Written and compiled by Gary Kukis
These studies are designed for believers in Jesus Christ only. If you have exercised faith in Christ, then you are in the right place. If you have not, then you need to heed the words of our Lord, Who said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son, so that every [one] believing [or, trusting] in Him shall not perish, but shall be have eternal life! For God did not send His Son into the world so that He should judge the world, but so that the world shall be saved through Him. The one believing [or, trusting] in Him is not judged, but the one not believing has already been judged, because he has not believed in the Name of the only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son of God.” (John 3:16–18). “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life! No one comes to the Father except through [or, by means of] Me!” (John 14:6).
Every study of the Word of God ought to be preceded by a naming of your sins to God. This restores you to fellowship with God (1John 1:8–10). If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). If there are people around, you would name these sins silently. If there is no one around, then it does not matter if you name them silently or whether you speak aloud.
Preface: Like many of the saints found in Scripture, Abraham was a product of his times, his volition and God the Holy Spirit.
This doctrine is very close to the Authorship of Genesis. There will be some overlaps.
This study is taken from Luke 3 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).
Why God chose Abraham (Part I):
Interestingly enough, Abraham lived during the time when the ancients from sons of Noah began to die. Every person having a direct genealogical connection to any of Noah’s sons all died out during the life of Abraham. No longer would there be actual witnesses to the post-deluvian world (the world immediately after the flood). If so-and-so was not an actual witness, his father, grandfather, or great grandfather was. There were actual family members alive during the time of Abraham who either stepped off the Ark after the flood; or were born in that first generation after the flood. There were people alive who had actually been at Babel when the languages were confused. There were people alive who witnessed with their own eyes the separation of the peoples, when men went off in all directions from Babel (Genesis 10–11). However, given their decreasing lifespans, most of them—we are talking quite a number of generations here—died out during the life of Abraham.
I believe that the act of Abraham being chosen by God to be the father His people (the Hebrew people) is directly related to the deaths of those who witnessed the ark, the immediate postdiluvian world, and who had direct contact with Noah or his sons.
Here is what I believe that connection was, although this is conjecture on my part and not stated in the Scriptures in these same terms. At this point, there were no Scriptures. People knew the things which make up the history in the early chapters of Genesis, and this information was universally known (to those with positive volition). That is, everyone who wanted to know, knew about the creation of Adam, the restoration of the earth, the mixing of man and angels, the flood, the tower of Babel, and the separation of the peoples. If the interest was there, any man living prior to Abraham could know these things. They could actually speak to any of the 4 men who lived in the world prior to the flood. During Abraham’s life, this information was universally known (that is, it was known by those who wanted to know it). There were either eyewitnesses to these events or people who knew eyewitnesses to these events (again, I am speaking of potential here—not every person would have been interested in the history of man or in God).
When Abraham died, this would all be gone—completely and totally gone. All of this history would remain, but it would be in the hands of thousands of different people, and, as we would expect, it would be distorted. Even today, we have the remnants of the early history of man, with many parallels to what we read in the early chapters of Genesis—distorted though that history might be. We have ancestor worship in parts of Asia; we have flood narratives in nearly every ancient history; we find the mixing of man with angels in virtually all of the mythologies.
Abraham had a knowledge of this period of time. He probably knew Shem and heard about the pre and postdiluvian worlds directly from Shem (Shem is Abraham’s 7X great grandfather). During the life of Abraham, there was access to the true history of God and man, because there were people alive who had actually lived through it.
In some way, Abraham would be the definitive link between the true history of man and God and the people who would be born to him.
I went online to find a genealogical chart, and see that the makers of this chart made the very same points that I have been making—about when all the patriarchs died.
Using the numbers given in the book of Genesis, virtually every patriarch who lived before Abraham would die out during Abraham’s life. I believe this to be very significant and tied directly to God’s changing plan for mankind. Abraham lived in Mesopotamia. I believe that he carried in his head the entire book of Genesis up to his life; and that he brought this book with him to Canaan. Most of Abraham’s ancestors died out during this time that Abraham was in Canaan.
The Longevity of Man (a chart); from Omniology.com; accessed October 9, 2020. This chart is originally from an online book by Walter Brown, Jr., entitled In the Beginning. It is found online (just click on the book) and may be ordered as well.
These notes were on the same page as the chart above. |
1) All ages are based on the Hebrew (masoretic) text. The Greek text (the Septuagint) and the Samaritan texts differ slightly.
2) The very careful and detailed use of mathematics and language in these chapters firmly links the chronology into one continuous family record. Notice that the age of each patriarch is given when the next patriarch (probably a son, but possibly a grandson) is born. Thus the time between the creation of Adam and the life of Joseph is established. The possibility of gaps in the genealogy would have no effect on this time interval.
3) Noah's son Shem, who was born before the flood, almost outlived Abraham and very possibly had conversation with Isaac. [Since Isaac did not ever leave the land of Canaan, we know that he never spoke with Shem—GK.]
4) Each of the first nine patriarchs had "other sons and daughters." (See Gen. 5) in other words, each had at least 3 sons and 2 daughters. Statistically this implies that they all had large families--probably averaging nine or more children. If these were typical family sizes for that day, then the world population before the flood was very large--probably in the billions.
5) Notice that the lifespans of Adam, Methuselah, Shem, and Abraham successively overlapped.
6) The best estimates of the year of the flood are between 3398 and 2348 b.c. |
I made some minor corrections to these notes and I inserted one corrective comment. |
Notice how Abraham potentially spoke to Shem, who potentially spoke to Methuselah who potentially spoke to Adam. Abraham would have been the last person in his line who potentially spoke to Shem (who lived prior to the flood). Isaac was born in Canaan and never left Canaan, so he did not speak to 8x great grandfather Shem. |
One thing not mentioned on this page was, how the length of life for the people listed in Gen. 11 began to decreased logarithmically. For most people who read these words, that means nothing. But, all life, as it grows, is related to the exponential function. All life when it dies or decays is related to the logarithmic function (which is the inverse function of an exponential function). A great deal of work was done on the concept of the exponential function in the 18th century (focusing on the value e —Euler’s number). Logarithms appear to have been discovered in the 17th century, when tables for logs began to be developed. Interestingly enough, we have what amounts to a logarithmic decay function revealed by the decrease of ages of these men, 3000–4000 years before people had any idea what logarithms were. If you look at that graph with the blue background, that is a logarithmic curve. How would someone have known how to fake that?
Why God chose Abraham (Part II):
The theological understandings of the people of the earth at this point in time had a similar sort of connection to Noah and his 3 sons. What they knew and understood about God (and Noah spoke with God) was universally known at that time. This does not mean that the people of the earth completely understood God and what He expected; but that option of knowledge was open to them (bear in mind, positive volition is tied to actually knowing the truth).
My assumption is this: Abraham had a knowledge of these things and he knew about the pre and postdiluvian worlds. He could have actually spoken directly to Shem (we don’t know whether or not he did), who actually lived in the antediluvian world (that is, prior to the flood). Anyone during this time period could have known all about the history of man going back to the creation of man by God. Shem, Ham and Japheth were all alive and they all lived before and after the flood.
With all of these men dying out—most of them during the lifespan of Abraham, this information needed to be recorded and standardized. By recording, I don’t mean written down on something, but recorded in Abraham’s mind. Abraham knew—possibly by personal contact with Shem—The Early History of God and Man (the alternate name which I have given to the book of Genesis).
When Abraham was sent to Canaan, he carried one very important item, which is not specifically alluded to—he carried in his mind the Bible up to that point in time (the first portion of Genesis and possibly the book of Job). Abraham added to the Scriptures the various incidents which took place during his own life, incidents which he believed to be significant, and which information has been preserved now for some 4000 years.
People of this era may have chosen to distort this history, but someone could always say, “You are lying about this,” and there were men who lived during the postdiluvian era (Shem, Ham and Japheth) who could potentially separate fact from fiction. However, at their deaths, this information would have been more easily subject to distortion. Therefore, God needed to preserve this history accurately. So God chose Abraham to accomplish that purpose. On that point, I am speculating, but it makes far more sense than there being all of these oral traditions floating around, which Moses eventually read and thought about and then standardized. That is roughly the prevailing thought of theologians today, and it is a theory (without Scriptural support) and nothing else!
The exact reason why this had to take place at this time (when all the patriarchs were about to die) is logically deduced from the information which we have of that era. The fact of all these men dying during the lifetime of Abraham is actually given to us in Scripture, allowing man, even up to this day, to organize this information as Walter Brown, Jr. did (I don’t know if he put the chart together or appropriated it from someone else).
