A Promise To Abraham
Gen 15:1-6, 12-18
SS Lesson for 12/11/2011
Devotional Scripture: Deut 7:7-11
The majority of the outline of the lesson came from a previous SS Lesson dated 07/11/1999. The lesson examines how God's Promise to Abraham. The study's aim is to confirm that God is able and willing to fulfill every promise He makes. The study's application is to know that God makes promises that only He can fulfill. He is reliable and can be trusted to honor His Word.
Cruel God?
Marcion of Sinope (ad 85-160) was the first acknowledged heretic of the early church. He said that the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth were fundamentally different from those of the Old Testament. He therefore concluded that the God of the Old Testament must be different from the God of the New Testament. Marcion then assembled the Scriptures in a way that reflected Christianity as he saw it. His truncated Bible contained only one Gospel and no books from the Old Testament. It is little wonder that the church of his day soundly rejected his teaching. It is surprising, then, that some of Marcion’s key principles and arguments are alive and well today. Some folks who want to discount the God of Scripture often point out the so-called contradiction between his display of love to the whole world through Jesus and his extermination of the Canaanites in the time of Joshua. The Israelite conquest of the promised land is sometimes interpreted as racial genocide, with God “playing favorites” with the Israelites. Thus some Christians are at a loss to explain why the God of the New Testament seems to be a God of peace and love, whereas the God of the Old Testament seems to be a God of violence and wrath. This kind of thinking does justice neither to the Old Testament nor the New. A careful reading of both testaments demonstrates that the truth is more complicated than the simplistic portrait above. One way to clarify matters is to perform a careful study of the conquest of Canaan to note exactly what did and did not happen. Another way is to read the Joshua narrative in its wider biblical context in order to note the original purpose behind the conquest and God’s timing of the conquest. In today’s lesson we are studying this important biblical context, beginning with God’s promise to Abram in Genesis.
Lesson Background
In last week’s lesson we learned that Abram made a questionable move by taking Lot with him after God called Abram to leave behind both his land and his father’s household (Genesis 12:1-5). As the men traveled together, they accumulated such great possessions that they could not dwell in the same region. Quarreling among their herdsmen eventually led the two to part ways (13:5-12). Lot and his family settled in the region of Sodom. Subsequently, certain kings waged war against the city of Sodom and the surrounding area (Genesis 14:1-16). Lot and his family were captured. This put Abram in the difficult position of attempting a rescue mission. Failure and death would have meant the collapse of the promise from God that all nations would be blessed through Abram.
Yet God prospered Abram, and the rescue mission succeeded. Lot and his family returned to their homes, and Abram was established as a powerful man throughout the region. But such power could be threatening to the local populace. By flexing his power, Abram became exposed to the jealous eye of his neighbors. By securing Lot, Abram imperiled his own position. But God knew how to respond to this situation.
Through Isaiah Yahweh said, "I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done" (Isa. 46:9-10). This truth is well illustrated in the events of Christ's birth. The means (Isa. 7:14), location (Mic. 5:2), and circumstances (Jer. 31:15) of His arrival were prophesied hundreds of years previous. As Paul said, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). His primary purpose for coming was to be "wounded for our transgressions" (Isa. 53:5) and to have "laid on him the iniquity of us all" (vs. 6) by being "an offering for sin" (vs. 10). For all of this to occur, a nation had to be prepared. That nation was Israel, which sprang from Abram, or Abraham (Gen. 17:5). Although Messiah's coming was planned from eternity (Eph. 1:4-5; I Pet. 1:18-20; Rev. 13:8), it was with Abram that God's plan began to take shape. In lesson 1 we saw how God called Abram to move to Canaan and promised to make of Abram a great nation. He also promised to give Abram's descendants the land of Canaan. When we come to this week's lesson, we find that while Abram obeyed God, time had passed, and Abram was wondering whether he and Sarai would ever have a child. God had promised to make Abram a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3). He promised to give his descendants the land of Canaan (vs. 7). God repeated His promise to give forever to Abram and his descendants all the land he could see (13:14-15). He promised that Abram's descendants would be as numerous and uncountable as the dust of the earth (vs. 16). When we come to this week's lesson, we find God reaffirming His promises by making an unchangeable covenant with Abram.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
(Romans 4:21) being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
(Ps 18:1-3) 1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
(Job 1:8-10) 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
(Ps 28:6-8) 6 Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
(Rom 8:31) What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
(2 Pet 3:9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(Titus 1:2) a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
(2 Cor. 1:20) For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
(Job 38:1-4) 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Can you believe what some people believe these days? Thousands of "hot-line" subscribers swallow the prognostications of so-called "psychics" every day. And what about the untold numbers who fall prey to the con man? Promising something "too good to be true," he swindles otherwise sensible people out of millions every year. It's incredible that intelligent human beings could be so naive and gullible. Abram seems to have wondered whether he had chosen to believe something that was "too good to be true." He was an elderly man and concerned that God's promise of an heir was quickly leaving the realm of possibility. Yet God insisted that Abram would have an heir "from your own body" (Genesis 15:4). And despite all the probabilities to the contrary, Abram "believed the Lord" (v. 6). Now that is truly incredible — or is it? We can believe that Abram believed because he trusted the same God whom we trust. We believe the record of Genesis because we regard the Bible as the inspired Word of God — totally true. And we believe in miracles because we know that our God can do exceedingly more than we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). — RWB (from NIV Standard Lesson Commentary)
(John 3:9-12) 9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
(1 John 2:24-26) See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us--even eternal life. 26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
(2 Peter 1:3-4) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
0 All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. 11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? 7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. 8 O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
13 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
13 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River
40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
28 Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!" 29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."
6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
33 but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. 34 I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness — and I will not lie to David — 36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. 44 But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name.
6 "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
Any special privilege that God’s chosen people experienced in Old Testament times was to serve the greater good of the human race in preparation for Jesus’ arrival. God’s people were not protected and treasured for their own sake, but for the sake of the nations, so they may become a blessing to all nations. Yet sometimes being a blessing meant that God’s chosen people had to suffer. The Israelites had to suffer in Egypt, the prophets had to suffer at the hands of the wicked, and God’s only Son had to suffer and die on the cross. In light of this bigger biblical picture, all notions of a God who “plays favorites” so that only this or that people group experiences pain and judgment should be dismissed. Followers of Christ are especially aware of this. When Christ bids us to follow him, he first bids us to take up our cross (Luke 9:23). This includes suffering in various ways, but it is the kind of suffering that pales in light of the eternal joy set before us in Christ.
This week's text highlights the faith and resulting justification of Abram (Abraham). We might be prone to see such faith as ordinary. But consider the background details Stephen gave us before he was stoned to death: "Men, brethren and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran" (Acts 7:2). We can add to Stephen's comments the statement in Joshua 24:2 that Abraham's father, Terah, served other gods. Abraham was raised in a family that worshiped idols, but "the God of glory appeared" (Acts 7:2) to him. We do not know exactly what this means, but Abraham continued to respond to God's direction, even going to a land he knew nothing about. That, in and of itself, required a lot of faith. But God also told Abraham that he would be the father of a multitude. This was a problem. Sarah, Abraham's wife, was unable to have children. Abraham tried to explain this to God, saying, "Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir" (Gen. 15:2-3). Then God took Abraham to His school of nature and pointed out at stars. No light pollution dimmed Abraham's view of the celestial extravaganza. As Abraham looked at the stars, God assured him that his descendants would be just as numerous. Abraham believed it. Too many assume that faith is little more than a leap in the dark. Biblical faith can never be described in that way. "A leap in the dark" might seem to describe Abraham's faith, but we must observe that he was not trusting in what he knew about himself; he was trusting the God of glory. Abraham stands as a reminder to each of us that trusting ourselves is futile. God proved that to His servant when He confirmed the covenant with him. Making a contract in Abraham's culture was called "cutting the covenant." The tradition usually involved killing animals, cutting them up, and putting the parts on both sides of a path. Those who were making the contract would pass through the animal parts as they recited their part in keeping the terms of the deal. The animal parts would be a stark reminder of what might happen to the person who did not keep his part of the contract. Read the details of God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, and you will note that God put Abraham to sleep. Only God passed through the pieces of the slain animal. The meaning is significant: the covenant God made with Abraham was unconditional. It would be based on God's faithfulness, not Abraham's. Abraham's part in the covenant was to simply take God at His word. What a reminder that is to us! We must take God at His Word; that is what faith is all about. Faith is vital to the relationship we have with God. That is why the author of Hebrews warned, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (11:6). Let Abraham be your encouragement when you face life. Trust God, not yourself.
