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The promise to make a great nation
Now the LORD had said to Abram . . . "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great . . . " -Genesis 12:1-2 (NKJV)
Sometimes God's promises seem to come out of nowhere. That must have been what Abram thought. He was an aging and childless man, living in Ur of the Chaldeans, minding his own business, when suddenly God made this amazing declaration. But the real amazement of this promise comes in the next verse of Scripture:
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3 NKJV)
Abram's promise went from being personal to being national to being universal! Through Abram, all of the families of the earth would be blessed. That's an incredibly lofty promise, and yet it's one that God has kept, is keeping, and will continue to keep until the end of time.
In order to find out how this promise is kept, we need to fast forward to the New Testament, which tells us that this promise to Abram was fulfilled through Jesus (Galatians 3:8,16), who was a blood descendant of Abram (Matthew 1:1-16) and who has become a blessing to every family (or race) on the earth (Revelation 5:9).
It's astounding to consider that a promise God gave to Abram roughly 3,800 years ago is just as powerfully effective today as it was then! It shows us that God's promises aren't bound or limited by time or space. That which He has promised is that which He will perform.
Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. (Isaiah 46:10 NLT)
Dig, Discuss, Decide
Discuss God’s generous blessing. Share a time when you were blessed in a significant way.
Dig into Genesis 12:1–3 and Galatians 3:8–9. What were God’s promises to Abram? How are you blessed because of them?
Decide as a group to internalize God’s promises. Write some of God’s specific promises on a note card and commit them to memory. At a later meeting, share the verses you’ve memorized with each other.
