Genesis chapters 12-50 tell of the “Patriarchal History”. This is the history of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. This post focuses on Abraham in chapters 12-25.
We’re picking back up in Genesis chapter 12 and reading all about Abraham. I don’t know about you, but anytime I hear the name Abraham, I immediately sing the song “Father Abraham had many sons” from Sunday School/Bible School in my head. The song mentions that he has many sons, and “I am one of them, and so are you”, which is a direct reference to the Patriarchal History we read about in these chapters.
Starting off in chapter 12, Abram (aka Abraham) is “called”. I personally have to applaud him for his obedience and trust in God, because I can not say I would do the same so easily. The faith that he shows right away is incredible as he 12:4 “..went, as the Lord had told him.”, leaving behind everyone and everything he has ever known. I could imagine feeling extremely anxious and unsure of what would come next in this moment, but this isn’t just anyone telling Abraham to do this- it’s The One. The Creator of the universe! To know that God has something planned for Abraham that is far better than what he previously had going on would also leave me feeling excited.
The reality is, we are a lot like Abraham in this aspect. God reaches out to each of us and calls us to follow Him. He wants us to abide in Him and trust His plan for our lives. Often times, I personally let my anxieties and fears get in the way of trusting in Him. Imagine if instead of following God’s commands, Abraham let the uncertainty and anxieties stop him. What if Abraham said no? There is so much God has planned for Abraham and his lineage that we read about in the Bible. God has a specific plan for each of us that far exceeds what we have planned. I wonder how many things I missed out on from God because I let my fears, anxieties, or own desires get in the way?
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Thankfully, Abraham didn’t say no, he abided! And the Lord blessed Abraham, helping him to prosper. He was so blessed, that even those around him were also prosperous! For example, Abraham and his nephew Lot had to separate because the land could not support both of them! Lot chose the plains of the Jordan for himself (13:10-11) because it looked extremely bountiful, but this choice will cost him. I wonder, if he would have consulted with the Lord first if he would have led a different path. Instead, Lot ends up near Sodom, where sinful and evil people lived. He’s right at the edge of sin in 13:12 “Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom”.
Lot is literally at the edge of immense sin and judgement is coming! Lot was taken as prisoner in 14:12 by Sodom’s enemies, “They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.”. When Abraham hears of this, he steps in, and rescued Lot and all of his goods. This feels like a warning, and should have been a wakeup call- Wake up Lot, you’re on a dangerous path in Sodom! And yet, he returns and stays in Sodom. This choice will have serious impacts on himself and his family later on.
Abraham on the other hand refuses to accept anything from the king Sodom for his successes, saying in 14:22 “‘I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’’ Abraham’s future is not going to be of the peoples doing, but it will be of God’s doing! God will receive all of the glory! Then the Lord establishes the Abrahamic Covenant in chapter 15! Abraham’s choices contrast with Lot’s and coming up in the chapters ahead we will see the affects of their choices on their family’s futures.
Chapter 15 has more information in it than meets the eye on first reading it. In 15:5, the Lord … “brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” The Lord also says that He will give this land for Abraham to possess. Abraham then asks, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”. This is where it gets interesting. This is when the covenant is officially made.
To “make a covenant” can be translated in Hebrew as “kārat berît”, which literally means “cut a covenant”, like “cut a deal”. During this time period, to make a deal, you would cut an animal in half and then you both would walk in between it. Signifying that if you did not hold up your end of the bargain you would be held responsible and slain like the animal. This is the cool part though- Abraham didn’t have to pass through the cut offering. Instead he falls into a deep sleep in 15:12, and the Lord speaks to him saying,
15:13 “‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete’”.
This covenant is not without its hardships. This is not an easy path for the descendants to come, but it is all perfectly in line with His plan. We see this long-play plan when Abraham wakes up. He sees in 15:17, a “smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram..”. The Lord alone passed between the animal! The Lord knew what was to come. He knows that mankind can not hold up our end of the bargain, so instead He steps in. The Lord is showing that He would take on our part of the deal and offer his blood up in this covenant! He would pay the debt, He would ensure the price is paid! Hello! This is foreshadowing Christ’s ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament. Christ holds up both ends of this covenant as humanity falls short- He pays the blood sacrifice for us! The Lord’s meticulous and perfectly constructed plan is so intertwined throughout the Bible it is astounding. Thank you Lord!
This covenant is such a beautiful display of God’s love for us and His perfect plan for our lives. He has laid out a plan for our redemption and salvation since the fall of mankind with Adam and Eve. He had a plan throughout their lineage to Abraham and then so on to Christ so that we may be saved through Him. After all the times we read about in the Bible (and even see today) that mankind has turned their backs on the Lord, He still paved a way! That type of love and forgiveness is nothing we as humans could ever comprehend.
