Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Commentary:
12:1 God’s invitation to Abram challenges him to abandon the normal sources of personal identity and security: his family and country. To obey, Abram must trust God implicitly; all human support is largely removed. The promised outcomes are conditional on Abram’s obedience. said. In Acts 7:2–3, Stephen has God calling Abram before he lived in Haran; the ESV footnote, “had said,” shows that the grammar allows for this reading.
12:1 God will give Abram a great name, in contrast to the self-exalting desire in Babel (11:4). The choice of Abram narrows down the line of the offspring of the woman (3:15) to Abram’s offspring. Ultimately, Abraham is great as a progenitor of Christ (Rom. 9:5).
12:2 God’s purpose for Abram, that he become a great nation, stands in obvious tension with Sarai’s barrenness and the summons to leave his homeland. Abram is challenged by God to establish a new humanity. make your name great. This was the failed aspiration of the tower builders (11:4).
12:2 God’s promise is reiterated and expanded as time passes (13:14–17; 15:4–5; 17:1–14; 18:18; 22:16–18; 26:2–5; 28:13–15; 35:10–12).
12:3 Although Abram is called to be a blessing to others, much rests on how they treat him. Those who are positive toward Abram will experience God’s favor; the one who despises Abram will know God’s displeasure. The text speaks of those who bless (plural) but of him who dishonors (singular), emphasizing that many more will be blessed than cursed. Indeed, such will be the influence of Abram that all the families of the earth shall be blessed in him. This promise is later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob (see 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). in you. This may simply indicate “by means of you,” but it is more likely that this expression is designating Abram as the covenantal representative for a people. To be “in” some person, then, is to be a member of that people for whom that person is the representative (cf. 2 Sam. 19:43; 20:1). This seems to be the way Paul takes it in Gal. 3:8–9, where “in you” becomes “along with Abraham”; it would also explain the origin of the NT expression “in Christ.”
12:1 God will give Abram a great name, in contrast to the self-exalting desire in Babel (11:4). The choice of Abram narrows down the line of the offspring of the woman (3:15) to Abram’s offspring. Ultimately, Abraham is great as a progenitor of Christ (Rom. 9:5).
12:2 God’s purpose for Abram, that he become a great nation, stands in obvious tension with Sarai’s barrenness and the summons to leave his homeland. Abram is challenged by God to establish a new humanity. make your name great. This was the failed aspiration of the tower builders (11:4).
12:2 God’s promise is reiterated and expanded as time passes (13:14–17; 15:4–5; 17:1–14; 18:18; 22:16–18; 26:2–5; 28:13–15; 35:10–12).
12:3 Although Abram is called to be a blessing to others, much rests on how they treat him. Those who are positive toward Abram will experience God’s favor; the one who despises Abram will know God’s displeasure. The text speaks of those who bless (plural) but of him who dishonors (singular), emphasizing that many more will be blessed than cursed. Indeed, such will be the influence of Abram that all the families of the earth shall be blessed in him. This promise is later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob (see 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). in you. This may simply indicate “by means of you,” but it is more likely that this expression is designating Abram as the covenantal representative for a people. To be “in” some person, then, is to be a member of that people for whom that person is the representative (cf. 2 Sam. 19:43; 20:1). This seems to be the way Paul takes it in Gal. 3:8–9, where “in you” becomes “along with Abraham”; it would also explain the origin of the NT expression “in Christ.”
Questions:
- In Genesis 11, we see most of humanity turning their backs on God. The Tower of Babel symbolized peoples’ rejection of God, their declaration of independence from him, and their choosing to worship idols instead. This was a very dark age. But there was one family line that stayed faithful to God; it’s the line of Shem that eventually leads to Abraham. Can you see the similarities between the people of Abraham's time and today's culture? Would you say those that are faithful to God are in the majority or minority today? Which side are you on?
- In Genesis 12, God promises Abraham that, though he is childless, He will give him many descendants. He will make him the father of a great nation of people who will worship Yahweh. Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes. How would you receive this news? What thoughts might be going through your mind in the face of the impossible? How would you have responded? When was the last time you prayed for the impossible?
Pray:
- That you would be among the faithful in a world that is running from God.
- That you would pray for God to do impossible things in your life.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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