Genesis Lesson 8
YOU WILL BE A BLESSING
Genesis 12:1-13:18 (11:27-32)
Key Verse 12:2
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
After God’s judgment by flood, the world was repopulated by the three sons of Noah; Shem, Ham, and Japheth. However, sin increased as well, rebellion against God began again, and the world became as it had been in the past. When Nimrod and his followers rebelled against God and built the Tower of Babel, God confused men’s languages, yet this did not help people repent and return to God. Men lived in rebellion and did not think it worthwhile to retain knowledge of God. They worshipped idols and fell into deeper moral corruption.
God could have given up on such people. But God loved the world so much that he started a new redemptive work, as he had promised in Genesis 3:15. This was to build up one person and form a nation through him. God would prepare the whole world to accept the Savior through that nation. Finally, when God’s time came, he would send the Savior and save the world through him. For this purpose, God called one person Abraham.
Abraham is an important person because he is the foundation of God’s redemptive history. Matthew 1:1 says, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The genealogy of Jesus Christ begins with Abraham. When God identified himself, he said to Moses, “…the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation” (Ex 3:15). The Bible also says that Abraham is God’s friend (2Chro 20:7; Isa 41:8; Jas 2:23). Abraham is the father of all believers (Rom 4:16) and an example of faith (Ro 4:12). Therefore, to study Abraham is essential to understanding the nature of faith. Apostle Paul took Abraham as an example when he talked about faith (Ro 4:1-3, 9-25). In our generation we need people like Abraham, who was a man of faith. Through today’s passage we want to learn what God’s promise to Abraham was and how Abraham lived after he received God’s calling.
God gave Abram his Promise (12:1-3)
Abraham’s genealogy starts with Genesis 11:27. Abraham’s father, Terah, was a descendant of Shem. Terah had three sons; Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, after he became the father of Lot. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. Abram would have lived there childless and would have died alone; his name would have disappeared from the earth and no one would have remembered him. But it was to him that God’s glorious calling came. God had called on Abram before he left Ur of the Chaldeans (Ac 7:2,3). God’s calling is a command and a promise.
First, God’s command. Verse 1 reads, “The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” Before God gave Abram his promise, he gave him his command: to leave his country, his people and his father’s household. Why did God command him to leave his country, his people and his father’s household? It was because they were corrupt. Abram’s country was Ur of the Chaldeans. It was known as the center of trade, culture, and religion of ancient Sumer in Babylon. The dynasty of Ur developed a wonderful culture during the period 2160 BC to 2000 BC. In the 19th century, through archeological excavations, people found that Ur had been a large and prosperous city. Nearby the city there was the Euphrates river, and there were many water channels in the city. In the center of the city there was a great Babylonian temple called a Ziggurat, and there were many buildings around it. Archeological excavation of Ur has revealed much jewelry, art, exquisite pots, a large number of books, commercial documents, etc. This shows that not only the upper classes but also ordinary people could read and write. In addition to advanced culture, there were many idols. There was the father of gods, a god who takes charge of atmosphere, a god of earth, a god of wisdom, a god of the sun, a god of the moon, a god of war, a god of weapons, a god of water, a god of big trees, etc. They say that there were 3,000 idols. Among them was a moon god called “Nanna,” the main god of Ur. To worship and praise idols was the most important activity in daily life. In one word, Ur was a place of idol worship. Cultures based on idolatry are associated with a life dedicated to seeking pleasure. After they worshipped, they committed sexually immoral acts (1Co 10:7,8).
What happened to Abram’s household? According to Joshua 24:2 Abram’s father, Terah, worshipped idols. People say that his job was selling idols. In this way, Abram could have died under the influence of his forefathers’ sinful lives. In such an evil environment no one could possibly create a new history. A new environment was necessary in order to create a new history. Abram needed to leave his country, his people and his father’s household. But it was not easy for him to leave them. He had to go through the pain of cutting blood ties with his relatives and sacrificing his comfortable, secure life. He also must have been afraid of his unknown future. But we must learn how to accept all sacrifice and pain and suffering in order to create the new history God wants. There is no work of God without sacrifice and adventure. People want to live as pioneers, but they do not want to endure pain and sacrifice. God wanted Abram to live as a glorious pioneer, although he had to pay the high price of suffering and sacrifice. At that time, to go out into the unknown world was as challenging as is going to the moon now. It required great faith and a once-in-a-lifetime decision. Abram’s faith carried him through it.
When Abram left his country, his people and his father’s household, did he lose everything? Not at all! Abram left his house but he gained a nation in return. He cut himself off from his past, but along with God’s wonderful promise, all of his present and future needs would be provided for. Although he lived in a tent, he received God’s kingdom. When we follow God, we gain far more than we lose.
Not only did Abram have to leave his country, his people and his father’s household, but he was commanded to go off to a land that God would show him later. What kind of land was that? It was the land of a new foundation and the land of a new mission. It was the land of God’s dwelling with hope and holiness. To us, the Promised Land can be any country at all, Russia, Africa, China, India or even America. The land to which God is leading us can be any place. "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you” is God’s holy command for us as well. In order to live a new life of faith, we must leave our old sinful life and sinful environment. We must leave our human-centered and material-centered lives. We must leave friends who are a bad influence on us. We must start a new pilgrim’s life and travel from our sinful city to the holy city of God. The final destination is God’s glorious kingdom. If we do not cut off our practical interests or sinful pleasures and do not leave our sinful city, we will be destroyed together with it.
Second, God’s promise. God gave Abram a specific promise as well. Based on his promise, God began his redemptive work; he sent the Messiah based on the same promise. Therefore, the promise in today’s passage is very precious and great. Through this promise, Abram could participate in divine nature and escape the corruption caused by evil desires (1Pe 1:4). What was God’s promise? See verse 2: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
First of all, a great nation. The promise of becoming a great nation is more than just giving Abram many physical descendants; it means that God wanted to create one nation of God at a time when the whole world was rebelling against him and worshipping idols. “Nation” here refers to a people of God who revere his name and live according to his law, regardless of race, territory or nationality. Exodus 19:5,6 calls it “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” 1 Peter 2:9 says that believers in Jesus become a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. This nation is a great nation that calls on God’s name and worships him. It is a nation that loves God and obeys his words and lives for the glory of God. “Nation” refers to a universal church that will be united in Jesus Christ (Eph 1:10; 2:14-18).
Then, second, God said he would make Abram’s name great. This means to make his name spiritually glorious. Worldly glory disappears like a flower of the field, but glory in God lasts forever. Abram was a nameless person. However, when God made his name great, Abram became a great man whom all people admire. He was called the “father of many nations” (Ge 17:4), a “prophet” (Ge 20:7), “a mighty prince” (Ge 23:6), “God’s friend” (Jas 2:23), “God’s servant” (Ps 105:6), the “father of Israelites” and the “father of believers” (Ro 4:16). He was famous; God indeed made his name great. Every believer now knows Abraham. Everyone admires him and tries to imitate him. Abraham’s name became great not because Abraham was excellent but God made his name great. People struggle so hard to make their names great in the world. But if we want to be truly great, God must make our name great. It is important for us to be great in the sight of God even if we are not famous in the world. The most important thing is that each person’s name be written in the book of life (Rev 20:15); in the end, to be praised by Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mt 25:21,23).
Third, God promises that Abram will be a blessing. God wanted to make Abram a great nation and make his name great because God wanted to make him a source of blessings. The promise to make him a blessing reveals God’s desire, despite Abram’s present condition. The Living Bible translation includes the phrase, “If you do.” This means that, as long as Abram obeys God, God will make him a blessing.
When does it mean to be a blessing? First of all, it means to be saved from curses and judgments and to enjoy eternal life. There may be many blessings, but there is no greater blessing than the blessing of our soul being saved from eternal punishment and enjoying eternal life. What good is it for us to gain the whole world if we lose our soul? We will be miserable. But we will be truly blessed if our soul is saved and enjoys eternal life, even if we do not gain anything in this world. Furthermore, to be a blessing means to receive God’s blessings and pass them on to others. Then, wherever we go, God’s blessings will be abundant. In the past we lived selfishly, for ourselves and our family members alone. We were useless in God’s eyes. But God saved us from curses and judgments and made us a blessing. Through us, God’s blessings are overabundant, wherever we go. If we go here, there is God’s blessing. If we go there, there is God’s blessing. If we go to China, there is God’s blessing. If we go to Africa, there is God’s blessing. We become very precious people wherever we go, because we bring God’s blessings.
Here we need to think about the concept of “blessing.” People think that blessing means to escape disasters, diseases, accidents, and to be prosperous in whatever one does. It means to have many children, great wealth, a long life, promotions, honor. But these cannot be true blessings because they are outer/external rather than inner/internal blessings. They do not refer to changing people but rather possessions. They are present blessings rather than future ones. Most important, they are visible and relative. These blessings are self-centered and selfish. These blessings will disappear when we die. Indeed, they cannot be true blessings.
