in the Genesis 18:1 passage quoted above), it always refers to the self-existent, eternal, and all powerful God. However, this brings up a question for many people because the Bible also tells us that no one has seen God at any time (see 1 John 4:12). So how can Genesis 18:1 specifically tell us that, “The LORD appeared to Abraham…” when no one has ever seen God at any time?

Well, many scholar-types believe that this verse is an example of a Christophany, or pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. This term “pre-incarnate” is used to refer to Jesus’ existence before He was born as a human being. So while no one has seen God at any time, this conflict disappears if we understand one of these three “men” to be Jesus (who is God- see Titus 2:13) appearing in human form in Genesis 18.

But who are these other two men? Well, if you read ahead a little, you’ll find that the next chapter will identify these other “men” as angels. So it appears that Abraham received a visit from three very important guests- Jesus, and two angelic beings as well. This explains why Abraham responded to their visit the way he did- and we’ll look at that response next.

II

“Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground” (Genesis 18:2).

This verse doesn’t tell us how Abraham knew that these men were more than they appeared, but the fact that he showed such great respect to these visitors tells us that he knew that they were no ordinary human beings.

For example, anyone visiting Abraham’s camp was expected to show respect to him, not the other way around. Yet we’re told that when Abraham saw these men, “…he ran to meet them, and he bowed with his face touching the ground” (GW). But Abraham’s demonstration of respect didn’t stop there…

“He said, ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way–now that you have come to your servant.'”

“‘Very well,’ they answered, ‘do as you say.'”

“So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. ‘Quick,’ he said, ‘get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.’ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree” (Genesis 18:3-8).

So Abraham showed more than just courtesy and hospitality to these visitors. First, he arranged for Sarah to provide them with some fresh baked bread. Then he personally picked out the main course for their meal and arranged to have it butchered and prepared. Finally, Abraham served as their personal waiter by bringing them some curds (a type of yogurt) and milk.

We should also notice that Abraham arranged to have his visitors’ feet washed as well. This would have been a welcome courtesy for anyone who wore sandals in the hot, dusty climate of that area. While Abraham could have assigned these responsibilities to someone else, he took it upon himself to personally oversee everything that was involved in ministering to his guests.

However, Abraham’s visitors didn’t just stop by to enjoy a nice meal and some hospitality. The real purpose of their visit is about to be revealed.

III

“‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘There, in the tent,’ he said. Then the LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing” (Genesis 18:9-11).

Think about what this promise meant for Abraham and Sarah. You see, the opportunity to actually have a child of their own was something that Abraham and Sarah really, really wanted. Think of all the time that they spent patiently waiting for God to come through on this promise. Think of the pain they must have felt as they spent years watching other people have children of their own- something that they desperately wanted, but didn’t have. Think about what it was like for Abraham to spend all of those years with a name that meant “father of many” while he and his wife remained childless.

And now God says, “OK, I’m going to give you a son around this time next year.” So what was Sarah’s reaction after waiting so long to hear this announcement? Well, here’s how Sarah responded…

“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?'” (Genesis 18:12).

Notice that this passage tells us that Sarah “…laughed to herself.” In other words, Sarah laughed silently as she thought about what God said. Sarah must have believed that that no one else could hear her- or so she thought…

“Then the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh'” (Genesis 18:13-15)

It seems that people can often get away with saying one thing, but thinking something totally different. While it may be possible to fool other people in this way, we can never fool God because He knows what our thoughts are. God always knows about our real feelings- and He knew exactly what Sarah was thinking even when she thought that no one else could hear her.

IV

“Then the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'” (Genesis 18:13)

It’s interesting that God questioned Abraham about something that his wife Sarah did. Even though Sarah wasn’t even a part of this conversation, God still asked Abraham about why she laughed at the promise He had made. You would think that God would go directly to the place where Sarah was listening to this conversation and ask her about it personally. But that didn’t happen- God instead asked Abraham to explain his wife’s behavior.

This should serve as a good reminder for every guy who is involved in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship today. For example, if God were to question you about your girlfriend, how would you respond? Would you be uncomfortable with any questions about her actions or your relationship with her?

Could you honestly say that the person that you are dating is really concerned with living the kind of lifestyle that honors and respects God? Or if God were to question you about your girlfriend in the same way that He questioned Abraham about his wife, would you be able to say that you are setting the right kind of example in that relationship?

Remember to ask God to help you make the right choices in a dating relationship and to help you take the lead in maintaining a male/female relationship that honors God. If you do that, you’ll never have to worry about the answers you’ll have to give when God calls you to account.

So in response to His own question, God repeated His promise to Abraham along with an important reminder…

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:14).

In other words, God reminded Sarah and Abraham that He is able to accomplish anything that’s possible. But Sarah chose to respond like many people do when they’re caught unexpectedly- she decided to lie…

“Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh'” (Genesis 18:15).

It’s possible to fool other people like your friends, parents, teachers, or church leaders- but you can’t fool God anytime. It’s always better to be completely honest with God because He already knows the truth about the way you really feel- and He will call you to account for it if you’re not being honest with Him, just like He did with Sarah.

V

“When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way” (Genesis 18:16).

As mentioned earlier, the “men” spoken of here represent the LORD God (which may also refer to an appearance of Jesus before His human birth) and two angels (who will be identified in the next chapter). These individuals were referred to as “men” because that’s the way that they appeared to Abraham.

So after finishing their meal, these mysterious visitors started to leave and Abraham decided to go along with them to escort them on their way. But Abraham is about to find out that his visitors haven’t quite finished their visit yet…

“Then the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him'” (Genesis 18:17-19).

In saying, “Shall I keep back from Abraham what I’m about to do?” (MSG), it’s clear that God had decided to share some “off the record” type of information with Abraham. Now God didn’t have to say anything to Abraham about these plans if He didn’t want to- but He did want to. God wanted to speak with Abraham, share some information with him, and talk with him privately about what He was planning to do.

This one small act tells us a lot about God’s relationship with Abraham. You see, most people usually won’t share private information with strangers or other people they don’t really know or trust. But the fact that God was willing to take Abraham into His confidence tells us that God recognized Abraham as someone who could be trusted with the information that He was about to share.

So there’s a lot more behind these verses than just the fact that God was preparing to tell Abraham about His plans. They tell us that God saw Abraham as a friend who could be trusted with confidential information. The New Testament book of James talks more about this when it says that, “‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend” (James 2:23).

The message for us today is that you never know what kind of information God might be willing to share with you as a friend if you have the same kind of faith and belief in Him that Abraham did.

VI

So here is the advance information that God had for Abraham…

“Then the LORD said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know'” (Genesis 18:20-21).

You may remember that we were already told about the bad situation in Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 13:12-13). Now God has decided to organize and conduct a legal proceeding concerning these cities, just as we might do in a court of law today.

Like many legal cases today, this proceeding in Genesis 18:20-21 will start with the investigation of a complaint: “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true” (GNB).

While there are some similarities between this inquiry and the type of official investigation that we might see today, one big difference is that this complaint is not going to be investigated by a police officer, constable, or detective- God Himself is going to personally look into this situation.

Now someone might read this and say, “Wait a minute- doesn’t God already know all the facts? If God is all-knowing then why would He need to go to Sodom and Gomorrah to find out what’s going on?” Well, the answer to this question has to do with the fact that there is a difference between doing something and needing to do something.

First, we can say that God didn’t have to visit Sodom and Gomorrah to learn what was going on because God is omniscient (pronounced “om-nis-shint”). This is just another way of saying that God knows everything (see Psalm 139:1-10 and Hebrews 4:13). Because of this, we can say that God definitely had all the facts about what was happening in these cities before this investigation ever started.

So why did God bother to arrange this trip to check everything out? Well, God didn’t need to go to Sodom and Gomorrah, but making an investigation there would clearly demonstrate that He definitely had all the evidence about what was happening. This visit was not for God’s benefit in obtaining some information that He didn’t already have- it was for our benefit in demonstrating that He is totally just and fair (Deuteronomy 32:4) in gathering all the facts.

Genesis 18:22 then goes on to say, “The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.” This tells us that the investigation had now officially started. But before these two special agents begin their inquiry, Abraham has something to ask God first.

VII

“Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing–to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?'” (Genesis 18:23-25).

Abraham’s response to this investigation tells us some important things. First, it implies that Abraham knew some things about God’s character. It also implies that he knew some things about what life was like in Sodom and Gomorrah.

You see, Abraham apparently knew enough about God and enough about Sodom and Gomorrah to predict that something bad was going to happen once God’s investigation was complete. Abraham must have put these two things together and said to himself, “God is going to check out Sodom and Gomorrah- and when He gets there, I know what He’s going to find. When God is finished checking things out, He is going to execute a sentence against them. Those people are as good as dead.”

If that’s the case, then why would Abraham question God on behalf of these very wicked people? Well, we’ll find out in the next chapter that Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in that area, and Abraham certainly didn’t want him to be a part of anything bad that was going to happen. We can also say that since Abraham had already rescued these people once before (see Genesis chapter 14 for that story), he probably didn’t want to see something terrible happen to them.

Finally, even though these were seriously bad people, Abraham must have felt that every human life was valuable and didn’t want to see these people suffer a death sentence. The Old Testament book of the prophet Ezekiel talks about this when it tells us that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Abraham apparently felt the same way.

So Abraham knew that God had certain principles- and one of those principles is that He will not punish people for things that they didn’t do. That principle is established in the Biblical book of the prophet Malachi where we read about how God makes a “…distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3:18). So Abraham asked God to act in a way that was consistent with His principles and His character.

So God listened to Abraham’s proposal and then made a response of His own- and we’ll check out that response next.

VIII

“The LORD said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’ Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?’

‘If I find forty-five there,’ he said, ‘I will not destroy it.’ Once again he spoke to him, ‘What if only forty are found there?’ He said, ‘For the sake of forty, I will not do it.'” (Genesis 18:26-29).

You would think that God might become irritated with Abraham over these questions, but that didn’t happen. Remember that God takes no pleasure in the death of wicked people (see Ezekiel 33:11) and since Abraham had already established that God would not destroy the righteous along with the wicked, it was now just a matter of negotiating the numbers…

“Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?’ He answered, ‘I will not do it if I find thirty there.’ Abraham said, ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?’ He said, ‘For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.’

Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home” (Genesis 18:30-33).

If there were ten righteous people living in Sodom -just ten- the whole city would have been spared. This tells us that we should not underestimate the impact that a God-honoring life can have in the lives of others.

For example, let’s say that you are a Christian who seeks to honor God in the things that you say and do. How do you know that your friends haven’t been rescued from something really bad because of your Godly influence? How do you know that God hasn’t spared someone specifically because you prayed for that person? If there were ten people with that kind of attitude in Sodom, things would have turned out a lot differently.

But why did Abraham stop counting at ten righteous people? Why didn’t he keep counting all the way down to one? Well, Abraham must have thought that there had to be at least ten righteous people in Sodom because his nephew Lot and the other members of his family were living there as we’ll see next. Abraham may have stopped at ten because he felt confident that these people were enough to save the city.

The next chapter will tell us if he was right.

Next

Previous

I

As the scene shifts from Genesis chapter sixteen to Genesis chapter seventeen, we’re going to find that a lot of time has passed by since we last saw Abram and Sarai in the previous chapter. Abram and Sarai have now been together for about 50 years or so and they have been living in the land that God promised to give them for approximately 25 of those years.

Abram’s son Ishmael (who was born near the end of Genesis chapter sixteen) has now grown to be about 13 years old, and even though God had spoken to Abram a number of times in the past, there is no record of any communication between God and Abram since before Ishmael was born.

But that’s about to change…

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless'” (Genesis 17:1).

After what seems to be a long period of silence, God reopened His line of communication with Abram and identified Himself in a new way: I am the Almighty God. Now you might remember that God had previously made Himself known to Abram as “the LORD” or the self-existent, eternal Being back in Genesis 15:7. Now God further identifies Himself as El Shaddai or the Almighty God, the One who is all-powerful and all-sufficient.

So why would God choose this time to communicate this new revelation about Himself? Well, it seems that God is setting the right foundation for everything else that He is about to say to Abram.

You see, God had some specific plans in mind for Abram- plans that were totally impossible to accomplish by any human means. So by first identifying Himself as the Almighty God, God communicated to Abram that He had ability to accomplish everything that He wanted to do in Abram’s life.

Before anything else was said, God wanted Abram to understand that He had the ability to follow through on His plans- and He communicated that truth by identifying Himself to Abram as the all-sufficient and all-powerful God.

Now God is going to do plenty of things for Abram, but God also has something for Abram to do as well: “…walk before me and be blameless.“ So what does it mean to walk before God? Well, we there are a few different ways to understand and apply this idea and we’ll look at some of those ways next.

II

“I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1).

What does this idea of “walking before God” refer to? Well first, we walk before God in the sense that we can never go any place that God cannot see us. In fact, everyone “walks before God” in this sense because no human being can ever go anywhere outside of God’s view.

