God's Blessing (Genesis 12-22)

In the ancient town of Ur lived an ordinary man named Abram. He and his wife Sarai lived like most people around them. They were probably like everyone else, living in a wealthy port city where the land was luxuriant. Two great rivers met in Ur, and it seems to have become the capital of all the earth. While he was living there, his brother, Haran, died. We aren't told how he died, but his father, Terah, decided to move to the land of Canaan and bring Abram along with him. So, being a patriarchal society, meaning they follow the oldest male. Abram and his wife and nephew set out for Canaan land. While they are on their way, they come to a region called Haran (which is odd since the dead son of Terah was also named that). For some reason, the trip is cut short. They settle down in Haran. While there, Terah died, and God came to Abram, telling him to leave that place and go to a country God would show him.

This is a little bit odd. How many of us would like to leave a comfortable place to travel with all we have to land we don't know? We might consider this a crazy command, but that's not all God told Abram. God gave Abram a sevenfold promise. Before we can understand this promise, we must understand the situation Abram finds himself in. Abram is seventy-five years old. He lost his brother and his father. He is responsible for his nephew. But Abram and his wife Sarai have no children. They have no children in a time when children were a means of survival. Children were the purpose of life in those days. Having many children meant having a strong tribe that could survive. One of the worst things that might happen to you would be an inability to have children. Perhaps most men would give up on their barren wives and look for another. But not Abram. He stuck with her. To make matters even worse, his name is Abram, which means "father." So whenever someone calls his name, they remind him that he is not what he is supposed to be. Overall, Abram's existence appears hopeless and meaningless.

It's a sad story of hopelessness (much like the story of mankind until God speaks to him. God tells him to go to a country he doesn't know, but he also promises him a son. He promises him more than a son. He promises him a nation. Abraham's legacy would extend to the point where millions would owe their lives to him and his existence. God said, "I will make of you a great nation." This is like hitting the jackpot. This is the most important news Abram could have ever received. Many of you may have experienced miscarriage after miscarriage. God telling you you are about to have a baby would be thrilling!

But that's not the extent of God's blessing upon Abram. He goes on to tell him that he will bless him and make his name great so that he will be a blessing. God will bless those who bless him, and those who curse him, God will curse. It sounds like God will be a personal assistant for Abram, providing everything he needs when he needs it. The final part of the promise is that all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him. As far as promises go, I would say that this is probably the number one blessing promise anyone has ever received from anyone. Nothing comes close to this.

Why Him?

Isn't this a sensational story? Don't we all wish that God would come to us and make a promise on the level of this promise? Now let's take a moment and consider why Abram (later called Abraham) received a promise like this. What did God see in him that made him stand out? Part of it must have been his hopeless situation, but has Abram done something to make him worthy of this great blessing? Not that we can tell. The only thing about Abram that stands out in this initial call is his willingness to believe in God and trust him enough to go. This man was willing to pick up his family and move them to a place they had never been before because God said, "I'll bless you more than anyone has ever been blessed." Some might call that gullible, ignorant, crazy, childish, or ridiculous. But this one characteristic of Abram is why he was selected, and we are learning about him today.

Let's have an honest discussion about faith. Many in our society frown upon faith and belief in something we don't see. We are so bold to believe that the only things which exist are the things we can see. Maybe that's not boldness. It's more like foolish pride. Science has made us utterly ignorant of the reality of the spiritual realm. We cannot see emotions or feelings. We cannot see the words we hear or the wind that blows on our faces. We cannot see what is not in our presence. The statement that we have to see it to believe it is ridiculous.

But we all recognize that people are sometimes delusional. What makes Abram believe that this is God and not Satan? I know a man who left his family after dreaming about his wife and children having red eyes. He thought God wanted him to leave his family. He also said God wanted him to carry a wooden cross in the desert out west. So that's what he did. Can I just say, "That's crazy." He was a super nice guy, but that's crazy and pointless. Leaving your family is the opposite of what is good.

‌So how do we balance what Abram did and what my friend did? How does Abram know that this is God talking to him? Was he a little bit childish and foolish at first? Maybe so. If nothing else happened other than what we read in the text, Abraham heard a voice and uprooted his life to follow his instructions. We know Abram made the right decision. Fortunately, he wasn't hindered by this proud and cynical perspective. He is humble enough to admit that something greater than him exists and that God has the power to control everything, including the womb of Sarai. This belief is what made him stand out.

The Tests of Faith

The following few chapters reveal that the faith of Abram will be tested. We don't see Abram stay 100 percent committed to this promise all the time, and we can imagine that when it came time to obey, he had to overcome many obstacles. I will summarize the tests by looking at four areas where Abram was tested.

Sarai

First, I imagine his faith was tested when he told Sarai what God wanted him to do, but we see her faith may have been even greater than Abram's. She went without hearing the voice. Ladies, what would you say if your husband came home claiming we needed to uproot everything and go somewhere out west that we don't even know? More struggle and stress will probably not help the whole having a baby situation. But God promised tremendous blessings, and she believed as well.