Isn’t Moses said to be the author of Genesis?, you may ask. He is not. He is called the writer of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; but never of Genesis. It is possible that he committed the book of Genesis to writing; but it is most likely that the book of Genesis already existed in its completed form prior to Moses being born (whether as an orally transmitted book of a book committed to writing by the time of his birth, we do not know).
When Abraham arrives in Canaan, there will be no family with him, apart from his nephew Lot (and their respective wives). A significant portion of Genesis is about Abraham (actually, Abram) and his nephew Lot.
This information which is in Abraham’s head (this is conjecture again), will become the Scriptures. He will tell all of this to his son Isaac, who will tell it to his son Jacob. When we study Genesis, we are reading an English translation from the exact words of Abraham which he spoke to his son (and grandsons).
I believe that this began the tradition of this information be spoken aloud from memory among a family during their worship of Yehowah. Abraham, the patriarch, would have said everything from the creation of man to his own life. Then Isaac would stand up and tell about his life; and, finally, Jacob would stand up and tell about his life. This is conjecture on my part, and that I cannot point to some verses in Genesis which confirm my theory, but it would very handily explain the preservation of the book of Genesis throughout the lives of Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (and Joseph). It would also explain why God chose Abraham at the time that He did.
Who, other than Abraham and his family, would have preserved these traditions? Furthermore, does it not seem the most logical for this family to have preserved their own family history (which is actually the bulk of the book of Genesis)?
Also—and I want to emphasize this—the commonly accepted notion that Moses wrote the book of Genesis is also a theory. It may be the most popular theory, but, it is still just a theory. In my opinion it is a theory with less Scriptural support than mine.
Now, in case the book of Genesis seems like too much memorization, let me say that if you or I chose to, we could memorize the entire book of Genesis, front to back; and we could recite it. The minds of the patriarchs, I believe, were much better than ours. Therefore, I think that, after a few hearings, they actually knew and could repeat, the information found in Genesis. If pressed, most of us could memorize the book of Genesis in a week possibly; and clearly, within the period of a year. I believe that Abraham, for much of his life, heard The Early History of God and Man recited, and knew it by the time he left Mesopotamia. He may not have appreciated it at the time, but this was the most important possession which he brought with him.
Knowledge is a common yet strange possession. Abraham may not have thought to include these words in the book of Genesis: and I traveled to Canaan, yet still in possession of the knowledge of my ancestors. I traveled from California to Texas, with a knowledge of Euler’s number and logarithmic functions. This is the first time I have shared that fact with anyone.
I believe that, from Abraham and forward, whoever was the oldest patriarch in the Hebrew line (Abraham ► Isaac ► Jacob ► Jacob’s 12 sons), during religious ceremonies, would stand up and recite the book of Genesis up to his life, and then others present might stand up and add to this information (as I have previously suggested).
I believe that this tradition has been preserved, to some extent, in the synagogues today.
We are still in the genealogical line of Mary.
Luke 3:34c ...the son of Abraham,...
Luke 3:34 ...the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,... |
1. Abraham lived during a unique time in human history. Although Noah died at about the time that Abraham was born, Shem was still alive. Shem lived in both the antediluvian and postdiluvian worlds. He and his brothers were eyewitnesses to the civilization which existed before the flood. If there was any question about what had happened before the flood, during the flood and after the flood, there were 3 men who were there who could testify to exactly what happened. They saw all of it with their own eyes. Despite it being a fantastical story, there were 3 witnesses to that same story. 2. No doubt, these men told their sons all that happened; and their grandsons; great grandsons, etc. 3. These men would have been like gods to the people; who could confirm or refute anything reported about the flood or the world before the flood. 4. Once these men died, all of this historical information which they lived through would have been subject to the whims of whomever told the story of what happened. There would be no existing standard by which these stories could be judged. What God did and God’s relationship to this world could be easily distorted. 5. The 3 men who witnessed the actual flood and the world as it had existed before the flood would all die out during Abraham’s lifetime. Their sons, grandsons, great grandsons, etc. would also all die our during Abraham’s lifetime. That is all 3 witnesses, all of their sons, all of their grandsons, all of their great grandsons, etc.—would all die out in one generation. 6. God wants the events that we know in Genesis to be accurately recounted, as God is truth. He does not want a false version of the flood to be recalled; He does not want false views of the corruption of the human race to be perpetuated. 