Genesis
12
Verses 1-5. - Designed to trace the
outward development of God's kingdom on the
earth, the narrative now concentrates its attention on
one of the foregoing
Terachites, whose remarkable career it
sketches with considerable minuteness
of detail, from the period of his emigration from Chaldea to his death at
in the
character and mind, the head of at least two powerful and
important races, and
standing, as one might say, on the threshold of the
historical era, it is yet chiefly
as his life and fortunes connect with the Divine purpose of
salvation that they
find a place in the inspired record. The progress of
infidelity during the four
centuries that had elapsed since the Flood, the almost
universal corruption of
even the Shemite portion of
the human family, had conclusively demonstrated
the necessity of a second Divine interposition, if the knowledge of salvation
were not to be completely banished from the earth. Accordingly, the son of
Terah was selected to be the founder of a new nation, in which
the light of
gospel truth might be deposited for preservation until the
fullness of the times,
and through which the promise of the gospel might be conducted
forward to
its ultimate realization in the manifestation of the woman's
seed. Partly to
prepare him for the high destiny of being the
progenitor of the chosen nation,
and partly to illustrate the character of that gospel with
which he was to be
entrusted, he was summoned
to renounce his native country and kinsmen in
Chaldaea, and venture forth upon an untried journey in obedience to
the call of
Heaven, to a land which he should afterward receive for
an inheritance. In a
series of successive theophanies or Divine
manifestations, around which the
various incidents of his life are grouped:
· in
· at Moreh
in
· near
· at Mamre
(chps. 15,
17.), and
· on Moriah
(ch.22.),
he is distinctly promised three things:
·
a land,
·
a seed, and
·
a blessing
as the reward of his compliance with the heavenly
invitation;
and the
confident persuasion
both of the reality of these gracious promises and
of the Divine ability and willingness to
fulfill them forms the
animating
spirit and guiding principle of his being in every situation of
life,
whether of trial or of difficulty, in which he is subsequently placed.
The
miraculous character of these theophanies indeed has
been made a
ground on which to assail the entire patriarchal history as unhistorical.
By certain writers
they have been represented as nothing more than
natural occurrences embellished by the genius of the author of
Genesis
(Eichhorn, Bauer, Winer), as
belonging to the domain of poetical fiction
(De Wette), and therefore as undeserving of anything like
serious
consideration. But unless the
supernatural is to be in toto (as a whole)
eliminated from the record, a concession which cannot
possibly be granted
by an enlightened theism, the Divine appearances to Abraham cannot
be regarded as in any degree militating against the
historical veracity
of the story of his life, which, it may be said, is amply vouched for by
the harmony of its details with the characteristics of the period to which
it belongs (cf. Havernick's 'Introduction,' § 18). Nor does the employment
of the name Jehovah in connection with these theophanies
warrant the
conclusion that the passages containing them are interpolations of a post
Mosaic or Jehovistic editor (Tuch, Bleek, Colenso,
Davidson). "Such
a
hypothesis," says Keil,
"can only be maintained by those who'
misunderstand
the distinctive meaning of the two names,
Elohim and Jehovah (q.v. on ch. 2:4), and arbitrarily set aside the
Jehovah
in ch. 17:1, on account of an erroneous determination
of the
relation in which El Shaddai
stands to Jehovah." Indications of the
literary unity of the patriarchal history will be noted, and replies to
objections given, in the progress of the Exposition.
1 Now the LORD
had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy
kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that
I will shew thee: Now the
Lord. Jehovah = the God of salvation, an indication
that the narrative is now to specially concern itself with the chosen seed,
and the
Deity to discover Himself as the God of redemption. The hypothesis that vs.
1-4
were inserted in the fundamental document by the Jehovist
editor is not required
for a satisfactory explanation of the change of the Divine name at this
particular
stage of the narrative. Had said.
Literally, said. In
to Stephen (Acts 7:2), reverting, after the usual manner of the writer,
to the
original point of departure in the Abrahamic history
(Aben Ezra, Mede, Piscator,
Pererius, Calvin, Willet, Rosenmüller, Dathins, Alford, Murphy, 'Speaker's
Commentary');
or in
patriarch (Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac,
Raschi, Lyra, Keil, Kalisch, Dykes),
or as a repetition of the call addressed to him in
Luther
conjectures that the call in
but if the authority of Stephen be recognized, this was the occasion of
the first
theophany vouchsafed to Abram. Get
thee out. Literally, go for thyself, a frequent
Hebraism,
expressive of the way in which the action of the verb returns upon
itself, is terminated and completed (compare ch.
21:16; 22:2; Isaiah 31:8;
Song
of Solomon 2:11; see Ewald's 'Hebrew Syntax,' § 314);
hence, though
not necessarily emphatic, it may be equivalent to "Go thou,"
whoever else
remains behind (Jarchi, Ainsworth, Bush). Of thy country. A proof that the
date of the call was while Abram was in
And from thy
kindred. At
at
to some (Kalisch, Dykes) Terah
also. And from thy father's house. I.e. if they
will not accompany thee. No Divine
interdict forbade the other members of the
family of Terah joining in the Abrahamic emigration. Unto a (literally, the)
land that I will show thee. Through a revelation
(Lange), or simply by the
guidance of providence. The land itself is left unnamed for the trial of the
patriarch's faith, which, if it sustained the proof, was to be rewarded
by the
exceeding great and precious promises which follow:
·
according to one arrangement, seven in number, one for each clause
of the next two verses (Cajetan,
Willet);
·
according to another, four, corresponding to the clauses of the
second verse, the last of which is expanded in the third (Keil);
·
according to a third, six, forming three pairs of parallels (Alford);
·
according to a fourth, and perhaps the best,
Ø two, a lower or personal
blessing,
comprising the first
three particulars, and
Ø a higher or public blessing, embracing the last three
(Murphy).
Abraham
Called (v. 1)
“Now
the Lord God had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country,”
The record of Abraham’s life is second only
in beautiful simplicity to
that of Christ. There are certain
correspondences between the two.
I. A SUMMONS WAS GIVEN TO ABRAHAM. It was from the Lord.
We know not the form. It was explicit. He
was to leave all. It was an
unmistakable summons, and it was repeated. Such calls are generally
opposed to carnal inclinations. Dangers beset the one who should respond
to the call, for “the
Canaanite was then in the land.” (v. 6)
II. THE SUMMONS WAS SUSTAINED BY A PROMISE of guidance
to the land. The first call was to a land, the second
to a definite place. God
did not at first tell Abraham that He would
give him the land, but only
“show” it. God does not
reveal all the riches of His grace at once. The
promise was sufficient. (a man is as good
as his word, much more God -
CY -
2024) Abraham
went forth from the plain of Chaldea to
the land which God
would make through him and his descendants the most
renowned in the world. Ever listening to a voice unheard by
others
Abraham was led. Sublime faith of the
patriarch; he looked for “a city that
had foundations. whose
builder and maker is God!” (Hebrews 11:10)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and
I will bless thee, and
make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will
bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
And I will make of thee a great nation. A compensation
for leaving his
small kindred. The nation should be great:
(1) numerically (Keil, Rosenmüller),
(2) influentially (Kalisch, Inglis),
(3) spiritually (Luther, Wordsworth).
And I will bless thee. Temporally (Pererius,
Murphy), with
every kind of good
(Rosenmüller),
in particular with offspring (Vatablus);
but also spiritually
(Rupertus,
Bush), in the sense., e.g., of being
justified by faith, as in Galatians
3:8 (Candlish). The blessing was a recompense for the deprivations entailed upon
him by forsaking the place of
his birth and kindred (Murphy). And make thy
name great. Render thee illustrious and renowned (Rosenmüller); not so much
in the annals of
the world as in the history of the Church (Bush); in return
for leaving thy father's
house (Murphy). So God made David a great name
(II Samuel 7:9; compare “A
good name is rather to be chosen than great
riches.” Proverbs 22:1;
Ecclesiastes 7:3). And thou shalt be a blessing.
