Genesis, Message 22: Two Wells - Two Sources of Living

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 22

Two Wells - Two Sources of Living

Christ is the source of living water

In the New Testament, Jesus revealed that He was the source of living water. He said to the Samaritan woman that, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14 NKJV) Furthermore, He gave us a wonderful promise that "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38 NKJV) Jesus is the source of living for all the believers, and if we drink of this water, we will not only be brought into everlasting life, but we will also have the rivers of living water flow out of our heart. What a wonderful promise we have!
With regard to the illustration of Christ as the source of living water, we also see some sources of water in the Old Testament that clearly typify Christ.
In Exodus, when Israel people did not have water to drink, the rock in Horeb was struck by Moses and became the source of water for them.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:6 NKJV)

The same situation happened again in Number 20. The people was so thirsty because of lack of water supply, and complained against Moses. And again, a rock was also to be the source of water for them. But God's instruction to Moses was different this time. He did not have to strike the rock again. All Moses needed to do was speak to the rock!

"Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals." (Number 20:8 NKJV)

In order to become the source of water, the rock needed to be struck. And it needed to be struck only once. After it has already been struck, it did not need to be struck again. It needed only to be spoken to, and water would come out of it.
The rock both in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 typifies Christ as the source of living water. For Christ to become the source of living water, He needed to be crucified on the Cross. His mission was perfectly completed and He did not have to be crucified again. Only once was adequate for all people in the past, present and future. All we need to do to receive this water supply today is speak to the Rock!
Another type of Christ as the source of living water is found in Genesis 21. I believe most people, including me, have read through this chapter without noticing the importance of the 2 wells, the well of Ishmael and the well of Isaac. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Moses mentioned these 2 wells so that readers might learn some spiritual lessons from them. I really appreciate the ministry of brother Witness Lee that clearly explains this matter.

Two wells in Genesis 21 represents two sources of living.

In Genesis 21, there are 2 sources of water mentioned, the well of Ishmael and the well of Isaac. They were totally different in their nature and their effect, resulting in totally different outcomes and destinies for the drinkers. 

1. Well of Ishmael represents our soul as the source of living.

¹⁹ Then God opened her [Hagar's] eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
²⁰ So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
²¹ He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:19-21 NKJV)

The well of Ishmael was a natural source of water. It was located in the wilderness. Drinking from this well, Ishmael became an archer and joined to Egypt by marrying an Egyptian.
What does this illustration mean? The well of Ishmael represents our soul as the source of living.
Our soul, composed of mind, will and emotion, is natural source of living. Resulting from the fall of man, everyone has this well as the source of living by default. Everyone's life is therefore directed by what he thinks, what he wants and what he feels. This source is in wilderness, signifying the place rejected by God. Drinking from this well, he is made an archer like Nimrod, the very origin of Babel and Babylonian Empire (Genesis 10:8-12). Like an archer, he fights and kills with selfish ambitions for building up of his own kingdom. Eventually, he will be joined to the world, depicted by the marriage to an Egyptian.

2. Well of Isaac represents Christ in our spirit as the source of living

²² And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.
²³ Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt."
²⁴ And Abraham said, "I will swear."
²⁵ Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized.
²⁶ And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today."
²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
²⁸ And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
²⁹ Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?"
³⁰ And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well."
³¹ Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
³² Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days. (Genesis 22:27-34 NKJV)

In contrast to the well of Ishmael, the well of Isaac was not a natural source, but was dug by Abraham. It was seized by Abimelech's servants. To make it available again, Abraham therefore redeemed it from Abimelech and made a covenant with him. This well was not located in the wilderness like Ishmael's well, but in a proper place called Beersheba. Drinking from this well, Abraham became a planter and Isaac's life was heading to Moriah, the place where Jerusalem, with the temple in it, was being built and Jesus was being crucified (2 Chronicles 3:1).
What does this well represent? It represents Christ in our spirit as source of living.
This source is not natural. In order for it to be made available to us, the processes of redemption and covenanting are requuired. And it was fully redeemed on the Cross at a great cost - the life of Christ Himself. Through His resurrection, He has become the life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45), now dwelling within our spirit. If we drink of this source, we will become a planter, growing life for building up of God's kingdom. We will experience the Triune God as the eternal life dispensed into us and living in us. Ultimately, we will be brought to Zion in which God's temple is built, and our destiny is the New Jerusalem.
Here another name of the LORD is mentioned. Abraham called Him "the Everlasting God." This name comes from the word "El Olam," which can mean either the eternal God or the concealed, hidden and veiled God. Both ways of translation are equally true with regard to the nature of our God. He is eternal, yet very mysterious. We can never know Him unless He reveals Himself to us.
Hallelujah for the well of Isaac! We don't have to drink from the well of Ishmael anymore. Everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus now has free access to the well of Isaac, which is Christ in our spirit, as his source of living. If we drink of the water from this well, we will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory, which will cause us to call upon the name of the LORD and experience Him as the God who is very mysterious yet very real, ever-existing, and ever-living.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 22.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, Message 21: Living a Grace-enjoying Life for God's Good Pleasure

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 21

Living a Grace-enjoying Life for God's Good Pleasure

Experience of Isaac represents experience of grace

The experience of Abraham represents the experience of God as our heavenly Father, who is the source of everything. However, experience of Abraham is not complete. We also need to see the experiences of Isaac and Jacob. Even though they were 3 distinct persons, the collective experiences all these 3 forefathers demonstrate a complete experience with God that everyone should see.

Now we are going to focus on the experience of Isaac, which represents the experience of God of Grace and teaches us that everything we have is received from God. All we need to do is enjoy grace.

