A SURVEY OF THE BIBLE
(“The Book of Genesis”) (II)
Acts 7:2-16; Job 9:2; Genesis 15:1-6 (NASU)
2“… The God of glory appeared to … Abraham … 3and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you’” (Acts 7:2-3)
2“… how can a man be righteous before God?”
(Job 9:2, NKJV)
“Then (Abraham) believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THIS EVENING’S SCRIPTURE LESSONS
(1) Stephen is traditionally thought to have been the first Christian martyr – i.e. the first Christian (so far as Scripture is concerned) to have been killed for believing that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s promised Messiah, and Savior of sinners.
I mention that, because I’m going to begin tonight by reading a passage of Scripture from Acts chapter seven (starting at verse two) – a passage that is part of Stephen’s defense before the Jewish High Council – where he says (in part):
2“…Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia … 3and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4(He then) left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, (God) promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him … 8And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs 9… (who) became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. 11Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 (And) On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers … 15Then Joseph … invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him … 16And (so) Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.” (Acts 7:2-16)
Stephen’s defense continues on for another thirty-seven verses (c.f. Acts 7:17-53), and covers other matters related to Old Testament history – from Moses to Solomon – and ends with a stinging rebuke of his audience’s role in Jesus’ crucifixion. However, the portion I just read – and the reason I read it – is because it summarizes that part of the Book of Genesis we are most interested in tonight – namely, the Patriarchal history1 found in chapters twelve through fifty (c.f. Genesis 12-50).
(2) Next, I want to read one brief verse from the Book of Job (chapter nine, verse two), where Job asks (in the NKJV):
“… how can a man be righteous before God?” (c.f. Job 9:2, NKJV).
Job’s friends (c.f. Job 2:11) have been telling him that all the terrible things that have happened to him recently (c.f. Job 1-2) are because of the sin in his life (c.f. Job 8:6, 20). Job, in turn, has been arguing for his innocence – essentially saying that he has done nothing to deserve this kind of retribution from the Lord (c.f. Job 6:10; see also Job 1:1, 22; 2:10; see also John 9:1-3). At the same time, however, he realizes that no man can ever be truly innocent in God’s sight – since no man is ever completely sinless (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:20). Hence, his dilemma – which leads to his question: “… how can a man (ever) be righteous before God?” (c.f. Job 9:2, NKJV).
Scripture is full of people asking all kinds of questions. But, I don’t suppose there is a more important question than this one – especially since our eternal futures depend on the answer! For if sinful men and women like ourselves can never “be made righteous in God’s sight”, then hell will be our eternal home. On the other hand, if it IS possible to “become righteous in God’s sight”, we need to know how that can happen!
(3) And that leads us to the last passage of Scripture I want to read this evening – starting in Genesis chapter fifteen, at verse one (which says, in part):
1“… the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.’ 2Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? … Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’ 4Then … the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir … 5… Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them … So shall your descendants be.’ 6Then (Abram) believed in the Lord; and (the Lord) reckoned it to him as righteousness” (c.f. Genesis 15:1-6).
Here, then, is the answer to Job’s question. “How can a man be righteous before God?” (c.f. Job 9:2) – “By believing in the Lord, who will then reckon that belief to us as righteousness” (c.f. Genesis 15:6). In other words (as the Book of Romans says), “faith is credited as righteousness” (c.f. Romans 4:5). Not just any faith – but only “faith IN JESUS CHRIST (the seed of Abraham) (c.f. Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16) will be credited to us as righteousness” (c.f. Acts 16:31; I John 5:11-13).
For the purposes of this present series, however, the point is that this most basic of all bible doctrines regarding salvation is found first, and stated first, and illustrated first in the Book of Genesis.
A BRIEF REVIEW OF PRIMEVAL HISTORY
(c.f. Genesis 1-11)
(1) We saw last time2 that the Book of Genesis is divided into two major sections1 – with the first eleven chapters containing a summation of Primeval History (c.f. Genesis 1-11) – while chapters twelve through fifty contain a summation of Patriarchal History (c.f. Genesis 12-50).
(2) Chapters one through eleven (c.f. Genesis 1-11) give us an abbreviated history of the world, from the moment of Creation (c.f. Genesis 1:1-31) to right around the time God first called Abraham (c.f. Genesis 11:27-32).3 This material is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is, because it essentially lays the groundwork for what follows – not only in the Book of Genesis, where it soon becomes clear that Moses is primarily interested in God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants4 (c.f. Genesis 12-50) – but also for the rest of Scripture as a whole (from Exodus to Revelation).
