Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

A HEBREW TO THE RESCUE!

This entry was posted on 02-05-2010 and is filed under STUDIES IN GENESIS.

Genesis 14:13 has the first use of "Hebrew" in the Bible. "Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew..." Lot had been kidnapped and one of his servants escaped and came to "Abram the Hebrew" with the news. The Ryrie Study Bible says, "Abraham was the first person to be referred to as a Hebrew, an ethnic designation that his descendants derived from him. The word comes from his ancestor, Eber (11:10-14). It also had a wider use as a general designation for nomadic people like Abraham, who would have been considered a migrant by the Canaanites, since he came from Ur and Haran." In the New Testament we have an entire book named "Hebrews" ~ Jewish people who had converted to Christianity. Paul declared himself to be "a Hebrew of of the Hebrews" (Phil. 3:5). The Bible also speaks of the Hebrew tongue, language, and letters (see Luke 23:38). The Hebrews are synonymous with the Jews.

Abram the Hebrew came to the rescue of Lot just like Jesus came to the rescue of those who were captives of sin. As soon as he heard that Lot had been kidnapped he armed his 318 servants and pursued the captors all the way to Dan in the north.(Isn't it interesting that the Bibles gives us the number of the servants?) He then routed the enemy near Damascus and brought back Lot, his goods, the women, and all the people (servants?) of Lot. Abram the Hebrew knew that he was his brother's keeper. Even though Lot had made a bad choice and paid dearly for it, Abram went after him. Christ did the same for us at Calvary. We too have made terrible choices and suffered the consequences of our sin. Christ is not content until all are safely in the fold. Today were are all sons of God through faith in Christ. It makes no difference who we are ~ Jew (Hebrew), Greek, slave, free, male, female, we are all one in Christ through our faith and baptism (Gal. 3:26-28). "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29). Praise His Holy Name!