Talk Together

Family conversations with God’s Word.

Talk to your children about your extended family. Share an interesting story or memory. Did you know anyone who believes in Jesus is part of God’s chosen family?

Many years ago in the Old Testament, God made a special promise to one of his followers named Abram. He told Abram his family would be so big they would be like the number of stars sprinkled in the sky and the amount of sand that sits on the ocean shores!

But Abram and his wife Sarai didn’t have any children. For God’s promise to come true, Abram needed to have a child. Let’s read Genesis chapter 17, verses 4-8 to learn more.

ESV

“Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Did you hear what God told Abram? He said Abram would be the father of many nations! God would also provide him with a large amount of land where his family could live. With God’s promise, Abram and Sarai received new names: Abraham and Sarah.

At the time, Abraham was old; he didn’t have a home, and he and Sarah didn’t have a child. But God chose him to start a family that would become a great nation called Israel. When God says something will happen, it always does. When Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac.

Several years later, God made another promise to Abraham. Let’s read it in Genesis 22:17-18.

“I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Abraham believed in God’s promise that one day everyone would be blessed through someone from his family.

This descendent of Abraham would be the King worthy of all our praise; the Messiah promised from ancient times, the perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins, the chosen Savior — Jesus Christ.