We must understand through Godly wisdom,
that righteousness administered through a human, is a figment of our imagination. According to the Word of God, no man or woman is in a position to judge sin. The Word says, “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:22-24 In Psalm 14, verse 1-3, David said, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Genesis Chapter 18 speaks to the level of sin that has risen up to a completely Just God. Instead of bringing a flood, or taking away a common tongue, like in the days of Noah or Pigsah, the Lord brought fire down. After the three men, who came from Heaven, finished communing with Abraham, they looked down toward Sodom. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised.” The Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know. The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.” Then Abraham approached and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham proceeded with his plea. “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” In this moment, the Lord showed grace, because He once told Job, who was “the most righteous” - “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!” Job 40:2 The Lord said to Abraham, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again. “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” The Lord responded, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke to Him, “What if only forty are found there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” The Lord answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” The Lord answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.” Genesis 18:16-33 It's hard to believe the Lord entertained Abraham's questions for so long! Abraham, like Jacob, all of us, wrestle with the Lord. Those who remain and see God face to face, have their life spared. Is it not the same question we have today. How could a good God execute His judgment, on humans? Humans whom we believe are morally just, and full of righteousness, in our eyes? As we know, the scripture says no one is righteous - not Abraham, Sarah, Issac or Jacob. Not Moses, Aaron, Joshua or Caleb. Not even the virgin Mary, the one who gave birth to God's son. The only thing that saves these men and women from the eternal grave is their faithfulness. “And it was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.” Romans 4:13 “Without weakening in his faith, Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about 100 years old - and Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:19-25 Let us remember how the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said, “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low, look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.” Job 40:6-14 The fact that we live today, and continue to take physical breath, shows how much God loves us. We are not the creator. We are the creation - completely unjustifed - except by faith in Jesus Christ that God counts as righteousness.
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Genesis 18
sums up the gospel message, metaphorically speaking of course. It’s starts with Lord appearing to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre, and this is how it goes. While Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day, he looked up saw three men standing nearby. Now I know Jesus was only one man, but He actually contained the three parts of God. He was designed by His Father, who expressed His Holy Spirit to conceive the Word of God in the physical realm. When Abraham saw them, he ran out to meet them and bowed low to the ground. Humility in Love and Fear of the Lord is the correct response to presence of God. Abraham had the wisdom to understand that these three men were not ordinary men. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way - now that you have come to your servant. “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” Genesis 18:3-5 Abraham responded with the gift of hospitality. When a lover of God’s Word uses their gift of hospitality, they aren’t expecting payment for their generosity, and they do so joyfully. The apostle once wrote a letter to the Roman church, and this is what it said in 12:6-8, “We all have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to get Sarah. “Quick,” he said, get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before the three men. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree - as if waiting for their word. Finally, they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” It confuses me how the pronoun “they” is used when the scripture says, “they” asked him where she was. How can three men speak all at once? Perhaps it really means, that they each took turns - or they were all grouped as one? Abraham responded and told them Sarah was in the tent. Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now that is interesting. Only one of the three men said he was coming back. This is the first time, we see division of the three. Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him, and when she heard what the divine man said, She laughed to herself. You see, Abraham and Sarah were very old, way beyond childbearing years. So Sarah laughed and thought to herself, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Genesis 18:12 I can't tell if Sarah was being sarcastic? "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have the pleasure this give birth?" Was she using irony to mock or convey contempt? It sure sounds a little like that. Also, did you notice that Sarah called Abraham her Lord? “Adown” in Hebrew is the superintendent of the household, the master of the affairs the ruler who is king or lord - it is the word general used to recognize superiority. No wonder God never wanted humans to have a king! Look what happens almost every single time a human being gets a little power! They believe they are God! Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” The Lord did not go to Sarah and question her lack of faith. He spoke to Abraham and held him accountable instead. Before Christ came, this is the way it was. The man was the leader of his household, and he was responsible for everything and everyone that God blessed him with. The reality is husbands and wife were one - they were supposed to lead with humility and love, not with power and dominion and heavy hands. According to scripture, if a man strayed and walked away from God then his wife and his children were also specked and flawed. If you don’t believe me, read the story of Korah "when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed his entire household- along with his rebellious friends." Numbers 16:32 Today, humanity falls under the covenant of Christ, as written down by Paul in his letter to the Galatian church This is what the Word of God says, “Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian UNTIL Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (or any other man). So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:23-29 This means, if we believe in Christ and love Him with all our heart, then we are justified by faith - not by a law or a man. This portion of Genesis shows Sarah being afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But the Lord said, Yes, you did.” Genesis 18:13-15 Women of God - Are you still operating under some kind of deceit? Do you think you need a husband or a priest, to connect you to God? Be careful what you think - for the Lord is coming back soon. Every person will bow at the foot of the Lord, and give testimony to whether they believed in Christ - the ONLY way to Heaven, and to the House of God. You see, Sarah was hidden behind a tent masked beneath hurt and deceit, bitterness had set in and sarcasm had become her response - the Lord saw her and saw the heart of Abraham. Perhaps we all need to be a little like Hagar, the servant mistreated by Sarah, who was cast out, utterly ashamed who said to the Lord, “You are the God who sees me,” “I have now seen the One who sees me.” in Genesis 16:13. Remember this - the Lord keeps his promise. He is coming back soon. Not as a lamb, but as the Lion of Judah. Don’t get stuck in laws and traditions. Don't get stuck behind man-made rules and roles. Scripture says, we are saved by Grace Alone, through Christ Alone by Faith Alone. All you need is faith - this is what God counts as righteousness. Romans 4 Abram had been living in Canaan,
the land the Lord promised him, for ten years, when his wife Sarai offered Hager, her Egyptian slave, to Abram because she was barren. You see, the Lord had given His word and promised Abram a son, and told Abram that he would father many nations. But Abram was well into his eighties - and no child had come. So Sarai told Abram to take Hagar, and make her his wife. “Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.” Genesis 16:3, 16 Thirteen years later, “When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” Before I go on, let me stop right there! I have been wondering when Abram became Abraham. It didn’t happen until he was 99! This is moment that Abram heard the Lord and fell facedown! God completely changes us and gives us a new name when we are fully prone with our heart on the ground. The Lord said, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.” “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” At this moment, in human history - the Lord has made three covenants between Him and human beings. First there was the promise that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpents head, then there was the promise that God would never send a flood of water again. Now in Genesis 17, God makes a promise tied to the flesh. God said, “My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people (and removed from me).” God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man 100 years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” It is apparent from Abraham’s comment that Ishmael is the male child that Abraham had grown to love. I would imagine that since Hagar came back, Abraham had decided that Ishmael was the promise the Lord had told him about earlier in the timeline of carrying His Word out. Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But MY covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” The scripture says, “When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.” I wonder what this means? Was all of God present, or does it mean God’s voice was no longer heard by Abraham? Scripture says, “On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.” Genesis 17:1-27 I can’t imagine how Abraham must have felt. It would be hard to circumcise Ishmael from his heart. a Women -
Can you imagine what it might be like to do everything you can to become pregnant and still be barren? And what if your husband came to you and said, “God told me I would father many nations through my own son, my own flesh and blood.” How would you feel if you had grown old, and everything you were told did not unfold? This is what happened Sarai after God had told Abram he would give birth to a son. Sarai grew desperate, and did not believe Him. “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her. and Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Genesis 16:1-3 This sad story reminds me of Adam and Eve. Eve did the same thing. She was deceived into believing that her own thoughts were good, even after God told Adam don’t eat from this tree. So Eve took a bite, and gave some to her husband who was standing right there, next to her. Adam and Abram have so much in common - they both received a word from God, and then chose not to believe in Him. Both men fell into the enemy’s hands, by submitting to their wife instead of listening to God. “So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.” Genesis 16:3 This verse totally makes me sick - on so many levels - for so many reasons! First, how in the world could a man and woman of God - take another human, make them a slave and bind them into captivity? This is not the ways of God! Second, the idea of a person using their power to make another human have sex with them is absolutely stomach-turning! In my mind - rape is the epitome of sin! The scripture says, “So Abram slept with Hagar, and she conceived.” Poor Hagar! Today, in the world of women having the right to abort, especially after rape - I would imagine that Hagar might have chosen to put an end to her pregnancy. If nothing else, she probably would have taken Plan B. Either way, even though she was raped - abortion is murder because the scripture says a soul begins when a child is conceived in the mother’s womb. Oh, Poor Hagar! I can't even imagine how difficult it was for her! The scripture says, “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.” The queen of servants was now on Sarai’s shit list, and Hagar now hated the one who gave her away to her husband. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” Genesis 16:4-5 And here we are back to the blame game! Just like in the Garden with Adam and Eve! “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Genesis 16:6 Isn’t it amazing how humans can kill the dream? God gave his Word to Abram to give him a son - but because he did not wait on God’s timing - he sinned so shamelessly! It’s hard to believe the Lord keeps His Word even after humanity messes everything up! The scripture says, “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.” Genesis 16:7-16 It’s amazing how the angel communicated both God's grace and God's wrath. Kindness and mercy and blessings were gifted to both Hagar and her son. Ishmael means “God listens” and he was granted descendants too numerous to count. The problem is Ishmael was not the promised son of God. He was not the son who God talked about when He declared His word to Abram. The angel of the Lord told Hagar the truth, even though as his mother, it had to hurt. The angel said Ishmael would be “a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Later you will see, that Ishmael had 12 sons - just like Jacob, Isaac's son. who God renamed Israel after wrestling with the angel of the Lord. Ishmael operates in the parallel realm. He is the embodiment of God’s Word, turned upside down. If only Sarai and Abram took God at His Word... Today, there would be no Islamic nation trying to dominate Israel. After the word of the Lord
came to Abram in a vision, Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Ugh! When I first read this I thought to myself, “Man - God must be so tired of our doubt!” Instead of taking God at His word, We question Him and focus on what our eyes can see in this dark world. Then the word of the Lord came to Abram and said, “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” God was patient and answered Abram’s question. In essence He said, “I am going to give you a son who is your very own flesh and blood.” This means that Abram and his wife Sarai would conceive a son - because a marriage covenant is based on a man and his wife becoming One. God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” Perhaps when the Lord showed Abram what he had already done in the earth and the heavenly realm - Abram believed the Lord - and this is when the Lord counted it to Abram as righteousness. Righteousness- Obviously man has also got this wrong. God does not focus on our morality, or what we think is right or wrong. He does not focus on the works of the flesh, but to the one who trusts and believes that God justifies our wickedness. God said, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” That means when Abram’s father, Terah, left the land of Ur, and took Abram, Sarai and Lot with him, then settled in Haran - it was all part of God’s divine plan. But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” There he goes again! Doubting God for what He says. Or maybe, Abram is just looking for a little confirmation. So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” That’s interesting - instead of God giving Abram a direct explanation, He gives him a command to bring animals to Him. "Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away." Now, how did Abram know to bring the animals dead? We have to go back to when man first doubted God, and look at how God responded to them. When Adam and Eve had doubted God, and noticed there, naked they stood - they tried to use fig leaves to cover their sin. But their man-made hiding was not that good. Fig leaves could not cover up the guilty sinner and make him right with God. God, however, has great compassion for man, and he chose animal skins to cover up Adam and Eve. "And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them." Genesis 3:21 God was willing to use animal life blood, to cover the sin that separated man - At least until the Lamb of God Who would be the final sacrifice for all of mankind. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. The darkness was not an evil presence as one would think, the darkness was the God sharing a troubling thought. He gave Abram a brief timeline of future events. Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for 400 years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” Let’s not forget what we have already learned, King Og of Bashan, will be the Amorite King who is called the last of the Rephaim, a descendant from the Nephilim - produced during Genesis 6, when the sons of God possessed daughters of men. The land of Canaan must not have been some coincidence. The land of Canaan was inhabited by evil men, and God used Abram to take possession back. We are either vessels working for God, or against Him. Man - God is so good! In a second, Holy Spirit unfolds spiritual wisdom! Scripture says, “When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites will be yours.” Genesis 15:1-21 Do you remember what Paul says in Ephesians 3:10 about Gods marvelous plan for the Gentiles? “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:7-12 God has a plan and purpose for every single thing! He made the beginning with the end in mind. The scripture is very clear - We either participate with God and become a vessel for Him, or we take things upon ourselves and remain a vessel of evil covered by fig leaves. How often
