1. This entire topic comes from: Genesis 26:4–5 [God is speaking to Isaac, Abraham’s son] “And
I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and I will give to your seed all these
lands. And in your Seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham obeyed
My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My ordinances, and My Laws.”
2. God spoke to Abraham and Abraham heard what God had to say and he obeyed God’s voice.
3. Secondly, Abraham kept God’s charge, commandments, ordinances and laws. To keep is the
Qal imperfect of shâmar (שָמַר) [pronounced shaw-MAR] which means to keep, to guard, to watch
[over], to preserve. Strong's #8104 BDB #1036. What Abraham preserved was the first third
of the book of Genesis, along with all of the things which God said to him.
4. The first thing that Abraham was to keep was the charge of God, which word means: guard,
charge, function, obligation, service, watch; guard, injunction. Some more updated translations
might be: supervision, direction, management, delegated authority and commission, holy orders,
appointment, conferment, investiture.
1) Apart from this passage, the next time this word is used is in association with the
observance of the Passover (Ex. 12:6). It is also associated with other ritual (symbolic)
observances: the Sabbath (Ex. 16:23); the manna (Ex. 16:32–34); the Tabernacle and the
testimony (Num. 1:53), and with cleanness (Lev. 22:9). It is associated with not doing the
abominable things which the heathen did in the land (Lev. 18:30).
2) One interpretation for this passage has been that, the words which follow mishemereth
represent the responsibility or obligation of Abraham, which he kept.
3) The second interpretation is, Abraham continued the sacrifices to God, as Adam had done,
as Abel had done and as Noah had done. The sacrifices look forward to our Lord’s work
on the cross on our behalf.
4) Another obligation which Moses kept was, God told him before Isaac was conceived, that
Moses needed to be circumcised, as did all of the males in his compound. Circumcision
was a one-time ritual which represents the new life, or life where there previously was no
life. This is regeneration, which comes as a result of believing in the Revealed God (in our
era, that is Jesus Christ).
5) God also had Abraham offer up his son Isaac to God as a sacrifice, and Abraham obeyed
God, ready to slay his own, uniquely-born son. This foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ.
5. The second thing that Abraham is said to have kept or guarded is the commandments of God.
is the feminine plural of mitsevâh (מִצוָה) [pronounced mitse-VAH], which means, commandment,
prohibition, precept, that which is forbidden, constraint, proscription, countermand.
Strong’s #4687 BDB #846. This is nearly always translated commandment or commandments
in the KJV and as command or commands in Young’s. It is most often found as a plural.
1) Although we do not find this noun except here in Genesis and then in the Law, its verbal
cognate is found many places in the book of Genesis. It is the Piel of tsâvâh (צָוָה)
[pronounced tsaw-VAW], which means to commission, to mandate, to lay charge upon, to
give charge to, charge, command, order; to instruct [as in, giving an order]. This is a verb
found almost exclusively in the Piel. Strong's #6680 BDB #845.
2) Regarding the noun translated commandments:
(1) This is the word used with the Ten Commandments in Ex. 20:6 34:29 Lev. 27:34
Deut. 4:13 5:10, 29 10:4.
(2) These commandments are often associated with life and death. Prov. 4:4 7:1–2
(3) These commandments are often associated with the Jews prospering in the land of
Canaan. Ex. 15:26 Deut. 4:40 5:29 6:17ff Deut. 11:8
(4) These commandments are often associated with blessing and cursing. Lev. 25:14ff
Psalm 89:31–34 Isa. 48:18
(5) Keeping these commandments was showing love toward God. Deut. 5:10 7:9
Joshua 22:5 Daniel 9:4
3) These appear to be the most important mandates to come from God.
4) Based upon the points above, I would associate the commandments with the laws of divine
establishment. It is these laws which are to the benefit of the people in the land, which
would be naturally associated with blessing and cursing (cursing when the commandments
are not kept).
5) Adhering to the laws of divine establishment result in blessing from God as well as natural
blessing, which a nation can expect from following the directives of God.
6) Therefore, logically, such laws are also appropriate to us today—particularly
commandments #5–10, most of which were probably known and understood by Abraham
without having God delineate them.
7) We may assume, based upon this verse, that Abraham adhered to these commandments
in some form or another. He would have learned these as a young man, likely from his
father or grandfather; and he held to these values for all of his life.
