Genesis 11-15
So many possibilities to talk about, here are a few major topics that you can draw great lessons from.
Chapter 11 People separated –
Babel and significance of Babylon. This is a study about rebellion. Lesson: Learn from the mistakes of others!
Chapter 12 Abram called out & resourced–
Abram goes. Lesson: Immediate obedience is rewarded! He (Abram) finds himself in Egypt (a place of refuge for many) and handles an awkward situation awkwardly, however, he leaves Egypt a wealthier man. Lesson: God provides!!! Can you trust Him more?
Chapter 13 Abram directed–
Speaking of trust, I love this story that shows the humility of Abram and his absolute trust in God. Lesson: No matter which way we go, when we are walking with God, He is walking with us and will direct our steps. Don’t leave God, stay with Him.
Chapter 14 Abram victorious and “BLESSED”–
I don’t think of Abram as a warrior, or commander of an army but indeed he was. The awesome end to this chapter introduces a significant character, Melchizedek who is a priest and a king. This is a “type” of Jesus, in other words a glimpse of what Jesus will be like in the future so when you see Him you’ll recognize Him. We are pointed to the KING and PRIEST again in Genesis. Lesson: Just as God’s word points people to Jesus we can too!
15 Abram promised–
Remember earlier God made covenants (promises) with Adam and Noah. Now God is making a promise to Abram and He will hand out. Lesson: There are only 7 covenants, God does not make promises lightly, nor should we. God KEEPS HIS PROMISES and so should we. What else might we learn from this truth???
This is more than enough to think on and put into practice, so you could stop reading here.
My inspiration, however, came from the little word “blessed” and so I’ll continue writing about that. Interested? Read on.
In the church world/Christian life the word “bless” or “blessed” is used in a variety of ways.
+Bless you (because someone sneezed)
+Bless you (to say thank you for serving me)
+God bless you (willing or asking God to bless them)
+Bless your/their heart (meaning they are sweet or make you feel like saying “awe”)
+We say someone is “blessed” if they have good fortune.
Am I close to what you were thinking? Better question, how close is this to what the Bible says?
Bless You!
Taking a closer look
In Genesis 12:3 the Lord says that He WILL bless Abram. Not only will Abram be bless, out of this blessing Abram will bless others. He goes even further to say that all of the families will be blessed through Abram.
So what does God mean by blessed? The word blessed bârak means “to kneel down”. The same word is used 388 times in the bible and more often than not God is the one being blessed by His worshipers. We kneel down or lower ourselves to elevate God in order to bless Him. Why? Because we are recognizing His greatness and placing the honor where it belongs.
On the flip side, when God blesses us (or in this case Abram and us through Abram’s line) He is gifting or benefiting us with something. He is not bowing to us, He is benefiting us so we can bless others and bless Him back in our worship/obedience. Of course He can do this, as He wills because He is God and all good things come from him. (James 1:17)
Our challenge
So this my question. Are you blessed, and if so are you living like it? This scripture says that you are. If you are a Christ-follower you belong to the eternal family of God. I don’t know how much more blessed we could possibly be than that.
Pause for a moment and just reflect on how many ways God has blessed you, this is a worship moment. Abram thought so too and built some altars!
You might ask, “how can I live like I’m blessed?”
Genesis 12:2 “you will bless others” Are you humbly benefitting others? It takes intention, yes, but I think it comes from a grateful heart and an attitude that is generous toward others.
Examples: a smile, a compliment, a helping hand, a word of encouragement, a prayer, a visit, scripture, an invitation, a challenge….
Be a blessing to someone this week.
It will bless YOU.
It will bless them.
And it will bless God.