Look at God’s actions after the scattering at Babel. He chooses Abram, saying “I will make of you a great nation….” (Genesis 12:2a NRSVUE) A look at Deuteronomy 32:8-9 helps us understand what is going on here.
8 When the Most High apportioned the nations,
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 NRSVUE
when he divided humankind,
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the gods;
9 the Lord’s own portion was his people,
Jacob his allotted share.
In the scattering event, God “apportioned the nations”, assigning them under the care of members of his divine counsel, “gods”. The nations are listed in chapter ten, just before the description of the scattering. He chooses Abram to be his special nation in chapter twelve. His nation. His chosen people. Forward from this moment we will read of what happens to his chosen people.
A couple of other thoughts on these three chapters. One is the use of “most high”, El Elyon in the Hebrew. Some believe that this is not Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew people, but others, including me, think it’s a way to distinguish the creator god from all the others, who are spiritual beings, but not on the same level as Yahweh. In particular, the use of the “most high” in the words of Melchizedek and Abram makes sense, because God has not yet revealed his personal name, Yahweh. But I note this, because I like the sound of “El Elyon” and “most high God”. The implications of this name are profound.
A second thought I have in the reading today, is about the defeat of the four kings by Abram’s trained men. One tribe against four tribes/kings. That seems remarkable, God blessed. Although we don’t actually have a count of the armies of the four kings, it seems logical that it would have been much greater than Abram’s force. Good stuff that. The tithe to the king of Salme makes a lot of sense when considering the magnitude of the victory. Praise and thanks to El Elyon.
Psalm note: The line I will take away from Psalm 5 is this one: 12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12 NRSVUE)
