Abraham - God's Friend part 2

God had promised Abram that he would have an heir out of his own body at the time of the covenant (last blog), but as time went by, Sarai did not conceive. She told Abram that he should take her maid Hagar, who they had acquired in Egypt, and have a child by her that Sarai could claim. They had been in Canaan 10 years.

However, after Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai and she went to Abram and said she was wrong and blamed him. He told her to that she could do what she pleased, so she was hard on Hagar and she fled.
In the wilderness, the Angel of the Lord found her and asked her where she was going. She told the Angel that she fled from Sarai. The Angel told her to return and submit to Sarai, for she would have a son and call him Ishmael (God shall hear), and he would grow into a multitude. Yet he would be a wild man with his hand against every man and every man's hand against him, and he would dwell in the presence of his brethren.

The lands to the North and East of present day Israel are descendants of Ishmael, Syria, Lebanon,  Jordan, Iraq, & Iran.
Hagar returned to Sarai, and bore Abram a son when he was 86, Genesis 16.

Thirteen years passed and Abram was 99 years old. God appeared to him and confirmed the covenant that was made by blood many years before. Jehovah took a "hey" from his name and added it to Abram, which means exalted father,  making it Abraham, which means father of a multitude. The Lord also gave him the covenant mark which was circumcision. The blood covenant required a mark and now whether going to the bathroom or having sex, Abraham would always be reminded of the covenant with God. He would become a mighty nation and kings would come from him. This covenant was everlasting. All of the males in Abraham's clan were circumcised.

Sarai, which means hostile and dominion,  also had the "hey" from God's name added to hers and became Sarah, which means princess. Sarai, from which comes the word Sar (Russian authority), sir, and sire, had the dominion in the relationship with Abram...she had pushed the Hagar relationship. Now everyone called her princess and everyone called her husband, father of many nations. Words are strong and change things.

God promised that Sarah would have a son to be the promise of the covenant. Abraham laughed and said in his heart, shall Sarah have a son when she is 90? Then he said, "Oh, let Ishmael live before You!" God said, "No, Sarah you wife will bear a son and you will call his name Isaac, (laughter); I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him." Yet God said that he had heard Abraham and would bless Ishmael and he would be a great nation and 12 princes would come from him, but the covenant would be with Isaac, Genesis 17.

The Lord appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre as he was sitting near the tent door, 3 men approached.

Abraham knew the Lord from previous experience and ran to meet them and bowed before them, asked them to stay wash their feet and eat.

Abraham told Sarah to prepare bread and he went and got a calf from the herds and had it prepared for them. He set the food before them with butter and milk and they ate. The Lord said where is Sarah your wife? Abraham said in the tent. And the Lord said, "I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son." Sarah heard it from the tent and laughed within herself, saying, "After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
The Lord said why did Sarah laugh, is anything to hard for the Lord? I will return according to the time of life and Sarah will have a son. Sarah denied laughing...even to herself, but God knew and said, oh yes, you did laugh...so their future child would be named laughter, or Isaac.

As the Lord was leaving He turned and said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do: seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after  him and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken to him."
God then told Abraham that He was going to check out Sodom and Gomorrah for the cry of their sin had reached heaven and was very grievous.

Abraham knew his nephew, Lot, and family were there and asked if God would destroy the righteous with the wicked. He asked if there were 50 righteous people there, would God still destroy the cities? God said no. Abraham continued to intercede and kept asking God for fewer righteous people until he got to 10. God said if there were 10 righteous people there he would spare the cities, Genesis 18.


Briefly, I want to touch on the events of Sodom and Gomorrah as recorded in Genesis 19. This concerns Lot, Abraham's nephew and his family. When God left Abraham, the 2 angels went into Sodom where Lot was at the gate. Lot invited them to come to his house and rest and eat. While there the men from the city came and asked Lot where the men were, "bring them out that we may know them carnally." Lot said do not do this evil thing, take my 2 daughters and do with them as you wish, but leave these men alone. They would not listen. The angels blinded them all and took Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city. Fire and brimstone came out of the heavens and burned up the cities. They were warned not to look back, but Lots wife did and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot and his daughters escaped to Zoar. There the two daughters felt that things were hopeless and all had been killed but them, for they had betrothed husbands who would not leave Sodom. They got their father drunk and slept with him. Both became pregnant with sons who became Moab and Ammon.

The destruction of the cities of the plain is not a myth, but evidence exists that confirms the destruction. You can find this yourself at arkdiscovery.com.

Ash ruins from Sodom & Gomorrah.

Brimstone (sulfur) found in large amounts at the ruin site West of the Dead Sea.

