The Knowledge of Men and God

 Abrams' Polygamy Something quite well established in Genesis is that polygamy, having multiple wives, is a great occasion for feud and jealousy. Originally God had established the marriage bond to be with one man and one woman. They were made for each other and this bond was sacred. They were to be one flesh. But having multiple wives either takes away from its sacredness or there will be jealousy for that sacred bond. The first polygamist was Laban from the line of Cain. But now that we see it among God’s own people it is not particularly described in a positive way. It says: [Gen 16:1-6 NKJV] 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no [children]. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing [children]. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and ga...

 Iniquity of the Amorites not Complete Abram was called a prophet of the Lord. He received visions of what would happen in the future. One of these is recorded in Genesis 15. In this chapter Abram is promised that he would inherit the land of Canaan. The Amorites lived there too. To drive the point home God made a covenant with Abram using visible signs and customs of that time.  Then Abram got a vision of which the first part brought him great fear. [Gen 15:12-16 NKJV] 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror [and] great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land [that is] not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 1...

 Promise on His Life Abram wanted surety of God’s promises. God had promised him he would inherit the land on which he was walking. [Gen 15:8 NKJV] 8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"[Gen 15:8 NKJV] 8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" God decided to make a covenant with him and to explain things so that it would be easier for Abram to grasp the promise by faith. He explained: [Gen 15:12-16 NKJV] 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror [and] great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land [that is] not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good ol...

 Abrams Imputed Righteousness Abram had his moments of doubt and sometimes he struggled with believing what God said. But God was there to strengthen his faith. He used visible illustrations: [Gen 15:2-5 NKJV] 2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house [is] Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Abram responded to this promise well.  It is said: [Gen 15:6 NKJV] 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Abram believed in God. God accounted it to him...

 God's Visible Assurance God has not neglected to give assurance to His people in the past. So He did to Abram.  And in all this He didn’t neglect to use visible means either. In Genesis 15 Abram had some doubt about God’s promise to him. He just went through a war that had not brought much reward. This could’ve brought fear and a spirit of feeling unrewarded for what he had done. God told him He was his shield and great reward. In this context Abram thought about the fact he still didn’t have a child and heir. Even this seemed to be taken from him. He said: [Gen 15:2-3 NKJV] 2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house [is] Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" God decided to give him some assurance. He said: [Gen 15:4-5 NKJV] 4 And behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but...

 Our Shield and Great Reward In Genesis 14 Abram had a war against Chadorlaomer to liberate captured nephew Lot. Abram had obtained a lot of loot from that war, but he did not even keep this. Instead he gave it back to the king of Sodom. He even gave tithes to Melchizedek. Meanwhile the terrible vicissitudes of war could’ve well brought him fear. What if the allied kings would regather and destroy him? He caught them by surprise and he knew that it was God that had given him the victory as Melchizedek had said, but to human eyes this could still strike fear. And he had given so much away?  Sure, he had liberated Lot. But what was his reward in all this? He had fought for a good cause, didn’t he deserve something? It is in this context with these possible thoughts that God appeared to him: [Gen 15:1 NKJV] 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I [am] your shield, your exceedingly great reward." God would be his sh...

 Property of God After Abram had defeated Chedorlaomer and his allies and had obtained much loot from this war to free his nephew, he was reminded of the supremacy of God. [Gen 14:18-20 NKJV] 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he [was] the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. He could’ve kept everything for himself. He could have become prideful, losing sight of God. But Melchizedek, a priest-king of Salem reminded him of the Possessor of heaven and earth. He blessed Abram and gave bread and wine to him as a priest. Then he blessed God and he reminded Abram that it was God that had delivered the enemy into his hand. God gave him the victory and had given him all this loot. He was the Possessor of everything that he had and everything that he had gained....

 God Possessor of All After Abram had fought Chedorlaomer and when he had won against him and liberated his nephew, he was reminded of the role of God in all this and His supremacy. It may have been easy to become prideful about such victory. Or perhaps the fear of a reciprocation would have come to him. But then Melchizedek came to him, who was a priest of the most High and king of what is now Jerusalem:  [Gen 14:18-20 NKJV] 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he [was] the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. Later in regards to the booty he had obtained in war Abram uses the same title: [Gen 14:22-23 NKJV] 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 "that I [...

Graceful War Chedorlaomer was a powerful king with powerful friends. He had waged war and won much. When a rebellion broke out, of which Sodom was a part of, he crushed the rebellion in the Valley of Siddim. Lot, the nephew of Abram, was taken too. Before this war Lot and Abram had to separate ways. They had so much property and livestock that their herdsmen started fighting over land. So Abram had given Lot the choice of land. Lot chose the best and richest land without even taking Abram into consideration. Then he also decided to live in Sodom, a city that was very wicked. But now he was taken captive by Chedorlaomer: [Gen 14:11-12 NKJV] 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Abram was brought up to date of the situation: [Gen 14:13 NKJV] 13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the tereb...

 Cycle of War Genesis 14 gives a quick overview of a war. But this template can be applied throughout all history. Humanity has never changed and war seems to be in his nature. [Gen 14:1-12 NKJV] 1 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 nations, 2 [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). 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that [were] with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which [is] by the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that [is], Kadesh), and ...

 God Confirms Faith In Genesis Abram and Lot had a lot of property. But the property was too much for the land. They had to split. Abram gave Lot the choice and Lot chose the absolute best land without even making a fair deal.  Abram had already received a promise of great blessings, but right now there may have been reason for disappointment. He just had to separate from one of his own family members because of potential fighting  He got the lesser quality of land and now he was wondering about the land of Canaan. It was in this situation that God took care to confirm his faith. He didn’t change any circumstances, but He did give Abram His word: [Gen 13:14-18 NKJV] 14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 "And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth...

 Eyes of Greed When Abram came out of Egypt, he was very rich. Lot, his brother, was rich too. But the land could not hold them anymore. This caused strife between the herdmen of Abram and the herdmen of Lot.  But Abram was a peaceful man and he wanted no strife. He proposed to separate from each other.  He said: [Gen 13:8-9 KJV] 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren. 9 [Is] not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left. This was noble and peaceful.  Lot got to make the decision. But the way he made the decision without even taking the consequences into account was detrimental: [Gen 13:10-13 KJV] 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where, before...

 Beauty-Based Love There is no denial that outward appearance can cause people to lust after someone. That person may be picked more especially if they already have a reputation. Scripture shows this trait of human nature too, but it does not seek to justify it. There is a danger that beauty excites the wrong passions. Abram feared this: [Gen 12:11-13 NKJV] 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you [are] a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This [is] his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 "Please say you [are] my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." And though his fears came from unbelief, the principle itself was not wholly wrong. Sarai was beautiful and she got a reputation in Egypt: [Gen 12:14-16 NKJV] 14 So it was, when Abram came...

 Fight over Need Throughout the ages there have always been quarrels, fights and even wars over property.  But assuming this is always based on pure greed is wrong. Oftentimes certain property may seem like a necessity for certain people, groups or even countries. They may have a great need. But this can cause conflict. Some people fight for property because of greed while using certain justifications and excuses.  But in some cases actual concerns are understandable. This was the case with Abram and Lot: [Gen 13:1-7 NKJV] 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram [was] very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks...