Genesis 21:22-27

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22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt." 24 And Abraham said, "I will swear." 25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today." 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ~ Genesis 21:22-27

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 21 where we see that the three different stories in this chapter all take place around a well which is always illustrative of the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. This is the eternal life that He taught on so many times while He walked this earth; it describes our personal relationship with Him. In contrast to the eternal life that God has granted us, when we live life serving the flesh, we discover this approach to life never works. As is illustrated over and over in the Bible, the only way to inherit the blessing of God is to trust in the promises of God. Abraham was counted righteous because he "believed the Lord." 

In v.22-24 of today's passage we read, "22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, 'God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.' 24 And Abraham said, 'I will swear.'"

This covenant is none other than the golden rule: Do unto others as they have done unto you. This statement the Lord Jesus taught in reference to loving our enemies. The Lord Jesus took the conventional quid pro quo method of treating people and turned it on its head. Rather than doing to others what they have done to us or giving them what they may deserve, we are to treat them the way we want them to treat us.

Like Abraham, when we are defined by the Lord as evidenced by our obedience to what He tells us to do, His presence will be heightened in and through our lives. This blessedness that Abraham was enjoying is what prompted Abimelech the King of Gerar to make his request of Abraham. Even though Abimelech noticed God at work in Abraham's life, Abraham was still a failure in many ways. The secret to our success will always be due to God's presence in our lives. Our greatest influence in the lives of others always comes on the heels of our diligence to allow God to call the shots in our lives. Often we are not even aware of the ripple effect that God causes to come about in and through our yielded lives.

Having said that, getting what he long desired did not solve Abraham's problems. Not only was there relational tensions in his family and heartbreak, Abraham didn’t own any land. Abraham was wealthy and had lots of possessions, yet he was still a stranger wherever he went, as seen in this dispute between him and Abimelech about the well. If Abraham had owned the land, there would have been no dispute. This world is not our home and we, like Abraham, will never fit into it.

However Abimelech knew that Abraham wasn’t going to just be a powerful leader and then fade away, but that his line would continue forever. Because of this, he asked for him to speak not only for himself, but for his son, and his future descendants. Essentially, Abimelech asked for Lex Talionis or "an eye for an eye" which meant that as Abimelech showed kindness to Abraham and his people, Abraham would show kindness to Abimelech and his people.  

In v.25-27 of today's passage we read, "25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, 'I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.' 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant."

This story took place in Beersheba where there was lots of sand, rocks, and heat. That enjoyed two rain seasons at that time known as the former and latter rains which came in the fall and in the spring of the year. During those times when the season didn’t produce rain, a well was the only source of water. This explains why Abraham was so concerned about this well. Abimelech’s servants had seized that well and that act threatened the covenant that was just made. Abraham had the power to take the well back by force and keep it guarded, but instead, he graciously kept the matter concealed. Abimelech was not aware that the well had been seized by his men. In response, Abimelech was as gracious to Abraham as Abraham was to him. Thus, the covenant worked.

It was Abimelech who asked for the agreement, and Abraham agreed to it. Abraham was therefore the one who offered the animals because he was the one who was granting the request of Abimelech, the King of Gerar. Abraham provided the animals which was evidence that God was continuing to define him because earlier in Genesis 15 God had death with him in this way. This is why it is so important that we walk in obedience to God because this is the goal of God to use our yielded lives in the lives of others who have yet to enter into a personal relationship with Him.

As we will see, God required animal sacrifices to provide a temporary covering for sin because only life overcomes death. Animal sacrifices were also required in order to foreshadow the perfect and the complete sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Animal sacrifice is an important theme found throughout Scripture because "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." And, if there is no shedding of blood and there is not forgiveness of sin, there is no personal relationship with God.

Genesis 21:20-21

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20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ~ Genesis 21:20-21

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 21 where we last saw that getting what we want does not always solve our problems. You will remember that Abraham and Sarah illustrated this point when they came up with the idea of siring a son with Sarah's maidservant. Over and over we see not only in the Scriptures but in our very lives that we can get all the things we crave and still have an empty heart.

In the middle of all of this Hagar and Ishmael were driven out into the wilderness and from there both Hagar and Ishmael cried out to God for help. In response to this "God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water." God is always ready to lead us in the way we should go only if we cry out to Him.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."

Through the horror of being thrown out of Abraham's family with his mother, Ishmael cried out to the Lord and the Lord responded. God always responds to the cries of our hearts as long as our cries bow to the will of the One who made us. Down through the years I have run in to different folks who have had a problem with what Abraham and Sarah did here and I understand that. They did create this problem and as God made it clear His covenant promises were to go through Isaac. That did not mean that God did not have good plans for Ishmael and Hagar as long as they bent their will to Him. And, we are no different than them. As indicated by this verse, Ishmael lived in the favor of the Lord.  In fact, God was with Ishmael there in the wilderness and he became an archer. 

While in the wilderness, Ishmael was not alone for God was with him. In Isaiah 7:14 we read, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Because of the virgin birth and the death of the Lord Jesus and His resurrection, we can know for ourselves the gift of "God with us" which is the meaning of Immanuel. Not just with us, as a friend who walks beside us, though He indeed does that. But God with us, as in He comes to live inside us, giving us strength in place of weakness, courage in place of fear, and vibrant life in all those dark places that once felt dead. 

The Lord Jesus is His name and Immanuel was His calling. And, if we have come to the place where we trust our existence with Him, we never have to be alone. We never have to wonder if He is with us. We can simply rest knowing He is in us and that He will never leave us. Even though Ishmael was banished from the household of Abraham, he was not ignored by God. In fact, God preserved Ishmael and watched over him in his wilderness abode. And, he became an archer, and married an Egyptian woman whom his mother found for him. From this man and woman would come a great host of people, part of God’s fulfillment of His covenant promise to Abraham. 

The uncertainties of the wilderness create a need in our souls for God and to develop a dependence upon Him. Often God leads us to the place where we just do without, so we would come to know Him as your Protector and Provider. God allows us be lonely, so that we would come to know Him as our Savior and Friend. He allows us to be frightened, so that we would come to know Him and His peace. It is in our weakness that we discover His strength. In the wilderness, God reveals to us Himself. In the darkness of the wilderness, He is our light. In the confusing maze of the wilderness, we learn to let Him be our guide. It is in the wilderness that He separates us from the influences of the world, as well as the things and people that we have learned to depend upon, so that we will learn to depend upon Him.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt."

When God takes us to the wilderness, He withholds that which we have come to depend upon other than Himself. He knows when we have come to depend on your job as our provision, so, He must sometimes take our job from us. God has been known to remove our jobs from us for a time, so that we will learn to depend on Him. God also knows that there are times when we have come to depend on our strength or stamina, so He has been known to allow sickness into our lives, so that we will learn that our strength is in Him. It is often through our deprivation that we are afforded the privilege of seeing that God is our provision.  

Without a father to set him up with a wife, Hagar stepped in and made the selection for Ishmael. As she was from Egypt, so was her daughter in law, Ishmael’s wife. Both the mother and the wife of Ishmael came from the same people. The place where they settled is called the Wilderness of Paran. This place is so absolutely barren and wild that being an archer makes all the sense in the world. One can’t be a very successful farmer in a place like the Wilderness of Paran. It’s around the area of Mount Sinai and is just as unforgiving as any place you’d ever want to visit. 

In the end, this story of Ishmael is one that ultimately points us to the amazing work of the Lord Jesus Christ in fulfilling the law that we cannot fulfill. Moses portrayed Ishmael as the "son of laughter." And we’ve already seen that God had promised to bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation. All of God’s people are saved by grace, not by works or by ethnicity. Only those who humbly receive the free gift of mercy and grace are truly a part of God's family.

Incidentally, Paran means beauty. As a result of being driven to the wilderness was Ishmael afforded the opportunity to see the beauty of God's ways. God expressed the beauty of His ways best through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 3:16 we read, "For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." There is always purpose in our pain. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord always looks at the heart. Sometimes our hearts must be broken to receive what the Lord has for us. Sometimes it takes the collapse of all things in our lives for us to discover there is no better love than His.

Genesis 21:14-19

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14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. ~ Genesis 21:14-19

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 21 where it has been decided that Hagar and Ishmael would have to leave Abraham's family. Of course, none of this would have happened had Sarah not come up with the "brilliant" idea that her husband, Abraham, sire a child with her maidservant, Hagar. And, of course, Hagar would have never ended up as a maidservant to Sarah had Abraham not made the decision to go to Egypt during the famine after arriving to the promised land for the first time. One thing we can conclude is that the smallest sin will always lead to a bigger one if we do not keep it in check.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba."

Again, as at other times, today's narrative happened "early in the morning." God probably spoke to Abraham in a dream, and like every other time, Abraham immediately obeyed Him. After rising early in the morning, Abraham took bread and a container of water and gave it to Hagar. Afterwards, Abraham sent Hagar away along with his son of seventeen years. 

In Matthew 14:26 we read, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life, such a person cannot be my disciple." 

Before I make other comments about this verse, I need to make it very clear that not everyone who believed in the Lord Jesus followed Him like His twelve disciples did. In fact, there were several He told not to follow Him like the twelve. Having said that, these words were for Andrew and James and John and Peter. If we are not careful, we will conclude wrongly that we must ardently follow the Lord Jesus as His disciples did in order to be saved. This is not the teachings of the whole of the Scriptures. There is a clear difference between our justification and our sanctification.

Now, the word "hate" here does not suggest positive antagonism but rather "to love less." The Lord Jesus was saying that the love a disciple has for Him must be so strong that all other loves are like hatred in comparison. In fact, we must hate our own lives and be willing to bear the cross or the burdens that come with following Him. Being Christ's disciple demands abandonment of our priorities. When we decide to follow Him, we will take on a completely different worldview, past, present and future.  And it all begins with an abandonment of us calling our own shots. Again, we will never be perfect at this, but to the degree that we are sanctified will be the degree that we grow in God's wisdom.  

I am sure that from Hagar's perspective, this was so very hard to do. And, if you have ever been in a situation like this, you know that it is moments like this that we must turn to the Lord for His help. If we have done this, we know that these have been the most important moments of our lives because it is in these types of moments that we grow best in intimacy with the Lord. It is when we are most dependent upon the Lord that we are at our best. And, the more intense our desperation for the Lord, the greater the platform for the Lord to reveal Himself to us. For Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael, this parting had to be heartbreaking.

For us, when we read this story we find our hearts breaking. But, we must remember, in this story God provided for us a picture of the role of the law and the role of His grace in our lives. We are wise when we are being defined by the Lord Himself. When we are being defined by His grace, then our relationship to the Law changes. In fact, when we are being defined by His grace, we will desire to be obedient to whatever the Lord has for us because His grace changes our hearts motivation to be obedient to Him. Those who do not follow the Lord closely have yet to lose sight of the self and it is the self that taints our motivations. In fact, many obey God to get something from Him.

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, 'Let me not see the death of the boy.' So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept."

Ishmael’s loss of water was enough to make him weary before his mother, so she put him under a shady bush to get him out of the sun. This is the only time this word translated "bowshot" is used in the Old Testament. It describes the far distance, about a half a mile, that Hagar separated herself from her son. She did this because she could not bear the thought of being close enough to hear Ishmael dying or even calling out for water. In addition, she also did not want Ishmael to hear her  uncontrollable weeping over what had happened. 

Death is a reality that we all will have to face. The wages of sin, after all, is death. And thus we are all destined to die because we are all sinners, even though we have trusted the Lord Jesus as our Savior. But, death is not what we think of it. Death is the door that we all must go through in order to spend eternity with the Lord and all whom we love, that is if the Rapture doesn't happen first.

In v.17-19 of today's passage we read, "17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink."

In order for some to cry out to the Lord, they must be abandoned by all others. This was the case here for Ishmael. and once he cried out to the Lord, God heard him and then God sent an angel to his mother who then pointed her to the well that was before her. Interestingly, there are three different stories in this chapter: The story of Hagar and Ishmael out in the wilderness, the story of Abraham and Abimelech making a covenant, and the scene of Abraham and his family living around the well, enjoying the fullness of God. The well around which these stories all occur is the central theme in each one. It would be easy to dismiss this as an unimportant detail in Abraham's life, except that nothing is unimportant in the Word of God. These stories illustrate for us many aspects of our relationship with the Lord. 