Back to Abraham; he had seen the smoke from the destruction of the cities of the plain. It is not clear if he knew that God had saved the only righteous people there, which was Lot and family. We see that Abraham went South after this. There in Gerar he again said that Sarah was his sister and the king Abimelech took Sarah. It must be understood that the covenant had renewed the youth of Sarah and Abraham, for she was very desirable and was 90 years old.

Before Abimelech had touched Sarah, God came to him in a dream and told him she was a great prophets wife and that he would die if he did not release her, that if he asked, Abraham would pray for him and he would not die. The king begged God to be merciful, as he did not know. He reproved Abraham, but gave him many gifts and wealth to send him on his way to live where he would. God had sealed the wombs of all the women in Abimelech's house. Abraham prayed for him and all were healed, Genesis 20. There are definite advantages to being God's friend.

Sarah became pregnant as the Lord had said and had Isaac when she was 90 years old. Abraham was 100. this is 25 years after the calling of God and promise of Abram becoming a great nation; 1 year after the name change of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael is 14 years old.

Isaac grew and was weaned. On the day he was weaned, Abraham held a feast. Isaac was probably 4-5 years old. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, a 19 year old vs a 5 year old. She told Abraham to cast out this bond woman and her son for he will not be heir with my son, Isaac. This grieved Abraham, for Ishmael had been his only son for 14 years before Isaac was born and no doubt they had grown very close as father and son. God comforted Abraham and told him to obey Sarah for in Isaac shall your seed be called. So, Abraham put provisions together and sent Hagar and Ishmael away.

When they had ran out of water in the wilderness, she left Ishmael under a shrub and went further and wept and said let me not see the death of the lad. God heard the voice of Ishmael and sent an angel to comfort Hagar.

 She looked and there was a well and she got water for them. This well was in Beer-sheba and Abraham made a covenant with king Abimelech concerning the well,  and stayed there many days. I am sure he made sure that Ishmael and Hagar would be alright. God was with Ishmael and he became an archer in the wilderness. Hagar got him a wife out of Egypt, Genesis 21.

Time passed and Isaac grew and learned from is dad, Abraham.

When Isaac was well into his teens, God tested and proved Abraham. He called to him and Abraham said here I am. God said, "Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering ....
This is the first mention of love in the Bible. God's plan is unfolding for his covenant friend has now been asked to offer his only son to God. Many think that the actions of Abraham were of anger and possible disobedience. But, we must not read things that are not there. Hebrews 11 says that Abraham offered Isaac by faith, for God had said that through this man would come all of his descendants. Abraham believed God, and saw in his mind Isaac raised from the dead from the ashes.... he must have thought this would be the Messiah...close, for through Isaac, Jesus would be born. 

Abraham saddled a donkey and took wood and his son as well as 2 servants and left early morning and saw the mountain after 3 days of travel. He told the servants to stay while he and the boy would go worship and come back. Mt. Moriah is none other than Mt. Zion.

Isaac said to his father, here is the wood and fire, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham said, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." How true this statement is.
They ascended the mount and built an altar. Isaac could have probably easily have overcome Abraham who was about 117 years old, but he knew that his father did God's bidding and he submitted to be bound on the altar.

But as Abraham raised his knife to slay the lad, God called him out of heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
Abraham answered, here am I. God spoke, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not witheld thy son, thine only son from Me."

Abraham looked and a ram was caught in a bush to be used for the burnt offering.

The Angel of the Lord called again to Abraham, "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not witheld thy son, thine only son; that is blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the starts of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice." Genesis 22.

This was the pivotal point in God's plan. His covenant partner on the earth had offered his only son for God, so now God, could legally offer His only son for man, also on Mt. Moriah. All of the covenant would be complete then for God Himself would bear the covenant scars on his hands, feet, head, back, and side. Once again man could have the dominion over the "god of this world", Satan, through the salvation that was bought for by the blood of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. All things that man needs were met at the altar of the cross;redemption, forgiveness, salvation, provision, healing, peace, and life eternal.

Jesus gave Himself for us. He said he laid down His life and would take it up again, John 10:18. He rose from the dead after 3 days and lives and reigns forever as part of the triune God... Hallelujah!

End note: Sarah lived to be 127 years old. After she died, Abraham took himself another wife, Keturah. His children from Keturah populated Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Arab Emirates. Abraham lived to be 175 years old. His sons Ishmael and Isaac buried him in the cave at Mamre with Sarah, Genesis 25. Isaac, the son of promise,  had Jacob which became Israel and had 12 sons that became the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus the Messiah,  was descended from the tribe of Judah. For the most part, Abraham is the father of the people in the middle East. Galatians 3:29 says, "If you be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." So by faith, Christians are also heirs of Abraham and his blessing which includes the world, Romans 4:13.


All Bible quotes are from either KJV or NKJV. All art and pictures were found on the Internet.

