Genesis Chapter 12

Union Church Bible Study

Galatians 3:6-7

6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Terah

Haran Abram Nachor

Lot Milcha SaraiMelchaSarai

Abram married his brother Haran’s daughter SaraiNachor married his brother Haran’s daughter Milcha

Lot was the son of Haran, and was Abram’s nephew

Terah

Abraham Nahor Haran

IshmaelIsaac

EsauJacob

12 Tribes

Bethuel

RebekahLaban

LeahRachel

Milcha

SarahLot

Moab

Ammon

Genesis 12: Covenant

What is a Covenant?

• Covenant is the means God used to establish His set-Apart People• Webster’s defines a covenant as an agreement among church members to defend a doctrine. Also, as a contact.• Webster’s definition is not the Bible definition of a covenant!• A Biblical covenant was sacred

8 Covenants:

1.Edenic Covenant Gen 22.Adomic covenant Gen 33.Noahic Covenant Gen 94.Abrahamic Covenant Gen 125.Mosaic covenant Exod 196.Palestinian Covenant Deut 307.Davidic Covenant 2 Sam8.New covenant Jer 31, Heb 8

• Covenants among men used to sell land, make treaties, allow use of a water well …

• Mutual agreement … Both parties had obligations

• One party … Covenant imposed upon someone

• We tend to think of Covenant in terms of a promise of a contract

• Contracts and promises can be broken, usually with only small penalties

This is not possible with a Biblical Covenant!

In Hebrew, Covenant is B’rit (Berit)

• Hebrew Barah = cut of divide

• In Greek, word used in N.T. is diatheke

• Diatheke misses the mark substantially

• Language and culture are a package

• Cultures and their languages have unique concepts not present in other cultures

• Some Hebrew concepts, like B’rit, Shalom, or Messiah have no parallel in other languages

• when a concept doesn’t exist in a culture, neither does a word for that concept exist in their language!

Understanding The Culture Is Key

• Bible translation problems are primarily because the translator has no in-depth knowledge of the culture• Christians have believed that a “will” or “testament” is the modern day equivalent for a covenant … Not True• A Biblical covenant is Permanent unless it is conditional• A permanent covenant cannot be retracted• Death was the penalty for breaking a covenant!

A God-Made Covenant Becomes a Physical Law of the Universe

• B’rit is also used to mean “laws of nature”

• A God-Covenant is woven into the fabric of the Universe

• The spiritual realm is the Source of a God-Covenant

In The Beginning There Was No

Death• Laws of nature were designed for things to exist forever

• At some time it changed

• When did death and decay enter the Universe?

• Two separate events:1. The fall of Satan2. The fall of Man

Unconditional CovenantGenesis 12

A divinely ordered ritual:

barath,“To cut a covenant”(Participants would divide a sacrifice, and together, in a figure “8,” would repeat the terms of the covenant)

Here God goes it alone;It is unconditional.

Abraham:The First “Patriarch”

• Noah not a “patriarch”

• 3 PatriarchsAbraham >

Isaac >Jacob

• Father, son, and grandson

Genesis 12:1

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:

Genesis 12:1

“from thy father’s house”

Genesis 12:2-3

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Covenant

• Abraham will become a great nation.• Abraham will be blessed, and will be a blessing.• God will bless those who bless Abraham.• God will curse those who curse Abraham.• Abraham’s name (reputation) will become great.• God will use Abraham to bless all families.

Genesis 12:4

So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Separation Was KeyIt Must Occur in Some Form

Separation Was Key• Abraham just as pagan as everybody else

• Not given any special merit as was Noach

• Abraham had to separate himself from his pagan background

• Dividing, Electing, Separating

• Man hates letting go of things

• The familiar present always more attractive than the uncertain future

• Could separation be from family, dear friends, or even your church? YES! Abraham’s story verifies this.

Luke 14:26

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Concept of Separation Is Central To Christ’s Teaching

Matthew 10:34

Concept of Separation Is Central To Christ’s Teaching

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew 19:29

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Separation Must Occur in One Form or Another to Serve Yahweh

• Bible uses words like Set-Apart, Sanctified, Distinction, to indicate separation.

• Holy = set-apart, sanctified, distinct, separated

Genesis 12:5

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Genesis 12:6-7

6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Abraham in Canaan

• By means of separation Abraham ratified the covenant• This is a Permanent Covenant• 1975 – 2000 BC• 350 Years since flood• Sarai and Lot go with Abraham• Canaanites consisted of many tribes from the line of Ham and his son, Canaan • 1st Stop; was Shechem (Today called Nablus)

Genesis 12:8-9

8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Abraham Goes To Egypt

• Goes to Egypt to seek relief from a famine

• It was typical for tribes in that area of Middle East to go to Egypt for food

• People traveled readily, over well- marked routes

Genesis 12:10

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

Genesis 12:11-1311And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Genesis 12:14-1614And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

Genesis 12:17-18

17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

Genesis 12:19-20

19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Abraham Prepares A Deception• Sarai was 75 years old

• Abraham really prospers in the land Egypt

• Is given the bride’s price for Sarai (a customary gift)

• When Pharaoh discovers that Sarai is Avram’s wife, he returns her

• Orders Avram out of Egypt

Importance In Keeping This Covenant

Sheep and Goat JudgmentHow People treat Israel

Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25

35For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Matthew 25

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Matthew 25

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Important and Practical Lessons1. The call which came to Abram comes to each one

of his believing children - The call for absolute confidence in God, - to step out in simple and unquestioning faith - to separate ourselves from the world to a life

of pilgrimage - dependency on Jehovah

2. Beware of going down to Egypt - The friendship of the world is enmity with

God - Time spent in Egypt (the world) is wasted

- Days lived out of communion with God produce naught but “wood, hay and stubble”

Names Changed Genesis 17

~r'b.a yr;f

Abram

Abraham

Sarah

~h'r'b.ahr'f

Sarai

Genesis

EndGenesis

Chapter 12