What is grace? This word is a very big word. Many theologians have beautifully described it as "undeserved love," "unmerited favour," and "God's Riches At Christ Expenses." All these definitions are absolutely correct. However, if we consider the bible carefully, we will see that "Grace" is much more than that. Grace is nothing less than Christ Himself given to us for the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose. Christ is grace personified. 

In the Old Testament, the best thing man could ever experience was God's blessing, which had to do with outward things. The purpose of the blessing was for his existence. But praise the Lord that now we, the New Testament believers, can enjoy not only blessing from God for our existence, but also grace of God for the fulfilment of His eternal purpose.

Unlike God's blessing, grace has nothing to do with outward things. It is not about what we have or what we can do. It has to do with our inward being. It is the matter of what we are! As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10. By the grace of God, we are what we are!

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV)

Putting this verse together with Galatians 2:20, we can clearly see the principle of Christian living. After being saved, we still live this new life, yet not we, but the grace of God is with us / Christ lives in us.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

Therefore grace is Christ Himself wrought into our being for our enjoyment and for the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose. It is not something outside us, but Someone who lives in us, works in us and do things for us. Grace is nothing less than Christ Himself living in us as our life and our everything.

Experience of Isaac exemplifies a life of grace enjoyer

Isaac's life is so amazing. He did not have to do hard works. He did not have to cross the river. He did not have to dig the wells by himself. He did not have to fight against enemies. Everything he had was inherited from Abraham his father. Therefore the experience of Isaac is the experience of receiving. Everything he had was received from his father.

Furthermore, we don't see much suffering in his life either. He did not have to go through many dealings from God as Abraham did. Even in time of troubles, Isaac did not seem to suffer a lot. Even when his mother Sarah died, while Abraham was in great sorrow, we don't have a record of Isaac's weeping. The next scene in which he appears in the bible is in Genesis 24.

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. (Genesis 24:63 NKJV)

Yes, in time of sorrow when he lost his mother, Isaac still enjoyed the fellowship with the Lord. He is a perfect example of a grace enjoyer.

Like Isaac, we are predestined to live a life of grace enjoyer

Interestingly, there is no any indication that Isaac was a spiritual person. He seemed not to deserve being listed as a hero of faith. But grace came to him regardless of his spirituality or religiousness. God's grace is for everyone, both spiritual and unspiritual, both religious and unreligious. Everyone needs grace.

It is God's preordained way that all His people enjoy grace. When we have right standing before God, we must enjoy grace. But even when we do not have right standing before God, we can also enjoy grace. God's grace is unconditional. It is so available to us however our spiritual status is. Grace comes upon us regardless of our standing. Nevertheless, this unconditional grace by no means endorses our improper standing before God. The more we enjoy grace, the more Christ grows in us and the more our life will be transformed. This will eventually bring us to the right standing before God. We will then arrive at the proper place in which we worship God, call upon His name and become His testimony on the earth.

It is a great misunderstanding that after one has been saved by grace through faith, he must live a suffering life and must be religious or self-spiritual, trying to keep all the Lord's commandments using his own effort. Even after we have been saved by grace, we still must live a life of grace enjoyer. Enjoying grace is the means whereby our life is transformed and God's eternal purpose is fulfilled in us and through us.

Brothers and sisters, God does not call us to be a religious person, but to be an enjoyer of grace, which is Christ Himself wrought into us for our enjoyment. We don't have to be religious to enjoy grace. Ironically, the more religious we are, the less likely we will enjoy grace. When we try to please God using our own effort, we exercise our fleshly endeavour, resulting in pride, the very cause of Lucifer's fall. Nothing can frustrate grace more than our self or our flesh can. Being religious is not what God wants from us. It is not the means whereby God is pleased and His eternal purpose is fulfilled. He just needs us to have the experience of Isaac by enjoying Christ day by day.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 21.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, Message 20: The God of Abraham Seen in His Dealings with Abraham

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 20

The God of Abraham Seen in His Dealings with Abraham

Abraham went through a lot of dealings from God in his life. Those dealings were very precious to him, as he grew up in the relational and experiential knowledge of God after each dealing.
In this message, I'm going to share some characteristics of God that we can observe in Abraham's experience of God's dealings with him.

God of Glory

² And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
³ and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
⁴ Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. (Acts 7:2-4 NKJV)

The first appearing of God to Abraham is recorded in the book of Acts. God revealed Himself to Abraham as the God of glory.
At that time, Abraham was living in the land full of idol worshipping. He must have been so familiar with many gods in the land. But when God appeared to him, he could immediately see something different in this God. There were no any other gods like Him. After this encounter with God, his life could never be the same.
Brothers and sisters, if you have never known this God, please come to Him, learn more about Him, and you will understand why Abraham decided to leave his homeland to follow this God. This God is so good, so glorious, so gracious and so awesome. Come and taste Him today!

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11 NKJV)
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

But if you have already known Him, praise Him today. Don't be afraid that you will praise Him too much. That can never happen. Furthermore, follow Him, turn your eyes upon Him and keep beholding His glory. As a result, your life will be gradually transformed from glory to glory into His glorious image.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

God of Blessing

¹ Now the LORD had said to Abram: " Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
⁴ So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4 NKJV)

Even though Abraham followed what God told him to do without hesitation, he failed to do it completely. He did not get into the good land, but dwelt in Haran. Moreover, he did not leave his relatives, but had them with him in his journey. Nevertheless, God did not and would never give up on him. He kept speaking to him. Here God spoke to him again, and give him the great promises concerning the land, the seed and the blessing to the world. This God is the God who loves to bless His people.
However, we know that we all are sinners, and God cannot bless us fully because of our sinful condition. Praise the Lord that He has already solved this problem for us. He did that because of the fact that, while He hates sin, He loves sinners. He came to die for us, to redeem us from the curse of the law. He even became a curse for us, so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us. And the greatest blessing one can ever has is God Himself as the Spirit whom we have received through faith! By having the Spirit dwelling within us, we can now experience our Triune God not only in an objective way (intellectually), but also in a very subjective way (experientially and relationally).

¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")
¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14 NKJV)
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19 NKJV)

God of secret care for His elect

Soon after a peak of spiritual walk in Abraham life, he fell down. In time of famine, instead of trusting in God, he decided to come down to Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20). To save his own life, he committed a serious sin by lying that his wife was his sister, putting her life at risk. Even though God did not appear in the scene, He did work behind the scene out of His secret care for His elect. He protected the lives of him and his wife. He was still faithful even though he was not.
Hallelujah! What a privilege that we have the God who always cares for us. Even though many times we are faithless, He is always faithful. Even though we may not see Him and may even doubt if God really cares for us, please be assured that that God always does. He is always at work, and His aim is to work all things for good to those who love Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

God of shield and great reward

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." (Genesis 15:1 NKJV)

After fighting with the kings to rescue Lot, and offending Melchizedek by denying the gift from him, Abraham became afraid of revenge from them. To comfort him, God came to him in a vision, starting the conversation with "Do not be afraid." Why should he not be afraid? Because God Himself would be his shield and his exceedingly great reward.
Brothers and sisters, are you afraid of someone and something today? Do not be afraid. Our God is our shield and our great reward! And here is one of God's wonderful promises for you.

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

God of all-sufficiency

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1 NKJV)

After begetting Ishmael through Hagar, God did not appear or speak to him for a long time. God could not work the seed into him yet, because he was still too strong, even though he was over 86 years old already. God had to wait until he reached the point in which he realised he could not accomplish God's purpose using his own human effort or his natural strength. And that was when he was 99 years old. God then appeared to him again as the "El Shaddai," the All-sufficient God (rendered here as the Almighty One). All we need for the fulfilment of God's purpose is the All-sufficient One.
Brothers and sisters, do you know God as the All-sufficient One? Never try to serve God with your own strength. Don't try to help God produce the seed, bringing forth Christ. Only God Himself can accomplish His purpose in us and through us. Would you trust in the All-sufficient One today?

God with His human friendship

In Genesis 18, God came to Abraham in human form. That was the pre-incarnate Christ who visited him and had a sweet fellowship with Him. This could happen on the grounds of intimate relationship with God after terminating his own flesh through circumcision, and acknowledging God as the All-sufficient One.
Our God is the God who loves to have relationship with man. He does not want us to be religious Christians, but to be romantic ones who love Him and love to fellowship with Him. He is now knocking at the door. If you just open the door for Him, He will come in to you and feast with you and you with Him.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20 NKJV)

God with His trial

Concerning the seed, Abraham had to go through 3 main tests.

The first test - begetting Ishmael

To have the seed, instead of waiting for God's perfect timing, he decided to help God produce the seed through Hagar. That was successful, but not acceptable to God. The source of this seed was not from God, but from human effort, and the timing was premature. This resulted in God's silence for almost 13 years, before He appeared to him again in Genesis 17.
This experience teaches us that our own effort has no role in the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose. The best it can produce is Ishmael, not Isaac. We therefore must terminate our own natural ability so that God can fulfil His purpose through us.

The second test - praying for Abimelech

Soon after a sweet fellowship with God in Genesis 18, Abraham was tested again. In Genesis 19, he went southward to the land of Gerar. To save his own life, he again lied that Sarah was his sister. Because of this, God closed up the wombs of the house of Abimelech. To protect Sarah, God appeared to Abimelech in his dream one night and warned Him about Sarah. To re-open the closed wombs, he needed to have Abraham pray for them. Abraham therefore had to pray for the thing he himself could not have. That must be so difficult for him. But this was an important lesson that he must learn. The success of his prayer was not dependent upon his own achievement. The only source of every success is God. Abraham needed to see God as His heavenly Father, who is the source of everything.
This experience teaches us that we need to be totally dependent upon God, trusting only Him to accomplish His purpose in us and through us.

The third test - offering Isaac

After Isaac was born, God commanded Abraham to offer his own son, Isaac. Why did God do that? Was Isaac not the seed whom God had promised? Why then did He tell Abraham to offer the seed to Him? This taught Abraham that before he begot Isaac, he must see Him as the Father. Even after he begot Isaac, he still needed to see Him as the Father. He must not see Isaac as the source, and must not let Isaac replace Him who gave this son to him. He must always see God as the Father.
What does Isaac represent in our life? Isaac can be God's gifts, God's wills, or God's works. By themselves, they are good things. But they must not replace God in our hearts. They must not become what we cherish and care for more than God who gives them.
This experience of Abraham's teaches us that we need to always look to Him and know Him as the Father. We must not prioritise even God's gifts, God's wills, or God's works above our relationship with Him. We must not let them replace God.
I really appreciate what Oswald Chambers wrote about this, which correlates well with this lesson, saying "Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?"

Thank the Lord for these lessons we can learn from Abraham's experiences through the trials. And praise the Lord also that He is our heavenly Father who too loves His children to let them be the same. Because He loves us, He gives us various trials so that we will overcome and be made perfect and complete.

