BEMA Episode Link: 11: Here I Am
Episode Length: 53:47
Published Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2016 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings continue to look at the kind of partner God has chosen in Abraham.

Here I Am Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 11

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Transcript for BEMA 11

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

  • Genesis 18-22
  • Review: It’s important to remember the context of the story and not just jump in blindly to new stories.
    • Prefaces: 8 different stories where G-d is trying to convice the people of Genesis to not live out of their fear and insecurities but to trust that they have the love and value and acceptance of G-d because if they’re going to live a life dominated by insecurity and fear of what they don’t have, their stories are going to end in tragedy.
    • We meet Avram who has done things that others have not done.
      • Throwing his name away to give Yiscah dignity
      • He’s figuring out what it means to trust the story
      • He learns from his mistake to put his faith is Egypt
      • G-d is looking for people who won’t settle until they can find their way back to the tree of life
        • Avram doesn’t settle. He learns from his mistakes.
      • He gives up Lot twice
      • He struggles with his lack of understanding in the promises given to him by G-d.
        • He makes a mistake with Hagar because of his misunderstanding and frustration with G-d
        • G-d still comes to Avram and says, “You’re still the guy.”
  • Genesis 18
    • Avraham is taking a break in his tent after JUST BEING CIRCUMCISED
    • Hospitality
      • Bedowins, Muslims, Jews: They are all children of Israel and have an incredible premium on hospitality because of it.
      • Marty’s story about a Bedowin villiage, and Hadijah, who took 54 unannounced Americans and women and children of the village and made made homemade bread and Turkish honey tea until they ran out of stuff to serve. This was one of the greatest honors and joys for them to serve the Americans and RVL said offering to pay them for their generosity would be incredibly insulting.
      • What we see in this story if Avraham goes out of his way to show (borderline crazy) hospitality to some unexpected guests.
        • All after just being circumcised when he has 318 other people in his household who could have helped instead.
      • Marty: I wonder if 54 Muslims came walking toward our village, would our first reaction be to lock our doors or would we send our four and five year old children half a mile away. I wonder if we would lock our doors or throw them open and make them a feast until we run out of groceries. I am far too worried about my own security… The kingdom of G-d cannot come to a place of fear and insecurity.
      • This is why G-d has marked Avraham with the mark of circumcision.
    • Avarahm asks Sarah to get three seahs of flour to bake bread.
      • ~60 lbs > She made about 80 loaves of bread by hand.
      • This is not just hospitality but this is radical generosity.
    • Avraham then RUNS to select a choice, tender calf for his guests.
    • Guests tell Avarahm that he and Sarah will have a son.
      • Sarah laughs when she overhears this conversation.
      • “Pleasure” in 18:12 implies a sexual pleasure in addition to the pleasure of having a child. “At this very old age, we’ll be able to have the pleasure of successfully making a child?”
      • G-d calls Sarah out for laughing, she denies laughing, but G-d says, “Yes, you did laugh.
    • Sodom and Gommorrah
      • “tzedakah” the outcry again Sodom and Gommorrah.
      • “chutzpah” fire-in-the-belly, guts, extreme self-confidence or audacity, cajones
      • Avraham, showing quite a bit of chutzpah, calls G-d out when G-d wants to destroy the cities. Avraham tells him that’s not who he is and barters with G-d to save the city.
  • Genesis 19
    • We’ll come back to this story later but for one minor detail:
      • Lot is in the city gates of Sodom.
      • The city gates are where the city officials sit.
      • Lot went to Sodom as a foreigner and has risin in stature and influence since arriving.
      • Midrash speaks of the three characters of Genesis
        • Lot the Assimilator
          • Lot assimilates and loses his ability to impact the culture around him.
        • Noah the Insulator aka The Man In The Fur Coat
          • Noah doesn’t care much about anyone around him, only for himself.
          • “Sweet! I need to build a boat and take care of my family, I’m in!”
        • Avraham the Engager
          • Avraham engages culture while being able to remain distinct from it and be able to impact it.
