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Chapter
10 gives us the beginning of the outworking of
the blessing and cursing given to the three sons
of Noach. From these three came seventy nations,
who all spoke the same language. The descendants
of Yafet settled in the areas around the Black
and Caspian Seas, and migrated north and west
toward Turkey and Europe. The descendants of Cham
settled in the Middle East, Israel and Africa.
The descendants of Shem settled in the Middle
East and the Arabian Peninsula.
A descendant
of Cham - Nimrod, whose name means "rebel," is
the first to accrue power. He uses his strength
to begin a kingdom in ancient Babylon. Nimrod
may have been the person in charge of the building
of the tower of Babel.
Chapter
11 starts of telling us that after the Flood,
humanity was united. Everyone spoke a common language.
Everyone was journeying together toward the East.
But, their concern was that as the human race
was being repopulated after the Flood, and as
humanity grew and expanded outward, they would
be fragmented. So, when they came to a plain in
Babylon, they decided to build a city with a tower
whose top would reach up into Heaven. The purpose
of the city of Babylon and its tower is to serve
as a unifying political and religious center for
mankind, so that humanity won't be scattered.
From this point on, an important and powerful
central place, along with a powerful religious
idea, will continually be used throughout human
history to unify a nation or empire.
But sadly,
this unity was based on pride and arrogance (let
us make a name for ourselves. Let's show how great
we are) and religious error. This tower that was
to reach into Heaven was not used to worship the
one true living God, who created us, and made
us in His own image, endowing us with so many
gifts, and who in His mercy enabled humanity to
survive the Flood, but other gods - the sun, moon
and stars, and the gods that were believed to
be connected to them. For example, Jupiter is
the largest planet, and was also a Roman God.
The same was true of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn
and others.
Although
this is only the forth generation after the Flood
(if the scattering referred to in the days of
Peleg refers to the scattering of Babel: Shem
to Arpachshad to Shelach to Ever to Peleg), the
majority of humanity had again become corrupt.
Within just a few generations after the Flood,
even though humanity knew God, they stopped honoring
Him as God. They stopped thanking Him. They became
religiously confused, and starting worshiping
forces within nature - sun, moon and starts, trees,
rivers, dead human leaders, even animals. They
believed that there were spirit beings connected
with these forces, and that was the reason for
the power these forces had. They forgot that the
powers higher and greater than man were made by
the Creator.
Babel
becomes the center of a united mankind's rebellion
against God. It becomes the center of false religion,
idolatry, and human arrogance.
In some
way, the Lord came down and saw Babylon being
built, and its tower, and was rightfully displeased.
His judgment came. Instead of being the center
of unity, mankind is scattered. Instead of having
one language in which to communicate our thoughts,
and be able to work easily together, mankind is
given a confusing number of languages (some 3000
languages and dialects today), which makes it
much more communicate and work together. Instead
of completing the city, it is left unfinished.
Instead of unification, mankind is scattered.
And, that
is a good thing, because when all of humanity
is united, we tend to get into even more trouble
than when nations are separate. Nationalism has
its flaws, but internationalism, when humanity
becomes united, is even worse.
History
will once again repeat itself. The history of
the Tower of Babel will be repeated throughout
the world in the Achareet HaYameen - the Last
Days. The tower of Babel was the expression of
a deep-seated apostasy, a type of the God-defying
unfaithfulness which will rise against the Lord
and His Anointed Messiah in the Last Days. The
Tower of Babel is a prophecy of a New World Order,
that one world government that will exist right
before Messiah Yeshua returns to planet Earth.
When all of mankind does become united, it will
unite against God and against His Anointed.
There
are two cities that are mentioned early in the
Divine Revelation, that symbolize one of two ways
of living, and one of two final conditions for
humanity. There is Babylon and there is Jerusalem.
Babel is the city of confusion. Jerusalem is the
city of peace. Babel is the city of fallen man.
