Fully Devoted: Israel, Act 1Sample

Abram and the Covenant

This chapter of the biblical story begins with the calling of a man named Abram. We’ll see how God changes his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” 

Through Abraham, God is going to build a family that will become the nation of Israel—His chosen people called to live in a covenant partnership with Him. They will live as His representatives to the rest of the world. 

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV

God’s redemptive plan to rescue humanity from sin and restore creation has been set in motion. At the calling of Abram, God finds the person to partner with in rescuing humanity. At the time of his calling, Abram and his wife, Sarai, were in their 70s—they were the definition of unlikely candidates. Yet, God still chose them to form a covenant with. Why?

God calls and Abram obeys. Abram and Sarai had faith. They trusted in God’s promises. It was by faith that Abram and Sarai were willing to leave their home and their comfort in pursuit of God’s promises.  

So, what is faith exactly? Faith is more than believing that something is true. Faith is relational. Faith is trusting in someone. And that trust is based on evidence. 

The evidence Abram and Sarai had was hearing the voice of God.

Along the way, we see that even Abram, this great man of faith, wrestles with doubt and struggles with sin. He’s imperfect and he falls short. And yet, God continues to remind him of His promises.

Finally, after twenty-five years of waiting, Abram (whose name God changed to Abraham) and his wife Sarai (whose name God changed to Sarah) gave birth to their son, Isaac. 

Don’t skip over this. 

It took twenty-five years for Abraham and Sarah to see God’s promise actually start to unfold! Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90.

From the beginning, God has been searching for people to partner with Him. And as disciples of Jesus, we are those people—people who have had an encounter with God and have responded in faith by committing our lives to Him. And even though things won’t always go the way we expect or even want them to, we can trust that God will always remain faithful to us, even when we miss the mark and turn our backs on Him. 

Journaling Questions 

• What part of the covenant/promise sticks out to you? Write it down in your journal.
• Can you think of a time when you were asked to do something uncomfortable? How did you handle it? 
• Can you think of a time when you tried to do things your own way and it didn’t work out? What would you have done differently after today’s reading?

Memory Verse

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV