"And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? See 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 hath spoken of him."
Genesis 18:17-19
Part 3
Yesterday: Abraham Will Be Great, and Many Will Be Blessed Because of Him
“Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation.”
“And all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”
Today: God Knew That Abraham Was an Obedient Man When He Chose 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 hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19).
“For I know him.”
What did God mean by this? The ancient Hebrew word for “know” points to many kinds of knowledge.
“The Hebrew verb used here, yada’, is often used to refer to acknowledging something, knowing something, or understanding something—the idea seems to be that Yahweh knows Abraham”[1] (FSB).
God could use these words with any person that ever lived on earth, for He knows of every one of His creatures. He has an intimate understanding of each one of us because He has made us. While His creatures may not know Him or may have even rejected Him, still, they are each known by Him.
A good illustration of this principle is the tax collector named Zacchaeus. He had heard about Jesus but had never met Him. He wanted to see Jesus do a miracle when He came to town. Being short, he couldn’t see past the crowd, so he climbed up in a tree and looked over the people’s heads. Jesus came to the tree, looked up, and called Zacchaeus by his name.
“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5).
What a surprise to Zacchaeus! The Lord, His Creator, knew him personally even before Zacchaeus had ever met Him.
Thousands of years before Zacchaeus, God knew all about Abraham, including his thoughts and character. This is why He chose him to be the father of his nation.
Believers, never despair that God has forgotten you, for He will not!
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (John 10:14).
“That he will command his children and his household after him.”
Because Abraham is a faithful man, God knew that he would guide his family as a godly man ought.
“Command His Children”
The idea of Abraham commanding his children and household is pretty much as it sounds. The ancient word means “to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order”[2] (BDB). As God “commanded Abraham,” so Abraham commanded his family and household. Abraham’s faithfulness here is seen in his obedience to God even in keeping the details (Genesis 17:23-27).
“He [Abraham] showed that fathers ought both to know God’s judgments and to declare them to their children”[3] (Geneva).
“And they shall keep the way of the LORD.”
The best way for a parent to teach their child the “way of the Lord” is to be consistent in their own obedience to the Lord. This needs to be well set in the parent’s life before teaching it to their child. If not, the child will smell the hypocrisy and wonder why they must do what the parents are unwilling to do. Parents, our children need to be taught, and God has chosen us to teach them how to live right (Deuteronomy 4:9-10[4]). This presupposes that we are already living right.
“God gave two reasons for revealing His plans to the patriarch: the fact that Abraham had been chosen to become a great … nation through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and the fact that God had “known” (CSB, chosen—that is, had a personal relationship with) Abraham to establish a people who would keep the way of the Lord“[5] (CSB).
“The result of God’s promise has been clear…, but here God adds that Abraham has been chosen to be obedient (“to keep the way of Yahweh”) and to instruct his children in the way of Yahweh”[6] (FSB).
Parents, we teach our children and grandchildren so that our family line, we pray, will be a people who “keep the way of the Lord.”
“To do justice and judgment.”
God’s attributes include “justice and judgment.” And it is His desire for Abraham (and us) to teach these qualities to his children. If a child does not learn what is right and just from their parents, where will they learn them? Will they know them?
“Abraham was to teach his offspring righteousness and justice (what is right and just, v. 19) so that they might enjoy God’s blessings”[7] (BKC).
Interestingly, God’s blessings on Abraham were linked to his obedience. It is worth saying again, “obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings conflict.” What we do, think, or speak either in obedience or disobedience reveals what is in our hearts. Here’s why we need to know what is right and just because it will help us to be able to think through what is right and what is wrong. Understanding that can help us make the right decision as we honor the Lord.
“That the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
Abraham faithfully obeyed God, and His blessings were on him. God did everything that He promised Abraham. Today, we are blessed with all kinds of spiritual blessings because of Jesus Christ, Abraham’s seed. [8]
Quote: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
[1] FSB, Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ge 18:16–22). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. The emphasis is theirs.
[2] BDB, Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Geneva Bible: Notes. (1560). (Vol. 1, pp. 7–8). Geneva: Rovland Hall. I have edited this line into modern English.
[4] And add to this, other great texts like Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Deuteronomy 11:19-21; Deuteronomy 32:46; Psalm 78:2-9; etc. There is no question that God expects believers to teach their children and grandchildren.
[5] CSB, Bergen, R. D. (2017). Genesis. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 37). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. The emphasis is theirs.
[6] FSB, Faithlife Study Bible, ibid.
[7] BKC, Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 59). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. The emphasis is theirs.
[8] Unfortunately, many in Abraham’s family have rejected their father’s love and obedience to the LORD. For those who refuse, His judgment follows. Eli, the high priest, should have led his family to serve God but did not. God rejected him from being the high priest. Here is what God said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, promised that your father’s family would serve him forever. But now the LORD says, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me, but bad things will happen to those who refuse to respect me. The time is coming when I will destroy all your descendants. No one in your family will live to be an old man” (1 Samuel 2:30-31, HSB – the Harvest Study Bible).