Yahweh's Promise to Abram - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

YAHWEH'S PROMISE TO ABRAM

AHHH! What a relief! Things appeared to have settled down after the
battles. Lot's family and the people of Sodom were back home,
thanks to Uncle Abram, and the everyday routine of living had
returned. That is--all except for Abram.

Abram may have been just lying on his bed thinking about all that
had just taken place. He may have been wondering if the kings would
come after him because of what he had done to get back his nephew.
He may have been thinking about how he was not yet a father. He so
wanted to be a parent. Whatever he was thinking about--it brought
fear into his heart.

Abram loved Yahweh very much and Yahweh loved Abram. In fact,
Abram was called "a friend of Yahweh." Yahweh knew how fearful Abram
was and wanted to comfort him. Abram saw Yahweh in a vision and
heard His voice saying, "FEAR NOT, Abram, I am your SHIELD, and
your very great REWARD."

Abram was glad that Yahweh had come to visit him, and he
understood that the SHIELD was a form of protection and that the
Lord was saying He would always be there for Abram and would
protect him from harm. But what did Yahweh mean when He spoke of
a REWARD? Abram already had everything he needed. He had great
wealth and fame. The only thing Abram did not have was a son, and
he was much too old to have children. In fact, Abram was already
old enough to be a great-grandfather!

"O Yahweh-Elohim, what can You give me? I have no children because
You have chosen not to give me any, so who will become my heir?
What good is all this wealth if there is no one to inherit it? Will
my servant Eliezer of Damascus be my heir?"

"NO," Yahweh continued on." This man will not be your heir. You
will have a son of your own."

Then Yahweh took Abram outside. " LOOK up at the heavens and
COUNT the stars if you can. Your children and grandchildren will be
as numerous as all the stars in the sky above."

* * *

Abram was thrilled to hear this promise from Yahweh. He didn't
understand just how it would happen, but he BELIEVED the words of
Yahweh and because of his belief in Yahweh, his life was right
with Yahweh. HOW WONDERFUL!

Yahweh continued to talk with Abram. He reminded Abram of a
promise He had made earlier: "I am Yahweh, who brought you out of
Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of
it."

"O Yahweh-Elohim, how can I know that I will gain possession of
it?" Abram asked.

"Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along
with a dove and a young pigeon," Yahweh told Abram. Abram brought
the animals. He cut all of them in half except for the birds and
arranged the halves opposite each other. While he was doing all
this, some birds of prey came down on the dead animals. Abram
quickly drove them away.

The sun was now setting and Abram fell into a deep sleep. While he
was sleeping, a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then Yahweh spoke to Abram again telling him that he would grow to be a
very, very old man and that his descendants would inherit not only
his wealth, but also all the land he had walked upon from the river
in Egypt to the great Euphrates River.

When the sun was totally down and it was completely dark, a smoking
pot of fire and a burning lamp appeared, passing among the animals
that Abram had brought for a sacrifice to Yahweh. This was a sign
that Yahweh was pleased with Abram and would surely keep His
promise!

* * *

Unfortunately, Sarai wasn't with Abram when the great promise was
made and Yahweh showed Himself to Abram in such a miraculous
way.

Sarai squinted up at the bright sunshine streaming through the tent
opening and sighed. She longed so badly to have a child, but she
knew she it was impossible because she and Abram were so old. She
knew Yahweh had promised Abram that he would have many children, and
she wanted to believe Yahweh's promise, but she started to wonder if
Yahweh meant that those children would be from her.

"If my servant, Hagar, had a child, I could raise that child as my
own," Sarai pondered to herself aloud, her eyes following the paths
of a flock of birds soaring away from the sun. The thought stuck
with her, and soon she went to tell her husband of it. Abram,
wanting more than anything to make Sarai happy, agreed to the
suggestion and took Hagar as his second wife.

Time passed slowly for Sarai while she was waiting for Hagar to
have the child. There were times when Sarai felt jealous, but she
calmed herself by remembering that Hagar's child would be hers to
raise. After a while, Sarai began noticing how Hagar had started to
look down on her.

Everyone waited and waited. It seemed as if the child would never
be born. But finally the joyful day arrived and Hagar's baby was
born. He was such a precious little boy. They named him Ishmael.
Both Abram and Sarai loved him dearly, but since Hagar was the real
mother and the household servant, it was her job to take care of
the child.

Soon she began to act even more hateful towards Sarai, and Sarai
grew angry with her. Finally Sarai told Abram about the way Hagar
had been treating her. Abram was sad to see so much anger and
turmoil in his home, but in an effort to comfort Sarai, he told her
she could do whatever she wanted with Hagar.

Sarai began treating Hagar unkindly and demanding more of her.
Hagar in turn began to hate Sarai. One day the arguing between
Sarai and Hagar became so great that Hagar decided to leave. She
took Ishmael and ran away into the desert. She hid herself away in
the wilderness for several days, and soon she and Ishmael had
nothing more to eat or drink, and Ishmael, being the weaker, was
dying.

Of course, Yahweh knew where she was hiding, and He spoke to directly
to her.

"Hagar, Sarai's servant, where did you come from, and where will
you be going?" Yahweh asked her. Hagar hugged her son close and
answered, "I am running away from Sarai."

"Go back home and submit to her," Yahweh said. "I will protect you and
your son from harm. Your descendants will become a great nation and
rise up to be so many, it will be impossible to count them. Ishmael
will be a wild man, always fighting men, and men always fighting
him. He will live near all his brothers."

Then Yahweh caused a stream to spring up from the ground and Hagar and
Ishmael drank from it and received their strength back. Hagar,
knowing she had talked with Yahweh and had to obey, took Ishmael with
her back to Abram and Sarai.

* * *

THINK!

How did Yahweh talk with Abram?
Yahweh told Abram to look where and count what?
What was promised to Abram?
What was the name of Sarai's servant?
What did Yahweh promise Hagar?

REMEMBER

Yahweh ALWAYS keeps His promises.

A VERSE TO LEARN

"...Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be
able to number them...so shall thy seed be" (Genesis 15:5).

LET'S PRAY

****************************************************
Dear Yahweh, thank You for today and for the
many gifts You have given to us. Please help
us to be patient and to trust that You will
answer our prayers.
In Yah'shua's Name we pray. Amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 15-16

Purchase the WHOLE Website by clicking here