A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation
“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” is the common three-generation descriptive title of God. God Himself declares it to Moses at the burning bush when revealing His name, “I AM“:
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Ex. 3:14, 15)
God promised Abraham that after 400 years He would deliver Israel, “…in the fourth generation.” A generation in the Bible is normally 40 years long. However, here a generation is 100 years (4 x 100 = 400 years). Since Abraham received his promised child when he was exactly 100 years old, this is the measure of that generation, or God’s standard. Romans 9, “…but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. “
“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” At the end of this age of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus, we have the end-time generation that “will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). People read this and wonder, “Well, how long is a generation?” Forty years seemed to be a good Bible answer. However, just as people were when Jesus first came, nit-picking and squabbling over deep issues and missing the point, so it is with His second coming — the heart of the matter is how does Jesus define a “generation” because just how He defined His “family“, His ways are higher than ours and does not have to mean a specific number of years. It means a group of people at a given age throughout all the ages in time which God has given to people everywhere to seek Him as Father, Lord and Savior.
Who Is The Fourth Man?
In the New Testament, “The God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah,” FULFILLS the Old Testament, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This is because Messiah is, of Himself, the last or fourth part (4 x 100 years) of the three-generations phrase (i.e., after, “…God of Jacob,…”). Furthermore, He is of Himself, the entire 400 years as symbolic of a 40-year generation (times 10). Jesus says of Himself as it is written in Revelation 22:13 New Living Translation (©2007),
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Matthew 20:16 and in Wesley’s Notes,
“So the last shall be first, and the first last – Not only with regard to the Jews and Gentiles, but in a thousand other instances. For many are called – All who hear the Gospel; but few chosen – Only those who obey it. Matthew 9:30; 22:14.”
Here in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is talking to a crowd. The religious “leaders” are forever wanting to trip Him up on some legal technicality or snare Him in a loophole in the Law and even His closest follower squabble among themselves right on up to the night before His crucifixion on which one is more important than the other -they never ease up or “get it” fixating on the deep issues while overlooking the pure and simple Truths. Jesus was God’s Word fulfilling all things, including: the Sabbath, the devil, signs, miracles, YADA! Finally, in the midst of all of this, someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are standing outside waiting to talk to him. Jesus replies, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” He points to the disciples and says, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”
Let us not miss the boat, or the ark of God’s Covenant in Christ Jesus by missing the point in a literal definition but seek God’s perspective.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
1 Peter 11 Peter 2:9
and, Matthew 22:14, For many are called, but few [are] chosen. What is God’s definition on “chosen?“
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and Revelation 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings–and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.“
