Man is Spread Out as Rebellion Continues

Transcript

GRS 5 N
February 16, 1986
Man is Spread Out as Rebellion Continues
Old Testament Survey
Genesis 11-15
Gil Rugh

The book of Genesis in your Bibles and the eleventh chapter. Genesis chapter eleven. Through the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, God is preparing the way for the attention that will be brought to bear on the people that He has selected for Himself. So, you note there’s a disproportionate emphasis given to Israel. The first eleven chapters of the Bible give us the background. From Genesis chapter 12 all the way through the rest of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi and on through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we have an emphasis on the nation Israel as God’s chosen people. The opening chapters of Genesis tell us about the creation. Then with chapter 3 we have the Fall. Man sins and now comes under the condemnation of God, which is death. Sin spreads through the race as the race multiplies. The wickedness of man grows and it becomes necessary for God to intervene in judgment to bring an end to the human race. And the only ones saved are the family of Noah. Eight people altogether. The only ones God can save out of all those living on the earth. Now, from Noah and his three sons the earth must be repopulated. In chapter 10 of Genesis, we have how the nations of the earth have developed from the three sons of Noah and where those descendants have settled. So that we can locate ourselves in the line of Noah. For those of us, most of us being of the Indo-European background, we are the descendants of Japheth. Now, when we come to chapter 11 of Genesis, we’ll find out how these nations got scattered around the world.

How did the three sons of Noah and their descendants come to be spread throughout the world? Genesis chapter 10 told us they were spread around the world. Now, chapter 11 tells us how that happened. We’re going to give a title to chapter eleven. You simply call it Babel. The tower of Babel [pronounced babble] or Babel [pronounced bayble]. That’s what the chapter really focuses on. That’s only the opening part of the chapter, but that really is the key thrust of the chapter.

There are going to be three divisions in chapter 11. You’re going to have the tower of Babel in the first nine verses. You’re going to have the line of Shem in verses 10 through 26. And then, you’re going to have the family of Abraham in verses 27 to 32. And that’s where God has been bringing us. Chapter 11 of Genesis opens just like chapter 6 did with an emphasis of the sinfulness of humanity. “The whole earth,” the chapter opens up, “used the same language and the same words.” So, you might expect, the descendants of Noah, his family, their children and children’s children all spoke the same language. So there was a unity and a oneness among all the peoples of the earth. So, the people determine in verse 4, “Come let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” These people want to do something that will give them a sense of belonging. A reputation if you will. And that will prevent them from being scattered, because everyone will recognize this is our center. This is our unifying factor. We all belong here. The problem is this is in clear rebellion against the command of God. Look back in chapter 9 of Genesis in verse 1. In Genesis 9:1, “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” Down in verse 7 of chapter 9, “As for you be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” They don’t want to spread around the earth. They want to stay together in one place. And they think that they can accomplish this by building a city. And in this city they’ll have a great tower. And the tower would have become a landmark and in all probability the center of their worship as well. When it says that they will make a tower which the top reaches the heavens, in verse 4, it’s doubtful that they thought that they were going to build a building that would reach all the way to heaven. But, from what we have found in these structures in that part of the world, going back to very early times, they had what they called ziggurats that were step towers. And on top of these towers was an altar built. And it seems that perhaps their emphasis was they will build a tower and the top of this tower well be the focal point of their access to worshipping God or access into heaven. There’s going to be a city with a monumental tower and it’ll become the focal point of their worship. We’ve discovered a number of these large towers in the region of Babylon and that part of the world where Babylon had been. On reached three hundred feet in height. Now, I’m not saying that was the tower of Babel, but it gives you some idea of the size of these structures. That’s getting close to being a thirty story building, isn’t it? That’s a tall place, a tall building anyway. So, they’ve got great plans here.

