Genesis 23:20 - To make sure the possession of land.

And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

A more detailed example of how land was purchased and made sure is given in Jeremiah 32:10:

And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

And I subscribed the evidence is the writing of the deed to record the details of the transaction. and sealed it the deed was rolled, tied and sealed to be kept as the permanent record. and took witnesses refers to those that witness the negotiations of the transaction; in the case of Abraham's purchase, they were the sons of Heth. And weighed him the money in the balances because coined money was not yet used, the silver was weighted out on a scale.

Genesis 23:17 - The cave of Machpelah.

And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

This cave within the field of Machpelah was purchased by Abraham as a family sepulchre. It is the resting place for Abraham and his wife Sarah, his son Isaac and his wife Rebekah, his grandson Jacob and his wife Leah (Genesis 25:9; 49:31; 50:13), and perhaps others. The location of the cave is believed to be below the Haram el Khalil mosque, also called Abraham's mosque.

Genesis 23:11 - Beware of gifts, for nothing is free.

Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

Abraham was interested in only buying the cave of Machpelah; however, Ephron the Hittite offered to give him the cave, plus the field as well. Likewise, Araunah the Jebusite offered King David more than what he wanted to buy, all at no cost (2 Samuel 24:22). Both Abraham and King David refused to accept the gift and paid the fair market value of the offer. Solomon addresses the evils of gifts with the following proverbs:

• He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live, Proverbs 15:27.
• Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him gifs, Proverbs 19:6.
• The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it, Proverbs 29:4.

Genesis 23:6 - Abraham's success in Canaan.

Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: indicates how great Abraham was in the land of Canaan, for God blessed Abraham with both riches and honor (1 Chronicles 29:12). Abraham was very rich in cattle, precious metals and servants (Genesis 13:2, 24:35); and although Abraham did not own land, he was given his choice of sepulchres to bury his dead because he was highly respected.

Genesis 22:12 - Why God favored Abraham.

And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

What does the LORD require of thee? Abraham is the perfect example of what the LORD expects. God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac as commanded because Abraham proved that he would obey God's commandments at any cost, even if it required killing is only son (Genesis 26:5).

Genesis 22:1 - Temped by God.

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

To "tempt" generally implies the means used to persuade or entice someone to sin. However, God uses temptation to try or prove a person's character. God temped Abraham to try his faith (Hebrews 11:17).

Genesis 21:15 - When all hope is lost.

And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

Apparently, Ishmael was overcome with fatigue and thirst and Hagar was preparing for his death. In her despair, Hagar forgot about God's promise to multiply Ishmael seed (Genesis 16:10). Likewise, when the Israelites became overcome with fatigue and thirst in Kadesh, they also forgot about God's promises (Numbers 20:5). In both cases, when all hope was lost and despair had settled in, God came to their rescue.

Genesis 19:27 - Where Abraham communed with the LORD.

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

And Abraham gat up early shows how eager Abraham was to see the result of Sodom and Gomorrah. the place where he stood before the LORD refers to the place where Abraham communed with the LORD the preceding day just after the angles left to overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 18:22.

Genesis 19:12 - Delivered on behalf of another.

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

Just as Noah's family was spared from the destruction of The Flood (Genesis 7:1) and Rahab's family was saved during the invasion of Jericho (Joshua 6:22), Lot's family was offered deliverance from the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is good thing being akin to those that God favors. The only reason Lot was rescued was because God remembered Abraham (Genesis 19:29).

Genesis 18:17- Revelations

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant, Psalm 25:14.

Genesis 18:9 - The tent of the Mother of Nations.

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

the tent is referring to Sarah's tent, the home of the Mother of Nations (Genesis 17: 15, 16). After Sarah dies, Rebekah successfully takes over the duties and responsibilities as the Mother of Nations (Genesis 24:67).

Genesis 17: 26-27 - Note the command of Abraham.

In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

Within one day, Abraham was able to order and carry out the circumcision of all the males of his household exactly as God commanded. Being able to command with such authority, Abraham was able to keep the way of the LORD for his household, to do justice and judgment (parallel passage Genesis 18:19).

Genesis 17:20 - Blessed without Knowing.

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

I have heard thee refers to Abraham's intercessory prayer for his thirteen year old son, Ishmael. However, even before Ishmael was born, God had already blessed his seed to multiply exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for multitude (Genesis 16: 10).

Genesis 17:19 - Laugh but Isaac's no joke.

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

This establishes with certainty of whom the heir of the everlasting covenant. Before this confirmation, Abraham already had a son named Ishmael with his second wife Hagar and he laughed at the thought of Sarah bearing a child at such an old age. This confirmation, however, clearly states that Sarah should bear the child and that the child's name should be called Isaac.

The importance of knowing that Sarah would bear the promised seed was exemplified when tree angels took time out before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah to confirm with Abraham that Sarah would bear a son, Genesis 18:10.

Genesis 14:10 - Lot's Obsession

And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

Lot also escaped the slimepits but only because the kings kidnapped him and fled into the mountains. When the time came for Lot his family to flee into the mountains (Genesis 19:17), Lot questioned God's command by requesting one of Sodom and Gomorrah's neighboring cities as a safe haven.

