(Gen. 12:18-19) “What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, she is my sister? so I might have her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.” It was one of the few times God and Satan would ever smile at the same time!
(Gen. 12:20) Pharaoh turned and gave his subdued, still in shock servants some special orders. None of them thought it odd that Pharaoh had given Abram animals and servants (slaves) out of friendship but they did think it odd that now he ordered them (Gen. 13:2 keywords: silver and gold) to give Abram silver and gold!
As they were gathering the silver and gold (Gen. 13:2) that would make Abram very rich one of them whispered; “Maybe this Abram person has some kind of power. Maybe his God is greater than our god. Maybe that’s why such calamity has befallen Pharaoh’s house!” An excited whispering started among the servants but the captain of the servants shouted “Pharaoh is a living god.” and the others were silenced; Satan smiled. God did not.
“Pharaoh will skin you and yours alive when he comes to his senses!” Sweat popped out on Abram’s head when his servants were slow in breaking camp. Abram was dying to get out of Egypt as fast as he could and words popped out of his mouth in a roar as he yelled at Eliezer, the steward overseer, to; “Get them moving or get your whip.” Everyone heard him and they broke camp and headed back north in record time! Sometimes Satan fills us with fear when there’s no reason to be afraid.
Satan was traveling north with Abram; “Pharaoh’s got an army that can’t be beaten. He’ll be after you with his horses and chariots!” They crossed the border into Canaan but Abram, his imagination and Satan kept up the blistering pace. None of them knew God was right there with them; “Abram is learning there is a penalty for disobedience.” Abram looked over his shoulder many times hoping he would not see the dust plumes of Pharaoh’s chariots. He had a fear induced vision of spears, swords and arrows glinting in the sun.
“You’ve really done it this time! God will never forgive you for not obeying His command. He’ll squash you like a bug!” Abram knew there was one place in the whole world where there was the greatest possibility of his being safe. “If God’s gonna squash me like a bug let it be at His altar. I’d rather die by God’s hand than Pharaoh’s.” (1Chron. 21:1-13 esp. V.13) Abram had not reached the far in the future King David’s level of faith but he was headed that direction. Satan ground his spiritual teeth in fury; “I hate to see men who start depending on God!” and he redoubled his efforts to torment, torture and terrify Abram.
They had traveled fast from before daylight to after dark for many days. Abram’s nights were filled with fear and torment that Pharaoh was just over the rise behind them. His voice was filled with bitter frustration when he uttered his short, harsh commands and his emotional turmoil and harshness spread through the whole camp until they were a sour, mean tempered group of people fleeing for their lives from they knew not what.
Suddenly Satan banged into an invisible barrier that rattled his spiritual jaws and he knew God had hedged him out of something important; (Isa. 14:12-14) “When I take over, He’ll be the One hedged out of important events.” Satan’s heart was filled with hatred for Abram (Gen. 13:3-4) but Abram paid no attention because his old campsite was in sight.
When they got “unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first” where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Abram told the overseer to sort it all out; “because I’ve got something I need to do.” Have you ever had to spiritually run as fast as you can right back to the cross where you first met God? Me too. (Luke 22:31 then V.61 then John 21:15-18) Sometimes God lets Satan drive us to where we need to be. A male slave among the Egyptian slaves watched Abram with savage Hittite eyes filled with grim amusement as:
Abram raced to the altar and fell before it with his arms around the stones; “Oh God! Oh God! I’ve made it! I’ve made it!” Relief flooded him when he realized the odd fact the altar had not been torn down! As he became more aware he saw there were animal tracks around it but never closer than 5 feet. Close by was a place where people had camped but they had gathered their campfire stones from other places and their tracks had also come no closer than 5 feet. “That’s strange! It almost looks like its been protected. Almost like its waiting for me!”
With a shock Abram realized he had forgotten the sacrifice and he tore back to the flock with his knife in his hand. The herders shrank back from the look of savage concentration on Abram’s face as he raced toward them but they might well have not existed as he raced by them and grabbed the most perfect animal in the herd.
Chill bumps (cutis anserina, also called goose bumps) raced over Abram while he prepared the offering there in front of his altar. But they were good chill bumps caused by awe, admiration and pleasure. Well, yes, some of them were because a little fear was mixed in too. “I hope He lets me apologize and forgives me.” (Heb. 13:5-6) Ever done that? Me too. Abram burned his sacrifice of fat and blood then he made his plea. He suddenly felt relaxed and warm, he felt accepted and he started crying in gratitude. Then he worshipped God with all his heart.
(Gen. 13:5) Abram had been generous with his nephew Lot. He had shared his bounty of slaves and servants (tents) and generous with the flocks and herds he had accumulated, especially those from Egypt. Sometimes, no matter how much you give to or do for a relative you get nothing but a hard time from them. Ever done that? Me to. Ungrateful jerks!
As usual Satan was right in the middle of everything stirring up trouble. He had studied, observed and learned all he could about men’s emotions and discovered he could help people do what they were already inclined to do. (Gen. 13:6-7) In the process of time their flocks and herds multiplied until they finally overgrazed the land. Sometimes success and prosperity have their price. Satan’s prognostication; “Everything is going great guys just take it easy.” Satan had diverted their attention and obviously Abram and Lot were not tending to business.
Satan’s leading; “You can’t let Abram down, he’s the boss!” and right on cue Abram’s herdsmen wounded 2 of Lot’s herdsmen in a fight over a waterhole. They figured since Abram was the leader his herds took precedence over Lot’s. Malicious Satan: “You can’t let those &%$# humiliate Lot and just take over.” and in a few days Lot’s herdsmen found a chance to exact revenge and one of Abram’s herdsmen was badly injured. (Prov. 13:10 & 16:18) Satan was tickled pink. “Pride, it works every time.” There were other confrontations. Sounds like a bunch of Baptists! (1Ki. 11:4-11) Satan was well pleased; “Divide and conquer! “I’ll take over Abram’s bunch yet.”
Eliezer had his own problems. Satan the enchanter; “Man! Look at that!” and like a living robot the overseer saw, really saw, Hagar’s sultry, promising eyes and full figured, rounded, provocative body and his eyes almost popped out of his head. “Man! Look at that!” (2Sam. 11:1 thru 12:19 & 1Cor. 5:1) Satan was delighted. “Sex, it works every time.”
Eliezer started hanging around the camp hoping for a chance to get Hagar off by herself. Satan led one of the servant women to go to Abram’s tent and visit her cousin, one of Abram’s servants. “Look at how that two-faced house steward-overseer is looking at Hagar, you’d better ask questions and see if the overseer is bringing shame upon your sister, his wife.”
Satan had set up a situation and lied to all involved! The visitor asked questions and several of Abram’s female servants were overjoyed to tell her what was going on and they embellished what they thought might be going on as if it were the truth until her ears were filled; (Prov. 20:19) “Gossip, spreads lies like wildfire, works every time!” The woman hurried away to visit her sister who was Eliezer’s wife. She filled Eliezer’s wife’s ears full of Satan inspired venom.
The steward-overseer thought he had died and gone to hell when he entered his tent that evening because of his wife’s furious verbal assault. Eliezer paid a harsh price for something he had badly wanted but had never gotten! (Prov. 6:18) Satan had filled Eliezer’s wife’s heart with evil imaginings all day long until she was trembling with anger and outrage. At the end of many harsh, angry words; “#$%&@, fix your own supper and sleep by yourself you dirty, rotten &#$@%!” (Song of Solomon 8:6) Satan was ecstatic; “Jealousy, it works every time!”
One of the herders sneaked in and visited Abram in the darkness of early evening. He reported the trouble between the herdsmen due to Eliezer’s neglect. The next morning, after a sleepless night, the overseer went to hell again, herded there by Abram’s acid tongue that angrily pointed out Eliezer’s failures, character flaws and the possibilities of a dismal future.
Satan tried to bewitch the steward into saying; “Yeah, I’ve noticed you eyeballing that hot little thing too Abram!” but Eliezer’s courage failed him and he remained silent. (Acts 7:54-58) “Temper, it works most of the time but not this one.” Satan was disappointed. “Well, there will be other times.” and he brightened.
(Gen. 13:8-12) In huge disgust Abram called a meeting with Lot and they divided the land so the overgrazing problem would be solved. They had set a sorry example in front of the Godless Canaanites and Perizzites whom Satan had blinded into being false god worshippers. Abram’s group must have been the forerunners of the modern Church!
(2Cor. 11:14) Satan’s hiss in Lot’s heart (soul); “Lot, look what has been opened up to you! It’s everything Ham’s wife told you about!” Abram was appalled by the look of pure lust and excitement in Lot’s eyes. Fine perspiration was suddenly a sheen on Lot’s forehead and upper lip. His breathing had noticeably quickened and he interrupted Abram; (Gen. 13:12-13 and V.10) “I’ll take the plain of Jordan over there to the east where its well-watered and the grass is lush and thick like the stories say Eden looked. I’ll appoint an overseer like you’ve got and I’ll live in a city, maybe even Sodom.” “Man’s natural lust, greed and laziness are wonderful weapons against him!”
Abram talked until he was blue in the face trying to tell Lot he was headed for trouble but Lot was not to be dissuaded. (Gen. 13:13) “Lot, the men of Sodom are wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Satan’s enchantment; “You know what you want, you know how to take care of yourself. Go for it!” “I know what I want and I know how to take care of myself and I’m going for it Uncle Abram!” Abram was wounded and sad as he watched Lot’s servants strike their tents, gather Lots herds and goods and start toward the east.
“That boy hasn’t got enough sense to come in out of the rain!” Lot’s stupidity and Abram’s heartbreak made Satan glad; “I’ve done it, I’ve separated them. (Deut. 32:24-27 & Prov. 17:11) Man’s propensity toward rebellion makes him an easy victim!” Abram trudged back toward camp then he felt like he should go to his altar and talk it over with the Lord God. Satan hated that idea and he did not even try to go with Abram.
Satan was busy all over the populated parts of the world but he also watched Abram prostrate himself before God. Satan hovered on the mountain above Abram and began taking stock of what he had learned about himself and about man. Satan did not hear the Lord God tell Abram he had to do his part in claiming Canaan and that Abram should start training and arming his servants. (Eccl. 1:9)“and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Eph. 6:10-18 keywords: Put on the whole armour of God) Sounds like today’s individual Christian’s struggle to keep his salvation doesn’t it? A prophesy? Of course not! It’s fiction. Maybe.
From Part 1 to Here
Satan took stock of what he’d learned about man; “I have diligently observed mankind and I’ve learned by that experience. I can teach and lead man to accomplish what he already wants to do. I’ve learned enough about some individuals throughout the world that lots of times I can predict (prognosticate) what they will do if the circumstances are right.”
“I can arrange those circumstances by planting ideas and therefore I can teach certain people to do things that spite God. I can influence music and thus influence people’s moods. People are such fools I can tell them anything and they’ll believe it just like Eve did. Sometimes I can influence people and they will lead other people to disobey God just like goofy Eve did to that idiot Adam and what Cain did to the Seth-ites.” (Part 9, Methuselah’s sermon)
“All people desire something or someone to worship and I can influence that just like I did Shaqar-Owr, the False Light (Part 8). I need to concentrate on that, some people want to worship God but if I can influence their prophets/magicians/sorcerers/leaders to teach people to worship God the wrong way that’s the same as idolatry and I own all idolaters! I don’t have to expend much energy with those who worship graven images and the phenomena of nature, I’ll just keep an eye on their activities and give them a boost now and then. I have to keep up with all those languages of various tribes and peoples because they are evolving.
What Have We Learned About Satan
Satan uses his wisdom to teach, so he’s a teacher. He’s a traducer: defined: to speak falsely or maliciously and to lead which means Satan is a liar, he’s malicious and he is a leader. We have also learned Satan diligently observes and learns by experience. (Gen. 3:1-14 keyword: serpent: defined: to prognosticate: defined: to predict by using present indications as a guide. Satan is an enchanter defined: a sorcerer or magician AND to enchant: defined: to cast under a spell, bewitch, to attract and delight completely, to charm, AND in Latin enchanter is incantare: defined: to be against (adversary) and to sing.
So, Satan is a liar, he is malicious, he diligently observes us and learns by experience how we will act under various stimulations and he predicts what we will do in various situations and how we will act. Satan has the ability to cast people under his spell by bewitching us with his charm. Satan uses his type of music (to sing) as a weapon to induce moods in man. He is our adversary (to be against), he teaches people to go against what God wants us to do and he leads all who will follow him. It worked with Eve so why not the rest of mankind? You? Me?
Just sit back a minute and think about the above paragraph. It should make you look around with a little chill and wonder about Saran’s unseen eyes that are watching you, studying you and learning about your weaknesses! It should also make you cringe and wonder about Satan’s part in the cause and effect of your society’s activities, your government’s decisions and world events. All 3 things either directly or indirectly affect YOU AND ME.
SO:
Nimrod was doing some thinking too. Years had passed, his Babylonian kingdom was subdued for a change and things were going smoothly. “Terah! Terah! Terah!” And Nimrod had started wondering where that traitor Terah had gone. He sent out his best scouts and spies to find Terah’s several years old trail. Satan had done the best he could. The party traveled slowly north. It had to be slow because all they had to go on were stories the scattered tribes and clans could tell them. It was a big country and Terah had traveled far. Everything has a price and they ran out of trade goods; “You pay me that and I’ll tell you what I know.” They had to return to Babylon.
