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oppose those whose blessings are to be enjoyed, not in the land of Canaan, but in
`heavenly places'.
No.24.
Flesh 5: Spirit, as set forth in Gen. 12: - 22:
pp. 165 - 169
The story of the seed, as it is connected with the life of Abraham brings into
prominence several new principles, and the passage that covers the active life of
Abraham, namely Gen. 12:-22: must therefore be studied. Gen. 12: contains the
promises "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed"; "unto thy seed will I give
this land" (Gen. 12: 3, 7); and again in Gen. 22: we read:
"In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22: 18).
In Gen. 12: 1 Abraham was commanded to `get out' of his land, and in Gen. 22: 2
he was commanded to `get into' the land of Moriah. So Abraham `departed' (Gen. 12: 4)
and `went' (Gen. 22: 3) where the same Hebrew words are used. In Gen. 12: we
see that Abraham, with some trepidation, went down to Egypt to sojourn there. In
Gen. 22:, with triumphant faith, Abraham went to Beersheba and dwelt there.
On two separate occasions, two Gentile monarchs took Sarah the wife of Abraham,
and were prevented from interfering with the advent of the true seed by Divine
interposition. First, being fearful of famine, Abraham took Sarah to Egypt where she was
taken from him into the house of Pharaoh (Gen. 12: 15). In the second instance, again
going on toward the south (Gen. 12: 9; 20: 1), Sarah is taken by Abimelech, king of
Gerar, and once again any interference is checked by Divine interposition (Gen. 20: 3-7).
In both cases Abraham resorts to half the truth by describing his wife as his `sister'. The
house of Pharaoh is plagued because of Sarai and Abimelech is spoken to by God in a
dream, Who said to him:
"Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a
man's wife" (Gen. 20: 3).
"What is this thou hast done unto me?" asked Pharaoh (Gen. 12: 18). "What hast thou
done unto us?" demanded Abimelech (Gen. 20: 9).
Here are parallel incidents in which Sarah is taken into the harem of the king, and but
for Divine intervention the seed would have been corrupted. It is of supreme importance
moreover to observe the fact that the first occurrence in Genesis of the verb `to sin' is
Gen. 20: 6 and that the specific `sin' is not given in detail until we reach Gen. 39: 9
where Joseph is importuned by Potiphar's wife! It is impossible to ponder these passages
and to avoid the conclusion that two direct attacks were made upon Sarah and through
her upon the seed. Time went on, and after the victory gained by Abraham over the kings
that took his nephew Lot captive, the fact that Abraham still remained childless is