7. I would suggest that the remembrance of these things was passed along from Shem to his sons and grandsons; and eventually, to Abraham. 8. Logically, God would have chosen Abraham because of Abraham’s adherence to the correct narrative handed down from his ancestor Shem (who, again, was still alive at this time). 9. Nothing is more important to man on earth than the Word of God. Therefore, we should expect God to preserve it, in one way or another. I am suggesting that the Word of God was preserved in and by Abraham (that is, in his memory and by his choice). 10. There is a theory that Moses wrote down the book of Genesis. However, despite this being the most popular theory among conservative theologians, there is actually no evidence for it. No Bible verse attributes the book of Genesis to Moses (although he is specifically credited with writing Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). 1) If Moses wrote the book of Genesis, then he either had a record or records from which to construct it or God the Holy Spirit simply told him what to write (or some combination of these two things). 2) We have a record of God speaking directly to Moses when it came to writing down portions of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; we have no record of God speaking to Moses and telling him, “This is what I want you to write for the first book of the Bible.” 3) If Moses wrote the book of Genesis from existing records (which did not necessarily need to be written records), then why suggest that Moses be due any sort of credit for this? If he copies the words down from an existing record, he is not actually the author, is he? 4) Why would there be more than one record? Why would the very chronological view presented in the book of Genesis necessarily come from 2 or more records? 5) There are very different writing styles to be found throughout the book of Genesis. The man who wrote Gen. 24 did not write Gen. 25. The way that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph recount their personal lives is very different. One can easily perceive different styles of writing, when going from one patriarch to the next. There is nothing to suggest a consistent Mosaic style of writing in the book of Genesis. 6) Could Moses have recorded a document which already existed (and by document, I do not necessarily refer to something which was written). If Moses recorded a document previously written, then he is not the author but a copyist. 11. Most of the book of Genesis (Gen. 12–50) is about Abraham, his sons, his grandsons or his great grandsons. The bulk of Genesis is the biography of a family, beginning with Abraham and including very personal stories about Isaac, Jacob, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah and Joseph. Who would be the most likely people to preserve these records? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah and Joseph. To suggest that someone else kept these records is absurd. There are certainly things written about these men—including their thoughts—that no one else would have been aware of. Now, if they kept the history recorded in Gen. 12–50 and if Abraham actually lived during the time of Shem and his descendants (of which, Abraham was one), who else would be the most logical person to retain a mental record of Gen. 1–11? The correct answer would be, Abraham. 12. Therefore, it is my assertion that Abraham, when he left the Babylon area, took with him the memorized words of Gen. 1–11. Then he added to this; and his son added to it, etc. This record became the book of Genesis—exactly the words which we study today (albeit, translated into English). 13. In whatever family worship service that Abraham led with his family, he would, as the family priest, do more than simply offer up animal sacrifices to God. He would also read the words of Gen. 1–11 and add to that whatever life he had led up to that point in time. It is logical to think that, early worship of Yehowah involved more than animal sacrifices. I suggest that there was a reading of the Word of God, as it existed in that day, along with animal sacrifices. |
Logically, this family, with such a close relationship to God, would have gathered at various intervals and the patriarch of the family would speak, from memory, The Early History of God and Man (my name for the book of Genesis), down to his lifetime; and then his son would pick it up from there. |
When in Egypt, it is very likely that Jacob, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah and Joseph all stood up to present the Word of God to their family and to any Egyptians would were positive toward doctrine and interested. Let me suggest that this would have been one of the most marvelous events to take place in human history (and it was probably repeated at least 3x a year or more—in fact, it could have been weekly). |
I have previously explained why it makes sense for Jacob to have led such services in Egypt. He was not a very likeable person, even after he returned to the land of Canaan. Yet, at his death, he was a very beloved man in Egypt, by his family and by many Egyptians. How would a man ingratiate himself to a foreign nation in such a way as to become beloved? The logical answer to me is, he spoke to them the words of God. He worshiped the True God, he spoke the words of God, and he allowed Egyptians to join the services. If Jacob did this, the great sorrow of his family and of the Egyptians makes perfect sense. |
I would suggest that the tradition of the synagogue was the logical outgrowth of this great recurring event. |
Luke 3:34c ...the son of Abraham,...
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