Sermon - AudioGen 12-15 - Audio
Gen 12-15 - Daily Reading
Daily Insights - Please Comment
Opening Prayer asking to understand and apply the Story to our lives
Almighty God, in you are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of your Word; and give me grace that I may clearly understand and freely choose the way of your wisdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen
- The tower of Babel was begun and abruptly brought to an end in Genesis 11. Humanity had not learned from the flood, the again rebel against God. But instead of a flood, God seeks to weaken evil by dispersing the people.
- 11.29-31: Abram’s (Hebrew: Avram) name means “exalted father” and carries hints of noble lineage, Sarai’s name mean’s princess and may be connected with the worship of the moon as god.
- 12:1ff: The world has experienced much curse since the fall, it is desperate for blessing.
- 12.1ff: God’s plan is to build a community that helps each other to live faithfully before him—the human race had not been able to do this as a whole.
- 12.1ff: No reason is given why Abram and Sarai are chosen rather than someone else. It is completely by grace.
- 12.2: the idea that Abram is to be a blessing is seen as a command by the sages/rabbis. He is to find a way to be a blessing to the nations. Sadly, his first opportunity to bless actually turns into a curse when he encounters Pharaoh. Apparently it takes practice to learn how to be a blesser.
- 13.1-8: God’s blessings flow to Abram. Because he trusts God for his blessings he is able to be generous first to Lot and then to Melchizedek.
- 13.8-10: Lot shows his lack of spiritual sensitivity by choosing a land that was like well watered like the Garden of the LORD (Eden), like the land of Egypt. The garden was a place of disobedience and crisis, Egypt a land of exile and oppression.
- 13.14-18 draw a contrast between Abram and Lot. Lot raises his eyes, chooses the land for himself and moves toward Sodom. Abram only looks when God tells him to, is given the land by God, and moves to Hebron and builds an altar to God.
- 13.17: to walk the land was a symbolic act that declared that the land belonged to Abram.
- 14.2: The name of the king of Sodom, Bera, means “in evil”, the name of the king of Gomorrah, Birsha, means “in wickedness”.
- 14.20: Tithe—the tithe exists before any regulations are written by Moses. It is given to one who is superior.
- 14.22-24: Abram wants to be clear that it is God who has given the victory.
Genesis 15
- 15.1: God’s promise to be Abram’s shield and great reward are directly connected to the battle scene in the previous chapter. God will continue to protect Abram as he did in battle and he will be the one who rewards him for faithful service—not some other king.
- 15.2: Abram calls God, Sovereign Lord (Adonai Yahweh), this address is used rarely in the Bible and is used to address a request, prayer or grievance to God. Notice that Abram is the first to use Adonai for God, a name that means “my Lord”. The sages/rabbis point out that he understands that following God is about serving him and not only believing things about him.
- 15.9ff: it is a royal grant treaty. When you passed through the dead animals you were saying, “If I do not keep my part of the covenant, may what happened to these dead animals happen to me.” The truly significant thing is that God passed through, but Abram did not. God takes on full responsibility for keeping the treaty.
14 comments:
I am having a hard time understanding chapter 12.10-20. From what I read Sarai was taken captive by Pharoh and forced to marry him. I don't understand why this happened and I couldn't help but think about the effects that had to have had on her as women and also on Abram. Knowing what was happening to his wife. Any insight please.
My friend and I were talking about offerings and what that must have looked like. I know that in chapter15.9-16 Abram is doing this because God asked him to but it made me think back to the conversation with my friend. Abram had to get a 3 year old heifer, a 3 year old goat, a 3 year old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon. First of all, the time it must have taken to catch those things and then the time it would have taken to cut them in half, and they had to build the alter. I mean that stuff alone would take a day or two I would think. If, before Christ came and took the blame for our sins, we had to do that every time we sinned we would certainly think twice before sinning. It took a lot to be justified before God. It makes me so thankful for Christ's death on the cross but also it seems like now we don't have to think twice about our sin. I know that is not true but it's just a thought.
Hi Anonymous,
Genesis 12.10-20 is a very hard passage to work through and come to an answer that truly satisfies us. This is clear at least to some extent by the fact that commentators basically give a bit of background but then slide over any true insight into what is going on.
Perhaps the most thoughtful dealing with this passage comes from different rabbis--although they disagree on Abraham and his actions. On one side there is Rabbi Maimonidies (a well respected rabbi of the 12th century) who says, “Know that our father Abraham inadvertently committed a great sin by placing his virtuous wife in a compromising situation because of his fear of being killed. He should have trusted in God to save him, his wife and all he had, for God has the power to help and to save. . . .” On the other side is another well known rabbi, Radak, who says that Abram is "confronted with a moral dilemma, forced to make a choice between two evils. If he discloses the truth he will be killed, and his wife, beautiful and unprotected in an alien society of low morality, will assuredly be condemned to a life of shame and abuse. If, however, he resorts to subterfuge, she may be violated by some Egyptian, but at least husband and wife would both survive. It would have been improper, then, to have relied on a miracle as an excuse for inaction." One commentator in reflecting on Radak says, "Whatever may be the shortcomings of Radak’s interpretation, the moral problem that faced the patriarch was very real. His decision involved a conflict between human life and human dignity within a hierarchy of values."
The difference between Maimonides and Radak is the difference between many things that we struggle with in moral dilemmas. Do we simply say, "God will take care of this" or do we actively seek ways to deal with the situation? Abram's situation heightens this moral struggle because of the sin that is involved in his actions and what, to any of us, seems just plain wrong.
In the end it is pointed out that God protects Sarai's honor. The Hebrew gives subtle hints that the disease or plague that afflicted Pharaoh was one that kept him from having sexual relations with Sarai. It is a picture of God's direct, protective intervention at the point that human resources have failed and it looks like God's promises and program might be destroyed.
Anonymous
Two more thoughts on Genesis 12.10-20
1. God has promised in Genesis 12.1-3 that he will bless Abraham. Genesis 12.10-20 provide the first test of God in this regard. Will God be as good as his promise. Blessing those who bless and cursing those who dishonor. The answer is "yes" as God curses Pharaoh as he dishonors Abraham and Sarah. This story from the picture of God's big story of redemption shows God's faithfulness to his promise. While it may be hard for us to fathom, this actually may be the more important truth to take from this incident.
2. As we wonder about Abram's actions and how he was willing to "sacrifice" his wife to protect himself, I began to wonder about how often we do the same. Who have we sacrificed in our lives in order to protect ourselves or gain something? We may not do it on the scale that Abram did, but when we join in gossip because we don't want to be left out or we choose to live a lifestyle that means we can't be generous to the poor, we may be closer to Abram's actions than we like to think.
A thought from Gen 15:1-21
God is very clear to his people when he tells us to be fruitful and multiply. God's people want to honor God and have lots of kids.
Some examples: Noah, Jacob/Rachel and Abram. There are many more but the theme carries on. God's people often desired to have children.
Today people are saying things like "having more than two kids is selfish and a waste of our World's resources". There is worry that there isn't enough room, food or water.
Once again people are making the story about themselves instead of about God. It's God's story. He wants his people to be fruitful and multiply.
Cultures that try to abolish God form their lives also begin to abolish the idea of having lots of kids.
Christian Science Monitor (USA), December 2, 2004
Newly released Census Bureau figures emphasize that over the last decades of the 20th century, the size of US families has shrunk - dare we say it? - incredibly fast. Since 1970 the percentage of households containing five or more people has fallen by half.
-Source (http://www.religiousconsultation.org/News_Tracker/incredible_shrinking_US_family.htm)
Shall we conform to the patterns of this World any longer?
I was talking to a loved one the other day of the picture of God's promise as a Rainbow and God hanging up his bow. Where is that found where God hangs up his bow and the arch is pointed up? I love word pictures and I learn well from them. This is very cool!!
Rebecca,
I was just "struggling" through some of this lately. I found these words to be helpful in my understanding of the law:
"Without the law a man would not recognize his own sickness but would remain secure and proud of his own moral capacity as he thinks of it. Only the law teaches us to recognize our actual sinful condition and places us under condemnation, under God's wrath and judgment, thereby prepares us for the gospel. It teaches us to long for our Savior. It leads us to repentance and thus opens us to receive the comfort of the gospel." -Martin Luther-
So the law was necessary for us to realize the depths of our sin and the grace given in Jesus, which should lead us to repentance...continually. I agree with you that many times we take this for granted, which is why people like Paul continually remind us of who we are (Ephesians 2). We learn through the Bible that with much revelation comes much responsibility. I would also argue that with much grace received, comes much responsibility. That's why finding your place in God's story on a daily basis is so important. His grace should lead us to repent, turn, and passionately follow Him within His story.
I agree with you, thank you for Jesus! Praise God for the grace received through His Son.
Gen 13:14-18 - How often do we "look up" and choose something for ourselves rather than wait for God to direct us. Could this be part of the reason for broken lives and families?
Anonymous - Rainbow Question
The verse is in Genesis 9:12-17. I'm not sure if this is where Larry got this, but I liked this explanation:
"The rainbow is a pledge that the order of nature shall continue. And is there not to every law of nature a background pointing to the mysteries of the Divine nature and will? The label of the rainbow is sufficiently legible. Shining upon a dark ground, . . . it represents the victory of the light of love over the fiery darkness of wrath. Originating from the effect of the sun upon a dark cloud, it typifies the willingness of the heavenly to penetrate the earthly. Stretched between heaven and earth, it is as a bond of peace between both, and, spanning the horizon, it points to the all-embracing universality of the Divine mercy" -Franz Delitzsch-
Anonymous - Gen 13:14-18 Question,
We need to remember that our lives are actually His. This means that we recognize that this is His story and we are required to play a certain role in that story. The one He gives to us as His children.
With that being said, I completely agree with you that many times we choose what we want for ourselves rather than waiting on God's direction and leading. Many times we are people who are driven by every whim, instead of people who are led by His Spirit. When we try to do everything in our own power we just reinforce our old nature that we're supposed to be putting to death. This old nature is one of continuous sinning against God. Sin causes the brokenness.
Without the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction we are left to a life of brokenness and confusion.
Hey Anonymous Rainbow question
The idea that God has hung up his bow has a long history from Jewish rabbis to Christian commentators. The idea stems from two things. First the Hebrew word for rainbow is the same word as the bow of an archer. So that gives us the picture of a warrior's bow. The idea that God has hung up his bow comes from the visual picture we see when we look at the rainbow in the clouds.
OK, I'm not sure when you said this, Larry (maybe in the sermon on Sunday?), where not much is said about Terah because he didn't go on to Canaan. As I re-read this section of Gen 11 before continuing with Gen 12, it struck me that maybe the reason Terah stoppped in Haran was that he was mourning the loss of his son, Haran. Is there any validity to that thought? Abram, Sarai, and Lot all got past this, but Terah didn't?
Another thing that I thought of while reading this passage (especially ch. 13 & 14) is the tribal culture that is still present today in places like Afghanistan and Iraq...
Hi Kris,
The text doesn't give us an final insight as to why Terah stays in Haran. It seems that Terah worshipped the moon god rather than Yahweh so his quest is not to follow a call to Canaan, but simply to find a place that he wants to settle. The fact that he doesn't go on to Canaan is also keeping with God's call to Abraham to leave family behind. Where grief plays into the picture, we don't know. But it is an interesting thought.
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