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 NKJV)

God as the Father

Altogether, the dealings of God with Abraham lead us to one conclusion. We must know Him personally and experientially as our heavenly Father.
There are two aspects of the word "Father" that we must see. On the one hand, with regard to our relationship with God, He is our Abba Father who cares for us, and we are His beloved sons. On the other hand, He is the Father of all things. He is the source of all things. Everything comes from Him and belongs to Him. We therefore are to trust Him. With Him, nothing is impossible.
May I end this article with the message given by Watchman Nee in his book "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

It is true that there are different levels in our service to God, and we can serve Him wherever we are. But the real question is, "What kind of service should we have in order to satisfy Him?" Those who satisfy God know the cross on the negative side and know God as the Father on the positive side. If our service does not have this knowledge, it lacks spiritual value. May the Lord be gracious to us to show us that everything God did with Abraham was to reveal Himself as the Father and the Initiator of everything.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 20.

• Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 2) Vol. 35: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, chapters 3-5.

• My Utmost for His Highest, "It Is the Lord!." (http://utmost.org/it-is-the-lord)

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, Message 19: Living in Fellowship with God

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 19

Living in Fellowship with God

In Genesis 17, Abraham became a new man. He used to rely upon his own strength in producing the seed. He came to realisation that he was as good as dead. He and his wife were too old to have a child. And God revealed to him as "El Shaddai," the Almighty God, which also means the All-Sufficient God. Furthermore, he went through the process of circumcision, terminating his own flesh. The old Abraham who trusted in his own strength became the new Abraham who trusted God as the All-Sufficient One!

In this message, I'm going to share something from Abraham's experience in Genesis 18. God came to visit him, had fellowship with him, reassured him that the seed was coming, and revealed His plan of judgment on Sodom. At the end, I'm going to share about Lot's failure.

The LORD comes to visit Abraham.

Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. (Genesis 18:1-8 NKJV)

From the story, we see that there were 3 men came to visit Abraham. Obviously, one of them was the LORD, as indicated in verses 13-14, and the other 2 were the angels, as indicated in Genesis 19:1. The LORD appeared as the Pre-incarnate Christ to Abraham.
Before this chapter, God had never appeared to Abraham as a human. Abraham was not ready yet. He needed to have his own self terminated through circumcision in Genesis 17, and know God as his All-sufficient One first. He then became ready to converse with God face to face. Therefore after this experience, God was not only the Almighty Glorious One to him, but also a Friend who loved to have a personal talk with him.
Did Abraham deserve God's visit? If we consider Abraham's life, we will see that he does not deserve God's visit at all. In Genesis 12, he revealed his selfishness by lying that Sarah was his sister in order to safe his life in Egypt. He must have been very proud of the scheme, because he performed it again with Abimelech later in Genesis 20. (Even worse, his own son, Isaac, might have heard the strategy from his parents, and used it too with another Abimelech in Genesis 26.) And instead of waiting patiently for God's answer regarding the seed, he was so obedient to his wife Sarah by taking her maid Hagar as another wife. (Please note that I'm not suggesting that a husband should be rebellious to his wife!) This resulted in chaotic situations afterwards. But regardless of his imperfection, God first revealed Himself to Abraham, even in human form. And what was Abraham's reaction? He quickly ran to the men, welcomed them, and enjoyed fellowship with them. He stood there by them while they were eating.
Brothers and sisters, the bible says clearly that no one is righteous in God's eye. No one is worthy of His visit. Romans 5:6-11 explicitly says that we were weak and ungodly (v. 6). We were sinners (v. 8), and God's enemies (v. 10). We were absolutely unworthy. Yet by Grace, Christ, the Creator of the universe, became flesh to dwell among His people (John 1:14). Moreover, He who had never sinned became sin for us, and died for us at the cross, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). As C. S. Lewis writes, The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.
I always say to new believers that Christianity is not a religion. It is not about following the lists of dos and don'ts. It is all about relationship. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20 NKJV)
What is your response to His calling? Would you gladly open the door and welcome Him? Would you like to be there beside Him, enjoying a sweet fellowship with Him?

The LORD promises to give Abraham the seed at the time of life.

[And the Lord said to Abraham] "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." (Genesis 18:14 NKJV)

Next, the LORD said to them that Sarah would surely have a son. When? At the time of "life."
Abraham was so old then. He was nearly 100 years old, and Sarah was post-menopausal (Genesis 18:11). It was absolutely impossible for them to have a child. His impotent body was as good as dead and that Sarah’s womb, too, was dead (Romans 4:19). But "is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14 NKJV) Surely, the answer is "NO." And about one year after that, Abraham begot the seed through Sarah as God promised. They eventually begot Isaac, which is the type of Christ.
What is the time of life for us? It is the time appointed by God. It is the time when we realise that we are but nothing, as good as dead. Only at that divinely appointed time can God fully work Christ into us so that we can participate in more life, and thereby bring forth Christ. These things are totally impossible for us to do. There is no way that we can participate in more life and have Christ brought forth from us, fulfilling God's purpose. That's why we need Christ who loves to do the impossible things. With Him, nothing is impossible.
Are you willing to participate in more life and bring forth Christ for the fulfilment of God's purpose on the earth today?

The LORD reveals His plan of judgment on Sodom to Abraham.

Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing" (Genesis 18:16-17 NKJV)

Then, Abraham, the friend of God (James 2:23), went with the Lord to send them on the way. And the Lord revealed him His plan that He would destroy Sodom, because the people there were exceedingly wicked. In fact, God came to Abraham to find an intercessor. That's why He revealed His plan of judgment to His friend. What was Abraham's reaction when he heard the plan? He interceded for Sodom.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord tells us that "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15 NKJV) Perhaps God is revealing His plan to you today. Perhaps God is calling you to be His intercessor, so that He can move through your prayer. What would be your response? Would you willingly participate in His move by interceding according to what God has revealed to you?
According to Abraham's experience, we can see that intercession is not merely a request that we make for others. Neither is it about our heart's desire. It is an intimate conversation with God according to His heart's desire that has been unveiled to us. We need not use very formal high words as we speak to the royal family. We only converse with Him as we talk with our friends. It is so easy, isn't it?
Here the means whereby God accomplishes His purpose is shown. God first has a desire. He then puts that desire into the heart of someone who is after His heart and has burden to participate in God's move on the earth. As a result, that person prays to God for it. And through the prayer of that saint, God moves and accomplishes the desire of His heart. Without our prayer, He cannot move. This confirms the statement of St Augustine that "Without God, we cannot. Without us, He will not."
One may ask, Why did God want to save Lot? Lot was not a very spiritual person. His descendents would even become enemies of His chosen nation. There seemed to be no reason for God to save his life. But He did this because Lot would become the father of the Moabite people. He did this to protect Christ's genealogy through Ruth the Moabite who was the great grand mother of King David.

A lesson from Lot's failure

Abraham decided to stay in Canaan, the good land God had promised to him. Even though he drifted away sometimes, but he eventually came back to live in the land. Geographically, the triangular boundaries of the land of Canaan consist of Egypt, Chaldea and Sodom, which represent the world, the idol worshipping and the sin. The good land was surrounded by these cities. Sadly, unlike Abraham, Lot decided to leave the good land and settled down in Sodom.
Brothers and sisters, please stay in the land of Canaan, which represents Christ. Stay in Christ by keep enjoying the fellowship with Him and His people. Never drift into the surrounding countries, so that we will not end up pitifully like Lot. Only in Christ can we live in, live on, defeat our enemies, and become His dwelling and His expression for the fulfilment of His eternal purpose.
I do agree a postulation of brother Witness Lee about Lot. He noted that Lot never came back to stay with Abraham again after their separation. Even after he was rescued from captivity, he went back to Sodom again, in spite of the wickedness of the people there. Coming back to Abraham seemed not to be a choice he would ever consider.
We did not know the cause of the strife between Abram and Lot's herdsmen. Whatever the cause was, Lot might think he was on the right side and Abraham did wrong to him by not giving him justice. He might have left Abraham with anger or frustration, and he seemed not to forgive. Moreover, there is no record that he really appreciated Abraham's fight for rescuing him. He preferred coming back to the wicked city rather than staying with Abraham in the land of Canaan. He became a leader in that city, as implied by his sitting in the gate of the city. His moral standard became degenerated, as evident by his decision to give his virgin daughter to the wicked men of the city to protect the guests and himself. And Genesis 19 records the extremely pitiful end of his life.
The story reminds me of one sister, Lotsy (pseudonym). Lotsy seemed to be very strong in The Lord when she first became a Christian. But one day she faced a life crisis. She was generously supported by another dear sister Abramy (pseudonym too). Abramy tried her best to help Lotsy. Abramy fervently prayed for and financially supported Lotsy so much that Abramy had very little money left for her own living. However, because of a few words or questions that Abramy said or asked, Lotsy felt so displeased or even angry that she gradually drifted away from the fellowship. Regardless of Lotsy hostile reaction, Abramy still genuinely loved Lotsy, and continued to help her. Nevertheless, it seemed that Lotsy had no desire to forgive and reconcile with Abramy. She became so blinded by the hatred that she could not see how gracious Abramy had been to her. May God have mercy on Lotsy that she would eventually come back and be reconciled with Abramy so that she would not end up like Lot who was saved but totally defeated.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 19.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, Message 18: The Allegory of the Two Women

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 18

The Allegory of the Two Women

There are so many allegories in the Old Testament. The stories were purposefully recorded for us to be able to understand the spiritual truth much better. However, we cannot understand them by our own wisdom. They are too mysterious. To understand an allegory, the best way is to consult the Scripture, as the Scripture itself is the best and the most reliable commentary. Only in the light of God's revelation in the New Testament revelation can we see them clearly and correctly.
For example, Christ used 2 allegories - Jonah and Solomon - to explain about his mission for man (Matthew 12:38-42). With regard to the sign of Jonah, he had to be crucified for the redemption of our sins, buried in a tomb, and raised from the dead on the Easter day. Then like Solomon who built God's physical temple in Jerusalem, He would build up the glorious temple upon Himself after His resurrection, which is the Church.
In this message, we are going to consider another allegory in the bible. It is the allegory of the two wives of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah.

Abram begets Ishmael through Hagar

¹ Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.
² So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
³ Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. (Genesis 16:1-3 NKJV)

In Genesis 12, God appeared to Abraham when he was 75 years old, and gave him the promise that He would give him a seed for the fulfillment of His purpose. Through this seed, all the nations would be blessed. With faith, Abram and his wife Sarai waited year after year, with no any sign that the seed would come. Eleven years later, when Abram was 86 years old, this couple started to be impatient. They could not wait for the promised seed anymore. Sarai then came up with a creative idea. Given that God did not really specify that the seed would come through her, Hagar could do her job, helping God produce the seed.
Abram obediently followed Sarai's plan. The produce of this scheme employing Abram's own effort was Ishmael, who was going to cause a lot of troubles to this family, particularly Sarai and her future son Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael were eventually driven out from the family, and God approved this.

