Types In Genesis - Type
of the Consecrated Believer
Abraham - Lesson 1 of 4
I. New Dispensation - Dispensation
of Promise - Genesis is the book of beginnings.
A. Examples of beginnings
1. Beginning of the universe and the human race. (Genesis 1)
2. A new beginning with Noah and his family (Genesis 8)
3. Beginning of God's chosen nation in Abraham (Genesis 12)
B. Called the Dispensation of Promise, because of the covenant God made with Abraham.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2 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:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
C. These along with some 40 other promises, formed the basis of God's dealings with His chosen people during this period.
1. Abram was to father a great nation.
2. Abram was to be blessed.
3. Abram's name was to be made great (It was later changed to Abraham)
4. Not only would Abram be blessed, but he would be a blessing to others.
5. God would bless those that blessed Abram.
6. God would curse those that cursed Abram.
7. All the families of the earth would be blessed because of Abram's seed.
D. Friend of God - Abraham is the only man of those recorded in the Old Testament that has the high privilege of being called the "friend of God.
1. In the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 41:8 But thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
2. In the book of II Chronicles:
II Chronicles 20:7 [Art] not
thou our God, [who] didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy
people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
3. Even a cross reference in the book of James:
James 2:23 And the scripture was
fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
4. El Khalil - To this day, Abraham is know to the Arabs as El Khalil, which means "Friend of God".
II. Abram's Early Life - He
lived at
A. Abraham comes from the line of Shem.
B. His father was Terah. (Genesis 11:24)
C. He had two brothers. (Genesis 11:26)
D. His wife was Sarai. (Genesis 11:29)
E. Sarai was childless (Genesis
F. Abram, more than likely the younger son - not the older.
G. Either Terah and/or his ancestors were idolaters.
H. Secular history began to correlate with Biblical history during Abram's time.
1. Houses were made of brick, and painted white for aesthetic purposes.
a. Most of the homes were two stories high.
b. Most of the larger houses had from 10-20 rooms, and equipped with a plumbing system, Kitchens, and sanitation.
2. Schools have been unearthed at
a. Students learned vocabulary and writing
b. They had multiplication and division tables as well as practical geometry, square roots and cubic roots.
c. Grammar lessons included conjugation of verbs.
3. Idolatry was the religious system of
a. Each home had clay figurines of these gods - called Teraphim.
b. Teraphim served as guardian angels of the home, and when the father died, the idols were left to the oldest son so that the worship could continue.
c. Teraphim are mentioned in the saga of Laban and Rachel - The possession of gods was the equivalent of having the family inheritance, so Rachel sought to steal her brother's birthright so that Jacob could be the legal heir.
Genesis 31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her father's....
Genesis 31:30 And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?......
Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found [them] not.
d. Abram did not involve himself or his family in idols - After he left
III. The Divine Call of Abraham
- This is the first time in history that God had dealt with a particular
lineage separate from the rest of humanity. Because of the prevalence of
idolatry and polytheism brought about by Nimrod and the mystery religions of
A. This included a prophecy that through Abram would come the Nation of Israel and the promised Messiah.
1. Promise started - "Seed of the Woman" (Genesis
2. Line of Seth would be blessed in a certain way. (Genesis 9:26)
3. It was not until the call of Abram, that God prophesied that Christ would come through a particular race, and would bless all nations of the earth. (Genesis 12:3)
B. This prophecy will find its
final fulfillment during the Millennium and eternal ages when
C. Abram was intended by God as the
founder of the Jewish Nation. His seed was to be:
1. A depository of God's revelation. In the book of Romans we read:
Romans 3:1 What advantage then
hath the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision? 3:2 Much every way:
chiefly, because that untothem were committed the oracles of God.
2. A witness to Him to the rest of mankind, in the book of Isaiah we read:
Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither
be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared [it]? ye
[are] even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, [there is] no God; I
know not [any].
3. A channel of blessing to the world.
Romans15:8 Now I say that Jesus
Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises [made] unto the fathers:
Romans 15:9 And that the
Gentiles might glorify God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this cause I
will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
Romans15:10 And again he saith,
Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
Romans
IV. First Call Came at
Genesis 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God
of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Genesis 7:3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Genesis 7:4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
V. Second Call Came at
A. Some authorities think that Genesis 12:1 refers to the first call at
B. In
Genesis 12:1 ..... Get thee out
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land
that I will shew thee:
Genesis 12:2 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:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless
them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed.
C. Separation - This was a very searching and pressing demand upon one who was the younger son. Yet God's call to separation was a necessary condition of blessing. Separation was the keynote of Abram's life from the first to the last, and in that separation, to the will of God he found all of his peace and blessing.
D. Three Part Promise - God never places burdens on His people's shoulders without giving them power to respond. He encouraged Abram with a three-fold promise:
1. A land (12:1)
2. A seed (12:2)
3. A world-wide blessing (12:3)
VI. Abram's Response - Nothing is more striking than the immediate response made by Abram. Right at first, he manifests that which characterized him almost all through his life - Faith in God's Word:
A. The Confidence of Faith (Vs. 4)
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;....
He took God at His Word without hesitation or questioning.
B. The Obedience of Faith (Vs. 5)
Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son,
and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten
in
C. In light of the two calls (Acts 7:2-4), Abram is not pictured as disobedient to God's call as before.
D. The Influence of Faith -
Abram's response to the divine call evidently led
1.There was no compulsion on the part of
2.True faith in God's Word often inspires others, and leads them to a blessing.
E. The Confession of Faith -
1.This was Abram's acceptance of the revelation
2. And at the same time, a testimony to the Canaanites.
3.In verse 7, we have the first appearance of God to Abram. The other occurrences were limited to God's voice. Abram at once responded to the revelation by:
Genesis 12:7 .... and there
builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
F. The Endurance of Faith - (Vs. 8-9) - Even though Abram had the promises of God, he still had to wait.
1. He had no seed - although one was promised.
2. He had no permanent home - He was happy pitching his tent
3. Canaanites in the land kept him from possessing even one inch of the land - although it was promised.
VII. Abram - A Type of the Consecrated
Believer on the Standpoint of Faith.
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He was called out of Idolatry |
So are we. |
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He took a path of separation |
And we too need to separate unto God. |
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He obeyed God and walked in obedience |
So should we. |
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He believed God about the seed (Christ) |
So do we. |
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He was made righteous through believing
in Christ |
So are we |
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God revealed His secrets to Abraham, the
man of faith - |
And so He does today to them that believe
His Word. |
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Abraham was the Father of the Faithful |
And so we too who believe God should have
spiritual children, who have faith as we have. |