1.The time before Abram. Complementing accounts.
There 2 accounts of the creation in Genesis. The first accounts finishes with a double blessing: for the humanity and for a day of Sabbath. The second account gives a complementary end, 2 curses, upon the human beings and the ground. The first generations fail by a men sinning against each other, acting violently and corrupting the earth until to the Deluge (which is a purification of humanity so it can return to the primer likeness to God). This sin is against the unity of humankind. Next generations post-deluge sin against God, in an opposite way trying to find unity in becoming equal to God. The punishment brings that the people are scattered "upon the face of all the earth".
2. Abraham and Noah
Noah (the first person in Scripture to whom epithets are attached) is called "righteous" (zaddik) and "whole" (tamim) with his generations (it indicates a harmony of being) and "he walked with God".The same characteristic describes Abraham: (Gen 15,6) - righteous in the eyes of God and being whole, but he is asked to "walk before me". Abraham is a first pro-claimer of God's dominion. He goes beyond his history, beyond his generation into the promised future of Israel, about what Noah wasn't told.
3. 7 revelations of God to Abraham. Significance of seeing.
-1st revelation. Gen12:1-3 God sends this man out of his house into the land He will "let him see".
-2nd revelation. Gen12:7 God is showing him "this land" and also "lets him see" Himself.
-3rd revelation Gen13:14 Seeing "the entire land".
-4th revelation Gen15:1 A prophetic "sight", everything is kept in the style of prophetic vision, for the first time the promise of an heir is given.
-5th revelation Gen17:1 God allows Himself "to be seen" for the 2nd time, the command to be His herald, changing a name, father of many nations.
-6th revelation Gen18:1 The most intimate image of the God's meeting with man in all biblical narrations.
"Abraham utters the boldest speech of man in all Scripture, more bold than anything said by Job in his dispute with, greater than any, because it is the word of the intercessor who is moved by the purpose of his intercession to lose even the awe of God. He fearlessly risks his own person "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justice?" (Gen18:15). (...) the correspondence between and the just man, the community of the way, is brought to its strongest expression. Now the path to the status of prophet is accomplished; and now Abraham can be raised by God to the rank of a prophet."
- 7th revelation Gen22:1. Mount Moriah = YHWH will see. Perfection of seeing. God sees Abraham (and tests him, sees him a righteous one, and a whole, a man who walks before Him), and Abraham sees God(recognizes Him in his actions).
For Buber: three things traces the story of Abraham: the origin of the people, the God's plan to make people one community, the beginning of prophecy.
Source: On the Bible, Eighteen Studies by Martin Buber, Syracuse University Press 2000, pg.22-44
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