Is God’s Promise to Abram Extended to Us? (Genesis 12-13)
What is the importance of Abram (soon to be called Abraham), and how are Christians today linked to this name? To answer this question, we must understand the flow of Scripture and that it is made up of a series of “movements.”
Genesis 12-13
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
What is the importance of Abram (soon to be called Abraham), and how are Christians today linked to this name?
To answer this question, we must understand the flow of Scripture and that it is made up of a series of “movements.” Tim Mackie of The Bible Project notes that we have four literary movements from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob’s sons in Genesis.[1] Each movement builds upon the one before and helps us understand God’s plan of redemption.
As Sandra Richter notes, “With Abraham we at last step into datable history,”[2] as he lived around 2,000 BC. Genesis 12 introduces a new movement that builds on Genesis 1-11. In verses 1-3, we see this fascinating narrative unfold with these words:
1 The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
There are a couple of points we should highlight. First, this passage points us back to Hebrews 11 and demonstrates why God hailed Abram as someone of great faith. Notice the progression in intimacy from land to relatives, to father’s house. As Victor Hamilton notes, “The objects in 12:1 are arranged in a sequence of less intimate to more intimate. Each succeeding phrase narrows the base as far as Abram is concerned. In both chs. 12 and 22 God’s directive to Abram falls short of supplying explicit directions; Abram is simply pointed in the right direction.” [3]