The Lord makes three comments. I like the way it’s put in verse 5, “The Lord came down to see the city.” The Lord comes on a visit. And obviously that’s called an anthropomorphic expression. God is being spoken of in man’s terms. God didn’t have to come down to see anything. He knows everything all the time. It indicates that He is about to intervene in what is going on, because it is not fitting for His purposes. So, in verse 6, “Behold, they are all one people, they have the same language. This is what they began to do and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.” They all have the same language. This gives them a unity in their rebellion in idolatry. As they decide not to do what God said, but to focus on this one place in the world and center here with worship as well. This is what they began to do. He sees it as the beginning of a problem. Their wickedness will multiply. This is going to become the key in understanding what God is going to do. Nothing is going to be impossible for them. And they have great potential. And their unity will enable them to succeed in their goal. And God says that is not good because their goals are not in line with His goals. So that statement that is not good, but bad. Nothing will be impossible to them. They have unity of purpose, but it’s unity of purpose in ungodliness. So, in verses 7 to 9, God’s plan is to confuse their languages. “Let Us go down, confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech. Then the Lord God scattered them over the face of the earth.” They stopped building the city. And this is where you have the beginning of the various languages of the world that now have developed to some three hundred dialects and the various nations of the world. The people got up on morning, evidently, walked out, said hello to their neighbor and their neighbor said something and nobody understood anyone. Evidently God was gracious and brought families together within the same language framework and what they do is scatter. I mean, I can’t understand them. Something’s happened. They’ve gone crazy. They’re talking in some kind of who know what?! So, they spread throughout the world. And it’s interesting God accomplishes in judgment what they would not do in obedience. He said, “Spread out over the world and populate.” They said, “No.” God brings judgment and there they go around the world. God’s purposes are going to be accomplished one way or the other. Ought to note here, that it is not God’s intention that man form one united world. He has in effect, divided the world, used the languages for that. One world government would only lead in a united effort against God and God’s purposes. We’ll come closest to seeing this when the Anti-Christ rules the world during the Tribulation, particularly the last three and one-half years. What will He unite the world in? Worshipping him in rebellion against God. So, fallen man is not able to handle a world-wide unity, because it would be a unity that would lead him against God and contrary to the purposes of God. So, we have to say, in our fallen world, nationalism is God’s plan for us today. And when finally Satan is able to bring about one world government, it will be one world government in opposition to God. A redoing of what he wanted to accomplish at Babylon; Satan wanted to accomplish at Babel. That will be somewhat accomplished at the end of the seven-year tribulation. God’s plan now is that the world is divided, the nations be divided and the languages accomplish that.

Well, we ought to note here God’s grace. He intervenes before the judgment is necessary to be as severe as the Flood. This is what they began to do. If He had let them to their own devices, it would have been necessary to destroy them all again. But yet, He promised He wouldn’t. So, even the judgment of Babel becomes an act of mercy.

It’s called Babel and it was in the land of Shinar in verse 2 of chapter 11 and that’s the region we know as Babylon. Babel is the confusion to play on the words. The Babylonians like to think it was the gate of God. But, the real background for the name is the confusion that God brought to the nations.

Now, we have spread then the nations of the world everywhere. Wherever they are. Chapter 10 gave us the breakdown. Chapter 11 told us how they got there. Now, what God wants to do is center in on one nation. Now, these nations that I have scattered, I am going to make one nation for myself to be the people of redemption. A people for my own name. So, verses 10 through 26 give you the line of Shem. The point of this genealogy of Noah’s son, Shem, is to show that Abram is the descendant of Shem. And Shem is the son of Noah, who is specially blessed. That was in chapter 9 verse 25 through 27. Verse 25, Cain is cursed. Verse 26, Shem is blessed. Verse 27, even Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem. Shem will be the key family in the family of blessing. So, the genealogy in 11, chapter 11, verses 10 to 26 does get you from Noah’s son to Abram. You see how God is moving us there to the point where He wants us to be. And it’s through Abram that God is going to build a nation, out of all the nations that He has scattered around the world to be the nation of His own choosing.

We’re not going to look at the details in chapter, in this genealogy in chapter 11. There are ten generations named to get us from Shem to Abram. When you come down to verse 27, you come to the family of Abram. And this begins the story of Abram or Abraham. Verse 27, “Now these are the records of the generations of Terah, Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.” You see the key focal point here, Abram. Now, you want to identify Lot, because Lot is going to be significant in some of what is recorded about Abram as well. Abram later will be called Abraham over in chapter 17, verse 5. Abram meaning exalted father. Abraham, the father of multitudes. And even though his name is not changed over till chapter 17, I’ll probably be interchanging his name, because we’re used to calling him Abraham, even though he doesn’t become Abraham for a few chapters yet.