Nimrod pitched a fit until his astrologer/magician/priest finally got through to him; “Wake up Nimrod and smell the roses. They went a long way with what you gave them. Common sense says if you give them more, they won’t have to buy information until they get to where they ran out of trade goods then they can again go even further.” “Terah! Terah! Terah!”
Satan and Nimrod both made a mistake. Nimrod could not get the name Terah off his mind. It bored right into his brain like some malignant worm and he was angry all the time. Nimrod instructed his astrologer/magician/priest to load the searchers down with a fortune in trade goods on a much larger pack train and to tell them; “This time don’t come back ’til you’ve found that $*&@%!”
The searchers never returned. Nobody knew the searchers had gotten to a distant place that in the far, far future would be named Mosul in the extreme northern part of a country which would be named Iraq. They made contact with a couple of hunters from a tribe that would much later be called the Yazidis from which, on their first trip, they had traded the last of their trade goods for information about Terah. It seemed right for the hunters to partake of their supper with the searchers.
None of the searchers noticed the gleam of greed in the eyes of the impassive hunters. The next morning the hunters left to “continue their hunt”. Once safely out of sight of the searchers the hunters made a beeline to their village located a little north of Mosul in the Sinjar Mountains just south of the border between modern Turkey and Iraq. “They don’t even have a bodyguard of Nimrod’s soldiers.” Their leader was ecstatic that such a bounty of riches had fallen into their laps. They thanked their gods, gathered their supplies and weapons and headed south. The caravan disappeared from off the face of the earth.
A year passed with no word from the searchers about their search. Nimrod sent a full contingent of 40 soldiers to inquire of their fate. None returned. BUT: It might have been something that rode the wind. Perhaps the birds spoke of it. Maybe it was broadcast from the tinkling waters of the streams. But most likely the story was spread because men like to show their new wealth and brag about how they got it.
Whatever the cause it took more than another year for the word to leak out and Nimrod discovered what had happened to his searchers and to his soldiers. The first thing Nimrod did was to ask his astrologer/magician/priest why he had sent the caravan without any soldiers to guard it. The last thing the astrologer/magician/priest heard before the sword removed his head from his kneeling body was Nimrod’s voice; “Remember when you told me to wake up and smell the roses?”
Satan: “They’ve shamed you. You’re supposed to be the king of mighty Babylon and they’ve rubbed your nose in it!” Nimrod took the robbery and murder personally and he led an expedition of 200 of his toughest, strongest, most fierce soldiers to exact revenge on the mountain clan that had so haughtily defied him. Unseen, the Lord God was satisfied.
The Yazidis were a tough clan. In the far, far future they would be ethnically linked to a people called the Kurds who would live in the mountains of northern Iraq and southern Turkey and those people would successfully resist all who came against them until modern times in 2014 when they could not obtain the proper modern weapons to defend themselves against a more numerous, much heavier armed terrorist group called ISIS who possessed tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery and heavy machine guns they had captured when the Iraqi Army, America’s allies, had run away instead of fighting ISIS. But that is another story.
The Yazidis scouts started shadowing Nimrod’s column well before Nimrod reached their land. A strategically placed shepherd’s camp was found by Nimrod. The threat to destroy his flock, murder his family in front of him and finally skin the poor shepherd alive convinced the terrified shepherd to reveal the location of the Yazidis main encampment. The trembling shepherd also revealed a narrow gorge that would lead Nimrod’s expeditionary force straight to the huge encampment.
Jubilant Nimrod led his forces up the narrow gorge. Had he seen the malevolent gleam in the shepherd’s eyes as he watched them go perhaps a chill of caution would have raced up Nimrod’s spine. “Don’t go Nimrod! Don’t go Nimrod! Don’t go Nimrod” But Nimrod was too intent upon catching the Yazidis by surprise to listen to Satan. Unseen, the Lord God thought; “Yes, there will be a surprise today Nimrod, remember the baby you murdered?”
Nimrod looked up when he heard the first scream; “Its raining arrows!” and an arrow drove a burning path of pain into his mighty thigh. Nimrod experienced a few moments of confused panic that was broken when a dying lieutenant staggered to him, grabbed his arm and gurgled through the blood; “Ambush!” Nimrod roared for his men to take cover. He was filled with a galvanic rage. The cover was insufficient and men continued to fall.
He glanced into the pleading eyes of one of his soldiers that plainly said; “I’ll die here with you but its stupid to stay.” “Run Nimrod! Run Nimrod! Its stupid to die here because of your pride!” We’ll never know if it was the soldiers look, Satan’s words or the arrow that went all the way through Nimrod’s right shoulder from front to back that made Nimrod decide to order a fighting retreat.
How do you conduct a fighting retreat when you are fighting will-of-the wisps darting from rock to rock far above you raining deadly arrows down on you? The fighting retreat was a rout. As he ran one of the last arrows hit Nimrod square in the left buttock, his left leg went numb and he fell flat on his face. A pack mule raced by, Nimrod reached up, grabbed its leather harness and was dragged out of range down the gorge bouncing off the rocks and leaving a trail of blood and bits of his skin.
It did not take long to regroup because there were only 11 walking wounded left out of the 200 men Nimrod had led up the gorge. Back up the gorge they could hear the dying screams of their left behind wounded being slaughtered and the exultant victory shouts of the Yazidis. They knew the Yazidis would soon be coming for them. They quickly rigged a crude travois, unceremoniously rolled Nimrod into it and; “Let’s get the %$&@# outta here.”
It was a miserable 3 month trip back to Babylon. Nimrod was gravely wounded in the right thigh, right shoulder and left buttock. He could not ride and he could not find a comfortable position in which to lay in the travois, then the fever set in and Nimrod almost died. When he got back home Nimrod was pale, weak, skinny, still crippled and his Babylonian empire started coming apart; “If the Yazidis can do it we can do it!” “You can’t let this happen Nimrod!” It was 6 more months before Nimrod could ride and when he did he went to war with those who had rebelled. Terah was forgotten and Abram was safe.
NOTE: (Eccl. 1:9) “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” From the time Noah’s clan and other clans migrated into Mesopotamia right on through Nimrod’s defeat by the Yazidis and on until (Gen. Ch. 14) the country was filling up as people procreated themselves into a population explosion. Tribes and clans joined forces or became enemies. They became more stable as they developed agriculture and animal husbandry.
Some leaders looked with greedy eyes upon their neighboring tribe’s land and possessions. Occasional wars were fought as tribes sought more room and riches for their people. Alliances were made and sometimes broken. The ideologies of greed, politics, religion and racism leading to their wars was the same as the various wars fought in America, Europe, Africa and Asia’s own recent histories in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
War was and is based on #1) man’s fallen, carnal nature and attitude he brought from Eden #2) and on Satan’s subversive efforts to A) inspire people to destroy other people or to destroy themselves B) and Satan’s subversive efforts to inspire people to “create” (2Cor. 4:4 keywords: god of this world & Rev. 9:20-21 keywords: worship devils and idols) false religions which, for effect, worship Satan (Isa. 14:12-14) so Satan can be like God. (Read the historical record of Germany’s NAZI leader, their messiah, Adolph Hitler’s conversations he had in his garden at night with the dark forces.)
In the 14th chapter of Genesis the only way to obtain a clear picture of the events is to look up the Hebrew definitions of the words God used to tell about what happened. I will not bore you with seemingly endless explanations and definitions. I will just tell the story and if you are interested you can follow the same research path I have. END OF NOTE.
As we have seen (Gen. 13:3-4) Abram had come back to Bethel after his fiasco in Egypt. (Gen. 13:10-12) Lot took his wife, daughters, servants, herds and all that he owned and pitched his tent on the plain of Jordan south of the Salt Sea, presently called the Dead Sea which is 1,300 feet below sea level, close to the town of Sodom which is 679 feet below sea level.
(Gen. 13:14-18) After God once more promised Abram the land of Canaan Abram moved to Hebron on the wide mountain plain of Mamre and built an altar there. Abram had moved 3,050 feet above sea level, (Gen 14:13) located in the territory claimed by 3 Amorite Kings, three brothers named Mamre, Eschol and Aner. God’s hidden sea level message is; when God’s people move up higher to get away from evil they get closer to God!
The Amorite Kings’ plain (high plateau) lay to the west of the salt sea. (Gen. 14:13) It is obvious God spiritually arranged for Abram to be accepted by the Amorites and become confederate with them and there was nothing Satan could do to rouse up the idol worshipping Amorites against Abram. But, being Satan, he tried; “Abram’s God has promised him all this land you live on and a lot more too! (Gen. 13:18) He’s building an altar to his God right now on your land!“
The 3 brothers held a conference before they (Gen. 14:13) went into confederation (“confederate”) with Abram and the results were; “Our gods are the strongest in the land. Abram is a fine person. His servants are quiet and personable and there are only a few of them.
