Thursday, February 3, 2022
“But Sarai was barren; she had no child” (Genesis 11:30 KJV).
How will the LORD God prove Israel is His miracle nation?
The Bible says in chapter 12 of Genesis, verses 1-3: “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Sometime back in chapter 11, God had directed Abram to leave his homeland (Ur of the Chaldees; cf. Genesis 11:27-32; Acts 7:2-4).
We want to carefully note how emphatically the first-person singular pronoun appears during the ratification of the Abrahamic Covenant. Almighty God speaks: “…a land I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and [I will] make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and [I will] curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” At the heart of the Abrahamic Covenant is what the LORD God will do for Abram—not what Abram will do for the LORD God. Again, the issue is grace (God’s efforts) as opposed to law (man’s efforts). Be quite sure to understand that.
Via the Abrahamic Covenant, God (!!!!) will form a “great nation” through Abram. Of course, this is the origin of Israel. The LORD claimed Abram would father a multitude of people, but there is one glaring problem. Abram’s wife Sarai is “barren” and childless—not only without offspring but physically unable to have them (today’s Scripture). After waiting for at least a decade, Sarai and Abram gave up on God’s promise. In chapter 16, Sarai decided and encouraged Abram to use her slave girl, Hagar, as her surrogate. Relying on human wisdom (secular advice, not Divine revelation!!!!), and performing in his flesh (law!!!!), Abram fathered Ishmael. Grace has been forced aside in favor of law….
333 Words of Grace 