Week 2: Day 4  

Genesis 12:1-9 

Key Text  

“‘And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” Genesis 12:2-3                                                                                                       

Abram Called: The Curse Answered by the Promise 

Wickedness once again reigns among mankind, coming to fruition in the construction of the Tower of Babel. The nations had come together for the purpose of making “a name for [themselves]” (Gen 11:4). After dismantling their perverse endeavors, Yahweh puts into motion his contrary plan. Rather than the people uniting around the common purpose of making their own name great by their own power, God calls Abram and declares to him, “I will bless you and make your name great” (Gen 12:2). God has great plans for humanity, but this greatness is to originate from God’s power, not man’s (Matt 23:12).

This blessing that God places on Abram does not exist solely for Abram. Instead, the blessing exists in part so that “in you [Abram] all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). This blessing marks the beginning of God’s plan to reverse the curse of sin as the curse on the ground is matched by a promise for Abram to become a nation—which implies ground, as the difficulties in childbearing are matched by a multitude of descendants, and as the enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman is matched with blessings on the nations in Abram. The curse was ultimately overcome as the promise made to Abram was ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Rev 5:9-10). As we share the gospel and as people come to faith in Christ, the families of the earth receive the fulfillment of Abram’s blessing.

Joe Martin and Jon Canler

Connection with Newer Testament  

Galatians 3:10-14 

For the Kids

Tell your children about the last time you changed your mind due to circumstances, weather, sickness, etc. Tell them that we often change our minds and sometimes are unable to keep promises. However, God never changes; he is the same today, yesterday and forever. Because he never changes, we can rest assured he will always keep his promises to us.

Prayer Prompts  

  1. Praise God for the gospel. In Christ, the seed of Abraham, the curses for sin have been overcome once and for all, for all who believe and exercise faith in the promise as Abraham did.
  2. Like Abraham who trusted in God’s gracious promise of a nation, we must cling to the promise of Christ’s return. Pray for faith to press on and fight well in the daily struggles of your Christian walk.