Genesis 17:1-27

Genesis Study 99

A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS

Genesis 17:1-27
Key verse 17:5
"No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."

Now 13 years had passed since Ishmael's birth. Abram was ninety-nine years old. The Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless." God Almighty has unlimited power. Out of nothing he made everything in the universe. He created light out of darkness and a living man out of lifeless clay. At his one word the land produced all kinds of vegetation and the water teemed with living creatures. The sky was filled with birds and the land with animals. It takes two or three years to complete a degree course. But God completed the creation of the whole universe just in six days!
Now God Almighty told Abram to walk before him and be blameless. Abram had been walking before Ishmael. Whenever Ishmael called him "Dad", he was happier than anyone. Abram used to dance with his son singing nursery rhymes. Every evening they went out to play cricket. When Ishmael got the first prize in his class Abram felt proud. Now Ishmael became 13 years old. Life was so smooth for Abram. But did God call Abram just for a happy family life? God called him to be a blessing for all peoples on earth.
God said in verse 2, "I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." The last moment Abram heard of God's covenant was about 20 years ago in chapter 15. So he had almost forgotten it. But God never forgets what he promises. God came to Abram to remind him of his covenant and renew his faith.
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations." Abram was satisfied to be a father of one son. But God wanted him to be the father of many nations in fact all nations. I am a father of two children. My father is a father of four children. My grandfather was a father of twelve children. But imagine life as a father of many nations. He will not have even one second for himself. His prayer should cover all nations. His care and concern should reach them all.
How could Abram be a father to all nations? How could he have such a big heart to embrace them all? Abram could never do that. But God Almighty can do that. God said in verse 5, "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." The name "Abram" means "an exalted father" or "a noble father". To be a noble father one does not need many children. One son is enough. But the name "Abraham" means "a father of many". He definitely needs many children and a big heart to embrace them. Mahatma Gandhi is known as the father of nation in India. He got this name after showing his fatherly love and concern for the nation. But Abraham showed his fatherly love only for one son. Even then God had made him a father of many nations.
After Adam's sin all mankind was lost in sin. They lost a way back to their heavenly Father. Many children expected perfect love from their fathers. In fact I did and you did. But we did not know that our fathers were spiritual orphans like us. Then God the Father planned to display his love for all his lost children. If Abraham lost his beloved son what would he do? He would search for the son until he found him. God wanted Abraham to have the same heart for all nations. Abraham's heart was still very small. Yet on that day God made old Abram dead and new Abraham born. If our concern is only for our families we are Abrams. But God has made us Abrahams. All nations are our sons and daughters. God has entrusted campus students in Bangalore and South India as our children. Without our love and care they will die of spiritual hunger. At present Abraham did not have a promised son. It sounds very awkward to call such person a father of many nations.
But God promised in verse 6. "I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you." As children inherit their father's estate many nations and their rulers will inherit Abraham's faith.
In verse 7, God established his covenant as an everlasting covenant between him and Abraham and Abraham's descendants to be their God. The word "covenant" has the meaning of "to bind together". Through his everlasting covenant God bound himself together with Abraham and all his descendants. Now they are one forever.
In verse 8, God gave the whole land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as an everlasting possession. The land signifies the everlasting kingdom of God. When we inherit Abraham's faith God will give us his kingdom as our everlasting possession. There we don't need to pay monthly rent because the whole kingdom is ours. How then can we inherit Abraham's faith? How did God help Abraham keep his faith?
In verses 9 and 10, God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised." A covenant is a kind of mutual agreement. After making a house agreement both the house owner and the tenant sign over it. Now God asked Abraham to sign his covenant not with a pen but through circumcision. Circumcision is to cut off a part of flesh. So it is very painful. Why did God ask Abraham to do that?
God said in verse 11, "You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you." God wanted to keep the sign of the covenant in Abraham's flesh so that he might never forget it. If we sign over a house agreement it means we are accepting all the terms and conditions written in it. In the same way if Abraham undergoes circumcision it means he is accepting all God has promised in the covenant. Abraham got Ishmael by relying on his flesh. But now God commanded him to cut off his flesh so as to hold God's covenant in his heart. Being a ninety-nine years old man it was very difficult to accept God's promise to have a son by his old and barren wife. So before cutting off his flesh he had to cut off his unbelief. He had loved Ishmael more than God. He wanted to remain as a father of only one son. So he had to cut off his small dream to be a father of many nations. Here we learn that heart circumcision should come before flesh circumcision.
God said to Abraham in verses 12 and 13. "For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant." God gave this command because he wanted all Abraham's descendants to live only by faith from their birth.
But what will happen if anyone refuses to obey this command? God said, "Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." No one will like to undergo painful circumcision. In fact heart circumcision is much more painful. Someone may say, "I am comfortable with my life. Why should I change it? Why should I cut off something I really like?" But when we do not cut off earthly things we will be cut off from God. And we have to undergo God's judgment and suffer in hell forever. Someone may say to God, "Lord, I was one of the members in Abraham's house. I know him very well. He taught me about you." But God will ask him, "Friend, have you circumcised your heart like Abraham? Have you cut off your flesh desires like him? Since you loved your flesh more than me you will be cut off from my people forever." Therefore what really matters is the circumcision of our hearts. Deuteronomy 30:6 says, "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."
Look at verses 15 and 16. God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." The name Sarai means "my princess". My princess has only one life purpose that is to find my prince and receive his love—nothing more, nothing less. All her concern is how to attract 'my prince' and make him love her all the more. Even at the age of eighty-nine Sarai was still 'my princess' to Abraham. But God did not create her to live such a small and selfish life. God created her for a great and glorious life. What is that? That is to live as the mother of nations. We know how our mothers have lived. They have sacrificed their whole lives for us. Their hands are rough with hard work. They wear simple clothes. They get up before everyone and go to bed after everyone. They spend money not for their decoration but for our education. Life as 'my princess' is enjoyable whereas life as a mother is avoidable. But my princess spoils many young men whereas a mother can bring them up as great men of faith. 'My princess' is nothing when her prince is gone. However the mother of nations will be honoured and remembered throughout generation. Therefore life as 'my princess' is a great misery but life as the mother of nations is a great blessing.
At this word of God, Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" And he said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" God's promise seemed to be too great to believe. So Abraham just laughed. As God said he called his wife Sarah but he could not believe to have a son by her. Sometimes God's promise is too great that we can't believe but just laugh. When we hold God's vision to pioneer South India with this handful number of people, we just laugh.
But in verse 19, God said to Abraham, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." God already named Abraham's son. Isaac means "laughter". God would make Abraham and Sarah laugh with true joy. I believe God will grant us many Isaacs from whom we can see God's mighty work and through whom we can have a good laugh. God would bless Ishmael to be great in number. But he would establish his covenant with Isaac who would be born by this time next year. God would do that because Isaac would be born of his parent's faith. God accepts the works done by faith.
After God went up from him, Abraham circumcised every male in his household on that very day. He believed God Almighty would surely give him a son by Sarah. He once dreamed to be a noble father. But now he was born again as a father of many nations. We can live either as Abram or as Abraham. As for our sisters they can live either as Sarai or as Sarah. May God bless us to live as the fathers and mothers of all campus souls! This is a great blessing.

Genesis 16:1-16

Genesis Study 98

GOD WHO SEES ME

Genesis 16:1-16
Key verse 16:13
"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'"

In every chapter of the Bible, God is pleased to reveal himself. In chapter 14 he revealed himself as God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. In chapter 15, he revealed himself as a shield and very great reward of his chosen one. In today's chapter, he reveals himself as the One who sees a miserable woman like Hagar. May God help us see the One who sees us.

In verses 1 and 2a, we read, "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.'" In the previous chapter Abram complained. But in this chapter Sarai complained. Abram must have told her about God's promise to make their descendants as numerous as the stars. Every night they went out to see the stars and hoped to have a son very soon. But many years had passed without a son. Now Sarai became seventy five years old. Children in her town called her grandma. She was known as Mrs. Barren. God always promised a wonderful and fruitful life. But her reality always remained miserable and barren. She couldn't understand why the Lord had kept her from having children while he was giving many children to the idol worshippers. Then she said to Abram, "Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." God wanted to build a great nation through Abram and Sarai. But she wanted to build only her family and that too through her maidservant.
In verse 2b we see Abram's response. He agreed to what Sarai said. King James Version says that Abram hearkened (which means listened) to the voice of Sarai. Instead of listening to the word of God, he listened to the voice of Sarai. He thought, "God promised a son coming from my own body would be my heir. It means as long as I become the father of the son it will be okay. Furthermore it is not good to remain childless before the eyes of the unbelievers. They should know God's people are something special. So I'm going to have a son through Hagar not for myself but for the Lord." With such a poor excuse he agreed to what Sarai said.
How far did the plan work? In verses 3 and 4a, we read, "So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived." The plan worked immediately. The shape of Hagar's abdomen assured a son. Sarai was glad that finally her disgrace was rolled away. Abram was glad that at last he would have a son to inherit his estate. Hagar was happy to conceive her master's child.
Now was the story happy ending? Did they live happily ever after? Verses 4b and 5 tell us a completely different story. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me." Sarai must have chosen the best of her maidservants for this task. But the best one betrayed her and despised her. Hagar purposely made her abdomen bigger in front of Sarai and refused to eat any ordinary food. Sarai made a costly sacrifice for Abram. But he did not show any concern for her suffering. So Sarai sued Abram to the Lord. When they relied on a human plan, it destroyed their relationship. All of them became much more miserable than before. There is no happy ending for any life without God. All human plans end with tons of sufferings.
How did Abram handle this problem? In verse 6, we read, "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. Abram should have advised Hagar to be submissive to her mistress. But he didn't. In fact he was saying to Sarai, "Why am I responsible? It was you who gave me the servant. Do with her whatever you want. I don't care." Abram's family was supposed to be a source of blessing for all peoples on earth. But they behaved like cruel landlords.
Now was the story bitter ending? The whole story again changes by the intervention of the Lord. In verse 7, we read, the angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. Here the angel of the Lord is not one of the angels in heaven. In verse 10 he said to Hagar, "I will so increase your descendants". And in verse 13 Hagar confessed, "You are the God who sees me." So the angel in this passage is the Lord himself before his incarnation.
In verse 8, he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered the first question. But she didn't answer the next: "where are you going?" She did not know where she was going. She had no direction. What then was God's direction for her?
In verse 9, he told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." Why did God give her this direction? Abram's house was the only place where she could learn about the Lord and live under his blessing. Hagar had expected Sarai to be her perfect mistress. At the beginning Sarai treated her just like her daughter. Whenever Sarai taught Hagar about the Lord, it was so heart-moving. Hagar wanted to be ever faithful to her mistress. But her sinful nature was exposed at pregnancy. She was mistreated because of her arrogance. But instead of repenting of her sin, she ran away. However running away was not a solution. She might escape from Sarai's mistreatment but she would never escape from her sin of arrogance. So the Lord helped her repent and go back to Sarai. There she would learn how to serve God and her mistress with humbleness. Hagar was seeking physical freedom but God granted her spiritual freedom.
