Genesis Part 8 : Isaac, An offering,

Hi, everyone, and welcome to 144Judah, where I am going through the entire KJV one book at a time and talking to you about what I see. In our last blog, we went through the start of Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) and Hagar (the handmaid) and Lot (Abraham's nephew)... There were lots of...surprising things there. And today, we are continuing on. The last we heard was of Lot's daughters and new sons (Moab and Ben-ammi, and today we start at Genesis 20 with Abraham journeying toward the south.

So, here we go again with Abraham... I mean honestly, this guy needs to stop lying. He goes to the south country between Kadesh and Shur, and into Gerar. He, once again, says that his wife, Sarah, is his sister, this time the king (Abimelech) comes and gets her and takes her. 

But, luckily for Sarah, God comes to Abimelech in a dream that 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. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 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. 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. 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." Genesis 20:3-7

Wait a minute here.... This is one of those things that drives me crazy. Why did God not punish Abraham the first time, and then he goes ahead and does this madness again, and says to this guy don't do this or I will kill all of you? I mean, the guy is right, he (Abraham) and his wife, did lie. 

But this isn't about them...

So, since he didn't know he wasn't punished...but what about the Egyptians? Was there more to that story? Maybe this is a case of a hard heart like that of Pharaoh during the Exodus?

So, luckily, Abimelech, seems to be pretty smart and calls his servants and tells them what happened and they were all afraid. I mean, who wouldn't be? Don't mess with God. And Abimelech calls upon Abraham and asks what he has done to offend him. And in Genesis 20:9-18 "What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. (This guy has a problem for sure) 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. (Um... So, I'm really hoping that he means father as in God. But who knows at this point?) And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is the kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. (Okay, so every place... yikes) And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 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 other: thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants: and they bare children. (Wait a minute here? He was married, too? What is happening?) For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." 

Okay, So I looked to see if I missed something on Sarai's parentage but the lineage isn't there, but it does say that they are half-brother and sister per what Abraham said unless he means God is the father. If she is indeed his sister that is nasty and would explain why none of these women are having babies... very unnatural...yeowza. But God grants her a baby... Continue. lol

"And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him." Genesis 21:1-4

(At this time Abraham was 100)

What does Isaac's name mean? Genesis 21:6 "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." (It's funny because she is so old and having kids.)

So, a lot has happened now. Abram and Sarai are now Abraham and Sarah the father and mother of all nations that are to come out of Israel, and Abraham also has another son, Ishmael, from Hagar who will be the father of 12 princes, per the Angel of the Lord's word.  And now, after Isaac was weened from his mother, they had a huge feast, and Sarah saw the son of Hagar, (who is also the son of Abraham and the brother of Isaac) mocking. And she tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and his own son because she doesn't want Ishmael to be the heir to their kingdom. So, God tells Abrahm to not be angry because of Sarah's demands and to put trust in God because both of his sons will be taken care of. 

"And also of the son of the bondwoman (Hagar) will I make a nation, because he is thy seed." Genesis 21:13(So, this is where the nation of Islam comes from...this line of Ishmael.)

So, the jealousy and anger of Sarah is maddening to me...especially since it was her little idea to mess around and get pregnant by the handmaid. 

*Added note on 11/1/23, There was a lot of jealousy on Sarai's part and I just found out yesterday that Hagar would have been an Egyptian Princess. So, this makes a lot of sense. As she is the mother of Ishmael which is to be "The father of many Arab Nations". *

So, Abraham brings Hagar bread and water and sends her away and she goes into the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And she puts her child under one of the shrubs. And she was going to leave her kid there and she was crying to God... She didn't want to witness his death... I mean I get it, but...)

So, thankfully God hears... "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 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 the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

*Fun fact! Hagar was the only person in the bible to name God. She named Him "El Roi" The God who sees me". * Added 11/1/23

*Another fun fact: The Ishmaelites are who Joseph, Israel's son in future chapters of Genesis, is sold to for 20 pieces of Silver by his own brethren. * 11/1/23

From Wikipedia: (I wanted you to see the lineage of the 12 princes that came from Abraham's first son, Ishmael)

After roaming the wilderness for some time, Ishmael and his mother settled in the Desert of Paran, where he became an expert in archery. Eventually, his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt.^[8] They had twelve sons each of whom became a tribal chief in one of the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt).^[9] His sons:^[10]

1. Nebaioth (נְבָיוֹת Nəḇāyōṯ)
2. Kedar (קֵדָר Qēḏār), father of the Qedarites, a northern Arab tribe that controlled the area between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula. According to tradition, he is the ancestor of the Quraysh tribe, and thus, ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.^[11]
3. Adbeel (אַדְבְּאֵל ʾAḏbəʾēl)
4. Mibsam (מִבְשָֽׂם Mīḇsām)
5. Mishma (מִשְׁמָע Mīšmāʿ)
6. Dumah (דוּמָה Ḏūmā)
7. Massa (מַשָּֽׂא Massāʾ)
8. Hadad (חֲדַד Ḥăḏaḏ)
9. Tema (תֵימָא Ṯēmāʾ)
10. Jetur (יְטוּר Yəṭūr)
11. Naphish (נָפִישׁ Nāfīš)
12. Kedemah (קֵדְמָה Qēḏəmā)

Ishmael also had one known daughter, Mahalath or Basemath, the third wife of Esau.^[12]

Ishmael appeared with Isaac at the burial of Abraham.^[13] Ishmael died at the age of 137.^[14]

Which brings us to Genesis 22... The Burnt Offering...

So, Abraham is talking to God, and God tells Abraham to take his (only) son, Isaac, whom he loves, to the land of Moriah, and to offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains where God wants him.

WHAT?

So, Abraham obliges.. Um... "Genesis 22:3-8 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." 

So, what in the world does this mean? Well, God told Abraham to go to the mountain that he chose and to bring his only son as a burnt offering, and Abraham did. When he got there, and Isaac asked where the lamb was that they would be sacrificing... Abraham said, "God will provide a lamb," but Isaac was that lamb... or at least that's what Abraham thought.

Um...

Genesis 22:9-18

"And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him  on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not witheld thy son, thine only son from me. 12 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehova-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn , saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not witheld thy son, thine only son; 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." 

Well, that was a close one. So,what exactly does this mean? God not only provided the ram, but this was also referring to God's son, Yeshua! Remember how we said that God knew the end from the beginning? Well, this pretty much shows you just that. 

John 19:17-27

King James Version

17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews.

20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

So, what does this mean? It means that Abraham was obedient. He was willing to sacrifice what he loved most, his son, as an offering to God. 

Can you imagine being as obedient as Abraham? Remember how we first judged Abraham with his relationship to his wife? God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called! He can change any one of us. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. I would just like to leave this right here with one last question...What would you sacrifice for God? Think about what Abraham did, and how he was blessed. God knows what is best for you, and that is HIM. Choose God first and always and HE will guide you in righteousness.

Thank you for reading today. May God Bless You ALWAYS!