The Story of Abraham #1 - God's Promise to Abraham

The Story of Abraham

Part 1 - God’s Promise to Abram

Genesis 12 - 15

In the Bible was a man named Abraham and he was called the friend of God because he believed God. He had faith in God and always did as God told him.

Early in the scriptures he was know as Abram, that was before God changed his name. Abram had a wife and her name was Sarai and she was not able to have children.

One day the LORD told Abram to leave his country and his kin people and go to a land that he would show him.

And God told Abram, “I will make from you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

So Abram did as the LORD told him. He was seventy-five years old when he left. He took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their things, and all their people, and went into the land of Canaan.

And as Abram passed through the land to a place called Shechem, the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, “To your children will I give this land.” And he moved from there to a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, and there he built an altar to the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

At that time there was a famine in the land and Abram decided to go to Egypt to live there for awhile. As they came near to Egypt, Abram said to Sarai his wife, “Look, you are very beautiful, and I know when the Egyptians see you they will have me killed so they can take you for their own.”

So he came up with a plan and said, “We will tell the Egyptians that you are my sister then all will be well between us, and they will not want to kill me.”

And indeed when the Egyptians saw Sarai they thought her very beautiful, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake, and gave him sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants to watch over them.

But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his house because of Abram’s wife. So he called Abram to him and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

He was angry with Abram and said, “Why did you tell me she was your sister? Go! Take your wife and go on your way!”

And Pharaoh commanded his men to send them away, Abram, his wife, and all that he had.

And Abram left Egypt and journeyed from the south back to Beth-el, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning. He went to the altar, which he had made there and called upon the name of the LORD.

Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And Lot also, had flocks, and herds, and tents. There was not enough land to hold all that they had to live together, and all thier herdsmen began to fight with one another over Abram's and Lots cattle.

So, Abram said to Lot, “Let there not be fighting between you and me, and between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.”

So they decided to part and Abram gave Lot first choice of the land. Lot lifted up his eyes and chose the plain of Jordan because he looked and saw that it was plenty of water there. 

So from there they separated themselves one from another. And Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and his nephew Lot went and lived in the city of Sodom.

After Lot left, the LORD said to Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look from where you are to the north, to the south, to the east, and to the west. All the land which you see, I will give it to you, and to your children forever. I will make your children as the dust of the earth that no man can number."

Soon the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were pulled into a fight with their enemies, eventually they loose and their cities are plundered. Lot is taken, he and all that he has, and taken captive by the victorious kings.

Someone escapes to tell Abram that his nephew has been taken captive. Abram gathers up an army of 318 fighters from his household, and overtakes those who captured Lot. Abram kills them, rescues Lot, and brings he and all his household back to Sodom.

Upon their return the king of Sodom rides out to greet them. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brings them bread and wine. He was the priest of the most high God.

Melchizedek blessed Abram, and said, “Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.” He praised God, and said, “Blessed be the most high God, which delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Abram then gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had.

Let’s ponder here a moment: Who is Melchizedek? I have read that few mysteries of the Bible have attracted more interest than the mystery of Melchizedek and his identity. To learn more about this priest see my Bible Story "Who is Melchizedek?"

Anyway, after these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, and said, “Do not fear Abram. I am your shield, and you have been greatly rewarded.”

And Abram asked, “But Lord God, who will I leave my things to? I am still childless, and will not my heir be the steward of my household? Behold, you have given me no seed, and the one born in my house is my heir.” 

But the LORD said, “This will not be your heir. You shall have one come from your own body that will be your heir.”

God wasn’t sure that Abram understood. So that night He took him outside, and said, “Look toward heaven, look at all those stars. Are you able to count them?”

Abram looked up, the whole night sky was so full of stars, so many in fact, that there was no way to count them. Then God said, “So shall thy seed be.” (this meant that the children to come from Abraham would be just like the stars, so many they could not be counted.)

And you know what? Abram believed in the LORD.

How wonderful it must be to believe in the LORD just that faithfully. For what did the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Abraham who against hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations by that which was spoken by the Lord “so shall thy seed be.”

He was not weak in faith, he did not consider that his own body was dead, being that he was 100 years old, neither that Sarah’s womb was dead.

Romans 4:3, 18-24 states, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised he was fully able to do. And therefore it was credited to him for righteousness, but this was not written for his sake alone, but to us also shall righteousness be credited, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead." 

Amen!