A Journey of Faith and GraceAbraham #1

Expectations:

1. The goal of any meditation in the word is to know God more, understand who you are in relationship to Him, and understand His plan. Pray and ask God to help you know Him through His word.

2. Spend approximately one hour reading this lesson and meditating on its questions. Group leaders should not “teach” through the lesson during small group but simply facilitate group discussion about the lesson.

3. The last instruction of the lesson will be to record what has been helpful to you and how it applies to you. Every group participant should come ready to share his/her insights.

1. Significant Background History of the Abraham Narratives

Who was Abraham? Abraham was an ancient near eastern nomad sheik whose original home was in the current area situated around Iraq (where the tower of Babel episode happened in chapter 11). A nomad/sheik basically was the head of a tribal group of people bound together by family ties and gaining their living by their flocks of livestock (Gen 13:2). They carried their possessions and acquired servants wherever they traveled (Gen 12:5). They would travel or sojourn wherever they could in order to find the necessary grazing pastures for their livestock (Gen 12:10, 13:5-6). Many times these tribal groups could wield significant power and influence as they grew in wealth and power. Abraham demonstrated that God gave him significant power and influence as noted by the following passages: Gen 14:13-15, 23:6. Nomads owned no property. The only property Abraham ever owned was the property he bought for Sarah’s grave (Gen 23:1-20, esp v. 20). Lot, Abraham’s nephew ultimately left this lifestyle for urban living in Sodom. Because these nomadic groups traveled from place to place in search of nice fields for their livestock on property they did not own, they were often viewed as hindrances to society. Nevertheless, they were an integral part of the economy and society of the Ancient Near East.

Now in that context the radical nature of God’s commands and promises to Abraham are more clearly seen. He was asking Abraham to:

(1) Leave his secure land in which was his home and was used to traveling around(2) Leave his kinsmen and specifically his father’s house/tribe(3) Go to a different land

So that God could:

(1) Bless him(2) Make him into a nation (independent of his father’s clan/tribe)(3) Make him a blessing (not a hindrance) to all the nations/clans of the earth

(the nations/clans that had been formed as a result of the judgment of God in Genesis 11)

(4) Make Abraham’s name great (allowing God to make Abraham’s name great in contrast to the Babel generation that sought to make their own name great, Gen 11:4)

The amazing fact is that Abraham believed God (Gen 12:4) in spite of all that Abraham had to leave behind and in spite of not knowing how precisely God was going to do all that He promised.

2. The Land of Promise

Ezekiel 5:5“Thus says the Lord GOD,‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her.’

The geographical nature and position of this land do not inherently encourage its independence nor its development as a natural center of political power. Geological forces have made it a mixture of mountains, canyons, passes and plains. Ripping through it from north to south is the Rift Valley, one of the great cleavages in the earth’s crust. In this deep valley, bodies of water, swamps or dry and inhospitable plains have produced regions through which travel was difficult. The slightest shift in world climatic conditions can render the country helpless, producing drought and famine.

To the west, the land faces the Mediterranean Sea and the Coastal Plain with its International Coastal Highway. On the east beyond the Rift Valley, the Transjordanian Highway links north and south. In the south, desert raiders posed a constant threat to settled populations, while in the north there was imminent danger of invasion along defined natural routes.

Such a land does not lend itself to unification or rule under any one government. Natural routes are constricted by uplifted limestone hills, deeply eroded canyons, and sharp geological faults. At the same time the country lacks natural frontiers and is vulnerable to attack on all sides. These attacks came both from neighboring nations and from the big powers which regarded this land of transit as their private thorough fare or as their first line of defense.

During periods of relative peace, a strong central government in the land was able to detach itself from the control of surrounding powers and to pursue an independent role. This has happened only three times in history: 1) in the period of the Israelite monarchies in Old Testament times, 2) in the period of the Maccabees/Hasmoneans in the late second and early first centuries BC and 3) in our day with the establishment of the State of Israel. In all three of these periods the land has been under an Israelite/Jewish government, and each time it has faced serious regional and international pressures of a political, economic and military nature.

It is to this Land Between that Abraham was first called. Following the Exodus, Moses and Joshua led the people of Israel back to this land. After the return from exile in Babylon, Ezra and Nehemiah helped restore a religious and political entity again in this land.

In all of these Biblical periods this land served as God’s testing ground of faith. It was here, in this land where both personal an national existence were threatened, that Israel’s leaders and people were called upon to learn the true meaning of security and well-being; of trust in the Lord God. It was here that God’s weakness was shown to be stronger than men (1 Cor 1:25).

--James M. Monson, The Land Between, pp. 13-14

I. Important Facts to Remember about the “Promised Land”

A. Location--Crossroads of the world, it was a strategic corridor of commerce and travel

B. Inhabitants--Hostile Culture (cf. Lev. 18)C. Terrain--Rugged topography (Deut 11:10-11)D. Climate--Marginal, Unpredictable Weather (Deut 11:12-17, Hab 2:1-4)

II. The Promised Land was not a land of :

A. Isolation--not in a “remote corner” of the worldB. Segregation--not isolated from pagan influenceC. Relaxation--not broad roads and choice fieldsD. Automation--not “instant” rain and bumper crops

III. What are we to learn from this?--the “promised land was God’s testing ground of faith”

A. Politically--crossroads militarily (trust in God to defend!)B. Religiously--corrupt spiritually (remain devoted to God)C. Physically--constricted topographically D. Materially --complex agriculturally (dependence upon God for provision)

Ponder: Why would God call Abraham to this land?

Ponder: What was Abraham’s purpose in this land?

Ponder: What is your purpose at your geographical crossroads of the world?

Ponder: What is your testing ground of faith? How would God want you to represent Him in it?

3. Significant Literary Plot Line of the Abraham Narrative of Gen 12-22

Since Sarah was barren (not Abraham), Abraham did not know how God was going to make him into a “great nation.” God did not reveal to him at this point HOW he was going to be made into a great nation. Possibly, Abraham thought it might be through Lot, his nephew, and thus we see Abraham taking his nephew with him (Gen 12:5). Abraham goes through much effort to ensure that Lot is well taken care of in Genesis 13 and 14. In Genesis 15:1-3, Abraham clearly is confused regarding how God will make him into a great nation. Abraham suspects that some of his servants might be his heirs. At that point, God reveals specifically that a child will come forth from Abraham’s own body (Gen 15:4). Abraham believed God at that point as well (Gen 15:6). God however, did not specifically mention here that it would be SARAH HIS WIFE who would conceive a child coming from Abraham’s seed! Thus we see Abraham taking Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, in Genesis 16 to provide the child in combination with his own seed. Although we can not image this in our own society, this practice of providing the wife’s handmaid to a husband for child bearing was common in the ancient near east if the wife were barren. Although commonly accepted by culture, this practice was not righteous. But, as Abraham was struggling to figure out how God’s promises could work, he latched onto this idea as the means through which God would fulfill His promise. In all of this we see Abraham striving to believe AND trying to work out God’s plan in his own understanding. Only after this episode with Hagar does God specifically tell Abraham that it will be HIS SEED and SARAH’s SEED that will become a great nation (Gen 17). So, there is a progression of revelation given to Abraham as to the MANNER OF FULFILLMENT and a progression of watching Abraham’s faith mature. By the end of the Abraham narrative, you see Abraham believing God (even if he does not understand “how”) no matter what radical thing God says like, “Abraham go kill your only son which I promised I would make into a great nation.” Thus, in all of this you see Abraham’s “adventure” or journey of maturing faith. Abraham goes from one that believes yet tries to work out the plan in his own understanding, to one that believes EVEN when he does not fully understand. Even though His faith was not perfect he was a “pivot” person who acted upon what God said! And God used him to bring blessing to all of creation ultimately through Christ.

4. Significant Antecedent (Prior Development) of Theology

Genesis 1: God had created mankind to be his visible representatives (image and likeness of God) of His invisible Self to declare His glories to the created order.1 That image had been corrupted when the serpent deceived Eve and when corruption came to God’s images (mankind) 1In the Ancient Near East when a great king arose in power over a region and wanted his influence and authority to be represented in a distant region, he would put up “his image and likeness” as a statue to represent him and his authority. The Hebrew words “image” and “likeness” used to describe what man is in relationship to God in Genesis 1:26 come precisely from those same words used by ancient near east king. God, THE GREAT KING, is in essence saying, “Man will be my living visible representatives in the created order. And mankind is to fill the created order with my likeness and image so as to bring my glory and influence to all the earth.”

this resulted in the battle between the serpent and mankind (Genesis 3) in which God promises that the seed of the woman would eventually crush the seed of the serpent.

Genesis 3-11:

Let’s trace the seed of woman… Gen 4:25-26 (and into Chapter 5-- genealogy resulting in Noah) Gen 6:5 ( Gen 6-7-8 God destroys all of the seed and the cosmos on which the

seed was to have dominion, and He starts over with Noah) Gen 9:20 (Noah’s lineage producing the Canaanites) Gen 11:4 (Noah’s lineage are making a name for themselves, not for God—they

get the name of “Confusion”) Gen 11:30 (No seed)

The seed of the woman seems to be faltering, failing. How can it ever be said to “crush” the head of the serpent and deal with the corruption and the fight between mankind and the serpent (Satan). The serpent seems to be winning! Ultimately the prologue of Scriptures (Gen 1-11) ends in chapter 11 with a key figure not even being able to produce a seed (Gen 11:30)!!! The cosmos under man’s rule has resulted in chaos because of mankind’s corruption and confusion….

Genesis 11: The descendants of Noah instead of making a name for God by being His image and likeness and spreading out all over the earth, instead congregate at one place to make a name for themselves. God assigns them the name “Confusion” (Babel) because of their confused state. He manifests their state literally in their language as an act of judgment and thus the families of the earth divide along the lines of language and from there we get all the nations of the earth. Application: Note when we try to make a name for ourselves, God ensures that we get a name—that of “confusion!”

Genesis 12: God is undaunted though in His intent of having a people of His own image and likeness be His representatives to the entire created order, and now begins to work in one man, Abraham, through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. In the chaos of mankind, God reaches down to start bringing order to the mess by working in one man. Notice, in contrast to the people at Babel who wanted to make their own name great, that God says he will make Abraham’s name great. The only requirement is that Abraham believes God and acts upon what God says! In this way God’s purpose would be fulfilled, and in the process, God would make a name for Abraham!! This sets the stage for what is required of us to be a people of God used for His purposes (i.e. salvation)—FAITH (Romans 4, Gal 4). This also sets the stage for the ultimate “seed” or lineage of Abraham through which the fullness of God’s promises to Abraham would be realized—Jesus Christ— the perfect image of God who perfectly represents God. And, through Christ, God would redeem for Himself a people that are being created in the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) to be God’s people, declaring to the created order the glories of God, fulfilling God’s original intent in Genesis 1.

5. Brief Commentary on Gen 11-12:9

Genesis 111Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words (there was only

one language in the beginning). 2It came about as they (descendants of Noah) journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there (basically the region between the Tigris and Euphrates River in Iraq today). 3They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone (from the perspective of

the children of Israel who only used stones in their building, making bricks was a foreign concept. But the geographical area of Babylon in which they settled does not have stones and rocks like Israel and Egypt has. This comment though was ultimately a highly sarcastic remark. It has the essence of —“Look! They have to use man-made bricks for stones, to make their man-made tower, to make a name for themselves), and they used tar for mortar. (again, similarly, this is a pejorative comment) 4They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (in direct opposition to making a name for God and filling the earth with His image, likeness, and name) 5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. (This is highly sarcastic! In their best efforts to go up and reach the heavens, the Lord still has to “come down!”) 6The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7“Come, let Us go down (again note the ironic sarcasm, furthermore, whenever the Lord is said to be “going down” it is for judgment cf. Gen 18:21) and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9Therefore its name was called Babel (“confusion”), because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11 is the theological reason for the separation of families into nations recorded in Genesis 10)

10These are the records of the generations of Shem (The genealogies in Genesis are the main structure of genesis showing the “seed of promise” from Gen 3:15. When we get to Matthew 1 in the NT there are no more lists of genealogies in the New Testament after “THE SEED”—Christ. From Christ on, God is reproducing spiritual seed.) Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; 11and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters. 12Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; 13and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters. 14Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; 15and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters. 16Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; 17and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters. 18Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; 19and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters. 20Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; 21and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters. 22Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; 23and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters. 24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah; 25and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters. 26Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. 27Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. 28Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30Sarai was barren; she had no child. (Notice the seed of woman is now ‘gone’. Barrenness is a sign of the curse. Will there ever be again the type of blessing upon creation that was originally in Eden? What will happen to God’s promise that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent?

