God establishes a unilateral covenant with Abraham.- Quiet Walk

Quiet Walk

Genesis 12

1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;2And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great ; And so you shall be a blessing ;3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all thefamilies of the earth will be blessed."4So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram wasseventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.5Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew , and all their possessions which they hadaccumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land ofCanaan ; thus they came to the land of Canaan.6Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now theCanaanite was then in the land.7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he builtan altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, withBethel on the west and Ai on the east ; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.9Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.10Now there was a famine in the land ; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for thefamine was severe in the land.11It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman ;12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife '; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.13"Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I maylive on account of you."14It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was verybeautiful.15Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh ; and the woman was taken intoPharaoh's house.16Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake ; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys andmale and female servants and female donkeys and camels.17But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram'swife.18Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tellme that she was your wife ?19"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife ? Now then, here is your wife,take her and go."20Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and allthat belonged to him.

God establishes a unilateral covenant with Abraham.

INSIGHT

The opposite of obedience is unbelief; the essence of obedience is belief. If you truly believe God is totally good and all powerful, if you truly believe He always acts for His children's benefit, you will obey whatever He asks of you. It is when you doubt these truths that obedience to the Lord becomes difficult.

The New Testament tells us: "Abraham believed God" (James 2:23). Therefore, he obeyed when God said, "Get out of your country" (Genesis 12:1).

Are you struggling with obedience in an area of your life? Perhaps there is something in the Scriptures you do not truly believe. Search your life, and in the tradition of the disciples, ask the Lord to increase your faith (Luke 17:5).

PRAYER

· In faith and obedience, offer to the Lord the praise of your lips:

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

Who only does wondrous things!

And blessed be His glorious name forever!

And let the whole earth be filled with His

glory (Psalm 72:18-19).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity

of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

(2 Corinthians 5:17).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· greater love for the lost,

· the work of missions in Africa,

· the concerns of your heart.

· Offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding is infinite.

The Lord lifts up the humble;

He casts the wicked down to the ground

(Psalm 147:5-6).

The Lord will command His lovingkindness

in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me

(Psalm 42:8).