(3) Among other things, chapters one through eleven show us that fallen man is hopelessly trapped in his sins, and in desperate need of a Savior. The evidence for this includes (but is not limited to) Cain’s murder of Abel (c.f. Genesis 4:8) – the condition of men’s hearts just prior to the Flood, which is described as being “only evil continually” (c.f. Genesis 6:5) – plus the fact that, although Noah was a righteous man (c.f. Genesis 6:9), it wasn’t long before many of his descendants were as corrupt as the people the Flood had swept away (c.f. Genesis 11:4).
(4) Starting in chapter twelve, however, we see the beginning of God’s plan of redemption – a plan that finds its “genesis” (if you will) in God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants (beginning with Isaac and Jacob). This covenant contains a promise that in his (and their) “seed” (singular), “all the nations of the earth (will) be blessed” (c.f. Genesis 12:3; 22:18). The New Testament later makes it clear that this “seed” is God’s Messiah (first promised back in Genesis chapter three) (c.f. Genesis 3:15) – whom we know to be Jesus of Nazareth (Galatians 3:16; John 1:45).
(5) It’s also important to remember, that in Moses’ day the contemporary pagan view of the world embraced a large number of gods. Indeed, almost every nation or people group had their own god – or, in many cases, multiple gods (c.f. Exodus 12:12; Joshua 24:15). Idols conceived in their own depraved minds, and fashioned by their own sinful hands out of inanimate things like wood, stone, and precious metals (c.f. Deuteronomy 4:28; Daniel 5:4).
The prophet Isaiah will later mock the foolishness of idol worship, saying (in part) (in chapter forty-four) that “a man goes out and cuts down a tree – makes a fire out of part of the wood, on which to cook his meal or warm himself – and then makes the rest of it into an idol, falls down before it and worships it, and prays to it saying, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god’” (c.f. Isaiah 44:13-17).
We shake our head at such foolishness – and rightly so. But are the gods of our own culture – the gods of prosperity and popularity, of politics and partisanship, of pleasure and prestige, of power and privilege – (are these gods) any less foolish?
(6) Nor were Abraham’s descendants immune to this perversion of the divine image – as the biblical record clearly shows (c.f. Genesis 35:2-4; Exodus 32:1-4). In fact, one of the greatest (and most persistent) temptations the people of Israel faced (and frequently succumbed to) was that of worshipping other gods (c.f. Judges 2:11-13; I Kings 11:4-8) – even after seeing all the mighty miracles the Lord had performed in Egypt, and at the Red Sea.
(7) Remember, too, that around the time Moses wrote the book of Genesis,2 Israel had just recently come out of the idolatrous culture of Egypt – and would soon be coming into contact with the equally idolatrous peoples of Canaan.4 Hence, one of the purposes of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis was to remind the people of Israel that the God who had redeemed them from slavery was no local deity – no figment of some man’s imagination – or the work of some man’s hands. Rather, He was the true and ever living God – even the God who made heaven and earth (c.f. Genesis 1-2)! That the God who had chosen them for His people, and entered into an unbreakable covenant with them, was not one of the so-called “gods” of the Egyptians or the Canaanites – rather, He was the God who had once destroyed the earth with a flood, while also preserving Noah and his family (c.f. Genesis 6-9) – even the same God who had once thwarted the arrogant plans of humanity to build a monument to their own greatness (c.f. Genesis 11).
In short, one of the purposes of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis was to remind Abraham’s descendants of who their God was – of how great He was – of what a wonderful thing it was that He had chosen to redeem them – and what a privilege it was to be His people, and have Him be their God!
AN OVERVIEW OF GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM
(1) While the first eleven chapters of Genesis focus primarily on Adam’s sin, and the terrible consequences that followed for all mankind (c.f. Genesis 1-11), starting in chapter twelve, and continuing on through the rest of the book, the focus shifts to the hope of redemption – to the hope that sinful men and women can (and will) be reconciled to God (c.f. Romans 5:1-10), that they can (and will) be made right with God (c.f. Job 9:2) – to the hope that the fellowship and blessings lost at the time of the Fall can (and will) be restored (c.f. Genesis 3).
