A Journey Thru The Bible's First Book

[Beetow]

• Gen 13:18a . . And Abram moved his tent, and came to dwell at the terebinths of
Mamre, which are in Hebron;

Hebron (Hevron) itself is today a city of over 70,000 people located about 20 miles
south of Jerusalem at an elevation of 3,050 feet above sea level. Hebron is sacred
in Jewish history; but a very dangerous place to live today what with all the
Palestinian troubles going on in Israel.

The Hebrew word for "terebinths" is 'elown (ay-lone') which means: an oak, or
other strong tree. Oaks, especially the very old large ones, were important meeting
places. Near where I live in Oregon, there's a site called Five Oaks, named after the
five oak trees that once thrived there. In pre white man days, local Native
Americans met at those trees for pow-wows.

Mamre, an Amorite named up ahead in Gen 14:24, was one of Abram's allies. The
oaks of Mamre were apparently named after him; who some believe was a local
sheik or a chieftain.

In Abram's day; Canaan was thinly populated. It was in fact a land of no law and no
order. The inhabitants lived in a state of constant readiness. The widely scattered
townships were veritable islands in the middle of nowhere; and vulnerable to daring
attacks by the desert nomads. Suddenly, and when least expected, those predatory
nomads sprang upon unwary people with indiscriminate butchery, carrying off cattle
and crops. It was probably for that very reason that Abram was allied with Mamre.

• Gen 13:18b . . and he built an altar there to the Lord.

Abram's altars testify to the fact that his worship wasn't restricted to a special
location. Later; Israel's covenanted law would do that very thing; but Abram wasn't
under its jurisdiction so he was at liberty to sacrifice wherever it pleased him. This
is an important Bible axiom; viz: law cannot be broken where it doesn't exist. (Rom
4:15, Rom 5:13, Gal 3:17)

note: It was in the interests of trade that Egypt, in 3,000 BC, was the first great
power to stretch out its tentacles towards Canaan. A hard diorite tablet, listing the
details of a ship's cargo of timber for Pharaoh Snefru, is stored in the museum at
Palermo. Its date is 2,700 BC. Dense woods covered the slopes of Lebanon then.
The excellent wood from its cedars and meru (a kind of conifer) were just what the
Pharaohs needed for their elaborate building schemes.

Five hundred years prior to Abram's day, there was already a flourishing import and
export trade on the Canaanite coast. Egypt exchanged gold and spices from Nubia,
copper and turquoise from the mines at Sinai, and linen and ivory for silver from
Taurus, leather goods from Byblos, and painted vases from Crete. In the great
Phoenician dye works, well to do Egyptians had their robes dyed purple. For their
society women, they bought lapis-lazuli blue-- eyelids dyed blue were all the rage
--and stibium, a cosmetic which was highly prized by the ladies for touching up
their eyelashes.

The coastal communities of Canaan presented a picture of cosmopolitan life which
was busy, prosperous, and even luxurious; but just a few miles inland lay a world
of glaring contrast. Bedouin attacks, insurrections, and feuds between towns were
common.

A much more profitable enterprise than pillaging villages in malicious and barbaric
fashion, was to hold them hostage; kind of like the plight of the villagers in the
movie: The Magnificent Seven. To avoid being murdered and ravaged, the villagers
gave the lion's share of their Gross National Product to the bullies. It was just that
sort of scenario that resulted in the capture of the cities of the Plain while Lot was
living down there among them.

aside: Though I would not care to live in Abram's day; I can't help but envy some
of his advantages. There was no light pollution, no air pollution, no water pollution,
no soil pollution, and no aquifer pollution. All his fruits and vegetables, all of them,
were 100% organic.

Nobody fattened pigs, sheep, fowl, and cows with genetically modified grains--
overcrowded and standing ankle deep in their own droppings --in an intrinsically
unsanitary concentrated animal feeding operation; so there was no E.coli 0157:H7
to fear.

All livestock was grass-fed outdoors on open pasture lands, which produces a
medically, and nutritionally, superior grade of meat compared to grain. The cattle
themselves were healthier too and had no need of antibiotics to keep them from
getting sick in nasty, dirty feed lots. And chickens weren't hybridized to produce
breasts so immense and out of proportion that the poor things can scarcely stand
up on their own two feet.

note: Most kinds of cattle are herbivores, i.e. they are not designed to subsist on
grain. If they are fed too much grain for too long a time, cattle develop digestive
and intestinal problems; possibly even death. However, seeing as how grain fattens
cattle faster than roughage, grain is the preferred fodder in feed lots where cows
are on their final steps to the slaughter.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:1 . . Now, when King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King
Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of nations.

Shinar was the whole of Babylonia; Ellasar was the leading tribe in its southern
part; and Elam was the original kingdom of Persia.

The Hebrew word for "nations" is gowy (go'-ee) a word wielded by some Jews as a
racial epithet to indicate non-Jewish peoples. But gowy isn't really all that specific.
The people of Israel are called gowy at Gen 18:18, and Jacob, the father of the
twelve tribes, is called a gowy at Gen 25:23. Gowy really just simply indicates a
massing; e.g. a herd of animals and/or a horde of locusts; which when extended,
indicates a particular people; e.g. Iroquois, Maya, Inuit, Chinese, Pacific Islanders,
Japanese, and/or Arabs, et al.

Mr. Tidal was probably the chief of a large confederacy consisting of mongrel, multi
racial people; possibly a tribal area in northeastern Babylonia. America is a perfect
example of Tidal's confederacy because it's a melting pot of assimilation,
intermarriage, and diverse races, cultures, languages, and nationalities. The only
true Americans in America are its indigenous peoples. Everybody else is either an
immigrant or the posterity of an immigrant.

At one time, Amraphel was thought to be Hammurabi; the great king of Babylon.
But it's now widely agreed that Hammurabi didn't arrive on the scene until many
years later. The other kings remain a mystery too, having not yet been
archaeologically identified.

• Gen 14:2 . . made war on King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King
Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar,

None of these men were "kings" in the fashion that we today think of royalty. They
were more like mayors, sheiks, or chieftains. And they didn't actually have
extensive realms; nor very much jurisdiction beyond the very community each one
dominated.

Canaanite cities weren't really serious municipalities; but rather more like fortified
hamlets-- much like the strategic villages in Viet Nam; except that just about all
Canaanite towns were enclosed within stone walls made of rough boulders about six
feet in diameter. Archaeologists call this type of wall a Cyclops wall. The boulder
walls were usually combined with an escarpment and reinforced with earthen
revetments.

Canaanite towns doubled as forts; places of refuge in time of danger, whether from
sudden attack by nomadic bands or from civil wars among the Canaanites
themselves. Towering perimeter walls invariably enclosed small areas, not much
bigger than Ste. Peter's Square in Rome. Each of these town-forts had a water
supply, but weren't really suitable for housing large populations in permanent
homes.

Inside the walls lived only the chieftain, the aristocracy, wealthy merchants, and
even sometimes Egyptian representatives. The rest of the inhabitants of the
township-- the ranchers and farmers, the vassals and the servants and the serfs--
lived outside the walls; often in tents or simple mud hogans or wattle huts.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived in tents; viz: pavilions.

In Tell el-Hesi, probably Eglon, the town proper was just over an acre. In Tell es
Safi, formerly Gath, it was twelve acres. In Tell el-Zakariyah, formerly Megiddo, the
same amount. Gezer, on the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa, occupied just over
twenty acres. Even in the more built up area of Jericho, the inner fortified wall, the
Acropolis proper, enclosed a space of little more than five acres; yet Jericho was an
important city and one of the strongest fortresses in the country.

So the five cities of the Plain were nothing to brag about-- well, maybe in their day
they might have been notable enough amongst their contemporaries.

• Gen 14:3 . . all the latter joined forces at the Valley of Siddim, now the Salt Sea.

In its early history; the valley was home to the Sedom Lagoon. Back then, water
from the Red Sea was able to ebb in and out of the lagoon because the region
hasn't always been land-locked like it is today. At one time the Jordan River had an
easy outlet to the gulf of Aqaba. But over time, tectonic forces altered the region;
preventing drainage into the gulf and trapping water in a huge basin from which
they cannot now escape.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:4a . .Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer,

Apparently El Ched was the instigator behind the extortion scheme holding Sodom
and its neighbors economically hostage. The other kings who came along with him
to Canaan were just reinforcements to back his play. You have to wonder how The
Ched ever found the Valley of Siddim in the first place and what in the world
motivated him to travel so far from home.

Ched's home turf, Elam, is a well-known tract, partly mountainous, whose western
boundary, starting on the northeast side of the Persian Gulf, practically followed the
course of the lower Tigris. It was bounded on the north by Media, on the east by
Persia and on the west by Babylonia. The Assyro-Babylonians called the tract
Elamtu, expressed ideographically by the Sumerian characters for Nimma or
Numma, which seems to have been its name in that language. As Numma, or Elam,
apparently mean height, or the like, these names were probably applied to it on
account of its mountainous nature.

Another name by which it was known in early times was Ashshan-- or Anshan --or
Anzan, (Anzhan) --one of its ancient cities. The great capital of the tract, however,
was Susa (Shushan), whence its Greek name of Susiana, interchanging with
Elymais, from the semitic Elam. Shushan is famous for its stories of Esther and
Nehemiah.

The modern-day city of Ahvaz Iran is a pretty good locator for the region of Elam. If
you have a map handy you can readily see just how far The Ched traveled to reach
the Jordan Valley. Even if he came straight over by helicopter, it's at least 780
miles.

It's amazing the distances that conquerors traveled on foot and the backs of
animals in ancient times. Hannibal crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps, with
elephants no less, to attack northern Italy. (The Alps have so eroded since that
Hannibal would have difficulty following the same track today.) But even just
getting to the far sides of those mountain ranges from Carthage was itself an
arduous journey sans mechanical conveyances. It's no surprise then that the
Second Punic War lasted nigh unto seventeen years.

In the past; it took armies a long time just to get to the battlefields before they
even did any fighting. Invaders from China thought nothing of skirting the
Himalayas and entering India via the Khyber Pass in order to conduct campaigns in
the Ganges River Valley. I really have to wonder sometimes how commanders kept
their armies from becoming discouraged by all that travel and by all that time away
from home.

