Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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falls on his face, putting himself into a posture of adoration. Note,
(1.) God graciously condescends to talk with those whom he takes into covenant and communion with himself. He talks with them by his word, Pr 6:22. He talks with them by his Spirit, Joh 14:26. This honour have all his saints.
(2.) Those that are admitted into fellowship with God are, and must be, very humble and very reverent in their approaches to him. If we say we have fellowship with him, and the familiarity breeds contempt, we deceive ourselves.
(3.) Those that would receive comfort from God must set themselves to give glory to God and to worship at his footstool.
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a
father of many nations.
The promise here is introduced with solemnity: "As for me," says the great God, "behold, behold and admire it, behold and be assured of it, my covenant is with thee;" as before (Ge 17:2), I will make my covenant. Note, The covenant of grace is a covenant of God's own making; this he glories in (as for me), and so may we. Now here,
I. It is promised to Abraham that he should be a father of
many nations; that is, 1. That his seed after the flesh should be very numerous, both in Isaac and Ishmael, as well as in the sons of Keturah: something extraordinary is doubtless included in this promise, and we may suppose that the event answered to it, and that there have been, and are, more of the children of men descended from Abraham than from any one man at an equal distance with him from Noah, the common root. 2. That all believers in every age should be looked upon as his spiritual seed, and that he should be called, not only the friend of God, but the father of the faithful. In this sense the apostle directs us to understand this promise, Ro 4:16, 17. He is the father of those in every nation that by faith enter into covenant with God, and (as the Jewish writers express it) are gathered under the wings of the divine Majesty.