The spiritual significance of this well is easy for us to identify, since it occurs frequently in the Bible to picture the Word of God. The water in the well is always Christ who is what our thirsty souls desire. In fact, the Lord said to the woman of Samaria as she came down to the well, "The water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Wherever we find a well in Scripture it is always picturing that relationship.

Ishmael means God hears. This reminds us of the promise made all the way back in Genesis 16 when God told Hagar to name her child, Ishmael. As God heard her then, God heard her in today's passage. This just underscores the reality that God will always be there to hear us, both when life is good and when it is bad. The key is that we make it our habit to cry out to Him.

After the Angel of the Lord spoke with Hagar, she ran back to her son and after she got there, her eyes were opened to see the well of water that she missed when she was first there. For all of us the Water of Life, the Lord Jesus, has always been there. Our sin and our lack of desperation prevented us from seeing Him. It was through my deep pain that God led me to the Lord Jesus. This is the way He works in all of our lives; He directs us to His Son first and then He gives us the spiritual ability to see that where He is, is also the spot where the Water of Life has been all along. And then, astonishingly, He gives us the choice to drink that water or to reject it. The sad thing is that despite the thirst every human has, not everyone will drink from the Water of life.

Genesis 21:8-13

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8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.' 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, 'Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.'" ~ Genesis 21:8-13

Today we return to our study of Genesis 21 where the dynamics within Abraham's family are intensifying due to a decision that Sarah made many years before. Even though God had forgiven Sarah of this sin, Abraham and Sarah still had to live with the consequences of their foolish choice to have Abraham sire a child with Hagar.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned."

In this one verse, we’ve just skipped over three years of the life of Abraham. Once Isaac reached the age of three and was considered fully capable of living on solid food, Abraham threw a real big party to celebrate the fact that little Isaac was now on solid food. This meant that Isaac had a much greater chance of making it through life now that he was not so dependent upon his mother. 

This is the second time such a meal is mentioned in the Bible. The first was in Genesis 19 when the two destroying angels appeared at Sodom and Lot invited them into his home. The first feast in the Bible was the result of the outcry of wickedness against a city and it ended in sadness and the loss of life. The second was the result of the happy birth and the growth of the son of promise which led to the long and prosperous life for the son of laughter.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.'"

The "son of Hagar the Egyptian" was Ishmael, and he was not mentioned here by name to show the contrast between a life of faith and a life defined by the flesh. This was also done in order to remind the Israelites they were never to return to Egypt which was a picture of their bondage to the Law of Moses.

In Galatians 4:28-29 we read, "28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now."

The Apostle Paul refers to Ishmael's scoff at Isaac as outright persecution and therefore Ishmael’s laughing was contemptuous at best and possibly threatening toward his younger half-brother. Sarah saw this and was appalled. A seventeen year old mocking her precious baby was enough to upset her. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of Genesis 15:13 which reads, "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." It wasn't as if God made Ishmael do this, otherwise God would be guilty of sin. No, the eternal God who knows all things in the instantaneous now knew Ishmael would do this in advance.

This concept of Ishmael persecuting Isaac is critical to understanding the timing of this statement from God to Abraham. From this account, it will be 400 years before the Israelites will be led out of Egypt and from the hard bondage that they had suffered both there and in their time in Canaan. This then was about 30 years after God had given the promise to Abraham. Little details like these, in what are otherwise sentences of relative obscurity, become instrumental in understanding God’s promises, and His faithfulness in keeping them.

The words "cast out" is one word in the Hebrew and it is used elsewhere in the Bible to indicate an actual divorce. This is probably exactly what Sarah was implying. Even though Hagar was called a "bondwoman," she was also labeled elsewhere as being Abraham’s wife. Sarah was asking for a legal and formal declaration that Hagar was out, not just as a slave, but also as a wife of Abraham. 

In Romans 4:13-14 the Apostle Paul wrote, "13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect."

From this point onward in the narrative, Isaac will be the center of attention as the son of promise, and the inheritor of Abraham’s estate. In contrast, the older son was still just the son of a maid and was excluded from the spiritual and land promises that God had revealed to Abraham. Ishmael's scoffing occurred during the feast mentioned in the previous verse. At that point in time Isaac was three years old and this is his initiation from being a baby to being a young boy who can feed himself. For whatever reason, Ishmael was scoffing at him. Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior is obviously saved and that includes Hagar and Ishmael if they were of this faith.

In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, 'Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.'"

Abraham was a truly honorable, non-confrontational, family-oriented man. He took Lot along when he traveled to Canaan. He gave him the choice of choosing what portion of the land to take when they needed to separate. He went after Lot and rescued him when he was taken captive. He pleaded with Lord before the destruction of Sodom for them to be spared if at all possible, certainly because he knew Lot was there.

So, when Abraham heard what Sarah was proposing, it had to be really tough on him. No matter what the situation between him and Hagar was, Ishmael was his son and he had been raised as such for 17 years. And now, Sarah wants Ishmael gone; this was quite a bit for Abraham since Ishmael was his flesh and blood. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."

This promise is repeated to Abraham from Genesis 17:20 and it will be confirmed in Genesis 25:16. God told Abraham that Ishmael would have 12 sons and we find out later that he did. Through the sons of Ishmael would come a chain of events which eventually led to the deliverance of the Israelites 400 years later. It was the descendants of Ishmael who bought Israel’s son Joseph from his brothers and then sold him to Potiphar the Egyptian. And, if Joseph had not been sold into slavery in Egypt, he would never have ascended to the right hand of Pharaoh. Every detail of history is carefully and minutely woven together to lead to the fulfillment of God’s marvelous plan of salvation through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Genesis 21:1-7

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1 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." 7 She also said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age." ~ Genesis 21:1-7 

Today, we transition into Genesis 21 where we finally come to the birth of Isaac. We’ve seen God’s promise to Abraham about this son given over and over. We’ve also seen that prior to him, came another son named Ishmael who was a picture of the bondage of the Law. Isaac, on the other hand, is a picture of freedom from that law by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, every story, and every detail within each story, is a wonderful testament to the faithful dealings of the God of the Bible with man and a picture of the coming Christ. When we feel like life is overwhelming us and things are spinning out of control, all we need to do is pick up the Bible and read and we can see God’s hand of care and protection for all of His people throughout its pages.

