The Foundation of the Entire Bible

Will you open your Bibles, please, to Genesis, chapter 11. You will remember that when we began our study of the book of Genesis, we told you that every book in the Bible has a natural outline placed there by the Holy Spirit, and this is true of the book of Genesis. We told you that the high-points of the outline of the book of Genesis are all built around a phrase repeated often throughout the book. Each time you find that phrase you will know that you are beginning a new section of the book. If you will glance at chapter 11, verse 10, you will find the phrase to which we refer, and you will be reminded that we are beginning a new section in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 11:

These are the generations …whenever you see that phrase you know you are beginning a new section in Genesis. We have already studied the first nine verses of the 11th chapter, and we have presented to us the manner in which the nations of the world were scattered to the four corners of the earth, and the manner in which these nations took their places according to the Plan of God.

We said to you the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis would be somewhat introductory to the main stream of the story of the Bible. The first eleven chapters are to the rest of the Bible what the foundation is to a building. The Bible is actually the story of the descendants of Shem. The descendants of Japheth and the descendants of Ham, the other two sons of Noah whose history we noticed only briefly in the 9th chapter, are mentioned in the Bible only as they relate to the descendants of Shem. That is the reason why some so-called higher critics say that the Bible is not as accurate as it might be. There were nations outstanding in the periods of time mentioned in the Bible that are not even mentioned in the Word of God. Therefore, it could not be an accurate history. Yet it is wise for us to remember that it is not intended to be a history. It is intended to be the record of the descendants of Shem and of the other nations of the world only as they are related to these descendants.

The Godly Line of Shem

We may say, “Why the descendants of Shem? Why the descendants of Shem more than the descendants of Japheth, or more than the descendants of Ham?” In order to answer that question, we would remind you to turn back to the 9th chapter of the book of Genesis where Noah, under the spirit of prophecy, gave a prophecy concerning his three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. You will remember he said in chapter 9, verse 25:

Genesis 9:

We examined that passage in detail, and we will not do it again. You remember a curse was placed upon the descendants of Ham in the name of Canaan, and that a blessing was pronounced in relation to Shem…a three-fold blessing. One of the blessings is mentioned in the 26th verse, where we are told that Jehovah was to be the God of Shem. Then in the 27th verse we are told that God will dwell in the tents of Shem. Then the third blessing of the prophecy was that the descendants of Japheth would be enlarged.

If God were to be particularly the God of Shem, and if Jehovah were going to dwell in the tents of Shem, it would follow that the book that gives us the story of God would deal primarily with the descendants of Shem. When we said to you that God, Jehovah, was going to be the God of Shem, we were not suggesting that He is going to be the God of Shem to the exclusion of everyone else, but rather we were suggesting that God was going to take up his dwelling with the descendants of Shem, and that through Shem would come the knowledge of God to the whole world.

With this thought in mind, I would like for you to glance with me at what is presented to us as the genealogy of Shem in chapter 11. We will not be interested in all of the descendants of Shem, only those descendants who will pinpoint the thing that we are trying to reach. You will notice in verse 10:

Genesis 11:

Then look at the 12th verse:

Genesis 11:

Then look at the 14th verse:

Genesis 11:

We told you when we looked at this genealogy more in detail that Eber is another name for the word Hebrew , or Hebrews as we know it today.

Then look at one of the descendants of Eber in verse 22:

Genesis 11:

And then verse 24:

Genesis 11:

You need to circle that name in your mind or in your Bible because you will recognize as we go along that Terah was the father of Abram, and Abram is the chief character in our present discussion.

Then notice verse 25:

Genesis 11:

Abram A Descendant of Shem

We are now ready to begin the actual story that we want to discuss. We will begin at chapter 11, verse 27 and on into chapter 12 through verse 8. The reason for that, you will remember, is that the chapter and verse divisions, though very helpful they are, were placed by men. Sometimes they interrupt the continuity of the thought. Thus we will ignore this chapter division for the moment and think of this all as one section:

Genesis 11:

Genesis 12:

We will stop our reading there because that will be as far as we will be able to go. It is just the beginning of the story of Abram, who is important, as the space given to him in the Bible indicates, if for no other reason. Keep in mind that we have had eleven chapters covering a period of about two thousand years. Now, we will begin a period of time that lasts only four hundred years. The story begins in the 11th chapter and concludes in the 25th chapter. You can see the importance God must place upon this man, Abram, that He would give the major portion of the book of Genesis to a discussion of his life.

