One thing Abraham did not escape from in his relationship with YHWH was the reality of living in this world – a severe famine in Canaan (Genesis 12:10), a Pharaoh taking a shine to his wife (15-19), quarrels between his herdsmen and his nephew Lot’s herdsmen (13:6-7), and even a full blown local war too (14:1-3).
Passing off his wife as his sister – that got the Pharaoh eyeing her up as his own – was Abraham’s own fault, but the other problems, like the herdsmen upsetting the family business, and the violent rebellion spilling out against a tyrannical overlord (14:4), weren’t his fault.
Either way, whether it was problems in Abraham’s own head causing him grief, or problems in other people’s heads, we see YHWH using them to grow Abraham’s relationship with him. In the sticky situation with the Pharaoh, for instance, YHWH personally got Abraham out of that mess, but he also let Pharaoh give Abraham the tongue lashing he deserved. Which helped Abraham get to know YHWH very quickly as both kind and stern (echoes of Romans 11:22).
YHWH then grows the relationship further when the victors in the territorial war cart off Abraham’s nephew Lot and all his possessions (14:12). Amazingly, Abraham takes it upon himself and his own private army to rescue Lot, but that means taking on a combined army of four kings led by a vicious thug. By a daring night raid, however, the enemy is sent packing and Lot and all his possessions are recovered (14-16).
It’s an amazing victory over impossible odds, because YHWH wants Abraham to know he does this kind of thing as well, as told in person to Abraham by Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, who not only passes on YHWH’s blessing for the victory, but also that it was the mighty, supreme God himself who “delivered your enemies into your hand” (18-20).
So “Do not be afraid, Abram,” YHWH tells him in Genesis 15:1, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” And YHWH had been exactly that in Genesis 14, rewarding Abraham with victory in an impossible situation, protecting him from overwhelming odds, to give Abraham a thoroughly good reason for not being frightened as to what might happen next.
So for Abraham, and for us too, there’s no escaping the reality of living in this world, but through it all YHWH was growing Abraham’s relationship with him, as we see in Abraham addressing YHWH for the first time in Genesis 15:8 as “O Sovereign Lord”….(next blog)
Buck To Basics 