Good morning!
Todays passages take us into the last of the "Primeval" history of Genesis and into the covenant history that starts with Abraham.
1) The tower of Babel: The story begins by explaining that the people all spoke a common language to this point. However, when they came together in this plain of Shinar (which is probably in modern day Iraq), they decided to build a city, with a huge tower. This was not a problem, but their intentions for building this city were: they wanted to make a name for themselves and not to be scattered across the earth. There are a few problems with what they are doing: they want to build this not to the glory of God, but to their own glory; they are also going against the wishes of God to be fruitful and multiply. So not only do they do this apart from the glory of God, but they go against God's orders as well. How often do we, in our pride, attempt to do things for our own glory and aggrandizement, instead of for the Lord? How often do we put our own interests before those of God? How often is the bottom line of our salary more important than our spiritual growth and the calling of God upon our lives?
2) Abram/Abraham's faith: Chapter 12 describes how God called Abraham to leave his homeland, Ur of the Chaldeans (on the Persian Gulf), and head west to the land God would show him. So Abram and Sarai (his wife) just took everything they owned and headed out to the land God showed him. Talk about remarkable faith - to just trust God's calling and do whatever He asks of you. Notice also the ways that Abraham worshipped God, and built altars to Him wherever He went. Abraham not only had faith, but he gave thanks to God constantly for the blessings he received.
3) The promise: God says to Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Also, God states that, "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted." This is the promise God makes to Abraham about his descendants, the nation of Israel. Through this nation, all the peoples of the earth will be blessed. In part, that blessing was to use Israel as a light to the nations, for if they remained obedient to God, they would show others how to have a right relationship with God. But as humans, we will see the successes and failures of God's people to live the kind of life they should. For us as Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ ultimately becomes the one through whom all nations are blessed - for by His life, death, and resurrection, He is the one who fulfills God's covenant with Israel, and opens the blessings of that covenant to the Gentiles as well.
4) Melchizedek: I like this part of the story. He's this random, obscure king who gets picked up in the New Testament and considered a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest. Notice the eucharistic overtones here - he comes bringing bread and wine, and blesses Abram... Why bread and wine? Is this just because they are staples of the ancient diet? I don't know, but Christians have often seen this as foreshadowing the eucharistic meal of the Lord's Supper. There, Jesus Christ, our great high priest in the order of Melchizedek, offers us bread and wine as a sign and seal of his own sacrifice made on the cross, and by partaking, we too receive a blessing from God.
I think that's enough for today. Hope it is a good one for you!
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
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