Marriage Must Begin With the Love of God

 Finding A Wife for Isaac

Book of Genesis Chapters 24 Through 26

The one thing Abraham realized and we to are to realize is, that it is just a great thing to be involved in the plan of God.

It is a great thing to be in the family of God and being left upon this earth to do the work He has assigned to us.

We must make the will of God for us to be our own will!

We should understand that God takes these little things that are so important in life and with them, teaches us the great mysteries of the Bible and the truth of His Word.

A marriage is of great concern to our Heavenly Father. 

A marriage that follows the Biblical design will be a lasting marriage and also teaches us the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Church.

Yes, the Church belongs to Jesus Christ. 

It astounds me that so many so-called churches have removed the Lord Jesus Christ and are no longer a part of God's Church and no longer married to the Lord Jesus Christ though they still claim to be and their members who have rejected the Word of God.

They reject the truth of Jesus.

They reject that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

They reject the truth of the Scriptures allowing man's law to take priority.

They reject the Virgin birth.

They reject the Cross.

Yet they claim to know the way to Heaven.

God cares who we marry and to marry is one of the great decisions we make in our lifetime.

A good marriage will be filled with love, joy, and peace just as our relationship with our Savior will be.

A marriage will be between one man and one woman and God decided their sex at birth.

A marriage to the wrong person will only bring heartache!

It was time for Isaac to get married.

*****Gen 24:1  And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 

Gen 24:2  And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 

Gen 24:3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 

Gen 24:4  But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

In the day of Abraham it was common for the parents to arrange the marriage of their children.

Abraham was 140 years old and Isaac was now 40 years old and mature.

Sarah, Isaac's mother had been dead for 3 years and Isaac still mourned for his mother.

We should understand that God has a time for us to think about marriage!

God is not involved but only in part, in the marriage of unbelievers.

Remember unbelievers do not know the Word of God nor do they respect the Word of God.

They are best described as those people who lived in the day of Noah before the flood destroyed them.

No doubt that Abraham had discussed these things of marriage with his son Isaac.

Abraham was insisting that Isaac would not marry a maid of the Canaanites.

We already know the Canaanites worshiped false gods and had wicked and immoral beliefs.

God had already destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and three more cities of the plain, and there had been no survivors.

It is probable that the remaining Canaanites did not realize why such a thing would happen and brushed it off as something natural.

This still happens today!

The world does not see the acts of God nor the miracles of God and brush them off as accidents or blame them on nature or other people, such as this Climate Change hoax that is blamed on humanity rather than the promises of God.

Certainly, the climate is changing and if people are worried about heat, they had better learn how to avoid Hell!

God has said things will get worse and we see it in plagues, in the climate, in wickedness, corruption, and immorality and the wickedness in high places.

We know Jehovah is righteous and it is the right thing to do to destroy unrighteousness, but only God has this knowledge to do so.

The Canaanites were a cursed people.

Gen 9:25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 

Abraham would never have chosen a daughter of the Canaanites!

To Abraham there was only one choice for Isaac this wife was to be chosen from Abraham's home country, the descendants of Noah's son Shem.

We used to have a tradition to swear an oath by laying our hand on the Holy Bible.

In the day of Abraham and oath was sworn by a hand upon the thigh.

It was a sacred thing and was not to be broken.

In our father’s day a handshake was as good as an oath!

Today you have to sign your name a hundred times just to get a loan.

As we follow the journey of this eldest servant, we will see another lesson in typology.

We will see this eldest servant as the Holy Spirit.

Isaac as the Messiah.

Abraham as Jehovah.

Rebekah as the Church, the gentile bride of Christ.

Abraham said to his servant that Jehovah would send His angel to guide him.

Abraham knew if his son was in the lineage to the Messiah, then Jehovah would be involved in his marriage!

One thing we should clearly understand, it is better not to marry than to enter into a bad marriage!

As Abraham instructed his servant, if the woman does not come willingly then Isaac will not marry her.

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Remember to be saved we must willingly give ourselves to the truth of God and repent from the ways of the world.

Believers should marry true believers or not marry at all!

*****Gen 24:10  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. 

Notice just as the Holy Spirit is God, just as God the Father and God the Son, this eldest servant had control of all the goods of Abraham.

The journey to Mesopotamia was as much as a 500-mile trip and it would take a lot of supplies to go and return from such a trip. 

It is the will of God that we marry a true believer, and we may have trouble finding one. It may take some time and we must be prepared for the journey.

If we are to find our soul mate, we must trust the Word of God and the Will of God and that He will lead us to that person who He has chosen for us.

In reality, it would be wise to not even date someone who does not meet these qualifications given by the Lord.

This servant came to the end of his journey, and he prayed for guidance.

*****Gen 24:11  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 

Gen 24:12  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 

We must always pray for the guidance of the Lord!

I fail in this myself and usually just dart off on my own.

What is God's promise?

Psa 32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 

What is our prayer?

Psa 119:133  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 

Psa 25:4  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 

What should I clearly understand? The promises of God.

Psa 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

And why not pray for good speed, remembering we must understand that God's timing is the best timing!

And why not pray before for specific things before we meet anyone who might be that perfect mate!

*****Gen 24:14  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 

This servant prayed to God for a sign.

We make huge mistakes when we do not pray before we choose a mate.

If God is not involved with us before our marriage, how do we expect to have a good marriage?

Notice how specific this prayer was.

This precious lady would be the one God had chosen for Isaac.

This precious lady would approach this servant of Abraham and ask him if he wanted a drink of water.

This precious lady would then draw water for his camels. This was in itself no easy task. A camel can easily drink 20 to 30 of more gallons of water and there were 10 camels.

It would be almost impossible to find a precious soul willing to do these things for a stranger, but nothing is too hard for God.

Her name was Rebekah, which means "she could ensnare you with her beauty".

*****Gen 24:15  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

Rebekah was one who, when she walked into the room, you could not take your eyes off of her.

Not just her beauty but her work ethic and friendliness.

Even before this servant said Amen, his prayer was answered!

Rebekah was God's choice to be the bride of Isaac!

I believe when we are men of sincere prayer, God will provide that soul mate for life.

It is not our custom today to send someone else to find us a wife, we must do this ourselves, but God must be involved!

We should still listen to our parents if they are godly parents.

We still need God and we still need prayer and God does not mind providing a wife for godly men!

Gen 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 

Pro 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. 

Ecc 4:9  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 

Ecc 4:10  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 

Ecc 4:11  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 

Ecc 4:12  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

1Pe 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 

And Rebekah was certainly beautiful.

*****Gen 24:16  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 

What is a virgin according to the Bible, a lady that has never been with a man in a sexual encounter!

Even though Rebekah was very fair to look upon, she did not stand still and allow this man she had just met to just gaze upon her.

Many today blessed with beauty take advantage of it in not so godly ways.

It is also very true, that beauty is only skin deep, and inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.

Being humble, courteous, with a charitable disposition will make us more pleasant to the eyes of those watching us and there is always someone watching us including the Lord.

These are the things that bring a reward from our Heavenly Father.

Mat 10:41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

Mat 10:42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Not part of our lesson but verse 21

Gen 24:21  And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 

Notice this servant was amazed at the things he was seeing as he had prayed.

As this servant questioned Rebekah, he found that she was from the family that Abraham had sent him seeking a wife for Isaac.

He then bowed his head and worshiped again amazed at the ways of God.

The only thing he did not know then was "if she were willing".

Like the Holy Spirit this servant showed Rebekah some of the treasures of choosing the truth of God.

Gen 24:22  And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 

We also see the secular side of this family.

Gen 24:30  And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. 

It is the lust of the eyes that got the attention of Laban, Rebekah's brother.

This servant of Abraham knew God had prospered his journey and it was not time to linger. 

*****Gen 24:56  And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 

When our prayers our answered such as this one from Abraham's servant it was not time to linger with unbelievers.

It was very clear, that God was involved in the things going on with this marriage of Rebekah to Isaac.

When we accept the gift of salvation then we must understand this is a new life, a living life.

We live in a dyeing world, but Heaven is a place of Glory.

The servant showed Rebekah and her family the riches of Abraham.

Gen 24:53  And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. 

When we give our dead life to the Living Savior, we obtain a new life!

Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 

Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God; 

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

We begin to prosper as we begin our journey with the Lord.

We must give ourselves willingly.

*****Gen 24:57  And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. 

Gen 24:58  And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

What are some great lessons we can learn from this simple story of seeking a wife for Isaac?

We must saturate our work for the Lord with prayer.

We must wait on the Lord for direction.

We must praise our Heavenly Father.

If we see Rebekah as that lost soul, then we must imagine her as someone who hears the Gospel.

She had to realize there was a great father reaching out to her.

He had only one son, His only begotten son and He was well beloved.

He was in search of a Gentile Bride amongst all of the world.

She would be the bride of His dear Son, forever and forever.

She was not worthy of such blessings.

This in typology is the way God calls us all.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

*****Gen 24:59  And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 

Gen 24:60  And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. 

What we see is that the journey home has begun.

As Rebekah has willingly given herself to Isaac even at a distance, she has consented to be his wife.

Each of us who have given ourselves to the Lord are now on our journey home.

Rebekah, a Gentile Bride, espoused to God's chosen son Isaac.

From Isaac would one day come the Messiah.

Rebekah, thou art also our sister!

Now that she was going to be a wife they prayed along the lines of God's blessings.

She would certainly be the mother of millions as every "Born Again" child of God adds to this number.

Without a doubt many of her seed will possess the gate of those who hate them as Israel entered into Canaan Land and forward into the Millennial Kingdom.

What had God promised Abraham?

Gen 22:16  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 

Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 

Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

*****Gen 24:61  And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 

As the bride to be began her journey, the servant began his journey home.

You see as we are the Bride of Christ, the Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus.

It may not always be a pleasant trip because we live in the world of our enemies, but we have no excuse for not enjoying it.

After all we are not going to Canaan Land, but we are going to Heaven, the true Promised Land.

The same land that Abraham was seeking and never found because he knew it was not of this earth.

Those who think Heaven will be upon this earth are wrong and foolish to believe that God would say He is giving us the best and then stop short of doing so.

1Co_2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

As Rebekah rode upon a camel, we ride upon the "Grace" of God.

2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Co_13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

The Holy Spirit will only lead us to the Bridegroom!

Joh_15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

*****Gen 24:62  And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. 

Gen 24:63  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 

Lahairoi means "the well of the Living God".

Jesus said 

Joh_Psa_42:2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

If we are not craving the water from the Living God, then we had better check our salvation.

Psa_84:2  My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psa_42:2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Isaac was dwelling near this well at this time waiting upon his wife to be and the Lord Jesus Christ is that well of "Living Water" and He will soon be coming to take us home to present His Bride to His heavenly Father.

Where is the best place to meditate? Near the well of Living Water.

What did Jesus teach the Samaritan woman?

Joh_4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Isaac could not have known the camels would be returning on this day.

Isaac was alone, still mourning the death of his mother who loved him so much. 

Isaac had been the only begotten son of Abraham and Sarah.

Isaac was the promised son!

Jesus said:

Mat_6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

On this day, this field in the evening time, near the well of Living Water, was the place where Isaac felt closest to the Lord.

We all need a place where we can meditate on our relationship with our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

No doubt one of the thoughts of Isaac was this wife his father had sent for and we can be sure he prayed over this matter and lo and behold to Isaac his prayer was answered.

Rebekah knew this thing also.

*****Gen 24:64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 

Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 

In those days it would have been unmannerly for Rebekah to remain seated when she saw Isaac walking. There was no exception even made for a woman. 

Rebekah would not even wait until the camel she was riding came to rest, but she lighted off the camel. She simply jumped off the camel which is taller than a horse in her excitement.

She quickly recovered her composure and covered herself with a veil.

I ask myself what will I be like when I first see Jesus?

Will I lose my composure as did Rebekah?

Will I regain my composure and show respect?

Will I fall on my face before the glory of the Living God?

In reality, I believe I will be in great fear until the Lord says, "peace be with you".

To be honest I believe the Lord God of this Universe will be waiting with open arms.

If we cannot be excited about going to Heaven, then something is wrong with us!

If we cannot be excited about being saved, then maybe we are not thinking right.

When we recover, we will remember we stand before a Holy God, who has loved us into His Own Home, and we will forever be welcome in His House!

