Man...there is SO MUCH in these chapters....God begins to reveal His plan, the very beginnings of His plan to Abram, the first of the Patriarchs. Abram is called by God and he will get many blessings, but they are conditional on his obeying.
Abram gets to Canaan and there is a famine. What is God thinking? He sends Abram to a place and there is a famine? This is a test of faith.
Abram is afraid and doesn't trust God completely on the route to Egypt....a place abundant with food. He tells a half truth about Sarai being his sister. (She really was his half sister...but she is not a redneck because the bloodlines were still pure at that time LOL!) The Lord deals with Pharoah anyway....the Lord is teaching Abram to trust him, just like a real relationship process.
Abram and Lot separate, because the land cannot support their abundant flocks....note that Lot moves near Sodom and Gomorrah, a place of huge sin. In 13: 14, the Lord reinforces his promise to Abram. The land is part of a huge promise.
Kings fight each other and Lot and his family are captured as collateral damage. Abram rescues them....
Melchizedek, King of Salem appears on the scene...He is a very mysterious character of the Bible. Abram recognizes him as holy and knowing God, because he gives him 10% of the spoils. Some think that Melchizedek is a theophany....this means that it is an early glimpse of Jesus, before he was incarnate as a human being. (OOOO-major "church" words.)
Finally, in chapter 15, God promises a son to Abram. You may wish to mark in your Bible that 15: 6 is some biblical emphasis...this is the first time that "believe" is used. Here is where Abram has the ultimate faith, and God credits it to him as righteousness. Big moment in Hebrew history. God covenants with Abram and becomes a smoking firepot and a blazing torch as he passes between the pieces of the animals that were cut in half. This is all about the Promised Land....God gave the land to Abraham and his descendents. Just a note: everywhere that I see "covenant" in the Bible, I mark it with a red colored pencil. GOD DOES WHAT HE SAYS HE IS GOING TO DO....just wait and see.
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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yes...there is a lot here.....In my Bible...beginning this section....it states that obedience characterizes Abraham through his life. WE must be obedient to God's will. I could not really get the part of telling the Pharoah she was his sister.......did he do this because he wasn't completely trusting God at this point, or was this what God wanted him to do? My Bible says the he had to learn that trusting God means looking beyond what we see to what God sees, and that God does not need half truths to protect and bless us. I take it that Abram was kinda half trusting......is that what you see? And he finally completely trusted in God completely in Chapter 15.
ReplyDeleteI take it Melchizedek is a good guy....a king and a priest......
What is going on in Ch. 15 where God asks him to bring heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, and pigeon and Abram does and cuts them in half. The went to sleep and horror and darkness fell on him?...............
Bonnie, bear with me, I see the cursor moving but I can't see what I am typing...weird....Great questions....OK...Abram wanted the Egyptians to focus on the brother/sister relationship, because during that day, the Pharaoh had a harem...Sarai was beautiful and wealthy, and according to my notes, could have been a good political alliance....position of brother would be a place of honor for Abram. He was in danger being alive, because Sarai couldn't be in the harem unless he was dead.....he wasn't completely trusting that God would protect him this early in their relationship. And yes, Melchizedek was a good guy...though mysterious. He is called the first priest/king of Scripture...he was not thought to be a Hebrew....he ruled in Salem, site of the future Jerusalem (see the Salem part of Jerusalem?) And, the Heifer, goat etc. was the actual covenant process with God and Abram...there is a wonderful study called "Covenant" by Kay Arthur where she goes into intimate detail about the meaning of the vision....that is the one thing I miss about reading the Bible through...we will know what is in it as an overview....I am used to a deep Bible Study.....you read a bit differently,don't you...depending on your goal...The thick and dreadful darkness is the foreshadowing God is giving Abram about how His people will be in captivity for 400 years....this is talking about when they are slaves in Egypt...the Hebrews were disobedient to become slaves in the first place, but God will deliver them.....
ReplyDeleteClarification: Abram was in danger being alive in the position of husband, because you can't be married and in a harem. Guess we are out of luck, huh...
ReplyDeleteI hope you can bear with me.....this is my first time to ever read the Bible....so just understanding it is my goal at this time....and to understand the stories and what is taking place in the stories.......I do so much appreciate you deeper understanding and knowledge of the Bible through this with me.....Sorry if I sound kind dumb at times, but I want to make sure I understand....Thanks for your input...I really enjoy it!!
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