We continue to study how the Lord shows His kindness to us. We begin with Abraham and Sarah, and the story of the son that God promised to them. Let’s get started in Genesis 17.
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Transcription:
You and I get to hang out with a few angels today, and as always, the Lord, on the Bible for Busy People. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Erica and I can’t wait to study God’s kindness to us today. We’re going to see him extend it to Abram and Sarai. They would become Abraham and Sarah. Isn’t that even beautiful how the Lord is going to change their names? Maybe as a child, you sang the song in Sunday school, “Father Abraham, had many sons.” Well, this is the story of the son that God promised to Abraham and his wife Sarah. Join me now, in Genesis chapter 17. Oh yeah, we’re going back to the beginning, verse one.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” 3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! 7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
So many promises were given to Abraham in this moment. Now the next thing that happens is that God will introduce the sign of the covenant, circumcision. We don’t have time to get into that today. We’re going to move on to verse 15 in this powerful story because it is the Bible for Busy People, and this is a really special part.
Then God said to Abraham,
Remember he was 99 years old at this point!
“Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.[a] 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”
I have a grandmother who’s 92, I can’t even imagine.
So Abraham said to God, “may Ishma live under your special blessing.”
Ishmael was a son who God had given to Abraham through Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar. She actually asked Abraham to sleep with Hagar because she was weary of waiting for God to bless her with a child. Verse 19 now,
But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
Join me now in Genesis chapter 18 verse one.
The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.3 “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4 Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. 5 And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.”
What hospitality Abraham is showing to these three very special men indeed, who are in fact angels.
“All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees. 9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied. 10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son! ”Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh. “But the Lord said, “No, you did laugh.”
Well, you and I know who gets the last laugh. It’s the Lord who does in fact, bless Abraham and Sarah with a precious baby named Isaac. All of the promises came true because he is a kind and faithful God and nothing is too hard for him. So, if you’re waiting on something today, trust in the Lord and in his kindness. You are loved.
Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.
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