Abraham
Genesis 12:1-7, 15:1-6
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Approximately 12 generations after Noah, we arrive at Abram (later named Abraham). Abraham is where Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus begins. And it’s from these promises in Genesis that we see the promise of the coming Messiah pick up once again. God’s promise to Abraham is multifaceted, it includes not just many children, but a whole nation, and not just any nation but one that is blessed, and not just a blessed nation but one that will be a blessing to the whole earth. Abraham’s descendants would certainly face many hard times, but they would face them with God at their side as God worked to bring about global blessings.
Although it’s still a very long time before Christ will enter the scene, God’s promise to Abraham already sets us up to see that God’s love and compassion is not limited to the family of Abraham. Jesus comes through this family, yes, but Jesus also comes on behalf of the whole world. Sometimes we get so caught up in what God is doing, or what we might like God to do, in our church or community that we forget that God’s plans have always been bigger than we can imagine. Take some time to consider how God is working around the world and in the lives of people you don’t know personally. How can you join God in that work?
Prayer:
Thank God for loving the whole world. Ask God to open your eyes to his work around the world and pray for those places or people that God brings to your mind.