Jerusalem is the city of God, and the city of
redeemed man. Babel symbolizes rebellion against
God. Jerusalem symbolizes obedience to God. Babel
represents false religion that leads to death.
Jerusalem represents true religion that leads
to life. Every human being is a citizen of Babylon
or Jerusalem. Which one are you?
Chapter
11 concludes with the descendants of Shem - those
who are chosen to know the One God, and bring
the knowledge of the God who can redeem us, to
the rest of the nations of the world, who are
religiously confused, morally corrupt, and alienated
from the God who can save them, and enable them
to live forever.
From Shem
to Abraham ten generation are recorded, covering
a period of some 400 years. The lifespans of human
beings are much shorter after the Flood, than
they were before the Flood, indicating that conditions
on Earth were different. Abraham lived around
the year 2000 BC, which means that the Flood could
have taken place somewhere around 2400 BC.
It took
11 chapters for Moses to describe the creation
of the universe, the creation of Adam and Eve,
the fall of man, the expulsion from the Garden
of Eden, principles of atonement by having faith
in God and bringing a sacrificed animal, the corruption
of humanity before the Flood, the destruction
of the earth by the Flood, the covenant that God
made with humanity after the Flood, the list of
the nations of the world, and the rebellion at
Babel.
Moses
will now give greater attention and spend more
time on the life of one man - Abraham! That tells
us that the events connected to Abraham are very
important, and we should be familiar with them.
Why is
Abraham so important? Because by the time of Abraham,
humanity had once again become corrupt. The false
religion of Babylon had spread throughout the
human race. The world was alienated from the God
Who Can Save Us, dead in trespasses and sins.
The Lord God who loves the world wanted to create
a nation in the midst of the nations, a people
who would know Him, be close to Him, serve Him,
worship Him in spirit and in truth, and understand
the principles of faith and sacrifice that brings
atonement. Israel was to be a light to the nations,
bringing God and salvation to the rest of the
world.
Abraham
starts off the with name Avram, which "high father,"
since he was meant to be the exalted and honored
father of the Jewish people, many of the Arab
peoples, and the father of all those who have
genuine, saving faith, whether they are Jews or
Gentiles.
Abraham
marries Sarai, whose name means "princess." She
is his half-sister, his father's (but not his
mother's) daughter. Sarai is barren and is unable
to have children.
Abraham
starts off in Ur in Chaldea - a city in the southern
part of ancient Babylon. His father Terach, served
other gods (see Joshua 24:2). The Talmud says
that Terach was an maker of idols, but we don't
know that was the case. We do know that he grow
up in an idolatrous environment. But, in spite
of growing up in the midst of religious confusion,
the Lord chose Abraham, and revealed Himself to
him, spoke to him, and made a world-effecting
covenant with him, a contract, a binding agreement
with him. How gracious, how kind, how good of
God to do so!
This man,
who would be the first of the new and holy nation,
needed to be removed from the pagan influences
surrounding him. And so the Lord commanded Abraham
to leave his country, and his relatives and his
father's house, and head to another land which
He would reveal to him.
That was
a difficult thing that the Lord asked Abraham
to do. Most human beings love their country, and
their relatives, and their society, and would
find it very hard to leave them all behind, and
head to an unknown land. He was to leave all -
civilization, family, friends, and go wherever
the Lord directed him. But Abraham had faith in
the One God, and obeyed Him, and left family and
country, and headed west. "A similar ‘call' comes
to Abraham's descendants in every age ... to separate
themselves from all associations and influences
that are inimical to their Faith and Destiny"
(Hertz). The one who is not willing to leave father,
mother, sister, brother, son, daughter, country,
home, does not share the faith of Abraham.
The Lord
commanded Abraham to leave family and home, but
at the same time He also made a covenant with
him and promised him some great things. The provisions
of this covenant include:
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A great nation:
This primarily refers to the Jewish people,
but it also includes Ishmael's descendants
and the sons of Keturah (see 25:1-6) who formed
the Arab peoples. It also includes all true
Believers, who are sons of Abraham because
of their faith. The nation of Israel achieved
a measure of greatness under King David and
King Solomon, but our ultimate greatness will
be achieved when King Yeshua is ruling over
the world from Jerusalem.
