Confrontation with Destiny

Key Passage:

Genesis 17:1–19 (KJV 1900)

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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

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.

Introduce title, “Confrontation with Destiny”

Introduction

In the end of Genesis 11, we find a man by the name of Terah leading his family from their home in Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan. His family consists of Abram (his son), Sarai (Abram’s wife), and Lot (Abram’s nephew). In route to Canaan, they come to a place called Haran to dwell. It is in Haran that Terah dies at the old age of 205, leaving Abram alone to lead the family.

Now, it seems that life from Abram’s perspective has taken a turn away from what he expected. After all, he was simply following his father, Terah, from Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan with no scriptural indication that Abram knew that God was involved at all nor that the land of Canaan was the promised land. It is precisely at this point in time that Abram hears and senses the call of God for the first time for himself.

Genesis 12:1–3 (KJV 1900)

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:

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:

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.

In the midst of loss and maybe confusion, Abram makes the decision to follow the Lord into the land of Canaan where the Lord says:

Genesis 12:7 (KJV 1900)

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

Abram builds his first altar unto the Lord and continues his journey southward. They travel to Egypt during a famine and return to Canaan where Abram built his first altar unto the Lord.

Here Abram and Lot discover the land is not able to handle both of them and their possessions so they split ways, Lot ending up in the cities of the plain and Abram right in the middle of Canaan, the promised land.

Alone again, the Lord visits Abram to remind him of the promise and even expands its parameters:

Genesis 13:14–18 (KJV 1900)

14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

Suzerain/Vassal Treaty

It is in Genesis 15 that God performs essentially a covenant ceremony which we have since discovered bears the marks of a “Suzerian Vassal Treaty (Covenant), a somewhat common treaty form from the ancient Near East.

According to George Mendenhall (Professor at the University of Michigan), there were two basic types of covenants that existed in the ancient Near East: the parity treaty (between equal parties) and the suzerain/vassal treaty (between a greater and a lesser party).

In suzerain/vassal treaties, the great party (the suzerain) provided benefits such as military protection and land grant to the lesser party (vassal). In response, the vassal owed the suzerain financial tribute and/or loyalty. Consequently, vassals could only have one suzerain, for to take another “lord” or “father” would be considered treason.

There were six basic striking parrelells:

A preamble that identifies the suzerain

A historical prologue that recounts the previous relationship between the parties

Covenant stipulations to which the vassal must agree

Provisions for periodic reading and safekeeping of the covenant

Witness to the covenant

Blessings and curses should the vassal either keep or fail to keep the covenant

Mosaic/Abrahamic Covenant as Suzerain Treaty

The Mosaic/Abrahamic Covenant contains all six of these characteristics.

First, Exodus 20:2a records the preamble that identifies Yawweh as the suzerain:

Exodus 20:2 (KJV 1900)

2 I am the Lord thy God...

Second, Exodus 20:2b reminds the people that he rescued them from slavery in Egypt.

Exodus 20:2 (KJV 1900)

2 ...which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Third, the covenant stipulations are the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20:3-17.

Fourth, provisions for storing the covenant in the tabernacle and periodically reading it are recorded in several places (Exodus 24:7, 25:21; Deut 10:5, 31:10-12.

Fifth, Yahweh called heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenant (Deut 4:26, 30:19-20, 31:28).

Sixth, Deuteronomy records an extensive list of blessings that accompany covenant faithfulness and curses that result from unfaithfulness to the covenant.

Why It Matters

It is crucial to note that the covenant God made with Israel was of his own initiative. Israel’s obedience — the proper response to the covenant relationship — was required, but it was not the basis of the covenant. The basis of the covenant was God’s grace toward Israel, not their obedience to Him.

1. He is God All Along

Let’s start with Genesis 15:7:

Genesis 15:7 (KJV 1900)

7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

God established with Abram that even when Terah, his father was still alive, it was God who was prompting them to move from the Ur of Chaldees to Canaan, not Terah.

This let’s me know that even in the times I am not aware of God actively involved in my life or times I think God is distant or times I am totally disconnected, God is still moving the pieces on the chessboard of my life. There is countless evidence throughout the Word of God declaring He is still orchestrating changes, and intersections and crossroads for me to be who He wants me to be where He wants me to be it. Even when you cannot see it, He is still working.

2. He is God of Impossible Places

When you look at the account of God’s Covenant or Suzerain/Vassal Treaty with Abram, you will find that it prompted Abram to quickly identify an impossible place in his life.

