SENIOR
AGE
GROUP: 14 - 15 YEARS
STANDARD
(GRADE): IX & X
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LESSON – 7
God Calls Abraham
Abram
(later called Abraham) was the son of Terah. Abram lived with his wife Sarai in
a land called Ur of the Chaldees, presently situated in Iraq. They did not have
any children. One day, God told Abram to leave the place where he was staying
and to go to the land, He would show him. God also made a covenant with
Abraham.
Covenant
A
covenant is an agreement between two persons or parties. There are two types of
covenants. They are unconditional and conditional. An unconditional or
unilateral covenant is an agreement between two persons or parties, but only
one of the two persons takes the lead in fulfilling the responsibilities and
nothing is expected from the other person or party. Nothing is required of the
other party.
A
conditional covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its
fulfillment which means that there are certain responsibilities to be fulfilled
by persons on both sides. If any one of them fail to meet their
responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the
expectations of the covenant. An example of this conditional covenant was made
between Laban and Jacob (Genesis 31:44 - 54). We can learn about some of the
rituals that were done while making a covenant from this passage.
A stone pillar (31:45), such as Jacob had set up in Bethel.
·
A heap of stones (31:46-49)
which they named Mizpah (watchtower) and Galeed or Jegar Sahadutha (witness
heap).
·
Calling upon the LORD as witness and
guarantor of the covenant: "May the LORD watch between you and
me...." (31:49b).
·
A Promise from Jacob not to
mistreat his wives, nor to take rival wives to displace them from their status
(31:50).
·
A Peace treaty: "I will not
pass beyond this heap to you …...... for harm" (31:51-52).
·
An oath in the name of God
(31:53).
·
A sacrifice and meal together
(31:54).
There
are so many other references in the Bible about making covenants wherein all
these steps or atleast most of these steps are mentioned.
The Abrahamic covenant
The
covenant God made with Abraham is called Abrahamic Covenant. God’s covenant
with Abraham is regarded as generally unconditional based on Genesis 12: 1-3
and Genesis 15th chapter, but it was followed by another covenant that was
conditional in Genesis 17. It required Abraham to be righteous and blameless
before God for God's promises to be fulfilled. God also established the ritual
of circumcision as part of the covenant.
Rite of Circumcision
God
gave Abraham the rite of circumcision as a part of the Abrahamic Covenant
(Genesis 17:9 - 14). All males who descend through Abraham were to be
circumcised and thus carry with them a lifelong mark in their flesh that they
were part of God’s covenant. Any descendant of Abraham who was uncircumcised
was outside of God’s covenant.
The three main features of Abrahamic Covenant
1.
The promise of land - God called Abraham to a land
that He would give him (Genesis 12:1).
2.
The promise of descendants - God promised Abraham that He would
make a great nation out of him (Genesis 12:2). Abraham
was 75 years old and childless when God promised him numerous descendants. This
promise was amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings
would descend from Abraham.
3.
The promise of blessing and redemption - God promised to bless Abraham
and nations would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3).
Abraham Believed in God
God
changed the name of Abram to Abraham which meant “Father of many” because he
was going to become the father of many nations. His wife’s name was changed
from Sarai meaning “Princess” to Sarah which meant “Mother of Nations”. God
changed Abram and Sarai's name even before their son, Isaac was born. Abraham
believed in God's promises without any doubt and Abraham's faith pleased God.
Abraham was even called as a "friend of God".
God's Promises Fulfilled
God
blessed Abraham with the promised son, Isaac, when he was 100 years old and
Sarai was 75 years old. Through Isaac and his descendants, many great nations
in the middle east, including the nation of Israel were formed. Kings and
rulers also came through his descendants. The messiah “Jesus Christ” was also
revealed through Abraham’s descendants.
Abrahamic Blessings for the Gentiles
The
Abrahamic blessings pronounced on Abraham and his descendants can be inherited
by gentiles also. Gentiles mentioned in the Holy Bible are people who are not
part of the Abrahamic covenant. The English word “Gentile” is derived from the
Latin word “Gentilis” which referred to non-Israelite people. Through the death
of Jesus Christ on the cross, the Jews and gentiles were made as one. Anyone
who puts his faith in Jesus Christ can be an heir of the promises God made to
Abraham and receive the blessings of Abraham. Galatians 3:6-9 states that “So
also Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness... So
then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:29
also makes this clear: "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to the promise." We are children of Abraham if
we live by faith in the promises of God summed up in Christ. The gentiles can
become beneficiaries of the Abrahamic blessings through faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Bible Reference: Genesis 12, 15, 17, 21:1-8
Memory
Verse: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was
called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he
went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of
promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the
heirs with him of the same promise (Hebrews 11:8, 9 NKJV)
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY
I.
Fill in
the Blanks:
1. …………………….. was later called as Abraham.
2. Abraham was 75 years old and childless
when God promised him numerous ………………………………. .
3. God gave Abraham the rite of …………………………
as a part of the Abrahamic Covenant.
4. ……………………….. are
people who are not part of the Abrahamic covenant.
II.
Give
short answers:
1. What
is a covenant?
2. Why
was the rite of circumcision given?
3. How
did God fulfill His promises to Abraham?
4. What should gentiles do
to receive the Abrahamic blessings?
III.
Give
brief answers:
1.
Write in brief about Abrahamic covenant
and it’s three main features.
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