God's Promise: A great nation or a multitude of nations

The Bible is a rich collection of books that detail God's interaction through human history. At the core of the teaching is a central theme, the Kingdom of God. There are episodic events recorded from the creation of all from nothing, to the start of man, the fall of man, the rise of nations, the flood, the re-establishment of nations, to the start of a promise to redeem man from certain death.

One of these events is what is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. Our church in Rhode Island has been studying the history of Abraham and God's unilateral covenant with him. Just recently we read the passage in Genesis 17:3.

[Gen 17:3 - KJV] As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations (emphasis mine). - Genesis 17:3 (KJV)  

When I read this, my mind stopped and asked, wait a minute, I thought of Genesis 12:1-2 where God promises to make Abram a great nation.

[Gen 12:1-2 KJV] 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: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation (emphasis mine), and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

 These two verses seem to conflict with each other. What in the world does God mean in 17:3 compared to Genesis 12:1-2?

For many who study the Bible, we recognize the first promise in Genesis 12:2 more frequently than we do the verse in 17:3. This study will attempt to give clarity to these passages that seem to conflict with each other.

Background

For a little bit of background it is important to understand the time difference.
In Genesis 12:1, Abram is a mere 75 years old, according to 12:4. As we fast forward to 17:1, Abram is now 99 years old! What only takes a few minutes for us to read, spans almost a quarter of a century for Abram. In that time God has spoken to Abram a few times; Abram has traveled to Egypt and back a couple of times, survived combat, rescued his cousin Lot and his family, engaged in a bit of politicking with the Egyptian rulers, given birth to a son named Ismael, and a host of other things, most of which are not recorded for us in the mere pages of Genesis 12 - 17.

I am not going to be doing a deep dive into these passages to flesh out their exegetical meaning, but will provide enough to aid in clarifying this issue of God's promise to make Abram a great nation, or many nations. Nor am I going to address issues around the birth of Ismael, the events surrounding Hagar, the servant of Sarai and its moral / global impact on us today.

Like anyone I start with a series of presuppositions. First, the Bible is given to us by God. God is true, and cannot lie. The statements in the Bible are factual in how they are represented, but since many passages record the events of men's lives, not all recorded events are factual, but they have been factually recorded. For instance when asked about Israeli spies, Rahab lies. Her statement is not 'factual', however, her statement is recorded factually in that it is a true account of her lie.

When God states to Abram in 12:2 that he will make him 'a great nation', God then means what he says. Similarly, when God states in 17:4 that He will make Abraham the father of many nations, God means that as well. But the two statements seem a bit conflicted, almost as if God is changing his mind.

Logically, God can make Abram a singularly great nation. Reading further into Genesis we discover that this promise gets repeated to Isaac, Abraham's son through Sarah. Further, this one 'great' nation, can be a sub-set of the many nations mentioned in Genesis 17:4.

Here is a simple illustration showing a set of the multitude of nations, and how 'a great nation' can be part of this set. My math friends may find a better way of representing sets and subsets. :D

( MULTITUDE of NATIONS ... {Nation 1} {Nation 2} {Nation 3} ... {Nation of Israel}... {Nation n} ... MULTITUDE of NATIONS)

So logically God has not contradicted himself with the two statements. However, I still find it odd at how God expresses these promises to Abram/Abraham. Why does he even reference the 'many nations' other than possibly to add emphasis to the reality of the promise through the change of name. For instance the name 'Abram' does mean 'father of many'. Abraham, is a variant that means 'father of many nations'.

I have to believe that the reference to 'many nations' is significant because it is repeated several times in the Bible.

In reference to Abraham, the first reference is in Genesis 17:4, and it coincides with God granting Abram a new name, Abraham. We learn that the name Abraham means "father of many nations" according to 17:5. So the promise is so significant that it leads God to rename Abram to Abraham. Every time that neighbors call out to Abraham now, Abraham will be constantly reminded of God's promise.

Common Teachings

The most common understanding seems to be that God here includes Ishmael, born from Hagar, Isaac, born of Sarah, and other children born of Keturah. Matthew Henry teaches this view. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Gen/Gen_017.cfm?a=17004

Even the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge cross references these verses with verses that seems to include Keturah. 

Many others have also taught this. However, I am going to disagree for at least two reasons.

First, is God's promise to grant the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession (Gen 17:8). This land grant is always understood and reaffirmed to be the land granted to Isaac and Jacob, who is renamed Israel. 

Second is that Abraham understands that this promise does not include Ishmael. After God has explained more details of his promise, what does Abraham do, but intercede with God to include Ishmael as a fulfillment of the promise. In verse 19, God reconfirms that the promise is for Sarah and for a son whom will be called Isaac. Isaac according to God is the child of promise. 

Third is that in Genesis 17:16 Sarah is promised to be a 'mother of nations'. This verse alone excludes Ishmael and the children of Keturah in Genesis 25. 

While one can say that Abraham does indeed become the father of many nations, one cannot include Sarah in this description to become the mother of many nations. Somehow God impregnates these verses with meaning that extend beyond just Isaac. 

Dual Promise?

Looking through the Bible, I only find similar references in a few places. Here in Genesis 17 seems to be the first. 

The second relates to when Jacob, Israel, blesses the sons of Joseph in the land of Egypt in Genesis 48:19-22. 

[Gen 48:19-20 KJV] And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. (emphasis mine) And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Throughout nearly all of the remainder of the Old Testament, God does not make mention of many nations in reference to the Abrahamic covenant. However, there are numerous references to other nations usually in contrast to the nation of Israel. Two verses do stand out that may relate to this prophecy. 

[Zec 2:11 - KJV] And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

AND

[Zec 8:22 - KJV] Yeah, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 

This passage is a bit weak in that it does not directly tie Abraham to many nations. However, this verse is a prophecy that many indicate is a 'Day of the Lord' or end time prophecy when Christ reigns on earth for one thousand years. Further, teaching from the New Testament will help tie these verses together.

[Rom 4:16 - 18 KJV] Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all; (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might be the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. 

Here Paul, an expert in Jewish law and teaching, teaches of the universality of the Abrahamic covenant. It is a covenant that applies to more than the Jewish people directly. Later he expands on this in Romans 9 where he teaches '... For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: ...' There is clearly a spiritual heritage that Abraham is bequeathed by God.

Finally, John in Revelation 7:9 gloriously proclaims "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no many could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"
The promise comes full circle back to the throne room of God where that promise is visualized as the redeemed worship God and Christ.

So it is my understanding that this reference to 'many nations' is part of a dual promise. First the promise for a great nation was an 'immediate' promise, relatively speaking. Abraham never sees the fulfillment in his lifetime. I believe we see the fulfillment of the second part only partially today. One day when all believers are in heaven we will see with great awe and wonder the 'many nations' of Abraham.

Jesus on Terrorism: Part 2

Recent terror attacks in Paris, and now in Mali are tragic and a blight against the holiness of God.

Now our President wants to allow refugees into our country, with the very real probability that terrorists will masquerade as refugees with them. 

As I wrote yesterday, my gut response, instinct, is to cry out no. I have even stated as much in some other posts, criticizing our President for knowingly giving aid and comfort to enemy combatants. I do believe that if I engaged in such behavior, I would be considered a traitor and be tried for treason. Personally I wonder why others do not call for greater accountability from our President. 

However, in this writing I am not interested in my opinions. I want to examine the life of Christ and see what he has to say about how we are to interact with others. 

Yesterday, the first day of my study, I examined Matthew 7 and 5, both of which teach principles along the same line. I still struggle with the teaching because it does not fit with how I want to respond. I want to be angry, I want to hate, to see the murderous Islamic terrorists die. I struggle because there is very little room for mercy for them. 

Yet, the message is clear. We are to do good to those who persecute us. We are to bless and not curse. 

So principle #1 is to demonstrate compassion to our enemies. We do this not only with our prayers, but with demonstrable action.

Matthew 7:15-20 teaches us to beware of false teaching. 

I love engaging in discussions with others who say the Bible teaches that we should not judge others. They use this verse in the beginning of Chapter 7 as a way to morally absolve themselves of any type of spiritual accountability. Yet, here in the same breath, Christ says to beware of false teachers. Well, how do we discern false teachers unless we judge their behavior. 

Christ describes false teachers as wolves in sheep's clothing. 

These verses speak directly to applying discernment, judgement, within the body of Christ, but also to anyone who seeks to pervert the teaching of God. This can be applied to Islamic teaching. Islamic teaching is antithetical to the teaching of the Bible. I am not going to go into detail at this time to contrast the two teachings, and there is sufficient already written on this subject. 

