Abram was
called to serve God, a phrase and idea that is often seen in Christianity
today. Genesis 12 is the beginning of Abram’s epic story, which starts when God
commands Abram to leave his family (apparently it is okay if Sarai, Lot, and
all of Abram’s slaves tag along). In return he will have eternal fame, and give
rise to a great nation.
Genesis
12:5-7, JPS, When they arrived in the
land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at
the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. The Lord appeared
to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring.”
Why is
this land so important, that it is being promised to Abram, despite the fact
that a whole other group of people already live there? As you might know, Canaan
becomes the Promised Land, which in turn becomes the Land of Israel. But only
after all those pesky Canaanites are kicked out, from the perspective of the
Bible. The author of Genesis 12 just created a completely justifiable excuse
for the way the ancient Israelites treated the Canaanites! Oh the stories
people tell themselves to feel better about treating others horribly. EXCEPT,
archaeological evidence actually shows that the most plausible theory is that
the ancient Israelites started out as a sub-culture within Canaan, they did not
attack it from the outside. Which means, the story of Abraham, Moses, the
Exodus, and 40 years in the desert is just an enduring folktale.
The rest
of this chapter feels a bit like going down a rabbit hole. Abram enters Egypt,
but tells his wife to play the part of his sister. We find out in a later
chapter that Sarai IS his half-sister, so this is only a half-lie. Sarai is so
attractive at age 65 the Pharoah is enamored and marries her, giving Abram
sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels for her sake. So far, in my eye,
the Pharoah has done nothing wrong, yet God unleashes “mighty plagues” on
account of Sarai. Possibly she was mistreated, or was forced to marry the
Pharoah against her will. In that case, I could understand a backlash. When the
Pharoah finds out why he is being attacked by plagues, he does not kill Sarai
or Abram; he banishes them from Egypt. However, Abram manages to leave
sheepishly with all of his gifts from the Pharoah in his possession.
There is a saying amongst Jews that
Judaism encompasses three main ideas: God, Torah, and the Land of Israel.
Jewish belief dictates that a model nation can not occur anywhere else; Israel
is the only place where the Jewish people can achieve their directive from God,
as given to Abram. The Jewish people did not choose this fate, they were chosen
by God.
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| Terebinth. |
New words:
Negev/Negeb (Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev) – a desert
region of modern day southern Israel.
Haran (Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran) – generally
identified as Harran, an Assyrian name for the ancient city Hurrian, whose
ruins lie in present-day Turkey.
Terebinth of Moreh – meaning debated.
Possibly a grove of trees near Shechem. Terebinth refers to a species of
pistachio tree common in the Levant.
Shechem (Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the
terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.) – A Canaanite
settlement first mentioned in Egyptian texts. This city will plan an important
part in the history of Israel. Located in the modern day West Bank.
Bethel (From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel) – ancient city
possibly located in modern day West Bank.
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