PROMISE TO ABRAHAM – PART TWO
Friday – November 17, 2017
Can you believe it we are back to Friday again already? Let me ask again, have we redeemed the time this week, meaning did we make the best use of our time? We are freewill persons and we can choose how we use our time. However, I would point out that the wise use of our time should come by direction from God. What if Abram had become dull of hearing? What if he had said to God; “you need to be a little more specific with your instruction after all I am pretty well settled here and Sarai and Lot really like it here”. As we reflect and perhaps repent let us launch into our primary text from the Book of Hebrews and then on to our secondary text in Genesis.
Hebrews 6:13 (KJV)
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
In the Bible text preceding this we were warned not to be slothful (dull) but to persist in faith and patience. Then the author of Hebrews launches into an example that would be well known by the Hebrew, Jewish people. As we will soon see Abrams faith was a little touch and go at times as was his patience. The result was that it took twenty-five years to bring the promise to pass. I wonder if there could be any application of this to our lives?
Genesis 12:1-5 (KJV)
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
God tells Abram to leave Haran, leave his relatives (Lot), and leave his father’s house in Haran, and go to a land I will show you. Sometimes God is not very specific and does not unveil the whole plan, He fully expects us to believe and fully trust Him. If we do not we are out of love and our faith will not work and our patience is likely shot as well. The world for the most part has taught us to be risk adverse. When we step out in the will of God it is absolutely risk free. That does not mean it will not look risky to the natural eye or imagination. Do we trust Him or not? In verse four we see that Abram at age seventy-five departed Haran as God had instructed. Where would we be if it were not for this initial obedience of Abram? As we look at verses five it appears that Abram has a certain level of prosperity as he had substance (assets) and persons who worked for him in Haran. They left Haran and entered into Canaan land.
Now let’s examine the original promise God made to Abram. Remember God is working His plan of Redemption, and if not Abram then He will be patient and by faith will be able to fulfill the promise of redemption He made in the Garden.
Genesis 3:15 (KJV)
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Serpent was told in no uncertain terms right here not to get used to this authority that Adam had surrendered for One was coming who would take it back. We call Him Jesus. We find the original promise in the following passage excerpted from our secondary text.
Genesis 12:2-3 (KJV)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Jehovah (The Father) tells Abram I will make you and those who follow you a great nation. Recall that Sarai is barren, unable to have children. Not only will you be and become a great nation but I am going to make you famous. We have to admit you cannot become much more famous than Abram/Abraham. In Romans Abraham is called the father of us all. The Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims claim him as the father of their faiths. Jehovah tells Abram that He is being blessed (made prosperous in every area, empowered), will be a blessing to others, and when all is said and done he will be a blessing to all peoples. Abram must have wondered about how he could bless all the families of earth, we now know it is through Jesus the Messiah who came through Abram/Abraham. The blessing (should be capitalized – Blessing, person of the Holy Spirit) is operative in our lives, in Abrams life so long as he is submitted to the thoughts, Words, and ways of Jehovah. He like us must believe God. Furthermore, Jehovah tells Abram that those who curse him will find the curse working in their lives. Regarding the curse, contemplate the following passage especially verse sixteen.
Psalm 7:10-16 (KJV)
10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
In the following passage we see the beginning of the land grant from God to Israel.
Genesis 12:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
I will pick-up with our study of the promise to Abraham next week. This promise to Abraham is far and away the most important promise of all.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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