The Promise Affirmed

Chapter Sixteen

16:1-3

WHEN studying God’s dealings with Abram it is important to keep in mind the divine promise concerning a “seed.” Abram was to have an offspring, a progeny, that would occupy an important place in the plan of God. When this promise was first made to the patriarch, his wife Sarai was childless. Nevertheless, they both believed God’s promise, and waited patiently for a child to be born. But no child came.

It was a long wait. To begin with, there was the time that elapsed from the making of the promise until the death of Abram’s father Terah, just before they entered into the Promised Land. Now another ten years had passed, and still no child. Sarai, in addition to being barren, was well along in years, and her faith that she would become the mother of the promised seed began to wane. Apparently she still believed God’s plan concerning a seed, but began to wonder if it were his will that she should be the mother.

Meditating along this line, and desiring to co-operate with the Lord if possible, she suggested to Abram that Hagar, their bond-maid, mother a child for him. According to Christian standards today this was a very unethical procedure, but apparently it was not considered improper at that time. In any event, neither Sarai nor Abram were rebuked for it by the Lord, although he did not acknowledge the child of this union as being the promised seed.

An interesting sidelight on this. incident is the discovery in 1901 by archeologists of the Code of Amraphel (Khammurabi)—a code of laws which apparently served as a standard of living at that time for the people in Canaan and surrounding territory. According to this code Sarai’s giving Hagar to Abram for a wife was quite proper.

16:4-6

Even from a natural standpoint, however, it didn’t turn out to be a satisfactory solution to the matter. Quite unexpectedly to Sarai, as soon as Hagar learned that she would bear a child, she became insolent to her mistress. In those days the ability to have children was prized very highly, and evidently Hagar began to feel that she was quite superior to Sarai, and acted accordingly.

Sarai reported the situation to Abram, exclaiming, “My wrong be upon thee.” Leeser’s translation reads, “I suffer wrong through thee.” It is quite possible that Sarai expected that in the event Hagar had a child, she would in some way become its foster mother, and Hagar would step aside, not claiming the rights of motherhood. But now Sarai realized from Hagar’s attitude that there was no hope for an arrangement of this sort, so she knew that she had done wrong in suggesting this method to obtain a seed for Abram and the Lord—that it would not solve the problem.

Abram also realized that matters were not working out as they had hoped, so in loyalty to Sarai he permitted her to deal with Hagar in any way she saw fit. According to the Hebrew text, Sarai afflicted Hagar, probably by increasing her duties and tasks. According to the code of Khammurabi, it would have been against the law to sell Hagar and thus get her out of the way; so her burdens were increased, perhaps with the hope that she might desert the household and run away, which is exactly what she did.

16:7-16

But at this juncture, the Lord took a hand in the matter. His angel, or messenger, found Hagar “by the fountain in the way to Shur.” Shur was the name of the great fortified wall shutting Egypt off from Palestine. Evidently Hagar was endeavoring to make her way back to her own people in Egypt; but the Lord interfered, and through his angel instructed her to return and be subject unto her mistress.

Then the angel uttered a remarkable prophecy, one which many now see fulfilled in the experiences of the Arabic race. It is doubtful, though, if all today who are classified as Arabs could trace their ancestry directly back to Hagar’s Son, Ishmael; although this is true of many of them. Historians seem quite agreed that while a large segment of the population of the Arabian Peninsula are the descendants of Ishmael, it is believed that the ancestry of many of them can be traced back to the sons of Keturah, Abram’s third wife.

Hagar was greatly impressed by the visit of the angel of the Lord, and the well where the angel found her was called Beer-lahairoi, which according to the marginal translation means, “the well of him that liveth and seeth me.” Hagar seemed to realize that the Lord had been watching over her, and that although she had escaped from Abram and Sarai, she had not been able to escape from the God of Abram. She returned to her mistress, and in due course Ishmael was born.

Was there not also a lesson in this for Sarai, and indeed for all who are endeavoring to serve the Lord—the lesson that nothing is accomplished by endeavoring to run away from our trials, or to force them away from us. Sarai’s lack of faith had brought a severe trial into her life, and she thought to get rid of it by forcing Hagar to run away; but the Lord brought the trial right back to her. Probably the experience softened Hagar’s attitude also; but in any event, the two women lived together after this for sixteen years.

Chapter Seventeen

17:1-8

According to the marginal translation God’s statement to Abram that he should be “perfect,” more properly should read “upright, or sincere.” Abram was a member of the fallen and dying race, and perfection of conduct was quite beyond his ability. But he could be upright and sincere before the Lord. This is possible for all of God’s people and nothing short of this is acceptable to the Lord.

God’s reference in this chapter to the making of a covenant with Abram was a reiteration of the covenant he had already made, and an enlarging on some of its features.

In keeping with the importance of meanings attached to names in connection with the unfolding of the divine plan, the Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning the “father of many nations.” The original statement of the covenant assured blessings to all nations through the promised seed, but here the Lord amplifies that thought by promising that Abraham would be the father of the nations who thus would be blessed. The term father means life-giver, and this would seem to be God’s way of explaining that the “blessing” the nations would receive through Abraham’s seed was to be, that of life.

The Apostle Paul quotes this promise (Rom. 4:16-18) and indicates that all who exercise the faith of Abraham in the promises God made to him, thereby qualify to be his “seed.” Some of this seed will be earthly, and some spiritual, but the important truth which Paul stresses is that one does not have to be a natural descendant of Abraham in order to be a part of his seed.

“Kings shall come out of thee,” God promised Abraham. The principal fulfillment of this promise is in connection with the spiritual seed of Abraham—Jesus the Head and the church, his body. (Gal. 3:16,27-29) Jesus will be the King of kings, and his church will reign with him as kings for a thousand years.—Rev. 5:10; 20:4

Abraham, although living in Canaan at this time, was a stranger in the land, or as the margin puts it, a sojourner. Abraham died without possessing the land which God promised to him—as did Isaac and Jacob. But they will, nevertheless, possess the land when they are restored to life in the resurrection. It is most important to keep God’s viewpoint in mind in our study of his Word lest we fall into serious error in our endeavors to determine how some of his promises are fulfilled.

17:9-14

Circumcision was a “token” of the Abrahamic Covenant. Paul speaks of it as a “sign” of the faith which Abraham already exercised toward God and his promises. God stressed the importance of this token of the covenant by decreeing that any of the household of Abraham thenceforth who did not comply with it were to be destroyed.

In passing, it is well to note that the importance God attached to this token of the covenant rules out all possibility that any of the natural descendants of Abraham who have strayed away from the Lord, and have ceased to observe the sign of circumcision, could be especially used or honored by him. This would mean that even if it could be established that the Anglo-Saxon race is made up largely of the “ten lost tribes” of Israel, it would not mean that God was using them in any special way in connection with his covenant promises. When the Lord said that any soul that was not circumcised should “be cut off from his people,” the least we could understand from it is that such a one would cease to be considered by God as a child of Abraham, or in any sense of the word an heir to the rich promises made to him.

In the New Testament, circumcision is used to symbolize singleness of heart and purity of purpose. It is much the same thought as is contained in the Lord’s statement to Abraham that he should be “upright and sincere:” While the spiritual seed of Abraham are not called upon to practice the literal rite of circumcision, they are admonished to circumcise their hearts, and to put away all filthiness of the flesh.

It is appropriate that the token of the all-comprehensive Abrahamic Covenant should be circumcision, for when we take into consideration the New Testament explanation of what circumcision signifies, it means that none will receive the blessings promised under the Abrahamic Covenant except upon the basis of purity of heart and motive before the Lord and an abiding faith in his promises and the rightness of his laws.

