GENESIS 17:9-21 God did not refuse to bless Ishmael, but He caused Abraham to clearly understand that the covenant would be established with Isaac, who was not yet born. Ishmael was not to be an heir with Isaac. The Scriptures build on this principle in showing that the flesh (Ishmael)...

GENESIS 17:3-8 In Genesis 17 when God changed Abram's name to Abraham, the reason is given: "For a father of many nations have I made thee" (v. 5). Notice the expression "have I made thee." At this time no child has been born to Abraham and Sarah, yet God says...

EPHESIANS 3:14-21 By the time of the 17th chapter of Genesis, it had been 24 years since God's first promise to Abraham that he would have a seed and that the land would be given to his seed. When God now appears to Abraham, He appears to him as "the...

GENESIS 17:1-2 In Genesis 17:1 we are told, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Thirteen years had gone by since Abraham had hearkened unto Sarah, and...

GENESIS 16:6-16 After Hagar fled from Sarah's presence, before Ishmael was born, the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man;...

GENESIS 16:1-6 Ten years had passed since God had first promised Abraham descendants, and now three years had gone by since God had reassured Abraham of this same thing. Whereas in Genesis 15 Abraham is seen as a man of faith, in chapter 16 we see him as a man...

GENESIS 15:1-6 God assured Abraham that He was Abraham's "exceeding great reward" (Gen. 15:1). The king of Sodom had offered Abraham all the riches that Abraham and his servants had brought back, but he turned them down. Notice that the tense is not past or future, but present. Not "I...

GENESIS 14:17-24 When the king of Sodom tempted Abraham by urging him to take the earthly goods, Abraham's attitude was the same as the apostle Paul's. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul said, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for...

GENESIS 14:10-16 What should be our attitude when a brother is taken captive by the things of this world? Some have a distorted concept of separation. When they see a brother fall into sin, they shout it from the housetops and publish it in their magazines. This is not what...

Unconsecrated Christians who are living according to the flesh are referred to as "carnal" in the Scriptures (see 1 Cor. 3:1,3). It is never recorded that Lot built an altar. He was not known for his communion with God. As a result, he got into trouble, just as any believer...