ABRAHAM AND THE PROMISE
Tuesday – April 17, 2018, Iyar 2, 5778
Greeting in the name of our Lord and Savior and welcome back to this wonderful faith building Bible Study from the Book of faith and the Chapter of faith. Let’s go ahead and read our primary text aloud and then move into our study.
Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV)
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Abraham was called from Ur of the Chaldees to go to Canaan however he did not go alone as commanded. To compound the error (sin) he stopped and stayed in Haran for an undetermined period of time. In Canaan is where he is to receive the inheritance, it is the land of promise not Haran. Abram exercised some faith but also did what he thought was right in his own eyes. As you may already know this was an ongoing issue in Abram’s life until he is about ninety-nine years old. I wonder how many of us are into partial obedience and rationalize it as being fully compliant with the wonderful plan God has for us? I wonder how many of us have either delayed or thwarted altogether the plan of God with our disobedience. I wonder how many of us do not see or recognize that our disobedience has brought destruction not only into our lives but to many others and yet we go merrily along in our rebellion? How many are in a Church that had a glorious future but it was forfeited for traditions and doctrines of devils and now Ichabod is over the door? We are after a promise but on our terms. Just how do we think that is going to work out?
Our Hebrew text says that Abram went out not knowing where he was going yet we looked at Scripture yesterday that told us plainly he was told to go to Canaan. More about that in a moment.
Genesis 11:31 (KJV)
31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
Haran was not and is not his inheritance nor where the promise will become manifest. Each of us must guard against getting hung up by our own choice where we don’t belong. There are things that weight us down and we must separate from those things entirely and yes sometimes it is family. If we take the time to look at the word “knowing” from our Hebrews 11:8 text we find that it means that he had no knowledge of Canaan nor understand why he was to go to Canaan. Perhaps with that view in mind we can better understand why he allowed himself to get hung up in Haran and did not go, just him and Sarai. Sometimes we know to do something but we drag other people with us, I suppose for reassurance. This is not only disobedience on our part but it takes the other person out of their place as well. In that position we cannot step into the fullness of the inheritance, or the promise. As you may know from your own studies, Abram does not receive the full plan of God until he separates from Lot. Once he separates from Lot (chapter thirteen – thirteen the number of rebellion and depravity) we not only see the promise of land for his descendants but the promise of the children of promise, that being Isaac and Jesus (chapter fifteen – the number of God’s provision).
Our primary Scripture text ascribes faith to Abram consistently and calls him Abraham even though the time frame referenced is before the name change. As far as God is concerned none of that ever was once Abraham stepped into the place God has appointed for him. That place was a wealthy place, and a healthy place. It was a place where the desired son of promise was received as well as the second Son of promise who would take away the sins of the world. Abram secured by Covenant a title deed for the land to belong to the Jewish peoples forever once they entered the Promised Land some 430 years later under Joshua. It is no different for us but in Christ Jesus exponentially better. Why do we stagger, why do we waver (dither, hesitate vacillate), or is it that we slackers?
Joshua 18:2-3 (KJV)
2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?
Lord willing, I will pick up right here tomorrow. Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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