(These notes were prepared and written by BRANDON BOLDT. This sermon was originally preached by Brandon Boldt at Look to the Cross in Edmonton on September 25, 2011.)
Covenant: God's Unstoppable Revelatory Program
Genesis 12:1-9 (ESV)
The Call of Abram
1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8From there he moved to the hill country 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. 9And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
So lets have some context before we dive in.
4th Week of Genesis Series!
Week 1 - Creation: God created something out of the void; he gave purpose out of that nothingless void. He turned the void into his temple where he dwells and we are finding that he doesn't enjoy sharing it with other lesser authorities.
Week 2 - The fall of Man: Sin entered the world. It made its way from personal sin (Cain kills Abel because he is jealous of how God accepts Abel's sacrifice and not his) to the sin of a community and eventually became systemic, taking hold of society in general (Sons of god/daughters of men - the story of oppressive and violent kings and kindgdoms) and finally perverting people's image of God. This is where we see the tower of Babel.
Week 3 - Last week we saw how God used his servant Noah to build a gigantic boat on dry land. Mankind and the animal kingdom were saved by this insane cruise ship when God purges the earth of all living creatures aside from the ones in Noah's Ark. This story is violent, this story hurts to read. This story reveals the sovereignty of Yahweh.
Who was Abram?
1. Abram was Polytheistic.
- Many scholarly people have contributed quite a few different ideas towards what Abrams faith looked like before God called him.
One man named Moses Ben Maimon or "Maimonides", a medieval Jewish scholar said Abram was educated in a Mesopotamian town Called Cuthia where they practiced Zabaeanizm - This belief stated that only the sun, moon, and the stars were Gods.
John Walton suggested that at the time, each community had what is referred to as "local" Gods, aside from the greater ones, that would pay more attention to them if the people bribed them enough to do so.
We do know in scripture that if we look one chapter back, the Babylonians were building towers to worship the gods. "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." Gen 11. This again was only 420 years earlier. According to scripture, Noah's son Shem who lived in Babylon was still alive when God called Abram. So the culture was still very similar if not worse.
In Joshua 24:2 - Joshua is prophesying over All the tribes of Israel and he states... "to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods."
So Abram was raised in a pagan culture. He was polytheistic.
2. Abram was part of a Family
At the time, family was everything. Loyalty and Traditiooooonnn! Tradition. Were held up high.
You were known as the son of your father; when time came, you carried on in what your father had worked at his entire life.
These people stuck together. They were very familiar with the ins and outs of each others lives. They loved each other first over any other peoples. They sojourned together for their entire lives.
Abram was part of a family like this.
3. Abram was in line for an inheritance.
Most every father had some sort of wealth to pass on to their offspring or next in line when they were unable to take care of their clan any longer. To a traveling people, this would have most likely been herds, material goods, and even some sort of currency at the time. When it came time to inherit these things, you would not only receive just a bunch of stuff, but you would be made "godfather" not God the Father, but the godfather over your family.
So Abram was in line for an inheritance and a promotion.
Then one day in the land of Ur, which is in Iraq; 75 year old Abram, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Arpachshad, son of Shem, SON OF NOAH; then one day, 420 years after God spoke no Noah, he spoke to Abram.
"Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
From Genesis chapter 12 until the end of Malachi, the story told is of Abram and his seed that follows.
This story is based upon God's faithfulness with this seed, who eventually becomes the great, than not so great, than finally totally supreme Israel.
Like we mentioned before, Abram was polytheistic; he and his society had no idea who Yahweh really was. The tower of Babel was the result of this. But instead of abolishing the world again, God chose another son of Adam to teach the world who he really was, and is... and will be.
The promise, or covenant, that God made with Abram was God's way of revealing himself to the world.
God first makes a promise to Abram in Chapter 12vs 2-3 which I read a moment ago, than this happens in ch 15:7-21:
7 He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
In Chapter 12 God talked the talk, than if that wasn't good enough, in chapter 15 he walked the walk by passing through those animals as the fire pot and flaming torch. This was a physical representation of an oath.
