Chapter 20 – The Hand of God

Abraham traveled to Gerar (vs. 1)

For the second time, Abraham claimed his wife as his sister (vs. 2)

Abimelech, King of Gerar, took Sarah (vs. 3)

God came to Abimelech in a dream – Return Sarah or die! (vs. 4, 8)
“wilt thou slay me, and also a righteous nation?” (vs. 6)
“I also withheld thee from sinning against me” (vs. 7)

Abimelech confronted Abraham (vs. 9-11)

“Because I thought assuredly the fear of God was not in this place” (vs. 12)
Sarah, Abraham’s half sister, had agreed to the deception (vs. 13-14)
Abimelech gave Sarah back with sheep, oxen, men servants, and women servants and told him to “dwell where it pleaseth thee” (vs. 16)

Abimelech reproved Sarah

What was Sarah’s responsibility?

“Submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:22-24)

Overcoming evil with good

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Marriage Covenant – Heavenly Mystery

“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church; For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5:29-33)

Abraham prayed unto God on Abimelech’s behalf and on behalf of his household

Gerar One of five major cities in Philistia which was located on the coastal area of southern Palestine.[1] Each city had its own prince who ruled with complete authority. The cities were independent but joined in matters of conquest or defense.

Abimelech (father of the king) Abimelech is very possibly a title given to the rulers in Philistia much like the title Pharaoh in Egypt. The name appears over time in scriptures referring to different Philistine princes or kings.

Philistines They were probably of Aegean descent. They conquered part of the land of Canaan and settled along the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest part of Palestine before the time of Abraham. The land of the Philistines was part of the inheritance given to the tribe of Judah but the Israelites never took possession of it. The Philistines were effective as warriors and proficient in the making of weapons. During much of the time of the Judges, they dominated the land Israel and forced her to pay tribute. King David successfully conquered the Philistines and they paid tribute to Israel during King David and King Solomon’s rule.

Genesis Chapter 20 is a really interesting chapter. Some people would rather not have to deal with this one because it shows the weakness of man. However, God works through our weakness and because of this we are better able to see the mighty, awesome, perfection of God. God uses imperfect people (for we are all imperfect) and it doesn’t slow Him down a bit. He knows who we are, and He calls us to be His servants. He called Abraham to be His servant. When God told Abraham to do something, Abraham did it. He was a faithful man but he still had problems, at times, trusting that God was able to deliver him in all situations and in all places.

Shortly after Abraham received the promise from the angels foretelling of the birth of Isaac in a year, Abraham moved his flocks into the land of the Philistines. Abraham had seen that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and that God had rescued Lot. God had always been faithful in everything that He said He would do. But Abraham was in that in between time of waiting on the fulfillment of the promise and he had to deal with everyday trials and concerns. Abraham fell back to earthly means to provide for his own protection and he was reproved and his testimony to others was weakened. It was common belief at this time and for centuries after, that the pagan gods were tied to the land. When Abraham moved into Egypt, did he know that God was there? When he moved into the land of the Philistines, did he know that God was still able to protect him and his family? Abraham believed that there was only one true God. Through his experiences, he learned that his God was everywhere and that He was able to meet every need and fulfill every promise made.

We might be tempted to think that Abraham was the only man that God could speak to in his day and age. After all, Abraham was surrounded by pagan people. But God will speak to every heart that seeks Him. In every age there have been people who have sought God, and God has responded. He is not a respecter of persons. We find an account of this very thing in the oldest book in the Bible, Job. (Genesis, which is part of the five books of Moses, was written by Moses at the time of their wandering in the desert of Sinai. Bible scholars believe that Job was written during the days of Abraham so it is actually the oldest book of the Bible even though the story of Genesis is older.)

Job was a man who lived in the days of Abraham. Scholars compare the style of writing in the places where they have found documents, and they have determined it to be from this time. Was Job a righteous man? Yes. As far as we know he was not of the lineage of Abraham at all. Job made no mention of Abraham, nor did Abraham mention Job. Yet God was obviously known intimately by Job. God calls to every person that comes into this world. If that person will respond, God will reveal Himself and call that person into a relationship with Him. Job was one of those people in history who answered the call of God.

We find another person, in Genesis chapter 20, who sought God. He was a Philistine. We do not normally think of the Philistines as being righteous people, but this man was for the scriptures say that he was and his people also (vs.6).

When Abraham moved his flocks into the Philistine territory, he tried to protect himself by asking Sarah to tell everyone that she was his sister. Apparently he had not learned his lesson in Egypt. He called it a kindness (vs. 14). As a side note, Sarah is 89 years old at this time. Imagine, she was 89 years old and people were still remarking on how beautiful she was.

There is an account in the Dead Sea Scrolls of her beauty. A Dead Sea scroll, that was so old and brittle that it could not be opened up for fear of destroying it, was sold to a museum in Israel. It was so brittle that it was ready to fall apart[2]. Perhaps those that had charge of it did not feel it was of any worth to them because they could not open it up. The people at the museum took it, and by painstaking care, carefully moistened it enough that they could unroll it and read it. The only word that they could read on the outside was Lamech so the scroll was called by that name. However, it didn’t have anything to do with Lamech. It had to do with Abraham. It was a first-person account of someone calling himself Abraham saying that God had told him to walk through the land (Genesis 13:13-15). He described the land, how bountiful, how beautiful, and how wonderful it was. It also contained an account of the beauty of his wife named Sarah. Isn’t that amazing? The Lord just keeps bringing these things out. Now, is it true that the Abraham of Genesis wrote this record? We know that certain authors use first-person tense to tell the stories of others. But this document is dated from about the time of Abraham and tells a remarkable story of someone wandering through the land that one day would be Israel, and writing a record of what the land was like, and telling about his beautiful wife, Sarah. It is something to think about.

