2022-Q2-L6

2022-Q2-L6: The Roots of Abraham

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 12; Isa. 48:20; Isa. 36:6, 9; Jer. 2:18; Genesis 13; Genesis 14; Heb. 7:1-10.

Memory Text: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8, NKJV).

Scriptures:

Genesis 12.

Genesis 13.

Genesis 14.

Isaiah 48:20 (ESV): 20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

Isaiah 36:6 (ESV): 6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Isaiah 36:9 (ESV): 9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Jeremiah 2:18 (ESV): 18 And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

Hebrews 7:1–10 (ESV): 7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. 4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Introduction

Abram - "exalted father." Abraham - ""father of a multitude."

Lets go of his country. This section (Genesis 12-22) covers the journey of Abraham, from God’s first call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Gen. 12:1), which leads Abraham to leave his past to God’s second call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Gen. 22:2), which leads Abraham to leave his future (as it would exist in his son).

Lets go of his wife (3 times). Abraham lets go of his wife in Egypt and God restores her. As Abraham was enriched by the Egyptians (i.e. Pharaoh) after they were "plagued", so the Israelites were enriched by the Egyptians centuries later after the 10 plagues.

bid. In the second instance he let go of his wife for Hagar, the Egyptian female servant to Sarai.

Ibid. In the third instance, not in Egypt, but in Gerar (SW of Hebron and NW of Beersheba), Abraham let's go of his wife again by calling Sarah his sister.

Lets go of Lot. Abraham lets go of his nephew Lot as he moves to the Jordan Valley and eventually close to Sodom then "in" Sodom. Yet, God again promised him descendants (Genesis 13:14-18).

Lot chose the easy life. the Jordan Valley had a river like the Nile that naturally irrigate the land. It was to Lot like the Garden of Eden, meaning that it was watered and fertile and desirable. Lot travelled eastward, just as in the Tower of Babel story and just like the Adam and Eve story. Eastward suggest desirable but corrupt.

Lot's exposure to the ways of Egypt was catastrophic.

Both Lot and Abraham "lifted up" their eyes. See Genesis 13:10 and verse 14.

Abraham is blessed after Lot leaves. He is given a threefold "expansion" promise. (1) Land as far as he can see, (2) offspring as the dust of the earth, (3) time: forever.

The Battle at the Valley of Siddim. Likely the dry southern basin of the Dead Sea.

Abraham is blessed by Melchizedek. Lot leaves Abraham forever.

Genesis 15:1-6. Blessed again. First time is told that his own son will be the heir.

Lets go of his son Isaac.

Genesis 12 Genesis 22

Leave your: country, kindred,home Kill your: son, precious one, one you love

Ambigous location (I will show you) Unspecified mountain (I will show you)

Abraham obeys Abraham obeys

Builds an altar Builds an altar

Reward: Children Reward: None

Sarah

Name. Sarah is given two names. Sarai is "my princess" and Sarah is "princess to everyone" or "princess for all the race." Sarah is "the" princess of many people. Sarai is the feminine form of "sar" which in Hebrew means "chieftain" or "prince."

Ancestry. Sarai and Lot are niece and nephew of Abraham. Both Sarai and Lot were children of Haran. Or, Sarai was half-sister by a different mother. This is EGW's position in PP 130.1, "she was the daughter of his father, though not of his mother." Sarai ancestry is ultimately unclear since the Bible is not explicit.

The Talmud identifies Sarai with Iscah, daughter of Abraham's deceased brother Haran,[38] so that in this Sarah turns out to be the niece of Abraham and the sister of Lot and Milcah. While in Genesis 20:12 Abraham claims that Sarah "is indeed my sister, my father's daughter" rather than his niece, Rashi asserts that the term "daughter" can also be used regarding a granddaughter, and thus "sister" can be used regarding a niece.

Motherhood. Parallels of Sarah with Eve in motherhood. Change of names. Eve was first called "isha" because she came from "ish" (man). Then she was called "Eve" the mother of all living. In the same way, Sarai was "my princess" emphasizing her relationship with Abraham, she was Abraham's princess. Then she became Sarah, the princess to everyone, signifying her motherhood.

Temptation. Parallels of Sarah to Eve in the temptation to the husband. As Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit, so Sarai tempted Abraham with marriage to Hagar. Then Eve blamed the Serpent, but in Sarai's case, she blamed Abraham. Both played the blame game.

Relationship. Who is the real you? The first Eve as in relation to Adam. The second Eve is in relation to children (a co-creator to God). The first Sarah is in relation to Abraham. The second Sarah is in relation to the promised Seed.

Hagar - seeing and hearing - Genesis 16

According to Jewish tradition, Hagar was an Egyptian princess. So Abraham had two princesses, one in Sarah and the other in Hagar.

Sarai tries to "build up" her own name by way of Hagar.

Hagar means "flight" or "forsaken", to be dragged off. She is dragged out of Egypt and is forsaken and flees Abraham because of oppression.

