Overview of: GenesisToday's Reading:
Gen. 11:1 - 12:20
"Babel and Abraham"
Focus Verses: Gen. 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. 2 "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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Insight:
In the story of the Tower of Babel we saw the human tendency to band together for safety, power, and self-preservation. God called Abram to act against this natural tendency--to do something new, go to a place he doesn't know, put himself at risk, and trust God to protect and bless. God promised to show Abram where to go, to bless him, to turn his descendants into a great nation, and ultimately to bless "all peoples on earth" through him.
The road of faith was bumpy for Abram, there were many unknowns and fearful encounters with powerful people. Abram, like all of us, struggled to learn how much God can be trusted to keep his promises. When Abram looked to himself for safety, God's promise was in jeopardy (it's difficult to be a father of a great nation if your wife is given to someone else). When God intervened to protect Abram and Sarai, the path to God's promise for Abram was restored.
Abram fumbled along the way as he learned to trust, but God was faithful through the stumbles and falls. Abram had true faith in God, so God was faithful to help him learn to live out his faith.
Response and Action:
God calls me to trust and follow him. His blessing in my life is part of his larger plan to bless all people. His way may not be the safest or most comfortable, but it is the way of faith and promise. When I take my life and safety into my own hands, I am in danger of losing God's plan and promises. If I trust and obey him with my whole heart, his blessing and destiny for me is secure. Even if I stumble, God will be faithful to help me learn to live out my faith.
O Lord, thank you for the love, promise, and blessing you have for me. Teach me to follow you and to live for you in faith. When I stumble, pick me up and deepen my trust. Make my path straight as I acknowledge you in every day and in every way. As I answer your call and walk in your ways, us my life to bless others around me. Amen.
Proverb for Today: Prov. 19:21
"Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
New Testament for Today: Romans 4:16
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
In Context: Romans 4:16-25
Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman
