Genesis 18:16

Genesis 18:16 says, And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.  The men were going to leave Abraham and go to Sodom.  Abraham escorted them along the way.  When God's messengers have done what they have been sent to in the life of someone, they will move on.  Verse seventeen asks, And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;  God asked Himself if He should hide what He planned to do from Abraham.  Verse eighteen adds, Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  This was the reason behind the question of God revealing His plans to Abraham.  Abraham's descendants were to become a great and mighty nation.  I don't believe this means that God was unsure of what He was going to do, but was more of a rhetorical question.  No matter how great and powerful we may be, God does not have to tell us all His plans.  Verse nineteen continues, For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.  God said that He knew Abraham and that Abraham and his descendants would keep the way of the LORD.  When Abraham and his descendants kept God's covenant, then God would keep His covenant with them.  We cannot expect God to bless us if we do not keep our covenant with Him, which we enter into when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Salvation is not a free pass to sin but a call to live under God's guidance in all that we do.  Verse twenty declares, And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;  God was aware of the sinful nature of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Even if we call ourselves a Christian nation, God is still aware of our sinful actions.  Verse twenty-one adds, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.  I don't believe that this means that God was unsure about what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah, but simply means that He does not act on anything less than the truth.  Verse twenty-two states, And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.  The men went on to Sodom, but Abraham stood before the LORD.  We cannot go everywhere God sends others, but we can stand before God as they go.  In verse twenty-three Abraham asks, And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  Abraham asked God if He would destroy the righteous with the wicked.  While God delays His judgment of the world it is because those who are His followers through Christ are still spreading the gospel.  Verse twenty-four adds, Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?  Then verse twenty-five adds, That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  Abraham asked if God would destroy Sodom if fifty righteous people could be found.  Then, Abraham seems to question God's nature.  We may intercede on behalf of others, but we should never question God's nature.  God would save all if they would simply repent and follow Him.  Verse twenty-six declares, And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.  God agreed with Abraham's request.  He would not destroy Sodom if there were fifty righteous people there.  Verse twenty-seven states, And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:  Abraham noted his own unworthiness to speak to God.  We, of our own merit do not have the right to speak to God, but through our faith in Christ we are given this right.  Verse twenty-eight asks, Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.  Abraham now starts bargaining with God, reducing the number of righteous to forty-five.  God agreed with Abraham's request.  Sometimes, a few righteous people may keep the unrighteous from destruction, and we should always pray for the lost to be saved.  In the next few verses Abraham continues to bargain with God for the sake of the righteous in Sodom.  Verse twenty-nine says, And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.  Then verse thirty asks, And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.  Verse thirty-one adds, And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.  Then verse thirty-two concludes, And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.  Abraham reduced the number of the righteous from fifty to ten, and God accepted his plea.  Even though the number was reduced, the outcome was not changed.  If we plead with God for others, we must realize that unless they accept God's gift of salvation, they will still face everlasting punishment.  Verse thirty-three declares, And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.  After God finished talking with Abraham, God went on His way and Abraham returned home.  If we are making intercession for others, we must acknowledge that there will come a time when we have done all that we can do and then leave it in God's hands.

Genesis 18:1

Genesis 18:1 says, And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;  God appeared to Abraham once again as Abraham was going about his everyday life.  God does not meet us at specific places at specific times, but if we are followers of Christ He is with us everywhere we go.  We simply have to recognize when God speaks to us.  Verse two states,  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,  When Abraham looked up, he saw three men and ran to meet them and bowed before them.  We may need to look up at times to see what God would have us do, and we should always do so humbly.  Verse three adds, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:  For whatever reason, Abraham recognized these three men as being more than just men, but as beings sent by God, and he asked them not to pass him by.  We need to look beyond the obvious sometimes to see God at work in our lives.  Verse four continues, Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:  Then verse five concludes, And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.  Abraham asked them to stay and let him provide them with food and comfort and they agreed to stay.  We cannot force God, or His messengers to come and fellowship with us, but we should always invite them to.  We may not always recognize God's messengers by their appearance, so we should be hospitable to all people who come our way.  Verse six says, And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.  Verse seven adds, And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.  Then verse eight concludes,  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.  Abraham didn't just give them what was already prepared, but went out of his way to provide a feast for them.  We should always be willing to do extra to meet the needs of those around us, whether they are heavenly beings or just normal people.  Verse nine asks, And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.  The men asked where Sarah was and Abraham told them she was in the tent.  At least Abraham didn't try to claim that she was his sister.  We need to be truthful with God and His messengers.  Verse ten says, And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.  One of the men said that he would certainly return to Abraham and that Sarah would have a son.  This man was speaking as a representative of God, and it was God Himself who would bring this about.  We can only speak for God, and we cannot do things that God alone can accomplish.  Verse eleven states, Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.  Abraham and Sarah were both past child bearing age, though this would be especially true of Sarah.  Verse twelve adds, Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?  Sarah laughed and still questioned God's promise.  We must never question what God has promised us, no matter how impossible it may seem.  Verse thirteen declares, And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?  We know that this was God Himself, or the LORD, speaking to Abraham.  He asked Abraham why Sarah laughed.  Then verse fourteen asks, 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.  We need to ask ourselves the same question whenever God asks us to do something that seems impossible.  Verse fifteen states, Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.  Sarah denied laughing, but was told that she indeed did laugh.  It does us no good to deny it when we doubt God.  He already knows when we do.

