Book of Genesis - Ch. 20, Vs. 9-Ch. 21, Vs. 19 (10/15/2000)

Abraham’s Deception Before Abimelech

We're traveling with Abraham. He just got himself in trouble with Abimelech. We're in Genesis the 20th chapter in the 9th verse. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him What hast thou done unto us?

And what have I offended thee? For that thou has brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin. Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to have been done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham what sawest thou that thou had done this thing.

And Abraham said Well because I thought Surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wife's sake. Let me ask you Bill How could God say that Abraham had faith. You're so right and Yet indeed.

She is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother and she became my wife. And it came to pass When God caused me to wander from my father's house that I said unto her.

This is thy kindness, which thou shalt show unto me. At every place whether we shall come say of me he is my brother. So now we find out that before they ever left her of Chaldea that they had Decided on this type of approach wherever they went and Abimelech took sheep and oxen and men servants and women servants and gave them unto Abraham and Restored Sarah his wife.

Isn't it a little strange? That the conduct of some worldly men is often a reproof to professed Christians. It should arouse us and make us ashamed. To have more confidence in God and a greater devotion to his service in lots of cases.

The world knows more of what we're supposed to do in the way. We're supposed to act than it seems like we do. And that's a shame. Fifteen. And Abimelech said behold. My land is before thee dwell where it pleases you.

Now listen to what he tells Sarah. And unto Sarah he said behold. I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold he is to thee a covering of the eyes Unto all that are with thee and with all others.

Thus she was reproved. Now, let's see if we can figure out what he meant by covering of your eyes.

Clarence what do you think? You don't? Dianne what do you think? A covering for your eyes? Virge? Fred? A covering of the eyes I mean he used to be a covering of the eyes. It meant that by him being called her brother that other people would look upon the brother and not upon her.

She protected him in that respect.

All right, Charlie, what do you think? All right, that's good. David you've had time to think now.

She covered her eyes when she walked by. I stood looking at her because she was taken by her husband. And he was reproving her and saying she should have told the truth. If you had told me he was your husband I wouldn't have even looked at you.

All right John? Charlotte? Has everybody run out? Yes. More what? Modest Modest?

Well, let me back up to a statement David made. Joy, you want to say something? Yes, I think.

One statement David made was that they wear veils.

David, can you elaborate a little bit on that? When did they wear a veil and when did they not? What did they wear in public? Let me see if you understand this statement. Wedlock is padlock. Does that mean anything to anybody?

He was telling her everything that you all have said. You brought out some good points. That he is the covering of your eyes. You look to no one else. You look to him. And we find this throughout even back in Genesis.

In the first of Genesis Where Adam made the statement That her desire. No, the Lord told her at the sin punishment That her desire will be unto her husband. She is to look to her husband for everything.

Support, protection, love, everything. Abimelech is saying almost the same thing in different words. But you brought out some mighty good points. 17. As Abraham prayed unto God So Abraham prayed unto God.

And God healed Abimelech and his wife And his maidservants. And they bare children. For the Lord had fast closed up all of the wombs of the house of Abimelech. Because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Because of Sarah.

The Lord Opens and Closes Wombs

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said. And the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. This is all one and the same thing. When he speaks, he acts. Our problem is that He was supposed to act immediately upon saying it.

We get impatient, Russell. We know certain things are true. So why don't they happen. It was God's grace that brought about this event. As well as the raising of spiritual children to Abraham. Of which the birth of this son was typical.

He is the beginning. He will be the beginning of the nation Israel Today called the Jew. For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age. At the set time of which God had spoken to him. To prevent all doubt.

However long God may delay To fulfill his promises. At the set time, at the proper time it will occur. And there will not be one jot or tittle missing. Does anyone know what a jot and tittle is? What?

Period and comma. Who's talking? John. Okay, now what? Period and comma. Period and comma. In our language, in theirs it's even smaller. The very smallest little mark that they have in their language We would call it a period and a comma.

And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him. From whom Sarah bare to him Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old As God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old.

When his son Isaac was born unto him. It's important that you remember that he was a hundred. Now he was circumcised when he was eight days. Some of you women tell me. Or men if you know. At what age is the male child circumcised today?

If they are No one knows. Three days. Somebody else had their hand. Well it wasn't like that during Abraham's time. It was always eight days. I have read lots of theories on it. But I'm not going to bother you with all of those.

Because I don't understand them. Now He was a hundred years old. He just had a son born. How old is Sarah? Ninety. Is there any ninety year old women here? One almost. Would you want to have a child today?

Well God's way of timing and fulfilling his promises As such Has to bring the highest glory to himself. Always remember. First it is to bring honor and praise and glory to himself. Whatever he does That's first.

And then the fallout follows that. It being the first to himself It would be the greatest good to us. Would it not? And Sarah said God hath made me to laugh. So that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said who would have said unto Abraham That Sarah should give children suck.

For I have born him a son in his old age. And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast. The same day that Isaac was weaned. Now this age of weaning Has varied everywhere from three years to twelve years.

More than likely it was around three years of age. But we don't know. But there was always a feast connected with this event. In eastern countries This is always a season of domestic festivity. They have a big party.

The newly weaned child is formally brought In the presence of the assembled relatives And friends To partake of some delicious food. In this case Isaac. And when he was brought He was attired in the symbolic robe And badge of his birthright.

Then he was admitted heir of the tribe. Now the next event We must drive a peg down on this. Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian. For she had born unto Abraham mocking. Now in this little verse In the small word mocking Deborah what does mocking mean?

Making fun. So Ishmael is making fun of. Who? Isaac. Fred how do you think Isaac's mother is going to feel about this. That's right. Now this place This was on a Sunday About eleven o 'clock in the morning February the twenty-fifth Nineteen eighty-six B .C.

Yes absolutely I think. This is where the present war between the Jew and Arab starts. Right here. And the Arab started it. If you want to make a note I've given you the date The time and the place. Wherefore she said unto Abraham Cast out this bond woman and her son.

For the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son Even with Isaac. Now the word cast Is galrash. It means divorce. Put away Drive out. And this is the only place this word is used in the Hebrew.

And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight Because he loved his son. But it's a picture of something. Here we have Ishmael and Isaac. If you were going to take a guess on The spirit that Ishmael portrays And that of Isaac What would you say?

Alright. Worldly and godly. We too have two natures. Well let me rephrase that We have one nature. We used to have one. But the one we have now is different than the one we used to have When we had one.

But there are two forces within us Birds that are continually fighting Much as the Arabs and Jews today The flesh and the spirit. Every Christian's had that battle. Paul speaks of his quite often Charlie.

And he says it's a continual battle Goes on all of the time. And I'm convinced That the more you grow in spirit Knowledge And the closer you set to the heavenly gate Figuratively The more that battle will rage.

Before you were saved. Again I ask you to go back to that time if you can. Did the devil ever come to you and laugh at you for not being saved? Didn't say a word did he? But after salvation he forever will plague you.

Knowing he cannot get a hold of your soul. So David why does he do it? I really believe that he was the archangel under Jesus Christ. And his battle today is between himself and Christ. And God said unto Abraham Abraham let it not be grievous in thy sight.

Because of the lad And because of thy bondwoman. In all that Sarah has said unto thee Hearken unto her voice. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Here's the one and only place In all of mankind's history.

That the husband's told to listen to his wife. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation Because he's thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning Took bread And a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar Putting it on her shoulder And the child.

He didn't put the child on her shoulder And sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. How old is this child or this lad? Greg? Seventeen years old. And the water was spent in the bottle.

And she cast the child Under one of the shrubs. Now we just had the word Cast. Where is it? Goresh. This word for cast. Same English word. But it's shalach Not. What's his name? Sherlock This is shalach.

It's different than in verse 10. This one does not mean to divorce It means to put away. So she cast Or placed the child under one of the shrubs Wild mesquite tree. And she went and sat down Over against him.

Charlie that phrase over against him Always bugged me until I finally figured out what it said.

Do you know what it means? Well I think. Because she didn't want to be right there next to him. That's right. So. But she's facing him.

When he sat down Was it Peter or somebody. Sat down over against the temple. He wasn't against the temple. He was out here. But he was sitting out and facing the temple. So Sat down Over against him a good way off.

As it were a bow shot. Is there a bow hunter here? How far is a bow shot? Well usually one of their bows would be 30 yards. And she said let me not see the death of the child. And she sat down over against him and lifted up her voice and wept.

This is a natural mother's reaction. And God heard the voice of the lad And the angel. And who is this? Jesus what? Jesus Christ what? Pre incarnate. Pre incarnate. What's pre incarnate mean? Carnate is carnal.

Pre carnal. Carnal here means born human. And the angel of God called to Hagar Out of heaven and said to her What aileth thee Hagar? Fear not. For God hath heard The voice of the lad. Where he is. Now an interesting thing here.

He Spoke from heaven. There was no mistaking Bill. She couldn't confuse him with something else. Because his voice Is such that you just don't ask who it is. You know. And he calls her by name Hagar. Is there any importance to that?

Bill.

Alright Diane. The main reason that he called Lazarus by name.

And just did not command him Get up. Everybody would have come out. So he singled him out for that reason. This is a little bit different. It isn't So much that she Will know That he knows her. He is calling her Hagar to remind her Of who she was.

She was a servant Of Sarah. Hagar belonged To Sarah And he wants her to Understand who she is. And just because She has been divorced by Abraham She is still a slave Of Sarah And she has to remember that.

Fear not for God. Hath heard the lad where he is. Yes. Sounds like what? No. Well he heard the voice of the lad But he was talking to Hagar. The lad Was No No. He was weeping And crying And The lord heard him.

And the angel then addressed His mother Hagar. He said I heard the lad. This seventeen year old boy Arise lift up the lad And hold him in thine hand For I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes And she saw a well of water And she went and filled the bottle With water and gave to the lad.

Hagar, Ishmael, and the Hidden Well

Now We'll stop here begin with Verse twenty. But my question is There's a well of water there. She has run out of water. That's the Precarious condition that She and the boy are in. Why didn't She see the well of water.

Why hadn't she already found it. Did I hear somebody say it wasn't There. How do you know that Joy. You ought to know now That you and I Get in trouble every time we assume Something.

Clarence what do you think. Well I think it was supposed to be built to At that time.

Do you Do you mean to tell me That here's A well of water And I'm sitting here looking that way And I can't see it.

Yes my lord. It was God's time to do the building. John There's a lot of things that are in there That I didn't see. Thank you. The well was there Joy. But it was hidden. You You just didn't see it You just Didn't see it.

Our salvation Our salvation has always been revealed To us at God's time. Everything has Everything we know.

Or think we know Has been revealed And the well is no different It was there but And as you grow older Folks When you get to be ancient people Like my wife and I You'll Take the hearing aid out And you'll lay it in a particular spot And the next morning You'll go back to the same spot And it isn't there.

And you look And you look And you look And you go every place and you come back And there it is. Now you think I'm kidding. I'm not. Absolutely. I can have A tool in my hand Using it And lay it down And do something and go back And I can't find it.

So I can certainly see how It would be very easy For the Lord to make us blind Or something. Say that again. Do what? Do what? When we first moved Of course Kanna We opened up a furniture Repair and clock repair shop Downtown.

Our daughter worked with us for several years. Anytime I Couldn't find something I'd ask her And she'd get it cause she knew where it was And accused her of moving things Cause I couldn't find them. But when she and her husband Moved out of town same thing happened.

And I nearly knew she hadn't come back And moved it. Well the well was there but it was hidden From Agar's eyes Because there was a time For it to be opened And be shown to her Just like everything else with God Comes on time.

Anything else?

Where we Totally give up Before we realize that really truly God is there and he can Control. And the lad Was at the point where he was. He was 17 years old. That'd be like David. Or actually David Younger than him.

So he had to be at the point Which David you talking about? I'm thinking of all this. I'm trying to figure out. I thought you meant Mitchell David. I was trying to think of a boy That was close to that age that was here.

And it said The person might never saw that the lad. He heard the lad cry And the mother's distress Of just cheating on him Seeing him die. So they were at a point where they were ready to listen To God.

And I think that's the same thing with us. Sometimes we have to be at a point Where we're ready to listen. And he can say well Peter I've had this water here for you all the time. And you know Before we see it.

That's right.

And it seems like it's all hinged On what I do and do not do When we know it isn't But we're still held responsible And we still have to make choices. And as Diane said We should live that close All of the time.

Anything else? Russell. Dismiss us please. Debbie I would like for you all To get some water.