I.e. "blessed,"
as in Zechariah 8:12 (Chaldee, Syriac,
Septuagint, Dathe,
Rosenmüller, Gesenius);
or "a type or example of blessing," so that men
shall introduce thy name into
their formularies of blessing (Kimchi,
Clericus, Knobel,
Calvin); but, best, "a
source of blessing' (spiritual) to others"
(Tuch,
Delitzsch, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy). The sense in which Abram was to be
a source of
blessing to others is explained in the next verse. First, men were
to be either blessed or
cursed of God according as their attitude to Abram was
propitious or hostile. And I
will bless them - grace expecting they will be many
to bless (Delitzsch)
- that
bless thee, and curse (with a judicial curse, the word
being the same as in ch. 3:14; 4:11) him - only an individual here and there,
in the judgment of
the Deity, being likely to inherit this
malediction (Delitzsch) -
that curseth (literally, treateth lightly or despiseth The
verb is applied in ch.
8:11 to
the diminution of the waters of the flood) thee. The Divine Being
thus identifies
himself
with Abram, and solemnly engages to regard Abrams
friends and enemies as His, as
Christ does with His Church (compareActs 1:4).
And in thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.
Not bless themselves
by thee or in thy name (Jarchi, Clericus); but in thee, as
the progenitor of the
promised seed, shall
all the families of the ground (which was cursed on
account of sin, ch. 3:17-19) be spiritually blessed - compare Galatians 3:8
(Calvin, Luther, Rosenmüller, Keil, Wordsworth,
Murphy, 'Speaker's
Commentary'). Thus the second sense in
which Abram was constituted a
blessing lay in this, that the whole fullness
of the Divine promise of salvation
for the world was narrowed up to his line, by which it
was in future to be
carried forward, and at the
appointed season, when the woman s seed was
born, DISTRIBUTED AMONG MANKIND.
Abraham
Useful (v. 2)
“And
thou shalt be a blessing.” This is part of the sixfold
promise given to
Abraham. He was to be a blessing to all
nations. It
is a very great joy to a
devout soul to become
a blessing temporally or spiritually to others.
I. EVERY MAN OF FAITH IS A
yield to their carnal natures cannot bless
others. The Christian
should not
incidentally, but intentionally, bless others. Where a man is
corrupt his
working will be injurious; purity
is a benediction to mankind.
II. A DEVOUT AND FAITHFUL MAN IS A BLESSING
CHIEFLY TO
THOSE WHO CAN
RECEIVE HIS INFLUENCE. The
light of the sun
causes one substance to decay, another to
fructify. The life of a servant of
God may only
provoke a sneer and opposition in some souls; but in others
joy, thankfulness,
love, and effort at imitation. To some an apostle was “a
savor of death unto death.” (II Corinthians 2:15-16)
III. THE MEASURE OF OUR FAITH IS THE MEASURE OF
THE
BLESSING WE
SHALL TRANSMIT TO OTHERS.
We sometimes
hinder the operation of God’s promise by our
self-righteous humility,
which ignores the fact that God often uses the “weak things
of the world to
confound the things that are mighty.” (I Corinthians 1:26-29) There must
be faith in God’s continued working. He can make
the future fruitful in
proportion to our faith. Look at what he made of
Paul, Luther, Wesley,
and Whitfield because they were all men of
strong faith.
IV. TO BE
A BLESSING THROUGH THE POWER AND FAVOR OF
GOD IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IN THE WORLD. It was God who
“made” Abraham a blessing; He gave him the
power, fostered his faith, and
perpetuated his influence.
What honor could Abraham have
comparable
with this? It is probable that Abraham thought
little of the honor which
would come to him; but God adapted his
promise to that which He knew to
be the desire of the
secret soul of Abraham.
Seeing a longing in the heart to
lift men to a higher level, He gratifies it by
making Abraham a blessing. All
should cherish such desires. The help we can
give to others morally is far
greater than that we
can bestow materially. To live an
aimless life is a
disgrace and sin, but to
live to bless others is Divine.
Sevenfold
Promises (vs. 2-3)
1. A great
inheritance.
2. A great
posterity.
3. A great name.
4. A great
blessing.
5. A great
alliance.
6. A great
defense.
7. A great
influence.
II. OF PRE INCARNATE WORD TO HIS DISCIPLES.
1. The kingdom of
heaven.
2. Divine
consolation.
3. Inheritance of
the earth.
4. Divine satisfaction.
5. Divine mercy.
6. The vision of
God.
7. A place in God’s
family (see Matthew
5:1-9).
III. OF THE
GLORIFIED CHRIST TO HIS CHURCH.
1. The tree of life.
2. A crown of life.
3. Hidden manna, the
white stone, and a new name.
4. Power over the nations, and the morning star.
5. White raiment.
6. The distinction of
being made a pillar in God’s temple.
7. A seat on Christ’s
throne (see Revelation
chapters 2 and 3)
4 So Abram
departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and
went with him:
and Abram was seventy and five years old when he
departed out of
Chaldees, or from
with the ensuing narrative. And Abram was seventy and five years old
-
literally, a son of five years and seventy years (compare ch.
7:6) -
when he departed - literally, in his going forth upon the second
stage
of his journey - out of
The
Chaldaean Emigrant (v. 4)
I. THE CALL OF GOD. Whether
spoken in a dream or distinctly
articulated by a human form, the voice which
summoned Abram to
emigrate from
the gospel
invitation, which through the medium of a written word has
been conveyed to
men, essentially a message from the-lips of God. The call
which Abram received was:
1. Distinguishing and selecting — coming to him alone of all the members
of Terah’s family,
of all the descendants of the line of Shem, of all the
citizens of
which men now receive, in its widest no less than
in its narrowest
acceptation, is differentiating and elective, passing
by one nation and
falling on another, addressing itself to one individual and
allowing another
to remain uncheered
by its joyful sound (Romans 9:16).
2. Separating and dividing — summoning
the patriarch to disentangle
himself from the idolatries of his native land, and even sever his connection
with
the nearest and the dearest, rather than imperil his salvation by
remaining in Chaldaea; and in a like
spirit does the voice of Jesus in the
gospel direct men to forsake the world (spiritually regarded the land of
their nativity), to
relinquish its infidelities, iniquities, frivolities; to renounce
its possessions, occupations, amusements; yea, to dissolve
its friendships
and endearing relationships, if they would now be numbered among his
disciples, and eventually enter into life (Luke 14:26).
3. Commanding
and directing — enjoining on the patriarch a long and
arduous pilgrimage, that
must necessarily be attended with many
difficulties and dangers, and perhaps with not a few
sorrows and
privations that would require the most heroic
fortitude and the most
enduring patience, and that could only be accomplished by minutely
following the Divine instructions, and taking each
successive step in
faith; and of a like character is the journey to
which the follower of
Christ is invited in the gospel — a journey as painful and laborious in its
nature, as much demanding self-sacrifice and
heroic resolution, as
repugnant to the carnal heart, and as unprofitable to
the eye of sense,
as uncertain in its various steps, and as much
dependent on the
principle of faith (II Corinthians 5:7).
4. Cheering and encouraging — assigning to the patriarch a number of
exceeding great and precious promises which should abundantly
compensate for the sacrifices and deprivations that should be
entailed
upon him by compliance with the heavenly invitation:
· a great inheritance,
· a great posterity,
· a great salvation,
· a great renown,
· a great influence;
and in the
gospel, too, are held forth to stimulate and comfort heaven’s
pilgrims, a variety
of rich rewards that shall more than recompense
them for all that they may do or suffer in yielding to the call of Christ.