His herds are small compared to ours and we have more land than we’ll ever use so we’ll let him live here with us. If he becomes too powerful we’ll just run him and his off or we’ll destroy him if we have too and take all his possessions!” Satan wanted to tear out his spiritual teeth in frustrated fury; “#&**%$, you’re making the biggest mistake you’ve ever made you dumb @#$#@s!” The Lord God had dulled their hearing, they did not hear and God smiled at Satan’s seething, frustrated anger. (Gen. 13:18) At the same time the Lord God was meeting with Abram at the new altar Abram had built at Hebron.
The Hebrew definition of confederate tells the story: The Amorites were owners and masters of their land. They had more land than they could use. They made a pact, a covenant, with Abram so he could feed his small clan and live off the fat of their land. Abram and his clan pitched their tents. When one followed the Lord God’s direction you never knew when you would be told to pack up and leave so what’s the use to build a house! The Lord God had said it and it would be so! Abram was learning to trust God.
Abram’s Timeline
(Gen. 12:4) Abram had been 75 years old when he left Haran. (Gen. 12:9-20) Abram’s fiasco in Egypt took almost a year. It took 7 years (Gen. 13:5-12) for Lot and Abram’s herds to procreate until they overgrazed the land and Abram and Lot split up. (Gen. 13:14-18) After Lot left, God told Abram to; “Look north, south, east and west, all the land you see I will give it to you and to your seed (progeny) forever. I will make your seed as numerous as the dust. Walk the length and the width of this land because I will give you this land.
We do not know if Abram understood the “I will” (sometime in the future but it was a guarantee) part and he probably did not know he still had a lot of refining to endure to become what and who God intended him to be and do. It is a lot like the Christian experience EXCEPT (2Pet. 1:8-10, Rev. 3:1-5 esp. V5 & 13-21 then Heb. 6:4-6) far too many Christians have a ho-hum, lackadaisical, “I’ll do my own thing” approach to their relationship with God and they refuse (Rev. 3:18) to refine like “gold tried in the fire” and become what and who God wants them to be! How about you? (Rev. 3:16) Are you lukewarm? Read (Matt. 24:3-14 esp. 11-13). Are you?
God had pinpointed the land He had promised Abram (Gen. 12:1-5) when he told him to leave Haran. (Gen. 13:18) Abram walked the land to a high point in a place in Hebron that was 3,050 feet above sea level; <–see 3rd paragraph above. Two years later Sarai gave up the idea of ever having children (Gen. 16:1-3 esp. V.3 keywords: ten years) and she gave her slave Hagar to Abram to be a surrogate mother for Sarai’s children, 1+7+2 = 10. Abram had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan and was 85 years old.
Some people say the Bible is in error concerning the events leading up (Gen. 17:1) to the circumcision covenant when Abram was 99 years old. They take the time for 2 wars, 14 years, and add it (Gen. 16:16) to Abram’s age, 86 years, when Ishmael was born and say Abram had to be 100 years old (Gen. 17:1) when God’s circumcision covenant was initiated and the Bible is wrong! So Biblically here is how it really happened!
It takes nine months to have a baby! God thought even educated people knew that! (Gen. 16:4-16) Sarai gave Hagar to Abram after Abram’s 85th birthday, Hagar became pregnant, she and Sarai had problems, Hagar ran away and the angel of the Lord ordered her back to Sarai. (Gen. 14:1-4) The 1st war took place between the 9 kingdoms with the 5 Sodom and Gomorrah kings defeated and obviously paying tribute to the 4 western Chaldean kings. Why else would they have later rebelled? Abram was still 85 years old when that 1st war took place. Ishmael was born after that 1st war when Abram was 86 years old.
(Gen. 14:4-12) The 2nd war (detailed in Part 19) took place when, after 12 years of bondage, the 5 kings rebelled in the 13th year. In the 14th year the 4 western Chaldean (Mesopotamian, modern day western Iraq) kings defeated 7 kingdoms along the Mediterranean Sea in what would become southern Syria, Lebanon, Israel and western Jordan in the far future. Then they cut across what would be southern Israel, defeated the 5 rebellious kingdoms in the vale of Siddim (Plain of Jordan, south of the dead sea), took Sodom and Gomorrah’s victuals (the spoils of war) and they also took Lot and his goods (more spoils of war).
SO: 85+14, Abram was 99 years old when he defeated the 4 Chaldean kings to conclude the 2nd war and he rescued Lot (detailed in Part 19). AND: 86+13, Abram was 99 years old and Ishmael was 13 years old (Gen. 17:1-27 esp. V.25) when God initiated the circumcision covenant.
