Genesis #17 Ch. 23-26 a Prophecy to Rebekah — Chuck Missler

Welcome to the 17th study in the book of Genesis conducted by Chuck Missler. The subject of this tape Genesis chapters 23 through 26. Let's open with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father we just pause tonight To praise you. Thank you for the privilege of gathering together tonight in safety and in harmony. To open your word. We would ask you father to attend Us tonight with your Holy Spirit to open our understandings in our hearts and our minds.

That we might behold Jesus Christ that we might understand those things that you've placed here for our learning. And father we would this this hour fellowship with you. And we would father just put aside all our other cares and concerns.

To do but this one thing the fellowship with you through a study of your word. Asking you father to overrule all things in our hearts and minds that we might just focus attention on. These I guess That Jesus indeed through all these things might be glorified.

Amen. Okay, well last time we met We explored a couple of the chapters that are among my favorites. I can probably say they're my favorites in the study of prophecy Genesis 22 and its companion chapter the way we approach at chapter 24 and I think we covered that Adequately without requiring a review.

It left us with a little gap in between chapter 23 that we'll cover tonight. But we didn't cover the offering of Isaac and to complete our horizon last time of typology chapters 22 and 24 in many respects.

Are the high ground of typology the most? Elaborate rewarding fulfilling examples of The use of models prophetically in the scripture and there are many. But we learned much about the scripture from our study of of the ones we took up last time Abraham's offering of Isaac and also Eleazar's calling of the bride for Isaac and I Trust if you are with us for the first time or if you missed the last time we got together you might indeed avail yourself of the one of the tape ministries will make the tapes available free of charge and You might just review that material even if you review nothing else in Genesis, I commend to you a review of chapters 22 and 24 from last time but in order to tie together the ideas of 24 and 22, we really Indulged in the liberty of skipping chapter 23 so my thought tonight just to round out the study if you're taking notes or the tapes if you're collecting the tapes is to jump into chapter Genesis chapter 23 and You'll discover I think as we go now we're going to In many respects the pace will pick up because increasingly Genesis will be a narrative that is relatively self-explanatory and this deep digressive Style we've had in the early chapters will begin to yield to a little more comfortable pace and a little more narrative pace as we go and so those of you that have been taking your Coifal and Essar graph paper and figuring what many how many chapters we've covered so far and you've made a linear Extrapolation and concluded that we'll finish the book about mid 84 or 85.

I Should point out that our pace will pick up a bit but anyway chapter 23 and Sarah was a hundred and twenty Hundred and seven and twenty years old and these were the years of the life of Sarah. Very simple little verse.

But it's one that should catch your attention if you're real Deep students of the word because it's the only place in the Bible that the Holy Spirit Was given to tell us the age of the woman when she died.

It's the only place in the Bible where that happens. Now, I don't think there's anything that profound out of 127 other than with long life the Lord will Bless and he does here. But it's interesting. Sarah is an interesting example.

It's very provocative to me that in the scripture Sarah is singled out in both the Old and the New Testament as an example and just to just to Explore that a little bit turn to Isaiah chapter 51. The first two verses of Isaiah 51 are as follows.

Hearken to me. Ye that follow after righteousness ye that seek the Lord. Look unto the rock from which ye are hewn and to the hole of the pit from which ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father and unto Sarah who bore you for I called him alone and blessed him and Increased him now.

She's referenced. There is an Old Testament reference. If you can turn to first Peter chapter 3 Verses 4 and 6 primarily. But I'll just point out six that verse 6 even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord whose daughters are ye as long as you do well and are not afraid with any terror and so forth.

Peter makes the point but again makes a reference to Sarah and It's interesting that Sarah is selected as an example. It's interesting the women that are not selected as examples many very famous women are not selected in the scripture as examples to follow.

Interesting example is Mary and And. But Sarah is in both the Old New Testament. So you gals who are interested in that subject I commit to you a study on your own with material we've covered already of Sarah study her life her responsiveness her attitude towards Abraham and to the Lord and See what the Holy Spirit? shows you there verse 2 and Sarah died in Cariath Arba which means incidentally the city of the four quarters and It's an early name for the city of Hebron.

It's an early name for the city of Hebron and just as 3527 and judge Joshua 1415 and judges 110 all tied together to demonstrate that those of you that are really interested in in Concerning yourself.

In fact, it says so right here, but it also ties the rest of it together. The same is Hebrew in the land of Canaan and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Now the very fact that Abraham mourns is interesting.

It's something a lot of lessons here. One of which is that just because you're saved doesn't mean God dehumanizes you. He still mourned for her. Which we're told in Psalm 103 that he knows our frame and that we are as dust.

In our affliction, he is afflicted. Isaiah tells us in chapter 63. The first Thessalonians 413, we know that we have we may sorrow but it's not a sorrow for lack of hope. It's not as if Abraham lacked hope for Sarah but we know from Ephesians 5 28 and other passages that husband loves his wife as his own body and he missed Sarah.

He grieved over her even though she was saved and with the Lord. He mourned for her and I Think that's that speaks to the humanity that we see in Abraham's heart but He came to weep for her. But he stood up from before his dead and spoke unto the sons of half.

Saying and he goes on we'll get into the Hittite negotiation here in a minute, but it's interesting that He didn't hang around the cemetery if you will or the body and he may provides for her burial. We'll see in a minute, but He stood up from before his death spoke unto the sons of half now.

These are the Hittites that we're going to get into here saying I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying place with you that I may bury my dead out of my sight and the children have Answered Abraham saying unto him Hear us my lord thou art a mighty prince among us and In the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead.

None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre but that thou mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land even to the children of heaven and he spoke with him saying If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight hear me and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar.

That he may give me the cave of Machpelah Which he hath which is in the end of his field for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a burying place among you and Ephron dwelt among the children of hef and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of hef Even of all that went in at the gate of the city saying nay my lord Hear me the field give I thee and the cave that is therein I give it thee in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee bury thy dead.

And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land and He spoke to on to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land saying But if thou wilt give it I pray thee hear me. I will give thee money for the field Take it of me and I will bury my dead there and Ephron answered Ephron Answered Abraham saying unto him my lord Harkonnen to me.

The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that between me and thee bury? Therefore thy dead and Abraham Harkonnen to Ephron and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver Which he had named in the hearing of the sons of hef 400 shekels of silver current money with the merchant and The field of Ephron which was in Machpelah Which was before Mamre.

The field and the cave which was in it and all the trees that were in the field That were in all the borders roundabout were made sure Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of hef before all that went in at the gate of the city.

And after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of of the field of Machpelah before a Mamre. The same is Hebron in the land of Canaan and the field and a cave that is in it. Were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of hef.

Sarah’s Burial and Abraham’s Purchase of Machpelah

Now you may wonder in terms of the pace at which we're going and some of the important things we've been dealing with and On the presumption that I think is valid. The Holy Spirit tends to be economic in his partitioning of the word.

Why are there some almost 20 verses? Dealing with the haggling of buying a field and the books and the libraries are full of analysis as to what's going on here and A number of things come out of this.

Some of them construct first of all some people have gone through a lot of trouble. They point out that the price was probably about a hundred and sixteen dollars by one set of reckoning. Which I'm not sure is valid, but at least that was one analysis.

The 400 shekels are regarded by some scholars as being an exorbitant price because about four shekels per acre was a reasonable price for a field doesn't tell how many acres we got here and Yet and 40 but 10 times that much.

40 shekels per acre for a garden of well-watered garden. And so this field is going at 400 shekels, but we don't know how many acres so it's a little ambiguous there. There's a lot of issues about that, which I think misses the point I'll come back to that aspect of it.

But let's just as we go through this first of all it's interesting that here We have the Hittites we know very little about the Hittite Empire this early in its history and this far south. But the Hittites are explicitly referenced here.

It's interesting that they didn't know the God of Abraham. But it's interesting that they glorified God through Abraham's example. Because the whole tone of their relationship with Abraham is that he is a mighty prince.

They treated him with respect and I think right there. It's interesting in terms of you get a glimpse as to how Abraham conducted himself. But we also have something here that I think you could make a very comprehensive study of because here is a business transaction.

Transacted by none other than Abraham himself and How busy we are trying to understand business principles from the scripture and here's one we can that we can learn a few things about. The first thing that's interesting is Abraham starts by bowing himself to them.

Just it's just a question of courtesy he bowed himself. And it's interesting first Peter 3 8 we are admonished to be courteous. He's polite. Good intentions are not enough to be polite or courteous. I have spent some 20 years or more as an executive in the business field and I have to tell you that my greatest abuse Came not from unbelievers or sharp practices by the unsaved.

But by the uninformed good intentions, but disastrous moves of Christian businessmen who do not understand the sanctity of a commitment who do not understand basic business etiquette and you can you indeed have to make allowances for people who are in a field or in a mature in a level of Lack of maturity in a business sense that they will often inadvertently injure someone.

But one of the interesting things that I think you can build a case in the scripture is that that isn't the conduct God would have of us. Part of what Abraham had to know was the proper etiquette for the community within which he dealt and Many Christians are very presumptuous as they get into business circles in terms of some of the basic Ground rules of that community and I am fascinated as I go through the scripture to see again and again Indications that We have an obligation to be informed.

Just going at it with good intentions is not enough. As we get on here we notice also that You also notice that Abraham's goal is to make an equitable bargain. The principle upon which Abraham is attempting to strike the deal is one of mutuality not one of taking advantage.

In Proverbs chapter 20 verse 14 Solomon also disparages the person who minimizes the value of a thing during the negotiation and Then boasts of the bargain after the deal is done. How often we all do that?

It's sort of regarded as a standard practice in negotiation. And yet it's interesting. That's not what Abraham was doing. Abraham's attempt was hey, let's find out. Let's figure out what fair value is and I'll buy it because I have a need for it.

That was Abraham's approach just an equitable as a concept as the basic premise of a negotiation and It's interesting how in The mature industries I came from the automobile industry having served as an executive at Ford for many years six years I now serve as a chief executive officer in electronics business.

Which is a tough rolling rough-and-tumble kind of business, but it's interesting how the mature companies Build the reputation and their style on the presumption that the guy they're negotiating with this deal with is the same guy.

They're going to have to negotiate with a year from now. So in spite of the fact it may be tough bargaining. There is a presumption of mutuality that underlies the negotiation among the sophisticated among the naive.

It doesn't work that way and and many young companies that grow very fast suddenly are injured because they haven't built a reputation of fair dealing and It's interesting to see the electronics semiconductor industry mature.

I made a famous speech a few years ago where I said going into any good business in the semiconductor business is like going from A condom to a brothel in terms of the business style. That's partly because it's young and immature and growing but essentially as it matures.

The professionals tend to operate on a basis of mutuality. I'm discovering that's a premise a prerequisite to the major leagues as far as I'm concerned. Um. Something else that's interesting here. And I just felt burdened as I read this particular passage.

There's some theological issues will come to that but I was fascinated how much we can glean from this little example. Let's look at verse 16. Abraham harkened to Ephraim. Abram weighed on d from the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth etc.

And let's see. There's several places here. It makes reference to the fact that this was witnessed the whole transaction Was witnessed and made sure it was sick made secure before witnesses and I'm impressed is that Abraham?

Saw to it that things were done in order and proper and thorough. How many of us men in this room tonight? Have wills for their family properly drawn by an expert in the field and properly witnessed to minimize the taxation and to To handle probate in case something should happen to us.

It's my guess just a cynic's guess perhaps that among the secular professionals There's a high relatively high percentage of men who deal with The issues to make sure they don't leave their state and test it and yet I'll bet you among the Christians There's a greater percent of negligence there.

I Sorry, I didn't have time to check with some attorneys on that kind of a thing. I wouldn't be a bit surprised and And I'm guilty myself. There's many things in my personal affairs that need cleaning up because I've been so harassed and traveled.

That's one of the things I've got to do is set aside some time and get that in order. If I'm going to be properly accountable as a steward before the Lord It's interesting that Abraham here Not only does this deal but he does it he handles the procedures in a good sound orderly way and I'm going to suggest that we have a call to be prudent in the business sense and It's my suggestion that indiscreet conduct has caused many Christians names to be disgraced in the business world and brought their families to ruin and if the Lord Witnesses to you through these things terrific.

Otherwise, maybe it's just It's my own No preoccupation with some of these issues that I may be seeing in this. However, I will show you this is a good excuse for me to show you a verse That flabbergasted me when I found it and you girls may hate me when I have to show you this verse.

Because you are probably like my wife who always felt that The Lord really thinks it's important for me to make sure she's in the nice home. Because obviously our wives should be first and a nice home is important.

I was shocked to discover That's not what the Lord says you might turn to Proverbs 24. And there's a principle the Lord gives us That you might find rather interesting and in the King James It's not nearly as clear as it is in the Living Bible.

