“Son of Abraham”
Daily Scripture
Matthew 1:1, Genesis 12:1-7, Hebrews 11:8-10
Matthew 1
1 A record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham
Genesis 12
1 The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
those who curse you I will curse;
all the families of the earth
will be blessed because of you” [Or will find a blessing because of you].
4 Abram left just as the LORD told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all of their possessions, and those who became members of their household in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the sacred place at Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites lived in the land at that time. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I give this land to your descendants,” so Abram built an altar there to the LORD who appeared to him.
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived in the land he had been promised as a stranger. He lived in tents along with Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the same promise. 10 He was looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Abraham was a foundational Biblical figure, the original Israelite with whom God made a covenant. “In Genesis, Abraham is presented as the important forefather to whom God gives promises and with whom God makes a covenant…. The extravagance of God’s covenant promises is linked to images of the stars of the sky, the sand of the seashore and the dust of the earth…. The keynotes of Paul’s references to Abraham are the motifs of faith and promise” (cf. Romans 4:2-9). *
- By faith Abraham “went out without knowing where he was going.” One of the most characteristic signs of the human desire to maintain control is an unwillingness to move forward until we can be sure of the outcome we desire, until we “know where we are going.” Does Abraham’s journey of faith strike you as foolishness or faith? When (if ever) have you had to take a step of faith in response to a divine calling without knowing for sure where you are going?
- Scholar Theodore Hiebert said of God’s Genesis 12:3 promise to Abraham, “Much later… when Israel and Judah had been conquered… these old promises gave a vision about who God’s people might be again in the future.” ** In what ways was the record of God’s promise to Abraham not just ancient history, but a mission statement for Jesus? How is it a pointer to God’s ideal for you as one of God’s people, one of Abraham’s spiritual descendants?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, son of Abraham, you wanted Abraham to care about blessing “all the families of earth.” Plant that kind of heart in me, too, as I live into Abraham’s heritage. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lydia Kim
Lydia Kim serves as a pastor of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.
My dad grew up in a non-religious household, and my mom grew up Buddhist. Yet, both my mom and dad found their way to becoming people of the Christian faith. They will both tell you that no specific person or moment caused them to become followers of Christ. Instead, their faith in God resulted from relationships with people who lived like Christ. My parents, in turn, raised my brother and me in the church, which resulted in us learning about God’s love through those in our community.
While my family may not be able to trace our exact faith genealogy, the stories of Abraham remind me that we are connected–which I find very cool! We are connected to the matriarchs and patriarchs we read about in the Bible because they lived out their faith daily, generation after generation, until one day, we heard about the love of God, and it changed us.
Thinking about the future, I wonder how we might impact future generations. We may not all be recognized like Abraham in the future, but how we live out our faith daily does make an impact–it did for my family. We would not be who we are today had it not been for the faith of Abraham and all those who have gone before us. So, what can you do today to shine Christ’s hope and love? Do so, knowing your faith can significantly impact someone’s faith journey–more than you may ever know!
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, general editors: Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. InterVarsity Press, 1998, pp. 4-5.
** Theodore Hiebert, sidebar note “The Promises to the Ancestors” in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 23 OT.
