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In the Beginning…
#5. Abraham; a Friend of God.
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to
him as righteousness,”
and he was called God’s friend.
James 2:23
Wow! Abraham is called God’s friend! Is there a
better description of intimacy and fellowship with God? What we learn is that his special relationship with God was based on faith. Faith enough that God loved him, faith enough that God had plans for his life, and
faith enough to go where and do what God asked of him.
Understand, then, that those who believe are
children of Abraham… So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham,
the man of faith.
Galatians 3:7, 9
Abram traveled through the land
as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.
At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
The Lord appeared to Abram and said,
“To your offspring I will give this land.”
So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Genesis 12:6, 7
It was also at Shechem that Joshua stood before Israel
and declared…
“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
“In the time of My favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
2nd Corinthians 6:2
Then the Lord said to Abram,
“Leave your country, your people and your father’s household
and go to the land I will show you…”
So Abram left, as the Lord had told him…
and set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
From there he went on towards the hills east of Bethel
and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.
There he built an altar to the Lord
and called on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:1, 4, 8
Abraham _PITCHED_ his tents
but _BUILT_ an altar at Bethel (“House of God”).
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.
1st Peter 2:9
Now there was a famine in the land,
and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while
because the famine was severe.
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,
“I know what a beautiful woman you are.
When the Egyptian men see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’
Then they will kill me but let you live. Say you are my sister,
so that I will be treated well for your sake,
and my life will be spared because of you…”
…Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me? he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?... Take her and go!”
So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev,
with his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him…
From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel,
to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier,
and where he had first built an altar.
There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:10-13, 18, 19, 13:1, 3-4
Abram sought relief from a famine (_RECESSION?_) in Egypt.
His actions, motivated by a lack of trust,
were selfish, cowardly and deceptive.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…
For I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out...
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:15, 18, 24-25
So Abram said to Lot,
“Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me,
or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.
Is not the whole land before you?
Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right;
if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan
was well watered, like the Garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar…
So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan
and set out toward the east. The two men parted company.
Then the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him,
“Lift up your eyes from where you are
and look north and south, east and west.
All the land you see I will give to you and your offspring forever…
Go, walk the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
So Abram moved his tents
and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron,
where he built an altar to the Lord.
Genesis 13:8-11, 14-15, 17-18
Abram passed on the better economic opportunity,
leaving it for his nephew instead.
He was confident that God would _REWARD_
his act of selflessness and charity.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the
firstfruits of all your crops,
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9, 10
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