Textual Analyses
Genesis 12:1-11
I. MAIN THEME
1. The Call of Abram (High Father)
II. KEYS WORDS OF PASSAGE
1. Great, bless-blessing, departed
III. CURRENT ISSUES OR PROBLEMS THE PASSAGE ADDRESSES
1. G-d’s call and man’s response: obedience or disobedience
IV. RESEARCH
1. Historical
a. ABRAHAM (uhb ra haym) Personal name meaning, "father of a multitude." The first Hebrew patriarch, he became known as the prime example of faith. He was the son of Terah, a descendant of Noah's son, Shem. (Gen. 11:27). His childhood was spent in Ur of the Chaldees, a prominent Sumerian city. He was known at the beginning as Abram ("father is exalted"), but this was changed subsequently to Abraham ("father of a multitude") (Gen. 17:5).
Terah, his father, moved to Haran with the family (Gen. 11:31) and after some years died there. G-d called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation. At different times he lived in Shechem, Bethel, Hebron, and Beer-sheba. His wife Sarai's beauty attracted the pharaoh when they moved to Egypt during a famine (Gen. 12:10), but G-d intervened to save her. The trouble arose partly because Abram had claimed her as his sister rather than his wife, and in fact she was his half-sister (Gen. 20:12). After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from G-d (Gen. 15). He decided he could produce offspring by taking Sarai's handmaid Hagar as a concubine. Though the union produced a son, Ishmael, he was not destined to become Abram's promised heir. Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned G-d's promise of an heir.
Then Sarai, whose name had been changed to Sarah ("princess"), had her long-promised son, Isaac ("laughter"), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael's presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Abraham's faith and obedience were tested by G-d in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. G-d provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy's life. As a reward for Abraham's faithfulness, G-d renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son.
Subsequently, Sarah died and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Gen. 23:19), after which Abraham sought a bride for Isaac. A woman named Rebekah was obtained from Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia, and Isaac married her gladly (Gen. 24:67). In old age Abraham remarried and had further children, finally dying aged 175 years. Abraham recognized G-d as the almighty L-rd of all and the Author of a covenant by which the Hebrews would become a mighty nation. G-d Himself was known subsequently as the G-d of Abraham (Ex. 3:6). Through him G-d had revealed His plan for human salvation (Ex. 2:24). The promises to Abraham became assurance for future generations (Ex. 32:13; 33:1). Abraham became known as "G-d's friend forever" (2 Chron. 20:7).
John showed that descent from Abraham did not guarantee salvation (Matt. 3:9). See Romans 9. Indeed, foreigners would join him in the kingdom (Matt. 8:11). Compare Luke 16:23-30. Lost sons of Abraham, Yahshua invited to salvation (Luke 19:9). True children of Abraham do the works of Abraham (John 8:39).
For Paul Abraham was the great example of faith (Rom. 4; Gal. 3). In Hebrews Abraham provided the model for tithing (Heb. 7) and played a prominent role in the roll call of faith (Heb. 11). James used Abraham to show that justification by faith is proved in works (Jas. 2:21-24).
b..HARAN (Hay' ran) Personal and place name meaning, "mountaineer" or "caravan route." Three men and an important city of northern Mesopotamia located on the Balik ah River. 1. Terah's son and Lot's father (Gen. 11:26-29,31). 2. Son of Caleb's concubine (1 Chron. 2:46). 3. Son of Shimei and a Levite (1 Chron. 23:9). 4. The city became Abraham's home (Gen. 11:31-32; 12:4-5) and remained home for his relatives like Laban (Gen. 27:43). Jacob went there and married (Gen. 28:10; 29:4). In the eighth century Assyria conquered it (2 Kings 19:12; Isa. 37:12). It was a trade partner of Tyre (Ezek. 27:23). Through excavations begun in the 1950s, the city was determined to have been established by the middle of the third millennium and was occupied through the Assyro-Babylonian period until Islamic times. The city was also a major center of worship for the moon god Sin. Its name is spelled differently from that of the men in Hebrew.
c. BETHEL (Bethel; house of G-d) 1. Bethel was important in the Old Testament for both geographic and religious reasons. Because of its abundant springs, the area was fertile and attractive to settlements as early as 3200 B.C., and first supported a city around the time of Abraham. Today the village of Beitin rests on much of the ruins of Bethel. Located at the intersection of the main north-south road through the hill country and the main road from Jericho to the coastal plain, Bethel saw much domestic and international travel. Bethel became a prominent border town between tribes and the two kingdoms later. Religiously, Bethel served as a sanctuary during the times of the patriarchs, judges, and the divided kingdom, hence was second only to Jerusalem as a religious center.
Entering Canaan, Abraham built an altar at Bethel, calling "upon the name of the L-rd' (Gen. 12:8), and returned here after his time in Egypt (Gen. 13:3). His grandson, Jacob, spent the night here on his way to Syria to find a wife. In a dream, the L-rd confirmed the Abrahamic covenant, and Jacob responded by renaming this locale which was previously called Luz, "Bethel" ("house of G-d"; Gen. 28:10-22). Probably the name "Bethel" is referred to but out of chronological sequence in the earlier, Abraham passages. When he returned with his large family, Jacob came to Bethel again to hear the L-rd's confirmation of the covenant and his name was changed to "Israel." Here again Jacob set up a stone monument (Gen. 35:1-16; Hos. 12:4,5). Extensive fortification of Bethel came after this patriarchal period.
At the time of the conquest, Bethel and Ai were taken together (Josh. 7:2; 8:3-17; 12:9,16), but the definitive defeat of Bethel is recounted later in Judges 1:22-26. It was a Benjamite border town initially (Josh. 16:1,2; 18:13,22). Later it was a part of the Northern Kingdom (1 Chron. 7:28), only briefly annexed to Judah by Abijah (2 Chron. 13:19).
The ark of the covenant was kept in Bethel during a period of the judges (Judg. 20:27), so the tribes converged there upon Benjamin to avenge the moral atrocity at Gibeah (Judg. 20:18-28), offering sacrifices and seeking the L-rd's direction (Judg. 21:1-4). Bethel also was a place where both Deborah (Judg. 4:5) and Samuel (1 Sam. 7:16) judged the civil and religious affairs of the Israelites in the area. Bethel was evidently vulnerable at the time of the judges, since archaeology shows it to have been destroyed several times in this period.
David considered the city significant enough to send it gifts during his flight as a fugitive from Saul, hoping to establish a friendship of diplomatic value in the future (1 Sam. 30:27). When he eventually named Jerusalem his capital, Bethel grew and prospered.
Whereas Bethel had been a place of orthodox worship from Abraham to the judges, Jeroboam I made it a religious center of his innovative, apostate religion of the Northern Kingdom. He erected a golden calf both here and in Dan with non-Levitic priests and an illegitimate feast to compete with the celebrations and religion of Jerusalem, ten and a half miles to the south in Judah (1 Kings 12:29-33). Bethel was the prominent site over Dan. There an anonymous prophet from Judah found and rebuked Jeroboam I and brought destruction to the king's altar (1 Kings 13:1-10). Another anonymous prophet from Bethel entrapped the first prophet into disobedience. Because of his disobedience, the L-rd caused a lion to kill the first prophet (1 Kings 13:11-25).
Other true prophets seem to have been attached to Bethel even during the time of northern apostasy, since Elijah encountered a group of them there as he traveled (2 Kings 2:2-3). Amos was sent to Bethel to rebuke the kingdom of Jeroboam II in the eighth century (Amos 7:10-13) since it was the center of northern idolatry and a royal residence. He met the resistance of Amaziah, the priest, who vainly ordered him to leave the city. In addition to Amos' prophetic charges against those who sacrificed there (Amos 4:4), he predicted the destruction of Bethel and its false altars (Amos 3:14, 5:5,6), as did Hosea (Hos. 10:14,15). Hosea seems to have played with the name of Bethel ("city of G-d"), by referring to it as "Beth-aven" ("city of a false [g-d]," Hos. 5:8,9; 10:5).
The religious significance of Bethel is confirmed also by Assyria's appointment of a priest to this city to teach the new residents of the north who displaced the Israelites (2 Kings 17:28). Later, Josiah desecrated another false altar of Bethel during his reforms (2 Kings 23:4-19) and perhaps annexed the city to his Southern Kingdom.
