1. The Beginning of patriarchal Period
Genesis 11-17

2. The Tower of Babel Genesis 11 – Tower of Babel
Verse 1 “Now the earth had one language and the same words” This illustrates that there was no diversification of language.
The people migrated to one place and began to build a tower to the heavens. Why to the heavens? The text doesn’t say, but this illustrates how much sin had permeated the society.
Man sought to make their name famous, instead of God. A complete reversal from Genesis 1.

3. The Tower of Babel
So we see how much sin has infected the world since Genesis 3 and even the flood. God’s punishment on sin through the flood, did not ultimately rid the world of sin. Sin still dominated and had a hold over mankind.
Why? Couldn’t God just have destroyed EVERYTHING, including Noah and started over again? God could have and that would have been Just for him to do, but he decided to show mercy to His people, because God is a gracious God.

4. The tower of Babel
These people decide to build a tower to the heavens and this shows the pridefulness of mankind. They decide want to be God.
This is the same temptation the serpent told Eve in Genesis 3, “If you eat of this tree, you will be like God.”
This is a repeat of the Genesis 3 fall.
God’s response: He decides to confuse the language so man could not communicate any more
Hence they would hear “babble”

5. The tower of Babel
Then the LORD also disperses them across the earth as well.
In Acts 2, at Pentecost the Holy Spirit falls upon the 120 believers in the room and they could understand each other.
This is often called the Reversal of Babel.
Between Genesis 11 and 12, we do not know the extent of time that passed, But Genesis 12 picks up with God calling a man from a polytheistic culture.

6. Call of Abram and the Promise of God
Genesis 11:31-32, “Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran”

7. Call of Abram and The Promise of God

8. Call of Abram of the Promise of God
Abram lived in a culture that was filled with multiple gods.
Abram was most likely a worshiper of multiple gods.
Most likely this is around 2100 BCE.
The people during this time were nomads. They moved around a lot, so this is not uncommon for people to move around.
It was a relatively peaceful time, with no wars or no big skirmishes during this time.

9. Call of Abram and The Promise of God
God chooses Abram. Not out of something that was in him or something good he had done. It was simply because of God’s gracious and sovereign call.
God calls Abram to leave three things:
His country
His people
His family

10. Call of Abram and The Promise of God
When God calls Abram away from his land, his people and his family.
God makes a promise with Abram where God promises Abram:
A Great Nation
A Blessing on Him (Abram)
A Great Name

11. Call of Abram and The Promise of God
Abram has a choice: He can trust God and follow him or reject God and go back to his family.
Abram trusts and obeys God – “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him…”
God takes the initiative in the promise.
“I will bless…”
“I will make of you a great nation”
“I will make your name great”
Abram obeys the LORD
We can learn some early lessons from the life of Abram:
Abram trusts the LORD at His Word. Do you?
Abram obeys the LORD. Do you?

12. Call of Abram and The Promise of God
Abram forgets God’s promise in Egypt.
A famine arises in the land, Egypt is the place where there was a source of food.
This will not be the only time people will seek out Egypt for food. (i.e. Joseph)
Abram goes, takes his wife Sarai and goes to Egypt.
Abram’s failure:
Abram fails to believe God’s provision and promise of a great nation.
Abram pawns Sarai off as his sister, Pharaoh is punished for Abram’s sin.

13. Abram and Lot Abram and Lot separate over land.
Abram takes the “mediocre, okay land”
Lot takes the luscious, rich land, which includes Sodom and Gomorrah.
But God still blesses Abram by telling him that this is land that he will give to Abram’s offspring.
Abram has to rescue Lot from the territorial kings in the land which he chose.

14. Abram and Melchizedek
Genesis 14:17-24, Abram has an encounter with the king of Salem, Melchizedek.
Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness”
Melchizedek blesses Abram after Abram gives a tenth of everything
Very early indication of the tithe in Scripture
Melchizedek would be a type of Christ. Hebrews 7 illustrates that Jesus is from the line of Melchizedek.
Jesus is the better Melchizedek.
The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is
The guarantor of a better covenant
Holds the priesthood permanently
Save to the uttermost
Always makes intercession
Holy
Innocent
Unstained
Separated from sinners
No need to offer sacrifices daily for his sins, because he himself is the perfect sacrifice.

15. Abram and God’s Covenant
Genesis 15 – God reminds Abram of the covenant.
Abram has begin just a little bit to doubt that God is going to fulfill the promise, but God assures him that it will be fulfilled.
Genesis 15:6 “And he (Abram) believed the LORD and he counted it to him righteousness.”
Paul would use this verse to support that one cannot be justified through works of the law but by faith in Christ. (Romans 4)
He would also bring this same verse in Galatians 3:1-9

16. Abram and God’s Covenant.
God tells Abram who He is, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
This same formula will be used in the book of Exodus when the LORD says “I am the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt…”
This speaks to God’s saving work through a effective calling on Abram’s and the people of Israel’s life.
In both cases, it was not dependent on something inside of them (island of Righteousness), but simply because God is good.

17. Abram And God’s Covenant
God commands Abram to go and acquire multiple animals, slaughter them and cut them into pieces.
This is how a covenant was made.
Covenant is not the same as a contract. A Contract is where goods and services are exchanged. If anyone does not uphold their exchange, their contract can be broken
In a covenant, it is between two people and a promise is to be given to said person. The slaughtering of animals and walking through them is a extreme warning that if either group breaks the covenant, may they be dashed to pieces just like the animals
Both people would walk through the sacrifice, which would communicate that if either side is unfaithful may this happen to you as well

18. Abram and God’s Covenant
God makes a covenant with Abram and puts Abram in a deep sleep.
Something interesting happens in this covenant: God walks through the sacrifice, but Abram does not.
God is saying, “Abram, I will remain faithful to the covenant I made with you even if you do not remain faithful. May all the curses come on me.”
Ultimately seen in the death of Christ: sin’s curse is put on Christ on our behalf and we become the righteousness of God.

19. Sarai’s Failure to Believe
Sarai, Abram’s wife, is barren. The author is intentional by noting that Sarai is Abram’s wife and was barren. Why? Because it reveals the magnitude of the promise God made to Abram.
He is going to bring offspring to a man whose wife is barren.
Barrenness is seen in the Ancient world as a curse from the gods. Children are seen as a blessing from the gods.
If a woman was barren, the culture and society looked down on her because of her lack in child bearing.

20. Sarai’s Failure to Believe
Feeling this weight, Sarai decides to take things into her own hands.
She gives Hagar, her servant to Abram.
She thinks that she can speed up God’s plan for an offspring, by going through someone else. But the promise was meant for Abram and Sarai.
Hagar becomes pregnant and has Ishmael.
Sarai becomes hostile to Hagar and looks down on her.

21. Sarai’s Failure to Believe
God still sovereignly protects Hagar and Ishmael.
The line of Ishmael would come the Arab race.