Genesis does not record how long Abraham and Sarah were married before our initial introduction to them in Genesis 11. What had been revealed was the barrenness of Sarah until at age ninety, when she became fruitful and she birthed Isaac, the promise of God, which represented the beginning of the Abrahamic lineage.
Genesis 21 shares the jubilation of Sarah and her declaration, “Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.” And when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham obeyed God’s instruction and circumcised him.
Also, in keeping with the ancient East customs, Abraham had a weaning celebration. Unfortunately, during the celebration, Sarah saw Ishmael teasing Issac. Consequently, she told Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” This was not what Abraham wanted to do with his firstborn son, with whom he had established a loving relationship in these last seventeen years. However, God agreed with Sarah and shared with Abraham that He would make a nation from Ishmael, because he was Abraham’s seed, but it was Isaac whom He chose to be Abraham’s heir.
The next morning, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away with bread and a bottle of water, and they wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba until they had drunk all of the water. Thinking thirsty Ishmael was dying, Hagar left him in the shade, moved away from him, and started crying as she sat afar off. The scriptures revealed that God heard Ishmael’s voice and an angel from heaven called to Hagar, saying, “What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well, which she went to and filled her bottle with water, and was able to give Ishmael water to drink. Faithful to His word, God was with Ishmael as he grew, living in the wilderness of Paran, becoming an archer, and his mother, Hagar, found a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 20 shared how King Abimelech told Abraham he could settle wherever he chose in Gerar, and now in chapter twenty-one, another encounter between them is shared. Realizing that God was with Abraham, the king and his chief captain, Phichol, met with him to suggest that a generational peace treaty be made between them, to which Abraham agreed. Additionally, Abraham reprimanded the king concerning a well which his servants had viciously taken away from him, and the king admitted he had no knowledge of that happening. To seal their pact with a sacrifice, Abraham gave King Abimelech sheep and oxen. Furthermore, Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs and told the king they were a gift to him as a public confirmation that the well which he had dug and called Beer-sheba, meaning “Well of the Oath,” was his. Afterwards, King Abimelech and Phicol returned to their home, and chapter twenty-one ends with Abraham living in the Philistine country for a while, planting a tamarisk tree beside the well and praying and calling upon the Eternal God.
Before sharing my nuggets from this blog, I want to share some additional information and personal thoughts.
First, biblical scholars believed Sarah was afraid that since Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, he would be entitled to his father’s inheritance, which she wanted for their son, Isaac, so she was adamant about Hagar and Ishmael’s departure.
Next, God understood Abraham’s emotional ties, and He acknowledged that Abraham had feelings for both Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham, who was a wealthy man, displayed this in his actions of sending Hagar and Ishmael away with a little substance. This showed he did not want them to travel too far away from him.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not point out that Hagar and Ishmael’s lives changed overnight. Ishmael, whose father had been present since his birth, would no longer be around. He and his mother, Hagar, were banished from Abraham’s house, so they no longer had protection, position, provisions, or possessions. From now on, Ishmael would be raised by a single mother, and they had to fend for themselves. I can only imagine the hurt and anger they must have felt toward Abraham and Sarah.
Now here are the nuggets I gathered from Genesis 21:
Ismael’s name means God hears, and God continually heard and responded to him and his mother’s cries. In our times of desperation, God hears our cries.
God can bring to life that which was lifeless.
God can do the improbable.
There are times when we must wait a long period before a promise is fulfilled.
The manifestation of a long-awaited promise brings joy to the receiver.
The birth of Issac represented the beginning of the Abrahamic lineage.
Oftentimes, mistakes and blessings grow up together.
You can become bound to someone or something that is not part of your destiny.
In life, when you are no longer seen as useful and fulfilling a need, you can be disposed of.
In life, it is not easy to end relationships with someone with whom you have a strong bond, because bonds formed over time are painful to sever.
There are times when men can assist you with provisions, but for their own personal reasons, they choose not to do it.
It is difficult to watch a family member die from thirst or lack of food.
God hears our cries and He sends comfort to the needy, for Hagar and Ishmael were forsaken by man but not forgotten by God.
Sometimes it takes God opening our eyes to see the provisions that he has made for us.
Unlike man, you can trust God for daily provisions, for He provides for our survival.
When God favors you, men recognize it.
Seeking a relationship with those who have favor with God is beneficial.
About twenty-four years ago, Abraham took his family down into Egypt due to a famine in Canaan. At that time, he told Sarah to say she was his sister to prevent him from being killed. Sarah, being a beautiful woman, was taken into Pharaoh’s harem. Nevertheless, before Pharaoh could defile her, God intervened and allowed the truth of Abraham and Sarah’s marital relationship to be revealed.
Now, twenty-four years later, and even after God told Abraham that Sarah would conceive a son by him within a year, he takes the family down to Gerar and, for a second time, exposes Sarah to being defiled. Once again, Abraham tells the people that the still beautiful Sarah is his sister, and consequently, King Abimelech of Gerar takes Sarah into his harem.
God intervenes for Sarah by causing the king to have a dream in which God reveals to him that Sarah was married and if he touched her, he would die. Abimelech declared his innocence and the integrity of his heart, to which God acknowledged and revealed, because of his purity, He prevented him from touching Sarah. God also instructed Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham, that Abraham would pray for him, and that his life and all that was his would be preserved and not die.
Early in the morning, the king arose and gathered his servants. He shared his dream with them, which frightened them. Next, King Abimelech summoned Abraham and questioned him about his actions. Abraham shared how he was afraid for his life, and that Sarah was his half-sister; therefore, he told her, “This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.”
In response, the king returned Sarah to Abraham, gave him sheep, oxen, men-servants, and women-servants. Plus, God granted Abraham the opportunity to settle wherever he chose in the land. Furthermore, Abimelech told Sarah, “Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other. Chapter twenty ends with Abraham praying for Abimelech, his wife, and maidservants, and God healed them of barrenness.
The actions of Abraham in this chapter were disturbing to me. Abraham had resided in Hebron for approximately twenty years before moving to Gerar, which is a city in the Philistine territory. The scriptures revealed that Abraham knew if you were an unmarried female and the king wanted you for his harem, you had no choice but to comply with his wishes. Apparently, as recorded in Genesis chapter twelve, Abraham did not learn the lesson from his time in Egypt. Though he felt his life was in danger, rather than trust God to be his protector, he allowed his fear and cowardice once again to manifest, and he placed the life of his wife, Sarah, the one who was to bear the promise within a year, in jeopardy.
Here are the nuggets I gathered from Genesis 20:
Abraham’s personal safety was more important to him than Sarah’s well-being.
When faced with challenges, seek God for direction.
As we experience life, sometimes our faith wavers, and we make wrong decisions.
Learn the lesson the first time.
Some lessons are not easily learned.
If not corrected, old failing patterns will continue to create new problems.
Do not repeat mistakes.
God is merciful.
God reveals and gives men a choice.
God recognized and rewarded Abimelech’s integrity and honesty.
Words do not always justify actions
Persuading others to lie for you is wrong
Expose truth.
A half-truth is a whole lie.
God would not allow another man to inseminate Sarah.
God is present to prevent us from sinning
As needed, God will use the heathen to chasten you.
Your actions can jeopardize the fruitfulness of a nation
When the promises of God are forgotten, human reasoning takes place.
Even when you have done wrong, God will cause you to be blessed and to bless.
In Genesis 18, Abraham interceded for Sodom, where his nephew Lot resided, and persuaded the Lord to spare the city if ten righteous people were living in it; however, there were not. Consequently, Genesis 19 shared the judgment of God on Sodom and Gomorrah for their grievous sins.
According to the story, two angels who were sent to Sodom were met by Lot, who rose from his seat at the gate when he saw them approaching. He extended an invitation to them to spend the night in his house, which at first they rejected, but after Lot’s vehement urging, they consented to do so.
After the angels ate their meal and before retiring for the night, the house was surrounded by old and young men who wanted Lot to send the angels, whom they thought were men, out to them so that they could have a sexual encounter with them. Refusing to do so, Lot went outside and attempted to dissuade the crowd from their actions by offering his two virgin daughters in their stead. Rejecting his offer, the crowd attempted to break into Lot’s house, but the angels rescued Lot, pulled him into the house, and struck the crowd with blindness, disabling them from finding the door.