This concept of “walking before God” can also carry the idea of living responsibly before God. This is almost certainly what God was talking about when He told Abram to “…walk before me and be blameless.” “Walking before God” in this sense refers to the God-honoring manner in which someone conducts their life.

“Walking before God” can also be understood a reference to the idea of going in God’s direction. You see. the person who walks before God knows which way God is going and travels with Him in that same direction. When understood in this manner, we can “walk before God” in the sense that we keep in step with His direction for our lives. This implies that we should move slowly and steadily forward in our relationship with God, just as we do whenever we physically walk with someone. In other words, we shouldn’t sprint, stop and start, or go backward in our walk with God- we keep moving forward.

This also means that we have to be where God is going if we really want to walk with Him- and the direction that God is going is spelled out in the Old Testament book of Micah…

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

So if you want to walk with God then you have to be where He’s going- and the path that God is walking includes things like justice, mercy, and humility.

So God told Abram, “Walk before Me and be blameless” or “be perfect” as it says in some translations. Now it’s important to understand that the word “blameless” does not mean “sinless.” The idea of blamelessness refers to a complete, whole-hearted commitment. It involves the characteristics of integrity and dedication in someone’s walk before God instead of a half-hearted or indifferent commitment to Him.

To “walk before God and be blameless” is the opposite of another type of relationship with God that’s described later on in the Bible…

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him” (Titus 1:6).

III

s been about 25 years since God first spoke to Abram and promised to make him into a great nation (see Genesis 12:2). Now 25 years is a long time to wait, and perhaps Abram thought that God had forgotten about this promise that He made so many years earlier.

But God hadn’t forgotten…

“And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly” (Genesis 17:2).

Even though there was a long period of time when it seemed like nothing was happening, God was ready to act on His guarantee to Abram when the time was right- and the countdown for delivery on that guarantee was closing in on 0:00.

So what was Abram’s response as God said these things to him? Well, the next verse tells us that “…Abram fell on his face…” as God spoke to him. In other words, Abram demonstrated total respect and reverence for God as God interacted with him. This response is very different from the attitude that people sometimes have towards God when it comes to the way that He has directed certain events in their life.

For example, when God did not immediately act on Abram’s desire to have a son, Abram might have said, “I’m not happy with this situation and I want some explanations from God.” This is this kind of attitude that some people have towards God when they feel that He hasn’t met their expectations or hasn’t moved quickly enough to grant their request.

But when you look at the people who interact with God in the Scriptures, you’ll find that they certainly don’t take an aggressive, confrontational attitude toward God. Instead, they respond just as Abram did; they treat God with deep respect and reverence.

For instance, check out this conversation between God and a man named Job…

“Then the Lord said to Job, ‘Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?’ Then Job replied to the Lord, ‘I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say’” (Job 40:1-5 NLT).

A similar thing happened when God appeared to the prophet Isaiah. The Scriptures tell us that Isaiah responded to that event by saying, “‘…I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD All-Powerful'” (Isaiah 6:5 CEV).

So while it’s not necessarily wrong to ask God questions, He should always be treated with respect- even when we don’t understand the reasons behind His actions.

IV

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. For I have made you a father of many nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, greatly so, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you. And I will give the land to you in which you are a stranger, and to your seed after you, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God” (Genesis 17:4-8).

So God changed Abram’s name from Abram (a name that means “exalted father” ) ₍₁₎ to a new name that we’re much more familiar with today. That would be the name “Abraham,” which means “father of a multitude.” ₍₂₎

Now before we go on, we should remember that Abram was a man who was childless for many years until he finally had a son with a woman that he had taken as a second wife (see Genesis 16:15-16). For a man whose name meant “exalted father,” this reality was something that was probably a source of pain, confusion, and embarrassment for Abram.

So it’s likely that Abram was thankful to hear that God had decided to change his name- until he found out that his new name meant “father of a multitude.” This was something that was even more challenging to believe, especially for a guy who was 99 years old and had gone childless with the 90 year old woman that he had been married to for decades.

Because of this, we can say that the very meaning of Abraham’s new name represented another area where He had to place his faith and trust in God.

“‘And God said to Abraham, And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you in their generations'” (Genesis 17:9).

God had already promised to keep up His end of this agreement and now He reminded Abraham that he and his descendants had a responsibility to honor their side of their covenant as well.

God is also going to ask Abraham to physically do something in connection with this covenant as well- and we’ll take a look what God directs Abraham to do next.

(1) “Abram” The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon And Brown Driver & Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon

(2) “Abraham” Smith’s Bible Dictionary

V

“‘This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised.

Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant” (Genesis 17:10-14).

Now before we continue, let’s talk first about what God is instructing Abraham to do here. When this passage says, “You shall be circumcised…” it’s making a reference to the fact that every boy is born with a small fold of skin covering the top part of his penis called a foreskin. “Circumcision” is the act of removing this small fold of skin.

So what was the point of doing this? Well, the act of circumcision was designed to be a visible sign of God’s agreement with Abraham and his descendants. But why would God choose this particular act? After all, there were any number of marks or signs that God could have chosen to display the reality of this covenant. What was the reason behind the commandment to be circumcised?

Well, let’s think back to God’s original promise to Abram in Genesis 12. In that passage of Scripture, God told Abram, “I will make you into a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2, emphasis added). So the answer is that God planned to build a nation through the specific genetic line that would be produced through Abraham and his male descendants- that’s one reason why this sign specifically involves his reproductive organs. It also helps explain why Abraham received a physical sign but his wife didn’t.

This sign also would serve as a specific reminder to Abraham and his descendants that they were set apart by God and were not like everybody else. This responsibility applied to Abraham and any male who was associated with his family, even if they weren’t physically related. This meant that anyone who was connected with Abraham or his future descendants also had to demonstrate that they were serious about doing what God said.

VI

“Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant” (Genesis 17:14).

One important thing to remember is that this outward act of circumcision didn’t make Abraham right with God- it was faith that made him right with God. We know this because Genesis 15:6 tells us that, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

In other words, the Scriptures specifically tell us that Abraham had “right standing” (or “righteousness”) with God because of his faith- and this occurred way before God commanded Abraham to undergo the act of circumcision.

Unfortunately, attitudes had changed in the period between Abraham’s life and Jesus’ arrival in the New Testament era. You see, many people in the religious leadership of Jesus’ day were convinced that anyone who was related to Abraham would be OK with God just by undergoing this act of circumcision. This kind of attitude lead to a serious warning from John the Baptist…

“Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones'” (Matthew 3:9 NLT).

The truth is that being born into a certain family (even a “religious” one) or participating in a church ceremony or ritual doesn’t serve to make people right with God. The Apostle Paul explained what God is really after in the New Testament book of Romans…

“… For God is not looking for those who cut their bodies in actual body circumcision, but he is looking for those with changed hearts and minds” (Romans 2:29 TLB).

So real circumcision -the kind that God is looking for- is not just some mere outward observance; it’s a new attitude towards God that’s generated by a relationship with Jesus Christ.

“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her'” (Genesis 17:15-16).

The name “Sarai” means “my princess” and “Sarah” means, “princess” or “noble woman” in a more general sense. So in providing Sarai with this name change, God is indicating that she would become a woman of honor to many families, and not just to Abraham in particular.

So what was Abraham’s response to all this? Well, it wasn’t what you might think.

VII

“Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!'” (Genesis 17:17-18).

So Abraham demonstrated his deep respect for God by bowing with his face to the ground and immediately using the new name that God had given to his wife. But the rest of God’s message to Abraham caused him to laugh silently to himself.

Now perhaps Abraham laughed because this promise seemed to be almost too incredible to accept. It also seems as if Abraham wanted to try and make it easy on God by saying, “Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?” (CEV). The problem with that idea was that Ishmael was not the son that God was talking about…

“Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.’ When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him” (Genesis 17:18-22).

So the final countdown has now started on the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham: “…my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year” (NLT).

“On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.” (Genesis 17:23-27).

It’s clear that Abraham was someone who was really serious about doing what God said. He never tried to argue, negotiate, or complain about God’s instructions- he simply did what God told him to do, even when it wasn’t easy.

Remember that Abraham also had a small army under his leadership– and these soldiers couldn’t have been happy about this. But Abraham made sure to back up his faith with action even if meant doing something that was sure to be unpopular and questioned by others.

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We’ve already seen that God has made some big promises to Abram in the last few chapters of Genesis. For instance, God promised Abram that He would make him into a “great nation” in Genesis chapter twelve (Genesis 12:2). Then Genesis chapter fifteen tells us how God spoke to Abram and promised to give him a son of his own to be his heir (Genesis 15:4). Now that we’ve reached Genesis chapter sixteen, about ten years have gone by since the events of the last chapter. Abram is now about 86 years old and he is still waiting for God to come through on these promises.

Abram will soon be faced with a choice that many God-honoring people often face today as they wait for God to fulfill His promises in their own lives. That choice is this: “Should I keep waiting and do nothing, or should I do something to help fulfill God’s promises? Should I move forward and act on something that seems right or should I just continue to wait?”

Let’s see what Abram decides to do…

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said” (Genesis 16:1-2).

It seems that Abram’s wife Sarai has finally reached the end of her patience in waiting for God to come through on His promise to provide Abram with a son of his own. So here’s the solution that she comes up with: “If you go and sleep with my maidservant, I might be able to build a family through her since God has not allowed me to have any children.”

Now this may seem very difficult to believe- how in the world could Abram’s wife actually ask him to go and have sex with the maid? Well, this certainly sounds very inappropriate until we take a moment to look at the cultural background of the world that Sarai and Abram lived in.

You see, the inability to have children was seen as a complete social disgrace in those days. In the culture of that time, a woman’s sense of self-worth was often linked with the number of children she had. The more children that a woman conceived, the more respect she gained among other people. It was a great shame for a woman to be childless in that culture and a husband could actually divorce his wife if their relationship didn’t produce any children.

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“…(Sarai) had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said” (Genesis 16:2).

So Sarai’s solution was to have Hagar serve as what we might call a “surrogate mother.” According to the custom of that time, any children born to Hagar under this arrangement would legally be recognized as Sarai’s children. This would allow Sarai to raise a family of her own and avoid the social disgrace that came with not having any children.

Now this passage specifically tells us that Sarai’s maid Hagar was originally from Egypt- but how did Sarai end up with an Egyptian maid to begin with? Well, if you think back to the events that occurred in Genesis chapter 12, you may remember that Abram and Sarai made a little side trip to Egypt because of a severe famine during that time (Genesis 12:10). That was the trip that got Abram into trouble when he asked Sarai to tell everyone that she was his sister instead of his wife so no one would try to kill him to get her.

If you remember this story, then you know that Sarai was taken off to join Pharaoh’s harem, but we’re told that, “…the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. ‘What have you done to me?’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!'” (Genesis 12:17-19). So Abram took off with all his stuff, but it appears that he also left with at least one additional passenger- an Egyptian maid named Hagar.

Now this is where the details of this story start to become very important. Remember that God had earlier told Abram that, “…a son coming from your own body will be your heir'” (Genesis 15:4b). So it’s clear that God intended to fulfill His promise to Abram by giving him a son of his own. But while God told Abram that he would be the father of this promised son, the child’s mother is never actually identified. This meant that if Abram had a son with Hagar, it would technically qualify as a fulfillment of God’s promise, at least as far as Abram and Sarai were concerned.

III

“…(Sarai) said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said” (Genesis 16:2).

There was one big problem with this arrangement. You see, there is no record that Sarai ever asked God for His direction regarding this idea. In fact, it doesn’t seem as if Sarai gave any real consideration to God in this matter at all.

It appears that Sarai’s only motivation was to try and build a family by using Hagar as a surrogate mother. In other words, Sarai saw an opportunity to get something that she really wanted and engineered a way to achieve it without any help, direction, or input from God.

Now what Sarai did was perfectly acceptable in that culture, but just because something is OK to other people doesn’t always mean that it’s the right thing to do. Making decisions like this without any direction from God is a bad idea, and bad decisions usually lead to bad consequences.

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before trouble started showing up…

“So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress” (Genesis 16:3-4).

So Hagar began to feel differently about Sarai once her pregnancy began. Hagar wasn’t just another employee any longer like she once was before- now she had something that Sarai really, really wanted. This led her to begin to look upon Sarai with an attitude of contempt and disrespect- and that eventually led to a big confrontation…

“Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me'” (Genesis 16:5).

Now Abram is stuck in the middle of this big fight. Another version of this verse says…

“So Sarai complained to Abram, ‘I’m being treated unfairly! And it’s your fault! I know that I gave my slave to you, but now that she’s pregnant, she’s being disrespectful to me. May the LORD decide who is right- you or me'” (Genesis 16:5 GW).

