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What Underscores Your Life?

Jan 13, 2013 by: Ritchin Sen| Series: Genesis: The Beginnings

Gen 11:27-12:3

We saw last week that the Tower of Babel event was marked with direct disobedience to God’s command. It constituted the Babelites rebelling against God; trying to make a name for themselves based on their own knowledge, strength, partnership and communication; and wanting to display their autonomous power. They came to the point of thinking that they were independent of God and no longer needed Him. We saw that even though man was disobedient, God worked through their disobedience by punishing them; confusing their language. This resulted in the Babelites being scattered which fulfilled God’s original command of populating the earth (Gen 9:1). The lesson we learnt was that no matter who you are or what you believe, the God of the Bible is in control.

Up to Genesis 11, we see that God works with mankind collectively to try and bring a solution to sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve, but after man’s selfish and futile attempts at the Tower of Babel, God now focuses on one man and one future people group to bring about salvation to the whole world. And that man is Abram and the future people group is the nation of Israel. The way Genesis 10-12 is structured tells us that Abram and the nation he fathers, is the divine antidote/solution for the sinful calamity of man upto that point.

Genesis 11:27-32

a. FAMILY BACKGROUND

This paragraph gives us an account of Abram’s family members who were part of the Terah clan and it explains the relationships with respect to Terah, when he lived in Ur and Haran.

– Terah leaves Ur of the Chaldeans with Abram, Sarai and Lot, and moves to Haran.
Gen 11:31 is an important piece of information that explains to us why the genealogy of Shem (Genesis 11:10-32) is placed after the Tower of Babel incident.
– Both these stories involve the movement of a group of people from one place to another, and we see from the passages that the groups choose to settle in the second place.
– Both groups travel in an East-West direction.
– The 1st migration (Tower of Babel) ends in frustration and then a dispersal.
– The 2nd migration provides the stepping stones that leads to the divine blessing of the divinely chosen Abram, which will ultimately result in bringing about dispersed people together, way in the future.
These verses are placed here to show us that all of the descendants of Noah’s sons - Ham, Japheth and Shem’s descendants including Eber’s son, Joktan’s descendants were all out of the place of God’s blessing. The structure of the whole story in Genesis 10-11 shows us that the chosen line God selected to bring future salvation to the world was through Shem’s line, through his descendant Eber’s son, Peleg.

To get a feel of the social and religious environment Abram came from, we can look at what his family members were known as and also the history of Ur. Their names shed light as to what kind of religious background or environment Abram was exposed to.

– The name of the family’s head - Terah, has very close connections to “moon” and “lunar month” which is related to the moon-god, Sin. A possibility that has been suggested is that Abram’s family and ancestors were moon worshippers.
– Sarai means “queen” which is an Akkadian translation of a Sumerian name for Ningal, and Ningal is the partner of the moon-god named Sin.
– Milcah is the same name as the goddess Malkatu who was the daughter of the moon-god, Sin.
– Laban means “white” or “the white one” which is a poetic term for the moon.
– In addition, both Ur and Haran were archaeologically and historically moon worshippers.
So with all this evidence, it is safe to assume that the culture in which Abram was steeped in at the time of his call was that of moon worship and Abram might have been immersed in it, might have been comfortable in it.

b. CITY

Abram might have been born in Ur and he certainly lived a good part of his life there. From archaeological findings, Ur was a magnificent city in all the world and was a center for manufacturing, farming, trading and shipping. It was so to speak the center of the known world at that time. Something like present day Dubai.
The most conspicuous building of the city in Abram’s day was the Ziggurat, or the temple tower, which was most probably fashioned after the Tower of Babel. The city had two main temples: one dedicated to Sin or Nannar, the moon god and the other to his wife, Ningal.

c. ABRAM

– The passage tells us that Abram and Sarai were not able to have children (Gen 11:30). They might have been in a challenging place in their lives and going by the cultural norms back then, it was something that was looked down upon when a husband and wife could not have any offspring. So they could have been facing issues within their society. They could have been depressed that they had no one to pass on their legacy to; no one to inherit what they had; no one to care for.
– Gen 12:4 tells us that Abram was not a young man by any measure. He was 75 years old. So he might have been facing challenges not only physically but physiologically. He might not have been a man who was looking for adventure.

With all this as a background, God came to Abram out of the blue and told him that God needs him to pick up and move. And God would tell him where to go later. Imagine his difficulty explaining this to his wife, parents, and friends. They might have looked at him as though he was crazy. They might have protested. They might have doubted that he really talked to God. They might have done their best to talk him out of it. Yet Abram obeyed.

Gen 12:1-3 - “1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

These verses are packed with so much meaning in the way it is written. We see here that there is an introduction followed by two parts in God’s speech. Each part begins with a main statement followed by 3 expressions.

Gen 12:1a“Now the Lord said to Abram”

At the Babel event, man was trying to make a name for himself but God came and His words were that of divine judgement. He punished them for their rebellion. But here, we see a contrast where God chooses to do something positive in a man’s life by interacting with him. Where God provides the solution to the mess that happened in the earlier chapters. This reminds us that it was God who began to act way before Abram had begun to do anything in response to God. God points out the mistakes in our lives and can discipline us, but likewise He is quick to provide the solution to the problem.

Gen 12:1b-2a - “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great”
Gen 12:1b“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

– The main statement begins with “Go” or in some translations “Leave”. God commanded Abram to do something. To go to a land that God would show him. When God calls Abram, He instructs Abram to move away from the common spheres of life that had the most influence on him and God lists them from the broader influence to the specific one: (i) “your country” (tribe), (ii) “your kindred” (clan) (iii) “your father’s house” (family).
So we see here a not only a command of DIRECTION but also SEPARATION required by God.
God’s instructions to Abram was not explicit directions; it did not have specifics to follow but it did point Abram in the right direction. God does not tell him to go to a specific land but He does tell Abram to go “to the land that I will show you”.

Gen 12:2a“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great.”

After the main statement or command, you find the 3 clauses. This verse focuses on the blessings that God presented to Abram.
– God promises Abram a numerous population; a nation. Of all the promises, this is the most surprising one because at the age of 75 years, Abram had no children and Sarai, his wife was barren (Gen 11:30). In everything else, Abram could be successful. He could have had property, houses, wealth, fame etc. but in the one aspect where he was lacking- children, there was nothing he could do but depend on God’s provision/blessing. God makes a promise to Abram that the childless couple would enter God’s promise and make Abram a “great nation” which ultimately points to Abram having a son. Abram himself did not realize or come to see the rapid growth of the nation but he still trusted God’s revelation to him. He trusted and expected God to fulfill His word, and this underscored everything that Abram did.
– Next, God offers to bless Abram with prosperity. Over the course of Abram’s life, we see God fulfilling this promise as we see Abram becoming a wealthy man obtaining livestock, precious metals, slaves etc. That was how wealth was measured back then. [everything will be added unto you]
– Lastly, God promises that Abram’s descendants will have a great name and reputation. It would be so great that Abram’s influence would be widespread, even across generations. The term “name” brings to mind all the events in Genesis 1-11 which culminates in the tower of Babel event. In Genesis 1-11, we see the failure of human efforts to obtain wisdom, fame and name by unlawful means. But here, the patriarch achieves his name because it was divinely bestowed upon him. This promise might have been received by Abram as being applicable to that moment in history, but Abram’s future name change to Abraham tells us that God had an even bigger plan for him where he becomes a father of future nations and kings (Gen 17:5-6).

Gen 12:2b-3“so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Then we come to the second half of God’s words to Abram. In most modern English translations, we are not able to see this structure but in Hebrew it is clear that this second part is grammatically parallel to the previous section of having a main statement followed by 3 expressions.

Gen 12:2b“You will be a blessing”

 This is structured to parallel the first main statement, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you”. This verse, although not a command, it is a statement made by God which impresses the idea of a surety. It shifts the attention away from Abram receiving blessings to God’s promise that Abram will be a blessing or a channel of blessings to others. God will work through Him. It is God’s promise. This is why we see the success in Abram’s life, because God promised it to Abram. It was all in God’s hands because He is in control.

Gen 12:3“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Like the previous section, the main statement is followed by 3 expressions. This verse explains how Abram will become a blessing to others. It is expressed as the Lord’s actions (“I will”). This verse puts in context that it is the Lord and not Abram who is the dispenser of blessings for the nations. The source for these blessings is God.

CONCLUSION

And so you begin to see certain types of patterns/pictures to how God works in Abram’s life and this can relate to our lives as believers. 3 pictures that ask the question - “What underscores our lives?” in 3 ways:

1. The first picture that you see is that God’s relationship with Abram is based on God’s grace alone.

We see this right from the first verse, “Now the Lord said to Abram”. These words remind us that God entered into Abram’s life way before Abram even knew anything was happening or before he had done anything in service to God. What’s interesting about Abram’s call is that, it came when he wasn’t a young man. So he had a good majority of his life lived out and we do not know how he lived. He could have either been an upright man or just the opposite. We don’t know because the Bible remains quiet on the topic. And what this tells us is that God chooses to act in someone’s life not because of who they are or what they have achieved but because God chooses to do so. It pleased God to be gracious to Abram.

As Christians today, we can understand or have a better picture of grace looking at the cross. Where we “were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” Eph 2:12-13.

We all know the importance of grace in our lives because without it, we would be where we started out from, “dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world” (Eph 2:1b-2a).

BUT thank God for grace because “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).

To survive, have peace, and have an identity we need God and His grace in our lives. The same way the OT people needed God’s grace and that’s why this passage is in scripture. Not only was it penned to draw the attention of the wilderness-bound Israelites to God’s grace but also to us present day believers. That God’s grace is not an old concept that ceases to exist but is one that continues to this day as reminded by the cross. Do we live our lives exhibiting the fact that God’s grace is what dominates our lives? Do we live showing the world that my God is in control? Do we live lives that exhibit actions and decisions that are centered around God? Do we show that God’s grace underscores our lives?

2. In addition to God’s grace in Genesis 12:1-3, we see the picture of Abram’s Loyalty.

Abram responds with faithful obedience. God showed mercy and grace but Abram responded. Gen 12:1 stresses Abram’s responsibility to be faithful to the Lord. God commanded him, “Go”, “Leave your country”. How did Abram respond? “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him”. He did not talk, he walked. He acted on what God told him.

How many times do we ask for God’s guidance or for Him to reveal to us what we are to do and the moment, in His grace, He does speak to us, we question God? “God, is that what You really want me to do? Is that where you want me to go? Is that what I should give up? Should I spend time doing what you showed me?”
As followers of Christ, though grace is a free but expensive gift from God, God expects us to show our gratitude to Him by obeying His commands. God’s grace to Abram led Abram to be loyal to God. This is a reminder to us of God’s grace and our responsibility because we are prone to forget the importance of faithful living before God, who directs and guides through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
We are prone to complacency, happy with all that we have achieved  we want to be where we want to be. Not where God wants us to be. We are happy that we are safe and secure in God’s salvation, we are happy with all that he has provided for us to sustain ourselves, happy with the family and friends we have been blessed with. And that’s it. We want to sit on our laurels and God’s providence and that’s the end of our Christian lives.
We fail to realize that living Christian lives is an ever changing life-long journey. That the only constant in a Christian’s life is change. Change in the people you meet, change in the responsibilities that you are graced with, change in the setting you may be placed in etc. Does our lives show that it is underscored by loyalty to our God who prompts us through the Holy Spirit? Do we respond like Abram, do we walk or do we talk?

3. The third Motif is the blessings that God had bestowed on Abram.

First, God said that Abram would become a great nation and that his descendants would be a grand nation. But Abram didn’t have any children of his own. Yet, God promised Abram that his descendants would be innumerable like the stars in the sky.
Second, God told Abram that He would bless him. We see from the Bible that Abram was blessed with great wealth and everything was in abundance for him.
Third, God said that his name would be great. It would surpass generations and they all would know of Abram. He would be honoured. His influence would be widespread. And we know how great his name becomes because he becomes a father of future nations and kings (Gen 17:5-6).
Looking at the blessings that Abram was bestowed with reminds me of the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on our own lives. How He has saved us from many embarrassing situations, made sure we have enough money to pay rent/mortgages, buy groceries or fix our car when our bank balances are empty. How He has met not only our needs but how He has surpassed our wants. In all that, sometimes like the Israelites, we forget the God whom we serve. The God who is in control. The God who sustains and blesses us. Are our lives underscored by the fact that we are blessed by God?

Abram’s life and response to God’s call serves as a reminder to us of God’s blessings in our own lives. Most importantly it reminds us of how God reached out to us, redeeming us from the slave-market of sin to make us “sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 3:26).

But in our current lives:
– Do we show that God’s grace underscores our lives?
– Does our lives show that it is underscored by loyalty to our God? Do we respond like Abram, do we walk or do we talk?
– Are our lives underscored by the fact that we are blessed by God?