have you experienced fear, even after God has offered you peace? Fear is defined as an emotion, unkind - caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, and is likely to cause pain - or poses a threat. I can only imagine how Abram must have felt, after he and his 318 trained men defeated King Kedorlaomer and the three other strong kings who were allied to him. Abram probably thought, “It’s only a matter of time before those kingdoms bear arms and rise up against us.” God must have known what was in his mind and his heart because the scripture says, “the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Genesis 15:1 The Word of the Lord came after God directed Abram to the land of Canaan, and told him he would own all that the eye could see, in every direction. Genesis 13:14 The Word of the Lord came after Abram defeated a great multitude of vey strong men with his very small troop of 318 trained men. Genesis 14:14 The Word of the Lord came after Melchizedek, the King of Salem (peace), came out to meet him with the bread and wine in hand. Genesis 14:18 The Word of the Lord came after “Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Genesis 14:19-20 Even after experiencing God’s promise, victory and peace, Abram was still afraid. I ask you, Have you ever felt the same? I know I have. It is true. God came to Abram in so many ways. He came to him in visions and dreams, and guided him to the promised land. He came to him through 318 trained men, and He came to him with a promise and command. God said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” If you are a child of God, and you have received the King of Salem, then you are in the Holy Place of great communion. Come to the table of the Lord. It is time to receive the bread and the wine. The Lord has invited you in to receive his command and his promise. Child of God, You like Gideon. You who thinks you are lowly and unworthy. Come to the table of the Lord. Child of God, The Word of the Lord says, “Do not be afraid. The Lord is your shield, your very great reward.” “On this mountain (Jesus) the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain (Jesus) he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:6-9 This last passage of Genesis 14
gives us a glimpse of the gospel message through the order of Melchizedek. Scripture says, "the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim and Bela (that is, Zoar) - marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar. Now the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea) was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. The four kings (of Mesopotamia) seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew (the man who God had spoke to and promised to give all the land as far as the eye could see). Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative (Lot) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan (That’s interesting because the tribe of Dan did not yet exist - so this place is hard to understand). During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus (northern Syria). Abram recovered all the goods and brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).” “Then Melchizedek king of Salem (Peace) brought out bread and wine (the communion elements). Melchizedek was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Melchizedek - the king and priest from Salem came to greet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh, also known as the Valley of the King. I wonder if this could have been the name for Jerusalem - the city of peace, the Holy City that sits in Mount Zion? Melchizedek appears to have come down from Heaven as a king and a priest with bread and wine in hand. His mission was to bless Abram - all because El ʿElyon, the Most High God, delivered Abram’s enemies into his hands. *This reminds me of story of Gideon who defeats the Midianites with only 300 men, not 10,000 like there could have been. The only way it could have happened was through the power, direction and protection of the Most High God. “Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.” I wonder if this is where the tithe comes from - giving a 10th of all that you have? “The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me - to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” Genesis 14:8-24 I just love how this story ends. Abram continues to praise the Lord. He stands on the oath He made with God. He does not want one thing from the king of Sodom. He does not want the king to have any ownership of him. And then He demands that the men who helped him be grafted in, and be given the share of what is owed to them. May God continue to bless us with this message. May the gospel glimpse be burned into our hearts where it belongs. Genesis 14 is the hardest chapter
I have read in a long time. Not only there are so many names of kings and regions, that are hard to research and find - but there appears to be demonology intertwined. Scripture says, “In the 14th year, Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karenaim. the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.” Genesis 14:5-7 So let me try to break this down. Google says the Rephaim were giant people who lived in “Ashtaroth of the double horns," a place East of the Jordan. Astaroth in demonology is known as the Great Duke of Hell. He is part of the evil trinity, comprising of Beelzebub and Lucifer. He is a male figure most likely named after the Near Eastern goddess Astarte. Astarte is known as the Queen of Heaven, And her Greek equivalent is Aphrodite - known as the goddess of sexual love and war. And it was this little “god” that the Israelites later elevated on Ashtoreth poles. Oh how our God must have mourned! This place and this people were later destroyed by God. Scripture says, “And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites. The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the giants. Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and called Bashan after his own name, Havoth Jair, to this day.” Deuteronomy 3:12-14 Today, this region is called Syria and it stands east of Golan. These people were also described by men who were with Joshua and Caleb to be spies - “They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:33 The Nephilim and Raphaim are words typically interchanged - that represent the giants who lived on the earth among men. “Only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.” - this means Org’s coffin was nearly 14 feet long. Deuteronomy 3:11 I could go on and research all the other locations, and their people - like “the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir” but I don’t have time. It’s 3am in the morn. A quick review shows that Zuzim occupied Bashan to Moab, which was known as the kingdom of Ammon - and contained Mount Nebo where Moses was granted a view. Today this area contains the countries of Syria and Jordon. Then there was Emim which inhabited northern Moab which today is known as Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Deuteronomy 2:10-11 says, "The Emites used to live there - a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness." Scripture says, “Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.” Deuteronomy 2:12 Scripture says, Esau took wives from among the Canaanites and settled his family in the hill country of Seir, which became known as the land of Edom. This land lies east of the Negev desert of Israel, in present-day Jordan. My spirit tells me that all these cities found east of the Jordan; stem from Mount Hermon and the evil things that happened there. How is it possible that Nephilim existed after Noah and the great flood? And How is it possible that evil existed and violence spread after the rainbow covenant had come? This is what I hear the Lord telling me - “water was just the beginning to the fire that will come at the end.” And the Spirit of God took me to Luke, the same passage that He took me to in 2020 when the Corona Virus had come: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:49-51 You see, God is not done. There are still many souls to be won. Water is only the beginning to the fire that is about to come. This poem is going to be quite interesting
because I have no idea about any of these kings, or their lands. The scripture says, “And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim (also called nations) that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 12 years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the 13th year they rebelled.” Genesis 14:4 Google says, Shinar, Eliasar, Elam and Goyim were Mesopotamian kingdoms led by Mesopotamian kings. Mesopotamia is best understood as a region that produced multiple empires and civilizations. Shinar made up the southern region and is often referred to as the land of Babylonia. Shinar is the kingdom that started from Nimrod, and it is the place where the Tower of Babel was built. It’s the place where the descendants of Noah migrated after leaving the mountains of Armenia. I’m having a hard time finding out exactly where Ellesar actually was, but it appears to be south of Babylon, close to the land Ur. Elam was an ancient civilization that ruled an old kingdom by the Persian Gulf. It represents an area that takes up much of Iran and part of Iraq. And during this time, Chedorlaomer was its king, and the other kings bowed their knees, and fell subservient to him. And who is the king of Goyim, the king of nations? Some believe this area ran north of Elam -- and represents a people who came from the eastern mountains. So these kings, coming from the east, wanted to take over the Jordan River Valley. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Bela, also known as Zoar, were five cities of the Plain of the River Jordan. They took up arms and fought together against the four kings and their kingdoms. I guess the River valley region was very appealing, and was a region worth saving. “All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).” Genesis 14:3 This area is also called the “sea of the Arabah under the slopes of Pigsah in the east.” Deuteronomy 3:17 This is the area of the Dead Sea, and the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. The scripture says they served the king of Elam for 12 years and then in year 13, they rebelled against him. And then In year 14, they began to fight other regions. I don’t understand what this means? Did they rebel or did they join forces with him? I think this is enough for today. Tomorrow I will write 14, Part 2. Because right now, I’m totally confused! ey you-
Does the Lord speak to you? What does He say? Well…the Lord spoke to Abram - a man who was born in Chaldean, and this is what he said, “Raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward, and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted. Arise, walk about in the land through its length and width; for I will give it to you.” Genesis 13:14-18 How the Lord said this - I do not know. Did He appear to Abram like He had before? Or did He whisper these words in Abram’s ear? But I do know this - The Lord said them after Abram’s nephew, Lot, chose the land that appeared greener on the other side. Scripture says when Abram heard the Lord, “he moved his tent and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and there he built an altar to the Lord.” Genesis 13:18 “The oaks of Mamre in Hebron” - today this location is in a neighborhood called Nimra, a Palestine city in the West Bank. Can you imagine the feud this must cause between the Arabs and the Jews? Since both the Arabs and the Jews look up to same God and the same man, Abram, as their Patriarch - they both must believe the land is theirs. But I have a feeling the answer to whose land this actually is lies in the story of “the promised seed" that was given to Abram and his bride at the Oak of Mamre in Hebron. |
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