Fear No Fear

Abram and his wife Sarai went out from Egypt to the Negev region along with his nephew Lot. Abram was VERY wealthy in gold, silver, and livestock. He kept going until he got to Bethel, to where he was the first time he stopped in the land. He went to where his altar was and he called on the name of the Lord. So, Abram had missed it in Egypt, but he almost immediately went back to his roots and called to God. A good lesson for us. May our time away from seeking His face be short and infrequent.

Now back in Chapter 12, God told Abram he would be blessed. And he was. Lot, his nephew, was travelling with Abram and he was ALSO blessed – because he was with Abram. Abram had silver, gold, tents, servants, and livestock. Lot had flocks, herds, and tents. The land they were in could not support BOTH of them. God HAD told Abram to come alone. Is this perhaps one reason why? Because they didn’t listen, the were in the classic ‘this land isn’t big enough for both of us’ and their herdsmen quarrelled. We don’t know what Lot thought about it, but he did nothing. Abram, however, didn’t put up with strife. He came to solve it. He took his nephew and gave him the lay of the land. He told Lot pick where you want to go and I will go the other way. One way was lush, green, and vibrant; full of cities and abundance. The other was not quite as lush, very desert-like, had some people, but didn’t seem as abundant. Lot did not build an altar or seek the Lord (but we’re told in 2 Peter 2:7 he was a righteous man). He looked at the natural appearance and climate of the land, but not the spiritual climate or social morality. He picked the Valley of the Jordan. Abram went the other way into Canaan. He was so convinced that he would be blessed by God it didn’t matter where he was physically located.

Now, for the first time, Abram was completely in obedience to the Lord. He was in the land the Lord had showed him AND he was completely apart from his father’s household. The Lord immediately spoke to Abram. This is a good lesson. Do you feel the Lord has stopped speaking to you? Go to the last thing He told you to do and make sure it has been done completely – with a heart of loving obedience. The Lord told him to look all the directions of the compass because that was the land he and his descendants would be given forever. How many descendants? As many as the dust of the Earth. Then Abram was told to walk every piece of it. And everywhere he went, he had to deal with dust. As he was walking the promised land throughout the day, he would be thinking of those descendants which would be ever present, going everywhere. Abram left where he was, went down to Hebron, settled near the oaks of Mamre (another prosperous man), and built an altar to the Lord.

“And he believed in Yahweh, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

The Valley of the Jordan had five major settlements (cities): Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, and Bela (Zoar). They had been conquered in some way by the king of Elam and served him for twelve years now. In the thirteenth year, however, they rebelled. It didn’t go well with them. The king of Elam brought his buddies the kings of Shinar, Ellasar, and Goyim. The valley kings got defeated and their stuff taken. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, that is where Lot had set up camp. So Lot and all his possessions were also taken. However, there was at least one man who escaped. He ran and told Abram the situation. Abram rose up with his friends (allies) Mamre, his brother Eshkol, and Aner. We don’t know how many men the others provided, but Abram’s household was big enough there were three hundred and eighteen (318) trained men Abram could spare. They went a pretty far way (Hobar, north of Damascus) and defeated the four kings. Not only that, but Abram brought back ALL the possessions taken – which included Lot, Lot’s stuff, and all the women and people taken as slaves from the cities of the Valley.

Next is a unique event. A priest of God Most High appears to Abram, intercepting him before the King of Sodom could come near Abram. Melchizedek was a priest in the order of Grace – Abram needed to do nothing to get this attention. Melchizedek brought the elements of communion with him (wine and bread). And in his place as priest, he blessed Abram. Abram’s response was to tithe ten percent of everything that was with him. Melchizedek is a king and priest of Salem (which became Jerusalem). He appears and disappears with no other record. He is definitely a type and shadow of Jesus and Messiah’s role. Jewish legends say he was in fact Shem, Noah’s son (who WAS alive at this time). We don’t know. But we know that he was a priest and king before the Law was given, could bless in God’s name, Abram tithed to him, and they had communion over God being Abram’s Source – shown by Abram’s total rejection of plunder/wealth offered by the king of Salem (up until now, we could see a distinct willingness to stray for money in Abram’s life).

After Abram declared God his Source, after he tithed to seed into his spiritual future, then God came to Abram and answered Abram’s trust. God said, “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1). Abram naturally questioned God, not over the reward and promises he had received, but on the methodology of it all (Mary did the same thing when she was visited). He needed to understand. God entered into a covenant with Abram (The THIRD covenant with humanity, the Abrahamic Covenant – Genesis 12, 15, and 17 in its totality). It is a covenant of blessing. Blessing on Abram and ALSO blessing to the world THROUGH Abram. Blessed to be a blessing. If you’ll receive the blessing of Abram, you have a responsibility to bless like Abram. God said his descendants would be like the stars – every night he would be reminded of the promise. Abram sacrificed animals and protected the sacrifice from scavengers until night, when he had a vision. Unlike normal covenants where both sides walked through the split carcasses, signifying the penalty of death if you violated it, God alone walked through – signifying the responsibility and the penalty of covenant with humanity would be assumed by God (the sacrifice to pay for sin). A smoking fire pot and a burning torched walked between the sacrifices – just as a pillar of smoke and fire walked before the Israelites later.

Now, God kept no secrets. He told Abram his descendants would inhabit the land, but he also told them they would be mistreated for 400 years and enslaved. It was 430 years to the DAY from this covenant that the Law was given to the Israelites through Moses (Exodus 12:40; Galatians 3:17) – the extra 30 years from Moses’ taking things into his own hands and pridefully costing a delay. This covenant was cut about 2,033 years after Adam rebelled. The mistreatment of Abram’s line lasted a LONG time and they would be cruelly enslaved for about 154 years – the cruelty was NOT spoken by God and THAT was why the Egyptians were punished. As can be seen through the Law, slaves/servants could be had without that kind of treatment. Afflicted and bound was the course of events, but the Egyptians (because of a particular pair of Pharaohs) added the cruelty.

Abram BELIEVED God when God spoke these things to him (Genesis 15:6). That was the basis for Abram being called righteous. That was the basis for Abram being considered a friend of God (Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). This is how we relate to God. We believe Him. That is the start of ALL blessing, ALL good things, and a relationship with God. Believe Him.

Summary

Key Players: Abram, Lot, Melchizedek

Key Themes: The Blessing of God; Tithing to affirm reliance on God as Source; Believing God

Key Verse(s): Genesis 13:8-9 & 18; 14:14-16, 18-24; 15:1, 4-6, 17