17:15-16

Here the Lord reveals to Abraham that Sarai’s name was to be changed to Sarah—signifying princess—inasmuch as she was to be the mother of kings. The apostle explains the manner in which Sarah is considered by the Lord as being the mother of kings, stating that it is because she symbolizes the covenant by which the spiritual seed of Abraham are developed. Thus Sarah is the mother of the same kings of whom Abraham is the typical father, that is, the kings who are to reign for a thousand years for the blessing of all the families of the earth.—Gal. 4:22-31

17:17-22

Abraham had great faith in the promises of God, but it was not a perfect faith. At times it wavered, and one of those times is recorded in this passage. Despite Sarah’s barrenness, Abraham had faith to believe, when God first made the promise to him, that she would bear him a son, because she was then much younger. But now, in addition to her barrenness, she was ninety years old; so when the Lord told him this time that Sarah would bear a son, Abraham fell down on his face and laughed.

In his heart, the passage indicates, Abraham doubted that such a thing could come to pass, and arising from the ground, he pleaded before the Lord, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!”—to be the seed of promise, seems to be the thought of this petition. God assured Abraham that Ishmael would live, and would become the father of a great nation, but as far as the promised seed was concerned, Sarah was to have a child, his name was to be Isaac, and Isaac would be heir to the promise.

“At this set time in the next year”—Mere was a time prophecy of considerable importance to Abraham. He had waited many long years for God to fulfill his promise, yet during all that time no indication had been given as to how long that wait would need to continue. God has tested the faith of most of his people along this same line of waiting. The disciples asked Jesus, “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” and Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”—Acts 1:6,7

But often when the time nears for expected events to occur, the Lord reveals the secret to his servants. Noah labored long years in building the ark, with probably no definite idea of when the flood would come, but finally the Lord said, “Yet seven days.” (Gen. 7:4) So now with Abraham the Lord said, “At this set time in the next year.” In view of what Abraham was thinking in his heart concerning the unlikelihood of Sarah bearing him a son, perhaps the Lord gave him this definite information as a means of strengthening his faith.

17:23-27

These verses simply relate the fact that Abraham was quick to obey the instructions of the Lord regarding the token of the covenant. “In that selfsame day,” the account reads, he proceeded to have all the males in his household circumcised, including himself and his son Ishmael. There is much evidence in the Scriptures that the Lord appreciates prompt obedience. In this case of Abraham his promptness would indicate also that his faith in God’s promise concerning Sarah had been fully restored and that he desired to carry out every detail pertaining to his part in the covenant.

Chapter Eighteen

18:1-5

Mamre was a confederate of Abraham on the occasion when he rescued Lot. (Gen. 14:13) The expression, “plains of Mamre” evidently means the plains which belonged to Mamre, for Abraham was merely a sojourner in the land. Apparently, however, he was on friendly terms with many of the Canaanites.

“The Lord appeared” unto Abraham, the text states, yet later this appearance turns out to be the visit of three “men” who served as messengers of the Lord. This manner of expression is employed quite frequently in the Bible when it speaks of the Lord’s dealings with members of the human race. Actually no human being could see God and live. (Exod. 33:20) However, when he sends his messengers he expects those visited to treat them with dignity, and to give consideration to the message they deliver.

These “men” who visited Abraham were actually angels—that is, spirit beings—who had materialized in order to be able to converse freely with the patriarch. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul refers to them as such and tacitly cites Abraham’s hospitality as an example worthy of emulation. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers,” he writes, “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”—Heb. 13:1

18:6-8

It is necessary to put ourselves in Abraham’s position in order to understand his great desire to make his unexpected visitors “feel at home.” It was not as though he lived on a busy city thoroughfare where thousands of people would be passing every day. Instead he was living on the “plains,” and in a tent. It is quite possible that days might pass when not a single stranger would pass his tent. And here were three of them, and they gave every indication that they were men of considerable importance.

As Abraham saw it, this was to be a special event and he was desirous of making as much as possible out of it. Abraham himself was an important man in that part of the world, and was accustomed to giving orders when he wanted things done. He didn’t ask Sarah if it would be convenient for her to help prepare a meal for these exceptional visitors. He simply gave directions that it should be done. The same is true with respect to the young man whom he directed to dress a young calf and prepare it for a meal.

Abraham revealed just a bit of excitement over the visit of the three men, for the account says that he “ran unto the herd” and made a personal selection of a calf which he knew would be tender for eating. Visits from the Lord through his accredited messengers were not new to Abraham. While the Apostle Paul explains that he entertained angels unawares, it is quite possible that he perceived that these three men were something more than they were disclosing. In any event, he proved himself to be a kind and gracious host; and Sarah seems to have co-operated very willingly with him.

18:9-15

Abraham stood while his guests ate, thus assuming the role of a servant. And as they ate they inquired concerning the whereabouts of Sarah. While Sarah had helped with the preparation of the meal, up to this point she had evidently kept herself out of sight. Then the spokesman for these visitors said to Abraham, “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”

Evidently the tent was not very far from where the trio was eating, for Sarah heard this announcement and, like Abraham, she laughed—the text says, within herself,” or, as we would say, “laughed to herself.” But the angel knew it, and when he referred to it later Sarah denied that she had laughed, and the angel said, “Nay; but thou didst laugh.”

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”—this is the practical lesson in the account for us. This is of great importance with respect to the outworking of the plan of God. Perhaps one reason the Lord permitted Abraham and Sarah to get so old before Isaac was born was for the very purpose of demonstrating that he is responsible for the fulfillment of all his promises.

The whole nominal church world today, and for centuries past, has erroneously imagined that the success of God’s purposes in the earth depends upon the efforts of puny man. We should all be glad that this is not so, and that his plan to bless all the families of the earth through the seed of Abraham is sure to be accomplished—sure, despite all the circumstances which seem to be to the contrary.

18:16-22

The Lord takes his servants into his confidence in matters which pertain to them and to those in whom they are particularly interested. And, broadly speaking, the truth-enlightened people of God should be interested in all mankind. They should have the spirit of Abraham and manifest enthusiasm for the plan of God which was revealed to him, the plan that through the seed of Abraham all the families of the earth are to be blessed.

The Lord had decided to destroy Sodom because of the gross wickedness of the city, but he used the occasion to test Abraham’s interest in the people of the city, and particularly his concern for his own kinsmen—Lot and his family, who dwelt there. “Shall I hide from Abraham,” the Lord inquired, “that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”

In this passage we are furnished with an interesting example of how God makes allowance for the mental limitations of his servants in order that they might understand his viewpoint. To paraphrase God’s statement to Abraham it implies that he had heard a report that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were very wicked, so he had come down to investigate, and if they were as wicked as the report indicated, he would surely destroy them. Actually, of course, the Creator of the universe and God of heaven and earth did not need to visit the earth personally in order to obtain the information he needed. This was simply his way of speaking on Abraham’s level of understanding.

18:23-33

Abraham petitioned the Lord earnestly to save the city, especially if there proved to be a few righteous souls therein. Abraham at first asked whether the city would be spared if there were fifty souls found to be righteous. When he continued to lower the number it is possible that he had Lot and his family in mind.

The Lord displayed both his patience with Abraham and his willingness to show mercy by complying with his entreaty so many times, as he kept lowering the number. As it turned out, there were not even the required ten who were righteous; so the city was destroyed.

This raises an interesting question in view of God’s promise to bless all the nations of the earth, for Jesus indicates that no particular effort was put forth to bring about the repentance of Sodom and Gomorrah. If there had been, Jesus explained, they would have remained and not been destroyed. (Matt. 11:23,24) Jesus also explained, however, that in the judgment day, they will be given an opportunity; so we see that, after all, they will be remembered, in keeping with the promise made to Abraham that through his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

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