God calls Abram and we’re not given a lot of background, but you can put some passages together through the Scripture and you find out that Terah, the father of Abram, was an idol worshipper. Turn over to Joshua, chapter 24 quickly. Joshua 24. It’s interesting, because you see the sovereign election of God in choosing this family to become a nation for Himself. And in Joshua chapter 24 and verse 2, “Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor and they served other gods.”’” So evidently, we’re not told how, God sovereignly reached down into the family of Terah to Abraham and selected him for Himself and determined that He would build through Abraham the nation that would belong to Him. It’s Abraham who receives the call of God and that doesn’t become clear in this section of Genesis, but over, for example, you get to the New Testament in Acts chapter 7, verses 2 and 3 we’re told that it was Abraham that was called by God in Ur of the Chaldeans. And then called again out of Haran. So he receives the call we’re told when he’s in Ur of the Chaldeans and he moves to Haran, and from Haran God will move him into the land of Canaan. We’re told they moved from Ur of the Chaldeans and they stop in Haran. And verse 32, Terah, the father of Abram, dies in Haran. We’re not told why they stop in Haran. Some believe that this is a wrong step. Whey should have gone on to Palestine. Some say that they had to wait for Abram’s father to die, because God called Abram into the land. Whatever the reason, the Scripture never says anything negative about it. So, it may have just been part of the step along the way that God was bringing the man Abraham.

So, you come to chapter 12. You’re ready to focus in now on Abraham. And all the rest of the Old Testament is a development of Abraham and his family. Abraham’s one of the greatest men in all the word of God. Used as the example of faith in Old Testament and New Testament alike. Tremendous man of God. He was born in 2165 B.C. And if you want to get an idea where he belongs, 2165 and we’re not going to go into how you come to that date. That’s something for you to do on your own. But that’s the date – 2165 B.C.

In chapter 12, there’s going to be revelation from God to Abraham and there is going to be the descent of Abraham into Egypt. First 9 verses talk about God’s revelation – call to Abram. That’s what the chapter’s really all about, God’s call to Abram. First, He reveals Himself to Abram again and then directs him into Palestine. And the first 3 verses are the Abrahamic Covenant. The foundational covenant in Scripture for God’s relationship with the nation Israel. The covenant here is laid out in chapter 12. It’ll be amplified and confirmed over in chapter 13, again in chapter 15 and again in chapter 17. So, it’s stated here, but it will be reiterated and amplified as we move along to several passages.

Need to summarize some facts about the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant determines God’s relationship with the nation Israel. It you understand the Abrahamic Covenant, you won’t have any problem in understating God’s plan and program for Israel. There are three areas covered in the Abrahamic Covenant. We summarize them with three words: land, seed, and blessing. Those are the three areas covered in the Abrahamic Covenant. Each of these areas will be taken and elaborated more fully in a later covenant God makes with the nation Israel. But, the later covenants will be elaborations of each of these areas of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Let’s look at each area carefully. Land. Israel is promised a national land in the Abrahamic Covenant. Look in chapter 12 verse 1, “Go forth from your country, from your relatives, from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” That’s the land that He is going to give them. Look in chapter 13 of Genesis, verses 14 and 15. “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever.’” Verse 17, “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; I will give it to you.” He’s elaborating on that promise of the land that He’ll give to them. Now, the Palestinian covenant, the Palestinian covenant expands this area of promise to Israel. And you can jot down Deuteronomy 30 and verses 1 to 8. In Deuteronomy chapter 30, verses 1 to 8, you have what is called the Palestinian covenant. And that covenant focuses in on God’s promise in the Abrahamic Covenant to give the land to Israel. And it is developed in a separate covenant.

The second are of promise or assurance to Israel is the seed. There’s the promise of many descendants from Abraham that will form a great nation. Look in chapter 12, verse 2, “I will make you a great nation.” That means he’s going to have many descendants. The seed of Abraham. The descendants of Abraham will be great. A great nation presupposes many people. Look over in chapter 13 again, verse 16, God says to Abram, “I will make you descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.” Over in chapter 17 of Genesis, verses 2 to 6, God promises at the end of verse 2, “I will multiply you exceedingly.” At the end of verse 4, “you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” At the end of verse 5, the same thing. Verse 6, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, I will make nations of you, kings shall come forth from you.” And so on. So, the seed. Many descendants from Abram.

Now, the Davidic covenant, of the Davidic covenant that’s made with David expands this promise to Israel. They’re going to have a dynasty. They’re going to have a kingdom. They’re going to have a throne. And that’s developed in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verses 12 to 16. Guaranteeing the multiplying descendants of Abram. The great nation that will come and a kingdom that will be established with a throne and its own dynasty.

The third area in the Abrahamic covenant is what we call blessing. And this is the promise of redemption. Blessing is promise to Abraham. And that blessing will be redemption for Israel and for the world. So, there is national blessing and there is universal blessing. Promised in the Abrahamic covenant. In chapter 12 of Genesis, verse 2, “I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you will be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, curse those that curse you. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So, blessing promised for Abram, but blessing for all the nations of the earth through Abram as well. Now, the new covenant expands on this promise of redemption. Focusing on redemption for Israel. We know that we come under the provision of the new covenant as well, because the new covenant is founded in the death of Jesus Christ. Remember when He instituted the communion service? This is the new covenant in my blood. So, the full realization of the new covenant will be when Christ rules on earth. The redemption is provided for Israel. But the blessing of redemption is provided for all the world as well through the death of Christ. The new covenant is in Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31 to 40. So, the Abrahamic covenant is foundational to God’s relationship with Israel and the later covenants that He establishes with Israel are simply a development of this foundational covenant.

Another thing to note on the Abrahamic covenant, there are three categories for the blessings promised here and we have to note these. Now there are some today who believe that the Church has taken over the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. They fail to understand the different categories mentioned in this covenant. First, there are individual promises to Abraham. Abraham personally is given certain promises by God. For example, he personally will be a father of a great nation. That’s a promise to Abraham that he will be the father of a great nation. He’ll experience God’s blessing personally. He’ll have a great name and he will be a blessing. And we would acknowledge that. Abraham is a blessing to us even today. And we are spiritually called the children of Abraham, because we are believers like Abraham is. Secondly, there are national promises to the nation Israel. Now, note this, Israel is promised to be a great nation. To be an innumerable people, and those who will possess the land that God gives them permanently. So, they’re national promises to Israel. And I take it we’re going to see the development in the coming chapters of Genesis that focus on the importance of the physical descendants of Abraham. Otherwise, having a child, having a son wouldn’t be any big deal. It it’s only a spiritual seed. But the physical seed becomes the focal point in these chapters on Abraham.

There’s a third area or category of blessing and those are the universal promises to all nations. Basically, summarized in Abraham, “all the nations shall be blessed.” That is true, because through Abraham his descendants comes the Messiah. That Messiah is the Savior of the world. And you and I have been blessed through Abraham, because Jesus Christ is the descendant of Abraham. And we have salvation and all blessings of salvation by virtue of what He has done for us. So those first three verses are the Abrahamic covenant. We’ll be coming up on that again several times through these chapters relating to Abraham.

Abraham is called by God out of the land Ur of the Chaldeans. Now, we know from excavations there that it was an advanced civilization even in Abraham’s time, 2,000 years before Christ. Evidently, God never tells Abraham anything about the land he’s going to. Abraham has to live by faith and progress to a land that he knows nothing about. And keep in mind that wasn’t a day where he could just go down and get the atlas and read about it. He just had to start out on foot, riding the camels, hauling all his earthly possessions along, going where God told him. Abraham starts out as a man of faith. Trust God. He told me to go over here. I’m going over here. Why would you leave Ur with its advanced civilization, its comfort? God told me to go to another land and I’m on my way. Abraham comes into the land down through the first nine verses. He builds an altar at Bethel in verse 8. Then famine comes to the land. And in verses 10 to 20, Abram is down in Egypt. And I take it that perhaps what God is doing here is giving a preview of what is going to happen to the nation Israel that will come from Abraham. They too are going to go down into Egypt as a result of famine, spend time there, plunder the Egyptians and then leave and return to their land in Palestine. Abraham, there’s no indication that Abraham did the wrong thing in going to Egypt. Now, we sometimes say he should have never left Palestine. The Word of God never says that. So, we may feel that way, we may not feel that way. God never rebukes him for it.

