June 30 – The Birth of Isaac

Genesis 19 – The Destruction of Sodom

Vs. 1-29  The Destruction of Sodom
We were told in Genesis 18:21 that God was “going down to Sodom” to see if the outcry against the city was legitimate. Chapter 19 begins with that very action. The two men whom Abraham had encountered arrive at Sodom at the evening of the day. Lot is “sitting in the gate” (19:1), indicating he may have been among the notable men of the city. Lot sees the men approach and quickly offers a hospitable greeting, including the invitation to stay at his home for the night. The men express the preference to stay in the town square for the night, apparently as a way of observing in full the nighttime activity of the town. Knowing the debauchery of the town, this may be the very thing from which Lot is trying to save them. Ultimately Lot is successful and the men take lodging for the night in Lot’s home. 

The men of the town, however, have noticed the presence of the guests, and soon they show up at Lot’s home demanding access to these visitors for the purpose of sexual activity. To insure that we don’t read this as a few fringe offenders, the writer indicates that the men were “young and old, all to the very last man” (v. 4). Lot pleads with them to “not act so wickedly” (v. 7). To our astonishment Lot offers his two virgin daughters to the mob as a substitute for the guests. Lot’s action here would be unthinkable in our modern culture, and no effort is made here to defend such disregard for his daughters. It may be a small help for us to remember that Lot’s actions could have been less incredible to those in his own culture than to the biblical reader of today.

Certain passages in the Bible often surface in our present day conversations about human sexuality. Genesis 19 has been among those passages, and has (in this teacher’s opinion) often been given too much or too little emphasis. Some people read the passage as if the same-sex activity of the men is an irrelevant detail. Others would seem to think it is the only detail that matters. We would do well not to give this element of the narrative any more or any less emphasis than the text rightly requires. The events of Genesis 19 occur before anything is given in the law of Moses, and long before any text of the New Testament. Still, the witness of scripture is very consistent regarding the practice of same-sex activity. In fact, what Genesis 19 describes resonates perfectly with Paul’s words: “…and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:27). While we must take this into account when reading Genesis 19, we also must recognize that the brutal disrespect toward the guests in the town is nothing short of abhorrent in the eyes of God. What the men of the town have in mind is nothing short of rape. They would have been no less guilty of sin had their lustful and aggressive behavior been directed toward women rather than men. The two angels of the Lord had gone to Sodom to see if the level of depravity was commensurate to the outcry raised to God. In this nighttime encounter, they had all the evidence they needed.

At verse 12 we see the angels warn Lot about the immediate destruction coming upon the city. Lot is given this grace and the opportunity, along with any who are associated with him, to escape the destruction. What seems noticeable and odd is Lot’s subtle hesitation regarding the warning. He warns his sons-in-law (v. 14), but they take him to be joking, making it seem to us that Lot’s warning was not offered with great urgency. When the daylight begins to show, the angels again give Lot a final warning to leave, but for whatever reason Lot is slow to respond (v. 16). This prompts the angels to take physical action, dragging Lot, his wife and his daughters out of the city. Once outside the city, the angels compel Lot and his family to continue fleeing into the hills, lest they be swept up in destruction by remaining in the plain. Again, Lot resists. Rather than obedience to the angels’ instruction, he bargains to go to a nearby town called Zoar. As another act of grace toward Lot, the angels permit his request. 

The hesitancy of Lot was shared by his wife. Having been explicitly warned to flee without looking back, some attraction to their life in Sodom remained, and was too strong for Lot’s wife to overcome. In her turning back to gaze, she lost her life. It is difficult for us to comprehend why Lot and his wife did not respond with absolute abandon to the gracious offer of salvation. If there is a lesson in this picture, it may be to remind us of the pernicious grip that the world can have upon us. For all of its evil, something about Sodom was difficult for Lot and his family to leave (see Luke 17:32).

Verses 27-29 bring Abraham into the scene. He who had demonstrated such faithfulness toward his nephew could now only watch as judgment fell on the valley where Lot was living. There is no indication in the text that Abraham was told of Lot’s escape. We can imagine the grief in Abraham’s heart as he witnessed the smoke rising from the valley. The text goes so far as to remind us that Abraham was the cause of God’s grace toward Lot (v. 29). It is a reminder that our faithfulness toward God does have implications for those whom we love.

Vs. 30-38  Incest of Lot’s Daughters
Lot became unwilling to remain in Zoar, fleeing into the mountains with his two daughters. There he took shelter in a cave. His two daughters were deprived of the men who would become their husbands. Our reading of the text suggests they were concerned for the continuance of the family line, which looked precarious in the wilderness near an area where civilization had been destroyed. The solution they devised was to get their father inebriated and use his seed to sire children for themselves. Their plan succeeded, and each gave birth to a son. It is the ancestors of these sons and the connection to Abraham’s descendants that are of interest. One son was Moab, whose descendants would oppose the Israelites on their journey toward the promised land. The other son was the ancestor of the Ammonites, another group who were problematic for the Israelites. One of the gods they worshiped was Molech, to whom children were sacrificed.

Genesis 20 – Abraham and Abimelech

In this chapter we are introduced to Abimelech, a king of a small city/kingdom called Gerar. Abimelech will appear again in Genesis and in other OT books. For now we see him as one who is not otherwise connected to Abraham, yet demonstrates character and is blessed to hear directly from Yahweh. 

In this passage Abraham again plays the ruse (even if truthful) that Sarah is his sister. The text reveals that Abraham has this consistent fear that has been affecting him since he began his sojourn in Canaan (v. 13). Even with all he has accomplished and the assurance he has received from God, Abraham is still living with this insecurity regarding his wife. It is a reminder that even the great characters of faith in the Bible had their share of shortcomings. 

As in Egypt, things don’t go well with the one who takes Sarah from Abraham. God appears to Abimelech in a dream (v. 3) and warns him concerning Sarah. Abimelech has good grounds to contend for his innocence, which he does. Part of God’s self-revelation to Abimelech here is to let him know that God was the preventive force that kept Abimelech from sinning against God (and compromising the plan for the promised child). 

Notable in this chapter is God’s designation of Abraham as a prophet (v. 7). This sets Abraham among a particular rank of people through whom God demonstrates his power. Above all else, the role of prophet designated one as having the authority to speak on behalf of God. Their words carried divine weight and their prayers were highly effectual. The Genesis narrative has already suggested to us that Lot has benefited from Abraham’s intercession. In this chapter it is Abimelech who benefits. Abimelech, his wife and female servants are “healed” through Abraham’s prayer (v. 17-18), for God had closed the womb of the women because of Sarah. Abimelech was warned by God (v. 7) that, unless he returned Sarah, he and all who are associated with him would surely die. It is possible this “death” meant the closing of the wombs of the females of Abimelech’s tribe as well as his own sterility. Whether or not these two things are connected, we know that it was by Abraham’s prayer that healing comes to Abimelech and his people. 

Genesis 21 – Birth of Isaac

Vs. 1-8  The Birth of Isaac
The passage begins with a powerful statement of God’s faithfulness. Abraham and Sarah, through an unimaginably long period of waiting, have finally received what God has promised. The two of them bear witness to the world that God is true to His word. The child himself is a reminder that God can do what seems to be beyond possible.

True to the command of the Lord (Genesis 17:19), Abraham names his son Isaac. The name itself points to laughter, appropriate for a husband and wife who celebrate their firstborn child at such an old age. Sarah herself says (v. 6), “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” This is not the laughter of ridicule, but of celebration. It is truly a joyful thing when God demonstrates His faithfulness in our lives.

Vs. 9-21  Abraham Dismisses Hagar
Immediately after the birth of Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael reenter the story. We are told (v. 9) that Sarah saw Ishmael laughing. In context, this was not the laughter of shared joy, but of ridicule. The apostle Paul makes an unnamed but clear reference to this in Galatians 4:28-29, where he says “he who was born according to the flesh (Ishmael) persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit (Isaac).” In the theology of the New Testament, Isaac and Ishmael are personifications of the free gift of grace through Christ (promise) compared with the keeping of the Law (flesh). 

Sarah insists that Abraham send Ishmael and his mother away. Such an idea saddened Abraham’s heart, but God directed him to follow through on Sarah’s request. God reiterates the promise previously given Abraham, that for the sake of Abraham God would make a great nation of Ishmael. Abraham prepares provisions and gives them to Hagar, sending her away. Hagar and Ismael go into the wilderness and find themselves in desperate condition. Thinking his end is at hand, Hagar places her son under a bush, then goes a distance from him so as to not witness his death. In that moment an angel of the Lord appears to her, reminding her of God’s promise regarding Ishmael, and revealing a well of water from which they take refreshment. We are told that he goes from here to live in the area of Paran, a wilderness area in the northeast part of the Sinai peninsula. We are also told that Hagar took for Ishmael a wife from Egypt. From this point we will hear no more from Ishmael until the death of Abraham. 

Vs. 22-34  Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
In the last section of this chapter, Abimelech resurfaces. Abimelech recognizes that the Lord’s hand is upon Abraham, and that Abraham has grown into a formidable force in the region. Therefore Abimelech contends with Abraham to deal rightly with him and his people, reminding Abraham that Abimelech dealt justly with him during their previous encounter. 

The issue, with which Abimelech also involves his military commander, could have been a contention regarding land. Abraham would have been dwelling to the east of Gerar, likely with little competition for land except in the area near the town. The tension probably was connected to a dispute over a well of water that, according to the text, Abimelech’s men had seized. In such an arid region, well water was a crucial resource for both people and livestock. Abimelech pleads ignorance and innocence, willing to make right something about which he had no prior knowledge. The situation is resolved by the two men making a covenant. The sign of this covenant rested in the giving of seven ewe lambs to Abimelech, a witness and reminder that Abraham was the one who dug the well, and therefore would retain the privilege of its use. It was for this reason the place was called Beersheba, a name meaning “well of the oath” or “well of seven.” 

The chapter ends by telling us that Abraham “sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” We know that the Philistines dwelt in the coastal region of Canaan. Abraham has therefore migrated from the southern end of the hill country, likely with generous margin around Gerar, toward the foothills and even the coastal plain to the west.