Total Genesis

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 15:6 . . And he believed in The Lord; and He counted it to him for
righteousness.

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

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

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

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

NOTE: Whether or not Abraham relied upon and/or trusted God's promise would've
had no influence upon its outcome because the promise was unconditional, and the
curses listed in the Law of Moses-- which came along later --aren't retroactive.
(Deut 5:2-3 & Gal 3:17)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's interesting because though Abram believed God's promise of a biological
heir; he didn't really have all that much confidence in God's promise of the heir
possessing Canaan. In other words: Abram wanted a token of God's good faith in
that matter.

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This pact, that God made with Abram, is totally unconditional. No matter what
Abram did from now on, nothing would place himself in breach of contract because
God alone is in obligation. There is nothing in the pact for Abram to live up to;
therefore it was impossible for Abram to endanger either his own, or his posterity's,
permanent possession of the land of Palestine. They may lose their occupation of it
from time to time, but never their possession. And best of all, the contract that
Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Deut 29:9-15 cannot endanger the
security of this covenant because theirs was introduced too late to make a
difference.

"The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers
that The Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here
today." (Deut 5:2-3)

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Actually they didn't "go" free like the English text suggests; but rather, were set
free-- viz: liberated --because on their own, they would never have been able to do
it.

● Gen 15:14c . . with great wealth.

The "great wealth" was in the form of plunder; which in reality was reparations for
the pay they were denied while in slavery. (Ex 11:1-3, Ex 12:33-36)

● Gen 15:15a . . As for you,

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

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

Some people die a very unhappy death-- miserable, alone, unloved, unfulfilled, and
oftentimes suffering pain and discomfort, plus aggravated by regrets. God promised
Abram his death would be tranquil, calm and actually quite satisfactory.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

The Amorite men-- Mamre, Eshkol, and Aner --were Abram's friends and allies
during the recent military campaign to rescue Lot-- which apparently God took into
account --so that the indigenous people's continued occupancy in the land hinged
upon just one tribe's association with Abraham; to a point.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sometimes the context contains both the singular and the plural.

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The "river of Egypt" is very likely the Nile
since there was no Suez Canal in that Day; though it's been suggested (with some
merit) this water might be a small stream south of Gaza known as Wadi el Arish.

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

We're talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of them;
which is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France, Germany,
Sweden, Norway, and Finland combined!

Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west dimension, across the Negev, is less
than 70 miles; and south to north from the Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona, about 260;
comprising a square mileage of only 8,473: a mere half of 1% of the original land
covenanted to Abram.

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lupé was devastated, not only with the news that she would never have any
children of her own, but to make matters worse; in her home town's culture, fertile
girls are highly valued and respected, while the sterile ones are treated like
expendable grunts-- char-girls and slave labor.

Lupé left the clinic with the full weight upon her heart that in spite of being a ten,
and in spite of her feelings to the contrary, she would have to spend the rest of her
youth solo because no man in her community would want her; and even among her
own kin Lupé would be looked upon as cursed and untouchable.

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People accuse God of that sort of thing all the time. In their mind's eye, if God were
really as wise, loving, omniscient, and all-powerful as He's alleged to be, then He
would never have put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of
Eden to begin with; and when the Serpent tempted Eve; He would have stepped in
and put a stop to it before things got out of hand. Therefore, they conclude, it's not
the human race's fault for being what it is: it's God's fault for 1) entrapment, and
2) not protecting us from our own stupidity.

** As I pen this there is a movement at large here in the USA seeking to hold
firearm manufacturers responsible for "enabling" our society's criminal element.
(chuckle) Human nature is not much different now than Abram's day.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

In my 79+ years journeying through this life, I've discovered there are lots of
people out there aching for someone to take them seriously. They don't like being
marginalized; they don't like being made to feel unimportant, inferior, unnecessary,
expendable, mediocre, and stupid-- they want to count; they want to matter, they
want to be noticed and they want to be heard. I've no doubt that is the very reason
behind the success of social networks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I don't think any of us can possibly imagine just how incredulous Hagar must have
been at the stranger's words. He as much as assured her that the pregnancy would
go well and she would deliver safely. He even suggested a name for her baby;
which the angel predicted would be a boy. His name, by the way, would be Yishma'
e'l (yish-maw-ale') which means: God will hear; or just simply: God listens; or: God
only knows. In other words: God had a sympathetic awareness of Hagar's distress;
together with a desire to alleviate it; which is pretty much the definition of
compassion. (cf. John 3:16 & 1John 4:10)

