Chosen
Genesis 50:15-26
The beginning of Genesis shows a continuing widening chasm between man and God. We left off last week at the tower of Babel, and God’s punishment of giving them different languages so they could not communicate with one another and then dispersing them. And there is a major question hanging over this drama: "What is the relationship of God to humanity.” The story of the Tower of Babel gives us no answer. Biblical scholar Gerhard von Rad writes, “the story about the tower of Babel concludes with God’s judgment on mankind: there is no word of grace. The whole primeval history seems to break off in shrill dissonance, and the question . . . now arises even more urgently: is God’s relationship to the nations now finally broken; is God’s forbearance now exhausted; has God rejected the nations in wrath forever?”
Genesis 12-50 tells the story of one family, that of Abraham and his offspring, that lived near the northern Mesopotamian city of Haran. The lifetime of these patriarchs is clearly set before the period in which Israel was in Egypt. Scholars date Abraham anywhere between 2000 BC and 1500 BC. This was a time of great political unrest as one group of people would seize power only then to be overtaken a century later by another. As a result, archaeology has discovered finds of a strong westward movement of people from Mesopotamia called the Amorites. If Abraham was not a part of them, it at least reveals to us that such travels were common in his day.
These stories give insight into the life and customs of semi-nomadic people living in the Middle Bronze age from marriage customs to inheritance rights among heirs, all of which have been confirmed through archaeological finds. The general description of the lifestyles of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob indicate they were the chiefs of wealthy clans whose livelihood depended mostly on raising small livestock such as sheep and goats. They seemed to have semi-permanent roots near a large city, most likely for supplies, trade and protection in the event of attack. Trade miust have been part of their livelihood as the clan probably had more people than needed for shepherding. This is also supported by the fact that the journeys of Abraham take him to major cities and trading centers. But the nature of having flocks meant moving to new pastures according to the seasons of the year, especially during the dry season of summer and during droughts. Despite their travels, they maintain their connections to their homeland as both Isaac and Jacob go back to marry wives from Haran.
The story of Abraham begins with answering the question of the status and nature of God’s relationship to humanity. Abraham is now past retirement age and is old and weak. At a time when he should have been slowing down and thinking about retirement, God calls Abraham to pick up and leave everything and everyone he knows and move to a strange land with a strange people. But in this call, God makes a covenant filled with promises that God will fulfill. The word covenant comes from the ancient legal system meaning contract. But while contracts are usually between people of equal value and rights under the law, Israel’s covenant is with God has been initiated by God. While contracts are conditional, you do this and I’ll do that or the contract is null and void, God’s covenant is unconditional, meaning His commitment to Israel is not based on who we are or what we do or don’t do. In fact, God has made a commitment to Israel with no conditions and has said that the covenant cannot be broken. Instead, God places conditions or promises on himself.
There are two promises made in this covenant. First is the gift of land and a home. It’s in this covenant that God promises to Abraham who is now homeless and nomadic that God will give him and his descendants a home. The land is at the heart of what it means to be Jewish and God’s chosen people. In the time of Abraham, the Holy Land was the land of the Canaanites. To own land not only meant security and comfort, it meant you are someone. Use the analogy of the first time you bought a home and what that meant to you. So land played a unique role in Israel’s identity. The second promise is that Abraham will be a father to a great nation and his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Remember, this promises is made to a man and a woman in their 70’s and who are barren. But to be a people and great nation, you need land and not just any land. Good land in the Middle East is very similar to land in New Orleans: it is in short supply and that makes it very valuable. The land God gave was the most fertile and arable land in the Middle East, something that Biblical scholars have likened to the breadbasket of America. It is also the most strategic land in the Middle East as it is the land bridge between Asia and Africa. Thus, it has been the most fought over piece of land in the Middle East for the last 4000 years. Add in the fact that the land was a gift from God and you begin to see its significance in Israel’s life and identity. These things together meant that the land is at the heart of what it means to be an Israelite and to be God’s chosen people.
This theophany or appearance or experience of God to Abraham not only determines the direction of his life but the future of it and Israel’s as well. He is, if you will, a man living with a mission and truly standing on the promises of God. This covenant and her relationship between God and his people determines Israel’s self-identity, her view of history, her belief in her purpose and destiny, her understanding of God.
The second major theme of Genesis 12-50 is obedience. One of the things we see in Abraham is his total act of obedience to God and pick up and leave everything, trusting God to fulfill his promises. And what we discover is that while these promises are indeed fulfilled by God, they are not fulfilled until centuries after his death. This covenant and Abraham’s experience of God predict or foreshadow the exodus some 400 years later and the covenant that God will affirm with the now freed Hebrew slaves at Mount Sinai and the giving of the 10 Commandments. Thus, living in obedience and trust in God’s promises is preparation for receiving the promises of the covenant with Abraham some 4 centuries later. We see obedience in Jacob as well. God visited Jacob and told him to return to his homeland. Of course, that is exactly what Jacob wants to do. Once Jacob determines to do what is right, he heads home. He sends some of his men to let Esau know that he is returning. The last thing he knew about his brother was that he was out to kill him. When the messengers come back from seeing Esau, they return with this message, “Your brother is heading back with 400 men.” Jacob could have determined to run, but instead, he determined to obey God and face Esau and his 400 men.
The third major theme of Genesis 12-50 is faithfulness. The Old Testament and in particular Genesis recounts how God’s people struggled and often failed in their faithfulness to God to fulfill their covenant relationship with Him. The Biblical story does not paint Abraham as a perfect example of faithfulness. In Genesis chapters 12 and 20, Abraham tries to give up his wife, thus putting at risk God’s promise of a son and his being a father to a great nation. In chapter 16, he is uncertain enough of God’s promises that he takes a slave girl as a surrogate to give him a son. And yet through it all, he accepts God’s call to keep moving until he has arrived at the place God has prepared for him. Then in his greatest act of faithfulness and obedience, he follows God’s command with great sorrow in his heart to take Abraham’s promised son and sacrifice him. This request shocks us that God could ever ask a father to sacrifice his son yet the biblical writers wanted us to know one thing: while other religions had parents sacrifice their children during times of great distress and need, our God does not want that. Instead, God wants our faithfulness and trust. In the grand scope, Abraham was ultimately faithful to God’s promises and God’s commands throughout his life. And for followers of Christ, Abraham becomes a great example for all who believe in God’s promises and live faithfully as such. That promise upon which we now stand is in Jesus Christ and of his return and the establishment of God’s rule, the kingdom of God here on earth. And so we are called to be faithful and trusting of God’s promises above everything and everyone else in life.
We see that same faithfulness in Joseph who though betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, then falsely accused of rape, and left to rot in prison even by the royal officials he saved. Yet despite this string of bad luck, he remained faithful until the end of his days when his purpose was revealed in the great famine. His power to interpret dreams catches the attention of Pharaoh who needs his troubling dreams interpreted. Joseph warns of 7 years of great harvest followed by 7 years of drought. Pharaoh names Joseph as his Prime Minister in charge of preparing for the drought. Families come from all over to buy food and when Joseph sees his family, instead of seeking punishment and retribution, he offers forgiveness and brings his family down to Egypt to live in peace and prosperity.
Fourth, God is revealed. The stories of Genesis of Abraham and his offspring are really about who is God. The story of Joseph expresses a major theme of the entire patriarchal history. Through the ups and downs, the successes and failures and the faithfulness and obedience of the patriarchs and the lack thereof, God has remained faithful to his covenant and promises. And he has been active in history. He overcame all obstacles, whether the power of kings, the threat from neighboring peoples, the curse of barreness, the occasional lapse of Abraham and Jacob. And what we learn is that God is what God does. It’s in his actions and his intervention into people’s lives and the history of Israel that God revealed himself most fully.
Through Genesis, we see many names used of God, all of which reveal His character and qualities. In Genesis 14: 19-20 as Abraham seeks to rescue his son Lot from 100’s of soldiers, God is El Elyon the God most high. It is derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. who is in control of all things. In Genesis 15:5 He is ‘Adonia’ or “Lord over all.” In Genesis 16:13, God is El-Roi: "God of Seeing"– the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah. In Genesis 17:7, he is ‘Elohim’, God “Creator, Mighty and Strong.” In Genesis 21:3 God’s name is ‘El Olam’ meaning “the enduring God” or the God who is responsible for the grand scheme of things. He is the God of the long term. Thus, we see a contrast between the Hagar’s experience of God who meets her needs right here and right now and the God Sarah encounters who after decades fulfills God’s promise that she will give birth to her son. In Genesis 35:11, God identifies himself as El Shaddai, “God the Almighty” and it occurs again in Genesis 49:25 in the blessing of Joseph. In Genesis 22:14, God is Yahweh-Jireh: "The Lord Will Provide" the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. But perhaps the most common name of God is the “God of your fathers” (Gen. 26:24, 31:53, 46:1-3 and 49:25). And what we will find in our reading this week is that this is name God uses to reveal himself to Moses (Exodus 3:6) “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”
God is most high and over all things, Lord of All and who see all things including your most present needs. He is mighty and strong and the Provider for all your needs. And he is the God of your mother and fathers and your grandmother and grandfather, who has always been and will always be. And God will always be faithful to his promises.
Michelle Johnson writes, “Sometimes we need to take a look at where we’ve been with God to really understand His faithfulness and love for us. She was staying with her son at the hospital following a serious surgery. On that particular morning, she was exhausted by their stay, and her steps were slow as she walked to the cafeteria for breakfast. But while waiting on the elevator, she realized she was on the 6th floor. The view out the window of the concrete roof held special significance. It was one she’d seen many times before because it was the same view for the six weeks she had seen after her car wreck. The doctors said she'd never walk normally, she'd have arthritis within a year, and she'd have to have a hip replacement within 5 years. None of that happened. Thirty-five years later, the memories of God’s faithfulness during those days moved her to tears.
And then she writes, “Do you need a reminder of His faithfulness today? Wouldn’t it be cool if we could sit down with some of the men and women in the Bible and talk about their memories of times with God?
- Wouldn’t it be awesome to hear Joseph’s rendition of the events that took him from a dreary prison cell to the palace?
- Or…from Daniel as he told how a faithful God kept him alive and unharmed during an entire night in a den of lions?
- What if Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could show us the clothes they wore in the fiery furnace—without a burn or scorch mark on them, or even the aroma of smoke…?
Sometimes in the busyness of life, we forget to remember His faithfulness. Do you need to look back and remember what He’s done for you? Do you need to share those memories with your children, grandchildren or others who need to hear them? I’m so grateful I can look back and remember where I’ve been with Him—and know that the God who was faithful in the past will also be faithful in the future. Amen and Amen