Even though Abram did exactly what Sarai asked him to do, Sarai still wanted to blame him for Hagar’s new attitude of disrespect. Abram might have avoided this situation if he had simply asked God for help before making the decision to marry Hagar and have a child with her. But this is what can happen when you decide to follow someone else’s advice without asking God for help- if bad things start happening as a result, you may end up being the one who takes the blame for someone else’s bad idea.

IV
So Abram found himself in the middle of a big family feud because he decided to do something that Sarai wanted without taking the time to check in with God. Sarai found herself in a bad situation because she was motivated by an opportunity to get something that she really wanted by using a compromise solution that didn’t include any help, direction, or input from God.The issue for Sarai was the fact that she didn’t have any children, and this placed her under a lot of social pressure in those days. You see, Sarai was different from the other people of her group because her inability to have children made her something of a social misfit.

Her solution was to try and force her way out of this situation by asking her husband to have a child with another woman that she could then adopt as her own. But instead of solving her problem, Sarai’s solution actually made things worse. Unfortunately, people today can also be hurt in a similar manner by trying to force an opportunity that God is not leading them to pursue or by attempting to pry open a door that God hasn’t opened for them.

For instance, let’s take Sarai’s example and apply it to a person who is looking to begin a dating relationship with someone else. Sometimes it’s possible for someone to want to be in a dating relationship with another person so badly that he or she ignores the warning signs that clearly say that God is closing off the door to that relationship. In that situation, any attempt to open a relationship door that God is closing can only lead to pain and trouble.

While it can be difficult to be patient and wait for God to fulfill His promises in our lives, the alternative is to follow Sarai’s example and try and “make things happen” on our own- and that choice often serves to make the situation even worse.

“‘Your servant is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” (Genesis 16:6).

So Abram responded to Sarai’s complaint by basically saying, “Whatever- do what you want with her.” Sarai then began to abuse Hagar so badly that Hagar finally decided that she had no other option but to run away. In her mind, Hagar apparently felt that the only solution was to bail out on this bad situation.

But God had other plans in mind…

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So Abram has won his battle against the confederacy of four city-states that kidnapped his nephew. But now that the fighting is over, Abram is about to become involved in a very different kind of struggle…

“After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

The verse quoted above tells us about this new battle for Abram but the answer may not be obvious if you aren’t looking carefully. Can you guess what it is from the clue given to us in this verse?

Well, Genesis 15:1 tells us that Abram’s new struggle is with fear. We know this because the very first thing that God says to him is, “Do not be afraid…” or, “Fear not…” as it says in some other translations. There would be no reason for God to encourage Abram to be fearless if he wasn’t already afraid to begin with.

Now the word translated as “fear” or “afraid” in this verse carries the idea of someone who feels frightened or dreadful regarding someone or something. ₍₁₎ So with this definition in mind, what you do you think Abram may have been afraid of? What was it that Abram may have dreaded?

Well, let’s remember that Abram has just defeated the military alliance of four cities with just 318 men. Because of this, Abram may have thought, “What if these cities get back together to seek revenge? What if they plan to counter-attack against me? What if they show up with reinforcements? What if they come back looking for me?” Each of these thoughts begins with a little two-word phrase that can be very wise or very dangerous depending on the circumstances. Those two words are, “What if…”

You see, the world can be a cruel and unforgiving place and many people today live in fear of the unknown future. They are plagued by questions like, “What if I can’t get into a good school? What if I can’t find a job? What if I can’t earn enough money? What if I can’t find a place to live? What’s going to happen to me?”

When you read about the unstable political situations in the world or think about the potential for destruction that exists at the touch of a button, it’s just as easy (or maybe even easier) for someone in the 21st century to become nervous about the future, just as Abram was in his day.

(1) New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006

II

But let’s look again at God’s response to Abram’s fear:

“‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1b).

The word “shield” implies protection, and a reward carries the idea of something that is valuable and good. So the idea is that God is promising to protect Abram now and benefit him in the future as well.

The New Testament equivalent of God’s encouragement to be fearless is found in the words of 1 John 4:4 where we’re told that, “…the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (NLT). In fact, Jesus Himself once said this about His followers…

“I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me” (John 10:28-29 TLB).

So the Scriptures tell us that God is more powerful than anything that the world can throw against those who follow Jesus, and Jesus personally reaffirmed this idea of protection and future benefit to those who follow Him.

Because of this, it’s important for Christians to be careful and avoid the trap of constantly dwelling on questions that begin with the phrase, “what if…” While it’s good to ask “what if…” in the sense of considering your options and being prepared, it’s another thing to spend all of your time thinking about all of the bad things that might possibly happen in the future.

When someone is continually thinking about all the bad things that might happen (as in, “what will happen to me if such-and-such should occur”), then that person is taking their attention off the God who has promised to care for him or her in every situation. Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t be realistic about your problems, but it does mean that a constant focus on negative things that may not ever happen can only lead to worry, fear, anxiety, and distress- things that God would like to see you avoid.

We can say that God wants people to be free from anxiety because His Word tells us exactly how to do it…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

So remember God’s encouragement to Abram the next time you are feeling fearful or anxious: “Don’t be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings” (TLB).

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So Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” but it’s important to remember that there’s a big difference between “faith” and “blind faith.”

For example, let’s say that you have to move some furniture but you need a little help to do it. So you call a trustworthy friend who agrees to help you move your furniture at 10:00 am on Saturday. Now when Saturday arrives, you’re not likely to assume that your trusted friend has backed out of their promise if it’s 10:05 am and they still haven’t arrived. After all, a trustworthy friend will always do what they promised- that’s what makes them trustworthy. Even if it looks like they might not show up because they’ve been delayed for some reason, you can still have confidence that they will follow through on their promise.

A good friend can be trusted no matter what the outward appearance looks like, and this would be a good example of real, Biblical faith. In this situation, faith is the confident belief that your trusted friend will follow through on their promise even if the outward circumstances might seem to indicate otherwise. This concept will become very important in Abram’s life later on.

On the other hand, “blind faith” would be more like picking a random name out of the telephone book with the belief that the person that you’ve chosen will agree to drive to your house and help you move furniture on Saturday. That belief would require the kind of faith that doesn’t have any basis in reality, or “blind faith.” Since there is no basis for believing that a random person chosen from the telephone book would agree to help you move furniture, this belief would have no foundation other than blind faith.

Real Biblical faith is different from blind faith because there is a reasonable basis for Biblical faith. For example, you can look in the Scriptures and see the many Biblical prophecies that have come true. You can read through the Scriptures and see how God came through in the lives of people (like Abram, for instance) who had confidence in Him. Even today, you can look and see the example of God’s provision in the lives of those people who have placed their trust in Him.

These things all help to provide a reasonable basis for faith in the God of the Bible. Real Biblical faith is not blind faith- it involves a belief in a God who has already proven Himself.

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“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

In a sense, Abram “deposited” his faith in God and God responded by placing a credit in Abrams “account,” so to speak. So what was this credit that God placed in Abram’s account?

Well, Genesis 15:6 tells us that God “…credited it to him as righteousness.” Now to be righteous means that someone has “right standing” with God. The New Testament book of Romans goes on to explain how this applied in Abram’s life…

“(Abram) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness'” (Romans 4:20-22).

Now this was great news for Abram, but how does this apply for people who are living today? Well, let’s keep reading…

“The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:23-24).

So Abram believed God and God put righteousness to his account as a result. In a similar way, the Scriptures tell us that everything that you’ve ever done wrong was also put on Jesus’ account when He was punished on the cross in your place. Now whenever someone believes in Jesus and accepts His punishment on the cross as the payment for the wrong things that he or she has done, His righteousness is put on that person’s account and he or she is made right with the all powerful, 100% perfect, and totally holy God.

But remember that “believing in Jesus” or having “faith in Christ” doesn’t mean that we simply accept Jesus as a great man, a good teacher, or an important religious figure. To “believe in Jesus” means to trust Him, to stand firm in Him, and to place your faith totally in Him. It means demonstrating the same kind of faith in God that Abram displayed in his day. The Scripture quoted above in Romans 4:20-24 tells us that God will accept people today in the same way that He accepted Abram when they place their faith in Jesus.

Jesus was once asked the following question: “…What must we do to do the works God requires?” He answered that question by saying, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (see John 6:28-29). God will credit righteousness to everyone who does just that.

X

“He also said to him, ‘I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’ But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?'” (Genesis 15:7-8).

So Abram has demonstrated his faith in God, but now he is going to try and build on that faith even further by saying, “LORD God, how can I know the land will be mine?” (Genesis 15:8 CEV). If we wanted to put this question another way, we might rephrase it like this: “Lord, you are the all powerful God- please give me an added foundation to believe what you’ve already told me. I understand that you can fulfill your promise; help me to believe more strongly that you will do it.”

Here’s God’s response…

“So the LORD said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away” (Genesis 15:9-11).

Now there’s a lot about this whole scene that can definitely sound very strange to anyone living in the 21st century. In fact, it can be easy to look at what Abram does in these verses and get the impression that he is involved in some strange religious practice that has very little to do with the God of the Bible. But this is a situation where a little background information can be helpful in understanding what’s really going on here.

You see, back in Abram’s day, contracts and legal agreements weren’t negotiated and signed by attorneys and law firms as they are today. Instead, legal agreements were formalized through the ceremony that we see in Genesis 15:9-11. This ritual was known as “cutting a covenant” and it bound two parties together in a legal agreement through the death of one or more animals.

The parties who were involved in making an agreement would cut these animals in half and place the halves opposite to each other on the ground. Then both parties would walk between the pieces of the sacrificed animals. This ceremony vividly declared that if either party failed to keep up their end of the agreement, then that person deserved to suffer the same fate as those animals who had been sacrificed.

XI

So God instructed Abram to prepare everything that was necessary to enter a legal agreement according to the custom of that day. But even though Abram got everything ready to “sign” the agreement just as he was told, notice that God didn’t appear to Abram as soon as Abram was ready for Him.

Abram’s experience with God in Genesis 15:9-11 reminds us that God acts when the time is right and not necessarily when we think the time is right. During those periods when God doesn’t seem to be moving as fast as we think He should, it can be easy to fall into the trap of saying, “why bother- nothing’s going to happen.” But if Abram had taken that attitude, then all the elements of the agreement that God instructed him to prepare would have disappeared.

You see, the birds of prey that had been attracted to Abram’s work would have quickly eaten the animals that he had prepared. If that happened, then there would be no agreement left to “sign” when God arrived. But Abram demonstrated his faith and trust in God by chasing these birds off. This put Abram himself in a position to be ready when God decided that the time was right to move forward and confirm the promises that He made.

Here’s what happened next…

“As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.’ When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates– the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites'” (Genesis 15:12-21).

This whole passage has a kind of “gothic” feel, with a sense of enveloping darkness, dread, and foreboding. We’ll look at some reasons for that next.

XII

“As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening” (Genesis 15:12 CEV).

It seems that God not only spoke with Abram, but also allowed him to experience a physical sense of what was going to happen in the future. This accounts for the sense of fearful anticipation that we see in this part of Genesis chapter 15.

So what did the future hold? Well, here’s what God had to say…

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years'” (Genesis 15:13).

This “thick and dreadful darkness” (NIV) served to help Abram experience and understand the slavery and mistreatment that his descendants would eventually suffer. So God allowed Abram to get a glimpse into the future for his descendants by basically telling him, “You will receive the land, but your descendants will definitely go through a period of intense hardship.”

At that point, Abram may have said to himself, “If that’s the way it’s going to be, then maybe we shouldn’t go through with this. Maybe it would be better for me not to have any descendants at all.” But God had some additional plans for Abram’s descendants when this trial period was over…

“But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions” (Genesis 15:14).

So God assured Abram that everything would eventually turn out OK for his descendants and if you read the Biblical book of Exodus, you’ll find out that this is exactly what happened. God brought Abram’s descendants out of the country where they were enslaved and mistreated in a way that no one could have expected (you can see Exodus chapters 1-14 for the whole story).

But what did the future hold for Abram personally? Well, God had that part covered as well…

“You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age” (Genesis 15:15).

We’ll find out later on in Genesis 25:7 that Abram eventually died at 175 years old, so this is another promise that God kept. But following this, something unusual happens- a smoking firepot and blazing torch suddenly appear on the scene. These two items would seem to have very little to do with the things that God has been speaking to Abram about- until you stop to think about what these elements do and what they represent.

XIII

“When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces” (Genesis 15:17)

The “smoking firepot” mentioned here was a round or cylinder-like oven or furnace. The “blazing torch” was a lamp or flame that went alongside this firepot or perhaps came out from it. So God chose to interact with Abram using these two symbols (or emblems) to personify Himself. But why would God choose these two particular items to represent Himself to Abram?

Well, these emblems makes good sense because the Biblical book of Deuteronomy will later tell us that “…the Lord your God is a consuming fire” and 1 Timothy 6:16 says that God “…alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.” In fact, we will see God make use of this smoke, fire, and light symbolism once again in the book of Exodus when He will lead Abram’s descendants by a pillar of cloud during the daytime and a pillar of fire at night (see Exodus 13:21).

