God’s plan for Abram has been slowly revealed in stages. First, Abram was promised that he would become a great nation and that his descendants would occupy the land of Canaan (12:1-9). Later, God clarified that this nation would come from Abram’s biological son, not an adopted heir, and he made a covenant with Abram to fulfill his promise (15:1-21). In Genesis 17, God...
Keep ReadingINTRODUCTION In Genesis 15, Abram believed that God would fulfill the promise of offspring (12:2) through his servant Eliezer (15:2-3), probably assuming he was too old to physically have a child. But God made it explicitly clear that Abram himself would have a son. But the passage of time continued to put a strain on him and Sarai, and chapter 16 presents us with an ex...
Keep ReadingAfter his military victory against Chedorlaomer’s armies, Abram was met by two kings: Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and the unnamed king of Sodom. While Melchizedek celebrated Abram’s victory and blessed him, the king of Sodom offered him a business transaction: “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” (Genesis 14:21) Not wanting to be indebted to ...
Keep ReadingINTRODUCTION After a "trial of abundance" in which the land was not big enough to accommodate both Abram and Lot's possessions, Abram graciously offered to let Lot choose whatever portion of the land of Canaan he wished to dwell in. Instead, Lot chose to leave the land of promise and dwell near the beautiful (but ungodly) city of Sodom. MAIN POINT Love inconvenien...
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