A New NameGod is capable of fulfilling His covenant promises.

SESSION 9

DAT E OF M Y BI BL E S T U DY: 91© 2015 LifeWay

TRUSTING GOD

WITH EVERY ASPECT

OF OUR LIVES AND

FUTURE CAN BE

DIFFICULT

HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN IN A CAR WITH A FIRST-TIME DRIVER?

Sure, the driver has a driver’s permit, but does he really know what he’s doing? Can he handle lane changes, watch his blind spot, and parallel park? Perhaps we are tempted to treat God in the same way. We know He is God, but we may wonder if we can really trust Him with all the details of our lives. We may wrongly think that we know what is best for ourselves instead of trusting what God wants. Trusting God with every aspect of our lives and future can be difficult.

God can be trusted with every aspect of our lives. Instead of making our own plans and asking God to bless them, God wants us to trust His plans and leading. His plans are better than ours. He wants us to seek His will rather than our own. Learning to trust God’s plan is an important part of our spiritual growth.

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GENESIS 17:1-8,15-22

1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. 8 And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.” [...] 15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!” 19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will confirm My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, God withdrew

from Abraham.

Think About It

Highlight the number

of times God said “I

will.” What does the

use of this statement

suggest about the

nature of God’s plans

for us?

Notice any words or

phrases indicating

that Abraham doubted

God’s trustworthiness.

What are some reasons

fully trusting God can

be difficult for people?

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UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Genesis 16:1–18:5

Genesis 16 records the story of Hagar and Ishmael. Instead of trusting God, Sarai and Abram decided to make their own plan. Because Sarai doubted God’s ability to give her a child, she gave her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abram to conceive a child. Abram agreed to this alternative plan and became the father of a son, Ishmael. This led to great turmoil. Hagar treated Sarai with contempt. Sarai responded with mistreatment of Hagar. The animosity led to Hagar running away. But the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her to go back to Sarai and Abram with the promise of many offspring. Hagar returned with a new understanding that God sees us and cares about us even when we face great difficulties and problems.

In chapter 17 God again appeared to Abram and clarified that the promised heir would be Sarai’s son, not Hagar’s child. As a sign of Abram’s calling and his covenant with God, God commanded the circumcision of Abram, his male descendants, and all of his male servants (see Gen. 17:9-14). He also changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s to Sarah.

Chapter 18 records the continuing doubts of Sarah that God was going to give her a child. She was well past child-bearing years. When messengers from God came to Abraham to confirm the coming arrival of a son, Sarah laughed at the idea. When confronted with this lack of faith, she denied those doubts. The Lord asked Abraham a key question in Genesis 18:14: “Is anything impossible for the Lord? ?” God asks us to trust His word and to follow His will.

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EXPLORE THE TEXT

GOD’S PROMISE RENEWED (Genesis 17:1-8) 1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

At “99 years” of age Abram received another vision from the Lord reminding him of the covenant made when Abram was 75. God identified Himself to Abram as “God Almighty.” It was a reminder to Abram of God’s power to keep every promise and meet every need. The Lord reminded Abram of the responsibility of obedience that comes out of a personal relationship with Him. God wants us to enjoy close fellowship with Him and to obey Him.

What connection is there between our fellowship with God and our obedience to God? How does one affect the other?

3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

Abram recognized the greatness of God and bowed before Him as a sign of respect and humility. God used this occasion to reaffirm His covenant promise. It was a promise of land and of offspring just as God had spoken.

God also chose this moment to change Abram’s name. “Abram” means “the father is exalted.” God changed his name to “Abraham” which means “father of a multitude.” Though the promised son was not yet born, Abram’s name was changed to reflect the coming reality.

God promised Abraham that he would be “father of many nations” While this was fulfilled physically through the lineage of Isaac and Ishmael, it is also fulfilled spiritually. All believers in Christ are heirs of Abraham (see Gal. 3:7,29). He is our father by faith, and this family of faith is certainly a multitude of many.

7 I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. 8 And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”

SE S SION 9: A N E W N A M E 95 © 2015 LifeWay

God reiterated His promise to Abraham. The covenant would apply to the “offspring” of future “generations.” The “land of

•Canaan” (see p. 6) that Abraham now inhabited would be the land of his future generations. God’s promises make a difference in our lives. But our obedience to God also makes a difference in the lives of those who follow us. Future generations of his offspring were going to be blessed by Abraham’s faithful life.

In what ways are future generations blessed by our faith? How do our choices make a difference in the lives of those who follow?

ABRAHAM OFFERED AN ALTERNATIVE

(Genesis 17:15-18) 15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

God also changed Sarai’s name to “Sarah.” He promised that Sarah was to be blessed by bearing “a son” God also promised Sarah would produce “nations” and “kings.” Sarah was a part of the promise of God concerning offspring as much as Abraham was. This marriage union was a partnership in the future promises of God. Sarah was going to leave a legacy just as her husband would.

