Genesis 18

Personality profile · page 33

Profile: Abraham

We ail know that there are consequences to any action we take. What we do can set into motion a series of events that may continue long after we’re gone. Unfortunately, when we are making a decision, most of us think only of the immediate consequences. These are often misleading because they are short-lived. Abraham had a choice to make. His decision was between setting out with his family and belongings for parts unknown or staying right where he was. He had to decide between the security of what he already had and the uncertainty of traveling under God’s direction. All he had to go on was God's promise to guide and bless him. Abraham could hardly have been expected to visualize how much of the future was resting on his decision of whether to go or stay, but his obedience affected the history of the world. His decision to follow God set into motion the development of the nation that God would eventually use as his own when he visited earth himself. When Jesus Christ came to earth, God’s promise was fulfilled; through Abraham the entire world was blessed. You probably don’t know the long-term effects of most decisions you make. But shouldn't the fact that there will be long-term results cause you to think carefully and seek God’s guidance as you make choices and take action today?

Strengths and accomplishments

• His faith pleased God

• Became the founder of the Jewish nation

• Was respected by others and was courageous in defending his family at any cost

• Was not only a caring father to his own family, but practiced hospitality to others

• Was a successful and wealthy rancher

• Usually avoided conflicts, but when they were unavoidable, he allowed his opponent to set the rules for settling the dispute

Weakness and mistake

© Under direct pressure, he distorted the truth

© God desires dependence, trust, and faith in him—not faith in our ability to please him

• God’s plan from the beginning has been to make himself known to all people

Lessons from his life

• Where: Born in Ur of the Chaldeans; spent most of his life in the land of Canaan

• Occupation: Wealthy livestock owner

• Relatives: Brothers: Nahor and Haran. Father: Terah. Wife: Sarah. Nephew: Lot. Sons: Ishmael and Isaac

• Contemporaries: Abimelech, Melchizedek

Vital statistics

“And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6).

Key verse

Abraham’s story is told in Genesis 11-25. He is also mentioned in Exodus 2:24; Matthew 1:1, 2; Luke 3:34; Acts 7:2-8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 2; 6-7; 11.

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Personality profile · page 35

Profile: Sarah

There probably isn’t anything harder to do than wait, whether we are expecting something good, something bad, or an unknown. One way we often cope with a long wait (or even a short one) is to begin helping God get his plan into action. Sarah tried this approach. She was too old to expect to have a child of her own, so she thought God must have something else in mind. From Sarah’s limited point of view, this could only be to give Abraham a son through another woman—a common practice in her day. The plan seemed harmless enough. Abraham would sleep with Sarah’s servant, who would then give birth to a child. Sarah would take the child as her own. The plan worked beautifully—at first. But as you read about the events that followed, you will be struck by how often Sarah must have regretted the day she decided to push God's timetable ahead. Another way we cope with a long wait is to gradually conclude that what we’re waiting for is never going to happen. Sarah waited 90 years for a baby! When God told her she would finally have one of her own, she laughed, not so much from a lack of faith in what God could do, but from doubt about what he could do through her. When confronted about her jaughter, she lied—as she had seen her husband do from time to time. She probably didn’t want her true feelings to be known. What parts of your life seem to be on hold right now? Do you understand that this may be part of God’s plan for you? The Bible has more than enough clear direction to keep us busy while we're waiting for some particular part of life to move ahead.

Strengths and accomplishments

• Was intensely loyal to her own child

• Became the mother of a nation and an ancestor of Jesus

• Was a woman of faith, the first woman listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11

Weaknesses and mistakes

• Had trouble believing God’s promises to her

• Attempted to work problems out on her own, without consulting God

• Tried to cover her faults by blaming others

Lessons from her life

• God responds to faith even in the midst of failure

• God is not bound by what usually happens; he can stretch the limits and cause unheard-of events to occur

@ Where: Married Abram in Ur of the Chaldeans, then moved with him to Canaan © Occupation: Wife, mother, household manager

• Relatives: Father: Terah. Husband: Abraham. Half brothers: Nahor and Haran. Nephew: Lot. Son: Isaac

Vitat statistics

“It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise” (Hebrews 11:11).

Key verse

Sarah’s story is told in Genesis 11-25. She is also mentioned in Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:19; 9:9; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Peter 3:6.

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