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Weekly Scripture and Meditation: Week 4 – Abraham Chapter 11 represents a third beginning in Genesis. The first was at creation, the second was at the flood, and the third is at the tower of Babel (read its story in Genesis 11). Yet beginning in chapter 12, we see God setting a new course for God’s people. God promises to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants. The whole story is told in Genesis 12:1-20:18.
God’s Covenant with Abram: Read Genesis 15:1-7 God has previously promised to build the family of Abram (known later as Abraham) into a great nation. What motivates Abram’s complaint in verses 2 and 3?
What assurances does God offer to Abram? Genesis 15:6 is considered one of the most important verses in the Old Testament. God declares Abram righteous and in good standing before God on the basis of Abram’s faith. “And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.” While this connection between faith and righteousness is most often considered a New Testament concept, Genesis 15:6 confirms that God has always desired faith from God’s people.
Hagar and Ishmael: Read Genesis 16 What negative outcomes arise from Abram and Sarai’s actions?
When Abram slept with Hagar, he was following an accepted custom of the day. However, it appears that he was acting out of fear and unbelief. God had promised an heir, but Abram doubted God’s ability to fulfill God’s promise and wanted to help it along. Abram did not yet know that God intended Isaac, not Ishmael, to be his true heir. The story stands as a reminder to trust God and God’s promises.
Abram Becomes Abraham: Read Genesis 17:1-8 In this story, God is about to renew and expand upon the promise to Abraham. What action does God require of him (see verse 1)? Why do you think God changes Abram’s name?
In the ancient Near East, to name someone or something was to claim it as one’s own, like a father would name a child entering a family. When God changes Abram’s name to Abraham (which means “father of a multitude”), God not only points to the future fulfillment of the promise but also claims Abraham as God’s own.
God promises Abraham and Sarah a Son: Read Genesis 17:15-21 Why do you think Abraham laughs when God says he will have a son? Do you think it was wrong to laugh? Why or why not?
Often God answers prayer and fulfills promises in unexpected ways. Consider whether your expectations limit God, or whether you really believe that God is capable of working beyond anything we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). From the beginning of the world, God planned to bless the world through one of Abraham’s descendants: Jesus Christ (see Galatians 3:8). |