1. Obedient believers can expect God's reward (Gen. 15:1)
2. Questions can either demonstrate our doubt or demonstrate our faith (vs. 2-3)
3. God answers every question that we truly need an answer to (Gen. 15:4-5; cf. Deut. 29:29)
4. God recognizes true faith and always rewards it (Gen. 15:6; cf. Heb. 11:6)
5. God always keeps His promises, but those promises do not preclude trials and tribulations (Gen. 15:12-14)
6. The covenant-keeping God rules over all of history (Gen. 15:15-18; cf. Ps. 103:19)
After Abram saved his nephew Lot from his captors (chap. 14), the Lord appeared to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not" (15:1). God's response to Abram's fear was to assure him that He was his "shield" and "reward." He would protect His servant and bless him with the fulfillment of all the covenant promises. But what was Abram fearful of? Genesis 15:2-3 tells us. Though the Lord had promised to make of him a great nation (12:2), Abram remained childless. It seemed impossible, given his age and Sarai's barrenness, that he could have a physical heir. It seemed the only heir he could have was his servant Eliezer. Like many of us, Abram let his own human limitations cause him to doubt God. God told Abram that his heir would be his physical son. God made it clear that the great nation that would come from Abram would come forth from his own son. The Lord told Abram to look up and count the stars if he was able, for his descendants would be as numerous as the stars above.
Abram understood the physical barriers to the fulfillment of God's promise, but he still "believed in the Lord." He believed the Lord's word despite circumstances that appeared to flatly contradict it. He did not understand everything, but still he believed the Lord. The Lord "counted" Abram's belief "to him for righteousness." "Righteousness" refers to a right standing before God. The Lord declared Abram righteous, or justified, solely on the basis of his faith in the Lord. Although this declaration is set in the context of the promised heir, it is surely a summary statement of Abram's life of faith. As such it is a clear declaration that righteousness before God is by faith alone (Rom. 4-5).
When God spoke again about the promise of the land (vs. 7), Abram sought reassurance (vs. 8). His faith was growing, but it was not yet mature. In response, the Lord told Abram to prepare for a covenant ceremony by killing animals and cutting them in two (vss. 9-10). When the two parties to a covenant walked between the pieces of the animals and through their blood, it signified that one who violated the covenant would suffer the same fate as the animals. God brought a deep sleep upon Abram and then told him that his descendants would suffer four hundred years of slavery in a foreign land before the Lord delivered them. This looks ahead to Israel's slavery in and exodus from Egypt. Abram, however, would die in peace long before this ever happened. After their years of slavery, his descendants would return to the Promised Land, and those who inhabited the land would be expelled. The smoking furnace and burning torch represented God passing between the animals. Normally, both parties to a covenant walked between the animals, but the fulfillment of this covenant did not depend on the faithfulness of Abram and his descendants. It rested solely on God's faithfulness. The Lord then officially established the covenant. God alone is able to keep the promises He has made in His Word, and we can be sure He will.