Hagar is the victim. She is a stranger, perched between a slave and a wife. She doesn't belong. She runs away. Your children will be strangers. Your son will be a wild man. Hagar is taken out of Egypt and also goes to a land not her own, and she will be a stranger there.

Abraham's failings had terrible results for Hagar, but they come back to bite Abraham's descendants with Ishmael and then when the Israelites becomes slaves in Egypt. Egypt comes back to bite you.

Genesis 16:4-5: And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!”

Genesis 16:4 Hebrew her mistress was dishonorable in her eyes; similarly in verse 5

Genesis 16:6: Abram replied to Sarai: Behold, your maid is in your hands; do to her what is good in your eyes. So Sarai humbled her, and she ran away from her face.

She perceives (or sees) her mistress differently after seeing that she's pregnant.

Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears

Genesis 16:13: So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” [Or You are a God who sees me] for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

Genesis 16:14: Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; [Beer-lahai-roi means the well of the Living One who sees me] it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

Hagar: I have seen the angel after seeing that I am pregnant.

Yahweh did not "see" Hagar's affliction but hears or "has listened" to her affliction.

Hagar and the Tree of Knowledge - Genesis 15 & 16

Abraham's frustration with the Promise not being fulfilled. See Genesis 15:2. Yahweh Elohim. Compare to Genesis 2:4ff. Adam is frustrated with naming the animals but not finding his mate and destiny. Both Adam and Abraham are put into a "deep sleep" (see Genesis 2:21; 15:12). In Genesis 16, Abraham is given Sarah, but she offers Hagar.

As Eve took of the forbidden fruit and gave to Adam, so Sarai took Hagar and gave her to Abram. Hagar became the forbidden fruit.

Having eaten of the forbidden fruit, you "see" things differently. Hagar, Sarai, and Abraham see things differently.

Three senses: (1) Saw the fruit and that it was good for food. Subjective terms. Not truth but beauty.

The "fruit" is the creative potential. (2) desirable to the eyes in the case of Eve. In the case of Abram and Sarai, it was "desirable" for Sarai to deal harshly with Hagar. The battle between Hagar and Sarai is: who owns the creativity, who owns the child?

Produces a cascade of subjective "seeing."

Adam and Eve hiding from their "Master" is parallel to Hagar fleeing Sarai.

Sooner or later God finds you and asks the question: where have you come from and where are you going?

In Adam and Eve, God has a conversation with three entities: the Serpent, Adam and Eve.

In the Hagar story, God has three conversations as well, compared to Eve.

(1) Return to your mistress and submit to her. Eve, you will submit to Adam and he will rule over you.

(2) "In will greatly your pain in childbirth. Hagar, I will greatly increase your progeny.

(3) Hagar: You will have child, because God has heard your subjugation. Eve, in sadness you will bear children. Your child will be about suffering.

Sarai becomes Sarah, as Isha becomes Eve.

Abraham and Egypt (both physically and spiritually)

Abraham is not successful in his confrontations with Egypt. There was one physical visit, but multiple spiritual "visits". You can take a man out of Egypt, but you cannot take Egypt out of a man.

On his trip there, he let's go of his wife to Pharaoh.

In the second instance he let go of his wife for Hagar, the Egyptian female servant to Sarai.

In the third instance, not in Egypt, but in Gerar (SW of Hebron and NW of Beersheba), Abraham let's go of his wife again by calling Sarah his sister.

Lot's exposure to the ways of Egypt was catastrophic.

Both Abraham and Sarah are contaminated with Egypt. Abraham in his failings and Sarah in giving Hagar to Abraham as wife.

Two future consequences to his Egyptian encounter.

(1) His half-truths affected his descendants: Isaac full lie, Jacob full lie and deception, Joseph's brothers full lie and figuratively putting to death their brother.

(2) Prophecy of Israel going into Egypt. Genesis 15. Egypt becomes a nightmare through the prophetic dream (Genesis 15:12-14). Everything that happens to Abraham, happens again with the children of Israel. The sojourn into Egypt. A famine drives both to Egypt. Will you lose your marriage in Egypt and will you lose your marriage back in Canaan. Exodus with great wealth given by the Egyptians.

Three Worlds (Creation, Flood, Abraham) - or the Three Ages

Repeating patterns, not exact, but similar. History may not necessarily repeat, but it rhymes.

Promise of land and children and eternity.

1. Creation. Creation-Fall-Races. There are three sons and two races (Cain and Seth).

2. Flood. Flood-Vineyard (cursed and blessed sons)-Languages. There are three sons and (essentially) two races (Ham's and Shem-Japheth). The Tower is in line with God's purpose for mankind.

3. Abraham. Calling-Fall-Races. Abraham is called, then fails, then produces two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, which become two races.

Altar building versus "tower" building. Adam (i.e. Abel) built an altar whereas Cain built a city. Noah built an altar after the Flood, whereas a century later the people built a city and a tower. Abraham builds altars for God and tents for himself. One is focused on God's NAME and the other is focused on personal greatness and recognition--i.e. let us build a NAME for ourselves.

