(Key verses: Gen 25:22-34)

Spiritual sonship is a theme in the scriptures which highlights God’s purpose with mankind, which in this life is reserved for those few whom He is conforming to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (Joh 1:1-4; Col 1:15-19; Rev 3:14). Jesus is God’s preeminent creation as He is above everything, and He alone has immortality or spiritual perfection at this stage with the Father (1Ti 6:15-16; Eph 1:13-14). This glorious conforming process in the few elected ones is marked with fiery trials and much tribulation to make these sons of God perfect (Rom 8:29; 1Pe 4:12; Act 14:22; Heb 2:10; Heb 12:4-7):

Rom 8:22 (Phillips NT) It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time all created life groans in a sort of universal travail.
Rom 8:23 And it is plain, too, that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension, while we wait for that redemption of our bodies which will mean that at last we have realised our full sonship in him.
Rom 8:24 We were saved by this hope, but in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven’t yet got.
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience.

This theme of spiritual sonship is also typified in Genesis through the relationships between Abraham, “the father of us all” in terms of the faith, and Abraham’s beloved son, Isaac, and Isaac and his offspring (Isa 51:1-2; Rom 3:22; Rom 4:12; Rom 4:16; Rom 9:7-8; Heb 11:17-18). Whether it is physical or spiritual, the firstborn in scripture is related to might, strength, excellence, dignity, elevation and power, which all links to taking or having governance and authority (Deu 21:17; Psa 105:36; Hos 12:2-3):

Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

This rulership and authority of the firstborn, as acknowledged by the father of the son, is also promised within the law of the double portion according to the law of Moses:

Deu 21:15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn [Hebrew: “bekôr” which links with “bikkûr” which means “firstfruit”: In Exodus 23:16 this “bikkûr” also is the feast of harvest or pentecost] son be hers that was hated:
Deu 21:16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
Deu 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

This spiritual truth of the double portion of the firstborn was established in the beginning in Jesus Christ as the Lord and ruler of both the heavens and the earth, which is what this double portion in the law of Moses typified (Gen 1:1; Gen 2:7; Pro 8:22-30; Joh 1:1-4; Act 17:24; Rev 1:1-8). This Jesus could only reveal to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given [Greek aorist tense] unto me in heaven and in earth.

Within these two realms there is also an order established by God. It is only through faith that anyone will be able to see that the things which are seen (“the earth”), are ruled and controlled by the spiritual (“the heaven”), which do not appear to the natural man as such, and which the natural mind cannot appreciate or understand (1Co 2:14):

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

All things are first “bound” or “loose[ed]” in heaven before it has any affect or application on the earth:

Mat 18:18 (CLV) Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again, verily, I am saying to you that, if ever two of you should be agreeing on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it is they should be requesting shall be coming to them from My Father Who is in the heavens.

From this perspective, the heaven rules not only that which belongs to heaven, but also that which is on earth (Mat 6:9-10). The rulership of the heavens is therefore vital to lay hold of as this powerful heavenly perspective and insight helps us to subdue and have dominion over our own earth and all the nations of that earth (our own bodies and carnal mind first):

Isa 40:17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

These spiritual foundations were properly laid in the beginning – that is in Christ, the firstborn or firstfruit (Hebrew: “rêshı̂yth”; Greek: “archē”) of the Father (Gen 1:1; Joh 1:1-3; Rev 1:8). Through Christ, the foundations of heaven and the foundations of earth were laid, and He works with them (Psa 24:1; Pro 16:4; Joh 1:3; Col 1:16; Job 38:4; Psa 102:25). Spiritually the number 12 speaks of foundations (including that of power and authority), and the number 24 signifies the total authority over the foundations of heaven and earth (Gen 2:7; Gen 17:20; 1Co 3:11; Jas 1:1; Rev 14:1-5; Rev 21:19-20). This position was given to Jesus by the Father, and He gives this ‘right’ of the firstborn also to those whom He receives from the Father in this age – the “uihothesia” who is also called “a kind of firstfruits” in the scriptures (Exo 23:15-16a; Psa 103:19; Mat 16:19; Luk 12:31-32; Rom 8:23; Jas 1:18):

Isa 40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isa 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

This rulership is now made available to those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the earth to rule and reign with Him:

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

This dominion over all is a desire every human craves, but our natural thinking on this is always twisted. Many therefore exercise evil authority over others and are greedily chasing earthly possessions to give them this false sense of being blessed and in control. This constitutes also what the strong delusion is which God sends in them (2Th 2:11). In the world this hierarchy of power is prominent, which is also revealed through the spiritual whore, Babylon. This whore enjoys keeping many in spiritual diapers and looks down on those who are deemed not up to their spiritual standard. This spiritual whore is rewarded with what she has been given to believe:

Rev 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

The law of the firstborn is what caused so much unhappiness in the household of Isaac and Rebekah. After Isaac waited and prayed patiently for twenty years for an offspring with his wife, Rebekah conceived twins (Gen 25:19-21; Gen 25:26), but there was a struggle within Rebekah’s womb which will affect their lives as long as they lived:

Gen 25:22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

So this struggle was for this right to rule. This struggle relates to the war in our own heaven when we become aware of this double portion or two eons in which we must live and rule (Mat 4:4; Rev 12:1-17). God ordained that the heavens and the earth will be these opposing forces as the generations of the heaven and the generations of the earth will always be foreign to each other (Gen 1:1; Gen 2:4; Psa 2:1-2; Gal 5:17). Although the flesh is first on the earth, it will not have spirit life or get the double portion of spiritual rulership, which is given to the one that is born “afterward”:

Mat 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

The spiritual eon comes second or last for us, and that spirit life in the second man, Christ, gives us the rulership over all. What the flesh cannot see or accept is that the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is actually the Lord from heaven who has this rulership before the foundation of the earth (Isa 48:13; Zec 12:1; Heb 1:10):

Col 1:15 Who [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The war in the heavens is all about inheritance – the spiritual versus fleshly inheritance. God has no pleasure in flesh or its inheritance:

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

The outcome of this struggle in the womb of Rebekah was already predetermined: “…the elder [flesh] shall serve the younger”. The election that those who “are after the spirit” will have dominion over those who “are after the flesh” is revealed in these two offspring of Isaac and Rebekah. As the first Adam is “the figure” or type of the last Adam, they are indeed a twin in that sense, but the lastborn has the superior position (Rom 5:14):

Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

God had nothing against Esau personally, but against that which he was chosen to represent, which is death and its fleshly desires. God’s pre-election or predestination is a doctrine which few can accept because of their false beliefs in a free will of mankind and the doctrine of an eternal hell. These and other false teachings prevent many from seeing how God works His plan to save all people through His elected spiritual sons. Those who reject the doctrine of predestination actually accuse God of being unrighteous in making these choices:

Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

These accusers of God cannot accept the great mercy of God, and their hate-filled heart will only be satisfied if their enemies burn in an eternal hell (Psa 136:1-26). This is revealing the wickedness of their own Adamic hearts which they themselves cannot see in their self-righteous state of mind. God has never spoken a word, and neither did it ever come up in His mind that He will burn His own children with physical fire for all eternity (Lev 18:21; Lev 20:1-5; Eze 16:20-21; Jer 7:30-31). Yet many are still deluded by these false and evil teachings of eternal hell and the eternal existence of flesh and death, even when God clearly states in the scripture that death in all its carnal forms will be destroyed (Rom 8:6-8):

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Our first old man is indeed delivered and redeemed by the fire of God’s word through judgment which brings the resurrection to new life through Christ, the firstborn (Exo 13:13; Isa 26:9; Jer 5:14; 1Co 3:13-15). God made the choice, and we respond to His choice – not the other way around (Rom 9:16):

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Sonship is God’s choice and through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob this is made clear for those who can receive this. Through Isaac’s offspring, this pattern is repeated, and again the firstborn is rejected even before he did anything either wrong or right:

Gen 25:24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
Gen 25:25 And the first came out red [Hebrew: “admônı̂y” from “âdam”], all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

The firstborn was Esau, and he was red and hairy, which reflects the first man Adam who is from the ground or field, and that includes “all that is in the world” (Num 6:18-19; 1Co 11:14):

Mat 13:38a The field is the world….

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Esau is that which represents the lusts of this world in us as we all must first endure this stage of fleshly sonship, and this type of sonship is not “of [the spirit] of the Father” (Mat 19:30). Jacob, the twin brother of Esau, was the last born, and his actions in the womb and during the birth process reveal so much about our own walk and the struggles of the flesh until the day of final redemption from this “body of sin” (Rom 6:6; Rom 7:18; 2Co 5:21):

Gen 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Jacob was holding on to Esau’s heel! Jacob’s name actually means exactly that – “heel holder” or “supplanter”. Heels are the part of the foot which leaves prints and tracks, and through these prints or tracks others can identify us and our walk (Psa 89:51; Son 1:8):

Jer 13:22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels [Hebrew: “âqêb”/“iqqebâh” = heel/footsteps/footprint] made bare.

The heels we first take hold of are visible in the tracks or footprints of the rejected flesh, which is revealed to us when we can see the man of sin in ourselves first (2Th 2:3-4; Rev 13). The revelation of our true carnal nature is important in our growth and development in sonship. We start off being the enemies of the elect of God when we have reproach in our hearts against the truth in the words. Our old man of sin does lift his heel against the new man:

Psa 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend [our old man], in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel [Hebrew: “âqêb” or “iqqebâh”] against me.

Psa 89:50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
Psa 89:51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps [Hebrew: “âqêb” or “iqqebâh”] of thine anointed.

God’s elect will be brought to repentance by the rebuke and chastening of our loving Father, and then they will continue in His Word, even against those who hide themselves and mark our steps to rejoice when we stumble (Psa 56:4-6; Joh 8:31; Heb 12:5-7). This relationship between Jacob and Esau and the ways they live also brings important aspects of our own growth process to the fore:

Gen 25:27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

These two sons of Isaac and Rebekah also caused the division in the family in terms of the preference these parents showed for these two sons and their way of life:

Gen 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau, like his name, was attached to anything that is red, which connects with the earth, which is the first Adam (Gen 2:7). Isaac was also more attached to the fleshly firstborn, Esau, but Rebekah loved the last born, Jacob:

For Sarah the second born of her husband was the favourite son (Isaac). Now also for Rebekah the second born of the twins (Jacob) is favoured. A woman is a picture of the church in scripture – the false church or the true church – and these two women, Sarah and Rebekah, are given to us as types of the true church in the way they were attached to the types of the true Seed which God favoured (Gal 3:16; Gal 3:29). It is through God’s true church that the true sons of God and the manifold wisdom of God will be revealed:

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.

The earth is what the weak flesh is attached to, and from its composition the flesh also sees its survival and preservation (Gen 2:7; Gen 3:17-19):

Gen 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
Gen 25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [Hebrew: “âdôm” from “âdam”] pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom [Hebrew: “ĕdôm” from “âdôm”]

Jacob, true to his name, wanted to negotiate for something much more important than what his flesh wanted. He wanted rulership over much more:

Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright [Hebrew: “bekôrâh” = belonging to the “bekôr”]
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau despised the rights of the firstborn and the inheritance attached to it (Gen 17-18; Gal 3:16; Gal 3:29). The buying of this birthright was, for the time being, only this pottage of lentils, but it will becomw a more costly transaction for Jacob progressively. This inheritance connects spiritually to the blessed and holy first resurrection which comes at a very high price for God’s elect – the losing of their lives (Mat 10:38-39):

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Many cannot appreciate this powerful inheritance when they, like Esau, cannot see the profit to live soberly in this present age as the chastening power of the grace of God has not been unveiled to them (1Tim 2:11-12). They despise the true sons of God by rejecting and mocking their election and make fun of their suffering as they cannot see what the mystery of the glory of Christ is (Luk 24:46; 2Co 11:23-28; Col 1:24-27). Although the first resurrection is not yet fulfilled outwardly, this spiritual governance and dominion over sin is being inwardly established now in the elect, even in downpayment form (Eph 1:13-14).

Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Begotten and Born
Numbers in Scripture
Colors in Scripture – Red, Part 1
The Spiritual Significance of The Nazarite Vow
Revelation 14:1-5
The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God, Part 7

(Key verses: Gen 25:19-21)

The scriptures call Abraham “the father of us all” and in that Abraham is a type of our heavenly Father who inspires us to seek Him through the faith of Jesus and obediently follow in His righteousness, which comes through that faith (Rom 3:22; Rom 4:12; Rom 9:7-8):

Rom 4:16 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.

Isa 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Isa 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Through Abraham, this type of fatherhood is explained to us so we can understand the way our heavenly Father cares for all in the generation of the first Adam, but especially for His elect:

1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Like Abraham, we are called to separate from our fleshly kindred and to labor and suffer reproach as we learn about His all-important spiritual inheritance, which is given to God’s spiritual sons “who first trusted in Christ”:

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Abraham’s life of faith and his sojourning in Canaan reflects our own spiritual experiences and journeys to take possession of the spirit life in Christ. Spiritual sonship is also typified in Abraham’s offspring through Isaac (Rom 9:7):

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Spiritual sonship is a foundational theme in the book of Genesis, and it is the major purpose of God with all mankind in the generation of the first Adam (Gen 2:4). Through the lives of Isaac and his offspring, the essence and dynamics of spiritual sonship is further developed for us, as this theme is also more detailed in the sum of God’s Word. Isaac is a type of Jesus, in this sense, as Jesus’ relationship with His Father is pictured through the relationship between Abraham and Isaac. In Jesus, the beloved Son of God, all will be accepted eventually as spiritual sons of God at the appointed time (1Co 15:22; Col 1:13; 2Pe 1:17; 1Jn 4:14-15; 1Jn 5:9-11):

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

God is in the process of forming spiritual sons who will be according to the spiritual image of His Son Jesus Christ. The reason for the creation of this temporary evil carnal eon is to humble us and prepare all in the first Adam to become spiritual sons of God (Ecc 1:13). This is the desire or will of God, and He will succeed 100% through this strange work of His which few are given to understand in this age (Isa 28:21; Isa 55:8-11; Isa 46:10). The first Adam is an important part of this process of becoming sons of God, and no-one will know Jesus in spirit unless they can see the first Adam and his function in them (Joh 3:3-6; 2Th 2:3-4):

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become [Greek aorist tense indicating a process] the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We also need to see Jesus fulfilling both these positions, as the son of man and the son of God, as He declared that He is indeed the first and the last (Rev 1:11; Rev 1:17; Rev 22:13). The Father has established in Jesus the double portion which is the rulership in the generation of the physical Adam and rulership in the generation of the spiritual Adam, which are also the two eons through which Jesus will make spiritual sons to the glory of the Father (Eph 1:10; Php 2:9-11; Joh 1:1-4; 1Co 15:22-28; Heb 1:5-9). For this reason God appointed Jesus to be worshiped as such by all in this creation (Heb 1:6-7). However, this creation is subjected to corruption from the hand of the Creator from the beginning, while Jesus was given incorruption (the fullness of God’s spirit):

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [Greek: “uihothesia”], to wit, the redemption of our body.

The worldly concept of adoption is not expressing the scriptural viewpoint of sonship (Greek: “uihothesia”), as this word “adoption” also causes much confusion. We are not taken into a foster parent’s house in the process of becoming sons of God. We are taken from our original state of corruption in the fleshly house of darkness of the first Adam, as per God’s design, into the house of Light of our heavenly Father. Spiritual sonship is not our first estate but the end result of a process of being born again in Christ, the Son of God:

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

This position of sonship in God’s kingdom is what the faith of Christ works now in those whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world to receive this spiritual sonship first:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children [Greek: “uihothesia”] by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

According to Dr. James Strong’s explanation of this Greek word “uihothesia”, it is formed from two concepts being “uihos” (meaning “a son”) and a derivative of “tithēmi”, which is a ‘prolonged form’ for the Greek word for God, namely “theō” or “theos”. “Tithēmi” therefore has to do with the positioning or placing of a person by God in His spiritual family or kingdom (Joh 6:44). We naturally have no place in that spiritual kingdom (1Co 15:50). Here we have a verse to clearly express what is meant by “uihos” and then also what the concept of “uihothesia” scripturally implies:

Rev 12:5 And she [the woman connected to the earth/wilderness] brought forth a man child [Greek: “uihos”], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

This man child is the “uihos” who is given rulership and authority over all nations, as this man child initially refers to Jesus Christ. This “uihothesia” is therefore those who have been given a higher authority in Christ, who is the mature son (the “uihos”) of the Father because He was given the fullness of God’s spirit from His creation (Joh 3:34; Col 1:19; Col 2:9). The “uihothesia” are those elected by God to be the first to be seated with Christ in God’s kingdom as the mature sons of God. This is the positon of those who have the mind of Christ and have been given dominion over sin, even while in a fleshly body (Rom 6:14):

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

This all links with the inheritance in type which God promised Abraham, even through Isaac, the son “by promise”:

Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

“…by promise” is the only way anyone will receive the spiritual inheritance from the Father in this life. Spirit life is now given in downpayment through the faith of Christ, but it is already exceeding anything in this physical creation (Luk 24:49; Act 1:4; Act 2:33; Eph 1:13-14; Gal 3:14). God only works through faith, and this is a hard lesson for all of us to learn who become so attached to physical solutions and “the arm of flesh”, as our natural instinct is always aligned to what mankind supplies (2Ch 32:7-8).

Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Abraham was the man of faith and was given two sons initially – the firstborn was Ishmael, who was born of a concubine named Hagar, who was a slave from Egypt in his household. Ishmael was about fourteen years old when Isaac was born, revealing to us that the fleshly offspring is first on the scene and matures much quicker than the spiritual offspring – this is why this physical connection is so strong in us (Gen 17:21; Gen 17:24-25; Gen 21:5). Isaac was the offspring “by promise” through Sarah, the “free woman”. Abraham, like all of us, was attached to the flesh and wanted Ishmael to live before God (Gen 17:18):

Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad [Ishmael], and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Ishmael and his offspring in us are also seen in the way Christ first comes to us in fleshly form (2Co 5:16; Gal 4:25). Many indeed receive Christ in His fleshly ministry, but very few are given to receive Him in His spiritual ministry in this age:

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The “many” are referred to as babes in Christ as they are inspired by the fleshly blessings they receive in Christ, and these are still their primary concern:

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes [Greek: “nepios”] in Christ.

The focus of the “nepios” is also on causing divisions and strife through fleshly comparisons, among other problems the struggle with, as some in the Corinthian church:

1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

The spiritual Christ is not yet formed in these “little children” who still attached themselves to the weak and beggarly elements of the world:

Gal 4:19 My little children [Greek: “teknion”] of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

God inspired the “uihos” to travail in birth with these little children in showing patience and much physical affection (this is what “teknion” means) until the spiritual Christ is formed in them. The spiritual inheritance of God rests now on the “uihos” in Christ who are clearly distinguished from others as these verses clearly indicate:

Rev 12:5 And she [the woman connected to the earth/wilderness] brought forth a man child [Greek: “uihos”], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child [Greek: “teknon”] was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children [Greek: “teknon”] of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children [Greek: “teknon”], then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Greek word “teknon” relates very closely with the “uihos” as God’s offspring who He is elevating to a deeper and higher understanding of spiritual things in Christ, which is also referred to as being seated in heaven – having the mind of Christ (Eph 2:6; 1Co 2:16). Many find these different stages of spiritual growth offensive, as if there is a carnal hierarchy at work, which is not true. The “uihos” is called to “reasonable service” to others, which is quite the opposite to what the worldly concept of elevation is (Rom 12:1). Service in the kingdom of God is to give your life in ministry to others through the inspirational work of Christ:

Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Spirit life will eventually be given to all in the generation of the first Adam, but now it is only reserved for those whom God humbles to take up their cross and bear His reproach “without the camp” (Heb 13:13). Humility comes only through fiery trials in order to be glorified together with Him in service to others:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Those who can receive chastening and judgment on their sins and transgressions are brought to glory through those sufferings, and that is how we see God’s face in glory – “mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth” (Exo 33:17-20; Col 3:1-5). Only these humbled sons of God can receive correction because of the teachable spirit of Christ in them:

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children [Greek: “uihos”], My son [Greek: “uihos”], despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son [Greek: “uihos”], whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons [Greek: “uihos”], for what son [Greek: “uihos”] is he whom the father chasteneth not?

This is how we will all access our inheritance in the spirit when we are ready to receive it:

Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

It is only when our heavens are opened through the baptism of fiery trials that we are enabled to see spiritual things, as testified in Christ after His baptism, and then the Father is only pleased with the mature sons:

Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son [Greek: “uihos”]; in thee I am well pleased.

Isaac is revealed in scripture as the beloved son of Abraham who displayed obedience and submission. Even when his father wanted to sacrifice him, there was no resistance:

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

Isaac was “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” as a type of Christ being the Lamb of God showing mature sonship in accepting the Father’s will and His fiery judgment above his own will and desire (Isa 53:7; Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42; Mat 26:44). This judgment is on the household of Christ now, and it is the place of pressure and tribulations where all the mature disciples will follow Jesus, as this will be “according to custom” of Jesus (1Pe 4:17; 1Jn 4:17):

Luk 22:39 And going out, according to His custom, He went to the Mount of Olives. And His disciples also followed Him.
Luk 22:40 And when He was at the place, He said to them, Pray that you do not enter into temptation.
Luk 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw. And He kneeled down and prayed,
Luk 22:42 saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.

Even when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God’s commandment, God has given Abraham the faith that Isaac will be raised from the dead (Heb 11:17-19):

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Although the context of a land was part of God’s covenant with Abraham, the inseparable promise of sonship through whom the whole earth will be blessed is tying it all together. God repeated this promise of sonship directly to Isaac after Abraham’s death:

Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Isaac is reminded of Abraham’s obedience to the commandments of God and how God will fulfill this promise of numerous offspring through Isaac. God ordained that the faith of Christ, our spiritual Father, will be the way to please God, and through this faith of Christ sonship matures (Heb 11:6). This sonship is what Isaac brings to us in type as we read about his life in the scriptures. Isaac married Rebekah when he was at the age of forty (Gen 25:19-20). But Rebekah was like her mother-in-law, Sarah, barren initially:

Gen 25:21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him….

Isaac “intreated the Lord” for twenty years in prayer and did not seek a quick way out. His focus was on the Giver of life, and he learned from His father that consulting with flesh is not the way God wants His true sons to go. Those who are sons of God are led by His spirit, which are His words – they do not think or go beyond “that which is written” (1Co 4:6). Like Isaac, they obey God and accept His will in all things:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons [Greek: “uihos”] of God.

Isaac learned that faith waits and is patient, even as love is the obeying and doing of God’s Word, not just the hearing (1Jn 5:2-3):

1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1Co 13:4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;
1Co 13:6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;
1Co 13:7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

A “uihos” spirit is the spirit of love and of the knowledge of Christ and the Father who will take us out of being childish and encouraging us to progress to spiritual maturity being able to handle the truth of judgment on flesh and the losing of all in this life (Mat 10:38-39):

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son [Greek: “uihos”] of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children [Greek: “nēpios”] tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Spiritual maturity is marked by the love of Christ through the spirit of sonship which is poured in our hearts by the spirit of the Father (Rom 5:5; Rom 8:23; 1Jn 5:1-3):

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek: “uihothesia”], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

In Christ alone we have been made the “adoption of sons” even as we are waiting for the release or redemption from this body of flesh:

Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [Greek: “uihos”], to wit, the redemption of our body.

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive [Greek aorist tense=process] the adoption of sons [Greek: “uihothesia”].
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons [Greek: uihos”], God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son [Greek: “uihos”] into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

———-

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Benefits of The First Resurrection
Do Babes in Christ Have The Spirit of God?
Begotten and Born
The Meaning of Love Your Enemies

The book of Genesis is named after the Greek word “genesis” which has its Hebrew equivalent in the word “tôledâh” which appears at least 13 times in the book of Genesis and is translated as “generations” (Gen 2:4; Gen 5:1; Gen 6:9 (2); Gen 10:1; Gen 10:32; Gen 11:10; Gen 11:27; Gen 25:12-13 (2); Gen 25:19; Gen 36:1; Gen 36:9; Gen 37:2). Generational lines are given to help us understand God’s way of working with mankind. First of all the created generations which God works with are divided into two opposing dimensions called heaven and earth:

Gen 1:1 In the beginning [Hebrew: rê’shı̂yth = first in order/firstfruit] God created the heaven and the earth.

Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

Through Jesus Christ, who is “the beginning of the creation of God” (the firstfruit), The Father works all in the generations of the heavens and the earth (Joh 1:1-4; Rev 1:8; Rev 3:14; Col 1:15-17). Only few are chosen by God to see and receive God’s plan with these generations (Mat 22:14). To understand the invisible heavens, we are first given an earthly parable. This earthly parable on the one hand makes the invisible creation of God understandable for those who can receive that, but on the other hand it also restricts the spiritual insight of many – also called the “multitudes” (Rom 1:20; 1Co 2:14; Mat 13:34):

Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables….

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them [the “multitude”] in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

It was written in God’s book that the generational line of the first Adam was to first go through this earthly eon and all in that Adam will eventually be made in the spiritual likeness of God (Gen 5:1; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Ti 2:1-6). The first man is “the figure” or type of the second man although the first physical Adam is also the total opposite of the spirit man, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:14; Rev 1:8). This opposition or resistance to the belief of new spirit life in Christ is a foundational theme in Genesis but is always further developed and exposed throughout scripture. God created and inspired these oppositional forces which are vital for the purposes of both sides in the final analysis. Here is where these foundations of these general lines are explained by God:

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Both sides operate as adversaries (Hebrew: “śâṭân”) to each other, but God ordained that His elect in Christ, typified by the woman, will be the first to benefit from these encounters (Eph 1:3-7; 2Ti 2:12; Rev 20:4). The spiritual principle that those who live by the faith of Christ shall suffer under those who wax worse and worse is established early in the first two sons of Adam (Gen 4:1-8; 2Ti 3:12-13):

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one [the spiritual seed of the serpent], and slew his brother [the spiritual seed of the woman – Christ]. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Our firstborn is our fleshly existence (or the carnal and death eon in us) which cannot please God and is given to think it can do its own thing by disobeying God’s order and commandments (Rom 8:6-8). The fleshly lawless man of sin in us will always oppose and hate the second born, which the new creation of spirit typifies and this new creation is coming through the last Adam, Jesus Christ (2Th 2:3-4; 1Ti 1:9; 1Jn 2:7-9):

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

But in this long process we are mercifully exposed to all the hidden evils in us first, as we also learn in this process what Godly love and righteousness is all about. Since the beginning God has always preserved a very small remnant who is up against an overwhelming number of adversaries, but they will be victorious against all physical and carnal calculations and scheming (Isa 1:9; Isa 16:14; Rom 11:5). Through the generational line of Seth, whom God gave to Adam and Eve in the place of the murdered Abel, new life came forth. Yet even in this chosen generational line of Seth new adversaries were added, but God kept Noah faithful among these adversaries in his generation also and through the judgement of a global flood all these opponents were removed (Gen 6:9; Gen 7:11-24). After the flood these opposing generational lines between earth and heaven are further developed and exposed:

Gen 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Through Shem God again emphasized His choice when He brought forth the generational line which will be used as types of those who are enabled by God to follow His commandments (Gen 11:10). Here is a short summary of this generational line from Adam right down to Abraham, and Abraham being one of the major examples who showed through his life what God uses to make the faithful endure until the end amidst their “śâṭâns”:

1Ch 1:1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh,
1Ch 1:2Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,
1Ch 1:3Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
1Ch 1:4Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1Ch 1:24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
1Ch 1:25Eber, Peleg, Reu,
1Ch 1:26Serug, Nahor, Terah,
1Ch 1:27Abram; the same is Abraham.

Through the recurring cycles of expansions and contractions (narrowing) since Adam, we see a pattern being established which is admonishing us to always take note of God’s modus operandi. A big section of the first part of the book of Genesis was taken up by the life and journeys of Abraham (from the last verses of Chapter 11 right into Chapter 25). Abraham was used by God as a type of what the faith of Christ is bringing into those whom God has chosen as the fulfillment of His word for His purposes through Jesus Christ:

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Faith is a gift from God, and it is not given because of anything we do or even contribute to earn or claim anything from God (Eph 2:8-10). The faith of Abraham is used to introduce many spiritual types which encourage us to recognise the works of the faith of Christ in our own lives, if we are given to receive this. Abraham’s death is our death to fleshly desires which brings forth the spiritual concept of maturing sonship in Christ which we learn so much of through the life of Isaac. As Adam was put to sleep to bring forth the new life of Eve and “all living” through her, so we need to know how dead we are in flesh and why death (our first and last “śâṭân”) needs total destruction before new life can be established in us (Gen 2:21-22; Gen 3:20; Joh 8:52-53; Rom 8:6-8; 1Co 15:26):

Gen 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy [Greek: “echthros” – opposition/adversary] that shall be destroyed is death.

Several times the scriptures are clear that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Are these scriptures referring to Abraham contradicting this truth that dead people are really dead? (Mar 12:27; Luk 20:38):

Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

These are not contradicting the truth that Abraham is as dead as a dead beast right now (Ecc 3:18-21). Not only is the Scripture written as a parable to blind the eyes and dull the hearing of those whom God is not giving the truth now, but the very same words of God are spirit and are interpreted differently in those with spiritual eyes and ears (Exo 14:20; 1Co 2:7-10):

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Abraham sitting in the kingdom of God is a parable – the name “Abraham” is speaking of those who have been given the faith of Christ, even as Lazarus, typifying this elect, are taken into this same “bosom of Abraham” which again refers to Christ and the faith He gives to those whom He embosoms (Mat 1:1; Luk 16:20-22; Gal 2:16; Php 3:9):

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Although Abraham was a true historical figure who lived on the earth, whenever we read of Abraham in the sum of God’s Word, the spirit of God is teaching us that it is actually referring to Christ and those in whom He instills His faith in this eon (Mat 4:4; 1Co 2:13). Faith is the only way by which we can please God and receive His spirit life to sit in His spiritual kingdom, even now (Heb 11:6):

Eph 2:6 And [God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

But there are also other sons and daughters of Abraham who are in bondage, like all of us must be before we are loosened by Jesus:

Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

These are the sons from the bondwomen or concubines in Abraham’s life, also representing our own time when we believe on Jesus, but cannot see our own carnal heart and that its true condition is spiritual bondage:

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

These sons and daughters of Abraham from the bondwoman or concubines are an extremely necessary part of the kingdom of God inside and outside, like the tares which God ordained to grow in His field until the time of judgment or all the different kinds of sea creatures (good and bad) caught in the one net and separated at the appointed time (Mat 13:27-30; Mat 13:47):

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

This seed of Abraham from the bondwoman and concubines could not see and still do not know how to apply the opposing generational lines of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman in their own lives first and foremost. We all play our role on both sides of this divide, but at first we cannot even see that our own words and actions are openly witnessing to our hostility toward the truth and to those who bare that testimony of Jesus in them. This is our time in spiritual captivity which is for our good:

Jer 24:5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.

It comes as a great earthquake when our book is being opened progressively and we can hear these words of Jesus directly spoken to us:

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

In our time, we do not like the elect of God and despise their calling and words which we cannot see as the very words of God. These immature Jewish converts who rejected Jesus’ admonishing words wanted to kill him when they thought they were following Him. But they were following Him – it was only for the wrong reasons and selfish motives:

Joh 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

One of the offspring of Abraham who needs to fulfill this important task of opposing the generational line of the true son of Abraham was Ishmael (Gal 4:29-31). God indeed blessed Ishmael with a physical offspring of twelve sons which is also spiritually referring to the foundations of flesh which opposes the foundations of the spirit (Gen 17:20; Luk 6:13; Eph 2:20; Jas 1:1; Heb 11:10; Rev 21:14):

Gen 25:12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
Gen 25:13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
Gen 25:14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
Gen 25:15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
Gen 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
Gen 25:17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Gen 25:18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

Ishmael and his offspring settled in the region of Havilah, and they were somehow protected in their towns and castles which were situated in the vicinity of the wilderness region of Shur. Havilah is known in the scriptures for its gold, but the wilderness region of Shur has no water of life there, but only the bitter waters from the rivers of flesh. The flesh does increase in goods, but that is not fulfilling the inward spiritual needs (Rev 3:17):

Gen 2:11 The name of the first [river that went out of Eden] is Pison [meaning “increase”]: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
Gen 2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

Exo 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exo 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

The words “and he died in the presence of all his brethren” in verse 18 of Genesis 25 are from the King James Version, but in other translations we find a deeper meaning to the original written words:

Gen 25:18 ASV And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. He abode over against all his brethren.

Gen 25:18 GNB The descendants of Ishmael lived in the territory between Havilah and Shur, to the east of Egypt on the way to Assyria. They lived apart from the other descendants of Abraham.

Gen 25:18 GW His descendants lived as nomads from the region of Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt, in the direction of Assyria. They all fought with each other.

Gen 25:18 ERV His descendants camped throughout the desert area from Havilah to Shur, near Egypt, all the way to Assyria. And they often attacked his brothers’ people.

Gen 25:18 ISV His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur (that’s near Egypt), all the way to Assyria, in defiance of all of his relatives.

These versions reveal much more of the function of these twelve sons of Ishmael and their offspring which confirm the important and helpful role the opposition plays in our own lives. They give us the necessary opposition to develop us stronger in our faith. These twelve princes of Ishmael lived in the wilderness, even unto Assyria. Assyria dwelled in the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and they were also used by God as one of His heavy-handed instruments to correct physical Israel (Isa 105-7; Isa 36:1-22; Jer 50:17; Hos 11:4-6). We are all upset when we see evil around us, and we cannot understand God’s work in this creation, as the prophet Habakkuk also approached God with this dilemma. In our immaturity we actually accuse God of being uncaring and slack in answering our prayers to remove all the evil oppositions from our lives?

Hab 1:1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
Hab 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Hab 1:3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

God indeed answers all prayers but not in the way we like them to be answered. The spiritual Chaldeans or Babylonians, like the spiritual Assyrians are all used by God to fulfil His judgement in order to reveal where the worst evil was being committed, and the biggest criminal is hiding (Psa 17:13; Jer 1:15; Jer 2:19; Jer 50:17; 2Th 2:1-12; Rev 13). It is all inside our own hearts, and our own evil hearts are used by God to judge us:

Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
Hab 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.

God’s answers to our prayers are always to bring more evil, strife and contentions to ‘solve’ the previous problems, and yet there seems no end to it all as Habakkuk also reveals to us. He also found the reason for these increasing oppositions by which we are to be humbled:

Hab 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

When we can detect false solutions and do not expect quick answers to our prayers, then we are ready to receive the more intense trials and tribulations which God brings to move our faith to a deeper and higher level. Our enemies, even our own carnal heart, are given for our benefit:

Joh 16:33 I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world.

Hab 3:16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
Hab 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Hab 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Joy in the midst of darkness and pain is not natural – it is the strength of God in operation. We are taught how to use the faith of Christ in us to deal with this through patience and endurance. This is what sonship is about – to be faithful in the things which our Father entrusted to us through faith. This is also what Abraham has left as an inheritance for Isaac. Abraham’s legacy is the good works and fruit which faith produces as the just shall live by the faith of Christ and that faith alone (Gal 5:22-23). Isaac will have to learn, through his own application, how he needs to live by every aspect of life. In Isaac the true generational line of spiritual sonship is developed, and this is the theme we will look at in the following weeks, God willing:

Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son [Greek: “uihos”].

—————————————————————————————
Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the www.iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Why Christ Spoke in Parables
Why Are The Multitudes Not Given to Understand?
Was Satan Created as An Adversary?
Satan and The Carnal Mind
Will Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be in The Kingdom?
Lazarus and The Rich Man
The Spiritual significance of Assyria

(Key verses: Gen 25:1-11)

Abraham is revealed to us in the scriptures as one of the main examples of what the faith of Christ causes in those few who are first called out to receive the spiritual inheritance – the “eklektos” are called out of the “klētos” (2Co 6:17; Rev 18:4):

Mat 22:14 For many are called [Greek: “klētos”], but few are chosen [Greek: eklektos].

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham lived about thirty-eight years after the death of Sarah, and although his body was deemed as dead when Isaac was born, it seems that Isaac’s birth brought new zest for life in Abraham (Gen 17:17; Gen 21:5; Gen 23:1; Rom 4:19). The faith of Christ in us revitalises us as His indwelling spirit enable us “to present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service (Isa 26:19; Rom 12:1):

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Another woman in the life of Abraham is mentioned in Genesis 25 for the first time after the death of Sarah and the marriage of Isaac:

Gen 25:1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

Not much is known or written about Keturah directly in the scriptures, but through the sum of God’s word, we could form a picture of what Keturah typified (Psa 119:160). She is described as a concubine of Abraham in the scriptures by whom he fathered six sons, seven grandsons and three great-grandsons (Gen 25:6):

1Ch 1:32 Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.

Gen 25:2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
Gen 25:3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
Gen 25:4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

Gen 25:6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts….

That Keturah is called a concubine explains her position in relation to Sarah in Abraham’s heart. The theme of concubines appears regularly in the Old Testament and is connected to ordinary men as well as kings (Gen 4:19; Exo 21:10; Jdg 8:30-31; Jdg 19:1-30; 2Sa 3:7; 2Sa 5:13; 2Sa 16:21-22; Est 2:14; Son 6:8; Dan 5:2). In this part of the foundational theme of faith, we will briefly discuss this tradition of concubines and also its spiritual application in our own lives. In relation to this theme, we will also look at how Abraham protected his inheritance in Isaac from his offspring by the concubines in his life. The faith of Christ, which comes via the Word of God, empowers God’s true elect to clearly distinguish between the spirit of God and the spirit of this world (Rom 10:17):

Heb 4:12 MKJV For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God’s will for any marriage from the beginning was that of a union between one man and one woman reflecting the union between the Father and His Son (Gen 1:27; Mat 19:4-6; 1Co 11:3; Eph 5:22-33; 1Ti 3:2):

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Nevertheless, mankind was made subject to vanity with a heart that was hardened from the hand of the Potter. This creature, like the whole physical creation, is also being marred or made in ruin and in constant decay, physically and mentally, “by reason of Him” – but it is also given a hope of new spirit or eternal life (2Ti 3:13):

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

God has one perfect plan for humanity by which He works His will to first establish a marred vessel of clay through which He will bring forth a new creation “as seemed good to the potter to make it” as new life comes through death (Joh 3:3; Joh 5:24; Joh 12:24; Rom 5:12-21; 1Co 15:22-28). This hardened heart in mankind is indeed God’s work, and through this stony heart of flesh we naturally do not fear God, as He also causes us to err from His righteous ways (Eze 36:26):

Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

This erring process is also seen in the acquisition of multiple spouses as we all indulge in intimate unfulfilling physical attachments. This desire for multiple spouses all started right in the beginning, even through the generational line of Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, exposing the condition of the first Adam’s heart:

Gen 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
Gen 4:18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
Gen 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

During our time under the rulership of death and darkness, God’s elect also follow this concubine spirit, even as the king after God’s own heart, David, also typifies in his lust for another man’s wife (2Sa 11:1-5; Eph 2:2-3). We also naturally point the finger to others when we cannot see our own condition, and our own sin will find us out, as David indeed discovered (Num 32:23; Pro 6:12-15; Pro 20:6; Hos 4:4; Mat 7:1-5). Think about the son of Gideon, Abimelech, whom he fathered from one of his concubines in Shechem, and how much pain and death Abimelech brought to the family of Gideon (Jdg 8:30-31; Jdg 9). God actually reveals that He is the One who causes all these things as He sends all evil spirits also, for our painful learning and to fulfill His purposes (Heb 12:9; Jdg 9:23; 1Sa 16:14; 2Sa 12:7-8). God controls our hearts and brings the circumstances which our carnal lusts desire, although God Himself never tempts anyone:

Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

God uses His evil creations and agencies to test us, and in those trials the deepest hidden evils in our bottomless pit (our carnal heart) are brought to the surface for our information, not His (Gen 1:2; Gen 50:19-20; Pro 16:4; Deu 8:2; Psa 103:14). King David’s son with Bathsheba, Solomon, also had to learn this about his own carnal heart’s deceitful desires to also have multiple wives and concubines and why that happened:

1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

God’s laws reveal our hearts as we will do exactly what proceeds out of His mouth – both the restrictions and afterwards the right things (Rom 7:7-9; Mat 4:4). In the scriptures concubines are also seen as slaves of the master and his true primary wife, and they also fulfill roles of bringing forth an offspring if the wife is barren, as was in the case of Sarah. All humans are first made barren of the spirit life of God, and in that sense we all are given concubines to bring forth an offspring after the flesh to reveal our natural unfaithfulness:

Gen 16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Gen 16:3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Gen 16:4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

It is important to note that the concubine should be seen as an extension of the primary wife of the husband. She is intimately attached to the wife as the concubine must also report to the primary wife as ordained by the husband:

Gen 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
Gen 16:6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Jesus is the Father’s primary or preeminent creation, and the Father ordained that all in this creation come through Him and must report to Him (Col 1:15; Rev 1:8; Rev 1:11; Rev 3:14; Rom 14:10; 2Co 5:10; Php 2:9-11). Jesus attached Himself intimately to this physical creation through which He also works His grace and truth (Joh 1:1-4; Rom 11:36; 2Co 5:21; Heb 2:14-18):

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

If the concubine bears children, it must be done “upon [the] knees” of the primary wife, which is an expression pointing again to this intimate unity between the primary wife and the concubine, but it also emphasizes the submission of the concubine to the primary wife. The children which the concubine bears are also reckoned as belonging to the primary wife:

Gen 30:1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
Gen 30:2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
Gen 30:3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

No other man shall have marriage privileges with her except the man with whom she is in union (Exo 21:7-10; Jdg 19:1-3; Jdg 20:4). No other party could interfere in this union because it was seen as a type of marriage. We know this also because one of Jacob’s sons, His eldest, Reuben, did wrong to sleep with his father’s concubine, Bilhah:

Gen 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Gen 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

The sons which a man also fathered through another woman besides his primary wife, and this includes concubines, were also seen as his heirs, but not on the same level as the sons born from the true primary wife (Deu 21:15-17). This we also see in the case of Abraham, firstly in terms of Ishmael, Abraham’s son from Hagar. Ishmael was not even permitted to live in the same house as Isaac:

Gen 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

The true sons of God in Christ do not share the same spiritual house as the world (Heb 3:6; 2Jn 1:10; 1Pe 2:5; 1Pe 4:17). This is also seen in how Abraham distributed His inheritance among his offspring from these different women he was involved with. The six sons of Keturah, for example, could not inherit in the same manner as Isaac:

Gen 25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
Gen 25:6a But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts….

Isaac was the son born “by promise” as he was a type of Christ and those belonging to His house (Gal 3:16; Gal 3:29). The Father gave to Jesus the fullness of His “house”:

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.

Joh 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus promised this inheritance, the fullness of God’s spirit, also to all, but first to His elected church who are keeping His Word and are faithful to it until the end (Joh 14:1-4; Mat 24:13; Mar 13:13). Jesus is not providing the spiritual needs of the world at this stage, but only the spiritual needs of His church, even now in downpayment form (Eph 1:13-14):

Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

To protect this spiritual inheritance, we are strongly admonished not to throw our pearls before the swine (Mat 7:6). Abraham helps us to see how this is also done when he did a few things with his inheritance and his offspring. Everything he had he gave to Isaac, the son born through his true, primary wife, Sarah. To the other sons of his concubines he dealt differently in this respect:

Gen 24:6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

Firstly, Abraham gave only gifts to his sons from his concubines. As Isaac was the apple of Abraham’s eye, so God shows us that He also distinguishes among, and surely has favorites among His children, to the dismay and disgust of His enemies:

Rom 9:7 Neither, because they [physical Israel] are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

The true children of God are only those He has chosen to be in Christ, as typified by Isaac. All in the first Adam are indeed God’s offspring because He made them of one blood and gave gifts to all men to serve one another in the natural:

Act 17:26 And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling,
Act 17:27 to seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from each one of us.
Act 17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.

Every day we see how carnal man rather boasts and is puffed up in his display of these natural gifts from God, claiming these gifts after his own abilities and efforts. Natural man uses his talents and gifts for selfish purposes (to get rich and to control others) and to elevate himself above others. Jealousy and competitiveness rule the natural heart, and it can be openly seen in behavioural patterns. The same spirit is seen in the application of the spiritual gifts of God, even in those who are being called by God to walk in a closer relationship with Him through Christ Jesus. There is still ignorance for the reasons these gifts are given. The gifts of the spirit, which also include ministries and the operations of faith, hope and love, are given to “every man” to serve the body of Christ here in the now, in humility (Joh 13:3-17; 1Co 12:28; 1Co 13:13; 2Jn 5:1-2):

1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Co 12:2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Within this application of these spiritual gifts, the concubine spirit of carnality is revealed to us, from which we need to separate (2Co 6:17). This carnal application of the gifts of the spirit of God was also witnessed by the apostle Paul in the church in Corinth. The church in Corinth was enriched in speech and knowledge of Christ and His Word, and they had all these gifts of the spirit of God (1Co 1:5-7). However, this offspring of God only applied the gifts to an outward carnal show as they had no proof of growth or maturing in the fruit of the spirit in their own lives (Gal 5:22-23). The outward demonstration of spiritual gifts is determined and valued by the inward maturity of the fruit of the spirit within that person – the character of the Father (Joh 15:8). Jesus described this spiritual principle as follows:

Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

A proof of this is found in the following rebuke by Paul that they could only see Christ as the crucified one. They could not see themselves following Christ in that respect, being humbled by taking up their own cross (Mat 10:38-39):

1Co 2:1 And I, brothers, when I came to you, did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God.
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Paul’s preaching to them to take up their own cross was openly viewed as foolishness as they indulged in haughtiness and lusts of the flesh in full view of the world (1Co 5:1-2; 1Co 5:11; 1Co 6:6; 1Co 6:15; 1Co 8:1; 1Co 10:12; 1Co 12:1):

1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.

Other fleshly signs which further witnessed to their spiritual immaturity included the strife and divisions in them and among the congregation. Not only did they individually follow certain leaders and acknowledge them only, they also had contentions and competitions among each other, which is typical of the concubine spirit:

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

1Co 3:1 And I, brothers, could not speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to fleshly, as to babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk and not with solid food, for you were not yet able to bear it; nor are you able even now.
1Co 3:3 For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men?
1Co 3:4 For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal?

This is why Abraham protected his inheritance in Isaac. Let’s read verse 6 of Genesis 24 again:

Gen 24:6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country [Hebrew: “erets” = land, earth, wilderness].

Abraham brought separation between Isaac and the children of the concubine. They were sent eastward, in the direction of the land of the Chaldees or Babylon from where he came. He knows what is going on there – he lived there for many years. We learn from Abraham that we need to take heed of ourselves to firstly judge inwardly (and also separate ourselves from those who openly show their carnal intentions) before our own dogs turn on us and rend us (Mat 7:1-6). This condition and behaviour is what the concubine also represents spiritually. She is not the true wife, and she despises the true wife. In this process, she overcompensates and exalts herself, which brings the disdain and rejection from the true wife, which the concubine then deems as unloving. The example of Sarah and Hagar is repeated here:

Gen 16:4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Gen 16:6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Those with the concubine spirit are under the illusion that they are better than others while they are merely walking “according to men” and their standards (1Co 3:3; 2Co 10:12). These are also seen in the sons of the concubine who are puffed up by their own way of engaging with these gifts of God and not by what is written in God’s Word. This Paul also found out when the Corinthians even compared and questioned Paul’s apostolic ministry as a chosen vessel of God:

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Through Isaac, however, the true example of sonship is given to us. Abraham prepared Isaac, his son “by promise”, to handle his inheritance according to the commandments of God, and this decision to trust all to Isaac brought peace to Abraham because of his faith in God’s provisions (Gal 3:6-9):

Gen 25:7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
Gen 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people [with those who are dead and in the grave (Ecc 9:5-6; Ecc 3:19; 1Co 15:22a)].
Gen 25:9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
Gen 25:10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

Isaac went to live by the well of Lahairoi, which means “the well of the Living One seeing me” because Isaac knew that God was the One whom he must please and obey above all else, as taught to him by his father Abraham. God is the only ‘Well of living waters’ from whom true spirit life and spiritual insight comes, as we are being separated from the concubine and her sons (Luk 8:17; Act 17:28; 2Co 6:17; Eph 1:3-12; Heb 4:12-13; Rev 18:4).

Gen 25:11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 All Is Vanity
Gathered Unto His People
What Is The Fate of The Dead?
How to Discern an Idol of The Heart
Gifts, Ministeries and Operations

The book of Genesis reveals mankind’s biggest needs which consume his whole life from beginning to end. The first man Adam was created void of spirit life and was formed in a corruptible earthy body of sin and death (Gen 1:2; Gen 2:7; Psa 51:5-7; Jer 18:4; Mat 6:19; Mat 7:17; Act 13:33-34; Rom 1:23; Rom 6:6; Rom 7:24; 1Co 15:45). God also places in the heart of all mankind the hope of this spirit life, and He will not disappoint anyone in that hope:

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.

God’s plan to bring all in the generation of the first Adam to spiritual perfection is indeed a secret or a mystery which is hidden in His Word, Jesus Christ, through whom He chose to make this all possible (Rom 16:25; 1Co 2:7; Eph 1:9; Eph 3:9-11). Through Christ all will eventually receive this new life as God now reveals to His servants what He is busy doing to bring all to Him (1Co 15:22-28):

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

This revelation of Jesus includes the unveiling of who the first Adam is and how God is working this process to make all in His image:

Gen 1:27 And creating [this Hebrew verb “bârâ” is used here in the imperfect tense which indicates the action, process or condition is incomplete] is the Elohim humanity in His image. In the image of the Elohim He creates it. Male and female He creates them.(CLV)

We are still discussing the foundational theme of faith, and in Genesis chapter 24 this process of making man in the spiritual image of God is also highlighted where the Godhead and their work in the hearts of humanity are revealed through the union of the male with the female (1Co 11:3; Eph 5:31-33). Abraham appoints his elder faithful servant to bring a bride for his Son, Isaac, who is a type of Christ (Gen 22:2; Mat 1:1-2; Gal 3:16; Gal 3:29; Heb 11:17-19). Through the faith of Christ, the Father draws all in the generation of the first Adam to be in Christ at the appointed time (Joh 6:44; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Ti 4:9-10):

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The faith of Christ brings forth life and works, and these works are visible in our actions (Jas 2:14-18). As with Abraham, the Father made all the necessary provisions for this salvation process to be 100% successful and also give His servants all that is needed to fulfill their task. Everything God created was good for the purpose He is using it, even the evil and the wicked – although evil is never good, and darkness can never be equated to light (Gen 50:20; Pro 16:4; Isa 5:20; Mal 2:17; Isa 54:16; Eph 1:11):

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

In this story in chapter 24 of Genesis, several role-players are used as types to reveal the works of God through His Christ in the generation of the first Adam. The main players in this scene in Genesis 24 includes a mature in faith and physically aged Abraham, his faithful servant, Abraham’s son Isaac, a young, beautiful virgin named Rebekah and her family, and also ten camels who are also playing their part in this story. We will recap in short each one’s role and will conclude this discussion with the main focus on verses 62 to 67 – the romantic meeting between Isaac and Rebekah which pictures the marriage of Christ and His church. It all starts off with Abraham sending his elder and faithful servant to find a wife for Isaac with very specific instructions:

Gen 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Gen 24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

God the Father placed in Christ all of Himself, which includes all His spiritual blessings needed to make this all possible (Joh 1:1-4; Joh 1:14-16; Col 1:19; Heb 2:1-3; Rev 1:1-3). God then prepares the hearts of those to whom He reveals this Jesus to receive and do His spiritual words and bear this testimony of Jesus Christ faithfully until their task is concluded (Isa 28:23; Mat 7:24-25; Joh 17:6-8; Eph 1:10; Eph 1:23; Rev 19:10). The faith of Abraham in God’s provision and promises was witnessed in his words and in his life by this servant over many years in the company of Abraham:

Gen 24:7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

All God’s true servants know that God works all things to happen precisely at the appointed time and place, as He also prepares the hearts and directs the steps of all, especially as revealed to those whom He humbles to hear His truths (Psa 10:17; Pro 16:1; Pro 20:24; Jer 10:23; Rom 9:16). The faith of Christ removes the fear of failure, although we all will fall and stumble in the process, but God raises up again and heals all wounds (Job 5:17-19; Psa 34:19-20; Pro 24:16). In the performance of their task, the servants of God use this faith of Christ also; first of all in prayer as an important tool to operate in humility and in God’s perspective of things:

Gen 24:12 And he [the servant of Abraham] said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

The prayer of faith will always produce results as we learn through prayer that the will of God is done in every situation as He alone provides in every aspect of life:

Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Whatever we will inherit or receive from God was already predetermined (“having been bound in the heavens”) and is being worked after the counsel of His will, for those who are given to see this truth (Eph 1:11):

Mat 18:18 CLV Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.

Before this servant of Abraham finished his prayer, Rebekah already appeared on the scene to prove that his prayer had already “been bound in the heavens” as it will also happen in the sight of this servant of Abraham:

Gen 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

Rebekah was from the right family, and her heart wanted to do the right thing, even according to the prayer which this servant prayed in his heart. Here we also see a few pointers on how the true bride of Christ is to be recognised and identified, as typified by Rebekah and her behaviour:

Gen 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
Gen 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
Gen 24:18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
Gen 24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

She was “very fair to look upon”, and this relates to the bride of Christ in terms of their appearance or insight into the word and doctrine of Christ as witnessed by their actions (Mat 7:16-21; Rev 4:8-11). Their words and actions will be in harmony with the doctrine of Christ and always as refreshing as the morning and clear as the sun which will help us also on our path (Psa 119:105; Psa 119:130; 2Co 4:6):

Son 1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.
Son 1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

Son 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

Rebekah was a virgin, which reflects on those who are espoused to Christ having a pure heart. This is achieved by God as He blots out our previous life of sin and transgression through Christ, even as far as the east is from the west, and He never thinks about it again as He indeed makes all things new (Psa 103:12; Isa 43:25; 2Co 5:17):

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Rebekah did what she had to do in haste, and this also points to those in Christ who know that the time is at hand and that every word of God is applicable in their lives as they do His commandments and work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12-13; Jas 1:25-27):

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

She was not only diligent to serve this servant of Abraham and those with him, but also serve all the ten camels with fresh water, which are unclean animals in the scriptures. The true bride of Christ is diligent not only in their unconditional service to each other, but also to those who will come to Christ later in the second resurrection (Oba 1:21; Rev 20:11-15). They do not look for vainglory, but deem others more important than themselves (2Co 1:24).

Php 2:3 KJV Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Rebekah was from the family of Abraham who were still living in the land of the Chaldees, which was situated in the region of Babylon (Isa 47:1; Isa 48:14; Dan 2:1-2; Dan 5:30; Dan 3:8-12; Isa 13:19). This typifies our own route through spiritual Babylon where we also thought we served God while hating His true doctrine and servants. From this state of spiritual delusion all of God’s elect are called to come out of and be humbled to be joined to His bridegroom, Jesus Christ. God’s elect has compassion and understands that although our brothers and sisters in spiritual Babylon recognise and use the words of God, they rather fixate their attention on the physical application of those words and are in captivity and puffed up in their own delusional understanding of His Word (which is His gold and His silver):

Eze 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Eze 16:16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Eze 16:17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

This is the status of Rebekah’s family also:

Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

Those who cannot leave the old earthly Jerusalem with her fleshly attachments are used by God to eventually persecute and kill His elect, for the benefit of the elect. This is very much needed as they are used to crush and kill God’s elect in their streets (in public) and also openly display the bodies of the elect in public retribution and unforgiveness (Act 4:10; Rev 11:3-10):

Luk 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Rebekah’s family wanted to keep her a little longer…”at the least ten” days as this is also the time the flesh needs to stay in a spiritual delusion of perfection or maturity and try to cling to those who are called out (the “ekklēsia”), who are being separated and drawn away. However, the call in the hearts of God’s true elect to go and leave the fleshly attachments is stronger than anything any human can resist. This separation is always viewed by the fleshly mind as unloving, very cruel and unjust (Mat 10:22):

Gen 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

Now Rebekah is taking the long road as she left with this stranger, in the form of this servant of Abraham, to be with her unknown husband whom she wants to be with, no matter the discomfort and trials along this journey and which is still ahead of her (Act 14:22). Only the Father knows the time of the gathering of His elect, even the marriage feast between His Son and His bride (Mat 24:36; Joh 6:44; Joh 17:11; Php 3:11-14). God caused Isaac to come from the “south country” without any precise time when he will meet his wife:

Gen 24:62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

This well of Lahairoi is first mentioned in relation to Hagar, the slave of Sarah earlier on in Genesis:

Gen 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Gen 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
Gen 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Gen 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Gen 16:14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s firstborn after this, but Ishmael was to be the rejected son of Abraham who was “after the flesh” and not like Isaac, who was “by promise”:

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

This well is also the place where Isaac dwelled after the death of Abraham:

Gen 25:11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

Lahairoi means “the well of the Living One seeing me”, and this confirms that God is the Well of living waters from whom all in this creation live and have their being in full view of Him (Luk 8:17; Act 17:28; Heb 4:12-13). It is the same God who brings forth both of Abraham’s sons: one from the bondwoman and the one from the free woman, to be significant for His purposes in their own generation. From this well Isaac also went out to meditate (“chew the cud” of God’s Word), and it is during this time of meditation his vision also cleared to see his wife arriving (Lev 11:4; Deu 14:7; Joh 3:29; Rev 21:1-3; Rev 21:9). As the bridegroom lifted up his watchful eyes, his expectation is met with the coming of the camels which is known to him:

Gen 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

The true church of God also keeps the lamps burning, because their eyes are fixed on the prize of the high calling in Christ as they also do not know the time of the appearance of the bridegroom (Mat 25:1-13). Rebekah was also watchful and prepared to meet her bridegroom. The bride of Christ is veiled and covered to be His alone:

Gen 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
Gen 24:65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

The true spiritual Israel of God after the spirit is the true elect and the chosen bride of Christ whom He prepares and arrays in His righteousness (Isa 54:5):

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The task of the servant was complete, and great joy was also in his heart as he is requested to give a full account to His master’s son:

Gen 24:66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

We all will give an account of all we had done as God works all things in our lives and we rest and account to this truth alone:

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Now the wedding feast can start referring to those in the first resurrection where they will be comforted and find true love in the “tent” or covering of Christ. “Jerusalem which is above”, referring to Christ and His mind, “is the mother of us all” and is here symbolized by Sarah’s tent. In Christ the church has spiritual intimacy and unity through the mind of Christ – away from the eyes and mind of the world (Isa 62:2-5; Eph 2:6; Gal 4:26; Rev 21:2-4):

Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are:

Revelation 1:3
Revelation 14:1-5
Revelation 21:1-3
New Jerusalem Comes Down From Heaven
The Third Heaven

(Key verses: Gen 24:29-61)

The wedding supper of the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and all the preparations the Father is making for that feast, is the most beautiful love story ever told. Finding a wife is indeed a good thing, and that opens the favour of God, especially for the bride of Christ, His church (Pro 18:22; 1Co 11:3; Eph 5:31-33). The coming together of Christ and His church fills our hearts with great joy and gladness even through the severe trials we have to endure to get into that elected and faithful initial few:

Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding….

Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

After the death of Sarah, we read in Genesis 24 that Abraham gave specific instructions to His elder servant, which some supposed to be Eliezer of Damascus, to find a wife for Isaac (Gen 24:1-4, Gen 15:1-2). For the purpose of these discussions, Genesis chapter 24 is divided into four segments:

• Verses 1 to 10: Abraham gives specific instructions to his servant about a wife for Isaac;
• Verses 11 to 28: the servant of Abraham went to find this wife and meet Rebekah;
• Verses 29 to 61: the servant of Abraham meets the family of Rebekah;
• Verses 62 to 68: Isaac meets Rebekah and takes her as his wife.

In this discussion of the foundational theme of faith, we will be focusing on verses 29 to 61 in Chapter 24 of Genesis where this faithful servant of Abraham meets the family of Rebekah. The faith of Christ inspires us to walk a road unknown to us resting in His provisions and directions to bring us to God’s church in Christ (Rom 4:16-22; Gal 2:16; Gal 3:6-9; Php 3:9; Heb 11:8-10):

Gen 24:29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

Laban is introduced here for the first time in the scriptures, and he will also play an important part in the life of one of his nephews, namely Jacob, who will be born through this union between his sister, Rebekah, and Isaac (Gen 27:43, Gen 28-31). Laban’s heart is revealed to us when he saw these gifts the servant of Abraham presented to Rebekah. Laban’s self-serving attitude and love for material things will be given further detail at a later stage in his dealings with Jacob:

Gen 24:30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
Gen 24:31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

This servant of Abraham adorned Rebekah first of all with golden earrings, typifying the ability to hear the words of truth which draw us with loving kindness to our spiritual husband (Jer 31:3, Psa 36:10, Son 1:4, Hos 11:4). He also gave her golden bracelets for her hands as she served without asking questions and with great diligence. Not only did she give water to this chosen servant of Abraham and the men with him, but she also gave water to the ten camels. Rebekah typifies the elect of God being called out of the world not only to render diligent and unconditional service to God’s church initially, but they will also give the waters of spirit life to all in unclean flesh eventually, even as the camel represent an unclean animal (Oba 1:21, 2Co 1:6, Rev 20, Isa 11:9, Lev 11:4). This servant of Abraham is welcomed and here the family relationships between Rebekah and Abraham are confirmed:

Gen 24:32 And the man came into the house: and he [that is Laban, the brother of Rebekah] ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.
Gen 24:33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
Gen 24:34 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.
Gen 24:35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
Gen 24:36 And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

Abraham left this family several years ago, and to them he must have looked very silly to move to the unknown. This servant of Abraham actually came to reveal to Abraham’s family that his separation from them has brought enormous blessings on Abraham. We are seen as foolish when we leave physical securities and relationships behind as we respond in obedience to the call of the faith of Christ in our lives:

Mat 6:31 (MKJV) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

In due time all will see how God indeed blesses His elect far beyond what this world can provide because the faith of Christ helps us to invest in the more important and eternal issues:

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

According to the servant of Abraham Isaac received all that Abraham owned typifying how only Christ was given all things the Father has, even the fullness of His spirit (Gen 25:5):

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him [Christ] should all fulness dwell.

Joh 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

Joh 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Christ is the spiritual Head of the body of believers, and all that belongs to the Head therefore belongs to the church as He distributes to each member to “profit withal” (1Co 12:7):

Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

This is what Rebekah and her family are being shown by this servant of Abraham, even as the Father is showing the church what He has prepared for them to function as a body (1Co 12:1-31). It is only Rebekah who, in the end, will see this in the proper light when she will make her decisions, as only God’s elect are now given to humbly accept and know their function in His church (Rom 1:20, Eph 1:20-23). Abraham gave the instructions to this servant, and the purpose of his mission is also explained to the family of Rebekah:

Gen 24:37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
Gen 24:38 But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
Gen 24:39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
Gen 24:40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:
Gen 24:41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

Abraham and his family were from Ur in the land of the Chaldeans, also known as the region of Babylon in the scriptures (Isa 47:1, Isa 48:14, Dan 2:1-2, Dan 5:30, Dan 3:8-12, Isa 13:19). Even as our route to the spiritual kingdom of God comes via an evil experience of a physical creation first, so must God’s elect also serve their time in spiritual Babylon (Gen 2:7, Jer 18:4, Rom 8:20, 1Co 15:46). There are no shortcuts in this process as our time of capture in spiritual Babylon provides important aspects in our spiritual growth (Jer 24:5-7). As God’s physical elect, the nation of Israel was taken into captivity by the Chaldeans and taken to Babylon for not keeping the Sabbath years of rest for the land for four hundred ninety years, so we are taken into spiritual captivity in our time of the symbolic seventy years, also known as the “seventy sevens” in the scripture (2Ch 36:16-21, Jer 25:11-12, Dan 9:24). This is our time when we cannot “measure” the true temple of God and His altar and have not been given the faith of Christ to accept God’s total provision and cease from our works (Eph 2:8-10, Heb 4:1-16). In the first part of that last “week” of the “seventy sevens”, we also do our share in the killing of the Christ while we sincerely believe all the false things being preached about the Father and Jesus (Dan 9:27). In this time we are in the court outside the temple we, like Gentiles, tread underfoot the holy things of God (Eph 2:2-3):

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Our obsession with the physical things and miracles which God supplies blinds us to the true Christ after the spirit in this period symbolized by “forty and two months” – also known spiritually as “a thousand two hundred and threescore days”/ “three days and an half”/“time, and times, and half a time” (Rev 11:3, Rev 11:9, Rev 12:14). Then we are called out of that mind set to fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of the Christ at the end of the eon of the flesh and carnality in us when we die with Christ outside the camp bearing His reproach (Col 1:24, Gal 2:20, Heb 13:13, 1Co 10:11). The true witnesses of Christ will have to suffer the same affliction as their Head, Jesus Christ, during His time in flesh (Php 1:29, 1Th 3:4, 2Th 1:5, 1Ti 4:10, 2Ti 3:12, 1Jn 4:17):

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Through the sufferings come the rewards (Psa 73:14, Mat 5:10-12, Rom 8:17-18). This is the call of the servants of God, typified by this servant of Abraham who is trying to explain to the family of Rebekah why she was chosen by God to leave them and be joined to her bridegroom, Isaac. This servant now confirms the deeper spiritual rewards for Rebekah rather than to concentrate on the physical wealth of his master and his son. Rebekah fulfilled the prayer which this servant prayed to God, and through this godly-appointed meeting with Rebekah, the will of God in this regard is slowly being revealed to all present in Rebekah’s family in finer details:

Gen 24:42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
Gen 24:43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
Gen 24:44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.
Gen 24:45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
Gen 24:46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
Gen 24:47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
Gen 24:48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.
Gen 24:49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

The family of Rebekah could only understand to a certain extent, as her brother and father also could see that this was from God, and no one can actually resist anything which God ordained to take place:

Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

Obedience to God’s call always brings great joy and rewards to all involved, even to our loved ones who must stay behind, for the time being, in spiritual Babylon as we receive mercy because of the unbelief God put on them at this stage (Rom 11:30-33). God will show mercy through His judgment on all at the appointed time (Isa 26:9, Jas 2:13):

Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

The fleshly attachments will not let go easily and will cling to us as long as possible even when it knows the inevitable separation from earthly concepts and things, including family and friends, is ordained by God:

Gen 24:54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Gen 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

The call in the heart of God’s elect to be with His chosen “ekklēsia” is the strongest pull known to those who are experiencing that, as it also delivers us from temporary earthly attachments. Through the faith of Christ we rather associate with total strangers in the flesh who become the best spiritual companions we will ever meet. This blessing of true spiritual knowledge and pure doctrine is indeed on those who are drawn from the breast and separated from their physical attachments, as the life of Joseph also typified in this regard (Isa 28:9-11):

Gen 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

As in the case with Lot and his family, our urgency and obedience to the call of God will be vital to our salvation (Gen 19:15-17). When the scriptures say the time is at hand, it is talking about those servants of God who are given to see that all the words of God are extremely important and applicable to them here and now (Psa 119:160, Mat 4:4). They hide God’s Word in their hearts and minds all the time as His words are the most valuable treasure to be found (Exo 15:26, Psa 119:11, Mat 6:21, Mat 13:44, Rev 1:3). This is the same attitude displayed by this elder and faithful servant of Abraham:

Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

There is still a choice to be made, but the choice is not according to a “free” will as many propagate. Naturally we cannot serve God – it is Him who works His will in us to choose His righteous ways (Jos 24:15-19, Rom 9:16). God works in the hearts (the mind or heaven) of men because His will is indeed done in heaven and also on the earth. His will also include Him sending evil spirits to delude and cause us to sin, for those who can receive this (Heb 12:9, Jdg 9:23, 1Sa 16:14, 1Ki 22:19-23, Isa 63:17). When we are humbled to seek after His righteous ways, we indeed ask and pray for those ways of His kingdom to be established in our minds and in our actions in this earthy body:

Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

As God works in the heart or heaven in us, even so will we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling:

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

We are not stripped of our will as we need to know that we give an account by the way we think, speak and act in fulfilling the supreme will of God:

Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

This is what is revealed for us in the heart of Rebekah as the will of Rebekah still played an important part in her decision:

Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

As with Rebekah, the church of Christ is indeed blessed to eventually bear “thousands of millions” as their spiritual wombs are now being prepared while in the flesh and riding on camels as God provides even through physical and temporary means to bring us all together in the Christ. The church of God will indeed take up the judgment of this world as they will sit in the gate to possess it, even to help those who hate and revile them now:

Gen 24:59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
Gen 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
Gen 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Marriage Supper is Furnished With Guests
What Are the Biblical Instructions for Finding a Wife?
Come Out of Her My People
Coming Out of Babylon

(Key verses: Gen 24:11-28)

In Genesis chapter 24 we see the longest chapter in the book of Genesis, which will be divided into four segments for the purpose of our discussions:

• Verses 1 to 10: Abraham gives specific instructions to his servant about a wife for Isaac;
• Verses 11 to 28: the servant of Abraham went to find this wife and meet Rebekah;
• Verses 29 to 61: the servant of Abraham meets the family of Rebekah;
• Verses 62 to 68: Isaac meets Rebekah and takes her as his wife.

In our last discussion we covered verses 1 to 10 of this chapter when Abraham, at a mature age, gave specific instructions to the elder servant in his household in connection with the special task of acquiring a wife for Isaac. This servant is not named in this chapter, but some suppose it to be Eliezer of Damascus, which was mentioned in Genesis 15 as a very trustworthy servant for Abraham (Gen 15:1-2). Abraham, as a loving father to Isaac, typifies our heavenly Father who sends His servants throughout the history of the church to bring the bride to Christ, as Christ is also typified by Isaac (Mat 22:1-3; Rev 19:7; Rev 20:4-6; Rom 9:7; Gal 3:29). All of this displays the faith of Abraham which he also instills in this servant to fulfill the task at hand. It is the faith of Christ in us which the Father sends in our hearts through His Word to draw us to Christ and His bride, His true church (Rom 10:17; Gal 2:16; Rom 4:16-22; Gal 2:16; Gal 3:6-9; Php 3:9; Heb 11:8-10):

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

In this discussion of the foundational theme of faith, we will be focusing on this faithful servant of Abraham who left for the city where Nahor, Abraham’s brother, lived to find this wife for Isaac:

Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

All of what the flesh can contain or handle, and by which it is limited by God, is spiritually represented in the number ten in the scriptures (Gen 45:23; Exo 9:14; Exo 26:1; Exo 34:28; Luk 19:13). This burden of flesh, which is our vessel of dishonour, must carry us during our earthly eon which is also emphasised by the camels (Rom 9:21; 1Co 15:44). This unclean beast of flesh and carnality is also represented in the symbol of the ten camels which were created to endure long journeys through very harsh environments. Camels are classified as unclean animals in the scripture as they do chew the cud, but they “divideth not the hoof”:

Lev 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

This indeed indicates our time when we can chew the cud, which is to meditate on God’s word, but are not able to rightly divide the truth. This chewing of the cud can also include our natural inclination to be striving about words and concepts, and getting involved in fruitless discussions with no works to prove in our lives:

2Ti 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

The camel is also the symbol of the carrier of physical riches in various forms which so easily impresses and captures the attention of the flesh (Gen 30:43; Gen 32:9-16; 1 Ki 10:2; 2Ch 9:1; 2Ki 8:9; Mat 19:24; Mat 23:24):

1Ki 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
1Ki 10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

Abraham was also rich in earthly goods and animals, including camels (Gen 12:16). With this servant of Abraham, these camels were moving in the right direction – toward the bride of Isaac to be released of their earthly burdens. This brings to mind how Jesus describes the positive application of camels and how what seems to be impossible with mankind is indeed possible with God:

Luk 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he [the rich young ruler] was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Luk 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
Luk 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

It is when we understand the ministry of the camel in our lives that we make it to bow down to serve God with whatever He blesses us for the benefit of His kingdom. The servant makes these camels to kneel down by a well of water as we all must bow to the waters of the Word where our spiritual thirst can be satisfied, especially when we do not yet have clarity in our spiritual evenings or dark times:

Gen 24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

Throughout the scriptures we find references to women who go out to draw water from wells, confirming that the church, typified by these women, is always in need of the cleansing and satisfying waters of the Word of God (Exo 2:16; 1Sa 9:11; Joh 4:7-15):

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

The first step in performing any task is vital in our walk of faith. If we miss the first step, the rest will be built on a false foundation and will not endure the trials and tribulations until the end. This mature servant in Abraham’s household learned from his master that prayer is the essential first step in every task, no matter how big or how small:

Gen 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
Gen 24:13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
Gen 24:14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

It is important to note that this servant did not approach God in his own name, but in the name of his master. This again reveals why this servant’s name is not mentioned in this passage, for our learning. If our Master is Christ, then we come in His name to the Father and to the world, and this has nothing to do with the vocalization of a pronoun, but more to do with knowing and doing His will (Joh 14:13; Mat 10:22; Mat 19:29; Mar 16:17; Joh 14:14; Act 9:1-5).

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Joh 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

This servant of faithful Abraham knew to ask God for directions which would strip him from his natural ideas and solutions. Prayer brings the mind of Christ into operation in us and disempowers the beast of his fabled free will and earthly convictions. The prayer of this servant was also specific in asking for clear understanding and vision in performing this task for his master. This is the prayer which is inspired by faith which is also called “the prayer of faith” in the scriptures. The prayer of faith will always bring the right answer when we use the Name of our Master, which is to know that God’s will is supreme and will always be done in heaven and also on earth, if we can receive this:

Joh 14:13 And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

This prayer enables us to admit that our own delusions in our natural mind are what spiritual sickness is all about:

Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

As faith comes through the word of God, so does the prayer of faith operate through the application of the oil and the water, which are both symbols of the spiritual words of God (Rom 10:17). Through the anointing of the spiritual words of Christ, we are being saved spiritually and raised to a higher heaven of understanding by the Lord who enables us to be “dead to sin” (Eph 2:6; Rom 6:1-7). Only those who know they are sick call the Elder Physician and submit to His prescriptions:

Luk 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
Luk 5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luk 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

This servant’s prayer symbolizes the call of those who know they are in need of direction because they admit and confess daily that God alone directs all our paths and every footstep of every creature all the time:

Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Pro 20:24 Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

All things are from God, and this prayer of the servant of Abraham was inspired by God and answered according to His will:

Gen 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Gen 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

Before this servant finished his prayer the answer was already there. God supplied the answers to our problems before the foundation of this world – in Christ:

Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

The salvation of the fleshly Adam was in place long before Adam was created. God planned the life of Adam, and all in him, to every minute detail and worked the process according to His one perfect plan from the start. God ordained and purposed it that Adam must come through a body of sin and death to learn vital lessons through failure, trials and tribulations before the spirit life can be given to him and to all in him (1Co 15:21-28; Joh 1:1-4; Col 1:15-19; Rev 1:8; Rev 1:11; Rev 1:17):

Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

When the servant of Abraham saw this young and beautiful woman, he could not wait but ran to meet her. No one can resist the true bride of Christ when she appears in her splendour and spiritual beauty:

Gen 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

She was also in a hurry to give to this unknown man what he asked her, even as the church of Christ will serve whoever comes in humility and need. God indeed prepares hearts to do exactly what He wants them to do with all diligence:

Gen 24:18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

And then she did exactly what the servant of Abraham mentioned in his prayer to God which confirms that God caused the same words of the prayer of the servant and the response in the heart of Rebekah. This was not done according to a fabled “free” will in Rebekah or in the servant of Abraham, but it was all the works of the same God who indeed works all things to be performed 100% after the counsel of His will alone (Eph 1:11):

Gen 24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

This woman was not only prepared to give water to this chosen servant, but she also gave water to all ten camels. Although the spiritual application of the water of God’s Word is now only revealed to His chosen elect in this age, it will however also be given for all in the generation of the first Adam. This is the test of the true church of God – as Jesus is the saviour of all in Adam, so is the ultimate aim of His body to serve all of humanity as the saviours of the world – not only initially in the thousand-year reign of the kingdom of God on this earth, but finally through the salvation of all which will come in the lake of fire (Rev 20):

Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

This speaks of how true love operates as it does not keep book of its works or seek its own glory or remembers what has been done against it (Psa 103:12; 1Co 13:4-7). Godly love washes the feet of all in unconditional service even those who will betray and deny that love (Joh 13:3-9). Rebekah brought water for all ten camels of this servant of Abraham, and that was no mean task. True service indeed brings great excitement and joy to the heart of those who do not want to rule over others because they serve in meekness and humility knowing all is in God’s hands:

2Co 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Unselfish servitude always brings amazement to the receiver:

Gen 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

The true church of God serves even its enemies free of charge as that also heaps coals of fire on the heads of those who belittle and despise the elect of God – even as they are careful not to throw God’s pearls before swine (Mat 10:7-8; Mat 7:6):

Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

The reward will come at the end of our task after we have endured faithfully until the end (Mat 5:10-12; Rev 22:12):

Gen 24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold.

The golden earring this servant gave Rebekah symbolizes the ability God gives us to hear His voice through His Word which is the true “apples of gold” in the redemptive work of His silver. His purified gold, silver and precious stones are being used in building ourselves up in the most holy faith (1Co 3:10-14; Jud 1:20):

Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Pro 25:12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

Job was also given golden earrings after God spoke to him and he could eventually hear and understand the works of God in his life:

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

The two golden bracelets for Rebekah’s two hands show how our faith is witnessed by our actions and service to God and His people. To be a witness is the spiritual meaning of the number two as we bare the testimony of Jesus Christ through our deeds (Rev 19:10). That is the true spirit of prophecy which speaks the loudest because without works our faith is dead:

Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

This is what this elder servant of Abraham also saw in his master’s life and now in the way Rebekah’s hands were diligent in supplying for him and his camels. There was still one more important aspect to be confirmed by Rebekah:

Gen 24:23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?
Gen 24:24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
Gen 24:25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

When God answers our prayers, we will acknowledge Him and only Him through worship:

Gen 24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
Gen 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

Again the excitement in Rebekah’s heart is visible in her actions even as she did not know at this point in time what the purpose of this unknown man was:

Gen 24:28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

Next week, God willing, we will find out more about the servant of Abraham when he meets the family of Rebekah.

————

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Numbers in Scripture
Come Out of Her My People
Coming Out of Babylon
Be Not Weary in Well Doing
Metals, Gold – Positive Part 1

(Key verses: Gen 24:1-10)

The faith of Christ is a foundational truth of the doctrine of Christ, but faith also abides now and is, in the end, an essential part of the mature fruit of the spirit if we are to please God (Heb 11:6):

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and [keep] the faith of Jesus.

The work of Christ in us is compared to a plant, a building and a human body, among others, in the scriptures. There is something that is a common denominator in all of these:

1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

This foundation (Christ) is the common denominator for growth or increase (Heb 6:3).  A foundation is to a building as roots are to a plant – it is the basis of growth and maturing, and without a sound basis, proper growth cannot take place. Growth also is essential to maturing, even as Christ is both the foundation and the finisher of all aspects of His doctrine, including faith (1Co 3:11). This growth is also compared to a race or a battle – not against others who compare themselves with others, but more within ourselves – the old man Adam in us versus the new man or the last Adam – Christ – in us (2Co 10:12; Eph 4:22-24):

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When faith stays at its foundation level, it is called stagnation (being idle) or spiritual immaturity. That type of faith cannot see beyond the physical application of the Word of God. It is indeed with boldness, which God supplies, that anyone will be empowered to go beyond the veil of the flesh and to enter into the higher heavens of understanding truth:

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.

The apostle Peter describes this growth and maturing in faith and all that should be added to faith, as follows:

2Pe 1:5 (MKJV) But also in this very thing, bringing in all diligence, filling out your faith with virtue, and with virtue, knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 and with knowledge self-control, and with self-control, patience, and with patience, godliness,
2Pe 1:7 and with godliness, brotherly kindness, and with brotherly kindness, love.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things are in you and abound [Greek: pleonazō = grow / increase], they make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the life of Abraham, this growth in his faith toward God is given to us as this type of becoming mature through the works which come through the faith of Christ in us (Rom 4:3; Rom 4:12; Rom 4:16; Gal 3:14; Heb 11:8-10; Heb 11:17; Jas 2:21). In Genesis chapter 24 we find another important stage in Abraham’s life in relation to his growth in faith. This is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis, which will be divided in four segments for the purpose of this discussion:

• Verses 1 to 10: Abraham gives specific instructions to his servant about a wife for Isaac;
• Verses 11 to 28: the servant of Abraham went to find this wife and meet Rebekah;
• Verses 29 to 61: the servant of Abraham meets the family of Rebekah;
• Verses 62 to 68: Isaac meets Rebekah and takes her as his wife.

We will only deal today with the first section (verses 1 to 10) where Abraham, as a loving father to Isaac, commissioned his servant to find a wife for Isaac. This also links to our heavenly Father who sends His servants, throughout the history of the church, to bring the bride to Christ and invite and prepare that bride for the big wedding feast (Mat 22:1-3; Rev 19:7; Rev 20:4-6).

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The focus is mainly on this servant in this section. Abraham is said to be of a high age when this servant was given these instructions:

Gen 24:1 And Abraham was old [Hebrew: “zâqên” = aged / an elder in wisdom], and well stricken [Hebrew: “bô” = advancing] in age [Hebrew: “yôm”]: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

The concept of age is repeated in that one verse which helps us to see that this is not merely talking of physical age only, but more to Abraham’s maturity in terms of his growth in his relationship to God being blessed “in all things”. Abraham started to act like God because that is the sign of maturity (Rom 12:2; 1Jn 4:17). Another reference to age is also found in the next verse which also links to this concept of maturity:

Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest [Hebrew: “zâqên” = an elder in wisdom] servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

This servant is not mentioned by name although some speculate that this could be Eliezer of Damascus which was mentioned in Genesis 15 (Gen 15:1-2). The point of this servant is to show us that he was a mature servant in the household of Abraham, and God only commissions His mature servants to do certain tasks (Luk 22:32; Acts 1Co 12:28-31; 1Co 13:11-13; Eph 4:11-12; Tit 1:5; Tit 2:3-5; 1Pe 5:1; Heb 5:14). Mature servants listen to all of their master’s instructions and diligently do them. In our time of service to God in His household of faith, we are maturing in the spirit, and God’s spirit also enables us to recognize the true bride of Christ which is His true church. God’s spirit also empowers us to serve the church of Christ in whatever capacity is needed. All of these combine within this symbol of a servant in this story in Genesis 24 as this servant also had to make a vow to Abraham:

Gen 24:2…put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth…

This is the first time the symbol of a thigh appears in scripture. This manner of making a vow also appears when Joseph had to swear to Jacob about the specifics of the place of his burial (Gen 47:29). The thigh relates to power as the thigh is the most powerful part of the body to bring action forth (Rom 1:20; Gen 32:25; Eze 24:4). The thigh also contains the strongest, longest and heaviest bone in the body, called the femur. It is interesting to note that the thigh is also the place where a sword was attached in the scriptures, also relating to the aspects of might, glory and majesty in power (Son 3:8):

Psa 45:3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

When we put all the meanings of this symbol of a thigh together it becomes clear that Abraham is giving this servant the legal right (power of attorney in a sense) to find this wife for Isaac. This relates to us as God’s servants who are given this faith of Christ through His powerful Word to unite us to His spiritual bride and to be confident in our work within His church and in the world, even under the worst oppression and tribulations (Rom 10:17; 2Co 10:2; Eph 3:11-13; Eph 6:17; Heb 3:6):

Act 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house [while in captivity in Rome], and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

It is this powerful Word who is sent by the Father and given to His servants to draw the bride to Christ (Joh 6:65):

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

All God’s true servants use only the Word of God to draw people to Christ because they know the mighty spiritual power in those words through their own experience (Rom 5:1-6). They keep within the safe parameters of what is written and stay far away from the wisdom of man which only puffs up according to human pride and lusts (Joh 2:16):

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Abraham wants this servant to make this vow to him and to be diligent in following his specific instructions of getting a wife for Isaac. The first instruction concerns our perspective of the bride of Christ:

…that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.

All the inhabitants of Canaan are representing our uncircumcised flesh, and those who are in the promised land but have never yet endured the trials, tribulations and rejection needed to crush the old man in us (Gen 9:25; Jos 3:10; Jos 5:1-2; Jos 17:18; Zep 2:5). Canaan is the symbol of our first birth and time of enjoying the flesh, which is the land of spiritual immaturity of milk and honey (Heb 5:12-13):

Eze 16:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

Exo 3:17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

Abraham’s second instruction to his servant is also significant:

Gen 24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

Abraham came from Ur in the land of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia and here we see a very important pattern being set (Acts 7:2). This land of the Chaldees is spiritually also very significant in our path to spiritual growth and also to those with whom we associate spiritually (Php 3:17; 2Jn 1:9-11):

Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

We must be careful to mark whether those with whom we spiritually connect were taken “out of” the land of birth by God:

Gen 15:7 And he [God] said unto him [Abraham], I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

The land of the Chaldees is also known in the scriptures as part of the region of Babylon (Isa 48:14; Dan 2:1-2; Dan 5:30; Dan 3:8-12):

Isa 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isa 47:1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

The wives of Abraham, Isaac, and also later Jacob, were all from the land of Babylon where Abraham heard the voice of God for the first time. This spiritually links to the time we heard the call of God on our lives and when we found our first love for Christ in His foundational principles of His doctrine – our first spiritual wound (Heb 6:1-2; Rev 13:3a). This also links to the time after physical Israel applied the blood on the doorpost in the land of slavery and sin (symbolized by Egypt) and after they were “baptized” in the Red Sea. This is also the time when the first spiritual wound is healed, and we are amazed with the physical healings and miracles God performs (Rev 13:3b-17). This relates to the “fathers” of physical Israel who experienced all these things and yet could not enter the promised land:

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

It is to this land of the Chaldees where the elder servant of Abraham was sent to look for a bride for Isaac. It is only the “few” who have been enabled by God to come out of the “many” in spiritual Babylon who are given the will to come to Christ to be His true bride. The servant of Abraham highlights another important aspect with his question to Abraham:

Gen 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

Like this servant of Abraham we also at a certain stage will be more focused on our abilities and qualifications to bring the bride to Christ, and we cannot see clearly that God works all things if we obey Him in doing what He told us to do (Eph 1:11; Php 2:12-13). We always need to be reminded that it is a work of God from start to finish and that He will build His church, and nothing and no one can stop Him to fulfill that to the minutest detail. In our growth in the faith of Christ, we will receive the revelation of the Father that He is the One who rules and controls everything. He binds or loosens first in heaven and then that is applied on earth – this is the true chain of command:

Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 (CLV) I will be giving you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth, shall be those having been loosed in the heavens.”

Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Abraham’s third instruction to his servant links to this position of Christ as revealed by the Father and seen in Abraham’s words concerning Isaac as a type of Christ:

Gen 24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

Nothing is initiated on the earth, and nothing on the earth can limit, change or derail God’s work in any way. As the rain comes from heaven and waters the earth to bring forth all things, so is God’s will the only free will ruling supremely over all of His creation (Isa 55:8-11). This is the line of authority as God will also send His angel ahead of this servant to prepare the hearts of those who must receive His truth as indicated by Abraham also (Psa 10:17; Psa 139:16; Pro 16:1; Mat 13:11-17;Eph 1:11; Rev 21:2):

Gen 24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
Gen 24:7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

Abraham wanted the wife of Isaac not to respond according to sight, even as the bride of Christ will only respond to faith and live by faith to endure until the end (Joh 20:29; Rom 1:17; Rom 8:24; 2Co 5:7; Heb 10:38; Heb 11:1). Although we all start off by serving Christ after the flesh while we are in spiritual Babylon, we mature to worship Him in spirit and truth and regard Him no more in physical terms (2Co 5:16). We must fulfill that physical part of our walk in faith first before we are given the humility to see that we are indeed nothing of ourselves as we are called to “come out of her”, even as the wife of Isaac was to take a long journey from the land of the Chaldees to be with Isaac (Mat 4:17; 1Co 10:11-12; 1Pe 5:5-6):

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come [this verb “exerchomai” is in the Greek Aorist tense meaning it is an ongoing process] out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

There is no pressure on this servant of Abraham as the choice of a wife for Isaac is not his, and Abraham also supplied him with everything:

Gen 24:8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
Gen 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

God supplies all His strength and His ability even in our task to be the bride of Christ and to supply for those we must bring into this body of believers in this age (Php 4:13). Jesus said all spiritual authority was given to Him by the Father, and this spiritual authority is given to His servants to fulfill the job He has given them to do:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Joh 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Next week, God willing, we will continue with the other segments of this beautiful work of faith in our lives, as also described in Genesis 24.

————-

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Come Out of Her My People
Coming Out of Babylon
Revelation 18:1-4
Revelation 19:6-10

(Key verses: Gen 22:20-23; Gen 23:1-20)

In our previous discussion we saw how God intervened to save Isaac’s life after God revealed Abraham’s obedient heart of faithfulness to His commandments. The scripture says Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure as he had already accepted Isaac’s death (Heb 11:17-19). After this event on mount Moriah in Genesis 22, the scriptures added a few names which seem to have no relation to this trial of Abraham’s faith. This all prepares us for what is about to take place in Abraham’s household:

Gen 22:20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
Gen 22:21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
Gen 22:22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
Gen 22:23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

These are very emotional times for Abraham as he also received news from his family in Mesopotamia. The name that stands out in these verses is that of a daughter, Rebekah, who was an offspring of one of the eight sons of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. As God knew all things in advance and works all these things after the counsel of His will, He never intended Abraham to slay Isaac because God had already prepared a wife for him (Isa 46:10; Isa 55:8-9; Rom 11:33; Eph 1:11).

That trial in Abraham’s life prepared him for the next one which would test Abraham’s faith in a much deeper and personal way. In this discussion on the foundational theme of faith, we are once more encouraged to see that the faith of Christ will indeed see us through the deepest sorrows in life and even keep us faithful not to compromise within our weakest moments:

Gen 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Gen 23:2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

The last time we heard about Abraham and his family is when they stayed in Beersheba after God saved Isaac’s life when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice him in obedience to God’s commandment. From there they moved to Kirjatharba, which was another name for Hebron, where Abraham, Sarah and their family also stayed before in their times of sojourning in Canaan (Gen 13:18). Here in Hebron Sarah spent her last days before she died at the age of one hundred and twenty seven years. Sarah’s death brought Abraham to a very vulnerable state, and this is also the first time we read that Abraham wept. Emotions and sensual things are part of this life of mankind, but the faith of Christ in us will give us the ability to handle these powers in our flesh in the proper way (Pro 25:28; Ecc 3:4; Gal 5:16-17; Rom 8:28; Heb 10:23):

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Amid this emotional and painful time in Abraham’s life, it was his faith in God which still empowered him to stand firm on his status as being a stranger and sojourner whose only inheritance is death on this earth:

Gen 23:3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
Gen 23:4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

Death is the spiritual state of all in the fleshly Adam as created by God to be our temporal dwelling:

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Abraham wanted to “bury [his] dead out of [his] sight”, and this is something the faith of Christ in us will always encourage us to do when we are in a position to do that:

Luk 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

The primary meaning of God’s word has to do with its spiritual interpretation:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

These words of Christ to “let the dead bury their dead” is referring to the taking up of our own cross and dying to our own earthliness (death), and that is how we can follow Christ (Joh 6:63). This is how we preach the kingdom of God in the most powerful way:

Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his [earthy] life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth about taking possession of this “buryingplace”. Heth means “terror”, even as death brings the most fearful emotion in a human heart. Heth was the second son of Canaan, the son of Ham who was cursed by Noah when Ham did not cover his father’s nakedness (Gen 9:21-25). From Heth the Hethites or Hittites came forth (Gen 23:10; Gen 49:32). The Hittites were one of the tribes which occupied the land of Canaan, but this very land was promised to Abraham by God as a possession (Gen 15:19-21; Gen 17:8). Taking possession of our own “buryingplace” is to be given the ability to see that flesh and its carnal mind is spiritual death, and that losing this earthiness is the only way to get the new life of Christ (Gal 2:20). Life in the spirit is the true inheritance God has promised as we overcome “by little and little” in our dealings in our land of flesh (Exo 23:30; Deu 7:22):

Gen 23:5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Gen 23:6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

Abraham was seen as a “mighty prince” to these Canaanites as they were well aware of Abraham’s life before God. Through Abraham we also learn that “every good gift and every perfect gift” we receive from God will come through faith as that keeps us “unspotted from the world” and its standards (Jas 1:17-27; Heb 11:6). Although Abraham knew that this land of the Hittites was promised to him and his offspring by God, Abraham still approached these children of Heth with respect and humility:

Gen 23:7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Gen 23:8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
Gen 23:9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah [meaning to fold/double], which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

Abraham did not compromise on the truth by conforming to the standards of the world. He wanted to pay for the cave of Machpelah, and he also insisted on paying the full price of the value of this buryingplace (Rom 12:2). There is a very popular false doctrine which claims that salvation is free, easy and quick, even via a short sinner’s prayer. The truth is that salvation comes through a costly and lengthy process as is witnessed throughout the scriptures. One of these examples is given to us through the life of king David. David never offered anything to God that did not cost him:

2Sa 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa 24:22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
2Sa 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2Sa 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

This was the very foundation on which the temple built by David’s son, Solomon, was built at a later stage. This foundation also relates to the spiritual foundations of the city of God which Abraham was always looking to in faith:

Heb 11:10 For [“by faith”] he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Ephron, one of the Hittites, was the owner of this cave and also the field in which this cave was situated. Ephron also wanted to give the cave and the field as a gift to Abraham:

Gen 23:10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
Gen 23:11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

The faith of Abraham once again enabled him to openly stand strong amid his vulnerable emotional state, as he did not budge to this gesture which seemed like a bargain in the eyes of flesh:

Gen 23:12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
Gen 23:13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

There is a saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch – we will somehow pay dearly for free gifts. The words “free gift” appear in the following verses in the King James translation and has also given rise to many false teachings concerning the grace of God. The grace of God does not work the lascivious spirit in many who preach that salvation excludes going through the wrath of God and His fiery judgment on all fleshliness in us (1Co 3:13-15; Jud 1:3-7; Rev 15:8):

Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift [Greek: “charisma”]. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift [Greek: “charisma”] is of many offences unto justification.

