Enter Abram: God's Call of Abram as the Solution to the Problem of Independence

00:00 - James Spencer (Host) Faith is what saves. This particular sort of faith, the faith that leads to obedience, a faith that actually tests God. By trusting God, however, we want to say that a faith that allows us to live under the authority of God, that is the sort of faith that saves. 00:19 - Speaker 2 (None) Welcome to PREPPED, the podcast that equips you to live out God's story, not the world's story. Hosted by James Spencer, phd, each episode bridges the gap between academic insights and everyday life, preparing you to understand the Word of God and put it into practice. Whether you're diving into biblical studies, looking for ministry guidance or aiming to deepen your faith, PREPPED empowers you to think biblically and theologically in a world that encourages you not to Ready to get PREPPED. Subscribe now and transform the way you bring God's story into the world. 00:54 - James Spencer (Host) Hey everyone, this is Dr James Spencer and you're listening to the PREPPED podcast. Thank you for joining me today as we return to the biblical text for a deep conversation about Genesis 12, 1 through 9 and its profound connection to the Tower Babel narrative in Genesis 11. These two passages, while often discussed separately, are actually deeply interconnected in my view, and they offer a theological bridge from humanity's failed self-reliance to God's sovereign plan for restoration. The Babel account illustrates humanity's self-centered ambition to make a name for themselves, a pursuit that epitomizes their desire for independence from God, even though they're acting, I think, in ignorance of God, and God's intervention at battle disperses humanity, bringing their plans to ruin. Yet, immediately following this narrative, god initiates his plan to address the core human problem of self-sufficiency through his call to Abram in Genesis 12. And this call sets in motion a covenant relationship that fosters dependence, trust and participation in God's redemptive mission. So in this episode we're going to explore really five areas. Number one is the connection between the Babel narrative in Genesis 12, one through nine, particularly the repeated emphasis on the name and its theological implications. And, number two, it's going to be the function of God's covenant as a vehicle for revelation rather than immediate salvation, and I think that'll help us better understand the broader redemptive purposes that God puts in place. Number three is the way that God's call to Abraham really depends and demands dependence and trust, and this is exemplified in Abram's willingness to leave his homeland and venture into the unknown. But number four, it doesn't negate Abram's learning curve in responding to God's call, responding to God as this God who is going to bring him into the promised land, make him a blessing to all the nations. And there's really an aspect of these narratives that do highlight the challenges and the growth that accompany the life of faith as illustrated through Abraham. And the fifth thing is how all these themes really converge in an invitation to discipleship that reorients our ambitions and aligns them with God's eternal purposes. 03:11 So let's dive into the text together and uncover how God's called Abram really contrasts sharply with the independence displayed at Babel and I would say the ignorance displayed at Babel. And that's an important part of this, because viewing the Babel episode as this sort of incident where humanity is basically ignorant of God, they don't understand what's happening, what God wants them to do, they're not being overtly rebellious in the sense that they know exactly what God has told humanity to do, and they've decided not to do it. What it seems like is that they have just lost the understanding of what it means to be human, and so we're engaged in these different activities that are going to allow them to stave off what they view as negative consequences of being scattered across the whole earth. They're looking for security. Of being scattered across the whole earth, they're looking for security, and so my argument would be that the narrative of Babel in Genesis 11 and the call of Abram in Genesis 12 are more than just sequential stories. They're actually pretty thematically intertwined, and at Babel, humanity is united to make a name for themselves, to avoid being scattered, to create some security, they construct a tower as a desire to connect with God, but even in their building of the tower, it reflects this misunderstanding of how to go about actually connecting with God, that this is the wrong symbol, this is the wrong arrangement, it's the wrong way to go about it. They just don't know that, and I think that this quest for independence from God, or perhaps an errant desire to connect with God in their own way, really does reveal a deeper issue. It's a leaning back on human self-sufficiency and the construction of a world represented, I would say, by this city and this tower, where God is not represented faithfully. 05:18 And so if we think about what's going on at the Tower of Babel narrative, if we consider it as if it's, you know, when we order ourselves as humanity, when we build our societies, part of what we're doing is we are trying to image back who God actually is. Our arrangement of ourselves should then reflect the theological truth of who God is and the way that the people in the Tower of Babel go about this. They simply do not accomplish that, and so their self-sufficient efforts, their use of the capacity that God has given them, is part of the problem, because they end up creating and having the capacity to do more than not more than God thought they'd be able to do, but they had the ability to do something that would allow them to be sufficiently secure to provide for themselves in a sufficient manner that God becomes relegated to the side. There's a hindrance there, a true collective capacity that marginalizes God in this narrative, and I would say that contrasts to what God calls Abram to do. So again, just a review, and I did a whole episode on Genesis 11, one through nine, so I don't want to go all the way back through the narrative, but what I would say is in the narrative, if you look at what God identifies as the problem, it is not pride. 06:51 Pride may underlie some of this and I talked a little bit about this in, I believe, the last episode on technology in the Christian life that self sufficiency, the quest for self sufficiency, implies pride in the sense that it suggests that we are not dependent on God, and so there's a sense in which pride is there. It's not absent from the narrative, but it's not the problem addressed in the narrative. The problem is that their capacity is unrestrained and unguided, and God gestures toward this when he comes down and he sees the city and he identifies that as the problem. His solution is also not designed to humble the people, but to scatter them, confuse them so that those capacities are disrupted. So this coordination and capacity that we see in Genesis 11, 1 through 9 is the problem. God solves that through scattering and, ultimately, I think, the desire to make a name for ourselves. We shouldn't view that necessarily as this pernicious, horrible thing that these prideful people in the Tower of Babel narrative are doing. They want to be known as the tower builders. Right, they want to do something that is big and grand and great, and that isn't something that is just horrific and horrible. It's something that I think is a normal human impetus. In other words, they're trying to sort of make this name for themselves, in the absence of understanding what it really means to be human. 08:26 And so, as we look, then, at the contrast with the call of Abram, what do we see? Well, we see that God is going to call him away from security. We're going to see that God calls him away from what would have given Abram the ability to take over his father's house and have wealth in this land. He's calling him out of comfort and into an adventure. He's calling him into discomfort. He's calling him into a place of relative surety, into a place of real liminality. And so, I think God's call to Abram, it begins with a remarkable promise. He says I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. That's where the name comes in. God is going to make Abram's name great. 09:13 Abram is not going to make his own name great, and so this is one of those connections that we see with Genesis 11, one through nine, but we also see that, really, god is calling Abram away from capacity. And it's not that Abram just walks over, you know, with a bag slung over his shoulder and no, you know, no troops, no, no helpers, no servants, no animals, no, nothing. He doesn't leave everything behind. He brings things with him to the land, but being a sojourner in the land is a vulnerable position. Sojourner in the land is a vulnerable position, and so the whole focus of the call of Abraham really is almost a foil to what happens at Genesis 11, 1 through 9, where God is calling Abram away from his capacity to a large extent and asking him to trust him and be dependent on him, to give him this land that he's going to have him sojourn in. And so the focus really does shift from humanity's futile attempts to elevate themselves to God's gracious initiative in granting Abram a name. It moves away from humanity's use of capacity in an unrestrained and unguided fashion to a time where God is asking Abram to set aside much of his capacity in order to follow God, his capacity in order to follow God, to do as God is asking him to do in a guided and restrained fashion. And so Abram has to learn to do that. 10:34 At Babel, the self-made sort of name is part of the overall sense that they're trying to be self-sufficient, that they're trying to use this capacity, but they aren't guided in their use of that capacity and they have no restraints on that use of capacity. And so God wants to disrupt that, and he does this in the Abram narrative by establishing a relationship and giving Abram a promise. And so I think these connections really challenges to reflect on, not only where we derive our significance, but how it is that we understand what life really is all about, how it is that we understand what human flourishing looks like. One could make the argument that, prior to leaving off building the city in Genesis 11, 1 through 9, that the city and the tower that the people of Babel are building is actually a pretty fantastic achievement, that this represents the pinnacle of human flourishing. 