The Sabbath-School by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 2, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 14.

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The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—MAY 2.

Inheritance of the Saints.

PROMISES TO ABRAHAM.—CONTINUED.

1. Under what circumstances was the promise first made to Abraham?

2. Repeat this promise?

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 12: 2, 3.

3. What condition of things will exist when this is fulfilled?

4. What scripture contains additional features of the promise?

"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee." Gen. 13: 14–17.

5. When was this promise made?

6. What did the Lord promise at this time?

7. To whom besides Abraham was the land promised? Ib.

8. How long was it said that they should have it? Ib.

9. How numerous did the Lord say his seed should be?

"And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Gen. 13: 16.

10. If his seed was to be “as the dust of the earth,” how much of the earth would it occupy?

11. Then to what was the promise equivalent?

12. How much territory does Paul say that the promise included?

"For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Rom. 4: 13.

13. Why did the Lord make such great promises to Abraham?

"Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Gen. 18: 18, 19.

In our last week’s lesson we learned that the first promise was made to Abraham while he was in his native country, when God told him to go out into a land which he would show him. Gen. 12: 1–3. We found that the promise affected not only Abraham, but all the people who should live at a certain time upon the earth; that at that time all would be blessed, and would, consequently, be keeping God’s commandments.

AFTER Lot had separated from Abraham, we find the promise renewed, with some additional particulars. This will be found in Gen. 13: 14–17. There we find that land was promised to Abraham, and to his seed, and that it was to be theirs forever. In the sixteenth verse we learn that his seed was to be “as the dust of the earth.” This is but another way of saying that his descendants should fill the whole earth. That being so, it follows that the promise given at that time was that he and his descendants should possess the whole earth. In Rom. 4: 13 we learn that this conclusion is correct. We must not fail to note, however, as recorded in Gen. 18: 18, 19, that the Lord’s promise to make of Abraham a great nation, was based on the fact that Abraham would command his children and his household after him, that they should keep the way of the Lord.

E. J. W.