Moving through chapters 16-18 the Lord didn’t make this covenant with Abraham and then step away, no. He was with Abraham every step of the way guiding and providing. Even when Abraham and Sarah tried to take matters into their own hands to have a son through the Egyptian slave, Hagar. Even when the Lord continuously told them they will have a son through Sarah even at her old age, they laughed. Laughed! As if anything isn’t possible for God. Although, I can understand the impatience they must have felt. It’s hard trusting in God’s timing when we want it right away in our own. But! God’s plan is perfect in His timing. They tried to take matters into their own hands and it wasn’t what God had in store. Instead the Lord gave them Isaac- who the Lord would continue His covenant through. God’s plan for us is so much better than what we try to contrive. I personally am still learning to “let go and let God”. It’s evident throughout scripture and in our own lives, that His ways are much higher than ours, and I don’t want to miss out on what He has in store!
Speaking of doing it your own way, starting in 18:16 we hear what is to come of Sodom and Lot who is still living there! Abraham hears that judgment and destruction is coming for the wicked, and he pleas to the Lord to spare the righteous. Abraham may have been interceding on Lot’s behalf as well, hoping that his nephew would not be counted as wicked. Due to Abraham’s pleas and the Lord’s compassion, Lot is rescued from destruction but it’s clear sin has a strong hold on him. He “hesitates” in 19:16, even though he knows destruction is coming. Sin has been all around him, it’s easy to assume that it may have even reached him, and it was hard to for him to pull away from it. Lot is a warning sign for us. Don’t tempt yourself with worldly desires and sins. Don’t sit at the gate, watching the sin, because it is easy to get wrapped up in it, and it’s hard to get out of it. Ultimately, judgement comes just like it did for Sodom, and I personally don’t want to find myself in sin’s grasp. Even Lot’s wife hesitates to leave it all behind as the looks back (19:26). Maybe she was thinking of the people and things left behind. It would be hard to know judgement was coming and there were people who were not saved – but that’s exactly what we as Christians face today!
Judgment is still coming for all of humanity. The difference is, Christ has redeemed us and set us apart where we will not have to experience His wrath. Unfortunately, not everyone we know is saved, and they will have to answer to Him. I don’t want to have to look back like Lot’s wife and see judgment coming down on those I love. That’s why it is imperative we spread the Good News with everyone we can. We need to pray for those who are lost, and we need to hope that their salvation will come soon before judgement arrives, just like it did for Sodom and Gomorrah.
Due to Lot’s wife looking back and not being able to fully let it all go, she turns into a pillar of salt. Lot’s choices of stationing himself and his family at the gates of Sodom and then living in Sodom, had its consequences. He had to flee away to another town with only his two daughters. His family was in shambles and it led to more sin later on in Genesis 19:30-38 where they continue to take matters into their own hands. Our choices in abiding in God or not has direct implications for our lives and the lives of future generations to come! Let Lot be a warning to us all!
After this, Isaac is born in chapter 21 to Abraham and Sarah (just as God promised) but then in chapter 22 we see that the Lord wants Abraham to sacrifice Issac. Seems contradictory especially when the Lord is going to continue His covenant with Isaac (17:19) – That’s because the Lord was never really going to let Abraham sacrifice Isaac! Instead, the Lord wanted to ensure that there was nothing Abraham would withhold from Him. The faith that this must have taken is unbelievable to me. I know for a fact that I would have fallen short in this moment. The trust Abraham put in God is what I strive for. He was willing to give up the most precious thing he had to the Lord. Nothing was off limits. He was all in for God. The Lord wanted this proof, He didn’t actually want Isaac to die! We can also imagine that this act of obedience from Abraham was a great examples for Isaac. We like to think that our children are ours, our houses, cars, friends, etc. are ours. In reality, they all belong to God. Nothing should be off limits to God! In 22:15-18 we see ultimately that Abraham obeyed and the Lord expresses blessings for Abraham’s offspring.
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his[d] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Then we wrap up in chapter 25 with the death of Abraham and the continuation of his lineage.
Abraham’s actions had implications on generations to come, just like Lot’s. Their offspring were directly affected by the choices they made- to obey God or not to obey God? I personally see two paths as I read through these chapters, and again, this brings my thoughts back to- What if He has so much in store for us and instead we went our own way? Choosing our own desires can have serious repercussions on the future generations to come. Them knowing and trusting in Christ can have a direct correlation to whether or not you abided in Him. Did you share the Gospel? Did you try to exemplify Christ? Did you tell of His blessings and provisions? Did your offspring even know you believed in God? That’s a scary thought but it personally has me doing a reality check on my own thoughts and actions.
So, if we were to sit back and evaluate our own choices and the paths we’re on currently, would it look more like Lot’s or similar to Abraham’s? I know which one I am striving for. Abraham wasn’t perfect, but he did put his faith and trust in God and the plans that God had for him.