Glendale Conference: 1993, Lessons from Abraham's Life (14:8)
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
Like to look this afternoon a little bit at the life of Abram, and particularly one part, if you'll turn to the 14th chapter of Genesis. We'll begin at the eighth verse. And there went out the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admiral, and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Belah, the same as Zoar, and they joined battle with them. In the Vale of Siddim which cater Leomer, King of Elam and with title. King of Nations, an Amraphel, king of Shinar and Arioch, king of Elazar 4 kings with five. And the veil of Sinem was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, that all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, For he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Escal, and brother of Einar. And these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that, his brother was taken. If he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318 and pursued after them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto hovah, which is on the left side of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Caterly Omer and of the kings that were with him at the Valley of Shiva, which is the Kingsdale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram, have the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. The king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up my hand unto the Lord, the most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a threat even to a shoe latch, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should us say, I have made Abram rich. Save only that which the. Young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with Mechel and Mamre, let them take their portion. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? And the steward of my house is this Eleazar of Damascus. And Abram said, Behold to me thou hast given no seed, and lo, unborn in my house is mine heir. May all the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad. Said, Look thou toward heaven, and tell the number, tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed on the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, to inherit it. And he said. Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me, and heifer of three years old, and as she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And He took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another. But the birds divided He not. When the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and lo, in horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in the land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge. And afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
But in the 4th generation they shall come hit her again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, when the sun went down, and it was dark. Behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed, have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. The Kenites, the Kenizzites and the Cadmanites, The Hittites and the Perizzites and the Raphaems and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites. Well, as I said, I'd like to speak a little bit about the life of Abram. It's a very wonderful thing that God doesn't just set truth before us, but he gives us living example, people of like passions with ourselves. And so that we not only know that we are saved through the work of the Lord Jesus, that we're called to that blessed home above and all these things. And what is our present position as members of the body of Christ? Blessed with all spiritual blessings. In him, all these things we can learn as doctrine, but I think it's very precious in the Old Testament. God gives us in type and shadow living people, people who had feelings like we have, the Bible says men of like passions with ourselves. And so as we look upon these people, we can perhaps in some little measure enter into their feelings. And that's why I said I'd like to say a little bit about Abram. I'd like to go back at the very beginning. Where the the Lord called him out from Ur of the Chaldees. According to what is known today, there was apparently a quite progressive civilization back there, and maybe Abraham and his wife had many comforts back there. And then one day he got a call from the Lord, and he called him, Get out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will tell thee of. Well, what a decision this was. And perhaps many of us look back to the time when. We were just going on our own way, living in the comforts of this world and trying to make the best of life here in this world. And the Lord in his grace met us and he called us, just as God called Abram, to a better land, a land flowing with milk and honey. We heard that call. And by the grace of God, if we are truly his, we responded. We responded. It may have been just like with Abraham. A break with loved ones. A break. With many associations that we had before, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy for Abraham. It wasn't easy, easy for Sarah, his wife, either. And perhaps we can picture what happened when this call came and Abram said to his wife, God has called us to leave this country. And she said, where are we going? Well, he hasn't told us. He tells us that he will show us. Well, are we going to have some of the comforts we have here? Here, I don't know, I'm just the the Lord has called us and I believe I can count upon him. Well, I often think that was wonderful faith on the part of them both. We picture them talking about things, then closing up everything there in Urtha Chaldees and starting out. Well, there was a couple of people came along with them. Abram's father came along. He would accompany them part way. And sometimes we find that maybe. The old friends will come part way. Maybe. Whereas with Abraham's father, I questioned very much whether it was a real work in his heart. As far as we know, he never had living faith. Another one, a nephew, and his name was Lot, and he came along. He was a person of faith, but he was one. Perhaps I could use the expression he never walked in his own faith. And dear young people, and perhaps some of us who are older too, the Lord tests us whether we're walking in the faith of some other Christian or in our own faith and confidence in God. I suppose all of us have gone through this.
Some measure Am I just going on with the Christians and coming to the meeting because I have relatives who come, or am I really coming for the Lord? This was a test in Lot's life. However, he did go along and as I say, God tells us in the New Testament that he was a real person of faith, but he went along. But it seemed that he just moved with Abram and without having a personal exercise. Perhaps that is the position of someone here, but the test is going to come in your life sooner or later. Things are not always going to go that way and you're going to be tested whether. You're doing what you're doing, whether you're coming to the meeting. Came in my life. Maybe you'll come in your life too. Am I just coming because my father and mother are there? Or have I really had a word from the Lord? Have I listened to His word? Does it really mean something to me? Am I resting upon His word? Well, they came, as we know, and Abram hesitated before he entered the land. Perhaps he weighed the hardships a little bit. And his father's persuasion. And he stopped. He didn't enter the land at once. In fact, there was quite a little period of time there when he waited until his father died. God shows us that these times come. And perhaps there is a time come in your life when God had to speak to you. Maybe some relative you loved but might have been a hindrance might have been holding you back. And the Lord removed that hindrance. And then it tells us that Abraham. Remembered what the Lord had said. He had said, Come out from thy father, and from thy mother, and from thy kindred unto a land that I will show thee. So after his father died, we learn by experience, sometimes bitter experience, brethren, but it's a good thing if we learn. It's a good thing if we profit by that which the Lord brings into our lives because. There's always a purpose that God has. All things work together for good, for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Well, he came into the land and really nice to see how he came in. And Lot and his wife came. A lot I should say wasn't married. Then Lot came along too and they came to that place between Bethel and Hai. And he pitched his tent and build his altar. What a happy. Timeless was in the life of Abram. Things were now. Developing, shall I say, He was putting the Lord 1St and the Lord was blessing him and perhaps he thought as we all sometimes think, oh, everything's going to go smoothly from now on. The problems are all in the past. They're not going to have problems now because I've done what the Lord wanted me to do. I confess I didn't that the past, but now I've come. And I'm there with Bethel, the House of God in the West. That to me is like the end of the journey and be on the east, that which he left behind, just like the sun rises in the east and sets in the West, that which he left behind. Was just hai a heap of rubbish? He saw that and he pitched his tent there and built his altar. But there was a famine in the land after a little while and you say, well, everything went well and I went on happily, but but. But there are some things that happened. I came to the meetings and they weren't just as fresh and happy as they used to be. I wasn't able to enjoy the things like I used to. And what was I going to do? Was I going to keep on coming just because I believed the Lord was there and that's where the Lord had shown me that He wanted me to be? Or was I going to try? An escapism, a way of getting away from the situation. Well, Abraham did just that. Perhaps all of us have done just that. We tried to escape problem. I saw a sign once and it said the best way out of trouble is through it. I think there's a lot of truth in that too, because we don't have to go through it alone. We have the Lord with us who has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Sometimes we try to escape trouble. We run into a. Situation although it may not seem that way at first, it may seem if the way of escape that we have chosen seems to turn out quite well. At first we had ourselves in the back and say, well, I think I made a good decision, I don't have all these problems. So he went down into Egypt and the land of Egypt speaks of the world in its glory itself. Sufficiency they didn't.
On rain, it was an irrigation system that they used and so they didn't have to be dependent on the Lord. We like that sometimes, but we don't have to daily depend on the Lord. And so he went down there, he became rich, but something sad happened. He didn't deny any relationship to his wife, but he denied his true relationship. He said she's my sister, but she was his wife. And you know, you can say I'm a child of God. I just ask you, are you meeting as a member of the body of Christ? Well, that's, that's the position that may cost you something to walk in that path as a member of the body of Christ. There may be trials, there may be famines in that path, but it's God's path that he's marked out for us in his precious word. You say, well, I'm a Christian. I wouldn't deny him. No, you never would. No true Christian would ever deny the Lord from his heart, but we wouldn't perhaps. We'll make compromises. And he went down there well, things went well for a while. He became rich, and he had silver and gold and cattle. His nephew, whom he took down with him, because remember this. No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Your life, my life, has an effect upon others. Either for good or otherwise. Where Bible says we're made a spectacle to the world and to man and angels, people are looking on. If you want to get in the limelight, accept the Lord. You'll be noticed. People will watch you, your friends will watch you, and they may be somewhat influenced by you too. And so here he was, he brought lot down there, and at last the Lord allowed things to come