God has made promises to Abram and in this chapter will establish his covenant with him and give the sign of circumcision. Abram will be known as Abraham, Sarai as Sarah, and the birth of Isaac is promised. This chapter is a little longer than the past couple we’ve read and I felt a lot needed to be said.
Mistakes have consequences. Sometimes you don’t even realize you are making a mistake in the moment, it seems like the right thing to do, but there are still consequences. And sometimes, if you are Abram and Sarai, you make mistakes that change the course of world history and the consequences of your actions will continue to be felt for millennia.
God repeats promises in chapter 15 that were made in chapters 12 and 13. He reveals details about the next 400 years and beyond and Abram believes, an act of faith that God regards as righteousness.
In Genesis 4, Cain killed his brother Abel. I know that but I got my words a little mixed up tonight. Abel offered the more excellent sacrifice which is why he is mentioned in Hebrews 11.
Abram returns from Egypt, wealthier than he went in. He and Lot have so much stuff between them it is necessary to part ways. It seems innocuous in this short chapter but Lot lands near Sodom and you probably know at least a little something of what happens next.
God makes promises to Abram for the first time in Genesis 12 that will be repeated in Genesis 15. God spoke to Abram in verse 1 and appeared to him in verse 7. Some weirdness happens later in the chapter but what we see in the early verses is the beginning of the history of Israel.
In Genesis 11, we address an apparent contradiction. The Bible does not contradict itself but there are a few apparent contradictions and we will deal with those as we encounter them. Then after a short interruption to describe what happened at the Tower of Babel, we go right back into the genealogy where we left off in chapter 10. I apologize in advance… maybe, if you haven’t played the audio yet… I said begat a couple of times and switched back and forth between begat and fathered. Some of us grew up with chapters full of begats before learning there were modern translations. To be fair, 40 or 50 years ago there were not nearly as many translations in English as there are today.
God had first spoken to Abram when he was about 70 years old, promising him many descendants and lots of land. Abram didn’t hear from God again for about 15 years, but when God reminded him that he would have his very own son, Abram believed him. God counted his faith as rightousness, making Abram the first person made righteous by faith. God explains that although his descendents will be innumerable like the stars in the sky, they will not be given the land for 400 years. God’s schedule is not our schedule; he will speak to Abram again in another 15 years. Continue reading
Here’s the deal: it’s been one year since I started Bible Survey, and I have now posted 10 times. I refuse to quit. Bible Survey is a project that I’m working on in addition to blogging theology, working full time in the ministry and being a husband/father in my family. The goal is to work systematically through the Bible not doing a verse by verse commentary but an overview of the major points. There’s a lot of important business in the Bible dealing with Abraham and his family (that’s right; I’m still in the first 25 chapters of Genesis) but afterwards I think the pace will really take off. I’m hanging in there; I have the rest of my natural life or until Christ comes back. Whichever.
In Genesis 17, God gives Abraham the covenant of circumcision. If you don’t know what circumcision is, I’m afraid this post doesn’t get that plain. If you’ve always wondered exactly what God is doing and what circumcision means, I think I can help with that. What’s the purpose for circumcision? Should Christians be circumcised? What’s the difference between Abram and Abraham? What does the name Clark mean? No, really. All of these answers and more when you follow this link to Bible Survey.
Remember that newspaper comic the born loser? The humor was that things never went his way. Abraham was wealthy by ancient and/or modern standards, and became the father of many nations. Sometimes though you just gotta’ feel sorry for the guy. For all the faith, for all the blessings, some days he just couldn’t win for losing. Could there be a moral to this story?
If you had your thinking cap on when you read the story of Cain and Abel, then you should have made certain observations. These guys are building alters and offering sacrifices, but at this point no Law has been given nor instructions for such things as alters and sacrifices. Had God told them personally to make such an offering? If you have such questions, then good for you. You’re paying attention. I can’t answer your questions, but it’s a good sign you have them.
If those guys making sacrifices bothers you, just wait till you hit Genesis 14. Abram is blessed by Melchizadek, priest of God Most High. Still no Law, no Moses nor Aaron, to temple or tabernacle, but here is a guy worshiping God Most High, blessing people, and apparently receiving tithes. If Cain and Abel gave you some questions, Melchizadek ought to give you an aneurysm.
Read Abraham Meets a Priest at Bible Survey.
The Master's Table 