Reading: Genesis 13

Earlier Abram had moved to Egypt due to a famine. He remembers God had originally commanded him to live in Canaan, so returns there. O the way God protects him from dangers. He arrives safely in Canaan and thankfully worships the LORD Yahweh.

 

Abram settles in Canaan and God blesses him richly with livestock, silver and gold (vs 2). However, many other people also live in the land. Already Abram has conflict with Lot about wells for drinking water. God had promised: “I will make you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). How is it possible another great nation can fit into this occupied land? The Lord however assures Abram with a promise that goes beyond human dreams. God will not only give the entire land of Canaan to Abram and his descendants forever, but Abram’s descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. This promise seems impossible, but look how Abram responds: he built an altar to the LORD Yahweh. In other words he believes God’s promise and worships Him.

 

Key text: In Gen 13:15-17 God promises “all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.”

 

Question: When and how is this promise fulfilled?