by Peter Wallace | Apr 25, 2017 | Family Worship, Genesis
Reading Genesis 32-36 in Family Worship
Genesis 25:19-37:1 (The Generations of Isaac)
This week we are looking at part three of the “Generations of Isaac.” The “Generations of Isaac” can be seen in three basic movements:
Genesis 25:19-28:22 — Jacob and Esau
Genesis 29:1-31:55 — Jacob in Paddan-Aram
Genesis 32:1-37:1 — Jacob and Esau
Genesis 32
Jacob now returns to the Promised Land — well aware that his brother Esau may still harbor resentment against him. So he sends a message to Esau, using language calculated to appease him (referring to Esau as “my lord”). In the same way, he offers gifts and presents “to my lord Esau.”
Why is Jacob doing this? He has purchased the birthright and obtained the blessing of Isaac — so he would have the “right” to insist that Esau bow to him. But as we saw at the beginning of the Jacob narrative, Jacob is a blameless man. He does not seek earthly glory. He does not insist upon his “rights.” He seeks the blessing of Yahweh — a blessing which will only bear fruit for future generations.
You see this in Jacob’s prayer in verses 9-12 — and again in Jacob’s wrestling with God. Sure, God has given him material blessings, but he is willing to forego those in order that the blessing of God may come to pass. And so the LORD blesses him, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
But Esau is coming with 400 men. Abraham had 318 trained servants. Esau has 400. In other words, it would appear that the servants of Abraham and Isaac are now serving Esau. Jacob may have received the birthright and the blessing, but Esau controls all the property of Isaac.
What is happening in Genesis 32? Jacob is renouncing his right to Isaac’s stuff. After all, that was never what this was about. What Jacob wants is the blessing.
Genesis 33
And instead of coming in wrath, Esau runs to meet Jacob (when you think of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, you cannot help but see in Esau the example of a wise older brother who runs to meet his long-lost younger brother). And further, Esau makes it clear that he has renounced the Promised Land — as he has settled in Seir (south of the Dead Sea).
So the brothers come to a mutually acceptable compromise. Esau takes the material possessions of Isaac to Seir. Jacob gets the Promise. And because Jacob is the Seed of Abraham, Jacob does what his grandfather did: Jacob builds an altar to the LORD and called it “God is the God of Israel.”
Genesis 34
But that does not mean that everything goes smoothly for Jacob. If you choose to follow the way of Abraham — if you seek the blessing of the God of Abraham — then you can expect trouble.
And trouble comes in the worst of ways: the rape of his daughter, Dinah.
Genesis 34 is one of the most difficult chapters in the book of Genesis. It’s hard to find the “good guy” here (besides Dinah!). Shechem is a rapist. Jacob seems remarkably passive and willing to allow him to get away with it. Levi and Simeon are somewhat heroic in avenging the honor of their sister — but they receive their father’s curse because of their actions.
We want to see the silver lining — what is the “happy ending”? But Genesis 34 is not that sort of story. At the end of the story, Dinah is defiled, Hamor and Shechem are dead, Simeon and Levi are disinherited, and Jacob stinks in the nostrils of the Canaanites.
But notice what the text does do: the text does not blame Dinah (scripture does not blame the victim). Rather, the blame is placed on Shechem — the son of the prince. Rape is fundamentally about the use of sex as a means to increase wealth and power (the basic logic of Shechem and his father, Hamor, is that they can use this rape as a means of extorting a marriage that will bring all of Jacob’s wealth under their control). And the text clearly expresses the outrage of her brothers over the heinousness of the act.
But the language of Genesis 34 goes a step further. Shechem “sees” Dinah and “takes” her — just as Eve “saw” the fruit and “took” it — just as the sons of God “saw” the daughters of men and “took” them. This is what the seed of the serpent does: it sees and it takes.
Likewise, it’s important to see what Hamor and Shechem are offering Jacob and his sons. In the marriage treaty they are offered property rights. They can skip the 400 years of waiting for God to give them the land! If they accept this marriage treaty, they can become landowners in the Promised Land. All they have to do is overlook the rape of their daughter/sister. (And in light of the seeing/taking language, we are probably supposed to hear echoes of the serpent here as well — and a preview of the temptation of our Lord to “skip” the cross).
So the sons of Jacob propose a solution: if the people of Hamor are all circumcised, then we will join with them. It is possible that Jacob went along with this under the idea that if the people of Hamor are circumcised, then they would be accepting the Abrahamic Covenant, and thus the blessing of Abraham would come upon them. But Levi and Simeon had no such idea! They wanted Shechem to pay — and in the member with which he sinned! After all, Shechem has cursed the Seed of Abraham in how he treated Dinah — therefore he will now receive the covenant curse.
In one sense, Genesis 34 seems to portray the action of Levi and Simeon favorably: they defended the honor of their sister. The only problem is that Jacob disagrees with this — and in Genesis 49, Jacob’s blessing of his sons will explicitly curse them for their actions at Shechem, disinheriting them and giving them no independent portion in the Promised Land.
So what do we do with this chapter? Well, what does God say? Nothing. God is silent. This is what happens when God is silent. When God is silent, Dinah is raped, Jacob is paralyzed, the people of Shechem are brutally murdered, and Simeon and Levi are disinherited. When God is silent, even our Lord Jesus will cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!” What we need is for God to speak.
Genesis 35-36
And God finally speaks in chapter 35 — calling Jacob to return to Bethel (where the LORD had appeared to Jacob back in chapter 28). And God renews his covenant and promise there at Bethel.
The language used of “put away the foreign gods” is language taken over into the baptismal liturgy of the Christian church — renouncing the world, the flesh, and the devil. You cannot serve two masters. Notice that Jacob does not melt down the gold and sell it. You should not seek to profit from your idolatry (in the same way that the magic books of the Ephesian Christians were burned in the fire).
Rachel then dies in childbirth as she gives birth to her second son, Benjamin.
Reuben then sleeps with one of his father’s concubines (so that the three oldest sons of Jacob are now compromised — leaving Judah as the oldest son without a serious black mark against his character.
Then Isaac dies.
And chapter 36 consists of the genealogy of the chiefs of Edom (the heirs of Esau) — a great opportunity to have fun with a “repeat-after-me” with the kids! (Oholibamah has always been a favorite of ours…)
by Peter Wallace | Apr 25, 2017 | Family Worship, Genesis
Reading Genesis 29-31 in Family Worship
Genesis 25:19-37:1 (The Generations of Isaac)
This week we are looking at part two of the “Generations of Isaac.” The “Generations of Isaac” can be seen in three basic movements:
Genesis 25:19-28:22 — Jacob and Esau
Genesis 29:1-31:55 — Jacob in Paddan-Aram
Genesis 32:1-37:1 — Jacob and Esau
Genesis 29:1-30
Once again, if you hang out at a well, you are likely to find a wife (or two, in this case!). It is interesting to compare the case of Jacob with that of Isaac. In Isaac’s case, Abraham sent his servant with lots of gifts — and so Laban sent his sister Rebekah away with him almost immediately. In Jacob’s case, he arrives alone and empty-handed — and so Laban requires him to work for his bride.
Why is this? If Jacob has the birthright and the blessing of Isaac, then he is arguably just as wealthy as Isaac. In a couple of chapters, when we return to the Promised Land, we will discover that Esau has all of Isaac’s stuff. This causes us to reconsider what is going on in Jacob “deceiving” his way into the birthright and the blessing. Jacob never receives any material benefit from obtaining the birthright and blessing. But then again, that wasn’t the reason why he wanted the birthright and blessing. He wanted the birthright and blessing because he was a blameless man — an upright man who desired to be the heir of the Promise. When he goes to his uncle Laban, Jacob goes empty-handed without any guarantee of material possessions. If he was going to inherit all of Isaac’s property, he could have brought the sorts of gifts that Abraham’s servant had brought — but all he can bring is the Promise that he is the Seed of Abraham. [You can hear Laban’s response: “Yes, but how are you going to support my daughter?”]
And then, of course, Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Leah first — suggesting that perhaps Laban had had some trouble finding a suitor for her. Certainly this offers some delicious irony: Jacob had supplanted his older brother, the firstborn. Now he runs into the same hurdle again — this time on the distaff side — and so he is forced to marry the older sister first!
Later, in Leviticus 18, God will forbid Israelites to take two sisters as wives. (Polygamy is only forbidden in the New Testament). But the history of Leah and Rachel certainly provides a practical objection to the practice!
Genesis 29:31-30:24
Over the course of 7 years Jacob’s two wives and two concubines produce 11 sons and afterward at least 1 daughter — I say “at least” one daughter because Dinah is only named because she will have a role later in the narrative. This is not particularly a prejudice against women — because the only men who are named are also those who play a part in the narrative. Laban apparently had sons — but none of them are named in the story — only his daughters.
(And yes, it is quite possible for four women to bear 11 sons in 7 years. If you assume 13 months in between births from one woman, but that the concubines are bearing simultaneously — and that Leah and Rachel were both pregnant together with Leah’s last son and Rachel’s first — you can easily make the chronology work!)
