The Pilgrim’s Guide to the Bible No. 5
Genesis Chapters 12 - 23
Chapters 1 – 11 of Genesis comprise the prologue to the drama of the Bible. They focus on four main issues: the origins of the world; the origins of the human race, the reality of sin within individual lives, human society and our relationship with God; and God’s continuing providential care for the world. These stories are written on a global scale.
In Genesis 12, the story narrows down. Having given us the big picture, the narrative now zooms in upon a particular individual: Abraham. God's rescue plan for the world gets under way, as we begin to discover His chosen method for revealing Himself to the people of the world: beginning first with Abraham, and then his immediate family, and finally the whole nation of Israel, God will build up a community, whose task will be to make God known in the world.
'All the peoples on earth will wish to be blessed as you are blessed' (12:3).
Why is Abraham significant?
As Christians today, we look back to Abraham as our father in faith. The church today is the new Israel, not synonymous with the OT people of Israel, but through faith, we are grafted on to the vine, and have become part of God's family. Both St. Paul (Romans 4:16) and the writer of the book of Hebrews (ch.11), regard the departure of Abraham from Haran and his journey to the Promised Land as the beginning of the mission of Israel, both the old and the new Israel, to be the people of God, and a means of blessing for the whole world. Abraham’s name is given to him by God, and means, 'father of many'. (‘Abram’, his original name, means ‘High Father’ (Genesis 17:5).
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16)
When Abraham, or Abram as he then was, set out for the Promised Land, two things stand out: his faith and his close relationship with God. However, it must also be noted that Abraham was far from perfect, and Genesis does not gloss over his mistakes. For example, in chapter 12, he goes down to Egypt, and tries to pass off his wife, Sarah, as his sister, in order to gain the favour of Pharaoh. Inevitably, the deceit is found out, with serious consequences for the whole family. Later, both he and his wife laugh at God when He tells them that they will become parents.
Important highlights in the story of Abraham
Chapter
12 The call of Abram, and his travels in Canaan.
13 and 14 The story of Abram and Lot (his nephew). Abram is given the Promised
Land by God. After defeating Lot’s captors, he pays homage to
Melchizedek, king and priest of Salem.
15 - 17 God’s covenant with Abraham. God’s promises are described in great
detail and confirmed with the sign of circumcision. But Abraham grows
impatient, and tries to ‘arrange’ matters for God, by having a son with
Sarah’s servant, Hagar (Genesis 16). The birth of Ishmael causes immense
problems for future generations.
18 - 20 The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah – judgement upon sin.
21 - 23 Isaac’s birth, the story of Abraham’s obedience, and Sarah’s death.
What can we learn from Abraham’s experience?
Abraham was just an ordinary man, who obeyed God’s summons and followed God in simple obedience. In consequence, he is looked upon as the father of all who have faith in God. There are many things to learn from his story and example:
12:7 those who obey God’s voice enjoy God’s presence. Abraham’s obedience to
God foreshadows the obedience and submission of Christ to God.
12:8 he worshipped God.
13:8-11 he was unselfish
14:1 -16 he was courageous
15:6 he trusted God
17:18 he was compassionate
18: 1 - 5 he practised hospitality
18:16 - 33 he was a man of prayer
Before delving further into Abraham's life, it is worth taking a moment to consider the story in Genesis 14. Early on in his time in the Promised Land, his nephew, Lot, decided to leave him, and establish his own homeland. Sadly, he got caught up in some local fighting, so prompting Abram to go on the offensive, attack his persecutors, and recue Lot.
Following this battle occurs a strange meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek, king of Salem. Here, for the first time in the biblical narrative, we visit Jerusalem, the holy city, around which so much of the biblical story revolves. This is to be the city of David, the home of the Temple, and the scene of Christ's passion, death and resurrection. The psalmist will sing of Zion (one of the hills in Jerusalem) as the dwelling place of God himself, and in the book of Revelation, when the writer depicts the end of all things and the inauguration of God's glorious reign, he depicts it as a New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven.
Who was Melchizedek?
What we know of this figure of Melchizedek is interpreted to us in the Book of Hebrews, where he is described as representing Christ's universal priesthood. He has a dual role as both priest and king. Greater than Abraham; granting a blessing to Abraham; resident in Jerusalem; receiving a tithe of Abraham's goods; and offering bread and wine to Abraham, he foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, and offers a foretaste of the New Covenant of Christ's body and blood. Melchizedek reminds us that God's authority is greater than any human authority, and even Abraham, the chosen founder of His faith must submit to him.