But there’s something else that’s important to notice besides the symbols that God uses to represent Himself in this passage. For example, you may remember that contracts and legal agreements in Abram’s time were formalized through a ceremony that involved the death of one or more animals. The parties involved in making the agreement would cut these animals in half and place the halves opposite to each other on the ground. Then both parties would walk between the pieces of the sacrificed animals.

This ceremony officially declared that if either party failed to keep up their end of the agreement, then that person deserved to suffer the same fate as those animals who had been sacrificed.

Now you would normally expect God and Abram to finalize this agreement by walking through these pieces together- but that’s not what happened. Instead, this smoking firepot and blazing torch passed between the pieces on their own. It seems that Abram’s part in this ceremony was to prepare the animals and then simply to serve as an observer as God officially confirmed His promise.

There was a good reason for this. You see, God wanted to make sure this agreement would hold up, and the only way that it would hold up is if God was the only one who was responsible for making sure that it didn’t fail. God entered into this agreement for each of them and because of this, Abram could be fully assured that God’s agreement with Him would never fail because God can never fail.

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Back in the period of time when Abram was alive, many land areas were not governed by individual nations as we know them today. During Abram’s time (around 2000 BC), most land areas in and around the Middle East were ruled by “city-states.”

City-states were independent communities that each controlled a fairly small area of land. Each city-state operated like an independent nation with it’s own government but they were closer in size to what we might call a town or village today. This city-state form of government also existed in ancient Greece and in other areas throughout western Europe during the middle ages as well.

This information is helpful in understanding some of the events that occur in Genesis chapter fourteen. You see, Genesis chapter 14 tells us about how five kings ruling five city-states in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah decided to revolt against a confederation of four other city-states that had been ruling over them. Genesis 14:4 tells us that these five city-states had been subject for twelve years to a man named Kedorlaomer (pronounced “ked-or-lay-oh-mer”) who appears to have been the leader of this four city confederacy.

To be “subject” to another ruler during this time usually meant that you had to pay some money to the person that you were subject to. This money was called the “tribute” and it was something that we might call “protection money” today. To put it another way, this tribute money was like an ancient adult version of the schoolyard bully who says, “Give me your money or else I’m going to beat you up.”

So Genesis 14:4 tells us, “For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.” In other words, these five city-states fought back against Kedorlaomer and his group by not giving them any more protection money. This was like a declaration of war, and you can probably guess what happened next…

“Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar–four kings against five” (Genesis 14:8-9).

This five-on-four matchup would seem to be pretty favorable for the five king alliance, but what does all this have to do with Abram? Well, the answer is nothing, really- until a certain “someone” got himself dragged into the fight.

II

“Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away” (Genesis 14:10-11).

So much for the big revolution, huh? In the end, it turned out to be a bad idea for these five city-states to go to war against the four city alliance because the five-city group eventually ended up losing everything. The armies of these four kings came in and took all of the food and everything else in Sodom and Gomorrah- but that’s not all they got…

“They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom” (Genesis 14:12).

This was much more than just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Lot. You see, Lot made some specific choices that put him in a position to get caught up in this mess. The first choice involved Lot’s decision to move to this area without asking for any help, direction, or input from God first.

Next, Genesis 13:12 tells us that, “Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.” So Lot was originally living somewhere “near” Sodom when we last met him. But notice that Genesis 14:12 says that Lot was now living “in” Sodom just before he was captured.

Now we’ve already been told that Sodom was a place where some really bad things were happening (see Genesis 13:13). This made Lot’s decision to move to Sodom bad enough by itself. However, Lot’s decision to make his home in Sodom also meant that he got caught up in the same trouble that everyone else who lived there did when these these enemy troops invaded. So Lot’s choice put him in a dangerous position that eventually lead to some seriously bad consequences.

So what does this mean for people today? Well, Lot chose to hang around and live with a group of people who were doing some very wrong things. Because of this, he suffered the consequences when everything started going bad. The lesson for us is this: if you want to hang around with bad company, don’t be surprised if you’re the one who pays the price when trouble comes. Lot probably didn’t expect to become a prisoner of war when he originally moved to Sodom, but that’s exactly what happened to him.

III

“One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan” (Genesis 14:13-14).

So it seems that Abram stayed out of this big fight until he found out that his nephew had been captured. Now when Abram heard this news, he could have said something like, “Too bad for Lot. He made his choice and now he’ll just have to live with the consequences.” But Abram graciously chose to rescue his nephew instead.

This illustrates the responsibility that God’s people sometimes face when friends or relatives make bad choices. Since God has has shown His graciousness towards us, we have a responsibility to honor Him and be gracious towards others when they get into trouble as well (see Romans 5:8).

While Lot should have known better than to move into Sodom, Abram didn’t let that fact stop him from helping Lot when he got into trouble. We can follow Abram’s good example today during those times when we’re asked to step up and do the difficult work of helping someone whose choices have gotten them into trouble.

So Abram mobilized his 318-member army to go and rescue Lot. Now anybody who can afford to keep 318 soldiers around has to be doing pretty well. On the other hand, 318 guys doesn’t really sound like much of an army, does it? Well, that might be true today, but remember that we’re not talking about two large nations going to war against each other- it was more like Abram’s “group” going up against an opposing group. When you think of it in those terms, 318 soldiers sounds a lot more impressive.

“During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people” (Genesis 14:15-16).

Abram chose to advance against the enemy from different directions under the cover of darkness in what we might call a “guerrilla attack” today. While this is a good military strategy, Abram definitely must have received God’s help because he successfully took out this entire four-king alliance with 318 guys when a five-king alliance couldn’t do it.

As a result of this great military victory, a representative of the people that Abram liberated will soon seek him out to show his appreciation. But someone else is about to visit Abram as well- someone who will turn out to be very different from his other visitor.

IV

“After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:17-20).

So following this successful military campaign, Abram received two visits from two different people. The first person was the king of Sodom and the second individual is identified as Melchizedek (pronounced “mel-key-zed-ek”), king of Salem.

Now Melchizedek is something of a mysterious figure in the Scriptures. Besides the fact that he was the king of Salem, the only other thing we’re told about Melchizedek is that he was also a priest of God. However, this passage doesn’t tell us where Melchizedek came from, how he came to be there with Abram, how he got to be a priest of the one true God, or how Abram knew about him. We only know that he was there, that he brought out bread and wine, and that Abram responded by giving Him 10% of everything.

Now its possible to look at this meeting in a very straightforward way. For example, we could say that Melchizedek was simply an important official who welcomed Abram home following his success on the battlefield. After providing Abram with the hospitality of a meal, Melchizedek then gave Abram his blessing and Abram responded by honoring him with ten percent of the valuables that were taken during the war. Sounds simple enough, right?

But let’s take a closer look at these clues we’ve been given about Melchizedek before we move on. First, we’re told that Melchizedek was the king of Salem. “Salem” is a word that means “peace” and it is believed to be the oldest name for the city of Jerusalem. ₍₁₎ So we can say that Melchizedek was the “king of peace.” The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness” ₍₂₎ and he was both a priest and a king, which is very unusual.

In addition to this, notice that Melchizedek brings bread and wine to Abram, two items that will become very significant later on in the New Testament (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Finally, the fact that Melchizedek gave Abram a blessing is very important because a lesser person was always blessed by a greater person in that culture. Because of this, we can say that Melchizedek was a greater spiritual figure than Abram because Abram received a blessing from Melchizedek.

(1) “Salem” The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

(2) “Melchizedek” Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers

V

This information makes it possible to draw some comparisons between Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

For example, Melchizedek was the king of Salem (a word that means “peace”) and Romans 5:1 tells us that “…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness” and 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus “…has become … our righteousness.”

Melchizedek was also both a priest and a king. The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that “we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” (Hebrews 4:14). And when Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say…” in Matthew 27:11. So Jesus was also both a priest and a king.

Genesis 14:18 tells us about how Melchizedek “brought out bread and wine” when he met with Abram. This may sound familiar because Jesus did much the same thing with His disciples during the last supper…

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'” (Matthew 26:26-28).

Many years after the events of Genesis chapter fourteen, God inspired Israel’s King David was to write this about the Messiah: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek'” (Psalm 110:4). Even though priests in David’s day were only supposed to be descendants of a man named Aaron (Exodus 28:1), this verse says that God’s Savior would be a priest in Melchizedek’s order.

Finally, the New Testament book of Hebrews tell us that Melchizedek was, “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:3). The only two people in Israel’s history to have the office of priest and king were Melchizedek and Jesus.

Because of this, many people believe that Melchizedek was a Christopany or Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ prior to His physical birth. But even if Melchizedek does not represent an actual appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament, he is at the very least a type or symbol of Jesus.

So that’s Abram’s encounter with king number one. However, we’ll soon see that Abram’s meeting with king number two will be very different.

VI

“The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.’ But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me–to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share” (Genesis 14:21-24).

According to the custom of that time, Abram had the right to keep anything that he gained from his victory over the four-king alliance that had captured his nephew Lot. This is why the king of Sodom said to him, “All I want are my people. You can keep everything else” (Genesis 14:21 CEV).

But check out Abram’s reply to this offer: “…Abram told the king of Sodom, ‘I swear to God, The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, this solemn oath, that I’ll take nothing from you, not so much as a thread or a shoestring. I’m not going to have you go around saying, ‘I made Abram rich'” (MSG).

Abrams’s example reminds us that it’s important to be careful in choosing who we become indebted to. You see, just because someone offers something for “free” doesn’t always mean that it’s a good idea to take it.

For example, some offers that seem “free” (like credit card promotions that are marketed to people in their teens and 20’s) may actually become very expensive in a very short time. A person who takes advantage of a seemingly free offer like this without reading the “fine print” could find themselves with a big obligation to pay back in a very short time.

On the other hand, Abram was very smart in choosing to reject the king of Sodom’s offer. Abram didn’t take advantage of the king’s offer because he didn’t want the king of Sodom to be able to say, “Yeah, Abram’s rich because he has all my old stuff.”

Abram didn’t want his wealth to be associated with anything from Sodom. He also had no intention of becoming indebted to the leader of a city with Sodom’s reputation. Abram knew that God had provided him with a victory over this four-king alliance and he did not want feel obligated to the king of Sodom in any way.

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I

“Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:1-4).

So after this bad experience in Egypt, Abram made the decision to go back to where he came from. Abram didn’t represent God very well during his stay in Egypt, and after being asked to leave (Genesis 12:19-20), he decided to return to an area where God spoke with him once before (see Genesis 12:7-8).

Now even though we are separated from Abram by many centuries, this decision provides us with a good example to follow today. You see, if you’ve been in a situation where you haven’t handled yourself very well as a representative of God, its important to follow Abram’s good example and go back to the place where God has spoken with you.

Now the place where God primarily speaks to you is through the Bible, because the Bible is the word of God (see 2 Timothy 3:16). This means that you have an opportunity to meet with God and hear from Him every time you read the Scriptures. God can also communicate to you through a message at church (see Acts 14:1 for a first-century example) or even through speaking with other Christians (see Acts 18:24-28).

The thing to remember is that if you make a mistake like Abram did, don’t let it keep you from God. Instead, open up an honest and respectful conversation with God in prayer. Be up front with Him about how you messed up and the reasons why. Then ask Him to help you be a good representative of Jesus in your daily life. If you remember Abram’s good example and go to the place where God has spoken to you, you’ll find that He’ll be there for you, just like He was for Abram.

Genesis 13:2 also tells us that, “Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold” (CEV). So just how wealthy was Abram? Well, one source says that, “An Arab sheik is considered rich who has a hundred or two hundred tents, from sixty to a hundred camels, a thousand sheep and goats respectively. And Abram being very rich, must have far exceeded that amount of… property.” ₍₁₎

So God had definitely blessed Abram with a lot of material wealth and it seems that Abram was beginning to get back on track spiritually as well. But there were still some other things that hadn’t changed…

(1) A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Genesis 13:2

II

“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time” (Genesis 13:5-7).

You may remember that God spoke to Abram earlier and told him to leave his home and relatives and follow the directions that He would give him (see Genesis 12:1). But at some point, Abram’s nephew Lot apparently decided that he wanted to go along with Abram too- and that decision eventually lead to the situation that we read about in the verses quoted above.

This little episode provides us with something important to remember in our own lives- we can often avoid a lot of future trouble simply by doing what God tells us to do. You see, if Abram had done what God told him to do in leaving his relatives behind, then he wouldn’t have the problem with Lot’s herdsmen that we read about here. Unfortunately, this would not be the end of Abram’s problems with Lot. In fact, the next chapter will tell us how Abram had to gather a small private army to rescue Lot after he was taken away as a prisoner of war (see Genesis 14:11-16).

