A PROMISE OF LAND

 

 

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

EXPLAIN the significance of God's covenant with Abraham; TRUST God to keep His promise; and TELL others about the inheritance God promises to give His people.

 

FOCAL VERSES Genesis 15:7-21

KEEP IN MIND

"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18).

 

AT-A-GLANCE

1. Abram's Uncertainty (Genesis 15:7-11)

2. God's Promise (vv. 12-16)

3. God's Covenant Confirmed (vv. 17-21)

 

IN FOCUS STORY

Mariam never doubted that her parents would always be there for her. As a child, she knew her parents were not rich or even extremely well off, but her family life was centered on the church and their love. When her father suffered several strokes, things began to change. The paycheck the family had come to depend on was replaced by disability check. Her mother had always worked, but now she also worked part time at a friend's company. To help, Mariam also worked a second job. Through it all, her father's health was failing, but his spirit was high. God has something for us that we can never imagine," he would say.

One day, Mariam came home to find both her parents in tears. A letter had come from her uncle in Mississippi. It seemed that the patch of land her grandmother had owned was found to contain a rich ore. Her father's older brother lived there, but never suspected the land was worth much. Now a company was willing to mine the land and pay a tremendous sum to the owners. Her father's brother had written to say that their two families would now get well over two million dollars each. As she joined her parents in crying, Mariam heard her father say, "I told you we could never imagine."

All believers will receive an inheritance from God. In today's lesson, we will examine the inheritance God promised Abraham and Sarah.

 

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIMES

ABRAM. Abram grew up in the Euphrates River town Ur, in what is now southern Iraq. For unknown reasons, his father, Terah, decided to move his entire extended family to Canaan (Genesis 11:31). Terah stopped halfway to Canaan. He settled some six hundred miles upriver in the busy caravan town of Haran, of Turkey's side of the border with Syria. After Terah died, God told Abram to finish the trip to Canaan (12:1-3). God also promised to make him into a great nation, even though he and Sari had no children. Abram obeyed God and moved his family and herds southward to Canaan, an area now known as Israel (12:4-5).

 

 

 

CANAAN. A name of the country west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and between those waters and the Mediterranean. The name means "belonging to the land of the red purple." It was a land in which the Canaanites and Phoenician traders trafficked in red-purple dye obtained from the spiny warm-water shellfish called murex on the Mediterranean coast. The land is now known as Palestine. The Canaanites engaged in nature worship and had prostituted goddesses and many other gods. The land was given by God to Abram and the Children of Israel (12:7; Exodus 6:4).

 

BACKGROUND

Abram was a descendant of Shem, Noah's son. His father, Terah, moved the family from Ur to Haran, which was near Canaan. Terah never completed the journey to Canaan. God directed Abram at seventy-five years old to pack up and move his family, servants, and possessions to Canaan (12:1-5). He promised to grow Abram's family and make them a great nation. By faith, Abram obeyed God and traveled to Canaan. God appeared to Abram in Canaan and promised to give the land to his offspring (12:7). His wife, Sarai, was sixty-six years old at this time.

A severe famine in the land caused Abram to take his family to Egypt to live for a while, He made Sarai lie and tell the Egyptians she was his sister (12:10-13). Abram feared they would see how beautiful she was and kill him to keep her there for Pharaoh. They were treated very kindly and given animals and servants by Pharaoh. Later, serious diseases afflicted Pharaoh and his household because of the lie Sarai and Abram told (12:17-20). Pharaoh sent them out of Egypt. Abram was more wealthy than when he came to Egypt.

Both Abram and his nephew, Lot, had acquired many livestock. The lank in Canaan could not sustain both their livestock and possessions. to avoid conflict among the herders, Abram let Lot choose land to live on. Lot chose to live near the wicked city of Sodom because it had good pasture and dependable water supply. After lot departed, and innumerable offspring (13:14-17). Abram moved his family and possessions to Hebron.

A war broke out amongst the kings in the area, including the king of Sodom-he would eventually flee and retreat (14:8-10). All the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah were seized, along with Lot. Abram assembled 318 trained men and went to rescue Lot (14:14-16). Abram rescued Lot and the other captives. He also recovered all their goods and possessions.

 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. What did God promise Abram and his descendants (Genesis 15:7, 16)?

2. What id Abram ask God (v. 8)? What was God's response (v. 9)?

3. How did God ratify the covenant He made with Abram (v.17)?

 

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. Abram wanted proof or assurance from God that His promise would be fulfilled. Why is it so difficult to trust God's promises without having proof?

2. According to verse 9, when God told Abram what to do, Abram followed God's directions. Had God given Abram "proof," or did God build up Abram's faith?

3. In the In Focus story, Mariam's father believed God even though he had no idea what God would do. Given his circumstances, how do you think he was able to "keep the faith"? What did Mariam's father's faith do for the rest of the family?

 

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

1. We live in a time when few people seem to be trustworthy. Politicians, scientist, and even religious leaders promise things but fail to deliver. Such mistrust has made it difficult for unsaved folks to trust God or the church. As Apostolic people, should we be held to a higher standard than faith traditions that do not profess an indwelling of Holy Ghost? Why?

 

2. When God made His promise to Abram, He gave Abram the task of preparing an offering. What offering do you think God expects of His people today?

 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

God promised an inheritance to those who put their trust in Him. This week, share God's promises with unsaved loved ones so they, too, can one day dwell in that holy city with God.

 

(Except from The Apostolic Light)

 

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