II. THE FAITH OF ABRAM. As the heavenly invitation which the
patriarch received was designed to be symbolic of
the gospel call which is
addressed to us, so the faith of the patriarch,
which responded to the voice
of God, was intended for a pattern of
that hearty trust with which by us the
gospel message should
be embraced. The faith of
Abram was:
1. Submissive and obedient. Summoning his household, gathering his
flocks, and taking with him his aged father Terah, he departed. Without
this indeed he could not have been possessed of
faith. Whenever the Divine
testimony contains a precept and a promise, the faith that is sincere must
yield obedience to the precept as well as cling to the
promise. In the gospel
message both are present: a promise of salvation, a full, free,
and generous
offer of eternal life; and along with this a precept of
separation from the
world, of consecration to a life of faith, holiness, and love;
and the second
must be obeyed, while the first is embraced to
render faith complete.
2. Prompt and unhesitating. Without question or complaint, without the
slightest shadow of reluctance, so far at least as
the narrative reveals, the
Chaldaean flock-master puts Jehovah’s order into
execution; and in this
respect again he is worthy of imitation. The same
promptitude which he
displayed should be exhibited by us in responding to
the gospel call, and all
the more that in our case there is less room
than there was in his to doubt
that the voice which calls is Divine.
3. Intelligent and reasonable. Even if Abram had departed from Chaldaea
purely sua sponte, in order to escape contamination from its
idolatries,
instead of being open to a charge of folly because
he had
gone forth, “not
knowing whither he went,” he would have been entitled to be regarded as
having performed an act of highest prudence. Much
more then was his
conduct wise and commendable when he was acting in
obedience to
Heaven’s express
command — going forth beneath the guidance and
protection of Almighty strength and Omniscient love. And just as little can
Christian faith
be challenged as fanatical and rash, possessing as it does the
same sanction and supervision as that of the father of the faithful.
4. Patient and persevering. Delayed at
from his path. Undaunted by prospective perils,
he had
left
to a land which God was to show him; unconquered by actual hardships
and trials, he halted not till he set his foot within the
promised land. And so
we learn that faith to begin the Christian
life is not enough; not he who
commences the heavenward pilgrimage) but he
who endureth to the end,
shall
be saved. (Matthew 24:13)
5 And Abram
took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and
all
their substance
that they had gathered, and the souls that they had
gotten in
and into the
addition to the foregoing statement, intimating that Abram did not go forth
as a lonely wanderer, but accompanied by) Sarai his
wife, and
son, and all the substance - recush, acquired wealth, from racash, to gain
(compare ch.14:11, 16, 21;
15:14), which consisted chiefly in cattle, Lot
and Abram being nomads - that they had gathered (not
necessarily implying
a
protracted stay, as some allege), and the souls - here slaves and
their
children (compare Ezekiel 27:13) - that they had gotten - "not
only as
secular property for themselves, but as brethren to themselves, and as
children of the one heavenly Father" (Wordsworth); that they had
converted to the law (Onkelos); that they had proselyted (Raschi, Targam
Jonathan,
and Jerusalem Targum) - in
into the
the
which their course must have been across the
affluent, over the Syrian desert, southwards to
(compare ch.15:2), where, according to Josephus, the
patriarch reigned for
some considerable time, "being come with an army from the land of the
Chaldaeans" ('
"Abraham's habitation." According to the partitionists
(Tuch, Bleek, Colenso,
Davidson)
this verse belongs to the Elohist or fundamental
document; but if
so, then the Jehovist represents Abram (v. 6)
as journeying through the land
without having previously mentioned what land.
The
Preparations of Grace (vs. 1-5)
We may call this the genesis of the
I. IT IS FOUNDED IN THE WORD OF THE DIVINE
COVENANT,
the faith given by Divine grace
to individuals, the separation unto
newness of life.
II. The one man Abram gathers round him A SMALL SOCIETY, kindred
with him by the flesh, but bound to him by
spiritual bonds as well.
Thus God has sanctified the
family life by making it as the nidus (a place or
situation in which something develops or is fostered. of the spiritual genesis).
When the new kingdom began its course in
the Messiah, He drew to Himself
those who were previously associated by neighborhood, relationship, and
familiar intercourse in
human, but with it
and by it.
III. THE PROMISE WAS THAT ABRAM SHOULD BE MADE A GREAT
NATION. that he should be
blessed and a blessing, and his blessing should be
spread through all families of the earth. The
structure which Divine grace rears
on the foundation which itself lays is a
structure of blessed family and national
life.
(And anything that is contrary to this [transgender, abortion, same sex
relationships, etc. is sin - CY - 2024)
IV. THE
certainty to the migrating children of God, but it
was enough that he
promised them A LAND WHICH HE HEREAFTER SHOW THEM.
“A land that I will show thee.” There was the
certainty that it was a better land:
Get thee
out of thy country, because I have another for thee. The day-by-day
journey under Divine direction was itself a help to faith
to make the
promise definite. The stay at
said to make a true start, was itself a gathering
of “souls”
and “substance”
which predicted a large blessing in the future. When once we have
followed the word of
God’s grace and set our face towards
soon begin
to get pledges of the future blessings, laid-up riches of soul and
substance, which assure us of the full glory of the life to come.
V. Even in that first beginning of the kingdom, that small Church out of
of the Chaldees,
there is the evidence of that INDIVIDUAL VARIETY OF
CHARACTER AND ATTAINMENT and history which
marks the whole
way of the people of God.
the story of this little company of travelers
develops itself we soon begin to
see that the grace of God does not obliterate the
specialties of human
character. Out of
the varieties of men’s lives, which to us may seem
incapable of reconciliation, there may yet be brought the onward
progress
of a Divine
order and a redeeming purpose.
The Voices of God
at the Opening of the World’s Eras
(vs.
1-5)
Light.” (ch. 1:3)
II. AT THE OPENING OF REDEMPTION. “And God said, I will put
enmity between thee and the woman,” (ch. 3:15)
III. AT THE OPENING OF THE OLD DISPENSATION. “And God
said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country.” (v. 1)
IV. AT THE OPENING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA. “And God said,
This
is my beloved SON?” (Matthew 3:17)
V. AT THE OPENING OF THE
“Come,
ye blessed of my Father.” (ch.
25:34)
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the
place of Sichem, unto
the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And Abram passed through - literally, passed over,
or traveled about as a
pilgrim (compare Hebrews 11:9) in - the land unto (or as far as) the
place of
Sichem. A prolepsis for the place
where the city Shechem (either built by or
named after the Hivite prince, ch.
34:2) was afterwards situated, viz., between
Ebal and Gerizim, in the middle of the land;
"the most beautiful, perhaps the
only very beautiful, spot in Central Palestine" (
5:234).
The modern name of Sichem is
Unto the
plain. אֵלון,
from
אוּל or אִיל, to be strong, a strong,
hardy tree:
the terebinth, as opposed to the oak, אַלּון,
from
אָלַל (Celsius Michaelis,
Rosenmüller, Keil); the oak, as distinguished from אֵלָה, the turpentine tree,
or terebinth (Gesenius,
Kalisch, Murphy). But it seems demonstrable that
these and the other cognate terms, אַלָּה
אֵיל, are frequently used as
synonymous for any large, strong tree (compare ch.
35:4; Judges 9:9; 24:26;
Joshua
19:33 with Judges 4:11), though commonly אֵלון, oak, is opposed to אֵלָה,
terebinth, as in Isaiah 6:13; Hosea
4:13. The translation of אֵלון by plain
(Targums, Authorized Version) is inaccurate, though
"the truth is it was
both a plain and set with oaks" (Willet). Of Moreh. like Mamre (ch. 13:18),
the name of the owner of the oak-grove (Murphy, Kalisch,
Alford); probably
a
priestly character (Moreh signifying a teacher,
Judges 7:1; 2 Kings 17:28;
Isaiah
9:15) who instituted the Divine cultus in the
locality (Luther); though
it has also been regarded as the name of the place (Calvin), which maybe
here
given to it by anticipation (Wordsworth), being derived from raah, to see, and
equivalent to the place of vision (Samaritan), because God there appeared to
the patriarch (Fagius), and showed him the
Knobel renders "the oak of the teacher," comparing it with
"the oak of the
witches" (Judges 9:37). The Septuagint translate by ὑψηλήν - hupsaelaen - lofty,
and the Vulgate by illustrem. And
the Canaanite was then in the land. A sign
of post-Mosaic authorship (Tuch, Bleek, Colenso); an interpolation
Eben Ezra;
rather
(1) a proclamation of the
miserable exile in which the patriarch lived
(Luther); or
(2) a reminder to Abram of
his heavenly country, seeing he was a
stranger in his earthly one (Calvin); or, better,
(3) an intimation of the
fact that already the Canaanites were in
possession of the land which bore their name (Kalisch), or perhaps
simply:
(4) a declaration that the
land was not a stretch of unoccupied territory,
but a populated region (Hengstenberg),
thus making the fulfillment
of the ensuing promise all the more difficult, and all the
greater a
trial to the faith of the patriarch (Keil,
Murphy, Wordsworth, Alford); or:
(5) but not so good, an
explanation of the previous selection of the oak
of Moreh as his habitation.