So we can see that while Abram did follow God’s instructions, he disregarded the part about leaving his relatives behind when he allowed his nephew to come along with him- and that decision eventually lead to a number of problems for Abram. Like Abram, people today can also make a similar mistake by disregarding portions of Scripture or by not paying attention to the things that God says in His Word. Abram’s example tells us that we can often avoid big problems by getting on board with God’s instructions first and then doing everything that He tells us to do.

You see, the big issue between Abram and Lot revolved around the fact that they each had so much “stuff” that there was not enough room for everything. This also reminds us that it’s possible for people to have many possessions but still not really be content. Contrary to what some may believe, having a lot of “stuff” doesn’t necessarily make you a happier person- and the way that Abram and Lot handle this problem is going to tell us a lot about what they both are really like.

III

“Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left'” (Genesis 13:8-9).

So we can see that Abram chose to deal with this situation in a very God-honoring way. Notice that Abram never tried to hurt Lot, talk behind his back, or try to claim that he had a right to take everything because he was there first. Abram simply told Lot, “Take whatever land you want and I’ll take whatever land is left.”

Why do you think Abram handled this situation in this way? Was it because he was afraid to get into a fight or argument with Lot? Well, that’s probably not the answer because the next chapter will tell us all about how Abram led a small army against a group of four enemy kings who were holding Lot as a prisoner. So it’s unlikely that Abram was the kind of person who would look to avoid this kind of disagreement with his nephew.

A much better answer would be that Abram was generous with Lot because Abram was confident that God would provide for him no matter what. You see, Abram could afford to be generous with Lot because God had given him these promises: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

These promises gave Abram the confidence to basically tell Lot, “Take whatever you want.” But this is not just an Old Testament idea that only applied to Abram- God’s promise to provide for His people also holds true today. For example, check out what God says about this subject in the book of 2 Corinthians…

“Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 TLB).

IV

Now before we check out Lot’s response to Abram’s proposal, let’s take a quick look at the way that these types of agreements were often negotiated back in those days.

In Abram’s day, contracts and agreements between people were usually guided by a set of rules that specified how each side should respond. Since Abram was older than Lot and was also the leader of his group, he had the right in that culture to pick any area he wanted and then assign Lot to anywhere else that remained.

But instead of enforcing his rights, we see that Abram graciously allowed Lot to make the first choice. However, once Abram offered to allow Lot to choose first, the proper response for a younger man like Lot would be to absolutely insist that Abram choose first and agree to take whatever was left.

So let’s see how Lot responded…

“Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom” (Genesis 13:10-12).

So instead of deferring to Abram, Lot immediately decided to move to an area known as the Jordan Valley (CEV). Now if you look closely as the passage quoted above, you’ll find that it gives us some very specific reasons that help explain why Lot made this choice. If we take some time to look at the reasoning behind Lot’s decision, we should be able to gain some valuable information that can definitely help us to make good decisions today.

First we’re told that Lot looked over the land, saw the advantages of one particular area, and immediately took Abram up on his offer. To phrase this another way, we could say that Lot saw a bargain that looked good and took it right away.

While this might sound perfectly reasonable to many people, the problem is that there’s no indication that Lot gave any thought to what God might want him to do in this situation. There’s no record indicating that Lot prayed before making this decision or that he sought any Godly advice. In fact, there’s no indication that Lot gave any consideration to God at all. Lot apparently based his decision on one thing: What’s best for me? He saw something that looked good and immediately made the deal.

V

Lot’s experience with Abram helps to illustrate how people often make decisions today.

You see, the decision making process for many people begins and ends with this thought: “I see something that I want because it looks best for me right now.” Unfortunately, we’ll soon see that this approach is going to get Lot into some really big trouble.

But instead of making a decision that was totally based on what looked good to him at the time, what Lot should have done was to go to God first and then allow God to inform his decision-making process.

So what does it mean to allow God to inform someone’s decision making process? Well, here’s a good illustration of this idea from a God-inspired letter that Paul the Apostle wrote to a church located in a town called Philippi…

“If it is the Lord’s will, I hope that I will be able to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be encouraged by news about you. He is the only one who shares my feelings and who really cares about you. Everyone else is concerned only with their own affairs, not with the cause of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:19-21 GNB).

Paul’s reason for his confidence in Timothy was simple: “He takes a genuine interest in your welfare” (GW). This made Timothy very different from some other people of Paul’s day who were much more self-absorbed and self-interested. Paul then went on to explain the difference between Timothy and these others by saying, “The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:21 CEV).

Now even though Lot lived many centuries before Jesus’ birth, he had a similar mindset to those “others” that Paul talks about here. In other words, Lot was concerned about his own interests, but not necessarily God’s.

It’s can be rare to find people who factor “what concerns Christ Jesus” into their decision-making process as Timothy did. Unfortunately, it’s much more common for people to decide what’s best for themselves first and then ask God for His blessing. Then there are others who do look to God’s Word for direction but don’t always put that direction into practice if it involves too much self sacrifice or conflict with what they’d really rather do.

Timothy was different- he was interested in knowing and doing what God wanted him to do before anything else. We can follow this good example in our own decision making process today by first asking for God’s direction in prayer, reading His Word, and getting advice from other God-honoring people. Unfortunately, Lot didn’t have that attitude and that mistake is going to get him into some serious trouble real soon.

VI

“Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom” (Genesis 13:12).

This verse may not seem very important right now, but hang on to this little detail because we’re going to come back to it again in a few chapters. But first, the Bible gives us a tip-off that something bad is on the horizon…

“Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD” (Genesis 13:13).

So Lot decided to make his home on the outskirts of a place where some really bad things were happening. Again, don’t forget to hold on to this information because we’re going to come back to it again later on.

“The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’ So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD” (Genesis 13:14-18).

Did you notice that this passage specifically tells us that God didn’t speak with Abram again until after Abram made the decision to obey God’s original instruction to leave everyone else in his family? (see Genesis 12:1-3). In other words, God did not speak to Abram again until Abram finally did what God told him to do first.

This is another instance where Abram’s experience with God provides us with some important information that we can use today. The lesson from Abram’s example in this passage is simple: if you want God to provide you with His guidance and direction, then you have to do what He says first.

For example, if you are not doing what God’s Word already tells you to do (or if you are doing things that God’s Word says are wrong), then you shouldn’t be surprised if God chooses not to answer your prayers for His direction.

Remember that God began speaking to Abram again as soon as he acted on the instructions that God had already given him. In the same way, you shouldn’t expect God to provide you with His guidance if you’re not doing what God has already told you to do in the Scriptures.

Next

Previous

I

We’ve certainly seen plenty of action during the time period covered by the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis. For example, chapters one to three started with the creation of the universe and continued on through Adam and Eve’s transgression in the Garden of Eden. This word “transgression” refers to a failure to meet the requirements of a law or obligation ₍₁₎ and that’s exactly what happened when Adam and Eve deliberately chose to do something that God warned them not to do.

That one small decision eventually led to a chain reaction of really bad things. In fact, everything got so bad that by the time we get to Genesis chapter six, it says that, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (Genesis 6:5-6). That ultimately led to God’s decision to wipe out everybody on Earth and reboot the planet with a man named Noah.

Genesis chapter eleven then tells us about a later attempt to create a totally humanistic society that completely eliminated God. We saw a record of that effort when we read how a group of people got together and said,“‘…Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth'” (Genesis 11:4).

God responded to that challenge by saying, “‘Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other'” (Genesis 11:7). Later on we’re told, “That is why it was called Babel–because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:7-9). So there’s been a lot of history covered throughout the first eleven chapters of Genesis and by the time we get Genesis chapter twelve, a little over 400 years has passed since this attempt to build the Tower of Babel.

But starting in Genesis chapter twelve, things are going to slow down a lot. While the first eleven chapters of Genesis cover a time period of about 2000 years, the final thirty-nine chapters will cover a time period of only about 350 years. And instead of concentrating on the big historical events that we’ve seen so far, the remainder of Genesis is going to focus a lot more on individual people and the events that take place in their lives.

(1) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

II

We’ve already seen a preview of this “personality-based” focus right at the end of Genesis chapter eleven where we read this…

If you read through the verses that come right before the passage quoted above, you’ll find that that it contains a genealogy with a dozen names that are listed one right after another. But this rapid list of names suddenly comes to a standstill in verse 27 to concentrate on one particular family- a man named Terah and his sons.

This background information is important because there are three people in this family who are going to become very significant later on: Abram, his wife Sarai, and Abram’s nephew Lot.

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you'” (Genesis 12:1-3).

“Abram” is probably better known to us today as “Abraham” but his name won’t be changed to Abraham until we get to Genesis chapter seventeen. Anyway, Genesis 12:1 tells us that God appeared to Abram and told him, “Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you” (CEV).

“Home” for Abram at that time was a place called “Ur of the Chaldees” or “Ur of the Chaldeans.” Ur was a town that was located about 160 miles (257 km) from the Persian Gulf and about 220 miles (354 km) southeast of the city of Baghdad in the modern-day country of Iraq.

However, God has booked some new travel arrangements for Abram- and for Abram, these travel plans were stamped, “Destination: Unknown.”

III

Take a close look at the instructions that God gave to Abram in this verse: “I want you to leave your home and your family and I’ll tell you where to go.” How do you think that you would respond if God said something like this to you?

Can you imagine what Abram’s friends and relatives said to him while he was getting his gear together…

Q: So I see that you’re packing up all your stuff, Abram- are you going on vacation?

A: Not exactly

Q: So where’re you going?

A: Don’t know

Q: How long will you be gone?

A: Don’t know

Q: How are you going to get there?

A: Don’t know

Q: Well, if you don’t know where you’re going, and you don’t know how long you’ll be gone, and you don’t know how you’re going to get there, then how will you know when you arrive?

A: God’s going to tell me

Q: You’re weird man

So what Abram did would be like a modern-day person packing up all their stuff in a car, filling up the fuel tank, and then pulling out on the road and driving without a set destination. In fact, Hebrews 11:8 says that Abram,”… went out, not knowing where he was going.”

While it’s true that Abram didn’t start out with a set of GPS coordinates and turn-by-turn directions to guide him on this journey, the reality is that he actually started with something better- Abram began with a promise from God…

That first promise –“I will make you into a great nation”– came true later on in the Bible when the nation of Israel was established. We’ll also find out later that God fulfilled His second promise to Abram by giving him many spiritual and material blessings as well. .

Then there was God’s promise to “make your name great.” While there may not be many things that Christians, Muslims, and Jewish people can agree on, one thing that they do agree on is the fact that Abram was a great man, thus fulfilling another promise that God made to him.

Finally, perhaps the greatest fulfillment of God’s promise to make Abram a blessing was that God eventually brought Jesus the Savior through his family lineage (see Matthew 1:1-17).

IV

A large portion of Genesis is dedicated to the events of Abram’s life, and there are many other Old and New Testament references to him as well. He is well known in the Scriptures as a man of tremendous faith, but this is not to say that Abram was a perfect person. For instance, take a look at how Abram followed God’s directions in Genesis chapter 12…

“So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there” (Genesis 12:4-5).

That doesn’t sound too unusual, right? Well, the problem is that Genesis 12:1 says that God originally told Abram to pack up and leave everyone else behind. Since a husband and wife are seen by God as a single unit (see Genesis 2:23 and Matthew 19:6), we can say that God’s directive to Abram also included his wife Sarai as well. So Abram seems OK so far according to the Scripture quoted above.

But then Abram’s nephew Lot apparently decided that he wanted to go along with them too. Then Abram made the decision to take along all the stuff that they had collected while living in Haran. Then he ended up taking all of the people who worked for him there as well.

This is a long way from God’s original directive to “…Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family…” that we saw earlier. So we can say that Abram did do what God told him, but it’s also clear that he didn’t follow God’s instructions perfectly either.

“Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev” (Genesis 12:6-9).

So Abram set out on this trip to an unknown destination. He traveled approximately 350 miles (563 km) to the town of Shechem, and then about 20 miles (32 km) further to an area near the town of Bethel (a name that means “house of God”). After staying there for a short time, Abram was on the move once again. This nomadic lifestyle may help to explain what Abram did next…

V

“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe” (Genesis 12:10).

Now it may be easy to criticize Abram for taking this side trip to Egypt. For example, we might say that since God told Abram to go to the land of Canaan, then he should have stayed in that area and asked God to provide for him during this famine. While its tough to argue with that logic, it’s also difficult to say that what Abram did was wrong. Keep in mind that this famine was very bad and it’s not like Abram was going to live in Egypt forever- it was just a temporary stay because the food shortage was so severe.

However, we can say that Abram definitely did make a bad move once he got to the Egyptian border…

“As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live'” (Genesis 12:11-12).

Do you know how old Abram’s wife Sarai was at this time? Well, we know from Genesis chapter 17 that Sarai was 10 years younger than Abram (see Genesis 17:1 and 17:17). We also know from Genesis 12:4 that Abram was about 75 years old at this time. This means that Sarai was about 65 years old at the time when she and Abram were about to enter the nation of Egypt.

Now doesn’t it seem strange that Abram was concerned about the possibility that someone in Egypt might try to kill him in order to get to his 65 year old wife? Well, ordinarily that would be true, but don’t forget that life spans were still generally longer for people back then. While people didn’t live for centuries during this time period like we saw earlier in the book of Genesis, they did generally live much longer lives than people usually do today.

For example, Sarai lived to be 127 years old (Genesis 23:1) so this means that she was right around the middle of her life at this time. If we assume that an average person lives to be about 70 years old today, then at this point in her life, Sarai would be comparable to an attractive lady in her mid-30’s today. In fact, Sarai was so good-looking that Abram seemed to be afraid that someone will actually try to kill him in order to marry her.

VI

So Genesis 12:12 tells us that Abram is so concerned that his wife’s beauty might end up getting him killed that he comes up with an idea…

“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you” (Genesis 12:13).

How would this help Abram? Well, it was a custom during this time for a man to negotiate a payment (called a dowry) with the father or brother of a woman that he wanted to marry. If everyone believed that Abram was Sarai’s brother instead of her husband, then there would be no reason for anyone to want to murder him in order to marry her. And if someone did show an interest in Sarai, Abram could then try to drag out the dowry negotiations long enough until the famine was over and then quietly slip over the border with his wife and head back home.

To make things even more complicated, this story about Sarai being Abram’s sister is actually a partial truth because Sarai was in fact Abram’s half-sister. As it turns out, Abram and Sarai both had the same father but different mothers according to Genesis 20:12. So Abram’s story was true to a certain extent, but there’s no question that he also wanted to try and fool anyone who might show an interest in killing him in order to marry his wife.

Anyway, Abram was right to be concerned about his good-looking wife because she immediately began to attract the attention of his new neighbors once they arrived…

“When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels” (Genesis 12:14-16).

This is the very first mention of one of the most important titles in the Old Testament- Pharaoh. Just as there have been many people with the title of “President,” “King,” or “Prime Minister” in today, there were also many individuals who held the position of “Pharaoh” during the Old Testament period.

This title “Pharaoh” served to identify the kings of Egypt until around 323 BC. The word Pharaoh means “great house” and it was used in the same way that we might use the term “your honor” or “your majesty” today. In addition to this title, each Pharaoh also had a personal name as well, like Neco, Rameses, and Tutankhamun (or “King Tut”) just to name a few.

VII

The Pharaoh was a very important individual in Egyptian society during the Old Testament period. The people of Egypt believed that their leader was someone who had descended from the gods and because of this, they treated the Pharaoh as if he was a god.

This belief meant that a Pharaoh had total control over the people who lived in Egypt at that time. The Pharaoh had the right to take away someone’s property, put someone in prison, or issue a death sentence for anyone he wanted. So you can understand why Abram would be concerned about someone with that much power. And sure enough,“…when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace” (Genesis 12:15).

So Sarai was taken off to join the harem, just as Abram feared- but God had other plans…

“But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai” (Genesis 12:17).

Even though Pharaoh and his officials had not done anything knowingly wrong, they still paid a heavy price for Abram’s deception. Because of this, Abram’s choice to mislead Pharaoh lead to a ripple effect of consequences that he did not expect…

“So Pharaoh summoned Abram. ‘What have you done to me?’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!’ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had” (Genesis 12:18-20).

Abram did not represent God accurately in this situation and it almost sounds as if Pharaoh more disgusted with Abram than anything else- Abram deceived him and Pharaoh had to take the punishment because of it. The only thing left for Pharaoh was to basically say, “Take your wife and all your stuff and get out!”

Unfortunately, this is what can happen when someone claims to follow God but makes choices that conflict with that claim. The lesson for us is that we should be careful in the way that we represent God to other people. It’s important for Christians to give people the right example to follow and not provide an opportunity for others to lose respect for God. This is one reason why the New Testament book of Philippians tells us to, “…conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27 NAS).

Next

Previous

I

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech” (Genesis 11:1).

So Genesis 11:1 tells us that there was a time when everyone on Earth spoke the same language. In fact, we’re told that every person on Earth not only spoke the same language, but also shared a “common speech” or “arrangement” of that language. This implies that the various dialects, accents, and regional speech patterns that we’re familiar with today didn’t exist during that period as well.

For example, people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and the United States all speak the same language, but its usually easy to identify where someone comes from just by listening to the way that he or she speaks that language. It’s then often possible to know if that person grew up in the north, south, east, or west of their country and whether he or she lived in the city, a rural area, or somewhere in between just by listening to that person’s accent and speech pattern.

These regional accents and dialects can sometimes make it difficult for people to understand each other, even when they speak the same language. However, this wasn’t a problem for anyone living in the days of Genesis chapter 11 because everyone spoke the same language in the same way that everyone else did. This made communication easy, even for people who had never spoken to one another before.

“As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there” (Genesis 11:2).

The name Shinar means “country of two rivers.” ₍₁₎ In this case, these two rivers probably refer to the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, both of which still exist today. This allows us to identify the general location of Shinar and say that it was probably located somewhere within the modern day area of Iraq where these two rivers are situated. This portion of the world is also identified as Babylon or Chaldea in the Bible and we’ll take a closer look this area when we are introduced to a man named Abram a little later on in this chapter.

Anyway, the fact that these people settled down in this area should get our attention because that’s something that God specifically said not to do. You might remember that after the Great Flood was over, God told Noah (and people of Genesis 11 by extension) to “…increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). However, these people decided to park themselves in Shinar instead and not go any further.

Then they had a few more not-so-good ideas that we’ll look at next.

(1) “Shinar” The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

II

“They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar” (Genesis 11:3).

Many ancient cultures used stone as a building material while others made use of sun-dried clay bricks that were easier to put together and provided a little more structural stability. However, Genesis 11:3 tells us that these people on the plain of Shinar decided to go in a much more technically advanced direction.

For example, did you notice that Genesis 11:3 tells us that these construction workers specifically said, “…let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly”? This indicates that these builders were using construction materials that were processed by hardening them in some sort of kiln or furnace. So we can say that these people clearly wanted to create something that was built to last.

We should also notice that these builders used tar as a cementing agent for this building project. While there were other materials that could have been used for this purpose, tar conveniently had the advantage of being waterproof. We’ll talk about why these builders might have been intrested in that particular feature a little later.

But for now, let’s ask this question: what was the purpose behind this choice of building materials? Well, that answer comes next…

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth'” (Genesis 11:4).

Did you detect anyone who was noticeably absent from this building program? If not, let’s take another look at this verse to see where the focus of this construction project really is. Here is Genesis 11:4 again but this time, we’ll put in a little added emphasis…

“Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.”

So who is missing from this big construction plan? It’s God.

You see, this whole proposal is all about a group of people who wanted to make a name for themselves without any consideration or recognition of their Creator. At best, this building project was designed to serve as a focal point for a group of people who wanted to put themselves first and live without any recognition of God in their lives. At worst, these people were arrogantly looking to build something that represented their internal disrespect and disregard for God.

Unfortunately for them, Somebody had other plans…

III

“But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building” (Genesis 11:5).

The funny thing about this verse is that God had to “go down” to check out this great building project that was supposedly going to “reach to the heavens” (Genesis 11:4). But in reality, this project wasn’t any joke.

Think about what the construction of this tower said about the people who were building it. First, their desire to “…build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,” tells us that these people were basically saying, “We’ll get to the heavens on our own- we don’t need God.”

Next, these builders had a clear purpose behind their work: “…so that we may make a name for ourselves.” Instead of focusing on God and His plan for them, they decided that they were going to create something that would serve as a legacy to themselves.

The final thing they wanted to achieve was to create a permanent structure so they wouldn’t have to be “…scattered over the face of the whole earth.” This explains why they used hardened construction materials and tar-based mortar according to Genesis 11:3- they were good choices to build a permanent place to live. However, there’s another possible explanation concealed behind this choice of building materials.

You see, these components are the same kind of environmentally resistant and waterproof materials that someone might choose to build with if he or she had an attitude of disrespect towards God, but were concerned that He might try to flood out the world again. Remember that Noah’s Flood occurred just a few generations before the events that we’re reading about here and perhaps their attitude was, “If God ever decides to flood the world again, this time we’ll be ready.”

“The LORD said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them'” (Genesis 11:5).

Now it may be possible to read this verse and get the impression that God somehow felt “threatened” by what was going on. But the reality was actually just the opposite. You see, these people seemed to be under the impression that they could make their way into the heavens by their own efforts. But that wasn’t God’s plan for them- and this great building program was more like a sand castle than a permanent monument in the eyes of God.

While God could have chosen to wipe out this project in nanoseconds, He instead chose to demonstrate just how easily all of these great efforts could be derailed. We’ll look at how He accomplished that next.

IV

Since there was no language barrier to hold anyone back, people were free to combine their resources to accomplish pretty much whatever they wanted up to this point. But what would happen if these same people were suddenly unable to understand each other? Well, in that case, it would quickly become impossible to accomplish anything- and that’s exactly what happened in Genesis 11:7-8…

“‘Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.”

So in the end, this great building project turned into a force that pushed everybody further away from everybody else. In other words, it became exactly what these people were trying to avoid.

“That is why it was called Babel–because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:7-9).

So it seems that those people who could understand each other began to collect into groups and eventually separated from everyone they couldn’t understand. Over time, these individuals would eventually go on to form separate and distinct people groups, each with their own social culture and unique physical characteristics as well.

Now how does all this tie into what we know about humanity’s historical development? Well, one scholar-type provides us with a possible answer…

“A similar pattern of cultural development seems to have occurred over and over again. As a tribe migrated to an unexplored region, it would find a suitable location … and then try to establish a village. Although members of the tribe certainly knew many useful arts… they could not use them right away. Veins of metal had to be discovered, mined, and smelted; suitable clay… had to be found for making bricks and pottery; animals had to be bred; and crops had to be planted. All of this might take several years. In the meantime, the tribe had to survive by hunting, fishing and gathering fruits and nuts. Temporary homes had to be built of stone, if available, or timber, or even in caves. Remains of these original occupation sites naturally suggest to evolutionists a “stone age culture,” but actually they reflect only a very temporary situation. As soon as materials for ceramics and metals could be found, the “stone age” at the site was succeeded by a “bronze age” or “iron age.” The “village economy” was quickly succeeded by “urbanization” as the population increased and suitable building materials were developed.” ₍₁₎

(1) Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record pg. 275

V

“This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters” (Genesis 11:10-11).

Genesis 11:10-32 contains a long list that provides a detailed family history of Noah’s son Shem. Now it may seem boring to read through these genealogies of people who lived thousands of years ago, but one thing to notice from this list is that everyone’s life span was starting to become shorter and shorter as time progressed. In fact, all of the people listed in Genesis 11:10-32 generally lived for much shorter lives than those people who were alive before the time of Noah’s Flood.

For example, Noah’s life span covered a period of 950 years and his son Shem lived for 600 years. Now 600 years is a long time, but Noah still lived for 350 years more than his son. Genesis 11:24 then goes on to mention a man named Terah who eventually became the father of a man named Abram (who we’ll meet next). Terah represented the ninth generation following Noah and he lived to be “only” 205 years old, or 745 years less than Noah. So what’s the explanation for this 78% reduction in life expectancy?

Well, it seems that the earth’s environment prior to the Flood was a lot more favorable for human life than the environment that followed. The result was that people aged less quickly prior to the Flood, which meant that their lives could go on for as long as eight or nine centuries.

Anyway, this genealogy leads us to the introduction of one of the most important people in Biblical history…

“This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there” Genesis 11:27-31).

Many of these little details seem unimportant now, but they will eventually become an important part of what God does in Abram’s life, and the lives of everyone who follows God today.

Next

Previous

I

“This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood” (Genesis 10:1).

Genesis chapter ten basically consists of a long line of family histories that follow the descendants of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japeth. Everyone who is alive today, no matter what their race or culture, can trace their lineage back to one of these three people.

This chapter (along with chapter eleven) helps us to understand how the present day nations of the world originally came to be. Because of this, Genesis chapter ten contains what has come to be known as “The Table Of Nations.”

Many of Noah’s descendants are listed in Genesis chapter ten along with the cities they established, or those that were built by other descendants who came later. Now we’re not going to look at every single person mentioned in chapter; instead, we’ll do a overview of the people and places listed here to get a general idea of who ended up where.

The first guy mentioned in is Japeth’s son Gomer in verse two. Gomer is thought to be the ancestor of many people from western Europe and if your ancestry includes someone from France, Germany, or somewhere else in western Europe, then you are probably part of this family tree. ₍₁₎

Meshech is another name mentioned in verse two. The word “Moscow” is derived from the name Meshech ₍₂₎ and if your ancestry descends from Russia, Poland, or other areas in eastern Europe, then chances are good that this guy is in your family tree.