In verse 10, he added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." God would do this because she was carrying Abram's child. Abram in this passage was very weak in faith. He compromised and was irresponsible. But God bore his weaknesses and used him as a source of blessing for Hagar and her descendants.
In verse 11, he also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery." In ancient, servants were slaves. They were sold for money or presented as a gift. They were considered as speaking animals. When they became useless they were thrown away. No one cared for them. Now Hagar was in the desert. Since she hurriedly ran away from her mistress, she was not carrying any proper food or water or clothes. She was completely worn out and the baby in her womb was slowly dying. She did not know what to do. So she cried and cried but there was no one to hear her cry. But the Bible says that the Lord had heard of her misery. He heard her cry. He saw her tears. He felt her pains. He knew her love for the child. Then he saved Hagar and her son. He named her son Ishmael and promised to make her descendants too numerous to count. After being mistreated by Sarai, Hagar came to have a very bad impression of the God of her mistress. But now she realized how merciful the Lord is. Hagar's descendants are Muslims. They have a bad impression of our God because Christians mistreated Muslims in history. But our God is still merciful to all Hagar's descendants. He hears their misery. He knows their wanderings. He is eager to save them and bring them under his blessing. They too are Abram's descendants. God called Abram to be a blessing for all peoples on earth including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and atheists. God is merciful to them all. God wants us to hear their misery and care for them as he did for Hagar.
According to verse 12, Ishmael would be a wild donkey of a man; his hand would be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he would live in hostility toward all his brothers. It sounds like a curse. But Ishmael would be like that because of his own sinful nature. In his mercy God let this be known to Hagar so that she might bring him up in the fear of the Lord.
In verse 13, Hagar gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me for I have now seen the One who sees me." Sarai did not want to see Hagar anymore because she was too arrogant. But God saw Hagar with deep compassion and helped her be humble. If God did not see her, Hagar would have died in the desert and in her sins.
Why should the Holy God see such a miserable woman like Hagar? It is because he made her. Sarai thought Hagar was completely spoiled. So she kicked her out. But God couldn't do that because he made her with all his heart and with all his strength and with all his wisdom. Since he created her he knew everything about her. He knew where she went wrong. And he knew how to restore her and make her precious again.
Our sinful nature makes us miserable like Hagar. We want to tell the truth. But we keep on telling a lie. We want to be humble and gentle. But we often feel humiliated and easily get angry. We want to be holy. But we entertain our lust first and regret. We want to live only by faith. But we live by the fear of money and people. As a result people do not want to see us and even we don't want to see ourselves. Our hearts become as dry as a desert.
But at that very moment there is one who sees us. He is the Lord our God. He sees us not to condemn us but to restore us. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12,13b) The more a patient is sick the more a doctor examines him and cares for him. God never turns his face away from his patients like us. Instead he sees us with deep compassion because he made us with all his heart. And he sees us with great hope because he can restore us to be his great people. God always sees us. It does not mean God is a CCTV. He always sees us because he always wants to bring us back to him and make us live under his blessing.
Hagar confessed, "I have now seen the One who sees me." God was always seeing her. But it was at this time she saw God. Then it changed her whole life. She was no more a miserable woman but a woman greatly blessed by God. And the well was called Beer Lahai Roi which means "well of the Living One who sees me".
Our lives will remain miserable until we see God who sees us. How then can we see him? Verse 13 says, Hagar gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her. When God speaks to us and when his word touches our hearts we can see him. We can know that he really sees us with deep compassion and great hope.
In verses 15 and 16, we read, "So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael." While hearing Hagar's testimony Abram and Sarai could meet God who was seeing them. In obedience to God's will Abram named the son Ishmael and Sarai accepted Hagar. God restored the whole family.
What do we see today? Do we see disappointing exam results or a kitchen without a gas cylinder or unchanging worldly desire and lust within us or barren mission life? Let's lift up our eyes and see the One who sees us. He sees us with deep compassion and great hope. When we see him we can restore our hope to grow as his holy and fruitful people. Let's see one another and campus students as God sees us. Then we will know how to embrace one another and bring campus students back to our God. May God bless us to see the One who sees us!

