Context Study: Abraham’s New Home

(5–8  minutes, easy setup)
Provide a map detailing Abraham’s travels. (Note: In the NIV Study Bible, Map 1 is entitled, “World of the Patriarchs: Abraham’s Journeys.”)

Say: God called Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household to go to the land God would show him. (See Genesis 12:1 for biblical support.) Share the following information about Abraham’s journey to his new home:

• Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeans with his father Terah, his wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot. They traveled to Haran, where they lived until Terah died (Genesis 11:31-32).
• Abraham, Sarah, and Lot left Haran and moved to Shechem, a settlement in the land of Canaan.
• God promised to give this land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12:4-6).
• Famine struck the land of Canaan, so Abraham took his family to live in Egypt (Genesis 12:10).
• After deceiving Pharoah, Abraham and his family settled in the Negev for a while before returning to their earlier homestead between Bethel and Ai, which was near Shechem (Genesis 13:1-4).
• Abraham and his family lived in tents; they never built permanent dwellings. [Morris, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Hebrews, Vol. 11, 117-123.]
• The only land Abraham ever owned was the land he purchased as a burial place for Sarah (Genesis 23:14-16).

Call on a volunteer to read Hebrews 11:9-10. Ask: Why do you think Abraham remained faithful to God even though he never fully possessed the land of Canaan? Point out that Christians only inhabit this earth for a short while before moving on to heaven. Discuss: When we understand that we are only passing through this land, how might that influence the way we spend our lives?