¹⁰ Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."
¹¹ And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
¹² But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
¹³ Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed." (Genesis 21:10-13)

Abraham begets Isaac through Sarah

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." (Genesis 17:1-2 NKJV)
¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. (Genesis 17:10-11 NKJV)
Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him." (Genesis 17:19 NKJV)

After this accomplishing the scheme of producing the seed by his own effort, there is no record of God's appearing to Abram until he was 99 years old.
One may have questioned, why God allowed them to wait for a long long time? Was not 11 years long enough? Definitely not!
Even at the age of 86 years, Abram was yet too strong. After the birth of Ishmael, Abram was still too strong for God to fulfill His purpose in and through his life. Abram needed to wait for about 13 years until he reached a point where he realised he was as good as dead (Romans 4:19) and could do nothing to fulfil God's purpose. He then realised that all he could do was rely upon the Lord. All he needed was God's grace. And that happened to be one of the cleverest decisions he had ever made in his life.
After the 13 years of silence, God appeared to Abram again, and revealed Himself as "El Shaddai," the Almighty God, which also means the All-Sufficient God. God could do nothing to fulfil His purpose in producing the seed until Abram saw Him as the All-Sufficient One. Only God, without man's effort, could accomplish that. Abram's life had been transformed, and he was given a new name, "Abraham."
Furthermore, God confirmed Abraham with a sign of the covenant. It was circumcision. This ceremony was so crucial to him. It had nothing to do with sin. It dealt with flesh or natural strength. To receive grace needed for the fulfilment of God's purpose, Abram had to have his own natural strength completely terminated so that God could work Himself into his life.
Hallelujah! By God's grace, Isaac, the seed, was eventually given to him through Sarah (Genesis 21:1-5).

Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,
²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar ---
²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children ---
²⁶ but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
²⁷ For it is written: " Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband."
²⁸ Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
²⁹ But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
³⁰ Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."
³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. (Galatians 4:21-31 NKJV)

With regard to this allegory, the apostle Paul explained that Hagar, the bondservant, represents the covenant of law. The produce of this covenant is nothing but fleshly endeavour, putting believers into hopeless slavery. This is not the covenant whereby we can get saved and have God's purpose fulfilled in us and through us. The best we can get by this means is Ishmael who was rejected by God.
On the contrary, the proper wife, Sarah, represents the covenant of promise, which is Grace. Only through Sarah can the seed be acceptable to God. Praise the Lord that through faith in Christ, Grace has come to us and into us. To allow God to work Christ into us, we first must see Him as the All-Sufficient One and go through the process of circumcision, terminating our own natural strength. Then God will be able to fully work in us and through is for the fulfilment of His purpose.

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:11 NKJV)
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3 NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, is your mother Hagar or Sarah? Are you serving the Lord with your own strength or relying upon the All-Sufficient One to work through you? If you are using your own effort, perhaps what God wants to tell you today may not be that you have done too little, but that you have done too much. Using your own effort, you may have produced too much Ishmael, which is not only useless to Him, but may also cause more troubles, as Ishmael did to Abraham's family. Please stop right now. Realise that God is the All-Sufficient One, who is everything you need. Allow Him to terminate your own natural strength, go through the process of spiritual circumcision, and live under the covenant of promise. Let Grace work in you and through you. Only by grace without human's effort can we become totally useful to God.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 18.

• Life Study of Genesis, messages 46 and 47.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, message 17: Enjoying Christ in His Heavenly Ministry by Fighting for the Brother

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 17

Enjoying Christ in His Heavenly Ministry by Fighting for the Brother

Abraham learns a life lesson through his failure.

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
¹¹ And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.
¹² Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.
¹³ Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." (Genesis 12:10-13 NKJV)

Very soon after Abram got out of his own country, he easily got into the land of Canaan. He had a wonderful experience with God there. God kept appearing and speaking to him, confirming what He had promised to him. Abram called upon the name of the LORD and had a very intimate relationship with Him. This probably was a high peak of his spiritual pilgrimage.
But one day, he was struck by a severe famine. Sadly, instead of trusting in God, he decided to leave the land and went down to Egypt, which represents the world, without consulting God. There is no record of His praying to God for this matter. Even worse, to save his own life, he decided to risk the life of Sarai his wife by asking her to tell the king of Egypt that she was his sister, which was halfly true. He quickly fell down from his high peak.
Nevertheless, regardless of Abram's faithlessness, God was always faithful to him and to the promises he has given to him. God demonstrated His love and mercy for him. God preserved his life and his family, and brought them back to the land of Canaan.
Brothers and sisters, it might be not so difficult for us to reach a high peak of our Christian walks, but it could be much more challenging to remain there. If you are there right now, try your best to remain there or even rise up to a higher peak. Be vigilant and keep enjoying sweet relationship with God by reading the Word, talking with Him, and calling upon His name. Don't take this lightly, as our enemies - the world, the flesh and the devils - are trying hard to pull us down from the peak.
But if one day a temptation comes and strikes you, and you fall down. Instead of trusting God as your only Source, you start to trust in something else, such as the world, other people, or even evil schemes. Please don't let your failure keep you away from God. Just repent, and turn back to Him immediately. Call upon His name and trust Him. Remember that He does not show His faithfulness according to our faithfulness, or His love for us according to our love for Him. He is always faithful regardless of our faithlessness. He loves us even when we abandon Him. Our God is the God of a second chance. Come back to Him quickly!

¹ Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
² Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. (Genesis 13:1-2 NKJV)
⁷ And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
⁸ So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." (Genesis 13:7-9 NKJV)

By God's mercy, He brought Abram and his family back to the land of Canaan safely, and blessed him so much that he became very rich (perhaps too rich). And there came another problem for him to solve. The possessions of Abram and Lot became too great. As a result, there was strife between their herdsmen. Abram and Lot therefore agreed to separate from each other.
And here came a good evidence that Abram's life had changed a lot. Instead of living by sight as he previously did, he allowed God to make the decision for him. He told Lot to choose where he would like to go, and he would go to the other direction. He did not rely upon his wisdom anymore. He fully trusted in God.
The experience of God in Egypt must have been a great life-changing experience of Abram's. Because of this experience, Abram's life had been transformed, and his faith had been dramatically increased. Abram who used to fall down from the peak now had risen up. He was not the same Abram who trusted in this world and his evil schemes as recorded in Genesis 12. He was now the new transformed Abram who totally trusted in the Lord. He became the one who walked by faith, not by sight.
Brothers and sisters, when you fall down, never think that you are wasting a lot of time in vain because of your failure or because of a bad choice you have made. In Christ, no experience can ever be in vain. All things will work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Take this opportunity to grow in life, rising up to even a higher peak of your Christian walk. As Abram experienced, your life will be transformed, and your faith will be dramatically increased after experiencing God's unconditional love and great faithfulness.

Abraham fights for Lot and gains great victory

¹⁰ And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
¹¹ Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
¹² Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
¹³ But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. (Genesis 13:10-13 NKJV)
¹ And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,
² that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). (Genesis 14:1-2 NKJV)
¹¹ Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
¹² They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. (Genesis 14:11-12 NKJV)

To see the victory of Abram clearly, I would like to show the absolute failure of Lot, his nephew, first.
After being asked by Abram to choose where to go, he looked out and decided to go to the plain of Jordan, because it looked so good. He then moved towards Sodom, and eventually moved into the city. The bible revealed that the men in that city were exceedingly wicked and sinful. Therefore this city became the symbol of wickedness. And one day there were kings who came and took the city. Lot was captured by them. Lot became absolutely defeated.
What was the cause of Lot's failure? His defeat did not start when he was captured by the kings. His defeat started when he departed from Abram. He knew exactly that Abram was the called of God. When Abram asked him to leave, instead of trying to solve the problem he had with Abram and continue staying with him, he left Abram and chose to live by sight, not by faith.
We learn from the New Testament that Lot was a righteous man. I think he knew God. But he might have thought that only the vertical fellowship with God was enough for his spiritual walk. He did not realise the importance of living with God's people. He ignored the horizontal fellowship with others. As a result, he gradually moved away from God towards and into the wicked city. Eventually, he was captured by the kings.
Brothers and sisters, many times living with other saints in the church seems to be difficult. One may be tempted to leave the church, thinking he will be okay to live alone without fellowshipping with others. He thinks he can keep walking a healthy spiritual life only by having a good vertical relationship with God. That is a big trap from Satan who has been trying to keep us away from fellowshipping with other saints in the Body. As we see from the story of Lot, the prognosis of that person is not very good, is it?

¹³ Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.
¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
¹⁶ So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. (Genesis 14:13-17 NKJV)

Now let's consider the great victory of our hero of faith. Praise the Lord that inspite of Lot's failure, He still showed His mercy on him. He allowed one to told this breaking news to Abram. Without hesitation, Abram decided to go with his 380 men to bring his nephew back from captivity. And God gave him an absolute victory over the kings.
Where did the victory of Abram start from? It started from the point when he decided to put his life into God's hand, and fully trust in Him. He did not walk by sight, but by faith. And here we see how wonderful he was. Even though he was not a trained soldier, he did not fear at all. He went with his only few hundreds men to fight against the kings who should have had more than a thousand well-trained soldiers with them. Abram saw the importance of fighting for his brother. Abram's confidence was from the Lord.
I'm really impressed by the reaction of Abram here. He had a good reason not to help Lot. Lot departed from him and he deserved what he got. The mission was too difficult and dangerous. But he did not let these excuses to prevent him from doing it.
I recall what brother Watchman Nee used to explain about the levels of our reactions towards common situations. May I correlate that with Abram's reaction here.
If Abram was in the level of reasoning, he had the right to get angry with Lot, because Lot had offended him by leaving him and allowing his herdsmen to fight with Abram's herdsmen. He therefore could just be happy that Lot was captured, because he deserved punishment.
If Abram was in the level of good deeds, he would be able to forgive Lot, and feel sorry that he was taken into captivity. But I don't think he would risk his life to fight with the kings and bring Lot back.
Praise the Lord that Abram had gone beyond these levels. His reaction was in the level of the life of the holy God. He had not only forgiven Lot, but also loved him and risked his life for him.
Brothers and sisters, let's follow the example of Abram. Let's walk by faith, not by sight. Let's be ever ready to fight for (not fight with) brothers and sisters. Take those who have gone astray from the Way or fallen down into sin or temptation back to the Lord and to the fellowship with saints. Even though we may not be so strong, trust in the Lord. With Him, we can. Fight for them for God's glory. And you will experience an absolute victory as Abram did.
Moreover, let's learn from the reaction of Abram. Let's live in the level of the life of the holy God. Let's always ready to go the extra mile for others. Let's imitate Christ. Regardless of our sinfulness, Christ loved us so much that He came to die for us, even when we were His enemies. Christ came to defeat the enemies for us, so that we could come back to Him. Likewise, even though the one who is falling down used to offend us, let's forgive him, love him, fight for him, and take him back to the church life. Never leave anyone behind!

