| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| |
|
| 1 After these things, came the word of Yahweh unto Abram, in a vision, saying,–Do not fear, Abram, I, am a shield to thee, thine exceeding great reward. |
Fear not, Abram: – Do not be afraid of any attempts at vengeance on the part of the kings you have just conquered. R3944:3
I am thy shield – "When he giveth quietness who then can make trouble." (Job 34:29) R3944:4
Great reward – In a sense, I will give myself to you and that will constitute your greatest possible reward. R3944:4
To have God for a friend and counselor and guide is to be esteemed far beyond every earthly interest and blessing. R2853:6
|
| |
|
| 2 And Abram said, My Lord Yahweh, what canst thou give me, when, I, am going on childless,–and, the heir of my house, is Eliezer, of Damascus. |
Eliezer of Damascus – Type of the holy Spirit. F171
|
| 3 And Abram said–Lo, to me, hast thou not given seed,–And lo! a son of my household, is mine heir! |
|
| 4 And lo! the word of Yahweh [came] unto him, saying, This one, shall not be thine heir; But, one who cometh forth of thy body–he, shall be thine heir. |
|
| 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said–Look steadfastly, I pray thee, towards the heavens, and number the stars, if thou be able to number, them, And he said to him, Thus, shall be thy seed. |
And tell the stars – "Star differeth from star in glory." (1 Cor. 15:41) R2067:4
So shall thy seed – The heavenly seed, the Little Flock. R2854:5
Including also the Great Company. R2067:4
|
| 6 And he had faith in Yahweh,–so he reckoned it to him, as righteousness. |
And he believed – The word signifies more than "belief"; it has the thought of a rest of faith. R3944:5
God must have had some dealings with Abraham before he believed or there would have been nothing for him to believe. R5206:6
|
| |
|
| 7 And he said unto him,–I, am Yahweh, who brought thee forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, to inherit it. |
To inherit it – In the future; for Stephen states, "He gave him none inheritance in it"-yet. (Acts 7:5) R3945:4
|
| 8 And he said: My Lord Yahweh, whereby, can I know, that I shall inherit it? |
Whereby shall I know – What outward signs and evidences will help my faith to grasp these great promises. R3945:4
|
| 9 And he said unto him, Take for me a heifer, three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. |
A young pigeon – A bird is usually considered young up to one year old. Figuring thus, the ages of these animals represent 11 years. Eleven prophetic years of 360 literal years each equals 3960 years, the time from the giving of the covenant to Abraham until the year 1915. R3957:5*
|
| 10 So he took for him all these, and divided, them, in the midst, and placed each piece over against its fellow,–but, the birds, divided he not. |
|
| 11 Then came down the birds of prey upon the carcases,–and Abram drove them away. |
|
| |
|
| 12 And it came to pass, when, the sun, was about to go in, and, a deep sleep, had fallen upon Abram, lo! a terror–a great darkness, was falling upon him. |
Of great darkness – Representing the sufferings of the Lord's people in the present time. R3946:4
|
| 13 And he said to Abram–Thou, must surely know, that, sojourners, will thy seed become in a land not theirs, and shall serve them, and they will humble them, four hundred years; |
Thy seed – If Levi could pay tithes to Melchizedek while in the loins of Abraham (Heb. 7:9, 10), then the children of Israel could sojourn in Abraham's loins.HG104:5
Afflict them – They were not afflicted all that time, nor in Egypt all that time. The 400 years covers the dwelling in a land that was not theirs, and also the serving and the affliction. HG104:5[HG104]
400 years – Beginning with Ishmael's mockery of Isaac 30 years after the covenant with Abram, when Isaac was 5 years old, and ending with the Exodus. R2482:3*
400 prophetic years equals 144,000 days. R2482:3*
|
| 14 moreover also, the nation whom they will serve, I, am going to judge, and, after that, shall they come forth with great substance. |
Will I judge – In the plagues of Egypt, illustrating the law of retribution. R2306:1
|
| 15 But, thou, shalt go in unto thy fathers, in peace,–thou shalt be buried in a good old age. |
|
| 16 And, in the fourth generation, shall they return hither,–for, not complete, is the iniquity of the Amorites, as yet. |
Of the Amorites – Who had a prior hold on the land. R3945:6
Is not yet full – Each nation was permitted to go only so far in sin and there was stopped. R1270:5, R1779:2
The Lord would not bring Israel into their land because the iniquity of the Canaanites was not yet come to the full. R1270:5
"When the transgressors are come to the full." (Dan. 8:23) C97
|
| |
|
| 17 So it came to pass, when, the sun, had gone in, and, a thick darkness, had come on, that lo! there was a smoking hearth and torch of fire, which passed through between these pieces. |
That, when the sun – Symbolically the Gospel light, the truth. D590[D590]
A burning lamp – Symbolizing the divine presence. R3945:5[R3945]
Passed between those – Representing the Lord's swearing by a covenant or sacrifice of life-blood to the promise he had given. R3945:5[R3945]
|
| 18 In that day, did Yahweh solemnise with Abram a covenant, saying,–To thy seed, have I given this land, from the river of Egypt, as far as the great river–the river Euphrates: |
Covenant with Abram – The Sarah covenant is the Abrahamic covenant in its highest and special sense. Q170:4
The Abrahamic covenant included particularly the spiritual seed, but shadowed forth an earthly seed also. Q170:6
Unto thy seed – As their possession in the Millennial age. R3944:3, R3945:2,3
This land – Equal to half of Europe. Q792:2
Solomon extended the boundaries of his kingdom to the full limits set by the Lord prophetically long before. R5722:2
River of Egypt – The Nile. Q792:2
|
| 19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite; |
|
| 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim; |
|
| 21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite. |
|