Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 12-15.

The first thing I noticed in this passage was that when Abraham arrived in the land of Canaan, he set up an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord near Bethel.  Many years later, his grandson Jacob would have a vision, and then many years after that, Jacob would also build an altar there.  It was near Bethel that Abram made a deal with Lot for Lot to take his flocks into the valley near Sodom, while Abraham stayed in the hill country.  It was shortly before this when God told Abram for the first time that He would give all of this land to Abram’s offspring.  Then after Abram separated from Lot, God appeared to him again and told him that He would give the land to Abram’s offspring.  This second time, God told Abram that his offspring would be so numerous that they could not be counted.  Then, after rescuing Lot, God told Abram that He would reward him.  This time, Abram questioned God, saying that he had no children and one of his servants was his heir.  God responded by telling Abram that he would indeed have children and his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (or, perhaps, as uncountable as the stars in the sky).  It was at this point where Abram believed God’s word to him and was counted as righteous for that faith.  Yet, when God told him for the third time that He would give him this land, Abram asked God how he could be sure.  So, even though Abram had faith in God, he still asked God for something to strengthen his faith, something to assure him that he understood God’s promise.  We too may ask God for assurance of our faith.  This Would not be the last time when Abram needed God’s assurance.  Yet, God credited his faith as righteousness.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.