What could God possibly do to counter the spread of sin that dominated the story in Genesis 3 through 11?

In Genesis 12:1-3 we find the answer to that question. God decided that if punishing all the earth was an ineffective means of dealing with sin, perhaps establishing a relationship with one individual would work. That is exactly what God does by choosing Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. Where the people had sought to make a name for themselves (11:4), God chooses Abram and promises to make his name great (12:2), thereby dealing with the people’s fear but redirecting the action so that the emphasis falls upon God’s gift rather than human accomplishment.

Readers may be troubled by God’s “choice” of Abram. Is Abram somehow “special,” or “better,” or “more religious” than other people? God chose Abram, and thus, Israel, to be the way God would bring all people back into relationship, all those who had been so rebellious in Genesis 3 through 11, as God says in 12:3: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This quest for relationship is the purpose that drives God’s choice, God has called Abram into service, and he will become the means by which God’s ultimate purpose for the salvation of all will be realized.