Theophanies…Manifestations of God

Abram is important for a number of different reasons. He has the unique distinction in the Word of God of being called the Friend of God. That friendship is indicated by an unusual experience with God in that God personally appeared to Abram seven times during his lifetime. When I say that He personally appeared to Abram, I am speaking about what theologians call a theophany, when God comes down to this earth in human form and visits with individuals. There are a number of such theophanies in the Old Testament, and many of them are presented to us under the phrase, the angel of the Lord . The Angel of the Lord in the instances to which I refer is another name for the Lord Jesus Christ.

I would like to make mention of something that I hope you will keep in mind from a spiritual standpoint, as we go through these chapters, for whatever spiritual lesson the Lord may be able to bring into our hearts. It is that God appeared to Abram when He originally called him, as we are going to see, and He appeared thereafter as many times as there was a need for Abram to accomplish His purpose. In that, I see a tremendous parallel to the work of the Holy Spirit in the age in which we live. If you are familiar with your Bible, you know that in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came and went. The Lord Jesus Christ said when He was on the earth that He would go away, and that when He went away, He would send the Holy Spirit, and He would come to abide. He was not to come and go in the heart of the individual, but He was to dwell in the heart of the individual permanently when that individual had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. The Holy Spirit was to fill the life of the believer.

If you follow the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the New Testament, you will find a great truth summed up in one simple statement that has been adopted by most Bible scholars to say in a few words what would take a great many words to say otherwise. That statement is in relation to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that there is One indwelling, (or one baptism, if you want to use that word), and many fillings of the Holy Spirit. If we were to take the time to go through the Acts of the Apostles, we would find that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came and dwelt in the lives of believers. Then if you would follow the lives of those believers through the Acts of the Apostles, you would find that many, many times after that they were filled with the Holy Spirit…not filled just once, but filled again and again and again as there was need. For example, you will remember that Peter and John, who were definitely baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, healed the man who was lame from his mother's womb. They were brought before the authorities for this manifestation of spiritual power. They were afraid, and they did not know exactly what to expect. In the quiet of their room that night the Holy Spirit filled them again so that they were able to face the authorities with boldness.

We are going to see this same thing happening again, because in the verses we have read in your hearing thus far, we find two of these theophanies…two appearances to Abram. One was in the original call, and one was later in relation to strengthening Abram when his heart was filled with fear.

The Call of Abram

Let us look for a moment or two at the call of Abram and get these facts settled in our minds, and then take a little time to recognize the far-reaching effects of this event that happened so very long ago.

You will notice chapter 11, verse 28:

Genesis 11:

If this were the only verse that we had related to this story, you might think that God called Terah to go into the land of Canaan. However, such was not the case at all. Turn with me to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 7. You will notice immediately when you look at this chapter that it is the defense that Stephen offered before the high priest when he was pleading for his life. As did many of the early day martyrs, he turned his defense into a Gospel message…one addressed particularly to the nation of Israel. In Acts, chapter 7, verse 2, Stephen said:

Acts 7:

That is as far as we will read in the particular speech, keeping in mind one or two facts that we should have gained from our reading. The call came to Abram, not to Terah. The call was only partially obeyed by Abram, because Abram was called not only to leave the place where he was, but to leave his kindred as well. He was called to go not to Haran, but to the land of Canaan. Abram's incomplete obedience delayed God's plan somewhat.

If you will go back with me now to the book of Genesis, chapter 12, verse 1, and tie this verse in with what we have already noticed, you will see that what I said to you is true:

Genesis 12:

The LORD had said … This is not a call when he dwelt in the village of Haran. It is the call that went to Abram before he ever left Mesopotamia. God said while Abram was still in Ur of the Chaldees, “Get out of this place. Go to a land that I will show you by and by. Leave behind all of your kindred, outside of your immediate family, for I have a plan. I have a purpose, and I can fulfill that plan and purpose in you only as you are completely separated from everything that is related to idolatrous worship.” The Chaldeans were noted for their idolatrous worship, and Abram was an idolater before God called him. God wanted, as we have learned in some of our previous discussions, a clear channel through which He could bring the truth of Jesus Christ, a clear channel through which He could bring the truth of God.

Abram, who like so many of us, was not quite willing to pay the price, only partially obeyed. He never obeyed until the 32nd verse, after Terah, his father, died. He was not fully obedient until several chapters later when he and Lot, his nephew, were permanently separated. If you are familiar with the story, (and we will become more familiar with it), you know there was a price to pay for this delay.

I think it might be interesting for us to keep in mind some specific names. They are hard to pronounce, and they are hard to remember, but they are exceedingly significant because they all have a meaning. Many times rich spiritual lessons are learned from the names of people that you pass up by just ignoring their significance. Take for example the name of Terah. I find it significant that the word Terah means delay . That is exactly what this one meant in relation to Abram's journey. Because he insisted on taking Terah with him, he was delayed in the fulfillment of the plan of God.

The Abrahamic Covenant

We are ready to look at the call which God gave to Abram. This call is significant because it is a basis for some of the most fundamental doctrines that are found throughout the Word of God. It is identified by theologians as the Abrahamic Covenant, the agreement that God made with Abram. It is given in its seed form here in the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis. It is elaborated upon in the 13th chapter, again in the 15th chapter, and again in the 17th chapter. It is the seed plot for three other Covenants around which is interwoven the truth of the Word of God: the Palestinian Covenant is included in this Abrahamic Covenant; the Davidic Covenant is included in this Abrahamic Covenant; and what is referred to as the New Covenant is included in this one Covenant.

I would like for us to notice the Covenant in its original form here, and then in the passages of Scripture where it is elaborated upon in an attempt to learn a little something of what it means. You will notice here in Genesis, chapter 12, verse 1:

Genesis 12:

That was Abram's part…get out of the place where you are. Go to a land that I will show you. As we pointed out to you, and as we will see as we watch Abram,s progress toward the land of Canaan, his obedience was not immediately complete, but eventually it was.

God said, “If you will do that, I will do something for you,” and that is what we want to notice. In verse 2:

Genesis 12:

Notice the I will's in the unconditional Covenant. This is what God said He would do on the one condition that Abram would leave the land where he was. Abram fulfilled his condition, and because this Covenant has not been brought to an end, I am going to say that God is fulfilling His conditions and will ultimately fulfill them in their entirety.

Let us look at this Covenant as it is elaborated upon in the other portions of the Word, so you will have all the facts before you when we look at it together. In chapter 13 notice verse 14:

Genesis 13:

This is not a new covenant, but a detailed explanation of the Abrahamic Covenant at which we have already looked. For example, God said, “I will make of thee a great nation.” How great, God? “Well,” God said, “start counting the dust. If you ever finish counting the grains of the dust, then you will be able to determine how great a nation I will make thee. Look at the land. This is the land that I said I would show you one of these days. It is all yours.”

Turn to chapter 15. In verse 1 we read:

Genesis 15:

“Count the stars, Abram, if you can. And you remember what I said: I am going to make out of thee a great nation.” Verse 6 continues;

Genesis 15:

That statement becomes one of the greatest illustrations of justification by faith found in the Word of God. The entire book of Romans is written on this verse of Scripture. Abram believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

If you will turn over to chapter 17, you will notice in verse 1:

Genesis 17:

Then notice in verse 13 He said:

Genesis 17:

We stop our reading there, reminding you that these are the amplifications of the original Abrahamic Covenant, which was presented to us in the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis. These amplifications remind us of two things: one, that the Covenant is still in effect, and two, that it was meant to be fulfilled in a very literal way, and is not just a figurative thing that has no real meaning or importance.

“A Great Nation”…Israel

Going back to the 12th chapter I would like for us to notice the specific provisions of this Covenant. In verse 2 God said to Abram, “I will make of thee a great nation.” What did he mean by that? He meant just that…that from the loins of Abraham would come a great nation. That nation which came from the loins of Abraham is called Israel in the Bible. Sometimes it is called Judah. People today refer to that nation as the Jews, but it came from the loins of Abraham. Isaac, the son of Abraham, as we shall see, was the first Jew born into the world. Abraham was not a Jew. He was a Gentile. God brought him out from among the heathen idolaters in which he lived. When He had completely separated him, He performed a miracle in the womb of his wife, Sarah, and Isaac was born. The Jewish nation was born miraculously in a manner which sets it apart from every nation in the world, thereby making it distinctly different.

Of course that would have a two-fold effect in the world as far as the Jews were concerned. First, it would tend to make them proud, insufferably proud, and it would tend to make them feel that they were above and beyond everybody else. God always took them down, cut them down to size, and reminded them that when He found them, they were nothing. In the book of Isaiah there is a very forceful picture of how God cut them down to size, but we will not take the time to turn.

He describes them in very forceful terms as a new-born babe, yet unwashed after birth and cast on a trash heap, when God found them. God took that new-born babe, washed it, cared for it, nurtured it, brought it out, and adopted it unto Himself. When the story was complete, He said, “Now, you do not have anything to brag or boast about.”