6. The third word is chuqqâh (חֻקַּה) [pronounced khoo-KAWH], which means, that which is
established or defined; statute, ordinance, law. Strong's #2708 BDB #349. This is the feminine
plural found in our passage. Found 106 times in the Bible. It is only found this one time in
Genesis and is not found at all in Job. The masculine form of this word found more often in the
Old Testament: chôq (חֹק) [pronounced khoke], and it means, decree, that which is decreed;
statute; boundary, defined limit; an appointed portion of labor, a task. The key concept here is
the setting of a boundary or a limit. Strong's #2706 BDB #349. Sometimes these kinds of words
can have very different meanings and sometimes the shadings are lost to us. These seem to
be used almost the same number of times. The masculine version is found 126 times. For the
points which follow, I will follow out the masculine and feminine occurrences.
1) We find this word used twice in Job 23:12–14, where Job is speaking about God to his
associates: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the
words of His mouth more than my portion of food. But He is unchangeable, and who can
turn Him back? What He desires, that He does. For He will complete what He appoints
for me, and many such things are in His mind.” (ESV, capitalized) The concepts of
specificity and limitation are found here.
2) Job uses chôq in a way that we would easily recognize it in Job 28:26–27 When He made
a decree for the rain, and a way for the flash, the thunderclap, then He saw it, and declared
it; He prepared it, and He also searched it out. (Green’s literal translation) Job is saying
that God designed a set of laws which go along with the falling of rain, which includes
lightning and thunder.
3) God uses this word when describing the limitations that He placed upon the oceans: "Or
who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its
garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars
and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud
waves be stayed'?” (Job 38:8–11; ESV)
4) In short, the key to understanding this masculine version of this word is limitations and
specificity.
5) The word chuqqâh (חֻקַּה) [pronounced khoo–KAWH], which means, that which is
established or defined; statute, ordinance, law. Strong's #2708 BDB #349.
(1) Chuqqâh is mostly translated statute, statutes, ordinance, ordinances in the KJV.
(2) It appears to be associated with much of the ritual found in the Mosaic Law.
Ex. 12:14, 17, 43 13:10 27:21 28:43 29:9, Lev. 3:17, Lev. 7:36, Lev. 10:9,
Lev. 16:29, 16:31, 16:34 17:7 23:14, Lev. 23:21, 23:31, 41 24:3, Num. 9:14 10:8
15:15 18:23 19:2, 10, 21 27:11 31:21 35:29
(3) For this reason, the word would be best associated with the rituals which Abraham
observed—the animal sacrifices which he offered up to God.
(4) The various rituals were very specific in how they were to be performed.
7. The final word is ţôwrah (טוֹרַה or טֹרַה) [pronounced TOH-rah], which means, instruction, doctrine;
[human and divine] law, direction, regulations, protocol; custom; it is transliterated Torah.
Strong’s #8451 and #8452 BDB #435. It is nearly always translated law, laws. Gen. 26:5 is the
first time that this word occurs in Scripture. God has always had instruction, doctrine and
laws—up to this point, they have not been enumerated (with the exception of mankind needed
to have a consequence for murdering someone, that consequence being execution (Gen. 9:5).
1) Like most English words, there are a variety of ways in which this word is used. It can refer
to the principle of an over-arching principle from God; as well as to an enumeration of
regulations concerning a variety of things, which may be ceremonial or moral.
(1) Therefore, there is the Law of God written on the hearts of men; and this is the
concept of right and wrong. Whether these laws would be similar or equivalent is
another matter; but there are clearly standards—sometime very nebulous
ones—which men have. Law can refer to the overarching principles of right and
wrong, known to God, but written on the hearts of men.
(2) It can also stand for the content of all that Moses taught the people, as we find in
Deut. 4:44 17:11, 18–19 23:3, 8 27:26 28:58, 61 29:21, 29 30:10 31:9, 11–12,
24, 26 32:46 33:4. Deut. 23:3 reads: [Moses is giving a command to the people]
“And you shall write on them all the Words of this Law when you have crossed over,
so that you may go into the land which Jehovah your God is giving you, a land flowing
with milk and honey, as Jehovah the God of your fathers has promised you.” This use
of the word tôwrâh has become the most common way that this word is used.
2) In this primary usage, Moses said that this law should be recorded in a number of formats,
even by a future king for himself, and it should be both read and taught to the people.
Deut. 31:11–12 32:46 33:10
8. In short, Abraham heard the voice of God and he obeyed Him. He also preserved God’s charge
(rituals and obligations), His commandments (God’s prohibitions; those things which are
associated with cursing and blessing), His ordinances (rituals and animal sacrifices) and His laws
(God’s instructions, doctrines and protocol).
9. As a result of what Abraham preserved, we have one of the greatest books in human history, the
book of Genesis, within which is the seed of nearly every doctrine that is related to God and man.
His son Isaac and his grandson Jacob continued to preserve these words.
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Graphic is from http://yahwehistruth.com/ accessed April 23, 2014. 