A
Comparison of Cain and Abram (v. 6)
I. COMPARED. Each
wandered:
1. From the place of his nativity — Cain from
2. Accompanied by his wife, who in each instance was
his sister.
3. In obedience to the word of Jehovah. He who called Abram had
previously banished Cain.
4. Beneath the protection
of Heaven
— Cain defended by his scarred
brow, Abram shielded by the arm of God.
5. To the close of life; neither finding a
permanent habitation on the earth.
II. CONTRASTED. While both
wandered:
1. The one, Cain, traveled from God; the other, Abram, journeyed with
God.
2. The one roamed across the face of earth; the other walked within the
borders of the
Promised Land.
3. The one fled beneath the curse of
Heaven; the other was
o’er canopied
by Heaven’s favor.
4. The one was an emblem of the Sinner seeking
rest and finding none; the
other was a picture of the saint, who must travel through
the world to
his home.
·
LESSONS:
1. There
are wanderings and wanderings among men upon the earth.
2. He who would not become a fugitive like Cain
must,
like Abram,
become a pilgrim.
3. They who choose the lot of Abram need never fear the doom of Cain.
7 And the
LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will
I give this
land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD,
who
appeared unto him. And the
Lord appeared. The first mention of a theophany,
though Acts 7:2 alleges that such a Divine manifestation had previously
occurred
in
there was some kind of outward appearance may be inferred from the
subsequent
Divine
manifestations:
· to the patriarch (ch. 18:2, 17, 33; ch. 22:11-18),
· to Hagar (ch. 16:7-14; ch. 21:17, 18), and
· to Jacob (ch. 31:11-13; ch. 32:24-30).
On
the relation of the angel of Jehovah to Jehovah see chapters 16 and 17.
Unto Abram. "Jam paene fatigato Abraha isto duro
exsilio et perpetuis
migrationibus" (Luther). And
said, Unto thy seed - to himself God gave
"none
inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on" (Acts 7:5);
the land was promised to his seed "when
as yet he had no child" - will I give
this land. Now occupied by the Canaanites.
Undoubtedly a great promise,
that the
Canaanites should be dispossessed, and their country given to the
offspring of a childless old man already over
seventy-five years. The
apparent improbability of its ever being accomplished rendered it a strong
trial to the patriarch's faith. And there builded
he an altar. "Constituit certum
locum, in quo conveniat ecclesia, auditura verbum Dei, factura preess,
laudatura Deum, sacrificatura
cultus; invocatio
autem substantia et veritas" (Calvin). "The rearing
of an altar in the land was, in fact, a form of taking possession of it
on
the ground of a right secured to the exercise of his faith" (Bush). "It is
often said of Abraham and the patriarchs that
they built altars to the Lord;
it is never said they built houses for themselves" (Wordsworth). Unto
the
Lord who had appeared to him.
Abram Worshipping (v. 7)
“And there he
builded an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto
him.”
Abram is at length Divinely
informed that he is in the land hereafter to be
his. He was at the spot where the great temple, to be set up by his
descendants, would stand. Here he builds an altar. It was doubtless a very
plain altar of rough stones, but large enough for the sacrifices to be
offered. It would have little attraction in the eyes of many, but it would be
approved of by God.
I. IT WAS REARED ENTIRELY IN THE HONOR OF GOD. There was
no self-glorifying in it. It was erected as a spontaneous act of
gratitude.
The men of
Abraham by his altar-building seeks to
honor God’s name. His act was a
protest against the prevalent and surrounding idolatry. This was the first
altar reared in
II. IT WAS AN EXPRESSION OF ABRAM’S DESIRE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE DIVINE GUIDANCE IN HIS PAST LIFE. He
found it a joy to be under the leadership of God. “Wherever Abraham had
his tent God had his altar.” In how many families is the altar in need of
repair! In many it has not
even been set up.
III. IT
EXPRESSED ABRAM’S DEPENDENCE ON THE MERCY
REVEALED THROUGH A PROPITIATORY SACRIFICE. He evidently
believed in an atonement, he offered an heifer, goat, ram, turtle-dove, and
pigeon. After the rude manner of that day he offered sacrifices for his own
sins and for those of his household. He found that God was brought nearer
through the sacrifice, even as we discover that fact through the Christ of
IV. IT
EXPRESSED ALSO ABRAM’S READINESS TO
CONSECRATE HIMSELF ENTIRELY TO GOD. An altar that failed to
express this would have been a mockery. God is not flattered by an
outward show of reverence. He must have inner and absolute consecration
if we are to know the heights of
spiritual power.
V. IT
EXPRESSED THE PATRIARCH’S FAITH IN THE
FULFILMENT OF THE DIVINE PROMISES. Abram was already in
the land of promise, and could leave the future to his God. He was, by
rearing that altar, taking possession of the land for himself, and of the
world for God, even as
newly-discovered continent a cross, and named the land
consecrating it to the holy Savior.
8 And he
removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of
Bethel, and
pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai
on
the east: and
there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called
upon the name of the LORD. And he
removed
- literally, caused (i.e.
his tent) to be broken up (compare ch. 26:22 - from
thence - no cause for
which being assigned, the hostility of his neighbors (Luther, Calvin) and
the
commencement of the famine (Alford, Keil) have been
conjectured as the
probable reasons - unto a (literally, the) mountain east of
proleptically (the
treating of a future event as if it had already happened) named
"house of God," being called in the time of Abram Luz (ch. 28:19). Its present
name is Beitin. And pitched his tent
(compare ch.9:21), having
west - literally, sea-ward,
the
Ai
(עַי;
עַיָּא, Nehemiah 11:31; עַיָּת, Isaiah 10:28); with the
article, because
signifying "the heap of ruins,"
near which it was no doubt built; the scene
of the first Israelitish defeat under Joshua
(Joshua 7:2): its ruins still exist
under the name of Medinet Gai
- on
the east (about five miles from
and there he builded an altar
unto the Lord and called upon the name of
the Lord (see ch. 4:26).
Abram’s
Altar (v. 8)
“And there he builded
an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of
the Lord.” There is a solemn word (Matthew 10:32-33). The
distinction is not between Christians and heathen; it is within the visible
Church. To confess Christ is more than professing Christianity. It must be
in the life, not merely in religious services. No doubt these have their
use;
without them spiritual life would wither and die, like a light under a vessel.
They
are as food; but “the life is more than meat.”
(Luke 12:23) The world
acquiesces in such services as respectable and proper. But it is a poor
Christianity
that raises no opposition. A Christian life may constrain respect, but it
must
differ from the worldly:
·
as to its object — first the
·
as to its means — God’s
promises and help trusted to as real.
Mark
Abram’s example: dwelt among Canaanites on sufferance; they idolaters.
Prudence
would suggest keeping his religion secret. Many try to keep their
faith secret; afraid
to confess it, but unwilling to
give it up. In
vain; faith
ashamed of brings no
comfort or strength. Abram did not hide his
faith.
Wherever
he sojourned he built an altar; confessed whom he trusted. We
are told:
§
He built an altar, i.e. made open confession of his faith.
§
“Called on the name,” i.e. spoke to God as a living person, a real
helper.
I. WHAT IS IT TO CONFESS GOD?
1. In the heart;
firmly to believe what he has revealed. HIS PROMISES
WERE
GIVEN TO BE TRUSTED!The fool puts away belief
(Psalm 14:1).
It may be from dislike of truth (Romans 1:28); it
may be despondingly
(compare ch. 42:36), afraid to take God at His word. The voice of
true
wisdom, Psalm 62:1-2.
2. In the life; acting upon “ye are not your own. For ye are
bought with a
price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God’s.” (I Corinthians
6:19-20) We cannot go far without
being tried: in business, in
companionship, in bearing what we do not like,
in resisting self-will and
self-seeking, in standing firm against the world’s
scorn or well-meant
persuasions. Passing events constantly put the
question whom we serve (compare
Daniel 3:15; Acts 5:28-29). And not
merely in matters that seem
great. Little things show whom we have first in
our hearts.
II. CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH THIS IS
CALLING ON THE
NAME OF THE LORD. We must look below the surface.
Among
professing Christians some prayer is a matter of course; but is it used as a
real means to obtain? It is one thing to believe the doctrine of God’s
providence, and of the use of prayer, and another to pray as a practical
power and to feel our Father’s care. Yet
peace (Philippians 4:6-7). When Hannah had prayed she was no more
sad (1 Samuel 1:18). The Bible has
many encouragements to pray, but
not one warning against asking too much.
III. THE
EFFECT OF THIS ON THE CHARACTER. Abram’s
character as
eminently faithful was built up by exercising faith. If he walked with God not
by any constraining power, nor by reason of special manifestations; then
he
would be no example for us. Each acknowledgment of God increased his
communion. Each altar marked a step in his own life, and a work in the
world. He who is faithful in little gains more power “For whosoever hath,
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance;
but whosoever
hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”
(Matthew
13:12).
9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the
south. And Abram journeyed
(literally, broke up, e. g., his encampment, going
on still - literally, going on and
breaking up (compare ch. 8:3); "going and
returning" - towards the south. Negleb,
the dry region, from nagabh, to be
dried, the southern district of Palestine (ch.13:3;
20:1;
24:62). The Septuagint render, ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν,
τῇ ἐρήμῳ
-
estratopedeusen en, tae eraemo - traveled to encamp in the desert. Of this
section vs. 5, 6, 8a are commonly assigned to the Elohist;
and 7, 8b, and 9
to the Jehovist.
Revelations
(vs. 6-9)
We
here enter upon the more special history of Divine appearances.
Hitherto
the word is described simply as a word — “The Lord said;”
now
we connect with the word distinct appearances. The plain of Moreh will be
ever memorable as the first scene of such revelations. The altar which
Abram
erected was to the Lord who appeared unto him, i.e. in
commemoration of the vision. Thus the long line of theophanies
commences. The great lesson of this record is the worship of
man
proceeding from the gracious
revelation of God. True
religion is not a
spontaneous product of man’s nature, but rather
a response to God’s
grace. He
appears; the believer to whom the vision is vouchsafed raises an
altar not
“to the unknown God,” but to the God who has appeared to him.
Another
point in the record is the connection of the promise with the
revelation. The Lord appeared, and when He appeared He gave His word of
promise: “Unto
thy seed will I give this land.” Are we not reminded thus
early in the history of religion that for its maintenance there is required
not
only a revelation to the mind and heart by the Spirit, but also a seat of
its
institutions and community? Religion without a people of God dwelling in
the land of privilege, and bound together by the sacred
bonds of a Divine
fellowship, is no true religion at all. Abram builds altars at
the various
stages of his pilgrimage, still going south. Although we are not told of a
distinct vouchsafement of God in connection with
every altar, we may well
suppose, especially as the “mountain” is specified, that the altars marked
out not mere resting-places, but the SCENES OF SPECIAL COMMUNION
WITH JEHOVAH!
10 And there
was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into
And there was a famine. רָעָב, from a root signifying
to hunger, the primary
idea appearing to lie in that of an ample, i.e. empty, stomach (Gesenius, Furst).
The
term is used of individuals, men or animal (Psalm 34:11; 50:12); or of
regions (ch. 41:55). In
the land. Of
was, on account of its imperfect cultivation, subject to visitations of
dearth
(compare ch. 26:1; 41:56), especially in dry seasons, when
the November and
December
rains, on which
The occurrence of this famine just at the time of Abram's
entering the land
was an additional trial to his faith. And Abram went down to
(see ch. 10:6) was lower than
and fruitful country, though sometimes even
owing to a failure in the annual inundation of the
authentication of this portion of the Abrahamic history
that the patriarch
proposed to take himself and his household to
corn trade existed between the two countries such as prevailed in the days
of
Jacob
(see Havernick's Introduction, § 18). The writer to
the Hebrews remarks
it as an instance of the patriarch's faith that he did not return to
either
or
Whether
this journey was undertaken with the Divine sanction and ought to be
regarded as an act of faith, or in obedience to his own fears and should be
reckoned
as a sign of unbelief, does not appear. Whichever way the patriarch
elected to act
in his perplexity, to leave
to be put upon his faith. For the famine was grievous
(literally, heavy) in the land.
The
Promised Land (vs. 6-10)
I. WANDERINGS. Entering
emigrant directs his progress steadily towards the south, removing from
station to station till he reaches the furthest limit of the land. This
wandering life to the patriarch must have been:
(1) Unexpected.
Leaving
hundreds of miles, he must have
eagerly anticipated rest in
instead he finds that he must
journey still. So is life to God’s people always
full of disappointments. Yet was it also:
(2) Inevitable. The land was in possession of the Canaanites,
and, even
though it had been free and
untenanted, it was famine-stricken, both of
which circumstances
necessitated frequent removal. And for causes not
dissimilar must the saints ever
wander, the world for the most part
belonging to their enemies, and the produce of
earth being insufficient to
meet their souls’
needs.
Then to the patriarch himself it was meant to be:
(3) Prophetic. The promised land being
designed not so much for a
possession in itself as for an
emblem of the better country towards which
his spirit with its new-found
faith was traveling, it was not intended that
life in
repose, but rather one Of wandering and unrest; and of that he had a
foretaste, or earnest, immediately
he stepped across the borders of the
land. And still further was it
purposed to be
(4) Emblematic. In the fortunes of Abram it was contemplated that
God’s
believing people in every age
should behold, in main characteristic at least,
an outline or shadow of
their own. As to him the
the better country, but only
its anticipation, so to them is it not so much a
type of heaven as of the
visible Church, and the patriarchal wanderings an
emblem not of the beatific life
of the redeemed in glory, but of the
experiences of
the saints on earth.
II. TRIALS. Along with ceaseless
peregrinations (wanderings; journeys), more or
less exacting in their nature, trials of another and severer sort entered
into the texture
of the patriarch’s experience in the promised land. The peculiar
circumstances
in which he found himself were such as to make a vehement assault upon
his faith.
1. His childless
condition seemed to render all but impossible belief in the
mighty
nation of which Jehovah talked. And so are saints sometimes
tempted to indulge a suspicion of
the Divine goodness and veracity,
because of the absence of certain
creature comforts which they see God
bestowing upon others.
2. The occupation of the land appeared to negate the
idea of its ever
becoming his; and not infrequently
because a
saint cannot discern how a
promise is to be
fulfilled, he begins to challenge the Divine resources, and
ends by impeaching the
Divine faithfulness.
3. The prevalence of famine was calculated to
excite doubts in his mind as
to whether after all the
land was worth either having or desiring; and in this
life the saints are
not unacquainted with temptations, arising from the
pressure of outward
circumstances, such as extreme poverty or long-
continued affliction, to admit the apprehension that
after all the blessings
of religion and the glories of the
future life may not be worth the sacrifices
made to secure them.