That situation actually befell Alexander the Great. After eight years and 17,000
miles, his weary army refused to campaign anymore in India and mutinied at the
Hyphasis River (today's Beas). Abandoning his ambition to conquer lands and
peoples more distant to the east of Greece than any man before him, including his
father Philip, the young commander had no choice but to turn back.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:4b . . and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

El Ched wouldn't get wind of that right away of course. There was no email, no
radio, no sat-com, no land line, no snail mail, no cells, nor television, nor telegraph,
nor aircraft, nor motorized conveyances in that day so it would take some time for
an overland caravan to return and tell him how the federation of five towns in the
Valley refused to cough up their payments.

Meanwhile the local sheiks had some time to prepare themselves for attack while
The Ched organized an expeditionary force.

• Gen 14:5-7 . . In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with
him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the
Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El
paran, which is by the wilderness.

. . . On their way back they came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and subdued all
the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

Ched took no chances that any nearby clans would come to the aid of the Valley
people. So before launching his attack against the Federation, he first subdued
everyone in the region roundabout who might be sympathetic to their cause. The
Ched was a very shrewd commander.

Dr.Nelson Glueck, a leading Palestine archaeologist, has this to say about El Ched's
conquest:

"A punitive expedition developed into an orgy of annihilation. I found that every
village in their path had been plundered and left in ruins, and the countryside laid
waste. The population had been wiped out or led away into captivity. For hundreds
of years thereafter, the entire area was like an abandoned cemetery, hideously
unkempt, with all its monuments shattered and strewn in pieces on the ground."

The invasion first crushed all the sheiks north, east, and then west of the Dead Sea
before it reached the communities of Siddim, against whom the invasion had been
mounted in the first place. The purpose was no doubt to eliminate the possibility of
an attack from the rear while Ched was occupied fighting the Federation.

Dr.Glueck identifies Ashtaroth Karnaim, where The Ched encountered the Rephaim,
as two adjacent cities in southern Syria, Tell Ashtarah and Sheikh Sa'ad, which was
called Carnaim in New Testament times. The name Ashtarah comes from the name
of the Greek moon goddess Astarte , equivalent to the Babylonian god Ishtar and
the Canaanite goddess of sensual love Ashtaroth, whose worship was one of the
sources of gross immorality among the Canaanites.

After defeating the Rephaim, Ched smashed the Horites in Mount Seir-- a
mountainous region somewhat to the southeast of the Dead Sea --Esau's future
turf. Then he went to El-Paran, in the southern wilderness, and then returned to
Kadesh, on the western side of the Dead Sea where he crushed the people in a
region that would later belong to the Amelekites. He also defeated a contingent of
the Amorites, who were very probably the dominant tribe in Canaan at that time.

Some identify Hazazon-tamar as En-Gedi. If this identification is correct, then
Hazazon may be Wady Husasah, northwest of 'Ain Jidy.

Another suggestion, which certainly seems very likely true, is that Hazazon-tamar
is the Thamara of Eusebius, Onomasticon (85:3; 210:86), the Thamaro, of Ptol.
xvi. 3. The ruin Kurnub, 20 miles west-southwest of the south end of the Dead
Sea-- on the road from Hebron to Elath-- is supposed to mark this site. My maps
aren't too detailed in that area but Karnub seems to be in a region triangulated by
Dimona, Arad, and Be'er Sheva.

Anyway, after thus neutralizing all who might stand in his way, Ched's confederated
army then turned its full attention to the five communities in the Plain. And woe
and behold, Abram's nephew Lot was right smack in the middle of it all.

• Gen 14:8-9 . .Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah,
the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went forth and engaged
them in battle in the Valley of Siddim: King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of
Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar-- four kings against
those five.

That was probably a wise move. If each town had remained behind its own walls,
defending against El Ched individually on its own, he could have conquered them
very easily one at a time. By combining their forces, and meeting him in the open,
they stood a much better chance. But valley dwellers were no match for a seasoned
expeditionary force. The men from Babylonia were battle-honed veterans.

• Gen 14:10 . .The Valley of Siddim was full of slime pits. The kings of Sodom and
Gomorrah fled and fell into them while the rest fled to a mountain.

The Hebrew word translated "slime pits" is be'er (be-ayr') which is everywhere but
maybe three places translated "well" as in water wells and/or cisterns. Some Bibles
translate it "bitumen pit" but bitumen and slime are interpretations rather than
translations. The pits apparently were natural features in the valley; viz: random
sink holes.

note: The level of the Dead Sea dropped a record five feet in 2012; and in the
years between 1939 and 1999 it dropped eighty feet. The Sea's shrinkage has been
a major problem for decades, with its shoreline retreating as much as a mile in
some spots. The process destabilizes the ground surrounding it, causing massive
sink holes that have actually devoured whole villages.

The Hebrew word for "fell" is very ambiguous and could just as easily be translated
"got down". Compare Gen 17:3 where Abraham fell on his face. In other words: the
chieftains of Sodom and Gomorrah jumped down into some of those naturally
occurring pits like Army fox holes for cover and concealment.

• Gen 14:11-12 . . The invaders seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and
all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's
brother, and his possessions, and departed; for he had settled in Sodom.

Talk about riches to rags! Lot went from a prosperous cattle baron to a slave in
sixty minutes (so to speak).

The word for "provisions" is 'okel (o'-kel) which means: food. Victuals were an
important spoil of war in those days when supply lines were totally nonexistent.
There were no heavy-drops from cargo planes, nor helicopters to ferry in MRE's,
medicine, FNG's, ammo, potable water, and things of that nature. When El Ched's
army needed re-supply, they had to take it from their vanquished-- ergo: they
were highly motivated; because if they wanted to eat, then they had to fight; and
they had to win.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:13a . . A refugee brought the news to Abram

It was a trek from Sodom to Abram's camp. He was way up in Mamre; and a goodly
portion of it uphill-- very uphill. At any rate, news of Sodom's overthrow meant that
Lot was captured; or maybe even dead. One way or the other, Abram had to find
out if his nephew was still alive-- kind of like John Wayne looking for his two nieces
in The Searchers.

• Gen 14:13b . . the Hebrew,

This is very first appearance of the word "Hebrew", which is 'Ibriy (ib-ree') and
means: an Eberite; viz: a descendant of Eber. It can also mean "the other side"
which implies that Abram may have been known as one who came from the other
side of the Euphrates river-- sort of like Mexican, Central, and South American
immigrants who cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. But more likely he
was called Eberite because of his family's lineage. Eber was first mentioned back in
Gen 10:21.

note: Hebrews weren't Jews in Abram's day; no they were Gentiles. It was Abram's
eventual progeny who became Jews-- specifically people genetically and/or
religiously associated with Judah: Jacob's fourth son: patriarch of the Messianic
tribe (Gen 49:8-12, Heb 7:14).

The word for "Jew" is yehuwdiy (yeh-hoo-dee') which means Judah-ite; and doesn't
appear in the Bible until 2Kgs 16:6; many, many years after the Exodus.

• Gen 14:13c . . who was dwelling at the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, kinsman
of Eshkol and Aner, these being Abram's allies.

Abram had become a shrewd sheik. The best way to survive on the frontier is to
team up-- especially with someone that all the others know and fear. That way
most everyone will leave you alone because they don't want to deal with your
friends. The terebinths (oaks) belonged to Mamre, a well known Amorite in that
region. His kin, Eshkol and Aner, were Abram's friends too.

That tactic pays off in many of America's penal systems too. First thing a new
inmate has to do is join a gang or otherwise he'll be prey for all of them.

• Gen 14:14a . .When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he
mustered his retainers, born into his household, numbering three hundred and
eighteen,

The word for "retainers" is chaniyk (kaw-neek') which means: initiated; i.e.
practiced. This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where chaniyk
is located so it's difficult to know precisely what Genesis means by it; but seeing as
how the retainers' origin is mentioned, chaniyk probably refers to their unusual
degree of loyalty and dependability.

Abram was their sheik by birth, rather than by conscription. So these particular
men weren't mercenaries; but rather more like his very own sons. They were men
of deep gratitude for their master's providence; and every one of them, to a man,
were more than willing to die for him.

Though Abram was by nature a man of peace, he was prepared to fight in the event
it became necessary. In the wild untamed land of Palestine 4,000+ years ago, men
without mettle didn't survive very long. And even today, it's still true that a strong
man armed, keeps his goods. (cf. Luke 11:21)

They numbered 318. If we assume that each one was married, then the number of
persons doubles to 736. If each man had at least one child, then the number triples
to 954. A plausible scenario is that Sheik Abram's camp was a community of at
least 1,000 people-- a fair sized town. When this man broke camp, it was a serious
caravan.

• Gen 14:14b . . and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

At this early date, there was neither a region, nor a town, in Canaan colonized and
named after Jacob's son Dan. There wasn't even one in Moses' day. It wasn't until
Joshua 19:40-48 that Dan's tribe received their portion of Canaan. So Dan's name
could very well be a later editorial insertion.

It's unthinkable that Abram would leave his camp and his wife, and all the women
and children unprotected while he and his warriors traveled miles from home. So
it's reasonable to expect that some of his Amorite allies remained behind to
reinforce Abram's camp while he was out of town.

• Gen 14:15a . . At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated
them;

Very commendable for a former city slicker. Abram, no doubt coached by Mamre,
employed excellent Bedouin guerrilla tactics against a well-armed, seasoned foe of
superior numbers. After his scouts located The Ched's caravan, Abram dogged him,
waiting for an opportunity to attack in circumstances to his advantage. When the
time came, he did it under cover of darkness, rather than in daylight; and came at
them from more than one direction, which would help to create confusion, chaos,
and panic amidst Ched's army.

El Ched's men were probably laid back, stuffed full of stolen food and sleepy with
booze; and proud of themselves for their victories; totally unsuspecting anyone
remaining in Canaan would have the moxie to take them on. Having no flares, nor
Claymores, nor barbed wire, mines, nor flashlights, night vision capability, nor
motion detectors, or early warning systems of any kind; Ched's forces were easily
surprised and routed.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:15b . . and he pursued them as far as Hobah,

Unfortunately this is the only place in the entire Old Testament where Hobah is
mentioned; and archaeologists have had no luck so far in discovering its exact
location.

• Gen 14:15c . .which is north of Damascus.

Many, many years later, in 1918, the Hejaz Arab Army led by T.E. Laurence
(Laurence of Arabia) would fight the Turks in this very region and drive them out of
Damascus.

Ol' Abram sure didn't want those guys to forget Canaan none too soon. It wasn't
enough to beat them at Dan; no, he ran them all the way out of the country. The
survivors of the invading army no doubt straggled back to their homelands as best
they could, amazed at this sudden, unexpected humiliating end to what had been
up till then a mighty wave of victory and conquest.

No mention of this battle has ever yet been found on any of the Babylonian or
Elamite inscriptions-- which is understandable. Ancient kings were accustomed to
boast only about their victories since defeat usually left them dead or in slavery.

• Gen 14:16 . . He brought back all the possessions; he also brought back his
kinsman Lot and his possessions, and the women and the rest of the people.

If Abram had left the Federation's people in enemy hands and rescued only his
nephew, no one would have faulted him for it. They were, after all, total strangers
and had nothing in common with either Abram or Abram's religion; being "very
wicked sinners against the Lord." But that would have been a terribly ignoble show
of charity; not to mention downright politically stupid in a land where you needed
all the friends you could get.

It's easy to imagine the tremendous amount of respect this campaign won for
Abram in the eyes of all the Canaanites. He was a great sheik in that land, no doubt
about it now. Abram beat a Babylonian army.

That was an impressive accomplishment; and a testimony to his cunning, his
dependability, and to his courage under fire. Everyone in Canaan knew now that
Abram wasn't a man to be trifled with. He's a perfect example of the old proverb:
Walk softly, and carry a big stick. Abram was no bully, yet didn't allow others to
bully him. Now if only he would quit lying to people about his relationship to Sarai.

note: US President Theodore Roosevelt is famous for his comment about walking
softly, but the way he went about obtaining the Panama Canal zone was not what I
would call "soft".

• Gen 14:17 . .When he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with
him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the
Valley of the King.

The location of the Shaveh Valley is a total mystery; this being the only place in the
entire Old Testament where it's mentioned. "Shaveh" is a transliteration of Shaveh
(shaw-vay') which means: plain or level or equal.

Some feel that the Shaveh Valley was some sort of neutral zone, like a Geneva
Switzerland; where rival sheiks could meet and talk turkey without fear of reprisal
or assassination. The Valley of the King is thought to be a special location where
kingships were publicly bestowed upon individuals-- which, if true, would imply that
Abram may have been offered an opportunity to rule a portion of Canaan.

It's not unusual for victorious military commanders to be politically popular. General
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the USA's 34th president, was one of those; and so was the
great Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh. (had the British not reneged on their
commitment to support Tecumseh's hard-won coalition of eastern tribes, the United
States east of the Mississippi river might be half its size today)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:18a . . And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine;

Melchizedek's name is Malkiy-Tsedeq (mal-kee-tseh'-dek) which means: king of
right or possibly just simply righteous king; in contrast to the wickedness which
was the stock in trade of Bera, king of Sodom. I tend to think that King Mel was a
widely-accepted circuit judge in that region; a sort of one-man Supreme Court in
his day like Samuel was in his.

Salem is an early name of Jerusalem; translated from the Hebrew word Shalem
(shaw-lame') which means: peaceful.

Some make a big deal out of the bread and wine; relating it to the elements of the
Christian communion service, a.k.a. the Lord's Supper. However, the Lord's bread
was unleavened; keeping with the law of the Passover.

The Hebrew word for unleavened bread is matstsah (mats-tsaw') whereas the
Hebrew word for the bread that Mel brought is lechem (lekh'-em) which is a
nondescript word for all manner of food; it isn't limited to bakery products.

A good example of the ambiguity of lechem is the feast that Joseph ordered
prepared for his brothers (Gen 43:25-31). It wasn't a basket of Focaccia al
rosmarino; rather, an entire banquet.

There's really nothing especially symbolic about the wine either; it was a common
dinner beverage introduced to the post Flood world by none other than grampa
Noah. (Gen 9:20-21)

Mel's catering service probably brought enough food and drink for Abram's entire
detachment. They certainly deserved to be feted for their efforts, not just the old
boy himself. Mel's feast was a celebration; no doubt instigated by Mel, but
participated in by the whole region as a gesture of deep gratitude to Abram and his
men for ridding Canaan of that awful Ched person. In other words: I think that
what we're looking at here is a fiesta.

The wine that Mel brought to this event was capable of making everybody quite
drunk if they imbibed an amount beyond their tolerance. The word is yayin (yah'
yin) which means: to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication.
It's the very same word used of the beverage that hammered gramps in chapter
nine.

Mel was not only a political figure in that region; but a religious figure as well.

• Gen 14:18b . . he was a priest of God Most High.

"Most High" is a brand new superlative for God at this point in Genesis. It's 'elyown
(el-yone') which means: an elevation, i.e. lofty. As a title it means: the Supreme,
or the Very Highest.

We might have thought that Abram's camp comprised the only God-fearing people
in all of Canaan. But surprise of surprises. There was another man in the land who
was a God-fearing sheik just like Abram. But Mel went one better. This man was
not just a sheik, but also a priest of the Supreme God; and he holds the honor of
being the very first official priest of God in the entire Bible; many years before
Aaron.

Abram was a prophet, a great sheik, and a great man of God; and although he did
the part of a priest for his clan-- as did Job, Noah, and others-- he was never really
an official priest nor was he ever really a true king. So Mel easily outranked Abram.
(cf. Heb 7:4-7)

True priests are mediators between God and Man; and in that capacity, have the
authority and the wherewithal to effect a reconciliation between the two whenever
there's a breakdown in diplomatic relations. Priests also have a knowledge of God;
which they have a sacred duty to dispense to their constituents. (Mal 2:7)

The Bible is completely silent about Mel's origin. It doesn't list his genealogy; no,
not even so much as his mother and father; which is very unusual because Aaronic
priests have to prove their lineage before being permitted to take office. So that, in
reality, a priest like Mel doesn't have to be related to Aaron, nor does he even have
to be particularly Jewish; nor any other specific ethnic for that matter. He just has
to be a human being because high priests are taken from among men rather than
from among angels. (Heb 5:1)

However, humanness doesn't eo ipso qualify someone for the office of
Melchizedekian priest because it's an appointment rather than a career track. (Ps
110:4, Heb 5:4-6)

Mel was definitely a Gentile because Abram (himself also a Gentile, from the region
of Iraq) had yet to engender Isaac; the father of Jacob, who was to become the
progenitor of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel; viz: the Jews. So; though
Christ was a Jew, a number of his ancestors weren't.

note: The most important thing to note about Mel is that he was a priest prior to
the institution of Israel's covenanted law. Therefore, since Bible law isn't
retroactive-- viz: doesn't have ex post facto jurisdiction (Deut 5:2-4, Gal 3:17)
then Mel's constituents weren't obligated to comply with the Ten Commandments;
ergo: the Commandments cannot be used to prosecute them in heaven's court of
law (cf. Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13).

This rather outstanding advantage carries over to Christ's constituents too because
his priesthood is patterned after Mel's. (Ps 110:4, Heb 5:4-6)

Another thing to note about Mel's priesthood is that according to the letter to
Hebrews; it's a high-priest priesthood; which means that only one man at a time
can hold the office.

That right there totally invalidates Mormonism's order of Melchizedek. It also
invalidates Mormonism's Aaronic order too because Aaron's is also a high-priest
priesthood. In other words: the high priest's priesthood doesn't consist of a panel of
priests like the nine justices comprising the US Supreme Court. No, the high
priest's priesthood is a one-man show.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 14:19-20a . . He blessed him, saying: Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered
your foes into your hand.

At this point in time, Abram's relationship with God was very satisfactory. 'Elyown
had nothing critical for Mel to say of Abram; and Mel verified that God was the
reason behind Abram's success in battle. David's too.

"In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall (2Sam
22:30)

"He prepares me for battle; he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze. (2 Sam
22:35)

"Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for
battle" (Ps 144:1)

etc.

There are Christians who, allegedly for conscience sake, are totally against all war
and violence. They fail to appreciate that peace, liberty, and human rights are
preserved in an evil world only by force of arms.

Conscientious objectors-- while refusing to put themselves in harm's way standing
guard over their family and their country, and to lend a hand in keeping the world a
relatively safe, stable place to live, sacrificing their own lives and futures if need be
--don't seem to mind taking advantage of the abundance of benefits purchased by
the blood of others whom they despise as baby killers and war mongers.

• Gen 14:20b . . And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything.

According to Heb 7:1-4, this particular tenth regarded only the recent spoils of war;
not of all Abram's estate in its entirety. So then, tenths should be reserved for
times when you know in your heart that it was God who engineered your success.

Just exactly how King Mel disposed of Abram's tenth isn't stated; but typically
contributions back then went towards a local priest's support. This principle would
apply of course only if Mel was useful to Abram as a priest; viz: a source of spiritual
counseling and/or a mediator between himself and God, otherwise Abram would
owe him nothing.

But enough of that. A comprehensive dissertation on the Melchizedekian priesthood
is located in the New Testament's open letter to the Hebrew people.

• Gen 14:21 . .Then the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and
take the possessions for yourself.

Sheik Bera was very grateful to Abram, and asked only for the return of his fellow
citizens; but not for the return of their stolen goods. Abram was more than
welcome to keep it all as his reward for rescuing the people of the Plain. Although
Bera and his citizens were very wicked, this is one time I have to give him some
credit for showing excellent propriety.

But Abram refused. There was just no way he was going to get rich by exploiting
his own neighbors' misfortunes. Although he had a perfect right, within the customs
of that day, to all the spoils of war, (a tenth of which he already gave to
Melchizedek) he waived it in favor of looking out for Sheik Bera's best interests. I
tell you, this man Abram was incredibly gracious; and his manner of life, as a rule,
made his religion, and his god, look pretty good.

