Unit Title – Walking in Confidence
Lesson Title – The Basis of Our Confidence
Central Truth – Confidence comes from trusting God.
Text – Genesis 12:1-8
Dictionary.com defines confidence as: “full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.” Confidence is expressed in many ways for instance a coach or a government leader may receive a vote of confidence from those who control their vocational fate. People have varying degrees of self-confidence as well. Some have too much while others have too little. The lesson we can learn from Abraham is that the best and most reliable confidence comes through trusting in God. Abraham demonstrated great faith in following God, but even he made some mistakes along the way which makes it easier for us to identify with him. Nevertheless, God faithfully fulfilled His covenant promises.
We are introduced to Abram in Genesis 12 – God would later give him a new name, Abraham, in Genesis 17:5. Abraham experienced a long and eventful road, with God leading him along the way. He was asked to some amazingly difficult things, and he almost always followed God obediently.
Verses 1-3 We aren’t given background information on Abraham and Sarah, God simply tells him to leave the land of his father and go to a new land that he would be shown. In chapter 11 Abram’s father, Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan but settled in Haran instead. God calls Abram to complete the journey his father had started. In verses 2 and 3 we see that God will promise to bless Abraham if he obeys. This is known by some as the seven-fold blessing. I will list them here with the hope of developing some details of the promise later:
· Make Abraham into a great nation
· God would purpose to bless him
· Make Abraham’s name great
· Abraham would be a blessing to others
· God would bless those who bless Abraham
· God would curse those who treated Abraham with contempt
· God would use Abraham to bless all the peoples on the earth
This was all done via a sovereign act of God. He reached down to Abram without request or solicitation to offer a blessing. This was the beginning of the covenant nation that God would use to introduce His Beloved Son to us. This is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise that all peoples of the earth would by blessed through Abraham.
Verses 4-6 These verses detail Abraham’s response. At the age of 75 he picked up all his household, his possessions, and some of his kinfolk and moved out of Haran. In verses 4 and 5 we read that along the way they passed through Shechem, and the site of Moreh. It is here they encountered the Canaanite people. Shechem would be mentioned again later when the land was finally occupied in the time of Joshua. Shechem was the first capital of the Northern Kingdom, before Samaria. Jacob dug a well near there and this well is where Jesus met the Samaritan woman (John 4:12). Abraham was allowed to pass through the land, but it would not be possessed by the Hebrew people for another 600 years.
Verses 7-8 Notice God did not promise the land to Abraham, but to his offspring. Until the end of their lives Abraham and Sara remained nomads. However, Abraham continues to act in faith and confidence in the promises of God that would not be fulfilled until long after his passing. As he traverses the land, he who grew up in a polytheistic culture and was introduced to YAHWEH God long into his adulthood, stops to worship and build altars to Him. Abraham would never possess Bethel or Ai, but he was ultimately confident that God would honor His promises.
Next week we will see Abraham stumble and act in his own wisdom, but God remains faithful even when we are not.
