Friday Devo
Scripture:
Genesis 12:7-9
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.
Commentary:
12:7 the Lord appeared. This is the first of a number of manifestations of God to the patriarchs. These are often associated with divine promises. On this occasion God promises the land to the descendants of Abram, although he is still childless. In response, Abram builds an altar to the Lord. A number of altars are constructed by the patriarchs at different locations (see 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 33:20; 35:7). They are a common feature of the patriarchal period because no central sanctuary existed before the exodus from Egypt. Before the construction of the tabernacle, God was not perceived as ordinarily dwelling on the earth. These altars are places where God may be encountered in worship (Ex. 20:24).
12:7 God’s promise has a short-range fulfillment when the nation of Israel conquers Canaan under Joshua (Josh. 21:43; see 1 Kings 4:21). Ultimately the offspring narrows down to Christ (Gal. 3:16), whose dominion extends not only over the land of Canaan but over all the world (Matt. 28:18). The land of Canaan prefigures the eternal inheritance of the world in Christ (Heb. 4:1–11; 11:10, 13–16). In Christ believers are the offspring of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29).
12:8 From Shechem, Abram migrates southward to a location between Bethel and Ai, before going much farther in the direction of Egypt. (Excavations at the site of Beitan, which is probably to be identified as biblical Bethel, have revealed a flourishing Canaanite city during the patriarchal period of the Middle Bronze Age [c. 2000–1500 b.c.]. The city contained four well-fortified gate complexes with a massive fortification wall [about 11.5 feet/3.5 m thick]. A large Canaanite sanctuary has been discovered immediately inside the city wall.)
12:7 God’s promise has a short-range fulfillment when the nation of Israel conquers Canaan under Joshua (Josh. 21:43; see 1 Kings 4:21). Ultimately the offspring narrows down to Christ (Gal. 3:16), whose dominion extends not only over the land of Canaan but over all the world (Matt. 28:18). The land of Canaan prefigures the eternal inheritance of the world in Christ (Heb. 4:1–11; 11:10, 13–16). In Christ believers are the offspring of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29).
12:8 From Shechem, Abram migrates southward to a location between Bethel and Ai, before going much farther in the direction of Egypt. (Excavations at the site of Beitan, which is probably to be identified as biblical Bethel, have revealed a flourishing Canaanite city during the patriarchal period of the Middle Bronze Age [c. 2000–1500 b.c.]. The city contained four well-fortified gate complexes with a massive fortification wall [about 11.5 feet/3.5 m thick]. A large Canaanite sanctuary has been discovered immediately inside the city wall.)
Questions:
- One challenge that we can pull from Abraham’s call is, “Coming IN to your calling means coming OUT of your comfort zone.” Rarely do we grow in our faith when we are comfortable. Being in a safe place, where you feel like you have everything under control, doesn't really require a lot of trust in God. Is there a situation in your life right now that might require you to sacrifice your comfort in order to be obedient to God? Do you truly feel you are willing to put everything on the table and say YES to him if he leads you to something more?
- John Calvin summarized Abraham's call this way: "Just close your eyes and take my hand." Many of us want to see the end of the story before we commit to totally surrendering to God and going His way. We want to know exactly where He'll take us. We want to follow God without getting out of the driver's seat of our lives. But that's not how it works. We demand to know the "what" when all that matters is the "who". Might this describe YOUR life? Are there fears of what you might lose or miss out on if you fully submit to Him? On the flip side, what might you miss out on if you don't?
Pray:
- That you would put your yes on the table.
- That you would let permanently let God into the driver's seat of your life, come what may.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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