(a) Up to this point, so far as the biblical record of history is concerned, God has said very little about how He intends to deal with the problem of sin and evil – or the resultant separation that has occurred between Himself and mankind.5 There’s been the prophetic promise about “the seed of the woman one day bruising the head of the seed of the serpent” (c.f. Genesis 3:15) (not a lot to go on just yet) – and the practice of offering animal sacrifices to the Lord has begun, which suggest there has been some kind of divine instruction (alluded to, but not actually recorded in Scripture) regarding the need for blood to be shed in order to atone for man’s sin (c.f. Genesis 3:21; 4:4; 8:20-22). There have also been some examples of God’s grace to undeserving sinners (like the fact Adam didn’t die physically the moment he sinned against God) (c.f. Genesis 2:16-17; 3:21; 5:5; 6:8) – as well as some pictures (or types) of salvation (like Noah’s ark) (c.f. Genesis 7:23; I Peter 3:20-21). But, as of yet, it was not clear as to exactly who or to what these things pointed – or how, or when the redemptive process would actually take place.
(b) Starting in chapter twelve, however, the Lord begins to unfold His redemptive plan – saying to Abraham (who is known as “Abram” at this point): 1“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; 2and I will make you a great nation … I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall 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 will be blessed” (c.f. Genesis 12:1-3).
(c) One writer has called these verses “a sneak preview for the rest of the Bible”5 – especially since this initial call is expanded and elaborated on throughout the rest of the Book of Genesis, and Scripture as a whole – and ultimately points to Jesus Christ, as I hope to make clear.
(2) In the opening verses of chapter twelve (c.f. Genesis 12:1-3), God chooses Abraham, and enters into a covenant relationship with him.
(a) We must NEVER forget, however, that God’s choice of Abraham – His choice to establish a covenant relationship between Himself and Abraham – His choice to bless Abraham, and make him a blessing to others – was purely a matter of grace! There was nothing in Abraham, or about Abraham, that made him more deserving than any other man of his time. God could have chosen Noah, or Shem, or Eber – but He didn’t – instead, He chose Abraham! God could have just as easily chosen one of Abraham’s brothers, Nahor or Haran – He could have just as easily chosen Abraham’s nephew, Lot – or Abraham’s father, Terah (c.f. Genesis 11:27). But He didn’t! He chose Abraham!
(b) Very little is known about Abraham’s background prior to God’s covenant call. However, there are a couple of glimpses which underscore God’s grace in choosing Abraham.6 For example, Joshua once reminded the leaders of Israel that “from ancient times YOUR FATHERS lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they SERVED OTHER GODS” (c.f. Joshua 24:2). In other words, Abraham grew up in a pagan home, where pagan gods were worshipped! To put it more strongly, the implication is that Abraham himself had once been a worshipper of idols7 (c.f. I Thessalonians 1:9)!
Then there’s a verse in the Book of Ezekiel, where God reminds the people of Jerusalem that “your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, YOUR FATHER WAS AN AMORITE AND YOUR MOTHER A HITTITE” (c.f. Ezekiel 16:3). In other words, Abraham and Sarah – the father and mother of the nation of Israel – were themselves from pagan stock.8 From two people groups known for their low moral standards, and idolatrous worship – and yet, God chose them and entered into a covenant relationship with them that resulted, not only in there own salvation, but also the salvation of myriads of other people from among “all the nations of the earth” (c.f. Genesis 12:3; Revelation 7:9-10)!
And then, keeping in mind that God’s choice of Israel began with His choice of Abraham, Moses once reminded the people that 6“… the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7(However, He) did not … choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8but because the Lord loved you …” (c.f. Deuteronomy 7:6-8). In other words, God’s choice of Israel – and before that, of Abraham – was based solely and only on His electing love, rather than any merit or intrinsic goodness in them9 (or him) (which is a good thing, because there wasn’t any – just like there wasn’t any in us!) (c.f. Romans 9:10-13).
(3) Note, then, that the theme of God’s covenant call to Abraham is one of blessing10 – as evidenced by the fivefold use of the words “bless”, “blessing”, and “blessed” (c.f. Genesis 12:1-3). God is going to “bless” Abraham (v. 2) – but He is also going to make Abraham “a blessing” to others (v. 2). In fact, God is going to bless “all the families of the earth” through Abraham (v. 3).
