Sermon Notes for March 12th
March 12, 2006
“The Father of Many Nations”
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and Romans 4:13-25
1. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible - the Jews call Torah – which (תּוֹרָה) is a Hebrew word meaning "teaching," "instruction," or "law." It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. It is also called the Law of Moses (Torat Moshe תּוֹרַת־מֹשֶׁה) . Torah primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, but the term is sometimes also used in the general sense to also include both of Judaism's written law and oral law, encompassing the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash, and more.
The Torah is also known as the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch ( the Greek word for "five containers," which refers to the scroll cases in which books were being kept).
2. For Jews, however, the Torah was traditionally accepted as the literal word of God as told to Moses. For many, it is neither exactly history, nor theology, nor legal and ritual guide, but something beyond all three. It is the primary guide to the relationship between God and man, and the whole meaning and purpose of that relationship, a living document that unfolds over the generations and millennia.
Interestingly enough very few people realize that the first five books are not actually separate books but part of one continuous unfolding story. This is because in order to create a scroll – which is what the original Bible was written on – there are certain limitations. This is because scrolls were made from animal skins (parchment) or sometimes plant fibers (papyrus).
After all - paper was actually invented in China and was wasn’t available in the west until after the time of Marco Polo in around 1,000 AD. And even then the notion of paper being used as a practical everyday item did not occur until the 15th Century when Gutenburg perfected movable type and printed his famous bible in 1456.
3. Consequently, in Biblical times the average scroll – which looks about the size of a roll of paper towels – was tightly wrapped to about 2 ½ inches in diameter and about ten inches high. These scrolls were about 20 to 30 feet long. So, when the scribes first put together the Torah together they had to stop every so often and then start with a new scroll because they ran out of room. And this is how it came to pass that the first five books and their names are as follow Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy:
This is because it turns out that these Hebrew names are taken from initial words within the first verse of each book. For instance:
• Genesis – means "In the beginning..."
• Exodus - means "Names" – from “These are the names of the sons of Israel”
• Leviticus - means "he called..." as in “The Lord called Moses…” and so on …
4. Also, as I mentioned last week, unless you believe literally that every word of the Bible was dictated to Moses straight from God, the truth is that the Old Testament is made up from several different sources. One of them is called the “J” source – from the German word for Yahweh – and this is what God was called in the south. In the north, however, God was referred to as El or Elohim. And then there are later traditions which came out of the Babylonian when the Priests of Israel strove to save their nation from destruction by writing down all its traditions and beliefs - so that the Jews might know who they were and who God was and how God had truly saved them in the past and therefore would continue to do so even in the midst of the total destruction.
So, while there is an element of factual history in much of the Old Testament – these stories are not just history in the way we think of it … they are much more. For these are “salvation” stories. And they are stories of how God acted in history … to save his people.
And that is why, even today, these stories carry great power when we read them … for they contain the power not only to save the Jews but also to save us. For the story of the Bible is also “our story.” And it doesn’t end with the last chapter in Revelation – for the story of God is still going on right now – on this very day – and will go on as long as human beings inhabit the earth.
5. So, the story of Abraham, like the story of Noah, which we heard about last week – is a salvation story – for Abraham is called – and literally and mythical is father of the many nations and a least three great religions which are all still very much alive in the world today. Abraham is also the beginning of monotheism – the belief in the one God – which we take for granted today – but who represented a totally radical and revolutionary new idea in the history of humankind.
Now, before we get into Abraham, let me back up and say a word about two of the people who came before him – Adam and Noah. This is because they were also supposed to be salvation stories but as the Bible truthful records it – they didn’t work out so well.
Adam, first of all, along with his partner Eve, disobeys God – (we all know that story). And Noah, it turns out, wasn’t so hot either. I didn’t get into that last week – but now its time for the “rest” of the story of Noah.
6. We fail to understand the idea that Noah is a troublesome person because we only learned about Noah in Sunday school. You know, the flood and the animals and all that. But what doesn’t come through right away is that Noah is rather self-serving. From an ethical standpoint, Noah just doesn’t seem to care whether God wipes out the whole rest of the world as long as he saves his own skin.
