Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 16-20)

It has been several months since I initially started this series, but it is time to finish it now!

 

Genesis 16

The promise that God would multiply Hagar’s descendants, and the promises of Ishmael’s future:

16:9-12: “9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” ¹⁰Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “ Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. ¹² He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.””

Genesis 17

The promises that God would multiply Abram (Abraham) exceedingly, make him a father of many nations, make him exceedingly fruitful, make nations of him, and that kings would come from him. Also, that God would give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan:

17:1-8: “¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.””

The promises that God would Sarai (Sarah) a son through Abraham, that she would be a mother of nations, and that kings would come from her. Also, that God would establish an everlasting covenant with Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac. Also, that God would bless Ishmael and make him fruitful, multiply him exceedingly, and that he will have twelve princes and make him a great nation.

17:16-22: “¹⁶ And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” ¹⁹ Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. ²⁰And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” ²² Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.”

Genesis 18

The promise that Sarah will have a son:

18:10: “10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

The promises that God would not destroy Sodom if there were 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, or 10 righteous souls found there:

18:26-32: “²⁶ So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” ²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸ Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” ²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” ³² Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.””

Genesis 19

The promise that Sodom would be destroyed:

19:12-13: “ 12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! ¹³ For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.””

The promise that Lot and his family would be destroyed if they did not leave or if they looked back or if they stayed anywhere in the plain:

19: 15-17: “15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he^[a] said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.””

Genesis 20

The promise that God would punish Abimelech if he did not restore Sarah to Abraham:

20:6-7: “⁶ And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.””

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Genesis 11-15

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 11-15)

Genesis 11

The promise that God would confuse the language of the people (tower of Babel):

11:6-7 “ ⁶ And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Genesis 12

The promises that God would make Abram a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who bless him, curse them who curse him, and that all the families on earth would be blessed through him:

12:1-3: “¹ Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The promise that God will give Abram’s descendants the land of Canaan:

12:7: “⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”

Genesis 13

The promise that God will give the land to Abram’s descendants forever and the promise that God would make Abram’s descendants as the dust of the earth (unable to be numbered):

13:14-17: “¹⁴ And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. ¹⁶ And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. ¹⁷ Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

Genesis 14

The promise of a biological heir to Abram, and the promise that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (unable to be numbered):

14:4-5: “⁴ And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

The promise that Abram’s descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs, will serve them, and will be afflicted for four hundred years.; the promise that God will judge that nation and that Abram’s descendants will come away with great possessions; the promise that Abram will die at an old age; and the promise that Abram’s descendants will return in the 4th generation:

14:13-16: “¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

The promise that the land will be given to Abram’s descendants:

14:18: “¹⁸ On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Genesis 15

The promise that Hagar would bear a son and call his name Ishmael; the promise that Ishmael would be a wild man, that his hand will be against every man, and that every man’s hand will be against him; the promise that Ishmael will dwell in the presence of all his brethren:

15:10-12: “¹⁰Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “ Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. ¹² He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

If you are writing about this on your blog, feel free to leave the link to your posts in the comments!

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 6-10)

Genesis 6

The promise that the days of man will be 120 years:

6:3 “3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

The promise that God would destroy man, beast, creeping thing, and birds because of evil:

6:5-7; 13: ”⁵ Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”; “¹³ And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

The promise that God would destroy the earth with a flood; the promise that God would save Noah, Noah’s wife, Noah’s three sons, and their wives; and the promise that God would save some of every living thing of all flesh:

6:17-20: “17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.^”

Genesis 8

The promise that as long as the earth remains, God would not curse the ground for man’s sake; that God would not destroy every living thing; and that the seasons and day and night will not cease:

8:21-22: “²¹ And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. ²² “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

Genesis 9

The promise that all living creatures will be given into man’s hand:

9:1-4: “¹ So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.² And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. ⁴ But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

The promise that the earth would not be destroyed by a flood again:

9:8-17: “ ⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants fter you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

 

Chapters 1-5

If you are writing about this on your blog, feel free to leave the link to your posts in the comments!

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Promises in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 1-5)

Throughout our time at the spiritual workshop (Polishing the Pulpit) we attended a few weeks ago, I was challenged to become a better student of God’s Word. I needed that challenge, and I’m thankful for the blessing of the challenge to dig deep into God’s Word.  A ladies Bible study Facebook group has grown from the challenge of digging deeper into God’s Word, and I’m excited to be a participant (by the way, feel free to join in!). During the month of September we are digging into the book of Genesis with a few goals in mind: 1) read through the entire book of Genesis and note every promise God makes; 2) be able to tell the story of Genesis in sequence; 3) memorize Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 12:2; and 4) understand that the theme of the Bible from Genesis 3:15 forth is “redemption.”

I’ve decided that I will document my notes about the promises on my blog. Documenting these promises here will not only keep me accountable to myself, but hopefully be beneficial to others as well. I’m sure that I won’t get every promise, but I am trying to do my best to consider the book of Genesis with the perspective of “promises” in mind.

Genesis 2

The promise that there are consequences to trespassing God’s Law:

2:16-17: ”¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”'

Genesis 3

The promise of the serpent’s punishment; the promise (prophecy) of enmity between the serpent and woman; the promise (prophecy) that Satan will bruise the heel of woman’s Seed (Christ), but that Christ will bruise his head (ultimately the promise of redemption through Christ); the promise of difficulty in childbirth for the woman; the promise of hard/difficult work for the man; the promise of man returning to the dust of the earth:

3:14-19: “ ¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent: “ Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust  All the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” ¹⁶ To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “ Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. ¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. ¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 4

The promise of Cain’s punishment:

4:10-12: “¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.””

The promise of Cain’s protection:

4:15 “¹⁵ And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.”

 

*All Scripture references are taken from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.