God Gives Extravagantly [Genesis 13]


 1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. 3He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

 14The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16"I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17"Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you." 18Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.


According to Hebrews 6:15-20, we are heirs of this promise that God made to Abram.  We are the ones who have been blessed with this hope of Jesus that was given to us; we are some of those descendants that God promised.  God is strongly encouraging us to seize the hope set before us! It is a sure and firm anchor for our soul.  Through Jesus we enter the very presence of God. There is no greater gift.


In this passage (Gen. 13) God gives Abram and his descendants land to live in so that they can multiply like dust or sand, that cannot be counted.   Abram already had much and God gave him more.  Abram recognized that it all came from God and he built altars in response.  Those altars reminded Him of God's extravagant gifts and when he saw the altars he worshiped God.


We praise You, Father, for being such an extravagant giver of good gifts to us, Your children.  Cause us to recognize those gifts and fall down and worship You, right now as we read this praise. You give us good gifts.  We praise You for Jesus, the most extravagant gift of all Your gifts.


Verna McCrillis, 2/17/2010