• Gen 14:22-23 . .But Abram said to the king of Sodom: I swear to the Lord God
Most High, Creator of heaven and earth; I will not take so much as a thread or a
sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say: It is I who made Abram rich

When you get down to it; a person's reputation is all that really matters in life;
because it's really the only thing we take with us when we pass on. Abram didn't
want to be known as someone who got rich through the misfortunes of others. And
that is exactly what would have happened had he agreed to Bera's suggestion. You
can imagine what that would have done to his influence for God in that region; and
how it would have ruined Abram's own self respect. It would be awful indeed if
people round about gossiped that Abram's only motive for rescuing his nephew was
for profit.

Abram didn't need Bera's stuff anyway. What the heck; he had plenty back home
already. Why be greedy? I mean: how much does it really take to satisfy? Does a
man really have to own every skyscraper, every square foot of real estate, every
drop of water, every cow, pig, and chicken, every inch of agricultural land, every
fruit and vegetable seed sold around the world, every watt of electricity, every
telephone system, every share of stock in a blue chip company, every software
program, every car dealership, every oil well, every refinery, every electric
generating plant, every natural gas supplier, a monopoly on insecticide and weed
killer, every utility, and every hotel and apartment building before he feels he has
enough?

When will Walmart's corporate managers finally say "Lets stop expanding. We have
enough market share". They never will because Walmart's greed and its predatory
nature knows no bounds.

As I watched a NetFlix documentary about corn production; the producers visited a
chemical plant that makes high fructose corn syrup. The manager of the plant was
asked how much market share his product had. After answering, he was then asked
how much market share he would like to have; and he answered "all of it"

The Supreme Almighty God, who had so blessed Abram thus far, would surely
continue to do so. Abram had far more personal honor and self respect than the
predatory ENRON traders who took advantage of forest fires in California some
years ago to raise that State's electric rates.

• Gen 14:24 . . For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; as for the
share of the men who went with me-- Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre --let them take
their share.

Abram's only request was replacement of his own provisions that his troops
consumed during the mission. He didn't permit them to take a share of the spoils;
and since they were his slaves; they had no say in it. But his Amorite allies spoke
for themselves. If they wanted anything, it was their own decisions about it and
Abram didn't interfere. I mean, after all; the cities of the plain owed the Amorite
guys at least a little something as compensation for saving their bacon.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 15:1a . . Some time later, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.

This is the very first record of a vision in the Bible. The Hebrew word is machazeh
(makh-az-eh') and it appears in only four places in the entire Old Testament; which
is pretty amazing considering the volume of prophecy the Old Testament contains.

Visions aren't always visible scenes, but sometimes contain only audible words; and
this is one of those instances. It wasn't the Lord who came to Abram in a vision: it
was His word; viz: this vision was something heard rather than seen i.e. a
message.

• Gen 15:1b . . Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you;

The vision informed Abram that Yhvh intended to protect him; which was a good
thing because quite possibly Abram at this time was feeling a bit anxious that a
counterattack might be organized up in Shinar and return to Canaan for revenge
with a much larger force than the one recently defeated.

• Gen 15:1c . .Your reward shall be very great.

In other words; his reward would be much greater than the one he just recently
forfeited. In those days, it was winner takes all; but Abram had not exercised that
option.

Below is an ancient take on the event.

T. Thereupon was the word of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying: Fear not; for
if these men should gather together in legions and come against thee, My Word will
be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this world, the reward of thy good
works shall be kept, and be prepared before Me in the world to come, great
exceedingly. (Targum Jonathan)

• Gen 15:2a . . But Abram said: O Lord God, what can You give me, seeing that I
shall die childless,

Apparently Abram misunderstood God back in Gen 12:2 when He promised to make
of Abram a great nation; even though God restated the promise at Gen 12:7 and
Gen 13:15 and clearly meant Abram would engender biological progeny. However, I
think the man had grown so accustomed to Sarah's sterility that it just never
occurred to him that God's promise might actually be for real.

• Gen 15:2b . . and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Eliezer wasn't Abram's blood kin; however, by common law in Canaan, he was
Abram's default heir apparent in the absence of legal progeny.

• Gen 15:3 . . Abram said further: Since You have granted me no offspring, my
steward will be my heir.

When a man without children died in that day, common law stipulated that his chief
steward got it all and had a legal right to pass it all on to his own son. Abram had
no real estate, but if he did, then Eliezer would get that too in the event Abram died
with no heir. Sarai? Well, she'd probably stay on as Eliezer's concubine.

But the real danger at this point wasn't to Abram's gold, silver, slaves, herds, and
women; but to the promises that God made to Abram concerning his heir. Those
would pass to Eliezer too.

• Gen 15:4-5 . .The word of The Lord came to him in reply: That one shall not be
your heir; none but your very own issue shall be your heir. He took him outside and
said: Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And
He added: So shall your offspring be.

In Abram's day, prior to the invention of optics, the only stars that people could see
with their own eyes were those in our home galaxy; the Milky Way; which consists
of an estimated 100-400 billion stars. But many of those estimated billions of stars
appear to the naked eye not as stars but as glowing clouds; viz: they cannot be
individually distinguished by the naked eye so those didn't matter to Abram when it
came to actually tallying the heavens.

The entire global sky contains roughly five or six thousand stars visible to the naked
eye. However, we can't see all those stars at once; only the ones when the sky is
dark. So then; in Abram's day, he could see at most three thousand discernible
stars from dark till dawn. God had said "if you are able to count them". Well; even
at only three thousand, the task would be difficult.

note: The term "stars" may have been an ancient idiom for large numbers of just
about anything. Compare Heb 12:1 where "cloud" is a term for the same purpose.

Anyway . . it finally sank in that God's promise was for real and that's when one of
the most significant events in history took place.

• Gen 15:6 . . And he believed in Yhvh; and He counted it to him for righteousness.

That is the very first time anything "righteous" was said about Abram in Genesis;
and it resulted not from piety, but rather, from belief.

The Hebrew word for "belief" is horribly ambiguous. 'Aman can mean, among other
things: (1) to build up or support, (2) to foster as a parent or nurse, (3) figuratively
to render (or be) firm or faithful, (4) to trust or believe, (5) to be permanent or
quiet, (6) to be morally true or certain, and (7) to rely upon.

Any choice I make from that list would be entirely arbitrary; but my money is upon
trust and reliance because at that moment, Abram began seriously pinning his
hopes on God to do something about his childless situation.

The thing to note is that Abram's hope wasn't based upon wishful thinking. No; he
had a testimony from God to justify his confidence.

According to the first chapter of Genesis; the cosmos-- all of its forms of life,
matter, and energy --is the result of intelligent design. Do people gain a degree of
righteousness when they believe that chapter is true? No; I mean, even demons
believe that chapter is true; and fat lot of good it does them because there are no
personal guarantees in that chapter; it's entirely academic.

But how about this?

"I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the One who sent
me. And this is the will of the One who sent me, that I should not lose anything of
what He gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of
my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal
life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day." (John 6:38-40)

Whether people do or don't rely upon and/or trust that statement will have no
effect upon its outcome; viz: it is going to happen. However, their doubt will cost
them a degree of righteousness because John 3:38-40 isn't academic; no, it's a
personal guarantee.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 15:7a . .Then He said to him: I am The Lord who brought you out from Ur of
the Chaldeans

God here identifies Himself as Yhvh (a.k.a. Jehovah, a.k.a. Yahweh). That may
seem unimportant but there are those who claim Abram was unaware of that name
because of Ex 6:3. But it just goes to show you that sometimes the Bible is not all
that easy to understand.

One thing we should never overlook about Abram is that, although he was a
Hebrew, he was never a Jew. He and his wife Sarai were both Gentiles whom God
selected to engender the people of Israel. There was nothing particularly special
about Abram. In fact he came from a city, and a family, of idolaters. (Josh 24:2)

So God began by reminding Abram of his roots. Abram was a Babylonian; and it
was God who took an interest in him, and the one who got him out of there and
gave him a future. It wasn't Abram's idea to re-invent himself; nor was it Abram's
idea to pack up and leave his native country. Actually, if not for God's interference,
Abram would've still been back at Ur, living like a pagan.

• Gen 15:7b . . to assign this land to you as a possession.

God gave this man a future. Abram was a nobody, going nowhere in Ur. Of His own
sovereign volition, God moved into Abram's life and made a difference. He'll do the
very same thing again later on with Jacob.

Some Gentile Christians are way too puffed up with religious pride. It wouldn't hurt
a few of them to consider their own roots once in a while too because they have
absolutely nothing to brag about.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to
live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the
air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived
among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following
its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

. . . But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have
been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show
the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus." (Eph 2:1-7)

"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called
uncircumcised by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the
body by the hands of men)-- remember that at that time you were separate from
Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the
promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you
who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." (Eph
2:11-13)

• Gen 15:8 . . And he said: O Lord God, how shall I know that I am to possess it?

When men struck deals in those days, they gave each other a token of their word.
What Abram requested was sort of akin to a notarized signature. That's interesting
because though Abram believed God's promise of a biological heir; he didn't really
have all that much confidence in God's promise of the heir possessing Canaan. In
other words: Abram wanted a token of God's good faith.

During this dialogue, Abram has been calling God by the title 'Adonay (ad-o noy')
which means Lord, Sovereign, and/or Master (as a proper name for only God) This
is, in point of fact, the very first instance in the Bible of somebody addressing God
by that title. It is precisely what everyone should call God only when they are
serious about living in compliance with His will.

So please don't ever address your maker as Lord, Sovereign, and/or Master unless
you mean it. It is very insulting, and quite meaningless, to refer to someone as
your commander when you have no intention of doing what they say or if you're
going about it in a half-hearted manner.

"And why do you call me Lord and Master and do not what I say?" (Luke 6:46)

"A son honors his father, and a servant his lord. If I am a father, where is the honor
due me? If I am a lord, where is the respect due me?-- protests the Lord of Hosts."
(Mal 1:6)

• Gen 15:9-10 . . He answered: Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old
she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young bird. He brought Him all
these and cut them in two, placing each half opposite the other; but he did not
divide the [young] bird.

Full grown turtledoves are towr (tore). Young birds are gowzal (go-zawl'); viz:
nestlings, quite possibly still covered in chick down. Of all the animals that God
specified, the gowzal is the only one that wasn't mature. How Abram knew to cut
the mature ones in two pieces is not stated.

