Introduction
Review Genesis as the book of "beginnings" (Gen. 1-11 themes). Now we come to another beginning – the beginning of God's covenant (solemn contract) with a man named Abraham who lived over 4000 years ago (read 12:1-3). Many biblical scholars consider this the most foundational passage in the entire Bible. This is because, as we will see, this covenant has a ripple-effect that extends to every single person who has ever lived since – including you and me. Let's study this covenant, its subsequent reiterations, and its preceding context to answer three questions . . .
Why did God pick Abraham for this covenant?
What was Abraham's background/pedigree, that God should make this covenant with him?
He was a descendant of Shem – the good son of Noah to whom God promised that He would dwell in a unique sense with Shem's line (9:25). You might think therefore that Shem's descendant would also be godly, but you would be greatly mistaken.
He was a worshipper of false gods. Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans (MAP), which has been excavated (RUINS SLIDE), and from this we can date Abraham to about 2100 BC. Ur (as well as Haran, see below) was known for its worship of Ur-namu (a human king who became deified as the moon-god), which probably involved substantial human sacrifices when rulers died.[1] Josh. 24:2 says that Abraham's father and Abraham himself actively participated in this idolatrous worship. This is also indicated by some of the names in this family – Terah ("moon"), Haran ("city of the moon god"), Sarai (name of the moon-god's wife), Milcah (name of the moon-god's daughter). It's not like God had no other options. There was a super-godly guy named Job who lived at this time and in this area. But God chose Abraham for this job!
From this we learn that God calls people who live in deep darkness, and who have more baggage than a luggage factory. Your background (dysfunctional family; false world-view; sin-damage; etc.) has no defining impact on what God can do through you. Often, people who come from the deepest darkness wind up shining the brightest for God. In fact, God delights in calling such people, because what they do is because of God – not because of their competence or goodness (read 1 Cor. 1:26-29).
How did Abraham respond when God entered into this covenant?
Read 11:31-12:1. It sounds like God called Abraham when he lived in Haran, after his father died. But 12:1 is better translated: "The Lord had said to Abraham . . ." – which means that Abraham had received God's call before he lived in Haran. Acts 7:2-4 confirms that Abraham first received God's call in Ur (MAP). In other words, he disregarded three of the four commands that God gave him (relatives; father's house; to the land). Even the one he apparently obeyed ("Go forth from your country") seems to have been initiated by Terah. For all we know, it may have been a career move to another moon-god worshipping city. Only decades later, after Abraham's father died, did he leave for Canaan – and even then he still took part of his family (Lot) with him (which caused problems, as we'll see in coming weeks).
From this we learn that God's call can remain open to us even when we neglect it for various reasons (family pressure; desire for comfort; etc.), and for long periods of time. Many people come to Christ early in life, but don't decide to walk with Him until much later. Many people walk with God for a period, and then drift away for long periods of time (DISTRACTION; FEAR; FAILURE). The point is that you can move forward with God and be used by God today even though you have been disobedient for years. And God can work through you to inspire others who are like you!
We'll come back to consider what asset Abraham did have, but first let's consider our second question . . .
Why is this covenant so important?
Theologians call 12:1-3 the Abrahamic Covenant – the covenant that God made to Abraham and to a certain line of his descendants. This covenant is the foundation upon which the rest of the Bible is built; all subsequent covenants and major events relate to the outworking of this covenant.
For the Old Testament:
Gen. 13 – Deuteronomy narrate the fulfillment of the "nation" promise. Abraham's grandson has 12 sons, who become the 12 tribes of Israel. These tribes grow into a nation while enslaved in Egypt. God raises up Moses to deliver them from Egypt.
Joshua and the subsequent historical books narrate the fulfillment of the "land" promise. First, He brings them into Canaan by driving out their enemies (Joshua). Subsequently, He rescues them from their enemies first through deliverers ("judges"), and then through kings. Eventually they are exiled because of their idolatry, but God restores them to their land as the Old Testament closes.