Yes, God wants us to demonstrate compassion, even toward our enemies. However, he does not want us to lay aside discernment of situations that can damage the church family, and by extension our families and country. 

This teaching correlates to Christ's instructions for his disciples when he sent them out to teach in all the towns throughout Israel. Matthew 10:16-20 speaks about Christ sending out the disciples as sheep in the midst of wolves. "Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues." Later he gives warning that "...you will be hated by all for My name's sake. "

We will be rejected for our faith. Even with this warning, we are not to go about in fear. Christ encourages us: "do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." 

Principle #2: Compassion needs to be filtered with discernment. We cannot allow false teachers into our congregations, to corrupt the church and our family. 

As I read through Matthew, I do note that Christ demonstrated that heart of compassion time and time again. He heals the leaper, by touching him. He heals the blind, the centurion's servant, the woman with an issue of blood, he feeds the thousands, not just once but twice. If we need an example of someone loving his neighbor, of doing unto others as we want done to us. 

Again thank you for reading and may God bless you. 

Jesus on Terrorism: Part 1

Recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France and the United States' desire to provide shelter for refugees got me to thinking if the Bible and more particularly, Jesus has anything to say on this matter.

Just as a prelude, I make no apologies in saying that the Bible is the source of my world view. Its teachings are the basis of all that I hold dear. While I wish that all could know the joy and peace that I have in Christ, I understand that I cannot force anyone to accept this. Like any gift, the receiving of he gift is not in the hands of the giver but the recipient. 

Please note that my personal desire is to block the refugees from entering the United States. I want to protect our country, our families, our friends, our liberty. However, I am trying to look at this issue honestly, even if it is painful to my own desire. For my feelings should not shape the truth of God's word, but God's word should shape my feelings.

So what does Jesus say regarding terrorism and accepting refugees?

Jesus does not address the issue directly. You will not find chapter and verse indicating that you should or should not take a refugee into your home, figuratively speaking. However, we can draw some conclusions from principals that he taught during his earthly ministry.

The Golden Rule

Many of us are familiar with Matthew 7:12; 12 "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." ‑ ESV

This verse can be paired with verses found in chapter five.

Matthew 5:43ff: 43  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

WOW! When I read this I cannot help but pause with conviction.
I don't like it. It does not align with my feelings to shelter and protect.
Please take a moment to read this a few times and let it sink in.

Lord, did you really mean this? Perhaps it only means people we do not regularly associate with; it is those to whom we should be nice, right Lord? Certainly we can exclude those who seek to do us harm? This is my line of thinking as I read these verses.

However, Christ is very pointed in his teaching. I must apply this teaching to those who 'hate', who are 'evil', who 'persecute' us.

I don't know about you, but this is a hard teaching. Christ does not insert an exclusion clause here. He says we are to pray for those who spitefully use us, who persecute us. This certainly sounds like what is happening internationally and even here on our shores. I must confess, I have not prayed for those who seek to do us harm, at least not in a positive manner.

What breaks my heart even more is the fact that he explains why we should do this. When we behave in the manner Christ describes, it is then we are demonstrating we are his children. Even God sends blessings on the just and the unjust. When I fail to act in this manner, I am not demonstrating that I am his child. This is a humbling, a sobering, thought. My attitude to ISIS, to Islamic terrorists, has not been one of compassion and love but hate and anger. These are not qualities of our Father in heaven. These are not the qualities demonstrated by Christ, even when he hung on the cross. Lord forgive me for my sin in this area.

So Christ teaches us to do what for our enemies? Clearly we are to pray for our enemies.

I am certain Christ is not talking about praying 'imprecatory' psalms, prayers of cursing; rather he couples this with the concept of blessing.

Now, praying seems safe. I am willing to pray for my enemies. I think of the movie, 'Fiddler on the Roof', when the people ask the Rabbi if there is a blessing for the Czar? He replies that there is a blessing for everything, including the Czar and goes on to say 'May the Lord Bless thee and Keep thee .... far away from us.' We feel comfortable with this part of the instruction because it still keeps the enemy away from us. It is a 'safe' thing to do.

But he calls us to 'bless' our enemies. What does he mean to 'bless' those who curse us? He says we are to do 'good' to them. When we do good, we bless. Here is where the rubber meets the road, where God's word collides with our humanity. This part 'costs' me something. It is not a popular teaching, and frankly I would expect that some will ridicule me for behaving in this manner.

