BibleProject | One Story: Foundations of the Bibleනියැදිය

In today’s reading, God promises to bless Abram (later called Abraham) with land, a great reputation, and a family too big to count every member. But why did God choose to bless this one man with so much?

God blesses Abram for one key purpose: so that his family will bless all the families (or nations) on Earth (Gen. 12:2-3). These verses form a hinge between two major narrative blocks in Genesis: the story of God’s relationship to the world (Gen. 1-11) and the story about his rescue plan through Abram’s family (Gen. 12-50).

Notice how Genesis 12:1-9 inverts Genesis 11:1-9. In Babylon, humanity builds a tower to make their own name great. Their journey starts in arrogance and ends in disaster. In contrast, Abram builds an altar to make Yahweh’s name great. His journey starts in obedience and ends in blessing.

As we continue in our reading, we’ll also meet the mysterious ruler Melchizedek. Though briefly mentioned, Melchizedek becomes a prominent biblical figure who serves as both king and priest (and he will show up again in the New Testament book of Hebrews!).

Today’s video explains the important role that royal priests play in the biblical story. Melchizedek points forward to a future royal priesthood in Jerusalem and to humanity’s ultimate priestly king, Jesus.

Reflection questions:

• As you read through these first few stories about Abram (Abraham), what can you learn about him? When does he trust God’s wisdom, and when does he follow his own wisdom? What happens as a result?
• Compare Melchizedek’s speech to Abram in Genesis 14:18-20 with God’s speech to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. What connections do you see? How does this help you understand the Melchizedek story?