The prophets add details to the "seed blessing" promise.
DESCENT: Review 3:15 (a male descendant of Eve who will defeat Satan and undo his damage, but not without injury) and 9:25 (God will dwell in some unique way with Shem's descendants). Then God narrows the seed's lineage through Abraham (12:3), his son Isaac, Isaac's son Jacob, Jacob's son Judah (Gen. 49), and finally to David's kingly line (2 Chron. 17).
ROLES: This "seed" will be King who defeats God's enemies and establishes His rule over all the earth (read Gen. 22:17,18; Isa. 11:1-10). He will also be Servant who voluntarily lays down His blameless life for humanity's sins (read Gen. 22:13-16,18; Isa. 53 selection).
For the New Testament:
Jesus is the promised Messiah, the descendant of Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1).
Jesus' first Coming fulfills the promised sacrificial Servant role (Mk. 10:45).
Jesus commissions His followers to take the good news of His atoning death to all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). "Nations" (ethnoi) is the Greek equivalent of "families" (mishpachah) in Gen. 12:3. This commission is close to being fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled before Jesus comes back (Rev. 7:9,10).
Jesus' second Coming fulfills the promised King role, as He defeats God's enemies and establishes God's kingdom for all who have received Him as Messiah (Rev. 1:5-7).
Here we see the marvelous unity of the Bible – 66 different books written by dozens of different authors over 1500 years, yet with one plot from one ultimate Author. No other "scripture" has anything even remotely like this!
What was God's part & Abraham's part in this covenant?
As we look closely at 12:1-3, we see two things: that God made multiple promises to Abraham, and that God called Abraham to do multiple things. Both had specific roles that are important for us to understand, because God still works with us in the same way.
God communicates His part through five promises: "I will give you this land" (12:1; 13:15); "I will make you a great nation" (12:2); "I will bless you and make your name great" (12:2); "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you" (12:3); "I will make you a blessing, and through your descendant bring a blessing to all nations" (12:2,3; 22:18a).
Note that God works exclusively through Abraham and his nation and his descendant. There is only one chosen nation who gave the world the only true Scripture, and there is only one Messiah/Savior who descends from him/them. But God implements this exclusive plan because of His inclusiveness, to offer His salvation to all people. Thus, both totally exclusive religions (e.g., Pharisaism) and totally inclusive religions (e.g., universalism) are contrary to God's way of salvation. We must come to Him through Jesus – but anyone is welcome through Jesus.
The point is that it is God who plays the major role in this plan. He initiates these promises, and He promises to fulfill them. They are not based at all on Abraham's awesomeness or merit. (Gen. 15 will make this even more apparent.) If you ask "Why did God make these promises?," the answer is: "Because of His grace."
Abraham's part (12:1) is active, and it is also important. He is to leave his home and family, and to go where God directs him. We will see in coming weeks how Abraham responds. But it is a response to God's initiative, and it is utterly dependent on the promises God makes. This is what the Bible calls faith (Heb. 11:8) – active and dependent trust in God's promises.
This is not just unique to Abraham; this is paradigmatic to how God relates to all of us, how we receive the salvation God offers us through His Son Jesus. Read Eph. 2:8,9. God's salvation is offered to us "by grace." It is a totally free and utterly unmerited gift. If you ask "Why does God offer to save me?," the answer lies wholly in God (see Rom. 5:6,8,10), not at all in you.
We receive God's rescue "through faith" – by actively depending on His promise to save us. Your faith doesn't incline God to love you or save you; it simply receives the love and salvation God He already wants to give you. What do you say?
Conclusion
NEXT WEEK: CAMPUS CLEAN-UP DAY!!!
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
[1] "Evidence from only three tombs shows at least 164 people were sacrificed in some manner at the burial (Woolley, Ur, 28). Because of the enormous number of bodies, the graves came to be referred to as 'death pits' and the 'Great Death Pit.'" Kennedy, T. M. (2016). Ur. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.