So principle #1 is to demonstrate compassion to our enemies. We do this not only with our prayers, but with demonstrable action.

I am going to continue this study later. I think this is enough for tonight to contemplate.

May God bless you and thank you for taking the time to read.

Old Testament Minor Prophet's Relevance for Today

One of my favorite minor prophets is Habakkuk. He is someone I think that many of us can relate to. He struggles with the status quo and wishes for societal change to a deeper richer relationship with the living God.

Habakkuk 1:2 is a verse that often reflects my own internal spiritual struggle. It reads: "How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, "Violence!" Yet You do not save."

There are times in my life where the living God seems so distant, so removed from my daily struggles. I know I am in good company with these feelings. King David felt the same way (Ps 13:1-2, 22:1-2), Christ felt that same sense on the cross during that dark hour in which he bore our sins and he cries out "My God, My God; why have you forsaken me!" Believers across the course of time have at moments wrestled with this feeling. However, at the same time we claim victoriously the words of Paul, "What shall separate me from the love of Christ in God?" As well we affirm the promise of God from the writer of Hebrews, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." And we recall the promise of Christ that no one can pluck us from His hands. We are His, gloriously all His for all of eternity. A promise signed and sealed with divine blood.

Yet from our humanity it does not exclude those tender moments where we wonder why God tarries. Why it seems like the world spirals out of control, or even in the context of our lives, the events of our lives are spiraling out of control. It is chaos, it is "Violence!" Yet You do not save."

We look around and all we see is wickedness, (1:3) we bad things happening day to day, destruction and violence are before us. Strife exists and contention arises. Ha! Habakkuk could be writing about events happening in our towns, cities, counties, plantations, states, countries, and world right now. Political groups rising up against groups. Gangs against gangs, ethnic cleansing, jealousy, theft, all kinds of malice against others just to raise another person up a little higher than another. It is all evil and deplorable.

Verse 4 sums it up. "Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted." Those in charge pretend to be law abiding, but they are not. They ignore the law they themselves lord over others and justice is never upheld. Justice comes out perverted. Those who try to live rightly are often sneered at and trampled upon. The righteous sigh and wonder if it is worth it to live righteously in the face of overwhelming perversion of justice. Why everyone else is just perverting the law, and ignoring it, why not me. But instead we cling to integrity.

Verse five is the first response recorded for us from God to Habakkuk. He reminds the prophet that while it seems like nothing is happening and that wickedness is getting away scott-free, indeed God has a plan and it is in action. However, his plan is unbelievable, he is raising up a fierce army to attack Israel, to tear it down and punish it. It is a great army, with swift military might for that day. And that great wall that protects Jerusalem ... well they laugh at such things. However, God says that even though they are His instrument of punishment, He will not leave them guiltless.

Verse 12 picks up with Habakkuk's reaction to the revelation of God's judgement. I love his response and it reminds me to be careful of what I wish for from God because I just might get it. He first  affirms that indeed God is Holy and from everlasting, a God who cannot stand evil. He just wants to remind God, just in case he forgot, of the basis of who He is, and that how can he allow a nation who is more evil than Judea, the southern tribe of Israel, to come and be judge over Judea? He does not deny that He has appointed them to judge Judea, but he is astonished that he would use a wicked nation like Babylon. In the end he states that it is not to God that they will offer sacrifices. Chapter 2:1 ends Habakkuk's second recorded discourse with God.

I love the reply of God and it has become a constant reminder for me for many years now.
2:2 God states "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run."

I often wonder if the recording of this vision on tablets refers to the permanence of God's promise, the certainty of it, similar to the certainty that was behind the giving of the law on Sinai.
I guess the translation "That the one who reads it may run." is not certain. Alternate translations state

"Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it."(NKJV)

The image here is of a herald running forth with a very clear message to proclaim to the provinces of Judea. I wonder if I would want to be that herald running around carrying a stone with the inscription of God's judgment?
Verse 3 states that the vision is yet for the appointed time and it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.

I love this verse. Oh God is not slack concerning His promises and His plans are never late. They are always for the appointed time and hasten toward the goal. It will NOT fail! Ha! from our perspective it seems like it tarries, but what does God say, wait for it ... it is like us sitting with a child at an event saying "wait for it ... wait for it ... and then BANG! the event happens." God's events will certainly come, it will not delay. We have the author, creator, and sustainer of the universe, of you and me, we have His seal of certainty on it. It will happen.

