Stroll through Scripture for Sunday, September 15, 2024

Based on Genesis 15:1–6

The covenant with Abram is an interesting story. It is familiar and foreign at the same time. It is familiar in the sense of God calling a person, that person taking matters into their own hands, and God making and fulfilling a promise in spite of what humans do. It is foreign because our context in 21 stcentury United States is so very different than what we encounter in the reading — slaves, a heavy focus on who will be the heir to Abram’s property, and more in the broader story.

The interaction starts with “Do not be afraid” and with God telling Abram that God is his shield or protector. Given that Abram is living a nomadic life and has many possessions and livestock, protection would be important. You never know who will come and raid your encampment. God and Abram have an interesting relationship, to say the least.

In Genesis 12, when we are introduced to Abram, God says to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred…to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation…”. And Abram, we are told, went just as God told him to do. No questions asked. He didn’t know where he was going, but he went. He heard the promise and followed.

By the time we get to Genesis 15, Abram has been to Egypt and back up to the Levant around the Dead Sea region, split up with his brother Lot, and been blessed by the king and high priest Melchizedek.