The Study Of Genesis – Post Six
***Note – We have completed the book of Job. Now, as we continue our journey through the Bible in chronological order, this is our sixth devotion in Genesis. Though we’re in Week 18 overall, we’ll be in Genesis for the next several weeks.
Devotional Format: I Do – We Do – You Do
Focus: Genesis 14 – 15
Tip: I highly recommend journaling your responses to the questions, prompts, and reflections. Writing them out can help you process more deeply and see how God is working in your life.
This week’s devotion includes:
Chapter 14 – “Faith in Action”
Chapter 15 – “God Can Bring us Out to Bring us in”
(Remember: This is a once-a-week devotional that can be broken up over several days.)
Bible Memory:
Did you memorize last week’s Bible verse?
Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is such a valuable practice. Since I’ve been memorizing Scripture, I’ve experienced so many moments where God brings a specific verse to mind just when I need it most. It’s amazing how He uses His Word to speak into our lives right where we are.
This Week’s Memory Verse —
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
I Do – Watch Me Study
Genesis Chapter 14
“Faith in Action”
(Read Genesis Chapter 14 First)
As we’re making our way through the Bible, we are going to find that some chapters are history lessons, and Genesis 14 is one of them. When I first read through it, it was mostly a story about kings and battles, but when you take a closer look, it’s full of lessons about courage, faith, and the kind of character God values.
The chapter opens with a power struggle. For twelve years, several kings had been serving a mighty ruler named Chedorlaomer. They finally grew tired of it and rebelled. Back then, you either served the stronger king or faced the consequences of death…and sure enough, Chedorlaomer came after them.
The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and a few others banded together to fight back, but their battle took place in a valley filled with “slimepits. From what I’ve studied, these are like tar pits that people become trapped in. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into them, their soldiers fled to the mountains, and the enemy swept in and took everything: possessions, food, and even people. Among the captives was Abram’s nephew, Lot.
When Abram was notified of this, he didn’t hesitate to go after them. He gathered 318 trained men from his household and set out after the enemy. By night, Abram attacked and won. He brought back Lot, all the people, and every bit of what had been stolen.
After the victory, two kings came to meet him. The king of Sodom wanted to offer Abram the goods he’d recovered, and the king of Salem, Melchizedek, also a priest of the most high God, brought bread and wine and blessed Abram, saying:
“Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” -Genesis 14:19–20
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. This was a little unclear at first in Genesis 14:20, but after a little digging, I found that this was clarified in Hebrews 7:1-2 that says, “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of peace;
We don’t hear about Melchizedek again until Psalm 110 and later in the book of Hebrews, where he’s revealed as a picture of Christ. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is both King and Priest. He rules in righteousness and brings peace. And just as Melchizedek offered bread and wine, Jesus offered His own body and blood as the lasting covenant between God and His people. Melchizedek’s blessing over Abram points to the greater blessing that Christ gives us. Christ blesses us with deliverance and not just from our enemies like we see in Genesis 14, but also from sin and death itself.
After Melchizedek’s blessing, the king of Sodom tried to give Abram all the goods, but Abram refused. He told him, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord… that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet” (v. 22–23). Abram didn’t want anyone to say, “I made Abram rich.” I believe He wanted God alone to get the glory.
I love Abram’s heart here. Not only was he a man of faith, but he was also a man of action. When Lot was in trouble, Abram didn’t sit back and pray for someone else to go…he went himself.
And when he did succeed in retrieving Lot, he didn’t claim the credit or take advantage of it. He gave the glory to God. That’s the kind of quiet strength I want in my own life! I want to have the courage to act when God calls me, and the humility to give Him the glory when all ends well.
It’s also comforting to see that even though Abram wasn’t perfect (we’ve already seen his moments of fear and failure when he asked Sarai to lie to the Egyptians), God still used him mightily. What mattered most wasn’t perfection, but the direction of his heart.
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We Do – Let’s Study Together
Genesis Chapter 15
“God Can Bring us Out to Bring us in”
(Read Genesis Chapter 15 First)
Genesis 15 opens with such comforting words:
“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” – Genesis 15:1
I love this promise…Not only that God would protect Abram, but that He Himself is the protection and the reward. The same is true for us.
