《Expository Notes on the Whole Bible – Genesis》(Thomas Constable) Commentator
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Major Historical Periods of the Promised Land
- Major Historical Periods of the Promised Land (cont.)
- 12 Chapter 12
- Gods word 12:1-3
- Revelations to the Patriarchs
Abram's ancestors 11:27-32 "The function of this genealogy is not so much to connect Abraham with the preceding events, as the previous genealogies have done, but to provide the reader with the necessary background for understanding the events in the life of Abraham. The list includes eight names. All the individuals named are relevant for understanding the events of the following narrative except 'Iscah' (Genesis 11:29). The inclusion of this otherwise insignificant name in the list suggests that the author is seeking to achieve a specific number of names. Thus far in the Book of Genesis, the author has followed a pattern of listing ten names between important individuals in the narrative. In this short list only eight names are given, hence if we are expecting ten names, the number of individuals in this list appears to be short by two names. By listing only eight names, the author leaves the reader uncertain who the ninth and, more importantly, the tenth name will be. It is only as the narrative unfolds that the ninth and tenth names are shown to be the two sons of Abraham, 'Ishmael' (Genesis 16:15) and 'Isaac' (Genesis 21:3)." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," p. 109.] Abram evidently grew up in the city of Ur. A few scholars believe that the Ur in view was located just east of Haran, near the top of the Fertile Crescent. [Note: E.g., Beitzel, pp. 80-81.] However most hold that it was the Ur in southern Mesopotamia. Since the Chaldeans later lived in southern Mesopotamia, this seems to be the correct site. "Ur is well known as an important center in the land of Sumer; it reached its zenith under the kings of the third dynasty of Ur, who around 2060-1950 B.C. [Abram was born ca. 2166 B.C.] revived for the last time the ancient cultural traditions of the Sumerians. The names of several of Abram's relatives are also the names of known cities: ... Terah ... Nahor ... Serug ... Haran ... and Laban the Aramean, Jacob's father-in-law, was from the city Haran in Paddan-aram. All these are places around the river Balih in northern Mesopotamia. Haran and Nahor are often mentioned in the Mari documents of the eighteenth century B.C., and cities named Tell-terah and Serug are known from later Assyrian sources." [Note: The Macmillan Bible Atlas, p. 28.] A later writer probably added the reference to the Chaldeans in Genesis 11:28 since the Chaldeans did not enter Babylonia until about 1,000 B.C. [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 272; Mathews, 11:27-50:26, p. 100.] "The movement between Ur and Haran becomes easy to understand when we recall that Ur was the greatest commercial capital that the world had yet seen . . . ." [Note: W. F. Albright, "Abram the Hebrew: A New Archaeological Interpretation," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 163 (October 1961):44. See The Macmillan Bible Atlas, map 25.] God first called Abram to leave his home when the patriarch still lived in Ur (Genesis 12:1-3; cf. Genesis 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7; Acts 7:2). Abram's family members were polytheists (Joshua 24:2). "Several of Abram's relations have names that suggest adherence to lunar worship (cf. Sarah, Milcah, Laban), a cult that was prominent in Ur and Harran [sic Haran]." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 252. Cf. Joshua 24:2.] Abram married his half-sister, Sarai, which was not contrary to God's will at this early date in history (cf. Leviticus 18:9; Leviticus 20:17; Deuteronomy 27:22). Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a family group. God's call was pure grace; there is no evidence in the text that God chose Abram because he merited favor. God was beginning to form a family of faithful followers for Himself. He called them to leave this urban center in trust and obedience. Abram's exodus from his homeland and Israel's exodus from Egypt were two key events in the formation of national Israel. Abram's family stayed in Haran for some time (Genesis 11:31-32). "The difference between Terah and Abraham was one thing only: a response of faith to God's call." [Note: George Van Pelt Campbell, "Refusing God's Blessing: An Exposition of Genesis 11:27-32," Bibliotheca Sacra 165:659 (July-September 2008):282.] When the patriarch Terah died, Abram continued his trek toward Canaan in obedience to God's call. "Like Nuzi, Haran was also part of the Hurrian Mitanni Empire whilst the Hurrians were at the height of their power, so that the tablets discovered at Nuzi would also reflect the way of life in Haran. In this manner, scholars have ascertained from a careful study of the Nuzi tablets that they are very helpful in explaining many of the Biblical episodes relating to the Patriarchs, which had hitherto been somewhat puzzling. "Although the Bible indicates that Abram eventually left Haran (Genesis 12:4), the Patriarchs nevertheless kept in close contact with that city. Abram sent his servant back to Aram-naharaim, the region in which Haran was situated, in order to find a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:2-10). Isaac later told his younger son Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban in Haran, in order to escape the wrath of his brother Esau, whom he had tricked out of his birthright blessing (Genesis 27:43). Jacob indeed fled to Haran, subsequently marrying there his cousins Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:1-30). "The influence of Hurrian society on the Patriarchs was undoubtedly very strong, not only because of the origins of Abram in Mesopotamia, but also because all the Patriarchs maintained contact with the area. This is borne out by the fact that many of the incidents in the Biblical narratives relating to the Patriarchs in reality reflect Hurrian social and legal customs, and prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Patriarchal way of life had its roots in Hurrian society." [Note: Stuart West, "The Nuzi Tablets," Bible and Spade 10:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1981):66.] Archaeologists have dated the Nuzi tablets four or five hundred years after the patriarchs, but they reflect customs that had been prevalent for centuries. [Note: See M. J. Selman, "The Social Environment of the Patriarchs," Tyndale Bulletin 27 (1976):114-36.] We should be careful not to overemphasize the influence of Hurrian civilization, however. [Note: Ephraim Speiser did this in his commentary on Genesis.] "In the period (the first part of the Middle Bronze Age [ca. 2000-1750 B.C.]) Palestine was receiving an infusion of population as semi-nomadic groups infiltrated the land. . . . "That these newcomers were 'Amorites,' of the same Northwest-Semitic stock as those whom we have met in Mesopotamia, can scarcely be doubted. Their names, so far as these are known, point unanimously in that direction. Their mode of life is splendidly illustrated by the Tale of Sinuhe, but especially by the stories of Genesis-for it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the migration of Israel's ancestors was a part of this very movement. These people brought to Palestine no fundamental ethnic change, for they were of the same general Northwest-Semitic stock as were the Canaanites." [Note: Bright, pp. 48-49.]
12 Chapter 12 Verse 1 This section begins with a waw disjunctive in the Hebrew text translated "Now" in the NASB. It introduces an independent circumstantial clause (cf. Genesis 1:2). Probably the revelation in view happened in Ur. The NIV captures this with the translation "The Lord had said to Abram." So the beginning of chapter 12 flashes back to something that happened in Ur even though chapter 11 ends with Abram in Haran. Stephen's statement in Acts 7:2 supports this interpretation. Stephen quoted the Septuagint translation of this verse in Acts 7:3. God called Abram to leave his homeland and to proceed to a different country. That Abram's family chose to accompany him does not imply an act of disobedience on Abram's part. God did not forbid others from accompanying Abram. The focus of God's command was that Abram should uproot himself and follow His leading. "One detail we do need to note here is the conditional element in the covenant program with Abram. It was not until after the death of his father (Genesis 11:32) that Abram began to realize anything of the promise God had given to him, for only after his father's death did God take him into the land (Genesis 12:4) and there reaffirm the original promise to him (Genesis 12:7). "It is important, therefore, to observe the relationship of obedience to this covenant program. Whether or not God would institute a covenant program with Abram depended on Abram's act of obedience in leaving the land. Once this act was accomplished, however, and Abram did obey God, God instituted an irrevocable, unconditional program." [Note: Pentecost, p. 60. See also Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "Evidence from Genesis," in A Case for Premillennialism: A New Consensus, p. 54.] ". . . in what sense is the Abrahamic covenant [ch. 15] unconditional? The point here, which has often been misunderstood, is that while the fulfillment of any particular generation of Israel depended on obedience to God, the ultimate possession of the land is promised unconditionally to Israel even though she does not deserve it. Scripture prophesies that a godly remnant of Israel will be the ultimate possessors of the land at the second coming (Ezekiel 20:33-38)." [Note: Walvoord, p. 191.] Verses 1-3
Verses 1-9 The divine promises 12:1-9 "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 274.] "Whereas chapters 1-11 generally portray man's rebellion, chapters 12-50 detail God's bringing man into a place of blessing." [Note: Ross, "Genesis," p. 25.] ". . . this is the central passage of the Book of Genesis." [Note: Ibid., p. 47.] God's revelation to Abram in these verses explains why his family left Ur (Genesis 11:31). ". . . by placing the call of Abraham after the dispersion of the nations at Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9), the author intends to picture Abraham's call as God's gift of salvation in the midst of judgment." [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 139.] "The primeval history thus explains the significance of the patriarchal story: though apparently of little consequence in the world of their day, the patriarchs are in fact men through whom the world will be redeemed. The God who revealed himself to them was no mere tribal deity but the creator of the whole universe." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, pp. li-lii.] The fourth dispensation, the dispensation of promise, extended from Abram's call to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-24). Man's stewardship rested on God's promises to Abram, which appear first in Genesis 12:1-3 but receive confirmation and enlargement in Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:1-7; Genesis 17:1-8; Genesis 17:15-19; Genesis 22:16-18; Genesis 26:2-5; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:13-15; Genesis 31:13; and Genesis 35:9-12. Individual blessing depended on individual obedience (Genesis 12:1; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:5). God unconditionally promised blessing through Abram's descendants to the nation of Israel (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 15:18-21; Genesis 17:7-8), to the church through Christ (Galatians 3:16; Galatians 3:28-29), and to the Gentile nations (Genesis 12:3). Individuals (e.g., Pharaoh, Genesis 12:17; Abimelech, Genesis 20:3; Genesis 20:17) and nations (e.g., Egypt, chs. 47-50; Exodus 1-15) that proved favorable toward Abram's seed would experience divine blessing, but those that proved hostile would experience divine cursing (Genesis 12:3; cf. Matthew 25:31-46). Christians are called upon to trust God as Abram did and so enter into the spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant, which covenant inaugurated the dispensation of promise (Romans 4:11; Romans 4:16; Romans 4:23-25; Galatians 3:6-9). God's promises to Abram and his descendants did not end with the giving of the Mosaic Law (Galatians 3:17; cf. Exodus 