Abraham settled his camp near to Gerar, which was one of five main cities of the Philistines. Gerar was what is known as a city/state. Basically each city had its own prince or king, and they could unite for war or for other reasons of interest with other city/states, but they were separate entities. In this particular city the king was called Abimelech. As Abraham had supposed, Sarah’s beauty caused her to be taken into the king’s household. It was only by the intervention of God that a great sin did not take place. The Lord prevented Abimelech from taking Sarah as his wife by making him (and his whole household) impotent. There is no indication that Sarah would have stopped Abimelech. This raises an interesting question. Did Sarah sin by being obedient to her husband?

The Lord came to Abimelech in a dream and told him that he had another man’s wife. And if he did not give her back, God was going to destroy him and his people. God was straightforward in this matter. He was going to protect His covenant partner Abraham. Was Abraham in the right? No. But Abraham was under covenant with God. Who was Abraham’s shield and reward? God. And God looks after His people in covenant. There are, however, consequences for sin. We will never know how this experience affected Abraham’s testimony of God or his relationship with his wife. We do know that Isaac learned from his father and also “denieth his wife”, Rebekah. (Genesis 26).

Abraham was reproved (to criticize sharply) by Abimelech but God preserved him. God also preserved Abimelech and his people. He sent a dream to the king telling him that He had prevented him from sinning with Sarah. “Will you destroy me and a righteous people because of this [lie].” God pointed out to the king that He came to him in a dream to keep him from being destroyed; and He had kept him from sinning. God even used Abraham to pray for Abimelech and his people so that God could bless them. Immediately when the king awoke he told everyone, and everyone was fearful. The fear of God was in that place. They brought Abraham to him and said, “What have you done to us?” Abraham was rebuked. Now he was the man of God, and he was supposed to be a righteous example. But he had to be reproved in this area. He was a man, and he made some bad choices. As far as we know he never did this again. But unfortunately his son did it. His son wasn’t even born yet, but he learned of the story and did the same sin. Sometimes sin has a way of cropping up in other generations.

At this point, when Abimelech confronted Abraham, he confessed that he had lied because he was afraid. He did not think the fear of God was in this place. He was afraid that he would be killed. Besides (he makes this excuse), she really was his half-sister. Sarah and Abraham have the same father but different mothers. Abraham tries to rationalize his sin. A half-truth is a lie and he had meant to deceive.

Abimelech returned Sarah and gave Abraham sheep, oxen, servants and a 1000 pieces of silver. Because of Abraham’s prayer, the king and his household were healed and Abimelech had many children.

Abimelech reproved Sarah. Why did he criticize her? She was just doing what her husband asked. Right? The question is was Sarah in the wrong? My opinion is that she was. She was doing what her husband asked her, but it was not what God expected of her. Wives are to be humble and submissive and meek and gentle, however, it is the gentle and meek answer that turns away wrath. That means you do not have to be quiet when you know something is not right although you are not to be unkind or contentious. You are responsible to do what is right. However, we are not to use this as an excuse to nitpicking things or harp at our husbands. But we are responsible to be obedient to God. God did not allow Adam, Eve or even the serpent pass the blame for sin onto someone else. Each one involved in sin received a punishment (Genesis 3:17-25).

Sarah was instructed to take part of the silver coins Abraham had received to make a covering for her eyes. This was probably where the practice of covering the face of middle-eastern women began. In the Islamic faith, women are to wear a covering that covers the eyes so that the men will not be tempted. Muhammad said that the real sin was in the eye of the man, but the woman was not to cause him to sin.

On the covering of Bedouin women are sown pieces coins. This is her inheritance. If her husband dies, or if she does not have any children to care for her in her old age, the coins serve as her retirement plan. The coins are sewn onto their garments because they must travel from place to place following the flocks. They have no permanent home. Part of the dowry given at the time of marriage in the Hebrew and Arabic world belongs to the wife to protect her against calamity. This information adds something to the story where Jesus tells of the parable of the woman who had ten coins and lost one. What did she do? She frantically swept the whole house until she found it. That was her inheritance. That was her insurance. Who is our inheritance, and our insurance? God. We are His inheritance, and He will seek for us with great energy. That is an awful lot of time spent on a chapter that probably most people wish we wouldn’t even talk about; but it does show that Abraham was still struggling in some ways, and God had to set him straight. This is the way it is when you have a covenant partner. Abraham had to learn that he could not keep giving Sarah away and that God was able to deliver him regardless of where Abraham traveled.

Chapter 21 – The Faithfulness of God

Sarah conceived and bore Isaac at the time the angels had foretold

Abraham -- 100 years old, Sarah – 90 years old, -- “For I was barren, but the Lord promised, and I

have borne unto Abraham a son in his old age” (vs. 4, 6) Is there anything too hard for the Lord?

Isaac (laughter) circumcised at eight days old

Ishmael mocked Isaac

Sarah was angry “for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, Isaac.” (vs. 8)

Abraham grieved for his son Ishmael

God comforted Abraham concerning Ishmael and Hagar – but God’s promises are to be fulfilled

through Isaac

Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away

God preserves Hagar and Ishmael

Ishmael became an archer and lived in the wilderness of Paran with his mother. He took an Egyptian

wife

“God is with thee in all that thou doest”, Covenant made with Abraham and Abimelech (vs. 20-31)

Beer-sheba (well of the oath)

Sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines (vs. 32)

Paran The wilderness of Paran is located south of Palestine on the east of the Sinai Peninsula. Bedouins who claim to be Ishmael’s descendents still pitch their tents and lead their flocks in this area.[3]

It was time for the wonderful blessing! God was ready to show Abraham just how faithful He is. Abraham had been waiting a long time for this child. He had Ishmael, and he loved him. But God had said that Hagar’s son was not the son through whom all the promises of God will be fulfilled. At thirteen, when God commanded circumcision, Ishmael took the sign of the covenant. To this day, the Hebrews circumcise their sons at eight days old. The Muslims circumcise their sons at thirteen years. This is because of Ishmael’s example. It is the sign of coming of age. There is quite a difference there, and quite a commitment. But did Ishmael really take up the covenant of God and remain faithful?

In Chapter 21 we find God answering His promises to Abraham. Abraham had a son by his wife Sarah from whose descendants will come a great nation, and also The Seed that will be the blessing to all nations. Sarah rejoiced. They called his name Isaac, which means laughter. How very appropriate! Not only did she laugh in humor when the angels said that she was going to have a son, but she laughed with joy that here she was ninety years old and God had answered her prayers. There was such rejoicing!

In the ancient Hebrew and Middle Eastern culture, a woman did not have a real place in the family until she bore a child. In many ways she could be considered as one of the servants with few legal rights. Now Abraham did not treat Sarah that way. When he feared for his life, he came to her and said, as a kindness to me, won’t you say that you are my sister? He did not command her. He treated her well. He loved her, but she really didn’t have a place in the family in their culture until she bore Abraham a child. This gives insight as to why Hagar was so prideful that she had given Abraham a son. Well, the vying for position still continued. It could be seen in the attitude of the teenager, Ishmael, when he made fun of Isaac. Would Sarah have any part of that? No. She told Abraham to send the boy and his mother away. “...for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, Isaac.” (Genesis 21:8)

God told Abraham that Sarah was right. It seems a very cruel thing to do. But God was aware of Hagar and aware of Ishmael, and answered their prayers, also. But the covenant had to come through Isaac. There could not be any confusion on this. The promises of God would be fulfilled through Isaac. To make this very clear, God told Abraham to send Ishmael away. Ishmael and Isaac are types for the natural and the spiritual man. All those after flesh (as Paul has said) or as we know it - the natural man – are under the bondage of sin. Only those born into the covenant are free and children of promise. When we enter into covenant by baptism, we are born again and set free from the bondage of sin. We become the children of God and not the servants of sin.

I find this to be very sad time for Ishmael. But we see in his treatment of Isaac that he could not abide in the same place with Isaac without strife. And so it is when we, as children of God, allow sin to continue to rule in our lives. There is strife and sorrow instead of the peace and joy promised by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must cast out sin and our “old man” in order to receive the promises.

It was very hard on Abraham to send away Ishmael because he loved his son. But once again when God spoke, Abraham moved. He gave Hagar and Ishmael food and water and sent them away. At this time they were near Beer-sheba, which is at the southern end of the land of Canaan–very close to the Sinai Peninsula and very close to Saudi Arabia. They went into the wilderness of Paran.

When Hagar and Ishmael left, God was mindful of them. They would have died if God had not intervened. They ran out of food and water. Hagar left her son at the side of a hill and went a short distance away so that she would not have to see her son die. But then God sent an angel and said not to fear. They were not abandoned. God was still aware of them. He heard her prayers, and He was going to preserve them. She was promised that from Ishmael would come a great nation. God–through the angel–showed her a well of water, which was at Beer-sheba. They drank the water and were strengthened. Tradition states that they went with a passing caravan into the Sinai Peninsula where they made their home.

The Sinai Peninsula is part of modern day Egypt. It is a pie-shaped wedge that is between mainland Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This is also the desert where Moses and his people wandered for 40 years. In the center it is terribly hot and inhospitable. But on the coastline there are oasis and places of rest, and places where dates and other plants grow. But in the center it is a terrible wilderness. It is a sad point to know that Abraham had to lose his oldest son; but it was very important for all to know that the covenant and promises come through Isaac. But God did not forget Ishmael. And Ishmael still honored his father as shown at Abraham’s death. He returned to help bury his father.

At this point the history of what happened next diverges in Hebrews and Muslim traditions. We will address this a little further down in the lesson because it determines how they see each other today.

Abraham entered into a covenant with Abimelech. Abimelech said a very interesting thing. “God is with thee in all that thou doest.” (Genesis 21:20) Wherever Abraham went, God’s hand was evident. It did not take too long for the people to realize this. Can those around us see the hand of God in our lives? Are we sharing our testimony and faith with others?

Chapter 22 – “God will provide himself a lamb” (John 1:29)

God tests Abraham, "Do you trust Me?" Do you love me more than all you hold dear? (vs. 1)

“Take now thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest” (italic added) (vs. 2)

Abraham obeyed God’s direction, traveled 3 days to Mount Moriah

Father and son alone

Isaac, a grown man, willingly submitted

Abraham obeyed God’s direction, prepared the altar, bound Isaac, raised the knife …

“For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only Isaac from

me.” (italics added) (vs. 15)

Abraham offered the “ram” caught in the thicket in the stead of his son

Jehovah-jireh – “In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (vs. 18)

“I will bless thee”

I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, as the sand upon the seashore
“thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies”
“and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice” (vs. 22, Galatians 3:1-6)

Abraham returned to Beer-sheba

Rebekah’s lineage

Many years passed and God spoke again to Abraham in Genesis 22:2:

“. . .Take now thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering, upon one of the mountains of which I will tell thee.”

God was very specific about who He wanted sacrificed. It was the child of promise – “…thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest…” It is not recorded in the scriptures what Abraham thought or felt. But we do know that he obeyed immediately. It says that he rose up early in the morning, took his servants and his animals and he went to where God had told him to go. Where did God send them? - To Mount Moriah. It is believed that the place of sacrifice was at the very mound where later Solomon would build the temple. It must have been a terrible time for Abraham, and yet he believed. What did he believe? God would provide a lamb. Now if you will backtrack just a little bit, when the covenant was made with God and Christ when Abraham prepared the sacrificial animals in preparation for the covenant, he saw someone else take his place. In that very same chapter God revealed to Abraham who this person was – the Son of Man – the Lord (15:12). He looked through the ages and saw Jesus, and this was what he believed that was counted unto him as righteousness. He believed that the Christ (God’s son) would come, and offer Himself as a lamb. Abraham saw Jesus. We have in the Inspired Version that Abraham looked forward to those days. He saw them, and he believed. And Jesus said in John 8:56:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.”

Abraham saw the Son of God. He saw that God was going to offer “his only begotten son” as a ransom for souls – to pay the price for sin. And this was what he believed. Now we talked about belief before. What is belief? Is it just the intellectual pursuit of an idea? – to only say “I believe that.” Or is it a life-changing response that means you act upon what you say in your head and you hold in your heart. What God was asking of Abraham was this life-changing response. Do trust me and believe with all of your being? Are you willing to give up the child of promise because you love me more than the blessings that I give. And that is an awesome question that each one of us is going to have to ask in our life. Do we love God more for who He is or do we love Him more for what He does or gives to us. They are really inseparable because He does everything because of who He is. But sometimes we look at the things He does; and we say “I do not understand that, and I do not like it a bit.” But do we still love Him? Do we trust that what He does really does works to our good because we love Him, and we are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)? God asked Abraham a soul-searching question that, I think, at some point in our lives He’s going to ask all of us. "Do you love me more than these–the things that I have given you–do you love Me more?" And Abraham, by his actions, said, "Yes." He did not know how God was going to work everything out, but he trusted God’s word.

Abraham took Isaac and made the three-day journey to Mount Moriah. We do not know exactly how old Isaac was at this time, but it has been suggested in many scholarly writings that he was probably around thirty to thirty-three, which would fit the pattern. We know that he was mature enough to understand what was going on. Although we would have considered him an adult, he was still called a lad by his father who happened to be, at that time, 130. In Middle Eastern culture, a man did not reach full responsibility of manhood until he was forty.

Abraham left his servants and took his son with the wood and the fire for the sacrifice. Isaac asked a very important question. We have the wood, we have the fire, where is the sacrifice? What did Abraham say? “The Lord, Himself, will provide a lamb.” Did God provide a lamb? They went up the mountain, and they build an altar. Usually it was a pile of unhewn stones on which wood was laid. After laying the wood, Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the altar. Remember that Isaac was probably a young man. Abraham was 130 years old. There was no resistance on Isaac’s part that we know of. Then Abraham raised the knife to do what God had told him to do. It was only as the knife was raised that the angel said, “…Lay not thine hand upon the lad, either do thou anything unto him; For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only Isaac from me.” (Genesis 22:14-15) There was an animal caught in the bushes. It was a ram, and not a lamb. We know that God did provide a lamb some 2,000 years later. God provided His own precious, perfect Son as the Lamb of God. And Abraham called that place Jehovah-jireh because in that place “it will be seen” (that God would provide the lamb). Throughout the ages Christians and Hebrews have looked at this place as being very precious. For Hebrews, it is a reminder of Abraham, the faithful friend of God and the promises to his descendents. As Christians, this place is so precious because God provided His only Son as the prefect sacrifice for sin. God did provide a lamb through Jesus Christ. What was it that John the Baptist said of Jesus Christ? “Behold the Lamb of God. He taketh away the sins of the world.” Jesus was that lamb, that perfect sacrifice.

Abraham rejoiced. Isaac rejoiced. It doesn’t tell us what they thought, but you can imagine what they thought. Do you think that this experience had a life-changing effect on Isaac? We are not told a whole lot about Isaac’s thoughts and actions. Certainly he willingly submitted to his father, in which we can also see a type for Christ. Again God said to Abraham, I will bless thy seed and this time as the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore. God said that “thy seed” [singular] shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:21-22) Where is the gate of our enemy? Is it not death and hell? Because of His sacrifice, Jesus holds the key to death and hell (Revelation 1:18). He possesses the gate of his enemy and ours!