Of Course Satan Had His Own Timeline in the Above Events
Satan had been closely watching Abram all these years. He was looking for any soft, mushy spot in Abram’s soul where he could go to work and he found it! One day he saw Abram eyeing Hagar while she swish hipped her work around Abram’s house; “Look at Abram!” Hagar also saw Abram’s eyes; “Show him what you’ve really got Hagar.” “I’ll show him what a real woman looks like!”
With her back turned Hagar loosened the top of her peasant’s blouse. She started to turn and “somehow” dropped a copper pan on the floor. When she slowly bent to pick it up her blouse hung open, Abram viewed her swelling, honey golden cleavage and his eyes almost popped out of his head. “I’ve got him!” and Satan started studying them closer so he could develop a plan.
Satan did not know it yet but he was in the process of developing a plan that would help bring animosity, untold misery, tears, bondage and several bloody wars between blood kin in what, in the future, would be called Israel and Egypt, the nation from which Hagar came.
Satan bewitched and led Abram into sexual fantasies about Hagar. He enchanted Hagar into fantasies about supplanting Sarai as the queen of Abram’s tent. Weeks went by and Abram couldn’t keep his mind off Hagar. Sometimes when he and Sarai snuggled in the privacy of their bed he thought about Hagar and how it would be to hold her. Abram didn’t know some of his thoughts were actually Satan’s suggestions.
One day Sarai was in the communal area where several of the older women worked as nannies and cared for a large group of children of all ages while their mothers worked. Sarai especially liked to watch the toddlers busy at their business of growing and learning. Just like he does to you and me, invisible Satan’s spiritual eyes, boiling with hatred, watched Sarai. He was gauging, calculating, measuring and thinking; “Sarai’s eyes are tender, open and wounded. I wonder if it’s because she hasn’t had any children of her own.” Invisible; Satan fastened his thoughtful spiritual eyes on one of the older nannies and zeroed in on her thoughts.
Presently the older nanny plopped herself down beside Sarai, started rocking a toddler to sleep and quietly started talking to Sarai. They talked trivialities for a few minutes and Sarai couldn’t keep her eyes off the beauty of the toddler as he nodded and fought sleep. “Tell her about your sister.” The nanny had an irresistible urge to tell Sarai a great family secret. Satan blinded her and it never entered her mind how badly her story would hurt Sarai. Satan didn’t care.
“My sister was a most miserable woman because she was barren. It broke her heart that she could produce no child for her husband. She would have been happy to have even given him a girl child.” Satan’s concentration sharpened as tears started trickling down Sarai’s cheeks. “I told her to ask our cousin to birth a child with her husband and give the child to them to raise as their own so they would not be childless but she refused to entertain that thought because she was so jealous.”
The cherub cheeked boy child she was holding had nodded off to sleep and Sarai’s arms ached to hold him. “Please don’t tell anyone what I am preparing to tell you.” Sarai nodded acquiescence and quietly murmured through her tears; “I promise not to tell.”
The woman conspiratorially leaned forward, looked furtively around and whispered; “Do you remember when my sister Shaqah drowned in the river a little over 3 years ago?” Sarai nodded in the affirmative. “It was no accident. She was so despondent she took her own life rather than face what our cursed life had decreed how her life must be.” Suddenly 2 other toddlers started pushing, tugging, hair pulling and screaming over a small toy. The nanny placed the tiny child into Sarai’s arms and scurried away to quell the dispute before it escalated further.
Satan watched as Sarai tenderly held the toddler close. The child responded to her warmth, strength and kindness and snuggled against Sarai’s soft, generous bosom. Then Satan charmed her with visions of having such a child as her own and quietly suggested; “Hagar is young, strong and healthy as a horse. She could produce a son by Abram for you that would be worthy of a man like Abram. Sarai thought about it; “The child would be an Egyptian, I won’t do that!”
Sarai didn’t know her inward debate was with Satan and not just with herself; “He would be your child and you could rear him as a Hebrew.” I would have all control of the child and I could rear him as a Lord God worshipping Hebrew. Satan’s jaws tightened and his eyes glittered with evil hatred; “We’ll see about that you %&*#$$!” But he didn’t say it to Sarai.
That night as Sarai and Abram snuggled together in bed Sarai hesitantly spoke; “Abram, I don’t want to insult you, nor do I want to make you angry at me, but, but, but would you consider siring a child with Hagar and I can take it and raise it as our own?” His ears roared and Abram felt a jolt of nerve stimulation in his loins that threatened to expose his excitement.
Wisely Abram thoughtfully waited a couple of minutes as if he were thinking before he answered; “My beautiful Sarai you know I would do anything for you, if that’s what you really want I’ll try my best.” Excitement throbbed his carotid arteries so hard his temples pounded. Seeing his “hesitation” Sarai firmly said; “That’s exactly what I want!”
With all that settled Abram felt a vast urgency and under his gentle ministrations Sarai also started feeling an urgency. Satan was right there with them when they joined together and became one. He continued to attract and delight them completely as he led their thoughts and whispered his lies. Abram was thinking about the luscious fullness of Hagar’s body and Sarai was thinking about holding and rocking her baby they were making.
At the same time Satan bitterly fought Shem and some of his progeny there at Bethel (Part 17). Satan was against anything the Lord God worshipping Shem wanted to do. Right now Shem was praying because he “felt like” he should move 12 miles south to a place called Salem and live there. “Leave your town with its 11 foot thick wall? That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” “I’d sure hate to leave the security of Bethel but I really need to go, I can build another wall.” “You #&%$@ hardheaded $*&*@*$*. I’ll get you yet!” But Shem could not hear him.
Japheth’s progeny and some of those of Shim and Ham were scattering northward and eastward over the whole world (Part 10, see Thor Heyerdahl) and Satan was also right there teaching, leading, enchanting, lying, and charming them while they worshipped their idols.
At that very same time Satan was whispering thoughts into the brain of a king in western Chaldees (Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq) because King Chedorlaomer had called a conference with 3 kings whose kingdoms bordered his own kingdom. There was much pomp and ceremony, wild pagan music and drinking, eating and drinking, sensual dancing and partaking of Qunubu before he got down to the business of discussing the possibility of expanding their kingdoms; “Oh ye kings, in reality our lands have become overcrowded. War between us would merely weaken us until some stronger kingdom overcame us all.” “Look at the richness in the vale of Siddim kingdoms!”
“Have you noticed the richness of the 5 kingdoms in the vale of Siddim, that wide valley, at the southern end of the salt sea? We could join forces, put together an army, conquer the land between here and there and then conquer the 5 richest kingdoms in this part of the world. With their riches they have grown fat and lazy and are like 5 ripe plumbs ready for the picking. But we are lean and mean because of our hard life and we are stronger and tougher than them.”
In the process of time (Gen. 14:1-3 esp. V.3 keyword: salt sea) the 4 greedy, proud kings from the Chaldees led by their strongest king, King Chedorlaomer, went to war against the 5 kings from Canaan and finally conquered them in a major battle in the vale (valley) of Siddim; (spread out land) obviously it was in the Plain of Jordon at the southern end of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea).
The slain of the 9 kingdoms lay in their thousands all over the tortured, blood soaked land in places where small battles and skirmishes had been fought and in that trampled main battlefield where so many had fallen in one violent, bloody day. Satan danced through the blood of the dead and frolicked through the tears of thousands of lonely, destitute widows and orphans; “Tribute! Tribute! Make them pay tribute!” As always Satan helped men justify what they already wanted to do.
During the process of the time of the 9 kingdom 1st war Abram was 85 years old, Hagar had missed her first monthly, Abram was delighted he was going to be a father but Sarai was having second thoughts. She had seen Hagar’s pride that she was Abram’s concubine. Sarai became stiff and cold toward Abram and sarcastically cruel toward Hagar.
(Gen. 16:4) Abram preferred the young, hot, sloe eyed sensuality of Hagar and though she did not say a word Hagar’s every move as she worked in Abram’s house shouted; “I’m more woman than you’ll ever be.” and it burned in Sarai like a red hot coal! Of course Lot came whining to uncle Abram because he had to pay tribute to the Chaldean kings; “I told you not to go among those people Lot, you’ll eventually lose everything!”
Events Between the 1st and 2nd War
Of course Satan stirred the pot of female, hormonal, emotional uproar until Abram was dragged into the fray. %$&#@ Sarai, you started this, she’s only missed one monthly. I need to make sure so you’ll have the child you want.” (Gen. 16:5) That was when Abram discovered Sarai could talk faster than he could hear and what he did discern was far, far, far from being complimentary toward him. The last thing Abram heard as he went out the door was; “The Lord’ll judge you for this! You’ve done me wrong!”
(Gen. 16:6) Abram shouted back over his shoulder; “*#$%&* it all to &%$# woman get offa my &%$# back and do what the &%$# you want to do with her! I’m sick of this &%$#@!” Sarai turned hot, expectant eyes toward Hagar and unleashed a pent up, frustrated, furious, fusillade of hot, humiliating, hateful words. Hagar stood it a few days while she secretly made her plans, she gathered food and water then at an opportune time she ran away.