INTRODUCTION

God is continually looking for one who will make up the hedge and stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30). Often He is disappointed, but the Bible tells us of some who did respond to the call of God. Among these was Abraham. Because of his implicit faith in God, he is known as “the Friend of God” (James 2:23). Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus said we, too, can be His friend (John 15:14-15)?

QUESTION

1. What were the promises that God made to Abram and on what were they conditioned?
2. List some promises God has made to you and reflect on what you have to do to receive them.
3. Of the seven promises God gave to Abram, which do you consider to be the most important to us? Why?
4. Genesis 12:1 tells us Abram was promised a land which God would show him. Where was that land? What other verse in our text brings out God’s promise that He would give this land to Abram’s descendants?
5. When Abram was ninety-nine years old God told him to “walk before me and be thou perfect.” Explain in your own words what this means. Why did God require this of Abram? See Genesis 17:2.
6. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). How many other references to perfection can you find in the New Testament?
7. What significance is there in the fact that God changed Abram’s name to Abraham?
8. List some ways that Psalm 1 might apply to Abraham.
9. It is obvious that Abraham received some wonderful benefits by following the Lord. In reading Psalm 1, we find some benefits to which we, too, have access if we follow the Lord. The first verse of this Psalm lists three contingencies. For each, give an example or illustration applicable to our day.
10. Psalm 1:3 promises the godly man that “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” How can we explain this verse in light of the fact that, obviously, all Christians are not materially prosperous?

SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES

Psalm 1:1-6

THEME THOUGHTS

It is not difficult to go through the Bible and compile an extensive list of first events from which we can learn valuable lessons. Most people are interested in how or when something started and who started it. This quarter will focus on beginnings. The first two lessons deal with the beginning of everything—Creation and the first man. The next two are about the first sin and the first plan of escape from God’s judgment for sin. The next lesson is about the people who built the first “skyscraper” and the pitfalls of trying to be independent from God.

Four Bible characters will be studied: the first Hebrew, Abraham; the first leader, Moses; Israel’s first priest, Aaron; and the first king of Israel, Saul. There also will be a lesson on God’s first written Law.

The point of studying these lessons is to help us get a better understanding of some of the firsts in Bible history and, more importantly, to learn that, since the beginning of our world, each of these has played an important part in God’s plan for our lives. We want to grow spiritually from what we have learned.