But I must ask, is obedience important to God? Surely. It is thought, possibly, that Abraham may have believed (because he knew the promise was to come through Isaac) that God was going to resurrect Isaac just as he had seen in his vision of the “days of the Son of Man.” (Genesis 15”12) This is touched on in Hebrews 11:17-19:

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called; accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” [The figure of Chris]

We do not know what Abraham and Isaac thought, but we do know they were faithfully obedient to the commandments of God. We do not know if Sarah knew about God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, but nevertheless, she was faithful. Regardless of what Abraham thought, he obeyed God. He was willing to give up the child he had waited so long for and all of his hopes and dreams that rested in the life of his son in order to serve God. Because of this unreserved, loving obedience, God was able to work mighty miracles through the nation of Israel.

When they returned to their camp, Abraham was told about his brother Nahor’s family in Haran. The reason this information was thrown in here was because Isaac was going to need a wife and children in order to continue the covenant and receive the promises. Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor. Her brother was named Laban. This Laban became the father-in-law of Jacob {Isaac and Rebekah’s son) when he married Laban’s daughters Leah and Rachel.

Chapter 23 – A Resting Place for the Faithful

Sarah dies at 127 years of age at Hebron

Abraham purchased a permanent burial place for himself and his family

Hebron Hebron is located about 20 miles south of Jerusalem and about 20 miles north of Beersheba. It is one of the oldest cities in the world still in existence. It was well known in the days of Abraham and houses about 5,000 people today. The Haram, the mosque that covers the tomb of Abraham, dominates the city. The modern name for the city is el-Khulil which is Arabic for “the Friend” in reference to Abraham’s relationship to God.[4]

After they come back, a period of time passed and Sarah died. She was 127 years old. That’s a long time to live in a tent! She was 65 when she first left Haran. She has wandered around for 62 years without a permanent home, but she has had a son, Isaac, and she has seen the hand of the Lord upon her life. At her death, Abraham did something that is really special. Does he own any land in Canaan? No. None of that land belongs to him. He has the promise from God that all of it is going to belong to his descendants, but none of it belongs to him now. Although he has dug many wells, they are not really his, because the people of the land can stop them up at any time. He was living under the promise that God would take care of him, but at any time these people could come against him. He has no permanent place to call his own

But when Sarah died, he purchased a permanent place of rest for her and for himself in the land of promise. He wanted Sarah and himself to be buried in the land that would someday be his descendants’ home. This was the only place that Abraham actually, physically owned. It was a field and a cave. He bought it from a Hittite named Ephron. The Hittites were a group of people who had settled in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to the elders and brought them together to be witnesses. Abraham wanted this transaction to be known by all and legally correct. The Hittites were pleased that he wanted to be buried in their land because they believed Abraham was a great man – even the greatest among them. Remember that people could see that God was with Abraham. They offered to give him any piece of land he wanted. But were they really saying he could have the land for free? - Probably not. This was polite way of starting the negotiations. It is just the beginning of the bargaining. Abraham said basically - thank you very much, and I want to have this cave, and I want to pay for it–which is understood. He was intending to pay for it. This way it would be legally his with no questions in the future.

When they brought the man who owned the cave, and he also stated, “you are a great man, you can have it.” But Abraham refused. He would pay for the cave and field. Then the Hittite quoted him an outlandish price. It was a lot of money. Much more than it was worth. This was part of bargaining. A high price would be set by the seller and then the buyer would offer a lower price. Usually the item was then sold for a price somewhere in between. Not with Abraham. He accepted the price and paid Ephron the money. There was no bargaining in this. Abraham paid the full, exorbitant price for a place that would be his. It was worth it to him and it honored Sarah’s memory. Never at any time could someone come back and say he had paid too little. There for all generations this place belonged to Abraham.

It is believed that the burial place of Abraham and Sarah is in the city of Hebron. This was the area where the cave was, and it was already an established city in the days of Abraham. It is still a viable city today. It is one of the oldest, still-existing cities in the world. The Muslims built a Mosque over the probable site of Abraham’s grave. Why? - Because he is the father of their nation, too. And at various times they owned all of Palestine. At one time the Hebrews had access to it, but they do not have access to it now. They can only go to the seventh step of the Mosque. Some Hebrews go to the seventh step, and they pray, and they worship God, and they acknowledge Abraham and their heritage, but they cannot go in and see the tomb.

In Hebron today, there are about 5,000 people. There is a small group of Israelis that live there. The tension is so bad that there is actually four Israelis soldiers for every settler to protect them. Now whose fault is that? It depends on whom you ask. The Israelis have not been very gracious; and they have done some terrible things, just as the Palestinians have done. Back in the 1990's an Israeli man went into a Mosque with a machine gun and killed several of the Muslims worshiping there. The tension there is very high. There is always the chance that something violent will happen. And yet it is the city that both nations consider to be special because the father of their nations is buried there. It is a terrible thing to be warring against family. There is no worse conflict than in the middle of a family. And that is what this continuing conflict is - conflict within a family.