Doubts & Fears

Other tests include temptations to leave the land because of famines or better prospects (Sodom and Gomorrah), fears of living among an increasingly evil people (battle with five kings), repeated failures to have a child, and rulers trying to steal your wife. Abram struggles with doubt throughout all of these events. He is not perfect in his faith. On occasion, he would argue with God about the fact that the promises haven't happened yet. But every time, God would come to him and provide him with the comfort he needed to press on with faith. One time, he could tell that Abram was scared. God had helped him conquer five kings to save his nephew, Lot. But now, nothing was stopping those enemies from retaliating. God comes to him and says, "Do not fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." Abram argues with God, saying, "I still don't have a son!" So God takes him out and shows him the stars. He says, "As innumerable as the stars are that I've created, so shall your offspring be."

Even though Abram showed extreme faith, he experienced periods of doubt. So God came beside him and comforted him. He reinforced the truth about his promises. God does not leave him without evidence. The stars prove that God can do whatever he says he will do. So Abram pressed on, convinced that God would do what he promised. He pursued what was righteous and good. He would often show tremendous compassion and grace toward people around him. He never let the doubts and fears consume him and turn him away from God.

Waiting

Then, he stumbled again. After waiting over ten years for God to fulfill his promise, Sarai convinced Abram to have a son through her handmade. So they try to fulfill God's promise for him, but that's not what God had in mind. Twenty-five years after the promise, when Abram was 100 years old, God gave him and Sarai Isaac. He did what was impossible. God rewarded Abram's faith. He also changed his name from Abram to Abraham, the father of many nations.

Limits

There is one more event. After Isaac grows up a little bit, God tells Abraham to take Isaac up to a mountain to offer him as a burnt offering to God. God is providing Abraham with one more test. He calls for him to do something that is totally opposed to everything he wants to do. He's waited a long time for this son, and the last thing he wants to do is kill him. But at this point, God has delivered on an impossible promise. Isaac is the proof that God is speaking to him and that he can do the impossible. But still, God wants Abraham to kill his son whom he loves. Abraham woke up early the following day without hesitation and took his son where God commanded him to do what he wanted. Abraham doesn't consider Isaac to be more valuable than God. God prevented Abraham from killing Isaac, but he was utterly willing to do that if God called him.

The Gospel

Our goal in studying this is to open our eyes to the truth of the gospel. The story of Abram or Abraham is a critical piece of the gospel in the Old Testament. We might even say that the gospel begins with Abraham. The promises made to Abraham are connected with the gospel promises we enjoy. When we see Abraham receive his baby boy Isaac, we see the start of salvation's story. Through Abraham's offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

There is more to this story. As the impossible becomes possible for an older barren woman and her husband, we see the impossible become possible for a virgin girl and her betrothed. God creates a baby inside the womb of Abraham's descendant that will be God in human form. This child becomes Jesus, the Son of God, who will be sacrificed on the cross so that everyone who believes in him can receive the blessing promised to Abraham. God knew what he was going to do from the beginning.

Now, Abraham's faith in God has become a model for all of mankind. Everyone who trusts that God has provided a spotless human as our sacrifice can receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in a city whose designer and builder is God. Does this sound too good to be true to you? Does believing this makes you crazy, ignorant, childish, or ridiculous? Perhaps it does in the eyes of the world around us, but God doesn't leave us without evidence. Look at how salvation has been orchestrated and revealed in the Bible, and believe God can orchestrate bringing you to heaven. He can do what he says he will do.

Your Faith Will Be Tested

As we study Abraham's life, I hope we feel connected to him like never before. Abraham's story is supposed to be completely relatable. Faith is a rollercoaster. There are periods of complete faith and conviction and periods of struggle. If you haven't faced obstacles, trials, temptations, fears, and doubts and have grown tired of waiting, your faith is more childish and immature. It's good, don't get me wrong. But we must walk through the fire to be unshakable and steadfast in our faith.

In those periods of struggle, we must pursue God's encouragement and strength. We must examine the evidence and proofs again to remind ourselves that this is real. Jesus is real. As crazy as it sounds that God would sacrifice his son for us to be forgiven, we are not delusional. No human can create and fulfill the plan of salvation God has created and fulfilled over thousands of years. No human can fulfill every prophecy in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Jesus died and was resurrected. Believe that and believe it stronger each time you hear it. All the eyewitnesses back this up. Answered prayers back this up. My transformation and the transformation of my brethren back this up. God is real, and he is working in his church to exalt his name.

Conclusion

If you feel like Abraham, waiting for God to bless you, hear the promise of God to those who follow the footsteps of Abraham. Fear not. I am your shield; Your reward shall be very great."

Galatians 3:7--9 (ESV) --- 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:25--29 (ESV) --- 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Are you the offspring of Abraham? Have you believed in the salvation God offers, and are you willing to submit to him with the faith of Abraham?