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

My wife is a former kindergarten teacher and every so often she got kids in her
class-- just little five year olds, and almost always boys --that could not be
controlled. Their parents feared them, and they frightened the other kids. They
were demon seeds-- stubborn, strong willed, totally self centered, self absorbed
narcissistic little Czars who saw no sense in either doing as they're told or concern
for the feelings of others. They were dangerous, and thank God my wife got them
when they were small. Heaven help the teachers who coped with them in the upper
grades.

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

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

Anyway, Mr. Ishmael was definitely not a team player by nature. This is the kind of
guy that supervisors dread. They're defensive, assertive, confrontational; and don't
do well in groups-- always generating friction and discontent. It's either their own
way, or the highway; and they do not like to be told what to do nor how to do it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 16:13a . . And she called The Lord who spoke to her: You Are El-roi

The author of Genesis was privy to the identity of the mysterious person speaking
with Hagar but she wasn't, and that's why she gave him a name of her own. But I
cannot be certain what it is because there seems no consensus among translators
how best say it in English; neither in Jewish bibles nor in Christian bibles. In
Hebrew; the words are: 'Ataah 'Eel R'iy which are somewhat mysterious but likely
express Hagar's feelings that this is a god who knows me better than anyone else
knows me. For a girl who'd been marginalized most of her life, this had to be
unbelievable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taking part in naming a child was serious business in those days. In doing so,
Abram officially and publicly accepted Ishmael as his legal son. (cf. Matt 1:21 &
1:25 + Luke 1:62-63)

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Although Abram was aware of God's other name Jehovah (a.k.a. Yahweh) it wasn't
by means of that name that Abram came to friendly terms with his divine
benefactor. Abram's progeny would get to know God better by the other name
because it's a name of God with special emphasis upon the aspect of rescue;
whereas Shadday has special emphasis upon providence; and possibly the power to
overcome and/or manipulate natural law, e.g. physics, chemistry, biology, and
geology.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

A principle woven throughout both the Old Testament and the New is that worship
is meaningless when it's unaccompanied by pious conduct, e.g. Cain. Another
example is located in the first 23 verses in the first chapter of the book Isaiah.

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

We could paraphrase Gen 17:1b like this:

"Walk in My ways with integrity."

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

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

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

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

The Hebrew word for "holy" has no reference whatsoever to sanitation. It simply
means consecrated; viz: a sacred place or thing dedicated to God for His own
personal uses. True, holy ground is dirt; but it's special dirt when in close proximity
to someone and/or some thing standing in for God, speaking for God, and speaking
as God.

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

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

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

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

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

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

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

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

** The title "father" isn't limited to parents; it also applies to strong spiritual
personages. (e.g. 2Kgs 2:12 & Isa 9:6)

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

The king who matters most is Messiah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Abraham's covenant is permanent; has never been annulled, deleted, made
obsolete, abrogated, set aside, given to another people, nor replaced by another
covenant.

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

● Gen 17:7c . . to be a deity to you and to your offspring to come.

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

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
The next covenant is totally a guy thing. The ladies are not a part of this one
because Abraham's posterity isn't perpetuated by mothers. Men in the Bible
inherit their tribal affiliation and their family names from the fathers rather than the
mothers even when Jewish men father children by Gentile women, e.g. Asenath,
Zipporah,Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth.

● Gen 17:9 . . God further said to Abraham: As for you; you and your offspring to
come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant.

The Hebrew word "keep" basically means: to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e.
guard, to protect, attend to. The general meaning in this particular instance is: to
preserve.

● Gen 17:10-11 . . Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your
offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be
circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the
sign of the covenant between Me and you.

NOTE: This rather unpleasant sign was later included with the covenant that
Abraham's posterity agreed upon with God per Lev 12:2-3 so that it became a very
serious offense to neglect it.

"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them
out. Then all the people shall say: Amen." (Deut 27:26)

● Gen 17:12-13a . . And throughout the generations, every male among you shall
be circumcised at the age of eight days. As for the home-born slave and the one
bought from an outsider who is not of your offspring, they must be circumcised,
home-born, and purchased alike.

Home-born slaves were those born while its parents were Abraham's property. The
classification was reckoned Abraham's offspring; viz: his sons; thus indicating that
the Hebrew word zera' is ambiguous and doesn't strictly apply to one's paternal
posterity.

● Gen 17:13b-14 . .Thus shall My covenant be marked in your flesh as an
everlasting pact. And if any male who is uncircumcised fails to circumcise the flesh
of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his kin; he has broken My
covenant.

Let's say a man's father was a member of the tribe of Issachar who, for one reason
or another, never got around to circumcising his son.

Well; until the son (whom we may assume is old enough to know better) submits to
the ritual, he cannot be counted among Issachar's posterity. In point of fact, he
cannot be counted among Abraham's either.

This may seem a petty issue but in matters of inheritance, it can have very serious
consequences for the non-circumcised man. He's not only cut off from his kin, but
also from Abraham's covenant wherein God promised his posterity ownership of
Palestine in perpetuity, i.e. the man would have no property rights in that land.

Also included in the "covenant between Me and you" is the promise to always be
their deity. Well; until the non-circumcised son undergoes circumcision, The Lord
won't be his divine patron; consequently the man would effectively be reckoned an
outsider, viz: reckoned among the heathen.

To give an idea of just how serious God is about this ritual: After Moses was
commissioned to represent God in the Exodus; the Lord rendezvoused with him and
came within an inch of taking his son's life over this very issue.

"Now it came about at an inn on the way that The Lord met him and sought to put
him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it
at Moses' feet, and she said: You are indeed a bloody bridegroom to me. So He let
him alone." (Ex 4:24-26)

That should be a sobering warning that anyone representing God is supposed to set
the example in all things. It's not do as I say, nor even do as I do but; do as I have
done.

NOTE: There exists some disagreement as regards the proper interpretation of Ex
4:24-26. One side suggests it was Moses himself whom God sought to slay,
whereas the other side suggests it was his son. Apparently the Hebrew language
and grammar of that passage are somewhat vague.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 17:15 . . And God said to Abraham: As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call
her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.

Sarah's original name was Saray (saw-rah'-ee) which means: dominative.

Webster's defines "dominative" as: to exert the supreme determining or guiding
influence on-- in other words: bossy. Dominative isn't a desirable female
personality; assertive and controlling isn't something for a truly spiritual woman to
be proud of.

Sarah (saw-raw') means: a female noble, e.g. a Lady, a Princess, or a Queen. It's
much preferable for a woman to be known as a lady or a princess than as a
dominatrix.

Changing Sarai's name didn't actually change her personality; but it certainly
reflected her new God-given purpose. It was like a promotion to knighthood. The
child she would produce for Abraham became a very important, world-renowned
human being out of whom came kings and statesmen; and ultimately the world's
only hope for a better world; including full-time protection from God's displeasure.

If I were required to pick just one woman in the Bible to venerate, it wouldn't be
Jesus' mom; no, it would be Isaac's mom. Sarah is the supreme matriarch; superior
to every one of the Messianic mothers who came after her.

● Gen 17:16 . . I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her
so that she shall give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.

Sarah now had a calling from God just like her slavette Hagar; who herself was
given a calling from God on the road to Shur. Sarah's calling was not much of a
calling. She wasn't called to go off to some foreign country as a missionary, nor to
open and operate hostels and orphanages in impoverished lands, nor head up a
local chapter of the March Of Dimes, nor muster an army like a Joan of Arc. All in
that Sarah had to do for God was just be Isaac's mom.

I once heard a story about a lady who summarily announced to her pastor that God
called her to preach. The pastor thought for a second and then inquired: Do you
have any children? She answered: Yes. So he said: My; isn't that wonderful? God
called you to preach and already gave you a congregation.

Motherhood isn't a marginal calling. It is a serious calling that carries tremendous
responsibility, because the hands that rock the cradles quite literally do rule the
world. A mother can either ruin a child's potential or enhance it; she can raise a
decent human being, or raise a sociopathic monster.

The media typically focuses on physical child abuse while usually overlooking the
kind caused by mental cruelty. There are children out there whose self esteem and
sense of worth are in terrible need of repair just from being in the home of a
thoughtless mother.

One child can enrich the lives of millions of people, and it's the moms who bring
them into the world, pick their boogers, change their dydees, teach them how to
brush their teeth and say their prayers, stay up late with their fevers, get them in
for their shots, pack them off to school, take them to the park, drive them to
ToysRus a thousand times, and cry at their weddings.

The dads have it easy. It's the moms who really pay the price for a child's future.
But a mom can just as easily destroy her child's future by abuse and neglect. There
are moms who have about as much love for their children as a dirty sock or a
broken dish; and regard them just as expendable.

But Sarah won't be like that. When she gets done with Isaac, he will be a well
adjusted grown-up having a genuine bond of love and trust with his mom and zero
gender issues with women. Isaac will see in Sarah the very kind of girl he would
like to marry; and when that one does come along, he won't let her get away.

● Gen 17:17 . . Abraham threw himself on his face and laughed, as he said to
himself: Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a
child at ninety?

God had previously promised Abraham an heir but this is the first time He actually
specified who the maternal mother would be. Was Abraham skeptical? Not this
time. No; he just thought it was hilarious for two old sag-bottomed, bloated cod
fish gasbags like he and Sarah to have children. In other words: You've gotta be
kidding! Sarah will be astonished too. (Gen 18:12)
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 17:18 . . And Abraham said to God: O that Ishmael might live before you!

Ishmael is sometimes thought of as a sort of red-headed step child, but I tend to
think that Abraham really did love the boy. I can see it here when Abraham requested
God's providence lest his son become marginalized and forgotten.

● Gen 17:19a . . God said: Nevertheless, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son,

God had nothing personal against Ishmael (at least not then) but the lad wasn't
quite what The Lord had in mind for the covenant's future. The one to perpetuate it
had to be special; viz: he couldn't be a "wild-burro of a man" nor "his hand against
every man's hand". In other words: God much preferred a peaceable chap.

● Gen 17:19b . . and you shall name him Isaac;

Isaac's name is Yitschaq (yits-khawk') which means: laughter or mirth; sometimes
in a bad way such as mockery. In other places in the Old Testament, he goes by
the name of Yischaq (yis-khawk') which means: he will laugh, or, he thinks it's
funny. (perhaps as a memorial to Abraham's mirth at hearing the news of Sarah's
imminent pregnancy.)

● Gen 17:19c . . and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his offspring to come.

** The Hebrew word translated "everlasting" doesn't always indicate back in time
indefinite, but always indicates forward in time indefinite. In other words: the "My
covenant" with Isaac would be in perpetuity, i.e. permanent; generation to
generation.

Much of the covenant is of little interest to the average Gentile; but one portion of it
is very significant. It's this:

"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen 22:18)

That promise is very definitely related to Messiah's entry into world affairs.

"In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place. In
that day the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time,
returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt,
Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands." (Isa 11:10-11)

"And now The Lord speaks-- he who formed me in my mother's womb to be his
servant, who commissioned me to bring his people of Israel back to him. The Lord
has honored me, and my God has given me strength. He says: You will do more
than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and
you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isa 49:5-6)

● Gen 17:20 . . As for Ishmael, I have heeded you. I hereby bless him. I will make
him fertile and exceedingly numerous. He shall be the father of twelve chieftains,
and I will make of him a great nation.

That quite literally came true. Ishmael really did engender twelve chieftains. (Gen
25:12-16)

I don't know why so many people seem to think that Ishmael was only so much
trash to throw out and discard, like as if he were second-hand dish water or
something. No one should ever forget that he was Abraham's flesh and blood; his
first son and Abraham really loved that boy. God blessed him too; and took care of
him. He was circumcised in Abraham's home, which made him a permanent
member of Abraham's community; so modern Arabs do have a legitimate claim to
Abraham as their patriarch; but of course they have no such claim upon Isaac, or
upon Isaac's blessings.

● Gen 17:21-22 . . But My covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall
bear to you at this season next year. And when He was done speaking with him,
God was gone from Abraham.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 17:23 . .Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all his home-born slaves
and all those he had bought, every male in Abraham's household, and he
circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, as God had spoken to him.