11:37 And yet, when God calls Abram, what he's trying to do is he's trying to help Abram flourish in a different way. What he's trying to do is he's trying to help Abram flourish in a different way. He's trying to help Abram flourish independence on him, not independent from him. And so what we find learns to depend on God, learns to trust God, and that's not simply, you know, to sort of punish Abram or to make it harder on Abram or whatever God's trying to pull Abram back into his real created state, where he has these limitations. He needs to be dependent on God the Tower of Babel. 12:24 The problem there was that they had, in coming together and coordinating the way they had, they had really created a situation where they could live into the illusion that they were independent from God. They weren't actually independent from God. God still holds all things together, god is still sovereign, god is still all powerful, but the way they were coordinating it created a screen, a story, a mask that allowed them to think that God was, that they were independent from God, and so I think this relational dynamic that God forms with Abram, this idea that he wants Abram to be dependent on him and to follow him, is actually pretty crucial and foundational for understanding God's redemptive work throughout scripture. So one of the most profound aspects, I think, of that redemptive work is actually the covenant, and I think that the covenant is a vehicle for revelation. It's not a vehicle for immediate salvation. So and I think this is something that's often misunderstood, even in biblical and theological studies the covenant ultimately points to God's redemptive work through Christ. Its primary purpose is to reveal God's character, god's promises and his plan to bless all the nations. But the covenant is a vehicle by which God establishes a relationship, a unique and special relationship with Abram and with his people later, and in that special relationship, they get to know God. There is a way in which now they're not only getting things like the law and other sorts of divine revelation, they're also experiencing them as they obey that law, and God blesses them. They're understanding these things, are being reinforced, they're beginning to know who God is and they're able to come into God's presence. They're able to see God's mighty acts. And so within the covenant there's not only an experience of God. Like everyone experiences God's blessings. Everyone experiences these things from God. And yet there is a sense in which Israel understands them in a way that the rest of the nations really can't, and they can't fully understand it, because the covenant allows for this revelation that they're seeing. Pause In Genesis 12, one through three God's call to Abram. 15:03 It includes, like these, three foundational promises, land, offspring and blessing. And those promises are not merely for Abram's benefit, but they serve as a means through which God's nature and purposes are going to be made known to humanity. Abram's journey of faith is going to become a lived testimony to God's faithfulness, his sovereignty and his grace. His experiences reveal a God who is both personal and purposeful, committed to bringing restoration to a fractured world, and the covenantal framework aligns with broader themes in the Old Testament. The Mosaic Covenant at Sinai, for example, reveals God's holiness and justice. The Davidic Covenant points to his sovereignty and the promise of an eternal kingdom. And in each case, the covenant serves as a channel of revelation, unfolding God's redemptive plan step by step. Rather than offering immediate resolution to humanity's brokenness, the covenant invites participation in God's ongoing mission. And so what we're seeing in the covenant is not this sort of moment, like if you're in the covenant, you're automatically saved. Actually, I think we see the opposite. 16:07 If we go to something like a Deuteronomy 30, toward the end of that chapter, god is speaking to the Israelites and he says choose life. I've said before you life and death, choose life. Now, what's the implication there? The implication is that within covenant, you can experience unique blessings and curses, and so obedience is going to bring about that blessing. When we live into the governing dynamics of the universe, we can expect blessing. When we oppose ourselves to those governing dynamics, we can expect curses, and so there is just something about the way that God operates in this setting that reinforces who God is. It teaches Israel who God is, and so that is how the covenant kind of works. You can be in covenant and still be disobedient, and still be what we might call unsaved there were. 17:03 This is why I think that, why I think that Paul in Romans 9 through 11 can talk about not all Israel is Israel. We see this in the Old Testament, the remnant theology of the Old Testament, where you have some Israelites who simply are not following covenant, they're not being faithful, they don't have faith in the Lord, and so when people ask me, you know, how are people saved in the Old Testament? And I always say the same thing Faith is what always saves. We're always justified by faith. This is the argument that Paul makes throughout his letters on Genesis 15, 6, and Paul cites that multiple times throughout his letters. Genesis 15, 6 is where Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. James actually ties that then into Genesis 22, which is the near sacrifice of Isaac, and so what we have is his faith working with his works, in other words, his faith demonstrated by his works, and so faith is what saves. 18:02 Faith, this particular sort of faith, the faith that leads to obedience, a faith that actually tests God by trusting God. However, we want to say that, a faith that allows us to live under the authority of God, that is the sort of faith that saves, and so that's been in place forever. That's how it works, but the covenant sharpens this, because it now gives Israel a unique understanding and revelation about who God is in and himself, and so they have ways of relating to God, they have guidelines and an understanding of what God is doing and how God is doing it, and what they need to do to live in God's presence, and so they can opt into that as part of the covenant. They can also opt out, but either way, the covenant is this sort of vehicle for revealing those things. It isn't necessarily a vehicle for salvation. It's certainly connected, it's part of the overall system, and so it's not like it's. You know it's a throwaway thing, but it isn't that you know. You, once you're in covenant, you're automatically saved, because in covenant you have the opportunity to experience those blessings and those curses. 19:16 So I think discipleship actually emerges as a response to covenant revelation, just as Abram's journey, you know, of faith really revealed God's promises. Our lives are meant to testify to God's goodness and faithfulness as well, and as followers of Christ, we're called to embody God's character and extend his blessings to others, and I think that mission-oriented discipleship requires us to align our lives with God's purpose, and it allows his promises to shape our priorities and actions, and so I think that perspective challenges us to reconsider how we view salvation and revelation in our own lives. Are we seeking a transactional relationship with God, focused solely on what he can do for us, or are we embracing the covenantal imitation and know him, trust him and participate in his redemptive work? I think Abram's story encourages us to view our faith as a journey of discovery where God continually reveals himself and invites us into deeper relationship with him. 20:16 Now God's call to Abram in Genesis 12 is striking in its demand for dependence and trust. Abram is instructed to go from his home country and his kindred and his father's house into a land that God would show him, and that requires Abram to leave behind much of his security and his identity, his familiarity with the people around him. He's stepping into the unknown with relatively little but God's promise to guide him. And that dependence isn't incidental, it's central to the covenant relationship. By uprooting Abram, god creates a context in which Abram must rely more fully on him, and Abram's journey becomes this tangible expression of faith, demonstrating his willingness to align his life with God's promises rather than his own plans. 21:03 And I think, throughout scripture, that dependence and trust are recurring themes. Jesus calls his disciples to take up their cross and follow him, a call that requires surrender and trust. Paul reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight, emphasizing the necessity of dependence in the Christian life. Abram's story serves as a foundational example of what it means to live by faith, trusting in God's promises even when the path is uncertain. And so for us today, this call to dependence challenges the cultural idol of self-sufficiency In a world that prizes independence and control. 21:37 Abram's journey reminds us that the true flourishing comes from trusting in God's provision and guidance. And as we navigate our own faith journeys, we're invited to embrace the uncertainty of dependence. We know that God's promises are sure, that dependence is not passive, but it's active. It's requiring us to step forward in faith, to follow where God is leading, even when we can't see the full picture. And now this goes to Abram's learning curve, and I think Abram's response to God's call wasn't without its challenges and missteps. And as we follow his journey through Genesis, we see a man growing into his faith, learning to trust God in deeper ways, and that learning curve is an important reminder that faith is a process, not a one-time decision. Yes, we have faith in Christ, we put our faith in Christ, and then we also learn to put our faith in Christ. We do both. 22:34 So, for example, in Genesis 12, 10 through 20, abram faces this famine and landing, travels to Egypt, and there he instructs Sarai at the time to claim that she's his sister and he's afraid that her beauty might lead the Egyptians to kill him and take her. And that decision is really rooted in fear rather than trust. He's fearing the Egyptians as opposed to trusting God, and it creates complications for Abram and reveals his struggle to fully rely on God's protection. Yet even in Abram's missteps, god remains faithful, intervening to preserve his promises. And so what we see in this narrative is that God is faithful and active even in Egypt, that Abram doesn't have to worry about his own life, that God is powerful enough to work outside the precincts of the land to which he is called Abram. That would have fit with an ancient Near Eastern conception where gods were usually sort of landed entities. They oversaw a particular territory, and so for Abram to be moving out of the territory God called him into and into a new territory there would be some reason for concern and confusion. And so God's ability to extract Abram from Egypt which I think obviously foreshadows the coming Exodus so he extracts Abram from Egypt and then takes him out with a lot more wealth than he had when he went in it definitely foreshadows what's going to happen with Israel and Egypt later on. But God is powerful enough to take him out of Egypt. The so-called gods of the Egyptians are not in charge there. God is. 24:04 And I think later in Genesis 15, abram expresses this doubt about God's promise of offspring. So the offspring really is seems like this is Abram's biggest struggle. He's concerned about whether, even if God is gonna give him all these things, he's gonna give him all these descendants, he's gonna give him all these make him into a great nation. But he doesn't understand who he's handing the mantle over to After he dies. Who takes care of all these things? And so he asks oh Lord, god, what will you give me, for I continue childless. And God responds with a reaffirmation of his covenant, showing Abram the stars as a sign of his faithfulness, and Abram's eventual belief is credited to him as righteousness. This is Genesis 15, 6. 24:48 But that moment highlights the tension between doubt and trust that often accompanies faith, and I think Abram's learning curve reminds us that discipleship involves growth and correction and persistence. Discipleship involves growth and correction and persistence. In our own faith journey, we may have moments of doubt or missteps, but God's faithfulness invites us to continue trusting him. Like Abram, we're called to grow in our dependence on God, learning from both our successes and our failures, and so I would say that the call of Abram is not merely a personal journey. It's an invitation to participate in God's larger mission. God's promise to make Abram a blessing to all the families of the earth reveals the expansive scope of his covenant. Abram's faithfulness becomes a conduit through which God's blessing extends to others, prefiguring the mission of the church to make disciples of all nations. And this mission-oriented perspective reframes how we understand discipleship. 25:40 Discipleship is not simply about personal growth or spiritual maturity. It's about joining God's redemptive work in the world. Like Abram, we are called to live as witnesses to God's promises, embodying his love, justice and mercy in our relationships and communities. Abram's story also highlights the cost of discipleship. His willingness to leave his homeland and embrace uncertainty mirrors the sacrificial nature of following Christ. Discipleship requires trust, action and a willingness to align our lives with God's purposes, even when it challenges our comfort or expectations. And as we reflect on Abram's journey, we're reminded that discipleship is both an individual and communal call. It involves personal faithfulness but also participates in God's mission to bless and restore the world. And just as Abram's life revealed God's character and mission, our lives can serve as testimonies to his faithfulness and grace. 26:35 Hey, thanks for joining me on this extended exploration of Genesis 12, 1 through 9 and some other aspects of Genesis and its connections to the Tower of Babel narrative. Today we've seen how God's call to Abram addresses the human problem of self-sufficiency and calls us into a life of dependence on God through covenant, relationship and faith. And as we consider our own journeys and as we consider our own journeys, let's reflect on where we seek significance, where we find our own security. Are we really striving to be dependent on God or independent from him? Are we trusting God to define our purpose and our identity. You know, like Abraham, we're invited to step out in faith, embracing the uncertainty of dependence and the joy of participating in God's redemptive work. If this episode's encouraged you, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Your feedback helps us continue these meaningful conversations and until next time, take care and stay grounded in God's word. See you on the next episode of PREPPED everybody. Thanks. 27:34 - Speaker 2 (None) Thanks for tuning into PREPPED. If today's episode helped you view the world through a God-centered lens, be sure to hit subscribe so you're always prepared for what comes next. Don't forget to rate and review us on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback helps us reach more believers eager to live out God's story. Share this episode with a friend, family member or loved one, and together let's keep challenging the world's narratives. Until next time, stay grounded, stay inspired and continue living out God's plan. See you soon on our next episode of PREPPED.