Please watch this video about the increase in Muslim population:
Genesis 12 – 15
Wow, we’re back in Genesis already, back to the book of beginnings. If you recall, chapter 11 covered the scattering of the people after God confused the people with different languages. That must have been scary.
The Bible zooms in on one genealogical line, that of Abram, tracing this line from Adam and Eve’s third son, Shem to him.
Did you realize that Abram was one of triplets? I don’t think I ever noticed it before. Genesis 11:26 says, “When Terah was 70 years old, he had become the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.”
We pick up the family in Ur of the Chaldeans where Haran was born and died at a fairly early age, but at an age where he had fathered at least one son, who was named Lot.
Terah decided to move to the land of Canaan so he left Ur and and traveled that way, taking with him Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and his grandson Lot. Apparently, Nahor and his family were left behind. He only got as far as Haran and settled there instead. In fact, at age 205, he died in Haran.
Chapter 12 begins with the Lord telling Abram to leave his native country, his relations, and his father’s family and go to a land He would show him.
Genesis doesn’t say how the Lord communicated with Abram. Did He appear bodily? Did He speak to him in a dream? We can’t answer these questions, but we do know that Abram obeyed. Hebrews 11 says that Abram obeyed God even though he did not know where he was going. Let’s face it, Abram was probably like we are and wanted to know exactly where he was going and what would happen when he got there, but in spite of that Abram OBEYED God.
He took his wife, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth and headed for the land of Canaan (the place his father was on his way to when he stopped in Haran).
There’s a slight problem about Canaan: it’s already inhabited by Canaanites. However, God tells Abram that He will give this land to his descendants (note: he does not say to Abram). Here, we are told God appeared to Abram.
Abram’s response is to build an altar at Shechem where he ended up at first and dedicate it to the Lord.
Then, Abram travels around a bit, setting up camp between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He builds another altar and worships the Lord. Then he travels south “by stages toward the Negev.” He had quite a crew with him and I imagine setting up camp was something of a challenge. He was a wealthy man with livestock and all of the people who had joined his household in Haran.
The next part of what happens puzzles me. Here is Abram, a man of great faith, who worships God, who has even seen and heard from God, and he apparently doesn’t have enough faith in God’s provision to keep Sarai and himself safe. A famine in Canaan forces Abram to go to Egypt and “live as a foreigner.” He convinces Sarai, who must have been gorgeous, to pretend that she is his sister so the Egyptians would kill him so they could have her.
The Egyptians told Pharaoh about Sarai and she “was taken into his palace.” They were so taken with Sarai that they gave Abram “many gifts because of her.” What exactly does “taken into his palace” mean? We can only guess. Perhaps it was a good thing that Sarai was barren.
In any case, the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai. Needless to say, Pharaoh is really ticked and has his people escort Abram and Sarai and his household and his possessions out of Egypt.
Abram goes back north into the Negev, back to the spot between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before. While there, disputes between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. There just wasn’t enough land to support both of their households, to say nothing of the fact that the Canaanites and Perizzites also lived in the land.
Since Abram doesn’t want to fight with Lot, he gives Lot his choice of the land. Lot chooses the fertile, well-watered plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. He moves his tents to a place near Sodom and settles among the cities of the plain. According to the text, “…the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.”
In the meantime, the Lord tells Abram that He is giving the land he can see in every direction to him and his descendants as a permanent possession. He says he will give Abram so many descendants they will not be able to be counted. He tells him to walk through the land in every direction.
Abram moves hi camp to Hebron and settles near the oak belonging to Mamre. And, yes, he built an altar to the Lord there also.
The Middle East today is rife with folks fighting with each other. As we can see by the story, that is nothing new. The upshot is that Lot, who lived in Sodom, was carried off with everything he owned.
Just like in the story of Job, one of Lot’s men escapes and reports to Abram. Note he is called “Abram the Hebrew.” With his friend Mamre the Amorite and Mamre’s relatives, Abram pursued the captors and recovered not only Lot, but all the goods that had been taken.
(Aren’t these chapters just full of adventure and excitement?)
We are now introduced to Melchizedek, “king of Salem (maybe, Jerusalem) and a priest of God Most High” who brings Abram some bread and wine and a wonderful blessing:
“Blessed by Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he recovered.
The king of Sodom wants Abram to keep everything he recovered except the people, but Abram refuses, not wanting anyone to be able to say, “I am the one who made Abram rich.” He does make sure a fair share goes to his allies.
When God reaffirms his covenant to Abram, this time in a vision, Abram asks what good blessings are since he does not have any children.
God tells Abram to look up into the sky (it must have been nighttime) and count the stars – that’s how many descendants he will have.
A very important concept is stated in verse 6: “Abram believed the Lord and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
In spite of Abram’s belief, he asks the Lord how he can be sure he will actually possess it? In a very dramatic way, God “proves” He means what He says. Maybe, more importantly, God tells Abram that not only will he have descendants, but they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. Abram will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
Tomorrow, it’s Genesis 16 – 18.
Until next time…
