www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 The Lord s Covenant with Abram The Call of Abram Abram in Egypt Genesis 12:1-20
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: Genesis 12:1-20, The Lord s Covenant with Abram The Call of Abram Abram in Egypt by Ron Thomas 1. The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4. So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. 10. Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." 14. When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. 17. But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. 18. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19. Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20. Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. (NIV) Commentary: Genesis 12:1-3, The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 I. The Lord directed Abram to a new land. 12:1-3 A. In Acts 7:1-4, we learn that a call had been sent to Abram from the Lord already. This call came while Abram was in Mesopotamia, the land of the Chaldeans (Acts 7:2). 1. Acts 7:1-4, Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?" To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' "So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. (NIV) B. This land did not belong to Abram at all (Acts 7:5), but it was going to belong to his descendents. When Abram received the call from God, he went; however, he did not know where he was going but he went (Hebrews 11:8). 1. Acts 7:5, He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. (NIV) 2. Hebrews 11:8, By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (NIV) C. Abram dwelt in a land that was not his; by faith he went there and lived (by faith means he lived by the spoken Word of God; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 10:17).
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 1. 2 Corinthians 5:7, We live by faith, not by sight. (NIV) 2. Romans 10:17, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (NIV) 3. He was willing to dwell in tents (a temporary home) because the home he waited for was a home with foundations that could not be shaken (Hebrews 11:10). a. Hebrews 11:10, For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (NIV) 4. Jewish interpreters put a great deal of emphasis (in a most unfortunate way, I think) upon the fact that Abram did not receive mercy from God. 5. Rather, Abraham did not win his new status by default; he had to prove his greatness by passing ten tests of faith (Chumash, p. 54). D. The words of Genesis 12 are the words of that call either repeated (I am not inclined to think so) or words told unto Abram for the first time after his initial call to leave. 1. A significant point of this call, among other things, was his call to leave his family. 2. Abram was 75 years of age and Sarai was 65 (Chumash, p. 55; cf. 17:17).
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 a. Genesis 17:17, Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" (NIV) E. Abram received three great promises from God: 1. I will make you a great nation. This involves territory, population, government, and worship (Jones, p. 85). 2. I will bless you and make your name great. Jones mentioned that Abram and David are the ones to receive this (cf. 2 Samuel 7:9). a. 2 Samuel 7:9, I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. (NIV) 3. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Galatians 3:14-16). a. Galatians 3:14-16, He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (NIV)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 Genesis 12:4-9, So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. (NIV) I. Abram went into the land of Canaan. 12:4-9 A. He was 75 years of age when he departed from Haran (12:4-5). This journey would have been about 400 miles (Morris, p. 295). The Chumash offered an interesting (and strange) interpretation concerning why Abram took Lot with him. Abraham took him because he foresaw that David and the Messiah would descend from Lot, and because Haran had died in support of Abraham, Abraham felt that he had to be compassionate to his son (p. 55, emphasis added, RT). 1. Genesis 12:4, 5, So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (NIV)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 B. Abram passed through the land and came to Shechem (12:6). The terebinth of Moreh (NKJV) might be indicative of the significant spot where teaching occurred (Wenham, p. 279). 1. Genesis 12:6, Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. (NIV) 2. Abraham went to a significant spot in Shechem and built an altar to the Lord. 3. If this was a place of teaching... the oak may have gained its name from soothsaying activities having gone on there, perhaps at a Canaanite shrine (Kidner, p. 115). 4. Contrary to Coffman, I think it is reasonable that Abraham went there on purpose with the view of staking God s claim to the place. C. The Lord appeared to Abram (12:7). Wenham mentions this is the first explicit reference to the Lord s appearing to Abrahm. 1. Genesis 12:7, The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (NIV) D. Abram built an altar to the Lord (12:8-9). Abram built an altar in Shechem and at Bethel. 1. Genesis 12:8, 9, From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. (NIV)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 2. Altars were for the purpose of worship. While some deny the probability that animal sacrifices were offered, Wenham mentioned, Sacrifice was the normal mode of worship in the OT... [t]his denial that Abram offered sacrifice seems a little perverse in the light of Noah s example and chap. 22 (p. 280). 3. Thus, Abram worshipped in a deliberate, regular and formal way (Wenham, p. 281). Genesis 12:10-20, Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. (NIV) I. Abram dwelt in Egypt, 12:10-20 A. Famine in the land (12:10)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 1. Genesis 12:10, Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. (NIV) 2. Abram had been given a promise and, no doubt, he was encouraged greatly by that promise. 3. However, a famine arose and as he began to run out of pasture, did his mind ever waver concerning whether this land would be his or not because he knew he might have to leave it? 4. In any case, whatever his thinking was, he left out of necessity and went down into Egypt. B. Abram and Sarai have a compact between the two of them (12:11-13). 