What can we learn from Abraham?
God calls ordinary people. God is the initiator in this story. Abraham was not actively searching for God; he was just an ordinary man, to whom God issued a call to follow. God took the initiative. God wanted a relationship with Abraham: He wanted to be part of Abraham’s life in a deep and personal way and offers us a model of how God wants to have a similar relationship with each of us. In God’s promise, we note that several things are happening. The promise is unconditional. There are no stipulations on the promise given to Abraham. He was not told that he would receive the land only if he behaved in a certain way or followed certain rituals. It was a promise made unconditionally, out of the love that God had for Abraham, which Abraham received through faith and belief in God. Such is the offer that God makes to everyone who responds to His call to follow.
Abraham's faith. He left Haran at God's bidding; He believed God's promise about the land. He believed God's promise about descendants, despite his advanced years. He was willing to trust God when he was told to take his only son, Isaac and sacrifice him (Genesis 22). This is a difficult story for us to come to terms with, but the point of the story is that Isaac wasn’t sacrificed (unlike other cultures of the Near-East, where human sacrifice was the norm). What is important is the spiritual lesson that it offers us - The Lord will provide (22:8). Abraham believed God and trusted that if He asked him to do something, it must be for some good purpose. His faith was tested. It foreshadows the day when God will give His own Son as a sacrifice to pay for human sin. Little wonder that Abraham is presented to us as the great example of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 cites Abraham as one of the great exemplars of faith in its list of OT faith champions.
Abraham’s relationship with God. At the heart of his faith, there's Abraham’s relationship with God. We note his submission to God. God called him, and Abraham was willing to obey (12:4). Abraham was in regular communication with God, best seen in the accounts of God's covenant with Abraham, (chs 15 & 17). Covenant is a word that runs throughout Scripture (see The Pilgrim’s Guide to the Bible No. 6). Literally, covenant means a binding agreement between two parties. The first covenant in the Bible comes in the story of Noah, (the rainbow after the flood), and now, in Abraham's story, the covenant becomes a central concept in the life of the nation. The Lord covenants to be with Abraham, and to give him many descendants. Abraham, in return, must offer his faith and obedience to God. The purpose of the covenant is to confirm God's choice of Abraham and as a sign of the special relationship between God and Abraham's progeny. God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, and that he will be the father of many nations – a promise that takes us forward to NT times, when all believers are described as the spiritual descendants of Abraham. The covenant is a prophecy of the expansion of the church.
Our understanding of the New Covenant is built directly upon this OT Covenant theology: Hebrews 8:6-12 quotes the prophet Jeremiah ‘I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ The New Covenant is a direct replacement for the Old Covenant. Galatians 3:6-9 also looks back to Abraham, to show that all people, not just the Jews, may be the children of God, and inheritors of His blessing.
Abraham’s close relationship with God is also well expressed in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18) - two words that have gone down in history as bywords for human sin at its very worst. Yet, Abraham intercedes for them, and offers a good example of the importance of intercession. Like Abraham, we must never cease to pray for the world, however bad it may appear to become.
Yet another example of Abraham’s relationship with God is the worship that he offers to God. We read that he honoured God, spoke to God, gave his tithes to God, and built altars to the Lord. The worship of God was central to his life wherever he went. No one could doubt Abraham’s faith. His example reminds us of the importance of giving God the worship and honour that is His due.
Hope for the future is granted. 18: 9-15. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son - against all the odds. When human hopes and dreams come to an end, God will always, and ultimately, have His way. So we read at the beginning of chapter 21, 'Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah, as he had said.' And sure enough, Isaac was born. The suspense and delay had been intentional. God longs for us to trust in Him, absolutely. The best things in life are worth waiting for. The name Isaac means 'laughter', perhaps a reference to the laughter of his parents, but also a sign of joy at the birth of a new generation.
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Abraham comes to the end of his life in Genesis 25, but his legacy lives on. He was the founder of the nation of Israel, and through his relationship with God, he is recognised as the father of all who have faith. Through his story, God's work of redemption in the world has begun. It will be another 2000 years before the birth of the Messiah, but God has given His promise, and the narrative of His people has begun. There may be many twists in the journey ahead, but we can know that God is continuing to call, and that all who respond to Him in faith will receive the guarantee of life in His kingdom.
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