These two words, namely “free gift”, are actually translated from one Greek word, “charisma”, which refers to unmerited favour. God’s unmerited favour is to bring salvation through His chastening and scourging grace to all in the first Adam by which we give up on the pride and lusts in our life at the appointed time:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [Greek: “paideuō” = discipline by punishment] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”], and scourgeth [Greek: “mastigoō” = flogging/plague] every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”] not?

Salvation is indeed a gift from God, but can only be obtained when we buy our own oil as the wise virgins also realised in the following parable, but the foolish virgins could not see the purpose for working out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12-13):

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The wisdom in God’s elect helps them to see that they must zealously keep “buying” and investing into His gold, His raiment and His eyesalve, while at the same time selling all their fleshliness in true repentance to God:

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him [the young ruler], If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Abraham shows us that the faith of Christ helps us to be patient and merciful in our walk in this life, and in that way we will frustrate the proud and lustful flesh to reveal its true nature and intentions (Rom 12:20; 1Jn 2:16). Ephron eventually reveals his true price for the piece of land which Abraham paid in full to Ephron in the sight of all the sons of Heth:

Gen 23:14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Gen 23:15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
Gen 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Silver speaks of redemption in scripture – we need complete redemption and deliverance from our old life in the flesh to be given the new spirit life of Christ (Rom 8:23-25 Eph 1:13-14). We must patiently work out our own salvation, even when it seems others have an easier path. The pride in us naturally wants to compare with others and naturally we are dead wrong about what our carnal mind wants us to believe about others (1Jn 2:16; 2Co 10:12-13).

More than this, we are also given this deep assurance that all those to whom we are attached in the flesh will in their own time be taken through their unique process as determined by God to eventually receive the new life in Christ. Ephron not only sold the cave, but also the field with all the trees to Abraham:

Gen 23:17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
Gen 23:18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
Gen 23:19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
Gen 23:20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

It is in this area where Abraham and all his offspring were buried, including Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (Gen 25:9; Gen 35:29; Gen 49:29). Abraham prepared a place for his offspring to bury their own dead, as Christ also prepared a place for all in Adam by showing that life comes through death, even the burying place of the cross which He prepared for us before He comes to take us to be seated with Him in heaven (Eph 2:6; 2Co 12:1-11):

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Even in His deepest sorrow and a time of great loss Abraham is given to us as a type of how the faith of Christ provides for those who come after Him by taking up their own cross and burying their own dead (Mat 10:38-39):

Pro 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

————-

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Image of The Beast
How to Handle Freeloaders
Is Our Faith a Gift or a Free Choice?
Does God Foreknow Our Decisions?

(Key verses: Gen 22:1-19)

The foundational theme of “faith toward God” is beautifully revealed through the faith of Abraham as one of the types given in the scriptures to show us how the faith of Christ in us works and takes us to spiritual maturity through the chastening grace of God (Heb 6:1-2; Rom 4:16; Php 3:9; Eph 2:8-10; 1Co 13:13):

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [Greek: “paideuō” = discipline by punishment] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”], and scourgeth [Greek: “mastigoō” = flogging/plague] every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”] not?

The natural mind in us cannot see or accept this “strange work” of God through His scourging judgment on everyone in the first Adam, at the appointed time, to make them His children in Christ (Isa 28:17-29; Isa 26:9; 1Co 15:14; 1Pe 4:17). This is the way true love works, and every spiritual son the Father receives will go through this experience. This disciplining and sending of plagues will also increase in intensity according to the measure of faith we receive, but everyone will be enabled also to bear this through Christ (Joh 16:12; 1Co 10:11):

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We examine ourselves during our time of judgment, and we also learn to discern the Lord’s body as we wait on each other by serving one another in humility (Joh 13:3-15; 1Co 11:28-34; 1Pe 4:17). God will reveal to us His true witnesses and helpers of our joy who will compass us about with great comfort within this time of judgment:

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

The accusers and “contradiction of sinners” against the elect will not ease off in their accusations and derisions, but Jesus is our biggest example in all of this as He also supplies the inward strength to be content with whatever situation we are placed in:

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Abraham was taken through many trials during his time of sojourning in the land of Canaan, but in Genesis 22 Abraham was taken to a new threshold of enduring God’s testing:

Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

The Greek equivalent verb for “nâsâh” is “peirazō” (according to the Septuagint translation). The Hebrew word “nâsâh” was translated as “tempt” here, but to get the true meaning of this expression “God did tempt Abraham” we must also note that “nâsâh” is also translated as “prove” or “try” in these verses, among others:

Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

2Ch 32:31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

The New Testament also confirms what this temptation of Abraham was about:

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried [Greek: “peirazō”], offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.

Temptation has to do with all the trials which the Father works and sends to us via His appointed agencies, whether spiritual or physical (Heb 12:9; Eph 1:11). God Himself never tests, tries and tempts anyone Himself because He knows what is in our hearts, but we do not know – He is truly omniscient (1Sa 2:3; Job 28:24; Psa 139:4; Psa 147:5; Heb 4:13). Testing or trials are all for our learning about who we are and His works in us (Deu 8:2). Naturally we do not know our own ignorance, and it is a humbling process to go through these trials. Trials are common to all in Adam, even Jesus had to endure them personally while being in an earthly body of death, and even now through His church (Rom 6:6; Col 1:24-27):

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up [this verb is in the Greek aorist tense] of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [Greek: “peirazō”] of the devil.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape [Jesus is, was and will be the only way to overcome temptation], that ye may be able to bear it [cast your cares on Him – Psa 55:22; 1Pe 5:7].

However, we are taught to see temptation as God’s instruments to bring joy, and even though it is common to all, it still is experienced as strange and something horrible by our flesh every time. The mind of Christ sees trials differently:

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [Greek: “peirasmos” – noun form of the verb “peirazō”];
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try [Greek: “peirasmos”] you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

It is in obedience to this truth which highlights the faith of Abraham and all his dealings with God:

Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

The mountain in the land of Moriah is very significant as it is also relates to the vicinity where the first physical temple was built by Solomon. Moriah means “chosen by God” as it also links to what the mountain of the Lord spiritually represents as the house of God or His household of faith (Zec 8:3; 1Co 3:16; Eph 2:19):

2Ch 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The mountain of the Lord relates to threshing and teaching, and this also confirms that trials are brought to us through which God separates the chaff (lies) from the wheat (truth) in our lives. This separation He performs with His “threshing instruments of iron” which destroys the mountains of flesh in us (Psa 1:4-6; Pro 20:8; Pro 20:26; Isa 28:27; Isa 41:15; Amo 1:3):

Luk 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

This is what Abraham faced as he and Isaac, with two young men, rose up early in the morning and travelled for three days – and still the place was afar off:

Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Gen 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

This number three spiritually indicates the process of threshing or chastening we have to fulfill as “no man [is] able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels [are] fulfilled” (Act 14:22; Rev 15:8):

Gen 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

We will be brought to the point in our growth in faith to understand the purpose of the outward physical application and the “putting forth of the finger” (Isa 58:9). Concentrating on other’s evil is the beast’s way to divert attention from itself and “comparing themselves among themselves” (2Co 10:12; 1Co 1:19-20). We will indeed see that we ourselves are the worst of sinners in every aspect, and we have to carry our own load or burdens in that sense (1Ti 1:15; Gal 6:4-5).

Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Here we are also given a picture of the task the Father has laid on Christ to take on Him the load of the iniquity of us all while we are led astray to follow our own carnal ways (Psa 51:5; 2Co 5:21):

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In the words “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you”” we see an expression of Abraham’s expectation to return with Isaac. Abraham’s faith was at such a level that he could see beyond the death of Isaac, even God being able to raise Isaac from the dead. Isaac died “in a figure”, and this expresses the heart of Abraham concerning Isaac. This also reveals the Father’s heart concerning Christ in the flesh and all in the first Adam, who will be brought through the resurrection from the dead to receive spirit life:

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham never witnessed a resurrection from the dead at that stage, but faith made this possible for him to see and accept (Psa 119:130; 1Co 13:12; 2Co 4:6; Eph 1:17-18). Abraham believed that Isaac will be brought back to life because of God’s Word to him – faith comes only through the Word of God (Rom 10:17). God promised that through Isaac all Abraham’s offspring will be brought forward (Gen 12:1-3; Gen 21:10-12):

Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Christ, the Word of God, is the incorruptible seed of God through whom the “everlasting covenant” of life in spirit will come (Luk 8:11; 1Pe 1:23). There is no way God will ever go back on His word – His word will accomplish everything He sets out to achieve, even the salvation of all who were made after the corruptible seed of the first Adam (Isa 55:10-13; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Co 15:42). In our time of spiritual immaturity we cannot accept that we are to sacrifice our own lives or that a grain of wheat can fall into the ground and die, yet will produce a huge harvest after that (Joh 12:24). As faith grows, however, there comes a peace as we learn how God’s glory is revealed through these trials. Trials bring the death of our old man, and progressively we can see His face in glory (Exo 33:17-23; Mat 16:28; 2Co 3:18; Rev 1:17). This quiet Godly confidence in us comes with maturity, and this is seen in us when we are not easily swayed by the trials and the accusers (Eph 4:11-14; Heb 12:1). This confidence in God’s works in us is not cast away or squandered for temporary earthly glory and pleasures as we can see the rewards trials bring (Heb 10:35-39).

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering [Hebrew: “ôlâh” = ascend]: so they went both of them together.

God indeed has supplied a Lamb as a burnt offering for the sins of the whole world, even as Jesus Himself experienced the fiery wrath and judgment of God on His flesh (Isa 54:8; Mat 27:46).

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Abraham was known for his sojourning in his tent and his altars, and here we have the fourth time that Abraham built an altar to God. (We already dealt with the altars in Abraham’s life in more detail in a previous discussion – Study #56):

Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

It seemed that Isaac gave no resistance to what his father was requesting him to do and is about to do to him. This gives us also a beautiful picture of the way Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter at His time of being sacrificed on the altar of the cross as also prophesized by Isaiah:

Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

This is how we are shown how Christ’s true followers will respond when this level of faith is given to them. This type of submission is not given when we are not yet ready and prepared by God as to how to respond and behave when we are falsely accused and led to the slaughter by our enemies as appointed by God. In this instance with Isaac, God intervened:

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

God knows everything in advance, and He never intended for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt human sacrifice. Burning humans as sacrifices on an altar is not part of God’s mind as a way to please Him because “if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (Jer 7:30-31; Jdg 11:30-40; 1Co 13:3). We only please God by the faith of Christ in us which will cause us to do His commandments (Heb 11:6; Heb 13:9-10). Nowhere in the scriptures did God want anyone to sacrifice humans, even Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter as a burned sacrifice, but she fulfilled the vow her father foolishly made on her behalf to remain a virgin all her life (Jdg 11:30-40). Our flesh shall not have an offspring in spirit – true spiritual sacrifices are made from dying daily, even as we are also filling up in our body the afflictions of the Christ to fulfil his work in us and in His body (Col 1:24; 1Co 15:31):

Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Isaac died “in a figure”, and this ram which Abraham sacrificed was “in the stead of” Isaac. Abraham received Isaac back “from the dead” as the scriptures declare (Heb 11:19). If we cannot see that through our own dying we will be brought to life, we will follow the false doctrine of a substitutionary atonement of Christ. This false teaching comes from a lascivious spirit in those who want spiritual life without giving up on their life of sin and even despise the dwelling and abiding in the fire of God (Jud 1:3-4; Isa 33:14-15; Joh 8:31-32; Rom 8:17; 1Jn 4:17). Christ’s sacrifice was indeed an empowering and atoning death through which we will receive His inward strength to be a sweet smelling saviour of Christ to the Father while He enable us to die for our own sins (2Co 2:15; Php 4:18; 1Co 15:31).

2Co 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

That the Lamb of God is actually also a ram is also counterintuitive to the natural mind (1Co 2:13-14). Like the tent of the tabernacle was covered with rams’ skins dyed red, so is Christ the covering Head of the church, even as a physical ram is the leader of the flock (Rom 1:20; Exo 25:5). The ram here shows the positive application of this symbol pointing to Christ as the highly exalted One who is the “firstborn of every creature” of God’s creation, and He is also the “firstborn from the dead” (Exo 29:15-16; Lev 5:15; Joh 1:1-4; Rom 1:20; Col 1:15-19; Rev 3:14). As a ram without blemish, Jesus never sinned while in a body of sin, and that is why His sacrifice is above all sacrifices (Rom 6:6; 2Co 5:21). His complete and perfect ransom ascends above all others and God accepted it as the only true “sweetsmelling savour” which was prepared “from the foundation of the world” (Joh 1:29; Eph 5:2; 1Jn 2:1-2; Rev 13:8):

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for [Greek: “huper” = above] every man.

We are to work out our own salvation as God works or supplies His spiritual abilities in us, meaning we die to self by taking up our own cross and doing His commandments (Php 2:12-13; Mat 10:38-39; Mat 7:24-25; Jas 2:21-23; Rev 1:3). The faith of Christ in us brings the life of Christ in us, even as typified in the life of Abraham. Receiving Isaac back from the dead (“in a figure”) opened the heavens for Abraham, and this is typifying our own multiplying and increase in the fruits of righteousness if we endure the trials of our faith (2Co 9:10; 1Pe 1:7-9):

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Gen 22:19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Being Tempted versus Being Tested
Christ’s Glory
Was Christ’s Death Substitutionary?
He Made Him Sin for Us
Did Jephthah Commit Human Sacrifice?
Does God Foreknow Our Decisions?
The Law of the Offerings – Burnt Offering