Genesis 21:22

Genesis 21:22 says, And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:  Those in power around Abraham noticed that he was being blessed by God.  As followers of Christ, even if we do not have great riches, people should be able to see that we are blessed by our relationship with Him.  Verse twenty-three adds, Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.  Abimelech asked Abraham to act honestly with him and his descendants from now own.  Abraham had not gotten off to a good start in this, but was now being asked to deal honestly from now on.  We should always deal honestly and fairly with those around us, even without them having to ask.  Verse twenty-four states,  And Abraham said, I will swear.  Abraham gave his word to Abimilech.  As followers of Christ, if we give our word to someone, we should always attempt to keep it.  Verse twenty-five declares, And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.  Abraham had a problem with some of Abimelech's servants taking a well of water from him, so he went to Abimelech to discuss the problem.  We should always go to those who are really in authority if we have a problem with someone who serves, or works, for them, but we should always do so with God's guidance and for His glory.   Verse twenty-six says, And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.  Abimelech said he was unaware of the problem before Abraham telling him of it at that time.  Abraham may have been blaming Abimelech for the problem when he wasn't the source of the problem.  We today must never just blame someone, especially those in power, for our problems without first making sure that they know that there is a problem.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.  Abraham gave a gift to Abimelech and made a covenant with him.  I believe that God expects us to do our best to get along with others, even if it costs us something materially.  Still, it should be done with God's guidance.  Verse twenty-eight states, And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.  Abraham set seven ewe lambs aside.  Then in verse twenty-nine Abimelech asks, And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?  Abimelech asked Abraham what the meaning was of this act.  As we worship and serve God today, the lost of the world may have questions about what we are doing.  Verse thirty states, And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.  Abraham said that when Abimelech took the seven ewe lambs that it would be a witness between them that Abraham had dug the well.  I don't believe that Abraham was attempting to buy Abimelech's good will, but that he was simply giving these lambs as a symbol of their agreement.  Verse thirty-one adds, Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.  Then verse thirty-two concludes, Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.  Abimelech and Abraham had resolved the problem peacefully, and Abraham named the place where they had entered into the covenant Beersheba.  I believe that this was so that every time someone came to the place they would be reminded of the covenant.  Every time we have dealings with other people, we should remember the covenant that we made with God when we came to the cross of Jesus.  Though this is not a physical place, it is a spiritual one.  Verse thirty-three states, And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.  Abraham planted a grove at the well, and called on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.  No matter what we do as followers of Christ, we must make sure that we are following God's will and give Him the glory.  Verse thirty-four states, And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.  Having made peace with Abimelech, Abraham was able to stay there for many days.  We should always pray that God will allow us to live peacefully, wherever we may be.

Genesis 21:11

Genesis 21:11 says, And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.  Though Ishmael was not Sarah's son, he was Abraham's, and Abraham was grieved at the thought of sending him away.  Abraham had willingly listened to Sarah about having a child with Hagar, but he was reluctant to listen to her about sending Hagar and Ishmael away.  Like Abraham, sometimes we are more easily lead into sin than we are led to deal with the results of that sin.  Verse twelve states, And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.  God told Abraham to not be grieved and to follow Sarah's wishes, because Isaac would be the one that Abraham would become the father of a great nation through.  As followers of Christ, our actions will never replace God's plan, though they may affect our joy in our salvation.  If we attempt to do things our way and make a mess of it, then we must ask God to forgive us and direct us in the right direction.  Verse thirteen adds, And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.  God told Abraham that Ishmael would not be forgotten, but that a great nation would also come from Ishmael.  It just would not be the nation of the covenant between Abraham and God.  God was not going to destroy Ishmael because of the sin of Abraham, but neither was He going to change His covenant.  As followers of Christ, if we sin, we cannot expect God to totally destroy everything that is a result of that sin, but if we repent and return to obedience to God, we should not continue to be grieved by the sin.  Verse fourteen declares, And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.  Abraham wasted no time in carrying out God's instructions.  He arose early and sent Ishmael and Hager away.  When God directs us to do something, then we must do so as quickly as possible.  Verse fifteen states, And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.  The water that Abraham had given Hagar was gone and she was ready to give up.  We cannot rely on our own provisions or those provided by the world to sustain us forever if we do not look to God for His help.  Verse sixteen adds, And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.  Hagar didn't want to see Ishmael die, so she moved a little distance away from him and lifted up her voice and wept.  It does not say that she was calling on God, but whether she was or not, God heard her.  God will always be there when people are in anguish, and He will provide comfort if they will only acknowledge and listen to Him.  Verse seventeen declares, And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.  God asked what ailed Hagar, and then He gave her assurance that she did not need to despair.  Sho had to listen to and believe God for His words to have any effect, just as we must listen to and believe God for His words to have effect in our lives.  Verse eighteen adds, Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.  God still required Hagar to act on His instructions in faith.  If God provides an answer to our problems, we must always listen to Him and act in faith.  Verse nineteen says, And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.  Like Hagar, we must open our eyes in faith in order to receive His promise.  For Hagar and Ishmael, it was earthly water, but if accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we receive living water.  Verse twenty states, And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.  God was with Ishmael.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.  Eventually, Ishmael married an Egyptian woman.  God has never forgotten anyone who has ever lived, even if they never acknowledge Him.