In this passage the concept of “blessing” is not materialistic or present-world oriented. It is eternal, internal. The blessing in this passage refers to the blessing given through Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:3, Apostle Paul praises God, who gave us all blessings in Jesus Christ, saying, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” The blessing to be adopted as God’s sons (Eph 1:5), to have redemption through Jesus’ blood, the forgiveness of our sins (Eph 1:7) and to be chosen by God (Eph 1:11) are all great blessings which we cannot fathom with our limited understanding. The blessings God promised to Abram are not only spiritual blessings but also material ones (Mk 10:29,30). When God said to Abram, “You will be a blessing,” the focal point of the blessing is to send the Messiah, who would save the world, through the line of Abraham. The promise is more specific in Genesis 22:18, which reads, “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:8,9, “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.’” Therefore, the blessing God spoke of to Abram is to be saved from eternal destruction and enjoy eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. In addition, those who believe in Jesus can be used by God to give blessings to others.
God did not call people in general; he called one person, Abram, personally, and helped him to grow. Sometimes we may think, “What good is it to help one person when God wants to save the whole world?” But God’s work starts from raising up one person. In order to deliver his people from Egypt, God spent 80 years raising up one person, Moses. Even today God calls each of us, personally, to save the present world, which is rushing headlong to destruction.
God explained the meaning of “You will be a blessing” in detail in verse 3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." There are two meanings in this verse. The first meaning is that God wanted to use Abram as a criterion for his decision to whom to give his blessings. When a man blesses Abram, he will be blessed, and when he curses Abram, he will be cursed. God puts Abram at the center of his work. Therefore, we should honor Abram and learn his faith. When we live by faith, like Abram, we can receive the same blessings given to Abram (Ro 4:12,13). Here we learn that God’s people are very important. Depending upon one’s attitude toward God’s people, one’s future is determined. Those who bless righteous men will receive blessings. But those who curse the righteous will be cursed.
The second meaning is that God wants to bless all peoples on earth because of Abram. All men are cursed because of one man, Adam. In the same way, God wants to bless all men and save them through one man, Abram. According to his promise, God sent Jesus Christ to the line of Abraham. God wants to save all peoples on earth through Jesus Christ.
Here we learn God’s heart and his way of working. When the whole world was deeply, hopelessly in sin, God did not despair but started his work of redemption by calling one person, Abram. God is the God of hope. When God called Abram he did not take into account his human condition or qualifications. He just called him based on his sovereignty. It was God’s one-sided grace. God did not call Abram because he was a special kind of person or a man of high intelligence or a famous person or a man of great achievement. Abram was far from all those things. Humanly speaking, he did not have anything to be proud of. It was purely God’s grace when God called him, an idol worshipper. In the same way, we were also called and saved only by God’s grace. Ephesians 2:4,5 reads, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.” When God called us out of darkness into his wonderful light, it was purely by his grace. God called old, hopeless and childless Abram to be a source of blessings. God’s calling was not to bind Abram or limit his freedom. It was the calling of changing a useless man into a useful man and using him for God’s redemptive work. Therefore, God’s calling itself is God’s blessing. God’s calling makes our lives great and meaningful and abundant.
Abram’s New Life (12:4-9)
Obedience is required in God’s calling. But when God called Abram, he did not force him to obey. He could accept God’s calling or reject it. It was up to Abram. God wanted Abram to obey him voluntarily. How, then, did Abram respond when God called him? What kind of life did he live in the land God called him to?
First, a life of obedience based on God’s word. Look at verse 4: “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.” When God called him, Abram did not hesitate or think that God’s command was too burdensome. He held on to God’s word of promise and went out. He started his new life of faith based on the word of God. When we do not live based on God’s word, our faith may be false, like that of a sorcerer. Many people live a life of faith not based on the word of God but based on their own dreams or a prophecy or self-centered ideas. A life of faith not based on the word of God is dangerous.
It was not easy for Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household and go to the land God would show him. It was painful for Abram to cut his relationships with people in his country and in his father’s household. Abram also had to overcome the fear of losing his comfortable, easy life and going out into the unknown world. He must have heard many people, including his own friends and relatives, saying that he had gone crazy. There is always pain in obeying God’s calling. But all pain that comes from obeying God is meaningful pain, and it is a glorious pain to create a new history. Abram bore all of his pain by faith. He was a man of obedience. His obedience made him great. Abram did not understand all of God’s will. However, he trusted God and simply obeyed him. He did not calculate for his interest but simply believed God and obeyed him. His obedience shows his awesome respect for the word of God. His obedience shows his repentance of his old life and his decision to create a new life. This is how the author of Hebrews described Abram’s obedient faith: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Heb 11:8). Faith expresses itself through faith. Those who claim to have faith but do not obey in their practical life are those who do not have faith. Obedience does not come from complete understanding or perfect planning. It is to trust God absolutely and give our whole life into the hands of God, even when we do not know what to do. Even though Abram did not know where he was going, he was not afraid or anxious. It was because he had the precious promise of God and God’s presence.
