The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings.

We've seen all of mankind wiped out by a global flood, all except for one man and his family, Noah.

In Genesis 10, we have a table of descendants from Noah's three sons - Japheth, Ham, and Shem.

We're still in this period of time when all the people are speaking the same language.

This is another name for the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, also known as Babylon, in modern Iraq.

Who is the "they"?

chemar - slime, pitch, asphalt, bitumen

This shows a little of the pride involved here.

These people were under the impression that they were going to build their way into heaven.

And God was determined for them to get to heaven another way, by atoning for their sins.

Rather than let them get any farther, thinking they were going to achieve something by themselves before God, God puts a stop to it all.

The Godhead is at work.

And so we have the origin of different languages.

Suddenly, they couldn't understand each other.

literally meaning "gate of God" - the people thought they were on their way to heaven.

It's also a play on words, the Hebrew word balal means "confusion", as God confused their languages.

Foreshadowing -

Some have suggested that the day of Pentecost was a kind of reversal of Babel.

And so we get back to the genealogies, from Shem to Abraham.

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We now move into the time of Abraham, or Abram as he's called now.

Terah takes his sons Abram, Nahor, and nephew Lot, along with their wives, and moves from Ur of the Chaldees, northward to Haran.

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You might think that God speaks to Abram in Haran, but actually the call came back in Ur of the Chaldees (according to Acts 7:2).

God's original call came to Abram to leave the country, and to leave his father's house, but instead of doing that, he stayed with his dad, and it was his dad that took him to Haran.

There's kind of a delay on Abram's part, a delay of obeying God.

Kind of interesting, considering that Abram is childless, and kind of getting a little old, 75 years old.

This is known as the Abrahamic covenant.

It's a promise between God and Abraham, and it's not based on any conditions that Abraham has to meet, like obedience.

It's totally based on God's promise - that's grace.

We see this as a promise concerning the Messiah.

The Messiah will come from the seed of Abraham, and because of the Messiah, all the people of the world, not just the descendants of Abraham, will be blessed.

That's a promise to us Gentiles!

Keep in mind, Abram didn't know where he was going.

The servants they had acquired while in Haran.

Or, Shechem.

The descendants of Ham, who would also be in the land when Joshua had to come back to conquer the promised land.

When God speaks to him about the land, Abraham responds in worship, and building an altar.

An altar would be something that would last, something to remind him that God had spoken to him at that place.

Abraham was just a wandering guy.

meaning "house of God"

There near Bethel, Abraham builds another altar.

I like the idea that Abraham is a continual worshipper of God.

I don't mean to try and draw out things that aren't there, but I did not read that God told him to go to Egypt.

God HAD told him that the land of Canaan would be his (vs 7)

I think there's trouble up ahead.

Roughly translated, "you're one foxy looking lady ..."

For sixty-five years old, she's in pretty good shape!

This wasn't all a lie.

Sarai was actually a half-sister to Abram.

Pharaoh is a title, not a name.

In other words, he gave Abram all kinds of presents to win the favor of Abram's "sister".

I imagine that about this time, Abram might be thinking, "Well, this ain't such a bad plan after all ..."

After all, God didn't want Pharaoh or his men messing with Sarai, she was Abram's, the mother of the promise!

Somehow, Pharaoh found out the truth.

After this disgrace in Egypt, Abraham goes back to where he was supposed to be, to "the house of God", where he had been before.

It's almost kind of like returning to your first love.

Abram and Lot were becoming so prosperous, that the land couldn't support both of them together any more.

It was time to split the family company up.

Abram gives Lot the first choice of where to go, and Lot's method of choosing betrays his heart.

Instead of asking God where to go, Lot makes his decision based on what his eyes see.

In choosing Sodom, Lot is turning his back on Bethel, the "house of God".

This is the beginning of big trouble for Lot.

In other words, the wickedness didn't start after Lot arrived.

Abram lets Lot have the first choice.

This is what much of the problems in Israel are over today, the negotiations over Hebron.

There was a change in the global environment, when a group of four kings from the east unite and attack the cities of the Jordan valley, including the city of Sodom.

Their prize was to take everything from the cities.

What is Lot doing in Sodom?

I thought he was just living near Sodom?

If you play with fire, you're going to get burned.

Rescued by uncle Abram.

Melchizedek = King of Righteousness

This is the mystery man of the Old Testament.

The writer of Hebrews says that the greater person always blesses the lesser person.

Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoil.

The writer of Hebrews says that this shows the Melchizedek priesthood to be greater than the Levitical priesthood, since Levi was still unborn, in the genes of his ancestor, Abram, when the tithes were paid.

Abram didn't want anyone saying that the reason he was rich was because of the king of Sodom.

Abram says "no" to the riches of the world.

And God promises to be his great reward.

This becomes the foundation of our understand of being justified by faith.

This verse is VERY important, quoted at least three times:

:9-12 Summarize

God then goes on to give Abram an amazing prophecy