4. Genesis 12
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household to the land I will
show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…
Contrast with
Babel!
5. Genesis 12
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household to the land I will
show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…
Chiasm:
Hebrew Lit.
Device
A “blessing
sandwich”—the
meat is in the
middle…
6. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Blessed to bless nations:
‣“Election” in the Scriptures—Not so much one
person instead of another, but rather, one person for
the sake of the others.
๏Abraham (Israel) >> Nations
๏Jesus >> Israel
๏Church >> World
8. Genesis 12
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household to the land I will
show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…
Obedience is
the proof of
faith.
In Genesis,
Abraham is said
to have obeyed
before he is said
to believed
(chs. 12 / 15).
10. Genesis 15
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a
vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your very great reward. ”
2 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you
give me since I remain childless and the one who will
inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram
said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my
household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man
will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own
body will be your heir.”
11. Genesis 15
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a
vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your very great reward. ”
2 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you
give me since I remain childless and the one who will
inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram
said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my
household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man
will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own
body will be your heir.”
12. Genesis 15
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens
and count the stars—if indeed you can count them."
Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
righteousness.
8 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, how can I know
that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat
and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a
young pigeon."
13. Genesis 15
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens
and count the stars—if indeed you can count them."
Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
righteousness.
8 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, how can I know
that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat
and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a
young pigeon."
14. Genesis 15
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two
and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds,
however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey
came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them
away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,
and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13
Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that for
four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in
a country not their own and that they will be enslaved
and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they
serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with
great possessions.
15. Genesis 15
15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and
be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation
your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the
Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a
smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and
passed between the pieces.
18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with
Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates
16. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Called a “Covenant” explicitly
‣Symbolism:
1.Stars = Descendants.
2.Animals Cut in Two = may this happen to me if I
break this covenant.
๏Note: YHWH (not Abram) passes through
17. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Called a “Covenant” explicitly
‣Symbolism:
1.Stars = Descendants.
2.Animals Cut in Two = may this happen to me if I
break this covenant.
3.Birds of Prey?
18. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Called a “Covenant” explicitly
‣Symbolism:
1.Stars = Descendants.
2.Animals Cut in Two = may this happen to me if I
break this covenant.
3.Birds of Prey? Egyptians (Alexander) / Pagans?
19. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Promise of Land / Descendants
- Chapter 17 — Circumcision
20. Genesis 17
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk
before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make
my covenant between me and you and will greatly
increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for
me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father
of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram
[exalted father]; your name will be Abraham,[father of
many] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I
will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and
kings will come from you.
21. Genesis 17
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk
before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make
my covenant between me and you and will greatly
increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for
me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father
of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram
[exalted father]; your name will be Abraham,[father of
many] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I
will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and
kings will come from you.
Wenham:
Meaning of the name…
“The blessed one for the peoples”
22. Genesis 17
7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant
between me and you and your descendants after you for
the generations to come, to be your God and the God of
your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of
Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give
as an everlasting possession to you and your
descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must
keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you
for the generations to come.
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants
23. Genesis 17
7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant
between me and you and your descendants after you for
the generations to come, to be your God and the God of
your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of
Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give
as an everlasting possession to you and your
descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must
keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you
for the generations to come.
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants
24. Genesis 17
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants
after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male
among you shall be circumcised.
11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the
sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the
generations to come every male among you who is eight
days old must be circumcised, including those born in
your household or bought with money from a foreigner—
those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in
your household or bought with your money, they must be
circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an
everlasting covenant.
25. Genesis 17
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants
after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male
among you shall be circumcised.
11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the
sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the
generations to come every male among you who is eight
days old must be circumcised, including those born in
your household or bought with money from a foreigner—
those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in
your household or bought with your money, they must be
circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an
everlasting covenant.
26. Genesis 17
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been
circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;
he has broken my covenant.”
We see now why Paul’s denial of mandatory
circumcision for Gentiles was so inflammatory.
27. Genesis 17
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been
circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;
he has broken my covenant.”
A Further (awkward…) Question:
Why Circumcision!?
A ritual (symbolic) castration?
A way of setting apart the “seed”?
28. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Promise of Land / Descendants
- Chapter 17 — Circumcision:
‣We see here some common features of an ANE
covenant ceremony.
๏Some background on ANE covenants…
29. Israel:
Covenants in the ANE:
- Gordon Hugenberger’s Definition:
‣A covenant is an elective, as opposed to a natural
[family-like], relationship of obligation established
under Divine sanction.
- Covenant Components:
30. Covenant Components
Historical Prologue:
What the great King has done / past benefactions
Example:
Exodus 20.2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery.”
31. Covenant Components
Historical Prologue:
What the great King has done / past benefactions
Stipulations:
Conditions of the Covenant
Examples:
Exodus 20.3"You shall have no other gods before Me”
Genesis 17.1: “walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”
32. Covenant Components
Historical Prologue:
What the great King has done / past benefactions
Stipulations:
Conditions of the Covenant
Sanctions:
Blessings (if kept) / Curses (if broken)
33. Genesis 17
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk
before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will
make my covenant between me and you and will greatly
increase your numbers.”
…
Failure to circumcise means “cut off” from people(vs.14)
34. Covenant Components
Historical Prologue:
What the great King has done / past benefactions
Stipulations:
Conditions of the Covenant
Sanctions:
Blessings (if kept) / Curses (if broken)
Ratifying Oath / Oath Sign:
Spoken and/or “Acted Out” Sealing of the Covenant
E.g.,
Marriage.
35. Israel:
Covenants in the ANE:
- Covenant Components:
‣Caveat: All components may not always be present
or in the same exact order.
36. Israel:
Covenants in the ANE:
- The Dilemma: Seeing how all these covenants fit
together quickly becomes complicated… (example).
37.
38. Israel:
Covenants in the ANE:
- The Dilemma: Seeing how all these covenants fit
together quickly becomes complicated… (example).
Three Reasons for a covenant (Hafemann)
1.To start a relationship
2.To ratify an existing relationship
3.To restate an already ratified covenant relationship
Thus the multiple covenant ceremonies in the OT may point
toward an overarching “Covenant” definition…
39. Israel:
“The Covenant” (as opposed to little covenants)
- N.T. Wright:
‣God’s single plan,
‣through Israel,
‣for the good of the world
Again, election =
one,
for the sake of the others
40. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- Chapter 12 — Blessed to be a blessing (Nations)
- Chapter 15 — Promise of Land / Descendants
- Chapter 17 — Circumcision:
Three key “covenant” passages…
42. Genesis 22
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him,
“Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom
you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I
will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his
donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son
Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt
offering, he set out for the place God had told him
about…
43. Israel:
Father Abraham:
- The sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22):
‣This is the test of Abraham’s covenant loyalty.
‣Note the “only” / “beloved son” link to Christ…
‣James sees Gen. 22 as connected to Abraham’s
justification (being considered righteous).
44. James 2
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith
without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for
what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working
together, and his faith was made complete by what he
did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says,
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness,”[Gen. 15] and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by
what they do and not by faith alone.
45. James 2
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith
without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for
what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working
together, and his faith was made complete by what he
did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says,
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness,”[Gen. 15] and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by
what they do and not by faith alone.
This raises the question
of how Abraham is
treated in the NT.
46. Israel:
Abraham in the New Testament
- Paul:
‣Abraham justified by faith (citing Gen. 15), not works
(e.g., Rom.4).
47. Romans 4
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather
according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in
fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something
to boast about—but not before God.
3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[Gen. 15.6]
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as
a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who
does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly,
their faith is credited as righteousness.
48. Israel:
Abraham in the New Testament
- Paul:
‣Abraham justified by faith (Gen. 15), not works (e.g.,
Rom.4).
- James:
‣Abraham “considered righteous for what he did”
(citing Gen. 22) …“not by faith alone” (Jms. 2).
While one is justified by “faith”, God’s final judgment will be
in accordance with one’s life lived (“fruit”).
49. Israel:
Abraham in Conclusion:
- The call of Abraham is seen as the start of God’s
rescue operation to deal with the problem of the
fall.
‣Genesis Rabbah, 14.6 (a midrash):
๏ “I will send Adam first, and if he goes astray I will
send Abraham to sort it out.”
Questions?
Break.
51. Exodus 1
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation
died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they
multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so
numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing,
came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people,
“the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will
become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will
join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
52. Exodus 1
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation
died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they
multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so
numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing,
came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people,
“the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will
become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will
join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
53. Exodus 2
23…The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out,
and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to
God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered
his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned
about them.
54. Israel:
Moses and the Exodus
- The Exodus is the central event of OT redemptive
history.
- It is in the Exodus that we learn the NAME of God.
55. Exodus 3
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what
you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to
you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites,
‘YHWH [ ָהוְֹהי], the God of your fathers—the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has
sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
[ehyeh asher ehyeh]
[ehyeh]
56. Exodus 6
2 God also said to Moses, “I am YHWH. 3 I appeared to
Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, [El
Shaddai] but by my name YHWH I did not make myself
fully known to them.
4 I also established my covenant with them to give them
the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites,
whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have
remembered my covenant.
57. Deuteronomy 6.4 The Shema.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
58. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- There are several words for “God” in Hebrew
‣Elohim (God); Adonai (Lord); El Shaddai (Provider)
‣These are: generic, or describing what God does.
- YHWH is His only Personal Name (in the OT).
‣Q: Why describe it with: “I am who I am”?
‣In the ANE to invoke the name of a deity was to
have a certain power over them
- KEY: This is a God you can’t draw lines around,
define, contain. He is utterly unique.
59. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- Pharoah’s response to the Name:
‣“I do not know this YHWH”
‣Thus the plagues are meant to “introduce” Him…
‣Interestingly, Exod. gives us the NAME of God, and of
Egyptian midwives, but not Pharaoh.
60. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- The Divine Name and the NT
‣By the first century the Divine name is reverenced by
paraphrases (replacing YHWH with other words).
๏E.g., “Adonai”- LORD, without the def. article “the”
๏Or, “The Name” - “Hallowed be thy Name” (Mt. 6.9).
‣It was also reverenced through nomina sacra
61. Nomina Sacra
The use of special embellishments (e.g. lines or dots) or
different colored ink in order to reverence divine name(s)
The practice started with YHWH (Adonai) and expanded
to include: “Jesus,” “Son,” “Spirit,” “Christ,” “God,” “Lord,”
etc.
62. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- The Divine Name and the NT
‣By the first century the Divine name is reverenced by
paraphrases (replacing YHWH with other words).
๏E.g., “Adonai”- LORD, without the def. article “the”
๏Or, “The Name” - “Hallowed be thy Name” (Mt. 6.9).
‣It was also reverenced through nomina sacra
‣What is most fascinating is how Jesus comes to be
included(!) in the use of the divine name. (examples?)
63. 1 Cor. 8.5-6 Paul’s reworked “Shema”
We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and
that “There is no God but one.”
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven
or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many
“lords”),
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom
all things came and for whom we live; and there is but
one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came
and through whom we live.
64. Philippians 2
11…God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is
Lord,to the glory of God the Father.
65. Philippians 2
11…God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is
Lord,to the glory of God the Father.
A Reference to the Name of YHWH in Isa. 45:
23"I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth
in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will
bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24"They will say of Me,
'Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.'
66. John 17.10-11
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory
has come to me through them.
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in
the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect
them by the power of your name,
the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we
are one.
67. John 8 (and elsewhere-“I am” statements)
8.58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before
Abraham was born, I am!”
8.24 You would die in your sins; if you do not believe that
I am.
68. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- The Divine Name and the NT
‣What is most fascinating is how Jesus comes to be
included(!) in the use of the divine name. (examples)
‣Kendall Soulen: “Reverence for the Tetragrammaton is
something like the matrix out of which the church’s
trinitarian faith emerges.”
69. Israel:
YHWH, the Personal name of God
- The Divine Name and the NT
‣What is most fascinating is how Jesus comes to be
included(!) in the use of the divine name. (examples)
‣Kendall Soulen: “Reverence for the Tetragrammaton is
something like the matrix out of which the church’s
trinitarian faith emerges.”
71. Israel:
Sinai, and the giving of the Law
- A Helpful outline of the Torah (“As Journey”)
Genesis
Eden
Exodus
Egypt
Leviticus
Sinai
Numbers Deuteronomy
Plains of Moab