But talk about domestic dysfunction! The domestic squabbles between the sisters take center stage — but so that no one may doubt who drives the narrative: “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” One sister is loved — but barren; the other sister is fruitful — but hated. Each wants what the other has. But God will use even this squabble to produce the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Genesis 30:25-43
Now it only gets worse. Jacob has now worked 14 years for Laban — but Laban wants to manipulate Jacob and “tap into” the blessing of Yahweh. Instead, the LORD blesses Jacob. Don’t think that Jacob engages in “magic” here. Every Israelite breeder knew full well that this trick could not be reproduced. It only works if God blesses. It is the equivalent of Gideon’s fleece. “If you give me the offspring of these sheep and goats, then I will know that you are with me.”
Genesis 31
So over the course of the next six years, Laban apparently changed Jacob’s wages ten times — and every time he changed them, God providentially overrode Laban’s schemes. But as a result, Laban’s unnamed sons started to grumble against Jacob. When the LORD called him to return to the Promised Land, Jacob willingly obeyed. “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.”
Rachel and Leah both agree — but Rachel steals her father’s household gods (we don’t know much about this – probably figurines representing various deities). As you read this chapter, pay attention to how people talk about “God.” Laban talks about “the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father” — while Jacob speaks of “the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac” — yet both will refer to him as “Yahweh” (the LORD). So, did Nahor and Laban worship the same God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Probably. The worship practices of Nahor and Laban seem problematic (they should not have these graven images), but then again, how much had God actually revealed regarding worship and life? Tthe Ten Commandments have not yet been given, and we have almost no knowledge of any special revelation given in between the days of Noah and the days of Abraham. Imagine, if you will, what it would mean to “worship the LORD” in those days! Had God revealed anything in the few thousand years between Noah and Abraham? If so, we have no record of it!
For this reason, I would suggest that we not judge Laban too harshly. He has very little revelation to work with — and when God appears to him and warns him, he obeys. Honestly, he does better with the very little revelation he had than most people who have the whole of the scriptures in front of them!
One of my favorite scenes, though, is when Rachel is squatting over the household gods. The text, after all, comes from someone who already knows that household gods are idols. What is she doing with them? Bleeding all over them. It’s a fitting picture.
But we close with Jacob and Laban making a covenant — and celebrating a covenant meal — over the pillar of witness at Mizpah. And so, for all of the friction between Jacob and Laban over the previous 20 years, they conclude by making peace.
by Peter Wallace | Feb 18, 2017 | Family Worship, Genesis
Reading Genesis 25-28 in Family Worship
Genesis 25:19-37:1 (The Generations of Isaac)
Why do we hear so little about Isaac? No sooner does the story of Abraham end (the Generations of Terah), then we move on to the story of Jacob (the Generations of Isaac). There is no section called “the generations of Abraham.” Why? Because Isaac faces very little conflict — very few challenges to the land and the seed. Isaac serves as a picture of the resurrected son of God (remember Genesis 22, where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son?), and Isaac lives a peaceful life in the Land of Promise.
The “Generations of Isaac” can be seen in three basic movements:
1) Genesis 25:19-28:22 — Jacob and Esau
2) Genesis 29:1-31:55 — Jacob in Paddan-Aram
3) Genesis 32:1-37:1 — Jacob and Esau
Genesis 25:19-34
The generations of Isaac begin with Isaac praying for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer. God quickly grants the prayer of the resurrected son! But Rebekah can feel the children struggling inside her, and so she inquires of the LORD, and the LORD tells her that there are two nations in her womb — and “the older shall serve the younger.”
If you would understand the story of Jacob and Esau, then you need to pay attention to Rebekah. She knows what God has promised — and she acts on those promises. Before the twins were born, God chooses the younger brother as the heir of the promises. While ancient cultures prized the firstborn, God regularly chooses the younger brother in order to demonstrate his purposes in election.
Also, pay attention to Jacob. Our modern translators often have a negative view of Jacob — but I will suggest that the book of Genesis does not.
We see this in verse 27, which calls Esau a “skillful hunter,” and Jacob “a quiet man.” The word translated “quiet man” is the same word used of Noah (6:9) and Abraham (17:1) — where it was translated “blameless.” The text connects Jacob with Noah and Abraham as the sort of man who believes God’s promises and acts accordingly.
Thus when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew in verses 29-34, we should see Jacob as a blameless man whose heart desires God’s promise — and Esau as a worldly man whose God is his belly.
