Introduction to the patriarchal narratives (Gen 12-50)
The narrative of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs from whom the people of Israel descended, as well as the events around Joseph, are the better-known stories of the Old Testament, perhaps remembered from Sunday School. The story line follows on from the larger framework of creation, the fall of humanity and sin’s spread in the world. The Book of Genesis is structured by the phrase, ‘these are the generations of…’ (sometimes translated as ‘this is the family history of…’) which is often followed by a genealogy and a new section (see below).[1] After the initial chapters describing cataclysmic events, the pace and tone changes and we enter the everyday reality of one family’s life.
Structure of the patriarchal narrative
| Gen 11:27 | ‘generations of Terah’ | Story of Abraham’s family |
| Gen 25:12 | ‘generations of Ishmael’ | Ishmael’s genealogy |
| Gen 25:19 | ‘generations of Isaac’ | Story of Jacob and Esau |
| Gen 36:1 | ‘generations of Esau’ | Esau’s genealogy |
| Gen 37:2 | ‘generations of Jacob’ | Story of Joseph and his brothers |
The patriarchal narratives in context
Throughout the events of Genesis, setbacks are followed by hope and God’s intervention. After the Fall, there is the promise that evil will be dealt with (Gen 3:15). After Cain murders Abel, God gives Adam and Eve a new son, Seth (Gen 5:3). After the flood, God renews His covenant with Noah and creation (Gen 9:8-17). However, after Babel God’s intervention starts a completely new thread, where Abraham is called out from his land and family and is promised a new land, descendants, and great blessings (Gen 12:1-3). The rest of the book follows the fortunes of Abraham and his descendants, the struggles with barrenness, family squabbles, fears over being foreigners and therefore vulnerable in a land not (yet) their own, and the occasional jealousies of local people who resent these outsiders. Attentive readers, however, are left to ponder the larger question of purpose. How does God’s choice of this family develop the answer to the problem of humanity’s sin? If the problem is all humanity, why choose a particular people and what about those who are not chosen (like Ishmael or Esau)?[2] Moreover, why choose Abraham and Sarah, specifically?
Christian emphases
Christians answer the purpose question by putting the emphasis on the promise to Abraham that ‘in you all the families of the earth are blessed’ and see its fulfilment in Jesus, descendant of Abraham, who brings salvation so that the blessing is extended from one people to all (Gal 3:14). Further, Abraham’s story is seen as valuable in that he is recognised as a model of faith whom God justifies (i.e. reckons righteous) because he believed Him (Gen 15:6), the basis for Paul’s argument that we are put into a right relationship with God through faith (‘justification by faith’, Rom 4:1-12). These points are valid and valuable, but it is worth reflecting further on the larger questions around God’s election (the technical term for His choice) and His purposes.
What God’s choice teaches about Him
Before I discuss God’s purpose in His choice, let’s look at what His choice teaches about Him. Those who want to start a new venture tend to look for the young and energetic to recruit, who are more open to change and ready for adventure. God, however, chooses an elderly couple past their prime, with no children. They are as good as dead, yet the God who brings life out of death promises that they will become a great nation (cf. Heb 11:12)! Barrenness held a stigma in the ancient world and choosing such unlikely progenitors of a new people would have seemed counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, it is a pattern that runs through Scripture: God chooses the insignificant, those passed over by others, who by God’s power achieve mighty things (1 Cor 1:26-31; 2 Cor 12:9). Not only that, but God chooses those who are undeserving of His grace. Abraham and his son, Isaac, shamefully use their wives for their own protection (Gen 12:11-13; 20:2; 26:6-7) and Jacob opportunistically takes his brother’s inheritance and cheats him of his rightful blessing (Gen 27:34-36). Yet, they are chosen and loved by God just like we, latter-day sinners, are.
God’s purpose
To return to the larger question, why does God choose a particular people when the problem of sin is global? Yes, Jesus will descend from Abraham and bring salvation, but He needs a context for that salvation to make sense. Just think of Christians who use a ‘cold call’ approach to evangelism and how often their message makes little sense to outsiders. That is why God starts to build a context by revealing Himself to Abraham and later to his family. Through the events of their lives, even through their weaknesses, He teaches them about His character and what it means to walk with God so that they may become witnesses in the world testifying to who God is and what He requires of us. Jesus in the New Testament likewise chose a small circle of disciples whom he invested in so that they might go out and make disciples themselves. In the Old Testament, this is much more of a passive role of drawing others in by being a light and creating a longing in the nations for a God who is close and who hears when we seek Him (Deut 4:5-8).
God’s approach to the dilemma of worldwide sin then starts small, with an individual, with a people, with personal relationships over a long period of time where He patiently shows Himself and gets involved in the ups and downs of human life. We tend to want big achievements, thousands of conversions, worldwide and immediate impact. God chooses to work in obscurity in painstaking ways instead. Yes, the process is slow because God knows that true transformation of our thinking, feeling and actions takes time and effort. May we be encouraged that God is infinitely patient to work in and through us as He did through Abraham and his family.
Lessons in discipleship and God’s character
None of this means that the Old Testament advocates a salvation apart from Jesus or achieved by good works any more than Christian discipleship does. No, the relationship with God is always initiated by Him and it is by grace (Abraham did nothing to deserve it) and it is only possible through a trusting faith that responds to His call with obedience. The story of the patriarchs teaches us what it means to seek and walk with God as sinful but forgiven people and so it gives us lessons in discipleship that we can apply in our Christian walk today. It is also the story of God’s perseverance and patience in fulfilling His promises despite obstacles and sin. When Genesis closes, we find Abraham’s family numerous and prosperous (Gen 46:26-27; 47:27) but in Egypt, and they still only own just a burial ground in the Promised Land (Gen 23:17-20). Once again, the outworking of God’s purposes comes about slowly and quietly, yet what looks impossible with human eyes is yet achieved by the power of God.
[1] These structural markers are more difficult to make sense of for modern readers in the early part of the book. Gen 2:4 – the history of heaven and earth, Gen 5:1 – history of Adam’s family, Gen 6:9 – Noah’s family, Gen 10:1 – Noah’s sons, Gen 11:10 – Shem’s family.
[2] The problem of non-election, or as people generally think about it, rejection, I shall return to when I discuss the story of Ishmael and Esau in later posts.
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