Genesis 21:1

Genesis 21:1 says, And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.  God had not forgotten His promise to Sarah, and He will never forget His promises to us.  The main promise of God is an everlasting relationship with Him to those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.  God has not forgotten this promise, no matter how long it may be before it is fully implemented.  Verse two states, For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.   Sarah conceived, when the time was right for God.  I believe that one reason that God waited as long as He did was so that there could be little doubt that He was the One Who brought about Sarah's conception.  I believe, no matter the events leading up to a pregnancy, that God alone can give life.  I know many people would disagree, but this is my belief.  Verse three adds, And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.  At least Abraham was obedient in naming the baby Isaac.  Just because we may have doubted God or have been disobedient to Him in the past does not excuse us from being obedient in the future.  Verse four says, And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.  Abraham also obeyed God's command to circumcise Isaac.  Even if we have carried out God's law in the past, as Abraham had with the circumcision of all the males in his household, he still needed to continue to obey God's command.  Even if we have obeyed God in the past, that does not excuse us from obeying Him today.  Verse five states, And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.  This was no longer the norm as it was with the earlier generations, but this was a miracle of God.  Abraham and Sarah had both believed it was impossible, but with God nothing is impossible.  Verse nine declares, And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.  If Sarah was talking about when she laughed when God told her she was going to have a son, then it was not God but Sarah's lack of faith that caused her to laugh.  If she was referring to her joy at having a son, then God did indeed bring her this joy.  Following God's plan for our lives should always bring us joy.  Verse seven asks, And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.  Sarah was still looking at things through the eyes of the world and not through faith in God.  We should never be surprised when God fulfills His promises.  Verse eight states, And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.  When Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a great feast.  It does not say that this was a feast to celebrate God's goodness, but was more simply to celebrate Isaac.  We must always make sure that we give God the credit when good things happen in our lives.  Verse nine declares, And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.  Hagars son was mocking the celebration for Isaac.  He was after all Abraham's first born, but I am sure had never had a feast of celebration for him.  Many people today, who do not believe in God and accept His gift of salvation will mock those who have accepted Christ..  Verse ten adds, Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.  Sarah saw Ishmael, the son that she had made the plan for his birth, mocking the celebration of Isaac, she demanded that his mother and he be cast out.  Sometimes, when our plans, made without God's guidance come true, we may create problems for others and ourselves.  Hagar and Ishmael were really not guilty of anything, other than being a part of Sarah's plan to fulfill God's promise her way.  We must be patient and wait on God to fulfill His plan His way and never believe that we have a better plan.