Genesis 15:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Abram recognized that God was going to give him seed to number the stars of the heavens and the sands of the sea, but he felt his end of the covenant required the ability to produce children which was a medical impossibility seeing Sarai, his wife, was barren.

In response to Abram’s declaration of barrenness, God responded saying:

Genesis 15:4–6 (KJV 1900)

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.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Can I just be honest about the last 18 months? God has His church in an impossible place right now. It’s a place where God and God alone wants the Glory for everything He does. There is no way man could have produced the results God has given to His church. This point forward, I believe God is looking for a church that is looking toward the stars saying, “There is no way I can produce that, but Lord I believe you’re going to do it”

3. God Cannot Lie

Abram asks the Lord:

Genesis 15:8 (KJV 1900)

8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

God doesn’t just respond with words, He asks Abram to join him in a covenant ceremony.

Genesis 15:9–18 KJV 1900

9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Sacrifice

Abram cuts the heifer, goat, and ram in half and carefully places one half on one side and the other half on the opposite side, but he did not divide the birds.

The Bible says in the Amplified Version:

Genesis 15:12–16 (AMP)

12 When the sun was setting, a deep sleep overcame Abram, and a horror (a terror, a shuddering fear) of great darkness assailed and oppressed him.

13 And [God] said to Abram, Know positively that your descendants will be strangers dwelling as temporary residents in a land that is not theirs [Egypt], and they will be slaves there and will be afflicted and oppressed for 400 years. [Fulfilled in Exod. 12:40.]

14 But I will bring judgment on that nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

15 And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old (hoary) age.

16 And in the fourth generation they [your descendants] shall come back here [to Canaan] again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full and complete.

What a prophecy! What a foreboding future! When the already impossible becomes a great darkness and oppression…This world is dark, but you better get ready for what God is about to do...

4. God’s Covenant Guarantee

Genesis 15:17 KJV 1900

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

What is the smoking furnace, what is the burning lamp? Better yet, who is the smoking furnace and burning lamp?

In a covenant or treaty between a greater party and a lesser party, the greater party gets to decide the terms of the covenant. God could have required everything of Abram, but the writer of Hebrews picks this up when he says:

Hebrews 6:13–20 (KJV 1900)

13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

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:

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

God should have expressed the impossible terms of the agreement as the greater party, but there is something much greater at stake than just an agreement.

God cannot lie and if he is going to put His entire reputation on the line, He decided He is going to be the grantor and guarantor of this covenant.

Hear me when I tell you, God thought His promise to be far to great to leave in the hands of a futile man. He felt His promise to be more impacting on the world than to trust a man to produce it.

That’s why he put Abram and Sarai in an impossible place called barrenness. It’s God’s covenant so it’s His guarantee.

4. God Promise Is About The Seed

All throughout Genesis, God uses the phrase “Thy Seed” over an over again in His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants. Initially, it seems to references the plurality of Abram’s descendants (the stars and the sands), but the Apostle Paul picks this up in Galatians 3.

Galatians 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Yes, God promised Abram would be a father of many nations, and all the families earth would be blessed through him. However, there is a greater purpose here. It’s about more than a promise and more than it’s impossible for God to lie. God could not place THE PROMISE into the hands of a mere man because God was not looking at SEEDS as in many, but He was focused on THE SEED, as in ONE…JESUS CHRIST in FLESH.

Revelation 13:8 (KJV 1900)

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

There are many seeds (plural) of Abraham, but God’s purpose has always been intently focused on the completed work of God in Christ and Christ in Us.

The Work of God in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV 1900)

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The Work of Christ in Us

Colossians 1:27 (KJV 1900)

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

5. What Happened to the Seed

What went wrong with Abraham and Sarah? They got a new name, they are in covenant, they’ve heard the promises.

Genesis 16:1 (KJV 1900)

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

It didn’t happen when they thought it would. According to Genesis 16:3, it had been 10 years that Abram has dwelt in Canaan without the thought of one seed.

Genesis 16:3 (KJV 1900)

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.

In Sarai’s bitterness at her own barrenness, she offers her handmaid, Hagar, to Abram to obtain children by her and as soon as she conceives, Hagar is despised in her eyes.

The only thing worse than waiting on God’s timing is wishing you had!

Hagar gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is 86 years old. (Genesis 16:16). They raise Ishmael for 13 years. That’s 13 years of investing into his failure, his mistake. It’s 13 years of Abram accepting its just going to be his lot in life.

Its 24 years now from the day God first gave his promise.