Genesis 15:1-21

Genesis Study 97

COUNT THE STARS IF INDEED YOU CAN

Genesis 15:1-21
Key verse 15:5
"He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'"

Last week we studied about Abram rescuing Lot by faith in God Most High. He was so courageous and compassionate. But in today's passage we see him completely discouraged and complaining. Today we want to study how God helped Abram restore his faith and hope.

Look at verse 1. "After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'" After the victory over the four mighty kings Abram was having a sleepless night. He did not know when the four kings would come back and take their revenge on him. By faith he refused to take the luxuries of Sodom. But when he came back his tent looked very shabby with sand all around and fluttering with wind. By this time he could neither go down to Egypt (because Pharaoh ordered him to leave the country) nor go back to Babylon (because the four kings were from the region) nor stay in Canaan (because it became a target). All he could do was sighing throughout the night. Then God said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." God did not say, "I will give you a shield and very great reward." Instead God gave himself to Abram as a shied and reward. There were two ladies invited to a palace. A king promised to give them whatever they requested. One lady requested for one tenth of royal treasury and ten palace guards to be her body guards. Now the other lady said, "Your Majesty, I want nothing but you. Please accept me as your wife." The request was granted and everything became hers. We want something from God. But God wants to give us himself so that we may have everything. Are you having a sleepless night? Whatever or whoever may threaten you, the Lord says to you, "Do not be afraid. I am your shield, your very great reward."

What was Abram's response? Look at verse 2. "But Abram said, 'O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?'" This verse begins with the word "But" which means Abram could not accept the word of the Lord in verse 1. Why couldn't he accept that?
Look at verse 3. "And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.'" Abram was saying, "Lord, you always give me great promises. But you don't keep them. Now I have my own plan that is very practical and has immediate effect. According to the custom I will adopt my servant as my son to inherit my estate." This was Abram's first complaint but was very serious.
How did the Lord help him? Look at verse 4. "Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.'" What does "a son coming from your own body" mean? Abram's body was old and his wife Sarai's body was barren. A son cannot come from such an old and barren body. If ever a son comes from such body, it is not a product of the body but a gift of God. As for Eliezer, Abram bought him with money in Damascus. And it would take just few minute to adopt him as his son and make him his heir. It does not require faith or patience. But a son coming from Abram's own body requires his faith. Every single promise of God can come true only when a man claims it by faith. Here comes a spiritual multiplication. Suppose God's promises ten billions. But my faith is zero. How much is ten billions by zero? It is zero. No matter how great God's promise is, if my faith is zero, I get nothing. The problem is not with God or his promise. The problem is with me and my faith. So the answer is how to restore my faith.
How did the Lord restore Abram's faith? Look at verse 5. "He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" Let's see this verse step by step.
First, God took Abram outside. It means Abram was inside his tent. What did he see in it? He saw his old body and his wife's barren body. There was nothing to encourage his faith. The more he saw his helpless situation the more his faith drained away. Faith can grow or wither based on what we see. So God took Abram outside to see something else that would encourage his faith.
What did God show him? God showed him the stars. The heavens are God's tent. It means God took Abram outside his tent and brought him into God's tent so vast and beautiful. Abram could not count the stars because they were too many. But when he saw them they looked so beautiful shining like diamonds all over the sky. How could they be up there without falling? How could they be so beautiful? How could they be so many? Abram was just wondering how great God was. Then he began to sing a song to the Lord.

O, Lord my God!
When I in awesome wonder
consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Tears of repentance began to roll down his cheeks. Now the Lord said to Abram, "So shall your offspring be." No one can promise this, but God can. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. When Abram saw his body becoming older and weaker, he thought God's power in him was also becoming older and weaker. But God's power remains same. In the beginning the world was dark and empty. But with his power he filled the whole universe with twinkling stars. Now with the same power God would raise Abram's offspring as many as the stars in the sky.
Time has changed. We see people so busy with making money and enjoying fun. They find it very difficult to sit down cool and study the Bible. In fact they feel thirty seconds are too long for their computers to boot. How hard it is to have spiritual sons and daughters who will inherit our faith in the Lord! As our Bible students lose their spiritual desire we also lose our faith. We look at them and look at ourselves. Every week we hear great promises of God. But when our faith is zero those great promises do not make much sense to us. However God says to us, "Do you see the stars? I made them. I made them all out of nothing. Now do you see nothing in your life of mission? I will raise your spiritual descendants as numerous as the stars. Do you believe this?"
What was Abram's response? Look at verse 6. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Abram said a big "Amen" to God's promise. He did not believe himself. He did not believe a fortune. But he believed the Lord, Creator of heaven and the earth. Then God credited his faith to him as righteousness. Abram in this passage was not righteous at all. He doubted, calculated and complained. But when he repented and believed the Lord he was considered as a righteous man. Because of his unbelief his relationship with God was broken. But now a right relationship with God was restored through his faith.
All Abram wanted from God was just one son. But God wanted to give him not just one but uncountable offspring like the stars. For this all God wanted from Abram was his faith. Inside his tent it seemed very difficult for Abram to believe the Lord. But inside God's tent it was so easy for him to believe the Lord. What is God's tent where we can see his great works? The nature is God's tent. When we see the shining stars, the rising sun, the mighty winds, the giant mountains, and the endless oceans we are marvelled at the power of the Lord. But the best tent of God in which we can see his truly amazing works is the Bible. It looks very small, perhaps little thicker than our textbooks. But in it he displayed all the wonders of his power and wisdom. Beginning from the creation of the heavens and the earth, through the conquest of Satan and his evil forces and to the coming of the Lord and establishment of the new heaven and the new earth are all written here. The best way to grow in faith is to study the Bible and meet God in it. Romans 10:17 says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." The Bible gives us two wonderful things: one is God's promises and the other faith in his promise. How gracious God is! He gives us both his promises and faith through this Book.
In verses 7 to 21, Abram wanted to make sure of God's promise about the land. Then God was pleased with his desire. He did not want Abram to have a blind faith. Instead he wanted Abram to know his promise for certain. So God told him the procedure how he was going to give the land to his descendants. He sealed his promise by making it a covenant that is a legal agreement. Here the land signifies not just Canaan but all the areas God's people would occupy and enjoy. Galatians 5:22 & 23 define the area as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is the land which worldly people will never get. This land is assigned only for God's people. This land is to be claimed only by faith. It does not matter how old or weak we are. If we have faith in the Lord we and our spiritual descendants will live in this Promised Land. May God bless us to claim all his promises by faith! May God bless us to grow in faith through sincere Bible study!