That was well over 300 grown men; not counting boys. (Gen 14:14)

● Gen 17:24-27 . . Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the
flesh of his foreskin, and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was
circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Thus Abraham and his son Ishmael were
circumcised on that very day; and all his household, his home-born slaves and
those that had been bought from outsiders, were circumcised with him.

Abraham was typically very prompt and did things in a timely manner. Trouble is;
every male in camp was disabled all at once. Thank goodness nobody attacked right
then or the PowerPuff Girls would have been forced to man the guns; so to speak.

NOTE: Ishmael was thirteen when he was circumcised. It would be another year
before Isaac was born, and possibly three after that before Isaac was weaned;
making Ishmael at least seventeen or eighteen when Abraham emancipated his
mom in chapter 21.

● Gen 18:1a . .The Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre;

The Hebrew word for "appeared" doesn't necessarily indicate a visible apparition.
The word is somewhat ambiguous. It has several meanings; one of which simply
indicates a meeting. It's certain that Jehovah was present during this meeting but
uncertain whether more than His voice was present; though not impossible. (cf. Ex 24:9-11)

The three men upon whom we are about to eavesdrop are said by some to be
angels; but the Hebrew word for angel is nowhere in the entire narrative.

This visit occurred very shortly after the last one because Isaac wasn't born yet and
his birth had been predicted in 17:21 to be little more than a year away.

Mamre's terebinths were a grove of oak trees situated near modern day Hebron
about 20 miles south of Jerusalem at an elevation of 3,050 feet above sea level.

● Gen 18:1b-2a . . he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot.
Looking up, he saw three men standing near him.

It wouldn't be accurate to think of Abraham's tent as something akin to a
hiker/camper's basic portable shelter. Bedouin sheiks lived in pavilions, since they
served as the family's home.

The entrance of the tent likely had a large canopy over it like a roofed porch so that
Abraham wasn't sitting out in the sun, but rather in the shade. Poor guy's heart
must have stopped when he looked up at these three guys just standing there
saying nothing. I'm not sure if Abraham was aware at this point that one of those
men was The Lord (i.e. Jehovah). So his next reactions are very interesting. They
reveal just how hospitable this rich and famous sheik was to total strangers.

● Gen 18:2b-3a . . As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to
greet them and, bowing to the ground, he said: My lords,

Abraham was 99 so I don't think he actually sprinted. The word ruwts (roots) can
mean either to run or just simply to hurry.

The Hebrew word for "lords" is based upon 'adown (aw-done') which means
sovereign (human or divine). 'Adown is a versatile word often used as a courteous
title of respect for elders and or superiors; for example Sarah spoke the very same
word of her husband at Gen 18:12, Rachel addressed her dad by it at Gen 31:5,
and Jacob addressed his brother Esau by 'adown at Gen 33:8.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 18:3b-5a . . if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let a little water
be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. And let me fetch a morsel
of bread that you may refresh yourselves; then go on-- seeing that you have come
your servant's way.

There was a custom in the Olde American West that when travelers came by your
spread, it was considered neighborly to offer them a meal and some tobacco, along
with water and provender for their horses. This sometimes was the only means of
support for off-season, unemployed cowboys known as drifters and saddle bums;
but what the hey, you took the good with the bad; no questions asked.

Traveling was neither a tourist's vacation nor a Sunday drive in Abraham's day. No
cushy motels, no gas stations or convenience stores. It was very far in between
communities and few people along the way so a camp like Abraham's was a
welcome sight in that day.

You can imagine how refreshing it would be on a hot day to soak your feet in a tub
of cool water and recline in the shade of a big oak tree. In an era without
refrigeration, electric fans, and/or air conditioning, that was just about the best
there was to offer. Anyway it all just goes to show that Abraham was a very
hospitable man, and really knew how to make people feel at home.

● Gen 18:5b . .They replied: Do as you have said.

There is something here important to note. Although the text says "they" replied, it
doesn't mean all three men spoke at once, nor spoke in turn. If only one in a group
speaks, and the others are silent, it's understood to mean the others are consensual;
and that the one speaks for all if no one objects or has anything to add.

● Gen 18:6-8a . . Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said: Quickly,
three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes! Then Abraham hurried to the
herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to
prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set
these before them;

The Hebrew word translated "calf" basically means beef cattle or an animal of the
ox family; of either gender.

It's interesting that Abraham served beef. In the early days of olde California; the
Spanish Franciscans raised cows primarily for their hides and tallow; and found a
ready market for those products in the east. Tallow of course was used for candles,
soap, and lubricants; and the hides for leather goods like shoes, gloves, saddles,
reins, and hats. In those days, pork and fowl were the preferred table meats. It was
actually the change-over from pork to relatively cheap Texas longhorn beef that
fueled the cattle baron era of the 1800's.

The word for "curds" basically means curdled milk, or cheese. Later to come Kosher
laws would forbid serving dairy and meat together; but in Abraham's day it didn't
matter.

The only ingredient listed for the cakes (which probably resembled English muffins,
or possibly Navajo fry bread) is choice flour, viz: no leavening was added. That was
of course an expedient to get the bread prepared as quickly as possible.

With a little imagination, one could confect a pretty decent deli sandwich from what
Abraham put on their plates. Anyway, all this took an appreciable amount of time;
like preparing a thanksgiving dinner from scratch; including butchering the turkey.
Plus, they cooked in those days by means of open flame and/or wood-fired ovens
so it's not like Abraham served the men packaged meals warmed up in a
microwave.

Poor Sarah; she must have been stressed due to the unexpected guests messing up
her daily routine. She probably hadn't planned to do any serious cooking that day
till later on towards evening when it was cooler.

NOTE: Abraham employed quite a few servants. It's likely that Sarah's role in the
cooking was supervision rather than the actual labor.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

~
● Gen 18:8b . . and he waited on them under the tree as they ate.

Targum authors-- convinced the men were celestial beings --couldn't believe they
would actually partake of food. According to them, the foods were before them, but
they didn't actually eat it.

T. and [Abraham] served before them, and they sat under the tree; and he quieted
himself to see whether they would eat. (Targum Jonathan)

In major English versions of the Hebrew Bible-- e.g. The JPS and the Stone --Gen
18:8 is translated "they ate". It isn't translated that Abraham stood by to see if
they would eat, nor is it translated they pretended to eat, nor that they appeared to
eat. Genesis says the men actually dined on the food that Abraham set before
them. (cf. Chabad.org)

● Gen 18:9a . .They said to him: Where is your wife Sarah?

So far, Sarah has been hearing about her impending child only from her husband.
But now, the speaker is intent that she should hear the news from somebody a little
higher up the food chain.

● Gen 18:9b . . And he replied: There, in the tent.

At this point, the speaker no doubt intentionally raised his voice a bit to ensure little
Miss Eavesdropper would hear what he had to say.

● Gen 18:10 . .Then one said: I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah
shall have a son.

NOTE: Some versions of the Bible are not purely translations. They're actually
amalgams of translation + interpretation. For example some versions of 18:10
read: "The Lord said" instead of "one said". But the word for Jehovah is nowhere in
the Hebrew of that verse. Caveat Lector.

So on the face of it, the stranger is making two predictions. 1) he'll be back around
again, and 2) Sarah is going to have a son.

● Gen 18:11 . . Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind
him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped
having the periods of women.

Some things can't be postponed indefinitely.

"To everything there is a season: a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecc 3:1)

There is a time in life for children: if it's missed, there's no going back and making
up for lost time. Many an independent woman has been painfully awakened by her
biological clock-- putting off children to get ahead in her career, and then one day;
it's either too late, too inconvenient, or too difficult.

Some things wait for no man. Sunset is one of those things. Relentlessly, hour upon
hour, the sun moves across the sky towards its inevitable rendezvous with the
western horizon. Our lives are just like that. Sunrise - Sunset. Game over.

● Gen 18:12a . . And Sarah laughed to herself, saying: Now that I am withered, am
I to have enjoyment

Sarah was no doubt thinking to herself that if this stranger knew how old she was;
he wouldn't be making such a ridiculous prediction.

● Gen 18:12b . . with my lord so old?

Abraham was well past his prime. (Rom 4:19, Heb 11:12)

"my lord" a level of respect not often seen in today's world of feminism and
misandry.
_