1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,280 We will be in chapter 12 this morning. 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,440 In chapter 12 marks a transition in the Genesis story. 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:17,720 We generally divide Genesis up into two sections, 1st 11 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,240 chapters and then 12 through 50 after that. 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:28,040 So things will be a little bit different here from this point 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,760 on then what we what we covered earlier. 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:37,040 So I hope you're enjoying it. I am and I am learning a lot. 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:40,880 Yeah. It's amazing how many times you 9 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,920 can read something, you know, I don't know how many times I've 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,480 read Genesis over the years. And there's always something to 11 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:55,080 learn. When our family left the Bay 12 00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:01,080 Area and moved to Iowa in January of 2011, in a sense we 13 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:06,760 made a move by sight. Sure, it was a huge step of 14 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:12,160 faith, but we had the luxury of the Internet. 15 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,360 We were able to look up and see what Eldridge and the Quad 16 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:21,360 Cities had to offer. We could see what kind of people 17 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,000 lived here. We could check rental prices for 18 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,760 homes. I was able to go online and see 19 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:32,560 if there was a Chipotle here. There wasn't, and I determined 20 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,680 the closest one was in Iowa City. 21 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,240 Then I asked people on Facebook what my options would be when I 22 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,800 needed a Chipotle fix and they said, oh, go to Pancheros and 23 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,640 Qdoba. Those are your best options. 24 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,760 Not great options. They do not satisfy when you 25 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,360 need Chipotle. Before ever visiting the Quad 26 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,120 Cities, we already knew a lot about it. 27 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,280 Leaving our family behind in the Bay Area was enormously 28 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,440 difficult to do, and it was a huge step of faith. 29 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,240 But in some sense, it was calculated. 30 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,160 We had a home lined up to live in for at least a few months. 31 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,320 I had my position as worship pastor at Cornerstone, and we 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,080 were beginning to develop relationships with people 33 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:30,320 through Facebook, all helping make things up just a little bit 34 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:38,440 less scary for the webs. Abram, He didn't have the luxury 35 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,200 of the Internet. He didn't have the luxury of 36 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,400 consulting Google. When he made his move, he first 37 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,400 moved 600 miles northwest with his with his father, Tara and 38 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,200 family. Now he was about to move another 39 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:58,800 400 miles southwest, not knowing what's and who awaited him 40 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,080 there. So this morning we'll examine 41 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,440 Abraham's move that was purely by faith and way out of his 42 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,080 comfort zone. If you're able, would you stand 43 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,640 as we read from Genesis chapter 12 verses one through 9? 44 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,200 Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your 45 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,360 kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show 46 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,280 you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless 47 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,400 you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 48 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,640 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I 49 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,160 will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be 50 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,080 blessed. So Abram went as the Lord had 51 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,320 told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he 52 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,760 departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarah his wife, 53 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,360 and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they 54 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,000 had gathered and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and 55 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,400 they set out to go to the land of Canaan. 56 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,760 When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the 57 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,920 land to the place that shechem to the oak of Moray. 58 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,800 At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 59 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,800 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring, I 60 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,880 will give this land. So he built there an altar to 61 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,440 the Lord, who had appeared to him. 62 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,040 From there he moved to the Hill Country on the east of Bethel 63 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,320 and pitched his tent with Bethel on the West and AI on the east. 64 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,320 And there he built an altar to the Lord, and called upon the 65 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,200 name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still 66 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:37,520 going toward the Negeb. You may be seated now. 67 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:43,480 Last week Genesis 1131 read Tara took Abram his son, and Lot the 68 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:48,800 son of Haran his grandson, and Sarah his Sarah his daughter, 69 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,480 daughter-in-law, his son, Abram's wife. 70 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,840 And they went forth together from ur the Chaldeans to go into 71 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:58,640 the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, 72 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,760 they settled there. So they left ER, which is down 73 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,240 South of Babylon, and headed towards Canaan, but ended up 74 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:14,000 making a long layover in Haran. Why did they make this trip? 75 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:19,400 Well, it was simply because it was God's call to Abram. 