Now all of you know that the Living Bible is simply Ken Taylor's paraphrase and it makes it very readable. But one his best work Was a book of Proverbs. So if you look this up in the Living Bible a book of Proverbs It'll hit you right between the eyes the King James.

You may miss the point here in the King James verse 27 of Proverbs 24 says prepare thy work outside and make it for that make it fit for thyself in the field and Afterwards build your house. Now it's buried in that with a thought that doesn't come through maybe as clearly in the King James as it should is.

You build and provide for your business first then you build your house if you're a farmer you build the barn first and Then your house if you're a businessman you establish your business economics before you Build your house, and that was very interesting.

I I I got much more out of it than my wife did actually. But it's interesting how as you go through the scripture and if you have your antenna up and you're listening Lord tells you a great deal about how to conduct your affairs and One of the little pet peeves I have is that we tend in our zeal as new Christians in the word and as we come to know Jesus Christ and as we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives.

We often drift into a style of business conduct that leads to disaster. Because we no longer exercise prudence. We no longer go through the detailed follow-through it takes to survive and I'm always disturbed By guys who are in business and they come to the Lord.

They get active in Bible studies and their business starts to suffer and all their well-meaning Christian friends stand around the sidelines saying Ah, the Lord is dealing with him. What's happening is the guy is failing to be diligent in his business and gets hurt and if you go through the Christian bookstores you go a long way before you find any useful helps for the businessman in a Christian vein and I think it's tragic because it's a it's a if there's a need for maturity and our transactions and our dealings just as as As Abraham exemplifies here in this purchase of this field.

Abraham’s Purchase as a Prophetic Picture

Since I've Embarked tonight on a slight digression as a businessman. I should also tell you the one Principle you learn in business applies here. It's not what you know, it's who you know. In business, right and the same thing here is true in the scripture so obviously I don't want to in any way and minimize the the Need for a Christian businessman to walk in the spirit and to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

But let let's not let that let's not let a charismatic walk stand in the way of being diligent and thorough and Exercising due diligence before the law as we say in the trade or prudence as we might in the vernacular.

Getting back now to Abraham's purchase. It's very interesting that Abraham Purchased only one piece of real estate in his entire life that we know of that this piece of real estate. For the very for as a burying ground.

It's very very interesting is that that's all he purchased of the earth. Because he was a stranger and the pilgrim on the one hand on the other hand. What's probably also not as obvious it to in this narrative is The significance of buying this burial ground where it is now.

Yes, it's near the Oaks of Mamre. You may have caught that for Genesis 18 and tie that together. But there's another aspect of this is Abraham Buying this field to bury Sarah here is in effect Indulging in a testimony to the fact that his Progeny would return to the land.

Now how long would it be before his progeny would return to the land. Approximately 400 years, right? What was the price of the land? Corner channels, what a coincidence. Isn't that a coincidence? Shackles of silver what a silver mean Leviticus Redemption money right blood tabernacle was put on sockets of silver.

Judas throwing the silver on the temple behold. I have betrayed innocent. Blood silver and blood Levitically are always linked together and that's the price of the land. One other thing though that come came out of some research that I thought was very exciting.

By the way, I might mention not only was Sarah buried there, but Abraham is buried there. Isaac Rebecca Jacob is buried there, even though he died in Egypt and Leah is buried there in the cave at Machpelah.

It's near Hebron and It's in two layers. They have never allowed scholars to go into the second layer and there's a mosque over it. But it's a place that you can Either you can try to visit that's if you're you've got the guts to go near Hebron these days.

It's a troubled spot relative to terrorist activity. But there's something else about this that's kind of interesting many scholars for 1900 years I guess have been very hard on the Hittites because as they analyze this passage what Abraham is after is a cave and They don't sell them the cave they sell them the field of the cave is in right.

You've got that in the narrative. I won't go through it all again, but you can and Scholars have felt that what they were doing was exploiting Abraham. They felt they there's all kinds of reasons why they think the price is too high.

I'm deaf to that because I'm not sure we have any real ability to analyze that one way or the other. And I look at the 400 shekels of silver mystically anyway. Not that they aren't literal. But I mean what value of communication there is to me is maybe what the Holy Spirit saying in another sense but the thing that's interesting is that The Hittites are viewed by most modern commentators or should say ancient commentators as being exploitive.

You wanted a cave you got to buy the whole field. Some very recent archaeology on have revealed some insight into the Hittite law and The Hittite law required Ilku that is feudal services on the land, but we would call taxes except in those days they were services.

So if you sold only part of a piece of property You the owner still owed the king feudal services on the land. Abraham was a sojourner and what-have-you so he was exempt from that. But the guy selling him the property would want to sell him the whole parcel so he would be relieved of the feudal services that are company that particular parcel and It's a whole bunch of archaeological evidence that gives us an insight as to how the Hittites handled those property transactions.

It's a there's a very similar procedure a little different, but similar and in the code of Hammurabi, which is the you know the Babylonian background. What makes that interesting is we have a whole new insight now as to how this pat with this passage is really saying Abraham wants the cave the Hittites will sell him the field that the cave is in.

Because of the practicality of the way their law is written. They're not exploiting him at all. They're just trying to do it as a tax shelter or whatever. All right. Joke that I got a giggle on that. I was afraid that that went by.

Okay. It's hard to laugh about taxes I realize. But what makes this interesting is is that this is evidence of an early date in Genesis because the Hittite capital Hattusas fell about 1200 BC where the influence of their law would evaporate and So it implies that the Hittite laws that were operative here were operative.

We're operative here. Therefore it was before that date secondly. It also argues as an early for an early date because most of this is of recent discovery. So I thought that would be I generally stay away from a lot of the archaeological stuff because it it really gets Distracted more than supportive, but I thought that was interesting in this particular case because of all the strange theories you get about this transaction.

The weight that's given it there. Now Before we leave chapter 23 There is an under explored idea That I don't know of any commentator treating and it may be totally spurious. It may be invalid, but I'll leave it I just throw it out to you for those of you that are interested in the sort of thing is To if you're interested in the typology remember we had Abraham as the father Isaac was the son that was offered as a offering and We had Eliezer the the unnamed servant unnamed in chapter 24 Subsequently go and gather a bride for Isaac and we developed that whole thing.

It's very interesting that it's possible. It may be Sarah Is the woman that gave birth to Isaac therefore the woman in the sense of Revelation 12 or Genesis 3 ie Israel, it's very interesting that she is Is not present When and I would she dies before Rebecca before the bride is gathered.

Which is kind of interesting. It's also interesting that Rebecca is when she marries Isaac in verse 62 chapter 24 he she dwells in the tents of Sarah and So you can make a whole thing of that I'm not sure it's valid and I because it it's one of those ideas that just passed Through while you're going through this, but I just throw it out for something you may want to Explore as to whether to complete the type Sarah might be a type of the nation Israel it falls on down, of course because there is a resurrection of Israel in the sense of the dry bones which follows after the gathering and what have you so That's a whole nother another issue I think we have Discussed chapter 23 enough chapter 24.

We went through last time with in enough detail. I think that we Won't repeat it. It is of course the chapter of Isaac Of the gathering of a bride for Isaac where Eliezer commissioned a servant Servants unnamed in this chapter, which is provocative in the sense that he's the type of the Holy Spirit he doesn't bear witness of himself and there's many many subtleties here as you go through as to how he goes about gathering the the bride.

That you can study by the well and so forth and the intercession and so forth and the giving of gifts and the fact that the entire thing hangs on a personal decision of Rebecca just as our membership in his In his Church His Ecclesia is as a result of a personal decision and yielding of sovereignty back to our Lord.

And I think what we really ended up doing is getting down to verse 62 last time. Where we see Isaac who is edited out of the record from the time he has offered in chapter 22. He reappears here in verse 62 of chapter 24 where we see him by the well of the living water and That's where Rebecca sees him and they become united and verse 65 says for she had said unto the servant What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us and the servant had said it is who?

My master. Therefore she took a veil and covered herself and the servant told Isaac all the things he had done and Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent interesting phrase and took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Abraham’s Other Sons and the Inheritance of Isaac

Now with chapter 25. Those of you that missed last time could pick up 24 from the tape in more detail or the richest studies that you can undertake I think In the Old Testament, but let's go on to 25 chapter 25 verse 1 then again Abraham took a wife and her number and her name was Keturah and She bore him Zimram and Jackson and Medan and Midian and Ishbaq and Shua.

Very interesting how the gifts of the Lord are Without repentance are changing the Lord reestablished Abraham's virility Supernaturally and I think that's fascinating. He was barren sure I'm sure was barren and they both were beyond the childbearing age but supernaturally the Lord restored both.

To permit Isaac to be in effect supernaturally born again being a type of Christ but it's interesting to me a couple of things. One is that he had a problem with Sarah in terms of her attractiveness. Remember, I mean, you know, the Lord didn't just supernaturally have her Child able if you will.

She was so attractive that he again remember back there. He had to resort to the subterfuge. She's my sister, right? And It's interesting a thought occurred to me in the shower the other day is that Abraham Married it didn't mean he wasn't lying.

She was his half-sister and the thought that hit me a shower is the. There's another guy that married his sister called Adam. I Don't know if that's valid or not, but you can sort of well that one over if that's valid or not but anyway It's a interesting.

Yeah, I thought you'd all right. But it's interesting how the Lord having restored Abraham's virility for the in order to accomplish the birth of Isaac as per the promise. His gifts and caught his gifts and calling are without repentance.

So Abraham still had his gift and he marries again after Sarah's death and has six six guys. And we don't know how many daughters. That's just right. If I'm the only the sons are listed here. And when it goes on and gives you the second generation and jackson begot Sheba and be dam.

Now those two names are familiar to you probably because they show up in Ezekiel 38. And their tribal names from which which account for northern Arabia, Saudi Arabia. But I mean the northern is both Shiva indeed and our cities there but also tribal names and they show up and Ezekiel in the Attack of the Soviet Union against the nation Israel after Iran falls and becomes part of the Soviet Union is described there.

And what's interesting that whole description of the Soviet allies are are enumerated by their ancient tribal names and the interesting omissions are that Egypt Is not among those attacking Israel. Misery is the name you'd look for in terms of the ancient tribal name and it's not mentioned in that chapter.

But also she been deed and are not joining. They're standing on the sidelines saying naughty naughty. Don't do that. And that's kind of interesting. That's extremely interesting. See there's so much we could get into if we want to take a departure here the theory that the Saudi Arabians may refinance our national debt with low-cost bonds in order to strengthen the dollar protect their investment and bring our economy up and Some of my intelligence sources say that was they're trying to get that wired as the October surprise and didn't make it and I think I'm glad they didn't.

Because that's a complicated analysis in terms of having that kind of having our debt hand held by foreigners. At the same time. It's a very interesting mechanic to Strengthen the free world. That makes it turns out to be a good deal for both sides.

The government accounts for 80 of the credit and the credit markets if you take them out of the short-term market the kind of credit. That's available and the cost of it. It could be really exciting but anyway.

Was to sit back and see and watch what happens. Jackson begot the Sheba and deed and and the sons of deed and were Asherim and let's sue Latushim and some other unpronounceable. And the sons of Midian were if you for Hannah a bit of Ida and now they are and all these were the children of Keturah.

Why are they listed here? I don't know. We do see some of them reoccur later in the scripture it is God's way of honoring Abraham and fulfillment of his promise that he'll be the father of many nations and.

Many of these seem to commingle with the sons of Ishmael so that the strains include the Arab community. Verse 5 is important and Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. Now this is not new news because the Eliezer had told Rebecca that in the caravan coming back when he called Rebecca to be the bride of the bridegroom.

He mentioned there that Abraham had given the bridegroom he made him the heir of all things and Here it is reconfirmed. Now that's important not only in terms of our understanding of the Old Testament and Isaac's role in the genealogy it's also important in our Theological understanding of Isaac as a type of Jesus Christ because in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 I believe it is it says that and it's pleased the Lord to make Jesus Christ the heir of all things in a Cosmic sense in a broader sense than this, of course, but in the type it's interesting that that's there.

Which reminds me of something you should be aware of I think I've mentioned to you before and we will get into it again in Romans chapter 8 Paul uses a structure I Think it's I think it's chapter 31 where verse 31 where he says and whom he Whom he foreknew then he then he predestinated and whom he predestinated then he also called whom he called he also Justified whom he justified then he also glorified remember Predestination calling glorification a justification glorification in that order and Paul builds that case in at the end in the Towards the end of Romans chapter 8.

What's interesting is Abraham is an example of being predestinated how God reached to an idol worshiped idol worshiping Gentile Called him out of the area of the Chaldees to be the instrument for his Dealing with the redemption of the world.