(a) This emphasis on “blessing” is to be understood against the backdrop of the “curses” God pronounced back in chapter three, as a result of Adam’s sin (c.f. Genesis 3:14-19). There we remember that the serpent was “cursed … more than every beast of the field” (v. 14) – that the woman was “cursed” (in part) with “pain in childbirth” (v. 16) – that Adam was “cursed” with having to “eat bread (by the sweat of his face)” till the day of his death (v. 19) – and that the ground was also “cursed”, in that it would now grow “both thorns and thistles” (vs. 17-18), which would make man’s toil all the more difficult.
Hence, Romans chapter eight tells us that “the creation was subjected to futility” as a result of Adam’s sin – that it is even now “enslaved to corruption”, just like we are – and that “the whole creation groans”, as it waits for the day it will be “set free” – for the day when “there will no longer be any curse” (as the last chapter of the Book of Revelation says) (c.f. Romans 8:20-22; Revelation 22:3).
(b) We see, then, that man’s sin resulted in God’s curse. But here, in God’s covenant with Abraham, the promise is one of blessing. Somehow, Abraham is going to be used by God to bless mankind – somehow, in a way yet to be explained, God is going to use him to restore the blessings that were lost at the time of the Fall.10
(c) Note, then, that God’s covenant with Abraham entails four basic promises10 – the promise of NUMEROUS DESCENDANTS (in that God is going to make Abraham “a great nation”) (v. 2) – the promise of A LAND OF HIS OWN (which is implied in the command to “go forth from his own country to the land God will show him”) (v. 1) – BLESSINGS FOR ABRAHAM PERSONALLY (as in, “I will bless you, and make your name great”) (v. 2) – and, BLESSINGS FOR THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH, that will come through Abraham (as in, “you shall be a blessing”, and, “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”) (vs. 2-3).
(4) Exactly how, or when, or in what way these promises will be fulfilled is not stated here in Genesis chapter twelve (c.f. Genesis 12:1-3) – and remember, “daylight is burning” (as we used to say back on the farm) because Abraham is already 75 years old! (c.f. Genesis 12:4) However, as time passes, and Scripture continues to unfold, these questions are eventually answered.
(a) For example, regarding numerous descendants (c.f. Genesis 12:2) – God tells Abraham (some years later), in Genesis chapter fifteen: “… look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them … So shall your descendants be” (c.f. Genesis 15:5). (And remember, Abraham is still childless at this point.) Still later, when Abraham was ninety-nine years old (and still without the child God had promised), the Lord told him (in chapter seventeen): 5“… I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful … I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you” (c.f. Genesis 17:1, 5-6). And then, some years after Ishmael and Isaac had been born, following the test on Mount Moriah, God told Abraham (in chapter twenty-two): “… I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore …” (c.f. Genesis 22:17).
[1] Physically, Abraham not only because the father of the Jewish people, through his son Isaac (Genesis 21:12; Hebrews 11:18), through whom the covenant promises first enumerated in chapter twelve would be realized (c.f. Genesis 12:1-3; 17:18-19) – but he also became the father of many of the Arab nations as well, first through Ishmael (whose mother was Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maid) (c.f. Genesis 16:1-15; 17:20), and then through the sons born to him by his second wife, Keturah (whom he married after Sarah died) (c.f. Genesis 25:1-4).
[2] In the New Testament, however, we learn that Abraham is also father of an even greater number of spiritual descendants – which I think is the ultimate fulfillment of this aspect of God’s promise to Abraham. Hence, the Book of Galatians quotes tonight’s Scripture lesson from Genesis chapter fifteen and says: 6“… Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are (the) sons of Abraham” (c.f. Galatians 3:6-7; Genesis 15:6). And again: “if you belong to Christ … you are Abraham’s descendants …” (c.f. Galatians 3:29)!
[3] What’s more, if we are Abraham’s descendants (by faith in Christ), then we are also heirs of all the promises God made to him. For as the Patriarchal section of the Book of Genesis unfolds (c.f. Genesis 12-50), it becomes clear that the promises God made to Abraham weren’t made just to Abraham – they were also made to his descendants! Hence, in chapter seventeen, God says: 7“I will establish My covenant between Me and you AND YOUR DESCENDANTS after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you AND TO YOUR DESCENDANTS … 8I will give to you AND TO YOUR DESCENDANTS … the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I WILL BE THEIR GOD” (i.e. I will be the God of your descendants, just like I have been your God) (c.f. Genesis 17:7-8).
