Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.

Transcription

1 God s Covenant Revelation to Abraham (Gen ) WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella January 18, 2015 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 Terah 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 forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis 11:27-32 ESV) Now 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." 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And 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, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 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. 8 From 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. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. (Genesis 12:1-9 ESV) Introduction Within the broad view of the post-flood world, the narrative of Genesis slows down to give details about God s dealing with Abraham. The shift is dramatic: the first eleven chapters cover thousands of years from creation through Noah to Terah, and then, marked off by the toledoth of 11.27a, the next thirteen chapters cover a mere 175 years in the life of Abraham (25.7), a specific man in specific places on earth. Our text for today is The first part (11.27b-32) presents Abraham s family background in the timeframe from when his father became a parent to his death. Thus, 11.27b identifies Terah s three sons: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Abraham is mentioned first (he is called Abram until God gives him a new name, 17.5). He is the youngest (by comparing 11.26, 11.32, and 12.4); so he is listed first as the most important, preeminent son. The location is 1 Ur of the Chaldeans (11.28) c introduces Lot as a son of the brother, Haran, who died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred (11.28). For the record, Haran is not only the father of Lot but also of two daughters, Milcah and Iscah (11.29), nephew and nieces of Abraham. In 11.29, the wives of Abraham and his brother (Nahor) are identified: And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Abraham married Sarah (called Sarai until God gives her a new name, 17.15). Nahor married Milcah (his niece, daughter of his brother Haran). The names of these women connect their parents with idolatry, the kind that Joshua said characterized the forefathers (Terah, Abraham, and Nahor) who served other gods (Josh 24.2). In 11.30, an anticipatory comment about Sarah s barrenness is stated with emphasis: Now Sarai was barren; she 1 This is either Ur that is north of Haran or the Ur at the east end of the Fertile Crescent where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet. Abraham s family location goes with the fact that the distribution of the Shemites is ambiguous in the table of nations, and his location goes with the reality that though Shemites may have mainly settled in areas below the Fertile Crescent, migrations in various direction of all the descendants of Noah is also characteristic.

2 2 had no child. Then in 11.31, the journey to the city of Haran that lies on the trade route from Ur to the land of Canaan is sketched from the perspective of Terah s patriarchal headship: He took them from Ur intent on going to Canaan but stopped short and settled in Haran: Terah 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 forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The background material ends with the death of Terah with explicit statements about his lifespan and the location of his death (11.32): The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. Thus we are given information to help us understand the coming narrative. Now, what do we have in with its two scenes, one in Ur (Abraham s country and the location of his kindred, 12.1) and the other at Shechem in Canaan, halfway between Haran and Egypt (12.6)? Unquestionably, the subject of these verses is not Abraham but the Lord God because He is the only speaker on record: 12.1, Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and 12.7, Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said. There is no dialogue; only God s covenant revelation to Abraham. Because God reveals Himself on these two occasions, there are two main things to discuss: God s covenant revelation to Abraham in Ur and God s covenant revelation to Abraham at Shechem. I. God s covenant revelation to Abraham in Ur This revelation is before us in ; it has some peculiarities that are best considered by viewing the actions of the narrator, God, and Abraham in A. The narrator s action Importantly, the narrator (Moses by the Spirit) uses the literary device of flashback (as before in ). As NT readers, we know it is a flashback from Stephen s speech in Acts where he plainly states that God spoke the words of Genesis 12.1 in Mesopotamia, that is, in the place between the rivers referring to either the Ur north of Haran or south east of Haran: And Stephen said: "Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, 'Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you' (Acts 7.2-3). He precisely puts this covenant revelation at the time before he [Abraham] lived in Haran (7.2). Thus, is a flashback to a scene that took place much earlier than the events of Haran just introduced at the end of 11. Interestingly, this momentous event that set everything in motion in the life of one of the major figures in OT history is presented to us in a flashback. At first it seems like an afterthought in the story line; the displacement may catch the mind off guard; well, it should because it leads to fruitful meditation and deeper digging. B. God s action To what do we flashback? We are sent in thought back to a point in time when Abraham and his family blended into the pagan post-flood world. The account flashes back to the moment in history when God revealed Himself to Abraham. Stephen says, The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham (Acts 7.2). Again we have divine condescension by which the mediator of the covenant presented Himself to Abraham in the form of a man and spoke to him to bridge the distance between God and the Creator. Without this free condescension, man would never have a fruitful and blessed relationship with God (WCF VIII, 1). What God said when He appeared is an imperative and a host of promises. 1. Regarding the imperative God gave Abraham a simple command to go, to go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you (Gen 12.1). The command to leave Ur of the Chaldeans was purposefully ambiguous. The Lord did not tell Abraham where to go. What the

3 3 one who made Himself known to Abraham required was that he leave his homeland; that was unquestionably clear, but precisely where he was to go was definitely unclear. As the writer to the Hebrews states it, he had to get up and go not knowing where he was going (Heb 11.8). Any perceptive reader and concerned Christian will wonder how this works out in a practical way for surely Abraham doesn t just put his finger in the wind to decide which way to go. So, the question arises: how do you take even one step in some direction without knowing your destination? The text will answer this question but it first tells us of the encouragement that moves Abraham to get up and go without knowing the end of his journey; he is motivated by the promises of the covenant Lord. 2. Regarding the promises They are the heart of the Abrahamic covenant. It may help us to see the richness of what the Lord promises by viewing them in two ways (the way of for whom and the way of a list). On one hand, note for whom the blessings are given. They are for Abraham himself (12.2: And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great). He will become a great nation with personal blessings in his walk with God, and he will have a great name by God s making, by God s doing. The quest for greatness, for a great name, as sought by those at Babel is a huge pitfall for pride and self-glorification. But it is a different story if God chooses to give you a great name, as He did for Abraham. As the father of the faithful, the name of Abraham is a household name among the people of God of all ages and among many outsiders. Moreover, the blessings are not only for himself, but also for Abraham s contemporaries: (12.2-3a: so that you will be a blessing. But the there is a warning for the Lord says, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse). Finally, the blessings are for the nations of the entire world: (12.3b: and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed). It is now clear that God s design from the beginning but threatened by the fall into sin will now be accomplished through this Shemite descendant of pagan origin. These promises are sweeping for Abraham himself, for his contemporaries, and for all families of the earth. On the other hand, the promises can be put on a simple list to see the richness for Abraham. God promises that He will: 1) make Abraham a great nation, 2) bless him, 3) make his name great, 4) make him a blessing, 5) protect him by blessings and cursings, and 6) in him bless all families of the earth. C. The narrator s action and God s action brings us to Abraham s action It is interesting to note that he obeyed God s command given in Ur (12.1; Acts 7.2) when he went as God had told him from Haran (12.4). The flashback is superimposed on Abraham s venture from Haran into the land of Canaan. But the command he obeys was given in Ur before he ever set foot in Haran. So, what then does the flashback contribute to the story? It takes us back to Ur and forward to Canaan at the same time. Taken back to Ur, we are told that Abraham obeyed the Lord while in the dark as to where the covenant Lord was taking him: Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran because the God of glory appeared to him there (Acts 7.4a). Therefore, he moved from Ur to Haran in the obedience of faith (Heb 11.8): By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called [there in Ur] to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Per the flashback the going without knowing applies to both departures, from Ur and from Haran. Thus, the covenant revelation in Ur is superimposed on the next scene of God s covenant revelation to Abraham at Shechem. II. God s covenant revelation to Abraham at Shechem A. Consider the flashback again

4 4 The flashback looks forward in the narrative, forward to the point in time when Abraham left Haran; going, as he does, into the uncertain future and to an unknown destination. This underscores the drama of the unknown for when the soles of his shoes touch the earth on the way to Shechem, he still does not know where he is going. But he goes in obedience, the obedience of faith. Hence, a fullness of meaning is poured into the conclusion of 12.4a: So Abram went, as the LORD had told him. He left Haran in obedience to the command God gave him when he was in Ur. Reading 12.1 in the close connection that it has to 12.4 informs us that he left Haran with the same uncertainty regarding his destination that he had when he left Ur many years earlier. Nonetheless, Abraham (per ) went, as the LORD had told him and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people [servants and fighting men no doubt] 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, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. B. At this point, an important question surfaces How is it that he went not knowing where he was going when the text says they set out to go to the land of Canaan (12.5)? A similar question arises in the departure from Ur: how is it that Abraham does not know where he is going when the text says that Terah took Abram his son and Lot and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan (11.31)? We know that Abraham obeyed the Lord going to an unknown destination when he left Ur (Heb 11.8). Notably, that obedience came to realization under his father s authority. We are not told what drove Terah to leave Ur, whether it was the prompting of Abraham or other providential means, but clearly it is Terah that took Abraham to Haran with the plan of continuing on to Canaan. Therefore, we have to conclude that Abraham left Ur with an obedient heart toward God and toward his father. Accordingly, Abraham knew where his father was taking him (to Haran intending to go to Canaan) but he did not know where God was taking him. He could see the hand of God at work in his father s action of moving the family away from Ur and to that he willingly complied. Likewise, when he leaves Haran he has a plan; he sets out for the land to which his father had originally intended to go: into the land of Canaan (11.31; 12.5). The flashback helps us see both departures (involving change, uprooting, uncertainty, and the unknown) as acts of faith for although Canaan is his immediate goal, he is ignorant as to his final destination; he does not know the land to which the covenant Lord is taking him, or even what that means regarding the promises of a great nation, name, and blessing, except for the implication that these promises will somehow be realized in that as yet unknown land. C. Now consider the resolution regarding the unknown Wonderfully, the God of glory not only appeared to our father Abraham in Ur and spoke to him there, but He also condescended as meditator of the covenant to reveal the precise land set apart for Abraham as an inheritance (12.7a): Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." Thus, He says, it is my gift to you even though Canaanites now inhabit the land. It is my gift to your offspring even though your wife Sarah is barren. D. Finally, consider Abraham s response In 12.7b-9, we read: So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From 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. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Abraham responded by building an altar. No food is mentioned but it is surely in the shape of a table, and thus serves as a symbol of meal fellowship, which in turn represents the fellowship Abraham had with God because God introduced Himself,