76 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,720 Verse one read. Now the Lord said to Abram, Go 77 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,840 from your country and your kindred and your father's house 78 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,840 to the land that I will show you. 79 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,400 God instructed Abram to go to Canaan. 80 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,560 And when we consider this strictly from the immediate 81 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,600 context of Genesis, the timeline of when God called Abram isn't 82 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,800 so clear. Had God called Abram while he 83 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,800 was in Quran? Or had God called Abram when 84 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:53,200 they were still in err, thus precipitating the move with Tara 85 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,040 and his family? Fast forward nearly 2000 years. 86 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,760 Stephen was being interrogated by the Jewish Sanhedrin. 87 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,800 The false accusers claimed that he was preaching against the 88 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:13,840 Temple and against the Torah. Acts 613 and 14 read. 89 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,240 They set up false witnesses who said this man never ceases to 90 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,200 speak words against this holy place in the law. 91 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,600 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will 92 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,240 destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses 93 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,760 delivered to us. Stephen spoke with immense 94 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,000 wisdom as the Spirit moved in him and and they just couldn't 95 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,040 compete with his words, so they brought him to the Jewish 96 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,480 leaders. That is the Sanhedrin in Acts 7 97 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,480 one through 4, the high priest asked are these things so 98 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:54,480 meaning it? Is it true that Jesus said he 99 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,800 would destroy the temple? And Stephen said, brothers and 100 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,880 fathers, hear me, the God of glory appeared to our father 101 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,640 Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, that is when he was 102 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:14,000 in ER before he lived in Quran. And he said to him, Go out from 103 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,880 your land and from your kindred, and go into the land that I will 104 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,320 show you. And then he went out from the 105 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,520 land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. 106 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:27,160 And after his father died, God removed him from there into this 107 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,160 land in which you are now living. 108 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:36,360 So Stephen gave us the timeline when Terrace family was still 109 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,600 living in UR. God revealed himself to Abram 110 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,200 and told him to go to the land that Yahweh would show him. 111 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,560 From the text it seems that they'd intended to make their 112 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:54,160 way all the way West to to Canaan, to the promised land 113 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:58,240 that we call it, but for some reason they got stopped in Quran 114 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:04,040 for a good number of years, possibly even 60 years. 115 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:11,400 When Tara Abrams father died at the age of 205, Abram continued 116 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:12,960 the rest of the journey to Canaan. 117 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:20,880 At the age of 75, God had called Abram to something unknown to A 118 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,280 to a land he'd never been to and where we had no connections or 119 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:30,480 relationships. Verse 6 tells us Canaanites were 120 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,640 in the land so there would be people Abram would have to 121 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,760 contend with. Also, the name of the place 122 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,080 Abram had been called to wasn't exactly flattering. 123 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:50,080 Canaan means humiliated and is from the word kana to bend the 124 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:56,840 knee, humiliate or Vanquish. They were cursed because of 125 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,000 Ham's behavior, would one day be servants of Israel and they were 126 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:07,480 despised by everyone else. That's who the Canaanites were. 127 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,880 It's good to remind ourselves that when Abram was called, his 128 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:17,240 understanding of Yahweh was was quite limited. 129 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:23,240 Joshua 24 two reads. Thus says the Lord, the God of 130 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:27,840 Israel, long ago your father's lived beyond the Euphrates. 131 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:32,240 Euphrates terror, the father of Abram and of Nahor, and they 132 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,600 served other gods. Tara and his family served in 133 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,000 the NA and other false idols of UR. 134 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,680 This was their natural tendency and if they if they knew 135 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:50,280 anything of Yahweh at all, it was probably in the context of 136 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,560 throwing Yahweh into the mix with the with their false idols 137 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:59,280 that they worshipped. Yes, somehow, likely in 138 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:06,520 Abraham's youth, Yahweh had called to Abram and said go to 139 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:10,920 Canaan. This was a pivotal moment for 140 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,480 Abram, as God called him to a place that he didn't know to 141 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,480 worship a God he didn't yet fully know, so that he could be 142 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:23,000 part of the story of bringing God's redemption to the world. 143 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:28,600 Yahweh had called Abram to reject those other gods and to 144 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:34,960 worship him alone. That's the call that went out to 145 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,160 Abram. Leave your country and and home 146 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,280 and go to a place that I will show you. 147 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,720 So next we look at the Abrahamic covenant. 148 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,640 As we begin looking at the covenant, we first want to 149 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:57,240 consider what a covenant is. Now, a covenant was a formal 150 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,440 contract in the ancient Near East. 151 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,560 It involved two parties, usually a superior, and that superior is 152 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:08,520 referred to as a suzarin and the subordinates as a vassal. 153 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,160 This contract was legally binding. 154 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:13,520 There are two basic types of covenants. 155 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:18,360 There's a promissory covenant and an obligatory covenant. 156 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:23,440 A promissory covenant unilaterally boundless sovereign 157 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:28,480 to the vassal. In this case the the sovereign 158 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,600 or the OR the suzuron was committed to taking care of the 159 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,520 vassal and to meet the vassals needs. 160 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:42,480 An obligatory covenant bound a vassal to the suzuron in a in a 161 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:49,040 servant like role outlining the vassals obligations to the 162 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,360 suzuron. Should the vassal not uphold his 163 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:56,120 side of the covenant there would be consequences or or curses as 164 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:00,560 it's sometimes called and the covenant would become null and 165 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:05,520 void. In the Old Testament we see four 166 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:08,680 primary covenants. As some people will say, there's 167 00:12:08,680 --> 00:12:11,640 other covenants. Yes there there are other forms 168 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,360 of covenants, but there are four primary covenants in the Old 169 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,480 Testament. First of all is the Noah 170 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,840 covenant. This was a one way covenant 171 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,680 where Noah and his and the rest of humanity didn't need to do 172 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:27,480 anything. God had made a promise the earth 173 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:33,600 would continue to be evil and filled with sin, but God made a 174 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:38,240 promise to not destroy it again. Then there was this one, the 175 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,520 Abrahamic Covenant. It governs God's unique 176 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:46,640 relationship with Israel, giving them a home and a special place 177 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,040 in God's eyes. And 3rd is the Mosaic covenant. 178 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,080 This is the covenant Yahweh established with the nation of 179 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,720 Israel declaring that if they would obey His laws then they 180 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:04,600 will receive blessing for it, but if they don't obey His laws 181 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,960 then they would experience curses. 182 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:10,160 Then lastly is the Davidic covenant. 183 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:15,000 One day one of David's sons would reign on the throne and 184 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:19,440 and establish God's peace and blessing over the nations and 185 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:25,800 for the rest of eternity. Now normally when two parties 186 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,960 wanted to establish a covenant, first they would set the terms, 187 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,240 then animals would be sacrificed and their carcasses would be 188 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,800 arranged on a ground, on the ground in a manner that created 189 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,640 a a path through them. So 1/2 on one side, the other 190 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,720 half on the other side. Creating a path passing between 191 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:52,560 the halves of the animals was a sign that each party swore to 192 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,320 uphold their end of the covenant. 193 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,280 This was the norm when establishing a covenant. 194 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:08,240 But this isn't what happened with Abram in chapter 15. 195 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,680 Here, in a few chapters, we'll see that Abram prepared the 196 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,840 animals and and made the path. But when the moment came to 197 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,880 ratify the covenant, God put Abram into a deep sleep. 198 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:26,680 And then only God, only God in his glory, passed between the 199 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,680 animals. God was the only one to ratify 200 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:35,040 the covenant, meaning that God's people, that is, the vassals in 201 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:39,760 this covenant, couldn't break this promissory covenant. 202 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:46,120 There were no stipulations for Abram to keep, and God was 203 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:51,400 forever committing himself to Abram and his descendants. 204 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,400 That's what a covenant is. But now let's look at 205 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,920 specifically at the three promises of the Abrahamic 206 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:02,680 covenant. Some will say, oh, there's 3. 207 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:04,080 Some will say there's four promises. 208 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,680 Some will say there's seven promises made here. 209 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,040 Yes, you can find all these things, but we will distill it 210 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,160 all down to three promises that are made here. 211 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:20,080 The first promise begins in verse 1 and culminates in verse 212 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,520 7. God said to Abram in verse one, 213 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,280 go from your country and your kindred to and your father's 214 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,400 house to the land that I will show you. 215 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,880 And then verse 7 says, then the Lord appeared to Abram and said 216 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,120 to your offspring, I will give this land. 217 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:46,240 God promised Abram land. So what was the land that was 218 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,680 promised to Abram and his descendants? 219 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,000 Well, we can see a representation of that on this 220 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,560 map here. The purple section outlines 221 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:02,640 everything that God had promised Abram and his seed, and this is 222 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:04,120 outlined. We'll come back to the map in a 223 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,280 moment. This is outlined in Genesis 1518 224 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,160 through 21. It says on that day the Lord 225 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,960 made a covenant with Abram saying to your offspring, I give 226 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,680 this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the 227 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,760 river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenozites, the 228 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:27,160 Cadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Raphaim, the 229 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,520 Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites 230 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,840 Parasites. No, I no, all the, all the 231 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:39,160 sites. So the southern border, if we 232 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,720 look at at the map again, the southern border, the river of 233 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:48,200 Egypt, some people say, oh, the river of Egypt, that must be the 234 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,600 Nile River. No, it is not generally 235 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,520 understood to be the Nile River. The river of Egypt is generally 236 00:16:54,520 --> 00:17:00,120 understood to be Wadi al Arish, which is a dry riverbed that 237 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:04,880 that floods during the rainy season and and it it's there in 238 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:10,960 the Sinai Peninsula and it flows N to the Mediterranean Sea. 239 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,319 The northern border is the Euphrates River all the way up 240 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:20,640 in Syria and Turkey. Then there are all sorts of 241 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,960 other markers in the text to help us understand the borders 242 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,520 of the land God was promising to Abrams descendants. 243 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:33,160 The green is the the land Joshua's generation actually 244 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,480 settled. That is what they settled when 245 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,880 they came into the promised land. 246 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:44,680 And then the red outline is the modern states of Israel. 247 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,360 Of course with the West Bank cuts out of it. 248 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:57,560 Now Yahweh had promised Abram that he would receive all of the 249 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:05,000 land in purple, yet at no point in its history have Abrams 250 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:10,440 descendants ever occupied all of this territory. 251 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:17,880 So that's the the first promise. And the second promise was to 252 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:24,160 make Abram a great nation. The second promise is to make of 253 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:29,040 Abram a great nation. Verse 2 says, And I will make of 254 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,320 you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name 255 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,520 great. Remember Genesis 1130 told us 256 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,520 Sarah I was barren and she didn't have a child. 257 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,560 However, in chapter 15 God tells Abram his descendants will be as 258 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:49,120 numerous as the stars. It must have been hard to 259 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:53,040 imagine that coming to be, and it would still be another 25 260 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,600 years before Yahweh would fulfill this promise to Abram. 261 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,880 The 1st 11 chapters of Genesis showed humanity determining 262 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,720 right and wrong for themselves, exercising their own wisdom to 263 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:14,320 seek their own fame. The builders of the city and the 264 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,000 tower or ziggurats and Babel sought to make a name for 265 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,880 themselves. Yet here God said that He would 266 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:30,600 make Abram's name great. Chapter 12 is a demonstrable 267 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,440 shift. A follower of Yahweh received a 268 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:40,400 name simply by divine grant. A great name points not only to 269 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:44,240 Abraham's reputation, but also to the fact that God would 270 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:50,640 literally change Abraham's name. His name was changed from Abram, 271 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:55,800 which is high father, to Abraham, which is father of a 272 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,920 multitude. One day there would come a 273 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:04,040 literal fulfillment of the promise to make of Abram a great 274 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,800 nation. But the promise didn't stop with 275 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,880 physical descendants. Galatians 3, seven through 9 276 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,400 says this. Know, then, that it is those of 277 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,880 faith who were the sons of Abraham. 278 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,600 And the scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the 279 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:26,560 Gentiles by faith, preach the gospel was beforehand to 280 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,720 Abraham, saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed. 281 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:35,080 So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, 282 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:39,240 the man of faith. The true sons and daughters of 283 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,680 Abraham aren't just those who are physically descended from 284 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,800 him, but are those who share in his faith. 