Genesis 14:1-24

Genesis Study 96

ABRAM RESCUES LOT

Genesis 14:1-24
Key verse 14:19,20
"and he blessed Abram, saying, 'blessed be Abram by God Most high, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."

In the previous passage we studied that Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan. His choice seemed to be wise. But in today's passage he became a war captive. It was Abram who rescued him. Today we want to study the secret of Abram's victory.

In verses 1 to 4, we see the law of the jungle prevailing in those days. The four kings of Mesopotamia went to war against the five kings of Palestine. The battle took place at the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). The war started when the five kings of Palestine rebelled against Kedorlaomer the king of Shinar to whom they had been subject for twelve years. In order to regain his control over the five kings Kedorlaomer allied with other three kings of Mesopotamia and invaded Palestine. This is the first war recorded in the Bible and the only war Abram got involved. How was Abram when he encountered the severe famine? He forgot the Lord and ran away to Egypt. And in Egypt he did not care about his wife in order to save his life. Now a war broke out. This was much more dangerous than the famine. Would Abram again run away and deceive others? Let's see what happened.
Look at verses 5 to 7. In the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer allied with other three kings and went out to Palestine. They did not attack the five kings directly. Instead they conquered their neighbouring six tribes. This was to eliminate any danger of being trapped between the five kings and the six tribes. Kedorlaomer's alliance was moving with mighty force and excellent strategy.
Look at verses 8 to 12. The five kings of Palestine marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim against the four kings of Mesopotamia. But the five kings lost the battle. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Then the four kings of Mesopotamia seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. In the previous chapter we see Lot pitching his tents near Sodom. But in this chapter we see him living in Sodom. No more tents but a house with a triple lock. No more Bible meditation but business meeting day and night. No more tending sheep but shopping everyday. With huge savings in his bank account his life seemed to be perfectly secured. He had his own house, land, company and high position in the city. But now what happened? Within one day he lost everything. He lost all his possessions, his family and his freedom. He became a war captive. He had to live as a slave for the rest of his life. He regretted and regretted. But it was too late. This was the result of his choice on Sodom.
Look at verses 13 to 16. One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. He heard that his nephew Lot had been taken captive. There were several reasons for Abram not to rescue Lot. He could have said to himself, "I'm old and weak whereas the enemies are too strong and too many. Perhaps it is God's judgment upon Lot. He needs to learn a spiritual lesson through this event. I will pray for him but I must not endanger my life because if I die all peoples of earth won't be blessed through me." But Abram thought differently. He had sure reasons to rescue Lot, "God rescued me from my idol worshipping life in Ur, from my worldly life in Haran and from my compromising life in Egypt. How then can I forsake Lot? If I cannot be a source of blessing to one perishing soul how can I be a source of blessing for all peoples on earth? I will go and rescue him with the strength the Lord provides me."
Then he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan which was 200 km away from Hebron. When the 318 men of Abram were called for a war against the four kings, they were not afraid. When they had to run 200 km on foot they did not complain. They were well trained in their master's faith. During the night Abram divided his men to attack the enemies and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. Hobah was again 55 km away from Dan. But Abram pursued the enemies until he could rescue Lot. At last he recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. In the previous chapter Abram did not care about his wife who was very beautiful and lovely. Lot was not at all lovely. He was very selfish, worldly and thankless. But now in order to rescue such person Abram risked his life and the lives of his men. His love enabled him to be a good shepherd and his faith made him more than a conqueror. When God was with Abram, he was not too old or his men too small. They were power enough to defeat the vast army and rescue lives. God could have destroyed all the Sodomites for their wicked sins. But he rescued them through his servant Abram. God gave them one more chance to repent of their sins and come back to him. Abram knew God's heart so he rescued not only Lot but also all those who were taken captives.