Genesis 13:10 - Don't judge a book by it's cover.

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Lot chose the land that seemed best for the grazing of his livestock. However, he lost everything when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. The land looked appealing to the eyes but it was destroyed for the wickedness that it was within it (Psalms 104:37).

Genesis 13:9 - What goes around comes around.

Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

This unselfish act came back around to Abraham in the time of his need. While Abraham and his wife were faced with a dilemma in a foreign county, God intervened causing the king to act kindly in an unselfish manner toward Abraham.

And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee, Genesis 20:15.

Genesis 12:18 - Parallel passages.

And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

Just as Abraham was rebuked by Pharaoh, he was also rebuked by King Abimelech for using the same lie, Genesis 20:9.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

In addition, King Abimelech also rebuke Isaac for telling the same lie that Abraham told, Genesis 26:10.

And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

xxx

Genesis 11:9 - Could Babel be the place of Armageddon?

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.

Could Babel also be the place of Armageddon? Babel is Babylon, located southwest of the Euphrates River in Iraq. Beware, for in the last days four angels bound in the Euphrates River will be released to kill 200,000 men, Revelation 9:13-16. Many scholars believe that Armageddon refers to Megiddo, the biblical city where many notable battles were fought. However, just as in the beginning so will it be in the end, that all nations will gather together in Babel.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Revelation 14:6-8

Genesis 11:6 - The power of unity.

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.

When people unite acting in one accord their potential is limitless. However, unity can be used for all the wrong reasons, as in the case of building the Tower of Babel.

Genesis 9:19 - The scattering of man, in the beginning.

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Genesis 10

Genesis 9:5 - God's accounting of the blood.

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Man is flesh (Genesis 6:3) and the flesh is corrupt (Genesis 6:12). For this reason, God brought about a flood to destroy all flesh (Genesis 6:17). After the flood, God established a covenant with Noah and every living creature of all flesh to never again cut off all flesh by the waters of a flood (Genesis 9:11). The required consideration of this covenant (Genesis 9:1-17) is the blood of all flesh. Through the blood, the flesh is reconciled to God because the blood is the life of the flesh (Genesis 6:4). For this reason, God maintains a accounting of the blood.

If this accounting were recorded on financial statements used in business, on the the Balance Sheet the blood would be recorded as the asset and the unjust shedding of blood would be recorded as the liability; on the Income Statement, the cost of life would be recorded as the expense and God's blessing would be recorded as the revenue.

Genesis 8:21 - God's love for man's sake.

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Not only for man's sake did God promise to never again curse the ground, God also gave his only begotten Son for man's sake (Luke 6:22, John 3:16). If God can suffer the continual evil thoughts of man, we should be able to love others for the things we don't like about them for God's sake.

Genesis 8:17 - How the ark held so many animals.

Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

How could the ark hold all the world's animals? The answer lies in genetics. The only other place in the Bible (KJV) the word "breed" is used is in Deuteronomy 32:14 to indicate a specific type of ram found in Bashan. In Genetics, the word "breed" is used to refer to a relatively homogeneous group of animals within a species, developed and maintained by humans (from the Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary). God gave man dominion over all animals of the earth (Genesis 1:26) and every kind of animal has already been tamed by man (James 3:7). This explains why today we have so many breeds of animals within each species. However, I'm sure that the ark contained only one breed of each species which explains how the ark could hold all the world's animals as we know them today.

Genesis 8:9 - Salvation through reconciliation.

But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

Just as the dove returned to the ark, we like the Prodigal Son must realize that our lives are in jeopardy, confess our sins, and return home (Luke 15:17-20). We return home by returning to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Isaiah 55:7; Romans 6:23; 10:13). Those that endure to the end will be saved by the hand of God, just as Jesus put forth his hand to save Peter from the water (Matthew 10:22; 14:31) and as Noah put forth his hand to save the dove.

Genesis 8:2 - The windows of heaven.

The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

The flood was not only caused by rain for 40 days and 40 nights, it was also caused by the opening of the windows of heaven and the fountains of the deep. I believe the windows of heaven consist of the earth's atmosphere, protecting the earth from meteorites, the sun, so on and so forth. It's possible that a meteorite could have busted the earth's foundation, springing forth the fountains of the deep.

Just as it could have happen then so could it happen in the end as described by Isaiah:

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. Isaiah 24:18-20

Genesis 8:1 - How the wind blows.

And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;

Just as God uses the wind to destroy the wicked (Jeremiah 23:19), he also uses the wind help the righteous. Such was the case when God used the wind to feed the Israelites in the desert (Numbers 11:31).

Genesis 7:24 - Cleansing the earth.

And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

God created the earth and manipulates its elements at will, including the water (Genesis 1:1, 1:6-7, Exodus 14:21, Psalm 24:1). God allowed the water level to rise above the highest montain to cleanse the earth from its wickedness (Genesis 6:1-7). God then gradually returned the waters from whence it came from; at the end of the hundred and fifty days, the water level was back to normal (Genesis 8:3).

Genesis 7:23 - Judgement is inescapable.