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A great name: Abraham
will be famous and greatly honored. 4,000
years this man is remembered, loved and honored
by close to 3 billion people, about half the
world's population, including followers of
Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
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Blessing: Abraham
was to be blessed. This is fulfilled in both
earthly and heavenly riches for our father
Abraham.
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You shall be a blessing
and in you all the families of the Earth will
be blessed: The Jewish people have made
many valuable contributions to the world in
the arts and sciences, in law and economics,
but our greatest gift to the world has been
accomplished by bringing the nations the knowledge
of the one true and living God, and the Word
of God, and the Messiah of God, who brings
atonement and salvation, reconciliation with
God and eternal life.
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I will bless them that
bless you and curse him that curses you:
this is one of the basic principle with which
God deals with individuals and with the nations,
and is still valid for today (Dt. 30:7, Is.
14:1-2, Zech. 12:1-3, Mt. 25:31-46). Pharaoh
harmed Abraham and Sarah and was cursed (12:10-20).
Haman cursed the Jewish people and forfeited
his life. As we look back over 4,000 years
of history, we can see how every nation that
has cursed the Jewish people has indeed been
cursed. The Egyptian, Assyrian, Syrian, Babylonian,
Roman, Spanish, German and English nations
have all experienced the consequences of turning
against Israel. Those nations that have treated
the Jewish people with kindness have been
blessed. One of the reasons why the United
States has been greatly blessed is because
this nation has been a blessing to Israel
and the Jewish people. May it always be that
way!
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I will give to you the
Land: the Land of Israel is an inherent
part of the Abrahamic covenant. The borders
of the Land are later given from the river
of Egypt to the Euphrates. The Land is to
be an everlasting possession for the Jewish
people (15:18, 17:8). If this provision of
the Land is no longer valid, then why is the
rest of it, which includes the salvation of
the nations?
This covenant
is recorded for us in several places: first here
in 12:1-3, but also in 13:14-17, 15:4-21, and
17:1-8. It is restated to Isaac (26:3-5) and then
to Jacob (35:10-12). This covenant is unconditional
- it can't be broken by man. It will be fulfilled.
Verses
4-9 tells us that Abraham and Sarah and Abraham's
nephew Lot, and their servants, left Haran, where
they had moved to from Ur. From Haran they headed
west and south to the Land of Canaan. They went
as far south as Shechem, where the Lord appeared
to Abraham, and made it clear that this was the
Land intended for Abraham and his descendants.
Abraham's
response to God's revelation was to build an altar
in that place where the Lord appeared to him.
The altar was the place where Abraham sacrificed
an animal, and burned part of it, enabling him
to draw nearer to God, since the Lord had made
it clear that we come closer to Him by placing
our faith in Him, accompanied by the blood of
an innocent life.
Abraham
was a man of faith, and prayer and worship, and
so he did the same at nearby Bethel, about 20
miles further south. Abraham continued further
south through the Negev area. Then, since there
was a famine in the land, he continued even further
south toward Egypt.
While
there was food in Egypt, there was also a powerful
government. Abraham was concerned that Pharaoh,
the king of Egypt, may not be just, and that he
would take Sarah, his beautiful wife, to be Pharaoh's
wife, and kill Abraham. And so, he instructed
Sarah to only tell part of the truth, and tell
the Egyptians that she was his sister - not his
wife. Now, she actually was his half-sister, but
she was also his wife, and so this half-truth
was really a lie. This strategy left Sarah exposed
and unprotected. Pharaoh in fact did notice Sarah,
and she was taken into his house. This is one
of the very few times in the long and faithful
life of Abraham, where he does something wrong.