      • Lot also has this chutzpah. He’s made of the same stuff and stock as his family.
        • The first thing Lot does when met by his visitors is he runs out to greet them and he offers part of his family.
        • We are appalled when he does this.
          • What is not understood is the premium the biblical text puts on hospitality. Lot is even willing to offer his own family.
            • Why doesn’t he offer himself?
            • In order to save his family. Because if he offers himself, the rest of the family goes down with him.
  • Genesis 20
    • We will skip this chapter as well
    • Avraham continues to both show incredible hospitality AND making mistakes.
    • He will repeat his mistake with Avimelek by referring to Sarah as his sister even when he knows better.
    • Who can’t relate to making a mistake even when we know better?
    • Will Avraham let this story define who he is? No he will not.
  • Genesis 21
    • Reference the presentation.
    • Birth of Yitz’chak and Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
      • Problems with the story:
        • Sarah shows no compassion for Hagar and Ishmael DESPITE Hagar and Ishmael was Sarah’s idea.
        • G-d then agrees with Sarah and tells Avraham, yeah, just do whatever she says.
        • First born in this story doesn’t get the typical inheritance
        • Hagar simply leaves her thirteen year old child under a bush to die
          • Why does Hagar even feel like she has to let Ishmael die? Does Avraham not tell her that he’ll make Ishmael into a great nation as well.
        • Ishmael is not a small child, he’s a thirteen year old boy.
          • In the next story, Yitz’chak is old enough to carry wood, similar in age to Ishmael when he and Hagar are banished.
          • These two stories have been moved to be right next to each other for a reason.
          • [39:22]
    • Parallels between Ishmael’s and Yitz’chak’s stories. The author wants the reader to know that these stories are linked.
      • A
        • “Early the next morning…” 21:14a
        • “Early the next morning…” 22:3
      • B
        • “Avraham sets supplies on Hagar’s sholders” 21:14b
        • “Avraham sets supplies on Yitz’chak’s shoulders” 22:6
      • C
        • “Hagar puts boy under ‘brush’” 21:15
        • “Abraham puts boy on/over ‘brush’” 22:9
      • D
        • “Hagar looks up to see a well” 21:19
        • “Abraham looks up to see a ram” 22:13
      • E
        • Hagar’s story ends with a covenant. 21:22-34
        • Avarahm’s story ends with a covenant. 22:15-19
    • Chiasms
      • A [1] “‘Here I am,’ he replied”
        • B [6] “Avraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Yitz’chak”
          • C [6] “went on together”
            • Center: [7] “‘Yes my son?” Abraham replied.”
          • C’ [8] “went on together”
        • B’ [9] “He bound his son Yitz’chak and laid him on the alter, on top of the wood.”
      • A’ [11] “‘Here I am,’ he replied”
    • “Here I Am”
      • There is not actual entry for these three words in the Hebrew.
      • This is a unique conjugation.
      • hinnê
      • [7] “Yitz’chak spoke up…”
        • “Spoke up” implies interruption.
        • Does Avraham manage his anxiety by rambling on their walk to the mountain?
          • Note: this would have been a short walk. Some believe he took the longest way to the mountain possible to give G-d as much time as he could to tell Avraham he won’t have to sacrifice his own son.
        • Juxtoposing these two stories
          • Hagar abandon’s her son under a bush.
          • Avraham tell his son, I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, I will never leave your side.
            • Hinnê: I will be with you until the very end.
          • G-d will use this story to continue to call is people back to him.
          • G-d tells Moshe his name is the unconjugated conjugation on hinnê.
            • I chose Avraham because he is who I am like. I chose him because that’s who I am.
            • You go back and tell those slaves who have been in Egypt for 400 years that I have never left them.
            • New Testament:
              • When the soldiers go to arrest Jesus and they ask for him, if they were speaking in Hebrew since they were the Temple Guard, Jesus would have said “hinnê” and they all fell down.
              • Will Jesus run away? He stays in the moment of their greatest need and becomes the ram caught in the thorns.
              • Revelation is a good use of this word as well.
                • In your moment of greatest need, I have not left your side.

Note: Still adding notes

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