Some of you may have seen the movie Schindler’s List about Oscar Schindler – a German playboy and philanderer who somehow rose above himself and saved hundreds of Jews from the Nazis while most of his contemporaries shut their eyes to what was happening. In fact, the original title of the novel about Schindler was called Schindler’s Ark.
Noah, unlike Abraham, never objects – never raises a voice. Abraham, on the other, hand argues & negotiates with God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
And then, after the flood subsides, Noah plants a vineyard, makes some wine, and ends up getting himself falling down drunk - after which he passes out in his tent with no clothes on and his sons have to come and cover him up. Not a pretty picture – and its right there in the Bible! And we can probably assume this didn’t happen just once. And of course, this part of the story doesn’t get told in Sunday School.
So, God, who had thought that he would have a new start with things after Adam’s sin and the flood and everything … is once again disappointed by Noah who was supposed to be the new Adam. Back to square one!
What happens next is that God is still willing to start over … but this time he is not going to rush into things. He is going to be very careful as to who he is going to trust. And, so begins the long running struggle between Abraham and God which tests and retests Abraham’s faith (and his wife Sarah’s as well).
And it is not just a one-way struggle – for Abraham proves to be no slouch like Noah … just going along for the ride. Abraham fights back … and when things keep getting put off forever and ever … he demands that God make good on his promise. And, eventually, at long last, he receives the promise of God (by having a son) and thereby reveals his great faith, endurance, and courage … and becomes the first great hero in the Bible.
7. Now, we must understand that, back in the biblical days, the whole business of why and how people were born was pretty much of a mystery. In fact it was not until the 17th or 18th century that modern science discovered that both the mother and father contributed equally to the genetic reproduction of the child. Well, if you think about it, this creates a bit of a problem today for those who want to continue believe literally in the virgin birth story! But, back in the Bible it was widely understood that the mother’s womb was only the means whereby the baby was allowed to develop prior to delivery.
All this, of course, should not be grounds for us to make fun of or denigrate the biblical writers for their ignorance. For, as I have tried to show from time to time, while the biblical writers did not know as much about how the world works as we know, they did know a lot of things about God and God’s spirit – which we seem to have lost or don’t understand today.
Whatever the case, the whole question of fertility was a big issue back in the Bible and it is still a big issue for people today. And, even though we know much more about it and there are even medically proven ways for infertile couples to conceive today – the whole business of birth is still, we must admit, a truly strange and wonderful mystery.
8. Now, for various reasons the mystery of birth and of infertility comes up numerous times in the book of Genesis. For instance, there is this story in the 13th chapter of Judges:
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."
Anybody care to guess what the baby’s name will be?
Sampson!
And then, of course, there is the problem, not only of Abraham but also of his son and grandson. For his son, Isaac, too, marries Rebecca and it is twenty years before they have Esau and Jacob. What happens next is that Jacob, who is the favored child, falls in love with Rachel but is tricked by his clever uncle Laban, into marrying Leah. Strangely enough, and to Jacob’s dismay, it is Leah who can have all the children she wants while Rachel is barren for many years before the great Joseph is born.
9. And of course, it all starts with Sarah and Abraham who, the Bible says, were almost 100 years old – way too late to normally have children - and by this time Abraham is getting a little fed up – a little weary – a little disbelieving - and perhaps a little feisty with God.
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [a] your very great reward. [b] " 2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since you have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But again Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
And then we have the great story of the smoking pots:
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land.
10. Yet, even following this very imaginative and remarkable story … things still do not come out the way they are supposed to … and eventually Abraham and Sarah take things into their own hands and Abraham has a child by Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar.
And still no word from God …
Then, finally, it seems as though God, who has been testing Abraham all this time, is ready to act and this is how it goes:
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, [a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."
Notice here – as in many other stories – Abraham does not fully realize what is going on. He is in a kind of state of confusion.
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs [b] of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.
"There, in the tent," he said.
10 Then the LORD [c] said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
Notice, now, that the Bible reveals that this visitation from what appear to ordinary men – is really the Lord.
Then, comes the best part.
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master [d] is old, will I now have this pleasure?"
Again, Sarah’s laugh is a very human response which introduces an element of realism into what is otherwise a mysterious and divine encounter. But it gets better, because, God hears Sarah laugh.
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh."
But he said, "Yes, you did laugh!"
11. So, what is going on here? Stories like this don’t get repeated over and over again for no reason at all.
Well, the message is clear to the Hebrews and also to us … and that is that, as I said last earlier, these are not just ordinary stories – they are salvation stories.
What they meant to the Israelites (and to us) is that even when it looks like things are impossible – even when it seems as if there is no hope – even when we fear that we have not future - even when the promises of God seem like pipe dreams – even then God finds a way to fulfill the promises made to our ancestors.
And this should cause us to reflect, then, upon the faith of Abraham as it pertains to our own lives.
For what is evident is that often what we think of faith is a belief in some doctrine or dogma. Or we think of faith as a nice spiritual thing which brings peace and tranquility. Or, we think of faith as something which belongs to the past.
12. But, that is not what the story of Abraham is all about. Abraham’s faith was not serene or joyful – not most of the time. Abraham was called to an open promise which was not about the past but the future and seemed often to be impossible. In Abraham’s faith there was none of the absolute certainty which many people claim for their religious beliefs. For there is also plenty of room, as we have seen, for doubt.
Abraham did not even evolve a theology … or a set of beliefs … like Moses with the Ten Commandments. Abraham merely lives in the immediate and powerful presence of God. A God who repeatedly appears to him in dreams, visions, and strange encounters with human beings (or angels).
At times Abraham is often terrified (as when he fell into a trance). And Sarah is frightened when she realizes that God is speaking to her.
Furthermore, there was no direct benefit to Abraham in all this. Abraham is merely called to live in the presence of God (as best he can) for no other reason than this is what God asks from all of us – great or small.
13. Now, in later times, when Jesus had come unto the scene, the Torah had come to stand for a multitude of rules and practices which had supplanted the desire of God for us to freely follow his will.
In short, the Torah had become rigid and unbending. To follow the law legalistically produced righteousness all right – but it was not righteousness before God … but self-righteousness.
The apostle Paul understood this better than anyone – except Jesus, of course. For he, too, had grown up legalistically. But now that Christ had come … He realized that God had spoken once more and there was a new covenant - a new righteousness.
Well what about the Jews? What about the Torah – the Law? For many believed that one could only be righteous – right before God – if you were a Jew and followed the law.
However, Paul, goes back before the Law – back before Moses and the Ten Commandments to point out that Abraham was made right with God not by the law but by his faith.
14. According to Paul the struggle to live out our own faith in God in the midst of trouble and uncertainty … is illuminated by Abraham and Sarah who – in spite of disappointment – never give up.
For it is by faith that we are ultimately saved.
And as Paul struggles with the whole question of how he can justify bringing Christ to the Gentiles … to the non – Jewish word … he finds in the story of Abraham the key idea … which is that Abraham predates the law. And that Abraham is not only the father of the Jews but also the Gentiles … and literally of all the nations just as Christ came to reconcile all people to God.
Are the Jews wrong, then? Not really, as Paul says 3It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.
15. As a result we may conclude according to Paul that:
a. Abraham is the father of both Jews and Gentiles; they are one seed, and one inheritance
b. Abraham’s faith is the source and model of Jews and Gentiles
c. The promise to Abraham, that is, to be the father of many Gentiles is one and the same.
Therefore, there are not two peoples of God – but one. Jews and Gentiles – humanity in its entirety – form one corporate body.
Not identical with Israel and certainly not with any single Christian church. But as common heirs (The Jew first and then the Greek) of the divine promise to Abraham – as the children of God.
It’s too bad – that this interpretation of Paul has only recently become evident – long after we have witnessed so many centuries of anti-Jewish persecution. To say nothing of all the other people in the world – all of whom (including Moslems) – who all are descendents of Abraham. After all – it’s right there in the Bible.