But God
is so good, and so capable, that He is able to
make good come from our bad choices. He is so
great that He can make good come from evil. Even
though Pharaoh didn't know that he was doing something
wrong, the Lord did, and started cursing Pharaoh,
striking his house with great plagues because
he was harming Abraham and Sarah - the Lord's
chosen ones. Charles Ryrie speculates that these
plagues may have prevented Pharaoh from defiling
Sarah, and I hope that was so.
Pharaoh
figures out that the cause of his problems is
that he had taken Abraham's wife, and Abraham
and Sarah are special, and their God is protecting
them and punishing him, and so he returns her
to him, allows Abraham to keep all the many generous
gifts he had given Abraham because of Sarah, and
asks them to depart from his land.
How gracious
of the Lord to overrule Abraham's mistake. How
gracious of the Lord to overrule so many of my
mistakes, and my sins, and yours as well! Now,
while the Lord is capable of bringing good out
of evil, let's not use this as a justification
to sin, or an excuse to live a sloppy live. That
would be presumptuous of God's mercy, and reveal
a heart that was far from God.
In chapter
13 Abraham heads north and east to the Negev,
and then north to Bethel, where he had previously
built an altar. And there at Bethel, Abraham called
on the name of the Lord, which means he prayed
to Him, and worshiped Him, declaring the truths
he knew about God. Even though the land was filled
with those who worshiped many gods, Abraham wasn't
embarrassed to declare his faith in the One God,
the Invisible God - and neither should we!
Abraham
was a rich man, with many flocks and herds and
servants. His nephew Lot, who traveled with him,
also was a man of some substance, and the land
was not enough to sustain both of them. They needed
to separate, and Abraham, gracious and generous,
and not greedy, knowing that God had promised
him this land, but trusting God to take care of
him, and fulfill His promise, allows his nephew
to make the choice for them both, and choose where
he wanted to settle.
Lot's
choice to live in the valley that was watered
by the Jordan river. It was lush and rich, but
it contained the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
So, while the area was rich on the outside, it
was corrupt on the inside. Lot's choice turns
out to be a bad one for him. And, his choice has
been repeated by millions of other human being,
who have chosen material prosperity, and overlooked
the moral corruption that so often accompanies
it.
After
Lot leaves, and Abraham is fully separated from
his last connection to his relatives, the Lord
instructed Abraham to look north, south, east
and west, and travel thought this land, because
the Lord will give this entire land to Abraham
and to his descendants as an eternal - not temporary,
possession. Abraham won't have a few descendants,
but many - as numerous as the specks of dust that
accumulate on Earth!
Abraham
may have been physically separated from his nephew
Lot, but he was still connected to him, and it
is this connection that gets Abraham entangled
in a Middle Eastern war. A coalition of five kings
from Canaan revolted against the king of Elam,
who lived east toward Babylon. The king of Elam
and his allies came and attacked and conquered
several nations in the area, including the kings
of Sodom and Gomorrah. After defeating them, they
came to Sodom and Gomorrah, and took the goods
and people, including Lot and his possessions,
as spoils of war.
Abraham
is told of the capture of Lot, and decided to
mount a rescue. Abraham assembled a force of 318
of his men, travels a long way, more than 100
north from Hevron, in the south, to the very northen
part of Israel. There they overtake the allied
eastern armies, and the Lord grants Abraham and
his band a great victory over what had to be vastly
superior forces.
Abraham
rescues Lot, and all his possessions, and also
all the people and processions of Sodom and Gomorrah.
On the
way back, as they were near the city of Salem
- which means Peace, which would later be renamed
Jerusalem - the City of Peace, they met a fascinating
person - Malkee-Tzedek - the King of Salem, whose
name means "King of Righteousness." He was also
a priest to El Elyon - God, the Most High. Malkee-Tzedek
believed in and the Most High God. Even though
most human beings has been religiously corrupted,
the King of Salem knew the Creator. In a sea of
polytheism he was an island of monotheism. In
a desert of idolatry, he was an oasis of truth.
As a priest,
he represented the Lord, and brought God closer
to human beings, by teaching them about the Creator;
perhaps by offering sacrifices for them; and he
brought human beings closer to the Lord.
