GENESIS THE BEGINNING OF PATRIARCHAL PERIOD

THE TOWER OF BABEL Genesis 11 – Tower of Babel Verse 1 “Now the earth had one language and the same words” This illustrates that there was no diversification of language. The people migrated to one place and began to build a tower to the heavens. Why to the heavens? The text doesn’t say, but this illustrates how much sin had permeated the society. Man sought to make their name famous, instead of God. A complete reversal from Genesis 1.

THE TOWER OF BABEL So we see how much sin has infected the world since Genesis 3 and even the flood. God’s punishment on sin through the flood, did not ultimately rid the world of sin. Sin still dominated and had a hold over mankind. Why? Couldn’t God just have destroyed EVERYTHING, including Noah and started over again? God could have and that would have been Just for him to do, but he decided to show mercy to His people, because God is a gracious God.

THE TOWER OF BABEL These people decide to build a tower to the heavens and this shows the pridefulness of mankind. They decide want to be God. This is the same temptation the serpent told Eve in Genesis 3, “If you eat of this tree, you will be like God.” This is a repeat of the Genesis 3 fall. God’s response: He decides to confuse the language so man could not communicate any more Hence they would hear “babble”

THE TOWER OF BABEL Then the LORD also disperses them across the earth as well. In Acts 2, at Pentecost the Holy Spirit falls upon the 120 believers in the room and they could understand each other. This is often called the Reversal of Babel. Between Genesis 11 and 12, we do not know the extent of time that passed, But Genesis 12 picks up with God calling a man from a polytheistic culture.

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD Genesis 11:31-32, “Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran”

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD

CALL OF ABRAM OF THE PROMISE OF GOD Abram lived in a culture that was filled with multiple gods. Abram was most likely a worshiper of multiple gods. Most likely this is around 2100 BCE. The people during this time were nomads. They moved around a lot, so this is not uncommon for people to move around. It was a relatively peaceful time, with no wars or no big skirmishes during this time.

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD God chooses Abram. Not out of something that was in him or something good he had done. It was simply because of God’s gracious and sovereign call. God calls Abram to leave three things: His country His people His family

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD When God calls Abram away from his land, his people and his family. God makes a promise with Abram where God promises Abram: A Great Nation A Blessing on Him (Abram) A Great Name

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD Abram has a choice: He can trust God and follow him or reject God and go back to his family. Abram trusts and obeys God – “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him…” God takes the initiative in the promise. “I will bless…” “I will make of you a great nation” “I will make your name great” Abram obeys the LORD We can learn some early lessons from the life of Abram: Abram trusts the LORD at His Word. Do you? Abram obeys the LORD. Do you?

CALL OF ABRAM AND THE PROMISE OF GOD Abram forgets God’s promise in Egypt. A famine arises in the land, Egypt is the place where there was a source of food. This will not be the only time people will seek out Egypt for food. (i.e. Joseph) Abram goes, takes his wife Sarai and goes to Egypt. Abram’s failure: Abram fails to believe God’s provision and promise of a great nation. Abram pawns Sarai off as his sister, Pharaoh is punished for Abram’s sin.

ABRAM AND LOT Abram and Lot separate over land. Abram takes the “mediocre, okay land” Lot takes the luscious, rich land, which includes Sodom and Gomorrah. But God still blesses Abram by telling him that this is land that he will give to Abram’s offspring. Abram has to rescue Lot from the territorial kings in the land which he chose.

ABRAM AND MELCHIZEDEK Genesis 14:17-24, Abram has an encounter with the king of Salem, Melchizedek. Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness” Melchizedek blesses Abram after Abram gives a tenth of everything Very early indication of the tithe in Scripture Melchizedek would be a type of Christ. Hebrews 7 illustrates that Jesus is from the line of Melchizedek. Jesus is the better Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is The guarantor of a better covenant Holds the priesthood permanently Save to the uttermost Always makes intercession Holy Innocent Unstained Separated from sinners No need to offer sacrifices daily for his sins, because he himself is the perfect sacrifice.

ABRAM AND GOD’S COVENANT Genesis 15 – God reminds Abram of the covenant. Abram has begin just a little bit to doubt that God is going to fulfill the promise, but God assures him that it will be fulfilled. Genesis 15:6 “And he (Abram) believed the LORD and he counted it to him righteousness.” Paul would use this verse to support that one cannot be justified through works of the law but by faith in Christ. (Romans 4) He would also bring this same verse in Galatians 3:1- 9

ABRAM AND GOD’S COVENANT. God tells Abram who He is, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” This same formula will be used in the book of Exodus when the LORD says “I am the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” This speaks to God’s saving work through a effective calling on Abram’s and the people of Israel’s life. In both cases, it was not dependent on something inside of them (island of Righteousness), but simply because God is good.

ABRAM AND GOD’S COVENANT God commands Abram to go and acquire multiple animals, slaughter them and cut them into pieces. This is how a covenant was made. Covenant is not the same as a contract. A Contract is where goods and services are exchanged. If anyone does not uphold their exchange, their contract can be broken In a covenant, it is between two people and a promise is to be given to said person. The slaughtering of animals and walking through them is a extreme warning that if either group breaks the covenant, may they be dashed to pieces just like the animals Both people would walk through the sacrifice, which would communicate that if either side is unfaithful may this happen to you as well

ABRAM AND GOD’S COVENANT God makes a covenant with Abram and puts Abram in a deep sleep. Something interesting happens in this covenant: God walks through the sacrifice, but Abram does not. This is AMAZING, here God is saying, “Abram, I will remain faithful to the covenant I made with you even if you do not remain faithful. May all the curses come on me.” This is ultimately seen in the death of Christ: sin’s curse is put on Christ on our behalf and we become the righteousness of God.

SARAI’S FAILURE TO BELIEVE Sarai, Abram’s wife, is barren. The author is intentional by noting that Sarai is Abram’s wife and was barren. Why? Because it reveals the magnitude of the promise God made to Abram. He is going to bring offspring to a man whose wife is barren. Barrenness is seen in the Ancient world as a curse from the gods. Children are seen as a blessing from the gods. If a woman was barren, the culture and society looked down on her because of her lack in child bearing.

SARAI’S FAILURE TO BELIEVE Feeling this weight, Sarai decides to take things into her own hands. She gives Hagar, her servant to Abram. She thinks that she can speed up God’s plan for an offspring, by going through someone else. But the promise was meant for Abram and Sarai. Hagar becomes pregnant and has Ishmael. Sarai becomes hostile to Hagar and looks down on her.

SARAI’S FAILURE TO BELIEVE God still sovereignly protects Hagar and Ishmael. The line of Ishmael would come the Arab race.

GOD’S COVENANT RENEWED Genesis 17 – God comes back to Abram, when Abram was 99 years old. God promises that he will fulfill his promise to Abram. God changes Abram’s name here Abram – exalted father Abraham – father of many

GOD’S COVENANT RENEWED God changing Abram’s name to Abraham shows a new identity for Abraham. It is a stark reminder that God has certainly not given up on his promise to make him a great nation. He also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. Both mean princess, but again this is reveal her identity in God The text is clear that both Abraham and Sarah were advanced in years and that there was no way that Sarah could have a child, other than God doing a miracle. Sarah still fails to trust God at His Word.

THE BIRTH OF ISAAC God tells Sarah that she is to have a child, she laughs at the prospect at having a child at her old age. God reminds both Abraham and Sarah who He is and that nothing is impossible for him. This promise was not based on the physical attributes or even health of Abraham and Sarah, but on God’s sovereign will. This was to show How great God is in this, not how great Abraham or Sarah was

INTERLUDE: SODOM AND GOMORRAH The promise of the birth of Isaac is somewhat interrupted by Genesis 18:22 – 38, with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Beginning in 18:22, Abraham intercedes on behalf of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. He asks God if there are 50 righteous men in the city would he destroy it, then moves to 40, then 30, then 20, then 10. Abraham never asked if there was one righteous person, would God destroy it. Why? Because Abraham probably knew that there was no one who is righteous in Sodom, including Lot his nephew.

THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH Again God’s grace is shown in God choosing to warn Lot and tell him to get his family out of the city before the destruction of the city. Why did God destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah? Many Christians have argued that it was because of homosexuality that is seen very early in the text, however, that is probably not the MAIN reason why. God destroyed these two cities because of their wickedness and their sin and their refusal to turn back to God. God was punishing their sin, but saved Lot by giving him and his family to get out.

LOT’S SIN After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters are upset that there is no man for them to marry, so they hatch a plot to deceive their father. Both Daughter’s become pregnant One of the children is named “Moab,” this name literally means “incest” The next child was named “Ben-Ammi” or “son of my people” Both of these children’s race would become enemies of the Israelites in later generations, all because of a selfish decision to fail to trust God.

LIES, LIES, SWEET LITTLE LIES Genesis 20 picks up the story again with Abraham. This time he interacts with a man named Abimelech. Abraham has failed to learn from his past mistake of lying about Sarah being his sister. He does it again. But this time the LORD appears to Abimelech in a dream, before he can even take Sarah as his wife.

THE BIRTH OF ISAAC Isaac is born just like God said that he would. Abraham is 100 yrs old, Sarah is 99 yrs old. But God never forgot his promise to Abraham.

THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC