Thursday, April 29
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).
In Genesis 12:2, God promises to make Abram’s name great — that is, to make him famous. Why would the Lord want to do that for any sinner, no matter how obedient and faithful? Who deserves a “great” name? (See Romans 4:1-5, James 2:21-24.) Did God bestow greatness on Abram for his own personal benefit, or did it represent something more? Explain.
Compare Genesis 11:4 with Genesis 12:2. What is the big difference between the two? In what ways does one represent “salvation by works” and the other “salvation by faith”?
However much the plan of salvation rests only upon the work of Christ in our behalf, we — as recipients of God’s grace — are, nevertheless, still involved. We have a role to play; our free choice comes into prominence. The drama of the ages, the battle between Christ and Satan, is still being played out in and through us. Both humanity and angels are watching what is happening with us in the conflict (1 Corinthians 4:9). Thus, who we are, what we say, what we do, far from having no importance beyond our own immediate sphere, has implications that can, in a sense, reverberate across the universe. By our words, our actions, even our attitudes, we can help bring glory to the Lord, who has done so much for us, or we can bring shame upon Him and His name. Thus, when the Lord said to Abraham that He would make his name great, He surely was not talking about it in the same way the world talks about someone as having a great name. What makes a name great in the eyes of God is character, faith, obedience, humility, and love for others, traits that while they might often be respected in the world are not usually the factors the world would deem as making someone’s name great.
Look at some of the men and women who have “great” names in the world today, be it actors, politicians, artists, the wealthy, whatever. What is it about these people that has made them famous? Contrast that with the greatness of Abraham. What does that tell us about how perverted the world’s concept of greatness is? How much of that worldly attitude impacts our view of greatness, as well?
