Total Time: ~3–3.5 hours
Focus: Exploring the life of Abraham to understand the foundational biblical principle that a right relationship with God is established not by works or merit, but by believing in His promises.
🧱 Session 1 — The Call and the Covenant (60–75 mins)
Theme: God sovereignly calls a man out of paganism with an impossible promise, establishing a relationship based entirely on God’s faithfulness and Abraham’s belief.
📖 Reading
- Genesis 12:1–9 — Abram is called to leave his home for an unknown land, receiving a three-part promise.
- Genesis 15:1–21 — God formalizes His promise in a covenant ceremony, and Abram’s belief is counted as righteousness.
📖 Key Passages
- Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country… unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation… and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
- Genesis 15:5–6: “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
📖 Additional Passages
- Romans 4:3-5: “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
- Galatians 3:6-9: “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham… So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Believed | Hebrew (OT) | אָמַן (aman) | To trust, to have faith, to be firm. This is the root of our word “Amen.” Implies steadfast trust. |
| Counted / Credited | Hebrew (OT) | חָשַׁב (chashab) | To reckon, to account, to impute. A legal/accounting term; righteousness was credited by God. |
| Righteousness | Hebrew (OT) | צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) | Justice, rightness, being in a right relationship with God. |
📚 Historical & Cultural Context
- Ur of the Chaldees: A major city in ancient Mesopotamia, known for commerce and pagan worship, especially the moon god. Abram was called to leave all this behind for the unknown.
- Covenant Ceremony (Genesis 15): Cutting animals and passing between the pieces ratified solemn treaties. Only God passes through, symbolizing the covenant’s fulfillment depends solely on Him.
🗣️ Discussion Questions
- God’s call to Abram required leaving everything familiar for a promise. What does this teach us about the nature of true faith?
- Abram expresses doubts, yet God responds with a binding covenant. What does this reveal about God’s character toward human uncertainty?
- Genesis 15:6 states righteousness was “counted” to Abram. How does this differ from earning righteousness by works?
🧱 Session 2 — The Test and the Substitute (60–75 mins)
Theme: God’s promise is fulfilled in a miraculous birth, then tested in an unimaginable way, revealing Abraham’s faith depth and God’s provision of a substitute.
📖 Reading
- Genesis 21:1–7 — Isaac, the promised child, is born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.
- Genesis 22:1–19 — God tests Abraham by commanding the sacrifice of Isaac but provides a ram instead.
📖 Key Passages
- Genesis 22:2: “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering…”
- Genesis 22:8: “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”
- Genesis 22:13–14: “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
📖 Additional Passages
- Hebrews 11:17-19: “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac… Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”
- Romans 8:32: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide | Hebrew (OT) | רָאָה (ra’ah) | To see. “God will provide” literally means “God will see to it.” |
| In the stead of | Hebrew (OT) | תַּחַת (tachat) | Under, instead of, in place of. The language of substitution. |
📚 Theological Framework
- The Promised Son: Isaac’s birth is the miraculous fulfillment of God’s promise, not human effort.
- A Picture of the Gospel: The sacrifice of Isaac prefigures Christ—beloved Son, carrying wood for sacrifice, substituted by a ram provided by God.
🗣️ Discussion Questions
- How does Abraham’s response, “God will provide himself a lamb,” show his faith even in the face of a terrifying command?
- The ram caught in the thicket substitutes for Isaac. How does this foreshadow the work of Christ as our substitute?
- What lessons does this story teach about God’s demands and His faithfulness to provide?
🧱 Session 3 — The Legacy of Faith (60 mins)
Theme: Abraham’s faith journey concludes with securing a small piece of the promise, trusting God’s faithfulness for his descendants.
📖 Reading
- Genesis 23:1–20 — After Sarah’s death, Abraham buys a burial plot—the first piece of the Promised Land his family owns.
- Genesis 24:1–67 — Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, preserving the covenant line by faith.
📖 Key Passages
- Genesis 23:4: “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
- Genesis 24:7: “The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house… he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”
📖 Additional Passages
- Hebrews 11:13, 16: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth… But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
- 1 Peter 2:11: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”
🧠 Reflection & Application
- Abraham lived as a “stranger and sojourner,” never fully possessing the promised land. What does this teach us about living by faith in future promises?
- Abraham’s priority was securing the covenant through Isaac’s marriage rather than personal wealth or power. Why?
- Romans 4:11 calls Abraham “father of all them that believe.” What core faith traits do you see in Abraham’s life that we should emulate?
✝️ Final Encouragement: The Enduring Pattern
Abraham’s life is the blueprint for a relationship with God based not on merit, but divine promise. Though flawed, he was defined by one thing: he believed God, and that was enough. His story reveals the Bible’s enduring pattern—God calls, God promises, God provides. Our role is not to perform but to trust the faithfulness of the One who never fails.