Blessed to be a blessing II

Galatians 3: 6 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

He believed God
those who believe are children of Abraham

Review

Abram had to leave all to follow God

#2

Go to the land I will show you

Following God is a process not a once and for all thing.
they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there

Was this the final destination? NO! There were going to be many stops and difficulties that Abram would have to go through first before the greatest promises and the greatest blessings could be poured out.

Genesis 12: 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. 17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

He endangered his life, and his wife’s life too.

But God is faithful to his word even when we are unfaithful and fearful * He blessed Abram there anyway.

Genesis 13: 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

So let’s get the picture. Abrahm left the place where God spoke to him. In Bethel.

Bethel means in Hebrew “House of God” He went to a place between Bethel and Ai*

Not far just a little distance from the house of God.

Ai in Hebrew means “Ruin”
There he built another altar (the second, but God did not speak to him there)

When we leave the path of trusting God we will always make more compromises

Then he headed for the Negev (the south, a dry place) There was a famine in the land, maybe because it was so dry? * Abram went down to Egypt (Egypt is a type of bondage and slavery, old life etc...)

He endangered his self and his wife there.
He twisted the truth for survival

Then he left and went back to the Negev. Wealthier and wiser.
From the Negev he went from place to place
Until he came to Bethel

To the place where he had first built an altar.

Abram had to leave all to follow God Abram had to learn to trust God and not move till he said. (Go to the land I will show you)*

Next week

Abram had to separate from things that were hindering him from receiving the full blessing of God.