Sunday, February 18, 2018

lent 2 year b - genesis

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old,
     the Sovereign appeared to Abram, and said to him,
          “I am God Almighty;
               walk before me,
               and be blameless. 
                    2And I will make my covenant between me and you,
                    and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 
3Then Abram fell on his face;
     and God said to him,

          4“As for me, this is my covenant with you:
               You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 
                    5No longer shall your name be Abram,
                         but your name shall be Abraham;
                              for I have made you the ancestor 
                                   of a multitude of nations. 
                    6I will make you exceedingly fruitful;
                         and I will make nations of you,
                         and rulers shall come from you.

                    7I will establish my covenant between me and you,
                         and your offspring after you throughout their generations,
                              for an everlasting covenant,
                                   to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

15God said to Abraham,
     “As for Sarai your wife,
          you shall not call her Sarai,
               but Sarah shall be her name. 
          16I will bless her,
               and moreover I will give you a son by her.
          I will bless her,
               and she shall give rise to nations;
                    rulers of peoples shall come from her.”

Queeries for the text:
Was Abram really blameless?
Will Abraham really be blameless?
Does God ever expect us to actually hold up our end of the bargain?
Why do we credit Abraham with the covenant when Sarah also gets the promise to have a son, give rise to nations, and have rulers of people come from her?
What does it mean to be exceedingly fruitful?

What are your queeries?





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