Genesis 12-18
Thru the Scriptures—Chap 12-18
Contents
Quick Facts………………………………………………….2
Daily Study………………………………………………….3
The Abrahamic Covenant…………………………………...4
Abraham’s Wanderings……………………………………..5
The Land…………………………………………………….7
Isaac not Ishmael…………………………………………….8
Going down to Egypt………………………………………..9
What is the Abrahamic Covenant? by Paul Enns….……….10
Map—the Ancient World…………………………………...13
Map—Abraham’s Journeys………...……………………….14
Map-Abraham saves Lot…………………………………….16
The Abrahamic Covenant
In Genesis 12 God makes a three-fold promise to Abram:
a piece of land
his descendants will be a great nation
through him all the world will be blessed.
This promise is called the Abrahamic Covenant. It’s repeated throughout Genesis to each of Israel’s patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacocob.
The covenant was obviously important to God since He repeated it over and over. He affirmed it to Abraham in Genesis 13, 15, 17, and 22. He reaffirmed it to Abraham’s son Isaac in chapter 26; and to his grandson, Jacob, in chapters 28 and 35.
And here’s the promise in a condensed version– just three words - land, nation, blessing.
Abraham’s Wanderings
Chapter 12 begins, with a backwards look. God “had said” to Abram...it was before this.
God gives us some further insight on this in the NT.
And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. (Ac 7:2-4)
It seems that as Abram began to follow God...he only went half way. God called him out of Mesopotamia and into a land that was 1000 miles away. But you know what? He stopped 600 miles into that journey—he stopped in Haran.
The word Haran literally means “parched”, and that describes the spiritual condition of a person with one foot in the world and one foot with the Lord. The most miserable person in the world is the believer who follows the Lord half-way. It wasn’t until Terah, Abraham’s father, died that he moved the remaining 400 miles. Apparently, Terah was holding Abram back.
Here’s the question for us, what’s the Terah in our lives? What habit or allegiance or preoccupation needs to die before you and I are willing to become a fully-devoted follower of Jesus? Often faith begins with a funeral. It’s only when we bury that old desire or habit that we become free to move on with God.
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God tells us in Heb 11:8 that “By faith Abraham obeyed” . The proof of faith is obedience, for true faith always leads to works (James 2:14ff.). Hearing leads to heeding.
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From now on, Abram’s life will be marked by the presence of the tent (a pilgrim on earth) and the altar (a citizen of heaven).
What are you building?
Throughout the story of Abraham, every where he goes, he stops and builds an altar. Abraham was one of the greatest men of God, of all time, but the only permanent structure he ever built was an altar.
Abraham could’ve dug wells for water, or built homes for comfort, or forts for protection – instead he builds altars. His top priority was not sustenance, or comfort, or protection - but worship. Abram built altars to worship God. Maybe you’re building a home, or business, or fortune, or family – but as you journey through life are you building altars? Are you stopping to worship God?
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A Name Made Great
In Genesis 12:2 God promises Abram, “I will make your name great”. In contrast, Genesis 11:4 reveals the heart of the people
who constructed the tower of Babel. They said, “let us make a name for ourselves…”.
The babblers at Babel wanted to be esteemed, and God scattered them. Abram obeyed God, by faith - and God made His name great.
Often people try to build their own little kingdoms, but in the end, only God’s kingdom will stand.
Build your own kingdom, and your efforts will be scattered. Cooperate with God in the building of His kingdom, and He will make your name great.
In so many ways, this is a great illustration of what Jesus taught us. He said if we try to keep our lives, and hold on to them—but if we lose our lives for His sake—then we gain them. To seek our own kingdom is like trying to build the tower of Babel...and God resists that, God resist the proud. But to surrender to God, is like Abraham—and to him the promise is given—because he gave up his life to God. The Land
After telling Abram to survey the land God says to him in verses 14-15, "all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” That should settle all the squabbles in the Middle East. “Forever” constitutes a pretty long-term lease. God gave the land to Israel.
In Genesis 15:18 God provides the boundaries of His gift to Abram’s heirs. The land God gives to Abraham not only encompasses the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights – today’s disputed territories. It includes the lion’s share of Egypt, the Siani, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, and Kuwait. About 300,000 square miles will one day belong to the nation Israel.
In fact, God goes out of His way to show us that this is an unshakable promise.
According to custom, Abram slaughtered a series animals – cut them in cross-sections from head to toe – then arranged the animal halves into a corridor. The two parties entering the agreement would walk side-by-side between the animals halves as a commitment to their part of the covenant.
And you think a house-closing is a hassle. Imagine signing this type of contract! But here’s what happened. When Abram finished slicing up all the beef he sat down to wait on God. He expected God to literally appear and walk with him through the animal halves. He waited all day, and into the evening hours… Until finally, as he was nodding off, God appeared in the form of a burning torch and smoking censor - and instead of walking with Abram down the corridor – God walked it by Himself. All Abram did was wake up, and believe in God’s work.
And here’s the lesson for us. Salvation is not a tag-team effort. It’s not up to us to meet God half-way. The blessing of God is not received by God doing half the work, and the recipient doing half the work. God does all the work! He takes sole responsibility for earning the blessing. All I have to do is wake up and believe.
Isaac not Ishmael
In 17:19-21 God makes it clear that Isaac, not Ishmael, is the rightful heir to the covenant. God tells Abraham, “Sarah your wife
shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.” God promises to bless Ishmael, but he has no claim to the Covenant.
A clear grasp of chapter 17 is crucial to understanding the modern Middle East. Islam teaches that Ishmael and Isaac were co-heirs to the Covenant God made with Abraham. Thus, the land belongs to Jews and Arabs alike – but that’s not what the Bible teaches. Ishmael was blessed by God, but he received no birthright. The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Isaac, not Ishmael.
The true God is not the God of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac - as Islam suggests. The true God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob—as revealed in God’s inerrant Word.
Going down to Egypt
Imagine what Abram might have felt and thought—a famine in the very land where God led him! We can be in the will of God and still suffer trials. Don’t think just because something has become hard, that it is not God’s will. Often it is a sure sign that we are in God’s will.
It has been said that “faith is living without scheming,” but Abram began to scheme. He was walking by sight and not by faith, and it cost him his testimony—and almost his wife!
Note that Abram had neither a tent nor an altar in Egypt. From this point forward in the Bible “Going down to Egypt” is Bible language for getting out of the will of God.
What is the Abrahamic Covenant?
by Paul Enns
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.
The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. Genesis 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants.
The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. The only time that both parties of a covenant would pass between the pieces of animals was when the fulfillment of the covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments. Concerning the significance of God alone moving between the halves of the animals, it is to be noted that it is a smoking furnace and a flaming torch, representing God, not Abraham, which passed between the pieces. Such an act, it would seem should be shared by both parties, but in this case it is doubtless to be explained by the fact that the covenant is principally a promise by God. He is the one who binds Himself. God caused a sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals. Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.
God determined to call out a special people for Himself through whom He would bring blessing to all the nations. The Abrahamic Covenant is paramount to a proper understanding of the kingdom concept and is foundational to Old Testament theology. (1) The Abrahamic Covenant is described in Genesis 12:1–3 and is an unconditional covenant. There are no conditions attached to it (no “if” clauses, suggesting its fulfillment is dependent on man). (2) It is also a literal covenant in which the promises should be understood literally. The land that is promised should be understood in its literal or normal interpretation—it is not a figure of heaven. (3) It is also an everlasting covenant. The promises that God made to Israel are eternal.
There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant. 1. The promise of land (Genesis 12:1). God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to a land that He would give him (Genesis 12:1). This promise is reiterated in Genesis 13:14–18 where it is confirmed by a shoe covenant; its dimensions are given in Genesis 15:18–21 (precluding any notion of this being fulfilled in heaven). The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is also expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, which is the Palestinian Covenant.
2. The promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. Abraham, who was 75 years old and childless (Genesis 12:4), was promised many descendants. This promise is amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings would descend from the aged patriarch. This promise (which is expanded in the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12–16) would eventuate in the Davidic throne with Messiah’s kingdom rule over the Hebrew people.
3. The promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). God promised to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him. This promise is amplified in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Hebrews 8:6–13) and has to do with “Israel’s spiritual blessing and redemption.” Jeremiah 31:34 anticipates the forgiveness of sin. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3–4). The “I will” promises suggest the unconditional aspect of the covenant. The covenant is further confirmed to Jacob (Genesis 28:14–15). It is noteworthy that God reaffirmed these promises amid the sins of the patriarchs, which fact further emphasizes the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant.
God’s method of fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant is literal, inasmuch as God partially fulfilled the covenant in history: God blessed Abraham by giving him the land (Genesis 13:14–17); God blessed him spiritually (Genesis 13:8, 18; 14:22, 23; 21:22); God gave him numerous descendants (Genesis 22:17; 49:3–28). The important element of the Abrahamic Covenant, however, demands a future fulfillment with Messiah’s kingdom rule. (1) Israel as a nation will possess the land in the future. Numerous Old Testament passages anticipate the future blessing of Israel and her possession of the land as promised to Abraham. Ezekiel envisions a future day when Israel is restored to the land (Ezekiel 20:33–37, 40–42; 36:1–37:28). (2) Israel as a nation will be converted, forgiven, and restored (Romans 11:25–27). (3) Israel will repent and receive the forgiveness of God in the future (Zechariah 12:10–14). The Abrahamic Covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in connection with the return of Messiah to rescue and bless His people Israel. It is through the nation Israel that God promised in Genesis 12:1–3 to bless the nations of the world. That ultimate blessing will issue in the forgiveness of sins and Messiah’s glorious kingdom reign on earth.
