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BS625 Pentateuch

BS625 Pentateuch. Session 3: The Abraham Cycle Genesis 12-20. The Abraham Cycle. Genesis 1-11 is generally referred to as “Primeval History” Genesis 12-50 is known as the “Patriarchal History” These sections are linked by the introduction of Abram in 11:27-32. The Abraham Cycle.

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BS625 Pentateuch

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  1. BS625Pentateuch Session 3: The Abraham Cycle Genesis 12-20

  2. The Abraham Cycle Genesis 1-11 is generally referred to as “Primeval History” Genesis 12-50 is known as the “Patriarchal History” These sections are linked by the introduction of Abram in 11:27-32

  3. The Abraham Cycle I. Genesis 1-11: Primeval History • How the world began (chs. 1-2) • The birth and spread of imperfection (chs. 3-9) • How the first civilization became many civilizations (chs. 10-11) II. Genesis 12-50: Patriarchal History • Abraham and Sarah (chs. 12-24) • Isaac and Rebekah (chs. 25-27) • Jacob, Esau, Rachel and Leah (chs. 28-36) • Joseph and his brothers (chs. 37-50)

  4. The Abraham Cycle Movement from the general (Genesis 1-11) to the specific (Genesis 12-50) Genesis is primarily concerned with the story of how Israel became Israel.

  5. The Abraham Cycle In Abram a new thing is happening. • New plan • New person • New place • New promises

  6. The Abraham Cycle Genesis 12:1-3 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

  7. The Abraham Cycle YHWH’s “I Wills”: • I will show you a land [that you shall possess] • I will make of you a great nation • I will bless you • [I will] make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. • I will bless those who bless you • I will curse the one who curses you

  8. The Abraham Cycle Three promises: (1) Land (2) Descendants (3) Blessing These promises become the essential elements of “covenant” and the standards by which the covenant with YHWH is measured.

  9. The Abraham Cycle The 5 uses of bless / blessing in 12:1-3 may contrast with the five uses of curse / cursing in chs. 1-11: • 3:14: “cursed are you above the cattle” • 3:17: “cursed is the ground because of you.” • 4:11: “you are cursed from the ground” • 5:29: “the ground which the Lord has cursed” • 9:25: “cursed be Canaan”

  10. The Abraham Cycle Faithfulness and (Dis)Obedience in Genesis 1-12: • Adam and Eve disobey • Cain displays faithlessness • Noah displays faithlessness • Disobedience, arrogance, and hubris are displayed at Babel

  11. The Abraham Cycle Faithfulness and (Dis)Obedience in Genesis 1-12: • But Abram obeys

  12. The Abraham Cycle Faithfulness and (Dis)Obedience in Genesis 1-12: • But Abram obeys Compare 11:4, “let us make a name for ourselves. . . .”

  13. The Abraham Cycle Faithfulness and (Dis)Obedience in Genesis 1-12: • But Abram obeys Compare 11:4, “let us make a name for ourselves. . . .” with 12:2, “I (YHWH) will make your name great. . . .”

  14. The Abraham Cycle YHWH says to Abram: • I will show you (i.e., give you) a LAND • I will BLESS you and make you great. • I will bless all the families of the earth through you (i.e., you will have many DESCENDANTS)

  15. The Abraham Cycle Three types of ANE covenant: (1) Suzerainty treaty (sometimes called Suzerain-vassal treaty) (2) Land grant treaty (3) Parity treaty (treaty between equals)

  16. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) is promised that he will have many descendants. Sarai (“princess” / “woman of high rank”) will be the mother of many descendants

  17. The Abraham Cycle Genesis 15: The Covenant Proper: 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ 2 But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ 3 And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ 4 But the word of

  18. The Abraham Cycle the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ 5 He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ 8 But he said, ‘O Lord God,

  19. The Abraham Cycle how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ 9 He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a

  20. The Abraham Cycle deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; 14 but I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve, and afterwards they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in

  21. The Abraham Cycle a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’ 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the

  22. The Abraham Cycle Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’

  23. The Abraham Cycle Genesis 12: the contract contains contingencies; Abram must obey Genesis 15: YHWH swears by himself and ratifies the covenant (notice v. 6)

  24. The Abraham Cycle Genesis 17:1-8 YHWH changes Abram’s name: 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the

  25. The Abraham Cycle ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to

  26. The Abraham Cycle your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.’

  27. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) now becomes Abraham (“father of multitudes”).

  28. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) now becomes Abraham (“father of multitudes”). The problem is that Abraham has no legitimate offspring (i.e., children through his wife).

  29. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) now becomes Abraham (“father of multitudes”). The problem is that Abraham has no legitimate offspring (i.e., children through his wife). - Abraham is 99.

  30. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) now becomes Abraham (“father of multitudes”). The problem is that Abraham has no legitimate offspring (i.e., children through his wife). - Abraham is 99. - Sarah (notice name change) is 90.

  31. The Abraham Cycle Abram (“great father”) now becomes Abraham (“father of multitudes”). The problem is that Abraham has no legitimate offspring (i.e., children through his wife). - Abraham is 99. - Sarah (notice name change) is 90. - And in her “good years” she bore no children.

  32. The Abraham Cycle Other elements of Abraham’s presentation: • Peacemaker (Gen 13) • Warrior (Gen 14) • Prophet (Gen 20) • Fear / Failure to trust YHWH (Gen 12 & 20)

  33. The Abraham Cycle Conclusion: • Abraham is a model of flawed faithfulness • YHWH remains faithful throughout • YHWH is doing a new thing that begins with Abraham and continues through his descendants • The “covenant” is defined by Land, Descendants, and Blessing

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