32:13; Exodus 33:1-3; Leviticus 23:10; Leviticus 25:2; Leviticus 26:6; Deuteronomy 6:1-23; Deuteronomy 8:1-18; Joshua 1:2; Joshua 1:11; Joshua 24:13; Acts 7:17; Romans 9:4). However as a test of Israel's stewardship of divine truth, the dispensation of promise was superseded, not annulled, by the dispensation of law (Exodus 19:3-8). Verse 2-3 Abram had only a promise from God. We see his faith in his willingness to obey God strictly in the confidence that what God had promised He would perform (Hebrews 11:8). This divine promise was the seed from which the Abrahamic Covenant grew (ch. 15). The promise here included few details; it was only a general promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2) and influence (Genesis 12:2-3). The Hebrew text says, "be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2), not "you shall be a blessing." This was a command rather than a prediction. However as Abram blessed others he would become a blessing (i.e., enriched, as in enriched uranium or plutonium). God would make his life more rich and powerful, and he would enrich the lives of others. "The promises that this glorious God gave to Abram fall into three categories (Genesis 12:2-3). First there were personal promises given to Abram. God said, 'I will bless you; I will make your name great.' Then there were national promises given to this childless man. 'I will make you into a great nation.' And finally there were universal promises that were to come through Abram. 'You will be a blessing ... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" [Note: Pentecost, pp. 51-52. See Z. Weisman, "National Consciousness in the Patriarchal Promises," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 31 (February 1985):55-73.] "Five times in Genesis 12:2-3 Abraham is said to be 'blessed' or a 'blessing' to others. This harks back to the first great blessing of mankind at creation (Genesis 1:28) and its renewal after the flood (Genesis 9:1). Moreover, Abraham is to become 'a great nation,' comparable presumably to the seventy nations listed in Genesis 10. His name will also be 'great,' whereas the men of Babel who tried to make themselves 'a name' were frustrated (Genesis 11:4-9)." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 282.] Three nuances of blessing include prosperity (Genesis 13:2; Genesis 13:5; Genesis 14:22-23; Genesis 24:35; Genesis 26:12-13; Genesis 30:43; Genesis 32:3-21), potency or fertility (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:3; Genesis 28:14; Genesis 35:11) and victory (Genesis 1:22; cf. Genesis 22:17). The Hebrew words translated "curse" in Genesis 12:3 are significant. The word qll in "the one who curses you" really means "disdains," but the word 'rr in "I will curse" means "curse." It was only disdain for Abraham that would provoke God's judgment. God's ultimate purpose was to bless all the peoples of the earth through Abraham and his seed. [Note: William J. Dumbrell, Covenant and Creation, p. 65, explained how the Hebrew construction of Genesis 12:1-3 makes this evident. See Mathews, Genesis 11:27-50:26, pp. 72-80, for proof that the theme of the patriarchal narratives is blessing. He listed as major motifs (recurring key words or ideas) in these stories: sibling rivalry, deception, and alienation/separation.] "Any promise God gives must be appropriated by faith." [Note: Pentecost, pp. 51-52.] "The remarkable thing about Abraham was his deep, unwavering faith." [Note: Davis, p. 168.] The amillennial interpretation of this promise is that it "does not pertain today to unbelieving, ethnic 'Israel' (see Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:15) but to Jesus Christ and his church (see Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:16 and notes; Galatians 3:16; Galatians 3:26-29; Galatians 6:16)." [Note: Waltke, Genesis, p. 206.] This interpretation applies the promise to the spiritual seed of Abraham and not to the physical seed. However, there is no reason for accepting this more obscure explanation. Abraham understood the promise as applying to his physical descendants, and later revelation encourages us to understand it this way too.
Verse 4 Since Lot voluntarily chose to accompany Abram, he probably believed the promises as well (cf. Ruth). Abram's call had been to separate from his pagan relatives, so he was not disobedient by allowing Lot to accompany him. [Note: See ibid., p. 207.] Probably Abram viewed Lot as his heir (cf. Genesis 11:27-32; Genesis 12:4-5; Genesis 13:1-2). "Since Mesopotamian law-codes allowed for the adoption of an heir in the case of childlessness, this becomes an attractive hypothesis with respect to Lot." [Note: Helyer, p. 82.] Abram lived 75 years with his father, then 25 years without his father or his son, and then 75 more years with his son, Isaac. Verses 4-9 Yüklə 1,82 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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