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

Just as Noah and his family were delivered during the time of God's wrath, Lot and his family were delivered from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:12-13). God gives his angels charge to keep the righteous in all their ways because the righteous love and know God (Psalms 91:11-14).

Genesis 7:21 - Take head to the ways of God.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

Take head to this verse because as it was then so shall it be in the end (Job 22:15-16; Matthew 24:39). The prophet Hosea warned the Hebrews that "every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away" (Hosea 4:3) and Zephaniah prophesied that God said "I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD" (Zephaniah 1:3).

Genesis 7:19

And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.

Make no mistake, "the high hills" are montains, as noted in Psalms 104:6:

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

Genesis 7:18 - Refuge in God's Hands

And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

The ark was the hand of God providing refuge for Noah and his family. The forth edition of the Thompson New Chain-Reference Bible has marked Psalms 104:26 as the parallel passage for this verse.

There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

So, therefore Noah and his family were not only protected from drowning, they also were protected from the horrors that lurked from below, such as leviathan. "Leviathan is often considered to be a demon or natural monster associated with Satan or the Devil, and held by some to be the same monster as Rahab" (Wikipedia.com).

Genesis 7:7 - The day of God's wrath.

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

The story of Noah demonstrates the power of faith which not only save him but also his family, as well as the world. Out of faith and fear, Noah built the ark precisely as God had instructed him so that when the flood did come Noah and his family were prepared (Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5).

Again, man has been warned about the ending of this world and what must be done to prepare for it. Solomon said that the prudent man will foresee the evil and prepare himself against it; whereas, the simple man will ignore the evil and allow himself to be consumed by it (Proverbs 22:3). Will you be the prudent man that has faith enough to do what is necessary to prepare himself or will you be the simple man that ignore the warning signs and continue living for today? Don't be as those in the days of Noah, that were having the time of their lives, until the flood came (Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27).

Genesis 6:9 - Divine Fellowship

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

To walk with God is to fellowship with God as you would with a friend on a walk through the park. However, this walk is not a temporary excursion; but instead, it's a lifelong journey.

Moses walk with God was so personal that "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11)

Genesis 6:8 - Salvation is through grace.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Just as the grace of God saved Noah, the grace of Jesus Christ saves people of today (Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; Romans 5:15).

Genesis 6:6 - Why should God repent?

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Some mistake this verse to be in contradiction to Numbers 23:19 which states that God does not repent. However, God has no need to repent because he's never wrong. On the contrary, God repents because of the wrong men do. For example, God repented in making Saul king because of what Saul did (1 Samuel 15:11). God wasn't wrong for making Saul king; Saul was wrong for turning away from God.

Genesis 6:5 - How to manage your imagination.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

God wasn't upset that man had a imagination; instead, God was upset with how man used his imagination. As noted from whatgodintended.com the book Becoming Who God Intended, Dr. Eckman teaches how to manage the imagination to please God. The solution is to do the complete opposite of what was done in Genesis 6:5, that is to keep your mind on God continually as noted in Isaiah 26:3. The imagination comes from the mind and by keeping your mind on God you can only imagine what is good and pleasing to God.

Genesis 6:4 - The inbreeding of angels with humans.

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Where Is the Beast? (Part 2) by John W. Ritenbaugh explain how these "men or renown" were called giants because of the influence and that they "were establishing evil, deceitful, violent, and enslaving leadership."

GENESIS 6 – WHO WERE "THE SONS OF GOD"? by Bryan T. Huie examines the theory that these "men of renown" were created by fallen angles that committed fornication with human women. First, Bryan Huie takes a look at all of the Old Testament references to "sons of God" to see if the scripture is referring to angles

Genesis 6:1-4; Deuteronomy 32:8; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7; Psalm 29:1-2; 89:5-6

The author also makes the connection of the angles mention in Jude 1:6-7 to the "sons of God" mentioned in this scripture.

Genesis 6:3 - Life Span Shortened

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

God's Limit on Mans Years by Guy Cramer points out that the 12o years is the limit God placed on man's life. After this declaration was made lifespans began to shorten until it was less than 120 years. Guy Cramer notes that:

some scholars suggest that this 120 years was a prophetic time line until the flood took place. However, we see God's decision was made in Genesis 6:3 after Noah turned 500 in Genesis 5:32. Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters were on the earth. Genesis 7:6 NKJV) Taking these passages we can determine that the flood took place within 100 years after God's decision. So the prophetic interpretation of the Genesis 6:3 is a wrong one.

I agree with Guy Cramer's interpretation. When God makes a declaration it doesn't have to happen immediately. Adam and Eve didn't die immediately after eating the forbidden fruit from off the tree of knowledge.

Genesis 6:2 - The sons of God

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

The "sons of God" are angels; the same "sons of God" mentioned in Job 1:6, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD; the same "sons of God" mentioned in Job 38:7 that shouted for joy when God laid the cornerstone of the earth's foundation; the same "sons of God" mentioned in 1 John 3:1 & 2 that states:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

In the Old Testament, the sons of God were angels. In the New Testament, Jesus gives humans "the power to become sons of God" (John 1:12). Today, the sons of God are all that are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14).