A Great Nation

December 4, 2011

Lesson: Genesis 11:31–12:9

Key verse: Genesis 12:2

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Introduction

A great nation is one that recognizes that the triune creator is the governor of that nation. Ben Franklin expressed this knowledge in his later life: “I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that ‘except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.” Today we are witnessing a building of Babel. Turn away from the true Lord and believe not in His providential governing and care, and the nation will see a nation that has lost its moral strength and hope.

What constitutes a great nation? Is it not a nation which places its checks and balances in the person of the King of kings and Lord of lords? The judicial (Judge), the legislative (Lawgiver), and the executive (King), is the only sovereign of any nation who dares call itself great. “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us!” (Isa. 33:22). A nation must recognize that all authority is derived from, and therefore, must be obedient to, the only King, Christ Jesus (Psalm 2:10–12).

Our lesson concerns such a great nation, not one among many, but that Kingdom by which all nations of this world will be judged. All nations are responsible to their Creator and King, and so will be judged; there is only one Kingdom which shall not only survive, but which shall wreck the gates of hell, into which people of all nations and tongues and tribes, shall come. And the entrance into this great nation shall be the Lord Christ Himself.

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Abraham’s Call—Genesis 11:31–12:1

Though the Kingdom of God was present with Adam and Eve, and with Methuselah and Noah, a particular, observable nation is established in Abraham. Sin continued to spread throughout the world after generations, nations established from the time of Noah (Gen. 10:32). They were of one language, deciding to build a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven” (Gen. 11:4). The Lord ‘anointed’ (confounded) their language, “that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Gen. 11:7). His judgment came upon their desire to do whatever their imaginations told them to do (11:6). This is brought clear in Mary’s words (Luke 1:46–55) which magnified the Lord, rejoicing in her Savior: “He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts… He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.”

Abram’s father was Terah, who took him and Haran’s son, Lot, and Abram’s wife, Sarai, from” Ur of the Chaldees,” to the land of Canaan. They dwelt at Haran (Charan), a wonderful cultivated land which lies between the Euphrates and Khabour. Terah died in Charan at the age of two hundred and five years.

The Lord calls Abram, saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” As God separated the languages because of the sin of man, so God separates unto Himself a man chosen because of His tender mercies, that there would be forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation of a people to Himself. Thereby Abraham is listed among the faithful servants of God: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb. 11:8).

Discussion: How would you relate Abram’s call of separation to our call today?

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The Lord’s Promise—Genesis 12:2–3

The Lord’s call to Abram is followed by the object of the call. There is a reason for wanting Abram to leave land and people to go to an unknown place. The Lord gives to Abram a covenant, which was established in the counsel of the triune godhead. It is more than a promise; it is a declaration of deliverance for a people who walked in darkness, who would now walk in His marvelous Light. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

Four things would characterize Abram, and therefore, God’s Nation:

1. It would be a great nation. The emphasis is on a nation as a people. A great people! Have we learned this in speaking about the Church today? We go to church as to a meeting of an organization. We are a people, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, united to Him and one another, in love. We worship and study and witness together in Christ.
2. The Lord would bless! God bends His knee, sending His Son to take on our flesh, to be the propitiation for our transgressions; that whoever believes may have life in Him. His blessing is an act of mercy, of unconditional love. “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Gal. 4:7).
3. The Lord makes Abram’s name great! Not in the worldly fame, but as one whose name is remembered by the faithful as he who was made “a father of many nations” (Rom. 4:17).
4. The Lord would make Abram a blessing! The grace of the Lord would flow through Abram to many people. As to God’s promise, “it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end that promise might be sure to all the seed, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Rom. 4:16). This blessing is assured in Christ, and in the words of blessing and curses, “that God so embraces us with his favour, that he will bless our friends, and take vengeance on our enemies” (Calvin).

Discussion: Define the characteristics of God’s Nation (People).

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Abraham’s Obedience—Genesis 12:4–6

In obedience Abram departed, “as the Lord had spoken.” Abram was then seventy-five years old. From the convenience of the world, with its pleasures and idols, Abram “sojourned in the land of promise” (Heb. 11:9). Encouraged with the promises of God, he “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). He took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, along with their possessions and “the souls that they had gotten… into the land of Canaan.”

“Once Abraham had complied with God’s command, he received many pledges of future blessing: he received souls for God and substance for God. We are to live by the injunction, ‘Honor the Lord with thy substance.’ The ‘souls that they had begotten’ is literally, ‘souls they made.’ Abraham was a soul maker, in the sense of making disciples of the Lord” (Harbach).

Discussion: How did the Lord show his obedience before the Lord?

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The Lord’s Appearance—Genesis 12:7–9

“The Lord appeared to Abram!” The Lord reveals Himself to His servant Abram. The Lord appears in such a way that Abram can fully understand and perceive His presence. When the Lord speaks thus to Abram, His presence is fully realized. Faith does not just believe as we read the Word of God, but faith acknowledges the very presence of the Lord. This is not an emotional spiritual experience, but an acknowledgment of thought and understanding, that the Lord is present in worship and study.

The Lord’s presence is revealed in His word of promise: “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” The Lord confirms all of what He has previously said. Then Abram builds an “altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” He builds a place of sacrifice, “a token of gratitude …that he might call upon the name of the Lord” (Calvin). We build no altars. We go from worship and study, getting on with our daily tasks, forgetting what the Spirit has spoken through His Word. Our altars must be of the heart, bringing to our hearts evidence of gratitude and love, encouraging us to call upon the person of our Lord throughout each day. Our altars are but our faith, which directs our eyes to the atoning sacrifice of Christ upon His cross. To Him alone belong the glory and praise for our salvation.

Discussion: What was Abram’s response to the presence of the Lord?

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Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2011 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.