Genesis 41 - To the Land of Canaan

God's word is from Genesis 11:29 to 32.

 

“Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.”

Amen.

 

Beginning of the Genealogy Story: Shem and Terah

The text read today is the final part of the genealogy that begins in chapter 11, verse 10. Two genealogies appear here: one is the genealogy of Shem, and the other is the genealogy of Terah. Whenever genealogies appear, the thoughts that come to us are that it's difficult to memorize all the names mentioned, and 'Why does the Bible have to include so many genealogies?'.

 

Value of Genealogies and Korean Genealogy Culture

In fact, when it comes to genealogies, Korea is one of the countries that cannot be omitted worldwide. Many foreign scholars are amazed when they see our country's genealogies because there are families or dynasties that have maintained genealogies for nearly 2,000 years. A particular feature of our country's genealogies is that if someone enters public office or becomes famous, another branch may even emerge from there, splitting into various lines. It is said that during the Joseon Dynasty, portable genealogies existed that people could carry while traveling. So, when scholars went to take the state examination, or went on long journeys, or when marrying off a daughter, they sometimes sent the portable genealogy along with her. Thus, Koreans valued genealogies highly.

 

Genealogy of Shem: Connection with Adam's Genealogy (Gen 5)

The genealogy of Shem or Terah that we are looking at today, in some respects, is not intended to write a genealogy starting from Shem, but is actually connected to the genealogy before it. That is the genealogy from Adam to Noah in Genesis chapter 5. The fact that this genealogy today, starting again from Shem, is connected to the genealogy in chapter 5 is proven by the very unique structure they possess.

 

Structural Similarity: 13 Generations, Three Sons

First, both genealogies record 13 generations. Despite the near certainty that the generations are not exactly 13, both genealogies describe a lineage spanning 13 generations, and just as the first genealogy ends with Noah's three sons, the second genealogy concludes with Terah's three sons.

 

Formal Similarity: 'Begot and Lived'

Next is the structure of these two genealogies. Chapter 5 is described in the format ‘begot children and lived so many years, then died’. However, Shem's genealogy is similarly described as ‘begot children and lived so many years’. Structurally, they are very similar. And these two genealogies are interconnected. That is, Noah had three sons, and among them, the genealogy of Shem continues. This shows that it jumps over the genealogy of chapter 10 and connects to the genealogy descending from Adam in chapter 5.

 

Crucial Difference Between the Two Genealogies: Emphasis on Death vs. Life

Then what is the difference between these two similar genealogies? We wish to examine the biggest difference through this text today. Therefore, we hope this will be a time to confirm what God intends to convey to us through this genealogy, and what lessons we can learn from this fact.

 

The first characteristic, some of you might already guess. As I mentioned earlier, the characteristic of the first genealogy is the structure ‘begot children and died at the age of X’. That is, it records the fact of living for a certain period and then dying. And it is a genealogy where death, ultimately ending with Noah's flood, is emphasized. However, in the genealogy of Shem appearing in chapter 11 of today's text, there is no mention of death. It doesn't mean that not a single one of them died, but the text concludes by saying, ‘lived X years and had other sons and daughters’. That is, unlike the first genealogy, the emphasis here is not on death, but on begetting children, on life.

 

Crisis in the Genealogy of Life: Sarai's Barrenness

This carries extremely important meaning. Because the characteristic of this genealogy, as mentioned, was repeating ‘begot’, but towards the end, the fact emerges that a very important statement appears, as we read together. Let's look again at verse 30 of the text. “Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.” Until now, the fact of begetting children was repeatedly listed, but suddenly, with Sarai, they face the crisis of not being able to bear children.

Of course, the Tower of Babel was also a very big crisis. The act of humans trying to ascend to the same position as God by building the tower themselves led to judgment from God and ultimately brought about the event where everyone was scattered. That was the story in the immediately preceding chapter 11. But now, although it seemed the line of Shem would continue uninterrupted with children being continually born, suddenly the figure of Sarai appears, and for the first time, the story of being unable to bear children emerges.

