The Abrahamic Covenant
22: 15-18

The Abrahamic covenant DIG: How did God confirm the unchanging nature of the promise He had made to the righteous of the TaNaKh? What would be the equivalent today? What were the three covenant promises ADONAI made to Abraham? What did this promise have to do with the Gentiles? What did Rabbi Sha’ul mean when he said that God announced the gospel in advance to Avraham?

REFLECT: Does a simple yes or no characterize your faithfulness in keeping your word? When people know that you are a believer, do they look at you differently? Do they expect something different than others? Could they be stumbled by a pattern of lying? What kind of a testimony are you revealing to the world?

The Angel of the LORD called to Avraham from heaven a second time (22:15). Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath (Hebrews 6:17). He said: I swear by Myself. This was the most solemn oath possible (Isaiah 45:23; Jeremiah 22:5, 49:13, 51:14; Amos 6:8 and Hebrews 6:13-14). In Abraham’s day, swearing was the equivalent of signing your name on the dotted line. Today we sign our name; back then they swore by something greater than themselves. They’d swear by God, or by heaven, or by the altar. But when ADONAI wants to impress on Abraham that He is signing on the dotted line, how can He swear by something greater than Himself?³⁶⁷

After the Fall we live in a world of lies. This should not surprise us since fallen humanity are all children of the devil – the father of lies (John 8:44b). That basic dishonesty has led people to impose oaths on others in an often futile attempt to force them to be truthful and keep their promises. Revealing this same dishonesty, the Jews not only swore according to the commandments of the TaNaKh by the name of the LORD (and sometimes violating such oaths), but also had developed the practice of swearing false, evasive, deceptive oaths by everything other than the name of God (which was considered binding). They did this for the very purpose of pretending to truthfulness they had no intention of keeping. Yeshua also condemned this practice (Matthew 5:33-36, 23:16-22).

The custom of swearing oaths was a major part of life in biblical times. It had become a problem in the Jewish congregations to which James wrote. Since swearing oaths was an integral part of the Jewish culture, Jewish believers brought that practice into the church. But such oath taking was, and is, unnecessary among believers whose speech is to be honest (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9), and whose lives are to demonstrate integrity and credibility. For believers, a simple yes or no should suffice because we should be faithful to keep our word. As a result, today we are not to swear an oath to anyone. Above all, my brothers, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment (James 5:12). Believers are not perfect, that is not James’ point here. We may lapse into falsehood on occasion, though lying should not be the pattern of our lives.

Because Abraham had not withheld his son, his only son (22:16), God then takes the opportunity to reaffirm all three covenant promises to Abraham. First He said: I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. ADONAI had said once before that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven (15:5). However, to the naked eye, one can only count approximately three thousand stars, at the most. Therefore, the LORD’s promise might not at first seemed overly impressive, since three thousand descendants would not even make a very large nation. Now, however, He says in effect that there are as many stars as there is sand on the seashore. In addition, earlier God had told Abraham that He would make his offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth (13:16).

Then, secondly, He said: your descendants will be victorious, and take possession of the cities of their enemies (22:17).

And, thirdly, through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed. All these blessings were promised because Avraham obeyed the LORD (22:18). This is the last time these covenant promises are reaffirmed to Abraham (12:1-3, 13:14-17, 15:7-21, 17:1-8, and here). What offspring is ADONAI talking about here? Rabbi Sha’ul tells us that Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” as if to many; on the contrary, it speaks of one – and to your seed – and this “one” is the Messiah (Galatians 3:16 CJB). This is the fifth and final confirmation of God’s covenant with Abraham (12:1-3, 13:14-17,15:7-21, 17:1-8 and here).

Later Sha’ul would say: The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Galatians 3:8). When did the LORD preach the gospel to Avraham? He preached the Gospel to Abraham when He called upon him to offer his son Isaac on the altar. I think that Abraham knew more about the coming of Christ than we give him credit for. In fact, Jesus said: Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). So ADONAI revealed much to Avraham, but Jesus had not yet come. We know today that He would not come for nineteen hundred years, but there on the top of Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac, was a picture of the offering and sacrifice of Messiah. Sha’ul says that God announced the gospel in advance to Abraham, and certainly it was done there.³⁶⁸

Abraham Saw a Ram Caught by Its Horns
So He Called that place The LORD Will Provide
22: 11-14

Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns so he called the place the LORD will provide DIG: What was left for Abraham to prove after this? Why does God wait until the last minute to stop Avraham? For whose benefit was this test? How did Abraham believe that God would fulfill His covenant to have his offspring be as numerous as the stars in the heavens? What is significant about the name ADONAI Yir’eh?

REFLECT: Would you give God all that you had if He gave you nothing back but Himself? How has the ADONAI Yir’eh provided for you? Have you accepted Messiah as your Lord and Savior? What is holding you back? If saved, can you give your testimony in 3 to 5 minutes? How can you best share your faith?

For all practical purposes, Isaac had been dead to Avraham for three days. But the Angel of the LORD, Yeshua Messiah, called out to him from heaven saying: Abraham, Abraham! The doubling of a person’s name makes the call emphatic. He replied: Here I am (22:11). This is the last of seven times that Abraham receives direct revelation from God (12:1-7, 13:14-17, 15:1-21, 17:1-21, 18:1-33 and 22:1-2, and here). After this supreme sacrifice, there was nothing more that ADONAI could ask of him because he had passed the test with a perfect score!

God said: Do not lay a hand on your son. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son (22:12). At its most basic level, this was a test of Abraham’s relationship with ADONAI. Every other sacrifice God had asked Abraham to make was balanced by a promise that, in a sense, made it worthwhile; there was something to lose, but more to gain. Here, however, there was nothing to gain. No promise balances the loss. In fact, it is not only his son that he is putting on the sacrificial altar; it appears to be the covenant and its promises as well. He was willing to give up all he stood to gain, all he loved, and all he hoped for, to have an ongoing relationship with the LORD.³⁶²

The rabbis teach that when Abraham put the knife to the throat of Isaac, his soul departed from his body. The tradition goes on to say that the ram was created on the eve of the Sabbath during the six days of creation, to become the sacrifice in place of Isaac. And then when Isaac heard the words of the Angel of the LORD saying, “Do not lay a hand on your son,” his soul returned to his body. So in rabbinic tradition, there is a concept of resurrection.

The sacrifice was already accomplished in Avraham’s heart, and he had fully satisfied the requirements of God.³⁶³ We can agree that ADONAI knew ahead of time what Abraham was going to do. But there is ample evidence throughout Scripture that Elohim wants us to act out our faith and worship Him regardless of the fact that He already knows our hearts. The LORD wants us to pray even though He knows what we are going to say, and may already have the answer in motion. He wants us to praise Him even though He knows how we feel. God asks us to express our faith and love. It pleases Him for us to display those things that He knows already exist in our hearts. We all know that as much as we love our parents, spouses, children and friends, it is important to tell them and carry our feelings over into actions. That is what Abraham did when he was willing to sacrifice his one and only son.³⁶⁴

Therefore, by faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death on the third day (Hebrews 11:17-19).

Yitz’chak was brought back from the dead to be the head of a great nation and to bless all the nations of the earth. Messiah was raised from the dead and set on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments; no name and no power is exempt from His rule, and not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, and has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The Church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the Church. The Church is Messiah’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence (Ephesians 1:19-23 The Message).

Avraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. This was the divine substitution. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a sin offering instead of his son (22:13). The ram died in Isaac’s place. This is the second time an animal has been substituted in the Scriptures. In the Garden of Eden, the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them (3:21); thus, teaching them that with the shedding of innocent blood they would be covered. Here, a ram was the substitute on Mount Moriah. And in the fullness of time, God the Father would give up His one and only Son for you! If you were the only person alive on the earth, Christ would have died as a substitute for you and your sins. The penalty has been paid.

So Abraham, knowing it was prophetic, called that place, ADONAI Yir’eh, or The LORD Will Provide (22:14a). Faith waits on the LORD to provide all our needs. This name owes something of its significance to the name of ADONAI itself, which reveals Him as the Giver of blessings, the Redeemer, and the God of mercy. Most of these compound names of God arise out of some historic incident, and portray ADONAI in some aspect of His character as meeting human need, and ADONAI Yir’eh is no exception.

Yir’eh is simply the Hebrew form of the verb to see. What connection can there be between the words see and provide? Each meaning seems so different. Most of the time Yir’eh is translated to see or to appear. Then why should it be translated provide here? First, provide is simply the verb and provision the noun of seeing beforehand. Thus to ADONAI, seeing something before hand is followed by provision, for He provides for our needs. So for Him, seeing a need and providing for it are one and the same. Secondly, another form of the word from which Yir’eh is derived is translated seer or prophet (1 Chron 9:22, 26:28; 2 Samuel 15:27; 2 Chron 16:7), and a prophet is one who foresees.³⁶⁵ Thus, it is quite proper to translate this name ADONAI Yir’eh, because The Lord saw the great need to redeem the sin of mankind, and provided a substitute in His Son.

This led to a proverbial saying, and is said to this day, “On the Mountain of ADONAI it will be provided” (22:14b). The Mountain of the LORD is Mount Moriah. It would become the Temple Mount, the place of substitution. There Jesus Christ was pierced for our transgressions, and He was crushed for our iniquities, and He suffered the punishment that we deserved, on the cross of Mount Calvary (Isaiah 53:5).

The Bible says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (First Corinthians 15:3b-4). If you believe that and have never asked Yeshua to be your Lord and Savior would you pray this simple prayer today: God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Yeshua Messiah died for my sins, and I want to trust Him to save me right now. If you prayed that prayer in faith see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith.

If we were convinced that we heard from the LORD, would we give Him a chance if there were nothing in it for us? Would we give Him our lives, or the lives of our loved ones if He gave us nothing back but Himself? That is what Avraham did when he built an altar on Moriah and was willing to sacrifice his one and only son.³⁶⁶ He asks nothing less of us!

It is amazing how much faith we can have if we simply take into account what we know about our God! When we are faced with any test or challenge from the Lord, the best thing to do is to follow Abraham’s example and take an accounting of what we know about God. We will find that every challenge from the Lord is in exact proportion to the knowledge of God we possess. Both balance each other. Without knowledge, we would have little basis for trust. Without the exercise of that trust, we would not be able to function in life the way we were intended to. We would merely be theological dictionaries!

Abraham Built an Altar,
Bound His Son Isaac and Laid Him on Top of the Wood
22: 9-10

Abraham built an altar, bound his son Isaac and laid him on top of the wood DIG: Where has God demonstrated His willingness to do as He is asking Abraham to do here? In the case of God’s sacrificing His one and only Son, how far did He go? How is Isaac a type of Christ?

REFLECT: Where do you get the strength to say, “Yes,” to God when everything else inside of you says, “No?” When have you gotten into trouble by letting your emotions get the better of you? Are your emotions the engine or the caboose? What drives your decision making?

Then they reached the place God had told him about. They must have been in agony for those three days. Why had God sent him so far? It would be the place where Solomon would later build the Temple of ADONAI in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (Second Chronicles 3:1). Avraham’s offering of Isaac was to foreshadow all the other offerings to be sacrificed there, which in turn were also foreshadowing of the one great sacrifice that would be offered one day nearby, when the Father would offer the Son as the Savior of the world.³⁶⁰

Abraham built an altar there on Mount Moriah and arranged the wood on it. He had built altars at Sichem, Bethel, Hebron and at Beersheba. But this altar was different. Those altars were built to sacrifice animals; this altar was to sacrifice his only son. There would be no substitute for God’s only Son at Mount Calvary, where the Lamb of God had to be offered up in sacrifice for the salvation of the world. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Then he bound his son Yitz’chak. As stated previously, Isaac was a man and could have overpowered Abraham if he had wanted to, but Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) was obedient, if need be, unto death. The Hebrew word for binding occurs only here in the TaNaKh, and has become the actual name of this event in Jewish thinking. Jews refer to it as the akeidah, meaning the binding of Isaac. And as Yitz’chak was laid on the altar, on top of the wood (21:9), so Christ was laid upon the old rugged cross made of wood, and was obedient unto death. What a picture we have here!

If Isaac had the least doubt about his father’s intentions beforehand, they were all removed now, as his father bound him and laid him on the altar. As he gazed up into his father’s eyes, no doubt filled with tears, he saw the uplifted knife in his father’s hand ready to slay him. The Hebrew word slay is actually the Hebrew word for slaughter (22:10). Faith surrenders the best that we have to God, and holds nothing back. Jesus was offered up as a sacrifice by His Father (First John 2:2), and was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8). Figuratively, the uplifted knife would fall on Jesus.

God was testing Avraham. The Hebrew word for tested, nasah, is usually translated to prove. Sixty years of preparation had gone into this moment. God had brought him through four very definite crises, each of which was a real exercise of faith. First, he was called to prove that he would leave his homeland, Ur of the Chaldeans. He was to leave his family. That was a real test for him and he didn’t do very well at first, but, nevertheless, he finally left. Then he was asked to prove that he would separate from Lot, his nephew. Abraham loved Lot; he wouldn’t have let him tag along with him if he didn’t. But the time came when they had to separate, and Lot went down to Sodom. Then there was the test with his boy; the son of Hagar, Ishmael. He loved that boy and he hated to be separated from him, but he had to prove that he would send him away. Now Abraham comes to this supreme test, the fourth great crisis in his life. He is asked to give up Yitz’chak, the son of promise. He doesn’t understand it, but he is willing to go through with it.³⁶¹ Faith was driving this decision and emotion was in the back seat.

Take Your Only Son Isaac,
and Sacrifice Him as a Burnt Offering
22: 1-8

Take your only son Isaac, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering DIG: Why do you think God chose to test Abraham’s faith through his son Isaac? Knowing Elohim waited twenty-five years before providing a son for Avraham, how would you expect him to react to God’s instruction? Why doesn’t he object? Who does Abraham say will come back down the mountain? What does this tell you about his faith in God? What other evidences of faith in God did Avraham give as he was preparing to sacrifice his son?

REFLECT: Where do you sense God is testing you now? How are you doing in the test? What are you learning from it? If Elohim asked you to surrender something or someone you loved, could you do it?

This chapter brings us to the mountain top of Genesis. Along with Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, it describes the significance of Yeshua’s sacrificial death on Calvary more than any other passage in the B’rit Chadashah. When they came to the place called the skull, they crucified him there (Luke 23:33a).

Abraham had not heard from God for many years. He seemed to be silent. But some time later God tested Avraham and asked him to do the unthinkable (22:1a). This word tested makes it clear that God did not intend to have Isaac sacrificed. This is the first time the word tested is used in the Bible, and it would be Avraham’s greatest test. God called out to him, “Abraham!” And Abraham replied: Here I am (22:1b). These words: Here I am (Hebrew: hineni) are the same words that sprang from the lips of Jacob (Genesis 31:11), of Moshe (Exodus 3:4), of Samuel (First Samuel 3:4), of  Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), of Ananias (Acts 9:10), and innumerable servants of God who faithfully responded to Him without the slightest hesitation. Abraham uttered not even one objection to this call. Our faith is not really tested until Elohim asks us to bear what seems unbearable, do what seems unreasonable, and expect what seems impossible.³⁵²

When God spoke, it seemed as though every word was meant to wound Abraham as deeply as possible. God said: Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love (22:2a). Isaac was not the only son Abraham had, but he was the son of promise, the unique son. As far as God’s purposes are concerned, He was blind to Ishmael. So the first mention of the word love in the Scriptures calls our attention to the fact that the love of a godly father for his only son is a picture of the love that exists between God the Father and God the Son.

Muslims make a big deal about Genesis saying your only son. They say that it should be written, “Take your son, your only son, Ishmael,” because when Ishmael was in his mid-teens, Isaac had not yet been born. The specific reason Ishmael and Hagar were sent away was because God only recognized Isaac as the son of promise. Their twisted reasoning is that when Isaac was born, Abraham had two sons. But they don’t get the point that as far as being the son of promise, God did not recognize Ishmael, only Isaac. Therefore, God would look upon Isaac as Avraham’s only son. The Muslims teach “because of chauvinism (or prejudice) the name Ishmael was changed to Isaac in this passage.” They teach that God has preserved the word only to show them what it should have been.³⁵³

Abraham was called by ADONAI to trust in His promises throughout most of his adult life. Test after test came his way; yet Abraham never budged in his faithfulness to those divine promises. Finally, near the end of his life, at one-hundred and thirty-seven years old, YHVH told Abraham, lech l’cha (Hebrew: meaning get yourself going), just as He told Abram to go to Canaan (to see link click Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse). This time, instead of the command to leave his homeland and go to a place about which he did not know, Abraham was instructed: Go to the region of Mount Moriah, which would eventually become Mount Zion. The first command was to make aliyah (to go up) to the Promised Land. The second Lech Lecha was a command to come even closer to God – the place where He would dwell intimately with His people. If Abraham knew a little about YHVH when he left for Canaan, by the time he would leave Moriah, the future spiritual center of the Promised Land, he would be forever as intimately close to God as is possible for any human, short of being in the World to Come.

Then God continued: Go to the region of Mount Moriah, which would eventually become Mount Zion. The words seemed like a knife stabbing deep into Abraham’s heart. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering) on one of the mountains I will tell you about (22:2b). The issue was clear. God was asking Avraham: Do you love your son more than you love Me? The principle is this: Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4). Jesus said: If anyone comes to Me and loves Me less than his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26). If Abraham had laughed in his heart with joyful hope when his son was promised to him, how deep his anguish and perplexity must have been at this amazing request from the God who had been so good to him. Yet the faith that enabled him to believe such a staggering promise in the first place was now enough for an even more stunning demand. This test, then, reveals Avraham’s obedience and faith, Isaac’s submission, and Elohim’s gracious provision of a substitute in his place.³⁵⁴

Isaac is portrayed as a type of Christ (Galatians 3:16), and the experience of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah pictures the sacrifice of Messiah on Mount Calvary (Hebrews 11:17-19). This is really the central issue of this entire chapter, if not the entire Bible: God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32).

“But, ADONAI,”Abraham may have thought, “that doesn’t sound like You. You promised to make Isaac a great nation, and he is not even married yet! True, the gods of the nations around us are sometimes worshiped by the sacrifice of sons and daughters, and I certainly love You as much as these people love their own false gods; but this type of thing surely is not pleasing to You. What will happen to all Your promises if You ask this of me? And what about Sarah? Why, this will bring her down to the grave with grief!” Whether Avraham actually thought such things or not, Scriptures do not say. All we are told is that he obeyed God with no questions asked.³⁵⁵ Faith obeys the Word of God completely.

It is one thing to claim to trust God’s Word when waiting for something; it is quite another thing to trust and obey His Word after it is received. This was a test of how much Abraham would obey Him. Would he cling to Isaac now that he had him, or would he still obey and return him to God? In other words, how far would Avraham go in his obedience? Did he really believe that God would keep His word and raise the son of promise?³⁵⁶

The moment Abraham had made up his mind to obey God, Isaac was dead in his eyes. He proceeded on his grim task as someone making funeral arrangements, just putting one foot in front of the other. He did not tell Isaac of his intentions, and he probably did not tell Sarah either. Early the next morning he got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak). The rabbis teach that these two servants were Ishmael and Eliezar of Damascus. He also cut enough wood for the sin offering because he didn’t know if there would be enough when it was time for the sacrifice. Actually, the servants are not recorded as doing anything. They are merely there. When all was ready, the four of them set out for the place God had told him about (22:3).

Because he was old, Avraham rode a donkey, while Isaac and the two servants walked. The journey took a full two days and part of a third. The total distance was about fifty miles from Beersheba. Abraham traveled in silent resignation. There is not a single word of conversation recorded. On the third day He looked up and saw the place in the distance (22:4). He instinctively realized that he and Yitz’chak needed to travel the rest of the way by themselves. He said to his two servants, “Stay here with the donkey while my son and I go over there.” The two thieves on the cross were not permitted to see what transpired between the Father and the Son, and neither are the two servants.

For all practical purposes, Isaac was raised from the dead on the third day, which is the heart of the Gospel: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (First Cor 15:3b-4). According to what Scriptures? Paul was talking about the TaNaKh. But where does it picture Jesus being raised on the third day? Jesus Himself talks about His death and resurrection being the sign of Jonah (Lk 11:29), because Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale and was raised from the dead (see my commentary on Jonah Au – Jonah’s Prayer). And also here, figuratively speaking, Abraham received Isaac back from the dead on the third day.

Then Abraham said: We will worship and then we will come back to you. (22:5). He wasn’t lying to the two servants. Abraham had faith that he and Isaac would both return because God had promised him a son. God had told him that Isaac would become a great nation, in whom all the nations of the world would be blessed. If he were dead, none of that would come to pass. Abraham had learned long ago that God was a promise keeper. But how about Avraham’s statement that he and Isaac were going to worship? Could sacrificing Isaac be considered worship? Yes, because to worship simply means to bow down. To worship God is simply to bow down to His will, recognizing and acknowledging that His will is best for our lives. What He does is right, whether we understand it now or not. His will may involve waiting and suffering, even dying; but if it is His will, then we must bow down to it and accept it with thanksgiving. I do not underestimate how difficult this is, but it is then, and only then, that we worship God. Not understanding, but believing, Abraham and Isaac were willing to do His will. This submission to God’s will in an ultimate act of worship pictures beautifully the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus said: My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (Matthew 26:39).³⁵⁷

Avraham took the wood for the sin offering and placed it on his son Isaac. Isaac carried the wood for his sacrifice up to Mount Moriah, just as the cross was placed on Christ as He carried it up to Mount Calvary (John 19:17). And Isaac himself carried the fire and the knife (22:6a). The fire symbolizes divine judgment. It was first seen in a flaming sword that was placed in the garden of Eden to make sure that Adam and Eve could make it back to the tree of life under the right conditions (3:24). It will last be seen in the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet will be thrown (Revelation 20:14-15). Divine judgment would be satisfied on Calvary when every claim of God’s holiness and justice are satisfied, so that He is set free to act on behalf of sinners.

As the two of them went on together, Isaac went willingly with his father. This was no child. Isaac was a grown man of about 30 years old. He was in his prime and about to be married. No doubt he was much stronger than Abraham and could have easily escaped if he had wanted. At some point he had to have known what his father had in mind. He knew what a sin offering was. They were carrying the wood, the fire and the knife, but there was no animal to sacrifice. Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and the wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the sin offering” (22:6b-7)? An honest question deserved an honest answer.

Abraham answered: My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for the sin offering (22:8a KJV). God alone could provide that which would satisfy Himself. Shortly after this there was a ram that was caught in a thicket, and Abraham would take the ram and sacrificed it as a sin offering (22:13). Avraham says here that God will provide Himself a lamb. But there was no lamb; there was a ram, and that is an important point. The lamb was not provided until centuries later when John the Baptist would point to Yeshua and say: Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). God provided Himself as that lamb. It is very important to see that Abraham was speaking prophetically here.³⁵⁸ Isaac does not respond and was silent before his sacrifice just as Messiah was silent before His.

And the two of them went on together (22:8b). The two servants could only accompany them to within sight of Mount Moriah. This was going to be between the father and the son, between Abraham and Isaac. And likewise, God shut man out at the cross. At noontime, darkness covered the entire earth for three hours, while God the Father poured out His wrath on God the Son (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). Peter said it like this: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness (First Peter 2:24a; Second Corinthians 5:21). But it was between the Father and the Son on that cross. Man was outside and did not participate at all. The picture is the same here.³⁵⁹

Therefore, God the Father did not force His Son to die on the cross. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life, only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father (John 10:17-18). It was the Father’s will, and the Son willingly obeyed. And because the two of them went on together, lost sinners like you and me can be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life.

Abraham Tested
22: 1-19

Approximately 38 years had passed since ADONAI first made promises to Abraham when he was 75 years old. This chapter brings us to the mountaintop of Genesis. It, along with Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, describe the significance of Calvary, or the Skull, maybe more clearly than any passage in the B’rit Chadashah: When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him there (Luke 23:33a). It is the only type in the TaNaKh that revealed the necessity for a human sacrifice to pay the price for sin. Because man had sinned, a man, not an animal, must be sacrificed, that divine justice would be satisfied. This could hardly be any man; God’s own Son was the only One.³⁵¹ The names of God are important in this section. When the chapter starts out, it is Elohim, the God of righteousness, who speaks when He asks Avraham to take Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) and sacrifice him as a sin offering on Mount Moriah (22:2). However, when God provides a substitute for Isaac, it is ADONAI, the God of mercy and redemption who speaks.

The Treaty at Beersheba
21: 22-34

The treaty at Beersheba DIG: What is Abimelech concerned about (Chapter 20)? What was Abraham concerned about? How is this treaty confirmed? With what lasting result? What did the planting of a tamarisk tree represent to Abraham?

REFLECT: Have your past actions stumbled an unbeliever in his or her trust in you? How can you restore their confidence in you? Where in your life do you suspect that God is especially close to you right now? Why? What does this story suggest about the importance of any kind of oath that we take?

It had been about two or three years since Abimelech had offered Abraham permission to live anywhere he wished in what would eventually become Philistine territory (20:13). Abraham was living about twenty-five miles from Gerar. At that time when Ishmael and Hagar were sent away, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, said to Avraham: Elohim is with you in everything you do (21:22). God was blessing Abraham and that became obvious. Even the Gentiles had come to recognize the presence of God in Abraham’s life, and therefore, Abimelech desired to protect his own future by forming an alliance with Abraham. It was time for the two men to make a treaty.³⁴⁹

Abimelech declared: Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you (21:23). Abimelech said this because Abraham had dealt falsely once before with Sarah and the king of Gerar didn’t trust him. Abimelech had a problem. He knew God was with Abraham in everything the patriarch did, but he had a history of being deceptive. When you are dealing with a powerfully deceptive person, you would like to have more assurances, and so Abimelech asks for such. Abraham was perfectly ready to agree to a treaty (21:24), but first he had a complaint that needed to be cleared up.

Then Avraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized (21:25). The Hebrew verb suggests that Abraham had to make his complaint several times. Perhaps Abimelech was adept at elusive tactics. Strife over wells was common. Later, herdsmen of Gerar would quarrel with Isaac’s herdsmen (26:20).

But Abimelech exonerated himself by saying: I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today. Abraham seems to be satisfied with this answer. So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty of peace. Avraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock. Abimelech noticed that Abraham had done this and asked of him, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?” He said: Accept these seven lambs as a visible sign from my hand as a witness that I dug this well (21:26-30). The fact that Abimelech accepted the lambs shows that he recognizes Abraham’s claim and the well became his permanent possession. Consequently, the treaty was not only one of peace, it was also one of justice.

So that place was called Beersheba, Be’er Sheva, which literally means the well of the seven. The Hebrew words for seven and oath are the same. Therefore, it was called that because the two men swore an oath there. Sheva comes from the root shevar, whichmeans to swear. After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, returned to the land where the Philistines would eventually settle five or six centuries later in the twelfth century (21:31-32). Abimelech and Phicol were the forerunners of the Philistines; they lived in the same territory that the Philistines would control later. Then Abimelech and Phicol went from Beersheba back to Gerar.

In honor of the treaty, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. The planting of this long-lived tree, with its hard wood, and its long, narrow, thickly clustered evergreen leaves showed that he intended to stay in the land of the Philistines for a long time (21:34). This would be his home and he began putting down roots. And there he called upon the name of the LORD, ADONAI, El-Olam, meaning ADONAI the Eternal God (21:33). Although he made a treaty with an earthly king, Abraham recognized that ADONAI Himself had made an eternal blood covenant with him, to give him and his offspring all of the Promised Land forever. Isaac was probably born there and grew up to be a young man.³⁵⁰ And just as Avraham’s life started to look routine, it took a shocking twist.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away
21: 8-21

Hagar and Ishmael are sent away DIG: From Sarah’s perspective, why must Hagar and Ishmael be sent away? From God’s perspective? How is Abraham’s distress due to past mistakes? How did God use human emotions to further His plan? How did Elohim help Ishmael, even though he was not the son that God had promised Avraham?

REFLECT: Who, like Hagar or Ishmael, is the one with whom you don’t get along? How are you handling the discord? What can you do to change the situation? Is there something or someone you need to separate yourself from? Like Hagar, where do you need God’s comforting presence in your life?

This problem constitutes another trial for Abraham. For several years, Abraham was content in believing that Ishmael would be his heir. He had been building the personal father/son relationship which normally develops between all parents and their children. But now that Isaac was born, things changed.

Isaac had brought so much joy to Abraham and Sarah. It seemed the laughter that had filled their household would go on forever. The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Avraham held a great feast (21:8). The weaning was regarded as a joyous occasion, as we find with Samuel, who on being weaned was taken by his mother to the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Children were weaned between the ages of two or three in those days. But in the midst of the laughter, apparently, Hagar and Ishmael were almost forgotten. By this time Ishmael was in his mid teens, probably around sixteen years old (16:15-16). One person’s cause for joy can be another’s cause for resentment.

Anger welled up in Ishmael as he saw Isaac become the center of attention. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Avraham was mocking Isaac (21:9). The animosity of Hagar toward Sarah had been instilled in Ishmael toward Isaac. The rabbis teach that Sarah assumed that Ishmael’s mocking was the echo of what he had heard from his mother. The Hebrew word for Isaac, yitzchak, and the Hebrew word for mocking, metzachek, have the same root. Literally, it means Ishmael was isaacing Isaac. He was not playing with Isaac as some have suggested. In the B’rit Chadashah, Rabbi Sha’ul says Ishmael persecuted him, or pursued him with hostility (Galatians 4:28-31). Children often do this to each other. The problem here was that Ishmael, who was around sixteen years old, was mocking Isaac, who was two to three years old. Metzachek is found several times in Genesis where it is used in the negative sense of ridicule (19:14, 39:14 and 17). It is interesting that Ishmael’s name is absent from this entire section. He is referred to as the son, his son, or the boy, but never Ishmael. It is as if he was not even there, and as far as being the son of promise, he was absent from the mind of God.

In a jealous fit, Sarah demanded that Abraham get rid of, or drive out, that slave woman and her son. Thus, Abraham was faced with a test. All throughout his life, Abraham had been called by God to trust His promises. Now circumstances called for a trial of his ability to do so concerning his son Ishmael, whom he loved. The way Abraham would respond to this trial would prepare him for his ultimate test (to see link click Fm – Take Your Only Son Isaac, and Sacrifice Him as a Burnt Offering). Could he trust in God’s ability to fulfill His promises enough to slay the very one in whom those promises were to be fulfilled?

Sarah’s concern was one of inheritance. The Code of Hammurabi said that the son of a slave woman had a legal claim on the father’s inheritance. But even knowing that, Sarah said that Hagar and Ishmael had to go, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac (21:10). This same verb, garas, is used to describe Adam being driven out of the Garden (3:24), and Cain being driven out of the presence of ADONAI (4:14). Sarah couldn’t even bear to call Hagar by name. She just referred to her as that slave woman. But most importantly, she didn’t want Ishmael to have any part of the spiritual inheritance that was rightfully Isaac’s. The whole situation was a tangled web of jealousy, anger and malice that bore bad fruit.

Abraham was a kind and generous man; however, this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael (21:11). But, Elohim, the God of righteousness, made it clear to Abraham that He was not going to accept Ishmael as the son of promise. It was not possible for the two families to live together. In His sixth of seven appearances to Avraham (12:1-7, 13:14-17, 15:1-21, 17:1-21, 18:1-33, 22:1-18),God said: Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant (21:12a). In every age God’s message to His people has been: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God (John 14:1). He said further: Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned (21:12b). Without a doubt Ishmael’s presence in the home would have made it extremely difficult to fulfill God’s purposes for Isaac. There could be no doubt about it, Ishmael had to go. Discipleship always involves discipline, and discipline is always necessary for spiritual blessing. God was taking the tangled threads of Abraham’s life, weaving them into His own divine pattern, and overriding everything for good. Happy for us if, like Paul, we can rely on the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Romans 11:33)!³⁴³

As Abraham’s son, Ishmael would receive his own special blessings from God (17:18), but he would not, and never could have been, the child of promise. After Sarah’s death, Avraham would have six other sons by a new wife, Keturah (25:1-2); but like Ishmael, none of those could have been the child of promise. Later, Paul would quote Moses and repeat once again: It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned (Rom 9:7-9).³⁴⁴

Muslims teach that it is through Ishmael that the promises of God are fulfilled. But Paul teaches the spiritual lesson that as far as salvation goes, between law and grace, the flesh and the spirit cannot coexist (Galatians 4:21-31). Paul argues that those who are born after the flesh, are the spiritual descendants of Hagar, great in number but nevertheless under the burden to keep the commandments, and they seek salvation through the impossible task of making sinful flesh keep the Torah perfectly. The Torah speaks of God’s Covenant with Moses, a conditional covenant, given on Mount Sinai in Arabia where Ishmael lived.

Those who are to share in God’s heavenly promises, centered in Jerusalem, are children of faith, like Isaac. The Torah can never give life; but God’s promise, received by faith, gives eternal life (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). These children of faith are not in bondage to Elohim’s covenant with Moses, whose terms are impossible to obey. But they are under God’s covenant with Abraham, given unconditionally and appropriated solely by faith in the promises. Those who live by faith are free, like Sarah. However, those who live by the flesh are slaves, like Hagar (see the commentary on Galatians Bq – Abraham had Two Sons, One by a Slave Woman and One Free).³⁴⁵ As a result, they could not coexist; when Isaac showed up, Ishmael had to go!

But because Ishmael was Abraham’s son, Elohim would make him into a nation also. Abraham need not worry that Hagar and Ishmael would die in the desert. God said: I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also because he is your offspring (21:13). Ishmael will benefit from the blessing aspect of God’s covenant with Abraham, and he showed no signs of rebellion.

As painful as it was to do, Abraham did not procrastinate. Early the next morning he took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. It was an ancient Egyptian custom for the women to carry burdens on their shoulders, so he set the food and the skin of water on her shoulders and then sent her off with her son. In view of Abraham’s wealth, this wasn’t very much to send off with them. But Abraham had faith that God would take care of them. He knew that no matter how much he gave them, it would not be enough; but with God, they would not lack. Quite possibly, he knew it would be for their own good if they would quickly learn they must depend on God, and no longer on Abraham, to supply their needs. He loved that boy and I don’t think he ever saw him again. Ishmael was his son and it was heartbreaking for Abraham to have to give him up. For about sixteen years he had been the joy of his life. But Hagar went on her way with Ishmael and wandered in the desert of Beersheba (21:14). The food and the skin of water was no doubt enough to enable them to reach another settlement, had they not become lost.³⁴⁶

Archaeology has revealed that there were numerous settlements at this time in the vicinity of what would later become known as Beersheba, and it seems that Hagar and Ishmael set out in this direction. However, they lost their way. After wandering for some time, when the water in the skin was gone, she put her son under one of the bushes because Ishmael was at the point of death (21:15). He had probably given most of the water to his mother. Finally, he fell down. Unable to continue, Hagar went off and sat down nearby, about a bow shot away, for she thought to herself, “I cannot watch my son die. And as she sat there nearby, she began to pray and sob” (21:16). God brought them to the point where they could no longer continue in their own strength. They, like Abraham, would need to learn to trust Him.

Then God heard Ishmael crying and the Angel of God, the preincarnate Christ, called to Hagar from heaven. This is the second time that the preincarnate Christ had rescued Hagar. Earlier, when she ran out into the desert because of her mistreatment at the hand of Sarai, He found Hagar near a spring in the desert (16:7a). There, He was called the Angel of the Lord, the redeemer, because she was still under the roof and protection of Abraham. Here, He is called the Angel of God, because Hagar was then a foreigner to the covenant of promise (Ephesians 2:12). But He is the God of all mankind, and He graciously said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there” (21:17). Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink (21:19).

The Angel of God said: Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation (21:18). And God would fulfill His promise, because He was with the boy as he grew up (21:20a). In the book of Acts it is written that ADONAI was with Joseph (Acts 7:9) and Jesus (Acts 10:38). We often encourage each other with the words of Messiah: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). How wonderful to know God’s acceptance through Christ and His presence is with us always. Here we read the very same presence is with Ishmael. God must have loved him very much. He heard his cry when he was lying under the bushes and performed a miracle for his mother in order to take care of him, just as Elohim did with Abraham, David and others after His own heart. He was with Ishmael. God never says anything bad about Ishmael.

Since there was no farming, Ishmael provided for himself and his mother by becoming an archer as they lived in the desert (21:20b).

The Muslims teach that Abraham took Ishmael and Hagar and made a new settlement in Mecca, called Paran, because of a divine instruction given to Abraham as a part of God’s plan. They teach that Hagar ran around seven times between two hills, Sofa and Marwa, looking for water; this became then an Islamic ritual for the annual Pilgrimage in Mecca by millions of Muslims from all over the world. The well of water (21:19) is still present, now called Zamzam. They also teach that both Abraham and Ishmael later built the holy stone Ka’bah in Mecca. The supposed spot where Abraham used to perform prayers near the Ka’bah is still present, now called Maqom Ibrahim, or the Station of Abraham. Therefore, during the day of Pilgrimage, Pilgrims in Mecca and Muslims all over the world commemorate the supposed offering of Abraham and Ishmael by slaughtering cattle.³⁴⁷

While he was living in the Desert of Paran, a desert region in what is now the Sinai Peninsula, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt, the idolatrous land of her upbringing(21:21). She became so identified with this region that Sha’ul would say of her, “Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia” (Galatians 4:25). Obtaining a wife for a son is still the common practice in the Near East. Genesis 10 tells us that the Egyptians were descendants of Ham, who were anti-Semitic, which only adds to the antagonism that was already there. Here, Ishmael drops out of the picture until we learn of his death after bearing twelve sons (25:12-18). But the great nation that God had promised had begun.

In a sense, Ishmael was a symbol of Abraham’s and Sarah’s lack of faith. God knew that they should have faithfully waited for the promised son. However, when Ishmael was conceived, God did not angrily reject him and toss him aside. Instead, God loved the boy and agreed to bless him. When our frail faith results in costly mistakes, God can turn our penitent regret into blessing for His own purposes.³⁴⁸

The Birth of Isaac
21: 1-7

The birth of Isaac DIG: What does this story reveal about God’s patience and faithfulness? Abraham’s obedience (see 17:12, 19)? How did the birth of Isaac once again show that the LORD is El Shaddai, God Almighty? What are the nine ways that Isaac is a type of Christ?

REFLECT: What promises has the LORD kept in your life? What personal dream would you like to see fulfilled in your lifetime? Does God need us to carry out His plan?

The birth of Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) marked a pivotal point in the outworking of God’s eternal purpose. After the call of Abraham to be the father of the faithful, the birth of Isaac was the second great step toward the fulfillment of the LORD’s plan. His eternal desire was to have a people of His own, separate from the surrounding nations; a people who should be trusted with His Word; a people through whom the Savior was to be born; and a people who, ultimately, would become the means of blessing to the entire earth.³³⁸

Now the appointed time for the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah had come and ADONAI, the giver of blessings, kept His promise. He was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised in 17:19 and 18:10. This is the bedrock in the life of a believer. God is faithful. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Avraham in his old age. There is a striking similarity between the birth of Isaac and the birth of the Messiah. Isaac was to be born at the very time Elohim, the God of creation, had promised him (21:1-2). More is said about Isaac’s birth than any other birth in the Bible except for the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Isaac is a type of Christ and his birth foreshadowed the birth of the Lord, because when the time had fully come, God sent His Son (Galatians 4:4a; Mark 1:15; Romans 5-6; Ephesians 1:10).

Abraham gave the name Isaac, or Yitz’chak, to the son Sarah bore him. For the second time Abraham names a son. Ishmael was Abraham’s choice for the name of his son of the flesh, but Isaac was God’s choice for the name of the son of promise. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Avraham circumcised him, as God commanded him (21:3-4). Isaac was greatly loved by his parents, who taught him in the ways of righteousness (18:19), and no doubt, rehearsed over and over again all the great promises that God had in store for him. In turn, Isaac was an obedient son, fulfilling his parents’ hopes and dreams.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Yitz’chak was born to him (21:5). The age of the patriarchs are given at the important turning points in their lives. The bodies of Abraham and Sarah had been miraculously rejuvenated. Sarah not only gave birth at ninety, but she also nursed Isaac. Abraham not only fathered Isaac, but also six other sons of his wife Keturah after Sarah died (25:2).³³⁹

Sarah said to him, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me,” compared to the past when Hagar had laughed at her. And she also said: Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? In fact, God had said several times to Abraham that his wife would bear a son. Sarah was aware of that promise. What she wishes Elohim would have said is that she would mother children, and not just one son.³⁴⁰ Yet, I have borne him a son in his old age (21:6-7).

The birth of Isaac foreshadowed the birth of Jesus Christ in nine ways. God did not suddenly spring the virgin birth on mankind. He had prepared us by several miraculous births before this, including the birth of John the Baptizer, the birth of even Samson, and here, the birth of Isaac. The foreshadowing between the birth of Isaac and the birth of Christ is truly remarkable.³⁴¹

First, the birth of Isaac and the birth of the Meshiach had both been promised. When God called Avraham out of Ur of the Chaldean’s twenty-five years earlier, God said to him, “I am going to give a son to you and Sarah.” And after all that time, ADONAI has made good on His promise. God also said to the nation of Isra’el: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14; also see Matthew 1:23). When Yeshua was finally born in Bethlehem, it was a fulfillment of prophecy (Micah 5:2). In fact, both births had been promised.

Secondly, with both births there was a long interval between the promise and the fulfillment. Twenty-five years passed from the time God promised that Isaac would be born until it came to pass (12:2). There were also many generations between the prophecies in the TaNaKh and the birth of Yeshua. For example, a thousand years before Christ was born, God had promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David, so both had long intervals of time between the promise of their coming and their births.

Thirdly, the announcement of the births seemed amazing to both Sarah and Mary. You will recall that two angels and the Lord visited Abraham on the way to Sodom, and they announced the birth of Isaac. It seemed so amazing that Sarah laughed to herself (18:10-12). And Miryam was just as amazed. When the angel Gabriel announced the virgin birth to Mary she said: How can this be, since I am a virgin (Luke 1:34)?

Fourth, both Isaac and Jesus were named before their births. Avraham and Sarah were told they were going to have a son and they were going to call him Isaac (17:19). And with the birth of the Lord Jesus, we find that He was also named beforehand. The angel said to Joseph: You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21b).

Fifth, both births occurred at God’s appointed time. Earlier in this chapter we were told that Yitz’chak was born at the very time God had promised him (21:2), and regarding the birth of Jesus, we note that Paul says: But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son (Galatians 4:4a).

Sixth, both births were miraculous. The birth of Isaac was a miraculous birth because Avraham’s body was as good as dead and Sarah’s womb was also dead (Romans 4:19), and certainly the virgin birth of the LORD was a miracle (Luke 1:34-35).

Seventh, both sons were a particular joy to their fathers. Abraham gave the name Isaac, or laughter, to the son Sarah bore him (21:3). Both Avraham and Sarah laughed when she heard they would have a son; she laughed because of the sheer joy of it all. When Yeshua was baptized, God the Father spoke out of heaven and said: This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:16). Both sons were a joy to their fathers.

Eighth, both sons were obedient to their fathers, even to the point of death. In the next chapter we are going to see that his father offered Yitz’chak as a sacrifice. Isaac was not a young boy of seven or eight years, but a full grown man in his early thirties, and he was obedient even to the point of death. That was true of Isaac and it was true of Jesus Christ. Isaac foreshadows the birth, life and death of Messiah.

Finally, the miraculous birth of Isaac is a picture of the resurrection of Christ. As Paul stated above, Abraham’s body was as good as dead and Sarah’s womb was also dead (Romans 4:19). The resurrection brings life out of death. Then Rabbi Sha’ul goes on to say that Yeshua was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25).³⁴²

But soon after Yitz’chak was born, opposition was aroused.

Then God Healed Abimelech, His Wife and His Slave Girls
So They Could Have Children Again
20: 17-18

Then God healed Abimelech, His wife and his slave girls so they could have children again DIG: Why was it necessary for Avraham to pray? What was the result? What was the Adversary trying to do? Why? What did He learn from this experience?

REFLECT: How is your testimony to the pagan world around you? Do you point people to Christ or have them mock Him? What pagan does God want you to pray for?

For his part, Abraham prayed to God on behalf of Abimelech (20:17a). Avraham was the one who lied; nevertheless, it took his prayer to remove the curse. The blessing and cursing aspect of the blood Covenant that God had with Abraham (to see link click Ef – Abram Believed the LORD and He Credited It to Him as Righteousness), was still in effect despite his disobedience. That is the nature of an unconditional covenant.

Even though he was guilty, Avraham’s prayer was effective, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again (20:17b). The rabbis teach that a plague was brought upon Abimelech’s household, which consisted of some disease that made childbearing impossible. For ADONAI had closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah (20:18). Earlier God had told Avraham, “I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse” (12:3). When Abimelech sent for Sarah and took her into his harem, his action could have resulted in Isaac not being born. Satan was doing everything he could possibly do to prevent the Seed of the Woman (3:15) from going to the cross. If Isaac were not born, Jacob would not be born. If Jacob were not born, Judah would not be born. And if Judah were not born, the Messiah would not be born. However, God is in control, so the curse for curse principle was visited upon Abimelech and his household to get his attention.

In Abimelech we meet with a totally different character from that of Pharaoh. We see him as a pagan with a moral conscious of right and wrong, and open to receive revelation from God, of which there was not the slightest trace in the king of Egypt.³³⁷

The final outcome of this unpleasant experience was that Abraham finally learned that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Never again would he question God; however, the same cannot be said about Abraham’s son.

Abimelech said to Sarah:
I am Giving Your Brother a Thousand Shekels of Silver
20: 16

Abimelech said to Sarah: I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver DIG: Why does God hold Abraham, and not Sarah, responsible for the sin? What other examples of this do we have from Scripture? What is the difference between the relationship between the husband and the wife, and the responsibility of the husband? What gift did Abimelech give Avraham? Why did he give it?

God held Abraham responsible for what went on in the relationship (to see link click Bf – Your Desire Will Be For Your Husband and He Will Rule Over You). It is sad to say that the issue of marital roles is one of the most confused areas for believers today. The main problem, in my opinion, is the confusion between man’s relationship with his wife, and his responsibility with what goes on in the marriage.

Let’s look at the relationship first. The Bible clearly teaches that men and women are equals socially, psychologically and spiritually. In other words, they are equals in their relationship with one another. God created us as equals (1:27-28), and we are to be one when married (2:24). We are equally sinful (Romans 3:23) and equally saved (John 1:12-13; Second Corinthians 5:17; First Peter 3:7). Husbands and wives are to submit to each other sexually (First Corinthians 7:2-5) and socially (Ephesians 5:21). Furthermore, the Bible teaches that there shall be no sexual discrimination (Galatians 3:28). Men and women are equally dependent on God (First Corinthians 11:11-12), accepted equally as believers (Acts 5:14), and co-laborers for Him (Romans 16:1, 3-6; Philippians 4:3).

The second area the Bible teaches about is marital responsibility. Even though men and women are equal in their relationship, ultimately God holds men responsible for what goes on in the marriage. Even though Sarah was a willing participant, both Pharaoh (12:18) and Abimelech (20:9) held Abraham responsible. Avraham’s son Isaac was held responsible for his lie about Rebekah (26:9). Adam and Eve both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; in fact, Eve led the way, but God held Adam responsible (3:9). This principle is not only taught in the TaNaKh, but also in the New Covenant where Sha’ul tells us that through one man sin entered the world (Romans 5:12, 14, 17). Responsibility implies accountability and God held Adam, Abraham and Isaac accountable.

To Sarah Abimelech said: I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. By saying your brother rather than your husband, Abimelech’s innocence in the affair is emphasized. To put this in perspective, thirty shekels was the price of a slave. So Abraham receives a large amount of money in addition to the animals and the servants of 20:14. Although the money was given to Abraham, as was the custom, the purpose of the money was to vindicate Sarah. Abimelech said: This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you. This means the eyes of Sarah’s acquaintances will be blind to what happened and therefore they will not criticize her. In essence, Abimelech said to Sarah: unlike Avraham, you are completely vindicated from all that has gone on (20:16).

Abimelech Brought Sheep and Cattle to Abraham
and He Returned Sarah His Wife to Him
20: 9-15

Abimelech brought sheep and cattle to Abraham and He returned Sarah his wife to him DIG: What were Abraham’s excuses for not telling Abimelech that Sarah was really his wife? Why did Abimelech hold Avraham responsible? Why was this episode important in the prophetic son of promise and the Messiah? Why did the King of Gerar give gifts to Abraham? What contrast is there between Pharaoh and Abimelech?

REFLECT: Have you ever stumbled by the sin of another believer? Have you ever knowingly stumbled someone else? What did you do about it? What can you do about it?

The Bible shares with other Near Eastern works the concept that adultery is the great sin. Avraham’s role here is reversed from Chapter 18. There, Abraham challenged God; here, God challenges Abraham through a pagan king. Before, God asked Abraham to pray for Abimelech; now, the pagan king rebuked both Abraham and Sarah for almost having him killed and his kingdom destroyed. Then Abimelech called Avraham in and demanded: What have you done to us? Why did you do this? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done. Then Abimelech demanded an answer: What was your reason for doing this terrible thing (20:9-10)?

God held Abraham responsible for what went on in his marriage (to see link click Bf – Your Desire Will Be For Your Husband and He Will Rule Over You). God had put Abimelech in power, and when Avraham lied and rebelled against Abimelech, he also lied and rebelled against God. Later Rabbi Sha’ul would tell us: Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves (Romans 13:1-2).

Vainly trying to justify his behavior, Avraham said to Abimelech: This was what I said to myself, “There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife” (20:11). Not only was he clearly wrong about that, but more importantly, Abraham was not trusting God (Psalm 56:3). Then he tried to explain his relationship with Sarah by saying: Besides she really is my half-sister, the daughter of my father though not my mother; and she became my wife (20:12). But, she was obviously much more his wife than his sister. Avraham had some shining moments, but this wasn’t one of them.

When Abraham used the phrase: And when God had me wander from my father’s household, he makes the point that this was his practice at least from Haran, and possibly even from Ur of the Chaldeans. This was something Avraham had brought with him from the place of his birth. It was a part of his old nature that had not been dealt with. He had a fear that he would be killed for Sarah’s sake if someone thought he was her husband. So in his fear and weakness Abraham said to her, “This is how you can show your love to me. Everywhere we go, tell everyone that I am your brother” (20:13). The two of them had this standing agreement for twenty-five years! Wherever they traveled, Sarah was passed off as Avraham’s sister. Because of his fear, Abraham became a slave to that sin. This sin had to be dealt with before God was going to hear and answer Abraham’s prayer for a son. Isaac would not be born until Abraham confessed his sin of not relying on God.

How did Abraham come clean before God? How do any of us come clean? To start with we need to openly examine and confess our faults to ourselves, to God and to someone we trust to hold us accountable. What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record (Psalm 32:1-2). This step is necessary because guilt destroys our confidence, damages our relationships and keeps us stuck in the past. These were all true of Avraham.

How do we come clean with God? The first step we need to take is a moral inventory. This will not work unless we are brutally honest with ourselves. Let us examine our ways and test them (Lamentations 3:40a). Secondly, we need to accept responsibility for our faults. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (First John 1:8). Thirdly, we need to confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Don’t beg, don’t bargain, and don’t bribe; just be honest. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9). Fourthly, we need to admit our faults to another person that we can trust. I believe Abraham admitted his sin to Sarah his wife. Then lastly, accept God’s forgiveness and be set free. All of us have sinned . . . yet God declares us not guilty if we trust in Jesus Christ, who freely takes away our sins (Romans 3:23-24), because there is no condemnation for those who live in union with Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). I believe that Abraham followed these steps and was set free. I believe that because a destructive twenty-five year habit was broken, never to be heard of again. The son of promise could now be born to Abraham.

Then Abimelech, who had the right to be upset with him, brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Avraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him (20:14). It is obvious that Abimelech gave these gifts to remain blameless. Abraham refused to take the spoil of battle when he had defeated the four kings of the east. He had also been most generous in giving Lot the choice of the best lands. It seems odd at first that he would now accept these gifts from Abimelech. Probably it was not greed on his part but rather his recognition that to refuse would offend Abimelech further.³³⁶ And Abimelech announced: My land is before you; live wherever you like (20:15). In contrast to Pharaoh who ordered Abraham to leave, Abimelech offers Abraham to stay. Here the unbeliever out gives the believer.

Then God Came to Abimelech in a Dream
20: 3-8

Then God came to Abimelech in a dream DIG: Who else received a message from Elohim in a dream? What punishment did Abimelech receive? What was the king’s response? What was his defense? What does God’s dealing with Abimelech teach us about His righteousness? About God’s mercy?

REFLECT: When was the last time you had a conversation with God about something you did wrong? How did you respond? What happened? Why?

Regardless of Abraham’s sin, God would not allow His blood Covenant with Avraham to be broken. Earlier God had made Pharaoh aware of whom Sarai really was by sending plagues. Here He reveals Himself to a pagan king in a dream. This is the first of four times an outsider receives revelation from God in a dream (31:24, 40:5, and 41:1).³³⁵ Before Abimelech touched Sarah, Elohim came to Abimelech in a dream one night and warned him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman” (20:3). In addition, He closed up every womb (20:18) in Abimelech’s household and harem. Here again the cursing aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is seen (12:3). Because the blood Covenant is unconditional, and even though it was Avraham that sinned, yet, God still intervened on his behalf.

Presumably Abimelech’s response was still part of the dream. Abimelech was stunned and frightened, but he had not gone near her sexually, so he said: Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? In the previous verse, the threat was only against Abimelech. But here it is also a threat to the entire city-state of Gerar. The king’s behavior determines the future of his subjects.

He defends himself by saying Abraham and Sarah deceived him. Did he not say to me, “She is my sister,” and didn’t she also say, “He is my brother?” He defends himself by saying that both his internal attitude and his external actions have been beyond reproach. The king said: I have done this with a clear conscience; in other words, there was no intention to sin against Abraham or God, and (he had) clean hands. He had not touched her and therefore had not committed any sexual sin (20:4-5). Then God responded.

A day or so later, Elohim said to him in a second dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me.” If the son of promise were to be born, it would have to happen by the grace of God. That is why I did not let you touch her (20:6). Ultimately, all sin is against God. King David took Bathsheba and got her pregnant, killed her husband and other soldiers, and dishonored the nation and the office of the king. But when he repented to God, he said: Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:4a). Did he sin against Bathsheba, Uriah, the soldiers and the nation? Of course he did. But he is overwhelmed by the fact that his real sin was ultimately against God.

Then God instructed Abimelech, “Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet.” This is the first use of the word prophet in the TaNaKh. Abraham was a prophet because he received revelation from God. In spite of Avraham’s own sin, his standing before God remains the same. He will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die (20:7). Now that the pagan king has been informed, he must act.

Abimelech may not have known anything about the true God before, but he certainly knew Him now. Rising early the next morning Abimelech summoned all his officials, and told them all that had happened. It seems that Abraham’s concern that there was no fear of God in Gerar was not true, because they were very much afraid when the king informed them of his dream (20:8). So Abimelech called Abraham to meet with him and confront him with his grievous sin.

Abraham Said of His Wife: She is My Sister
20: 1-2

Abraham said of His wife: she is my sister DIG: Why did Abraham move from the Oaks of Mamre? Why do you think Avraham persists in this lie about not being married to Sarah? Who is he concerned about? Why? Why should he have known better? What was different now?

REFLECT: Have you ever made the same mistake over and over again? How hard is it for you to break bad habits? Do you have a bad habit that seems to have been with you forever? Do you live in fear? What solution could you choose?

When ADONAI tests us, it is usually to help us grow out of our weaknesses or problem areas of our flesh. We now see this principle unfolding in Abraham’s life. He was, indeed, a great man of faith – perhaps one of the greatest (see the commentary on Hebrews Cp – The Faith of Abraham). But like us, he also had his shortcomings. The story here is similar to that of Chapter 12 (see Dv – Now There Was a Famine in the Land and Abram Went Down to Egypt to Live).

Now Avraham moved on from the Oaks of Mamre, where he had live for twenty years, and the hill country of Judah, into the region of the Negev desert and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he temporarily stayed in Gerar, the capital city at that time of the land of the Philistines near the Egyptian border, and modern day Tell Abu Hureirah (20:1). This was a prosperous city, as revealed by archaeological excavations there, and it may be that Abraham has some kind of business dealings in mind. The city controlled a lucrative caravan route and by this time Abraham was a wealthy and powerful chieftain.³³¹ Or maybe the view of the plain and the constant reminder of the ruin was too much to bear.

And while staying in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah: She is my sister. I hate to say it, but it seems that in this instance, Abraham was more concerned about himself than his wife. He was afraid that if Abimelech knew Sarah was his wife, he would kill him in order to marry her. This was not a question of being caught off guard. This was the recurrence of an old sin. Long ago in Egypt he had followed the same wicked course (12:13). However, this was twenty-five years later. Since then he had built an altar to the LORD, conquered Chedorlaomer and the four kings of the east, had been blessed by Melchizedek the priest of the Most High God, had refused the offer of the King of Sodom to be enriched by him, and received great revelations and promises from God.³³²  But this was the second time he did this! No wonder ADONAI was dealing with him!

Scripture impartially relates both the failings and the virtues of its heroes. Sometimes, it is more encouraging for us to see that such a man of faith did not always exercise it. We, too, do not always walk in the Spirit. It is helpful to see how the Lord allows other believers to grow, especially such a one as Abraham. Thus, the Scripture is true when it reminds us: So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment – that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement – and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

This is the last test where Abram totally failed. First, he stayed in Haran when he should have gone to the Promised Land (11:31b). Secondly, he left the land of Canaan and went to Egypt. Thirdly, Abram listened to his wife instead of waiting on the LORD, which resulted in the birth of Ishmael and untold problems (16:1-16). And fourthly, here, his lapse of faith continued as he refused to trust ADONAI for his and his wife’s safekeeping when he lied again to Abimelech (20:1-18).

Hundreds of times in Scripture we are told not to be afraid. But how can we help it? If someone we love is in danger, if awful possibilities constantly present themselves, what are we to do? Then King David gives the answer: When I am afraid, I will trust in You (Psalm 56:3). He brings the two conflicting powers, emotion and will, into a single verse. He’s a realist. He does not deny the feeling, but he doesn’t let that govern his life either, or drain the energy God gives for his work. He feels one thing and does another. He applies the antidote. I think the best way to do that is simply to offer up to the Lord each fear as it comes, and pray for grace to go on peacefully doing the work He has given us to do.³³³

At that time, Abimelech King of Gerar, ruled the land of the Philistines, who were the descendents of Ham (10:14). The word Abimelech was not a proper name, it is merely a title of the King of Gerar. Just like the term pharaoh was not a proper name, but the title of the king of Egypt. When Abraham entered the land, he knew little about the people who live there, but it didn’t take too long for him to realize they were an ungodly lot. The old fears he had experienced in Egypt suddenly returned. Once again, they agreed that Sarah would be passed off as his sister, rather than his wife, for the same reason as before.

Sarah was ninety years old and it is surprising that in her old age she was still so attractive that kings desired her. Or possibly Abimelech viewed her as of political value, since Abraham was a powerful and rich chieftain. The king already had a harem and, as was the custom in those days, kings had a right to take any woman they might choose into their harems, whether for sexual or political motives.³³⁴ But for whatever reason, he sent for Sarah and took her (20:2). By repeating this sin, Avraham, once again, endangered the birth of Isaac. But God was not caught off guard. He never is.

Abraham and Abimelech
20: 1-18

On the surface, it would seem that this chapter is one of the most difficult chapters in the Bible to understand. The narrative is simple enough to understand. But how could Abraham and Sarah, at this time in their lives, repeat the exact sin they committed before in Egypt? This was not the fall of a young and inexperienced disciple. It might have been understandable in those days before their faith had been fully tested and the LORD’s faithfulness confirmed. But how could they do it now? Over and over again, they had seen many wonderful answers to their prayers, many miraculous proofs of ADONAI’s care and protection. Their faith had stood many tests, and God had never failed them. And now, finally, they were about to have their long-promised son! How could they? ³³⁰

But when we look deeper, we learn that this same distasteful story is put here for a very important reason. Avraham and Sarah are going to have to deal with this sin before they can have Isaac, before they can have the blessing. And it is the same for you and me. Until we are willing to deal with the sin in our lives, there will be no blessing for us either. After reading this section, you will be convinced more than ever that Abraham really is the father of us all (Romans 4:16b).

This is the last of the tests where Abraham fell flat on his face. First, he stayed in Hebron when he should have gone to the Promised Land (11:31b). Secondly, he left Palestine and went to Egypt. Thirdly, he listened to his wife instead of waiting on ADONAI, which resulted in the birth of Ishmael and untold problems (16:1-16). And fourthly, here, his lapse of faith continued as he refused to trust the LORD for his and his wife’s safe keeping when he lied to Abimelech (20:1-18). But these failures were to prepare him for the greatest test in his life, one that he would pass with flying colors.

Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine,
and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line
19: 30-38

Let’s get our father to drink wine, and then lie with him to preserve our family line DIG: At what point did Lot lose his dignity and his moral compass? Why do you think the name of God is absent from this section?

REFLECT: What bothers you about this story: The drinking? The deception? Incest? Children of alcoholics suffer from the sin and sickness of others. Lot’s family may have. Where among your friends or family have you seen this to be the case? What about Lot’s story, or your own, moves you to live differently? 

The sin of Sodom ends up with the sin of Lot and the origin of two nations that will be the enemy of Isra’el until the Lord comes back. Lot and his two daughters didn’t stay in Zoar too long. Since Sodom and Gomorrah were south of them, and Admah and Zeboiim north of them, they were right in the middle of the devastation.³²⁷  In all likelihood, at some point Lot realized that the people of Zoar were guilty of the same sin as those of the other four cities. Thus, God might still destroy Zoar as well. So they settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters left Zoar and lived in a cave (19:30). Lot went from a rich nomad, to a city dweller, to a cave man. His bad choices had reduced him to poverty.

What was left of the family was still influenced by their life in Sodom. Earlier in 19:6-8, Lot was willing to use his two daughters for sexual advantage; now, when their chance comes, they didn’t hesitate to use him. They had mutual disrespect for each other; first he used them, then the roles were reversed. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old and his time is running out to produce sons, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth” (19:31). The daughters have no husband and Lot has no wife. In his old age Lot emerges as a pathetic figure. By contrast, Abraham is blessed by God in his old age (24:1) and is able to start a second family (25:1-3). Furthermore, it is said of Abraham, but not of Lot, that he died at a good old age, an old man and full of years (25:8).

Desperate and afraid, the daughters, thinking they were the sole survivors of their people, set out to preserve male descendants for themselves. Unaccustomed to walking by faith in God to meet their needs, they reasoned that the only possible solution was incest with their father. They knew that he would never willingly consent to their plan so they decided to get him drunk. It is interesting to note that, despite the loss of their possessions, they had managed to bring along some wine. I guess we all have our priorities. They probably rationalized that this would not be as bad as what their father had proposed concerning them and the men of Sodom. Also, there were as yet no actual scriptural ordinances against incest, and close marriages were not uncommon; so this could not have seemed as serious a crime to them as it is to us today. Eventually their own best thinking decided it was the only thing they could do under the circumstances (except to trust God, an idea which apparently never occurred to them at all). Therefore, they proceeded to go through with their plan.³²⁸

They said to themselves: Let’s get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father (19:32). This is situational ethics at its best. When incest becomes the greater good you know you’re in trouble. So while the daughters were taken out of Sodom, Sodom was not taken out of the daughters. As with Noah, drunkenness led to immorality (9:24).

That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. He was so drunk he did not realize he was having sex with his own daughter. The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I lay with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” People can always rationalize their sin into something positive. So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up (19:33-35). He was figuratively and literally in the dark, for he was in a cave and it was night. To be in a cave at night, and out of God’s will is about as dark a place as one can find.

So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. We are left with no response from Lot after his drunkenness. Did he eventually know about his new children and grandchildren? We do not know. Lot passes away into the darkness and oblivion that were his due. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab, which sounds like the Hebrew phrase: from father. The daughter has a son from the father. He is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi, which means son of my people. He is the father of the Ammonites to this very day as Moshe wrote Genesis (19:36-38). The last mention of the Ammonites was in the second century by Justin Martyr, who said they were very numerous. But sometime during the Roman period they were absorbed into Arab society and are no more.

Moab and Ammon were two nations that were east of Isra’el. Today Moab is northern Jordan and Ammon is central Jordan. They continue to be Israel’s enemies to this very day. But from this point on Lot disappears from the biblical record; he had no spiritual impact. Like Balaam, King Sha’ul and Solomon, Lot started out well, with every possible advantage, but they all ended their lives an utter failure. There is scarcely a life in the Bible that gives each believer more teaching on what to avoid than Lot. He lost everything but his own soul.

Lot’s biography is a series of tragic steps downward:³²⁹

● He left Ur and Haran with his uncle Abram to travel to an unknown location (12:1-5).

● When given the opportunity to choose the grazing area for his herds, he selfishly chose the fertile valley near Sodom (13:1-11).

● He pitched his tent on the outskirts of Sodom (13:12-13).

● He fit into the new community so well that he became a leader, even a judge who sat at the gate to give judgment on issues (19:1).

● Because he fit so well in the community, the men of Sodom did not hesitate to demand that he release his two guests for sexual purposes (10:4-5).

● Not wanting to give his guests to the sodomites, he offered his own virgin daughters instead (19:6-8).

● He tried to get his sons-in-law to escape the destruction of Sodom with his wife and daughters, but they took his warning as a big joke (19:12-14).

● Because he hesitated, angels had to drag him out of Sodom and told him to run to the mountains for safety (19:16-17).

● Continuing to compromise, Lot negotiated with the angels, seeking approval to stay closer to Sodom (19:18-22).

● Lot was afraid, so he hid in a cave with his daughters (19:30).

● Lot’s daughters got him drunk and used him to impregnate themselves (19:31-36).

● The sons born of the daughters become the Moabites and the Ammonites, enemies of Abraham’s descendants (19:37:38).

Where did Lot lose his dignity and moral compass? Not in big earthshaking decisions, but in making many small choices that left God out of his life.

The LORD Rained Down Burning Sulfur
on Sodom and Gomorrah
19: 23-29

The LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah DIG: How does Yeshua talk about homosexuality? In the Lord’s dealings with Avraham, Lot and Sodom(18:16 to 19:29), what do you learn about His character and purposes? About judgment and mercy for the righteous living a life of compromise? Abraham’s plea saved three people, whereas Lot’s plea was rejected by his son-in-laws and wife. Why do you think Abraham was able to exercise more influence than Lot on the people he loved? What can you learn about Jesus’ Second Coming from this section?

REFLECT: When have you hesitated to obey ADONAI because it might make you unpopular? What happened? What examples does Lot give you in trying to lead a godly life in a sinful society? Where has the Lord shown mercy in your life?

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land (19:23). Right up until the moment of their destruction, the men and women of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord (13:13). They had no idea the fate that awaited them. As in the days of Noah, the door to salvation had to be shut. Then ADONAI (God the Holy Spirit) rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah (see a video on the geological evidence that matches the Bible’s description of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah click here) from out of the sky (19:24a). To see a video on the modern day evidence of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning sulfur click here. Jesus would say later: The day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all (Luke 17:30). The LORD (the preincarnate  Messiah visible to Abraham on the earth) rained down judgment from the LORD (God the Father) out of the heavens (19:24b). This verse shows a plurality in the godhead. Because they do not believe in the trinity, the rabbis teach that the first ADONAI refers to the angel Gabriel and the second ADONAI refers to God. Other rabbis say it is God and His heavenly court. Both are simple ways of getting around the obvious. Jude tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 7).

In support of their position, apologists for the gay community often clam that Yeshua never talked about homosexuality. In doing so, they unwittingly or not, try to separate the Trinity, which is, of course, impossible. Yeshua was there as fire and sulfur rained down from heave and destroyed them all. In addition, we must never allow the Adversary and his demons to distract us from the fact that Messiah is the Word (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Af – The Memra of God) and He authored Genesis.

Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities – and also the vegetation in the land (19:25). The physical cities were destroyed, the people in those cities were destroyed and so was all the vegetation. Before the destruction, the plain was well watered, like the garden of Eden (13:10), but it continues to be a desert to this very day. Although only Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned here, the Lord overthrew all the cities but Bela. They were the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (14:8). The Greek term for overthrew is katastrophei, and is where we get the English word for catastrophe. And to show His grace, the city of Sodom will be restored in the messianic Kingdom. It will be a saved city, and a moral city (Ezeki’el 16:44-57).

But Lot’s wife looked back (19:26a). In the end, even Lot’s own wife was unwilling to be influenced by him. Jesus used her as an example when He said: On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:31-32)! Why in heaven’s name would Mrs. Lot look back? There are two reasons. First, she loved the comfortable life in Sodom. Her body walked out, but she surely left her heart there. We all have things and people on this earth that we don’t want to leave behind. But when the Lord comes back, leave them behind we will. The Bible teaches that whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left (Luke 17:33-35). Secondly, she looked back is simply that she did not believe the LORD. He had said leave the city and don’t look back. Lot believed the Lord and didn’t look back. But Mrs. Lot didn’t believe Him. She was not a believer and didn’t make it to safety. She was trapped and overcome by an eruption of molten materials and became a pillar of salt (19:26).³²⁴  This is a snapshot of those who turn their back on God (see my commentary on Hebrews Ci – If We Deliberately Keep on Sinning, No Sacrifice For Sins is Left).

Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he and the Lord had been talking the previous day. Avraham was obviously in awe of the spectacle before him. This is the only section in Genesis where Abraham appears but says nothing. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace (19:27-28). Upon seeing the columns of smoke rising from the city, Avraham can only conclude that the loss of life has been total. He had no way of knowing that his nephew and two great-nieces were still alive. Standing there, he believed that nobody had lived through the catastrophe. Of course, the narrator knows about the survivors and therefore we know it.³²⁵

Now it becomes clear why Lot was spared. He was delivered from this catastrophe because of the faithfulness of Abraham. So when Elohim, the God of creation and destruction, destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered the blood covenant that ADONAI had made with Avraham (see Eg – I Am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land). Remembered here does not mean that God forgot and then He remembered again. It means to remember in the sense of taking action on behalf of. And He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived (19:29). Thus Abraham saved his nephew for the second time; the first time by the sword (Chapter 14), and the second time by intercession (Chapter 18).

We are amazed at the mercy of ADONAI. From the sequence of events in Lot’s life, it might seem that he was not worth saving. Lot’s weaknesses amounted to wickedness, and yet again and again the Lord stayed with him, waited for him, pleaded with him, urged him and ultimately did not bring down fire from heaven until he was safely out of Sodom. Is there anything in this world so wonderful as the mercy that waits for us, follows us, guards our path, and short of making decisions for us, does everything to keep us from ruin?³²⁶

The Two Men said to Lot: Don’t Look Back
19: 12-22

The two men said to Lot: Don’t look back DIG: Why was it safe for Lot to venture out into the streets of Sodom? Does Lot hesitate to leave his condemned city? Why didn’t he have any influence on those closest to him? What did the angels finally have to do to get them out? Where did they flee to? What delayed the angels from destroying the cities of the plain? How is that a picture of the Rapture of the Church?

REFLECT: In parenting, it can be argued that more is “caught” than “taught.” How can a father’s compromise with the world affect his children? Since Yeshua said that life would go on as usual right up until the day He is revealed, how should this affect the way we live our lives now? How should this influence your ministry?

The Lord’s judgment was imminent. There was no turning back. The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here – sons-in-law, sons or daughters?” They pleaded: Is there anyone else in the city that belongs to you? Get them out of here (19:12). But there were none. There was no spiritual fruit while he was there in Sodom for all those years! In an atmosphere of emergency, the angels clearly announce their intentions. Lot’s family exodus needed to happen quickly, they said: Because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it (19:13).

Because the men of Sodom were stricken blind, it was safe for Lot to go out into the streets. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He begged: Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city! But his sons-in-law thought he was joking (19:14). They laughed at him. They ridiculed him. He had lived there for so long as one of them, without making any real difference, that they took his warning as a big joke. Long before that night, Lot had lost his credibility with the two men who were pledged to become members of his family. As a result, Lot’s two daughters, his sons-in-law, and all the other citizens of Sodom perished.³²⁰ This is a sober reminder to us all. When a father compromises with the world (First John 2:15-17; James 4:4), it may have deadly results within his own family.

With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot saying: Hurry! Take your wife and your two virgin daughters who are here in the house (the other two daughters were with their husbands), or you will be swept away when the city is punished. But when told to run for his life Lot hesitated, because his heart was still in Sodom. The angels’ order to Lot had no more impact on him than his command to his sons-in-law. He urged them to flee, but he wouldn’t go. So, the angels who had the appearance of men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them (19:15-16). This scene would always be a reminder of Lot, lingering and halting, being dragged to safety.³²¹

As soon as they had brought them out, the angels warned them, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain because the entire area is going to be destroyed! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” Again Lot tries to compromise. He said to them, “No, sirs, please” (19:17-18)! What a strange way of reacting when someone tells you that your life is in imminent danger.

He asks if he could only escape as far as Zoar, and gives two reasons for not wanting to go to the mountains. First he exaggerates the situation: Your servant has found favor in your eyes and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But believing that he didn’t have enough time to make it to the mountains, he says: this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Secondly, he continues to compromise: Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is so small, its inhabitants are but a few, so it can be left alone, since there cannot be many sinners in it. Let me flee to it – it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared (19:19-20). The irony of the whole situation is that ruin is about to strike Sodom, and Lot is arguing about the escape route! First he hesitates about leaving Sodom, then he speculated whether he had time enough to flee.³²²

Through the angels, the Lord granted Lot his wish and said: Very well, I will grant this request, too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of . It is implied that except for Lot’s request, they were going to destroy it also. It was only spared because Lot was there. Once again we have a display of the Lord’s grace toward Lot. But the angel said to flee there quickly, because he cannot do anything until Lot reached it. At that point the town was called Zoar (19:21-22). In the Hebrew text there is a play upon words. The Hebrew word for little or small is meitzar and Zoar in Hebrew is actually tzoar. The tzoar is meitzar. The original name of the city was Bela (14:8). Therefore, Bela became the only city of the five cities of the plain to survive the destruction, and this was only because of Lot’s intercession. It is interesting that he actually ended up in the mountains where the Lord told him to go in the first place. Like the Rapture of the Church (see my commentary on Revelation By – The Rapture of the Church), when wrath comes, the Lord, who rescues us from the coming wrath (First Thessalonians 1:10), cannot do anything until we are out of harm’s way (Revelation 3:10).

They couldn’t go on with their mission as long as Lot was there. Why? Because Lot was a righteous man (Second Peter 2:7). His abhorrence for the sin of those around him was a sure indicator that he was a believer (Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Romans 12:9). At times, Lot might have been materialistic and morally weak, but he did not want any part of the filthy lives of lawless men. For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard (2 Peter 2:7-8). He was a mess in many ways; however, like Noah and his family, Lot stood against the sin of his day and refused to follow demonic doctrines and immoral practices that permeated ancient society. By highlighting the salvation of Lot, the Spirit comforts the righteous of the TaNaKh, reminding them that they have nothing to fear.³²³

If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men and women from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment (Second Peter 2:9). Luke records the words of Jesus saying: It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:28-30).

Two Angels Arrived at Sodom in the Evening
19: 1-11

Two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening DIG: As Abraham did in 18:2-8, how does Lot show hospitality to these angelic visitors? What would have likely happened if Lot had not taken them in? In turn, what might have happened to Lot had it not been for the intervention of the two angels inside? How do you explain Lot’s distorted judgment and shocking compromise with his two daughters? What does this say about him? How does Jude use this account?

REFLECT: How does our society today compare with Sodom? Is it any less brazen? What do you think has prevented its total destruction? Can a believer live in Sodom and be unaffected? If bad company corrupts good character (First Corinthians 15:33), who do you need to be careful not to associate with?

ADONAI set out to render justice to two cities which were full of corruption. Notice, like the time of Noah, the divine sentence was not carried out immediately. Messiah’s two angelic companions were sent to Sodom ahead of Him. The sages notice they take leave of Abraham at noon, and arrived in Sodom in the evening! The fact is, however, that they were angels of mercy, and they delayed, thinking that perhaps Abraham might find something in their favor.

The rabbis teach that one angel came to destroy Sodom and the other came to rescue Lot, and the third angel returned to heaven. Remember, Jews do not believe that the third person was the Lord. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city (19:1a). So we have a progression. First, he lived in a tent outside the city (13:12), then he lived in a house inside Sodom (14:12), and here he was sitting in the gateway of the city. The ones who sat in the gateway of a city were the judges. So Lot not only moved to Sodom, he became an influential member of their city, giving his opinion on legal transactions. It seems that Lot said the right words, but his lifestyle proved that he was compromising with the wrong people.³¹⁵

When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground (19:1b). When the Lord’s messengers came to do His will, Lot suddenly found himself in an unbearable situation. He welcomed and entertained them as was the demands of his culture, just as Abraham had done in the previous chapter. Sirs he said: Please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet, as was the custom, and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning. No, they answered: We will spend the night in the square. But Lot knew the streets of Sodom were quite dangerous. There was enough decency in his character to try to intervene on their behalf.³¹⁶ Because he insisted so strongly, they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast (the first mention of unleavened bread in the Bible), and they ate (19:2-3). While they ate, the sin of Sodom was ready to be exposed.

The scene depicted next is almost unbelievable, for the true nature of Sodom’s sin is clearly seen. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house (19:4). The word that these two men were in the city had spread very quickly. This was not an obnoxious minority, they were all there, both young and old. But there was not one righteous man to protest.

They called to Lot in a not to subtle way: Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them (19:5). The name that has been put on this sin from that day to this is sodomy. Let there be no mistake about this. ADONAI hates homosexuality and says so in both Covenants. In the TaNaKh He says: Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; this is hateful, or detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; also see Judges 19:16-23; First Kings 14:24, 15:12 and Second Kings 23:7).

In the B’rit Chadashah the Ruach says that there are those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie (see Romans 1:18-25), and one of the lies is homosexuality. God says that even women have exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones (Romans 1:26-27, also see First Corinthians 6:9-11 and First Timothy 1:8-10). But even with the clear teaching of Scripture, some people still think that they can sin with impunity. Like the men of Sodom, homosexuals are getting more and more brazen in the world today. Jude uses them as an example of how life will be in the end times before the Lord returns to set up His Messianic Kingdom (see my commentary on Jude, to see link click Al – Like Sodom and Gomorrah, They Give Themselves Up to Sexual Immorality and Perversion). The godly standard, however, has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, it is important to remember that anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God, and it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (James 4:4; Hebrews 10:31).

Today gay theology starts with the undeniable truth that everyone, and in particular gay men and women, are included in God’s love. But then gay theology parts ways with the truth by its application. Like the men of Sodom, they preach a gospel of inclusiveness (Galatians 1:1-9). The gay church cannot tell this truth: While the gospel is for everyone and must be proclaimed to everyone, it does not include everyone. The ugly truth is that most will hear the gospel, but never accept it. In his book, The Triumph of Mockers, F. Connor Cason gives us four key scriptures from the teaching of Jesus to emphasize this point:

1. For I have come to turn a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:35-66). The gospel divides. The way between those who believe and submit and those who refuse is clear. This is the root of contention between the true believer and those who live a gay lifestyle and have not submitted to Jesus Christ. There will always be a conflict between true believers and the world around them.

2. A farmer went out to sow his seed . . . Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no moisture or root . . . other seed fell among the weeds, which grew up with it and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain (Mathew 13:3-7; Mark 4:3-7; Luke 8:5-7). This aspect of the gospel was so important that Messiah not only gave the parable, He went to great lengths to interpret it for His apostles. The conclusion? Some will hear and not believe. Some will not be included in the Kingdom. It is important to understand that this parable is not about the seed, the gospel, which is good, but about the heart of the hearer, which is hard. This is not an inclusive gospel, but a gospel that divides (First Peter 2:8).

3. When the young rabbi heard this, his face fell and he became very sad (I am sure it saddened Jesus as well). His hopes were dashed and his response was telling. He went away sad (but not sad enough to change) because he had great wealth (Mt 19:22; Mk 10:22; Lk 18:23). After this interaction with Jesus, this young man turned his back on the Son of God and the gospel He was preaching. This would still be the case.

4. Enter through the narrow gate. In Yeshua’s Kingdom, the gate to life is not easy, but narrow. But wide is the gate and broad is the way of the world that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Therefore, there are many people on their way through life, yet only a few on the more difficult way of Christ. But narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14 DBT). This teaching of Jesus is clearly not inclusive. In fact, it is just the opposite: only a few find it. So much for slogans and politically inspired theology.

Rabbi Sha’ul said: Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. And that is what these men of Sodom were doing, mocking ADONAI. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature he will reap destruction (Galatians 6:7-8a, also see Job 4:8; Proverbs 1:31-33 and Hosea 8:7, 10:12). The Bible calls homosexuality sin. There is no homosexual gene. That’s the big lie of today. If there were a gay gene then homosexuals wouldn’t have to take any responsibility for their depravity. How convenient, I wonder who thought that one up? They want to play the persecuted minority instead of facing their wickedness. Make no mistake, as we approach the last days this shameless, evil epidemic of homosexuality will do nothing but increase. Like the men of Sodom, they will force you to make a stand. I beg you to make your stand with God and His Word.

I would like to say a few words about forgiveness. Homosexuality is not the unforgiveable sin (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Em – Whoever Blasphemes Against the Holy Spirit Will Never Be Forgiven). But it must be seen as sin. This is not a civil rights issue; it is a sin issue. But don’t insist on a checklist of conditions that have to be met before they can be saved. Forget about changing them. That’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Just love them and do not retreat from the Word of God. Before the Lord can forgive anyone for their sins four things must happen.

First, sin must be seen clearly as sin. It cannot be rationalized away. People recovering from alcoholism talk about “a moment of clarity,” actually seeing or being fully aware that they are powerless over alcohol. When engaged in ongoing sin, there must be “a moment of spiritual clarity,” when sin is not sugarcoated, but seen for what it really is. And not only that, but it must be acknowledged that they are powerless over it and cannot escape it alone.

Second, sin must be confessed. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us (First John 1:8-10).

Third, sin must be repented of. Repentance means going in a different direction. It is as if you were walking in one direction and you turned right around and started walking in the other direction. So there needs to be a change of action. You don’t think about turning, you actually turn and walk in another direction. We all have sinful urges, but it doesn’t mean we have to act on them. We all must choose to believe God’s Word – then act on it. We must never forget that feelings are the caboose of our lives, not the engine.

And forth, a new pattern needs to be established. Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves: Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like (James 1:22-23). This is the evidence that God the Holy Spirit has changed us. We are not talking about perfection here, but holy living must become a pattern of your life.

The men of Sodom were haughty and did detestable things before God; therefore, He was about to destroy them (Ezeki’el 16:50). What the Bible calls wicked, believers must not condone. Don’t say that we have a primitive view of the LORD in Genesis, but that we have a more modern one today. Don’t say that the God of the TaNaKh was mean and vindictive, and the God of the New Covenant is gentle and forgiving. Don’t argue that, after all, Jesus associated with sinners. He sure did! But when He got through with them, He had changed them. The prostitute who came to Him was no longer in business. When she came to the Lord, she changed. The same thing happened to other sinners. A tax collector came to Him, and he left the tax collecting business. He gave up that which was crooked when he came to the Messiah. If you have come to the Anointed One, you will be changed. Many people say we are living in a new day and things have changed. That is true, we are living in a new day, but it just happens to be Sodom and Gomorrah all over again!³¹⁷

Then Lot became the mediator and went outside to meet the sodomites. He shut the door behind him to prevent any entry (19:6). He begged: No my friends (with friends like this, who needs enemies). Don’t do this wicked thing (19:7). He was offended on behalf of his guests and knew it was a sin, but his next statement showed the degree to which his thinking had been corrupted by living in Sodom. Peter tells us that for a righteous man, living among them day after day, he was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard (Second Peter 2:8). But even though he was righteous, their sin still had influenced him. Even though he was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (Second Peter 2:7), he stayed. My friend, you can’t swim in the toilet and come up smelling like a rose. Slowly, without even realizing it, he had been influenced by their sin. He thought he would have an effect on them, but they had corrupted him!

Today the gay rights movement teaches that the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah actually had to do with the sin of not being hospitable to guests. They knew they had to come up with some sort of answer and that was the best they could do. The Genesis account is very clear about the sin of homosexuality, but the gay church apologists of toady are still using this argument successfully.

Protecting one’s guests was part of hospitality, but the years of compromise had taken their toll. He pleaded: Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. Would Lot have ever said something like that when he was associated with Abraham? Never! But he went on. Please don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof” (19:8). It was tragic that the tradition of protecting those under his roof was more important to Lot than his duty to protect his two daughters. He was willing to offer them to the mob, but he was not willing to offer himself.³¹⁸ The angels’ visit had shattered the uneasy peace in which he had lived for far too long.³¹⁹

But these sodomites would not be held back! Get out of our way, they replied. And they said: This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them (19:9). They realized that Lot was judging them when he called their homosexual desires wicked. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, homosexuals become indignant when anyone dares to call their lifestyle wicked or sinful. Like the men of Sodom, they view their lifestyle as “normal” and there is nothing they won’t do to protect it. The homosexuals in Sodom would not compromise and neither will they today.

With one action, Lot’s best thinking had jeopardized his daughters, enraged the men of Sodom, and required his rescue by those he was trying to protect. But the men inside opened the door, reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door (19:10). At what point did Lot figure out who these guys really were?

Then the two angels struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness (19:11a). Outside of this verse, the word blindness is found only in Second Kings 6:18, where the LORD struck the Aramean army with blindness in order to save Elisha. It is a rare word that refers to partial blindness with mental confusion coming from distorted vision, so that they could not find the door (19:11b). They were so insistent upon their wickedness, so intent on homosexual lust, that even after being struck with blindness they still tried to get through the door to find the men inside.

They had become reprobate. Rabbi Sha’ul says it this way: Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Even women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion (Romans 1:26-27). Lot had been on the spiritual fence for far too long. It was time for him to make a decision. Would he stay or would he flee the wrath to come?

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
19: 1-29

The nighttime events of Chapter 19 present an obvious contrast with those of Chapter 18, which occurred in the bright noonday sun. The details in this chapter are as disturbing as the other was full of promise. The life of Lot was as fruitless as the life of Avraham was full of promise. The previous chapter ended with Abraham interceding for the righteous of Sodom and Gomorrah, whereas this chapter ends with drunken incest in a cave.

Unfortunately, we have both kinds among believers today, those living a fruitful life and those living a fruitless life. Fruitless believers are those who have really made a mess of their lives; they have gotten entirely out of the will of ADONAI. I would not suggest even for a moment that they have lost their salvation, but they sure have lost everything else. As Rabbi Sha’ul said, they are saved, but, as Lot would discover, only as one escaping through the flames (First Corinthians 3:15).³¹⁴

Abraham Intercedes
18: 22-33

Abraham intercedes DIG: Why is Abraham so bold when speaking with the Lord? Why is he so concerned about Sodom and Gomorrah? What part did Abraham have in this intercession? What part did the Lord have? In Avraham’s intercession, what do you admire enough to imitate? When God replies to Abraham, what do you find comforting? Discomforting?

REFLECT: Can righteous people make a difference in the world? For whom is the Lord calling you to intercede as Avraham did? Can you choose to believe in the righteousness of ADONAI even though your circumstances don’t seem to give evidence to your belief? How so?

When you read the Bible you are not reading for your pleasure. You need to read as if you were in a dialogue with the Writer. You are reading to argue and to try to understand. You are reading to ask questions and possibly to argue and dig deep into the text in order to answer the questions that the text opens up in your mind. Here with Abraham, we have a great example of this.

This is the first, and perhaps the most remarkable example of intercessory prayer in the entire Bible. Abraham was no doubt concerned about his nephew Lot and all the people he had rescued from the four kings who lived in Sodom (to see link click Ec – When Abram Heard Lot Had Been Taken Captive, He Went in Pursuit as far as Dan). Although he was well aware of their spiritual condition, he hoped that they would repent and turn to the Lord.

The subsequent verses reveal the dialogue of two friends deliberating with each other. In the end, we see that Abraham’s heart was one of compassion as he pleaded for the salvation of the righteous remnant in Sodom, if there were any to be found. We also see that Abraham understood God’s justice, since he did not argue with the fact that judgment needed to be carried out upon unrighteous Sodom. Abraham also passed this test with flying colors, for ADONAI considered Abraham His friend (Isaiah 41:8).

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Avraham remained standing before the Lord in human form (18:22). Then Abraham intercedes for the righteous in Sodom. He approached the Lord and said to Him, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked” (18:23)? Abraham’s great character is revealed by his intercession. It is striking that he does not mention Lot at all, but only prays for all the righteous in Sodom and on the plain. Earlier he had personally rescued these people, now he pleaded for them with the same boldness and urgency with which he had fought for them.

Avraham’s philosophical discussion with the Lord jars some readers. But his requests, though bold, were made with genuine humility and profound reverence.³¹⁰ He asked: What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it (18:24)?

The reason Abraham can appeal to the Lord’s righteousness is because he knows God’s character. He said: Far be it from You to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! This was really bothering him, and he finally asks the question we all ask at some point in our lives: Will not the Judge of all the earth do right (18:25)?

We all know the Bible doesn’t answer every specific question in our lives. Should we buy this house? Whom should I marry? What occupation should I pursue? And our theology does not provide answers for every question. But where the Bible is silent and the logic of our theology fails us, we still have a choice. We can choose to believe in the righteousness of ADONAI. Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is righteous? Of course He will. That is where our faith begins, being certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1b). We will never have all the information, and even if we did, we are not wise enough to apply it correctly to every situation. We need to believe, and let God be God.

Here, Abraham appeals to the Lord of righteousness, rather than His mercy. The Lord did not challenge the basis of His argument, but said to Abraham, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake” (18:26). If Messiah did indeed spare the city, it would only be for a time. The purpose for the delay would be to see if a righteous minority could have an impact in the city and turn it around. How small could the minority be and still have an impact? If Abraham is to be a channel of blessing to the world, could it not start here? The Lord agreed, “All right Abraham, you have made your point”. Six times Avraham intercedes for the wicked cities. He pleads again and again. Six times the Lord responded to His servant’s request.

But, can the righteous make a difference in the world? Some people say, “What can I do, I’m a nobody!” However, the fact is, righteous people have always been and will always be a minority. Still, individually and as the body of Christ, the Lord expects us to have an impact for righteousness in the world. There are plenty of examples. From Rabbi Sha’ul, to Martin Luther, to Mother Theresa, there are those who have refused to think they were too insignificant for God to use. Their impact came not because they were full of self-importance and thought themselves capable of big things, but because they humbly did what needed to be done. Understanding the task at hand, they boldly went about doing what the Lord led them to do. In most cases, an impact is not accomplished amidst great fanfare and does not necessarily enjoy popular support. Mother Teresa worked in virtual anonymity in the squalid conditions of the diseased and the destitute for decades before gaining the popular recognition and acclaim that she received in her last years. Martin Luther and other Reformers were met with official resistance that threatened their lives, their health and their welfare.³¹¹ But they continued on and made a difference and so can you.

ADONAI knows our needs before we ask. But He has set up the universe with this principle; we are to ask with the right motives and He will answer. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives (James 4:2-3a). He wants a relationship with us, and that includes our prayer life. Jesus said: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Mattityahu 7:7-8).

But Avraham suspects that there may not be fifty there so he spoke up again. He had a profound respect for ADONAI when he said: Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord. And even though he is God’s friend, he never allows himself to forget his true position of dependence on Him. Abraham acknowledges that he is nothing but dust and ashes (18:27). In Hebrew the phrase dust and ashes is a word play because they sound so much alike; dust is aphar, and ashes is epher.

Nowhere does Abraham challenge the Lord’s evaluation of Sodom’s moral filth. That was not up for debate. Nor at any time does he turn to Sodom to urge repentance.³¹² But he sure was persistent when he asked: What if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people? The preincarnate Christ replied: If I find forty-five there I will not destroy it (18:28).

Once again Avraham was very specific when he reduces the number further and said to Him, “What if only forty are found there?” The Lord responded and said: For the sake of forty, I will not do it (18:29).

Then Abraham, who really has some chutzpah, reduces the number by ten saying: May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there? Yeshua answered: I will not do it if I find thirty there (18:30).

Avraham, with a sense of earnestness, reduces the number again by ten and said to Him, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there.” Messiah replied to him, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it” (18:31).

Then Abraham made one last effort to reduce it by ten more and said: May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there? And the preincarnate Jesus answered positively: For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it (18:32). The rabbis teach that Abraham did not ask about a lesser number because, he argued, there were eight righteous persons at the Flood. It is important to remember that Avraham stopped asking before the Lord stopped giving.

Abraham thought he knew of at least ten righteous people in Sodom. There was Lot, his wife, their two sons (19:12), two married daughters and their husbands (19:14), and two unmarried daughters (19:8), a total of ten. Since these people were in only one city, perhaps Avraham reasoned that there would be the same number in each of the other four cities; so he interceded with the Lord to spare the cities if He could find fifty righteous people living in them. When He agreed, Abraham continued to pray, first for forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, then down to ten, the size of Lot’s family.

There is no way of knowing whether the Lord would have spared the city for, say, only four people, the number that actually was taken by the angels out of the city before fire fell from heaven. Abraham may not have been close enough in fellowship to Lot to realize that his own family members were largely unregenerate and were themselves part of the problem in Sodom. Or perhaps he did know this, and felt that his prayer would become totally selfish, focusing only on Lot himself if he carried it any further. At any rate, when the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He left, and Abraham returned home (18:33). Abraham assuredly did know that the judge of all the earth would do right.³¹³

In the end, the Lord answered Avraham’s prayer, though not exactly as he had prayed it. He did destroy Sodom and the cities of the plain with the people in it. Ezeki’el was right: The soul who sins is the one who will die (Ezeki’el 18:4b). But the Lord remembered Abraham when he rescued Lot (19:29), and the reason He rescued Lot was because of Lot’s relationship to Avraham. So sometimes ADONAI will not respond to our specific prayer requests, but He will respond to the desires behind those prayer requests.

Three important principles of righteousness become clearly evident from Chapter 18. First, the righteous will practice and teach the righteousness of ADONAI (18:19). Secondly, the basis for the request was the righteous character of God, not selfish aggrandizement (18:25b). And thirdly, a small number of righteous believers can have great influence. Only ten people would have been necessary to save an entire city (18:32). Let no one think his or her ministry is useless, regardless of how small a number is reached.