†. Gen 17:6 . . I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make
nations of you; and kings shall come forth from you.
The only king who really matters is Messiah.
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham." (Matt 1:1)
†. Gen 17:7a . . I will maintain My covenant between me and you,
and your offspring to come,
The word for "maintain" is quwm (koom) which means: to rise (in various
applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative). The very first
instance of that word is Gen 4:8.
"Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him."
That's kind of negative. Here's a passage that really says what God meant.
"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water,
and filled the troughs to water their father's flock; but shepherds came and
drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock.
When they returned to their father Reuel, he said: How is it that you have
come back so soon today? They answered: An Egyptian protected us from
the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." (Ex 2:16
19)
The "offspring to come" was Isaac's and Jacob's rather than every last one
of Abraham's posterity.
†. Gen 17:7b . . as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages,
Abraham's covenant is permanent; has never been annulled, deleted, made
obsolete, abrogated, set aside, given to another people, nor replaced by
another covenant. In point of fact, even Christians benefit from Abraham's
covenant. (Eph 2:11-22 and Gal 3:26-28)
God promised Abraham He would guard the safety of this particular
covenant Himself personally. The covenant God made with Yhvh's people as
per Deut 29:9-15 neither supersedes, amends, nor replaces the covenant
God made with Abraham in this chapter (Gal 3:17). Attempts been made to
package all the covenants into a single security like a Wall Street derivative
similar to a collateralized debt obligation (CDO). But that just creates a
bubble and is really asking for trouble.
†. Gen 17:7c . . to be a god to you and to your offspring to come.
This part of the covenant is somewhat conditional. It will only include those
among male Hebrews that undergo the circumcision coming up in the next
few passages.
†. Gen 17:8a . . I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your
offspring to come,
Ownership of the land is realized not only in Abraham's progeny alone. God
said He assigned the land not only to his offspring, but to "you" too.
Abraham didn't get to take possession of his promised holdings while he was
here, but in the future, he will.
"You will keep faith with Jacob, loyalty to Abraham, as You promised on oath
to our fathers in days gone by." (Mic 7:20)
"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." (Matt 8:11)
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs
with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with
foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb 11:8-10)
†. Gen 17:8b . . all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding.
Abraham's progeny may not always occupy the land, and they may not
always be in control of it; but it remains deeded to them forever.
†. Gen 17:8c . . I will be their god.
The wording of the covenant thus far hasn't been specific regarding the
identity of Abraham's offspring for whom El Shaddai will be their god. Later
on it will become clear that only the line through Isaac is effected. Neither
Ishmael nor any of the other brothers were granted rights to the land.
†. Gen 17:9a . . God further said to Abraham: As for you,
The next covenant is totally a guy thing; and incorporated into Israel's
covenanted law (Lev 12:2-3, John 7:22). The ladies are not a part of this
one because Abraham's progeny isn't engendered by the ladies; it's
engendered by the guys. The ladies are just baby mills. In the Bible, children
inherit their tribal affiliation and their family names from the fathers rather
than the mothers.
This creates an interesting legality in Christ's case since there was no
immediate male involved in his conception. So then, the closest male in his
biological family tree defaults to Eli, his mother's father; which is how the
Lord obtained his biological position in the line of David and the tribe of
Judah. (The Lord's connection to the line of Solomon was via adoption rather
than genetics. I'll elaborate that issue when we get to Jacob's precedent in
chapter 48)
All other considerations aside, the men of Abraham's line don't even have to
mate with women who are biologically related to Abraham because the
ladies don't perpetuate Abraham's line; the guys do. A Hebrew woman who
bears the children of a Gentile perpetuates Gentiles. Kids born in that
situation are not Abraham's offspring. Those are a Gentile man's offspring.
"That when an idolater or a slave cohabits with an Israelitish woman; their
child is illegitimate." (Yevamoth 99a, v36)
In other words, the child of a foreign man is not Abraham's biological
progeny. That fact alone should be very sobering for any Hebrew woman
intent upon marrying a Gentile. Her children won't be identified with
Abraham. They will be non Hebrews with no Divine connection to either
Abraham, or to Abraham's covenant. Her grandchildren will be Gentiles too;
and on and on.
Every Hebrew woman who willingly, and willfully, bears the children of a
Gentile is nothing in the world but a traitor to Abraham's community, and
spits upon the sacred covenant that God made with her ancestor. She is no
better than Esau who valued his birthright on a par with a lousy bowl of
soup.
Cont.
/
nations of you; and kings shall come forth from you.
The only king who really matters is Messiah.
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham." (Matt 1:1)
†. Gen 17:7a . . I will maintain My covenant between me and you,
and your offspring to come,
The word for "maintain" is quwm (koom) which means: to rise (in various
applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative). The very first
instance of that word is Gen 4:8.
"Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him."
That's kind of negative. Here's a passage that really says what God meant.
"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water,
and filled the troughs to water their father's flock; but shepherds came and
drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock.
When they returned to their father Reuel, he said: How is it that you have
come back so soon today? They answered: An Egyptian protected us from
the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." (Ex 2:16
19)
The "offspring to come" was Isaac's and Jacob's rather than every last one
of Abraham's posterity.
†. Gen 17:7b . . as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages,
Abraham's covenant is permanent; has never been annulled, deleted, made
obsolete, abrogated, set aside, given to another people, nor replaced by
another covenant. In point of fact, even Christians benefit from Abraham's
covenant. (Eph 2:11-22 and Gal 3:26-28)
God promised Abraham He would guard the safety of this particular
covenant Himself personally. The covenant God made with Yhvh's people as
per Deut 29:9-15 neither supersedes, amends, nor replaces the covenant
God made with Abraham in this chapter (Gal 3:17). Attempts been made to
package all the covenants into a single security like a Wall Street derivative
similar to a collateralized debt obligation (CDO). But that just creates a
bubble and is really asking for trouble.
†. Gen 17:7c . . to be a god to you and to your offspring to come.
This part of the covenant is somewhat conditional. It will only include those
among male Hebrews that undergo the circumcision coming up in the next
few passages.
†. Gen 17:8a . . I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your
offspring to come,
Ownership of the land is realized not only in Abraham's progeny alone. God
said He assigned the land not only to his offspring, but to "you" too.
Abraham didn't get to take possession of his promised holdings while he was
here, but in the future, he will.
"You will keep faith with Jacob, loyalty to Abraham, as You promised on oath
to our fathers in days gone by." (Mic 7:20)
"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." (Matt 8:11)
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs
with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with
foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb 11:8-10)
†. Gen 17:8b . . all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding.
Abraham's progeny may not always occupy the land, and they may not
always be in control of it; but it remains deeded to them forever.
†. Gen 17:8c . . I will be their god.
The wording of the covenant thus far hasn't been specific regarding the
identity of Abraham's offspring for whom El Shaddai will be their god. Later
on it will become clear that only the line through Isaac is effected. Neither
Ishmael nor any of the other brothers were granted rights to the land.
†. Gen 17:9a . . God further said to Abraham: As for you,
The next covenant is totally a guy thing; and incorporated into Israel's
covenanted law (Lev 12:2-3, John 7:22). The ladies are not a part of this
one because Abraham's progeny isn't engendered by the ladies; it's
engendered by the guys. The ladies are just baby mills. In the Bible, children
inherit their tribal affiliation and their family names from the fathers rather
than the mothers.
This creates an interesting legality in Christ's case since there was no
immediate male involved in his conception. So then, the closest male in his
biological family tree defaults to Eli, his mother's father; which is how the
Lord obtained his biological position in the line of David and the tribe of
Judah. (The Lord's connection to the line of Solomon was via adoption rather
than genetics. I'll elaborate that issue when we get to Jacob's precedent in
chapter 48)
All other considerations aside, the men of Abraham's line don't even have to
mate with women who are biologically related to Abraham because the
ladies don't perpetuate Abraham's line; the guys do. A Hebrew woman who
bears the children of a Gentile perpetuates Gentiles. Kids born in that
situation are not Abraham's offspring. Those are a Gentile man's offspring.
"That when an idolater or a slave cohabits with an Israelitish woman; their
child is illegitimate." (Yevamoth 99a, v36)
In other words, the child of a foreign man is not Abraham's biological
progeny. That fact alone should be very sobering for any Hebrew woman
intent upon marrying a Gentile. Her children won't be identified with
Abraham. They will be non Hebrews with no Divine connection to either
Abraham, or to Abraham's covenant. Her grandchildren will be Gentiles too;
and on and on.
Every Hebrew woman who willingly, and willfully, bears the children of a
Gentile is nothing in the world but a traitor to Abraham's community, and
spits upon the sacred covenant that God made with her ancestor. She is no
better than Esau who valued his birthright on a par with a lousy bowl of
soup.
Cont.
/
