Light of the World Outreach Center

Bible Study Year 3

The Book of Genesis

MacArthur Bible Studies

The Promise to Abram

Genesis 15:1-21

The Context

Keys to the Text

Going Deeper

Unleashing the Text

1)What did God mean when He said to Abram, “I am your shield, you exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1)? What was God promising to Abram by making this statement?

2)If you had been Abram, knowing that you and your wife were both growing old, how would you have viewed God’s promise that you would have a son?

3)How would you have viewed God’s promise concerning inheriting land? Would you have continued living as a nomad or done something different?

4)How does knowing the end of Abram’s story change the way you view the doubts and fears that Abram faced? What should that teach us about the doubts and fears that we face?

Exploring the Meaning

Reflecting on the Text

5)What does it mean to God “accounted it to (Abram) for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6)? What insights does Paul add in Romans 4?

6)Notice that Abram “believed God” even before God sealed His covenant with the sacrificial ritual. What did he believed God? On what did he base his faith?

7)Why did God call Abram to live in tents when He intended to give the land to his descendants anyway? Why did He not allow Abram to get settled into Canaan?

8)Why did God select Abram in the first place? Do you think it was something in Abram or something in God’s gracious character that caused Him to bring the Messiah through Abram’s family line?

Personal Response

9)God performed the sacrificial ritual to permanently seal His covenant with Abram. What has He promised you? What has He done to seal those promises to you (beginning with the death of His Son on the cross)?

10)What things are most important to you in your life? In what ways are you living as a pilgrim on earth? In what ways are the things of this world distracting you?