Second, this Covenant, of course, would tend to have an effect on the Gentiles. It would tend to make them think that God was selfish, that God preferred one nation above another, that God, contrary to His character, was a respecter of persons. Yet God reminds the Gentiles in the book of Romans, chapters 9, 10, and 11, that He had no special love for the Jews, and no special hate for the Gentiles. He needed a channel through which He could bring into the world, untainted by idolatry, the true message of God. He chose this nation as an instrument in His hands for that purpose. God said to Abraham, “I will make of thee a great nation,” and that He did.

“Abraham”…A Great Name

Look again at chapter 12, verse 2, where He said:

Genesis 12:

The name Abraham is revered by the three greatest religious groups in the world today. The Mohammedans revere the name of Abraham. The Jews revere the name of Abraham. Christians revere the name of Abraham. Truly, his name has been made great according to the promise of the Word.

“A Blessing”…To All Families of the Earth

God said:

Genesis 12:

He was speaking, as the Bible bears out, not only of the individual Abraham, but as we noticed in the applications of this Covenant, of all the descendants of Abraham. He said the Jewish nation would be a blessing. “A blessing?” someone says. “Well, I do not know whether they have been a blessing to the world or not. It all depends upon how you look at it.” If you will look at the last statement in verse 3 you will see that it could be true, because we read:

Genesis 12:

In Abraham's seed, would all the families of the earth be blessed? How could all the families of the earth be blessed through the seed of Abraham? Well, turn with me to the book of Romans, and notice that when the Apostle Paul was indicting the whole human race, Jew and Gentile alike, as far as its need of Christ is concerned, the Jews objected to his including them in this, so they argued about it. Paul asked and answered a question for them:

Romans 3:

What advantage has the Jew? What is the purpose of the Jew in the world? God gives the answer: To the Jew was committed the oracles of God. They were God's channel for His message to the world. In that fashion, all the world is blessed. I hold in my hand the Word of God. This is a Jewish book, essentially a Jewish book. Only one book in this entire Bible was written by a Gentile…only one. All the rest of it was written by Jews. “In thee,” God said to Abraham, “shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” This Bible, and I do not mean to preach a sermon on it, has blessed the world wherever it has been carried.

Will you look at the book of Romans, chapter 9. The Apostle said in verse 1:

Romans 9:

Listen closely now to this verse:

Romans 9:

God said to Abraham, “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Could it be true? Yes, it is, because through them came the written word of God. Through them came the living Word of God.

“A Curse”…To Them That Curse the Jews

If you will turn back to Genesis, chapter 12, you will notice verse 3. This is a very important part of the Abrahamic Covenant, one that we are prone to neglect, but one which we must face as real:

Genesis 12:

Notice those words in the beginning of verse 3, “I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee.” What do those words mean? They mean exactly what they say, and history has proven it. Every nation that has dared to make it difficult for the nation of Israel has met her Waterloo. Every nation that has dared to persecute the Jew will fall if she has not already fallen. She will fall and history bears us out on that. I am as interested as anyone else in opposing Communism, and I think that any right-thinking person would be, but I am not fearful about Russia's end. She is in the hands of God. Russia could not do what she has done against the Jewish nation and succeed. When her cup of iniquity is full…that is an expression often used in the Bible, and you should become familiar with it…that will be all there will be of Russia, because she has dared to persecute the Jews. Germany fell for the same reason.

I have said to you before, and I will re-emphasize it, that I am thankful I live in this country. I believe that God's blessing is resting on us in a unique way. I think that only a person who is blind would say that we deserve the blessing of God. We do not deserve it. Wickedness is all about us, and if we received our just deserves, certainly we would suffer under the hand of God. I believe there is one reason that God is smiling upon this country of ours, and that is because we have befriended the Jews. We have provided a place of refuge for them. We have made it possible for the Jews to find a home. We have aided the Jews in their return to Palestine, and they are returning today in great numbers. I believe that so long as we have this attitude toward God's people, there will be hope for us. No matter how much we may be eaten from the inside with the cancer of evil, God said, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.” History has proven it true.

One last illustration to drive the nail home and clinch the matter, I trust. You are familiar with the story of the First World War, and you know that it was a hopeless thing until one little discovery made a difference. That was the discovery of T N T, and God in his mercy and grace permitted a Jew to make that discovery. That Jew asked for one thing from the allies and only one thing…that Palestine would be opened to his people. The Balfour Declaration opened the land of Palestine for the Jews once again. Pilgrimages there have been going on, as you know, until today in the land of Palestine there is a nation with its own flag., its own government, its own hope. It is not there altogether as God would have it, and not as it will be before God is through with it, but there, nevertheless. I believe that God granted us victory in the First World War because He was keeping His promise to Abraham.

Genesis 12:

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