God is truth, so by participating in these events 1) the verbal promise, and 2) the physical oath; he placed his truthful nature over his words, thus making God's covenant with Abram completely concrete.
In the NIV Application Commentary John Walton says this on pg.429 - "The Lord, Yahweh, is not portrayed as a God whom Abram already worshiped. It is interesting, then, that he does not give him a doctrinal statement or require rituals or issue demands when he appears to Abram; he makes an offer. Yahweh does not tell Abram that he is the only God there is, and he does not ask him to stop worshiping the gods his family is worshiping. He does not tell him to get rid of his idols, nor does he proclaim a coming Messiah or salvation. Instead, he says that he has something to give Abram if Abram is willing to give up some things first."
This covenant consists of three main points:
1. Abram would be blessed v.2a
2. Abram would be a blessing vv 2b-3a
3. Through Abram, God reveals himself v 3b.
1. Abram would be blessed
Ch 12:2a I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great...
This is so beautiful: the Hebrew word for blessing in this case is the verb "to kneel."
You've all seen Shawn bend down to comfort Elijah when he is crying.
This is the image God gives Abram right away.
In the midst of Abram's life, most likely dominated by the burden of taking care of his god or gods, Yahweh introduces himself and says "I will kneel down and take care of you if you let me."
Abram must have been dumbfounded. And more importantly, convinced.
God is just finished telling Abram "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." and the very next verse, verse 4 says:
"So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him." Lot being his nephew.
Like God asked, Abram left his society, his community and his father's house.
He traded:
His land for God's Promised Land.
The family he was in, for a nation of his own.
The inheritance that was in front of his eyes, for the inheritance that God prepared for him.
His life, for true life.
Abram accepted God's proposition and God blessed him right away.
The trip that Abram and Lot took from Haran to Canaan is about
500 miles and takes about 1 months traveling at caravan pace(20 miles a day).
In taking this trip to Canaan, he was obedient to God.
v7 says Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
God blessed Abram with faith and there are two possibilities which could both be true for why Abram built an alter right away.
1) He was given the faith to praise Yahweh in a foreign land which led to him building an alter for worshiping,
or
2) He Had the faith enough to build the alter which stood as a future claim over the land of Canaan.
Either of the possibilities are really awesome.
But for the time being there was a famine in the land, so Abram went to Egypt where their seasonal productivity was dependent on the Nile river rather than a rainy season. This made Egypt a popular refuge for people who's lands were claimed by famine.
- Geologists have found evidence of a 300 year drought cycle that occurred at the end of the third millennium, which is one of the periods Abram has been dated to exist in. Thats pretty cool. The word speaks for itself. Creation tells of the father as well.
So really quickly, Abram was scared that the Egyptians would kill him because of Sarai's beauty so he convinces her to say that she is his sister, which is a half truth.
Pharaoh snags Sarai And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. - Camels being quite a luxury for very few of them had become domesticated yet.
God sends plagues to Pharaoh and his household and Pharaoh goes to Abram, gives him his wife back and tells him to leave.
Its clear that Abram was massively blessed already because in order to leave town, Pharaoh had to give his men "special orders concerning" Abram because of the amount of movement that would be going on in order for him to leave.
God clearly blessed Abram through this situation, as odd and misunderstood as it is.
This second half of Ch 12 is full of jeopardy towards God's covenant with Abram: the famine in the promised land and the extraction of Abrams wife leave him alone in his tent in a foreign land. His covenant with Yahweh looking invisible at the time. This also begins the intermingling of progress and jeopardy during the next 10 chapters; these chapters constantly display God's ability to resolve issues and provide what is absolutely necessary to see the covenant fulfilled.
2. Abram would be a blessing
Ch12:2b-3a ...so that you would be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse...
What is it like to be a blessing?
Back to the concept of kneeling - Abram, because of God's favor and protection over his life, is enabled to kneel down and bless those who he too favors.