God is our shield. Having God as our shield means He covers, guards, and defends us. That’s a great comfort, but notice something in the verses below…every time God is called a “shield,” there’s one thing expected from us first….TRUST
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.(Psalm 28:7)
“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” (2 Samuel 22:31)
We can’t hide behind His shield if we’re running in fear somewhere else. We must seek Him as our refuge, trust Him, and hope in Him.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)
God is also our reward as He tells us in Genesis 15:1. He promised to be Abram’s exceeding great reward. That means the greatest treasure wasn’t the land he was to own, the victory of winning battles, or the future family he was to have…It was God Himself.
“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.” (Psalm 16:5)
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Psalm 73:26)
Abram’s reward was a person not a possession, and that is true for us today. He is still the greatest thing we could ever gain.
Then we come to one of the most beautiful verses in all of Scripture:
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
Abram simply believed God, and God credited that faith as righteousness. There wasn’t anything Abram had to do, except have faith.
This is so important that it’s repeated throughout the New Testament (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23). God values faith that believes what He says to be the absolute truth and faith to believe in what you cannot see.
Verse 7 says, “I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.”
This verse made me think how many times has God brought me out of something that felt hard, confusing, or uncertain, only for me to later realize He was leading me into something better?
Maybe you’ve been in a season where God seemed to be making changes in your life. It might not make sense in the moment, but Genesis 15:7 reminds us that He could be bringing you out of something in order to bring you into something better.
It reminds me of when my husband and I prune my rose bush…it looks harsh to be chopping so much of it off, but it’s the only way new blooms can grow. Or like cleaning out a cluttered room. It can feel uncomfortable, but it makes room for something beautiful.
When I feel like God is pulling me out of something, I want to pause and remember this: maybe what feels like loss is really the first step toward something He wants to give me.
Later in the chapter, Abram asked God, “How shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (v. 8) In other words, How can I be sure You’ll really do what You said?
So God told Abram to prepare a covenant. Abram laid out the animal sacrifices, and as the sun went down, he fell into a deep, heavy sleep. Then something amazing happened:
“Behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.” (Genesis 15:17)
I studied that in ancient custom, both parties would walk between the divided pieces of animal together and say, “May what happened to these animals happen to me if I break my word.” But here’s what’s incredible: Did you notice when you read the chapter that Abram didn’t walk through. Only God did.
That means the covenant wasn’t dependent on Abram at all. It rested completely on God. God was saying, I will keep My promise, even if you fail. This is so beautiful because it points directly to Jesus and the penalty he paid alone for us.
So, when life feels uncertain and you wonder how His promises could possibly come true, remember this: God doesn’t just make promises. He keeps them. He kept this promise that started with Abram…all the way to the cross for you and me.
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You Do – Apply It Personally
God’s Word always invites a response. Take time this week to sit with what you’ve learned from Genesis 14–15 and ask the Holy Spirit to make it personal for you.
Below are some prompts to help you reflect and journal:
Trusting Him as Your Shield
• In what area of your life do you need to trust God as your shield, protector and defender?
• Are you tempted to run for safety somewhere else (in worry, control, or self-reliance)?
• Write a prayer of surrender, inviting Him to be your refuge.
Treasuring Him as Your Reward
• What “rewards” in life have been competing for your attention lately?
• How might God be reminding you that He Himself is your exceeding great reward?
• Reflect on a time when His presence was enough even when circumstances weren’t what you hoped.
When God Brings You Out
• Can you think of a time when God “brought you out” of something? Maybe a situation, relationship, or season that was painful or confusing at the time, but later revealed His goodness?
• How might He be doing that now?
• Pray and thank Him for being the God who not only brings you out but also brings you in.
His Covenant
• God walked the covenant path alone with Abram and it’s a picture of His unbreakable promise to you. How does knowing that God keeps His word even when you falter bring you peace today?
• Write down one promise of God that you want to hold onto this week
Faith That Pleases God
• Genesis 15:6 says Abram “believed the LORD.”
Where is God asking you to simply believe right now even when you can’t see the outcome?
• End your journal time with a prayer of faith…
“Lord, I believe You are who You say You are, and You will do what You’ve promised.”
Closing Reflection
Throughout this week, remember:
God is your shield that covers you in every storm.
He is your reward and your treasure above all else.
And when He brings you out, it could be because He’s leading you into something better. He is the same faithful God who walked the path alone for Abram and for you and me.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for keeping Your promises. You’ve kept every promise You have ever made. You are so faithful. I see how much you value trust…so much so that you counted in unto Abram for righteousness. Help us to trust you in everything we do. You will defend us, but we need to trust in You. Thank you for bringing us out of situations in order to bring us in to something better for us. Above all, we praise you for being our shield, our reward, and our treasure.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
The Georgia Nest 