Monday 06 November 2023

Psalm 13

Background

Genesis is generally seen as in two parts, chapters 1-11 being the story of creation and the development of the peoples and the earth. The second part starts here in Chapter 12 with the story of the patriarchs (the ancestors of the Israelites).

At the end of Chapter 11 the setting for the journey of Abram (later known as Abraham) is described. We are given a family history linking Abram back to Shem, the son of Noah ending with Abram’s father, Terah leading the family out of the city of Ur of the Chaldees.

Our text today introduces us to the command from God to Abram to leave his father and continue the journey into Canaan. God is making a promise to Abram about his destiny.

Abram is the founding patriarch of both Judaism and the Muslim faith, and he is the Christian link to Old Testament monotheism. His story is the beginning of a new connection with God after the Fall, and the land that God promises to him is the same Canaan that God promised to the Hebrews fleeing Egypt, the land that was to become their home for centuries.

This in a sense was the beginning of the nation that he had been promised by God, but the people were still nomads and had no land to call their own.

The people around them, in Canaan and in Egypt worshipped a number of gods. The difference that Abram brings to our story of faith is that he is a monotheist (worshipping a single god) returning to the God of his ancestors. Even today, that is the central basis of the Christian faith, there is only one God, creator of all. This is the reason he is the founding source for all three faiths.

Of course this is ancient history, so what is the importance of it to us today? I doubt if most Christians venerate Abraham in the way Jews and Muslims do. But we are looking back at the works of God. It is in these stories that we can see God interacting with his people to create a company of faith, of which we are a continuing part.

To Ponder:

• How important to you is this ancient story? Does it help to bring God into your life today?
• Do these stories of God’s actions help you to look for the activity of God in the world?