Day 1 of Week 1 The Patriarchs

Can you believe it? I am so excited to be starting on our second Bible study!!! Who would have thought a few short months ago that we could come this far together? I just stand in awe of our Lord and Savior for all He is carrying me through and the bond that He is creating between all of us! Oh, I just love Him and this amazing thing that is happening in His name!! My specific prayer to God each day is that He will just bind these cancer cells in my body and destroy them by their roots so that they will never come on my body again! I believe with all of my heart that He is capable and willing to do this for me, and His Word promises me so many beautiful things. It promises that whatever is bound on earth will be bound in Heaven, and that just as the snow and rain do not return to the heavens without first watering the earth, neither will His Word leave His mouth without fulfilling its purpose. His word will not return void. So, stand with me believing that I am a miracle of God. In fifty years when Brian and I are struggling to walk and hold hands at the same time, everyone will still hear my testimony of what God did for me out of His goodness!!!

What do you say we get started on this new journey with God?

Day One - The Call of Abram

Genesis 12: 1

"The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

Please note the spelling of "LORD" in this verse is with all capital letters. As we pointed out previously, this stands for the covenant God which describes His relationship with Abram.
In this day of study, we get to know a little about the life of Abram before he was asked by God to leave his home. We find out that he is a "city boy" living in a bustling harbor town nestled on the Euphrates. The population of Ur was about 200,000 at this time, and the people there worshipped many gods. Their main god was nana, the sun god. They were deeply tied to their families, and ate together much more often that our modern day families. They ate together, lived together, worshipped together and took care of each other. We must point out that Abram was 75 years old when he was approached by God. Although he was really only in his prime, Beth wants us to consider what it must have been like to be surrounded by your family who wonders why you have no children at this point in your life. She suggests that Abram must have struggled with how his father, Terah, felt about his manhood. Abram had two brothers, Haran and Nahor. Haran died before they departed from Ur which is proven in the following scripture:

Genesis 11: 27 - 28, "Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father, Terah, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans."

So, Abram has been marked by the death of his brother, Haran. He is part of a deeply religious family. However, scholars suggest that Abram did not participate in the worship of gods. Some scholars believe that this is why God chose Abram because he was set apart from day one. However, most believe God simply chose Abram from his own sovereignty. Isaiah 51: 1 -2 implies this.

Question from Beth
We might think Abram's family kenw better than to worship false gods, but what does Joshua 24: 2 say about the old family practice?

"Joshua said to all the people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the river and worshipped other gods."

We realize that Terah's family was devoted to the worship of these gods because the names Terah, Sarai, Laban and Harah were each named after the moon god.

Read Genesis 12: 1 - 9
What two verbal commands did God issue to Abram? (verse 1)
Answer: To leave and go

How does Acts 7: 2 recap the encounter?
"To this he replied: 'Brothers, and fathers listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran."
When God appeared to Abraham, monotheism was born in an idolatrous culture. Beth wants us to question why Abram didn't simply add God to the list of other gods that his family worshipped. Her reply to this is simply that once you encounter the glory of God there is no worshipping other Gods!!!! Can I hear and "Amen"!

Question:
Why should we be interested in God's promises to Abraham (Galatians 3: 6 - 9)?
"Consider Abraham: 'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' "

Wow! My interpretation of these verses may not be as accurate as it should be, but here goes. Abraham was justified by God because of his faith. That was the foundation of their relationship. He was considered righteous because of the faith that he had. Scripture new that it would take faith for Gentiles to be saved under the blood of Jesus Christ. Since, Abraham was willing to create this relationship of faith, God made a covenant with him to bless all nations through him. This covenant covered the Gentiles because we are the offspring of Abraham by our faith. Abraham is the reason that we are allowed to be children of God by our faith.

List the promises God made to Abraham and circle the "I will" phrases
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.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12: 2 - 3
God's purpose in blessing one is to bless many. This goes back to the Book of James where James commands us to bless those around us and take care of the widows and orphans. If you have been blessed by God, give your blessings to others...no matter how big or small. You can sing to someone, pray for someone, use your handy talents to build something or fix something, use the clothes in your closet to bless or give financially. We still have not heard from anyone about helping with the automobile for the single mom in my clinic. I am praying for God to reveal how He wants us to bless her, and I know the answer will come. Please pray with me about this!!!
Question:

Hebrews 11: 8 impresses me even more. Where did Abram think he was going?
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

Genesis 11: 31 and 12: 5 could lead us to believe that Abram's call came to Haran, but Acts 7: 2 - 4 clarifies the matter. What was the sequence of travel?

Acts 7: 2-4
"To this he replied: 'Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where your are now living."
When you read Acts 7:4, you no doubt noticed that Abram and his family settled in Haran for a while. Now knowing why allows us to imagine. Why do you think they may have settled short of their destination, not departing until Terah died?

Possibly because his father opposed traveling any further. He was head of their family, and he did not have the command directly from God. So he possibly demanded to stay in Haran. Maybe he was even too old and feeble to travel.

Where were Abram, Sarai and Lot when they arrived in the land God announced He would give to
Abram's offspring? (Gen. 12: 6 -7)

Great tree of Moreh at Shechem
What did Abram do after God said He would give the land to Abram's offspring?
He built an altar to the Lord

This concludes day one of this week's study! Don't you love learning all this great information about Abraham. You know, before, I often caught myself focusing on the flaws of Abraham. I don't know why I did it. I guess it made him feel more real to me...like someone I could associate with. Today's lesson made me feel so guilty of that perspective. I now appreciate the great step Abram took in faith to follow God. If he had not made the choice to follow God, I would not be covered under God's covenant with him. So, I prayed to God to forgive me of this weak minded perception and help me to fall in love with this man of God. I praise God for His Word that teaches me so many new things each day. Please remember that the knowledge in today's study is from the Word of God and Beth. So, do not give me any of the credit. Just read and enjoy!

Love ya
Tiffany