Devotional Short Note to Genesis 15

 

Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran (Genesis 12:4). Born in 2240 BCE he left Haran in 2165 BCE. Abraham then travelled with all his animals over Canaan and we are not told how long it took. Also not how long it took to go to Egypt due to the drought. There is some sense in giving flexibility here for the statement earlier that exactly in 2165 the invasion of the Valley at Sodom and Gemorrah took place. It might have been two or three years after he left Haran so that it will be in 2162 BCE. Even the drought would then not be exactly in 2165 BCE either as well as the date for Pharaoh Neterkhet of the 2nd Dynasty of Egypt. Travelling with animals in a nomadic fashion would give one an indication how long it will take to migrate from Haran, to Shechem, to Beth-el and Ai and then to the south to Egypt. We are also not sure if Hammurabi or Amraphel would invade in the first year of his reign or a year or two or three later? The year for the starting of Amraphel/Hammurabi’s reign would be according to my findings in my article , 2165 BCE (IJRSSH) 2017, Vol. No. 7, Issue No. I, Jan-Mar pages 114-140 especially 133 at http://www.ijrssh.com). Corrigenda are applicable to this article published in 2017. I only discovered this week that I made an error with the Flood date. The diagram on page 133 should be adjusted for the son of Shem, Arpachsad. Arpachsad was not 100 years old when his son Salah was born, he was 35 years old. It is Arpachsad’s father Shem that was 100 years old. The other error in the diagram was the typo that Eber’s birth was 2555 when it was in 2525 BCE. Shelah’s birth was in 2555 but my diagram is wrong saying it is 2590 BCE. The last date is the birth of Arpachsad. Thus 2 years earlier would be the Flood date at 2592 and not at 2690 BCE as given in the published diagram. It was a slip of the eye error. Apology.

All this is necessary to come to the first time God promised Abraham children in Genesis 12 in 2165 BCE. Lot went with Abraham to Egypt (Genesis 13) and they only departed after that so that the invasion by Amraphel could only have been after they came from Egypt, thus after the lie with the pharaoh, presumably Neterkhet of the 2nd Dynasty of Egypt. All this movement took time. Ismael was born in 2153 BCE when Abraham was 86 years old (see the 10 years since Haran in Genesis 16:3) because when they were circumcised later Ishmael was 13 years old. Isaac was not yet born. But Ishmael was born within the colonization period by Amraphel and gang of the beautiful Siddim Valley.

The idea that Abraham was trying with Ishmael to give himself the promised “seed” is thus sustainable with God promising in 2165 BCE many seed, his lie in Egypt resulting in the colonization of the Siddim Valley and a delay until 2154 BCE when he was taking in his own hands the promised seed case. Then the capture of Lot after this with a flexible two or three year slide to 2149 BCE for this event. If Amraphel is active in his third year (starting 2165 as the first see article evidence) then 2162 minus 13 for the year Lot was grabbed, would bring one to 2149 BCE. Sodom and Gemorrah was destroyed after 2149 BCE.

Chapter 15 is a promise of from God for the seed again but this time Abraham was in Canaan and the promise was to give the land Canaan to him “I am the Lord that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.” = אֲנִי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים--לָתֶת לְךָ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְרִשְׁתָּהּ. It is possible that this event happened as a second meeting after Genesis 12 which was in 2165 BCE so that this one was maybe later in the same year at the arrival in Canaan after a number of months migrating with animals at a slow pace.

It would be a second time that Abraham got the promise of seed in the future before he and Sarah took things in their own hands to be God’s deux ex machina or human engineered God.

Genesis 12 is in 2165 BCE early in the year and Genesis 15 is later in the same year 2165 or 2164 BCE.

From Genesis 15:12-21 Abraham became a prophet. He saw a vision with future predictions how the Israelites was to be enslaved with other nations in Egypt between 1850-1450 BCE = 400 years. It would happen in his own fourth generation meaning that it is his own (one), Isaac (two), Jacob (three) and Joseph (four) (see Genesis 15:16). Joseph died in 1878 BCE and in 1850 Sesostris III did not remember Joseph and his role in the court any longer.

 

Dear God

Abraham’s mistake is ours. We also want to make your promises with us happen when we are to wait upon You to put us on a secure path. Lead us dear Jesus. We pray, in Jesus name, Amen.