20250706 Genesis 20-21 - For The Nations
God is concerned for the world and all peoples. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is not a NT invention. In Genesis 1, God told mankind, be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Following mankind’s sin, God told Abraham, in Gen 12:3, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In Jer 1:5, God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” This is Ps 67:3-4 “Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you! 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for you!”
God loves the world, God loves the nations. He desires the nations
to rejoice in him and worship him.
Our natural tendency is to first
look out for ourselves, then look out for ours, then if there is any overflow,
maybe we will consider others. God is not like us. God loves and God gives. A
people transformed by the gospel must learn to love and give and care for those
we are not connected to. Gen 20-21 describe Abraham’s relationship to the
nations. God told Abraham in Gen 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will
curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In some way
this verse summarizes the Abraham account in Genesis. On almost every page he
deals with those he is called to bless.
Genesis 20-21 teaches about Prayer, Laughter, God's Care,
and Peace For The Nations. Genesis 20:1-18 teaches on Prayer for the Nations. Genesis
21:1-7 teaches on Laughter for the Nations. Genesis 21:8-21 teaching of God’s
care for the Nations. Genesis 21:22-24 teaches on Peace for the Nations
First, we see Prayer For The
Nations in Genesis 20:1-18.
In Genesis 20, Abraham forfeits his role as agent of
blessing for the nations. He is the agent of curse, but God uses Abraham's prayer
to bless a foreign nation.
Genesis 20
The account of Genesis 20 repeats Gen 12:10-20.
He deceives King Abimelech by saying that his wife is his
sister.
King Abimelech was about to take Abraham’s wife to be his
wife. Our text uses Genesis 3 language to teach us that Abraham is no hero, and
righteous behavior can be found among the nations. Abraham takes on the role of
the snake and Adam of Genesis 3, while Abimelech, the foreign Kings takes the
roles of a better Adam, Eve, a better Abraham, and he even takes the role of God
himself.
Abraham is the snake who deceives. He deceives a foreign
nation saying that his wife is his sister.
Abimelech is the deceived woman who takes (Gen 20:2//Gen
3:6). The Lord warns Abimelech to give Sarah back or "he will surely die"
(Gen 20:7//Gen 3:4). Abimelech must intercede for himself, in Gen 20:4, he
asks, "Lord, will you kill an innocent people?" These were Abraham's
words in Genesis 18 when he interceded for Sodom (Gen 18:23). Abimelech take's righteous
Abraham's role. Abimelech takes God's role in the Genesis 3 account, when he
tells Abraham, "What have you done? (Gen 20:9). These were God's words to
the woman after she ate the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:13). Then, like in Genesis
3, there is blame-shifting. Abraham blames Abimelech. He says in Gen 20:11, “I
thought, ‘there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me
because of my wife.’”
There are two lessons from this adaptation of Genesis 3. First,
God's people must be a blessing or they will be the devil’s agents and like our
first father bringing sin into the world. The second lesson comes from Abimelech's
integrity. He acts like Abraham did on his best day and even speaks God's words.
The nations will respond to the proclamation of the gospel. People from all
over the world will join God's universal people and worship God.
Another lesson from this text is that God does not give up
on Abraham. Abraham lacked faith and brought about this situation. Yet, in Gen
20:7, God tells Abimelech that Abraham will pray for him and he will live. In
Gen 20:17, Abraham does pray. God heals Abimelech and all the women because the
Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech. Abraham was the
problem and he was also the solution. He fulfills his vocation. He does end up
being some kind of blessing to the nations. Abraham prays for a foreign nation
that experiences healing.
Another lesson from this text offers an important ethical
lesson on the sin of adultery. In Gen 20:3, God tells Abimelech, "You are
a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."
In Gen 20:5, God says, "I kept you from sinning against me." Gen
20:7, "if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and
all who are yours." In Gen 20:9 Abimelech asks Abraham, "you have
brought on me and my kingdom a great sin... You have done to me things that
ought not to be done..." This text evokes the severity of adultery. It
includes the punishment of death that shows how much God wants to protect the
family unit. The text also teaches that adultery affects more than just the two
involved. The text shows there are no two standards of morality, one for God's people
and one for the rest. Nowhere in previous chapters was the chapter forbidding
adultery explicitly stated. This text shows that God's moral law is universal
and applies to all times. Adultery first speaks of sexual immorality with
another person's spouse. This also includes between two unmarried people. Jesus
even shows that we can commit adultery in our hearts through our thoughts. We
want to take sexual purity seriously while we want to be a people that is
quicker to point out our own sin rather than the sins of others.
Application
The following are two application points, that come from
Abraham’s interaction with this foreign nation, they are a call to humility and
a call to pray.
First, Abimelech was righteous. He interceded for the
innocent. He even spoke God’s words. Let’s celebrate that goodness can be found
everywhere. Our unbelieving neighbors, colleagues, friends can show us Jesus. Jesus
teaches us that lesson with the good Samaritan in Luke 10.
Second, pray. Abraham interceded, he prayed, and there was
healing. 1 Tim 2:1-4 says, First of all, then, I urge that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2for kings
and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life,
godly and dignified in every way. 3This is good, and it is pleasing in the
sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth. When our minds are saturated with God's words, our prayers
start to mimic scripture. We ask what God wants, we see God answer our prayers
and he often uses us to enact his will. We can pray for the gospel to go forth,
churches to be planted, and more people coming to faith. This is how we pray
like Abraham, for the healing of the nations.
Second, we see Laughter For The
Nations in Genesis 21:1-7.
Genesis 21:1-7 is about Isaac’s birth. This birth is
significant for the whole world. It will lead to laughter in its purest and most
joyful form for the nations.
Genesis 21:1-7
God had promised offspring to Abraham and Sarah for a long
time, at least 25 years. It finally happened! The boy is called Isaac, which means
“he laughs.” The name goes back to Gen 17:17, Abraham laughed at the idea of
having a son because of his and Sarah's ages. Sarah also laughed at this idea
in Gen 18:12. Because of their laughter, God told them to call the baby, "he
laughs" or Isaac. Their laughter was mocking that stemmed from a lack of
faith. At his birth, God turns the faithless mocking laughter into laughter of
joy! In Gen 21:6, Sarah says, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears
will laugh over me.”
Application
We are included in Gen 20:6 - "everyone who hears will
laugh over me." Abraham's seed is connected to the seed of the woman who
crushes the devil's head. This means that the birth of Isaac is connected with God
blessing the nations through the Messiah.
The birth of Isaac is great news
for us. We can laugh over Sarah with the joy of our salvation connected with this
birth because this birth is connected with the blessing of all the families of
the earth in Abraham and salvation for the world.
The rest of the Bible confirms this. Isaac is the ancestor
of Jacob, Judah, David, Joseph and Mary, and Jesus the savior of the world. When
Sarah said, "everyone who hears will laugh over me," she spoke of her
immediate context, but now those words are way more true than should could have
ever imagined. We can read this verse as a promise of laughter for the nations.
This Isaac laughter is the exuberant joy in our salvation.
Third, we see God's Care For The
Nations in Genesis 21:8-21.
In Genesis 21:8-21, we see that even though God’s people
fail to care for people, God still cares for the nations.
Genesis 21:8-21
The word play with Isaac’s name continues. Sarah caught
Ishmael laughing at Isaac. This time, it is mocking.
It is now the theme of the account of Cain and Abel in Genesis
4 reappear. There is rivalry between siblings. The younger brother is chosen
over the older. Sarah demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Shockingly,
in a reversal of Genesis 3, God tells Abraham to do what she says. Sarah has become
Cain, expressing her jealousy. But it is Hagar and Ishmael who are banished to wander
in the wilderness like Cain.
The casting out of Ishmael and Hagar is complex.
From the perspective of Abraham’s relationship with God, God
is asking him to trust him and only him and give up his son. Theologically,
this separation marks Isaac as the definite heir of God’s promises.
From a human standpoint, this text is hard. In Gen 21:14,
Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael with bread and water into the wilderness of
Beersheba. By Gen 21:16, Hagar cries out, “Let me not look on the death of the
child.” It is like Abraham casting out his son to die. At this point, we read
of God’s care for Hagar and Ishmael like in Gen 16. God used Sarah's wickedness
for good. Hagar, whose name means “the immigrant,” represents the nations.
God shows his care for her and Ishmael. God cares for the
nations. In Gen 21:18, these are God’s words to her: “Fear not for God has
heard the voice of the boy where he is.” This is a play on words with Ishamel’s
name, which means God’s hears. Then he promises her that her child inherits
part of Abraham’s blessing. He will become a great nation.
Application
God has a specific plan to work through a family of very
flawed people to bring about a blessing for the world. Even when they fail and
mistreat the families of the world, God cares for the nations.
God cares for North Korea, Russia, Iran, China, Nigeria,
Congo, the Middle East, and Belgium. God cares for the immigrants among us. In
some way Hagar and Ishmael are sojourners, a window, and an orphan, mistreated
by God’s people.
God cares and we are called to care.
God cares in general ways for all through his common grace. He
lets it rain on the wicked and the righteous. He provides the institution of Government
that have a God ordained role to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. God
also cares specifically for the nations. The great commission is to make
disciples of all nations. The Great Commission shows God's love for the
nations. The gospel is our gift to the nations.
When a church is planted devoted to simple gospel-ministries,
people encounter Christ. People become born again, they enjoy the hope of
eternal life, the Isaac laughter of salvation. Joy in the Holy Spirit, peace
with God. This is even true in the hardest places to live.
Fourth, we see Peace For The
Nations in Genesis 21:22-34.
In Genesis 21:22-34 we see a covenant and peace between
Abraham and Abimelech.
Genesis 21:22-34
After deceiving Abimelech in Genesis 20, Abraham did pray for
him and there was healing. In Gen 21:22, Abimelech recognizes that God is with
Abraham. Abimelech requests to enter a covenant to ensure peace with Abraham. Genesis
14:13 Canaanites made a covenant with Abraham to live with him in peace.
In Gen 21:25, Abraham voices a concern about a well that
Abimelech’s men had seized from him. Abimelech wants to make things right with
Abraham and they make a covenant. The covenant formalizes their relationship. According
to Gen 21:23, they will deal kindly with each other.
Application
This text shows us how God's people can live at peace with
unbelievers. One of the qualifications for an elder is that they be “well
thought of by outsiders.” Ideally this would be true of all Christians. There
is a tension. It is not about accommodating our faith to please. But, there is
a sense that living God's way in God's world will be attractive.
In the early 100s, Aristides, a Christian from Athens
described Christians to the Roman emperor Hadrian, “They do not commit … immorality;
they do not bear false witness, or embezzle, nor do they covet what is not
theirs. They honor father and mother, and do good to those who are their
neighbors. Whenever they are judges, they judge uprightly. … Those who oppress
them, they exhort and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies….
As for their servants, … they persuade them to become Christians; and when they
have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. … Falsehood is not
found among them. They love one another; the widow’s needs are not ignored, and
they rescue the orphan from the person who does him violence. He who has, gives
to him who has not, ungrudgingly and without boasting. … If they find poverty
in their midst, and they do not have spare food, they fast for two or three
days in order that the needy might be supplied with the necessities….”[i]
If we had this reputation even if people don’t believe in
our Jesus, they would want us in government, law enforcement, teaching in
schools, in management roles, and as neighbors…. People would see God’s favor
over us and want to enter into partnerships with us. We want to live in such a
way that we are at peace with the nations.
Conclusion
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This
is Ps 67:3-4 Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for you! God loves the world, God loves the
nations. He desires the nations to rejoice in him and worship him.
In Genesis 20-21 we saw the themes of prayer for the
nations, laughter for the nations, care for the nations, and peace for the
nations. God loves the nations. This is good news for us, because if we are not
physical descendants of Abraham, we are the nations. God has brought us into
his people. We have received blessing to be a blessing. Now in turn, we pray, offer
salvific joy/Isaac laughter by sharing the gospel, care for all people, we seek
to be at peace with all people.
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