Safe in his house, the angels informed Lot that God sent them to destroy the city, and Lot was instructed to bring his family members, sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else out of Sodom. Following their instructions, Lot went to his future sons-in-law and revealed the imminent destruction of Sodom, but they did not believe him.
In the morning, the angels took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and escorted them out of the city. They were told, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Being fearful, Lot asked if he and his family could go to a small nearby city named Zoar, and the angels agreed not to destroy it, so Lot and his family would be safe there. As Lot and family entered Zoar, God rained brimstone and fire from heaven upon Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife did not obey the instructions, and she became a pillar of salt when she looked back.
Also, early that morning, Abraham went to the place where he and the Lord had last spoken to each other. Looking in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he saw the ascending smoke, which was a sign to him that there were not ten righteous people in Sodom. In His mercy, God remembered Abraham and allowed Lot and his family to escape without harm.
This chapter ends by revealing that Lot feared for their life in Zoar, so he and his daughters went into the mountains and lived in a cave. Additionally, thinking their family line would end, Lot’s daughters got him drunk and each daughter committed incest with him and became pregnant. The eldest daughter had a son named Moab, and the younger daughter had a son named Benammi, both of whose ancestors became Israel’s hereditary enemies.
Before sharing nuggets for this blog, I would like to offer some additional insight. In biblical times, when an individual sat at the gate of the city, it typically meant that they were recognized as a respected elder with authority, wisdom, and governance power. Since Lot was found at the gate, apparently over the years after his rescue by Abraham from being a prisoner of war, he gained a position of prominence in Sodom.
In the Orient, protecting a visitor who is in your home is considered a sacred obligation, which Lot attempted to do. Unfortunately, the lives of women (Lot’s two virgin daughters) were not highly valued, for they were offered as pawns in exchange for the men’s safety.
Since the Lord did not say to Abraham that He would save the life of Lot and his family if there were fewer than ten righteous individuals in Sodom, when Abraham saw the smoke ascending over Sodom, no doubt he was concerned about the lives of his family. Furthermore, the scripture does not say whether Abraham ever met with Lot in the future.
Here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 19:
God will tolerate sin, but for a time.
Sometimes your safety is the result of the intercession of the righteous.
It is valuable to have righteous individuals praying for you.
A genuine covenant relationship with God provides great dividends.
Disobeying instructions can cause your demise.
Oh, but for the mercy of God, your life can be snuffed out.
Choose to be hospitable when others are not.
Sin will lead to destruction.
Erroneous thinking leads to faulty actions.
Family members who reject wise counsel will not prosper.
When danger is imminent, move quickly.
When you receive divine instruction, follow it rather than trying to alter it.
God is not in favor of sexual immorality and unnatural desires.
When God is not consulted, ungodly decisions and actions are often made.
In Genesis 17, God met with Abraham, changed his name and Sarah’s name, and revealed to Abraham that Sarah would bear a son to their union within a year. You would have thought Abraham would be so excited that he would immediately tell his wife, who had been barren during their lengthy marriage, that her heart’s desire was about to come to pass. Still, he did not disclose this important information to her.
Therefore, I believe God made a visit to Abraham’s lodging so Sarah could receive this glad tidings. Thus, Genesis 18 opens with God appearing to Abraham while he sat at the entrance of his tent in Mamre. Abraham saw three men standing in front of him, and he ran to meet them, inviting them to rest at his house while he extended Bedouin hospitality to them.
With the acceptance of his hospitality, Abraham requested Sarah to make three cakes of fine meal, while he had a young man prepare a tender calf. When all was prepared, Abraham gave the men butter, milk, and the dressed calf, which they ate while Abraham stood by them.
The question was asked, “Where is Sarah thy wife?” and Abraham told them Sarah was in the tent. The Lord then spoke of the birth of a son by Sarah, and Sarah, who heard what was spoken, laughed. Sarah was menopausal, and she believed that at this point in their lives, she and Abraham were incapable of conceiving. Hearing her laughter, God questioned Abraham concerning it and said, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Scared Sarah denied that she laughed; however, God rebuked her for doing so
Abraham asked, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked, as he requested the cities be saved for the sake of fifty righteous individuals, then forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally ten. God continuously replied positively to each of these numbers and concluded with the last amount Abraham requested, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” The chapter ends with God departing from Abraham and Abraham returning home.
