West Chester, Pennsylvania
tải về 6.33 Mb. Chế độ xem pdf
|
| Promises to Abraham
Raised to Covenant Fulfillment in Salvation History Land & Nation Genesis 15 Mosaic Covenant Royal Dynasty Genesis 17 Davidic Covenant Worldwide Blessing Genesis 22 New Covenant in Jesus Christ Abram’s Obedience Abram’s story is familiar to many, but this familiarity can lull us to sleep so that we don’t pay close attention to its details. As a result, it never occurs to us to ask, “Did Abram, in fact, obey God?” The answer, which may be a bit surprising, is yes and no. Abram did obey and leave his homeland. But he did not leave everything as the Lord had requested. Abram was told to leave behind his “kindred” (Gn 12:1). However, when Abram leaves his homeland, “Lot went with him” (Gn 12:4). Having read Genesis 11 carefully, we know that Lot is Abram’s nephew, the son of his brother Haran (Gn 11:27, 31). The fact that Abram took Lot along with him is reiterated in Genesis 12:5, “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son.” This quick repetition is a subtle signal that Abram did not fully heed God’s demands. Indeed, in the story that follows, we are repeatedly told that Lot is Abram’s kinsman (Gn 13:8; 14:14, 14:16). In case we are hard of hearing, the story’s repetition turns up the narrative volume on this vital detail that helps make sense of several following scenes. p 35 Hebrew Show and Tell Following the commandment to “honor thy father and mother,” it was rare to reprimand publicly an ancient forefather. Thus, the biblical narrative, showing a reverential respect for the beloved forefathers, doesn’t come right out and say, “Abram disobeyed God by …” But, while the accusation is withheld, the story will show us what Abram did wrong by highlighting the resulting consequences—assuming we are astute enough to put it all together. This lesson is vital for reading Scripture: Hebrew storytelling sometimes prefers to show rather than tell. According to a Hebrew proverb, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search them out” (Prv 25:2). It is the job of the reader to put together the clues and hints scattered throughout the narrative, without which the story could seem nonsensical. Relinquishing his homeland, Abram still grasps at a last connection to his family. Why? The genealogy hints at a very understandable reason: “Sarai was barren; she had no child” (Gn 11:30). Abram had no heir, and a potential son seemed unlikely, given Sarai’s age. What good is new land and riches to Abram if he is without an heir? So Abram brings Lot as an insurance policy, as a kind of surrogate son. If Abram was less than faithful to God’s command, leaving his homeland but not quite all his relatives, then the famine that comes upon the land almost immediately with Abram’s arrival can be seen in a new light. Abram has held back, and so now God holds back, too: He holds back the rain from the land he has given Abram. Abram’s lack of faith in his fertility is matched by God’s restraint of the land’s fertility. The lesson is as stark as the barren land: you reap what you sow, or better, you do not reap where you do not sow in faith. A barren womb and now a barren land both present challenges to Abram’s faith. Because of the famine, Abram quickly abandons the Promised Land and moves to Egypt. Abram tries to work everything out on his own, trusting his own wits and wisdom, without even offering a prayer to God. Since Sarai is so p 36 beautiful, Abram pretends he is her brother, lest the Egyptians kill him to have her. Motivated by fear, Abram goes so far as to give his wife, Sarai, as a bride to Pharaoh, risking his wife to save his own neck. Abram is very far from God. Indeed, this distance is noted by the lack of any encounter between God and Abram the entire time he is in Egypt. Such silence speaks volumes about God’s view of Abram’s behavior. God steps in and, through a series of plagues, moves Pharaoh to release Sarai and restore her to Abram. The Egyptians, seeking to be free of the plagues, obey God and enrich the disobedient Abram. This will not be the last time in the Old Testament that foreigners hear and obey God while his chosen ones ignore him. Abram and Sarai leave Egypt, but new problems arise once they are back in the land of promise. Their location in the land can no longer support the large herds and servants of both Abram and Lot, and so they must separate. With this separation, God’s promised blessings can begin. Indeed, as soon as Abram lets Lot go, God appears to Abram and promises to give him the land and countless descendants (Gn 13:14–18). tải về 6.33 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
|