285 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:53,560 Romans 416 says Abraham is the father of us all. 286 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:59,160 The third promise in the Abrahamic covenant was that he 287 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,680 and his posterity would be a blessing to the world. 288 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,800 They would be a blessing to the world. 289 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:14,680 Verse 3 reads In you all the families of the earth shall be 290 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,680 blessed. This is the spiritual component 291 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,560 to the promise and and it centers around the fact that 292 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:26,680 Yahweh had chosen Abram and his future family to be the ones 293 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,160 through whom God would bring salvation to the world, the ones 294 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,000 through whom the seed of the woman would come. 295 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,600 The blessing lies in the fact that freedom from the curse that 296 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:42,000 was this freedom was prophesied in Genesis 315. 297 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:46,760 It was to come through Abram and his family. 298 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,640 A couple thousand years after Abram, a new covenant would be 299 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:58,400 established by Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. 300 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,160 Jeremiah spoke of the new covenants being the ultimate 301 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:07,280 fulfillment of this blessing. Jeremiah 31, verses 31 through 302 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,360 34. There's a number of slides here, 303 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:13,840 but I have it all on the screen. Behold, the days are coming, 304 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,480 declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the 305 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,120 House of Israel and the House of Judah. 306 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,280 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the 307 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,520 day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of 308 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,640 Egypt. My covenant that they broke, 309 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,640 though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 310 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,640 For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of 311 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,560 Israel after those days, declares the Lord. 312 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,800 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their 313 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,400 hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 314 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,600 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor, and each his 315 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,920 brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from 316 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,600 the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. 317 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,000 For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember 318 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:05,520 their sin no more. This is the blessing, God 319 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:13,360 forgiving sin and putting it out of His mind one day when when we 320 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:16,080 realized the ultimate fulfillment of that blessing, 321 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,640 we'll have full knowledge of Yahweh. 322 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,840 Now let me read verses 2 and 3 again, and I will make of you a 323 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:30,040 great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so 324 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,640 that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless 325 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,680 you, and him who dishonors you I will curse. 326 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,600 And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 327 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,720 Now there's a lot that I can't necessarily go into this morning 328 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:49,280 about that blessing, but but the use of this word bless or a 329 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:55,160 derivative of it is mentioned five times. 330 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,720 The text is communicating something new to us. 331 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:03,120 This is a new sentiment, something different than than 332 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:08,000 what we primarily saw in the 1st 11 chapters. 333 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,040 There were a few times where where God would bless His 334 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:19,280 creations, but now God was imparting blessing through this 335 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,680 particular family line. And the repetition of the verb 336 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:29,120 bless reverses the predominantly negative experiences of chapters 337 00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:34,840 3 through 11. Now through Abram, people 338 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,960 everywhere can experience God's favor. 339 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:42,600 This is a profound turning point within history and the book of 340 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:48,600 Genesis. God had called out to Abram, had 341 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:50,440 told him of the promises to come. 342 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,720 And so now we look at Abram's response. 343 00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:04,960 First of all, Abram had a response of obedience, verses 4 344 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:09,560 through 6 read. So Abram went as the Lord had 345 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:13,920 told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he 346 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:19,480 departed from Haran, and Abram took Sarah, his wife, and Lot, 347 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,440 his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had 348 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,360 gathered and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and 349 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:27,440 they set out to go to the land of Canaan. 350 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,720 Abraham's responsive obedience meant that he took his whole 351 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,120 entourage. It wasn't just Abraham, Sarah 352 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:40,760 and Lot making the journey. By this point, after some 353 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,400 probably 60 years in Quran, Abram and Lot had acquired a 354 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:52,120 pretty large retinue of people. Yahweh had materially blessed 355 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:55,640 them and and they had many belongings and people who worked 356 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,200 for them helping take care of the animals and all their 357 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,960 property. Everything that needed to be 358 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,840 done. Abram responded to God in 359 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:11,120 obedience. He could have chosen to not 360 00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:16,080 obey, instead staying in the comforts of Quran. 361 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,360 It was a nice city with a number of beneficial amenities, 362 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:24,520 especially since it was at the crossroads of an important trade 363 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:32,120 route. Instead, Abram chose to step out 364 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:36,040 of his comfort zone. He heeded God's call and opted 365 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:38,960 for a life of nomadic tent dwelling. 366 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,640 Abram responded in obedience to Yahweh. 367 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,480 He also had a response of worship. 368 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,560 Verses 7 and 8 said Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and 369 00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,080 said, To your offspring, I will give this land. 370 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,800 So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to 371 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:05,280 him. From there he moved to the Hill 372 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,000 Country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel 373 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,440 on the West and AI on the east, and there he built an altar to 374 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,200 the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 375 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:21,920 Building these two altars was a response of worship. 376 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,880 Now, you might be wondering, what exactly was an altar? 377 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,640 What did it look like? Well, throughout history there 378 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,200 have been varying versions of altars. 379 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:40,440 They could be something from a single simple large stone, 380 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:45,960 perhaps a pile of unworked stones, or or something much 381 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,320 more elaborate like the temple altar. 382 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:56,360 Something like you see there on the on the right altars were 383 00:27:56,360 --> 00:28:00,080 erected out of devotion to God and were a place to offer 384 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,800 sacrifices. They also served as a claim on 385 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:09,760 the land and A and a testament to future generations of what 386 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,400 God had done. So Abram built these two altars 387 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:23,520 at Shechem and near Bethel. Now Shechem is in Samaria or the 388 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,480 West Bank and is about halfway between Jerusalem and the and 389 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,720 the Sea of Galilee, and it becomes an important location. 390 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:36,480 It's not just the the scene of Abraham's first altar built in 391 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:40,640 worship to Yahweh, but Shechem is strategically located in the 392 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:44,800 past between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim. 393 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:50,440 This is where, hundreds of years later, Joshua calls the people 394 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,360 to recite the blessings from Mount Gerizim and the curses 395 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:58,480 from Mount Ebal. Joshua also built an altar on 396 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:03,960 Mount Ebal to renew the covenant that had been given to Israel. 397 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:10,840 Abram's altar at Shechem near the Oka Mori was the first of 398 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:17,840 four altars that he built. The second altar he built, by 399 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,600 the way, the altar that Joshua built there. 400 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:25,160 I just saw this. This just happened to be had an 401 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,480 e-mail sent to me that showing where it was and the remnants of 402 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:32,240 it. Kind of amazing to see something 403 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,080 like that. The second altar that that he 404 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:42,200 built was between Bethel and AI. The label Bethel actually is is 405 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:47,520 a later edition because at the time when Abram was there, when 406 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:51,840 Abram built the altar, this was actually called loose. 407 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,000 And this place is just 20 miles South of Shechem. 408 00:29:55,840 --> 00:30:02,320 Now there's speculation that that this might be Abram's altar 409 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:07,920 at loose. We don't know for sure, but it 410 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:13,880 seems to be quite old, so perhaps that's it. 411 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,520 And that looks much more like 1 of the larger altars. 412 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,520 Loose eventually becomes important in the story since 413 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,280 loose is where Jacob has has a dream of a stairway to heaven 414 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:32,280 and and he renames the place from loose to Bethel, meaning 415 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:37,560 House of God. So Abram's building an altar was 416 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:42,160 a Worshipful response and in a sense it it laid claim to the 417 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,760 land that Yahweh had promised them. 418 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:51,680 Abram's responses of obedience and worship were also 419 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:57,240 expressions of faith. So his responses of obedience 420 00:30:57,240 --> 00:30:59,600 and worship were expressions of faith. 421 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:08,840 Hebrews 11, verses 8 and 10 read by faith Abraham when when he 422 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,360 Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that 423 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:16,840 he was to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not 424 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,840 knowing where he was going by faith he went to live in the 425 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,880 land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with 426 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,560 Isaac, and Jacob airs with him of the same promise. 427 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,920 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations 428 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:35,040 whose designer and builder is God. 429 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:42,600 As I mentioned earlier, when Abram arrived in the land that 430 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,720 the Canaanites were there. These were the descendants of 431 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:51,600 Ham, the recipients of the curse after Ham humiliated his father 432 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:58,440 Noah in the tent of. These were cruel, corrupt people 433 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:03,640 and and they become quite problematic in in Israel's 434 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:05,720 history and in the biblical story. 435 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:12,840 Abraham had left all the comfortable environs of UR and 436 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:17,280 Quran. Now here he was roaming around 437 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:21,960 the wilderness, living in a tent and hoping for the best as he 438 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:25,600 attempted to occupy this land that God had promised, but which 439 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:30,880 was already inhabited by problematic people who no doubt 440 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,320 would not have wanted him in the land. 441 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:39,600 But Yahweh was with Abraham and his entourage. 442 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:45,160 It was in this setting that God issued the covenants, the 443 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:50,920 promises of land, a nation and and to be a great name and also 444 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:57,600 to be a blessing to the world. And this is the first 445 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,320 significant covenant in Israel's history. 446 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:06,920 How would Abraham respond? How would his descendants 447 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,040 respond? God promised the land to them. 448 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:16,880 Would they go in and take it? They certainly become a great 449 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,200 nation of people and and we have become recipients of the 450 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:27,720 blessing promised to Abraham. As we close, it's good for us to 451 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:33,800 consider our own lives. Yahweh's first call is first of 452 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:38,640 all, for us to receive the blessing that comes through 453 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:43,640 Abram, to receive victory over the curse, victory that comes 454 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:50,120 through Jesus Christ. Beyond that though, the question 455 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:56,440 is what's your response when God calls you to something great and 456 00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,800 perhaps even fearful or daunting? 457 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:11,480 Do we respond in obedience? Or does your obedience take a 458 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:16,880 long time, possibly looking more like disobedience, just as Abram 459 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:22,120 was in Quran for 60 years after he had received the call? 460 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,679 When you respond, is it begrudgingly or is it in the 461 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:32,600 spirits of worship and submission? 462 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:42,040 Yes God, I will do what you say. Lastly, where's your faith? 463 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:47,360 Do you struggle to believe that God will do what he said he'll 464 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:51,040 do? Or do you boldly step into that 465 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:56,719 calling, knowing full well that God will provide for what he has 466 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:05,120 called you? 2 When God calls, he provides. 467 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:20,220 Let's bow our heads and close our eyes as we approach this 468 00:35:20,220 --> 00:35:27,900 time. We look at our our own lives and 469 00:35:28,460 --> 00:35:32,660 and you may have something before you that looks daunting. 470 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:42,720 These can be all sorts of things from maybe work a new position 471 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,760 that is you feel like you're in over your head. 472 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:52,240 Maybe things are difficult at work and you're hoping you can 473 00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:59,480 just stick it out. Raising children to be followers 474 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:05,080 of Christ. Influencing people around you. 475 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,920 There are a number of things in our lives that could be 476 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:21,310 potentially daunting, but God has called us to influence and 477 00:36:21,310 --> 00:36:29,270 to reach those around us. So the question is, how will we 478 00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:38,360 respond? Do we lack faith or will we 479 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:48,160 respond in faith, trusting that God will work when we step out? 480 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:53,760 God will work in the parenting of our children. 481 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,440 God will work in the situation at our job. 482 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:03,120 God will work and whatever it is that that seems daunting and and 483 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:14,040 nearly impossible, trust in him. He's great. 484 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:22,840 He's greater than anything that we face so trust that he will 485 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:30,520 work. God, we thank you, thank you for 486 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:35,960 your presence in this place this morning, Your word to us, the 487 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:42,360 model of Abram stepping out into something that would have seemed 488 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:50,320 quite daunting and then his faith to trust that you would 489 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:56,080 work as you said. May we follow his example. 490 00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:59,560 In Jesus name we pray. Amen.