Week 29: The Seed, The King, and the Promises of Abraham

Introduction

-  We are looking at the Bible and specifically the Torah as a story.

-  After the events of Genesis and the fall, God institutes a plan to redeem His creation.

-  That plan is a mystery that gradually unfolds throughout the Old Testament and is fully revealed in the gospels.

-  This plan is like a puzzle whose pieces the Old Testament gradually puts together.  Working in one area and then another and then joining those areas together.

-  The original seed of this plan takes place right after the fall and amidst the judgment issues on Adam and Eve.   God promises that a seed of the woman will defeat the seed of the serpent.  

- The rest of the book of Genesis follows this line of thought.  The word seed occurs 59 times in Genesis.  The book of Genesis is divided into 10 sections that begin with the phrase “these are the generations of” and are followed by a genealogy.

- We have followed the promise of the seed and have seen how it developed through the line of Seth, through the sons of Noah specifically Shem, and how it culminated in the calling of Abram.  

-  Today we are going to see how the concept of a coming king joins with this idea of the seed who will defeat the serpent.

Kingship in the Garden

-  Adam was originally to rule Eden as a vassal king of God.  As the image of God He was given power to subdue and rule over creation as well as the responsibility of tending and guarding it.

-  As a vassal king Adam failed, but God was determined that His glory would fill the earth and He has decided that humanity would be the instrument who would accomplish that task.

-  The promise of the seed is the means by which God would accomplish His plan for creation.

Kingship in Abraham

-  At several points God promise to Abraham includes mention of kingly rule:

1.  Genesis 17:6

2.  Genesis 17:16

3.  Genesis 22:17

Q.  Which tribe to the kings of Israel come from?

 Other than Joseph, we learn the most about Judah in Genesis.

- Judah is the one who does not want to kill Joseph but he wants to sell him for money.

- The story of Judah and Tamar oddly interrupts the story of Joseph.  It seems out of place, but when we understand that Genesis is about the seed it makes sense that it is included because his line is in danger of dying out.  It is Tamar who saves Judah’s line.  

-  Judah also takes Benjamin’s place rather than allow Benjamin to be taken prisoner.

Genesis 49

-  Chapter 49 begins with the phrase “b’aherit hayamim”  or in the end of days or in the latter days.  This phrase is repeated throughout the Old Testament and seems to indicate the last days or the end times.  

-  Judah is singled out for a special blessing in 49:8-12

-  This is unusual because Judah is not the oldest but the fourth in line.  His older brothers have all demonstrated traits that show they are not worthy of the blessing.

1.  Reuben - Reuben slept with one of his father’s concubines.  In the ANE this 

  is an attempt to take power.  Its the same thing Absalom does to his father 

David when he leads a coup.  

2.  Simeon & Levi - After their sister Dinah is raped by the Hivite prince Shechem.  Simeon & Levi offer Dinah as a wife to Shechem if all the male Hivites will become circumcised.  Three days later, when the Hivites were all sore, Simeon and Levi massacre all the males in the village and steal all their stuff.

-  Contrast this to Judah who offers himself in the place of Benjamin because of his love of his father.  

-  Power in violence is not how the people of God will exercise rule.  That is the way of the kingdoms of this world.  That is the world of Cain and Lamech, of Pharaoh, the Assyrian and the Babylonians of Pilate and the Romans. God’s people will rule by sacrifice and love.

Mark 10:35-45

Q.  Why do I bring this passage into the discussion?

-  Notice how Jesus challenges James and John for their request.  They want to rule as earthly rulers.  Jesus says that He rules by the cross.  Jesus’ people are different they do not rule as the gentile lords by power.  They rule by being a servant.  Just like Judah but in a much greater way, Jesus gives his life as a ransom for many.

-  Jesus critiques the earthly city’s concept of kingship and replaces it with a heavenly one.

Genesis 49:8-12

-  Judah is promised kingship in verse 8 - his brothers will bow down to him.

 The scepter and the rulers staff, signs of kingship will not depart from him.  

The word Shiloh is notoriously difficult to translate.  It is the object of the verb “come”

The ESV translates it as tribute.  

 In verse 10 this kingly rule of Israel will culminate in a king to whom this rule belongs and this king will rule all peoples, not just Israel.  

The universality of the rule points us back to Genesis 1:28.  Adam’s original commission was that Adam would fill all of the earth and subdue it.  

Adam’s original goal is to be fulfilled by this king who will come from the tribe of Judah.  

-  His kingdom will be one of abundance and prosperity.  Grapevines will be so abundant you can tie your donkey to them and wine so plentiful that you can wash your clothes with it.  

Numbers 24

-  The Israelites are camped near the country of Moab.  The king of Moab, Balak is scared that the Israelites are going to conquer him and his people so he hires a pagan prophet named Balaam to curse Israel.

-  Balak commands Balaam to “curse these people for me, since they are too mighty for me.  Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Q.  Where have you heard this language before?

-  God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that he would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him.

-  Balaam is trying to do the opposite.

-  Balaam is thwarted by an angel and commanded to go back to Balak with a word from YHWH

Numbers 23:7-10

Q.  Where have you heard these words before?

-  Once again in the promises given to Abraham.  This time it is a quote from Genesis 13:16.  God promised Abraham that he would make them more numerous than the dust of the earth.  

Numbers 23:24

Q.  Where have you heard these words before?

-  This is taken from Genesis 49.  This is a prophecy of Israel and its king’s dominance in the last days.  Balaam is bringing together the prophecies of Genesis 12 with Genesis 49.  The take home message is that the promises of Abraham in Genesis 12-22 will come about as a result of the king from the line of Judah prophesied by Jacob in Genesis 49.  This would also cause the reader the recall the promises of kingship in Genesis 17 & 22.  

Numbers 24:14-17

Q.  Where you have heard these words before?

-  The passage starts with the phrase “b’aherit hayamim” or the latter days.  This phrase further links these texts and tells us that we are talking about the end times.  

-  Verse 17 uses the scepter to return to the passage from Genesis 49 that talks of Judah.

-  There is also an allusion to Genesis 3:15, the king crushes the head of Moab.  Here Moab, as Israel’s enemy cursing Israel and preventing Israel’s passage into the promised land acts as the seed of the serpent.  

-  All the promises of Genesis are woven together by Balaam in his prophecy.  The blessing promised to Abraham are linked to the king from Judah mentioned in Genesis 49.  This king and his scepter are developed to link with the promise of Genesis 3:15.  

-  The major blocks of text in the Old Testament are linked by a poem that begins with “b'aherit yammim”.  In each the central figure calls an audience together using imperatives and advises them using cohortatives of what will happen in the last days.  

Each of these is followed by an epilogue.  

Q.  If b’aherit means in the latter or in the end, what is the opposite?

 In the beginning or b’reshit.  The pentateuch is deliberately instructing us not only about the beginning of God’s plan, but the end.  

  This plan begins with Adam given a commission to rule and subdue the earth.  Our story has seen Noah given the commission and failing.  Abraham has been given the commission as a promise Israel is given the commission as well but also we have seen a history of failure.  Eventually this will change as Abraham’s promise rests in the king of Judah who will not fail.  Thus the commission of Adam is fulfilled by the king of the tribes of Judah.  This will happen in the last days.  All the different threads of Genesis are being woven together.

 Paul understands Jesus as the fulfillment.  Romans 1:4-5

John also see Jesus as the fulfillment.  Revelation 5:5