Another person mentioned in verse two is Madai. Madai became the forerunner of the Medes of the ancient Persian Empire. They lived in what is now known today as the areas of Iran and Iraq. The peoples of India also came from this branch of Japheth’s family. So Japeth and his sons are the ancestors of what we would call the Indo-European group. ₍₃₎

Verse three mentions a man named Ashkenaz. One source tells us that Ashkenaz and his descendants first settled around the Black Sea and then moved north into a land that was called Ascenia. This area later became known as the Islands of Scandia, or Scandinavia as we know it today. ₍₄₎ So if your heritage is from a Scandinavian country like Finland, Denmark, or Sweden, then this person is probably your distant relative. It is also possible that some people in this lineage also settled in Germany since the word Ashkenaz is a traditional Hebrew word for Germany. ₍₅₎ Verse three also mentions a man named Togarmah who is thought to be the ancestor of the Turkish people. ₍₆₎

(1) David Guzik, Commentary On Genesis http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0110.htm

(2) Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record pg. 248 although this claim is disputed by some

(3) Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record pg. 248

(4) Ray C. Stedman, God’s Funnel http://www.raystedman.org/genesis/0331.html

(5) Fact Archive.com, Ashkenazi http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/Ashkenazi

(6) Institute For Creation Research, Defenders Bible Notes Genesis 10:3 http://www.icr.org/bible/Genesis/10/

II

In Genesis chapter ten, verses four to five (Genesis 10:4-5) we have the mention of a man named Javan and his sons. Javan is thought to be the forerunner of the people of ancient Greece. ₍₁₎ Elishah, who is also mentioned in verse four, is believed to be the ancestor of the peoples of Sicily and Southern Italy. ₍₂₎

“The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan” (Genesis 10:6).

In Genesis 10:6, the attention shifts to his Noah’s middle son named Ham. These descendants of Ham later went on to become the forefathers of the peoples of Africa and the Far East. For example, Ham’s son Cush is generally associated with the peoples of the southern Middle East and Ethiopia. ₍₃₎

Mizraim is believed to be the ancestor of the Egyptian people ₍₄₎ while Put is the ancestor of those people who settled in North Africa. ₍₅₎ Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanites who used that name to identify the land where they lived. This is the area of the world that we generally know as Israel today and the Canaanites are mentioned quite often later on in Old Testament history.

Genesis 10:8-12 then goes on to get into some detail about a man named Nimrod. Genesis 10:8 tells us that Nimrod grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth and there are many ancient legends regarding him. For example, one legend states that Nimrod was out hunting one day when a wild boar turned on him and killed him in a field. However, after three days, his life supposedly returned to him. So people began to celebrate his “resurrection” by coloring eggs and having festivities in the springtime of the year. This celebration was called “Ishtar” which eventually morphed into the word “Easter” that we’re familiar with today. So if you ever wondered where the tradition of coloring “easter eggs” came from, now you know. ₍₆₎

Anyway, one meaning of Nimrod’s name is “rebellion.” ₍₇₎ and he went on to become the founder of what eventually became the Babylonian empire (Genesis 10:10). Nimrod is also sometimes associated with the effort to build the Tower of Babel that we’ll read about later in Genesis chapter eleven. ₍₈₎

Genesis 10:9 identifies Nimrod as “…a mighty hunter before the LORD” and an ancient Jewish commentary explains that statement like this: “He was powerful in hunting and in wickedness before the Lord, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said to them, ‘Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod!'” ₍₉₎ Another commentator says that, “It was through (Nimrod’s) ability to fight and kill and rule ruthlessly that his kingdom… was consolidated.” ₍₁₀₎

So it seems that Nimrod was a pretty bad guy who was attempting to set himself up in the place of God.

(1) “Javan” Easton’s Bible Dictionary http://www.bible-history.com/eastons/J/Javan/

(2) “Elishah” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

(3) “Cush (2)” Fausset’s Bible Dictionary

(4) “Mizraim” Unger’s Bible Dictionary

(5) Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record pg. 250

(6) See Chuck Smith, Commentary on Genesis 10-12 http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=1&contentID=4726&commInfo=25&topic=Genesis and Where did “Easter” get its name? Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate? http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html

(7) “Nimrod” The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

(8) The ancient historian Flavius Josephus says this: “(Nimrod) also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.” (Antiquities Of The Jews Book 1 4:2)

(9) See http://www.lighthouselibrary.com/read.php?sel=584&searchfor=|^T|&type=ARTICLE&what=title

(10) James Montgomery Boice, quoted in Commentary On Genesis David Guzik http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0110.htm

III

Genesis 10:14 mentions the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Genesis 10:15 mentions another group known as the Hittites. Verse sixteen then goes on to talk about three other groups known as the Jebusites, Amorites, and Girgashites. All five of these people groups would eventually go on to battle it out with the nation of Israel later on in the Old Testament.

Now so far, we’ve discussed the general origins of many people groups from many geographical regions. For instance, we’ve talked the ancestors of the people from western and eastern Europe. We’ve talked about the people who originally populated the area of Russia and the Scandinavian countries. We’ve also looked at the origins of people from India, Africa, and the Middle East.

However, there are two large geographic areas that we haven’t yet covered. These two areas are far away from each other but may be closer than you think- and the people who originally lived in these areas may have a common ancestor.

One clue that indicates this possibility is mentioned in Genesis 10:17 where a people group known as the Sinities are mentioned. You see, this prefix “sin” (pronounced “sy”) is used as an identifier for the people of China to this very day.

For example, the border between China and the Soviet Union during the 1960’s and 1970’s wasn’t called “the border between China and the Soviet Union.” It was called the “Sino-Soviet” border. Diplomatic relationships between China and the United States (for example) are called “Sino-American relations.” Another example is found in the word “sinology” which is a word that relates to the study of Chinese culture. So it’s very possible that Genesis 10:17 is speaking of those who went on to become the forerunners of the people who live in the area of modern day China.

Genesis 10:18-19 then goes on to tell us that “Later the Canaanite clans scattered” and gives a few examples of how far they had gone up to that time. This is the only people group mentioned in Genesis 10 that specifically packed up and moved on during this period and it may imply that these groups ended up going a lot further than anyone else.

Like where? Well, like maybe across the land bridge that is thought to have once existed across the Bering Straits and then moving down into North and South America. If this is the case, then it means that the modern day Inuit and Native American people groups along with the original inhabitants of Mexico, Central America, and South America all share a common ancestry that started with Noah’s son Ham.

IV

“Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber” (Genesis 10:21).

The name of Noah’s son Shem provides us with the origin of the term “Semitic.” ₍₁₎ This word is a term that generally identifies people who live in the Near East and it has come to be largely associated with the Jewish people in particular. ₍₂₎ The word “Hebrew” is derived from the name of Eber who is also mentioned here in Genesis 10:21. ₍₃₎

“The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram” (Genesis 10:22).

Elam is thought to be the ancestor of the Persian peoples, a people group that is generally associated with the people who live in the area of Iran today. ₍₄₎ Asshur went on to become the forerunner of the Assyrians, a group that was especially known in the Old Testament world for their violence and ruthlessness. ₍₅₎

Genesis chapter eleven will later go on to identify Arphaxad as an ancestor of Abram (also known as Abraham- see Genesis 11:10-27). Abram will eventually become a very important person in the Scriptures and we’ll begin looking at the events of his life starting in Genesis chapter twelve.

Aram was the predecessor of the Arameans, a people group that is also associated with the area of Syria. ₍₆₎ Their language was Aramaic, a language that was well-known and widely used up until around the time of Jesus. In fact, some portions of the Old Testament were written in Aramaic. ₍₇₎

In Genesis 10:25 we read that, “Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided…” This comment about the “earth’s division” almost certainly refers to what happens next in Genesis chapter eleven when God starts dividing people up into different language groups. However, it’s also interesting to note that Peleg’s name means “division,” ₍₈₎ “earthquake,” ₍₉₎ or “watercourse.” ₍₁₀₎

Back in the days of the Old Testament, people would sometimes name their children after a significant event that had occurred around the time of their birth. This has lead people to speculate that the land area of the earth may have been much more of a single mass that somehow separated around the time of Peleg’s birth. If this is the case, then it means that Peleg may have been born around the time when the land areas of Earth began to look more like the major continents that we are familiar today.

Now it’s important to recognize that this theory represents nothing more than a guess that’s based on this comment in Genesis 10:25. ₍₁₁₎ However, if this theory is correct, then it means that this portion of the Bible is making a reference to the idea of “Continental Drift” thousands of years before the term was even invented.

(1) “Semites, Semitic Religion” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

(2) As in the term “anti-semitic” for example

(3) A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Genesis 10:21

(4) Hallman, Bob The Genealogy Of The Nations http://www.calvarykauai.org/pdfs/genesis_pdf/gen_10_notes.pdf

(5) “Archaeologists have discovered that the Assyrians were merciless and savage people. The Assyrian army was ruthless and effective. Its cruelty included burning cities, burning children, impaling victims on stakes, beheading, and chopping off hands.” (“Assyria” Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

(6) “Aram” New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988

(7) Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record pg. 259

(8) “Peleg” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

(9) “Peleg” New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary

(10) “Peleg” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

(11) “Some creationists propose a form of continental break-up after the flood, in the days of Peleg. This again would mean several centuries for animals to disperse, in this instance without the necessity of land-bridges. However, continental break-up in the time of Peleg is not widely accepted in creationist circles.” See How did animals get from the Ark to isolated places, such as Australia? ChristianAnswers.Net http://christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c006.html?zoom_highlight=peleg

V

So Genesis 10:32 finishes up by saying this…

“These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.”

While it may be tempting to speed past this genealogy full of unpronounceable names, this list is significant because every person who is alive today is related to someone who is listed in Genesis chapter 10. This means that someone in Genesis chapter 10 was helping to write your history with their life- and they didn’t even know it.

This also illustrates why your own life has meaning and importance today. You see, you are also writing history every day, just like the people that we read about in Genesis chapter 10. The choices that you make, the things that you say, and the actions that you take (or fail to take) are all becoming a part of your history and the history of others. This is one reason why the New Testament book of Ephesians says, “…be very careful how you live. Don’t live like foolish people but like wise people. Make the most of your opportunities because these are evil days. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord wants” (Ephesians 5:15-18 GW).

Genesis 10 reminds us that your life has meaning and importance because you influence the lives and destinies of others by the things you say and do. For example, those “others” may include your friends at school, the people that you work with, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a teammate, or a member of your family. You are also leaving a legacy for those who follow you and your choices today will help shape and influence future generations as well- just like the people that we read about in Genesis chapter ten.

You may not believe that your life counts for very much, but the truth is that the things you say (or don’t say) and the things you do (or don’t do) affect your life and the lives of others every day. That’s why today (and every day) has meaning -both now and in eternity. Perhaps this is why Romans 2:6-8 reminds us that, “God will reward each of us for what we have done. He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever. But he will show how angry and furious he can be with every selfish person who rejects the truth and wants to do evil” (CEV).

So your life matters to God and you are writing history every day. The question is, “what kind of history are you writing today?”

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I

“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands'” (Genesis 9:1-2).

In saying that that God “blessed” Noah in these verses, the Scriptures use a word that involves the idea of granting or bestowing a benefit upon someone. ₍₁₎ Since the world had basically started all over again now that the Flood was over, God gave Noah the same kind of blessing that He originally gave to Adam earlier in Genesis chapter one: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28 NKJV).

Now when God says, “Be fruitful…” the obvious connection is that God wants Noah’s family to have children and get the Earth’s population going again. But this concept of “fruitfulness” is also found in the Scriptures in a different sense as well. For instance, just as tree can be indentified by the fruit it produces, a person can also be identified by the result or “fruit” that his or her actions produce.

If we could rephrase this idea in Biblical terms, we might say that the results or “fruit” that your life produces will always have some kind of effect in the lives of others for better or worse. This is important because everyone has some degree of influence with others, even if it’s only just among a few people.

For example, someone’s circle of influence might include his or her friends at school. It could include the people that someone works with. It may include a girlfriend or boyfriend or teammate or a member of someone’s family.

The point is that everyone has relationships that allow them to have some degree of influence with someone else. This means that everyone is a peer leader to some extent and everyone constantly influences others by the things they say and do.

Because of this, you should never underestimate the impact that you can have on people by living a God-honoring lifestyle. You may think that that you’re not really having an impact for God in your school or in your neighborhood but you might be having more of an effect than you think. You never know what God may be doing behind the scenes with your example and just because you don’t see any fruit doesn’t necessarily that God isn’t working to make good things happen.

(1) “barak” OT:1288 Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary

II

But this idea of “fruitfulness” is also true in an opposite sense as well. For instance, there are definite consequences that are sure to follow anyone who makes a choice to abuse alcohol or drugs or get involved in an inappropriate physical relationship, just to name a few examples. The “fruit” or result of those choices and their consequences are sure to have a negative impact and influence in the lives of others.