Song: Psalm 26, 101
Genesis 26
The story of Isaac and Abimelech sounds eerily familiar. Rather than go to Egypt during the famine, Isaac goes to Abimelech. God tells Isaac to remain in the Promised Land (he is the only one of the patriarchs who never leaves the Promised Land). But Isaac takes the same strategy as Abraham in calling his wife “my sister” — which nearly gets him in trouble. And again God protects the Promised Seed, and blesses Isaac with provision in the Promised Land (the wells of verses 12-25), with the result that the blessing of Isaac results in the blessing of the nations (Abimelech and the covenant with Isaac).
But Esau. Verses 34-35 make it clear that Esau’s Hittite wives make life “bitter” for Isaac and Rebekah, because they demonstrate that Esau does not believe the promise. What’s the point of a promise that says that you get to suffer, and only after hundreds of years, your descendants get the land? What’s in it for me? Esau thinks that these Hittite women offer a whole lot more — and in terms of this life, he may have a point. Remember that as you read about Jacob: he has his heart set on a blessing that will give him nothing personally. As Paul will say in 1 Corinthians 15, “If it is only for this life that we have hope, we are the most miserable of men.”
Song: PHSS 209 “Hail, O Daystar”; PHSS 212 “O Christ, Redeemer of Our Race”
Genesis 27
The story of the Blessing of Jacob shows us how Rebekah and Jacob believe the promises of God. Did Isaac know about God’s promise to Rebekah? (“The older shall serve the younger”). If so, then perhaps the symbolism of verse 1 (“his eyes were dim”) refers to his spiritual condition. Certainly we know that Isaac is wrong to seek to bless Esau — and especially since Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, which means that Jacob is now the firstborn son.
So when your husband flagrantly disobeys God and when your brother breaks his sworn oath, what should you do? Maybe in small things you humbly submit — but when the blessing of God is at stake, you take action. Rebekah believes God’s promises and acts accordingly. Jacob seeks the promised inheritance and acts accordingly. You could even say that in one sense he speaks the truth when he says, “I am Esau your firstborn” — since Esau had surrendered the birthright.
Isaac’s blessing of Jacob speaks of the richness of God’s blessing — of plenty of grain and wine. God’s blessing includes abundant life.
At the end of the book of Genesis Jacob will bless all twelve sons. So why does Isaac say that he has only one blessing to give? The blessing of the firstborn conveys the covenant blessing — the blessing of the Land and the Seed. And when you look at the blessing of the 12 sons in Genesis 49, only the blessing of Joseph uses the language of the blessing of God. The other 11 receive similar blessings to the one that Isaac gives to Esau. They are ordinary parental blessings — not the covenant blessing of the LORD.
Song: PHSS 162 “The Tender Love”; PHSS 205 “Sound a Trumpet in Zion”; PHSS 210 “How Like a Cypress Evergreen”
Genesis 28
Having alienated Esau, Rebekah persuades Isaac to send Jacob to Paddan-Aram, to her family, where Jacob can find a wife. She points out that they do not want Jacob to marry one of the Canaanite women, and so Isaac sends Jacob to marry one of the daughters of Laban (Jacob will be first cousins with Rachel and Leah). Esau recognizes that his intermarriage with the Hittites has alienated his parents, so he adds an Ishmaelite wife (his first cousin on his father’s side).
Jacob, meanwhile, has a vision of a ladder reaching to heaven, and the voice of the LORD speaks to him, renewing the promise of the Land, the Seed, and the Blessing to the Nations — and renewing the promise of God’s presence. And so Jacob calls the place “Bethel” — which means, “House of God.” This is also the first reference to the tithe as an act of religious devotion.
PHSS 203 “O God of Bethel”
by Peter Wallace | Feb 10, 2017 | Family Worship, Genesis, Worship
Reading Genesis 20-25 in Family Worship
Genesis 20
Genesis 20 functions as something of an interlude. The story of Abraham and Abimelech sounds something like a repeat of the story of Abraham and Pharaoh. It is particularly striking because Sarah is now nearly 90 years old — at least, if the story is told chronologically. I suspect that the story happened earlier in their life, but we hear it now since Abimelech plays a central role here in the next couple chapters.
Here we learn that Sarah is indeed Abraham’s sister — so he did not lie when he said, “She is my sister” — although such a statement results in both Pharaoh and Abimelech being deceived. If you tell the truth in such a way that you intend for others to believe a lie (e.g., she is not married), then you practice deception. Abimelech rightly responds, “How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin?”
And yet, Abraham’s reply reveals his fundamental concern: “There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” While Genesis does not approve of all of Abraham’s actions, neither does Genesis condemn Abraham. Certainly the result of the encounter with Abimelech turns to great good for Abraham.
Song: Psalm 105
Genesis 21
The birth of Isaac is woven into the fabric of this story that includes Hagar and Abimelech. Abimelech has functioned as the latest in a series of threats to God’s promises. After all, if Sarah winds up in Abimelech’s court, then she will not bear the promised seed! And Hagar remains a potential threat as long as Ishmael, the firstborn son, stays around.
So at the weaning of Isaac, Sarah’s jealousy of Hagar and Ishmael reaches its climax: “Cast out this slave woman with her son…” And to our surprise, God agrees with Sarah. Ishmael may not inherit with Isaac — because the inheritance is nothing less than to be the holy seed through whom salvation will come to all the nations.
And chapter 21 concludes with Abraham’s treaty with Abimelech — a covenant of friendship. Abimelech recognizes that God is with Abraham — and so he wants to make sure that Abraham and his descendants will deal kindly with his descendants. (Note: while it refers to “the land of the Philistines” — the names Abimelech and Phicol are not Philistine names. The Philistines did not arrive in Canaan for another 4-5 centuries).
Song: PHSS 167 “The Holy City”
Genesis 22
Don’t even try to get inside Abraham’s head on this one. Soren Kierkegaard tried it in Fear and Trembling — and you cannot begin to make sense of Abraham’s experience of this (or Isaac’s!). Hebrews 11 says about all we can say, “He considered that God was able even to raise the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Instead, focus on what God tells us in this story. The offering of Isaac happens at the same location where Solomon will later build the temple. God teaches us through this story the necessity of the sacrifice of the firstborn son in order to redeem humanity (a theme that will get played out in more detail in Exodus).
Song: Psalm 127
Genesis 23
This is one of my favorite chapters. Watch the negotiating as Abraham maneuvers Ephron into selling him a piece of land that Ephron does not wish to part with. Of course, Ephron charges him a princely sum, but Abraham is willing to pay anything in order to have a burial plot that he may call his own. When Ephron offers the field as a “gift” he is actually trying to keep the land within his own inheritance. “Gifted” lands were not permanently alienated — only the “use” was given away. That’s why Ephron inflates the price to an astronomical rate. He appears quite upset that Abraham has put him in such an awkward position that he can only ‘save face’ by making Abraham pay in silver.
Why does Abraham want to have a burial plot? Because he does not wish to mingle the bones of God’s people with the bones of those who are under God’s wrath and curse. The same hope of the resurrection that we saw in chapter 22 emerges as well here in chapter 23.
PHSS 166
Genesis 24
The story of Abraham’s servant provides a fascinating glimpse into ancient customs. “Put your hand under my thigh” — is a way of swearing an oath by the “seed.” The servant tells the story that we already know (repetition tells us how important the story is). The marriage is contracted in the home of her family — but also requires Rebekah’s consent: “Will you go with this man?” So by the time she meets Isaac, she is already his wife.
“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.” Camels were only domesticated in Canaan much later (around the 10th century), so some think that Abraham’s servant could not have brought 10 camels with him. But then again, Abraham is from Babylon (where camels appear in lists of domestic animals from ca. 1800 B.C.) and had sojourned in Egypt (where camels had been domesticated since 2200 B.C.). So it would appear that Abraham brought a handful of camels with him to Canaan — which would have made him look like a wealthy and influential foreigner (exactly how the book of Genesis portrays him…). The only camels in Canaan are approaching.
Song: Psalm 98
Genesis 25:1-18
Even though Abraham was old, he apparently had sufficient vigor to marry again and father six sons with Keturah. Midian is the most important for future purposes (Moses will marry a Midianite woman).
Also notice that when Abraham dies, Ishmael comes and joins Isaac in burying their father. Ishmael is not in the promised line — but he is never portrayed as hostile to the promises (unlike Esau — as we’ll see next week). Nonetheless, the Ishmaelites will often array themselves against Israel.
Song: Psalm 83
by Peter Wallace | Feb 3, 2017 | Family Worship, Genesis
Reading Genesis 12-19 in Family Worship
We are back to our regular family worship with Genesis 12-19 this week. With all the things happening over the last couple weeks (band concert, congregational meeting, etc. — along with sickness) we didn’t do much family worship.
On the one hand, this happens. Life happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it! If you think ‘we have to have family worship every night’ — then you will be overwhelmed by “failure.” On the other hand, watch yourself. It is really easy to fall prey to the “life happens” excuse! And the next thing you know, you have a pattern of doing everything else. But hopefully we are now back on track.
Genesis 11:27-25:18
The “generations” of Terah tells the story of the sons of Terah (Abram, Nahor, and Haran), focusing particularly on the story of Abraham. When reading the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob we should keep in mind the refrain from Hebrews 11 — “By faith…”
Genesis 12-13
God calls Abram to leave his father’s house to go to the land that God will show him. In this way God calls Abram to be his son — to exchange the inheritance of Terah for the inheritance of the Promised Land.
And right up front we see the three parts of the promise to Abraham: Land, Seed, and the Blessing to the Nations. These three things will continue to take center stage throughout the book of Genesis (and the whole Pentateuch). And these three things come to fruition through the presence and action of God: “Go…to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3)
So what does Abram do? He went — and wherever he went he built altars: first at Shechem (12:7), second at Bethel (12:8), and third at Hebron (13:18). The location of the altars (in the north, center, and south of the land) mark the core of the Promised Land. I suggest having a map handy so that you can see the locations and see the relationship between people and places. Why is it important that Abram built altars? Because while he lived in the midst of Canaanite wickedness (13:13), he worshiped the LORD.
And immediately after hearing God’s promise, we encounter the first of many threats to the Holy Seed. At the end of chapter 12, Abram goes down to Egypt to avoid a famine (sound familiar? The same thing will happen to Jacob). In the ancient world, Egypt was the best place to go to avoid famine — because while there is very little rain in Egypt, the Nile River always floods in the spring. There will be water in Egypt — and therefore, there will be food in Egypt.
Also, while Abram sojourns in Egypt, the LORD strikes Egypt with plagues because of the way that Pharaoh treats the son of God (in this case, because Pharaoh takes Sarai into his harem). While some have criticized Abram for telling Sarai “Say you are my sister” — the text doesn’t worry about bestowing judgment or praise. Instead, the text tells us that when Pharaoh curses the Seed of Abraham (by stealing his wife), he invokes the Blessing of Abraham, and therefore Pharaoh’s house is cursed. And Pharaoh recognizes that the way to end the curse will only come through atonement — so he blesses the Seed of Abraham and sends him on his way with great gifts (again, you are supposed to see lots of parallels to the Exodus).
When they return to the Promised Land, Abraham and Lot have become so wealthy that they cannot continue together. So Abraham gives Lot the choice of where to settle, and Lot chooses the lush Jordan Valley (“like the garden of the LORD” — which sounds great, until you read the next line: “like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar” — which means that it is very fertile land, but also “like Egypt” — which generally has a negative tone in scripture). But then we hear that Lot has pitched his tent “as far as Sodom” — and then the author adds a rare aside (which says a lot!) “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” (13:13)
But then, after Lot leaves, God reminds Abram of his promise.
Songs: Psalm 47, TH 34 “The God of Abraham Praise”, PHSS 155 “My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord”
Genesis 14
And not only that, but in chapter 14, we hear that Lot gets into trouble in Sodom almost immediately. In a detailed account of some otherwise-forgotten war, we see four kings from Shinar (Babylon area) attack a coalition of five kings around Sodom. Some have wondered if Amraphel is Hammurabi (the names are similar enough and the timeline could work). But if so, then it would be better to describe this as a raiding party — since the ‘five kings’ around Sodom would rule an area roughly the size of St. Joseph County (king here really just means a warlord who rules a city or a village).
This also helps us understand how it is that Abram with 318 men can defeat the combined armies of four kings! Certainly the LORD is with him (and this is main point of Genesis 14). A wandering nomad has a much smaller army than the five kings of southeast Canaan — and yet he defeats the armies of the four Mesopotamian kings and rescues Lot and the rest of the prisoners. [Young children can often get into the story by acting it out…]
Oh, and it’s worth pointing out that Abram has some Canaanite friends: Mamre the Amorite and his brothers Eshcol and Aner. Yes, Abram’s descendants will inherit the land — but that does not prevent Abram from befriending the current inhabitants. And since these brothers bless the seed of Abraham in their actions, I can only presume that they too will be blessed.
Enter Melchizedek. Who is he? Where does he come from? It is worth noting that Melchizedek is portrayed as a true worshiper of God even though he is not part of the Holy Seed. Why is this important? Because it shows us that the line of Abraham is not the only saved people — but the only people through whom salvation will come! Melchizedek in Genesis and Jethro in Exodus (though as a Midianite, Jethro is still descended from Abraham) are examples of those who retained the true knowledge of God outside of the line of the Holy Seed.
Indeed, Hebrews 7 will point out that unlike the rest of the main characters in Genesis (and most of the bit parts) Melchizedek is not connected to anyone else in the story. Melchizedek is both a king and a priest — which takes on new meaning when Psalm 110 declares God’s promise that the Davidic king will become a priest forever. And Abraham gives a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek — which Hebrews uses to show that the priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priesthood, because Levi in effect pays tithes to Melchizedek.
Songs: Psalm 24, Psalm 110, TH 160 “Shepherd of Tender Youth”, PHSS 196 “King of Glory”
Genesis 15
Here Abram recognizes the fundamental problem with God’s promises. He has no child. So when the word of the LORD comes to him in a vision, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward,” Abram properly replies, “you have given me no seed.” How can the promise be fulfilled if there is no heir?
And so when God promises him a son, Abram believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. It’s worth pointing out that Abram had believed God before (when he left Haran and went to the Promised Land), so Abram had been justified prior to Genesis 15. Indeed, there are at least three moments that scripture will use to speak of the justification of Abraham — when he first believed God and went to the Promised Land, here when he believes that God will give him a son, and in Gen 22 at the offering of Isaac (see Hebrews 11, Romans 4, Galatians 3, and James 2 for the various ways that the NT will apply this verse).
This reminds us that while from God’s perspective justification is a once-for-all act, it is proper to say that God continues to apply that once-for-all act of justification throughout our lives (which is why our confession will talk about the “state” of justification). Think about it this way: every time you confess your sins, God applies your justification to you (forgiveness); every time you believe God, God applies your justification to you (imputation of righteousness). It is not that there are multiple justifications, but rather the one act of justification is applied to you continually.
The covenant-cutting ceremony in verses 7-21 then shows us how God alone will fulfill this covenant. We know of many such covenant-cutting ceremonies in the ancient world, so Abram would have expected that he would walk between the pieces of the animals with God. But the LORD puts Abram to sleep and the LORD himself passes alone between the pieces of the animals, thereby signifying that God alone takes responsibility for keeping this covenant.
At the same time, God tells Abram that his descendants will spend 400 years in bondage and affliction in a foreign land. From this point in the book of Genesis, Abraham and his descendants know that they will not personally receive the Land. All they have is the promise that their descendants will receive the Land. Talk with each other about what that would mean if you knew that all your hopes and dreams would only come to pass in 400 years — and that you and your children would have to endure suffering and affliction for the next four centuries before it would happen. Because Hebrews 11 says that this is how we should live.
Songs: Psalm 105, TH 521/522 “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less”, PHSS 201 “We Believe”
Genesis 16
We need to understand the ancient context of this chapter. In Babylonian society (see the Code of Hammurabi — which comes from around the time and place of Abraham’s upbringing) men could take a concubine to have more children. But if the man did it, then the children were his. If his wife gave her servant to her husband, then the children legally belonged to the wife. Therefore, according to Babylonian law, Hagar’s son would be counted the son of Abram and Sarai. So Abram and Sarai act according to the custom of their time in attempting to bring about the promises of God (the modern equivalent would be using in vitro or other artificial techniques to get pregnant).
We should note that God does not condemn them for doing this. Indeed, the angel of the LORD promises Hagar, “I will surely multiply your offspring,” even saying in verse 12, “he shall dwell in the tents of his kinsmen” [the ESV translates this in a negative fashion — “over against all his kinsmen” — but that translation is not at all what the text is saying].
Hagar certainly seems to think that the LORD is blessing her son — not cursing him. And if you watch the Ishmaelites throughout Genesis and Exodus an interesting picture unfolds. Ishmael is not the son of promise. He is the son born according to the flesh — using ordinary human ways of trying have children (Galatians 4). He is not the son born according to the Spirit. But that does not mean that he is cursed — it simply means that the son of promise will come only through the direct action of God.
Certainly Genesis 16 shows us a picture of the challenges of home life when the home includes slaves and concubines. The angel of the LORD rebukes Hagar for her failure to submit to Sarai (and I’m sure that Sarai was particularly sensitive to the fact that Hagar seems to have conceived so easily), but he also promises to look after Hagar and her son because he is the God-who-sees.
Songs: PHSS 161 “Song of Hannah”
Genesis 17-18
Here we have the third statement of God’s blessing (Genesis 12, 15, 17). In chapter 15 the focus was on how God will fulfill the covenant. Abram does not walk between the pieces of the animals. But now in chapter 17 God says to Abram, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” In one sense the covenant is unilateral — God alone fulfills his word. But in another sense the covenant is bilateral — God requires Abram’s obedience. The unilateral aspect of the covenant is seen in the cutting of the covenant in Genesis 15. The bilateral aspect of the covenant is seen in the cutting off of the foreskin in circumcision, as the covenant is “in your flesh.”
And the covenant of circumcision is not just about biological descent. All those who are brought into your house (both children and slaves) shall be circumcised. (Later, in the Law, this will be applied to sojourners who wish to become part of Israel).
While baptism has a lot of other connections (the Flood, the Red Sea, the priestly washings), you should talk with your children about the connection between circumcision and baptism. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant — and a seal of the righteousness that comes by faith (see Paul’s comments in Romans 4). But which comes first, faith or the sign/seal? For Abraham it was faith. For Isaac it was circumcision.
But what about Ishmael? When God says that Sarah will have a son, Abraham laughs and asks God to allow Ishmael to be the promised heir. And the LORD says that he has heard Abraham’s prayer, and will make Ishmael into a great nation — but that he will make his covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear next year.
Once again we are reminded that God is the one who will fulfill his word and his oath. He hears the prayers of his people — but when it comes to how the promised salvation will come about, no one else has a say in how this works.
This is why I have included Genesis 18 in the same reading. Partly because we have Sarah’s laughter parallel to Abraham’s laughter in Genesis 17 — but also because we see Abraham in a new light.
First, Abraham offers hospitality to the three strangers who appear before him. (Think about how much time it would take to slaughter and prepare the meat — not to mention bake the bread — this is impressive hospitality!). Then you hear God’s promise of the son, Sarah’s laughter, and the LORD’s rebuke. And then you have the conversation about Sodom.
The conversation about Sodom sets the tone for all of Israel’s history. God invites Abraham into the divine council, to participate in his deliberations over what to do about the wickedness of Sodom. In doing this, God tests Abraham to discover how Abraham will teach his children “to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice.” While the two terms are largely synonymous, when used together, righteousness refers to how you order your community, and justice refers to how you handle particular cases.
God will judge his descendants based on how Abraham handles himself here (because Abraham will teach his descendants how to think about such cases — and how you judge others is how God will judge you!). Abraham shows great concern for the righteous in Sodom — even challenging God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” In other words, Abraham does not accept the verdict of condemning 50 righteous to death for the sins of a city. Abraham even talks God down to ten. And God agrees: “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
What will God find in Sodom? Will he find ten righteous men?
Songs: PHSS 162 “The Tender Love”, PHSS 167 “The Holy City”
Genesis 19
Here we come to one of the most debated texts in Genesis. We first see Lot sitting in the city gate (suggesting that he has risen to the status of one of the elders of the city). And Lot alone welcomes the two angels — showing the same hospitality as Abraham. Righteousness means showing hospitality. And hospitality includes protecting guests at any cost to yourself. Lot even offers his virgin daughters to the men of Sodom rather than allow the men of Sodom to rape the visitors. While this is unthinkable to us, we need to understand it in terms of ancient hospitality in which you must do anything to protect your guests. Of course, the angels do not permit such an act — and they strike the mob with blindness to protect their host and his daughters.
(Note: the sin of Sodom is not homosexuality. The sin of Sodom is oppressing the weak and helpless in every form, including sexually. This will become clear in Ezekiel 16 — when God compares Judah with Sodom.)
The angels then persuade Lot to leave the city — but even the young men who were engaged to his daughters laugh him off — so the angels seize Lot and his wife and two daughters by the hand and compel them to leave the city, saying, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley.” So they flee to Zoar — and as they arrive there, the LORD rained fire from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. And Lot’s wife looks back — and becomes a pillar of salt — a warning to all generations not to look back with longing at our old life, our old identity.
And then we are told that Abraham saw the smoke of the land rising up like the smoke of a furnace. Here we begin to see a pattern which will continue throughout the scriptures: water then fire. If water doesn’t work, try fire. This will be the pattern of Levitical laws regarding cleansing mold (if water doesn’t work burn it). It will also be the pattern of divine judgment (if water doesn’t work burn it). God destroyed the world through water in the Flood. The final judgment will be a judgment by fire — and at Sodom he gives a brief picture of what that looks like.
The last scene in chapter 19 shows us Lot with his daughters in a cave in the hills. Rather than go in search of his uncle Abraham, Lot lives in fear in the hills. His daughters get tired of this life and realize that they have only one way of getting children. And thus we hear how the Ammonites and Moabites are related to Israel.
How do you read this text to young children? Children have a capacity for understanding the point even when they don’t quite get all the details (which is good!). They can understand very easily: “That was bad” — and “They shouldn’t have done that.” But ask them this, who was the most famous Moabite? Or perhaps, “What book of the Bible was named after a Moabite?” In Ruth we see how God takes the refugees from Sodom and brings them into the Holy Line. As we will see many times in the scriptures, when God curses a people and declares that he will utterly destroy them, odds are that they will wind up in the Holy Line (Rahab the Canaanite, Ruth the Moabite, and Joash the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel). What happens when God’s blessing meets God’s curse? Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Songs: PHSS 152 “To Jordan Came Our Lord, the Christ”, PHSS 166 “O Christ, You Are the Light and Day”