He was
God's representative, and was a generous and gracious
host. He served his guests bread and wine to refresh
and strengthen them on their journey, reminding
his guests that God is a generous and gracious
host that we can rely on in our journey through
life.
And, as
a priest of the Most High God, he brought the
blessing of God to Abraham. Malkee-Tzedek blessed
Abraham and said, "Blessed be Avram of God Most
High, Possessor of Heaven and Earth" - in other
words, "may the Supreme Power in the Universe,
who owns and controls everything in it, who has
unlimited resources, bring many good things into
the life of Avram." He continues: "And blessed
be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies
into your hand" - in other words, "the Supreme
Power in the universe should be praised, who is
greater than all of us, especially since He used
His power to enabled you to have victory over
your enemies, Abraham."
And, father
Abraham gave him, as God's representative, ten
percent of everything that he had. Abraham tithed
to him. And, I urge that all of us imitate father
Abraham in this regard, and give ten percent of
what we have to support the Kingdom of God.
Why did
Malkee-Tzedek bless Abraham? Why didn't great
Abraham, bless Malkee-Tzedek? Why did Abraham
tithe to Malkee-Tzedek? Why didn't Malkee-Tzedek
tithe to great Abraham? We know that the greater
blesses the lesser (Hebrews 7:7), so Malkee-Tzedek
must be greater than Abraham. If Abraham encompasses
the Jewish people, and also the Levitical priesthood,
and he tithed to Malkee-Tzedek, isn't the priesthood
of Malkee-Tzedek greater than that of the Levitical
priests?
Who is
this mysterious King of Jerusalem, this King of
Peace, this King of Righteousness, this priest
of the Most High God, who combines the offices
of Priest and King in one person, who is greater
than Abraham, about whom we know so little, who
suddenly appears on the pages of Holy Scripture
out of nowhere?
I do not
believe that Malkee-Tzedek is the Son of God,
but he is like the Son of God. The Son of God
is eternal and has no origin, just as none of
Malkee-Tzedek's ancestors are known to us. The
Son of God is the King of Jerusalem, and the King
of Peace, who alone is able to restore peace to
a shattered universe. The Son of God is the King
of Righteousness, who is Himself the epitome of
righteousness. He always did the right thing,
and is able to make us right with God. Because
of Messiah's life, death and sacrifice, God can
consider us to be righteous - if we join ourselves
to the righteous Messiah.
The Son
of God is the same kind of priest as was Malkee-Tzedek.
"The Lord has sworn, and will not change His mind,
'You are a priest forever, according to the order
of Malkee-Tzedek.'" Yeshua is an eternal priest,
with the same kind of superior priesthood that
Malkee-Tzedek had. It is a priesthood that is
not based on being descendant from Aaron, the
brother of Moses. The priesthood of Malkee-Tzedek
was a real priesthood, and a legitimate priesthood,
and greater than that of the sons of Aaron, and
so is that of the Messiah. Since He is fully God,
Messiah can perfectly represent God to humanity.
Since He is fully Man, be is completely able to
represent Man to God. He is perfectly equipped
to bring God and man together, reconciling the
two.
The Son
of God offers us bread and wine. He invites us
to eat at His table, offering us the bread of
His body and the wine of His blood - offering
Himself, and His life and His death to us, so
that if we place our faith in Him, and love Him,
and join ourselves to Him by faith, we can receive
His life and death, and die to sin, and live for
God. He will provide everything we need for life
in this world, and godliness in this world and
in the world to come.
Abraham
is a generous soul, and even though the king of
Sodom offered him all of the goods of the people
of Sodom as his reward for rescuing them from
a life of slavery, and even though Abraham had
a right to the goods by right of conquest, Abraham
refused. He did not want to take advantage of
the people of Sodom in their distress, and leave
them feeling resentful toward Abraham. He would
not interfere with the right of his other leaders,
however, to take some goods as reward for their
efforts.
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