Lesson 9<\/p>\n
First Steps into the Promised Land<\/p>\n
Genesis 12<\/p>\n
Me<\/p>\n
My whole life has been about first steps.\u00a0 Each new stage in life has brought about the need to step out in faith into the unknown.\u00a0 There is one event that has stuck in my mind all of these years.\u00a0 Although it is about my son it pleased me that he had accomplished something new. When he was learning to walk each phase was an adventure for him and for us.\u00a0 For a number of weeks we would hold on the straps of his clothing to give him the confidence to walk.\u00a0 One day we returned home from an errand and put him down.\u00a0 Rather than holding on to him that time I just released my grip on the straps and he took off walking on his own.\u00a0 He walked around and around the house evidently enjoying his new found freedom.\u00a0 The key for him and for me in all of the different situations in which I have found myself is the confidence\/faith to make the first move to take the initial step.\u00a0 Without doing it I would never have accomplished anything in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We-<\/p>\n
Sometimes we in the church become too timid to strike out on a new adventure.\u00a0 There is a word and phrase that describes this mindset.\u00a0 The word is tradition and the phrase is \u201cWe have always done it this way.\u201d\u00a0 That for any person or organization is the most paralyzing attitude that one can have.\u00a0 To strike out on a new path where we have never travelled is called determining God\u2019s vision. This is followed up by then putting into place the pieces that will allow us to accomplish what He has called us to be.\u00a0 It can be an exciting and challenging adventure for any church but the rewards will be great because we know we are carrying out God\u2019s purpose where he has allowed us to serve.<\/p>\n
Over the next several lessons we will walk with someone who was willing to take that first faltering step of faith.\u00a0 We will learn that life is a process and we do not arrive at the doorstep of the future as the complete package.\u00a0 Abraham was just like us.\u00a0 He had to learn by travelling the road of life and finding out what worked and what did not as he tried to please God.<\/p>\n
God-<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:1-3<\/p>\n
As was seen at the end of chapter 11 Abram had begun to respond to the call of God on his life.\u00a0 He and his family had made it as far as Haran in present day Syria called Aram in the Bible. After his father, Terah, died, God began to deal specifically with Abram. There is no way of knowing how he began to hear the voice of God.\u00a0 It is obvious that it made such a strong impact that he was willing to step out on faith and begin the journey to which he was being called to take.<\/p>\n
Whether referencing Ur of the Chaldeans or Haran the message was the same.\u00a0 Abram was to obey God\u2019s command in four ways. He was to:<\/p>\n
God was calling Abram to break all ties with the past.\u00a0 Those commands were a great deal to ask of anyone especially when at that point in the conversation there seemed to be no purpose other than arriving in a place that God wants him to be.<\/p>\n
God was sending him to a place that in truth was no better than the one who he had been told to leave.\u00a0 Remember, that Canaan was inhabited by the ungodly descendants of Ham. The thing not mentioned at that point was that both Ur and Haran were both pagan societies.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:2-3<\/p>\n
God was not finished with the things he had to share with Abram.\u00a0 First, He gave the command and the conditions under which he was to make the journey. Secondly, God laid out for him the benefits to following His instructions.\u00a0 The results of Abram\u2019s obedience were two fold, each of them having three individual characteristics.\u00a0 The first was:<\/p>\n
Following those God said:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:4-6<\/p>\n
Abram partially obeyed God.\u00a0 He took his nephew, Lot, along when he left Haran and made his way into Canaan.\u00a0 He began his journey at the age of seventy-five.\u00a0 Along with Sarai, Lot is mentioned again. Evidently the stay in Haran had been good for Abram because he had acquired not only physical possessions but also a number of people to serve him and his needs.<\/p>\n
His initial travels took him into the heart of Canaan.\u00a0 He set up camp at Shechem which would later play role in the life of his grandson, Jacob.\u00a0 The Bible emphasized that the Canaanites were in living in that area at the time of Abram\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:7<\/p>\n
God only made one promise to Abram at the point in which he arrived at Shechem.\u00a0 He promised that the land where he was would be given to him as a possession. Evidently this was enough for a man who was a nomad.\u00a0 He would have a place where he could settle down and raise a family and take care of his business.\u00a0 Because of the words of God he built an altar there out of gratitude for God\u2019s promise.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:8-9<\/p>\n
For whatever reason, Abram decided not to stay in Shechem to move on to Bethel which was close to Ai.\u00a0 These two cities would also play an important role in the life of Jacob and the Israelites later on.\u00a0 Bethel means the house of God and Ai means a heap of ruins.\u00a0 How prophetic are the names of these two cities. At Bethel Abram built another altar to worship God.\u00a0 It is not known how long he stayed there but once again he found himself on the move going further south into the part of the land known as the Negev.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:10<\/p>\n
Difficulty came into the life of Abram in the form of a famine where he was living in the Negev. Notice he had moved closer and closer to Egypt.\u00a0 He now left the land of Canaan and went into Egypt because of the severity of the famine. In may seem strange, but God may have allowed the famine to test Abram.\u00a0 He had already promised him the land but Abram did not seem to find any satisfaction in that fact, but kept moving from place to place.\u00a0 One of the resources I used said that the enticement of Egypt was strong on Abram.\u00a0 The famine only provided the excuse to actually go there.\u00a0 His action showed a lack of obedience.\u00a0 God had told him to go to the land that He would show him and no further.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:11-13<\/p>\n
If it was bad enough that Abram decided to go into Egypt he compounded his error by asking Sarai to state that she was his sister. In actuality she was his half sister so she was not being asked to tell a lie.\u00a0 He, however, was using his wife for his own self preservation. The reason for this request was because Abram feared that the Egyptians would kill him in order to take his wife from him. How quickly he had forgotten that God had promised to make him the father of a great nation.\u00a0 God would not have made that statement to him if He intended for Abram to die.\u00a0 Abram should never have gone into Egypt in the first place.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:14-16<\/p>\n
Sure enough when Abram and his family went into Egypt those who saw Sarai were very impressed with the beauty of a woman who was over sixty-five years old.\u00a0 They passed the information on to the Pharaoh.\u00a0 He took her into his house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because of his wife, Abram was treated very well because of the way the Egyptians regarded her.\u00a0 His wealth increased as the Egyptians gave him sheep, oxen, donkeys, servants and camels. Everything seemed to be going better than Abram could have dreamed.<\/p>\n
Genesis 12:17-20<\/p>\n
God had other plans for Abram and Sarai. He brought plagues to bear on Pharaoh\u2019s house. Even though Abram seemed to hold his wife in low esteem, God protected her from having relations with the Egyptians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the plagues came upon the Pharaoh and his house he somehow discovered the truth about Sarai and called for Abram to explain.\u00a0 Pharaoh put all the blame on Abram asking him:<\/p>\n
There is no record of whether Abram was allowed to make a defense.\u00a0 In this case discretion was definitely called for because he had none other than self-preservation.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for Abram, Pharaoh gave Sarai back to him.\u00a0 He then commanded him to leave.\u00a0 To make sure that he was gone from the land, Pharaoh had his men escort him away.\u00a0 He was allowed to keep all that Pharaoh and the people had given him even though he had acquired by deception.<\/p>\n
You-<\/p>\n
We-<\/p>\n
We need to remember that we are a work in progress.\u00a0 As Paul said in Romans, \u201cThe good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.\u201d (Romans 7:19)\u00a0 We are all going to walk through this life stumbling at times.\u00a0 The more we put our trust in the Father the fewer times that we will fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our lives are to be such that we take God at His word. Abram forgot the promises of God and caused problems for his family and himself.\u00a0 Surely if God has promised something to us He will never go back on what He has said.\u00a0 We pray that we will continually open our hearts to hear and be obedient to what He desires for us.\u00a0 When we go off the path He has established we know that He will not allow us to remain there but will discipline us for our own good.<\/p>\n
Additional Notes:<\/p>\n
UE-God selected one man out all the people in the world to bless and through whom blessing would ultimately to every generation.\u00a0 He did that when he chose Abraham and sent him on an adventure of a lifetime with only a promise of what was to come.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 12:1-4)<\/p>\n
WM-Abram heard only part of God\u2019s explicit instructions to him.\u00a0 He was told to leave.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
So what did Abram do after hearing the command of God?\u00a0 He took his nephew Lot with him.\u00a0 In essence he negated the opportunity for receiving the blessing God wanted to give him because of his disobedience. (Gen. 12:1-5)<\/p>\n
M-It is difficult enough to proceed with our lives when we know what to expect and everything is clearly mapped out for us.\u00a0 Consider what God asked Abraham to do. \u201cGo forth from your country and from your relatives.\u201d\u00a0 Then came what made it more difficult.\u00a0 He made specific promises to be fulfilled at some future time and place.\u00a0 This meant that Abraham had to put his entire future in the hands of God.\u00a0 Whether the promises He made were to actually occur depended on his obedience to the initial command he received.\u00a0 God told him, \u201cGo forth to the land which I show you;\u201d The promises that He made to Abraham, which were repeated multiple times, were:<\/p>\n
God would go even further in His relationship by telling Abraham that He would:<\/p>\n
(Gen. 12:2-3)<\/p>\n
\u00a0DM-There were certain events in Abraham\u2019s life which were important in his relation- ship with the Father and the future plans God had for him.\u00a0 One of these was the stepping out in faith to leave all with which he was familiar.\u00a0 Although critical this action was the one which truly defined him as a man of God.\u00a0 A part of this calling was the natural curiosity of man for what lies ahead and his adventurous nature.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 12:1-4; Acts 7:3-4; Heb. 11)<\/p>\n
E-The calling out of Abraham was one of only a few instances in the first part of Genesis that was a positive encounter that man had with God.\u00a0 Many of the previous incidents resulted in judgment, Adam and Eve\u2019s sin and subsequent exile; Cain\u2019s punishment; the destruction of all mankind except Noah and his family in the flood and the dispersion of the people from the tower of Babel.\u00a0 Here we see God speaking to Abram and commanding him to leave his home and people and travel to a land in which he will be blessed.\u00a0 This seemed to be the pattern that God used when he approached man and man then experiences God.\u00a0 He then calls man to a task, to serve him and to be totally committed to Him.\u00a0 In this case Abram would not receive the blessing if he remained where he was. God was very specific.\u00a0 Leave homeland and family then the blessing would come. (Gen. 12:1-4)<\/p>\n
Abraham<\/p>\n
Was 75 years old when he left Ur.\u00a0 Although God made the promise that the land of Canaan would be given to him, he never received the inheritance.\u00a0 In his lifetime he was tested and faithful:<\/p>\n
DM-Starts and stumbles characterized Abram\u2019s progress towards truly becoming the man of God through whom the covenant would be realized.<\/p>\n
C-The first move that Abram made was with his father from Ur to Haran.\u00a0 Along with Abram and Sarai, Terah took Lot.\u00a0 Terah died in Haran. (Gen. 11:4-6)<\/p>\n
GC-A Christian is willing to follow God\u2019s leading even if it mean leaving the comfortable and familiar. (Gen. 12:1)<\/p>\n
GC-For a man to take the step that Abram did he must believe the promises of God.\u00a0 (Gen. 12:1-4)<\/p>\n
C-It was in Haran that Abram was given the command to leave his country and relatives.\u00a0 He accomplished part of it.\u00a0 He did leave Haran but he also took Lot with him.\u00a0 At this point in his life he was unable to put his past completely behind him.\u00a0 To have obeyed God at this time would have brought the blessings He had for him earlier than he actually experienced them. (Gen. 12:1-4)<\/p>\n
RT-Although he would never see it, Abraham was given a tremendous responsibility when God called him to be the father of a great nation.\u00a0 One could say what\u2019s the big deal?\u00a0 Abraham\u2019s life story is very important.\u00a0 We must remember that he was called to be faithful to God\u2019s purpose for 110 years.\u00a0 He was first heard the voice of God at the age of 75 and did not have even have the son of promise until he was 100.\u00a0 For many the wait of 25 years or even a month is too much to ask.\u00a0 (Gen. 12:1-4)<\/p>\n
GC-Sometimes God directs us to leave those people and things we hold dear.\u00a0 It may be the ones who love us the most may be the very ones who stifle, muffle or block the blessings that God has for us.\u00a0 When that situation exists we must do as God commands and go to a spiritual country where He is able to fulfill His promises to us.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 12:3)<\/p>\n
RT-Family provided for Abram the security that hindered him from having total dependence on God. (Gen. 12:3)<\/p>\n
C-We each carry too much baggage with us to say that we are actually able to move forward with our lives unencumbered.\u00a0 Just look at what Abram took with him as he made the journey into Canaan:<\/p>\n
Abram had not really left anything behind.\u00a0 He brought all of his worldly possessions with him.\u00a0 How can God truly bless one who holds on to that which is less than God wants to do for him. (Gen. 12:4-5)<\/p>\n
RT-In the early years of his journey the vision God gave to Abram did not result in a consuming passion to serve God.\u00a0 He had chosen Abram and set him on a course that would eventually establish him as the father of a new nation.\u00a0 There were a number of instances where Abram failed because he did not fully understand what God was sharing with him.\u00a0 Sometimes the words did not fit into what was happening to him at the time.<\/p>\n
C-During his first years in Canaan Abram was moving constantly from one location to another.\u00a0 This was precipitated by the need for pasture land for the animals he had brought with him.\u00a0 There was even an ill fated side trip down into Egypt during a famine in the land of Canaan. The additional livestock he acquired there in Egypt set up the conflict with Lot. (Gen. 12:6-10; 13:1-3, 18)<\/p>\n
GC-Worship and thanksgiving are due God. (Gen. 12:7; 26:24)<\/p>\n
RT-The Canaanites and Perizzites were in the land and probably saw the conflict between Abram and Lot\u2019s servants. (Gen. 12:7)<\/p>\n
M-What was Abram\u2019s response to the promises that were at this point in his life just that promises?\u00a0 Was his faith strong enough?\u00a0 Was he motivated enough to follow God\u2019s leading?\u00a0 The answer comes in verse 4.\u00a0 There it says, \u201cSo Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.\u201d Did he have an illusion that the trip would be easy?\u00a0 The answer of course is no.\u00a0 For Abram the one thing that would cause him to proceed was his faith in God.\u00a0 Later events would show that this faith was not complete, but there would come a time when he would believe that He would not fail him. Part of this process included words of assurance from God.\u00a0 He told Abram, \u201cTo your descendents I will give this land. (Gen. 12:7)<\/p>\n
M-Abram responded by building an altar to the Lord. (Gen. 12:7, 8; 13:18)<\/p>\n
M-Abraham understood from whom his blessing had come and \u201ccalled upon the name of the Lord.\u201d (Gen. 12:8)<\/p>\n
M-It was as a result of God\u2019s promises and leading that Abram came into the land God was to give him.\u00a0 Out of the thankfulness of his heart, he built the altar.\u00a0 This act would never have occurred without God\u2019s word and Abram\u2019s understanding that the message was for him.\u00a0 When we spend time doing all of the other activities that take up so much time on Sunday morning is there truly time to hear the words that may be just for us.\u00a0 These may be the sounding call to move into unknown lands and there to build the altar out of the gratitude of our hearts to the One who has given us His word. (Gen. 12:8)<\/p>\n
M-More than once Abraham showed self-preservation is a strong drive.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(Gen. 12:10-12; 20: 2, 11)<\/p>\n
GC-Early in his travels Abram began to call on the name of the Lord.\u00a0 This set a pattern that he would follow his whole life. (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; Ps. 140:6; Lam. 3:55)<\/p>\n
UE-God intervened in Abram\u2019s first misadventure into Egypt.\u00a0 He protected Sarah form being used by the Egyptians.\u00a0 While Abram only seemed to be concerned about his own well being, God had a greater purpose in preserving all mankind. (Gen. 12:11-20)<\/p>\n
GC-Even though the command not to bear false witness had not been given at the time of Abram he certainly would have guilty of breaking it as he traveled to Egypt and later to Gerar.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 12:13; Prov. 10:18; 12:17, 22; 13:15; 14:5; 17:7; 19:5, 9; 21:6, 28; 24:28: 25:18)<\/p>\n
GC-How do we view what Abram did to Sarai? In what way do you think that he was using her for his own benefit?\u00a0 What does this show about Abram? One of the things that we are admonished to do is to never use other people. (Gen. 12:12, 16)<\/p>\n
RT-Other than one terse statement in 12:7 God was silent because Abram had been disobedient to God\u2019s command to leave everything behind that tied him to the place of his origin.\u00a0 Abram did not hear from God while in Egypt for he was not suppose to go there.\u00a0 After returning from Egypt, God only began to speak with him when Lot finally departed from him. (Gen. 12 and 13)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lesson 9 First Steps into the Promised Land Genesis 12 Me My whole life has been about first steps.\u00a0 Each new stage in life has brought about the need to step out in faith into the unknown.\u00a0 There is one event that has stuck in my mind all of these years.\u00a0 Although it is about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}