(b) The physical fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham AND HIS DESCENDANTS apply primarily to the Jews. Hence, promises related to the land of Canaan, for example, belong to them (c.f. Genesis 12:1). However, the spiritual application of God’s covenant promises apply ONLY to those who are Abraham’s descendants BY FAITH (c.f. Romans 9:6-8) – whether they be Jews, or Gentiles like ourselves.
For those of us who are Abraham’s descendants by faith, the promises of a land have a heavenly fulfillment. Hence, Hebrews chapter eleven holds up Abraham and Sarah, and the other patriarchs, as examples of people who “desire(d) a better country (than the one they had left), that is, A HEAVENLY ONE” (c.f. Hebrews 11:13-16). Hence, Scripture talks about the “citizenship” of Christians being “IN HEAVEN, from which (we are also eagerly waiting) for (our) Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (c.f. Philippians 3:20)!
(c) Some of the personal blessings Abraham enjoyed as a result of God’s covenant with him (c.f. Genesis 12:2), included great wealth (c.f. Genesis 13:2) – divine protection (c.f. Genesis 20:1-18; Psalm 105:13-15) – fellowship with God (c.f. Genesis 18:16-21) – victory over his enemies (c.f. Genesis 14:1-16) – and a long and satisfying life (c.f. Genesis 25:8). All things many of God’s people have enjoyed in every age, including our own – albeit (obviously) in varying degrees.
(d) As for the promise about “all the families of the earth being blessed” through Abraham (c.f. Genesis 12:3) – this, I believe, is fulfilled primarily through our Savior Jesus Christ.
Following the test God put Abraham through in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis (c.f. Genesis 22:1), the Lord reiterated and elaborated on parts of His covenant with Abraham, saying: 17“… I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and … 18IN YOUR SEED ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED, because you … obeyed My voice” (c.f. Genesis 22:17-18).
[1] Here, then, is something new. Up to now, the promise has been that “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham” (c.f. Genesis 12:3; 18:18). But so far, God hasn’t told Abraham how this will take place. Now, He reveals that the nations will be blessed through Abraham via one of His descendants. Paul explains in Galatians chapter three, saying: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ THAT IS, CHRIST” (c.f. Galatians 3:16).
Although the term “seed” can be used in a plural sense11 – like when God said: “I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of … heaven” (c.f. Genesis 22:17) (obviously he was talking about more than one!) – Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recognized that a particular (singular) descendant was being spoken of in Genesis 22:18. And, that the “seed” through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed was a reference to Jesus – the One who came to “save His people from their sins” (c.f. Matthew 1:21).
[2] The point is, that all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because (by God’s grace) people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will be saved! Not just Jews – but also Gentiles (like ourselves)! Not just people who can speak Hebrew – but also people who speak English and Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, Arabic and French (and so on). Not just people who can trace their physical lineage back to Abraham – but also people (like you and me) who can’t.
Hence, in the Great Commission, our Savior exhorts us to “go … and make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS” (c.f. Matthew 28:19). Why? So that what’s written in the Book of Revelation will one day come to pass – namely that 9“… a great multitude which no one (can) count, FROM EVERY NATION AND ALL TRIBES AND PEOPLES AND TONGUES, (can stand) before the throne (of God) and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, (with) palm branches … in their hands; 10and … cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to OUR GOD who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” – i.e. the “seed” of Abraham, who has saved us (c.f. Revelation 7:9-10).
By God’s grace, you and I will be in that throng – thanks to God’s covenant with Abraham, in which He promised that in him “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (c.f. Genesis 12:3).
[Next time, we WILL finish our survey of the Book of Genesis.]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1English Standard Version Study Bible: Introduction to
Genesis; p. 40.
2http://www.wpcpca.org/Archive/08-02-09-pm.html
3Mathison: From Age to Age (The Unfolding of Biblical
Eschatology); p. 19.
4IBID; p. 20.
5IBID; p. 35.
6The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on Joshua 24:2;
p. 328.
7MacArthur: The MacArthur Bible Commentary; p. 269.
8The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on Ezekiel 16:3;
p. 1274.
9IBID; Footnote on Deuteronomy 7:8; p. 251.
10Mathison: Ibid; p. 36.
11English Standard Version Study Bible: Footnote on
Galatians 3:16; p. 2250.