Genesis Part 2 - Week 2

Day 1 

READ 

Genesis 14:14-16 

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. ¹⁵ There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶ Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. 

This passage reveals there were men in Abraham’s household who had been “trained.” With them, Abraham was successful in overpowering the enemies and bringing back “his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.” This account reveals the honor and respect that older relatives had for their younger ones.  

REFLECT 

Does your family function like Abraham’s family and relatives? Believers are commanded to love others, and this especially includes one’s own family.  

RESPOND 

With your friend read Genesis 14:13-24. Notice that after bringing Lot home successfully Abraham was slow to accept any reward for what he had done. He did not want anyone but God claiming to have made him rich. 

Day 2 

READ 

Genesis 15:4-6 

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” ⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. 

Abraham thought the servant born in his house would be the heir to everything he had. The Lord assured him that was incorrect. God showed him the sky and said Abraham’s descendants would be more than he could count, just as the stars were. The message in verse 6 is one that will be referred to in the rest of Scripture. It shows Abraham and others are counted righteous by believing the Lord. No one, even in the Old Testament earned salvation by good works. 

REFLECT 

If you have believed God and what is revealed in the Bible, you also are counted righteous. 

RESPOND 

With your friend, read Genesis 15:1-8. The entire passage reveals that even though Abraham had believed God he had doubts. Abraham needed something to assure him of God’s promises. How would God do this? 

Day 3 

READ 

Genesis 15:17-21 

¹⁷ After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. ¹⁸ So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River— ¹⁹ the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, ²⁰ Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, ²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 

This section in Genesis 15 reveals the custom in the past of making agreements, or covenants. Animal carcasses would be cut in half. Then the two parties would walk between the half pieces binding themselves to the agreement. Abraham was asleep; only God passed through in the image of “a smoking firepot and a flaming torch.” This meant that God was only binding Himself to this agreement: it was an unconditional covenant. This passage also reveals the total land area Abraham’s descendants were promised to eventually possess: “all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River.” 

REFLECT 

Are you not amazed at the detail God’s word gives about the making of this covenant and the dimensions of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants?  

RESPOND 

With your friend read Genesis 15:9-21. Come back to it in the future to be reminded of this unconditional covenant God made with Abraham and the land area promised to his descendants. Those today who say God does not need to fulfill these promises deny the written word of God. 

Day 4 

READ 

Genesis 16:1-3 

¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. ³ So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) 

This entire chapter tells the story of what occurred when Abraham became impatient about God giving him a son. It is a sad story about Hagar and how she was treated. Abraham and Sarah even blamed each other for what occurred. This chapter reveals the promises God gave Hagar. It also tells how old Abraham was when Ishmael was born. 

REFLECT 

Think on this chapter that gives historical background that will be helpful in understanding what developed out of this action by Sarah and Abraham.  

RESPOND 

With your friend read this entire chapter of 16 verses in Genesis 16. Talk about it and endeavor to put yourself in the situation Abraham and Sarah faced. 

Day 5 

READ 

Genesis 17:1-4 

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. ² I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” ³ At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ⁴ “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!” 

Abraham continued to have doubts about God’s plans. Yet, God continued to make promises to him. Even though he was not able to have a child by Sarah, God promised to make him “the father of a multitude of nations!” How would this occur? Would Abraham believe God could work miracles on his behalf? 

REFLECT 

Have you sometimes doubted God and then seen Him work in unusual ways to solve your problem? 

RESPOND 

Join with your friend in reading Genesis 17:1-8. Notice this is the portion where God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. Especially notice how long the covenant would last that God was to make with Abraham. Those who do not believe the word “everlasting” here need to be asked if God would change his mind about “everlasting” or “eternal” in John 3:16.