Genesis 20:8

Genesis 20:8 says, Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.  After God had spoken to Abimelech in his dreams, he got up early and called his servants and told them what had happened.  Abimilech didn't just claim he had a bad dream, but he actually knew that God had spoken to him.  I believe that when God speaks to a person, whether they profess to know Him or not, they will know.  Verse nine states, Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.  Abimelech called Abraham and asked him why he had done such a terrible thing to him.  Abimelech said that Abraham had brought a great sin to the kingdom.  We, as followers of Christ, should never be guilty of leading others into a sinful situation.  Verse ten asks, And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?  Abimelech asked Abraham what he had seen concerning Abimelech and his people that had caused Abraham to do this.  That was Abraham's problem.  He was looking at the power of Abimelech instead of the power of God.  We should never allow anything in this world to become more powerful to us than God is.  Verse eleven states, And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.  Abraham said that he believed that Abimelech and his people did not fear, or know God, and he was afraid that they would kill him and take Sarah.  If Abraham had put his trust in God, he would not have been afraid.  He acted out of a self made fear.  We today should never allow our personal fears to cause us to make our own way of dealing with a situation where we might possibly be in danger, but must always put our faith in God.  We certainly should never do anything that would be against God's law simply because we are afraid.  Verse twelve adds, And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.  Abraham was still trying to justify his actions.  He said Sarah was both his wife and his half-sister.  We cannot justify sin by half truths.  We must be totally honest in our relationship with others, and especially with God, no matter what it might cost us in this world.  Verse thirteen continues, And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.  Abraham said that God caused him to wander, but the plan to call Sarah his sister was strictly his plan.  After all God had done for him and the promises that God made him, Abraham was still lacking the faith to totally trust God.  When we become a follower of Christ, we must live by faith in God's promise that we are His children forever.  Verse fourteen says, And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.  Once again, Abraham benefited materially from his deception, but I believe that he suffered spiritually.  Even if we were to gain materially, we can never afford to go against God's will and teachings.  Verse fifteen adds, And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.  Abimelech told Abraham to take his choice of the land to dwell in.  We can never allow the end to justify the means if we are going against what God's law.  Verse sixteen states, And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.  Abimelech then told Sarah that he had paid Abraham for his actions concerning Sarah.  Verse seventeen declares, So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.  Abraham prayed for Abimelech and God healed him and his people.  Though Abraham had been the reason for the sin, when he prayed to God, God granted his request.  Had Abraham prayed for Abimelech and his people before hand and trusted God to keep him safe, the whole situation could have been avoided.  As followers of Christ, if we cause someone to fall into sin, we must first confess to God and then pray that God will heal them.  Verse eight adds, For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.  God restored the ability of the woman to have children, which had been taken away because of Sarah.  Sarah and her son with Abraham was still God's plan to make a great nation of Abraham.

Genesis 20:1

Genesis 20:1 says, And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.  Abraham was on the move again.  I am not sure if it was because of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah or not, but after twenty years he was moving.  As followers of Christ, we are never permanently at home here in this world.  Verse two states, And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.  Abraham was no stronger in his faith at this point than he had been when he was still Abram.  Even though God had told Abraham that His promise to make Abraham the father of a great nation was through a child that Abraham and Sarah would have, Abraham was still passing her off as his sister and allowing her to be taken away by another man.  We should learn from our past sins and not fall into them again.  Verse three declares, But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.  God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and warned him that he was a dead man for taking Sarah, another man's wife.  Though Abimelech may not have been aware of the sin he was committing, he was no less responsible for it.  We cannot excuse sin simply because we are not aware of the sin.  I believe that God will always make people aware of their sins, whether they acknowledge them or not.  Verse four states, But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?  God spoke to Abimelech before he had been with Sarah in a sexual relationship.  Abimelech asked if God would destroy a righteous nation.  Though I am not sure that Abimelech was accurate in calling his a righteous nation, he was not totally to blame in his actions.  He was still guilty of taking Sarah for his own desires.  We cannot call ourselves righteous simply because we have not done what could be viewed as a greater sin in the eyes of the world.  Verse five adds, Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.  Abimelech said that both Abraham and Sarah said that Sarah was Abraham's sister.  Abimelech said that he acted with integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands.  Abraham had initiated the plan, Sarah went along with it, and Abimelech was caught up in it.  I don't believe that Abimelech was totally innocent though, because his actions were fueled by lust. Though we may be caught up in a sin created by someone else's actions, we cannot justify ourselves by blaming them.  Verse six declares, And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.  God again spoke to Abimelech in a dream and told him that He was aware that Abimelech acted in innocence as for as knowing that Sarah was married and that He prevented Abimelech from touching Sarah.  God was at work in this situation, and He is still at work today.  This should be especially true for those who profess to follow Christ.  Had Abraham put his faith in God keeping him safe, and had Sarah not gone along with his plan,this situation would have never occurred.  If there is sin the world, and there always is, we as followers of Christ should never be the cause of it.  Verse seven adds, Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.  God gave Abimelech a choice.  He could either return Sarah to Abraham, or Abimelech and all that were his would die.  God did not force Abimelech to obey Him, but gave him a choice.  Even after Abraham's actions, God still referred to him as a prophet.  As followers of Christ, if we commit a sin, we are still a child of God and still have an everlasting relationship with Him.

