What are the three deliverances that Abraham needed to become the Father of nations?
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you. (Genesis 12:1)
- Get out of your country
- Get out of your family
- Get out of your father’s house
These are the three deliverances that Abraham needed to become the Father of nations.
What is the Seven-Fold Blessing of Abraham?
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
God’s seven promises to Abram when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees; before he left his homeland, his family, his comfort zone and travelled to Canaan by way of Haran:
1) I will make you a great nation
2) I will bless you
The Amplified Bible says, “I will bless you with an abundant increase of favours.” Abraham was blessed with abundance. In fact, Genesis 24:1 says that Abraham was blessed in every way.
3) I will make your name great
The Amplified Bible says in Genesis 12:2, “I will make your name famous and distinguished.”
Everywhere Abraham went, people knew him. His reputation preceded him and followed him. He was a mighty prince. He was highly favoured of God!
4) You will be a blessing
This is where the phrase “we are blessed to be a blessing” comes from. One of the main reasons God wants us to have more than enough is so we can bless and help others.
As Christians, we are not to follow the pattern of the world that says look out for your benefit only. Instead, we must use God’s resources for what they were intended: to show God’s glory to the world around us.
God wants us to be generous. He wants us to be so blessed that we can give to those in need. He wants us to share our blessings.
5) I will bless those who bless you
When people bless and help you, God will bless them. Your favour will rub off on them. Every person who touches your life in a positive way will receive a touch from God. That’s how blessed we are.
6) I will curse those who curse you
God will not bless anyone who opposes you. He said, “I will be an enemy to your enemies and I will oppose those who oppose you.” Deuteronomy 28:7 says, “The enemy that rises up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.”
7) In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed
You might be thinking, “How can I bless people all over the world?”
When you serve in the Kingdom of God, when you give to God’s work, you become a vital part of sending the Gospel all over the world.
God says in Galatians 3:9 that we are blessed along with Abraham. That means that every blessing He had, we can have as well.
What did the Altar represent in Patriarchal Times?
1.Primarily an altar was a place of worship; where God was adored for who He is and what He has done. Only burnt offerings were offered to Him in the days of the patriarchs, since the Law of Moses was not yet given.
2.An altar was also a place of testimony to the only true God in the midst of widespread idolatry.
3.An altar was also a place of communion between God and the worshipper, where instructions were often given by the Lord and received by the worshipper.
What are the Four Altars of Abraham?
Abraham was an Altar builder and He became a father of faith and a friend of God.
The First Altar - The Altar of Promise
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity. So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, Who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7 Amplified)
This was an altar built in the midst of his enemies (those that opposed him). Real faith will be tested and is essential to perfect us.
The Second Altar - The Altar of Prayer
From there he pulled up [his tent pegs] and departed to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 12:8 Amplified)
Note Abram's progress - he removes from the lowlands (the plain) to a mountain (v.8), the higher ground of faith so to speak.
An intimate walk with God will produce an impacting work.
The Third Altar - The Altar of Restoration
The sad part is that Abraham went down to Egypt indicating his error. But the good news is Abraham was restored by the Lord.
And he journeyed on from the South [country of Judah, the Negeb] as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
Where he had built an altar at first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 13:3-4)
The Fourth Altar - The Altar of Separation
Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt among the oaks or terebinths of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and built there an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:18)
The altar is a place where your life can be altered! Build yours today and lay yourself there as a sacrifice.
The Role of Angels in Marriage
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous).
14 And when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house [harem].
17 But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his household with serious plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
(Genesis 12:10, 14-15,17)
The historical Jewish book of Jasher 15 reveals to us something very interesting
23 And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.
24 And when the king came near Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.
25 And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh's house.
26 And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.
27 And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.
28 And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.
Here we see God’s Angels protecting the marriage of Abraham. Even today God has assigned angels to protect your marriage.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48
- Chapter 49
- Chapter 50