Heaven will be a happy place, not solemn and gloomy!

Isaac wanted to know all the details of the journey of his bride.

Jesus will want to hear us describe our journey to Him for He will be just as excited as we will be.

*****Gen 24:66  And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 

Gen 24:67  And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. 

The Holy Spirit would not have saved all these details if they were not important!

It is love that filled the tent of Isaac.

It will be love that will fill the Temple of God in Heaven.

God will never love us less then He loves us now and he cannot love us more because He has that true love.

We are not lured into Heaven. Heaven is a place desired by both parties.

The Lord Jesus went back to Heaven to build us a mansion in His Father's House.

This is the truth of salvation!

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Jesus has given us the instructions on how to get to Heaven.

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

With the love of his wife, Isaac was comforted from the death of his mother Sarah.

As we live upon this earth there may be many of our loved ones who have gone on before us.

When we see all those in Heaven it will be a great comfort to see them again and then knowing we will never be separated from them again.

There will also be some that we loved who will not be there and we will be comforted by our Savior for those we will never see again.

Those who are married in a Christian home have a little taste of the relationship of the Bride of Christ to the Bridegroom Christ Himself, but we that know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior will experience the greatest life that exist when we get to Heaven.

I love you Jesus!

It has been worth every mile of the trip.

Amen.

The Promise of the Messiah

 The Son of Promise Is Born

Book of Genesis Chapters 21 through 23

We know it is the season of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We who study "typology" know that in the Book of Genesis the story of Isaac, born to Abraham and Sarah we see a lot of typology relating to Joseph, Mary and Jesus the Messiah.

Isaac is the son promised to Sarah just as Jesus was the son promised to Mary but more important Jesus the Messiah, was promised to all the world.

Isaac was the son of promise to Sarah and Abraham just as Jesus the Christ is the "promised" Messiah!

We may not understand "the fullness of time" as mentioned in the Scriptures but to Sarah, the end of those 9 months of carrying Isaac was the fullness of her time of pregnancy.

It was a great day for her, and the Lord did just as He had promised.

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to "the time of life"; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

It had been 25 years since God made His promise to Abraham about a son.

Another instance where we see God always keeps His promises and another promise fulfilled, when God showed up at the tent of Abraham and Sarah the day Isaac was born.

*****Gen 21:1  And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 

Gen 21:2  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, "at the set time" of which God had spoken to him. 

In all these things we see the "power" of God!

Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old and they were not like those who lived before the flood.

Sarah had baby Isaac exactly 9 months after the Lord said she would in Genesis 18.

The birth of Isaac was controlled by Jehovah from start to finish.

God keeps His promises, but we will always have to work with God's timetable, and He does not live by our timetable.

If we were as faithful as Jehovah, we would not have many problems in this life!

Our relationship with the Lord depends upon our own faithfulness!

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

It is our own faith in the promises of God that make our own life livable.

We learn how to endure the hardships of this life.

We grow stronger in our faith.

We learn to trust what the Lord tells us.

We pray and talk to the Lord more because we grow closer to Him!

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 

Abraham called his name Isaac.

*****Gen 21:3  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 

We have to know the Lord has a sense of humor when we see that Abraham was told to name his son Isaac.

The meaning of the name "Isaac" is "he laughed".

Both Sarah and Abraham laughed when the Lord confirmed that Sarah indeed would have a son in her old age and that Abraham would be the father of this promised son.

It would have to bring back precious memories every time Sarah called out to her son.

Abraham had considered his body to be dead and that of his wife Sarah, but just as God has said, He does the impossible.

I am glad that as a child of God, I never have to consider myself a dead man! 

I am alive in Christ Jesus, and when my loved ones think I am dead, I will be more alive than I could ever be upon this earth.

Then according to the Word of God Isaac was circumcised on his eighth day.

*****Gen 21:4  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 

Here is a study of the 8th day.

Why the 8th day? In Judaism, circumcision is considered a symbol of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. The act of circumcision is called “the bris”, which literally means “covenant.” One reason the circumcision is performed on the eighth day is so that if the newborn baby will have lived through a complete week which includes a Sabbath. Once the baby has experienced the “holiness” of a Sabbath, he may enter into the covenant of the Jewish people.

Another reason for the 8th day deals with blood clotting. Blood clotting is dependent on 3 factors: platelets, prothrombin, and vitamin K (which is responsible for prothrombin production and is produced by bacteria in the intestinal tract). Holt and McIntosh, in their classic work, Holt Pediatrics, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. … Hemorrhages at this time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination”.

It has been shown that it is on the fifth through the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K is present in adequate quantities for blood clotting.

On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin present is above 100 % of normal (the only day in the male’s life in which this will be normally be the case). Therefore, the 8th day is the perfect day to do the circumcision … when the Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak.

And once again the Bible reveals a great deal of scientific truth written hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years before being “discovered” by modern scientists.  Lanny Johnson

*****Gen 21:5  And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 

Abraham had reached a milestone in his life at 100 years old.

There can be little doubt that God had added some youth to this amazing couple in the Bible.

Another thing Abraham realized was that he was totally dependent upon God for everything.

What did Jesus teach us?

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Abraham realized this truth just as we must realize this truth!

We will never get to Heaven without the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know many other people reject this statement, but it is still Biblical Truth!

*****Gen 22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 

For Abraham to be that Patriarch that he would become, God decided he would need one more test.

The truth is just as Job said it: the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

To be a child of God, we must be willing to always put God first in our lives!

After waiting so long for his own child by his own wife he had loved for so many years, it could be that Abraham came to a standstill in his life and forgot his calling.

We do not know for sure why, but God tested Abraham one more time.

Abraham had sent Hagar and Ishmael away, something he did not really want to do.

Gen 21:11  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 

Ishmael was Abraham's son, but not Sarah's, but Abraham loved Ishmael as much as he did Isaac if not more.

Abraham obeyed the Lord and sent them away.

Abraham knew that he had surely sent Hagar and Ishmael to their death unless God intervened, which He did.

Now, would Abraham give up another son?

*****Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

We can only imagine what was going on in the mind of Abraham.

Just how much faith did he have in the promises of God?

What had God promised Abraham?

