L E S S O N L E V E L. Father of the Faithful

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1 3 3 3 V 3 ather of the aithful

2 ather of the aithful he people who lived before the lood had turned away from God. hey followed the selfish way of ain. ow, the people after the lood had done the same thing. hey followed the false religion of imrod. ow God decided to do something special. e would begin a new phase in is plan. e would start a new nation. e would work with the people in this nation and give them an opportunity to be an example to the other nations. God would bless this nation for obedience. his would show them and the world that living God s way brings blessings! God chose to start this special nation with a man named bram. bram was a descendant of oah s son hem. e was a scientist and astronomer in the land of haldea. Priests who taught false religion said that the sun, moon, planets and stars were gods or were controlled by gods. But bram knew they were not. Using observation and the laws of mathematics, he proved that these heavenly bodies followed predictable patterns. God used this fact to help bram prove that there had to be a true God who created them and who created the laws by which they move through the heavens. Jewish historian Josephus recorded that the teachings of bram caused the pagan priest of haldea to become very angry with him. his priest persecuted bram for teaching true science and the truth about the existence of the reator God. GD B Despite his trials, bram stayed faithful to his belief in the great reator. ne day, God actually spoke to him in the city of aran, when bram was 75 years old. God told bram to leave haldea with his family and move to another country. But e did not tell bram where to go or explain the reason why. God simply told bram that he would be blessed if he obeyed. What would you do in that situation? magine giving up your friends, your things and your favorite places, all because God told you to move. 2 P D BB

3 What would your attitude be? What is your attitude when your parents tell you to do things that are much simpler and easier than this? he Bible records that bram did not argue or complain or even delay. o bram departed, as the ord had spoken unto him (Genesis 12:4). bram left the city of aran with his wife, arai, the family of his nephew ot, hundreds of servants, and belongings including herds of cattle, goats and sheep. fter a long journey, God led bram s large household into the wilderness of anaan. anaan was a fertile land with good pasture for animals as well as rich soil and favorable weather for growing fruits and vegetables. But when bram arrived, anaan was suffering from a famine. Because there was no rain, fruits and vegetables could not grow. t was difficult to find anything to eat. bram decided to move to gypt until the famine passed. illustrations melissa barreiro bram leaves aran. V 3 3 3

4 braham remains faithful to his reator. 4 P D BB

5 fter the famine ended, bram returned to anaan. God then appeared to bram and told him that all the land he could see in all directions would belong to him and his descendants forever. God also promised bram would have more descendants than there were stars in the sky or sand on the shore. But bram and arai did not have any children, and he was already 85 years old. arai was about 75, which is well past the age when women could have babies. t did not seem like God s promise was possible. bram needed faith in God to perform a miracle! B n haldea, there was a custom that if a man s wife was unable to have babies, he could have legal heirs with one of his wife s servants. his custom was ot and braham part ways. V 3 3 5

6 against God s law, but bram did not have enough faith in God at this point in his life. o when arai told bram he should have a child with her gyptian servant, agar, bram agreed. agar became pregnant, and she started to look down on arai for being unable to have children. he started to act like she was bram s wife, instead of arai s servant. his caused a lot of hatred between arai and agar. arai told bram she wished she had never suggested that he have a child with another woman. bram told arai that she could be stricter with agar. But when arai did this, agar ran away. God sent an angel to agar to tell her to go back to arai and be a servant to her. he angel also told agar that she would bear a son. God had seen her affliction, and had given her a son who would become the father of a great multitude. he angel instructed agar to name her son shmael, which means God listens. oon after agar returned to bram and arai, she had a son and named him shmael. hirteen years later, God appeared to bram again and reminded him that if he obeyed God, he would become the father of many nations. o help strengthen bram s faith, God changed his name to braham, which means father of a multitude. God also changed arai s name to arah, meaning princess. agar and shmael are sent away. 6 P D BB