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."

This word translated "visited" clearly indicates divine intervention on the behalf of a believer in God. This is the first time this word is used in the Bible. The Lord intervened in Sarah's life in order that she would conceive and give birth to the son whom God had long promised. Sarah is mentioned twice here because she laughed at the promise and then she lied about having laughed about it. Like Sarah, God redeemed us partly so that we will factor in on eternity.

Sarah's laughter was similar to the Apostle Peter's denial of knowing the Lord Jesus after the Lord had been arrested by the Jews in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter denied knowing the Lord three times and was later asked if he loved Him three times. Sarah laughed and then lied and so today’s first verse is used as restoration for her fault. Despite Sarah's doubt and disbelief, the Lord fulfilled His word exactly as He promised. 

Isaac's birth was supernatural. He was not born until Abraham and Sarah had reached an advanced age. Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100. It occurred at the set time, some 30 years after God had first promised to give Abraham a son. God waited so long to fulfill this promise to Abraham so that it could only be fulfilled supernaturally by Him. This is exactly what God says about the fruit of the Spirit in our lives which never come from the flesh. The love, joy, peace and patience of God never is the product of man's efforts. The fruits of the Spirit will never come from any attempt on our part to imitate them. We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit by the flesh, because these fruits will always be the supernatural produce of God in and through our yielded lives. These only come by simply appropriating the life of the Lord Jesus in our lives.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him whom Sarah bore to him Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him."

God gave to Abraham the object lesson of circumcision to remind Abraham and his posterity that He was for them. God commanded Abraham and Abraham obeyed God precisely. Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day because God knew that it took the human body eight days to build up enough potassium in the body for the blood to coagulate, otherwise the baby would have died due to a loss of blood. 

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him."

Isaac, the child of laughter was born when Abraham celebrated his 100th birthday. The birth of Isaac was a full 25 years after Abraham's move from Haran to Canaan; it was also 14 years after the birth of Ishmael. The year of Isaac’s birth  2109 BC. In just 1895 years, the Son of God would be born about 45 miles to the north of where Abraham was located in today's passage. No amount of time or distance is too difficult for God to span in order to fulfill His promises.

In v.6-7 of today's passage we read,"6 And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.' 7 She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.'"

This laugh of Sarah was completely different in today's passage as it was when she laughed in Genesis 18 where doubt and disbelief ruled. This laugh was the laughter of both wonder and pleasure at what God had done, and she acknowledged God’s sovereign power to overcome even old age and a barren womb. Sarah's unbelief had been replaced by belief. Even though we may have to wait for quite a while for the promises of God to come about in our lives, they will all come to pass as He has promised. 

Sarah's laugh impacted others. This underscores the fact that God rarely blesses you and me with only you and me in mind. He created us with a need to be a blessing to others and when we are we will be joyful. It was joy that compelled C.S. Lewis to convert from atheism to enjoying a personal relationship with his Creator. But, Lewis' definition of joy was different. In fact he once said, "Joy is distinct not only from pleasure in general but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing." 

Lewis went on to write, "All Joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still 'about to be.'"  We were made for something more and that something more leads us to the eternal Son of God. It is only in a personal relationship with Him that all the events of our lives make sense. It is only through the lens of the Lord Jesus Christ that all things make sense, even the hard things of life. This is where true joy is encountered, and joy has the same name that all of the other fruits of the Spirit have, that is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 20:14-18

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14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, "See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you." 16 Then to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody." Thus she was rebuked. 17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; 18 for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. ~ Genesis 20:14-18

Today, we close out our study of Genesis 20 where Abraham and Sarah have gone to the city of Gerar and King Abimelech took Sarah into his harem without knowing that she was Abraham's wife. Subsequent to that the Lord visited King Abimelech in a dream informing him to return Sarah to her husband or he would die.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him."

Abimelech was now convinced that the true God had included Abraham on His side, so he chose to give Abraham certain parting gifts. Exactly the opposite of what happened in Egypt happened here. When the same thing had happened there in Egypt as here, Pharaoh gave to Abraham gifts first as a payment for Sarah. These gifts that were given to Abraham by King Abimelech were parting gifts.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "And Abimelech said, 'See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.'"

When Abraham was in Egypt and similar events occurred, Pharaoh sent Abraham away from them back to Canaan. But here King Abimelech offers him not only to stay in his land, he allowed Abraham to choose any place he wished to live. The providential hand of God can be clearly seen here in Abimelech's dealings with Abraham and how God was setting up the borders of the land establishing a permanent marker in the Land of Israel which exists to this day some 4000 years later. God used these real events, with real people, to ensure that His chosen people would rightfully have access to the land of Israel that He long ago promised to Abraham. 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Then to Sarah he said, 'Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.'"

In the culture of that day, this payment was a way of having everyone involved overlook the solution to the situation. By doing what he did, Abimelech subtly rebuked Sarah. This was Abimelech's way of showing Sarah that he disapproved of what she had done. And, in order to get the matter resolved and forgotten, money was paid. In addition, Abraham was given sheep, oxen, and male and female servants and his choice of place to live to cover Abimelech’s sin of having Sarah in his harem for the time that he did. Once Sarah was taken, it was Sarah's obligation to tell the truth to the king that Abraham was her husband. 

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; 18 for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife."

Once again, the term ha-elohim or "the God" is used here. Abraham prayed to "the God" on the behalf of King Abimelech. Abraham's prayer reveals that God had removed the ability for conception to occur. It is suggested that they may have developed some type of venereal disease, or tumors, or something else that kept them from being able to come together. And this is how God kept Abimelech from uniting with Sarah. It appears that God kept Abimelech from touching Sarah because he was physically unable to do so.

Interestingly, the name Lord here is YHWH who took this action. For the first time in this chapter, the divine name is brought in to show that He is the God of the work of salvation of humanity. The malady on the people came about to prevent any hindrance of God's plan of salvation by having Isaac come from Abraham through Sarah. God did all of this, even keeping these people from the ability to procreate, to protect His plan to bring Isaac and eventually the Lord Jesus into the world. Every detail was minutely handled by a loving and observant God so that our Savior would come, without whom we would be eternally condemned. Without the Lord Jesus, there is no hope for any of us. What happened to Sodom and what would have happened to King Abimelech and his kingdom is what would have happened to us as well. But in these two stories we are given two pictures; The first is a picture of what unforgiven man will get, hell. The second, a picture of what the forgiven man will get, restoration to a relationship with God. 

An underlining point to this story is that Abraham wasn’t some sterling, spiritual superstar that God wanted on his team. Abimelech was the righteous man in this story while Abraham was the guy who struggled with the self. This story shows us that God’s purposes will come to pass by His sovereign grace, not by our righteous choices. Nothing can thwart God from fulfilling his purposes, not even our sin.

The sovereignty of God is key to the development of our faith. There are times when we find it very difficult to understand why certain things happen to us or even to those whom we love. Recently I had the privilege of counseling a lady whose grandson was brutally tortured and then murdered. We had prayed for this grandson a lot and she was struggling before God with the events as she learned of them. At one point when she was crying out I asked her, "Suppose he went through all of that torture so that he would cry out to God for salvation. And as a result he entered into a personal relationship with God. And, when we get to heaven we will see your grandson there. Will it be okay that he went through the suffering?" The lady responded by saying, "Well, if you put it that way, then yes." Oh the preciousness of the sovereignty of God! Because of it we can trust a little bit more today and the days to come.

Genesis 20:6-13

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6 And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." 8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. 9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done." 10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?" 11 And Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.'"  ~ Genesis 20:6-13

Today, we return to the story of Abraham and Sarah where we find them in a city called Gerar where King Abimelech reigned. You will remember that Abimelech means "My Father is King." Abraham had fled to Gerar because it was lush and there was great grazing land for his animals. Hmmm, sounds like Lot before he went to Sodom. Today's episode is yet another on the development of Abraham's trust in the God of the Bible as his Father. 

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "And God said to him in a dream, 'Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.'"

After Abraham and Sarah arrived in Gerar and since they lied about Sarah's identity again, King Abimelech took her to be in his harem thinking she was Abraham's sister. Strategically, in this verse God refers to Himself as "Ha-Elohim," or "the God." Previously in v.3 He simply said Elohim, and in v.4 Abimelech called Him Adonai, the name one would use when speaking to God in a personal manner. And now God is referred to as "The God." In other words, there is one true God and Abimelech understood this truth.

This is the very first mention of the word integrity in the Bible. And, since Abimelech was a man of integrity God kept him from further sin. When we decide to be a people of integrity, God will keep us from sinning against "Him." Sin is always first and foremost against God because He is the standard. God is the One who defined things correctly for us in the first place. When we sin, we rip apart His definition of what it is that we are doing. 

"The God" kept Abimelech from sinning against Sarah. God is sovereign which means His plans and purposes will be carried out and nothing will thwart them. When we sin against God, it is due to the fact that He gave us our free-will which He has factored into His plan. In the end, no sin will ever thwart His plans or to keep them from happening. Either actively or passively, the result will always be the same, His will will come to fruition.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

For the first time in the Bible someone is called "a prophet" but it’s not the first person in the Bible to be said to hold the gift of prophecy. The first person to be referenced as a prophet was Abel; the Lord Jesus described him as such in Luke 11. Here, God spoke of Abraham as a prophet not of him speaking to men about God, but rather speaking to God on the behalf of men. Abraham did what we should all be in the habit of doing, he prayed to God on the behalf of the king. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid."

Abimelech's actions were of a man who not only saw the destruction of Sodom, these are the actions of a man who understood that it was destroyed by God as the sun rose "early in the morning." It is as if Abimelech knew what was coming if he didn’t obey God immediately so he arose early. He called his servants in order to make sure that nobody touched Sarah and probably because some of them had suggested he take her into his fold in the first place. 

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, 'What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.'"

Abimelech used the plural "us" because he knew the wicked actions of the king often brought the wrath of God on the whole kingdom. This was a plea from Abimelech of innocence done in a very pious way. Abimelech just didn't understand that God was in on protecting Sarah from the wickedness that was in the old unregenerate king. Perhaps we like Abimelech take too much credit for our "godliness." Whatever good that may come out of us is from God, so He should get the glory.

In v.10-11 of today's passage we read, "10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What did you have in view, that you have done this thing? 11 And Abraham said, 'Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.'"

The people of the land feared Abraham because he had driven out the invading Babylonian kings from the area earlier. But Abraham was fearful that if the people of Gerar knew Sarah was his wife, they might have abducted her and killed him. Abraham was honest when he said, "surely the fear of God is not in this place." Abraham had been in Canaan long enough to know that polytheism and idolatry were the norm. When this is true, there is no fear of the true God because there is a reliance on the false ones. That which we worship defines us.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.'"

Sarah was the daughter of Terah, Abraham’s father, but she had a different mother. Abraham and Sarah partially lied to save Abraham's rear end again. Interestingly, this is one of only a handful of times in the Bible where the name "Elohim" meaning "God" is used in connection with a plural verb. In the NKJV this verse reads, "God caused me to wander…" but it is best translated, "…the god’s caused me to wander." It is plural, not singular. 

The premise of the Bible, from the first sentence to the last is that there is one God. But here, Abraham wasn’t speaking about God at all. Abraham, just two verses ago, spoke of God with a singular verb when he said, "I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place," meaning there is one God and He is the true God to be feared. What Abraham said to Abimelech was "the false gods" of Mesopotamia, caused him to move from his father’s house. God, the true God, in order to establish Abraham called him away from the false gods. And yet, Abraham struggled to follow.

Despite the fact that we have been born again, having believed on the Lord Jesus for our salvation, our old nature will never die this side of heaven. As followers of Christ, we are still capable of the worst sins. Abraham had been a follower of God for thirty years at this point in his life and he was still capable of doing the worst. And, you and I are no different. In heaven we will learn how God kept us from certain sins. This is why when God comes into the human heart through Jesus Christ, He doesn't completely drive out our old nature. Oh, He writes it off as worthless. In fact, He says that everything that comes from self is worthless. No matter how it looks in the eyes of others, if it comes from the self-advancing, self-centered core, it is worthless and it always will be. We should never be shocked by the sin that comes out of us or others who follow Christ.

Genesis 20:1-5

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1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "she is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife." 4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister?' And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this." ~ Genesis 20:1-5

Today, we transition into Genesis 20 where we see Abraham doing the same thing he had done thirty years ago in Egypt; he lied. In today's passage we find him down in Gerar, the sea coast on the southwest side of Palestine, just above the Gulf of Suez on the way to Egypt. The people who lived in that area were later called the Philistines. These were the enemies of Israel from whom came Goliath, the giant David slew. These people were not Canaanites, but Egyptians who had moved up to the border of the land of Palestine. They were people who didn't know the Lord, but they were as close to the truth of God as they could get while remaining unregenerate. 

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar."

Abraham moved from the terebinth trees at Mamre to Gerar because Gerar was a place of better pastures and living for his people. Gerar was between Kadesh and Shur which was a place of rich, well-watered land. The king of this group of people was named Abimelech, which means "my father is king."

Interestingly, the city "Shur" represents the never-ceasing progress and development of man. In his development man has always moved in cycles, and each time he comes again to his starting place he seems to be a little in advance of his former state. The city "Kadesh" represents the holiness of God. Abraham "dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar." Gerar symbolizes everyday living. Abraham had on one hand Kadesh, the ideal state, and on the other hand Shur or unceasing progress. This scene represents the battle that we are all as believers in the Lord enraged in. And, whoever defines us the most in a given day will be reflected in our lives.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.'"

Like he had done so many years before in Egypt, Abraham lied about his wife's identity. This underscores that Sarah was still an attractive woman. It was as if Abraham had not learned his lesson. In Genesis 12 Pharaoh took Sarah, and now, Abimelech the king of Gerar took her again. Once again, Abraham followed the dictates of the flesh as if he had not learned anything about following the Lord. It was Abraham's fear that informed this decision to be yet again deceitful. His fear was rooted in his distrust of God. 

There is nothing wrong with being afraid; fear is not sin in itself. It is natural, and even necessary, at times. Without fear there would not be any real bravery. A brave person is just someone who has learned how to control their fear and to go ahead despite it, rather than someone who has no capacity to feel it. The essence of sin is the fear that leads us to the rejection of God and this is where our bravery is diminished. 

The Scriptures are careful to inform us that "the fear of the Lord," is the anecdote that we are in searched of to deal with all of our fears. The Hebrew word translated "fear" is used in the Old Testament 314 times. Sometimes it is translated "fear,"  sometimes "afraid." But, a third most common translation is "terrible" or "terrible thing." Interestingly, there are several verses that include the phrase "and sin not" along with the command to not fear. This then leads us to the answer that addresses the problem: It is the fear of the Lord that leads us to the victory that our souls long for because it is out of our awesome reverence of the almighty God that our fears serve us rather than we them.

At this point in the narrative, Sarah was now about 89 years old and Isaac was expected to be born within the next year. But, Abimelech king of Gerar took Sarah away from Abraham. With her in the king’s household this could have been  problematic except for the omnipotence and omnipresence of God. 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, 'Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.'"

Elohim, the Creator, went to Abimelech in a dream through which He informed the King that Sarah was Abraham's wife. Coming in a dream is something that happens throughout the Bible and when it happens, there is no doubt who controls the dream or who is speaking. 

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, 'Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?'"

King Abimelech had not even gone near Sarah since she was brought into his harem. This verse and one to come are put here specifically to let us know that the child to be born to Sarah in the future came from Abraham and not from anyone involved in her time away from him. 

Abimelech addressed God as "Adonai," revealing he had knowledge of the true God of the Bible. He knew that Adonai was not just one of many gods, but rather the One true Creator who is also active in this world since He created it. Abimelech asked this question because he knew that God had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister?' And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."

Undoubtedly, Abraham had met with Abimelech and introduced his "sister" to him. It was probably right then that Abimelech decided to take Sarah. To this point there wasn’t any fault in Abimelech. This is why he told the Lord that he was innocent in the matter.

Fear which is permitted to linger too long usually turns into sin. Fear becomes sinful when it draws us away from the Lord and leads us to trust in anything other than Him. It is true that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The fear of the Lord isn't being afraid of God to the point of running from Him; It is being afraid of Him in such a way that we run to Him. The fear of the Lord is to be afraid to be away from Him. 

In Hebrew 11:7 we read, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

As we learn in Hebrews 11, faith begins with discontent. We can never have much faith unless we are dissatisfied with the way we are now, and are longing for something better. Biblical faith means we seek God. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote, "He that comes to God must believe that he is, that God exists." But, he didn't stop there, he went on to write, "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." And, the more we seek Him, the more we will know Him. This explains Noah's long journey.

It took Noah 120 years to build the ark by which he and his family were saved. They were saved because Noah was warned by God of the impending disaster that was to come. Noah was the only one who heeded the warnings of God which led him to build the ark. His obedience stemmed from His knowledge of the great God who created all things. It is this great God who will dissolve all of our fears into oblivion if we just allow Him to do so. In fact, He has been known to turn our fears into weapons to advance is kingdom not only in our hearts, but even in the hearts of our supposed enemies.

Genesis 19:30-38

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30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father." 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father." 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. ~ Genesis 19:30-38

Today, we close out our study of Genesis 19 where the narrative now changes focus just a bit. Lot is still the center of attention as he was during the preceding verses, but judgment is no longer coming. In fact, the judgment of God upon the city of Sodom had already come and it had left a hole in the family with the passing of Lot's wife. And, as is often the case, those left to deal with their pain, often do so in the most unusual of ways.