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Abraham - God's Friend

After all the business with Adam and dealing with the sacrificial system, plus destroying the evil men of the earth with the Great Flood, God needed a covenant partner born on earth in order to fulfill His promise of the coming "seed of the woman" who would redeem man and destroy the works of the devil.

Although omnipotent and sovereign, God can not go against what He has said and proclaimed. He had given dominion to Adam and Adam had given it to Satan. Things have to be done legally, or according to God's Word.

The man God chose was Abram. He was the son of Terah and the ninth generation from Noah. God called him to go to the land of Canaan when he was 75 years old.

                                             

Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country and from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you; and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3

So Abram departed with his wife Sarai and nephew, Lot and all of their possessions. They left from Haran, where they had moved from Ur with Abram's father, Terah.

Terah had wanted to go to Canaan, but stopped in Haran for many years and died there. Abram had gotten lots of goods and servants in the many years at Haran.

When Abram arrived in Canaan, the Lord spoke to him and told him that He would give this land to Abram's seed. Genesis 12:7

There was famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt. He was concerned that the Egyptians would kill him and take Sarai, his wife, for her beauty. God had blessed her with youth and beauty for she was about 65 years old at this time. Abram asked Sarai to claim she was his sister and not his wife.

This was a half truth as she was his half sister.

Sure enough, the Pharaoh found out about her beauty and took her to be part of his harem. He gave Abram many gifts: servants, gold, silver, and livestock for her sake.

The Lord caused many plagues to come upon Pharaoh's house over Sarai. When he put it together he called Abram and said, "Why have you done this to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?" He told Abram to take her and go his way...with all his goods. Genesis 12.

When Abram left Egypt he was rich. The blessing of God was upon him. Lot, his nephew, was wealthy also just from being with Abram. So much so that their combined livestock was too much for the land to bear.
Abram told lot, "Is not the whole land is before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you take the left, I will go right; or if you go to the right, I will go to the left." Lot knew that they had to separate, so he looked out over the country and chose the area in the Jordan River valley near Sodom where the land was lush and rich. This was before God had destroyed Sodom and the cities of the plain for their wickedness.

After Lot separated the Lord came and told Abram to look all directions, for all the land you see I will give it to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; so if you can number the dust of the earth, then shall your descendants be numbered. Walk through the land for I give it to you. Genesis 13

In time, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were forced into battle with Chedorlaomer, king of Elam and the kings that were confederate with him. 4 kings against 5 in the vale of Siddim near the present day Dead Sea.
The Bible says that the area was full of slimepits (surface oil). These were burned off when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by the brimstone and fire from God. It makes you think that there is oil under that ground today.

Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated and looted. The 5 kings took all their stuff and young men and women. Lot was taken captive with the rest.

One of the men escaped and told Abram who was dwelling in the plain of Mamre the Amorite who with his clans were confederate with Abram. Abram armed his trained servants (318) and divided his force against the kings by night and was able to smote and subdue them. Abram brought back all the captives and all the goods.

No doubt Lot was pretty happy to see Abram coming to rescue him. We know that Lot had a wife and two daughters later in scripture, however they are not mentioned here in Genesis 14.

When Abram was returning from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him. And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought bread and wine out to Abram.  This may have been the first Communion.

Melchizedek was the priest of the Most High God and he blessed Abram and said, "Blessed be Abram of the God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High which has delivered your enemies into your hand." Abram gave Melchizedek tithes of all he had.

This Melchizedek was very special, no lineage, no father or mother, and an everlasting life...he may have been Jesus the Messiah come to the earth before being born and still in His heavenly majesty. Hebrews 7

The king of Sodom wanted Abram to keep the goods, but Abram said, "I will not take a thread or a shoe lace or anything that is yours, lest you say that you have made me rich." He did see that his confederates got a share, but took nothing for himself. He affirmed that God was his provider. Genesis 14

You can see that Abram was a great man because of God's blessing. He fed close to 500 people every day in his clan, and had a large amount of wealth, goods, servants, and livestock.

After these things, the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward". Abram asked the Lord God what would He give him as he was childless and a servant in his own clan would be his heir. The Word of the Lord came again to Abram, "This one will not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." The Lord took him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be." Genesis 15:1-5

Abram believed in the Lord and God counted it as righteousness to him. Today we have the Grace of Jesus and the gift of His righteousness. 2Corinthians 5:21

The Lord God affirmed that he brought him here to inherit the land. Abram asked, "How shall I know that I will inherit it?" God said to prepare a multiple sacrifice that had large and small animals.(Each animal represented attributes of the coming messiah and his sacrifice.) The large ones were to be cut in half and placed back to back with a space in between. 3 large animals, 3 years old. (double Trinity) 

This was how different clans made a permanent blood covenant with each other in these times. The elders of each clan would walk up and down the blood path between the animals and recite the terms of the covenant, which included the pledge of their life to one another. Then they would trade weapons and coats that symbolized their wealth and power. They would combine their names together so both clans became one. They would cut themselves usually on the wrist and join their wounds together. This is how we get "blood brother". This covenant would last for generations and was punishable by death if broken. There was then a great feast and the animals were eaten and God praised for the sacrifice and covenant. 

When the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep and the Lord prophesied to him of his descendants that would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years and would return to this land. Also that Abram would live a long life. After this a smoking furnace and burning lamp appeared and passed between the pieces. Genesis 15 

This was God Himself doing the blood walk of the covenant with Abram. The smoke and fire were how he appeared to the children of Israel in the future wilderness (previous blog).

The wonderful thing that happened at this covenant between God and Abram, is that God did not require anything from Abram...other than he would believe what God said. This was counted to him as righteousness. God did not have Abram walk between the pieces. God himself went through in 2 distinct persons symbolized in the; Smoking Furnace and Burning Lamp. The Lamp representing the Son that went through in Abrams stead. Abram had further requirements in his walk with God which we will cover in the next blog. The future of Abram and the Son was unfolding in God's plan.

The action of this covenant made God and Abram (changed later to Abraham) friends. In the Bible, Abraham is the only man who is called the friend of God. 2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23
The Bible says there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother..this is one who has joined with you in blood covenant. Proverbs 18:24

God in this action had sworn by Himself as their was no higher source. All men in covenant swore by God. this means that if God failed in His part, He would die...in other words, the end of all things. Abram knew that God could not lie, and thus had faith that God would do as He said.

The action of God's covenant partner is a crucial point in God's plan to redeem mankind.

Remember, God's redemption is alive and available...His name is Jesus.

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Transfer of Dominion of Earth

After the destruction of the life here on earth, God started again in verse 3 of Genesis 1; God said, let there be light and there was light.

For the next 5 days, God re-fashioned the earth and made all that is upon it. On the 6th day, he made man (Adam) and gave him dominion of the planet.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, Genesis 1:26.

Eve was created from Adam, a clone if you will, but with XX chromosomes, or female.

It was the pair that had the dominion of the earth. God gave them a beautiful garden to live in. They were innocent and pure.

Pictures cannot convey the majesty of the garden called Eden. All was perfect and uncorrupted.
God was pleased and said that all was very good.

There was only one tree in the garden that God told Adam they must not eat from, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam that the day you eat of it, dying you will die, Genesis 2:16.


Satan, now a renegade spirit with no power at all, knew that for him to gain any power that he had to deceive Adam and Eve into giving their dominion up. He possessed a willing subject, the serpent (so he could speak) and told Eve that God was holding out on her, and that God's word was not true. By seeing that the fruit was beautiful, good for food, and desired to make one wise, she ate it.

Satan knew that by obeying him and disobeying God, he would gain the dominion that rightfully belonged to Adam and Eve.

Eve gave the fruit to Adam and he also ate, Genesis 3:1-6.

Their eyes were opened, for the first time they knew about evil. They were ashamed and rather than want to walk and talk with God, they hid from Him.

God called to them. Adam said they hid themselves because they were naked. God said, Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree I told you not to?

Adam said, the woman you gave me, she gave it to me. God said to Eve, What have you done? Eve answered, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. God then cursed the serpent (Satan) and said dust would he eat and on his belly he would crawl. Remember that man is made from the dust of the earth, Genesis 2:7.
God also prophesied of a future seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the serpent, yet the serpent would bruise His heel. This would be the Messiah. He also cursed the ground so that it would take great work for it to produce. The woman was told that she would have travail in bearing children and her desire would be for her husband.

God did not want to kill Adam and Eve, but death had been told to Adam over disobedience. God killed animals in their stead. This covered their sin temporarily by the animal's blood and God made them clothes to enter into the harsh wilderness outside of the garden.

Adam and Eve were then driven out from the garden of Eden.

God set cherubim to guard the tree of life for He did not want man to live forever in this fallen state.

Sin had entered into the world. Satan had once more obtained power on the earth. Paul calls him the god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4:4 , and Jesus calls him the prince of this world, John 14:30.

Many, who do not know, question and say, If God is real and good, why does so much bad happen?
Until the fulfillment of the prophecies that God has promised, Satan is still in power.

God's promised seed of the woman has come. Through Him you can have fellowship with the maker of the universe. In His power you can defeat the wiles of the devil. He is Jesus the Messiah and God's gift of Salvation.

This blog follows Genesis 1 through 3. All the pictures and art were found on the internet. Those who had authors listed are on the HTML.