Read Genesis 12 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
12:1-9 {p} Promise of land and descendants
12:10-13:18 {p} …
The Great Rebellion at the Tower of Babel revealed Satan’s plan in his long war against God; to turn men from the worship of the Creator to the creature; to so thoroughly corrupt the nations that the Promised Seed could not come.
Now YHVH said to Abram, ‘Get out of your country, and from your family, And from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you will be a blessing. 3 And I will bless them that bless you, and him that curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ Gen 12:1-3
God’s counter plan was to call out one man, who would separate himself from his (now corrupt) nation, out of whom God would make one new nation who would preserve His worship, through whom the Promised Seed could come (Gen 12:1-2). And from that one nation, all the families of the earth would be blessed.
You mean, all the families that just slapped God in the face and rejected Him from being God over them–all those families? Yes, precisely those families. God would undo what Satan had done.
This chapter highlights the Teaching Tool of Common Theme, which weaves a story thread through Scripture. When multiple passages reveal the same theme or topic, even if they seem dissimilar at first glance, a comparison of those passages often reveals amazing insight, instruction, and wisdom:
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. Gen 10:32
And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. Gen 11:1
They left off building the city because YHVH confounded the language of all the earth. Gen 11:8
‘And I will bless them that bless you, and him that curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ Gen 12:3
Why This Matters: Where is the vengeful, wrathful, judgmental God of the Hebrew Testament? God is not judgmental but gracious from the beginning. That He is wrathful and judgmental is the Great Lie, and we will see Scripture continue to dismantle it.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
Ur of the Chaldeans – Christian Library
Dating Abraham – Associates for Biblical Research
Egypt and the Bible – Associates for Biblical Research
Chronology Wars – Answers in Genesis
Leave a Reply