On 12-4-11 Genesis 12:1-9 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as A Blessing for All Nations aka God's Call to Bless.

A Blessing for All Nations

Or

 God’s Call to Bless

Genesis 12:1-9

International Sunday School Lesson

December 4, 2011

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

I feel for you this week if you are a teacher and you want to come up with a lesson that is unique for the scripture we are covering.  What can you come up with that is new and interesting that will help your class?  As you might imagine I have the same problem but then I realized that we need not look at it that way.  The reason for that is though well covered this section in our Bibles has to do with the calling of Abram (Abraham) and if you apply it to your students, I daresay they need to keep going over it until you and they see the kind of difference that we see in Abram but we’ll get back to that before we conclude.

We cannot say whether it was by an appearance or a voice or a dream that the calling we read about in today’s scripture came but however it occurred it was just as effective as that which called Saul (Paul) in Acts 9.  No debate, no questioning, just an obedient reaction.

Abram was able to take the effects of his household that had been built up over his 75 years but he obediently left more than that behind:  familiar environs, neighbors, family, where the water and grass would be found for their livestock, security issues such as who were to be trusted and who to suspect, known weather patterns and many important life sustaining concerns as well.

Wow, abandon the land that had provided for him, his family and his entire household to go to a place he wasn’t even informed of yet!  The promises sounded pretty good but you have to see that the calling had to be of monumental effect or all this would have just seemed like so many words.  And the effect was monumental as we see a man of 75 who was responsible for much head out into a promising, but as to specifics, unknown future.

Is this all a history lesson?  Are we only to take away from this scripture the past and where so much of our faith began?  As I began, one never knows if the lesson should be about the geography, the traditions, or the descendants if we are to keep a student’s interest or be helpful when covering such a familiar passage.  But I do think as I also stated near the beginning that the most important theme for adults is to concentrate on the calling and the transparency of it in the life of Abram

We ourselves are not all called to be pastors or teachers but we are all called to be priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).  Are you seeing that reflected in even a small percentage of those where you worship?  The calling that we have received should have no less a monumental effect on us then it did on Abram.  Abram was the father of us all but we are the ones who are called to finish the job.  Our job is to do the work of the gospel and if people were writing Sunday school lessons about us one day would they struggle to come up with something worthwhile to say?

For Discussion:

1.      The first time God spoke to Abram is not recorded in Genesis.  Look at Acts 7:2 and compare with Genesis 11 and 12 and you will see God appeared to Abram before he moved to Haran. 

2.      Discuss why only Abram and his immediate household were to go to the land God would show him.  Do you feel it was so God would start a totally new beginning without any corrupting influence?  See Joshua 24:2.

3.      Discuss how everything in our Bible and our faith flows from this point.

4.      Discuss what Abram thought, what members of your group would think, at 75 to hear, “I will make you into a great nation….”

5.      See Galatians 3:8 in relation to today’s verse 3.

6.      God thought of Abraham as a _______.  Discuss and provide scripture.  Hint: Facebook

7.      Research and discuss our calling as Christians.

8.      Christmas is on a Sunday don’t cancel your class but make this last Sunday of the year the best attended one of the year!

12-11-11:  A Promise to Abraham (A Covenant with God), Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

12-18-11:  The Lord Provides (The Challenge to Commitment), Genesis 22:1-2, 6-14 or 22:1-14

12-25-11:  According to the Promise (Mary’s Song of Praise), Luke 1:46-55 or 1:46-66; 2:1-7

1-1-12:      God Watches over Joseph (Guided by a Loving Lord) Genesis 39:7-21a

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved