The Lord gives us pictures, or foreshadows, of coming events. He clearly stated twice in Isaiah (42:9 and 48:5) that before it happens, He shows it to us. One of the better examples is when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his only son (Genesis 22) on the same mountain where, 2000 years later, the Lord sacrificed His only son. Another future picture is the rebellion of Absalom against David. Absalom usurped the throne from his father just as Satan, in the form of the “Anti-Christ,” will temporarily usurp on earth the position of God the Father during the time known to us as the Tribulation.

It is interesting that sin is only mentioned once in the early chapters of Genesis, in the case of Cain’s rejected offering. Adam and Eve rebelled against the Lord. But sin was not mentioned. Prior to the Great Flood, every thought of mankind was evil and it grieved the Lord that He had created man. Even then, sin was not mentioned.

Iniquity is sin. The first use of the word “iniquity” is found in Genesis 15:16;

“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

This was included in the prophecy given to Abram regarding his descendants. They would reside in a land not their own for four-hundred years. The Lord was waiting for the iniquity of the Amorites to become complete. Then, there could be no doubt regarding His Divine victory over the Amorites and other groups living in the Promised Land.

The Amorites were giants. Amos says they were as tall as cedars. (Amos 2:9) Og, king of Bashan, was a giant. His bed was the size of two king-sized beds placed end to end.

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, “Amorite” is translated as a patron, a prominence (H567). It is spelled, from right to left, aleph, mem, resh, yot.

In the interesting way some rabbis look at Hebrew words, the “body” of the word “Amorite,” the two outside letters, are aleph and yot. The word formed, “aiy,” (Strong’s H336 and H339) is translated in the Old Testament thirty-six times as isle, coast or island. These words usually refer to the distant Gentile nations.

The inner two letters of “Amorite,” mem and resh, form the word “mor.” This word (Strong’s H4752) means a drop, as in “a drop in the bucket” which is exactly how it is used in reference to Gentile nations in Isaiah 40:15. A variation of mem resh is Strong’s H4753, translated as myrrh which was used in the preparation of bodies for burial. The parts of the word “Amorite” refer to Gentile nations, and not in a positive manner.

Next week, are there Amorites today? Until then, may the Lord bless you.