City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘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.’”

Genesis 17:1-8 (ESV)

The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!

Proverbs 20:7

¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:14 (ESV)

Megan’s Musings

God starts His conversation with Abram with a declaration, a command, and a promise. He declares He is God Almighty, El Shaddai, He tells Abram to keep a strong relationship with Him and to have integrity in his actions, and makes a promise that Abram’s legacy will be multiplied. Abram’s response was prostration. 

In this culture, names had great meaning, going from Abram (“exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of a multitude”) would emphasize God’s promise. Abram will not just be the father of one great nation (God promised this in Genesis 12:2), but of multiple. Every time Abraham met a friend, they would say, “Hi (or in this case, Shalom), Father of a Multitude.” 

God’s blessing to Abraham was like somebody who was born and raised in poverty being told they will become a billionaire. Or a clumsy child who’s always picked last for teams being told they will one day be an Olympic gold medalist. From a nomadic life to having a land of their own, from living in a tent to living in a palace, from a small family to the patriarch of many nations. Kings and a kingdom! But on the condition God is their top priority; that they do not follow other “gods.” 

The patriarchs Enoch and Noah walked with God (Genesis 5:22,24; 6:9), as did Abraham (Genesis 24:40) and his grandson Jacob (Genesis 48:15). Proverbs 20:7 emphasizes walking blamelessly is connected to blessings to the next generation. 

God always keeps His Word. He did with Abraham, but unfortunately, his descendants did not always keep theirs. Several times they strayed away from Him, got into trouble, called on God. He got them out, they turned back to Him, things got comfortable, they turned their backs on God, and the cycle repeated. Even though Jesus took their punishment, the Jews rejected Him as Messiah (Luke 10:16; 21:24, John 1:11), they did not see He was the ultimate covenant fulfillment, the ultimate way back home. 

Application

Shortly after the Fall, God promised a Savior (Genesis 3:15) and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice is the Way to Heaven. He spoke of the small gate and narrow road that leads to eternal life, that following God requires effort and focus while a lackadaisical attitude will lead to destruction. 

If you’re having trouble walking the straight and narrow path, consult the Guide; the Word of God. Tell a trusted Christ-following friend what you’re going through, the journey home is meant to be shared (Matthew 18:20).

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for Your blessings. Please keep me on the straight and narrow path. In Your Name I pray, amen.