As noted before the city that God allowed Lot and his two daughters to enter was previously named "Bela" which meant "destruction." Ironically, the very name it held before it was changed was the very thing that it didn’t receive from the Lord. From that time on, that city would be known as "Zoar" which means "little." When we maintain a small view of ourselves and we allow the Lord to define us, we are given a piece of the kingdom of God for when we go from viewing ourselves as big from little, we are surely destined for destruction.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave."

Lot had been reduced from a wealthy , an influential and an important man in Sodom to a man with two daughters and no more than he could carry in his hands. On the night before Sodom’s destruction, he was told to take his family and head for the mountains. Instead of doing this, he asked the Lord to allow he and his family to enter the little town of Bela which the Lord renamed Zoar. What he should have done in the first place he failed to do. Now that he was given refuge in Zoar, he was afraid to dwell there even though the Lord granted him to do so. Lots choices revealed his unwillingness to simply take the Lord at His word and to be obedient to His word. And so, off Lot went to a cave to live with his daughters. Lot lived out his remaining days in fear hiding out in that cave near a town that was spared of the wrath of God.

In v.31-33 of today's passage we read, "31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, 'Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve the lineage of our father.' 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose."

Lot's daughters concluded that there was no man who would marry them due to the fact that they were the only survivors of an entire group of people who were destroyed by God and no one would want to be associated with them. The very fact that they wanted to get their dad drunk first tells us that they knew their father wouldn’t agree to their plan. The two daughters came up with this scheme to get their dad drunk so that they could preserve his lineage. They knew that without the ability to trace their lineage, they would lose the marker with which God had identified them. In the Bible, this marker always came through the father. The word for "lineage" here is the Hebrew word "zara" which means "seed." These girls wanted to preserve the seed. Since they were of the line of Shem, they believed they were saving the line of the Messiah. This was why they believed God had miraculously saved them from sure death in Sodom. 

In v.34-35 of today's passage we read, "34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, 'Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.' 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose." 

Both of these girls were virgins, both had sex with their inebriated father and both became pregnant. Add to all of that,  both of them had males who would carry on the name of the family. In a strange twist, in the end, God used even these strange events to bring about His purposes in the unfolding pages of redemptive history. In Lot's story we see that God gave him certain instructions which, as always, are for very good reasons. God tells us all to do this and to do that because His will is the absolute best for us. And, when we don’t follow God’s directives, the results of such decisions render grief, sadness, fear and loss. 

Lot moved to a wicked city, something God did not lead him to do. While living in Sodom, Lot never influenced any of the people there to trust in the Lord God. Then, when God decided to graciously save Lot from the impending destruction, Lot didn’t head straight to the mountains as the Lord had told him to do, instead he looked for another option. He didn’t follow the Lord’s recommended path. Lot would have done much better to just trust the Lord and allowed the Lord to define Him. Since he didn't, Lot experienced fear that led him to live in a cave away from the people of Zoar.

In v.36-38 of today's passage we read, "36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day."

Both of Lot's daughters had a son. The first was named "Moab" which literally means "Who is your daddy?" The second was named "Ben-Ammi" which means "Son of my right hand." Both daughters had a son whom each thought would be an ancestor of the Messiah promised 2108 years earlier when God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In fact, these two girls did factor in on preserving the line of the Messiah.

According to Matthew 1:5 we see that Ruth from Moab was in the lineage of the Lord Jesus. And, according to 1 Kings 14, Solomon begot Rehoboam whose mother was Naamah who was from Ammon. Both of these two sons born to Lot through his daughters were ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ. God uses all things together for our good and for His glory, even an incestuous relationship between an inebriated father and his manipulative daughters. All of this just reiterates to us once again that God can be trusted even though we have been known not to trust Him all that well.

Finally, through the life of Lot fear and faith in the God of the Bible were contrasted. As is always the case, fear is the cement that keeps us stuck in that which desires to destroy us while faith in the God of the Bible is the maul that breaks us free. Our problem is that the application of the maul is uncomfortable and sometimes very painful. The better part of wisdom reminds us that the sooner we choose to let God define us the better off we will be.

Genesis 19:26-29

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26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. ~ Genesis 19:26-29

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 19 where God sent two angels to warn Lot and anyone else in the city who believed in the God of the Bible to leave the city before God destroyed it with brimstone and fire from heaven. Before the destruction came upon Sodom, Lot and his family left very quickly.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Lot’s wife made a bad choice as the brimstone and fire was falling down onto the city of Sodom. For whatever reason, she turned back to look. Earlier the angels had given the divine warning to not even look back at the city but Lot's wife ignored that command. Her heart was knit to the city of Sodom so much that she looked back longing for the days gone by. Many say this story is a myth, but I beg to differ. On that day, as Lot and his family were approaching Zoar, a meteor zoomed into the atmosphere, it completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. It was at that point that it set in motion a sequence of physical events that led to Lot’s wife being turned to salt.

When the meteor entered into the earth’s atmosphere at an extremely fast velocity, it hit the atmosphere causing the pressure on the meteor to exceed the molecular forces holding it together. At that point, the meteor broke into much smaller pieces and effectively dumped its kinetic energy into the atmosphere. The altitude at which this happened, its speed, the type of material the meteor was made of, the angle of entry and the density of the meteor had a very intense effect on the entire area. Megatons of energy were imparted into the air which caused very high temperatures, creating a blast wave that went downward. The archaeological findings have proven this over the years. In fact, archeologists have found melted rock and bubbles in melted zircons which required intense temperatures.

As Lot’s wife lagged behind, she had not reached a sufficiently long enough distance from the entrance of the meteor. When the heated water reached her, it deposited a layer of salt and anhydrite all over everything it touched, as the liquid exploded into steam. As the salt and anhydrite reached her she was turned into a pillar of salt.

In Luke 17:32-33, the Lord Jesus referred to this incident with a riveting warning, He said, "32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it." 

The Lord Jesus told us to remember Lot’s wife, but we know almost nothing about her: We don’t know when or where she was born. We don’t know who she was born to and we don’t know her parents. We don’t even know her name. Making her story even more interesting is that it took place in the book of Genesis, which is the book of origins. There are more genealogies in Genesis than any other book in the Bible. In the book that is all about people’s backgrounds, there is nothing about Lot’s wife. The Lord Jesus told us to remember her because her heart was defined mostly by this world, and this world brings with it destruction and misery.