But to be honest, those days of doubt still creep in on me. I kick myself time and again, bringing myself back to this verse and reminding myself of the certainty of this. God will not forget nor forsake. His plans are certain and timely. Oh that I could trust Him intimately in this every moment of every day for this. How much my life and all of life could be different for this.

There is so much more I can write on this and perhaps I will continue this later tomorrow. For now I thank you blessed God for your tender mercies and timely promises. I thank You that all of your promises never fail and that you care for us with an everlasting love. Amen.

Who am I?

Lately I have been going through some personal junk where I think I have been less respectful of God and his authority over me and of what He has done for me.

This morning I stop to think of who am I in relation to God?

1. I ask first why did God ever chose me to come to Him? There is nothing beautiful or special about me. I have not done anything great for His kingdom. I still struggle to think of how I fit into His plan. 
2. Why do I argue back at God, or question His goodness? Is it not enough that He sent Jesus to die for me? Oh, you should see me brag when things are going good of how it is enough that God sent His Son to die for me ... but in reality ... I am more like the rude prodigal son demanding his inheritance now. 
3. Why do I question if God loves me? You would think that by now this would be a done deal, set in stone and a permanent etching of my emotional psyche. But noooo! I still go through the swings where I wonder if God still loves me. I hate emotions ... good thing I have logic to fall back on. Ho! I am beginning to sound Vulcan. I wonder if my blood has started turning green?
4. Why in the world can I not get any measure of discipline established in my life spiritually? Is it hard or something? Has God asked the impossible? When I do start reading God's word and praying and singing; why does it seem like hard work rather than a joyous visit with a dear friend? 

Lord, I do love You. I love Your word, the way in which You are working and have been working in my life. Yes, I get it wrong most all of the time and why You are patient with me goes beyond my understanding. But that is fantastic. You are just too wonderful for expression. 

Revealing Christ's Glory.

John 2

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. vs11
 

At the wedding feast in Cana, Christ transforms the water to wine. John, prompted by the Holy Spirit records the words that Christ revealed his glory through this act, and as a result, his disciples placed their faith in him.

As I reflect on this, I begin to wonder about  the effect of revealing Christ's glory in our daily walk in order to point others to Christ to place their faith in him. Does revealing Christ's glory cause faith in Him? I wonder.

I am thinking through the different records where Christ engages individuals and groups of people and the result is faith in Him. Is Christ revealing his glory in these instances? I think about Nicodemus. In John 3 there is no clear revealing of his glory - unless it is in his teaching about being born again and as the snake is lifted up in the desert so the Son of Man will be lifted up, e.g., cruicified.

However, in John 4, where Christ deliberately engages the Samaritan woman at the well; Christ does demonstrate some of His glory by revealing everything that the woman had done (v. 29) and this resulted in faith. The woman goes on to testify of Christ's revelation and the towns people come to meet Jesus face to face. The Bible goes on to say that because of his words many more became believers.

Also recorded in John 4 is the testimony of Christ healing the royal official's son. Verse 47 records, "When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death." Jesus' response is perceptive. "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe." v48

So in this case, was Christ's glory revealed? He does heal the boy and that without having actually visited the boy physically. And the result is measurable. God says 'So all he and his household believed."

Luke's interesting Commentary on Jesus' Return to Galilee

Luke 4: 14 states, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside."


I find this a curious commentary on the status of the Savior following His submersion in  the flowing banks of the Jordan river under the appointment of John the Baptist, and then the forty days of fasting in the wilderness, having successfully faced the wiles of the Tempter. The words catch me in that they seem to indicate some change of state, as if it were something new. He left Galilee without the power the Spirit (please bear with me here as I just ramble a bit in my thought pattern), He then met with His divine appointments, He now returns in the power of the Spirit and so it is now that news about him spreads. 


Being in very nature God, how is it that he was not in the power of the Spirit previously? I don't understand how He could divest Himself of that power, and yet He did for this period. 


As I sit and consider this situation I must admit that this is not without its parallel. For on the cross Christ suffered separation from the Father. 


The application of this passage is simple, for the divine modeled for us how ministry should be conducted, not in our own strength but in the empowerment of the Spirit. I wish I could give myself to prayer and fasting in such dedication as my Savior; I grumble when I miss more than two meals let alone a day or forty days. But obviously this preparation was important for the start of this ministry period, for the selection of the twelve, for the declaration of the kingdom of God.It is just as vital for me. -- D