When Abraham does go down to Egypt, he has to do something. He has a beautiful wife, and beautiful women can be a problem. And Abraham has a problem with a beautiful wife. When he gets to Egypt, the Pharaoh’s going to say, “She would be a wonderful addition to my harem.” But how can he get Abram’s wife into his harem? No problem for a pharaoh. Kill her husband. Abram says to Sarah, “Tell them you’re my sister.” And that’s a half-truth, because she’s a half-sister. They do that. God plagues the Egyptians. And they send Abram and Sarah back to the land of Palestine. We ought to note over in chapter 20, verse 13 we’re told that this was Abram’s common practice everywhere he went. Isn’t it amazing you see the giant of faith, Abram, the man who is the example of faith in the Bible, everywhere he went, he told a lie about his wife. Chapter 20, verse 13 says it was his practice everywhere he went to tell people this is my sister, so that no one would kill him to try to take his wife. Even great men of faith have their area of weakness. You ought to note that Pharaoh treated Abram well, because of Sarah until he knew that Sarah was his wife. Verse 16 he gave Abram sheep, oxen, donkeys, servants. Contributed greatly to the wealth of Abram, but now, Abram returns from Egypt and evidently he returns something of a wealthy man. That doesn’t make what he did right, but God used it. Similar Picture to what is going to happen to Israel centuries later in Egypt, when they come out of Egypt to take the wealth of Egypt with them. Hagar, the Egyptian maid-servant was probably acquired on this trip as well. God has intervened. God has protected Sarah to protect the line. You know, Abram didn’t have any idea how important Sarah was. The line that God was going to establish to bring this nation into existence had to come through Sarah. We talk about how important Abram is. Abram’s going to have other children. But, you know what? Only the son born through Sarah is going to really count as far as being special nation before God. Good ole’ bumbling Abram blow the whole thing because he’s afraid for his life. He’s afraid and needn’t be afraid. God had a plan. How can He bring about a nation if they killed Abram? But God needed Abram and Sarah to carry out His purpose.

You come into chapter 13. I’d title it just Abram and Lot. And that’s what it’s about. Now you have Lot’s been traveling with Abram, because Lot’s dad has died. And now, they’ve come out and they’ve got all this wealth and much of their wealth is in livestock. So babbling takes place and bickering takes place. So, they have to separate. You know, Abram’s life represents one long series of challenge after challenge to live up to the call that God has given him. Challenge with Egypt. Now, he’s going to be challenged with a difference with Lot.

Abram returns in verses 3 and 4 to Bethel where he had built an altar earlier back in chapter 12 in verse 8. I just mentioned that because sometimes you’ll hear Bible teachers or speakers talk about going back to Bethel. They’re using that because Abram has gone back to the place where he met with God in the land that God had given him. And sometimes, they use that expression, ‘Back to Bethel’, to refer to believers who have gotten out of right walk with God and now come back into right relationship with Him.

Now, he has a new test in verse 7; strife with Lot, between their herdsmen. Abram graciously says to Lot, you take your choice. You take what land you want and I’ll take the rest. Lot has no problem with that. He looks around and sees what looks the best, the most beautiful, the lushest and it’s also the most corrupt. And he chooses the well-watered plain of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now, verses 14 to 18, God confirms His promise to Abram. Lot is gone. God says now, “Abram, I want to confirm something to you. You’ve given Lot his choice, but you look around, everything you see is yours. I’m going to give it to you. So, in verse 15, we read verse 14 earlier. Verse 15, “All the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. I will make you descendants as the dust of the earth; if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can be numbered.” Three times in verses 15 and 16, your descendants, your descendants, your descendants, your descendants. I’m going to do great things for you, Abram, and everything you see, look all around, that’s going to belong to your family and the nation I’m going to make from you.

