The Call of Abram

Genesis 12:1–20

 Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. (Also look at Hebrews 11:8–16.)

1.       Here now is the beginning of all that is Israel. Abram means high or honored father, is directed by Yahweh to leave his home city, Ur, located in southern Babylonia, and travel to an as yet unknown destination. Abraham, whom Abram’s name will be changed to, means father of many nations.

2.       The reason for the calling of Abram is that through him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (And we know from two Gospel writers that Abraham is in Jesus’ genealogy.) This same promise and prophesy is given to Isaac, Abram’s son, and also to Jacob, Abram’s grandson.

3.       Abram’s wife Sarai (meaning princess) and Lot his nephew, along with hundreds of other members of the clan, set off for a land unknown. (Sarai’s name will be changed to Sarah which means “to rule.”)

4.       After arriving in Egypt, Abram fears that the Pharaoh, or king of Egypt, will take Sarai into his harem because she is so beautiful, and thus fears that he is in danger as a result. Therefore, he says that Sarai is his sister, thus not his wife. In fact, they have the same father, Terah, but she has a different mother than Abram.

5. Pharaoh does bring Sarai into his harem (whether they ever touched is unknown) and he “dealt well with Abram.”

6.       Yahweh, despite the half-truth Abram tells the Pharaoh,

afflicts Pharaoh “and his house with great plagues” whereupon  Pharaoh calls Abram to account. After Abram receives a severe tongue-lashing from the Pharaoh, he then sends Abram and company away.

7.       This is our introduction to Abraham the first of the great patriarchs from whose line will come the Messiah.

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1–9

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.           There is no similar story from the ancient world. The building of a “ziggurat,” which is what the “tower” was, was a common structure in the ancient middle eastern world. Made of fired clay blocks, structures could be built many stories high, and high meant moving close to deity.

2.           The world having one language, (at least in that geographic location) thus the capability to create such a monumental platform, and when the right place was found, likely Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the work began to raise up Babel, the “gate of God” or “highway to heaven.”

3.           Rulers in that area and era busied themselves in building such ziggurats in order to acquire fame and power.

4.           Yahweh was not impressed however and saw that the tower building would lead to extreme dangers.

5.           In a way that is unclear, Yahweh “dispersed” the workers, sending them away to other regions. The tower was left unfinished.” means, roughly, “gate of God” or “gateway to heaven.”

6.           The LORD “confused” the language, diversified it. The word “confused” is bubal in Hebrew, just one letter different from babel.

7.         The name of the city “Babylon” refers to the intent of humans to dethrone the Creator God and make His creation their own.

8.         This is precisely what the “pagan” world is yet attempting.

Noah and the Flood & Future Glory

Genesis 6:9-22, 9:8–17; & Romans 8:18–25

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Noah, not sinless, but righteous and blameless, walked with God, thus had a personal relationship with God unlike any before him, with the exception of Enoch. (see Genesis 5:24)

2.         Violence had filled the earth at the time of Noah and God prepared to bring judgement upon the people in those days and destroy them on the earth.

3.         God establishes a “covenant” with Noah, assuring their safety and salvation.

4.         God instructed Noah to build an ark 450 feet long,  75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, which would displace about 43,000 tons of water and contain 1.4 million cubit feet for cargo (a cubit being about 18 inches), with 95,200 square feet of deck space.

5.         After a year, those on board the ark, plus all the animals, disembarked. Judgment had been delivered as well as salvation.

6.         Paul, in the first generation of the Christian era, also experienced suffering along with all those who identified as being followers of Jesus. These were already in the ark of safety and salvation.

7.         Indeed, the whole of creation has a shelf life; it is neither permanent nor perfect. But that which is coming is both permanent and perfect.

8.         Paul explains in Romans 8:24 that it is in this hope, the “redemption of our bodies” that we are saved. And for this “we wait for it with patience.”          

Increasing Corruption on Earth

Genesis 6:1–8

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Genesis 6 is one of the most debated passages in all the Bible, and there are any number of interpretations. The following attempt at gathering the chief points are presented by my favorite commentators.

2.         Point in time is some years, maybe 120, prior to the flood of Noah. Long years following the time of Adam and Eve now and an untold number of people populate the planet.

3.         The meaning of “the sons of God” is variously understood, but it likely refers to the line of Seth, the 3rd born of Adam and Eve. These began interbreeding with those of the line of Cain, which grieved the Creator God, Yahweh, who declared judgment on these via the flood of Noah.

4.         The “Nephilim” of verse 4 is also variously understood. The name likely means “the fallen ones,” again probably those of the line of Cain, the murderer of his brother Abel, and are thought to be mighty murderous warriors. The author is making the case that violence was filling the earth.

5.         Indeed, corruption was great in the earth, even the thoughts and intents of the inner human core was focused on evil continually. And Yahweh, grieved and sorrowful for this, would bring devastation upon all with the exception of Noah who had found favor, or given grace by the LORD.

6.         Here now is the introduction of that means by which God will blot out our sin. This section is indeed prophetic.

Adam’s Descendants to Noah

Genesis 5:1–32

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture.

1.         This passage is titled “The book of the generations of Adam” and prepares us for the days of Noah and the Flood.

2.         Some commentators refer to our passage as a 3rd creation account while others see it as a conclusion to a seamless account of the creation story beginning chapter one. Christians will disagree on some points, which are not crucial to the core Gospel message.

3.         Our passage asserts that God (Elohim in Hebrew) created men and women “in the likeness of God.” No other creature is so made, and the idea is that humans are capable of having a direct and personal relationship with their creator.

4.         In the previous chapter, the line of Cain came to ruin, but the third son of Adam, is Seth who was created in the likeness of Adam, thus in the likeness of God.

5.         The line of descent then moves, after Seth, to the birth of Noah, which came seven generations later. This number indicates completion. The stage is set now for the great Flood.

6.         At the core of the Bible’s message is the prediction/prophecies of the events related to the first coming of Messiah Jesus and then to His second coming. And these revelations can also be seen in our passage here.