Divine warnings are posted along life’s highway. The Bible informs us that God has placed eternity in our hearts which means in every human soul is a God-given awareness that only God can satisfy. C.S. Lewis once said, "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

In addition, the Bible informs us that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth His handiwork. It tells us that His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that we are without excuse. God warns us through His creation, through His prophets, and through the cross of His own Son. 

In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, "27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace."

Just one day earlier, the Lord and the two messengers arrived to announce the coming birth of Isaac. After their meal and assuring Sarah that a child would come through her, the Lord told Abraham of His intent to go to Sodom, determine its state, and destroy it. Before He left, Abraham received a promise that if ten righteous people could be found there, He would spare the entire city. It was probably a very sleepless night for Abraham, wondering if Lot had met even the most basic example of being a faithful witness to his wife, children, and six others. If he simply had nine converts the destruction would have been averted. But Abraham seemed to know better because he got up early in the morning and went to the exact spot where he had met and talked with the Lord. From that spot, he could overlook the entire region to the south where Lot lived. It seemed his fears about Lot were well founded.

God will always judge sin, He has to, otherwise He would not be God. Abraham saw an awful event which he had been foretold would happen. There was no doubt that this was an act of God. He must have been upset for Lot, thinking he was dead, upset at Lot for not being able to drum up nine righteous people, and sad about Lot because he was his nephew and friend. Looking at the smoke from a distance had to be gut wrenching. 

The Hebrew word translated "furnace" here is only used four times in the Old Testament. The only other time it’s used in a similar manner is when the Law was received at Mount Sinai which was engulfed in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. The New Testament has one such example as well. A time is coming when the judgments of God will come upon the world. In one of them, the very pit of hell will be opened and as John the Apostle wrote he saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.

In v.29 of today's passage we read, "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."

The term "God" is "Elohim" in Hebrew and it describes the One who administered the judgment. Moses used Elohim to show that God is the judge of all the earth who is elsewhere described as a consuming fire. He is such to those whose sin has not been atoned for, but for those who have had their sin forgiven, He is our friend. And so God remembered His friend Abraham and rescued Lot in the midst of the overthrow. There is no contradiction because the Lord is God and God is the Lord. The terminology changes for our benefit and understanding of God’s nature.

Genesis 19:18-25

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18 Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live." 21 And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ~ Genesis 19:18-25

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 19 where the decision had been made to destroy the city of Sodom due to its increasing wickedness. One of the angels sent by the Lord to Lot had previously said the reason God was going to destroy Sodom was due to the fact that the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord. 

The first time the word "wrath" is found in the Bible is in Exodus 22:24 where God warned Israel of mistreating the helpless among them. The sin of man has always brought about the holy wrath of God, and in the case of the city of Sodom, the threshold had been crossed.

In v.18-20 of today's passage we read, "18 Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live." 

It was probably a very long and sleepless night for Lot. As he looked to obey the Lord by departing from Sodom, he gathered up his daughters, his wife, and whatever stuff he had grabbed on the way out the door. Due to his age, when he looked at the distance to the mountains, he was overwhelmed. At that time, Abraham was 99 years old and Lot was older than Abraham. The stress of all of this upon the old body of Lot made the prospect of traveling up a mountain daunting to Lot. Instead of a long and tedious flight to the distant mountains, he asked for divine mercy so that he would not have to go up the mountain. 

When God judges, He makes a difference between the ungodly and the godly. When it came to the flood, God just didn't indiscriminately destroy the world and save a group of eight people on an ark. In 2 Peter 2:4-9 we read, "4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment."

In v.21-22 of today's passage we read, "21 And he said to him, 'See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.' Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar."

While asking that he not have to travel up the mountain, Lot called for God's mercy to be placed upon a nearby town that was set for destruction. This city was one of the cities which was allied with Sodom during the war mentioned in Genesis 14. It was at that point that Lot was granted safe passage to that city. This was a demonstration of God's mercy even while He exacted His judgment upon those in Sodom and Gomorrah. A portion of the wicked would be spared. Maybe this was God’s way of giving Lot a chance to tell the people of that town about Him after failing to do so in Sodom. That city was then called Bela which meant "destruction." Ironically, the very name it held was the thing it didn’t receive. From this time on, it would be known as "little" which is the meaning of its new name given by God: Zoar.

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens."

At the rising of the sun, and, at the same time that Lot entered Zoar, "YHWH caused it to rain down brimstone and fire from YHWH." And, we must remember, this was the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus who hurled His divine wrath down on these wicked people. The same Lord who went to the cross so that He could deal graciously toward us was the same Lord who looked with wrathful eyes at the wicked sins of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Those who look too intently on one aspect of the Lord Jesus, like His love, while disregarding His wrath are only deluding themselves. The same type of destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah will be used on this unrepentant world someday. As we are told in the book of the Revelation, fire and brimstone will be hurled down on those unwilling to humble themselves to the point of receiving God's free gift of salvation. 

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground."

Just as it was that day in Sodom and Gomorrah, at the end of time all sin that will have no atonement will be judged. Though men become rich, powerful, and famous, if they never enter into a personal relationship with God, they will be the recipients of His wrath. Only one Substitute satisfies the wrath of God and He is God's only begotten Son. 

Along with the people, the lush and well watered land surrounding the Jordan, with all its trees, fields, and crops were also destroyed. If we were to go there today, we would see a ruined land with undrinkable water. The people and buildings that are there now are entirely at the mercy of a supply line bringing in food, water, and provisions. Without that, it would be one of the most miserable places on earth.

The wrath of God is not the main message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of our sin is the main part of this wonderful message. The gospel cannot be appreciated apart from understanding the wrath of God. On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ bore the full weight of God's judgment for time and eternity. As we learn from His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, there was no other way for God's wrath to be removed, but through His death on the cross at Calvary. For all those who trust in Him and His work on that cross, God's wrath is removed for it was placed upon Him. For those who refuse, God’s wrath remains upon them.