Welcome back y’all. I first wanted to say that in the current status in our world and Country, we need to draw closer to our LORD, Christ Jesus more than we ever have before. Satan truly is roaming to and fro seeking whom he may devour and he is pulling out his entire arsenal in his bag of tricks. But the one trick that is his go-to is destroying the family.
God is a God of restoration. If you follow His prompting of the Holy Spirit you will never turn to the left but always to the right. That means don’t listen to worldly counsel, but only follow the words of those that are strong in biblical instructions.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left.” KJV. Stay true to the biblical scripture. They are not a suggestion. They are a road map to a life of joy and peace.
Now let’s move into our journey Through the Bible.
Today, let us turn to Genesis, chapter 20. We are going to leave off talking about Lot. I didn’t quite finish the last chapter since you can do that in your leisure. The children of those two daughters (whom they had by their father, Lot) also joined the ranks of the Arab Nations; to become the very enemies of Israel. I won’t have time in this lesson, maybe next week I will try to write out the family tree of everyone that came out of Tarah, the father of Abraham. This will help you to see how that as they intermarried with these forefathers up in Syria which are really the families of Terah, and how the whole Middle-East and all of these enmities are within the family.
But if you are aware of statistics at all, and of course I know statistic as Mark Twain says, “they can lie like the dickens.” Statistically, somewhere between 75-80% of all murders take place within the family. And you have it here.
There is that intense hatred from all of the kinfolk associated with Abraham.
Now in chapter 20, remember this is in Abraham’s ninety-ninth year. We already saw that Ishmael was born and thirteen years old in reference before we go to chapter 19. So now in chapter 20, as I reckon time, this has to be while Sarah is now with child. I point that out just to show you how, #1 even a man like Abraham had times of weakness and failure. But more importantly, to show you how that Satan is going too constantly ever since the Garden of Eden try to thwart God’s plan of redemption by prohibiting the appearance of the Messiah. When you follow that back you will see he will do everything he can to destroy the Jewish people.
Now if you’ve wondered why the Jewish people have gone through such terrible, terrible, times in their history? It’s the satanic effort to keep the Messiah from coming. Remember when Herod made the decree to kill all the boy babies under the age of 2. What was the purpose? To hopefully remove the Messiah.
You go back into the book of Esther, and that Jew hater, Haman, convinced the King (Esther’s husband) to put out a decree to annihilate the Jewish people. Thank God he had other plans. Read Esther, it’s a great story of redemption.
So here in chapter 20, even though Abraham was a man of faith, yet the power of Satan was so upon him we are just about to see Sarah lose out.
Genesis 20:1
“And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. “
Gerar was a border town between Canaan and Egypt. Remember he learned his lesson once; he was not to go into Egypt. So he doesn’t go into Egypt, but he gets as close as he can by sitting on the border. Now I call this fence dwelling. This is a good picture of a lot of Christians. They want one foot in the world, and one foot in the Lords business. So they are on the fence. But this isn’t possible. It won’t work.
Verse 2
“2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.”
There are so many tid-bits in here that make this so interesting. Remember, how old is she? She is ninty! And yet she is still so attractive that Ol’ Abraham knew the minute these pagans would see her, and were in perfect accord with the laws of Hammurabi, they could bring Sarah into his Harem. At ninety!
So Abraham is going to use that same ploy, now Sarah if they come for you don’t tell them you’re my wife, but tell them you’re my sister. She was a half-sister so he avoided a total lie.
But, remember now if I am not stretching the point, the scripture doesn’t say it, but the analogy of the time element she must have been pregnant with Isaac. This is why Satan is going to use every opportunity to stop it in its tracks.
Verse 3-7 God intervenes.
“3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. 4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. “
Now you can finish chapter 20 where Sarah and Abraham are together again.
Chapter 21 One of my favorite lessons in all of scripture. Now I know I have a lot of them. But this is the epitome of how all of scripture fits together in order to teach a New Testament truth. Now if you remember a few lessons ago, Hagar fled from Sarai and God told her to go back and dwell with Abram and Sarai. I told you God had a reason then so now here it comes.
Verse 1-8
“And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck (nurse)? for I have born him a son in his old age. 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.”
I don’t like to imply things that are not as they should be but always remember that especially back here, even into the present time for many of the tribes in the Middle-East do not wean their children until they are 3, 4, sometimes even 5 years of age. So realize when these lads were weaned, they were already a pretty good stature and understanding.
Verse 9-10
“9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian (Ishmael, who is now 14), which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”
Sarah is speaking from a mother’s heart, but she is also speaking the very truth of God. Isn’t this what God said? The promised son will be whom the covenant will continue. But there is more here than meets the eye.
Now get the whole picture. Ishmael and Hagar were sent back and now they have spent some twelve or thirteen years under the roof of Abraham’s tent. But now Isaac comes on the scene and becomes a little lad and now the instruction is to cast them out.
Now continue on so you won’t see this is just a human dilemma.
Verse 11-12 From Abraham’s point of view…
“11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
Remember we referred that with the word seed in singular in this case it refers to Galatians 3:16, that seed which is Christ.
So it’s going to be that covenant line Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and all the way through until finally we come to Mary and the Christ comes on the scene.
Verse 13
“13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”
Even today the Arab people will still adamantly claim that Abraham is their Father.
Now go back with me to Galatians, for this is the beauty of studying especially Genesis in how it fits so wonderfully with all of the New Testament. But I think particularly with the writings of Paul. You have to always remember when you read the book of Galatians the reason for it being written. Paul wrote it under extreme circumstances. He had such an eye disease problem, (I believe it was with his eyes, 2 Cor 12:7) that normally he would have a secretary take dictation and they would write as he would dictate it. (Galatians 6:11)
Now the word was coming back to the apostle that the churches he had established up in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) were being besieged with Judaizers that they couldn’t be saved unless they kept the Jewish Law; circumcision and all the rest of it. And they were falling for it; because after all, works always appeals to the human intellect.
When Paul got wind that the Galatia believers were turning back to legalism, he didn’t take time for his secretary to come on the scene, but he evidently wrote this little letter belabored as he was, with his poor eyesight, because of the urgency of the hour.
Galatians 4:19-20
“19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, 20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.”
I think what he is saying here is, I’m gonna have to shout at you and get your attention!
Verse 21
“21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”
Here what he is saying, You who want to go back under legalism.
Verse 22-23
“22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid (Hagar), the other by a freewoman (Sarah). 23 But he (Ishmael) who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman (Isaac)was by promise. “
Remember when we were back in chapter 17, that God had nothing to do with the birth of Ishmael. That was all man’s idea. But God promised for 25 years, you are going to have a Nation from you; you are going to have a son.
Here we come to those two events that took place two-thousand years earlier. And Paul now says in verse 24, this is an allegory.
You know what an allegory is; it is simply a living illustration of something.
Verse 24
“24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar (Hagar).”
God calls out → to Moses→ on Mt. Sinai → Gives the Ten Commandments/LAW
Verse 30-31 I’m jumping ahead to make a point. Follow along, we will come back.
“30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”
God gives Moses the Law, the Ten Commandments. Moses now comes off the mountain and who does he give the Law to? Israel.
What/Who did God use to give the Law to the Nation of Israel? A man. He gave it to Moses up there on the Mountain top and Moses comes down off the Mountain and gives it to the Nation of Israel, God’s Law. This is a comparison with Ishmael because Israel is God’s earthly people with earthly promises. Everything concerning them, Israel, is earthly. I think you all understand that by now.
Ishmael was also of the flesh by way of the slave girl. So consequently the allegory is that the Law given to Israel, through Moses, was fleshly. Now don’t get me wrong for the Law was spiritual. It was God’s perfect law but in its setting, and usage, practice, it was fleshly. It all depended upon the activities of the people that were under that law.
Now back to verse 25.
Verse 25
“25 For this Agar (Hagar) is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. “
Now at the time Paul is writing Galatians, about 50AD, the Temple is still operating in Jerusalem. Israel is still under the Law. They are still practicing it; the sacrificing is still being offered by the thousands.
Verse 26
“26 But Jerusalem which is above (heavenly) is free, which is the mother of us all.”
Referring to Sarah, of course, was the free woman who had the child by promise. And she stands in contrast to the Law as it was given to Moses at Mt. Sinai.
Now if you will drop all the way down to verse 29 for sake of time.
Verse 29
“29 But as then he that was born after the flesh (Ishmael) persecuted him that was born after the Spirit (Isaac), even so it is now. “
Down through human history, who has been the biggest persecutor of the true believer? Religionist. In the name of religion they persecute the church and true believers. And Paul indicated it here. So it’s always been and always will be.
Verse 30
“30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”
What does the scripture say? Not what some denomination says, not what Judaism says, or anybody else, but what does the word of God say!
In contrast standing over against Moses and his Mount Sinai experience we now have the same God.
God, who now speaks from heaven → to the apostle of the Gentiles, Paul, the doctrines of GRACE→who comes down from the same Mount Sinai in Arabia (Galatians 1:15-18) for 3 years.
He comes to the Gentiles, not to the Nation of Israel, but to the Gentiles with this message of Grace and it is all heavenly connected where as Israel was earthly.
Now we have a moment turn back with me to Romans 6, and put the frosting on the cake. Beloved, the whole world of Christendom is constantly trying to subjugate us to Legalism. Even good men still writing books, trying to convince the Christian community of legalism. Legalism is simply that anything we can do in the energy of the flesh as over against the finished work of the cross; which is by faith and faith ALONE!
Romans 6:14-15 This says it all; plain English and no getting around it. Paul writes.
“14 For sin (old Adam) shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.“
See the big difference between Law and Grace? There is all the difference in the world. To come out of the darkness of legalism and step into the light of God’s grace. What is Grace? Unmerited favor. Nothing that I can do is going to count with God. It’s all based on what he has done on my behalf.
Paul is constantly reminding us of this very thing that our salvation tonight is based on the grace of God and not of anything we can merit. Legalism, God hates it. That is why he told Abraham to Cast out, separate them.
He didn’t tell Abraham to give Ishmael a separate tent so he doesn’t have to go too far. No he said Cast them out. Sarah said it all when she said he shall not dwell under the same roof as my son.
Put that into the context. Law and Grace cannot mix.
Until next week.
1 Corinthians 16:22 KJV “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, Let him be anathema (acursed) MARANATHA”
Maranatha is an Aramaic phrase meaning, Come, our lord, or Our Lord is coming.
Yes he is, so keep looking up.
Permission given by Les Feldick Ministries.
Being Blount! 