“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” Matthew 28:20
This week’s study assures us that all of us who put our trust in God are the spiritual children of Abraham and will inherit the great and precious promises given to him. All these promises are fulfilled in Abraham’ greater Son, Christ Jesus.
‘Thy Shield’
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield (defender, protector), and thy exceeding great reward”. Genesis 15:1
It is important to understand the context of this message to Abraham. In Genesis 13, we find that the servants of LOT AND Abraham were arguing about the best pastureland for their flocks. Abraham asked Lot, his nephew, to choose the land he wanted. Lot chose the best pasture land and Abraham let him have it.
The record says:
Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to [b]support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD. Genesis 13:6-18
ABRAHAM’S generosity towards Lot was noticed by God. God came to him and in effect told him that since he had given Lot thr best of the land, God would give him (Abraham) ALL the land that he could see.
In Genesis 14, Lot is taken captive by 5 kings of Canaan;
And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 14:8-12
Abrahaam immediately forms his own army, fights against thr kings and rescues Lot. There was no thought of revenge in his heart. He even refused to collect any treasure from the captured kings and paid tithe to Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God.
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. Genesis 14:14-20
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” GENESIS 14:21-24
Abraham refused to take any treadur3 from an earthly king for He served a hevenly king, the Lord most High, possessor of heaven and earth. God rewarded his allegiance by meeting him and saying to him, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield (defender, protector), and thy exceeding great reward”. Genesis 15:1
The Messianic Promise |(the Promise of Messiah):
Abram answers God…But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6
God guaranteed to Abraham that He Himself would fulfil this covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:17-21.
In Revelation 7, we see that God keeps His promise. Through the work of Abraham’s greater Son, the Messiah, there will be a multitude that ‘no man can number, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The Messianic Promise (the Promise of Messiah) 2:
God comes to Abraham again and again with the promise of great blessing through his descendants:
“Your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Gen. 17:5-8
After Abraham was willing to offer his promised son, Isaac:
Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Genesis 18:15-19
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians centuries later, clearly stated that ‘ABRAHAMS’S seed referred to Christ Jesus.
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:16-18
In Christ, all mankind is redeemed and delivered from the power of Satan and sin. In Christ, all nations are blessed –by His blood, they have forgiveness of sin and His righteousness, the righteousness of God, is available to all as a free gift.
Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:6-9
All who believe in Christ and trust in Him for salvation are the spiritual children of Abraham, both Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile are only justified by faith in Christ. And this faith in Christ results in blessing; the double blessing of justification and the gift of the Spirit. All who are justified also receive the gift of the Spirit.
If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29
“I will make your Name Great…”
“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” Genesis 12:2
This is a principle in the doctrine of Election…’the election of one for the blessing of the many’. When God chooses one man, he chooses him so that he can be a blessing to many. When He chooses a nation, He chooses that nation to be a blessing to many nations. When He chooses a movement, the movement is chosen to be a blessing to the world. this should cause the chosen one /chosen people to live in humility before God.
So God chose one nation for the blessing of many nations. See Deuteronomy 4:5-8, Isaiah 60:1-3
God chose one Man, Christ Jesus for the blessing of the many. See Isaiah 49:6, Romans 5:12-19