Abraham Chosen & Called
Abraham
Abraham does not have an heir, a son?
Genesis Ch 15 (read through)
Abram believed (lit., “believed in”) the LORD and He credited … to him … righteousness. This foundational truth is repeated three times in the New Testament (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23) to show that righteousness is reckoned in return for faith.
Genesis 15:6 provides an important note, but it does not pinpoint Abram’s conversion. That occurred years earlier when he left Ur. (The form of the Heb. word for “believed” shows that his faith did not begin after the events recorded in vv. 1–5.) Abram’s faith is recorded here because it is foundational for making the covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant did not give Abram redemption; it was a covenant made with Abram who had already believed and to whom righteousness had already been imputed. The Bible clearly teaches that in all ages imputed righteousness (i.e., salvation) comes by faith.
15:17–21. Then after sunset God revealed Himself in connection with the image of an oven (smoking fire pot) and a torch, two elements that were connected with sacrificial ritual in the ancient world. These images are part of the “burning” motif that describes God’s zeal and judgment in the world. Fire represents the consuming, cleansing zeal of Yahweh as well as His unapproachable holiness, which are interrelated (cf. Isa. 6:3–7). In the darkness (Gen. 15:17) Abram saw nothing else in the vision except these fiery elements that passed between the pieces of the slaughtered animals. Thus the holy God was zealous to judge the nations and to fulfill His covenantal promises to Israel. He came down and made (lit, “cut”) a formal treaty (a covenant) with Abram (the Abrahamic Covenant). Since God could “swear” (confirm the covenant) by none greater, “He swore by Himself” (Heb. 6:13). In other words this was a unilateral covenant. So its promises are absolutely sure.
God even specified the geographical boundaries of Israel’s land—from the river of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish, not the Nile River) to the great river, the Euphrates. Israel has never possessed this land in its entirety, but she will when Christ returns to reign as Messiah. The Canaanite tribes listed (Gen. 15:19–21) were dispossessed later in the Conquest.
Sarah and Hagar
Chapter 16
In the legal custom of that day a barren woman could give her maid to her husband as a wife, and the child born of that union was regarded as the first wife’s child. If the husband said to the slave-wife’s son, “You are my son,” then he was the adopted son and heir. So Sarai’s suggestion was unobjectionable according to the customs of that time. But God often repudiates social customs.
Chapter 17
Abraham Laughs at God!
God announced that Sarai was to be called Sarah. This new name, though involving only a slight change and meaning “princess,” was fitting for one whose seed would produce kings (v. 16; cf. v. 6). Hearing this, Abraham … laughed because it seemed incredible that a barren 90-year-old woman could give birth to a son. Abraham had assumed that his descendants would come through Ishmael.
17:19–22. Yet God assured him that she would bear … a son whose name would be Isaac, meaning “he laughs” (v. 19). His name would be a constant reminder that a word from God was laughed at. Ishmael was not forgotten, however, for God said he would have many descendants also. Even the number of Ishmael’s sons—12—was predicted. Their names are recorded in 25:13–15.
Chapter 18: 9-15
Sarah Laughs too!
After the meal one of the angelic visitors announced that a son would be born to Sarah in a year. This Angel of the Lord was clearly the Lord Himself (cf. 16:7). The thought seemed ludicrous to Sarah and she laughed in her heart. The Lord’s reply rebuked the woman: Is anything too hard (better, “marvelous”) for the LORD?
Basically this account is a call to believe that God can do the impossible. He confirmed His promise by a personal visit—and ate with them—to announce that the time was at hand. It was the annunciation of a humanly impossible birth. When something as incredible as this is declared, the human response is consistent: like Sarah, people are taken off guard, laugh, and then out of fear deny that they laughed (18:15). But God knows human hearts and that Christians often do stagger at what He says He can do.
Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 22
22:1–2. The greatest test in the life of Abraham (God tested him) came after he received the promised seed following a long wait. The test was very real: he was to give Isaac back to God. As a test it was designed to prove faith. And for it to be a real test, it had to defy logic; it had to be something Abraham wanted to resist.
God had told the patriarch to send Ishmael away (21:12–13), and now He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham had willingly sent Ishmael away, but he would not want to kill Isaac.
22:3–8. Abraham’s response was staggering—he gave instant, unquestioning obedience. He even got an early start! However, the three-day journey (v. 4) was probably silent and difficult. The distance from Beersheba to Mount Moriah was about 50 miles (see the map “Abraham and Isaac’s Journey to Mount Moriah”).