BEMA Episode Link: 8: Buried in a Genealogy
Episode Length: 27:08
Published Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings ask the same question the Rabbis have asked over the centuries: Why did God choose Abraham?

Buried in a Genealogy Presentation (PDF)

Follow-up: BEMA 208: Midrash — Iscah, Sarai, and Birth Orders

Discussion Video for BEMA 8

The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter

Transcript for BEMA 8

Notes

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

  • Genesis 11:27-32
  • The Jewish mind asks the question, “Why does G-d choose Avram?”
    • Western minds typically respond with it doesn’t matter, he is who G-d chose.
    • However, there must be a reason. We actually meet Avram in the genealogies before his story begins.
  • Genesis 11:27-32
    • Westerners think there is definitely no treasure buried in a genealogy.
      • But we will try to find the treasure
    • Problems:
      • Avram had the choice to marry someone who wasn’t barren but did not
      • Avram is the firstborn and his responsibility is to carry on the line.
        • A barren wife prevents that from happening.
      • Women do NOT show up in genealogies UNLESS there is a good reason.
        • They are there for a reason.
        • Why is Milkah mentioned so many times?
        • Why is Milkah and Iskah mentioned at all?
          • Milkah shows up later in the story HOWEVER, Iskah does not and it makes little sense why should would be in the story.
        • Why talk about Sarai’s barreness after talking about Milkah and Iskah? Why not mention that two verses sooner?
    • Jewish Midrash
      • There is a midrash that teaches Avram enters and leaves a furnace and when he leaves, he marries Iskah.
    • In a Chaldean tongue, Iskah means “princess”. In the Hebrew, Sarai means “my princess”.
      • Iskah and Sarai may be the same person.
      • When reading the Hebrew, the grammar is odd.
        • “Avram and Nahor, HE took wives” instead of “Abram and Nahor, THEY took wives”.
        • We see something similar in the story of Noah’s Nakedness,
          • “Shem and Japheth, he took a blanket and they walked backwards”.
          • In the Hebrew mind, this means two of more people decide to do a benevolent act together and they are of one mind.
        • In the Hebrew mind, credit for the idea goes to the first person mentioned.
        • Abram is given credit for the idea to take the daughters of their deceaced brother as their wives out of benevolence and Nahor agrees.
          • Why? Their father has died and he is everything to his children. He provides, protects, gives dignity, etc. for his children.
          • Avram by every stretch of the imagination get the first choice and he chooses the oldest daughter of Haran who was known to be barren.
            • How would they know she was barren? The moment a girl mentrates in this culture, they are given away in marriage.
            • It is remarkable that there is a person who is more interested in someone else, who knows when to stop, and doesn’t put himself first.
              • This when when G-d shows up. G-d says, I can work with this.
    • We are invited to be like Avram, to know when to say enough, and to put others first.

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