out that, shall I say, forced him to leave. The land of Egypt and come back to where he had left. If there's any of us that have been turned aside and the Lord allows some circumstance to come about, take it from Him. Maybe He's showing you that you have made a false depth. Maybe He's showing you that you have gone away. That wasn't for him. All you say was it was a famine. Don't blame me for leaving because it was a famine. Well. When there was a famine in the time of Isaac, God said sojourn in the land and I will bless thee. Well, that looked kind of unusual to stay there when there was a famine, but the Bible says Isaac sold that here and reaped A hundredfold. When he stayed in the land where God had told him to stay, he reaped A hundredfold. The best harvest he ever had, I expect. And you know, there's nothing like staying and asking the Lord to keep us in the path that he's marked out in his precious word. Well, Abram came back, came back to the very place of the tent and the. Walter came back to where he was at the first. But there's something that I believe the Scripture warns us. We have to reap what we saw. We have to reap what we sow. And the reaping is not always pleasant. But the Lord is with us even in the reaping. The Lord's with us even in the reaping. So he did do some reaping, you know. He he had brought lot down into Egypt now. Life comes back with them because God wasn't walking in his own faith. But now there was a strife between Abram's cattle and the cattlemen of Abram's cattle men and the cattlemen of Lot. And Abram's a very gracious man. And he says to Lot, I'll give you first choice, Lot. I'll give you first choice. Isn't that nice to see that gracious spirit? He could have said, well, after all, I'm the uncle and he's the nephew and, and I'm going to have first choice. But he left it. God blessed him for it. You know, when we put the Lord first, we can leave situations that look difficult. Oh, you say somebody just took took it and got ahead of me. Oh, never mind. Abram was blessed in the end. Abram.
Had a better portion, but he had given lot a taste of Egypt. And so when he went down to Sodom, he did it because it looked like the well watered plains of Egypt. You know, we affect others. You may come back yourself, but you may not be able to bring back the ones you led astray. There is a government of God in our lives, brethren, and we have to watch. Says my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation. Bible speaks of when a standard bearer falls. It's a solemn thing. Well, we find then that lad had come back into the land. God was blessing him, tells us in the last verse of the last two verses of the 13th chapter. Arise, walk through the land, and the length of it, and the breadth of it, and I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Hebron. Hebron, that means communion, and built there an altar unto the Lord. Well, isn't this nice? He's walking in communion with the Lord. He's dwelling there. But what about poor lot? He looked for the well watered plains, proudly thought he was making a much wiser choice than Abram. And said, well, I took the best. Well, he did. He took what seemed like it. But it wasn't all for good, was it? Here he was down in Sodom. Now he had first pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now he's down living in Sodom, and there's a big battle takes place and poor Lot and his wife and all he had are carried away. And I think there's something beautiful about Abram. He could have said, well, it serves him right. He, he was. Trying to get the best for himself and now he's seeing the foolishness of the step he made sometimes. Sometimes were pretty complacent when others get into difficulty rather than but isn't this nice that he said, well, I'll help him, I'll help him. And it tells us that he armed the both of his household and went out to deliver lot. And I like that little word. I brought it my brother, my brother. He could have said he's just my nephew, but he said he's my brother. He's my brother and so he armed his. He armed his servants and they went out, and the Lord gave him a great victory, and he brought back lot. Bible never says lot said thank you. The the Bible never tell us that lot gained anything by the experience. It seemed like you just went back to live in Sodom. He says no use. He won't say thank you and he won't appreciate it. But God valued that love. God valued that love, even though it didn't seemingly accomplish anything, at least showed the heart that Abraham had for his brother. And so Lot went back and lived in Sodom. But where we began, we see what took place. And then now there's a test coming in Abram's personal life again. There was a test in the beginning, whether he'd come all the way to the land of Canaan or be influenced by his father. And we know he stopped. Until his father died, whether he's going to be influenced by this problem that he has with his nephew Lot, his brother. Well, we see that there is a steadiness about Abram. And he never went down into Sodom to get him, but he went down to help him. That is, he never went down to. He left him until the Lord spoke. And sometimes we just have to leave matters in the Lord's. Hands, but we can still keep love in our hearts fresh and burning, you know. And so tells us then here that. In this chapter where we began, there was this battle that took place and he goes down. But now when he returns from the victory, we see there's two people that meet Abram. There's the king of Sodom, and there's Melchizedek the priest. Of the Most High God, a picture to us, as we know from Hebrews, of the Lord Jesus. And so tells us that after the victory, who's the first person that met him? It was the king of Sodom. The world always tries to make its bid, but I think it's so lovely here, it tells us.
In this 17th chapter verse of the 14th chapter. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Cater Leomer and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Shiva, which is the King's Dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. Does that remind us, brethren, of the precious privilege we had this morning? This is the first mention of the bread and the wine. Because the Lord Jesus won a great victory at Calvary, we often sing His be the victor's name who fought the fight alone. Triumphant Saints no honor claim His conquest was their own. And so He comes out, and we had that precious privilege. May we always value it, brethren. He's asked us to remember Him until He comes. And Abram was met by this Melchizedek, and he was. The bread and the wine, and then he blessed Abram. It says here that. The 19th verse And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. Makes me think of that verse that we read in Corinthians. All things are yours. Whether? Paul or C fast. How are the world? All are yours and ye are Christ, and Christ is God's. You might not have much in this world, but we belong to Christ. We're heirs and joint heirs with Christ. What a lovely thing it is to go through this world, even if we didn't have great possessions, to null that we belong to the one who's heir of all things. If we got it now, it might bring us a lot of trouble, but we're going to. Have it and share it in a time when there will be no more trouble and we'll enjoy it in company with the precious Savior who died for us. But now. It says in the 21St verse, well I just mentioned perhaps at the end, the 20th verse, and he gave him tithes of all. Now under the law they were told to give it. But here it just seems that Abraham's heart was touched, and shall I say, he gave the Lord his portion, because the Lord has his portion in the final day when he brings Israel into blessing, it says. Yet a tense shall remain in it. That is, the Lord will have his portion. Are we giving it to him now? Brethren? Are we giving the Lord his portion? Not just of money, but everything now belongs to him? And then Abram the king of Sodom, comes, and he says. Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. No, the enemy doesn't mind if we get along in this world, if we get well off in this world. He doesn't mind that. But he said you can. You can have the the goods, but give me the persons. Oh, it's you and I that he wants. He wants us, says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service. Have you? And I said, Lord, here I am, I'm not my own anymore. You are not your own. You're bought with a price. And so the King of Sodom wanted the persons. That's what he wants. Thanks. He's got something for you. But the Lord paid a great price that he might have you. And if you're truly the Lord, you belong to Him. And the 22nd verse. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should have say I have made Abram rich. Well, I have no doubt that that conflict that he had going forth and taking his servants probably did cost him something, but he wasn't going to take anything from the King of Sodom. The Lord will reward you better than any person of the world can reward. You, if you do something for him, How? How lovely this is. Oh, you say, but that was so small a threat. A shoe lights it. Well, I often think of that. You know, you say a thread just might be on your clothes, but a thread is pretty important. What does it do? All her clothes are held together by threads.
And, you know, it's just that little thread woven through that pulls everything together. And, you know, sometimes it's those little links that we keep with the world that lead us out of communion. You may say that was just a thread. Yeah, but a few links of that thread. And first thing you can't pull away. A thread and then a shoe lights yet walking her feet. Blessed is he that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, or standeth in the way of sinners, or setteth in the seat of the scornful. He wouldn't take those things. Oh, he says just a little thing. Oh, brother, it's not very much. He wouldn't forbid me some pleasure. No, that's real pleasures. But be careful. And I need to be careful too. Those little things that. That tie us up to the world and where we can walk with them. Enoch walked with God. Enoch walked with God. So see, he refused that. And he said, I don't want what they have. But I think this is nice too, in the last verse, save only that which the young man have, Eton and the portion of the man which went with me, Einer, Hiscall and Mamre, let them take their portion. I think that's very nice. Don't jurisdict for other people. Don't say. The Lord can draw out their hearts and so he said, I just have to take my. For the Lord, others will have to make their own choice. Sometimes people are forced into something that they're not spiritually up to. But I'll tell you this, if the Lord has won your heart, He wants your all. He claims everything and He has a right to it. We're not our own. We sell out. Actually, when we're saved, we say, well, that used to be my car, that used to be my house. Now it belongs to the Lord and I just want to use it for Him. What a difference. So. I can't speak for you, brother, and you can't speak for me, but are we presenting our all to the Lord? We can each ask our own heart this question. Well then, it tells us in this 15th chapter. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Isn't that beautiful? I think of that little hymn that says in season, thus sustaining word thou gives to our hearts to know as he saw a lot walk away and go back into Sodom, and not even saying thank you as far as we know from scripture. And seeing only opportunity. Of getting something from the King of Sodom and turning it down. He might have just felt a little bit flat. He might have just felt a little flat. Isn't it lovely? These times do come, brethren. The Bible doesn't only teach us doctrine. It gives us real people who had feelings like we have. And the Lord appeared to him and said, don't be afraid, Abram. I am thy shield protection. I am thy exceeding great reward. Oh, what a lovely word of encouragement. There may be someone here. You said I try to take a stand for the Lord, but nobody appreciated and things have gone difficult for me. The Lord wants to come and stand by you and say I'm nice, Sheila, I'll protect you and I'm exceeding great reward. He didn't say I'll give you an exceeding great reward. I am thy shield. I am I exceeding great reward. But Abram had something that still. Bothered him, shall I say. And Abram said unto the Lord God, What wilt thou give me? Seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eleazar of Damascus, if I can interpret like this, he said. But there's one thing I want, Lord. And thou hast not given me that one thing I want. Maybe there's somebody here feels like that. I have tried to follow the Lord, but He knows there's something I've wanted, something I've prayed about. And the Lord has withheld that. I know he's my exceeding great reward. I know He means everything to me. But Clyde, does he hold back that thing that I really want so much? Oh, isn't this something? I'm so glad the Bible talks in this way because he just portrays our own. Hearts and the way we feel, because the Lord knows the innermost feelings of our hearts and perhaps we've all had feelings like this at times. And he said, the steward of my house is this Eleazar of Damascus. He just said, I, I don't see anything very bright ahead.
And the fourth verse. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir. Lo, he, and but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels, shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven. Yeah, sometimes we just have to do that. When things down here don't seem to work out, we have to look toward heaven. And the Lord tells him, of course Israel are an earthly people and so the promises are earthly, but. The blessing, even for Israel comes from above, the one who is up there and in control of everything. He's the one who gives them their blessing as He'll give us our heavenly blessing. And so, you know, I encourage anyone who feels discouraged here. Maybe you come to these meetings and things haven't worked out the way you had hoped, and you really came because you really wanted to sit under God's word and enjoy these things. The things haven't worked out. Let me leave that little expression. Look now toward heaven. Look now toward heaven. And then he points them on to a future that was far, far ahead. As we'll see toward the end of the chapter. It was a long way ahead. And so you say I want it now. Well, if we don't get these things now always. But oh, brethren. What is laid up before us, sure that when we get to heaven. Will say, oh, if I only live more for this Savior, it'd be worth it all for what he has done for me and the future that he has before me that I was saying to the young people the other night, it's just as if when Adam sinned, God said, well, you've spoiled this earth and I'm going to have to drive you out of the Garden of Eden. But he says, I want to invite you to a home. That you can't spoil and I'll pay the price. So you can be there. What a Savior. We have a wonderful, But brethren, it is a walk of faith. It is a walk of faith. And Abram's life speaks to me because our faith does get pretty low. It's less than a grain of mustard seed. The Lord said there wouldn't be any mountains in the way. It's because we have less than a grain of mustard seed. But let's not think about the amount of our faith, but the person in whom our faith is. Who is this person? He's the possessor of having an earth. He's the Lord of all. He's your Savior. He died for you. He loved you enough to leave heaven's glory to make you his own. And so the Lord tells him, and it says in the sixth verse, he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. What simple faith this is. And that's the only righteousness we have. It's the only righteousness. It's the righteousness which is of faith. We haven't earned it. We couldn't provide it ourselves. It's all through what Christ has done. The work that he has done, Christ himself. Is our righteousness. We are made the righteousness of God in Him. And the seventh verse. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? Notice those two questions. The second verse, What wilt thou give me? And the eighth verse, whereby shall I know? Whereby shall I know? I suppose those two questions, What wilt thou give me, and whereby shall I know? Because. My father used to have a little expression sometimes for unbelieving believers. We know we're saved and we know heaven is our home. We'd all say yes, I know that to follow Christ is the best path. But our lives often show that there's quite a lot of doubts in the way we act. And so this was the way it was with Abram, and now the Lord shows him on what all this is founded. The ninth verse. And he said unto him, Take thee, and heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another. But the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Well, I think simply it's showing us that the ground. All our blessing is through the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made. We know that these different animals that are mentioned here are different sacrifices because it took the whole 5 different sacrifices to bring before us the different views of the perfect work of Christ. The burnt offering brings before us what the work of Christ is to God. God, the sin offering, brings before us how it meets our need as sinners, the meat offering, how the Lord Jesus became man in order to accomplish that work. The peace offering. Is really the communion offering? And so it's by that by that work that we can have fellowship with God through the Lord Jesus. And then there was the trespass offering, which really speaks more particularly of things we knowingly do that are wrong. There are things against what God has brought before us. And so there are all these various views. I just like to say a little bit because I used to hear the older brethren say that we were worshipped. Burnt offering character and for a long time I was very puzzled just what they meant. But I'd just like to give you a little illustration. Perhaps some have heard me use it before. But I it helped me to understand the meaning of the burnt offering. Supposing I had a great debt and I'm not able to pay it. And a friend comes along and says to me, Gordon, give me the bills, I'll pay them for you. And he takes all the bills. He pays them. And he comes back and puts the receipt in my hand. My mind is at rest. My debt is all paid. And I say thank you. But I haven't learned how my creditor feels toward me. Does he like me or does he not? But let's suppose that's another way, supposing. My creditor himself sees this great debt on his books and he has a son whom he loves very much. And he says, I love that Gordon Hayhoe. Would you be willing to sell your house and raise the money so we can take this debt off our books? And his son says, yes, dad, I'd be glad to tell out what's in your heart. And so he sells his house, and I get the receipt and it says paid in full through the kindness of my son. I know my creditor, I know the debt is paid, certainly, but I know my creditor. Before I might have crossed the street, so I missed speaking to him, but today I crossed the street to speak to him. I say. I can't tell her how much I appreciate it and what a wonderful son you have. God delights to have us. Tell him what we think of his Son. By thee, O God, invited, we look unto the Son in whom thy soul delighted. Who all I will have done. Brethren, isn't it blessed that God gives us all those different sacrifices that show the different aspects? The heart of God told out all His glory vindicated. He didn't pass over our sins. His own Son paid the dead. Now communion is restored. The Lord Jesus became a man to accomplish that work. And as it was brought before us this morning, how much as man he suffered and felt an awful load of sin. That was the meat offering that was exposed to the fire and the sin offering and trespassing all that we were, our sins, our guilt. Everyone, all born by him. Well, I believe these are pictured to us and they're various appreciations, you know, in the burnt. Offering there was the Bullock, but there was the turtle doves and the young pigeons, and in the turtle doves and the young pigeons there was the crop and the feathers. And I've always been glad that when the man came and he saw somebody else bringing a bullet, he said, oh, I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed. But he brought his turtle. I was in young pigeons, and the priest offered them, and he became a sweet savior. But what about the crop and the feathers and the others? They were wholly offered to the Lord. But what about the crop and the feathers? Of course, I hear a young person say, I'm afraid to thank the Lord. It might make some little. Mistake. And what I said, I might just say it the right way. What did the priest do? He put the crop and feathers down in the place of the ashes. But he didn't say to the man, I can't accept your offering. He offered up what was acceptable. We have the birds even here. Oh, how wonderful. What a wonderful savior we have. And so that's the ground Abram had said, Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
But it's not through any merit of our own brethren. It's not for what we have done as good Christians. It's all because of what He has done for us that all these blessings are secured. But we do have these experiences and they're all going to be remembered above. There's going to be a rehearsal. It all is going to come out. Isn't it worthwhile to live our life for Him? And though we have failed, to come back and be restored like Abram? And to know that in spite of everything and our questions and our doubts, that He's going to bring us safely through and Israel are yet going to inherit that land. And it says they shall inherit the land forever. The branch of my planting, the work of my hands, God's going to bring them in. They're trying to get the land over there, a little wee piece of it that they've got right now, and they're trying with all their might to maintain. In a little bit they have and to get help to support the minute, but when God gives it to them, they'll say we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth. I'm going to say the Lord did it all. We're going to say the same. He brought us there and it's only his power and his grace that will bring us through. Well, just to notice a little more in the end of the chapter. Speaks about. The IT speaks about when the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and low in horror of great darkness fell upon him. You know, sometimes we're maybe sitting here looking forward into the future and saying, well, Brother Gordon, it's nice to hear those things. They do encourage me, but. There's a there's a dark cloud ahead of me, and I can't see beyond it. And perhaps there's some of us just like that. After all, as the Lord had said to him, fell asleep in this horde of a great darkness fell upon him. But then it says the Lord told him their whole history for a long time ahead. Does the Lord know the future, brethren? Does he know? Yes, He can talk about tomorrow just as if it was yesterday. He knows the future. I don't. You don't. When we think of it, sometimes there might be a horror and great darkness, but He saw between those pieces the burning lamp and the fiery furnace. That's what is ahead for us in the world. Ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world, and we have His word as a lamp to our feet and the light to our path, I believe. The the two things that are brought before us. They were so true in Israel's history, all the times of sorrow and difficulty they went through, but the Lord never gave them up. It was in times when they seemed to fail the most that the Lord encouraged them the most, he said. He said, Lo, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. When was that? Just before, because of their sin, they were. When they went into captivity, into Babylon, had the Lord's love changed toward them? There was. Shall I say there was the smoking furnace and they really went through something. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego actually went into the furnace, but the burning lamp was there. The Lord stood by them in that. And I was saying, the other night you and I meet Chadrak, Meshic, and Abednego in the glory and say, tell me, what would you consider the most? Wonderful experience you had down here in planet Earth. What was you expecting to say? I would expect them to say. All of a sudden in the fiery furnace the Lord walked with us. We never experienced him so near and so real. Oh brethren, this is our history. We see it in Abraham. He's given to us. He hasn't just told us about the path of faith. He told us about a man that had like passions with ourselves. He told us about a man that wasn't perfect, a man that had his failures, who got waylaid along the path of faith at times, as we all do. But he still sought to go on. And the Lord undertook and blessed him. And you and I are going to meet Abram in heaven, and we're going to meet.
All the dear Saints in there in that glory above that the Lord is not going to leave us along the way. But what do we need? We need that confidence in him. And isn't this nice that in the in the 18th verse it says in the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying unto thy seed will I give this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenites and the Kenizites and the. And the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Repiums, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girvashites, and the Jebusites, they never. As yet have possessed all their land. There were times when they got quite a bit and now they're shrunk down to a very little bit. But God says it's all going to be yours, it's all going to be yours. And every believer in this room was blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. And lo, we may have those experiences. And we do like Abram did, just remember what's the ground of our blessing? The sacrifice, what the Lord Jesus did on the cross of Calvary is the only ground. I'm not going to get there because I was better than some other Christian. I'm not going to get there because of anything I ever did or can do. I'm going to get there because of Calvary. But He's leading us, and when our wills by His grace are brought into submission to Him, there may be. The furnace along the way, but there will be the company in the furnace. There will be the lamp and the furnace, never one without the other. Sometimes we may allow the smoke to dim the lamp, but it's there, it's burning. And that's what Peter talks about in his epistle. He says that prophecy is like a a lamp that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the morning star arise in your hearts. So God is leading us. And the day is yet going to come for this world, but for us, brethren. Before anything set right here, we're going to see the morning Star and the Lord Jesus said I am the root in the offspring of David and the bright and morning Star. And then when he says, behold, I come quickly. John answered, Even so, come Lord Jesus. But may we be encouraged brethren, by these things God has recorded in his word. It says whatsoever things were written. Time were written for our learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. I'd just like to say another for the sake of those who are young. I'd just like to you to encourage you to read the Old Testament. Sometimes we think, oh, I don't understand these things, but if you have them in your heart. Then sometime something may be said in the meeting, in all that story that you just read as a matter of history. It all brightens up and you say, oh, I never saw that before. That's a lovely picture. But if you don't have it in your mind, how can the Spirit bring it to your remembrance? My father used to have. Little saying God doesn't work miracles to encourage laziness, and if we neglect the reading of God's Word, we're going to miss a great deal because in the Spirit, who is the remembrancer, can't bring precious things to our mind just at the time that we need them the most in season. The sustaining Word, thou gist our hearts to know.