Day 11: The promised rescue plan

How does God launch his rescue plan? It begins in Genesis 12 with a promise or a covenant! The promises are enshrined in covenants with Abraham, with Moses, with David and in the new covenant in Christ. A covenant is a formally agreed promise — a contract; in contemporary language, though it has a much stronger relational dimension in the Bible. It is (or should be) accompanied with hesed — covenant love or “steadfast kindness”. Covenants serve as the backbone of the biblical story!

Read Genesis 12:1-7 & Genesis 15

Q: What three things did God promise Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3?

Q: In what ways did God’s promise to Abraham require faith according to the above passages?

Q: In what ways did Abraham and Sarah fail in their faith? In what ways did they succeed?

Q: Look for the tension between what God promised and the circumstances of the main characters. Are there perceived obstacles? How does God overcome them?

Q: How long did it take for God to deliver his promise to Abraham and Sarah regarding a child?