5 and revealed Himself in Ur and at Shechem. Thus, as he journeys on to the Egyptian edge of Canaan, the patriarch builds other altars for worship and prayer (12.8-9). 5 In conclusion How is this text relevant to the church today and to our walk with God in the twenty-first century? Some expositor s make this a mission motivating text connecting it with the gospel to the nations of the Great Commission (Mat ) because of the promise of blessing to all families of the earth. For example Greidanus of Calvin Seminary applies it to missionary zeal that is sapped by contemporary materialism and consumerism (Genesis, 150). However, when we recall that this text is a motivation to encourage Israel under Joshua to destroy the Canaanite nations, the idea of gospel mission seems severely out of context. What strikes you as you read the text with its two scenes of covenant revelation to Abraham, one in Ur and the other at Shechem. What comes home to your heart from the use of flashback by Moses that superimposes the riches of God s covenant revealed to Abraham in Ur over His covenant revelation to Abraham at Shechem? Do you not get a sense of drama regarding a pagan to whom God revealed Himself, a pagan who therefore began to walk with God in the obedience of faith, a former idolater who by faith obeyed and went out from Ur and from Haran to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going (Heb 11:8). So, though perhaps a subordinate point, we are given an example of faith, an example to follow as people upon whom the ends of the ages have now come (1 Cor 10.11). He had nothing to go on about his destination except God s word. God promised that Abraham would receive a land as his inheritance. Like Abraham (in many ways of course unlike him for he is unique in the history of redemption), we are called to step out into the unknown future ultimately to receive an inheritance as yet unseen. Our deepest comfort is found by faith in God s word in these very promises to Abraham in Ur and at Shechem. But we do not look to our faith in God s promises. The way the covenant Lord gives them directs us away from ourselves, even our faith, to His faithfulness and saving power. Therefore, there is a major point to take home from this account, namely, the faithful Lord has a covenant plan for the restoration of a family of image bearers to fill the earth in the glory of the eternal Sabbath. He accomplished the saving of sinners by the offspring of Eve through Abraham, Jesus Christ, who was bruised for our iniquities and crushed for our transgression, and in whom all families of the earth are blessed (1 Pet 2.24; Isa 53.5, 10). Moreover, the good news is that the covenant is gracious, unilateral, unconditional; its accomplishment is irresistible. This is what explains the radical uprooting of family and possessions by a pagan in Ur of the Chaldeans to obey the covenant Lord not knowing where he was going. It is because God extended to Abraham His effectual call that brought him out of darkness into the light (Heb 11.8, he was called). Suddenly, Abraham s life in Ur came to a screeching halt. God intervened in the affairs of his daily walk, in the affairs of a man originally part and parcel with the pagan fallen world. God s call establishes communication, begins a life of faith, and initiates conversation in which faith seeks God s presence, obeys, worships, and prays. Stephen tells us that it was the God of glory who appeared to Abraham, spoke to him, and took him from (removed him from) Ur and Haran and brought him into the land of Canaan (Acts 7.4). The good news here is that the Abrahamic covenant will be realized by the efficacious grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and exalted to the right hand of the majesty on high.

6 Therefore, you and I have great encouragement based on great promises to trust, obey and like Abraham, to worship and to pray. May we fall down before the majesty of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we may walk in newness of life to the glory of the triune God, now and forevermore, amen. 6