“The Father of Many Nations”
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and Romans 4:13-25
1. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible - the Jews call Torah – which (תּוֹרָה) is a Hebrew word meaning "teaching," "instruction," or "law." It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. It is also called the Law of Moses (Torat Moshe תּוֹרַת־מֹשֶׁה) . Torah primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, but the term is sometimes also used in the general sense to also include both of Judaism's written law and oral law, encompassing the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash, and more.
The Torah is also known as the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch ( the Greek word for "five containers," which refers to the scroll cases in which books were being kept).
2. For Jews, however, the Torah was traditionally accepted as the literal word of God as told to Moses. For many, it is neither exactly history, nor theology, nor legal and ritual guide, but something beyond all three. It is the primary guide to the relationship between God and man, and the whole meaning and purpose of that relationship, a living document that unfolds over the generations and millennia.
Interestingly enough very few people realize that the first five books are not actually separate books but part of one continuous unfolding story. This is because in order to create a scroll – which is what the original Bible was written on – there are certain limitations. This is because scrolls were made from animal skins (parchment) or sometimes plant fibers (papyrus).
After all - paper was actually invented in China and was wasn’t available in the west until after the time of Marco Polo in around 1,000 AD. And even then the notion of paper being used as a practical everyday item did not occur until the 15th Century when Gutenburg perfected movable type and printed his famous bible in 1456.
3. Consequently, in Biblical times the average scroll – which looks about the size of a roll of paper towels – was tightly wrapped to about 2 ½ inches in diameter and about ten inches high. These scrolls were about 20 to 30 feet long. So, when the scribes first put together the Torah together they had to stop every so often and then start with a new scroll because they ran out of room. And this is how it came to pass that the first five books and their names are as follow Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy:
This is because it turns out that these Hebrew names are taken from initial words within the first verse of each book. For instance:
• Genesis – means "In the beginning..."
• Exodus - means "Names" – from “These are the names of the sons of Israel”
• Leviticus - means "he called..." as in “The Lord called Moses…” and so on …
4. Also, as I mentioned last week, unless you believe literally that every word of the Bible was dictated to Moses straight from God, the truth is that the Old Testament is made up from several different sources. One of them is called the “J” source – from the German word for Yahweh – and this is what God was called in the south. In the north, however, God was referred to as El or Elohim. And then there are later traditions which came out of the Babylonian when the Priests of Israel strove to save their nation from destruction by writing down all its traditions and beliefs - so that the Jews might know who they were and who God was and how God had truly saved them in the past and therefore would continue to do so even in the midst of the total destruction.
So, while there is an element of factual history in much of the Old Testament – these stories are not just history in the way we think of it … they are much more. For these are “salvation” stories. And they are stories of how God acted in history … to save his people.
And that is why, even today, these stories carry great power when we read them … for they contain the power not only to save the Jews but also to save us. For the story of the Bible is also “our story.” And it doesn’t end with the last chapter in Revelation – for the story of God is still going on right now – on this very day – and will go on as long as human beings inhabit the earth.
5. So, the story of Abraham, like the story of Noah, which we heard about last week – is a salvation story – for Abraham is called – and literally and mythical is father of the many nations and a least three great religions which are all still very much alive in the world today. Abraham is also the beginning of monotheism – the belief in the one God – which we take for granted today – but who represented a totally radical and revolutionary new idea in the history of humankind.
Now, before we get into Abraham, let me back up and say a word about two of the people who came before him – Adam and Noah. This is because they were also supposed to be salvation stories but as the Bible truthful records it – they didn’t work out so well.
Adam, first of all, along with his partner Eve, disobeys God – (we all know that story). And Noah, it turns out, wasn’t so hot either. I didn’t get into that last week – but now its time for the “rest” of the story of Noah.
6. We fail to understand the idea that Noah is a troublesome person because we only learned about Noah in Sunday school. You know, the flood and the animals and all that. But what doesn’t come through right away is that Noah is rather self-serving. From an ethical standpoint, Noah just doesn’t seem to care whether God wipes out the whole rest of the world as long as he saves his own skin.
