Day 14

II The Age of The Patriarchs - 1967-1606 B.C. ~ cont.
B. Abram ~ cont.

4. God's covenant with Abram given in detail - Genesis 15:1-21

5. Relationship to Ishmael

a. Sarah gives Hagar to Abram - Genesis 16:1-14

b. Birth of Ishmael - Genesis 16:15-16

c. Death of Arphaxad (438 years) - Genesis 11:13

d. Covenant renewed, name changed to Abraham - Genesis 17:1-8

e. Circumcision a sign - Genesis 17:9-14

f. Name changed to Sarah; Isaac promised - Genesis 17:15-19

g. Ishmael's destiny foretold - Genesis 17:20-22

h. Circumcision inaugurated - Genesis 17:23-27

6. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

a. Heavenly visitors - Genesis 18:1-22

And he (Abram) said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  (Genesis 15:8)

Questioning God.  Gill's commentary:

And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? Not as questioning or doubting whether he should or not; but this he asked for the further confirmation of his faith in the promise, and for the sake of his posterity, that they might more easily and strongly believe that they should inherit the land given and promised to them; nor is it culpable to ask a sign of God with such a view; good men have done it, as Gideon, Jdg_6:36, and Hezekiah, 2Ki_20:8, without being blamed for it; yea, Ahaz is blamed for not asking one, Isa_7:10.

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  (Genesis 17:8)

Is this physical, spiritual, both?  What does everlasting mean?

H5769 - From H5956; properly concealed, that is, the vanishing point; generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity; frequentative adverbially (especially with prepositional prefix) always.

Henry's commentary:  "God had before promised this land to Abraham and his seed, Gen_15:18. But here, where it is promised for an everlasting possession, surely it must be looked upon as a type of heaven's happiness, that everlasting rest which remains for the people of God, Heb_4:9. This is that better country to which Abraham had an eye, and the grant of which was that which answered to the vast extent and compass of that promise, that God would be to them a God; so that, if God had not prepared and designed this, he would have been ashamed to be called their God, Heb_11:16. As the land of Canaan was secured to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, so heaven is secured to all his spiritual seed, by a covenant, and for a possession, truly everlasting. The offer of this eternal life is made in the word, and confirmed by the sacraments, to all that are under the external administration of the covenant; and the earnest of it is given to all believers, Eph_1:14. Canaan is here said to be the land wherein Abraham was a stranger; and the heavenly Canaan is a land to which we are strangers, for it does not yet appear what we shall be."

Difference in the meaning of the names:

Abram - H87 - Contracted from H48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham.

• H48 - From H1 and H7311; father of height (that is, lofty); Abiram, the name of two Israelites.

Abraham - H85 - Contracted from H1 and an unused root (probably meaning to be populous); father of a multitude; Abraham, the later name of Abram.

I liked that father of height.  :-)  Height versus width?  When I think of a multitude I do not necessarily think of depth (height) rather of something spread abroad.  Interesting ponderables.

Sarai - H8297 - From H8269; dominative; Sarai, the wife of Abraham.

• H8269 - From H8323; a head person (of any rank or class).
• H8323 - A primitive root; to have (transitively exercise; reflexively get) dominion.

Sarah - H8283 - The same as H8282; Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

• H8282 - Feminine of H8269; a mistress, that is, female noble.

dominative ~ –adjective - dominating; controlling.

Hmm...was Sarai controlling?  With her insistence of Abram (at that time) taking Hagar and using her as a surrogate mom, it could be inferred that Sarai (at that time) was domineering.  Then elevated to a position of nobility.  I thought it interesting that both names come back to the same root word.

Day 13

II The Age of The Patriarchs - 1967-1606 B.C. ~ cont.
A. Job ~ cont.
5. Job's later prosperity - Job 42:7-15
B. Abram
1. His family
a. Birth of Milcah (daughter of Haran)
b. Birth of Sarai (daughter of Terah)
c. Death of Reu (239 years) - Genesis 11:21
d. Marriage to Sarai - Genesis 11:29-30
e. Birth of Nahor's children (not read at this juncture, but is in Genesis 22:21-22, 24)
f. Death of Serug (230 years) - Genesis 11:23
g. Death of Haran (apx 102 years) - Genesis 11:28
h. Travels from Ur to Haran - Genesis 12:1-3; 11:31
2. Call and promise of God
a. Chedorlaomer in - Genesis 14:1-4
b. Death of Terah (205 years) - Genesis 11:32
(Fourth Dispensation - Promise)
c. On to Canaan - Genesis 12:4-9
d. 430 years of Exodus 12:40 and Galatians 3:17*
e. Trip to Egypt
(1) Journeys - Genesis 12:10
(2) Lies about wife - Genesis 12:11-20
(3) Leaves wealthy - Genesis 13:1-2
f. Arrives back in Bethel - Genesis 13:3-4
3. His relationship with Lot
a. Separation from Lot - Genesis 13:5-13
b. Covenant renewed - Genesis 13:14-17
c. Abram to Hebron - Genesis 13:18
d. Lot taken captive - Genesis 14:5-13
e. Abram deliveres Lot - Genesis 14:14-16
f. Abram in royal company
(1) With King of Sodom - Genesis 14:17, 21-24
(2) With Melchizedek (Shem) - Genesis 14:18-20

And the Lord turned the captivity of job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)

I made a note here 'conditional?' wondering if Job's blessings were contingent upon his prayer and forgiveness.

I liked Gill's commentary on the passage:

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job,.... Not literally, in such sense as Lot's captivity was turned, Gen_14:12; for Job's person was not seized on and carried away, though his cattle were: nor spiritually, being delivered from the captivity of sin; that had been his case many years ago, when first converted: but it is to be understood of his restoration from afflictions and calamities to a happy state; as of the return of his substance, his health and friends, and especially of his deliverance from Satan, in whose hands he had been some time, and by him distressed both in body and mind. But now his captivity was turned, and he was freed from all his distresses; and even from those which arose from the dealings of God with him, which he was now fully satisfied about; and this was done,

when he prayed for his friends; as he was directed to do. A good man will not only pray for himself, as Job doubtless did, but for others also; for his natural and spiritual friends, yea, for unkind friends, and even for enemies likewise: and the prayer of an upright man is very acceptable to the Lord; and many mercies and blessings come by it; and even prayer for others is profitable to a man's self; and sometimes he soon reaps the benefit of it, as Job now did. For when and while he was praying, or quickly upon it, there was a turn in his affairs: he presently found himself in better health; his friends came about him, and his substance began to increase; Satan had no more power over him, and the presence of God was with him. All which was of the Lord; and he enjoyed it in the way of prayer, and as the fruit of that;

also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before: or added to him double. Which chiefly respects his substance; his cattle, as appears from Job_42:12, and might be true both with respect to things temporal and spiritual. "Double" may denote an abundance, a large measure of good things; see Zec_9:12.

Which puts me in mind of this verse: 

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Father also encourages us to:

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Luke 6:28)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*I am not sure why this is listed here in the outline. I went and looked at these verses, which I think means the sojourning of the nation of Israel in Egypt.