My bestie and I go back and forth all the time with random thoughts. Last night, I had just finished reading Genesis 17, and I sent her a text with this as the opening question: “Why was Abraham the chosen one?”
Why Abram, indeed?
Well, let’s see. He was the oldest son, in a lineage tied to the oldest son of Noah, Shem. Ok, so he is a firstborn, and while I can appreciate that distinction, David was a pretty big deal as well, and he was the baby.
For every positive to support Abram as a good choice, there is a coordinating negative.
On the positive side, he was obedient. In Genesis 12, God said: “Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram went. And in considering the dangling carrot God laid before him, I can see why.
And then. . .when he gets to Egypt, Abram gets scared and lies - says his wife is his sister. This results in all sorts of bad juju for Egypt, and the Pharoah gives Abram’s whole posses the boot.
Abram redeems himself by being a nice guy and letting Lot have first pick of the land. Then, he later rescues Lot and refuses to be rewarded from King Melchizedek. But then, he loses points when he lets himself be bullied by wifey into having a kid with Hagar.
It seems as though Abram/Abraham is just like us - a two steps forward and one step back shuffle through life.
It was the tea party with God under the tree in Genesis 18 that made me stop and think. In verse 19, God says, “For I have chosen him [Abraham] so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.”
The question isn’t really about why God chose Abraham. He just did. The why is up to Him. I missed the important part - I was focusing on the “why” versus the “how.”
First, let’s talk a minute about parenting. You know, the hardest job in the world, the job that keeps you up at night, the job at which you think you fail more than you succeed? Ok, maybe that’s just me, but my current life situation allows me plenty of time and opportunities to mull over the coulda-shoulda-wouldas of me as a parent.
I’m going to generalize here, but I would guess that most of us as parents were really proficient at pointing out potential dangers and pitfalls to our children: “Don’t get in a car with a stranger,” “Don’t swim out too far; the current is strong,” “Always call ahead and make sure someone is waiting for you.” You get the gist.
These, of course, were all said out of love and concern - wanting to protect, keep our kids safe, provide a sensible framework in which to grow, and etc. There is nothing wrong with that, and in fact, that’s a parent’s job. Likewise, these all sound proactive, but they are equally reactive - reactions to real or imagined dangers that kids might encounter. Again, not wrong, but let’s call it what it is.
So what does this all have to do with verse 19? Well, it dawned on me that perhaps God was being a proactive parent? God knew about Abraham’s fortes and foibles. He had been watching the play-by-play of His chosen one. I mean, just before verse 19, both Abram and Sarai (now Sarah) had laughed at the prospect of becoming parents as well as centenarians - usually an impossible pairing.
Instead of chewing Abraham out and giving him a pep talk of do’s and don’ts, God reminds Abraham that he IS the chosen one. He WILL command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord WILL fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.
By reminding him of his favor and by telling Abraham of His confidence in him, God is basically saying: Abraham, you got his. I know you. You have what it takes; that’s why I chose you. Now, get after it.
Abraham, like all of us, seems to be enervated by the boost of confidence. When someone expresses their confidence in us - their belief in our character and ability to make good decisions, we generally respond by trying to live up to expectations. This causes us, like Abraham, to feel valued, trusted, and trustworthy. Although we have the independence to make our own decisions and choices, we choose wisely because we know someone believes we will, and we don’t want to disappoint.
Now that’s good parenting.
But is this an accurate interpretation of the verse? I don’t know. I am not a Biblical scholar. All I have to go on is evidence in the text. And in the following verses, when God shares his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham and his companions, Abraham boldly and confidently steps forward to ask God some tough “what-if” questions, the end of which results in God’s decision to spare S and G if only 10 righteous people are found. This seems to suggest that Abraham is striving already to live up to God’s expectations and confidence in him.
As to being the “chosen one,” we all fall into that category. “From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and boundaries of where they live. HE DID THIS SO THAT THEY MIGHT SEEK GOD and perhaps reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17: 26-27). We were purposely created for this time and in this place to seek God, to seek God and His Will, and like Abraham, command our children to do what is right and just. “You got his. I know you. You have what it takes; that’s why I chose you. Now, get after it.”
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