24 years is a long time to remember a promise. 24 years is enough time to want to throw in the towel. 24 years is a lot of heartache and trouble that can cause anyone to question the promise.

God shows up in Genesis 17:1-2, when Abram is 99 years old now and Sara is 90 years old.

Genesis 17:1–2 KJV 1900

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

God shows up again to remind Abram and Sara of His promise because God does not lie and He has not lost His focus on THE Seed.

Can I tell you:

Numbers 23:19 (KJV 1900)

19 God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

6. Abraham/Sarah’s Stronghold

Everything has changed for Abraham and Sarah now. They have spent 24 year waiting for the promise of God, 13 of those years investing their lives into Ishmael, the constant reminder of losing faith in God’s Word.

Paul wrote in Galatians 4:28-31

Galatians 4:28–31 (KJV 1900)

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Why does Ishmael have to leave?

I asked the Lord while driving one day, “Why does Ishmael have to leave? That’s Abrams son, you cannot just push him out the door.

The Lord responded, “That’s your problem. You have invested so much time in your mistakes and failures that when I try to deal with them, you cannot let go because you have come to accept them as just part of who you are now.”

When God comes to them in Genesis 17, he is confronted with unbelief.

Genesis 17:17 KJV 1900

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?

Sarah laughs in Genesis 18:12

Genesis 18:12 KJV 1900

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Then Abram makes a statement:

Genesis 17:18 KJV 1900

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

God continually brought this passage to my attention and I could not wrap my mind around what He we trying to get me to understand. Until one day, I came across a Jewish commentary and the writer said (paraphrasing):

“Abraham wanted the promise of God more than anything, but he saw his mistake as so great it would force God to change His plans. In a lst ditch effort, Abraham cried out to God essentially saying, “I want the promise, but I recognize I have failed too much to have it the way your intended. So, will you give me the promise through Ishmael? I cannot ever be what you wanted me to be, but will you at least let me be something? I cannot ever fulfill your will for my life now, but is there at leas something I can do?”

You see the evidence of Abraham’s attitude toward Ishmael in Genesis 21, when God has to plead with Abraham to cast out the bondwoman and her son

Genesis 21:9–13 (KJV 1900)

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

Abraham Has a Stronghold

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 KJV 1900

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Strong holds: fortress, citadel, castle, secure position

They are dwelling places built out of lies in which spirit dwell - Jason Sciscoe

They are like the castle towers with ability to observe things in the distance (windows), but no ability to escape (no doors)

They are like the kids shape block, where you must insert the right shape into the right hole.

Vision: I saw a vision of a hand reaching into my view with brick in its grasp. I took the brick and used it to build the fortress around myself, I instinctively knew the fortress I was building was coming from information I was receiving from outside myself. They were lies and deception.

Paul said the strong holds had to be pulled down, implying they were built up. Strong holds are not something you rebuke or pray for deliverance from. You have to stop believing new lies and repent of the ones you have already believe to bring down the fortress. Then you must build it a strong tower with Truth.

Abraham has believe a lie about himself and cannot accept the truth so He asks God to give him the promise in another way, Plan B.

But God didnt even seem to consider that. He immediately declares again the promise to Abraham as if the BIG mistake in Abrahams eyes is insignificant to the promise:

Genesis 17:19–22 KJV 1900

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. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

7. Gifts/Callings Are Without Repentance

Romans 11:29 KJV 1900

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Cross-Reference:

Numbers 23:19 KJV 1900

19 God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

“Without Repentance: irrevocable

Not even God can revoke gifting and calling

Why not? It is woven into the DNA of man

Jeremiah 1:4–5 KJV 1900

4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

If my gifting/calling is woven into my very DNA and God is guarantor of the covenant, what then is my role? What is my part of the covenant?

8. Provider and Defender of the Sacrifice

Genesis 15:10–11 KJV 1900

10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

It is interesting to note that God requested Abraham bring a turtledove and a young pigeon to the covenant ceremony, but he did not ask him to divide them as he did the heifer, goat, and the ram.

It is my opinion that God intentionally had Abram bring something could devour his sacrifice just to see how Abram would respond.

Paul said, Romans 12:1 “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.”

Abram became the provider and defender of the sacrifice. He became completely sold out to God’s plan.

I asked the Lord what “Sold Out” looked like. “What does it mean or look like to be sold out?” God gave me a vision of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed in agony and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Then Judas came and betrayed him and the officers of the Jews bound Jesus and led him away. The Lord said, “You will know you are sold out, when you pray until you are bound to my will”