Abraham encounters Melchizedek the kingly high priest

¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
¹⁹ And he blessed him and said: " Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV)

After the great victory, Melchizedek king of Salem came to Abram. Interestingly, he was indicated to be "the priest of God Most High." Even though the bible does not say explicitly, we can assume that as a priest of God, this kingly high priest had been praying for Abram. His intercession had helped Abram win the battle and gain his brother back. And we know that this high priestly king is the type of Christ.

The LORD has sworn And will not relent, " You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4 NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, we always have the great High Priest who is both the King of Righteousness (the meaning of the name Melchizedek) and the King of Peace (the meaning of Salem) intercede for us. When it comes to fighting for brothers and sisters, take heart and do not fear. Christ is always ministering to us by interceding for us.

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)

Let's fight for our brothers and sisters, defeat the enemies and experience Christ as our kingly High Priest today!

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 17.

• Life Study of Genesis, messages 42 and 43.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Genesis, message 16: The Land for the Fulfillment of God's Purpose

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 16

The Land for the Fulfillment of God's Purpose

Christ is our good Land

Genesis chapter 15 is a big transition of Abraham's story. Before this chapter, God had blessed him outwardly in material things. Abraham had gained wealth and power. All the things God had given to Abraham before this chapter were for him to exist. But starting from this chapter, God was going to bless him inwardly. God was going to give him 2 crucial things: the seed and the land. Abraham needed both the seed and the land for God to fulfill His marvelous purpose in him and through him. Praise the Lord for the seed and the good land. God was going to give the seed into him, and the land in which he would live.
We have learned about the seed in the last lesson. Now let's learn the meaning of the land.
What was the land for? The good land was not only for Abraham live in and live on, but also for him to defeat all his enemies so that God could establish His kingdom on earth and have a habilitation for His expression. The good land was not for his existence. It was definitely for the fulfillment of God's purpose.
God gave Abraham both the seed and the good land so that He would be represented and expressed. Just as God created Adam to express God and to exercise His authority on the earth, God provided the seed and the land for Abraham, so that He would have His people (Abraham's descendents) and His nation (Israel) express and represent Him on earth. This was the start point of God's recovery work, bringing man back to His eternal purpose.
What does this land mean to us? Does it symbolise the heaven? It is commonly told to be so, but it is not likely. The land is not really the shadow of the heaven, but Christ. Both the seed and the good land represent Christ. Christ is both the Seed who dwells within us and the Land in which we dwell. He is our Centre and our everything. He is the Centrality and the Universality of God's move on earth. To participate in God's move, it is crucial for us to have Christ dwell in us, and to live in Him.
Brothers and sisters, both outward and inward blessings are important to us, but they are for different purposes. The outward blessings are for our existence. Without outward blessings, we cannot live or survive. We need a good job, a nice home, some warm clothes, healthy and probably delicious food, and so on. These are for us to exist. As we are God's children, God is going to take care of us and surely supply all our needs. Jesus has promised us that only if we first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, all of these outward blessings will automatically follow. We will not only have just enough to live, but we will also have much more than we need so that we can give the surpluses to others. God will generously add these things to us. Therefore we need not and must not care too much for the outward blessings. Seek Him first, and these things will be provided by our Lord.

³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:32-34 NKJV)

On the contrary, we do need the seed and the good land, which are the inward blessings, not for our existence, but for fulfulling God's purpose. And interestingly, the New Testament reveals that for us, the New Testament believers, this kind of blessings is "Grace." Grace is much more important than outward or material blessings. The apostles rarely mentioned about outward blessings in their letters, but almost always started and ended their writings with the word "grace." And the very last verse in the bible is the prayer that grace (not blessing) of God be with us all!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelations 22:21 NKJV)

Provided that our Christ, the Word that became flesh, is full of grace (John 1:14), grace is nothing short of Christ Himself as the Seed and the good Land for our enjoyment and for the fulfilment of God's purpose. All we need is Christ, our Grace. Only in Christ can we express Him. Only in Christ can we exercise His authority over all the creation, including God's enemies. Only in Christ can we live in and have rest. In Christ alone!
Would you like to participate in God's move on earth, fulfilling His economy for man? The only way to do that is to have Christ as our Seed and our good Land. Apart from Him, we cannot do anything that really counts. But if we have Christ in us and if we live in Him, we will be fruitful and God's purpose will be fulfilled.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NKJV)

Christ is our all-inclusive Offering

In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abram after God revealed that Abram would inherit the good land. An interesting point about this covenant is that particular offerings were requested by God.

⁸ And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"
⁹ So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
¹⁰ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. (Genesis 15:8-10 NKJV)

There were 5 items that needed to be offered: a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove and a pigeon. Interestingly, only the first 3 were killed, whereas the other two were not.
What do these animals represent? Like the Levitical offerings, these offerings symbolise Christ, our all-inclusive Offering. The first 3 animals represent Christ as our burnt offering, peace offering and sin offering. They signify Christ in His humanity who died for us. We were identified with Him at the Cross when He was condemned on behalf of us. He suffered and died for us, offering His own life to God, so that we can now have true peace and have all our sins forgiven.
Furthermore, the offered birds that were left alive also represent the divine resurrected Christ who has been risen and who lives today. We were not only identified with Christ in his death, but also in His resurrection. And because of His resurrection, we can now live His resurrection life.
Would you like to enjoy Christ as the good Land for fulfilling God's purpose? If so, let's make this covenant with God, by being put to death on the Cross with Christ, so that we can have peace with God, with all our sins pardoned; and also by living the resurrection life of Christ, so that we may claim that, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 16.

• Life Study of Genesis, messages 44 and 45.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)