As we continue with our study of Biblical Prophecy we need to look at more of the history of Israel. Israel is the focus point of all Biblical Prophecy. The story of Israel begins in Genesis. God made a binding covenant with Abraham, who was the father of the Jewish nation. Abraham has been revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. In Genesis 11 we are introduced to the person of Abraham; he was Abram at the time. During this introduction, we see that he set out with his father Terah, his wife Sarai (who would become Sarah), and his nephew Lot. Leaving from Ur of the Chaldeans they set out for Canaan but ended up settling in Harran. It is from Harran that God spoke to Abraham and gave him this instruction and this promise. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
The first promise to Abraham was that God would make him into a great nation. The promise didn’t make sense based on Abraham’s circumstances. After asking him to leave, the first thing God did was to tell Abraham he would make him into a great nation. This didn’t make sense, as Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah was not only past the childbearing years, she couldn’t have children when she was in those childbearing years. This is one reason that demonstrates how much faith Abraham had. He obeyed God and trusted his promise when there was no way possible for him to decipher how God would make it happen, yet he obeyed anyway. For you and I, God’s promises often work the same way. They are usually made when the situation and circumstances don’t match what God is telling you. Yet that is the beauty of God’s promises, they don’t have to. God is not limited by your circumstances. He is able to move and do in spite of your circumstances, which is exactly what he did with Abraham.
Study of Abraham continued in next lesson.