20130804 Sunday, August 4 2013
Genesis 15: The Exodus Prophecy

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years ... and afterward shall they come out with great substance"

Abraham, or Abram as he was born, is regarded as the "father of the monotheistic religions" - the great "one God" sects of Judaism, Islam and Christianity (see the Fact Finder question below). Abraham was not however a Jew (or Israelite - Jews are one of the tribes of Israel; see Who Were The First Jews? and Israel Never Knew Purim, Hanukkah Or Judaism), a Muslim, or a "Christian" (at least, those who merely call themselves "Christian," while doing whatever they please in His Name; see Why Call Me, Lord, Lord, and Do Not The Things Which I Say?) - none of those religions existed in the time of Abraham.

Abraham did however personally know Jesus Christ, as the Messiah Himself plainly stated.

"8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:56-58 KJV)

What did the Messiah mean by "I am"?

"3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3:14-15 KJV)

Who, specifically, was "I AM" Who led the Israelites out in the Exodus? Jesus Christ (see also Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God).

"10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses [see Israel In History and Prophecy: Moses] in the cloud and in the sea; 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 KJV)

Who then also gave all of humanity His Ten Commandments? Jesus Christ.

"20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain [again, see Why Call Me, Lord, Lord, and Do Not The Things Which I Say?].

20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it [see Why Observe The True Sabbath?].

20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." (Exodus 20:2-17 KJV)

So it was then that the LORD chose righteous Abram for a mission (see Genesis 12: Abram's Mission).

"15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." (Exodus 15:1 KJV)

Abram at that point had no children. Even his nephew Lot, who was like a son to Abram, had departed (see Genesis 13: The Parting of Abram and Lot). "And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless."

"15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir." (Exodus 15:2-3 KJV)

The LORD then declared to Abram that he would not only have children of his own, but that his descendants would grow into a multitude of nations (see also The LORD's Seed Covenants With The Two Men Of Iraq).

"15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." (Exodus 15:4-5 KJV)

As with Noah, Abram was judged righteous because he had faith in the Word of God (see What Does Word of God Mean To You?).

"15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Exodus 15:6 KJV)

Abram had already experienced an Exodus of his own, out of Babylon, to a land of Promise (see Abraham's Journey: When Will He Arrive?).

"15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it." (Exodus 15:7 KJV)

Abram then asked "Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" It was obviously not a question of doubt, but a question of "What do I do?"

"15:8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (Exodus 15:8 KJV)

Abram was then instructed to offer a sacrifice, from which the answer would be given (see The Blood Of Bulls And Goats to understand why those sorts of sacrifices were made).

"15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

15:10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away." (Exodus 15:9-11 KJV)

The LORD then declared to Abram a prophecy of the Israelite Exodus, over four centuries before it happened, and before any Israelites even existed (the Israelites were the children of Abram's grandson Jacob, who the LORD renamed as "Israel"; see A Biography Of Jacob: The Jacobites Of Syria and A Biography Of Jacob: When Jacob Became Israel).

"15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." (Genesis 15:12-16 KJV)

The promise included the lands that were to be given to all of the "seed" of Abram. Notice, as quoted above, Egypt was not given to the Israelites, but it would be the land of other lines of Abram (see Abraham's Seed: From The Nile To The Euphrates).

"15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 15:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." (Genesis 15:17-21 KJV)

Fact Finder: How is it that people of such different and conflicting religions claim Abraham as their "father"?
See A Biography Of Abraham: Abrahamic Religions