Genesis Chapter 15-16, The Promise of Abraham 

Genesis 15

Abram Promised a Son

I. God appearing to Abram in this context could be related to chapter 14---but---

A. Even though Abraham had been to battle in chapter 14 to rescue Lot, I don't think that battle was the cause of the fear.

B. In the context of Chapter 15, was Abraham afraid that God was not going to keep His promise of an offspring?

C. God spoke to Abraham in a vision.

(1) In chapter 14, the author goes to great length to cast Abram as a prophet. (nabi)

(2) Notice how Abraham's Vision fits 2nd Peter 1:20-21

(5) All prophets were men/women moved by the Holy Spirit to speak for God.

D. So then, God has now appeared to offer Abram comfort

II. The Discourse about the "offspring"

A. If the "offspring" is not Eliezer then who is the offspring?

B. Abraham approaches God about the offspring!

A. For the First time, Abraham speaks to God.

B. Abraham spoke to God on rare occasions (vs.2-3,8: 17:18; 18:23-33; 22:11).

C. In this vision, Abraham not only replied to God but also raised questions.

D. Was Abraham thinking that God was slow fulfilling His promise? Probably so.

III. Abraham's promise

A. V.5 That his descendants be as many as the stars in heaven. This prophecy was fulfilled by the time the promise land was secured but the ultimate fulfillment is the church of Christ. Gal. 3:6-7

B. Abraham is counted righteous, or "Justified by faith." This means that we are not righteous, only counted so.

C. V.6 Once again, justification by faith was the blessing of Abraham. In fact, all nations are blessed through Abraham since his offspring, (Christians) follow in the mold of David. "Blessed is the man who's sins are not written down." Romans 4:8. God does not write down the sins of Christians, Abraham's offspring.

D. V. 7, How did God give Abraham the land?

1. Leviticus 25:23

2. God never gave up ownership of the land of Canaan. He "gave Abraham and later" Israel the land much as you and I "give" a rent house we own to someone to live in (of course, as long as they pay the rent).

3. Israel was never more than a land tenant.

IV. God, the Maker of Covenants

I. Bondage and deliverance predicted V. 13-14.

A. Abraham's descendants spent four hundred years in captivity in Egypt.

B. Then there will be an Exodus.

C. Notice back in v.7 "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans." This is the same expression later used in the Exodus.

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt" (Ex. 20:2).

D. Our author wants us to know that throughout we are dealing with the one God who is fulfilling His plan.

E. The word in Hebrew for "covenant" literally means "to cut a covenant." Genesis 15:9-10 is the most ancient form of that idea. Also see Jeremiah 34:18.

(Possibly)

1. The animals probably represent Israel?

2. God walks through them represents His presence with Israel?

3. The Birds of prey represent the evil nations surrounding Israel?

4. v.8 how shall I know I shall inherit it? In this instance, Abram's doubt is to be assuaged by a formal pact. Covenants in which the two parties step between cloven hooves are common in the Near East. The Hebrew idiom karat berit, as mentioned means to cut a covenant. There may also be a subtle message here for covenant violators.

5. Literally carrion birds. These were vultures and not hawks.

6. Deep Slumber (v.12) Same Hebrew Word used as Adam's sleep (tardemah).

(a) See the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:28. Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

Genesis 15:16, "the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full." God waits on a nation to meet His limitations on wickedness before He judges them.

18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
"To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: 19^The Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."

I. Verses 18-21, The boundaries of the Promise land.

A. Same boundaries as the Garden of Eden (cf. 2:10-14).

B. The events mentioned here mirror the events at Sinai. Thus, Sinai was only a part of the larger picture.

Genesis Chapter 16

Sarai and Hagar

I. Sarai takes matters into her own hand.

A. Vs.1-6 Chapter 16 a part of the larger story (See Gen. 3:6; 12:3 and Deut. 7:1-6).

a. V.3 as a wife. Most English translations follow the logic of the context and use "Concubine." The word used however is not pilegesh but 'ishah. This is the same term that Sari is identified as (a wife) and sets up an ironic backdrop for Sari's abuse of Hagar.

b. V.5 your embrace, literally in your lap.

B. As a consequence of her despising Sari, Hagar was forced into the desert (v.7).

C. Notice, it is only after Hagar returns and submits to Sari that she receives a blessing (v.10).

II. VV. 7-12 (16:10-12) The Angel of the Lord offers a blessing.

A. Ishmael means "the Lord has heard."

a. The Lord's messenger v.7. This is the first occurrence of an angel in Genesis. A Messenger or one who carries out a task is the primary meaning of the term. One should note that the divine speaker here begins as an angel but by verse 13, this Angle is God (Jesus).

B. The key term throughout this chapter is the word "misery: (•ni). It is a noun in v.11b and a verb in v.6 and in v.9 we find the word again. Hagar was afflicted by Sari (v.6); she was told to put her self back under that affliction (v.9) and the Lord heard her affliction (v.11).

C. The second half of Hagar's blessing.

1. The text says he will be a "wild donkey of a man" (v.12).

2. There is a word play between "donkey" (pere) and "Paran" (pa 'ran') cf.21:21) the location of the tribes of Ishmael in later history. That is "his hand" will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him (v.12).

3. Whereas the meaning of all of this is not all that clear perhaps we can look in 21:21 for a clue. It is said that "he was living in the desert." That would suggest that the literal Hebrew sense of "he shall dwell upon the face of all his brothers" would be "he shall dwell over and against all his kinsmen" (RSV; cf: NIV mg.). That is, he was to dwell on the outskirts of civilization, in the wilderness.

VS. 13-16

I. Hagar names God.

A. He is the God who sees.

B. Notice Abram's age.

C. El-roi The most evident meaning of the word would be "God Who sees me." Hagar's words in explanation of the name are rather cryptic in Hebrew. A better translation ought to read "the well of a living God who sees me."

Ishmael or Isaac? The Koran or the Bible?

December 17, 2001

by Jason Jackson

Did Abraham offer Ishmael or Isaac? The Bible and the Koran differ on this issue. Which book is really divine revelation? Does it matter?The Islamic holiday, Qurbani Id (or Id Al-Adha), is known as the “Sacrifice Festival.” Muslims celebrate this “great feast of sacrifice” on the tenth day of the last month of the Muslim year. According to their doctrinal scheme, this day celebrates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son by Hagar, Ishmael. If you remember the Old Testament account, you will be somewhat perplexed. Was not Isaac the one whom God instructed Abraham to offer? The difference is this. Christians accept the testimony of the Bible. Muslims reject the Bible and believe the Koran (or Qur’an) contains the inspired, uncorrupted record. Who is right?Although the Koran does not name the child whom Abraham was to sacrifice, Muslims believe it was Ishmael, and they believe that idea is supported by the Koran. One Muslim scholar, after citing a number texts from the Koran, concludes: It is quite clear that Ishmael was the son to be sacrificed and not Isaac, peace be upon both of them. We also saw how corrupt the Bible is. The Bible is not reliable. It was badly tampered with by man’s alterations and narrations, that we no longer can tell which parts of it are the True Living Words of GOD Almighty, and which aren’t.

Ishmael was 13 years older than Isaac, and Abraham loved GOD Almighty very much that he wanted to sacrifice his own son for Him. If Ishmael’s name represents Abraham’s gratefulness to GOD Almighty after a desperate long wait to have a son, then it makes perfect sense that Abraham wanted to sacrifice Ishmael to GOD Almighty by giving Him the most precious thing he ever had. (http://www.answering-christianity.com/isaac_and_ishmael.htm).

The issue is not so “who” is right, as if it were a personal dispute between two “classes” of people. The matter is not one of personalities, culture, or race. The issue is this: Which record contains the true, historical account? Will we believe the Bible, which names Isaac, or the claims of Muslim scholars who infer the name of the son from the Koran?Some would contend that this is the kind of disagreement that never will be settled. Christians will accept the Bible. Muslims will side with the Koran. The discussion comes down to a “your-word-against-mine” type of argument—at least in the eyes of some. But the issue is more fundamental than that. The question is really this: Which book is the revelation of God? Both volumes claim inspiration, but obviously both cannot be inspired. The difference of “Isaac versus Ishmael” is just one of hundreds of discrepancies between the Bible and the Koran. And many of these differences concern crucial themes (e.g., the nature of God, the identity of Christ, and God’s plan of salvation). Before one commits to a system of religion, it is necessary to inquire into the source of that religion. If the Bible is from heaven, then Christianity is the true religion. If the Koran is from God, then Islam is the genuine system. Concerning the Bible, we observe that it is made up of a sort of “DNA code”—a set of traits that identifies it as being from God. There are a number of identifying characteristics that reveal the Bible’s divine origin.The Scriptures, although recorded by approximately forty human writers, over a period of some 1500 years, contain an amazing unity of purpose and doctrine. This includes many prophecies, i.e., detailed predictions, that are later fulfilled perfectly. The Bible has been vindicated countless times. Men are ever trying to “catch up” with the Scriptures. But the Koran, despite its claims, lacks the marks of divine revelation. Its sub-standard treatment of women is no secret to anyone familiar with Islam. The book contains numerous historical inaccuracies and anachronisms, i.e., the chronological misplacement of persons, events, etc. Here is one example: In relating the events of the exodus and the wilderness wandering, the Koran says, “They disbelieved the signs of God, and slew the Prophets unjustly” (cf. Sura 25:57-61). Who were “the Prophets” in the wilderness? That expression,"the Prophets," usually designates a special ministry of servants who lived at a later time in Israel’s history. J. M. Rodwell notes: “This passage [Sura 25:59] is one of the numerous anachronisms which abound in the Koran and prove the gross ignorance of the Arabian prophet” (Rodwell, J.M., trans. The Koran, Everyman’s Library. New York: Dutton, 1909, p. 344). Before us are two books. One is flawless and divine. It is the Bible. The other, the Koran, is error-ridden, the product of a self-styled prophet, who was no prophet at all. One encourages us to love our enemies; the other promotes conversion by force and Jihad—"holy war." The Bible records that Abraham was willing to offer Isaac. The Koran, Muslim scholars claim, implies that Abraham was willing to offer Ishmael. The issue is: Which volume is God’s? God’s book is perfect, with a high moral tone. It is filled with marks of divine inspiration that are beyond the possibility of human production. That book is the Holy Bible.