The ritual that is about to take place amounted to a notary public. Abram wanted
God's name on the dotted line and this is the way God chose to do it. This ritual
may look silly and barbarous to modern Man, but it was serious business and may
very well have been a common custom for sealing pacts in the Canaan of that day.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 15:11 . . Birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove
them away.

The only responsibility that Abram had in this ritual was to set it up. So it was his
job to protect the carcasses from damage and keep the scene clear of interference
from people and critters who had no business there.

• Gen 15:12 . . As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a
great dark dread descended upon him.

At this point, Abram is placed in a condition that is much more powerful than a
trance. It's the sleep of anesthesia-- the very same kind of sleep that God put
Adam into when he amputated material from his side to make the woman at Gen
2:21-22.

In this condition, Abram is totally powerless to either participate or to interfere; nor
would he want to anyway. It's God who's putting His name on the dotted line; not
Abram. This entire ritual is for Abram's benefit; and his alone, because Abram
didn't have to reciprocate and promise God one single thing in return. God is the
one who voluntarily obligated Himself, and now He is going to notarize his word per
Abram's request; to set Abram's mind at ease regarding a biological heir, and the
heir's possession of Canaan.

This pact, that God made with Abram, is totally unconditional. No matter what
Abram did from now on, nothing would place himself in breach of contract because
God alone is in obligation. There is nothing in the pact for Abram to live up to;
therefore it was impossible for Abram to endanger either his own, or his posterity's,
permanent possession of the land of Palestine. They may lose their occupation of it
from time to time, but never their possession. And best of all, the contract that
Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Deut 29:9-5 cannot endanger the
security of this covenant because theirs was introduced too late to make a
difference.

"And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot
annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make
the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of
promise; but God gave it to Abraham as a promise." (Gal 3:17-18)

Law grants blessings on condition, but promises grant blessings with no strings
attached and nothing asked in return.

"As far as the gospel is concerned, [God's people] are enemies on your account;
but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for
God's gifts and His call are irrevocable." (Rom 11:28-29)

• Gen 15:13 . . And He said to Abram: Know well that your offspring shall be
strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four
hundred years;

God predicted three things concerning Abram's offspring (not Abram himself) that
would occur over a 400 year period:

(1) They would be resident aliens, (2) They would be oppressed, and (3) They
would be slaves.

From the time Jacob moved his family down to Egypt, until the day Moses' people
left under Moses' leadership, was only about 210 years. But according to Ex 12:40
41 the people of Israel were supposed to have dwelled in Egypt 430 years.

Paul said that Israel's covenanted law, (enacted about a month after the people of
Israel were liberated from Egypt) came 430 years after Abram's covenant. (Gal
3:16-18)

The data is somewhat sketchy, but from what exists, it appears that an all inclusive
430-year period began with Abram's covenant scene in Gen 15. But God didn't say
Abram himself would be effected by the prediction. He said Abram's progeny would
be. Ishmael doesn't count as Abram's progeny in respect to the land. So the holy
progeny began with the birth of Isaac; which occurred about 30 years after Abram's
covenant was ratified. So the 400 year period of Gen 15:13 apparently began with
Isaac. Even though he himself was never a slave in Egypt, Isaac was nevertheless
an alien in lands not belonging to him; and later, his son Jacob would be too.

Abram's holy progeny were resident aliens in at least three places-- Canaan, Egypt,
and Babylonia. Jacob lived, not only in Canaan and Egypt, but also on his uncle
Laban's ranch in Haran; which is up in Turkey.

Precisely why the entire 430 year period is reckoned in Ex 12:40-41 as "the length
of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt" is totally unknown; except that it reflects
the Septuagint's version; which is a Greek derivative of ancient Hebrew texts no
longer available.

• Gen 15:14a . . but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve,

That of course refers to the famous plagues that occurred in Egypt during Moses'
confrontation with one of its Pharaohs; culminating in the death of the firstborn of
man and beast during the Passover.

• Gen 15:14b . . and in the end they shall go free.

Actually they didn't "go" free like the English text suggests; but rather, were set
free-- viz: liberated --because on their own, they would never have been able to do
it. It was at that time that the people of Israel learned the true connotation of the
name Yhvh. It's not just another divine moniker. It identifies God as a savior; which
Webster's defines as a rescuer.

"God also said to Moses: I am Yhvh. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob
as 'El Shadday, but by my name Yhvh I did not make myself known to them." (Ex
6:2-3)

Those three men knew the moniker; but their association with 'El Shadday was not
on the basis of a savior. Their association was on the basis of a provider; viz:
providence; which can be defined (in their case) as God's kindly patronage.

• Gen 15:14c . . with great wealth.

The "great wealth" was in the form of voluntary plunder. (Ex 11:1-3, Ex 12:33-36)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 15:15a . . As for you,

Abram must have begun to wonder if maybe he too was in danger of oppression
and slavery.

• Gen 15:15b . .You shall go to your fathers in peace;

Have you ever wondered how you'll die-- by accident, poison, in a violent mugging,
disease, cancer, car wreck, a fall, hit in the head by a tree limb, or from a random
bullet in a drive-by shooting? People often die suddenly and totally unexpected.
Many people die a very unhappy death-- miserable, alone, unloved, and unfulfilled.

God promised Abram that he would not die like that. His death would be tranquil
and calm and actually quite satisfactory. He would experience no fears, no anxiety,
and no regrets.

• Gen 15:15c . .You shall be buried at a ripe old age.

Death stalks each and every one of us like a hungry predator, waiting for its chance
to do us in. We just never know.

"Jesus told them: The right time for me has not yet come; but for you any time is
right." (John 7:6)

Abram had the envious advantage of knowing he would live a full life before he
died. Everyone should be so lucky!

• Gen 15:16 . . And they shall return here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet complete.

God mentioned only one of the nations living in Canaan. Why was He going to delay
transferring possession of the land until the iniquity of the "Amorites" was
brimming-- why them and not the others? Probably because God promised Abram
that He would bless those who blessed him.

Well . . the Amorite men-- Mamre, Eshkol, and Aner --were Abram's friends and
allies during the recent military campaign to rescue Lot; so that the ultimate
destiny of Canaan hinged upon the decadence of just one tribe: the Amorites.
Sometimes it really pays to have God-fearing friends in this world; for example:

Jacob:

"And Laban said to him: Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have
learned by experience that Yhvh has blessed me for your sake". (Gen 30:27)

"The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and Yhvh has blessed you
wherever I have been". (Gen 30:30)

and Joseph:

"When Joseph's master saw that Yhvh was with him and that Yhvh gave him
success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his
attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care
everything he owned.

. . . From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned,
Yhvh blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of
Yhvh was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field". (Gen
39:3-5)

• Gen 15:17 . .When the sun set and it was very dark, there appeared a smoking
oven, and a flaming torch which passed between those pieces.

The Hebrew word for "oven" is tannuwr (tan-noor') which means: a fire pot. But it's
not just a simple bucket of coals. It was actually portable kitchen equipment,
especially for baking fresh bread. There are several passages in the Bible where
ovens are connected with Divine judgment. (e.g. Ps 21:9-10, Mal 3:19-21, Matt
13:40-43)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 15:18a . . On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,

This is now the second covenant that God made with His creation. The first one was
with every living creature back in chapter nine. That one is often called Noah's
Covenant. But this covenant, well known as Abraham's Covenant, is somewhat
different. It's not made between God and every living creature, but between God
and one specific human being and his progeny.

• Gen 15:18b . . saying: To your offspring I assign this land,

The word for "offspring" is zera' (zeh'-rah) which means: seed; figuratively, fruit,
plant, sowing-time, and progeny. Zera' is one of those words that is both plural and
singular-- like the words sheep and fish. One sheep is a sheep, and a flock of them
are called sheep too. So the context has to be taken into consideration; and even
then there can still be ambiguity

Here's an instance where the meaning of zera' is obviously one child.

"Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning:
God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel. For Cain had killed
him". (Gen 4:25)

Here's an instance where the meaning is clearly more than one child.

"And He said to Abram: Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land
not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years" (Gen
15:13)

Sometimes the context contains both the singular and the plural.

"Abram said further: Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be
my heir. The word of the Lord came to him in reply: That one shall not be your
heir; none but your very own issue shall be your heir. Yhvh took him outside and
said: Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And
He added: So shall your progeny be". (Gen 15:3-5)

• Gen 15:18c-21 . . from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgasites, and the Jebusites.

If you have a map handy, it's instantly apparent just how huge a piece of real
estate that God assigned to Abram and his offspring. It's very difficult to precisely
outline the whole area but it seems to encompass a chunk of Africa east of the Nile,
(including the delta), the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Onan, UAE, Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

The "river of Egypt" is very likely the Nile since there was no Suez Canal in that
day. The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The distance from Cairo Egypt to Al
Basrah Iraq is about 983 miles as the crow flies.

That's roughly the distance from San Diego to Abilene Tx. The distance from Aden
Yemen to Hilab Syria is about 1,698 miles as the crow flies; which is just a tad
under the crow-distance from Los Angeles to Chicago.

I'm talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of them; which
is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden,
Norway, and Finland combined! Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west
dimension, across the Negev, is less than 70 miles; and south to north from the
Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona, about 260; comprising a square mileage of only 8,473:
a mere half of 1% of the original land covenanted to Abram.

God has yet to give Abram's seed complete control over all of his covenanted land.
In point of fact, the boundaries were very early on temporarily reduced for the time
being. (Num 34:1-12)

The temporary boundaries run from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to the Jordan
River; and from the southern tip of the Dead Sea northward to a geographic
location which has not yet really been quite accurately identified. Ezk 47:15 says
the northern border passes along "the way of Hethlon" which some feel is very
likely the valley of the Nahr al Kubbir river which roughly parallels the northern
border of modern day Lebanon, and through which a railroad track lies between An
Naqib on the Mediterranean coast to Hims Syria.

The next event in Abram's life has repercussions all the way to the World Trade
Center-- September 11, 2001. The son produced by his union with Hagar went on
to become the father of the Arab world; and ultimately, Muhammad: the inventor of
Islam.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 16:1 . . Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had an Egyptian
maidservant whose name was Hagar.

It's entirely possible that Abram purchased Ms. Hagar while they were all down in
Egypt during the famine back in chapter 12.

The word for "maidservant" is shiphchah (shif-khaw') which is a female slave (as a
member of the household). So, Hagar wasn't just another skull in the slave pool. As
a member of the household staff, she merited a measure of respect. Hagar
probably seemed like a daughter to ol' Abram in spite of her slave status.

It's my guess that Hagar was Sarai's personal assistant similar in status to that of
Anna: lady Mary's maid in the popular television series "Downton Abbey".

The duties of a lady's maid typically include helping her mistress with make up,
hairdressing, clothing, jewelry, shoes, and wardrobe maintenance. I think all-in-all;
Hagar had it pretty good; that is, until this fertility issue came along to spoil
everything.

• Gen 16:2a . . And Sarai said to Abram: Look, the Lord has kept me from bearing.

Sarai's logic, at least from a certain point of view, was reasonable. She was likely
familiar with Gen 1:22 and 1:28, where fertility was stated to be a blessing;
therefore, in her mind at least, infertility was an evidence of God's disfavor.

There's a rare defect in women that is just astounding. I read about it in the Vital
Signs column of Discover magazine. The defect, though rare, is most common in
otherwise perfectly gorgeous women-- girls like Sarai --and seems to be somewhat
hereditary. Their birth canal is a cul-de-sac; viz: a blank pouch. There's no ovaries,
no fallopian tubes, no uterus, and no cervix. One of the first clues to the presence
of the defect is when girls are supposed to start menstruating, but don't.

The story I saw was of a young Mexican girl (I'll call her Lupé). Young, beautiful,
and filled out in all the right places; Lupé came to a clinic for an examination to find
out why she wasn't having periods and that's when they discovered she didn't have
any generative plumbing.

Lupé was devastated, not only with the news that she would never have any
children of her own, but to make matters worse; in her home town's culture, fertile
girls are highly valued and respected, while the sterile ones are treated like
expendable grunts-- char-girls and slave labor. Lupé left the clinic with the full
weight upon her heart that in spite of being a ten, and in spite of her feelings to the
contrary, she would have to spend the rest of her youth solo because no man in her
community would want her; and even among her own kin Lupé would be looked
upon as cursed and untouchable.

I'm not insisting Sarai had the same problem as Lupé. It's only one possibility from
any number of fertility problems; e.g. hostile womb, anovulation, tubal blockage,
uterine issues, etc. But unbeknownst to Sarai, God wanted her biological progeny to
be a miracle baby rather than a natural baby; and why God didn't keep Abram
informed about that I can only speculate: but won't.

• Gen 16:2b . . Consort with my maid; perhaps I shall have a son through her.

This is the very first instance in the Bible of the principle of adoption. According to
the customs of that day, a Lady had the right, and the option, to keep a female
slave's children as her own if the Lady's husband sired them. No one bothered to
ask Ms. Hagar how she might feel about it because slaves had no say in such
arrangements.

• Gen 16:2c . . And Abram heeded Sarai's request.

Sarai wasn't specifically named in God's original promise of offspring; so Abram
may have figured that any son he produced could qualify as the promised seed.
This is one time he really should have gone to one of his altar and inquired of The
Lord what to do. But it was an innocent mistake, and totally blindsided Abram
because what he and Sarai did wasn't out of the ordinary in their own day.

• Gen 16:3 . . So Sarai, Abram's wife, took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian-- after
Abram had dwelt in the land of Canaan ten years --and gave her to her husband
Abram as concubine.

Hagar no doubt was attracted to any one of a number of fine unattached young
men in Abram's community; but due to circumstances beyond her control, she was
doomed to a lonely limbo of unrequited love. Her lot in life, though no doubt very
comfortable and secure, was, nonetheless, probably tainted with an unfulfilled
longing that robbed her of true peace and contentment.

Abram was ten years older than Sarai; so he was 85 at this point in time; which is
equivalent to about 43 of our own years of age.

The word translated "concubine" is 'ishshah (ish-shaw') --a nondescript word for
women (cf. Gen 2:22-23) which just simply indicates the opposite side of the Adam
coin.

Concubines in those days weren't adulteresses. They had a much higher status than
that. Webster's defines a concubine as: a woman having a recognized social status
in a household below that of a wife. So they weren't quite as low on the food chain
as a mistress or a girl toy. They at least had some measure of respectability and
social acceptance; and they had a legitimate place in their man's home too. But, at
the same time, they were not a real wife. They were, in fact, quite expendable.
When a man was tired of a concubine, he could send her away with nothing. They
shared no community property, nor had rights of inheritance.

If Hagar had truly been Abram's wife, then she would have enjoyed equality with
Sarai as a sister-wife. But she didn't. Hagar continued to be a slave, and there is no
record that she and Abram slept together more than the once. She didn't take up a
new life married to Abram; and Abram never once referred to her as his spouse. He
always referred to Hagar as Sarai's slave. The tenor of the story is that Sarai gave
her maidservant to Abram as a wife, but not to actually marry him. Sarai's intention
was that Hagar be a baby mill; nothing more.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 16:4 . . He cohabited with Hagar and she conceived; and when she saw that
she had conceived, her mistress became lower in her esteem.

Before this incident, Hagar knew her place and was humble and self effacing around
Sarai, but afterwards she regarded her mistress as somewhat less of a woman than
herself. There's no record of Hagar gloating over Sarai, but sometimes women
communicate just as effectively with "looks" as they do with words.

• Gen 16:5 . . And Sarai said to Abram: The wrong done me is your fault! I myself
put my maid in your bosom; and now that she sees that she is expecting, I am
lowered in her esteem. The Lord decide between you and me!

Sarai attempted to take the high moral ground by insinuating that had Abram been
a real man, he would've seen that sleeping with Hagar was a bad idea and refused.
Therefore it was his fault for not putting a stop to her idea before things got out of
hand.

People accuse God of the very same thing all the time. In their mind's eye, if God
were really as wise, loving, omniscient, and all-powerful as He's alleged to be, then
He would never have put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden
to begin with; and when the Serpent tempted Eve, He would have stepped in and
put a stop to it before things got out of hand. Therefore, they conclude, it's not the
human race's fault for being what it is: it's God's fault for not protecting us from
our own stupidity.

• Gen 16:6a . . Abram said to Sarai: Your maid is in your hands. Deal with her as
you think right.

Abram should never have given Sarai carte blanche to do as she pleased with
Hagar. In her mood, it would surely get out of hand and go too far. But he was
stuck between a rock and a hard place. Abram had to live with Sarai. He could get
by without Hagar's good will; so hers was sacrificed to keep peace in the home.

Most men would do the very same thing in his place because it isn't easy for a man
to live with an indignant woman. In point of fact, I would put an indignant woman
even higher on the graph of difficulty than a weeping woman.

Note that Abram didn't refer to Hagar as "my wife"; nor even as "my concubine".
He referred to her as "your maid". It's sad, but obvious that Abram was ashamed of
himself for sleeping with Hagar just to make his wife happy; and took care to
distance himself from Sarai's maid so she wouldn't get any ideas that Abram had an
attachment for her.

• Gen 16:6b-7 . .Then Sarai treated her harshly, and she [Hagar] ran away from
her. An angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the
spring on the road to Shur,

Old Testament angels aren't necessarily celestial beings; seeing as how the Hebrew
word simply indicates a deputy and/or a messenger.

The road to Shur went south from Abram's camp; so possibly Hagar's intent was to
return home to Egypt. At this point, she was a runaway slave and must have been
feeling very lonely, very unimportant, and very unsure of her future. No one cared
for her soul, whether she lived or died— and, where was she to go? Maybe her
parents would take her back in when she got home. But how was she to explain the
baby?

Genesis doesn't say, but Hagar could have hitch-hiked a ride with a caravan. It's
hard to believe a woman in that day would dare attempt a journey that far on foot,
and all by herself.

Shur is the name of a desert region east of the Suez Canal and extending down
along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez. Shur means "wall" and may refer to the
mountain wall of the Tih plateau as visible from the shore plains. The position of
Shur is defined as being "opposite Egypt on the way to Assyria" (Gen 25:18). After
crossing the Red Sea, the people of Israel entered the desert of Shur (Ex 15:22)
which extended southward a distance of three days' journey. The region is referred
as being close, or adjacent, to Egypt. (1Sam 15:7 and 1Sam 27:8)

• Gen 16:8a . . the angel said: Hagar, slave of Sarai,

It should be pointed out that the angel didn't refer to Hagar as Abram's wife; but as
Sarai's slave— additional clues that Hagar and Abram were never married otherwise
her status would be that of Abram's spouse rather than Sarai's slave.

This is the very first instance in the Bible record where somebody addressed Ms.
Hagar by name. What I like best is that although her human masters aren't
recorded calling her by name, a messenger of God— higher in dignity and rank than
either Abram and Sarai —did call out to her by her own name.

• Gen 16:8b . . where have you come from, and where are you going?

At first the angel probably impressed Hagar as just another friendly traveler. But
there was something very unusual about this mysterious stranger. He knew Hagar's
name, and he knew she was a slave; and he knew her mistress' name too. And he
also knew Ms. Hagar was preggers. That had to break the ice quite nicely don't you
think?

• Gen 16:8c . . And she said: I am running away from my mistress Sarai.

Somehow the angel won Ms. Hagar's confidence, and she was comfortable talking
about herself. There's a very real possibility that the angel was the first person to
take a genuine interest in Hagar's feelings for a long, long time.

In my 76+ years journeying through this life, I've discovered there are lots of
people out there aching for someone to take them seriously. They don't like being
marginalized; they don't like being made to feel unimportant, inferior, unnecessary,
expendable, mediocre, and stupid— they want to count; they want to matter, they
want to be noticed and they want to be heard. I've no doubt that is the very reason
behind the success of social networks.

One of the four common characteristics of seemingly level-headed Muslim men who
become suicide bombers is the wish to devote themselves to a cause higher than
themselves; viz: they desire to make their lives count for something. Those kinds of
personalities are good candidates for martyrdom.

note: An extreme case of what we're talking about here is Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a.
the Unabomber. Ted isn't an especially violent man. He has some ideas and the
only way the friendless, isolated loner could think of to get the world to listen was
by maimimg people with bombs.