Genesis 19:30

Genesis 19:30 says, And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.  Lot and his two daughters lived in a cave because he was afraid to live in the city of Zoar.  He evidently no longer had to worry about any great wealth. We never read anything about Lot following God, but he always seemed to do what was best for himself.  Verse thirty-one states, And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:  We are not told how old the daughters were, but the oldest talked with the youngest about their father's age and the fact that there were no men around for them to start a family with.  This would have been a great concern in that time, but they must have forgotten about their great-uncle Abraham and more importantly about God.  Verse thirty-two declares, Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.  The oldest daughter devised a plan for them.  They would get Lot drunk and have sex with him so that they might each have a child.  As with most plans made without God's guidance, this one was very wrong.  Verse thirty-three states, And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.  Lot got very drunk that night.  It says that they got him drunk, but unless they were pouring alcohol down his throat without his consent, then I believe it is more accurate to say that Lot got drunk.  The oldest daughter went in and had intercourse with her father.  We are told that Lot did not remember this, but that does not make him blameless.  He should have been concerned about the welfare of his daughters instead of hiding in a cave getting so drunk he couldn't remember what he did.  We cannot blame our sins on others, even if we are so drunk we don't remember them.  In the first place, we shouldn't be that drunk to start with, and we should never try to hide away and ignore our responsibilities.  Verse thirty-four adds, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.  The older daughter told the younger daughter the next day that it was the youngest turn that night and that they would do the same thing again, only with the youngest taking the place of the oldest.  Even though the plan was not hers, the youngest was just as guilty as the oldest.  Again, we cannot blame our sins on someone else, even if we just go along with their plan.  Verse thirty-five states, And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.  They carried out their plan that night.  Verse thirty-six declares, Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.  Their plan was successful.  Just because our plans may be sinful doesn't mean that they won't succeed, and just because they succeed doesn't mean that they are God's plan.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.  The child of the first daughter was named Moab, and he became the father of the Moabites.  Verse thirty-eight concludes, And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.  The child of the second daughter was named Benammi, and he became the father of the Ammonites.  Even though they were successful in the plot, this was certainly never God's plan.

Genesis 19:23

Genesis 19:23 says, The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.  It was morning before Lot finally left Sodom and reached Zoar.  Once more, Lot was going to a place that looked better instead of relying on God to direct him.  I will once again state that God had not directed Abram, now Abraham, to take Lot with Him, but still God had blessed Lot.  Now, due his own decisions without seeking God's guidance, Lot had lost nearly everything.  No matter how much wealth we may accumulate in this world, one day all that will be left is our relationship to God.  Verse twenty-four states, Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;  When God destroys a place because of the sin of the people, I don't believe that there will ever be any doubt that it is God's action.  God had caused the rain to destroy the earth in Noah's day, but with Sodom and Gomorrah, He caused fire and brimstone to rain down out of heaven.  This was not a natural disaster, but an act of God.  Verse twenty-five adds, And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.  Though Abraham had attempted to find a way to spare the cities, possibly because of Lot and his family, there was no way to be found.  Of course, God made a way available for Lot and his family to be saved, even if some of them would not listen.  We cannot force salvation on anyone, but we have a responsibility to witness to all that we can.  We should pray for the lost, but the decision to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord will always be theirs.  Verse twenty six says, But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.  Lot's wife was so close to being saved, but she could not simply move ahead without looking back on what she was leaving behind, and she lost her life. We cannot look back on the past feeling that we have left too much behind when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We must simply continue to look ahead in faith.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:  Abraham got up early and went to the altar, the place where he stood before God.  If we have concerns in life, then we need to bring them to God as soon as possible.   Verse twenty-eight adds, And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.  Abraham looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, knowing that God had pronounced judgment on them.  He saw the smoke, and I am sure that he knew God had carried out His judgment.  Sometimes we just have to acknowledge that some people will not be saved.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.  Lot was spared because of Abraham.  Lot was not given an everlasting relationship with God because of Abraham's faith, but he was given another chance to establish that relationship.  We cannot save others but we can ask God to give them another chance to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.