Biblically, the only recorded communication between Sarah and God in the Bible was when she lied to Him, and God reproved her.
Here are the nuggets I gleaned from this chapter:
Be hospitable to strangers, unbeknownst to you, you may be entertaining angels.
Be willing to serve others with the best version of yourself.
No matter your age, God can work miracles in your life.
Your feelings do not alter God’s promises.
God does judge man according to their sins.
Your prayers can save a city.
In His kindness and mercy, God will spare the ungodly to save the lives of the righteous.
From reading the scriptures, it has been twenty-four years since Abram left Haran, and over a decade since God had their last recorded conversation. Now, at the age of ninety-nine, God revisits him. First, declaring who He is, El Shaddai the Almighty God, He then informs Abram to obey Him and do His will. Once again, God reaffirms His previous covenant with Abram, and in response, Abram bowed himself down before God.
God informs Abram that he would be the father of many nations and that his name would be changed to Abraham. Abraham’s seed would be exceedingly fruitful, and from them would come nations and kings. This everlasting covenant was not only to Abram but also to his future seeds with the land of Canaan, where they were a stranger, promised as their inheritance.
As a token in keeping this everlasting covenant between him and God, every male child was to be circumcised. From then on, at eight days old, an infant was to be circumcised. This covenant included circumcision for the house-born slaves and purchased slaves. If there were a male who was not circumcised, they would not be part of the covenant.
Furthermore, God said Sarai’s name would be changed to Sarah, and He would bless her, she would bear a son, and she would be a princess and the mother of nations and kings.
Hearing this information, Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He thought, “Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” Remembering Ishmael, his firstborn, who was now thirteen years old, Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” God informed him that He had heard his request and would bless Ishmael, who would beget twelve princes, be fruitful, and multiply, and from his seed, a great nation would come. However, Isaac, the child Sarah would bear next year, and Isaac’s descendants would be the ones with whom He would establish His everlasting covenant.
Abraham, who was ninety-nine years old, followed God’s instructions and circumcised all the males in his household after God had departed from him.
In Genesis 17, four new names were introduced. First and foremost, God reveals to Abram that He is God Almighty, which in Hebrew is El Shaddai. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah, which means “princess,” and Isaac, the name of their son, which means “laughter,” was given to them.
Biblically, the name El Shaddai, which means “Almighty God” in the Hebrew language, is found forty-eight times in the Old Testament. In this chapter, the words “I will” are found approximately twelve times, and “my covenant, ” which denotes the relationship between God and Abraham, is recorded nine times.
Historically, as recorded in the scriptures, twenty-four years ago, God spoke to Abraham about blessing his seed; however, prior to this time, He never revealed who would bear this seed, and Abraham did not ask. Now, in chapter seventeen, God informed Abraham that the covenant promise was to be for the child he and Sarah would bear. Through the years, Abraham had bonded with his son Ishmael, and accepting the fact that Ishmael was not the chosen child was a bit challenging for him.
Here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 17:
God desires to pour out blessings on those with whom He has a covenant.
God wants His people to know that He, the Almighty God, is capable of doing impossible things.
In His relationship with humanity, God places requirements on them.
The gracious acts of God cause men to be humbled.
A good, loving father will be concerned about the welfare of his child.
When God wants to bless His people, He gives them land.
Obedience is key in receiving all that God has for you.
I am now sharing the story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, which is found in Genesis 15; however. I want to remind you that in the previous chapter, God told Abram that he would have a child who would come forth from his bowels. The scriptures do not indicate that Abram shared this word with his wife, Sarai, or whether he asked God if she would be the one to bear him a child. This left me with questions about Abram’s actions in chapter sixteen.
After being married to Abram for numerous years and living in the land of Canaan for ten years, Sarai, who suffered from barrenness, came up with what she felt was an acceptable solution. If Abram was willing to comply, she would use Hagar, her handmaid, to bear them a child, and after it was born, she would raise the child as her own.
When presented with this proposition, Abram complied and had sexual encounters with Hagar. Consequently, when Hagar realized she was pregnant, she treated Sarai with contempt. As to be expected, tension and conflict arose between Sarai and Hagar, and Sarai blamed Abram for the animosity she was experiencing. She said, “My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.” Wanting peace with his wife, Abram told Sarai she could punish Hagar, and with his permission, Sarai abused Hagar, which caused her to run away.
It was by a spring in the desert on the road to Shur that an angel found Hagar and questioned her about her actions and plans. When she told the angel what she had done, the angel instructed Hagar. “Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” He also revealed to Hagar that she would bear a male child, whose name was to be Ishmael, and that he would have many descendants. Ishmael would have a warlike disposition, live a turbulent life as a nomad, and continue to have confrontations with others.
This encounter with the angel was extremely meaningful to Hagar, for after it occurred, Hagar acknowledged that God saw her when she was feeling hopeless. She also named the well that lay between Kadesh and Bered “Beerlahairoi,” which means “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” Hagar returned to Sarai and bore Ishmael, Abram’s firstborn son, when Abram was eighty-six years old.
Historically, surrogacy is not a modern practice, for it was a common legal practice in the ancient Middle East. Women who lived during that time were stigmatized for their barrenness and treated with disdain by family and neighbors. Having children, particularly males, was a wish of all the women, as it gave them honor and built their esteem and self-worth. If, over time, a wife was unable to bear a child, the husband could take his wife’s handmaid or a concubine to fulfill the need for a person capable of bearing a child, and when born, the child would be considered the child of the mistress. Thus, we have Sarai’s suggestion. Commentators believe that Hagar was possibly given to Abram by Pharaoh when the family went down to Egypt during the famine, and Abram gave Hagar to Sarai as a handmaid. There was probably a congenial relationship between Sarai and Hagar; therefore, she was chosen as the surrogate.
Genesis 16:7 is the first mention in Scripture of an angel meeting with a human, and in verse 11, Ishmael was the first baby named before his birth. Equally important, he is considered the father of the Arab nation.
Here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 16:
Longing makes you susceptible to poor judgment.
Being unfruitful does not give you the right to use others to produce what you could not.
Giving in to fleshy desires can lead to a life of regrets.
The solution to your problem should not be to follow the customs of your day.
Failure to ask essential questions can cause misguided actions.
When God speaks something to you, when in doubt, ask for clarification.
Rather than second-guess the will of God, ask Him for needed insight.
Own up to your mistakes.
God does not need your intervention to bring His promises to fruition.
Poor decisions can impact you for the remainder of your life.
God sees and hears those who are in despair.
God will seek out the forsaken, and He will send a word to sustain them.
Though you may not understand, God has a plan for your life.
Sometimes, you must revisit an undesirable situation.
Sometimes you have to live with your regrets.
Years have passed since God first spoke to Abram and told him, “I will make of thee a great nation” and, “Unto thy seed will I give the land,” yet he and his wife Sarai remained childless. Therefore, when the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and told him He was his shield and exceeding great reward, Abram questioned Him about being childless. Abram wondered if his steward, Eliezer of Damascus, was supposed to fulfill that position. God responded, “This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.”
God also told Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Hearing this, Abram believed that which God spoke to him, and God considered him righteous on account of his faith.
God rehearsed with Abram what He did for him. Because He planned for Abram to inherit the land of Canaan, He brought him out of the city of Ur of the Chaldees. Wanting to be assured, Abram asked, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” As an answer, God tells Abram to prepare an offering of a three-year-old heifer, she goat, and ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. In his preparation, Abram divided the larger animals in half and laid them side by side; however, he placed the birds whole. Eventually, vultures attempted to devour portions of the offering; however, Abram scared them away.
When evening time came, a dreadful feeling came upon Abram as he slept. Furthermore, God revealed to Abram that for four hundred years, his posterity would be in a foreign land where they would experience oppression, and God would judge the oppressors. After four generations, Abram’s posterity would leave that place with a great bounty. Abram would die peacefully at an old age.
When darkness increased, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the sacrificial offering, and God made a covenant with Abram. From the Nile River in Egypt to the River Euphrates in Assyria, the land belonging to the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Girgashites would be given to Abram’s seed.
Historically, after returning from successfully battling the four Eastern kings in the previous chapter, the king of Sodom offered Abram a reward, which he rejected. In this chapter, God tells him that He will be his reward.
This was the second recorded instance of God making a covenant with humanity. Typically, when a covenant was made between two individuals in ancient times, the sacrifice was cut in half, and the individuals would pass between the halves. This covenant was a one-sided (unilateral) covenant for Abram watched while God acted on behalf of both of them. Abram could not break this covenant because he was a recipient and not a co-signer. God did it all.
Now, here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 15:
God can bring hope into what appears to be a hopeless situation.
God does not want His children to fear, for He protects them from dangers seen and unseen.
God is the greatest reward an individual can receive.
Drive away the unwanted forces that would devour your sacrifices.
God shares with us both the good and the bad.
Receiving land is a blessing from God.
According to Genesis 14, there were five kings of Canaan who, for twelve years, paid tribute to Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. However, in the thirteenth year, they decided to stop doing so. In turn, King Chedorlaomer, with the assistance of three Eastern kings, waged a victorious war against the Rephaims, the Zuzims, the Emins, the Horites, the Amorites, and all the country of the Amalekites. Also, during the battle, some of the defeated soldiers, while attempting to flee, fell into the slime pits in the Valley of Siddim, while others were able to escape to the mountains. Consequently, the victorious King Chedorlaomer and his men conquered Sodom and Gomorrah, taking all of its possessions and food along with Lot and his household.
An escapee of the battle came to Abram and delivered the bad news concerning Lot and his household. Being the concerned uncle that he was, Abram gathered his three hundred eighteen trained servants together with his allies and pursued after the enemy. When he arrived at their encampment, Abram divided his group and successfully attacked and killed some of them, then pursued the others.
With his successful military venture, Abram brought back Lot, Lot’s household, the other captives, and all their belongings. The king of Sodom, along with other kings, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, went out to meet Abram. King Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, brought bread and wine to Abram and blessed him and God for delivering Abram in battle, and Abram gave him tithes from the spoils he obtained from the battle.
When the king of Sodom told Abam to give him the citizens of Sodom but to keep the spoils, Abram refused to do so. Abram said, “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich. Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
Historically, this is the first war recorded in the scriptures. It was a common international occurrence in the old world where coalitions of nations sought to plunder and subjugate land from those around them.
It is believed that Abram had an agreement with the Amorites, Mamre, Eschol, and Aner, which is why they joined him to fight against the Eastern kings. Upon returning from the battle with the recovered spoils, he did not impose his convictions on them but allowed them to decide if they wanted to receive the reward offered by the king of Sodom.
In Abram’s act of rescuing his nephew, he fulfilled the promise of Genesis 12:3 to be a blessing.
Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness,” and the blessing in the name of the Lord given to Abram by him is indicative of his priestly position. This is the first time a priest is mentioned in Scripture, and many believe he foreshadowed Jesus Christ in his dual role as King and High Priest. Additionally, Salem, the place of Melchizedek’s kingship, was the original Jerusalem, and Abram’s tithing to Melchizedek is the first time tithes are mentioned in Scripture.
Finally, here are the nuggets from this chapter:
Being in the wrong place can result in your captivity.
Some individuals will go to war when their family members are taken into captivity.
Training is necessary to support the success of a war effort.
Cognition of the giver of things offered to you is essential.
Attacking the enemy at night from various directions can lead to victory.
With the favor of God, you can win major battles.
When you have faith in God to bless and provide for you, your acceptance of goods from another source becomes unthinkable.
Thankfully, the Pharaoh of Egypt sent Abram and his household away without requiring Abram to return the sheep, oxen, asses, camels, men, servants, and maidservants he had been given. Abram departed Egypt unharmed and wealthier than when he arrived there. Genesis 13:2 states, “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” Abram journeyed back to Bethel, the place where he had first erected an altar to God when he came into the land of Canaan, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Not only did Abram prosper, but also his nephew Lot, which created a problem for the land, as it already had nations dwelling there and could not accommodate both of them. Consequently, Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen began disputing with each other, and to keep the peace, Abram suggested they separate. Abram gave Lot the first choice of the land, and seeing the fertile, watered plain of Jordan, Lot chose it. Unfortunately, Lot journeyed eastward and pitched his tent toward Sodom, where the inhabitants were described as exceedingly wicked sinners.