Ted's frustration kind of reminds me of a friend who, when he was in grammar
school, had a crush on the little girl sitting in front of him. My friend couldn't think
of a way to talk to the girl, so he spit on her hair. It sure got her attention, and that
right quick.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 16:9 . . And the angel of the Lord said to her: Go back to your mistress, and
submit to her harsh treatment.

That was no doubt the last thing Ms. Hagar would consider doing; even in a pinch.
But the Lord had plans for Hagar's baby about which she was unaware up to this
point.

• Gen 16:10-11 . . And the angel of The Lord said to her: I will greatly increase
your offspring, and they shall be too many to count. The angel of Yhvh said to her
further: Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael,
for Yhvh has paid heed to your suffering.

I don't think any of us can possibly imagine just how incredulous Hagar must have
been at the stranger's words. He as much as assured her that the pregnancy would
go well and she would deliver safely. He even suggested a name for her baby;
which the angel predicted would be a boy. His name, by the way, would be Yishma'
e'l (yish-maw-ale') which means: God will hear; or just simply: God hears; or: God
is aware. In other words: God had a sympathetic awareness of Hagar's distress;
together with a desire to alleviate it; which is pretty much the definition of
compassion.

What a great day for Hagar! She actually met a divine being who cared about her
state of affairs and was favorably inclined to do something about it. And every time
she called out little Ishmael's name, it would remind her to pray and share her
feelings with the god she met on the road to Shur. The angel would make it
possible for her to endure Sarai's harsh treatment; so He sent her straight back to
it. (cf. Gen 24:40, Gen 48:16, 2Cor 12:7-9)

And besides; though the circumstances weren't perfect, little Ishmael would fare
better under his father Abram's kindly patronage and mentoring than among the
irreverent polytheists down in Egypt. Abram was also very wealthy, so that Ishmael
lacked nothing during the approximately 17 years of his life in Abram's home.

• Gen 16:12a . . He shall be an untamed-burro of a man;

Some people just can't be domesticated-- right fresh out of the womb, they're
mustang-defiant to the bone. Poor Hagar. Her boy was going to be difficult.

My wife is a kindergarten teacher and every so often she gets kids in her class--
just little five year olds, and almost always boys --that cannot be controlled. Their
parents fear them, and they frighten the other kids. They're demon seeds--
stubborn, strong willed, totally self centered, self absorbed little Czars who see no
sense in either doing as they're told or concern for the feelings of others. They are
dangerous, and thank God my wife gets them while they're small. Heaven help the
teachers who cope with them in the upper grades.

• Gen 16:12b . . his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him;

T.E. Laurence (Laurence of Arabia) discovered for himself the truth of that
prediction. After all of Laurence's work to unite the Arabs and lead them in combat
to drive the Turks out of Damascus, the various tribes simply could not come to
terms upon a central government for managing the city. So the task defaulted to
the British; viz: the Arabs won the conflict, but England won the city.

Anyway, Mr. Ishmael was definitely not a team player by nature. This is the kind of
guy that supervisors dread. They're defensive, assertive, confrontational; and don't
do well in groups-- always generating friction and discontent. It's either their own
way, or the highway; and they do not like to be told what to do.

That's not always a bad thing if people like that are channeled into occupations that
require rugged individualism. Nowadays these people can be enrolled in sensitivity
classes and taught how to be civil. And there are seminars available for those who
have to work with difficult people. Unfortunately, most of the problem is hereditary
so it's not an easy thing to make go away. However, it's not impossible for these
strong-willed, toxic types to learn a measure of civility and self discipline when they
put their minds to it.

Ishmael's personality-- which was engendered by one of the most holy men who
ever lived; not by some evil minded career criminal --must have passed along to
his progeny because the Arab world has never been famous for uniting and getting
along amongst themselves. No one would ever dream of criticizing Abram's
parenting skills, but here is a difficult child that came from the old boy's own genes;
thus demonstrating again that otherwise good parents can produce a demon seed
and shouldn't be blamed for the way the seed ultimately turns out.

Ishmael is well known as the father of the Arab world. But does that mean each
individual Arab is a wild burro? No, of course not. Stereotyping and/or profiling, is a
very bad thing because it's an oversimplified opinion, and fails to take into account
individual qualities. The Arab people as a whole could safely be characterized as
Ishmael-ish, but certainly not each and every one.

• Gen 16:12c . . He shall dwell alongside of all his kinsmen.

Ishmael would dwell "alongside" his brethren, but not necessarily amongst them.
This was no doubt a portent of the difficulty of uniting Arabs; which has been
attempted a number of times with The United Arab Republic, The Arab Federation
of Iraq and Jordan, the Federation of Arab Republics, the Arab Islamic Republic, and
the United Arab Emirates.

Probably the religion of Islam has done more to unite Arabs than any political
arrangement of the past has managed to do. Unfortunately, Muslims themselves
can't even get along all that well and their regional differences have become a
major impediment to peace in the Mid East.

I can't lay all the blame for the Mid East's troubles at the door of Arabs; but of one
thing I am totally convinced: there is never going to be peace in that part of the
world until (1) the religion of Islam is eradicated; and (2) the Arabs' wild-burro
personality is neutralized.

"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full
of the knowledge of Yhvh, as the waters cover the sea." (Isa 11:9)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 16:13a . . And she called Yhvh who spoke to her: You Are El-roi

The author of Genesis was privy to the identity of the mysterious person speaking
with Hagar but she wasn't, and that's why she gave him a name of her own. But I
cannot be certain what it is because there seems no consensus among translators
how best say it in English; neither in Jewish bibles nor in Christian bibles. In
Hebrew; the words are: 'Ataah 'Eel R'iy.

The 1985 JPS Tanakh translates it: You are El-roi

The Stone Tanach translates it: You are the God of Vision

Chabad.org translates it: You are the God of seeing

The KJV translates it: Thou God seest me

The NIV Translates it: You are the God who sees me

The 2011 Catholic Bible translates it: You are God who sees me.

Hagar, familiar with many gods in the Egyptian world, was unsure of the identity of
this particular divine being speaking with her so she gave it a pet name of her own.
I like it because her god is a personal god, one that meant something just to her--
rather than some scary alien way out in space who doesn't care one whit about
individuals. Hagar's god knew about the baby and gave the little guy a name. That
is a very personal thing to do and must have been very comforting to a girl at the
end of her rope.

What took place between these two travelers is very precious. They met as
strangers, but before they parted, one named the other's baby and became
godfather to a runaway slave's child. The other gave her new god a pet name to
remember him by. Hagar's experience was very wonderful.

• Gen 16:13b . . by which she meant: Have I not gone on seeing after He saw me!

The rendering of 16:13b is more or less an educated guess because the Hebrew in
that verse is very difficult. She could have said: Have I here seen him here who
sees me? In other words: The god who knows me is in this place? I can appreciate
her surprise. You might expect to find God in a grand Italian cathedral, but certainly
not along a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. And you might also expect a
divine being to speak with a President or a Pope, but certainly not to an
insignificant nobody who meant very little to anybody.

• Gen 16:14 . .Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it is between Kadesh
and Bered.

Heretofore, this particular source of water had no specific name. Beer-lahai-roi is
another Hebraic toughie. It could mean: The well of him who knows me.

Kadesh is located nearby El Quseima Egypt about 15 miles south of the border town
of Nizzana. Just northeast of there is the wilderness of Shur; a region adjoining the
Mediterranean to the north and the Suez canal to the west. Shur extends somewhat
south along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez.

But the well wasn't there. It was between Kadesh and Bered. The Onkelos Targum
renders Bered as Chaghra', which is the usual equivalent of Shur, while the
Jerusalem Targum renders it Chalutsah, which is also Shur (Ex 15:22). So precisely
where Hagar's well was located is totally unknown so far. It was just somewhere
between Kadesh and Shur.

fyi: I don't think those of us living in modern industrialized countries like the
U.S.A. appreciate the importance of water in Hagar's part of the world. Those of us
in the Pacific Northwest and/or Hawaii sure don't. But without water; people die,
plants wither, birds fall out of the sky, and livestock eventually drops dead.

Water, in the form of humidity, fog, and/or liquid is literally life itself in some parts
of the world; ergo: to have that celestial being meet with Hagar at a source of
water in the Mideast is very significant; and only one of many such meetings people
in the Bible experienced with God and/or His designated messengers. (cf. John 4:5
14)

• Gen 16:15 . . Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram gave the son that Hagar
bore him the name Ishmael.

Hagar must have told her master about the experience and darned if the old man
didn't believe her story and comply with God's choice of name for the boy. Taking
part in naming a boy was serious business in those days. In doing so, Abram
officially and publicly accepted Ishmael as his legal son. (cf. Matt 1:21 & 1:25 +
Luke 1:62-63)

The boy was supposed to be Sarai's son too, but there's no record she ever really
accepted the lad.

• Gen 16:16 . . Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to
Abram.

That was about eleven years after Abram entered Canaan (Gen 12:4) and 14 years
before Isaac's birth (Gen 21:5). Both of Ishmael's parents were Gentiles. Hagar
was an Egyptian and Abram was a Babylonian.
_

 

[Beetow]

Thirteen years go by since Ishmael's birth; enough time for Abram to easily forget
God's covenanted promises. Abram was prospering materially, Ishmael was
growing into young manhood, the land was at peace, and quite possibly Abram and
Sarai had by now given up all hope of ever having any children of their own
because Sarai, at 89, is past the age of bearing children.

Abram had no way of knowing, but God was just insuring that Sarai couldn't
possibly have children of her own except by a miracle, rather than via natural
reproduction. In other words; it appears to me that it was God's wish that He be
the paterfamilias of Sarai's one and only son; and therefore the paterfamilias of the
special line that descends from the son; viz: Jacob.

Till now, God spoke of a covenant with Abram only one time (Gen 15:18). In this
chapter God will use that word no less than thirteen— nine times it will be called
"My" covenant, three times it will be called an "everlasting" covenant and once it
will be called "the covenant between Me and you"

• Gen 17:1a . .When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram
and said to him: I am El Shaddai.

"Shaddai" is from Shadday (shad-dah'-ee) which means: almighty. The word "El" is
not actually in the original Hebrew text but was penciled in by translators. God's
declaration could just as well be worded: I am all-mighty.

