Focal Passage: Genesis 12:1-3, 15:5-7, 17:7-11
God’s promises in Scripture always point to the covenants He has made with His people.
The last two lessons saw God’s mandate for humanity to be fruitful, replenish and steward the earth. This week’s lesson focuses on the covenant of redemption and blessing founded in God’s calling and promises to Abram. Through the Lord’s interaction with the patriarch we learn that blessing is not something earned but is a gift of God’s grace.
God’s promise to us of blessing began with a call to Abram. Out of nowhere God called Abram. Abram’s father had taken his family from Ur and traveled as far as Haran. Terah intended to carry on to Canaan, but he ended up settling in Haran and died there.
Rather, it was God Himself who called Abram to continue to “the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). At first glance this calling seems to relate solely to Abram and his kindred. Yet, this eternal promise lives on to impact all of us through the last phrase of the blessing. God said to Abram, “and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (v. 3) This blessing is God’s intention to redeem lost humanity through the lineage of Abraham, the people of Israel. Jesus, moreover, fulfilled the blessing of Abraham in the New Covenant through His shed blood on the cross. This promise to an old man in a foreign land in the first book of the Bible rings forth through the millennia to find fulfillment in you and me as we trust in Jesus as Lord.
Moore
God’s promises call for us to take Him at His word. In Genesis 15 as God blessed Abram with the promise of reward, Abram questioned God’s faithfulness in giving him an heir. At this point, Abram’s heir was Eliezer of Damascus, a servant. The Lord doubled down on His promise, confirming to Abram that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. When Abram heard the Lord’s assuring words, he believed Him at His word. Here is the amazing effect … God “credited it to him as righteousness” (v. 6).
Blessing is not earned. Blessing is not inherited. Blessing is only available by the grace of God and is accessed by faith alone. This remains true today. The blessings of God are readily at hand; we simply need to claim them by faith. Those blessings are not merely material in nature, but are still filled with abundance and fulfillment. All the blessings of God are tied to His redemptive plan of grace and salvation. Have the faith to call upon the name of the Lord.
God calls His people to be distinct. The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham, making him the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). God confirmed His covenant with Abraham by giving circumcision as the sign of the covenant. This marked Abraham’s descendants as a distinct people.
What is the sign of the New Covenant for God’s people today? The New Testament is clear that when believers are saved, we are filled with the Holy Spirit as the confirming sign of redemption. The Spirit transforms us into the likeness of Christ through the process of sanctification. Through the Spirit we are called to be a distinct people from the world, living a life that is pleasing to God. B&R