III. CONSOLATIONS. If a field of wanderings
and a scene of trials, the
promised land was likewise a place of consolation. Abram enjoyed:
1. The comfort of the
Divine presence. Though unseen, the companionship
of Jehovah was understood by
the patriarch to be a grand reality on which
he might depend; and so says Christ to His believing people, “Lo, I am with
you
always, even unto the end of the world.”
2. The joy of Divine
manifestations. As Jehovah appeared to Abram,
probably in the form of a man, so already has
God appeared to His Church
in the person of
the man Christ Jesus; and so
does Christ promise still to
appear spiritually to his
people, and to disclose to them the treasures of his
grace and love (John 14:21).
3. The consolation of Divine worship. Wherever Abram
wandered he built
an altar and
called upon the name of the Lord who
had appeared unto him;
and without any altar may the
saint at any moment enter into closest
communion with the Lord Jesus
Christ, who in the fullness of the times
was manifested to
take away our sins, and who is ever ready, through the
medium of His Holy
Spirit, to interpose for His people’s aid.
LEARN:
1. That a saint’s wanderings are of God’s
appointing.
2. That a saint’s trials are of God’s
permitting.
3. That a saint’s consolations are of God’s
sending.
The
Descent into
I. THE STORY OF A GOOD MAN’S FALL.
1. Experiencing
disappointment. Arriving in
have felt his heart sink as he surveyed its
famine-stricken fields and heathen
population; in respect of which it was so utterly
unlike the fair realm of his
imaginings. So God educates His children, destroying
their hopes, blighting
their, expectations, breaking their ideals, “having provided some better
thing for them” (Hebrews 11:40), some loftier and more beautiful ideal
than they have ever ventured to conceive.
2. Declining in faith. In presence of the famine the patriarch must have
found himself transfixed upon the horns of a
terrible dilemma. The
promised land, to all appearance, was only fit to
be his grave, like the
wilderness, in later years, to his descendants. To return to
impossible without abandoning his faith and renouncing
Jehovah’s promise.
The only harbor
of refuge that loomed before his anxious vision was the
rich corn-land of
want of trust in God, voluntarily running into danger. So situated, unless
the spiritual vision of the patriarch had
suffered a temporary obscuration
(concealment) he would not have quitted
faith would have perceived that the God who had
brought him from Chaldaea
could support him in
pasture in its fields; and, besides, would have
remembered that God had
promised
3. Going into danger. The descent into
hazard, being calculated not only to endanger the
life of Abram himself, but
also to jeopardize the chastity of Sarai, and, as a consequence, to imperil
the fulfillment of God’s promise. Yet this very course
of action was
adopted, notwithstanding its peculiar risks;
another sign that Abram was
going down the incline of sin. Besides being in
itself wrong to court
injury to our own persons, to expose to hurt
those we should protect, or
occupy positions that render the fulfillment of
God’s promises dubious, no
one who acts in either of these ways need anticipate the
Divine favor or
protection. Saints who rush with open eyes into peril need hardly look for
God
to lift them out.
If I willfully keep my conscience in darkness and continue in
errors
which I might easily know to be such by a little thought
and
searching of God’s Word, then my conscience can offer me
no
excuse for I am guilty of blindfolding the guide which I have
chosen
and then knowing him to be blindfolded, I am guilty of
letting
him lead me into rebellion against God.
(Copied)
4. Resorting to worldly policy. Had Abram and Sarai
felt persuaded in their
own minds that the proposed journey southwards
entirely met the Divine
approval, they would simply have committed their
way to God without so
much as thinking of “crooked ways.” But instead they have recourse to a
miserable little subterfuge
of their own, in the shape
of a specious
equivocation, forgetting that “he who trusts in his own heart
is a fool”
(Proverbs
28:26), and that only they whom God keeps are perfectly secure.
5. Practicing deception. Cunningly concocted, the little scheme was set in
operation. Crossing into
wife represented themselves as brother and
sister. It is a
melancholy
indication of spiritual declension when a saint condescends to equivocate,
and
a deplorable proof of obliquity of moral vision when he trusts to a lie
for protection.
6. Looking after self. Anxious
about his wife’s chastity, the patriarch, it
would appear, was much more solicitous (caring) about
his own safety.
The tendency of sin
is to render selfishness; the spirit of religion ever
leads men to prefer the interests of others to their own, and in particular
to esteem a wife’s
happiness and comfort dearer than life.
7. Caught
in his own toils. The thing which Abram feared actually came
upon him. Sarai’s
beauty was admired and coveted, and Sarai’s person
was
conducted to the royal harem. So God frequently “disappoints
the devices
of the crafty,” allows transgressors to be taken
in their own net, and causes
worldly policy to outwit itself.
II. THE STORY OF A GOOD MAN’S PROTECTION.
1. God went down with Abram into
behavior, it would not have been surprising had he
been suffered to go
alone. But God is always better to his people than
their deserts, and, in
particular, does not abandon them even when they
grieve Him by their sins
and involve themselves in trouble by their
folly. On the contrary, it is at
such times they most require His
presence, and so He never leaves them
nor forsakes them.
Grace is when God
gives us good things that
we don’t deserve.
Mercy is when He spares us from
bad things we do deserve
Blessings are when He is
generous with both!
(Copied)
2. God protected Sarai in Pharaoh’s house. Not perhaps for Sarai’s
or
Abram’s sake, who scarcely deserved, consideration for the plight, into
which they had fallen, but for His own name s
sake. The fulfillment of His
own promise and the credit, as it were, of His
own character necessitated
measures for securing Sarai’s honor. Accordingly, the house of Pharaoh
was subjected to heavy strokes of affliction.
So God
can protect His people
in every time and place of danger, and always finds a reason in Himself,
when He is able to discover none in them, for
interposing on their behalf.
3. God delivered both in His own time and way. To all God’s afflicted ones
deliverance sooner or later crones. “The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly out of temptations,” and how to make a way of escape when his
time
arrives.
(II Peter 2:9; I Corinthians 10:13)
III. THE STORY OF A GOOD MAN’S REPROOF.
1. By his own
conscience. Profoundly
ashamed must the patriarch have
been
when he reflected on Sarai’s peril in the house of
Pharaoh, and on his
own
craven spirit which had bartered her good name for the sake of saving
his own skin. It is difficult to harmonize with conscientious qualms his
acceptance of the monarch’s gifts. But if Abram had any manhood left after
parting with Sarai, besides being
humiliated before God for his wickedness,
he must have been dishonored in his own eyes for what
looked like selling
a wife’s purity for flocks and herds. No doubt conscience exacted
vengeance from the guilty soul of the patriarch, as it does from
that of
every sinner.
2. By his
unbelieving neighbor. Though
not entirely guiltless, Pharaoh was
unquestionably less blameworthy than Abram. And yet Abram
was a saint
who had been favored with Divine
manifestations and enriched with Divine
promises; whereas Pharaoh was a heathen, a consideration
which must
have added keenness to the pang of shame with which the
patriarch
listened to the monarch’s righteous rebuke. So Christians by their worldly
craft,
mean duplicity, and gross selfishness, if not by their open
wickedness, occasionally expose themselves
to the merited censures of
irreligious neighbors.
·
LEARN:
1. That the best of men may fall into the greatest of sins.
2. That the worst of sins committed by a saint will not repel
the grace of
God.
3. That the severest of the world’s censures are sometimes
deserved by the
Church.
Famines
(V. 10)
1.
Not even the
condition free from suffering, nor the
believer’s portion on earth from
defects.
2.
Lands naturally fertile can be rendered barren by a word from God. So
circumstances that might conduce to the Church’s comfort
can be made to
disappear when God wills.
3.
The drought was sent on
sends His judgments
on the world for the sake of His people, and can
always time them to
meet their spiritual necessities.
4.
Famines never come in all lands
together, for that were a violation of the
covenant; and so neither do God’s judgments fall on
all men or all saints at
once, for that too were to gainsay His promise.
