About God's promise to Abraham

Subject:	About God's promise to Abraham
Date:	Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:17:22 -0500

Devotional Guide For the Week of January 31, 2010

JESUS SAW HIMSELF IN GENESIS

About God¹s promise to Abraham

To Know:

³After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and
blessed him. God said to him, ŒYour name is Jacob, but you will no longer be
called Jacob; your name will be Israel.¹ So he named him Israel. And God
said to him, ŒI am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A
nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come
from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and
I will give this land to your descendants after you. Then God went up from
him at the place where he had talked with him.² (Gen 35:9-13)

³God Almighty² is El-Shaddai the Hebrew. The name was first revealed to
Abram when God changed his name to Abraham. In Genesis 17 we read, ³When
Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ŒI am
God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant
between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.² Abram fell
facedown, and God said to him, ŒAs for me, this is my covenant with you: You
will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your
name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of many nations.²
(1:1-5)

In Genesis 35, El-Shaddai (God Almighty) changes the name of Abraham¹s
grandson from Jacob to Israel as he reconfirms the covenant promise he made
to Abraham. This is a warning that present day Christians must not fall
victim to the cultures disregard of the claim that God guided the course of
American history. Especially, this is a vital matter because much of our
nation¹s history has been rewritten in order to hide the truth from the
present generation.

The God who renewed his covenant promise to Abraham by repeating the promise
to Jacob, continues to fulfill that promise in our time to use us. The great
missionary movement of the 19th century began in the First Church of
Bradford. Like a spiritual explosion, good news of Christ landed on
societies worldwide. The Byfield Parish Church now supports missionary
efforts in nations on the continents of North America, Europe, Africa, Asia
and Australia. The honest observer who understands that the promise made to
Abraham four thousand years ago is still being fulfilled, has good reason to
believe in Christ.

020410$-020410

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