Barrenness is the way of human history and is indicative of living in a sin cursed world. It is an effective metaphor for hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future. There is no human power to invent the future) 31Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. 32The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

1Now the Lord said to Abram, (Notice that in barrenness/chaos, God speaks to bring life and existence, cf. Gen 1:3. Rom 4:17)

Command

Purpose

Command

Purpose

UltimateResult

“Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;

2And (or better “so that”) I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing; (A possible better translation is “Now, Be a blessing”.

3And (or, better “so that”) I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Ponder: Understanding that Abram was a nomad how do you think this command affected him?

Ponder: It is very instructive to note what God DOES NOT say here. What does God not inform Abram of? Think about what God did not say in regard to how the promise would be fulfilled.

4So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him (***THIS IS THE KEY***) and Lot went with him. (Why do you think He took LOT?). Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan (from the North, see map below). 6Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. (Why do you think the text mentions the Canaanite?) 7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him (Why do you think he did this? NOTE about Seed/Blessing/Land) “8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. (Again, this is an act of worship like verse 7) 9Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev. (Abram built altars to the one true God in the land of false gods. Trace Abrams’s altar building from Shechem, Bethel, to the Negev on the map below. What picture do you get in your mind as you observe Abram’s actions?)

Ponder: What do we learn about God from this lesson? Some thoughts are given below.

The purpose of God’s gracious calling to Abraham was to fashion an alternative community (His Kingdom, His reign) to redeem a broken creation. The call to Sarah and Abraham has to do not simply with the forming of Israel but with the re-forming of creation, the transforming of the nations to be His righteous image bearers to the created order. He will not leave creation in its cursed state forever!

Also, blessing in relationship with God cannot be conjured up by Abraham and Sarah. It can only be given by God.

Ponder: What do we learn about the nature of faith? Some thoughts are given below.

Faith is not “natural” based upon what is seen/experienced/understood

The radical nature of God’s commands and promises to Abraham are more clearly seen since He was asking the nomad/tribal man Abraham to

(1) Leave the land in which he was used to traveling around(2) Leave his kinsmen and specifically his father’s house/tribe(3) Go to a different land

Abraham believed. ***THIS IS THE KEY***—WHEN ABRAHAM BELIEVED AND ACTED UPON GOD’S WORD, HE BECAME A PIVOTAL PERSON TO BRING BACK ORDER (COSMOS) TO THE CHAOS OF MANKIND—ULTIMATLELY RESULTING IN THE MESSIAH. HE DID ALL OF THIS WITHOUT FULL KNOWLEDGE OF HOW GOD WAS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS. However, as we will see the story unfold, Abraham’s pivotal role is not a one time “act of faith.” His pivotal role is realized as he journeys on with God with multiple acts of faith --an adventure of faith if you will-- that, yes, starts here with a single step!

God’s promise is not easy to believe and practice. It must always be believed and practiced in the midst of those who practice seemingly more attractive ways—the Canaanites!

“This act (faith) of Abraham expresses a life identifying decision he had made in verse 4. It is appropriate to link this decision of Abraham to the commandment, to have ‘no other gods.’...Abraham’s calling on Yahweh’s name means that he had resolved to cling to none other than to the promise-maker. Even among the Canaanites, the building of an altar is an assertion that the promise-maker is being trusted. It is a polemic (truth confrontation) against every other god and every other loyalty.” –Walter Brueggeman cf. Ps 105:1-2, Ps 116:3-4, Acts 4:12.

Ponder: What do we learn about the results of faith? Some thoughts are given below.

For the nations: God’s promise to Abraham provides what the people of Babel tried to form for themselves and could not—a great name. Furthermore, the blessing of Abraham (and his descendants) carried the potential for the blessing of other nations. Abraham (and his descendants) were not permitted to live in a vacuum. Life must always be lived with, for, and among the others. The barren ones having been given life through relationship to God are now called to be a blessing for the needs of the others.

Great Name/ Blessing—But is any of this seen immediately?

Ponder: What do we learn about the results of a lack of faith?

For Abraham: The choice Abraham had to make was either to stay in his seemingly secure place and remain barren or to have faith in what was not seen but have hope. God’s call for Abraham was to move out of barrenness/chaos/curse and be used of God to provide an opportunity for the broken nations to do the same

Ponder: What foundations are laid by this great text that build toward Jesus?

Ponder: What ways do you need to grow in faith in order to be blessing to others in your specific life circumstance?

Record and be ready to share:

The 1-2 most helpful truths that impacted you from this lesson

How you either applied the truths to your life or plan to apply the truths