In Genesis 22 God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Trusting the Lord, Abraham bound his son to the wood of the altar. Everything was at stake—the long-anticipated covenant promise to Abraham of many descendants, finally at long last fulfilled in Isaac, seemed to be slipping away. Yet at the last moment, the Lord himself provides a ram, which is sacrificed as a substitute in Isaac’s place. What does this story teach us about God's promises, the testing of faith, and the ultimate provision of sacrifice on our behalf?

In Genesis 20-21, we see quite a few events that have happened before. Abraham tells a leader that his wife is his sister, there is laughter and circumcision, and Hagar and Ishmael are once again trying to survive and are met by God in the desert. God’s promise to give Abraham and Sarah a child is fulfilled through Issac and he also is continuing to see and protect Ishmael and Hagar.

In Genesis 18 and 19, the time of God's judgment upon the wicked city of Sodom has come. God reveals his plans to Abraham who pleads for God to spare the city for the sake of a few righteous. There's only one problem- There are no righteous people there. Only Lot is "righteous", yet even he lingers, revealing a heart that is attached to the pleasures of sin. In these verses, we learn an essential gospel truth: God’s justice will only punish the guilty. The trouble, of course, is that before God’s eyes none are truly righteous. How then can anyone be rescued from God's righteous judgment? Only by the righteousness of Christ.

This Sunday we were in Genesis 17-18. God rearticulates his covenant with Abraham, gives a sign that marks God's people and promises the birth of Isaac. The longer Abraham and Sarai wait for this promise to be fulfilled, the more unlikely, even laughable, it seems to them. But God is faithful. This passage teaches us a crucial lesson: ss God’s set-apart people, we must trust in his promises, for nothing is too hard for him.

Chapter 16 begins with a reminder of Abram and Sarai's ongoing problem: they are still without a child. How can the promise of God to Abram be fulfilled without the provision of a family? It's in this setting that Sarai turns from trusting the Lord to take matters into her own hands, Abram fails to lovingly lead, and Hagar the servant is left to wander. Genesis 16 shows that our best efforts cannot bring about the promises of God. The God who sees and hears is faithful to bring about his will in his way.

On Sunday we looked at Genesis 15. How will this promise of a great nation be fulfilled if the aging Abram has no children? This question is a point of anxiety and fear for Abram. God addresses Abram’s anxiety over childlessness with one of the Bible’s most powerful affirmations of the goodness of God toward his people. God himself is Abram’s shield (v.1), so Abram must not fear. God then guarantees this promise, originally given in 12:2, with a covenant.

On Sunday we were in Genesis 13-14. As Abram returns to Canaan after his faith wavered in Egypt. We see in these chapters a renewed man, marked by humility, who responds to a number of trying circumstances with surprising faith. Abram walks by faith, not by sight. In doing so, he points us to the God who sustains and upholds his people.

This week we began Part 2 of our Genesis Series - Covenant & Longing (Chapters 12-36). As we pick up the story in Genesis 12 we see God’s invitation to Abram to become a source of blessing for all of humanity. As Abram answers the call, he abandons all of his regular sources of comfort and support, leaning wholly on God and his grace.