 

Meaning of Crisis: Foreshadowing God's Intervention and Guidance

A truly great crisis had arrived. However, such crises appearing in the genealogy of God's people are crises that specifically determine what kind of work God will unfold from this point onwards. In other words, this crisis, seen from a certain perspective, shows not only to all the people in God's lineage appearing in this genealogy but also to all of us saints, why God leads His children in such a way.

 

Core Theme of Abraham's Story: The Son of Promise

Because all the content from chapter 12 onwards, which we know as the story of Abraham, when we look closely at the stories God and Abraham shared, all the content of the covenants, can be narrowed down to one important theme. That is, God is constantly promising Abraham that through him, one son (we know this is Isaac) will come forth. God continuously tells the story of the promised son. God's interest, the interest of God that appears throughout the Old Testament continuing from chapter 12, lies precisely here. It lies with the one son of God, the very one who appeared from the beginning of the Genesis sermon as the offspring of the woman. It is the story of God's descendant.

 

However, that descendant now faces the crisis of 'could not conceive', and from this point onwards, the story of how God resolves this to continue the lineage and carry out God's history ultimately becomes the content that drives the entirety of Genesis.

 

God's Way of Working: Faith Through Crisis

If so, although this is a crisis in one aspect, it is actually a crisis where God's will is fulfilled, a crisis that conveys a very important message to us. Through this crisis, it becomes clear to Abraham and all his lineage that this genealogy was not accomplished by their strength, but is a genealogy that can only be completed through God's working. Although it is a crisis, it is a crisis that brings about faith in God, makes one inevitably rely on God, and shows that what is needed is not our strength but God's hand and work.

 

Crisis is a Blessing: Making Us Rely on God (Jehoshaphat, Asaph)

Seen from that perspective, this crisis clearly explains the meaning of blessing spoken of in the Bible. Let's think about swimming in the sea. Since swimming in the sea harbors considerable danger, unless one is a reasonably good swimmer, one does not swim out into the open sea. However, there is a place where everyone can enter without much fear for swimming, even if it's slightly deep. That place is an indoor swimming pool. That place also has deep parts, but since the depths are all marked, one can avoid those areas and swim in the shallow parts.

 

When I was in the 4th grade of elementary school, I once fell into the water while swimming at a place called the Children's Hall on Namsan. I don't know how much water I drank then, flailing in the water. What saved me then was none other than a female classmate, who simply walked into the water and pulled me out. Because that place was actually shallow. Probably, I was so scared that I couldn't even think my feet could reach the bottom. Thinking back now, it was truly embarrassing. But for me as a child, it could have been a crisis.

 

Similarly, different crises can come to each of us. However, the crises that befall God's children are, in fact, safe crises, like flailing in the water of a swimming pool where your feet can touch the bottom. The reason God permits all the crises that believers face is to make them rely on God. What can be done then? All crises for believers have a very clear reason. It is to seek God. One must rely on God, must see God. Seen in that light, this crisis becomes a blessing for you and me.

 

You probably know the king of Judah named Jehoshaphat. Was this Jehoshaphat a king without faith? Not so. He was a king of faith. But when the enemy army invaded, he was afraid and alarmed. And the words he spoke then were these: ‘Our eyes are on you!’ This was Jehoshaphat's cry. More amazing than this King Jehoshaphat is Asaph, one of the psalmists. Jehoshaphat was alarmed and troubled by visible enemies, but Asaph was troubled by the despair within him that would not disappear. It seemed he had accomplished nothing worthwhile in his life. While many others who did not believe in or follow God continued to prosper worldly, Asaph's life, who believed in God and diligently tried to live according to His will, seemed to have achieved nothing properly from a worldly perspective. His life made no sense at all, and it was extremely frustrating and difficult. Do you remember the last prayer he uttered? “But as for me, it is good to be near God!” Through all the crises, he ultimately realized that relying on God is the true blessing.

 

Every single one of us, always without exception, has been in crisis, and must have struggled because of that crisis. But the Bible tells us. That crisis is not all there is; the true meaning of the believer's crisis is to make us seek God through the moment of crisis. It is not simply calling the name, but truly realizing who God is and that I, approaching Him, am receiving blessing - that is what is needed for believers in crisis.

 

Terah's Journey: From Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran

From this perspective, the second principle of the believer's life that we should consider today through the story of this genealogy starts precisely from Terah. Today's text records the story of Terah leaving the land of Ur of the Chaldeans and going towards Canaan. According to the text, the person God called was not Terah, but Abraham.

 

God's Call: Terah or Abraham? (Joshua, Acts)

We can also see the content of today's text appearing in the book of Joshua. “Joshua said to all the people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Long ago your ancestors—including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan”’” According to this word of Joshua, it records that Terah worshipped other gods, i.e., idols. The land of Ur where he lived refers to the region of Mesopotamia where the plain of Shinar is located, and this place refers to the land of Babylon where they built the Tower of Babel, which we examined last week. This word Mesopotamia means the place located between two rivers, and the two rivers here are the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Ur is the city located slightly south of where Babylon rose. Terah now came from that place, and therefore came out of that fertile plain of Shinar. Therefore, Terah is now doing something contrasting with the story of the Tower of Babel that preceded. That is, escaping from the land of plenty and heading towards Canaan, which he had never visited before.  

However, the interesting fact is that there is no explanation in today's text about the reason why Terah left Ur and went to Canaan. Because the person God called was Abraham. Regarding this, let's examine the content of Stephen's famous sermon in Acts. Acts 7:2-4. “To this he replied: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ “So he left the land of the Chaldeans” That is, the person God commanded was Abraham.  

 

Movement Westward: Drawing Near to God

It wasn't Terah. So we probably think Abraham persuaded Terah to leave together. However, what's special about this move is that it records the first instance in the Bible of movement westward. We have always seen movement eastward, and we learned that this was an expression symbolizing moving further away from God. But finally, in the time of Abraham and Terah, we discover in today's text movement westward. It was an act of drawing nearer to God.

 

Stopping in Haran: Compromise with Worldly Temptation?

However, this event encounters an unexpected crisis. It was the event where Terah settled in the land of Haran. Having set Canaan as the destination and left Ur, Terah suddenly stops in the land of Haran midway. The name Terah itself is a Hebrew word meaning ‘moon’, and this Haran was the region that worshipped the moon god most extensively at that time. And that land was a commercial city where trade flourished greatly at the time.

 

Terah vs. Abraham: Different Destination, Different Heart

Therefore, we can understand that Abraham and Terah arriving in the land of Haran, although heading towards the same Canaan, were entirely different matters. Terah's destination was different from Abraham's. God appeared to Abraham and commanded him to move to Canaan, but for Terah, the move to Canaan was not about God's guidance or interest in where the promised land was. The fact that he settled in Haran reveals that the reason he left for Canaan lay in the many worldly things he could enjoy there. What captured his heart was the civilization of the luxurious city. The land captured his heart. So he stopped there and decided to live there.

 

Initially, Terah left for Canaan. This Canaan was the promised land spoken of by God, and heaven. Going towards that heaven is something everyone desires. Even non-believers would naturally prefer heaven over hell. We are all heading towards heaven. However, the important thing is that depending on the heart of the person looking towards that heaven, one might stop at Haran, or even turn back from the path altogether.

 

True Canaan: God, Not the Land

Abraham also went towards Canaan just the same. However, what captured Abraham's heart and made his heart race was not the land of Canaan itself. Of course, it wasn't Haran either. The reason he intended to go to Canaan was not because that land was better than Ur, nor because it was better than Haran. What captured him was precisely God, who had shown him the way to Canaan.

 

Still, the question might arise whether he didn't have some expectation for Canaan, the land God commanded him to go to. But when Abraham went to Canaan, was there land he owned that God had prepared for Abraham? And were there people God had prepared for Abraham there? Or did Abraham gradually increase his land in Canaan and live happily there? Not so. Abraham did not possess his own land there even until his death. When Sarah died, the one cave he acquired to bury her was all. Therefore, his actual land was not the land of Canaan.

 

Abraham's Faith: Looking to the Eternal City as a Sojourner

Yet he lived there until the end. This tells us that for Abraham, Canaan was not about obtaining land. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “because he lived there as a stranger, looking forward to the city with foundations.” He possessed nothing in that Canaan, but rather lived there within God's will, it says.

 

Where is Our Heart? (Haran vs. Canaan)

Thus, Abraham and Terah truly walked different paths. These two people headed towards Canaan equally. However, the eyes with which they saw Canaan, their hearts, and their purposes were entirely different. Since you and I believe in Jesus and live a life of faith in the church, we can say that we have now become God's people and can go to heaven. However, if the place where your heart truly lies is not heaven where God dwells, being with God, but only in something to be enjoyed in heaven; in other words, if your purpose is not the Holy Spirit God who permits all things and walks with you, but any god who can give you something, then the Word says you and I might end up staying in Haran.

 

Where is your heart? Are you standing on Terah's path, or on Abraham's path? The Bible speaks piercingly to us through this genealogy. The Bible shows who is truly heading towards Canaan, and who is the person to whom God's word of making their name great will apply.

 

Meaning of Names in the Genealogy: World vs. Kingdom of God

Therefore, through today's Bible text, we discover one last lesson from God. The most difficult thing when encountering genealogies in the Bible is that these names are uncommon and hard to memorize. The reason is that over 95% of these genealogy names appear only once in the Bible. And most of those names are difficult even to read.

 

Forgotten Worldly Names vs. Remembered Covenant Names

And these names, viewed from a worldly perspective, are not names that will appear again, and in a way, they are just truly insignificant names. They are names that draw no attention. Yet, there is an amazing fact. The person who recorded this Old Testament Genesis was Moses, and while he recorded these names in detail, he did not record the name of Pharaoh of Egypt at all. He didn't even record the name of the Pharaoh who was in the court where he himself lived. But he recorded all the names that appeared, just passing by, in the history of Israel. God did not treat those names lightly; He recorded those names in the Bible. The people who built the Tower of Babel also built that high tower to make a name for themselves. Yet their names became names not remembered at all. However, the names recorded in today's text, though none seem important, remained in the Bible and have been passed down to us today.

 

The story of the Tower of Babel and the city of Babel is filled with amazing tales and is a story we all like. It's a great story. It's also a story familiar to all believers, from Sunday school children to adults. Conversely, reading the record of this genealogy in the Bible is difficult each time, and sometimes even tedious. However, as we have examined, we can now know which names God attaches significant meaning to. How important it is to discover God's heart and will with such eyes, I can sometimes feel even while looking at the weeds in a field.

 

Parable of the Weeds: Faith of the Nameless

As we walk along the road, we can discover many weeds growing, splitting through narrow cracks in the concrete pavement. Looking at these plants, one thinks, they are truly tenacious. While carefully planted crops often don't grow well, it's truly amazing and commendable to see these plants, which no one pays attention to, tenaciously maintaining life and growing. This weed puts down roots on bare ground and pokes its head out, determined to live. But we call these plants weeds. And the reason is that we do not know the names of these plants.

 

Do you perhaps know what one of the most common weeds in Korea is? It's mangcho (horseweed/fleabane). It's also called gaemangcho (annual fleabane). But this character ‘mang’ is the character for ‘ruin’. Because this plant was introduced to Korea mixed among trees imported from Canada when Japan was laying railways in our country around the time of the Eulsa Treaty, when Joseon was collapsing, it was named as the plant that bloomed when the country began to fall. Therefore, it was a plant that did not exist in the Goryeo Dynasty or early Joseon Dynasty. But now, it has become such a common plant that you too would recognize it upon seeing it. However, this weed called mangcho is said to be used as an important medicinal herb in traditional medicine. Yet, to us, it is still just a weed. Because it is a plant of little importance, having no relation to us.

 

The seeds we use for food, like rice, barley, beans, etc., have nutrients stored within the seed. So when planted in the ground, the young plant sprouts using those nutrients. But most weeds are said to have no nutrients within their seeds. Perhaps that's why they are weeds. Because if they were rich in nutrients, we would have already used them for food. Therefore, these weed seeds, after falling to the ground, cannot sprout on their own if it doesn't rain and the sun doesn't shine. The weed is a plant that grows looking only towards the sky.

 

Okay, then which plant has good faith? Is it the rice that grows by its own strength? Or the mangcho that looks only to the sky, waiting for rain? These weeds, whose names we can hardly remember, are therefore plants of faith.

 

Jesus Christ: Center of the Hidden Story

The Tower of Babel is magnificent. Nimrod was also a name that wielded great power throughout the Near East. But the people in the genealogy we read in today's text seem to have no story. But that is not so. The reason their names seem non-existent is because their real story is hidden. For them, the hidden real story is precisely that Jesus Christ comes through those names. The story of Christ is hidden within each and every one of their names. Christ does not come through the name of Babel. But here, Christ comes through those names we don't even remember. Therefore, those names are the most radiant names, names cherished by God, and names the Bible regards more preciously than the Tower of Babel or the names of any worldly heroes.

 

Our Name: Recorded in the Book of Life

However, we are still people closer to Babel. Like Babel, we want to make a name for ourselves, and often live anxiously setting up our pride, fearing we might be forgotten by the world, or that someone might look down on us. After enduring well in all matters, the moment we feel our ego is disregarded, we raise our voices and sometimes turn against the world for our own sake. We, including myself, have the expectation of not wanting to be forgotten people in this world.

 

But in today's text, people appear who seem truly insignificant. And God recorded their names. Through these hidden names, the hidden Jesus Christ came. What saved the world was not Babylon, Persia, Rome, or Greece. It was not Augustus or Nebuchadnezzar. It was a baby born in a manger. It is Jesus Christ who came to us persistently through the lineage of the offspring of the woman. God is showing us today the genealogy prepared to give us that name.

 

What about your name? Surprisingly, your name is also recorded. Jesus said this: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Jesus said there is a book where your names are recorded.

 

God's Possessed People

The names of the saints are recorded in the book of life. And through those names, Jesus Christ comes again to this earth. Until the number of saints is complete, God postponed this final judgment, and Christ comes to this earth when the last ink dries in the book of life filled with the names of the saints. If so, Christ comes through our genealogy, and your name in the genealogy becomes Christ's genealogy through Christ. You are people who possess the name recorded in that genealogy.

 

In the world, you use your own names in all matters. If you bought a house, you would have used your name when signing the contract. We use our names in the world. This is the mark confirming our possession. As long as my name is written, it becomes our possession. Then do you know whose name is written on you? Do you know the fact that the name of Jesus Christ is written on you? If so, whose possession are you? That's right. You are God's possession. You belong to Jesus. It seems like your genealogy, but in fact, it is the genealogy of Jesus Christ. With the completion of the church, Jesus comes. And the name God calls is your name.

 

Paradoxical Identity of the Saint (2 Cor 6)

We examined earlier the fact that making us seek God through crisis was the amazing grace of God contained within this genealogy. And secondly, we learned what object we should look towards when heading towards Canaan, and where we should be heading. And finally, through this genealogy, we learned what kind of beings we are. We learned whose we are, what kind of life we should live, and how precious we are.

 

Therefore, the Apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 6:8-10. Paul wrote these words when all those who preached the gospel together were undergoing extreme suffering and hardship. The preceding content records the ministry of the apostles, filled with countless beatings, tribulations, and hardships. And then comes this word: “genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” This is you and me.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Loving Lord, for what reason can we rejoice, for what reason gain strength, and for what reason be thankful even in this difficult time of the pandemic? Nothing pleases our hearts, everything is frustrating, and sometimes we feel upset and despair. But Lord, in the midst of crisis, You instead draw us closer to God, make us rely on the Lord and seek the Father, rather make us know where we should be heading, and made us realize that we belong to God, children of God within the Lord's genealogy, therefore, not having nothing, not having lost everything, not being nameless, but being the most renowned, possessing everything, so Lord, we thank and thank, praise and praise, rejoice and rejoice. Oh, Lord, having come before that Lord, let us experience abundantly, know, and taste the heavenly blessings. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!