Bethel was destroyed in the sixth century during the Exile; however, some returned there when released by the Persians (Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32; 11:31).
Since it was a late first century Roman garrison town, it was probably a city of importance at the time of Christ. Another city variously spelled Bethul (Josh. 19:4), Bethuel (1 Chron. 4:30), and Bethel (1 Sam. 30:27). This may be modern Khirbet El Qaryatein north of Arad.
Bethel was apparently the name of a West Semitic G-d. Many scholars find reference to this deity in Jeremiah 48:13. Others would find the mention of the deity in other passages (especially Gen. 31:13; Amos 5:5).
2. Word Studies
a...GREAT:1419. gadowl, gaw-dole'; or (short.) gadol, gaw-dole'; from H1431; great (in any sense); hence older; also insolent:-- + aloud, elder (-est), + exceeding (-ly), + far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing, -er, -ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, X sore, (X) veryLOVE , agapao,( Strong’s Concordance, Interlinear Greek-English NT, World Library-Greek Lexicon, word study, New Testament Greek, Stevens) Unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the well-being of another. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul described "love" as a "more excellent way" than tongues or even preaching. The New Testament maintains this estimation of love throughout. The King James Version uses the word charity instead of "love" to translate the Greek word Paul used (agape). The word charity comes from the Latin caritas which means "dearess," "affection," or "high regard." Today, the word charity is normally used for acts of benevolence, and so the word love is to be preferred as a translation of agape. Nevertheless, the reader who comes to the agape of the New Testament with the idea of benevolence in mind is better off than the reader who comes with the idea of physical pleasure and satisfaction.
b. BLESSED- BLESSING: 288. barak, baw-rak'; a prim. root; to kneel; by impl. to bless G-d (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (G-d or the king, as treason):-- X abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, X still, thank.
c. DEPART: 3212. yalak, yaw-lak'; a prim. root [comp. H1980]; to walk (lit. or fig.); causat. to carry (in various senses):-- X again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, + follow (-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, make) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, + pursue, cause to run, spread, take away ([-journey]), vanish, (cause to) walk (-ing), wax, X be weak.
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, Verses 1-3. G-d made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained until the coming of Messiah. From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the history in the Bible. Abram was tried whether he loved G-d better than all, and whether he could willingly leave all to go with G-d. His kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, he could not continue among them without danger of being infected by them. Those who leave their sins, and turn to G-d, will be unspeakable gainers by the change. The command G-d gave to Abram, is much the same with the gospel call, for natural affection must give way to Divine grace. Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be forsaken; particularly bad company. Here are many great and precious promises. All G-d's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient.
1. I will make of thee a great nation. When G-d took Abram from his own people, he promised to make him the head of another people.
2. I will bless thee. Obedient believers shall be sure to inherit the blessing.
3. I will make thy name great. The name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great.
4. Thou shalt be a blessing. Good men are the blessings of their country.
5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. G-d will take care that none are losers, by any service done for his people.
6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Yeshua Ha Mashiach is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world possessed. All the true blessedness the world is now, or ever shall be possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity. Through them we have a Bible, a Savior, and a Gospel. They are the stock on which the true believer is grafted.
HOMOLETIC: Those who leave their sins, and turn to G-d, will be unspeakable gainers by the change.
REFERENCES: Ge 28:19 35:3,15,16 Jos 8:17 18:22 Ne 11:31, Ge 4:26 13:4 21:33 Ps 116:4 Joe 2:32 Ac 2:21 Ro 10:12-14 1Co 1:2 <Separation:> vv. 1 - 5; Gen 13:9. (Gen 12:1; 2 Cor 6:17) Israel> (origin): vv. 1 - 3; Gen 13:15. (Gen 12:2; Rom 11:26) <Gospel:> v. 3; Isa 41:27. (Gen 12:3; Rev 14:6 <Faith:> vv. 1 -5; Gen 13:18. (Gen 3:20; Heb 11:39, note)
There are 413 verses in the Bible beginning from Gen. 8:20 through Heb. 13:20 concerning covenants of G-d.
There are 415 verses mentioning Abram/Abraham from Gen.11:31 to James 2:21.
Rabbi Davis