With the departure of Lot, God revealed to Abram that all the land he could behold to the north, south, east, and west would be given to him and his posterity, which would become numerous as the dust of the earth. God instructed Abram to traverse the length and breadth of the land, which he continued to do during his lifetime.
This chapter ends with Abram for now settling in Mamre and building an altar unto the Lord.
Historically, the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelled in the land before Abram and Lot arrived, thus limiting the pasture for the animals. As the patriarch of the family, Abram had the right to choose which section of land he wanted first; however, he generously allowed Lot to do so.
Lot left Adam with a hilly and mountainous terrain that was arid and rugged, depending on seasonal rainfall and being less fertile than the location he chose. In time, Lot’s location was destroyed by fire, while Abram’s land was the one promised and blessed by God.
Note the direction of Abram in this chapter. Abram goes up to Cannan after going down into Egypt in chapter twelve. Also, while down in Egypt, there is no record of Abram communing with God.
Here are the nuggets from this chapter:
Even in our mistakes, God causes men to bless us.
After deliverance, return to the place of worship and promise.
Above personal gain, prioritize peace and unity in your relationships.
When you realign yourself with God, build an altar and give thanks.
If there is strife among family members, be the peacemaker.
In the midst of conflict, be willing to seek peace.
Seek to resolve family conflict.
Just don’t choose something because it looks good.
What looks pleasing to the eye may actually be detrimental to your future.
Prioritize peace and unity in our relationships above personal gain.
Everything that looks good to you is not good for you.
When making a decision, get direction from God first.
Put God first wherever you go.
To avoid disaster in the future, consult with God first.
As you journey through life, walk in fellowship with God.
Before settling in a place, investigate the surroundings.
From time to time, God will remind you of the promises he made to you.
Earlier in this twelfth chapter of Genesis, we saw after hearing six covenant promises from God, Abram responded to God’s instruction and left his country and journeyed to a land that God showed him. Also revealed was the fact that despite God telling him to get away from his kindred, Abram took his nephew Lot and his household with him.
Upon arrival in Canaan, God appeared to Abram and informed him that his seed would be given the land. Abram stayed in Canaan until there was a famine, and then he left Canaan and went down to Egypt.
Sarai was a beautiful woman, and Abram felt the Egyptians would kill him and take Sarai, so he told her while in Egypt if questioned to say she was his sister. As he expected, the princes of Pharoah saw how beautiful Sarai was, and they told Pharoah, who in turn took Sarai. In payment for Sarai, Pharaoh gave Abram sheep, oxen, asses, menservants, and maidservants. Nevertheless, God caused great plagues to beset Pharoah’s house because of the displacement of Sarai.
The scriptures do not reveal how Pharaoh realized Sarai caused the plagues, nor does it tell how he realized Sarai was Abram’s wife. It does share that Pharaoh confronted Abram about Sarai being his wife, returned her to him, and sent him away without harm by him or his men.
This chapter disclosed how Abram went from faith in God to fear of man, and in doing so, he put his wife’s life in jeopardy. Fearing for his own life and acting unadvisedly, Abram places Sarai in a dangerous position. Sarai had to cover him when Abram, the head of the household, should have been protecting her. If not for the intervention of God, Sarai might have ended up being violated by Pharoah.
Recognize, spiritually speaking, that when Abram left his place of promise, he went down. While in Egypt, Abram did not build any altars to God. Nevertheless, the province of God willed that Sarai’s worth bring riches to Abram, which allowed Abram to gain wealth. Finally and most importantly, despite Abram’s faulty choices, God delivered him and his family.
Here are the nuggets I extracted from this blog:
No matter what negative situations are happening, stay in your assigned place.
If you have faith and trust in God for one thing, you can trust him in all things.
Trust God for your daily provisions.
Prayer and direction from God are necessary prior to making moves.
Fear for your life can make you forget the promises of God.
Married people sometimes lie for their mates.
Denying marital status can lead to adultery.
When you are out of your assigned place, you must make unwanted adjustments.
When you are out of your assigned place, you enter dangerous territory.
When you are out of your assigned place, your family can be compromised.
When you are out of your assigned place, those around you can suffer.
Your employed subterfuge can lead to unwanted consequences.
Despite your failings, God is present to deliver.
God will afflict people to get you where you belong.
When you are delivered, return to your assigned place.
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