Genesis: Week 4 (Hernando)

Even before God laid the foundations of the world, God planned to bring salvation and life through His Son. It was God’s good plan to bring a people together, to give them a law that would reveal both God’s good character and humanity’s great need for grace, to reveal Himself through great and miraculous events, and to bring through this people a savior. In the story of Abraham, we see the giving of a promise and the beginnings of this people group. Abraham received a call and a promise—a call to move out in faith and a promise that God would be faithful to give many descendants and land to be their home. But this promise was more than a people and a land—it was a promise that God would move history forward toward His ultimate plan. He would be present in mighty ways with this people, but this would only be a foreshadowing of His perfect presence on earth through the work of His Son, our savior, Jesus Christ. God calls Abraham to trust Him and move in faith so that this nation of people, the Israelites, would be born. And through this nation of people, God would reach all the nations. A savior would come through Israel so that all who call on the name of the Lord could be saved. God would bless Abraham so that he could be a blessing. He would bless Israel so that Israel could be a blessing. And today, God still brings blessing, not only upon Israel, but also upon His church. You and I are part of God’s family by faith. God is present and working. God brings blessing, but not to stay with us. He brings blessings so that they may flow through us. We too are blessed to be a blessing to the world.