Advanced Level, Block 2—Result of Entering the Good Land
Week 16
Abraham Being Blest
Point to Emphasize: Like Abraham, we can remain under God’s blessing.
Reference Reading: Genesis 13:1-18, footnotes 71, 141
Memory Verse: Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah / And whose trust Jehovah is. (Jeremiah 17:7)
Story Sample
When Abraham’s and Lot’s herds and flocks grew, the land where they were dwelling was not large enough to support them. Their herdsmen began arguing with each other concerning which animals would get the best pastures. Abraham did not want any quarreling, so he let Lot choose which land he wanted. There were two outcomes from this situation. First, Lot chose the better land, but in doing so, he eventually ended up in captivity. The other outcome from this was that Abraham trusted in God’s care by allowing Lot to take the choice of land. Abraham, unlike Lot, was not trying to keep the best for himself. This resulted in a blessing for Abraham.
Wow, I wish I could tell you I was always like Abraham when I was younger, but it was easy for me to quarrel with my younger sister. She could never win, because I was older and stronger and wanted to have my way. I would never want to give in and let her have her way. I’ll give you an example. For many years we shared a room, and my younger sister was afraid of the dark. So at night when it was time to go to bed, she always wanted the hall light on and the door to our room left open. I liked the room to be dark at bedtime. She only got her way when she went to bed before me. As soon as I went to bed, I would close the door and there would be no more light in our bedroom. I did not give her a choice. [Storyteller, share your own story about not letting someone else be first to choose OR how you let someone have the 1st choice.]
But Abraham, at this point in his life, was letting Lot have his choice. Even though he was older, and even more powerful, he let Lot have his choice. Lot chose the well-watered plain of Jordan to the east of where they were. After Lot separated from Abraham, Jehovah came to visit Abraham again. What a blessing it was to be in God’s presence again! Jehovah told Abraham to lift up his eyes and to look in every direction from the place where he was. Jehovah promised that He would give all the land that he could see to him and to his descendants forever. Jehovah told him that his descendants would be as the dust of the earth. That means that they would be so many that they could not be counted. By this, Jehovah confirmed that He would keep His promises to Abraham and fully take care of him.
So, Abraham moved his tent to Hebron and built an altar to Jehovah. Here he lived and had the presence of God. This is really what Abraham gained by letting go of his choice and letting Lot have his choice. This was the blessing. He enjoyed a close relationship with God.
Now, we know that Abraham did not start out as a person who trusted in God’s speaking and followed Him absolutely. But through the years he learned over and over again that God would do what He said He would do. Don’t we have a song about this very thing?! “God Will do What He said He Will Do.” Maybe we can sing that song together later. From this experience, Abraham also learned that he did not need to take care of things his own way. He learned that God was really the One taking care of him. This is why, at this point in his life, he did not try to get the best land for himself. He knew that God would give him what he needed. Abraham learned to trust in God’s blessing.
This is what many of the families we know have learned, also. They have learned to trust in God’s care rather than depend on their decision to choose the best things for themselves. These families may have seen others choose what seemed to be a “better way of life,” while their own family would remain in a place simply to have the blessing of God. These families may have seen others buy the “best” homes or watch the children go to the “best” schools. They may have seen other families move to have the “best” job. These are all good things, but nothing can be better than to have God’s blessing, His presence. If we do not trust in God’s care, only making decisions for what we think is best for us, we can miss having the presence of God. You know, some may not understand the way our families live, but that is okay. God knows why we make the decisions we make. It is so good that we can be those who trust in God and are blessed with His presence in our families.