7 God told braham that his wife arah would be the mother of nations, but braham doubted God and wondered how it was possible for arah to have a child when she was 90 years old. braham then asked God to make shmael his heir and to grant is promises through him. But God told braham that arah would indeed have a son within a year, whom they would name saac, and that God would establish is covenant with saac. t seemed impossible, but God wanted braham to learn that all things are possible with God. D D G oon after God spoke with braham, three visitors came to his tent. hey appeared to be three men, but they were actually two angels and the God Being who would later become Jesus hrist! hese visitors warned braham about God s plan for odom and Gomorrah. odom and Gomorrah were two nearby cities that were filled with wicked and violent people, just like the people who lived before the lood. he three visitors told braham that God would destroy both cities with fire. ot and his daughters flee odom and Gomorrah; when his wife looks back, she turns into a pillar of salt. V 3 3 7

8 he two angels who visited braham then traveled to odom to find ot. ot had been living in odom for several years. e welcomed the two visitors into his home. hey warned him and his family to get out of the city, telling them, Do not stop, and do not look back. ot s family fled, and fire from the sky rained down on odom and Gomorrah. ot s wife disobeyed and looked back. ven though odom was horribly sinful to the point that God had to destroy it, ot s wife loved odom. When she looked back, God punished her for loving sin by turning her into a pillar of salt. ot and his two daughters escaped the destruction of odom because they obeyed God s warning! B fter the destruction of odom and Gomorrah, God kept is promise to braham and arah. hey had been waiting a long time, but arah miraculously gave birth to a son! braham named his new son saac. shmael grew jealous of saac and began to tease and bully him. When arah saw shmael picking on saac, she asked braham to send agar and shmael away. braham didn t want to do this, because he loved shmael as well. But God spoke to braham and told him to do as arah had asked. God promised to take care of agar and shmael, but saac would be in danger as long as shmael lived in the same house. o braham gave agar and shmael food and water for a long journey, and sent them away. ventually, they made their way to the wilderness of Paran. agar found an gyptian wife for her son. Just as God promised, shmael and his wife had 12 sons who became princes. fter a few generations, shmael s descendants became a great and numerous people. s saac grew up, braham taught him to believe and obey God. nce saac was grown, God would have another great test of faith for braham. ne day, God spoke to braham and told him to perform a specific task. God said, ake now your son, your only son saac, whom you love, and 8 P D BB

9 get you into the land of oriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2). braham had waited years for this promised son. saac had finally been born, and braham loved him dearly. But now God commanded braham to kill him! his was an extremely hard trial perhaps the hardest test a father could possibly go through. But braham trusted God. God had promised him that his descendants braham prepares to sacrifice saac. V 3 3 9

10 would multiply and become many nations, and that those descendants would specifically come from saac. braham knew that even if he killed saac, God would keep is promise. o he believed God must be able and willing to bring saac back to life. his was the hardest decision braham ever had to make, but he decided to obey God. braham and saac left for ount oriah. n the mountain, braham and saac built an altar out of stones. braham bound saac and laid him on top of the altar. With tears in his eyes, braham grabbed his knife and pulled back his arm to kill his son as quickly and painlessly as possible. But before braham could plunge the knife down and end saac s life, a voice cried out, P! he voice was from an angel who was delivering a message from God s throne: top, braham. God had experienced this ordeal with braham in a unique way. e knew that thousands of years later, e would sacrifice is own on, Jesus hrist. God saw braham s heart, and knew that even though it was an agonizing experience, braham would sacrifice even his own child because God commanded him to. God stopped braham so that he would not have to experience the anguish of watching his son die. When you realize the anguish this man willingly went through in order to obey God, you realize why obedient and believing braham has been called, for thousands of years, the father of the faithful. 10 P D BB

11 braham embraces saac after God stopped his sacrifice. V

12 Published by the Philadelphia hurch of God and produced in cooperation with mperial cademy. editor in chief Gerald lurry 2018 ll rights reserved. braham Word earch BB Books of the ew estament atthew ark uke John cts omans 1 orinthians 2 orinthians Galatians phesians Philippians olossians 1 hessalonians 2 hessalonians 1 imothy 2 imothy itus Philemon ebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude evelation W G G D V G J U P B B G P U P P D B D P K D K B J U G D U U Z P G U V B D G GP