Monday 22 June 2009

Background

This passage is about faith, journeying, worship, familyrelations, blessings and curses, and much more. Our focus this weekhowever, is 'The Father of Many Nations'. So we concentrate on thecall and destiny of Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) and itsimplications for all human communities.

Prior to this passage is a list of all the nations descended fromNoah (Genesis10) and story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Thedivine promise to bless all the families of the earth through Abramis set against a backdrop of God's relations with all peoples. Theword translated here as 'families' (in Hebrew - mishpachah) candenote families, tribes, peoples or nations.

The passage sets Abram and his descendants apart from others in avery particular relationship with Yahweh (one of the ancient Hebrewnames for God). Abram's call entails the promise of offspring andland. 'But what about everyone else?' we might protest! What aboutthe Canaanites? Why should Abram's descendant through Isaac begiven their land?

These are difficult questions. Some scholars put them in verypointed form. Note the subtitle of Regina Schwarz's book The Curseof Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism (Chicago, ChicagoUniversity Press, 1998)! Why, she asks, have monotheistic religions(who worship only one God) tended to breed violence?

A temptation for modern Christians is to leap to an'individualised' answer about how all individuals can be blessed inChrist. This is true, of course. But the text is about families,peoples and nations before it is about individuals. How are we toconceive of God's blessing of all humanity through Abram the fatherof many nations?

It is clear that, through Abram, Israel has a very particularcalling from Yahweh. This calling is not only for Israel, however,but for the blessing of all the families of the earth. The god ofAbram is the father of all humanity and the creator of all thatexists. The distinctive position of Israel is not in isolation fromother nations but among other nations and, somehow, for them.

To Ponder

Abram receives blessing and through him "all thefamilies of the earth shall be blessed". This dynamic of blessingpersists throughout the Bible (eg Luke 12:48). Canyou think of other instances?

To what extent can present-day nations learn fromthe ancient people of Israel what it means to live righteously as apeople before God?