Chapter 24 – A Faithful Servant -- God’s Provision

Eliezer’s pledge: “Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son, of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell; but thou salt go unto my country, and to my kindred and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” (vs. 2)

“Eliezer: Profile of a True Servant”[5] from Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts & Maps

Accepted the challenge
Examined alternatives
Promised to follow instructions
Made a plan
Submitted the plan to God
Prayed for guidance
Devised a strategy with room for God to Operate
Waited
Watched closely
Accepted the answer thankfully
Explained the situation to concerned parties
Refused unnecessary delay
Followed through with entire plan

Rebekah

“very fair to look upon, such as the servant of Abraham had not see, neither had any man known the like unto her” (vs. 16)
understood the meaning of hospitality (vs. 18-20)
daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor (vs. 23)
brother of Laban (vs. 28)
willing to leave all she knew behind, “And she said, I will go.” (vs. 64)

Isaac took Rebekah as his wife and was comforted after his mother’s death (vs. 72-73)

After Sarah’s death, Isaac wept over the loss of his mother. Isaac seems to have been a more gentle soul, and very tenderhearted. He did not seem to be the same military man that his father was. In some ways, he may have passed this gentleness on to his younger son, Jacob.

It was time for Abraham to find a wife for Isaac. It was the father who chose the bride. Abraham was very concerned because they lived in Canaan and all the people worshiped other gods. He wanted Isaac to have a wife from his family. Was his family monotheistic? Was his brother and all of his family truly worshipers of the one and true God? Not all of them, but they were part of Abraham’s lineage.

So the Abraham’s most trusted servant, Eliezer, was sent back to Abraham’s people to find a wife. He went to Haran. This servant is a wonderful type for us, and how we should respond to God commands. Shown on the previous page is a list of attributes and actions of the servant of Abraham. This was taken from the Tindel Handbook of Bible Parts and Maps. If you want to be a true servant of the Lord, you might take time to look over these things. God gives each one of us responsibilities that are uniquely ours. We can look at the way Abraham’s servant handled his responsibility, and get some insight into how we should be respond to God’s commands. Certainly God expects us to be as faithful as this servant was, and as grateful.

In this account are recorded very ancient Hebrew and Arabic customs. The way in which the servant handled his responsibility exhibited these customs. For instance when they came into the home of Laban (after the servant had this wonderful experience with Rebekah–he asked God for a sign, and God delivered), Laban’s family prepared a feast for him. Now he has ten camels laden with all kinds of goods. Obviously he was representing a very rich man, and they found out that all this was from Abraham and that Abraham had prospered. They laid out a feast, and the servant said that he would not eat until his business was finished. First things first - do what you have been sent to do. This is part of the responsibility of servant hood. It is also something that we should consider. When the Lord sends you to do something, do it! Don’t get sidetracked. Abraham’s servant followed through with his lord’s errand. Are we not commanded to “…seek the kingdom first…? Are we getting sidetracked? Abraham’s servant was successful because he put his lord’s business first. Rebekah went back with the servant and was married to Isaac.

What was Rebekah like? “And the damsel being a virgin, very fair to look upon, such as the servant of Abraham had not seen neither had any man known the like unto her…” (Genesis 24:16) Now the servant had been raised in the household of Abraham and Sarah. So if you thought that Sarah was beautiful, this lady was even more beautiful. She understood the meaning of hospitality, which showed an inward beauty. When the servant asked for a drink of water, she graciously offered to bring water for his camels, too (which was the sign that the servant had asked God for). She was the daughter of Bethuel who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor (Abraham’s brother). She was a family member of Abraham. She was the sister of Laban. She was willing to leave everything that she knew behind on a moment’s notice. Everything. Her mother and brother had asked if she could stay ten days to give them time to say good-bye. The servant said don’t hinder me – I am on a mission. When they asked her, she left willingly. But much like Sarah, Rebekah had a mind of her own which got her into trouble sometimes. Isaac took Rebekah as his wife and he was comforted after his mother’s death.

Chapter 25 – Abraham’s Death, the Covenant Continues Through Isaac

Abraham married Keturah

Abraham’s sons by Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah

“And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.” (vs. 5)

All Keturah’s son given gifts and sent unto the east country (Arabia) (vs. 6)

Abraham died when 175 years old (vs. 7-8)

Buried by Isaac and Ishmael in Hebron – “in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was

gathered to his people.” (vs. 8-9)

Arabia (The East Country, Land of the Sons of the East) Arabia means “desert, barren.” It is a land southeast of Palestine where Abraham sent his sons by his wife Keturah. The land of Midian was located on the west coast of what is now Saudi Arabia just south of the lands held by the Moabites to the east of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea.[6]

Arabs The Arabs are peoples descended from Ishmael and Keturah’s sons or those who inhabited or inhabit now the area identified with their descendents.

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian;” (Exodus 3:1)

Abraham lived to be 175 years old. Before he died he married a woman named Keturah. We do not know where Keturah came from.. She may have been one of the servants in the household. She had several sons–one of whom was Midian. But Abraham knew that the promises of God would come through Isaac, and just as he could not let Ishmael live with them in this covenant family, he did not let his other sons live with them either. He gave them gifts, presumably when they got to be of age, and he sent them away. Most of Keturah’s sons moved to Saudi Arabia – specifically Midian which was on the coast of Aqaba. This was the land of Midian where Moses went and met his future father-in-law, Jethro, and his future wife, Zipporah. The descendants of Abraham keep dovetailing back in. Does God ever forget anyone? No, He does not. The descendants of Abraham who chose to worship God were preserved and blessed.

Most of the people in Saudi Arabia consider themselves descended from Ishmael. Now Ishmael went to the Wilderness of Paran. which was in the Sinai, but Sinai is connected to Saudi Arabia, and the Wilderness of Paran may have extended to the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Of course being a Bedouin-type, he would have been traveling all along the area of the coastline wherever water could be found for his flocks. The center of Saudi Arabia is nothing but desert with no water. It is an awesome place where no one lives except where water is brought in. During the time of Abraham most people would have traveled along the coastline where there were fertile places. Frankincense and myrrh come from southern Saudi Arabia. They had great wealth from these types of exportable goods grown where springs of water were found.

