Lesson 6 – God’s Covenant with Abram
God chose Abram (later called Abraham) and gave him faith to trust His promises to save His people. God gives us faith in Jesus, our Savior.
Opening
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 6 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Abram as he looks at the stars in the night sky. Also paper and pencil will be needed.
Prayer: Almighty God, thank You for gathering us around Your Word. Help us hear and believe the promise You gave Abraham and that passes to us through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. In His name we pray. Amen.
God Speaks
Abram was born in Ur, a city in Chaldea near the Euphrates River.
Do you recognize either of these names? If so, from where? The Euphrates River was one of the four rivers in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:14).
Abram's father, Terah, worshiped idols, but God called Abram to follow Him and move his family to Canaan. They followed the river as a water source and stopped in Haran, near the top of the map. The family stayed there. Terah died there and never saw Canaan. See map on page 2 of leaflet.
Also starting on page 2, read the Bible verses for each section and answer the questions.
SECTION ONE: The Lord Calls Abram
Read Genesis 12:1-9
What are the seven promises the Lord made to Abram? (v. 1-3,7). (1) I will show you the land, where to go (v. 1). (2) I will make of you a great nation (v. 2). (3) I will bless you and make your name great (v. 2). (4) I will bless those who bless you (v.3).(5) I will curse those who dishonor you (v. 3).(6) In you, all the families of the earth will be blessed (v. 3). (7) To your offspring l will give this land (v.7).
How old was Abram when he left Haran (v. 4)? Seventy-five years old
Who went with him (v. 5)? Wife, Sarai; nephew Lot; and everyone acquired in Haran, including servants, laborers, children, and relatives.
Draw a line on the map from Haran to Shechem. Who lived there then (v. 6)? Canaanites, descendants of Noah’s son Ham (Genesis 10:6)
What happened there (v. 7)? God appeared to Abram, and Abram built an altar to the Lord.
Next, Abram went to a place between Bethel and Ai (v. 8). Then draw a picture of the two things he did there on your paper with the promises. Abram built an altar and called on the name of the Lord.
In what kind of shelter did Abram and his people live (v. 8)? Tents
Why did an idol worshiper follow the Lord? Read Hebrews 11:8-9 on page 3 of the leaflet.
Abram did not have faith until the Lord gave it to him. Why God chose Abram and gave him faith is a mystery, just as we wonder why He gave us faith through His Word, but not other people. We cannot know God's mind or understand why He acts as He does (Romans 11:33-35).
God calls an idolater to faith, giving him a promise that God Himself would fulfill or all people. God's Spirit works faith, when and where He pleases, through the Word. He is faithful to do as He has said. He made Abram into a great nation, blessing the entire world through the Son. As Abram's offspring by faith, we have the blessing of God's forgiveness and life without end.
SECTION TW0: Called by Name
Read Genesis 15:1-6
What weighed heavily on Abram's heart? Draw a heart on your paper and add Abram's concerns inside it. Abram worried about being childless and feared leaving his wealth to Eliezer of Damascus, a trusted servant.
What three promises did the Lord give Abram? Write them on the outside of the heart. (1) Eliezer would not be Abram's heir. (2) Abram's own flesh-and-blood son will be heir. (3) Abram will have as many offspring as there are stars.
How did Abram respond to God's promises? He believed the Lord.
Because Abram believed the Lord, what did God credit to him? Write this word inside the heart you made. Righteousness
"Counted... as righteousness" refers to the legal righteousness that God, the supreme judge, declares to people for Jesus' sake.
How did Abram, who lived before Jesus came to earth, receive this righteousness? Abraham did not make himself righteous. God declared him righteous. By God-given faith, Abram believed God's promises, including the promise of a Savior.
Jesus, Abraham's offspring, became our substitute by living without sin, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead.
God counts all those who believe in Jesus as righteous, in a right relationship with Him, trusting His promised salvation and believing His promises.
SECTION THREE: A Covenant and a Sign
Read Genesis 17:1-21
God still had not given Abram and Sarai a son. How old was Abram when the Lord appeared this time (v. 1)? Ninety-nine
A covenant is a solemn agreement. On your paper, list seven promises God made to Abram (vv. 4-8). (1) The Lord would multiply Abram greatly. (2) Abram would be the father of a multitude of nations. (3) The Lord would make Abram exceedingly fruitful. (4) Nations and kings would come from Abram (5) God would establish an everlasting covenant between Him, Abram, and Abram's off-spring. (6) The land of Canaan would be an everlasting possession. (7) The Lord would be their God.
What did God tell Abraham and his offspring to do as a sign of this covenant (vv.9-14)? Circumcise every male (removing the penis foreskin) who was eight days old or older. Abraham did this that very day (vv. 22-27).
God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means "father of many:" He changed Sarai's name to Sarah, which means "princess" How did Abraham react to this news? Why (v. 17)? Previously, Abraham fell on his face as a sign of respect and honor for God (v. 3). This time, Abraham Tell on his face to hide his laughter. He wondered how such old people could have a baby.
Abraham tried to get God to accept Ishmael, his son by Sarah's maid Hagar as the fulfillment. What did God say about this substitution (v. 20)? Write this promise on your paper. God refused to substitute Ishmael as covenant heir. Instead Ishmael would receive separate blessings and Sarah would have a baby whom they would name Isaac, which means "laughter.
When did God say He would bring Isaac into the covenant He established with Abraham (v. 21)? In a year
How did God keep this promise to bless all the families of the and earth through Abraham (v.21)? Through Jesus Christ, our Savior, Son of God, and Abraham are descendent. God blesses all families of the world. God wants all people to be saved and to know His Son (1 Timothy 2:3-5).
We Live
The Lord often spoke directly to people in the Old Testament, as He did to Abram in our lesson. Today, God speaks to us through His Word and Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
God made a new covenant with us through Christ Jesus that includes the sign of Baptism. This also makes us Abraham's offspring! Let's see how
Read Galatians 3:26-29 on the back page of the leaflet.
What blessings connected to Abraham do we receive through Baptism? Baptized and adopted into God's family, we are Abraham's children and heirs of the promises God gave him, especially to bless all the families of the world through his descendant and God's Son, Jesus.
Jesus, Abraham's offspring, became our substitute by living without sin, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead. Because of Jesus, God counts those who believe in Him as righteous.
The video today communicates the basics of the Christian faith spoken by the Church in the Apostles' Creed since ancient times. You may notice a few word variations, such as "the holy catholic church” instead of "the holy Christian church". This means the Christian Church on earth now and in eternity, not the Roman Catholic Church.
Watch the video, “The Apostles' Creed".
Did you catch any other wording changes? Other minor variations do not change the meaning of the Creed. The video says "Creator" instead of "Maker; adds “on” before "the third day”; says “is seated at the right hand of God" instead of "sits at the right hand of God"; and says "from there He shall come" instead of "from thence He will come."
Read the meaning of the First Article of the Apostles' Creed from Luther on the last page of the leaflet.
Read pages 13-16 of the Bible Exploration Guide.
We Live
As a closing prayer, sing or read the words of the hymn "God's Own Child, I Gladly Say it".