Second, Abram was to live a life in tents. When, finally, Abram arrived in Canaan, he found that the land was already occupied by the Canaanites. There was an enormous difference between God’s promise and how it actually played out in time. Vision is vision and reality is reality. Abram had left his secure life, and now, in Canaan, he had to live in tent. God had promised Abram land, but he did not give Abram even a little bit of land for himself (Ac 7:5). Abram even had to buy a burial site for his wife when she died (Ge ch 23). But he never doubted God’s promise, that God would give him land. He lived in a tent with joy. He lived like a soldier who was ready to leave whenever his commander commanded him to. He also helped Isaac and Jacob to live in tents (Heb 11:9). He could do so because the land of Canaan was not an eternal place. He was seeking the eternal house built by God (Heb 11:10). A tent life is the holy life of pilgrim with the hope of the kingdom of God.
Third, Abram’s life was to be a life of building an altar. Abram built an altar wherever he went. He built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him (Ge 12:7). He built another to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord when he moved to a new place (Ge 12:8). He built an altar and called on the name of the Lord after he came back from Egypt (Ge 13:4). He built an altar to the Lord when the Lord gave him a vision after Lot’s departure (Ge 13:18). A characteristic of his life as a believer was to build an altar to the Lord wherever he went.
To build an altar meant that Abram was thankful to the Lord in all circumstances. He was thankful for God's calling and he was thankful for the Lord's leading him and protecting him. He was thankful for the Lord's forgiving love because the Lord did not condemn his mistakes and weaknesses. He did not complain, saying, "Why did the Lord bring me to such a troubled place?" Rather, he was thankful to the Lord who had called him when he was as good as dead. He was thankful to the Lord who used him in his redemptive history. Abram’s heart overflowed with praise and thanks rather than with complaints. He must have been able to sing out to the amazing grace of the God who had called him. To give thanks in all circumstances is God's will for us in Christ Jesus (1Th 5:18).
To build an altar shows that Abram had fellowship with the Lord and worshipped him. Watchman Lee said, "A believer's life is the life of building an altar and tent. The altar is for the Lord and the tent is for the world. What the Lord wants from his people is to build an altar for the Lord and to set up a tent for the world. If there is an altar one should stay in a tent and if there is a tent there should be an altar." To build an altar to the Lord means to strengthen one's relationship with the Lord and spread the name of the Lord. Whenever his situations changed, Abram called on the name of the Lord and revealed the Lord in an unbelieving environment. He went to the Lord when he was successful. He went to the Lord when he failed. He treasured the process of continuously building his relationship with the Lord. He was not afraid of the Gentile culture that surrounded him, but revealed the name of the Lord. He lived as God's chosen person by building an altar to the Lord.
God Protects Abram (12:10-13:18)
After Abram started his new life in the Promised Land, severe temptation came in the form of famine. It was a test of his faith. The famine was severe, and his family and flock could not bear it. Abram suffered from great fear that he would starve to death if he continued to live by faith in the Promised Land. Since God’s promise had not changed, he would have provided for Abram’s needs even in a time of severe famine. But Abram fell into temptation and tried to solve his problem with his own hands. He should have learned to have faith and trust God, not only in times of blessings but also in times of trouble. However, he did not even pray; rather, he went down to Egypt. The Egyptians were descendants of Ham and were idol worshippers. They were cruel and sexually immoral. They practiced polygamy. As Abram neared Egypt, he feared that people would kill him in order to take away Sarai, because she was very beautiful. In agony, an idea struck him and asked Sarai to tell people that he was her brother. When Abram faced trials, his faith became weak, as a result of which he lost his peace of mind and suffered from fear and anxiety. He even lost his courage and became a coward. He became a selfish man who worried about his safety more than his wife’s safety and honor. He became a deceiver as well. Then he fell into the pit he had dug with his own hands.
When Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh’s officials praised her to Pharaoh. She was taken into Pharaoh’s palace and Abram was well treated because of her. Abram became a wealthy man. But inwardly, he became more and more miserable. He was driven into a deep despair. He should not have gone to Egypt, but should have believed that God would provide for his needs even in a time of severe famine. His leaving for Egypt was a sign of his having wandered astray from God (Isa 31:1). Once he had gone astray, there was pain, danger and unhappiness. It may seem all right to try to strike a compromise between God and the world, but it always leads to bad results. Because Abram went down to Egypt he lost his wife and Lot was spoiled by Egyptian culture. They gained Hagar in Egypt but she later became a source of conflict. Up to the present day there is conflict between the Israelites and the Arabs, who are descendants of Hagar.