Come to chapter 14. I think of chapter 14 as Melchizedek, even though Melchizedek doesn’t come up until the end of it. That to me is the key thing in chapter 14. The appearance of Melchizedek. And if you remember chapter 14 with Melchizedek, you’ll remember what happens. In chapter 14, there is a problem that develops. Four kings invade the land. And it’s the land where Lot has settled. Five kings there in that well watered plain have rebelled against the four kings that ruled over them. These four kings storm into the land to put down the rebellion. That’s through the first 12 verses. And the five kings of the Sodom and Gomorrah region are defeated and the people of that region are taken captive, including Lot and his family. He’s gotten entangled in the affairs of this world and he’s suffering along with the world. Abram’s been faithful to God. He’s going to be in a position to deliver Lot. When word comes to Abram in verse 13 and following, verses 13 to 16, that Lot has been taken captive and Abram marshals the men that are under his authority, his servants and so on, goes out, makes a sneak attack and destroys these four powerful kings’ armies, rescues Lot, brings back all the spoils of war and returns. Upon his return, verses 17 to 24, he meets Melchizedek. And hard to appreciate the importance of Melchizedek by just reading the Old Testament. There’s only one other mention of Melchizedek in the Old Testament and that’s in Psalm 110:4. It’s a prophecy of Christ, “I will make you a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Now, when you come to the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, particularly chapter 7, there is a clear development of the significance of Melchizedek. What Melchizedek is in Genesis 14 is a type of Jesus Christ. Melchizedek anticipates the priesthood of Jesus Christ and only what is written about, only, let me back up here, what is written about Melchizedek conforms the truth about Jesus Christ. For example, Hebrews 7 stresses the fact. There is no birth recorded about Melchizedek. There is no genealogy. There is no death. Now, what have we seen repeatedly in the opening chapters of Genesis? The birth of an individual, his genealogy and his death. Here, Melchizedek comes on the scene. Nothing recorded about his birth. Nothing recorded about his family line. No death recorded. He receives tithes from Abraham. Abraham acknowledges him as his superior. He blessed Abraham. Hebrews says everyone agrees the greater person blesses the lesser person. This is the only person that Abraham ever recognized as his spiritual superior. And so, in that sense, Melchizedek here is a picture of Jesus Christ and his priesthood. I believe that Melchizedek was just a man, a local godly man, functioning as a priest in Jerusalem. He’s the king priest of Jerusalem. And in that sense, he’s also a type of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe he is a theophany, because Hebrews says that Melchizedek was made like Christ. In other words, what is recorded about him is recorded to fit the picture of what Christ is in His priesthood. He blesses Abram and Abram goes on his way. So, a significant portion of the word if you’re going to understand the priesthood of Jesus Christ, even though it’s just touched upon in Genesis 14. It’s fully developed in the New Testament.

We come to Genesis chapter 15. Abram has refused any profit from his victory. He said I won’t take anything from you to the king of Sodom, lest you say “I made Abraham rich.” And then chapter 15 opens with God giving assurance to Abram. And chapter 15 has to do with the confirmation of His covenant with Abraham. God is going to reiterate the covenant with Abraham and firmly institute it.

Now, Abraham has a concern. You see, how chapter 15 opens up, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’ And Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will You give me since I am childless, the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’” God says to Abram, Don’t you be afraid Abram. I’m going to give you a great reward. Now, Abram’s response, I take it, is a response of faith. He believes God’s going to reward him, but he has a hard time understanding how. I don’t have any descendants. And the heir that I have is a servant, Eliezer of Damascus. It was common practice that it you had no children, to take a servant and make him you heir. What reward can you give me God? Well, God assures him in verse 4, “Then behold the word of the Lord came to him saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’” I think that this is particularly significant in light of the fact that many Christians say that the seed of Abraham is a spiritual seed only. If that were the case, Eliezer of Damascus could have been the heir of Abraham. But, God says it has to be a physical seed. And that’s why the birth of Isaac is such a key factor. And I take it that continues down for the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. It necessitates a physical seed of Abraham. That does not mean there are not provisions universally for us as the spiritual sons of Abraham by faith, but that does not change the fact that God has focused on a nation, a physical nation, that will come through the line of Abraham and his descendants.