Webster's defines almighty as: having absolute control over everything; which of
course includes power over not just money and politics; but also power over all that
there is; e.g. magnetism, electricity, gravity, inertia, wind, thermodynamics,
pressure, fusion, radiation, light, and of course the power of life; which is a power
that nobody yet as of this date has been able to figure out. Humanity knows even
less about the power of life than it knows about the nature of dark matter and dark
energy.

Anyway; this is the very first occurrence of the word Shadday in the Bible; and
from here on in, from Genesis to Malachi, without exception, it will always refer to
the supreme being; and used to identify no other person. Almighty became a name
of God (cf. Rev 1:8) and was God's special revelation of Himself to Abram.

Although Abram was aware of God's other name Yhvh (a.k.a. Jehovah, a.k.a.
Yahweh) it wasn't by means of that name that Abram came to friendly terms with
his divine benefactor. Abram's progeny would get to know God better by the name
Yhvh because it's a name of God with special emphasis upon the aspect of rescue;
whereas Shadday has special emphasis upon providence.

• Gen 17:1b . .Walk in My ways and be blameless.

The Hebrew word translated blameless is somewhat ambiguous. A common
meaning is "without defects". Abram of course wasn't free of defects; but
according to Gen 26:5, God was satisfied with his performance.

Walking with God was introduced back at Gen 5:22-24. Enoch had it down pat; but
apparently Abram had a ways to go. Very few qualify as the kind of people with
whom God prefers to associate. He's picky that way.

A principle woven throughout both the Old Testament and the New is that worship
is meaningless when it's unaccompanied by piety. Take for example the first
twenty-three verses in the first chapter of the book Isaiah.

Moses' people were attending Temple services on a regular basis. They were
bringing sacrifices and offering. They observed all the feasts, and all the holy days
of obligation. They prayed up a storm; and they kept the Sabbath. But Yhvh
rejected every bit of their covenanted worship because their personal conduct was
unbecoming. In other words: their conduct didn't compliment their worship. Yhvh
was disgusted with their hypocrisy: they made Him angry and gave Him a
headache; so to speak.

We could paraphrase Gen 17:1b like this:

"Walk in My ways with integrity."
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 17:2-3a . . I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will make
you exceedingly numerous. Abram threw himself on his face;

The Hebrew word for "threw" is naphal (naw-fal') and first appeared in Gen 14:10.
It doesn't mean Abram dropped like a sack of ready-mix concrete. It just means he
lowered himself face down into a prone position.

This is the very first time it's recorded that Abram (or anyone else) got into a face
down prone position in the presence of God. But why would Abram do that? In what
way did God appear to him that motivated that reaction? The institution of the
covenant of circumcision is, in point of fact, the only other instance where it's
recorded that Abram met with God in the (deliberate) prone.

When Moses met God at the burning bush (Ex 3:2) he only turned away so he
wouldn't look at God; but didn't lie down. He stayed on his feet; but was told to
remove his sandals: a requirement which is seen only twice in the entire Old
Testament: once at Ex 3:5 and the other at Josh 5:15; the reason being that Moses
and Joshua met with God on holy ground.

The Hebrew word for "holy" is qodesh (ko'-desh) and it has no reference
whatsoever to sanitation. It simply means consecrated; viz: a sacred place or thing
dedicated to God for His own personal uses.

In many homes in the Orient; it's the custom to remove your shoes before entering
people's domiciles because shoes track in filth from the outside that hosts want
neither in their homes nor on their floors and rugs. True, holy ground is dirt; but it's
God's dirt, and apparently He doesn't want somebody else's dirt soiling His: thank
you very much.

Abram may have ordinarily met with God via voice only; but this instance may have
been a close encounter of a third kind. Some have suggested God appeared to
Abram as the Shekinah of 1Kgs 8:10-11; which, even that can be quite disturbing
for some.

I don't think Abram learned the prone posture in church, Sunday school, yeshiva, or
synagogue. It was a spontaneous, voluntary reaction on his part. Apparently God
was okay with it because He didn't scold Abram nor order him back up on his feet.

People react differently to the Bible's God. Some, like Abram, Daniel, and Jesus
sometimes get down prone on their faces. We needn't worry too much about it
though. Most of us will never have a close encounter with The Almighty. But if it
ever happens, I don't think you'll need someone to tell you what to do.
Unfortunately though, there are people inclined to stare at God like a curiosity. That
is not wise.

"Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Lord had come down upon it in fire; the
smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him
in thunder. The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and
the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up. The Lord said
to Moses: Go down, warn the people not to break through to the Lord to gaze, lest
many of them perish." (Ex 19:18-21)

Word to the wise: If God appears? Don't look . . . unless invited to.

• Gen 17:3b-4 . . and God spoke to him further: As for Me, this is My covenant with
you: You shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

That announcement regards nations rather than individuals. Abram is well known as
the father of the Jews, but he is also father of more than just them. The majority of
Abram's progeny is Gentile and a very large number of those are Arabs.

Besides Ishmael and Isaac, Abraham also engendered Zimran, Jokshan, Medan,
Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Over the years millions of people have descended from
those eight men who are all Abram's blood kin; both Jew and Gentile.

• Gen 17:5 . . And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be
Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations.

Abraham's original name was 'Abram (ab-rawm') which means: high, or exalted
father. In other words: a daddy; as the respectable head of a single family unit.
Abram's new name 'Abraham (ab-raw-hawm') means: father of a multitude of
family units. In other words: not just the paterfamilias of a single family unit; but
the rootstock of entire communities.

Abraham is a father on two fronts. He's a biological father to the people of Israel
due to their natural association with Jacob; and he's a non-biological father to
Christians due to their supernatural association with Christ.

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise." (Gal 3:29)

Some people try to construe Gal 3:29 to mean that Gentile Christians are somehow
spiritual Jews. But according to Eph 2:11-22 and Gal 3:26-28 that just isn't true.
And besides: Abraham was a Gentile.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 17:6 . . I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make nations of you; and
kings shall come forth from you.

The only king who really matters is Messiah.

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
(Matt 1:1)

• Gen 17:7a . . I will maintain My covenant between me and you, and your
offspring to come,

The word for "maintain" is quwm (koom) which means: to rise (in various
applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative). The very first instance of
that word is Gen 4:8.

"Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him."

That's kind of negative. Here's a passage that really says what God meant.

"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled
the troughs to water their father's flock; but shepherds came and drove them off.
Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. When they returned to
their father Reuel, he said: How is it that you have come back so soon today? They
answered: An Egyptian protected us from the shepherds; he even drew water for
us and watered the flock." (Ex 2:16-19)

The "offspring to come" was Isaac's and Jacob's rather than every last one of
Abraham's posterity.

• Gen 17:7b . . as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages,

Abraham's covenant is permanent; has never been annulled, deleted, made
obsolete, abrogated, set aside, given to another people, nor replaced by another
covenant. In point of fact, even Christians benefit from Abraham's covenant. (Eph
2:11-22 and Gal 3:26-28)

God promised Abraham He would guard the safety of this particular covenant
Himself personally. The covenant God made with Moses' people as per Deut 29:9
15 neither supersedes, amends, nor replaces the covenant God made with Abraham
in this chapter (Gal 3:17). Attempts been made to package all the covenants into a
single security like a Wall Street derivative similar to a collateralized debt obligation
(CDO). But that just creates a bubble and is really asking for trouble.

• Gen 17:7c . . to be a god to you and to your offspring to come.

This part of the covenant is somewhat conditional. It will only include those among
male Hebrews that undergo the circumcision coming up in the next few passages.

• Gen 17:8a . . I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come,

Ownership of the land is realized not only in Abraham's progeny alone. God said He
assigned the land not only to his offspring, but to "you" too. Abraham didn't get to
take possession of his promised holdings while he was here, but in the future, he
will.

"You will keep faith with Jacob, loyalty to Abraham, as You promised on oath to our
fathers in days gone by." (Mic 7:20)

"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 8:11)

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign
country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the
same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose
architect and builder is God." (Heb 11:8-10)

• Gen 17:8b . . all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding.

Abraham's progeny may not always occupy the land, and they may not always be
in control of it; but it remains deeded to them forever.

• Gen 17:8c . . I will be their god.

The wording of the covenant thus far hasn't been specific regarding the identity of
Abraham's offspring for whom El Shaddai will be their god. Later on it will become
clear that only the line through Isaac is effected. Neither Ishmael nor any of the
other brothers were granted rights to the land.

• Gen 17:9a . . God further said to Abraham: As for you,

The next covenant is totally a guy thing; and incorporated into Israel's covenanted
law (Lev 12:2-3, John 7:22). The ladies are not a part of this one because
Abraham's progeny isn't engendered by the ladies; it's engendered by the guys.
The ladies are just baby mills. In the Bible, children inherit their tribal affiliation and
their family names from the fathers rather than the mothers.

This creates an interesting legality in Christ's case since there was no immediate
male involved in his conception. So then, the closest male in his biological family
tree defaults to Eli, his mother's father; which is how the Lord obtained his
biological position in the line of David and the tribe of Judah. (The Lord's connection
to the line of Solomon was via adoption rather than genetics. I'll elaborate that
issue when we get to Jacob's precedent in chapter 48)

All other considerations aside, the men of Abraham's line don't even have to mate
with women who are biologically related to Abraham because the ladies don't
perpetuate Abraham's line; the guys do. A Hebrew woman who bears the children
of a Gentile perpetuates Gentiles. Kids born in that situation are not Abraham's
offspring. Those are a Gentile man's offspring.

"That when an idolater or a slave cohabits with an Israelitish woman; their child is
illegitimate." (Yevamoth 99a, v36)

In other words, the child of a foreign man is not Abraham's biological progeny. That
fact alone should be very sobering for any Hebrew woman intent upon marrying a
Gentile. Her children won't be identified with Abraham. They will be non Hebrews
with no Divine connection to either Abraham, or to Abraham's covenant. Her
grandchildren will be Gentiles too; and on and on.

Every Hebrew woman who willingly, and willfully, bears the children of a Gentile is
nothing in the world but a traitor to Abraham's community, and spits upon the
sacred covenant that God made with her ancestor. She is no better than Esau who
valued his birthright on a par with a lousy bowl of soup.
_