Some of you may have seen the movie Schindler’s List about Oscar Schindler – a German playboy and philanderer who somehow rose above himself and saved hundreds of Jews from the Nazis while most of his contemporaries shut their eyes to what was happening. In fact, the original title of the novel about Schindler was called Schindler’s Ark.
Noah, unlike Abraham, never objects – never raises a voice. Abraham, on the other, hand argues & negotiates with God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
And then, after the flood subsides, Noah plants a vineyard, makes some wine, and ends up getting himself falling down drunk - after which he passes out in his tent with no clothes on and his sons have to come and cover him up. Not a pretty picture – and its right there in the Bible! And we can probably assume this didn’t happen just once. And of course, this part of the story doesn’t get told in Sunday School.
So, God, who had thought that he would have a new start with things after Adam’s sin and the flood and everything … is once again disappointed by Noah who was supposed to be the new Adam. Back to square one!
What happens next is that God is still willing to start over … but this time he is not going to rush into things. He is going to be very careful as to who he is going to trust. And, so begins the long running struggle between Abraham and God which tests and retests Abraham’s faith (and his wife Sarah’s as well).
And it is not just a one-way struggle – for Abraham proves to be no slouch like Noah … just going along for the ride. Abraham fights back … and when things keep getting put off forever and ever … he demands that God make good on his promise. And, eventually, at long last, he receives the promise of God (by having a son) and thereby reveals his great faith, endurance, and courage … and becomes the first great hero in the Bible.
7. Now, we must understand that, back in the biblical days, the whole business of why and how people were born was pretty much of a mystery. In fact it was not until the 17th or 18th century that modern science discovered that both the mother and father contributed equally to the genetic reproduction of the child. Well, if you think about it, this creates a bit of a problem today for those who want to continue believe literally in the virgin birth story! But, back in the Bible it was widely understood that the mother’s womb was only the means whereby the baby was allowed to develop prior to delivery.
All this, of course, should not be grounds for us to make fun of or denigrate the biblical writers for their ignorance. For, as I have tried to show from time to time, while the biblical writers did not know as much about how the world works as we know, they did know a lot of things about God and God’s spirit – which we seem to have lost or don’t understand today.
Whatever the case, the whole question of fertility was a big issue back in the Bible and it is still a big issue for people today. And, even though we know much more about it and there are even medically proven ways for infertile couples to conceive today – the whole business of birth is still, we must admit, a truly strange and wonderful mystery.
8. Now, for various reasons the mystery of birth and of infertility comes up numerous times in the book of Genesis. For instance, there is this story in the 13th chapter of Judges:
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."
Anybody care to guess what the baby’s name will be?
Sampson!
And then, of course, there is the problem, not only of Abraham but also of his son and grandson. For his son, Isaac, too, marries Rebecca and it is twenty years before they have Esau and Jacob. What happens next is that Jacob, who is the favored child, falls in love with Rachel but is tricked by his clever uncle Laban, into marrying Leah. Strangely enough, and to Jacob’s dismay, it is Leah who can have all the children she wants while Rachel is barren for many years before the great Joseph is born.
9. And of course, it all starts with Sarah and Abraham who, the Bible says, were almost 100 years old – way too late to normally have children - and by this time Abraham is getting a little fed up – a little weary – a little disbelieving - and perhaps a little feisty with God.
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [a] your very great reward. [b] " 2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since you have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But again Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
And then we have the great story of the smoking pots:
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land.
10. Yet, even following this very imaginative and remarkable story … things still do not come out the way they are supposed to … and eventually Abraham and Sarah take things into their own hands and Abraham has a child by Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar.
And still no word from God …
Then, finally, it seems as though God, who has been testing Abraham all this time, is ready to act and this is how it goes:
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, [a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."
Notice here – as in many other stories – Abraham does not fully realize what is going on. He is in a kind of state of confusion.
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs [b] of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.
"There, in the tent," he said.
10 Then the LORD [c] said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
Notice, now, that the Bible reveals that this visitation from what appear to ordinary men – is really the Lord.
