As we move forward in Genesis in our Bible Study
we begin to learn about Abraham's amazing relationship with God.
God had a plan to save His children.
He would send a Redeemer
to pay the price for our sins.
But God had to lay down a foundation
by creating a group of people to be set apart from all others.
This new nation would be set apart physically in a Promised Land
and set apart spiritually as worshipers of God alone.
This new nation would be His special children
through which the Redeemer would be born.
And it would all begin with Abraham.
Read Genesis 12:1
God tells Abraham (then known as Abram)
to leave the comforts and familiarity of Ur and go off into the unknown
to a place God would show him.
Can you imagine?
Imagine if God said to you, leave your home, your family,
and go to a foreign land with different languages and culture
where you will be a stranger
Could you do it?
Abraham did.
Read Genesis 12: 2
We see God promise to make a great nation of Abraham.
Did he keep this promise?
Remember that Abraham is the father
of all Jews and of all Muslims
Read Genesis 12:3
It is a promise that those who bless Abraham will be blessed
and those who curse or dishonor Abraham will be cursed.
And you see God keep this promise to Abraham as we get further into his story.
God made several promises to Abraham:
Read Genesis 12:7
God shows Abraham the Promised Land, that is today Israel
And much more
Read Genesis 15:1
God promises to protect Abraham
Read Genesis 15:5
God again promises Abraham that he will have many descendants
Read Genesis 15:15
God promises Abraham a long life
Read Genesis 15:18
God again shows Abraham the Promised Land
Read Genesis 17:5-8
God stresses His many promises to Abraham in the form of a
binding covenant (that's better than a pinkie swear!)
Read Genesis 17:16
God again promises Abraham offspring
but this time specifies a son with Sarah, his wife.
Read Genesis 17:20
God promises to make Abraham's first born, Ishmael
into a great nation and prophecies that Ishmael
will have 12 sons
Read Genesis 18:10
God again promises that Sarah will have a son
with Abraham
This is one of the amazing things about the Bible.
We see that God is faithful to those who are faithful in Him.
And God keeps His promises to us without fail.
