Coachlight Bible Study – Genesis Lesson 30 – Genesis
Chapter 18
Prayer of Intersession
Not long after the
renewal of the covenant by a glorious theophany in
chapter 17, Abraham has another visit from God.
This time it is not God appearing in His glory, but was the appearance
of a man and two friends traveling through
I. The Covenant
Renewed – (Genesis 17) – Now, 13 years
after the trouble with
Hagar, Abraham is 99 years old. These 13 years were undoubtedly
spent in waiting on the Lord. Now the Lord reveals Himself to Abraham again.
A. El Shaddai – “I am the Almighty God.” first mention – root “power and ability.”
1. New Responsibility – “Walk before Me and be thou perfect.” (Maybe a hint that Abraham was satisfied with Ishmael and no longer anxious about the seed of promise?)
2. Result – “Abraham fell on his face.”
3. Privilege – “God talked with him.”
4. Assurance – “My covenant is with thee.” God reminds Abraham of an
already existent covenant and then continues by adding some more of the up
coming events of this new covenant.
5. Promises of this new
revelation (vs. 4-8).
a. Abraham himself.
b. The land.
c. His seed.
6. Comparison of growth in
events.
a. chapter 13 – “As the dust of the earth.”
b. chapter 15 – “As the stars of heaven.”
c. chapter 17 – “Many nations.”
B. Requirements – (vs. 9-14) – Abraham is now told his part in the matter. Notice what he had to do was to obey God’s Word. This is another illustration that shows God’s covenant is one sided. God is the giver; man is the receiver, not the equal. There seems to be four ideas associated with the ordinance of circumcision:
1. Designation – as belonging
to God.
2. Separation – unto him.
3. Believing His Word
4. Possession by Him – (lead
by the Spirit.)
C. Sign of the covenant – circumcision – Abraham’s sign of obedience to God’s
Word. The church is also called obedience by the Abrahamic
Covenant because we are children of Abraham. The Apostle Paul tells us:
of Abraham.” (Galatians 3:7)
1. The Apostle Paul also tells us concerning circumcision, and how the Gospel of Christ calls us to circumcision. Speaking of Christ he writes:
Colossians 2:9-12. “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also
ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
2. The
Apostle Paul not only tells us that we are justified by faith just like
Abraham, but that Abraham was also preached the same gospel.
Galatians 3:8, 9 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations
be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”.
name is now changed.
1. Abram means “exalted
father,’ – whereas Abraham means “father of a
multitude.”
2. Sarah means “queen of
princes” or “mother of princes” and is the
feminine of Sar, whereas Sarai means, “princely.”
3. Now is the first time Sarah
is named as the Mother of the promised
seed. God’s promises
become more detailed as time goes on.
E. Abraham’s immediate response – (vs. 17,
18) – He receives the new revelation of God with reverence, and yet we can
detect a little trustful astonishment.
1. Appeal for Ishmael – Ishmael has grown to be a boy of 13 and naturally won a
spot in his father’s heart.
2. God told Abraham that Ishmael was not the promised seed.
3. God promised Abraham that Ishmael would become a great nation.
F. The Obedience Of Abraham – When this period of communication with God ended, Abraham
acted in obedience in the circumcision of Ishmael, all his
house, and those bought with money.
II. The Ministry Of Intercession – (Chapter 18) One of the most important and blessed
factors of a believer’s walk is the duty of intercession.
Genesis 18:1 And
the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre:
and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Genesis 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood
by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed
himself toward the ground,
Genesis 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour
in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Genesis 18:4 Let
a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves
under the tree:
Genesis 18:5 And
I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall
pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. {comfort:
Heb. stay} {are…: Heb. you have passed}
Genesis 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said,
Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon
the hearth. Genesis 18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd,
and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a
young man; and he hasted to dress it.
Genesis 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had
dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they
did eat.
Genesis 18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent.
Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to
the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it
in the tent door, which was behind him.
Genesis
Genesis 18:12
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After
I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Genesis 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh,
saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Genesis
Genesis 18:15
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Genesis 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward
Genesis
Genesis 18:18
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Genesis
18:19 For I know him, that he will
command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way
of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham
that which he hath spoken of him.
Genesis 18:20 And
the LORD said, Because the cry of
Genesis 18:21 I
will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the
cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward
Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the
righteous with the wicked?
Genesis
Genesis 18:25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the
wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be
far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Genesis 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within
the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
Genesis
Genesis 18:29 And he spake unto him yet again,
and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
Genesis 18:30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I
will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will
not do it, if I find thirty there.
Genesis 18:31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
Genesis
Genesis 18:33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing
with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
1. The Appearance of Jehovah – God once again appeared to Abraham. only this time not in a dream or vision, but in person along
with two angels.
2. Abraham’s hospitality – God and the angels had the appearance of men.
Abraham washed their feet,
killed a calf, Sarah cooked dinner for them
and they “did eat.”
B. The Promise Repeated – The question: “Where is Sarah, thy wife?” showed that the travelers knew her name and the words that followed told him who the speaker was. (vs. 10)
1. The Lord told Abraham that
Sarah would have a son.
2. Sarah, overhearing them, laughed
at the thought of a 90 years old woman having a baby.
3. God heard Sarah laugh and spoke these tremendous Words:
“Is anything too hard {06381} for the Lord?”
06381
alp pala’
paw-law’ - a primitive root; TWOT-1768; v
AV-(wondrous, marvellous...)
work 18, wonders 9, marvellous 8, wonderful 8, ...things 6, hard 5, wondrous 3, wondrously 2, marvellously 2, performing 2, misc
8; 71
Translated “wonderful in Isaiah 9:6
C. God’s confidence in
Abraham – (vs. 16-19) God’s friends are
permitted to know God’s secrets… because they are God’s friends.
D. The secret told to Abraham – (vs. 20, 21) – The Lord told Abraham that He
and the angels had come down to earth to destroy the cities of
1. Going to be destroyed because “their sin is very grievous.”
2. The sin of homosexuality
never has been tolerated by God and never will be
E. Abraham’s Intercession – He was not so
much concerned about
1. Abraham was confused that the
destruction of
2. Abraham did the right thing. He
told God about it.
F. God’s Encouragement – Each time, the prayer had a divine response: “And the
Lord said,” God’s Word is the compliment and response to our petitions.
1. “If I find… I will spare.”
– If God could find 50 righteous, He would
spare the place “For their sakes.” God’s response showed Abraham that there is
power and influence in asking God.
2. Deep Humility – (vs. 27) – Abraham
used a meiosis, a belittling of one thing to magnify another.
3. “Peradventure there should
lack five of the righteous…” Six times
Abraham intercedes for the wicked cities. Persistence in prayer is one of the
most important teachings. (Romans 12:12) Six times God responded – it is always
that way. God responds as long as we ask. Notice the progression:
“Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7, 8
5. Abraham’s Limitation – probably stopped out of ignorance.
a. Ignorance of the extent
of
b. Ignorance of the extent
of God’s longsuffering and mercy.
c. Abraham thought he knew
10 righteous people in
1.
2. Their two married
daughters and their husbands (Genesis
3. Their two unmarried
daughters (Genesis 19:8)
c. It has been said,
“Abraham stopped asking before God stopped giving.
d. Our Lord’s pleading
on our behalf knows no limitation:
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
F. Lot’s Preservation – Directly connected with Abraham’s intercession. Abraham saved his nephew twice:
1. Once by the sword –
chapter 15
2. Once by supplication –
chapter 18