Then, comes the best part.
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master [d] is old, will I now have this pleasure?"
Again, Sarah’s laugh is a very human response which introduces an element of realism into what is otherwise a mysterious and divine encounter. But it gets better, because, God hears Sarah laugh.
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh."
But he said, "Yes, you did laugh!"
11. So, what is going on here? Stories like this don’t get repeated over and over again for no reason at all.
Well, the message is clear to the Hebrews and also to us … and that is that, as I said last earlier, these are not just ordinary stories – they are salvation stories.
What they meant to the Israelites (and to us) is that even when it looks like things are impossible – even when it seems as if there is no hope – even when we fear that we have not future - even when the promises of God seem like pipe dreams – even then God finds a way to fulfill the promises made to our ancestors.
And this should cause us to reflect, then, upon the faith of Abraham as it pertains to our own lives.
For what is evident is that often what we think of faith is a belief in some doctrine or dogma. Or we think of faith as a nice spiritual thing which brings peace and tranquility. Or, we think of faith as something which belongs to the past.
12. But, that is not what the story of Abraham is all about. Abraham’s faith was not serene or joyful – not most of the time. Abraham was called to an open promise which was not about the past but the future and seemed often to be impossible. In Abraham’s faith there was none of the absolute certainty which many people claim for their religious beliefs. For there is also plenty of room, as we have seen, for doubt.
Abraham did not even evolve a theology … or a set of beliefs … like Moses with the Ten Commandments. Abraham merely lives in the immediate and powerful presence of God. A God who repeatedly appears to him in dreams, visions, and strange encounters with human beings (or angels).
At times Abraham is often terrified (as when he fell into a trance). And Sarah is frightened when she realizes that God is speaking to her.
Furthermore, there was no direct benefit to Abraham in all this. Abraham is merely called to live in the presence of God (as best he can) for no other reason than this is what God asks from all of us – great or small.
13. Now, in later times, when Jesus had come unto the scene, the Torah had come to stand for a multitude of rules and practices which had supplanted the desire of God for us to freely follow his will.
In short, the Torah had become rigid and unbending. To follow the law legalistically produced righteousness all right – but it was not righteousness before God … but self-righteousness.
The apostle Paul understood this better than anyone – except Jesus, of course. For he, too, had grown up legalistically. But now that Christ had come … He realized that God had spoken once more and there was a new covenant - a new righteousness.
Well what about the Jews? What about the Torah – the Law? For many believed that one could only be righteous – right before God – if you were a Jew and followed the law.
However, Paul, goes back before the Law – back before Moses and the Ten Commandments to point out that Abraham was made right with God not by the law but by his faith.
14. According to Paul the struggle to live out our own faith in God in the midst of trouble and uncertainty … is illuminated by Abraham and Sarah who – in spite of disappointment – never give up.
For it is by faith that we are ultimately saved.
And as Paul struggles with the whole question of how he can justify bringing Christ to the Gentiles … to the non – Jewish word … he finds in the story of Abraham the key idea … which is that Abraham predates the law. And that Abraham is not only the father of the Jews but also the Gentiles … and literally of all the nations just as Christ came to reconcile all people to God.
Are the Jews wrong, then? Not really, as Paul says 3It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.
15. As a result we may conclude according to Paul that:
a. Abraham is the father of both Jews and Gentiles; they are one seed, and one inheritance
b. Abraham’s faith is the source and model of Jews and Gentiles
c. The promise to Abraham, that is, to be the father of many Gentiles is one and the same.
Therefore, there are not two peoples of God – but one. Jews and Gentiles – humanity in its entirety – form one corporate body.
Not identical with Israel and certainly not with any single Christian church. But as common heirs (The Jew first and then the Greek) of the divine promise to Abraham – as the children of God.
It’s too bad – that this interpretation of Paul has only recently become evident – long after we have witnessed so many centuries of anti-Jewish persecution. To say nothing of all the other people in the world – all of whom (including Moslems) – who all are descendents of Abraham. After all – it’s right there in the Bible.
posted by Anonymous at 9:10 AM
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