After scanning centuries, Genesis changes dramatically at chapter 12. Leaving the big picture of world history, it settles on one lonely individual - not a great king or a wealthy landowner, but a childless nomad, Abraham.
At God's call, Abraham uprooted himself from civilization and spent his life wandering in the wilderness. With a few changes (cattle substituted for sheep, Conestoga wagons for tents), you could make a cowboy movie out of his life. Moving his flocks from place to place, fighting skirmishes and pitched battles with hostile local people, Abraham had to be tough to survive. But this hardly made him unique; lots of tough nomads wandered the Middle East.What made this particular wanderer so important?
God's New Way of Working
Abraham was important, first of all, because God chose him. Shortly after the destruction of the great flood, God picked Abraham as the foundation of a new humanity. On several remarkable occasions God spoke directly to him, promising to make his family great in the land he wandered. The promises were hard to believe: Abraham's wife was barren. Abraham was getting too old to have children, he owned no land and had no prospect of any. Nonetheless, God asked Abraham to trust him.
The second reason why Abraham matters follows from the first: when God spoke to him, Abraham listened. He was far from perfect. Sometimes he strayed away from the path God put him on, lying and trying to make the promises work out in his own way. Yet in the decisive moments of life, he listened to God and obeyed. He was willing to sacrifice anything for God - even his only son. God put his brand on Abraham, the mark of circumcision. |
