The Period of the Patriarchs

Genesis 15:1-6

THE patriarchal age in the divine plan was the period during which God’s favor was manifested particularly toward Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To these he made his covenant promises in which is outlined his loving purpose to bless all the families of the earth through a “seed”—the seed of Abraham. To these patriarchs he also promised the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. God ratified his covenant of blessing by his oath.

In the Scriptures Abraham is given the distinction of being the father of the faithful. (Gal. 3:7) He is one who is cited by Paul in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews as an example of faith. Abraham was justified by his faith, and upon the basis of his faith became the “friend of God.” (James 2:23) But Abraham’s faith was an increasing one. He did not at all times possess that strong, abiding faith which he demonstrated when God asked him to offer his beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering. In that test his faith triumphed so fully that he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead.—Heb. 11:17-19

But prior to this, when he had less experience in the wonderful way God fulfils his promises, Abraham’s faith’ at times faltered. We find this in our lesson for today. Long years before, while Abram was still in Ur of the Chaldees, God promised him a seed—the seed of promise through which all the families of the earth were to be blessed. While Abraham did not understand the full implication of this promise, subsequent unfoldings of the divine purpose show that this “seed” is the same as that mentioned in Genesis 3:15, and there spoken of as the seed of the woman.

To Abraham, God’s promise meant that Sarah would bear him a son, and that this son would in some way take a prominent place in the affairs of men and become a blesser of the people. But long years passed. Even when young, Sarah was barren, but now she was much older—beyond the age when she could expect to have a child, even though she had not been barren. So Abraham wondered.

Perhaps it was not so much a lack of faith as it was of understanding, when he told the Lord about his trusted servant, Eliezer, one who was born in his own household and who would become his heir. He said to the Lord, “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” Here, seemingly, Abraham was seeking enlightenment, information, that was necessary if he were to maintain his faith. Was it possible, he wondered, that when God made the promise concerning the seed, he had an adopted son, Eliezer, in mind?

Apparently, Abraham would have been satisfied with such an arrangement had this actually been what the Lord meant when he made the original promise. But he learned from the Lord that this was not the case. “This shall not be thine heir,” was the message the Lord gave him, “but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.”

Then Abraham was invited to look into the heavens and asked if he was able to number the stars; and the Lord said, “So shall thy seed be.” Reassured that the promised seed was indeed to be of his own flesh, Abraham’s faith was renewed—“he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Abraham was a member of the sinful and dying race, but he believed God, and this made it possible for God to deal with him on a friendly basis, and to work out his plans for that age through him.

Genesis 17:5-8, 18, 19

HERE we find Abraham again going through a severe test of his faith. On the occasion discussed above, he had learned one very important thing in connection with God’s promise of a seed—it was not to be an adopted son, but a seed that was to come from his own “bowels.” But when this was revealed to him by the Lord, no mention was made of Sarah.

Both Abraham and Sarah must have pondered over that omission of information and concluded that it was by design, and while Abraham would be the father of the promised seed, a woman other than Sarah would be the mother. It was Sarah herself who suggested the arrangement whereby their bondmaid, Hagar, should bear Abraham a seed. Seemingly this was not out of keeping with the prevailing customs of the time.

So Ishmael was born. After this the Lord appeared to Abraham again! Up to this time his name had been Abram, but now the Lord explained that it was to be changed to Abraham, that he was to be the father of many nations. The Lord promised to make him “exceeding fruitful,” that nations would come from him, and that “kings shall come out of thee.”

On this occasion, in addition to emphasizing that Abraham surely would have a multitudinous seed, the Lord also reaffirmed his promise concerning the land of Canaan—“I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger.” God also promised to establish the covenant he had made with Abraham—that he would establish it with him and with his seed.

Abraham must have listened intently to this reiteration and amplification of God’s promise s. Perhaps he decided that now he had interpreted God’s will properly in connection with the birth of Ishmael, and that this reassurance of the divine arrangement had been given to him on this account. If he did reason this way, it was not for long, for, as recorded in verse 16, the Lord made it plain that Sarah, not Hagar, was to be the mother of the promised seed.

Then, as verse 17 relates, “Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him who is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” Here his faith faltered, for this was not the laughter of joy, but of unbelief. This is evident, for in the next verse we read, “And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!”—to be the promised seed.

By their arrangements for the birth of Ishmael, both Abraham and Sarah evidently thought they had solved the problem of the promised seed. Since an adopted son would not do, and since Abraham must himself be the father of the seed, why should it make any difference who the mother might be? Proceeding on this assumption, they now had Ishmael. Meanwhile, additional years had been added to their ages, making it still more unlikely that Abraham could now father a child, apart from the fact of Sarah’s barrenness and increased age.

But Abraham’s pleading with the Lord to accept Ishmael as the promised seed did not avail. God said to him, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac.” God did not indicate that he was especially displeased with Abraham’s attempt to save the situation through Ishmael. In fact, he promised to bless Ishmael along certain lines, “But,” he stressed, “My covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”—vs. 21

Abraham’s faith was again renewed. He believed God, and in due time Isaac was born. God fulfilled his promise. That was four thousand years ago. The faith seed of Abraham—Christ and his church—is not yet complete. But soon it will be, and then the promised blessings of life will flow out through that “seed” to all the families of the earth.

God promised Abraham that he would make him the father of many nations, or a family of “nations,” as the marginal translation indicates. Some have construed this to mean that various nations today, particularly the British Commonwealth of nations, fulfill this promise, the claim being that these are the ten lost tribes of Israel. This view, however, does not stand up in the light of New Testament interpretations of the promises made to Abraham.

In Romans 4:16,17 Paul explains that the promise made to Abraham concerning “many nations” is fulfilled through the faith seed; that is, through those who become Abraham’s seed by faith. “If ye be Christ’s,” Paul wrote in Galatians 3:27-29, “then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” This will be a spiritual seed.

But later, during the “times of restitution,” all nations, by accepting the provisions of divine grace through Christ, the spiritual seed of Abraham, will become the children of Abraham on the human plane of life. Thus on a much grander scale than at first appears, God’s promises to Abraham will be fulfilled. Surely he is a covenant-keeping God!

QUESTIONS

What part of the divine plan was accomplished during the patriarchal age?

Did Abraham always exercise unswerving faith in God and in his promises?

Explain Abraham’s viewpoint in connection with his trusted servant, Eliezer, and God’s promise of a seed.

What was Abraham’s viewpoint concerning Ishmael? What may have led him to think that perhaps Sarah was not to be the mother of the seed?

Why did Abraham laugh when told Sarah would bear a son?

Who are the “many nations” of which God promised Abraham he would be the father?

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