23 August 2014 3. Prologue to the covenant. GENESIS 15:12-16 NOW WHEN THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN, A DEEP SLEEP FELL UPON ABRAM; AND BEHOLD, HORROR AND GREAT DARKNESS FELL UPON HIM. THEN HE SAID TO ABRAM: “KNOW CERTAINLY THAT YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE STRANGERS IN A LAND THAT IS NOT THEIRS, AND WILL SERVE THEM, AND THEY WILL AFFLICT THEM FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. AND ALSO THE NATION WHOM THEY SERVE I WILL JUDGE; AFTERWARD THEY SHALL COME OUT WITH GREAT POSSESSIONS. NOW AS FOR YOU, YOU SHALL GO TO YOUR FATHERS IN PEACE; YOU SHALL BE BURIED AT A GOOD OLD AGE. BUT IN THE FOURTH GENERATION THEY SHALL RETURN HERE, FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITES IS NOT YET COMPLETE.” a. At the end of the day, God has still not appeared to walk through the animal parts with Abram. Instead, God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Abram. Apparently, at least part of what follows came to Abram in a dream while he was under this deep sleep. b. Know certainly: Abram wanted concrete proof from God, and God will sign the covenant; but Abram should also know he will have land and descendants, but all will not go well with them at all times. Now he knows some dreadful news for certain. i. After God told him some of the hardship that would befall his descendants, Abram might have said, “If that is what is going to happen, I don’t want any children!” c. Specifically, God tells Abram of the slavery and hardship Israel will endure in Egypt (EXODUS 1:1-14 NOW THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, WHICH CAME INTO EGYPT; EVERY MAN AND HIS HOUSEHOLD CAME WITH JACOB. REUBEN, SIMEON, LEVI, AND JUDAH, ISSACHAR, ZEBULUN, AND BENJAMIN, DAN, AND NAPHTALI, GAD, AND ASHER. AND ALL THE SOULS THAT CAME OUT OF THE LOINS OF JACOB WERE SEVENTY SOULS: FOR JOSEPH WAS IN EGYPT ALREADY. AND JOSEPH DIED, AND ALL HIS BRETHREN, AND ALL THAT GENERATION. AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE FRUITFUL, AND INCREASED ABUNDANTLY, AND MULTIPLIED, AND WAXED EXCEEDING MIGHTY; AND THE LAND WAS FILLED WITH THEM. NOW THERE AROSE UP A NEW KING OVER EGYPT, WHICH KNEW NOT JOSEPH. AND HE SAID UNTO HIS PEOPLE, BEHOLD, THE PEOPLE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ARE MORE AND MIGHTIER THAN WE: COME ON, LET US DEAL WISELY WITH THEM; LEST THEY MULTIPLY, AND IT COME TO PASS, THAT, WHEN THERE FALLETH OUT ANY WAR, THEY JOIN ALSO UNTO OUR ENEMIES, AND FIGHT AGAINST US, AND SO GET THEM UP OUT OF THE LAND. THEREFORE THEY DID SET OVER THEM TASKMASTERS TO AFFLICT THEM WITH THEIR BURDENS. AND THEY BUILT FOR PHARAOH TREASURE CITIES, PITHOM AND RAMESES. BUT THE MORE THEY AFFLICTED THEM, THE MORE THEY MULTIPLIED AND GREW. AND THEY WERE GRIEVED BECAUSE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. AND THE EGYPTIANS MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO SERVE WITH RIGOUR: AND THEY MADE THEIR LIVES BITTER WITH HARD BONDAGE, IN MORTAR, AND IN BRICK, AND IN ALL MANNER OF SERVICE IN THE FIELD: ALL THEIR SERVICE, WHEREIN THEY MADE THEM SERVE, WAS WITH RIGOUR), yet they would, after four generations, come back into the Promised Land.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 00:25:10 +0000
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