Verse 5, he takes him outside and reiterates again. Over in chapter 13, verse 16, He told your descendants will be like the dust of the earth. You can’t count them. Have you ever tried to sit down and count the dust? Hopeless. Well, now here’s another picture. Look toward the stars, look toward the heavens and count the stars if you’re able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be. You go out and count the stars. Look up there. Try to count them. And you say, uhh. Clear night. Beautiful night. I take it God would have picked a crystal clear night when all the stars, it would have been so clear. Now, Abraham you try to count those. Oh my, I just couldn’t count all those. It’ll be morning before I get all done. It’s the kind of descendants you’re going to have Abraham. Now, keep in mind, He’s talking to a man who doesn’t even have one child. We’re talking about you’re going to have so many descendants you won’t be able to count them. They’ll be like the stars. They’ll be like the dust. And I’m sure Abraham’s thinking I’d be satisfied if I could just have one kid. But you know what, verse 6, key verse in the Bible. The first time faith is mentioned. First time righteousness is mentioned in the Bible. Abram believed in the Lord and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. God tells Abraham this is the way it is, this is the way it’s going to be and all Abram has is the assurance of God and Abram believes God. And God credits that faith to Abram as righteousness. That becomes the pattern for salvation when you get to the New Testament. This verse is quoted in Romans chapter 4 and verse 3; Galatians chapter 3 and verse 6; James chapter 2 and verse 23, as the pattern for how God brings salvation to men and women of all times. In Romans chapter 4, Paul will use this verse to demonstrate circumcision cannot be necessary for salvation. Was Abram circumcised at this point in his life? No, Abraham won’t be circumcised until chapter 17. But, God declared him righteous. Can circumcision be necessary to be righteous before God? No. We can put anything in there. Was Abraham baptized at this time? No, as far as we know Abraham was never baptized. But, God declared him righteous when he believed. Is baptism necessary for salvation? No. What church did Abram belong to? I guess he didn’t belong to any. Is church membership necessary for salvation? No. The argument of Romans in chapter 3 and chapter 4 is that if there’s only one God, He has to save everyone the same way, by faith in the revelation He’s given of Himself. That continues on today. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Abram’s saved at this point. He may have been saved earlier. But this clear declaration of hid faith and his righteousness becomes the foundation of the Abrahamic Covenant and that’s the point that’s key here. Abram asks in verse 8, “O Lord, how may I know I shall possess it?” This evidently doesn’t indicate a lack of faith, because God’s just testified to his faith. But, Abram having faith now asks God for confirmation, perhaps indicating greater faith. God, do something that will give me the assurance. So, God enters into this covenant. What Abram does is get the animals that God specifies in verses 9 to 11 and cuts them in two, except for the birds. This was the way you made a covenant in this period of time. You cut the animal in half. You laid one half on one side, one half on the other and you kept a path through the middle. The point would be that the two parties to the covenant then would walk through the path between these two halves of the sacrifices. Therefore, declaring by blood that we have been joined in a covenant relationship and are bound to keep the provisions of this covenant. Abraham cuts the animals up then God puts Abram to sleep in verse 12. And a great terror and a great darkness comes on Abram. And I take it that’s connected with verse 13. It’s an impression upon him of that dark time of the Egyptian bondage, where God tells them that they will be slaves, his descendants, in Egypt for four hundred years. And then, they will come out to possess the land that He has promised them. Verse 16, “Then, in the fourth generation they will return here for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” God was not ready to bring justice and judgment on the peoples there. That should help you understand something of the wars in the Old Testament. When Joshua goes into the land of Canaan, wipes out men, women, and children, you know why? Their iniquity was full. It was time for judgment. God says it’s not yet right time for judgment. It will be after the Egyptian bondage. Then, I will be ready to judge them for their sin. Here, you will see war used as a judgment on the unbeliever. Now, in verse 17, “It came about when the sun had set that it was very dark and behold, there appeared a smoking oven, a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.” You know what? Abram’s sleeping. He never made his trip through the sacrifices. That’s tremendously significant. God went through. He walked through the smoking oven, the flaming torch representing the presence of God passing through the sacrifices. And God alone went through. You know what that means? It’s a covenant that depends only on one of the parties for its fulfillment. God is saying, I take upon myself absolute fulfillment of all the provisions of my covenant with you. That’s what we call an unconditional covenant. That’s why whether Abram and his descendants, the Jews, are faithful or not is not a factor in the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Abram never went through those sacrifices. If God does not do every single thing He said He would do in the covenant with Abram, God has failed not Abram, because God never asked Abram to take any responsibility. He took sole responsibility for meeting every provision of that covenant. That means if Israel does not possess forever the land that God promises for them, and He gives the dimensions of it in verse 18, God lied. He failed to keep covenants and that means He should be judged and slaughtered like those animals. That’s the picture. If either of us fail to keep this covenant, we deserve to be slaughtered as these animals. And you say, that would be blasphemy. Exactly. So, that should put to rest any talk that will not be absolutely fulfilled, because God took it upon Himself to make that covenant.