Sabbath Rest and Creation

The act of stopping is the greatest act of creation. Why? Because in stopping, you let go and contemplate. You let the creation do its thing. It's like a woman giving birth and weaning a child and then letting go and letting the child do its thing, become independent and free to act and live.

This "letting go" is an essential part of the creative act. We create through the week and rest to contemplate and enjoy our acts of creation. We participate in God's work.

As Christians we are co-ministers in the work of salvation. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We act, but we also must let go, we must let others choose for themselves.

The act of giving is the act of letting go. It is the acknowledgment that we are co-creators with God and that ultimately He is in charge and that He is the ultimate source of all our creative potential. He provides the resources, the gifts, the brainpower, the strength to think and do.

The Sabbath is like putting down the tools and saying, "I'm not tinkering any more." I'm going to sit back and enjoy the work done.

The act of resting is the act of relating to the creation. You can relate to it in contemplation and in enjoyment and gratitude.

A responsible creator is one who leaves room for ending the thing he has created. To say, "it is finished." I'm done with this and moving on.

Remnant

The antidiluvian world was one world and two races. But only a remnant was preserved in the Flood.

Post-Flood, the world attempted to become one race or people again at the Tower of Babel, but it was again "dissolved" through the confusion of languages. But a remnant was preserved through Abraham. Then, the only race or nation that mattered to God was the nation of Israel.

Then because of Israel's apostasy, only a remnant of the nation of Israel was preserved until the coming of Jesus, largely the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi.

Then the Jews reject of Christ led to a remnant of the Jewish nation to carry forward the gospel.

Then a remnant emerged from "Catholicism" in the Protestant Reformation.

Then the majority of denominations fell back to Catholic apostasy and the Remnant Church emerged.

Then a remnant of the Remnant Church will emerge at the end of time.

Notes (Come and Reason)

You don't lose your past, you build on it.

Did Abraham going to Egypt represent a laps in faith?

Matthew 2:13: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Babylon, Beautiful Land, and Egypt. Babylon represent religious imperialism. Egypt represents godlessness--Leftism, Communism, Socialism, Transgenderism, Evolution.

Abraham's half-truth regarding his wife was with the intent to deceive. A half-truth is a full lie, when it intends to deceive together with selfishness. It was not Truth in Love.

SABBATH.

From the lesson: We have now reached the center of the book of Genesis. This central section (Genesis 12-22) will cover the journey of Abraham, from God’s first call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Gen. 12:1), which leads Abraham to leave his past to God’s second call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Gen. 22:2), which leads Abraham to leave his future (as it would exist in his son). As a result, Abraham is always on the move, always a migrant, which is why He is also called a “stranger” (Gen. 17:8).

Notes. Faith involves the past, present and future.

SUNDAY. Abram's Departure. Genesis 12:1-9.

From the lesson: God’s new word, now to Abram, reconnects with that promise: all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abram. Abram’s departure also concerns his family. Abram must leave his heritage and much of what he learned and acquired through heredity, education, and influence. Yet, God’s call to go involves even more. The Hebrew phrase lekh lekha, “go,” translated literally, means “go yourself” or “go for yourself.” Abram’s departure from Babylon concerns more than his environment, or even his family. The Hebrew phrase suggests an emphasis on himself. Abram has to leave himself, to get rid of the part of himself that contains his Babylonian past.

The goal of this abandonment is “a land” that God will show him. The same language will be used again in the context of the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:2), to refer to the mount of Moriah, where Isaac will be offered and where the Jerusalem temple will be built (2 Chron. 3:1). God’s promise is not just about a physical homeland but about the salvation of the world. This idea is reaffirmed in God’s promise of the blessing for all nations (Gen. 12:2, 3).

Notes. Through one (remnant) nation all the world will be blessed.

MONDAY. The Temptation of Egypt. Genesis 12:10-20.

From the lesson: The temptation of Egypt was often a problem for the ancient Israelites (Num. 14:3, Jer. 2:18). Egypt, thus, became a symbol of humans trusting in humans rather than in God (2 Kings 18:21; Isa. 36:6, 9). In Egypt, where water could be seen on a daily basis, faith was not necessary, for the promise of the land was immediately visible. Compared to the land of famine, Egypt sounded like a good place to be, despite what God had said to him.

TUESDAY. Abram and Lot. Genesis 13:1-18.

WEDNESDAY. The Babel Coalition. Genesis 14:1-17.

From the lesson: This is the first war narrated in the Scriptures (Gen. 14:2). The coalition of four armies from Mesopotamia and Persia against the other coalition of five Canaanite armies, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 14:8), suggest a large conflict (Gen. 14:9). The reason for this military operation has to do with the fact that the Canaanite peoples had rebelled against their Babylonian suzerains (Gen. 14:4, 5).

THURSDAY. The Tithe of Melchizedek. Genesis 14:18-23 and Hebrews 7:1-10.

From the lesson: Paradoxically, the tithe is understood by the worshiper not as a gift to God, but as a gift from God, because God gives us everything to begin with.

FRIDAY. Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Abraham in Canaan,” pp. 134-136, in Patriarchs and Prophets.