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What's the biggest promise anyone has ever made to you? Was it kept? Here's another question: would you trust a promise more if it came from your best friend, a stranger or a politician? How much a promise is worth depends on who makes it.
After the Fall, the world went from bad to worse: a murder, a great flood, people building a tower to make themselves great. Then God did something surprising. He picked one old man with no children and made him a promise. That promise drives the rest of the Bible. This is the start of part 3 of the Bible's big story: Israel (its symbol is a star).
What you'll learn
- God's three-part promise to Abraham, and why it's good news for the whole world
- How Abraham's family ended up as slaves in Egypt, and how God rescued them
- How the promise and the rescue point to Jesus
God's promise to Abraham
In Genesis 12, God speaks to a man called Abram (later renamed Abraham). He tells him to leave his home and go to a land God will show him. Then God makes him a promise:
"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:2–3)
There are three parts to the promise:
| Promise | What it means | Kept when? |
|---|---|---|
| A land | A place to live with God (12:1) | Joshua leads Israel into the land |
| A great nation | Lots of descendants, as many as the stars (15:5) | Israel grows in Egypt |
| Blessing to all families | Through Abraham's family, God will bless the whole world (12:3) | Ultimately through Jesus |
There was just one problem. Abraham and his wife Sarah were old and had no children. How could they become a great nation? God's promise needed a miracle.
Notice how this answers the Fall. In Genesis 3, things broke for everyone. In Genesis 12, God promises blessing for every family on earth. God's rescue plan has begun.
The family line
Here's how the promise started coming true:
- Abraham and Sarah finally have a son, Isaac, when they are very old.
- Isaac's son Jacob is given a new name by God: Israel. That's where the nation gets its name.
- Jacob has twelve sons. One of them, Joseph, is sold by his jealous brothers and ends up in Egypt. God raises him up to save everyone from a terrible famine.
- The whole family moves to Egypt. Over hundreds of years, they grow into a huge people, just as God promised.
Slavery and rescue
Then things turn dark. A new Pharaoh (king of Egypt) is afraid of how many Israelites there are, so he makes them slaves (Exodus 1). God's people cry out for help.
God hears them. He calls a man named Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3) and sends him to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go. Pharaoh refuses, so God sends ten plagues. At the last one, the Passover, every family that puts a lamb's blood on its doorframe is kept safe. At last Pharaoh lets the people go.
But then he changes his mind and chases them with his army. The Israelites are trapped between the sea and the soldiers, and they panic. Moses tells them:
"But Moses told the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’" (Exodus 14:13–14)
God opens a path through the sea, and the people walk through on dry ground. The army that follows is swept away. The people couldn't save themselves. God did the rescuing. All they had to do was trust him and walk through.
Rescue first, then rules
After the rescue, God brings his people to Mount Sinai and gives them his law, starting with the Ten Commandments. Notice the order: rescue first, then rules. God doesn't say, "Obey me and then I'll save you." He saves them first, and then shows them how to live as his people (Exodus 20:2). His rules are a gift for people he has already rescued.
Key words
- Abraham: the man God chose and made a three-part promise to.
- Israel: the new name God gave Jacob, and the name of the nation that came from his family.
- Exodus: means "going out"; the book that tells how God rescued Israel from Egypt.
- Passover: the night God kept safe every family that put a lamb's blood on its doorframe.
- The Law: the first five books of the Bible (Genesis to Deuteronomy), also called the books of Moses.
How this points to Jesus
| In the Old Testament | In Jesus |
|---|---|
| God promises to bless all families through Abraham's family | Jesus is Abraham's descendant, and the good news about him goes to every nation (Galatians 3:8) |
| The Passover lamb's blood keeps families safe | Paul calls Jesus our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) |
| God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt | Jesus rescues people from slavery to sin and death |
Think about it
Why was God's promise to Abraham so hard to believe?Show answer
God promised that Abraham would become a great nation, but he and Sarah were old and had no children. It would take a miracle, so Abraham had to trust God.
In Exodus 14:14, Moses tells the people that God will fight for them. What would that have felt like, with an army behind you?Show answer
It would have been hard to believe, but also a huge relief. They couldn't win by themselves, so they had to stop panicking and trust God to rescue them.
Why does it matter that God rescued his people first, and then gave them rules?Show answer
It shows that God's rescue is a gift, not something people earn by being good. The rules show rescued people how to live as God's people.
Take it further
Think about this: what makes a promise worth trusting? God kept his promise to Abraham even when it seemed impossible. Is there a promise from God that you find hard to trust? Your worksheet helps you put the family line in order and match the story to Jesus.
If you'd like to, you could pray: God, thank you that you keep your promises, even when they seem impossible. Thank you for rescuing your people. Help me to trust you. Amen.