Look at verses 17 to 20. After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer's alliance, two kings came out to meet him. One was Bera king of Sodom and the other Melchizedek king of Salem. Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to refresh Abram and his men. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Abram's military victory was his spiritual crisis. He could have become proud and run after people's praise. He could have fostered his political ambition to be a ruler in Canaan. But God sent his priest and helped Abram give all credit to the Lord. Melchizedek was saying to Abram, “You won the battle not because of your strategy or your alliance but only because of God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything as the expression of his thanksgiving to the Lord.
All the nations in today’s passage fought in the names of their gods. But the final victor was Abram who fought in the name of the Lord. The God of Abram is God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. He controls both the nature and the nations. The whole universe is under his control. He is the Supreme Ruler both in physical world and spiritual world. He rules from eternity to eternity. His kingdom endures forever. The nations in today's passage built their confidence on what they had such as the number of soldiers, the sophistication of weapons and brilliant battle strategies. But Abram built his confidence in God Most High. He did not seek for more strength or more people or more weapons. When God Most High was with him what he already had was more than enough.
Even today a fierce battle is going on between us and our enemies. Who are our enemies? Are they Americans or Pakistanis? Are they ruthless managers or greedy house owners? Are they selfish classmates or slandering company colleagues? No our real enemies are the evil forces of Satan. Everyday they attack us and carry us away from God. They take away all our spiritual desires, salvation grace and zeal for God's mission. They make us slaves of flesh desires, money and fame. When it is very difficult to keep our own faith, how hard will it be to rescue others from the grip of Satan? Evil spirit of lust has taken many young students as captives. Evil spirit of money-mindedness has taken many talented students as captives. Evil spirit of fun has taken many pure students as captives. Evil spirit of fear has taken all students as captives. Even one evil spirit is too strong for us. Should we then hide in our tents? Our God is God Most High. He is Creator of heaven and earth. He can deliver all our enemies into our hands. In God Most High we can keep our faith to the end. And in him we can rescue all campus souls. We don't need more strength or more members. We only need compassion for the perishing souls and faith in God Most High. People who became the slaves of evil spirits are not lovely at all. Their words, their behaviours and their lives are simply terrible. But God had mercy on us and rescued us when we were worse than them. He did not spare even his one and only Son to save us. With his power he rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of light. He secured our souls forever in his mighty hands. As for him, defeating an evil spirit is easier than breaking a toothpick. We have firm faith in the power of Satan. We believe he is invincible. God is so sorry about that. It is true that Satan is very strong compared with us. But compared with God Most High, Satan is nothing. No one can stand against him in heaven and on earth. Satan has taken us as the captives of fatalism and doubt. But God can rescue us. He can make us more than conquerors. Don't look at your weaknesses. Don't look at your past failures. Don't look at the strength of Satan. But look up to our God. He is God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. In him we can grow in faith and rescue numerous campus souls.

Look at verses 21 to 24. The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." But Abram replied, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." The king of Sodom was saying to Abram, “You did everything. You are our hero. You are like our god.” This was more dangerous than the physical battle. But Abram won the victory over this spiritual battle. He gave all glory to the Lord and desired to be blessed only by God Most High.
Outwardly Abram got nothing in this battle. He refused to receive anything, not even a bite of a cookie. But deep in his heart he came to know God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. This was the greatest gain. May God bless us to know him as God Most High and rescue many campus souls!