Road to Revelation: Genesis - Abraham

 Genesis 12-25

Noah’s son Shem had many descendants and one of them was Abram (renamed Abraham).  Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of God’s people.  A people chosen to be a light among the nations, to be the ones to show the other nations the truth about God and remember His promises to the world.

God gave Abraham three promises:

· that he will have many descendants which will become a great nation (ch 12:2)

· That all the families on earth will be blessed through his family (ch 12:3)

· And that he (his family/people) will inherit the promised land (ch. 12:7)

Abraham believed God’s promises even though he had doubts and plenty of sin (ch. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16).  Key Verse: chapter 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness:

Extra Reading:  Through his faith Abraham became our spiritual father.  Meaning that we are spiritual descendants of Abraham because we also believe God’s promises to us and that is credited to us as righteousness [through Christ].  See Romans ch. 4. and sing “Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had Father Abraham, I am one of them, and so are you…”

Takeaway:  Although he was sinful Abraham clung to God’s promises to him.  He did not see them come to pass but believed anyway (see Hebrews 11).  Our sin does not delete God’s promises; they stand firm and will come to pass despite our sin.

Finally God gave Abraham and Sarah their promised son, Isaac.  And then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him!  Whaat!  But at the ninth hour a substitute [lamb] was provided and the family of God was safe again.  Key Verse: Genesis 22:16-18)  This story is a foreshadowing of the death of the only son who was a substitute for us and in doing so blessed the nations [Jesus].  It also sets up the substitute system which will form the base of the laws given to Moses and sets Abraham’s descendants apart from the other nations who do sacrifice their children to their gods. 

Extra Reading: 1 Peter 1:18-20 reveals that the perfect substitute was Jesus, he was the perfect lamb who took away our sin in our place!  Abraham had faith that God would keep his promises to him and raise Isaac from the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Takeaway: God kept his promises to Abraham, to give him a son who would provide him with descendants, and that son pointed to a greater son/descendant/offspring to come.  Abraham would not be saved by sacrificing his son but by the sacrifice of another.