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter
into
said unto Sarai
his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman
to
look upon:
And it came to pass (literally, it was), when
he was come near to
enter into
eminence, which could scarcely fail to attract attention among strangers,
but chiefly from the beauty of his wife, which was calculated to inflame
the
cupidity and, it might be, the violence of the warm-blooded Southrons,
and)
that he said unto Sarai his
wife.
The arrangement here referred to appears
(ch. 20:13) to have been preconcerted on first setting out from
so that Abram's address to his wife on approaching
simply a reminder of their previous compact. Behold now, I know that thou
art a fair woman to look upon. Literally, fair of aspect
(compare 1 Samuel 17:42).
Though
now upwards of sixty-five years of age, she was still in middle life (ch.23:1),
and her constitution had not been impaired by bearing children. Besides,
the clear
complexion of Sarah would render her specially attractive in the eyes of the
Egyptians,
whose women, though not so dark as the Nubians and Ethiopians,
were yet of a browner tinge than the Syrians and Arabians. Monumental
evidence confirms the assertion of Scripture that a fair complexion was
deemed a high recommendation in the age of the Pharaohs (ride Hengstenberg's
'
12 Therefore it
shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee,
that they shall
say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they
will save thee
alive. Therefore (literally, and) it
shall come to pass, when
(literally,
that) the Egyptians - notorious for
their licentiousness (see P. Smith's '
History
of the World,' vol. 1. Genesis 6. p. 71) - shall see thee, that
(literally, and) they shall say, this is his wife: and they
will kill me - in order to
possess thee, counting murder a less crime than adultery (Lyra).
An
unreasonable
anxiety, considering that he had hitherto enjoyed
the Divine protection,
however natural it might seem in view of the voluptuous character of the
people.
But (literally, and) they
will save thee alive - for either compulsory marriage or
dishonorable use.
13
Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that
it may be well with me for
thy sake; and
my soul shall live because of thee. Say,
I pray thee, - translated
in v. 11 as "now;"
"verbum obsecrantis vel adhortantis" (Masius) - thou art my
sister. A half-truth (ch.
20:12), but a whole falsehood. The usual apologies, that
he did not fabricate, but
"cautiously conceal the truth" (Lyra), that
perhaps he acted
in obedience to a Divine
impulse (Mede), that he dissembled in order to protect
his wife's chastity (Rosenmüller), are not
satisfactory. On the other hand, Abram
must not be judged by the light of New Testament revelation. It is not
necessary
for a Christian in every situation of life to tell all the truth, especially
when its
part suppression involves no deception, and is indispensable for
self-preservation;
and Abram may have deemed it legitimate as a means of securing both his
own life
and Sarah's honor, though how he was to shield his wife in the peculiar
circumstances it is difficult to see. Rosenmüller suggests
that he knew the
preliminary ceremonies to marriage required a considerable time, and counted
upon being able to leave
objection to this is that the historian represents him as being less solicitous
about the preservation of his wife's chastity than about the conservation of
his own life. That it may be well (not with thee, though doubtless this is
implied,
but) with me for thy sake (the import of which is declared in the
words which
follow); and my soul shall live because of thee. " No defense
can be offered
for a man who, merely through dread of danger to himself:
· tells a lie,
· risks his wife's chastity,
· puts temptation in the way
of his neighbors, and
· betrays the charge to which the
Divine favor had summoned him "(Dykes).
Abraham
and Carnal Policy (v. 13)
“Say,
I pray thee, that thou art my sister: that it may be well with me.’
These words were partially true (ch. 11:20). Abraham had realground
for
saying that Sarah was his sister, but he hid the
fact that she was his wife.
He asked her to consent to an equivocal
statement and to repeat it.
I. CONTEMPLATE THE NATURE OF CARNAL POLICY. A truth
which is part a lie is ever a dangerous lie. The
temptation to this carnal
policy came:
(1) from his mingling with the worldly Egyptians on
equal terms,
(2) from his very prosperous state, and
(3) from his having lately come from a
religious observance in
which he had had high spiritual revelations.
Possibly he presumed upon his visions and
the Divine promises. David fell
also shortly after he had attained the kingdom
and been delivered from
great dangers.
II. SEE HOW ALL CARNAL POLICY IS SURE IN THE
LONG RUN
TO
FAIL. Abram did not
foresee all the consequences of his equivocations.
He even made the path clear for Pharaoh to
ask for Sarah. He had afterwards
to know that his name was a byword among the Egyptians.
(1) He lost self-respect;
(2) he had to be rebuked by a Pharaoh, and
(3) to feel that God was dishonored by his act.
Abram repeated his sin. That God delivered
Abram should teach us
that we are not to reject others, who have
committed a special sin, as past
hope. God does not cast us off for one sinful action.
Still Divine
forbearance and love should never lead to
presumption and to a tampering
with carnal policy
14
And it came to pass, that, when Abram was
come into
Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very
fair. 15 The princes also
of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her
before Pharaoh: and the woman
was taken into Pharaoh’s house. The
princes also - literally, and the princes
(שָׂרֵי, mas. of Sarah), chief men or courtiers, who, in accordance with the
ancient
custom of
were sons of the principal priests (see Havernick,
§ 18) - of Pharaoh. The official
title of the kings of
and Czar, that of the Emperor of Russia), who are never introduced in the
Pentateuch,
as in later books, by their individual names (1 Kings 3:1; 9:40);
an indirect evidence that the author of Genesis must at least have been
· acquainted with the manners of the
continued in use till after the Persian invasion - under the Greek empire the
Egyptian
rulers were styled Ptolemies - is declared by
Josephus to signify "king"
('
whence touro, queen), which also means king. Modern Egyptologers, however,
incline to regard it as corresponding to the Phra of the inscriptions (Rosellini,
Lepeius, Wilkinson), or to the hieroglyphic Peraa, or Perao,
"the great house
(M.
de Rouge, Brugsch, Ebers),
an appellation which belonged to the Egyptian
monarchs, and with which may be compared "the Sublime Porte," as
applied to
the Turkish sultans (compare Canon Cook in 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 1.
p.
47?). The particular monarch who occupied the Egyptian throne at the time
of Abram's arrival has been conjectured to be:
· Necao (Josephus, '
· Ramessemenes (Syncellus,
p. 101),
· Pharethones (Euseb., 'Praep.
Ev.,' 9:8),
· Apappus (Wilkinson, 'Anc. Egypt.,' vol. 1. p. 13, note 5, Dr.
Bitch's edition),
· Achthoes, the
sixth king of the eleventh dynasty (Osburn, 'Men. Hist. of
vol. 1. Genesis 7. p. 375),
·
Salatis or Saitas, the
first king of the fifteenth dynasty, whose reign
commenced B.C. 2080 (Stuart Peele in 'Smith's Dict.,' art.
Pharaoh),
a monarch belonging to the
sixteenth dynasty of shepherd kings (Kalisch),
and a Pharaoh who flourished
between the middle of the eleventh and
thirteenth dynasties, most probably
one of the earliest Pharaohs of the
twelfth (Canon Cook in 'Speaker's
Commentary,' vol. 1. p. 447).
Amid
such conflicting testimony from erudite archaeologists it is apparent that
nothing can be ascertained with exactitude as to the date of Abram's sojourn
in
on the question, mentions in support of his conclusion a variety of
considerations
that may be profitably studied. Saw her. So that she must have been
unveiled,
which agrees with monumental evidence that in the reign of the Pharaohs the
Egyptian
ladies exposed their faces, though the custom was discontinued after
the Pemian conquest (see Hengstenberg's
'
And commended her before Pharaoh: and
the woman was taken. Capta
(Targum
of Jonathan), rapta (Arab.), abducta (Pagnini),
capta et deducta (Rosenmüller);
all implying more or less the idea of violence, which, however, besides
being
not warranted by the text, was scarcely likely in the circumstances, the
king
being perfectly honorable in his proposals, and Abram and Sarai by their
deception having rendered it impossible to object without divulging their
secret. Into Pharaoh's house. Or harem, with
a view to marriage as a secondary
wife. Compare the Papyrus D'Orbiney,
now in the
to the age of Rameses II., in which the Pharaoh
of the time, acting on the advice
of his counselors, sends two armies to fetch a beautiful woman by force,
and then
to murder her husband. A translation by M. Renouf
will be found in The Tale of
the
Two Brothers, in 'Records of the Past,' vol. 2. p. 138.
16 And he
entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and
oxen, and he
asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she
asses, and camels. - And he entreated Abram well -
literally, did good to
Abram;
εϋ ἐχρήσαντο - eu echraesanto - they were
treated - (Septuagint,
Hieronymus,
generally conferred favors on the patriarch, which is not at all so probable as
that Pharaoh did - for her sake. Marriage negotiations
in Oriental countries are
usually accompanied by presents to the relatives of the bride as a sort of
payment.
"The
marriage price is distinctly mentioned in Scripture (Exodus 22:15-16;
Ruth
4:10; 1 Samuel 18:23, 25; Hosea 3:2); was commonly demanded by
the nations of antiquity, as by the Babylonians (Herod., 1:196), Assyrians
(AElian V. H., 4. 1; Strabo,
16:745), the ancient Greeks ('Odyss.,'
8:318 ff.),
and the Germans (Tacit., 'German.,' 18. ); and still obtains in the East
to
the present day" (see Kitto's 'Cyclopedia,'
art. Marriage, by Dr. Ginsburg).
And he had - literally, there was
(given) to him - sheep, and oxen. Flocks of
small cattle and herds of larger quadrupeds, together constituted the chief
wealth of nomads (compare ch. 13:5; Job 1:3). And he asses. Chamor, so named
from the reddish color which in southern countries belongs not only to the
wild,
but also to the common or domestic, ass (Gesenius).
The mention of asses
among Pharaoh's presents has been regarded as an "inaccuracy" and
a "blunder,"
at once a sign of the late origin of Genesis and a proof its author's ignorance
of
(1) asses were among the
most common of Egyptian animals, a single individual,
according to Wilkinson (vol. 3. p. 34), possessing sometimes as many as 700 or
800;
and:
(2) it is certain that asses
appear on the early monuments (cf. ' Records of the Past,'
vol. 2. p. 26). And men-servants, and maid-servants, and she
asses. Athon; from
athan,
to walk with short steps; so named from its slowness (ch.
32:16), though
"the ass in
(Kitto's 'Cyclopedia,' art.
because the camel is an animal that remembers past injuries (Bochart), or from
a
cogmate Arabic root hamala, meaning he or it carried, with reference to its
being a beast of burden (Gesenius); both of which
derivations Stuart Poole
declares far fetched, and proposes to connect the term with the Sanskrit kramela,
from kram, to walk or step, which would then signify
the walking animal (see Kitto,
art. Camel). Compare with the Hebrew the Sanskrit
as above, the Arab jemel or
gemel,
the Egyptian sjamoul,
Greek κάμηλος - kamaelos - Latin camelus) is
the well-known strong animal
belonging to:
·
·
·
·
which serves the inhabitants of the desert for traveling (ch. 24:10; 31:17) as well
as for carrying burdens (Isaiah 30:6), and for warlike operations (ibid. ch.
21:7),
and in which their riches consisted (Job 1:3; 42:12). Though the camel
does not
thrive well in
not necessarily been guilty of an "inaccuracy and a blunder" in
assigning it to
Abram
as one of Pharaoh's presents (Bohlen); for:
(1) the camel thrives better
in
proper habitat;
(2) if camels were not generally
kept in
"one of the
shepherd kings who partly lived at Avaris, the Zoan of Scripture,"
a region much
inhabited by strangers (
(3) if camels have not been
discovered among the delineations on the monuments,
this may have been
because of its connection with the foreign conqueror of
which caused it to
be regarded as a beast of ill omen; though:
(4) according to Heeren they do appear on the monuments (Havernick,
§ 18, p. 142).
That
horses, though the glory of
gifts was doubtless owing to the fact that they could not have been of much
service to the patriarch.
17 And the
LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues
because of Sarai
Abram’s wife. And the Lord plagued (literally, struck)
Pharaoh and his house with great plagues (or strokes, either of
disease or
death, or some other calamity - an indication that Pharaoh was not entirely
innocent) because of Sarai Abram's wife. The
effect of this was to lead to
the discovery, not through the aid of the Egyptian priests (Josephus), but
either through a special revelation granted to him, as afterwards (ch. 20:6)
to Abimelech in a dream (Chrysostom),
or through the confession of Sarai
herself (A Lapide), or through the servants of Abram
(Kurtz).
18
And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is
this that thou hast
done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
In
which case we are bound to believe the monarch that he would not have
taken her.
19
Why saidst thou,
She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me
to wife: now
therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
Why saidst
thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to
me
to wife (which as yet he had not done; an indirect proof
both of the monarch's
honorable purpose towards Sarai and of Sarai's unsullied purity): now therefore
behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. According to Josephus
('
obviously incorrect.
20 And Pharaoh
commanded his men concerning him: and they sent
him away, and his wife, and all that he
had. And
Pharaoh commanded
his men (i.e. certain officers designated for the purpose)
concerning
him
(to see to his departure): and they seat him away, and his
wife, and all that
he had.
The
Strength and Weakness of Abram (vs. 6-20)
I. A
THREEFOLD SOURCE OF STRENGTH.
1. His enjoyment of gracious visits from God.
2. His exercise of faith in God.
3. His cultivation of communion with God.
II. A THREEFOLD SOURCE OF
WEAKNESS.
1. An unwarrantable fear of man.
2. A heedless reliance on worldly policy
and craft.
3. A sinful preference of self-interest
to the happiness and welfare
of others.
The Church
and the World (vs. 10-20)
The genesis of intercourse and controversy between the
and the world power, as represented in the
great southern kingdom of
I. THE PRESSURE OF EARTHLY NECESSITIES FORMS THE
OCCASION OF THE SOJOURN IN
was sent by Divine direction amongst the
temptations of the South; still
there is providential protection even where
there is not entire Divine
approval. The Lord suffers His people to mingle
with the world for their
trial, and out of the evil brings ultimate good.
Abram went for corn, but
obtained much more — the wealth and civilization of
II. SOJOURN IN THE MIDST OF WORLDLY POWER
GENERALLY
INVOLVES SOME
COMPROMISE OF SPIRITUAL
lowering of spiritual principle. Jehovah’s servant
condescends to
prevarication and dissembling not for protection only,
but “that
it may be
well with him.” The danger to Sarai and to Abram was great. All
compromise is danger.
III. IN THE SUBORDINATE SPHERE OF SOCIAL MORALITY
THERE HAVE BEEN
MANY INSTANCES OF CONSCIENCE
ACTING MORE
POWERFULLY WHERE THE LIGHT OF TRUTH
HAS
SHONE LESS CLEARLY.
Pharaoh was a heathen, but he compares
to advantage with Abram. Notice that these
early plagues of
mentioned in v. 17 were very different from the
later, although they
illustrate the same truth, that by means of
judgments God preserves his
people and carries
forward his kingdom, which is the truth exhibited in
every apocalypse.
IV. THE DISMISSION OF THE LITTLE COMPANY OF BELIEVERS
FROM
The beginning of that sojourn was wrong, the end of it was disgraceful. A short
stay among the world’s temptations will leave its results
among the people
of God, as the subsequent history testifies. Abram
became very rich, but his riches
had been wrongly obtained. There was trouble
in store for him. God’s method
is to perfect His people not apart from their
own character and ways, but by
the gracious ordering of their history, so
that while good and evil are
mingled together, good
shall yet ultimately be triumphant.
Abram and
1.
Both were driven into
2.
To both the
3.
In each case the Pharaoh of the
time was subjected to plagues.
4.
Both were sent away by the
alarmed monarchs who were made to suffer
for their sakes.
5.
Both went up from
they had sojourned.
6. On
leaving
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