God blessed both husband and wife and saw them as partners in their journey of faith and their future blessings. God views marriage as a holy commitment and blessing. It is an institution of mutual sacrifice, respect, and love. It was designed to be such by God Himself.

17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!”

Abraham “laughed” at the idea of Sarah having a child. After all, he would be “a hundred-year-old man” and Sarah “ninety”

GOD’S PROMISES

MAKE A

DIFFERENCE IN

OUR LIVES.

KEY DOCTRINE:God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.

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years old by the time a child came. This was well past the time of expecting to equip a nursery.

Instead of trusting God, Abraham came up with an alternative plan. “•Ishmael” (see p. 6) could become the child of promise instead of a son born to Sarah. Sarah and Abraham were old; Ishmael was already born. This plan did not require the same level of miracle or the same level of faith. God’s plan seemed so big that Abraham doubted and tried to find an alternative.

Sometimes we want to make our own plans instead of following God’s plans. We ask God to bless those plans instead of seeking what God wants. God asks us to follow Him completely and to follow His plans fully. His plans are always better than ours.

Why do we try to offer alternatives to God’s plans? What are some dangers that come with following our own plans instead of His?

GOD’S POWER DECLARED

(Genesis 17:19-22) 19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring.

God said no to the plans suggested by Abraham. He restated in unmistakable terms the promise of a son coming through Sarah. We must do God’s will rather than following our own will.

The Lord even provided the name the son was to take—”.” God unmistakably planned for this child to be born to Abraham and Sarah. God does not want our shortcuts. He wants our faith and our obedience. We can trust Him with our future.

God told Abraham that He was going to “confirm” the “covenant” with Isaac. That is, God was keeping His covenant just as planned without any alterations or substitute plans.

God’s sovereignty means He is capable of doing what seems impossible to us. It also means that He knows what is best for our

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future because He can see that future perfectly. We can trust that He holds the future securely in His powerful hands.

Why is it in our best interest that God sometimes says “no” to our plans? What example could you point to when God said “no” to someone’s plans because He had a better plan for them?

20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.

God did not forget about Ishmael. Though Ishmael was not the promised child of the covenant, God still promised to make him the father of “leaders” and “a great nation.”

Ishmael’s life began as a result of people trying to do things their way instead of God’s. God’s blessings on our lives are not hindered by the difficulties of our circumstances or the mistakes of others. The Lord can use us despite the mistakes made by our parents, relatives, or friends. He loves us despite our own past mistakes. Though we are affected by the choices of those around us, ultimately we are judged by our own choices and decisions.

21 But I will confirm My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, God withdrew from Abraham.

After promising to bless Ishmael, God once again promised to confirm the “covenant” with Isaac. Then He told Abraham that the long-awaited promised child was going to be born very soon.

Verse 22 states that God “withdrew from Abraham” when this conversation ended. That is, the direct word from the Lord was spoken and now Abraham was to act on the truth he had been given. There comes a time when all that needs to be said has been said and we must act on the truth by faith. We can hear and learn God’s Word, but we must decide to trust and act on it.

How does God assure us today? How does that assurance help us follow God’s plans?

BIBLE SKILL:Compare and contrast Scripture passages with similar phrases.

Read Joshua 5:14; Ezekiel 1:28; Matthew 26:39; Luke 17:16; and Revelation 1:17 to discover ways people responded to God’s presence. What words, phrases, or concepts occur in all of these verses? How is each situation different? Can these same words, phrases, or concepts be used to describe an incident in your spiritual development? What do your conclusions reveal about your relationship to the Lord?

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I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be blameless. —Genesis 17:1b

MEMORIZE

OBEY THE TEXT

God is capable of delivering on all His promises. Our impatience can lead us to substitute our imperfect plans for God’s perfect plan. We must be careful not to limit what God can do in and through us.

Consider some ways in which you have substituted your plans for God’s plans. Ask God to reveal where in your life you are doing this, then confess your impatience and commit afresh to follow His plans.

Evaluate your level of patience while waiting for God’s timing. List appropriate actions you should take while you wait. Begin to implement these actions in the next week.

List ways your Bible study group can help one another follow God’s plans and trust Him with every aspect of life? Consider practical ways to implement these ideas into the activities of your Bible study group.

SE S SION 9: A N E W N A M E 99 © 2015 LifeWay

Use the space provided to make observations and record prayer requests during the group experience for this session.

MY THOUGHTSRecord insights gained and questions to discuss during the group experience.

MY PRAYERSList specific prayer needs and answers to remember this week.

MY MISSIONAcknowledge ways you will obey God’s Word this week.

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