DAY 91 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE PROMISE

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12: 2

Reading:  Genesis 11:1-9; Genesis 13:5-13, Proverbs 22:1.

In Genesis 12, God promises to make Abram’s name great. In our readings for today, look out for the various people who, at various times, tried to make their own names great. 

The first story we come across, in Genesis 11, is the story of the people at the Tower of Babel who, through pride and a drive to self-determination, set out to make a great name for themselves. They thought that by building a mighty monument they would make a name for themselves that would last forever. Twice in the text we see God’s humour as He says He will need to “go down” to actually see this building that was being built, that’s how insignificant it was.

The next story is about Abram’s nephew Lot. When the need for a separation between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen became necessary, he chose to move closer to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to get access to the well-watered plains in the valley of the Jordan. The story tells us that this move did not enrich him or make his name great, but actually caused the death of his wife and brought a curse on his daughters and their children.

Part of the Promise that God gives to those who trust Him is that He will make their names great and make them a blessing to others.

Trusting Him involves not allowing pride to cause you to build monuments to your own name. Trusting God means not allowing compromise to get things done “quicker.” In both these stories the end is not blessing or a great name, but confusion and curse. Trust God’s Promise to work out a great name for you and make you into a blessing to those around you.

Prayer

Lord deliver me from pride and compromise. I humble myself in Your presence today and ask you to bless me and give me a great name and testimony.

FOR THE FAMILY

Explain

Explain the study in an age-appropriate way.