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

There was land:

Deu 30:1  And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 

Deu 30:2  And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 

Deu 30:3  That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 

Deu 30:4  If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 

Deu 30:5  And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 

Deu 30:6  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 

Deu 30:7  And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 

Deu 30:8  And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 

Deu 30:9  And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 

Deu 30:10  If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 

There was the seed:

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

There was the blessing:

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

To Abraham all these things depended on Isaac but in reality, all these things depended on Jehovah.

If Isaac was sacrificed, then in order for the Lord to continue His promise, then Isaac would have to be raised from the dead.

Is this the faith of Abraham that brought his righteousness. I believe a yes goes here.

*****Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 

As Abraham and Isaac climbed to the place of sacrifice, Isaac realized they had brought no lamb and he questioned his father.

As we study this passage, we will see one of the greatest types in the Bible, at least I think so.

Isaac, a type of Christ.

What was the mindset of Abraham?

Gen 22:5  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and "come again to you". 

Abraham knew he was to sacrifice his son Isaac, but in order for him to return to these he left behind with his son, then God would have to resurrect him from the dead.

In Abraham's mind this is exactly what God would do, so Abraham had full intention of being obedient to the command of God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.

I also believe Abraham recognized this place as the place of the skull, but many do not.

Mar 15:22  And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Joh 19:17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

It is also true that in this same area, the Temple of Solomon would be built on Mount Moriah.

2Ch 3:1  Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

What do we know about the death of Jesus?

Joh 19:17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

Jesus bore His own cross just as Isaac bore the wood to his own sacrifice.

What are some the lessons to the Church?

God wants the Church to know that the sacrifice of any human being, including aborted babies is wrong!

Say what they will, but babies are allowed to be sacrificed (aborted), because some foolish men and women think that there is not enough food to go around and that has never been true.

Eph_6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Why are the lockdowns, the face mask, the plague of Covid-19 itself allowed because of these same ones (wickedness in high places)!

Just today I saw where these same wicked people recommend for us to wear the face mask all of 2021 or another year, even if you take the vaccine. 

In other words the vaccine is no better than the face mask! What a joke! 

They want a great portion of our world to die off, especially the aged, and those who require much medical help and the weak.

We will wrestle against these things until the Lord returns to take us home or we die!

Isaac toted his own wood that was to be used to sacrifice him just a Jesus did!

*****Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide "himself a lamb" for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 

What a statement!

God wants to show a picture forever of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary. Calvary also means the place of the skull.

Remember Abraham knew in his heart that if he killed his only son Isaac that God would have to raise him from the dead to complete the promises He had made to him!

It took "three days" for Abraham to travel where he could see the place of sacrifice.

Abraham had to show immense faith in the truth of God and His promises.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 

Then Abraham spoke filled with the Holy Spirit and he said, "God Will Provide Himself A Lamb".

God Himself would be the sacrificial Lamb!

In reality Abraham did not know what God intended to do, he just knew to obey the Word of God.

God did just as He said He would do!

We who know these things will celebrate the Birth of our Savior knowing that He is the Sacrificial Lamb of God and He is God!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Immanuel means “God with us”.

*****Gen 22:9  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 

Gen 22:10  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 

Gen 22:11  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 

If that Angel had not called out to Abraham, he would have certainly sacrificed his only son. 

I believe that Angel to be the Lord because He always speaks with authority!

We should be able to see that Abraham did solemnly offer up the sacrifice of his son.

Abraham loved God enough to give Him all he had, and the most treasured of his things was his son.

Sounds familiar again.

1Jn_4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

We should ask ourselves, have we made an absolute surrender to the Living God?

Are we willing to give our life to Him?

Do we truly love God, like we say we do?

Are we totally surrendered to our God?

In all this did we see that Isaac gave himself obediently to his father, "Just as the Lord Jesus Christ did".

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 

Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

We should understand that God did not need for Isaac to be sacrificed.

God needed the heart of Abraham!

Here again we see Abraham as the example of the "Born Again" child of God.

We need to surrender to the will of God.

We also see God will never accept a human sacrifice!

God wants a living sacrifice!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies "a living sacrifice", holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Isaac became a living sacrifice! His death would have been meaningless!

God would have to provide Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice!

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

There would be a resurrection, but it would not be Isaac!

God provided a substitute for Isaac!

*****Gen 22:12  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 

Gen 22:13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 

Gen 22:14  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 

We should understand that God, the true God, the Living God, will never ask for a human sacrifice!

Those who condemn this passage in the Scriptures are fools and miss the truth of it!

It is false religion that demands human sacrifice!

It is false religion that is the factor behind abortion and the sacrifice of innocent babies, even before they are born. 

This is sold as the freedom of women to choose which is another joke on humanity!

The false gods of Moloch and Chemosh, are still around today.

It is the triumph of Abraham's faith that is the theme of this passage.

It is the example of Messiah that is the theme of this passage.

We should ask ourselves, does God approve us as He did Abraham?

We should ask ourselves, have we accepted the Messiah as our substitute?

We must realize, God has no pleasure in our suffering or in our death!

What did Peter teach us?

1Pe 2:3  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 

1Pe 2:4  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 

Jehovah-jireh means, “God will provide”.

God, the true God has provided everything we need to restore our relationship with Him.

Just as with Abraham, our relationship is bound up with our faith in the Word of God!

God will provide! Today we call it "Grace"!

Thank you for your mercy my Heavenly Father.

Amen

God's Judgment the Immorality of Sodomites

 Judgment Upon Evil Cities

Book of Genesis Chapters 18 through 20

Today we will see that lightening is not the true fire of God, but the true fire of God is seen in the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah!

We must know that our personal choices bring consequences and some of those consequences can be very severe.

We must know that every person who ends up in Hell made a deliberate choice to be there, when they rejected the Word of God which states the consequences of sin plainly and earnestly.

God's hatred for sin is universal but God's love for people is also universal!

I had this thought yesterday. I just wonder just how many pages in the Lamb's Book of Life will be empty because of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know for certain that there will be none because we have an All-Knowing God, but If I had prepared that Book, I would have had enough pages to accommodate most of the world because I would never have thought so many would be foolish enough to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as the truth of salvation.

Knowing what I know now, my book would be full of empty pages, spaces where your name could have been written in.