How did God help Abram in this situation? God did not rebuke him. Instead of challenging Abram to repent, God stood behind Abram, according to his promise. He rebuked Pharaoh and brought disaster upon him. When Abram failed, God raised him up again. When Abram fell into a pit, God pulled him out of it. Abram received a severe rebuke from the unbelieving Pharaoh and took Sarai back. God did not rebuke Abram, who was spiritually young, but he boosted Abram’s faith with his loving care. God is the God of grace and love. Abram must have experienced great love of God through this failure. He called on the name of the Lord when he came out of Egypt and went to the place where he had first built an altar (13:4). He remembered God’s grace and built an altar of repentance and thanks. Through the building of an altar, he restored his relationship with God. When we sin, we can restore our relationship with God by confessing our sins. Then God can forgive our sins and purify us (1Jn 1:9).
Abram continued to live in a tent after he returned from Egypt, but Lot had his heart set on wealth rather than on God. In Egypt Lot had pursued worldly pleasures and interests because he had been influenced by Egypt’s worldly culture. He had more interest in earthly treasures than the treasures of heaven. Lot’s heart was in the prosperity and abundance of the world. He loved the life of visible blessings rather than the life of invisible ones. But Abram’s eyes were fixed on eternal blessings from heaven rather than on earthly blessings. If we rely on visible things, we can be ignorant of Satan and how he has influence through visible things. Then, visible things can become the source of our sorrow and failure.
Abram took care of Lot like his own son after his brother Haran died. Lot went with him when Abram started his new life of faith. They went to Egypt together and came out together. When God blessed Abram, God blessed Lot also. So Lot became wealthy (13:5). The land was too narrow to support Abram’s flock and Lot’s flock at the same time. Quarrelling arose between Abram’s and Lot’s shepherds for better water and pasture (6,7). It was not good for Abram and Lot to argue over money in front of unbelievers. At that point, Abram could have invoked his authority as Lot’s uncle, saying, “Since I took care of you so much already, now just leave.” But instead of demanding and invoking his rights, Abram gave Lot the first choice. Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left" (8,9). Abram’s suggestion was beautiful. These days, many people fight over a small amount of money, although they claim that they are believers. But Abram did not lose his good influence on unbelievers, no matter how much he sacrificed. Abram honored human relationships and, most of all, the good influence that faith has on those relationships. Many people in the world lose much more important, invisible things because they are pursuing visible things. Greed blinds their eyes and they cannot see the more valuable and important things. But Abram believed in God’s blessings and thus he could be free from the love of money.
Lot should have been moved by Abram and should have given him the first choice, or at least honored Abram in some way. But he followed his own desires and went to the plain of Jordan and lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom (10,11). Lot had been so influenced by the luxurious, worldly life of Egypt that he could not be satisfied with a tent life, but Abram stayed in his tents, without leaving the Promised Land of Canaan (12). Their choices reveal what they valued. Lot’s values were practical and materialistic. He did not have spiritual eyes to see invisible blessings. The city he chose was Sodom, which seemed like paradise to him. But people there were sinning greatly against God. When God blessed Abram materially, Abram was not bound by material blessings but continued to live by faith. Lot, on the contrary, had a desire for more money, and grew more and more corrupt. James 1:15 says, “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
After Lot had left, Abram was as lonely and sorrowful as if his own son had left him. He could have become depressed after having sacrificed so much money by giving the first choice of land to Lot. Then God visited Abram and comforted him: “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted” (14-16). God promised him land and descendants. In order to help Abram, God asked him to go and walk the length and breadth of the land in order to feel the fulfillment of the promise (17). God did not solve Abram’s problems practically, but rather planted faith and vision in his heart by broadening his heart. When our hearts become narrow and we become depressed and despair because of our practical problems God can also say to us, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” After God comforted Abram, Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar to the Lord expressing his thanks and faith (18). When we live by faith there is pain and practical sacrifice. But there is God’s comfort and hope and promise as well.
In conclusion, God called one person, Abram, and through him started his redemptive work for the whole human race, although the whole world had gone astray in idol worship. God called him, with a great vision, to be a blessing. God is the God of hope. God has great hope and vision for each of us and calls us to be a blessing. Praise God who calls us to be a blessing in his great hope.