Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis.  Tonight, is study #2 of Genesis, chapter 21.  We are looking at Genesis 21:1-3:

And JEHOVAH visited Sarah as he had said, and JEHOVAH did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

When we concluded our last study, we were looking at Hebrews, chapter 11 which referred to Sarah’s conception.  Let us turn back there.  It says in Hebrews 11:8-12:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

We can see how all this relates to the chapters we have been reading in Genesis.  You know, that is one of the blessings and one of the benefits of going through the Old Testament Scriptures, verse by verse.  We see the historical situation, as well as what God could have in view, spiritually.  We are learning an incredible amount of background information for the New Testament statements.  And they are everywhere.  There are numerous references to the Old Testament.  The New Testament draws heavily on the book of Genesis.  The Lord Jesus did so in the Gospel accounts and it was done throughout the Epistles and all the way through the New Testament. 

We know what is being referred to here because we have been carefully going through these chapters in Genesis.  Again, it says in Hebrews 11:11:

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

We can pinpoint the time that Sarah conceived because we read in Genesis 21 that JEHOVAH visited her, and she conceived.  As I mentioned in our last study, the Hebrew word “conceive” is the typical word that is used to describe conception.  The New Testament Greek also has a typical word that is used to describe conception. 

For example, the Old Testament Hebrew word for “conceive” is Strong’s #2029.  The New Testament Greek word for “conceive” is Strong’s #4815.  It is the usual word and it is the word found in Luke 1:24:

And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months…

Remember, Elizabeth was also an old woman.  She was without a child and God miraculously granted her conception in her old age.  Again, this is the Greek word, Strong’s #4815.  It would have been perfectly suitable to have used this word regarding Sarah in Hebrews 11, since we found it used in relationship to Elisabeth who had a similar experience.  It is also the same word used in the case of Mary, in Luke 1:31:

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Still speaking to Mary, the Lord also said in Luke 1:36:

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

God is the writer of the Bible.  By the way, some people say things like, “We do not know who the author of the book of Hebrews was.”  Oh, yes, we do – it is God.  God is the Author of Luke.  God is the Author of Genesis.  And God is the Author of every book in the Bible.  We may not know who the scribe was that God moved to write His Word, but that is not important.  We know it is God that wrote these words in Luke and in Hebrews, so why did He not use the usual word for “conceive” in Hebrews 11:11?  Let me read that verse, again, in Hebrews 11:11:

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Here, the word “conceive” is a translation of the same word found earlier in Hebrews 4:3:

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

The Greek word translated as “foundation” in this verse is the same word that was translated as “conceive” in Hebrews 11:11.   It is also the same word used in Revelation 13:8:

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

It is the same word used in Revelation 17:8:

… and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

We could go to other verses, too, where it is translated as “foundation.”  It is only in Hebrews 11:11 that it is translated as “conceive.”  Why would God use this Greek word?  Why not use the Greek word for “conceive”?  We know the answer is that God is signaling us that He has hidden a specific truth regarding Sarah and her conception in bringing forth Isaac.

So, what do we know about Abraham and Isaac?  What do we know about this family?  We know that Abraham was childless.  He had no son except for Ishmael, which was born of the bondservant Hagar.  Remember, we saw in Galatians 4 that God made a spiritual distinction between the two sons of Abraham.  One son was born of the bondservant, which God linked to mount Sinai or the Law.  The other (son) was born of a freewoman by promise.  God linked the birth of Isaac to Sarah and to being born of the promise, which has to do with God’s program of salvation through the faith of Christ and the grace of God.  It has nothing to do with works or keeping the Law, which was linked to the bondservant.  

We also know that Abraham is a picture of God the Father.  For example, it says in Genesis 22:2:

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

God told Abraham, “take now thy son, thine only son…whom thou lovest.”  What does this remind us of?  It reminds us of statements like we see in Matthew 3:16-17:

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Christ is the beloved Son of God the Father.

There is a verse in John 3 that is very familiar, even to people who do not read the Bible.  It says in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He is God’s only begotten Son.  God said to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering.”  Abraham did obediently set out to do this.  Then we read in Genesis 22:8-12:

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of JEHOVAH called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him…

He did not follow through because God stopped him.  But, again, notice what God said in Hebrews 11 concerning this account.  It says in Hebrews 11:17:

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

This would be an interesting study because the Greek word translated as “only begotten” is “mon-og-en-ace,” and the way God uses it in the New Testament, it repeatedly refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, as God’s only begotten son.  It goes on to say in Hebrews 11:18-19:

Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

It says, “in a figure.”  In other words, God caused him to go through the motions and then stopped him before he did slay his son as a human sacrifice.  But because Abraham was obedient, after Abraham removed his son from the altar, untied him and set him loose, God said he received him in a figure as having risen from the dead.  The word “figure” in Hebrews 11:19 is the same word translated as “parable” in Matthew 13.  So, it literally says, “from whence also he received him in a parable.”

So, again, we see that God is using Biblical history, like the book of Genesis, to paint spiritual pictures.  They are historical parables.  We saw it in Galatians 4 concerning the two wives, which things were an allegory.  We see it, again, and again, in the Bible.  We will not get into that subject because there is no need to drive that fact home again regarding how this is the way the entire Bible should be understood.

You can see that the birth of Isaac is not just any birth.  This son is not just any son – he was the only son of the father, whom the father loved, and he is a type and picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We know from the verses that deal with “foundation” what these things relate to.   Who identifies with “foundation”?  It is the Lord Jesus Christ, as it says of Him in Revelation 13:8: “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  Abraham even made an indirect reference to that when Isaac asked him, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”  Abraham responded, “God will provide himself a lamb.”  John the Baptist confirmed this when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.  Jesus is the Lamb.  According to the Biblical language, He was slain at the foundation of the world.

Yes – I know that some people refuse to accept that idea, no matter what.  But God will not let them ignore it, as he says in Hebrews 11:11 that Sarah conceived seed.  It is awkward to say it, “Sara herself received strength to foundation seed.”  (It could probably be worded a little bit better, but that is literally what the word means.)

Let us stop and consider these things and not rush.  Lord willing, when we get together in our next Bible study we will come back to Hebrews 11 and this word.  We are going to try to understand how Sara’s womb could identify with the foundation of the world.  Remember that Romans 4 told us about the “deadness” of Sara’s womb.  In that dead womb, a child formed that would be the firstborn son of his father.  He would be the only begotten Son of His father and, yet, that womb identifies with death and it identifies with the foundation of the world, according to the word God used.  It is very mysterious, but we will look at it further in our next Bible study.