1. Genesis 12:11-13, As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." (NIV) 2. She was middle aged (or, half the age at which she would ultimately die). She died at the age 127 (interestingly enough, this is the only woman in the bible whose age is given at her death). 3. Her beauty was quickly recognized. Abram knew that her survival and dignity depended on him. She, too, recognized this.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 4. So he instructed her to identify herself as his sister (20:12). a. Genesis 20:12, Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. (NIV) C. The execution of the operation plan (12:14-20). 1. Genesis 12:14-20, When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. (NIV) 2. Wenham mentioned that the phrase was taken (NKJV) properly denotes the formal taking of a woman as a wife and is distinguished from the act of marital intercourse... However, it can be used more loosely to describe all aspects of marriage (p. 289). a. Imagine Abram s heart and countenance in all this! I suppose it would not have mattered how much he
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 would have gained; when he saw his wife, the one he loved, with his hands tied, he could do nothing. b. What was his thinking about the promises of God at this point? Abraham had no choice: Had he refused gifts, he would have aroused Pharaoh s suspicions (Chumash, p. 57). 3. While Abram was probably experiencing all sorts of anxiety, even with the gifts showered upon him, the Lord tended to the matter behind the scenes. 4. Josephus offered the following interesting scenario as to what might have happened: Now, as soon as he came into Egypt, it happened to Abram as he supposed it would; for the fame of his wife s beauty was greatly talked of; for which reason Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, would not be satisfied with what was reported of her, but would needs see her himself, and was preparing to enjoy her; but God put a stop to his unjust inclinations, by sending upon him a distemper, and a sedition against his government. And when he inquired of the priests how he might be freed from these calamities, they told him that his miserable condition was derived from the wrath of God, upon account of his inclinations to abuse the stranger s wife. He then, out of fear, asked Sarai who she was, and who it was that she brought along with her. And when he had found out the truth, he excused himself to Abram, that supposing the woman to be his sister, and not his wife, he set his affections on her, as desiring an affinity with him by marrying her, but not as incited by lust to abuse her. He also made him a large present in money, and gave among the Egyptians; from which conversation his virtue and his reputation became more conspicuous than they had been before (Josephus, E-Sword).
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 D. Abram went into Egypt wealthy, but due to circumstances, while in Egypt, he was faced with a trial of great significance. Because of the Lord s intervention, Abram and Sarai were spared the indignity that surely would have resulted. Now, Abram left Egypt to go back to the land of promise. No doubt, that land never looked so good! I. Covenants. Lessons From Chapter 12 A. Meaning/essence of the word is that which binds two parties together, thus a set of obligations between the two. 1. It would be a worthwhile study to determine what the contents of the respective covenants are. (Information above is from ISBE-R, vol. 1, pages 790-797). 2. It would be a mistake to understand the Mosaic covenant (from God to Moses to the people) as something only stated in Exodus 20-23, for the word covenant is used elsewhere in the Torah and includes other matters (cf. Leviticus 2:13; 26:14-15; Deuteronomy 29:1). a. Exodus 20:1-26, And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I,
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. "You shall not murder. "You shall not commit adultery. "You shall not steal. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 God speak to us or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. " 'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.' (NIV) b. Exodus 21:1-36, "These are the laws you are to set before them: "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. "But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,'
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money. "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death. "Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death. "Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death. "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. "If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 completely healed. "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. "If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth. "If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death. However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded. This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned. "If a man uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay for the loss; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his. "If a man's bull injures the bull of another and it dies, they are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and the dead animal will be his. (NIV) c. Exodus 22:1-31, "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. "If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed. "A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft. "If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession whether ox or donkey or sheep he must pay back double. "If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. "If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. "If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. But if the thief
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man's property. In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, 'This is mine,' both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to his neighbor. "If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to his neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the LORD that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, he shall bring in the remains as evidence and he will not be required to pay for the torn animal. "If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, he must make restitution. But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss. "If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. "Do not allow a sorceress to live.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 "Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death. "Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed. "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. "Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. "You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day. "You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs. (NIV) d. Exodus 23:1-33, "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 poor man in his lawsuit. "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt. "For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. "No one is to appear before me empty-
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 22 handed. "Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. "Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD. "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. "The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning. "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 23 enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you." (NIV) e. Leviticus 2:13, Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings. (NIV) f. Leviticus 26:14, 15, "'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, (NIV) g. Deuteronomy 20:1, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 24 God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. (NIV) 3. Moreover, if God gives a command, while it may not be part of God s expressly stated covenant will, it would be a mistake to think that God will not hold one accountable simply because it is not a breaking of the covenant in the strict sense of the word. B. When God makes a covenant with man, the Lord does not leave it to man s prerogative to add to that covenant as he thinks best. 1. Though many men have done so through the many years, it is still not man s choice in the matter. 2. In cases like these, man is presumptuous and arrogant. 3. The principle of Deuteronomy 29:29 applies regardless of the specifics of the covenants. a. Deuteronomy 29:29, The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (NIV) C. Those brothers who, in their presumption and with their (can we say) arrogant attitude, add to what the Lord has said, thereby causing division between brethren, will answer to the Lord for that which they have done. II. Another lesson to be learned is in regard to the simplicity of obedience. A. When the Lord said to go, Abram went.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 25 B. Abram did not feel the need to question the Lord. If he did, he did not allow that question to give him pause in obeying at least as far as the word is concerned.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 26 Bibliography Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary, Word Books, Waco, TX, 1987. Genesis, Bible Study Textbook series, volumes 3 & 4 (together in one volume, C.C. Crawford, Joplin, MO, 1987. Genesis, by James B Coffman, ACU Press, Abilene, TX, 1985. Genesis, Cuthbert Simpson, The Interpreters Bible, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1952. Genesis, Derek Kinder, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, Downers Grove, IL 1967. Genesis, Keil & Delitzsch, E-Sword. Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press, 1999. Josephus, translated by William Whitson, updated edition, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1987. Studies in Genesis, Edwin Jones, Quality Publications, Abilene, TX, 1996. The Chumash The Torah: Haftaros and Five Megillos With A Commentary Anthologized From Rabbinic Writings, Rabbis Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz, General Editors, Mesorah Publishers, Brooklyn, NY, Eleventh Edition, 2003. The Genesis Record, Henry Morris, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 27 The Torah Revealed, Avraham Yaakov Finkel, Jossey-Bass Publisher, San Francisco, CA, 2004.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 28 Questions on Genesis 12:1-20 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. What did the Lord say to Abram? 2. What did the Lord promise Abram? 3. What was Abram s response to the Lord s command? What lesson is there in this for us? 4. Who and what did Abram take with him?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 29 5. Where did Abram temporarily stop? Exactly where was this place? Who lived in the land? What did the Lord say to Abram at that time? What was Abram s response? 6. Where did Abram go next? Locate these places. What did Abram do there? Where did he go next? Locate that place. How much of Canaan did Abraham own during his lifetime? 7. What problem arose at that time? What was Abram s response to this problem? 8. What other problem did Abram anticipate? How did Abram and Sarai plan to circumvent this complication? What do you think of Abram s plan?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 30 9. Abram prospered in Egypt because of his plan. Was Abram an honest business man? Would you feel comfortable doing business with Abram? 10. Who acted more honorably, Abram or Pharoah? Explain. 11. Explain why a righteous God inflicted serious injury on Pharoah who was acting, according to the information he had, honestly and why God intervened on behalf of a couple of liars. What justice is there in that? 12. Why didn t Pharaoh execute Abram?....or at least take back the profit Abram had gained while in Egypt? Did lying pay?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 31 13. Then gave about to his men, and they sent him on his, with his and he had. 14. Why was Abram favored of God? 15. God made three promises to Abram. What were these promises and when and how were these promises kept? 16. What excuses might Abram have given for not obeying God s command; that is, if he had decided not to do what God said. 17. List the age at death of as many biblical woman as you can.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 32 18. Did Pharaoh have sexual relations with Sarai? Explain your answer. 19. What good if any resulted from the famine that caused Abram to go to Egypt? 20. What lessons does Genesis 12 teach which are applicable to the present generation?