It’s important to remember that these choices don’t only affect the person who is directly involved- they also affect that person’s friends, family members, and maybe even people that he or she doesn’t even know. The fruit that your life produces will always have some kind of impact on others for better or for worse. Now this is not to say that you can’t learn a good lesson from someone’s negative example, but it’s certainly better to watch and learn from a positive influence rather than a negative one.

So how can you make sure that your life produces the right kind of fruit? Well, here’s what Jesus had to say on that subject to His followers in John 15:1-8:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Jesus is the vine that supplies what we need to produce the right kind of fruit (or consequences) in our lives. If we get cut off from Him, then nothing that’s ultimately useful or meaningful will ever be produced from our lives.

III

“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it” (Genesis 9:3-7).

These verses talk about a concept that’s known as “capital punishment.” This term refers to a death penalty that’s given to someone who has committed a crime. For example, Genesis 9:6 identifies murder as one type of crime that’s worthy of capital punishment when it says, “Whoever takes a man’s life, by man will his life be taken; because God made man in his image” (BBE).

This may be surprising to anyone who is familiar with the Bible because it seems to conflict with one of the Ten Commandments that we read later on in the Old Testament book of Exodus. For example, Commandment number six tells us, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13 KJV). So if Genesis 9:6 says, “If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands” (NLT) but Exodus 20:13 tells us, “You shall not kill” (RSV), then what should we do with these apparent conflicts?

Well, the first thing we should note is that the Old Testament word for “kill” in Exodus 20:13 is really more accurately translated as “murder” and that’s the way this word appears in many modern Biblical versions. ₍₁₎ This means that the sixth commandment (“Thou shall not kill”) is best understood as, “Thou shall not murder” or, “Do not terminate someone’s life without just cause.”

This means that the Bible makes a distinction between killing and murder. “Killing” is not always murder because there may be situations when there is just cause for killing someone else. Those situations may include things like self-defense or a situation where a soldier kills another soldier in a time of war. It can also include those situations where someone has committed a crime that’s worthy of the death penalty, just as we see above.

Murder (or the unlawful killing of one human being by another) is a crime that shows a disregard for human life and contempt for God because people are made in God’s image. Because of this, God says that all murderers are subject to the death penalty and will have to answer directly to Him for what they have done.

(1) The New King James (NKJV), New Living Translation (NLT), New International Version (NIV), and Contemporary English Version (CEV) are a few examples

IV

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you–the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you–every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:8-11).

What is this “covenant” that God sets up with Noah in these verses? Well, a “covenant” is something like a contract or agreement that we might see between two people or groups today. A covenant is like a contract in the sense that it involves legal promises that are made between two parties.

You can see this idea in action today whenever one person or company agrees to provide a certain amount of goods or services to another in exchange for a specified amount of money. Once the negotiations are finished, the two parties will then sign a contract to make their agreement official and legally binding.

In a similar way, God’s covenant with Noah represents a legal and official promise to do what He says. However there are some big differences between the covenants that God establishes with people (like the one we see here with Noah) and the agreements that people often negotiate with each other. For example, God always takes the initiative in establishing a covenant and He never bargains or negotiates the terms. Instead, God decides on the terms and conditions of each covenant and then calls on people to accept them.

These covenants typically feature a list of good things that God promises to do for His people and then specifies how they should respond. This list is then often followed by another list of bad things that will happen if people don’t do what they should.

A good example of this is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy where chapters 28-30 talk about all the good things that God wants to do for His people and a list of all the bad things that will happen if they reject His covenant. Right near the end of that passage, God sums up His desire for people regarding His covenant promises…

“I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live” (Deuteronomy 30:19 GW).

V

“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:11).

If you read through the Scriptures (especially in the Old Testament), you can find that God made a number of covenants with people. For example, the Scripture quoted above tells us about God’s covenant with Noah and His promise to never destroy the world again by way of a flood.

We’ll see an example of another important covenant later in the book of Genesis when God makes a promise to a man named Abraham to bless his descendants and make them as numerous as the stars in the sky. We’ll take a closer look at that covenant when we get to Genesis chapter 15.

In saying, “I am making my promise to you. Never again will all life be killed by floodwaters. Never again will there be a flood that destroys the earth” (GW), God makes an important promise to Noah. You see, without this promise from God, every new rainfall carried the possibility of another big flood. But Noah didn’t need to worry about that because of God’s promise and covenant with him. In other words, Noah had God’s absolute promise and agreement to never flood out the world again.

God then went on to give Noah a visible and recognizable sign to back up that promise…

“And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.’ So God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth'” (Genesis 9:12-17).

So a rainbow is like God’s signature on His agreement (or covenant) with Noah. It validates and confirms His promise to never to destroy the world with a flood ever again.

VI

“The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent” (Genesis 9:18-21).

Because there aren’t any breaks in this record of events, this passage may seem to imply that Noah walked off the ark and got drunk right away. But remember that it takes some time to plant a vineyard, grow some grapes, harvest them, squeeze out the juice, ferment it, and then bottle everything up.

This means that there must have been a significant passage of time involved in these verses, and it’s likely that 3-5 years went by between the events of Genesis 9:18 and Genesis 9:21.

Anyway, there’s no question that Noah is certainly viewed as a great man of God today. For instance, Noah has a listing in the Bible’s “faith hall of fame” that’s found in Hebrews chapter 11. The New Testament book of 1 Peter also identifies him as a preacher of righteousness (3:20). Besides that, let’s not forget that Noah was the man who -humanly speaking- basically saved humanity from the destruction caused by the Flood.

So how does a guy like this end up getting so drunk that he passes out? This situation would be like going to a well known and respected church leader’s house today and finding that person so drunk that he or she had lost consciousness. What would your reaction be if you came upon something like that?

Well, Noah’s experience tells us that even the most Godly people can still mess up very badly. This passage also reminds us that people can get into a lot of trouble and end up doing things they thought they’d never do because of alcohol.

You see, the Bible speaks very strongly against alcohol abuse. For example, the Biblical book of Ephesians 5:18 tells us this…

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

“Debauchery” (pronounced “de-baw-cha-ree”) is a word that people don’t really seem to use much anymore. This word means “to corrupt morally” ₍₁₎ and it was used in the past to describe unmarried people who were living a very sexually active lifestyle. Today, we would would probably use words like “immoral,” “loose,” or “promiscuous” instead of a word like debauchery to describe such people.

(1) “Debauch” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

VII

“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent” (Genesis 9:21).

In speaking of alcohol abuse, another version of Ephesians 5:18 says this: “Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living…” (GW).

To get a better understanding of what this verse is talking about, let’s say that a friend invites you to go to a party. So you go to this party with your friend but once you arrive, you start to feel a little awkward because you don’t know a lot of people there.

At this point, the ideal solution for many people is to have a few drinks so they can “loosen up” a little. So let’s say that you have a few drinks and start “loosening up” and feeling more comfortable. And then maybe you have a few more drinks and loosen up some more. And then you have a few more drinks after that.

Sooner or later, you’re bound to start feeling so loose that its only a matter of time before you end up doing some things that you weren’t expecting to do at this party. Or maybe some people end up doing things with you that you weren’t expecting to do. Or maybe a few other people end up doing some things to you that you weren’t expecting them to do. Of course, you probably won’t remember all those things, but that’s OK- your “friends” will have them all recorded on their mobile phones and soon everyone else will know them too.

That’s one reason why we get this warning from Ephesians 5:18: “Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you…” (NCV).

Listen, real life is not the way that you see it portrayed in beer commercials on TV. Many beer commercials try to imply that if you drink the right kind of beer then you can spend all your time on the ski-slopes or at the beach and party all night without having to sleep and that beautiful women or gorgeous guys will throw themselves at you- but those things will only happen if you drink their beer.

Of course, a beer commercial will never show anyone throwing up in the ladies room because they drank enough to make them sick. You’ll never see anyone in a beer commercial being arrested for drunk driving after a traffic accident. You’ll never see someone get so drunk that they pass out, or get date-raped, or urinate in the sink, or get into a drunken brawl in a beer commercial. But all these things happen in real life because of alcohol abuse.

Unfortunately, Noah made this same type of mistake- and that decision lead to some other not-so-good things.

VIII

“When (Noah) drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside” (Genesis 9:21-22).

So Noah got so drunk that he somehow ended up being naked inside his tent. It was at that point that Noah’s son Ham came along and saw what happened. Ham then went and reported what he saw to his brothers named Shem and Japeth.

Now you might be thinking, “So what? He saw what happened and then told his brothers- what’s the big deal about that?” Well, the first problem is that the context implies that Ham didn’t just “see” Noah. The wording used here implies that Ham “gazed at” his father in his drunken state- evidentially with satisfaction, as one scholar-type puts it. ₍₁₎

Another problem is that when Ham went back to talk to his brothers about what he had seen, the text also suggests that he “told with delight” the fact that his father had gotten drunk and passed out. ₍₂₎ In other words, Noah’s son Ham apparently got some sort of enjoyment or satisfaction from seeing his father in this condition. At the very least, Ham didn’t do anything to help protect his father’s dignity or allow him to maintain some self-respect.

In any event, Ham apparently took this situation as an opportunity to do some damage to his father’s reputation and it seems that he wanted to encourage his brothers to do the same thing. But Noah’s other sons were a lot more honorable and they decided to handle this situation in a different manner…

“But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness” (Genesis 9:23).

Instead of following Ham’s example and telling other people about what they knew, Shem and Japheth chose instead to deal with the situation in a way showed love, honor, and respect for their father. They didn’t ignore the situation, or deny it, or try to pretend that nothing was wrong. Instead, they recognized that this was something that was clearly out of character for a Godly man like Noah and then helped him recover from it with dignity and respect.

In doing so, Shem and Japeth became living examples of something that the Apostle Peter would write about later on as part of the New Testament…

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

(1) Henry M. Morris The Genesis Record pg. 235

(2) David Guzik Commentary on Genesis http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/0109.htm

IX

“But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness” (Genesis 9:23).

While Shem and Japeth certainly recognized that Noah had done something wrong, they chose to deal with the situation in a way that showed honor and respect for their father. Instead of making sure that other people knew about what they had seen, they took steps to help protect their father’s dignity and make sure that other people didn’t have the opportunity to find out what they knew (see Proverbs 17:9).

This incident with Noah and his sons also gives each of us something to think about as we interact with our parents and families. You see, your parents and other members of your family are also imperfect human beings who make mistakes, just like Noah.

Hopefully, there won’t be any family members who follow Noah’s example in this situation and drink so much that they pass out. However, we can say that there will certainly be times when your parents or other family members will somehow fail to live up to standards that they should.

When that happens, (as it does for everyone), does it imply that your parents or other family members are hypocrites who are not the people that they really claim to be? Well, the answer is no, not necessarily, but it does mean that your family consists of human beings who sin, make mistakes, and have to repent and ask forgiveness- just like you.

For example, many of you have the opportunity to live with one or both of your parents on a daily basis. This close relationship means that you are likely to be in a position to know things about your parent’s character that most other people don’t know. And unlike most people, the chances are also pretty good that you’ve seen one or both of your parents at their best, but also at their worst as well.

The truth is that you’ve probably seen your parents at times when they were not acting very Godly. For example, everything in your family may look great to other people at church on Sunday mornings, but those people at church didn’t live with your parents for the rest of the week- you did. If your parents were not everything that they should have been during that time, then you will probably be the one who will know.

X

“Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God’s Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing” (Ephesians 6:2-3).

If your parents have done something out of character for a God-honoring person, you will have to make a choice: “Am I going to follow Ham’s example with Noah or am I going to follow Shem and Japheth’s example? Am I going to tell other people about how my parents didn’t act in a Godly manner or am I going to help them to maintain some dignity and respect in front of others?

Now this does not mean that if there is a serious disagreement or problem in your family that you can’t tell anyone about it. Matthew 18:15-17 tells us that the right thing to do in that situation is to start by discussing the matter with your parents first and then bring other God-honoring people into the picture if the problem can’t be resolved.

This also doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to someone else if there is something illegal, immoral, or unethical going on at home. Depending on the circumstances, it would be right to speak privately with law enforcement and/or your Pastor, Youth Pastor, or other church leader about the matter as soon as possible.

In Noah’s situation, his sons chose to demonstrate a Biblical principle that we also see in the New Testament book of Galatians…

“Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong” (Galatians 6:1 TLB).

Remember that God is honored when you treat your parents with respect, even in situations where you know that they have messed up.

“When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave” (Genesis 9:24-27).

It seems strange that Ham’s son Canaan was the one who was cursed as a result of this incident. It may be that Canaan was somehow involved in this situation in a way that the Bible doesn’t mention. Or it could mean that since Ham chose not to honor his father, he will be destined to have a son of his own who will eventually bring dishonor to him.

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