Saudi Arabia is the center of the Arabic world, and Mecca is it spiritual capital. It is located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia about half way between the country’s north and south borders. It is 75 miles from the coast. When Abraham died at 175, his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac buried him. There is no indication that there was any hardship between them. They were not at war. Ishmael still showed respect and love for his father by coming to help bury him. I find that very interesting. Now who are the Arabs? They are descendants from Keturah and from Ishmael. And so they come from Abraham. But they are not a part of the covenant promise by lineage.

But that is not what they believe. They believe that Abraham married Hagar, that she was his wife. They believe that there was strife between Abraham’s two wives and because Abraham loved Sarah more, Hagar and Ishmael had to leave. They believe that Abraham did not send Ishmael and Hagar away, but took them to the area that is now Mecca, and left them there to live. It is their tradition that Ishmael scraped his foot against the ground and up came water. They believe that this well is still flowing in Mecca. They believe that Abraham came back to Mecca because God had told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. So Abraham went to Mecca and gathered up Ishmael, and did exactly what we know that he did with Isaac, but there was a sheep provided (not a ram). This sacrifice shows to them that not only was Abraham, as their father, very righteous and obedient, but also that Ishmael, as the eldest, was the child of promise. They believe it was Ishmael and not Isaac that was offered. They also believe that Ishmael, as the oldest son, was to receive all the blessings and promises of God.

They believe that Isaac and Ishmael were at odds. They believe that Isaac was weak and that Ishmael was strong. So they believe just the opposite of what the Hebrews and Christian hold to be true – that Ishmael was the child of promise. They believe that Abraham and Ishmael raised up the Kava (a holy shrine in Mecca). It is a rectangular box that sits in a large courtyard, and they believe that the stone inside fell from heaven (like a meteorite). It is black stone on which the Muslim believe that Abraham was going to offer Ishmael. It is the holiest Muslim site in the entire world. It is the place where all of the Muslims bow five times a day, and pray in that direction. Each Muslim must make one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime.

Mecca is also very important to the Muslims because 570 years after the birth of Christ Muhammad was born there. According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad was given instructions from the angel Gabriel to write the Koran, which is their holy book. He was to destroy all the pagan idols that had come to be in the Kava and to promote the worship of Allah who is The God. Allah means The God (The One And Only).

Muslims believe that the Bible is of God in as much as it has not been changed by sinful people. They believe that the angel Gabriel gave the Koran word for word to Muhammad as the absolute, infallible word of God. In the areas where the gospel in the Old Testament conflict with the Koran, they go with the Koran. In areas where there is not a conflict, they believe that Old and the New Testament are correct. They consider the Jews and the Christians to be people of “the Book.” Therefore over the centuries they have often treated the Jews and Christians better than they treated the pagans they came in contact with.

About a hundred years from the time that Muhammad began teaching about the Koran and about Allah, they had stretched their religion and their military strength from Spain to Northern India and up into the southern parts of what we consider modern day Russia, and all of North Africa. That is amazing. Even at times when they–the Arabs–lost strength and other people would come in and conquer them, these conquering people would accept Islam as their religion. Today one in every five people in the world is a Muslim. That is over a billion people. It seems it would behoove us to know what they believe, and therefore be a better witness of our faith. Do they believe that Jesus is a true historical person? Yes. They believe he was a prophet of God. Do they believe that He was the Son of God? No. In their Koran it says that God was not begotten nor does He ever beget. Therefore God can never have a son.

They do not believe in original sin. They believe that you are judged by your actions. They believe in heaven and hell, and levels to heaven and hell, but it is based upon your actions.

There are five pillars to Islam that they must follow. One is that they must one time in their life confess their faith. They confess – “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger.” The second thing that they have to do is pray five times a day. Their day begins–as the Hebrew day does–at sunset. They pray at sunset, they pray in the evening, they pray at dawn, they pray at noon, and they pray in the afternoon. They pray standing and bowing and kneeling and completely subservient as a sign of their position before God. As they pray, they confess, and usually they recite part of the Koran. The word Koran actually means to expound or to recite. Third, they must give alms to the poor, and that is done in various ways in various countries. 2.5 percent of all of their wealth is supposed to be given to the poor.

Fourth, they must on the tenth month of their lunar calendar practice Ramadan. Ramadan is a fast. It is a full month fast from the one lunar cycle to the next month’s cycle. During that time period, they cannot eat during the day, and so they eat after sunset. They will often feast after sunset with gatherings of family and friends. In fact there is a little comment I read in one Muslim book that cautioned people to be careful not to gain weight during Ramadan. The fifth requirement for every Muslim is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes.

What happened after Abraham died? Was God faithful to His promises? Abraham did not live to see his children receive the land. But just as God had foretold to Abraham, 400 hundred years later his people followed Joshua into the land of Canaan and took possession of their inheritance. But did they claim all of the land promised? Not even during the time of David and Solomon did the Hebrews have all of the land that God said that they were going to have. We are still waiting for that. It is going to happen. Some people believe because most Hebrews have rejected Jesus that all the promises made now go to the Christians and that God is not liable to the Hebrews for His covenant promises. God’s promises are eternal promises. He doesn’t make a mistake. He does not change His mind. The land from the Euphrates River to the River in Egypt will be their inheritance. It has not happened yet, but it will happen. God said He would make a great nation out of Abraham. Did He do that? He has done that. Not only that, He said nations. What nations came from Abraham? Saudi Arabia did. It came from Ishmael, and the influence of Ishmael has gone all over the world.

There is Israel. The Lord delights in using the weak and foolish things of the earth to proclaim His greatness and His power. No wonder that Israel is a small place. Great things can come out of a people who trust in the Lord. God is preserving His covenant people. We will see the power and majesty of God’s arm revealed in Israel when they turn to Jesus, their Messiah.

There is also the country of Midian and Edom, which comes from Esau, who will be mentioned in the last lesson. If we consider ourselves a Christian nation, we come from Abraham, too. At one time we could have said we were a Christian nation, and every one would have agreed. Today there is some question, but God is going to reclaim us, also. Just as surely as the Israelis will have from the Euphrates to the Nile; so we will have Zion here in this country, and God will reclaim us if we will not reject Him.

A lot has been covered that has led us to the death of Abraham. You might be wondering what will be in the last lesson since Abraham has died. The promises of God did not die with Abraham. The blessings did not die. The last lesson will be about the blessings that have come and will come to Abraham’s seed. It will cover who are Abraham’s seed. Read Galatians 3 and James 2, and Hebrews 12.

A Little About Islam:

Islam is the religion of the Muslims (or also spelled Muslims). The word basically means submission (as under God’s will). It also implies (because of the root word) peace, safety, and security. Submission or obedience is the key to understanding Islam. The Koran gives detailed instructions on how to live one’s life. They believe that everything you need to know is in the Koran. It takes precedence over all other books or teachings. To please God you must be obedient. Abraham was obedient to God. The Muslims see themselves as the obedient ones. They do acknowledge that they have the same heritage through Abraham as do the Hebrews. Muhammad was their prophet, and they believe that he was the last viable, true prophet of God; therefore any other person who says he is a prophet after Muhammad cannot be telling the truth. That seals the door on revelations, doesn’t it.

Muhammad had two sons, and they died early. He had four daughters. When Muhammad died, he did not leave a clear indication as to who was to follow him in leadership and so there was been some division about that. Basically they divided into three main groups: the Sunna, the largest–80 to 90 percent of all Muslims are part of this group, the Shiite, which is a much smaller but active group, and the Khariji. These groups have subdivided into different subgroups with different leaders. It is the Shiite Muslims that we hear so much about today. They are a large group in southern Iraq today. They may be more radical generally speaking. They believe that you must be a literal descendant from Muhammad to be a leader. Whereas the larger group believes that you do not have to be descended from Muhammad to be the spiritual head. Possibly if you had certain family ties to Muhammad you would have a more vested interest in the Shiite Muslim sect. In the larger group of Muslims, a man would not even have to be an Arab to be a cleric.

The Arabs from Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula took their religion (by military conquest and by peaceful means) all over the world, and now there are people of many different nations who are of the Muslim faith - Islam. You do not have to be an Arab to be a Muslim. Arabs are the descendants from Ishmael and from Keturah’s sons (although they do not claim this lineage). A Muslim is someone who follows the Koran and the teachings of Muhammad. They do not worship Muhammad as god. It is offensive to them for someone to say they do.

We call ourselves Christians because we believe in Jesus as God’s Son. But Muhammad was not God’s son. They do not believe that God could have a son. Muhammad was just a prophet – but a very important prophet. They believe that Adam was a prophet. They believe that Noah and Moses were prophets. They believe Jesus was a prophet. They honor these people; but in any area that conflicts with the Koran, they follow what the Koran teaches. It is important to understand that most Muslims are very hard working, diligent, people of integrity. They are very conscientious about hospitality, they are not militant to the extend that they will rush out and kill their neighbor for no reason. They are very strong in their beliefs, and they really believe that Israel has done an injustice to them. They believe that the land belongs to them, and not Israel. They believe that the promises are to come through Ishmael and so they believe that the land rightfully belongs to them. They have a hard time understanding why we do not understand. In many ways, the Muslims are like the descendants of Laman and Lemuel whose children where taught to hate the Nephites. Perhaps when we have a heart like Ammon and his brothers, we will be able to reach the Muslims with the testimony of Christ.

The Lands of Abraham’s Travels and His Descendants

Ur of Mesopotamia - The Land of Abraham’s birth

Haran - The City of Nahor (Abraham’s brother) from which God sent Abraham to the Land of Promise

Canaan - Part of the Promised Land, modern Israel, parts of Syria and Jordan

Egypt - A Refuge in Famine

Arabia & Sinai - Land of Ishmael & Keturah’s sons

Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts & Maps, pg. 144

[1] The Layman’s Bible Encyclopedia. Martin, William C. The Southwestern Company. Nashville. 1964.

[2] The Law, Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Genesis Chapters 1-15. McGee J. Vernon. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville, TN. 1991. pgs. 177-178.

[3] Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible. The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, NY. 1981.

[4] Smith’s Bible Dictionary. Peloubet, F.N. & M. A. ed. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville. 1986.

[5] Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts & Maps. Wilson, Neil S. & Taylor, Linda K. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, IL. 2001.

[6] Smith’s Bible Dictionary. Peloubet, F.N. & M. A. ed. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville. 1986.