Abraham and Sarah - SUMITES in the Bible - Summer Bible Study
August 06, 2020
Today I want to talk about Abraham and Sarah. Before God changed their name, they were known as Abram and Sarai. It was to Abram that God spoke of some amazing promises. Let's take a look shall we?
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)- - - - - - -
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [a]your exceedingly great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I [b]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[c] 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.” 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. (Genesis 15:1-6)
I want to highlight a couple of things here. In Genesis 12, these promises are very broad. I think of it as an eagle eye view. "Look at the big picture with Me. Look what I have to bestow upon you." What a good good Father! Showing His hand of mercy and favor over Abram. There is a lot of content that happens in between Genesis 12 and Genesis 15. Unfortunately I don't have the ability to go in depth into it. However, we see Abram inquiring of God.
This is where I often feel that I am with the Lord. God gives a promise. He speaks His plans for my destiny. I am encouraged. Life happens. I begin to wonder if I heard correctly. Don't you think this is where Abram was coming from as well? I am sure that he had much more time for contemplation and thought. BUT God! He steps in and calms Abram's wondering. I love that the Lord accounted Abram's belief for righteousness.
Notice in both of these conversations, Sarai is no where to be found. I wonder if Abram spoke to her of these things. In Chapter 16 we see the story pick up with Sarai hatching a plan. "I cannot have children, maybe I can bear a child through my maidservant." Here is where I interject a hard earned lesson. God's plan without God's timing is no longer God's will.
How many times have I heard a word from the Lord and taken things into my own hands? It is hard enough when we are left to our own devices. It is even harder when we don't necessarily have our spouses to discuss the "God things."
We know the story. Abram does what his wife asks. They get the result they wanted; however, this causes turmoil in the family. Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born. It was thirteen more years when God had another "promise" conversation with him. I won't post it all here but take a chance to read Genesis 17. Think of this as the microscopic view.
Notice in Genesis 17:19 what God says, "19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him." It was always God's intention to fulfill these great promises through not only Abraham but also Sarah. It is their partnership - their covenant marriage - that brings about the promise. And what a beautiful promise it is! Through their union, the next generation with bring these plans of God to fruition.
Think about the promises that God has given you. How amazing to think that the promise doesn't stop with you. I mean I am blown away when I realize how much God is a generational God! It isn't simply about me. It truly is great to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I love the Lord! But, my destiny goes far beyond my own one on one interaction with Him. The same goes for you. I want to wrap up with one of our key verses in the SUM community
"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." - 1 Corinthians 7:14
Take a look at the promises that God has given you. In what ways do you see God speaking those promises through you for your children, grandchildren, the next generations? We will not be around forever. These next generations are the future of our nations. How can we build them up and encourage and spur them on?
See you in the comments!