Daniel Whyte III
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This podcast is designed to help you better understand the Word of God — both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the story of the Covenant which God made with His chosen people Israel. And the New Testament is the story of the Cross which signifies the fulfillment of the Old Covenant with Israel and the formation of a New Covenant with redeemed people from many nations.
We always like to start out with the Word of God, and today’s passage of Scripture is Genesis 12:6-7 which reads: “And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”
Allow me to share with you some further commentary on this passage from the Reformation Study Bible by Dr. R.C. Sproul:
On the plains of Moreh grew a tree whose greater height made it a preferred place of worship. Although pagans worshiped fertility deities under such trees, Abraham, who looked for a heavenly city, worshiped only the true God. The name “Moreh” means “teacher.” This was probably a pagan site for oracles; the Lord sanctified it by appearing to Abraham. By his act of worship, the father of the new nation consecrated the Promised Land to God.
Two obstacles stood in the way of God’s promise: Sarah’s barrenness and the Canaanites who prevented him from settling in the land.
Today’s quote about the Bible is from Henry Ward Beecher. He said: “Sink the Bible to the bottom of the ocean, and still man’s obligations to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and guide would be gone; the same voyage to make, but his chart and compass would be overboard!”
Our topic for today is titled “Abraham” (Part 2) from the book, “The Promise and the Blessing” by Dr. Michael A. Harbin.
Abram must have wondered why Canaan was chosen as the land of promise. We now realize that the nation of Israel was to represent the living God to the other nations of the world. For this purpose God chose a very central location. If you look at a map of the area, you will see that the land of Canaan straddles the land bridge between Africa (Egypt) and Asia (Mesopotamia), the regions with the most significant civilizations of the day. Because of its location, Canaan also controlled sea travel between the East and the West. But Abram had no way of knowing these details. He was simply given a command and some promises. The command was to leave Haran and move to Canaan. If he did that, God would fulfill three promises. These promises are the heart of what we call the Abrahamic covenant.
1. Abram will have a special territory. The land is significant, and Abram was given claim to it. We will see, however, that he personally was not to possess the land. The actual possession was deferred four hundred years, after the sin of the current inhabitants had reached a point that required judgment.
2. Abram is going to become a nation. Earlier the narrative had noted that his wife Sarai was barren. This may have been the case so that God could show His power in producing the offspring.
3. Abram will be a blessing. There are two aspects to this promise. One is the positive concept of a blessing for Abram and his offspring: those who bless him and his descendants (the Israelites or Jews) will be blessed. But second, anyone who treats them contemptibly will be put under a curse by God. The reason for this promise is suggested in the last line, which hints at the coming Messiah: “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next broadcast/podcast.
Let’s Pray —
Before we close, dear friend, I want to remind you that the most important thing you should know about the Bible is that it is the story of God working to save humanity from sin and the consequences of sin. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins and take the punishment that we deserve on Himself. Romans 5:8 says, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you want to get to know Him today, all you have to do is believe “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” and you will be saved. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will.
Until next time, remember the word of God is the foundation to a successful life. God bless.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in twenty-three foreign countries. He is the author of thirty-four books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts, The Prayer Motivator Devotional and the Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report and the Second Coming Watch Update. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, and a Master’s degree in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for twenty-five years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
