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ATRIARCHS Burgundy (God’s blood covenant with Abraham) Following the Story The period of the Patriarchs also uses Genesis as its narrative text, picking up the story at Genesis 12 and continuing to the end of the book. God’s covenant family expands in the Patriarch period, growing from a married couple (Adam and Eve) to a family (Noah and his sons) to a tribal chieftain (Abraham) and his entire clan, including servants, shepherds, and various dependents. T he period of the Patriarchs focuses on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the three patriarchs (“fathers”) of the nation of Israel—and on Jacob’s favored son, Joseph. Each of these forefathers experiences dramatic events, and their stories, like tributaries, flow into the family history that will be the foundation of the identity of God’s people Israel. The Early World ended in Babel with rebellion. The period of the Patriarchs, however, begins with the obedience of one man, Abraham. In act one of this period, the Lord of the cosmos calls Abraham to journey to a new homeland. Abraham obeys, making the journey to the land of Canaan, but questions, “What good is family land without an heir?” In act two, Abraham, the father of faith, learns through trial and error how to trust God in all things, in particular for the gift of a son and heir, Isaac, and for the sustaining of Isaac’s life. The focus of act p 32 three is Isaac’s son Jacob, who wrestles with both God and man, and who receives a new name that reveals the future of the nation of God’s people. Act four focuses on Jacob’s beloved son Joseph and a remarkable tale of family feuds, favoritism, and forgiveness. The action of this period moves from the region of Babel, where the Early World period ended, to the promised land of Canaan, finally ending down in Egypt. Regardless of their travels, the question lingers whether Abraham and his descendants will answer God’s summons to walk with him in righteousness and be the faithful channel through which God desires to reverse the consequences of Adam’s sin. A CT 1: A BRAHAM AND A N EW S TART A Call and a Threefold Promise With humanity scattered in all directions after the Tower of Babel, God, surprisingly, does not try to pick up all the pieces at once. Instead, he calls upon one man, Abram (whom he will later rename Abraham), from the line of Shem (Gn 11:10, 11:26). God’s call is a radical one. At seventy-five years old, Abram and his barren wife, Sarai (whom God will later rename Sarah), are to leave their relatives and homeland in Mesopotamia, located in modern-day Iraq, and journey to a new land that God has yet to make known. God’s call, however, includes a promise that paints the broad brushstrokes outlining the masterpiece of the rest of salvation history: The L ORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” (Gn 12:1–3) God’s call for Abram to leave his homeland (“your country, your kindred, and your father’s house”) is matched by a promise of nation, name, and universal blessing. tải về 6.33 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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