There is no sin that the Blood of Jesus cannot take away and a full pardon granted!

We must clearly understand that because God is Holy, He must "judge" all that is unholy!

If God did not do this, then He would no longer be Holy Himself!

"Judgment" is the necessary expression of the "Righteous Character of God"!

All these things being true, God will be fair in His "Judgment"!

Rom 2:2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 

God has pronounced "Judgment" in every Age!

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

This being true, it still is not the "Final Judgment"!

The "Final Judgment" begins at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is still in our future!

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Let us begin.

*****Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 

Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.   

From this one Scripture, we can see that there was much turmoil in Sodom and the few that remained who rejected the gay lifestyle were making their voices heard and God was listening.

No doubt they had been martyred, because it is the blood that cries out to God after a murder.

Sodom was not a good place to live and there were no children living there. 

We know this because young children are innocent, and the Lord did not find any that were innocent in Sodom, except for Lot when He destroyed that wicked city.

All around Sodom the blessings of God could be seen but this would soon change.

All the grazing land and beautiful gardens would soon be a desert wilderness.

Wickedness and sin will ruin even nature and we see this all around the world today.

We can easily see that the Lord values those who are righteous!

If as many as 10 righteous people had been in Sodom that wicked city would have been spared, which also shows us the power of 10 righteous people in any wicked city to make things better.

But there was only one righteous man Lot and his two virgin daughters were saved even though the minds of those two girls had been corrupted.

God did not have to come down from Heaven because He is all-knowing.

God came down to show the Christian that He will always take a firsthand look before He will cause such destruction.

It would take at least 2 righteous witnesses so God the Heavenly Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit count as 3 witnesses.

It was the Triune God who came to be sure no righteous person would be harmed.

We must understand that God is willing to show mercy right up to the time He causes destruction!

*****Gen 18:22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 

We know the Bible says that there were three men who appeared to Abraham.

Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 

One of them had to be the Lord Jesus Christ before He was known as Jesus. We call this a "theophany".

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 

Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 

So, it was only 2 angels that appeared as humans who went onward to Sodom.

Abraham went to talk to the Lord who stayed behind a little longer to assure Abraham.

*****Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 

Those who read these Scriptures may say this was only a man or an angel, but Abraham knew exactly who He was speaking to.

No angel has the power to do destruction upon this earth unless that command comes for the Almighty God!

Abraham loved the Lord but just like Job, he did not really know all the heart of God and our merciful God took the time to assure His child of the truth.

The truth is our God hates sin and says it over and over, but he has no hatred for the sinner.

God will never destroy a righteous soul but all those who reject the truth of God and cling to their sin will one day find themselves without a Savior!

Lot was wrong to have allowed himself and his family to be drawn into the wickedness of Sodom, but Lot had not been a part of that sin and clung to his righteousness.

Once we are "justified" by the Lord that means we will never be "judged" again by the Lord!

It is "Grace" that keeps us saved, but we must still repent of our sin daily and pray for forgiveness to show the Lord we love Him!

Luke 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

There is no reason upon this earth that we should ever stop praying!

Prayer is talking to the Lord just like Abraham is talking to the Lord in this passage of Scripture.

The closer we draw near to the Lord the better those prayers will be!

Abraham was being an "intercessor" and we can learn many lessons in this passage about the work of the intercessor.

Abraham was aware that Lot was a righteous man even though he was wrong in placing his family in such a situation.

It maybe that Abraham could not believe that all the others in Sodom were unrighteous, but they were.

As Christians we had that same thought in our recent elections! 

We could not believe there were so many corrupt politicians who had so many people willing to vote for them.

I still cannot fathom this thing as a reality. I live in a much-divided nation, many who have been brainwashed in our schools of higher learning.

I pray reality will set in, when they see their politicians were all liars and socialist mixed with communist with specific agendas.

God will never destroy the righteous with the wicked.

*****Gen 18:25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 

Gen 18:26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 

Notice Abraham is not asking for "Grace".

Abraham wanted to be sure that the "judgment" of God matched His Divine Righteousness.

God could not be "righteous" and destroy the righteous along with the wicked!

Jehovah was not unrighteous then, to do such a thing and He has never changed His position.

How could we ever trust such a God, who would do such a thing?

This is the whole purpose of the "Rapture" of the Church, for God to remove the "righteous" before He destroys the wicked!

As humans we do not see what God sees, and again, we cannot imagine that an entire city could be corrupt, but I am afraid this last election burst that bubble.

Even our capitol city Washington may be the most corrupt of them all.

Right can never prevail if our God does not allow it!

You see the innocent will never be consumed with the overthrow of those who do evil.

There is no doubt that the "Judge of the entire world" is the Lord Jesus Christ because all power of our Heavenly Father has been given to Him.

Mat_28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 

Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 

It is Jehovah who has supreme authority over this created world.

Not Satan

Not Allah

Not any other false god.

Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 

Then the Lord of "mercy" listens to the words of Abraham, already knowing what He will do.

To Abraham this was answered prayer!

*****Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 

We see that Lot had forsook looking for the Promised Land and settled for a city with the bright lights of wickedness.

Lot gave up his tent which made him a pilgrim and settled for what the world had to offer.

Lot had not lost his salvation, but he had forsook seeking a personal relationship with the Lord.

Lot knew how wicked it was in the city of Sodom.

Lot had also witnessed the immorality in this wicked city.

We now see that those two men who traveled with the Lord were actually angels.

As they approached Sodom, Lot saw them and knew that they were in danger if they came into Sodom especially late in the evening as it was.

Lot sitting at the gates of the city tells us he had become a leader in that city, he had not been a good witness, but he still had his inner goodness.

Most all city business was conducted at the gates of the city in those days.

Lot would have been considered a rich man in that city.

Lot stopped these two angels, not knowing they were angels, thinking they were only men.

*****Gen 19:2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 

These two angels may have tested the hospitality of Lot and no doubt they would have been safe in the street but that was not part of the plan.

In many cities in that day, these two angels even as men would have been perfectly safe.

The Lord to be kind to the stranger.

The one thing Lot knew is no man was safe on the streets of Sodom and nighttime.

We are finding that our own streets in America are becoming unsafe at nighttime and even in the daytime, as wickedness has increased in our nation.

Look at Chicago where no one has been able to stop the murder and mayhem in that city.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities had already been set.

The only thing left to do was to get the righteous out of the city which was Lot, and he would have been allowed to take his family but the gay son in laws would not believe and their marriage was non-existent as those two daughters were still virgin as we will see.

The message of these two angels is the same message we should have for the lost today.

"You can only escape with your lives by Jesus Christ"

*****Gen 19:3  And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 

Gen 19:4  But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 

Gen 19:5  And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 

Lot knew that the filth on the streets of Sodom could not be washed away like the dirt upon the feet of these two traveling men who were really angels come to remove the righteous.

As the meal ended and night came, the wicked immoral men of Sodom could sense the purity of God's angels and they came for them.

We can never understand how a righteous man could live in such filth, yet we see the compromising of the Word of God every day in our cites and in many churches.

We will see that these things took their toll on Lot and his family.

We can also see why Sodom had to be destroyed. It is because sin had become so grievous!

Today we see parents dictating to the child what sex they should be.

Encouraging them while just children to undergo surgeries in an attempt to transform their sexuality.

We see judges take children away from parents who try to stop their children from making these mistakes and making these decisions while they are too young to make these mistakes.

We see so-called counselors teaching children that they can decide their sex when their body says differently.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and He will destroy this world we live in just as He says!

Sin in this world has become grievous!

I know God would never have allowed these angels to give in to these wicked men, but we can also be sure that these men had no fear of God.

And to show us why the word Sodomy came about, Lot offered his two virgin daughters who were actually married to two men from Sodom, but they were rejected.

What do we know?

Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 

Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 

Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 

Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 

Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

These inhabitants of Canaan Land were the worst of the population of Canaan, but the rest were not much better, but God gave them until the time of Israel before they were destroyed but the land was saved.

The land of Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities became wilderness and tar pits useless land.

Lot went out to talk with these men.

*****Gen 19:6  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 

Gen 19:7  And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 

Again I ask myself, what was in Sodom that caused Lot to stay there with his family. He knew how wicked these men were.

The Apostle Peter put it like this.

2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 

2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 

2Pe 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 

2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of the sin, that will cause God to destroy this world we live in today.

We see all these things today in America!

Lot was an example of how God will remove His righteous people, even those who have vexed their soul by living among such sin compromising the Word of God.

The soul of Lot was afflicted, while he suffered grief and distress, because Lot stayed because of his family.

His wife loved the bright lights and big city feel of Sodom.

His daughters had met men they for some reason married, but they were unable to change their ways, which is another type in the Word of God.

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 

2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

While being married these two young ladies had remained virgins and returned home to live with their parents.

The angels caused blindness to happen to these wicked men and the night was spent in quietness.

They pulled Lot back into the house before he was injured.

Lot went out to speak to his sons in law, but they just laughed at him in unbelief.

In the morning these two angels urged Lot to take his family and get out of Sodom.

In fact they had to take Lot and his family by the hand and lead them out of Sodom.

Lot still argued with them for a time until he saw the hand of God bring destruction.

*****Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 

Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 

You want to see typology? This is an example of the coming destruction of this place we call Earth.

You want to see the true fire of God? It is not lightning though lightening is His creation.

There may be another reason we are experiencing Global Warming! It is not man-made!

God rained brimstone and fire down upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

The truth is sulfur is found in almost every region of this earth, and it is inflammable.

It is especially abundant near volcanoes and mineral wells.

Bitumen a substance that is mentioned as slime and other names, was used to make bricks, it coated the Ark of Noah and the Ark of Moses and it to, is flammable.

It hardens when exposed to air. When it is fluid it forms naphtha. It becomes oil as it thickens. The next stage is as asphalt.

The igniter of that day was sin. The igniter today is sin.

God rained brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah and then ignited it and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities of that plain.

There were no survivors!

It seems possible that God triggered an earthquake along that fault line in that day and what He used to trigger it can be used at any time and at anywhere else in this world or all over the entire world as He says in the Book of Revelation and even here in the Book of the beginnings it is said that God will destroy this world with fire and not use a flood again,

Job 1:16  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

Eze 38:22  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 

Eze 38:23  Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

Psa 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 

Psa 11:7  For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. 

Psa 18:12  At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 

Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 

Isa 29:6  Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 

Isa 30:30  And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. 

Say you do not believe what the Lord says, then trust in yourself and you will find these same things in Hell!

When this Scripture says God overthrew these cities that word "overthrow" gives us the idea of a people standing against the Lord, standing up in His face, cursing Him, standing up in their immorality, in their lawlessness, in their rebellion, daring God to do something about it.

We are fools to test God!

They were fools to ignore the truth of God!

Today this world is foolish to ignore the Word of God!

The day is coming and prophesied, when Jehovah will overthrow all the cities upon this Earth, when He "judges" the sin, and wickedness, and evilness, and the immorality and the corruption that exist today and getting worse.

I have been "judged" and "justified" and you can be too if you give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do not wait until the "Fire of God" comes in "judgment"!

*****Gen 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 

When it comes time to be saved from the wrath of God, it is not time look keep that yearning to sin.

When with world becomes as the world of Noah full of sin and wickedness, God will destroy it again.

Before God begins His wrath upon the unrighteous, God will first place the righteous of Israel in a safe place all this according to Scripture.

Rev_12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The Lord Jesus explains it like this:

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 

Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 

Luk 17:31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

Then our Savior added these three words:

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot's wife. 

It will not be time to look back on what is left behind, it will be time for true Israel to escape with their lives.

Abraham awoke at peace with himself because he knew the Lord always does right!

*****Gen 19:27  And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 

Gen 19:28  And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 

Gen 19:29  And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. 

Abraham gave no thought to this thing because the Lord had promised that not one righteous person would be harmed.

Lot and his two daughters were saved because of the prayer of Abraham but the sin of Sodom was so engraved into their souls, that they could no longer think right.

Lot turned to alcohol and destroyed his own life even though his soul was saved.

Those two daughters were so messed up they did not understand the truth of God and sin just multiplied in their own lives.

In reality Lot was not a witness for the truth of God instead he damaged and shamed God's name.

He was a disgrace to others who trust the Lord.

He was a living hypocrite!

His only good was that he did not partake in this immorality himself.

Lot was a useless witness, and he began to realize it, but it never says that he repented.

Amen

A Lapse of Faith

 Abraham's Tragic Lapse of Faith

Book of Genesis Chapters 16; 17

We could change the title this lesson to "God Does Not need Our Help to Fulfill His Promises".

The one most important thing to consider is that God will never fail in keeping His promises!

The second most important thing to consider is that God works according to His own timeline and not ours!

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us who have called upon Jesus Christ to save us.

In Abraham's day, righteousness came by his faith and faith is still the key to our relationship with our Heavenly Father today.

It can be said that we are our own worst enemy most all the time.

When we believe that God has put all the processes in our world in place and just allows them to run their course, then we are wrong.

If this were true, then our prayers would not bring results.

Certainly, God has put many processes in place, but the fact remains that our Lord also has His hands on all of His creation.

Our Lord God Almighty has His hands on us who believe at all times or He could not be referred as being our Heavenly Father and He would not say we were His children!

The Lord has a perfect plan and has made many promises and God's plan and His promises will be completed just as He has stated and all we need do is to believe and act according to His perfect Word!

*****Gen 16:1  Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Today we will see the birth of the Arab nations and why there is so much hatred between the Arab nations and Israel.

If they would acknowledge these things, then there could be a true and lasting peace!

One of our greatest failures come because of our lack of patience.

Patience could be said to be a calm an unruffled temper in which we bear the evils of this life.

Believe me, we need a lot of patience to deal with this evil, corrupt, wicked and evil world!

Our faith tells us that Jehovah will never break a promise. Our lack of patience demands that we see those promises fulfilled in our lifetime.

Every believer knows that we will never die so we are selfish to think God will complete His promises in our lifetime.

God promised Abram a son by his wife Sarai, but Sarai had been barren for 75 years and she just could not believe she could have a child.

She was right in her thinking but wrong in placing limits on the power of God.

His power is unlimited!

In reality this was a lack of faith because the Lord had said Abram (Abraham) would have a child and that child would come by Sarai (Sarah).

Gen 15:4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 

We must understand to go against any part of the Word of God, no matter how small, will bring consequences, sometimes severe consequences as in the case of Abram.

Hagar was a slave girl given to Abram and Sarai during the time they spent in Egypt where Abram had made another mistake telling Pharaoh that Sarai was his sister which she was, but she was also his wife.

In the New Testament and in typology, Hagar would be a type of the Old Covenant, the Law and we know that the Law enslaves its followers.

Satan makes slaves. You would think that all who hate slavery would also hate Satan and his ways.

The children of Hagar were born into slavery and so is everyone who put themselves under the Law.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 

Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

That promise being salvation by "Grace". Sarah represents "Grace" and she is a type of Grace in the Bible.

So let us see these things.

*****Gen 16:2  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 

We should also understand that Sarai had always wanted children and was probably key to Abram bringing Lot with them as they traveled.

We should also realize that Abram was not sure if he were the cause or his wife was the cause of their lack of children.

Why was Sarai barren? If we study the Word of God, we will find that many people lived in certain circumstances so that in the future God could work a great miracle that would not have been believed otherwise.

Listen to Jesus:

Joh 9:1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 

Joh 9:2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him". 

God still does these things but most of them go unnoticed! Sarah would have fit into this category!

Sarai could not believe that she could have children, but she felt the promise of God to Abram was so important that it needed a little help to be fulfilled.

She gave these thought to her husband and he listened to her, much as Adam did to Eve and they both were proven wrong and their wrong were sin with severe consequences.

In fact she was so wrong it clouded her judgment.

God does not need our help He just commands us to obey, and He always does what He says He will do.

Had Sarai been right then we would not need God nor the Word of God because it would not be believable.

In fact God did not have to do any of these things, He could just have easily have been a tyrant, and voiced His commands.

*****Gen 16:3  And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 

We should also notice that Sarai never considered Hagar to be her slave but one of her maids.

Sarai gave Hagar to her husband, which in the eyes of God was also wrong though it was a custom of that day, for a man to have more than one wife.

1) So many today try to do things to help the Lord fulfill His promises and He does not need our help at all to do as He says He will do!

2) So many today try to conform to the customs of the place they live when God's law is for every where we live. We are never to act upon the laws of the world that go against the Word of God.

3) So many today feel like the end will justify the actions of today, when only one thing will work consistently, and this is obedience to the Word of God and "faith" that God will do as He says. Which He has proven to be true!

The Word of God proves these things to be true, over and over again if we would just show that true "faith"!

We should be very careful before acting upon the suggestions of others, when we are trying to be obedient to the Lord. 

What may seem right to many, may actually be wrong by the Word of God.

The world will never lead us to Jesus because the world hates Jesus because Jesus points out sin!

*****Gen 16:4  And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 

When we go against the Word of God bad things happen almost immediately.

Sarai wanted to be a part of God's plan for her husband, but she began to question God's promises, something we should never do.

She felt that she and her husband were already past child-bearing years and they were by todays medical standards, but nothing is impossible for God.

Mar 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, "but not with God': for with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37  "For with God nothing shall be impossible".

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which "it was impossible for God" to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

This is the reason there are no true atheists, they are afraid of the promises of God, but so-called believers just do not always believe the Word of God as commanded!

What we have seen so far is that impatience leads to a collapse of "faith"!

Abram had been walking with the Lord for more than 10 years now and impatience brought temptation because of strong arguments from his wife.

Abram begin to question the Word of God.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. 

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 

Here we see we need the patience of Job! God "will never" break a promise He has made to us!

*****Gen 16:15  And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 

Gen 16:16  And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.  

Ishmael became the oldest son of Abram when he was born when Abram was 86 years old, but Ishmael was not the son promised of God!

Some of the things said of Ishmael even before he was born.

Verse 12: He will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man and every man's hand will be against him. He will dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The one group who fit this description today are the so-called Palestinians!

He was born at Mamre.

He was circumcised at the age of 13.

He grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward.

He knew how to insult, and he knew how to mock those around him, for no reason.

All these things happened because of the impatience of Sarah and Abram allowed them to take place.

God came back to Abram to assure him that His promise was real.

*****Gen 17:1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 

Gen 17:2  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

It was twelve years later that Jehovah returned to Abram with these words.

Abram had lived these 12 years thinking he was in the will of God but not so.

The truth is we all need to walk with God. Not Allah but Jehovah the true God!

Some of us may walk alone while many will walk in groups of others together, preferably all in one accord.

If we do not walk with the Lord, we will never be aware of His presence in our lives!

The Lord does what the Lord does every day, we can be a part of it, or we will be left out entirely!

If we strive to be perfect, our example being the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must walk before the Lord.

In other words we must do all we can do for the "Glory of God"!

We must live moment by moment in the presence of the Lord, aware that He has His loving eyes upon us at all times!

This is walking before the Lord!

We cannot be perfect in this life, but we are obligated to try our best.

Our effort means more to the Lord than the results and our effort works toward God's "Grace" in our lives!

1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 

Abram had been desperate to achieve what he thought God wanted, but Abram had fallen into the same trap that many may fall into today.

When God says He will do something, then we just need to accept it as fact and trust Him and go one with our lives in peace. 

God does not need our help to fulfill some promise He has made!

God made this covenant (contract) with Abram and all Abram had to do was to patiently wait on the Lord!

There was only one thing for Abram to do. Humbly go to the Lord.

*****Gen 17:3  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 

Gen 17:4  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 

We may sometimes wonder how God will do as He says and when we do this, we make God to be small with little power, but we serve a Great Big God, and we need to be aware of God's Awesomeness!

We serve an "AWESOME" God!

If we need to arouse our faith the best place to start is upon our knees!

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, we show Him that He is in charge of our lives, and our only wish is to have His will to be our will!

God reminded Abram that He had made this covenant with him and not to someone else and his age had nothing to do with it.

In fact, if God had given Abram his child at a young age, then Abram would not have felt the power of God to do as He wishes.

We can only give the Lord the sack of dirt that we are! We have nothing else meaningful to give to the Lord!

The covenant God made with Abram was of a "promised seed". Far beyond that of a human child, but of the Messiah!

This seed included the Messiah.

We must see Jesus throughout all the Old Testament for He is there.

The only way for Abram to see what the Lord was saying was to look through the Lord's eyes.

It would not hurt for us to do the same thing.

Find a place in the Scriptures and jump in and be one of the characters.

This new covenant would require a name change.

*****Gen 17:5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

The name Abram means "an exalted father".

The name Abraham means "father of a multitude".

God told Abraham he would not only be a great father, but he would be a father of a great multitude as the father of all those who have faith in the promises of God.

God also changed the name of Sarai to Sarah.

Sarai means "my princess".

Sarah means "the princess of a great multitude". Not just a princess, but the but the mother of the promised child and in this case a type of Mary the mother of Jesus the Christ (Messiah).

*****Gen 17:6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 

Gen 17:7  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 

Gen 17:8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 

This is not so much an expansion of God's covenant with Abraham but in reality, God just explaining the meaning of His covenant.

There will be descendants of Abraham upon this earth as long as this earth exists!

We see that Abraham becomes a person that God wants to have a close personal relationship with.

A type of each Christian today.

God established not only the Messiah but His followers as the "promised seed" and He would be God of the "promised seed".

That "promised seed" is all those who believe the Word of God, and the promises of God, as did Abraham and this belief is accounted to them for righteousness, just as it did Abraham.

This is what the Apostle Paul tried to teach the Jews who rebelled against such teaching.

The Covenant with Abraham is the foundation of our hope from which the riches of God, at the expense of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled!

This has been God's guide in dealing with us since the time of Abraham and will continue until the "Rapture" of the Church and the Millennial Kingdom for the Jews, who could have missed out on the wrath of God if only they had believed as did their patriarch Abraham, this also true for the Arab nations.

God separated the lands of the Jews and the Arab nations and even these would have worked better, if it not been for the descendants of the wild man Ishmael who still causes most of the problems in this area of the world.

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 

This covenant was sealed with a sign.

*****Gen 17:13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 

Gen 17:14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Circumcision was a special badge of God's chosen people Israel, not the Church!

The circumcision of the heart is the sign of God's chosen people the Church, all believers!

Rom 2:25  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 

Rom 2:26  Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 

Rom 2:27  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 

Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 

Again the Apostle Paul tried to explain these things, but the Jews remain blind to the Word of God as do most all of the world!

We can be sure that God never said that rites, rituals, or ordinances, bestow anything upon anyone, but are only signs of something that has already taken place.

Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 

Now God mentions Sarai, (Sarah).

*****Gen 17:15  And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 

Gen 17:16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 

We must understand to have a personal relationship with the Lord is to change our relationship with our family.

We will never know if Abram blamed Sarai for being childless. 

Abraham had already proven he could father a child, so it was Sarai who was barren.

If this was true, then God reassured Abraham that Sarah would be the mother of a multitude.

God gave Sarah a new name and the relationship of Sarah to Abraham was mended.

If Abraham believed all God's Word, then he would have to believe these words of God!

By the thinking of man this thing was impossible, but nothing is too hard for God!

We should notice that even with all the promises given to Abraham, one of those things was to treat his wife with respect and honor.

Our relationships with our family should be a priority after we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!

A Christian man must be head of his family, as Jesus Christ is Head of the Church!

Abraham may have had a little problem in believing this thing or he reacted with a laughter of delight, we will never know which one.

Jesus said Abraham acted with great delight.

*****Gen 17:17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 

Gen 17:18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 

Gen 17:19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 

We should believe Jesus!

Joh 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 

We should believe the Apostle Paul.

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 

It brings great joy when we realize God has done something in our lives that we did not expect!

Abraham did show his great love for Ishmael, but it would be the seed of Sarah by Abraham, Isaac, whom God's covenant would continue through.

It was Abraham who would name his only child by Sarah and his name would be Isaac.

Abraham may have thought his dreams would be fulfilled through Ishmael, but God had already said he would be a wild man, and this would have been out of God's will.

Those who are wild reject authority!

Abraham would have to pass his heritage down through Isaac as God had commanded.

Ishmael would also be blessed but not the "promised seed" so Islam is a false religion!

Note: We can arouse our "faith" by having a fresh stirring experience with the Lord, a refilling of the Holy Spirit daily, and a true walk before the Lord!

Amen