But as men began again to multiply upon the earth, they again forsook the Lord, and gave themselves fully over to the service of Satan.
Soon after the flood, we find them so filled with rebellious pride that they began to build a city and a tower, thinking that thereby they could protect themselves against any judgments that God might bring upon them:
"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." (Genesis 11:1-9)
This impious attempt was brought to nothing, and the people were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yet they did not forsake the service of Satan. Within about four hundred years after the flood, the people of the earth were once more sunken in idolatry and superstition.
At that time the Lord came to Abraham, one of the descendants of Shem, and said to him:
"Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will show you; And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3)
The Lord saw in Abraham a willingness to serve Him, although all his family were idolaters:
"Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods." (Joshua 24:2)
So the Lord separated him from them, so that he might not become contaminated by them, but might become the father of a people who should be fit to inherit the earth. If we closely examine this promise, we shall find that it comprehends a great deal.
"In you shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)
This means nothing less than the possession of the whole earth by the descendants of Abraham. But this will appear more clearly as we pass on. Later, we find the promise renewed more in detail, in these words:
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever. And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto you." (Genesis 13:14-17)
Here we have strong proof that the promise to Abraham included nothing less than the whole earth, for his seed were to be multiplied as the dust of the earth. The length and the breadth of the land was to be theirs.
At that time Abraham had no child, and in all human probability could never have one.
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying, As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you." (Genesis 17:1)
Again, when God was about to destroy Sodom, he said:
"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him." (Genesis 18:17-19)
This gives us to understand that the promise was made to Abraham with so much positiveness, because the Lord knew that he would keep His commandments, and that he would command his children and his household after him to do like-wise. From this also we may learn that the promise to his seed was only to those who should serve the Lord.
Once more we find the promise renewed when Abraham had showed his faith in God by proceeding to offer up his only son, through whom the promise was to be fulfilled. The Lord then called to Abraham and said:
"By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis 22:16-18)
In the expression, "your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies," we have the promise of conquest. Bear this in mind, while we consider a few other points.
One scripture that has an intimate connection with the subject under consideration reads thus:
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls, or adds thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He says not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, which was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." (Galatians 3:13-17)
From the above scripture we learn that the seed to whom the promise was made is Christ-the same that was promised at the time of the fall.
Now in connection with the promise to Abraham, that his seed should possess the gate of his enemies, read the following words of God the Father to his Son Jesus Christ:
"You are my Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of me, and I shall give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." (Psalm 2:7-9)
This same series of events is recorded in another book:
"For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:9-11)
The meek are they who have come to Christ and have learned of Him, yielding themselves to Him to be His servants; and Paul says:
"And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)
Along with this, consider also the following:
"They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:7-8)
We may conclude, even at this stage of our study, that the promise to Abraham, and to his seed, was nothing less than the promise of the earth to all who, through faith in Christ, should gain the victory over sin. And this is further confirmed by Paul's statement that
"...the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Romans 4:13)
But we shall come to this point again, as we proceed in this investigation. In Genesis we find the promise once more repeated, this time to Isaac. Abraham was dead, and there was a famine in the land, and the Lord appeared to Isaac, and said:
"Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell you of; Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for unto you, and unto your seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham your father; And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto your seed all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." (Genesis 26:2-5)
Notice here that God made the very same promise to Isaac that He had made to Abraham; and He also said that He would perform the oath that He swore unto Abraham. He gave no hint of any delay having occurred in the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, but spoke of it as something that He would do just as He had promised.
Yet Abraham was at that time dead. Therefore we must conclude that the Lord never designed to fulfill the promise in Abraham's lifetime; and we shall find that Abraham did not expect that it would be then fulfilled.
Passing on, we come to the time when Jacob had his dream of the ladder which reached from earth to heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending.
"And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 28:13-14)