A little boundaries. “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt.” [verse 18] Some would connect this with the Nile. Most connect is with a river up closer in Palestine. You look at a Bible map, they’ll usually have a little river coming off the Mediterranean up in the Negev region called the River of Egypt. Most identify that with what is in view here. “As far as the great river Euphrates”, I’ve given it to your descendants. That means it belongs to Israel. Israel has never possessed all of that land. God said He’d give to Abram’s descendants forever. So, it even specifies what area of land, how much and then tells them that it’s going to be theirs. And He goes through the sacrifices. Incidentally, that’s why the Hebrew expression for a covenant, we have it translated, “made a covenant” in verse 18, the literal expression is “cut a covenant”. They cut a covenant, because you cut the sacrifices. You split the sacrifices and walkthrough them. So, you had cut a covenant. An expression to make a covenant. You know, it’s interesting, isn’t it?

Chapter 15 begins with Abram in a situation that many of us find ourselves as believers. He has the promises of God, but they seem so far away from his own personal experience. This is what God promises to Abram. You’ll possess this land. You’ll have a great nation come from you. You’re going to be a great blessing to all the world. And here’s childless Abram. It seems God promises this and here I am way over here. My experience. Boy, I can no more get my experience and God’s promises together, but God’s good to His word. And Abram just takes it by faith. You know what? The promises of Abram still haven’t been fulfilled. Four thousand years later. You think God’s good for it? You think He’ll come through? You can be sure He will. We’ve seen parts of it. We see the multiplied descendants of Abram. There’s no doubt about that. And the other provisions will be realized as well. We need to keep that in mind. Sometimes I wonder, “God have you forgotten me? Do You remember the promises You made to me? You remember You said You’d see me through? You remember You promised no testing would come into my life that was more than I could handle. Lord, my experiences are here and Your promises are here.” And He says, “Good. Trust me.” I say, “Well, could You get us to get a little bit closer together and then I’ll trust You.” Well, you know once I can see it, then I don’t need to have faith. The further part this gap seems to be, the more faith it takes. For God to tell Abram, He could have waited and made the promise until after Isaac was born, but then it would have taken less faith on Abram’s part. When God tells him before he has any children. I mean He could have had him had quintuplets as a young man and then given him the promise. And Abram would have said, “Boy, I sure don’t doubt Your word, Lord.” But God keeps him childless until he’s an old man with an old woman for a wife. And Abram has nothing to hang onto but God told me. How’d you like to be ninety years old, going around telling people, “Guess what? I’m going to have so many kids, you can’t count them.” You get some idea. You appreciate the faith of Abram, don’t you? That his experiences out here, God’s word seems out here. But that’s alright. God stands between them. He’ll bring them together in His time.

Chapters 11 to 15. They have taken us from the scattering of the nations around the world to the promise of God to establish one nation. The nation that will be the source of blessing for all the nations. And we realize the fulfillment of that promise with Jesus, the Jew, descendant of Abraham and Savior of the world. Let’s pray together.