Abram's nephew Lot went with him on his quest to follow this Yahweh.
This is probably one of the best examples of how Abram blesses those in his favor.
1) By following Abram, Lot was able to see the Sovereign Yahweh at work in Abram's life.
Through this he gained a knowledge of who Yahweh was and became what was considered by Simon Peter in 2 Peter 2:6-8 to be a righteous man among the wicked of Sodom.
2) Scripture says Lot was with Abram from the time they left Ur until they came out of Egypt and reached the Negeb. This means Lot witnessed God promise the land of Canaan to Abrams offspring.
3) After they leave Egypt and reached the Negeb Lot and Abram had to separate in ch 13:5-7a
And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.
Lot and Abram had so much stuff that they HAD to follow God's covenant for man and spread throughout the Land.
Just by Following Abram, Lot gained a wealth he would not have gained had he stayed in Ur.
4) Finally in Ch. 14 Lot is taken away into foreign land as his homeland is defeated in battle. Abram Kneels down in a great way by taking 318 of his own trained guard, and all his allies to save lot
Ch 14:16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. So Abram blessed Lot, all of Lot's clan, and the Kings in Lot's homeland by bringing back "All the possessions".
And as we read on through Genesis we will see how Abram's offspring continues to be a blessing to those around them. Especially in Egypt where they were "blessing the Egyptians" with their hard work and value of life.
3. Through Abram God Reveals Himself
Ch12:3b - and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Back to Chapter 12 one more time.
When Abram goes into Egypt because of the famine, he brings his covenant with him.
In Egypt God displays his incredible authority over life while he deals with Pharaoh. It would have been
impossible for the locals to have missed what was going on.
Some stranger dude shows up with his family and leaves with the shiniest bells and whistles money could buy, after pissing off Pharaoh, who would have been known as a God at the time. The Egyptians must have been like: What. Just. Happened.
Again in Chapter 14 when Abram saves Lot and all his and his homeland King's stuff, Yahweh is Glorified by Melchizedek, King of Salem.
Gen 14:19-20
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"
From this mention in scripture Melchizedek went on to become a member of Jewish history as someone who was especially exalted by Yahweh because of his righteousness. Being made High Priest of El Elyon - God Most High. In Jewish tradition, Melchizedek was the nickname for Shem, Noah's son.
He also became a member of Jewish folklore as a legend. Said to be God's Holy Spirit, or Michael the archangel.
Because of this elevation of identity, God was able to use his life/legend to reveal to the Jews in a manner they could understand the Deity and importance of Christ.
Conclusion
Before God solved the Eden problem (sin) he was determined to solve the Babel problem (a perverted view of his identity).
Before God solved the Eden problem he was determined to solve the Babel problem.
God made a covenant with Abram's family as a tool for the revelation of his personality. People cannot enter in to a relationship with someone they do not know. God had to reveal himself to his people before he could provide a means of redemption that his children would willingly accept.
And so God made Covenant with Abram and His family. Out of this family God blessed the world with The Law, the prophets, OT scripture, their history became a public record of God's attributes; for the climax through the line of Judah, God sent his son. All of these were means that God revealed himself to the nations. The revelatory program of the covenant stretches from Abraham to Christ, genetically. You see, the covenant blessings were totally conditional upon Israel's obedience to Yahweh's direction. But in the covenant God created a way to reveal himself to the nations through Israel regardless of their shape and form as a nation.
Abram's "seed" that God would bless the world through is often interpreted as the actual nation of Israel but it is not through the Jewish people that salvation is available to us sinners. It is through the blood of God's son Christ, the perfect ambassador of God's complete person, character, and nature that we are justified and able to be in sanctified.
Covenant: God's Unstoppable Revelatory Program
In this Covenant Abram sacrificed his family, gods, land, and inheritance. In return:
1) Abram was blessed
2) Abram was a blessing, and
3) Through Abram, God Revealed himself.
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