Genesis 17:15

Genesis 17:15 says, And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  God now speaks to Abraham about Sarai, his wife.  God did not speak to Abraham about Hagar being Abraham's wife, because to God she wasn't.  A marriage is between one man, one woman, under God's guidance, for a lifetime.  Sarai would now be Sarah.  Verse sixteen states, And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.  God promised that Sarah would have a son, and she would be the mother of nations.  God's promise to Abraham had always been for Sarah and Abraham, and no one else.  When we attempt to force God's plan into action because we are impatient we can only make a mess of things, as Abram and Sarai, as they were then, did with Hagar.  Verse seventeen, Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  Abraham fell on his face, but he laughed at God.  He thought it impossible for Sarah and himself to have a child at their ages.  We may sometimes look like we are worshipping God while at the same time feeling that what He is asking us to do is impossible, but we should never laugh at God's promises.  Verse eighteen says, And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!  Abraham still thought that Ishmael was the answer to God's promise.  We should never attempt to force our plans onto God.  Verse nineteen declares, And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  God once again told Abraham that Sarah was going to have a son, and he would be named Isaac.  When God speaks to us, we should listen to what He tells us and not change what He tells us to what we believe possible.  Verse twenty adds, And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  God blessed Ishmael as well.  Ishmael was not responsible for the facts of his birth and was not to be punished by God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.  God said His promise to Abraham would be fulfilled through Isaac.  We should always make sure that our plan is God's plan, and when He reveals it to us, we must simply act in faith.  Verse twenty-two states, And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.  Like with Abraham, when God has told us what He wants to say to us, there should be no reason for Him to say more.  Verse twenty-three states, And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.  Abraham carried out God's commandment about circumcision.  Verse twenty-four says, And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Verse twenty-five adds, And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.  Both Abraham and Ishmael, who was now thirteen years old, were circumcised.  Verse twenty-six states, In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.  Abraham carried out God's instructions in this case without attempting to change them.  We may fail to carry out God's command at some time, but if we do that does not excuse us from doing so later.

Genesis 17:1

Genesis 17:1 says, And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  Thirteen years had passed since the birth of Ishmael, and Abram was still waiting for God to fulfill His promise.  We are not told what happened during those years, but now God appeared to Abram and told him that He was the Almighty God and for Abram to walk before Him and be perfect.  When God calls to us, we must hear Him and follow His guidance.  Verse two states, And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.  God once again told Abram that He was going to multiply Abram's seed, or children, in accordance with God's covenant with Abram.  God always sets the terms of our covenant with Him, but He also always keeps His covenant.  Verse three declares, And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,  Abram fell on his face before God.  Sometimes I believe that we have become too casual in our relationship with God.  We need to come to God with a great respect and humility.  God continued to speak to Abram.  Verse four states, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  This is a reaffirming of God's covenant with Abram.  The passing years had not changed it, just as the passing years have not changed God's covenant with us through our faith in Christ.  Verse five adds, Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  After ninety-nine years, Abram's name was to be changed to Abraham, meaning he was the father of nations.  Verse six continues, And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  This was quite a promise to a man Abram's, now Abraham, age, when Sarai and he had no children.  God can and will always deliver on His promises if we simply have the faith to believe.   Verse seven states, And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  God's covenant was not to be a temporary covenant, but an everlasting one.  God's covenant with us through our faith in Christ is an everlasting covenant.  Verse eight adds, And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  God promised Abram that He would give Abraham a land where he was a stranger, the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and He would be their God.  We are promised a everlasting home where we are strangers in heaven if we are followers of Christ.  Verse nine declares, And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.  Abraham and his descendants were to keep God's covenant for this to be true.  When we accept Christ, we enter into a covenant relationship with God, and we must live by faith in Him.  Verse ten adds, This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.  The sign of the covenant for Abraham and his descendants was circumcision.  We really don't have a sign of our relationship with God through Christ except for the Holy Spirit living in us.  Though baptism is a sign of obedience, it is not something that marks us in any physical way. Verse eleven says,  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.  Verse twelve adds, And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.  These two verses simply state that everyone born into the house or strangers brought in were to be circumcised. Verse thirteen says, He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. Then verse fourteen adds, And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.  Circumcision was to be a sign of the covenant and a dividing point between those who were God's people and those who weren't.  Today, accepting Christ's death on the cross is the dividing point.

Genesis 16:7

Genesis 16:7 says, And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.  God sent a messenger to Hagar.  This is the first record of the appearance of an angel. She may have felt all alone, but God had not about abandoned her, even if those who were to represent Him had.  We have to be careful as followers of Christ that we do not begin to feel that other people deserve God's punishment and not His forgiveness.  Sarai may have looked down on Hagar, but Hagar had simply done what she was basically forced to do.  Verse eight states, And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.  The angel first asked Hagar where she came from and where was she going.  This is the same question everyone must answer when they encounter Christ.  Hagar said she was fleeing from her mistress Sarai and she didn't say where she was going, because I don't believe she knew.  When we encounter Christ, we are fleeing from God at that point, and not because God has mistreated us, and we really don't know where we are going.  Verse nine declares, And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.  This is probably not the answer that Hagar was looking for, but it was God's answer to her.  God may not always give us the answer we are looking for, but if it is God's answer, we like Hagar must decide whether or not we will obey Him.  Verse ten adds, And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.  God promised Hagar that she would be the mother of a great multitude as well.  We need to remember that these were also descendants of Abram, though they were not the descendants of the covenant.  Hagar was not punished by God for the sins of Sarai and Abram.  Verse eleven continues, And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.  This was before ultrasounds, but the angel told Hagar not only that she was expecting a child, but also that her child would be a son.  She was to name him Ishmael, which meant that the LORD had heard her affliction.  Verse twelve concludes, And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.  Ishmael was to be a wild man, but one who could stand his own against anyone.  Verse thirteen says, And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?  Hagar said God saw her, and asked if she also looked to Him.  We can be certain that God always sees us, but the question is do we look to Him and surrender to His will.  Verse fourteen adds, Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi;behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.  We are told the name and given the location of the well.  Verse fifteen states, And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.  Hagar had Abram's son, and Abram named him Ishmael.  We must conclude that Hagar told Abram what happened at the well.  When God does something in our lives, we should always be willing to tell others, especially those closest to us.  Verse sixteen says, And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.  Abram was eighty six at this time, and still waiting for God to fulfill His promise.  We must never become impatient with God, no matter how old we are.

Genesis 16:1

Genesis 16:1 says, Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.  Even though God had promised Abram that he would be the father of a great nation, Sarai and Abram still had no children.  Sarai thought she had a solution involving her Egyptian handmaiden.  We should never get impatient with God and attempt to carry out His will with our own plans, but should always wait for God to do things His way.  Verse two states, And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.  Sarah in effect said God had failed, but she had a plan.  Abram could have a child with the handmaiden, and Sarai could claim the child as hers.  There was no consideration for the handmaiden.  Abram did as Sarai asked him to, and at no point do we see them asking God about the plan.  This should have been at least Abram's first response.  We must make sure that what we are doing is God's plan, no matter how close we may feel that we are to God.  Verse three declares, And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.  After ten years in Canaan, Sarai gave the Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, to Abram to be his wife.  Of course, God never intended for marriage to be between more than one man and one woman for a lifetime.  Verse four adds, And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.  After Abram and Hagar were together as man and wife, she became pregnant and then despised Sarai.  Hagar never had a voice in all of this, so it is no wonder that she despised Sarai.  If we use others to attempt to bring about God's will, we should not be surprised if they despise us.  Verse five says, And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.  Now Sarai was blaming Abram for Hagar's attitude, though she was the one who devised the plan.  We cannot blame others if our plans fail when we implement them without consulting God.  Sarai told Abram to choose between Hagar and her.  Verse six states, But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.  Abram did not call Hagar his wife, but called her Sarai's maid, and then told Sarai to do what she wanted to with Hagar.  We are then told that Sarai dealt hardly with her, and Hagar fled from her.  We cannot punish others if they carry out our plans and the plan fails.  Abram and Sarai were the ones to blame, not Hagar.

Genesis 15:12

Genesis 15:12 says, And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.  Abram fell into a deep sleep and it says a horror of great darkness fell on him.  Matthew Henry says this was more than just a normal sleep, and that the horror came from not understanding it before God spoke to Abram.  We may at times be spiritually asleep and need to once again listen for God to speak to us.  When the fears of the world come, God will always see us through them if we listen to Him and follow His guidance.  Verse thirteen states, And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  God had told Abram that he was to be the father of a great nation, but God now told him that it was not going to be greatness in worldly terms.  Abram's descendants were to be strangers in a land that was not theirs and serve others for four hundred years.  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are not promised worldly greatness, and we will always be strangers to this world.  We are simply passing through, and we are called to serve others.  Verse fourteen adds, And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  God told Abram that He would ultimately judge the nation that Abram's descendants served, and his descendants would come out with great substance.  One day, God is going to judge the world, and those that are His will come out with the riches of heaven, though that is not really what is important.  The important thing is that the followers of Christ will come out of God's judgment with an everlasting relationship with God with no obstacles between God and them.  Verse fifteen continues, And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  God promised Abram that he would die at peace at a good old age.  I believe that as followers of Christ we should always die at peace.  That does not mean that everything in the world will be right, but our relationship with God should always leave us at peace with leaving this old world.  Verse sixteen concludes, But in the fourth generation they shall come. hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.  Though they would serve for awhile, Abram's descendants would have the land restored to them.  God's promises are always sure, but they are also on His timetable.  Verse seven declares, And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.  These were just physical signs of God's presence.  Verse eighteen states,
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:  Verse nineteen adds, The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,  Verse twenty continues, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.  God promised Abram a land, but He never said that there wouldn't be others there who opposed them.  When we accept Christ, we are a part of God's kingdom, but in this world there will always be those who oppose us.