the Call of Abra(ha)m
NL102 for September 18, 2022
The Text
Last time on ‘The Story’
So, to connect last week’s story with this one: Noah and his family left the ark and were fruitful and multiplied. There was an unfortunate incident involving Noah, the first vineyard, and a wicked wine hangover. As a result, Canaan, one of the grandsons of Noah, is cursed because his father, Ham, ‘looked upon [Noah’s] nakedness’ (If you’re interested in how that story might be preached, check this one out). We then get the ‘table of nations’ where the descendants of Shem are the Hebrews and other ‘good’ people, the descendants of Ham are the ‘bad’ people, and the descendants of Japheth are the ‘other’ people. All of the people hang out in one place, and try to build a tower to reach the heavens, but God disrupts their building by confusing their language.
The ‘second movement’ of Genesis, the story of Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah, begins with Abram’s father, Terah, who lives in Ur of the Chaldeans. Interestingly enough, this is the same city that Gilgamesh (previously mentioned in my last post) was presumably the king of. Terah gets it in his mind to leave Ur, and move to the land of Canaan (sound familiar?) but ends up stopping in Haran (about halfway-ish). Here we are also introduced to the characters who will make an appearance in the rest of the story. Abram is Tarah’s son, and will be eventually known as Abraham. Sarai, who will eventually be known as Sarah, is Abram’s wife and is barren (tough). We are also introduced to Lot, Abram’s nephew, son of Haran who died (also tough).
The Story for This Week
This week’s paricope starts with a command from the LORD to Abram, to leave 1. his country, 2. his family, 3. and his father’s home; in other words, everything stable and comfortable. The LORD’s commands Abram to go to “the land that I will show you,” which in the grand scheme of things is not a lot of information to go on. John Ortberg, in his book, “All the Places You’ll Go” makes the comment that this is one of the most annoying things about God, that God has the habit of calling us, but not filling in the details. Boy, can we feel that right now! As we are in the late-Pandemic period, we are still reeling from the massive shifts that we have had to make over the last couple of years. I heard in a webinar earlier today that our culture in general made a 3-4 year jump in adaption of technology in 2020 and 2021, but for churches it was more like 10 years!
The shifts that we have seen from the 20th Century Church to the 21st Century Church are humbling to consider, and it is equally unclear what exactly church will look like in the next ten, twenty, fifty, five hundred years. There are road signs, the re-evaluation of systemic racism and white supremacy in the church, The inclusion of LGBTQIA+ believers (or not, depending on who you ask), the overall devaluing of institutions in the Western World, the continued globalism and resistance of it (from the evangelical side of the Church) or reception of it (from the progressive side of the Church), the continued effect of Liberation Theology in the de-colonizing of the gospel and the deconstruction movements, and the growing contemplative movement are just a few of the shifts that we are seeing within the church. Phyllis Tickle suggested decades ago that we were approaching another five hundred year shift in the church, and here we are five hundred and five years after Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the door of Wittenberg Church. In his book, “Canoeing the Mountains,” Tod Bolsinger compares the coming “off the map” changes in the future of the church to Lewis and Clark suddenly realizing that they would not be canoeing down a Western version of the Mississippi, but climbing the Rocky Mountains. No one can tell you what the church will look like in the future except for God, and God is calling us simply to “go to the land I will show you.”
Now, Abram also received some promises. These will be incredibly important going forward. They are:
“I will make you a great nation.” This implies the existence of offspring, which he has none of yet. We have already been told that Sarai is barren, and they are both in their seventies (though Abraham lives into his one hundred and eighties, so his seventy is not like ours). As you know, this plot point of a lack of offspring will be a major theme throughout the Abraham/Sarah story arc. Beyond offspring, ‘nation’ implies a large group of people with their own distinct culture, history, language, leaders, and in a particular land (more on that later).
“I will bless you, and make your name great.” This is partially about possessions and wealth (which will make our prosperity gospel siblings happy), but also about prestige, honor, notoriety. However, the focus of this prosperity and honor is not Abra(ha)m and his descendants, but “so that you will be a blessing.” As we will see in the next promise, the purpose of these blessings are not only for the one blessed, but the blessing (or at least potential blessing) of others.
“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” There is a special favor given to Abra(ha)m and his descendants, which will be emphasized throughout this story and the Torah/Pentateuch, that those who bless/align themselves will be blessed, and those who curse/oppose will find that same cursing poured back upon them.
Side Note: We can get into some sticky places when we equate the ‘descendants of Abraham,’ the historic nations of Israel and Judah, and the current State of Israel. First off, they are related, but not identical. Secondly, if cursing and critiquing are the same thing then most of the Prophets, and Jesus himself, are in some deep trouble. Thirdly, the Muslim people, as fellow children of Abraham, should also be included. Much like a great deal of other things, it is much more complex than we often want to make it.
“and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Again, the ‘telos’ (ultimate object or aim) of this whole blessing is not only for this people, but all the people. This is another theme that we will continue to see in this story, in Genesis, and in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. God shows favor to a few for the purpose of showing it to many. This one family is ‘set apart’ or ‘made holy’ for the purpose of making all holy. Just as the priests will be set apart to commune with God on behalf of all the people, this one nation among all the nations, this family, among all of the families, is set apart.
As Christians, we see this promise through the lens of Jesus, the seed of Abraham who bought redemption for us all. In the second half of Romans, Paul struggles with the role of his own people in the great arc of God’s plan. He concludes that the gentiles (non Jewish folks) have been adopted/grafted into the family of Abraham, and that salvation will come to all in the fullness of God’s timing. The blessing that God gives to Abra(ha)m is the blessing extended to us (who are ‘far off’) through the grace of Jesus Christ! “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are [God’s] judgements and how inscrutable [God’s] ways!” (Romans 11:33). Indeed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Paul also warns us that we should not be arrogant in this, we have been grafted onto the true tree, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be un-grafted because of our heard heartedness (Romans 11:17-24)
The final promise to Abraham, given when he is in the land of Canaan is that the land would belong to his descendants. As you know, this is not a straightforward transaction, and who this land belongs to continues to be a discussion some four thousand years later (so I will not be solving it in an article). For our purposes now, the promise of this land is a major theme and lynchpin for the Hebrew Scriptures, and will provide a driving force through the Story ahead.
“So Abram went.” Abram hitched up everything that he had, and headed to the land that God would show to him. without guarantee, or even a clear picture where he was headed, he went. At this moment, he trusted (had faith in) God. It would not last long, the next chapter features his lack of faith. However, through the story of Abraham, we see not only God’s faithfulness to these promises, but Abraham’s growing in faith.
The Rest of the Story
Abra(ha)m and Sarai/h’s story only begins here. It will span decades, and these promises will be the through line. Abram immediately goes to Egypt because there is a famine in the land (implication, he does not trust God), and tells people that Sarai (who is apparently a fine looking septuagenarian) is his sister (he is only half lying). God makes a formal covenant with Abram (which is a wild story). Abram and Sarai misuse Hagar, one of their enslaved people gained in Egypt, to bear a son, Ishmael. God extends at least part of Abrams’ blessing on to Ishmael, and Hagar is the first person in Genesis to give God a name (El-Roi, ‘God who sees’). God changes Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah, again God promises that Abraham will have a son through Sarah, and asks Abraham and all the men in his camp to be circumcised (i.e. wounded in the thing that he will make a baby with). Sarah gives birth to Isaac, and they once again send Hagar and Ishmael away (and God once again sees them), God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (but does not let him go through with it), and they eventually both die.
Pop Culture References
This story is very much in the vein of “the hero’s journey,” like Harry getting a letter, Luke seeing a message from Leia, Katniss standing as Tribute, or Bilbo throwing an Unexpected Party, this is Abra(ha)m’s “first step into a larger world.” He, along with us, is called to step into the adventure beyond his front door, and finds that the road goes ever on and on.
Hymn Suggestions
“To Abraham and Sarah” GTG 51
“The God of Abraham Praise” GTG 49
“To God be the Glory” GTG 634
Links
“The Chosen One” Sermon from 2018
Commentary from Working Preacher
Videos for further reflection: Bible Project Genesis 12-50 (Read Scripture Series); Bible Project Genesis 12-50 (Torah Series);
Podcasts: Bible Worm Podcast; “Under the Trees with Yahweh” Bible Project Podcast