Genesis 17
Notes
Transcript
What do you see?
Too often, we modern folk ask Genesis to answer modern questions, like how old is this water-covered ball that spins at 1000 mph in space while orbiting a nuclear-powered fireball?
But Genesis wasn’t written to us. It was written for us, but not to us. It was written to people asking ancient questions. What are those ancient questions?
The phrase “These are the generations of...” as an introduction is used 11 times in Genesis.
Before the Patriarchs: The need for a family of God
2:4 Heaven and earth
5:1 Adam’s line
6:9 Noah
10:1 Shem, Ham, and Japheth
11:10 Shem
The Patriarchs in the Promised Land: Establishing the family of God
11:27 Terah
25:12 Ishmael
25:19 Isaac
36:1 Esau
36:9 Esau
The Patriarchs in Egypt: Incubation for the Covenant People
37:2 Jacob
As we look, let’s ask ourselves . . . is this how we would tell this story?
Chapter 1: God arranges the furniture
Chapter 2: God puts the man in the garden and creates woman—man was incomplete without her
Chapter 3: Woman is “deceived”, both are disobedient. They experience adolescence. The serpent and the ground are cursed, but the man and the woman are not. God is merciful. God provides for his children as they leave the garden. The man names his wife “Eve”.
Chapter 4: God disapproves of Cain’s offering. Cain is emotional and has bad attitude. Cain kills Abel. Abel’s “blood cries out to me from the ground”. Cain is cursed and cannot work the land. Cain descendents develop culture, murder, and polygamy.
Chapter 5: The descendents of Seth (image of Adam) live a long time and died, except Enoch. Lamech thinks Noah will save him from the curse on the ground.
Chapter 6: Mankind multiplies and becomes corrupt (violent). God decrees a wet judgement. God warns Noah (“Rest”) and instructions on how to build and Ark.
Chapter 7: Entering the Ark and the Flood comes.
Chapter 8: God Remembered Noah
Chapter 9: A New Covenant
Chapter 10: The Table of Nations (map).
Remember that we are still answering ancient questions. “Why am I like this?”
Why am I a “Hebrew” since I don’t live in Hebron? Why is it promised?
This story (Genesis) is particularly about Israel. Our non-Israel questions won’t always get answered.
The Big Shift in Genesis
Genesis chapters 1-11 are “pre-history”. We aren’t going to get a satisfactory answer on dates and places.
Genesis chapters 12-50 are “history”. While difficult, we can begin to get good answers on dates and places. We don’t where Eden or Havilah were, but we do know a lot about Egypt, Hebron, the Negev desert, and most of the places in chapters 12-50. We know about things tribes like the Kenites, Perizzites, Amorites, Canaanites, and Jebusites. Well, I don’t personally know much, but you can get a book and read about the archeology and languages of these tribes.
Abraham conquered Abimelech’s men and captured Beersheba in the Negev desert. We know exactly where Beersheba is and the wells have been in constant use since ancient times. There is a McDonald's near the main one that Abraham probably used. Jacob’s Well is a big tourist site in Nablus, West Bank. It’s Palestinian Authority, so there’s no McDonald’s, unfortunately.
Genesis chapters 1-11 tells a story about God’s blessing and mankind’s rebellion. Over and over, God gives a blessing (like “be fruitful and multiply”) and mankind rebels (murder is the opposite of multiplying).
Most creation stories are focused on the particular tribe telling the story. But God’s creation is to fill the world. Chapters 1-11 are the story of how the world began to be filled.
In chapter 12 we switch to the tribe, the Hebrews, and the first man to live in Hebron… Abraham. God created a lot of families in chapters 1-11.
But now he is going to save the whole world from their rebellion through one family, Abraham’s.
The blessings of chapters 1-11 become promises in chapters 12-50. God blessed the first family to be fruitful and multiply, and they failed. Now in chapter 12, God promises to bless “all the peoples on earth” through Abraham’s family. God commands the Hebrews to bless all peoples in Exodus 19, but they fail. So at Christmas, God came to do it himself.
Chapters 12-50 show God overcoming obstacles to his promise. Infertility, deception, murder, slavery, etc. look like they will derail the promise of God to Abraham. *Spoiler* They don’t. God provides the means to overcome and keeps his promises.
Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you.
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12
The LORD said to Abram:
Go from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.,
and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
The word “Hebrew” might be derived from the name “Eber”, the son of Shem in Chapter 10.
Or, it could be derived from the place-name, “Hebron”.
Or, they both could be derived from “Eber”.
Or, it could be derived from “Hebri”, a Caananite word for refugee. But...
“Hebri” could be a corruption of “Hebrew”, because the “Hebrews” were “Hebri”.
Hebrewception
Faith vs Belief
The phrase, “the word of the LORD” is only used in this chapter in Genesis. Verses 1 and 4.
Do you have any relatives who have lived a very long time?
Would you be the good twin or the evil twin?
Do you ever feel like a background character in someone else’s story?
Is it hard to get out of your parents’ shadow?
Does God make mistakes?
Do you have a flood story?
How do you deal with unusual requests?
What if I told you it really was aliens in Genesis 6?
Have you ever had to live in a small space?
Would you ever go on Fear Factor?
When did you completely lose your patience?
When does God’s judgement feel real?
You haven’t heard the rest of the story. Is God going to save Noah?
Should God still be doing occasional floods?
Has God ever closed a door to keep you safe?
How did it feel when you were no longer lost?
Why were ancient peoples scared of eclipses?
Why do we have rules or laws? Do they do any good?
Are there natural laws that we take for granted?
How do you normally respond to good news?
Why is incest between adults such a taboo? How does it damage a family?
For what reasons would a parent disown or even curse their children or grandchildren?
Do some criminals deserve to get caught?
Is knowledge dangerous?
Would you live in a house that your kids built?
How do we talk about arrogance or conceit in our stories?
What do you do when the restaurant won’t split the check?
How does it feel to move far away?
Have you ever had a mission that was… um… impossible?
When you tell people about yourself, are there years that you skip over?
How does it feel to realize you’ve made a huge mistake?
Should you distance yourself from family feuds?
Are you nostalgic for your hometown?
What is life like for civilians in war?
What’s your dollar amount for helping your neighbor?
Have you ever found a believer in an unexpected place?
Have you ever been thankful to God at just the right time?
Why do you doubt yourself?
What did you need to see to believe?
Have you been a part of something bigger than yourself?
How did you get out of that impossible situation?
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 15
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
This is the new relationship with God. Paul basis his whole argument in Romans on this.
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 4)
What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness., 4 Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.
Is logic always right?
How does age change our decisions?
Would a modern woman be recognizable in the ancient world?
What would you name God?
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 2)
Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
What would have have gotten away with?
Is it possible to be perfect?
Why and when do you laugh at people?
Besides cake, what would you serve at a bris?
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. 2 I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. 8 And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God.”
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant. 10 This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you., 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant. 14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!”
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” 22 When he finished talking with him, God withdrew from Abraham.
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 17)
So Abraham took his son Ishmael and those born in his household or purchased—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26 On that very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his household—whether born in his household or purchased from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.
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