Abraham Returns To Beer-Sheba – Family Highly Honoured

ABRAHAM RETURNS TO BEER-SHEBA

Paul says that God preached the gospel to Abraham, and certainly it was done here. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Today the gospel of Christ has gone out pretty much to all the world.

There are many who have not heard—that is true even in our own midst—but nevertheless, the blessing has come to all nations. And the only blessing the nations have is through Christ. “Because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

That obedience rested upon Abraham’s faith, and faith always will lead to action. “Faith without works is dead.”

The Lord adds another promise: All the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham’s offspring, something that happens unequivocally when Abraham’s descendant, Jesus, becomes the means by which all may come into God’s blessing of grace through faith (Genesis 22:18–19).

Genesis 22 ends with a list of the 12 children of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

One of those children, Bethuel, will become the father of Rebekah. Abraham’s son Isaac will eventually marry Rebekah (Genesis 24), and they will father Jacob, whose children will form the tribes of God’s chosen people, Israel.

 

Genesis 22:19-24 KJV

[19] So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer–sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer–sheba.

[20] And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

[21] Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

[22] And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

[23] And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

[24] And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

 

Genesis 22:19 KJV

So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer–sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer–sheba.


Yet remember that Abraham was not justified by his readiness to obey, but by the infinitely more noble obedience of Jesus Christ; his faith receiving this, relying on this, rejoicing in this, disposed and made him able for such wonderful self-denial and duty.

This is the final verse in the story of Abraham’s obedience in his willingness to sacrifice his only son at God’s command. Abraham has seen God’s goodness proven over and over, so he trusts that God has some good outcome in mind.

And, as expected, God intervenes to stop Isaac from being harmed, while providing an animal sacrifice (Genesis 22:11–13). When the ritual is completed, Abraham and Isaac go back down the mountain, to meet Abraham’s two servants.

The small company travels together back to Abraham’s home in Beersheba.

Though Abraham might not have known exactly what would happen when he left these two servants to go up the mountain, he was right: “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5).

 

Genesis 22:20 KJV

And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;


This chapter ends with some account of Nahor’s family, who had settled at Haran. This seems to be given for the connexion which it had with the church of God. From thence Isaac and Jacob took wives; and before the account of those events this list is recorded.

It shows that though Abraham saw his own family highly honoured with privileges, admitted into covenant, and blessed with the assurance of the promise, yet he did not look with disdain upon his relations, but was glad to hear of the increase and welfare of their families.

Sometime after the events described earlier in this chapter, perhaps years later, Abraham received news from the home he had left behind when God sent him to the land of Canaan.

The news was that his brother Nahor’s wife, Milcah, had born eight children over the years. This is quite the comparison to Sarah’s one child, Isaac.

The names of these children of Nahor and Milcah, as well as some of their grandchildren, are listed in the following verses. These notes are important mostly to establish the family history of Isaac’s eventual wife, Rebekah.

 

Genesis 22:21 KJV

Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,


This brief record of what was told to Abraham about the children born to his brother Nahor, and specifically the reference to Nahor’s granddaughter Rebekah, serves as a link between the previous Abrahamic narratives and what follows.

In the previous verse, Abraham learned some news about his extended family. Abraham had left his homeland when God called him to enter Canaan, and in the many years since, Abraham’s brother Nahor has fathered several children with his wife Milcah.

This and the following verses lists these nephews and nieces of Abraham. They include Buz, Uz, and Kemuel, who became the father of Aram. These names are given primarily because they explain the family history of Rebekah, Isaac’s future wife.

 

Genesis 22:22 KJV

And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.


Abraham’s brother Nahor had twelve sons, whereas Abraham had only two-Ishmael and Isaac. How this must have tested Abraham’s faith concerning God’s promise of descendants as the stars of the sky!

It may have prompted him to send Eliezer in search of a wife for Isaac. In verse 20, Abraham learned some news from the land he left behind when God called him to enter Canaan. Abraham’s brother Nahor had fathered several children with his wife Milcah.

They include Buz, Uz, and Kemuel, who became the father of Aram. Additional names given in this verse include Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. In the following verse, we’ll learn that Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.

Rebekah would eventually marry Abraham’s son Isaac.

 

Genesis 22:23 KJV

And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.


Notice the name Rebekah. In verse 20, Abraham learned that his brother Nahor had fathered several children with his wife Milcah. Nahor is still living in the land Abraham left behind when God called him to enter Canaan.

Now we learn that one of those children, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah. Rebekah would go on to marry Abraham’s son, Isaac.

Together they will produce a son, Jacob, who will one day be renamed Israel, and whose children will form the tribes of God’s chosen people.

 

Genesis 22:24 KJV

And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.


Concubine is often used to refer to those women who were inferior to the wives. In previous verses, Abraham learned that back in the land he left behind when God called him to enter Canaan, his brother Nahor had fathered eight children with his wife Milcah.

One of the eight, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah. Abraham’s son Isaac would later marry Rebekah (Genesis 24). This is an important marriage, since Isaac and Rebekah will produce a son, Jacob, whom God will later rename Israel.

This makes Isaac and Rebekah the grandparents of God’s chosen people. Now we learn that Nahor fathered an additional four children with Reumah, his concubine.

It’s hard to miss that in the time it took Abraham to father two children, Ishmael and Isaac, his brother had fathered 12 offspring. We’re not told how this news impacted Abraham.

Was he excited for the expansion of the family line?

Was he sad or discouraged?

We don’t know. We do know that he continued to trust God to keep His promises. The next chapter provides evidence of Abraham’s confidence that the land of Canaan would become the land of his offspring.

 

 

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