Bible Study 102

Lesson 3: The Third Dispensation

The Call of Abraham

Now we come to Abram, known as Abraham, the son of Terah, in the line from Shem, a son of Noah. This genealogical line will walk us ultimately to the Cross of the Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ.

We have reached a point in God's Word where behind us is 2000 years of biblical history ending with Chapter 11 of Genesis. In these eleven chapters we have been given a bird's eye view, so to speak, of the Creation, the Fall of Man, Cain and Abel, Noah and The Flood, and the Tower of Babel. As you can see, all behind us dealt primarily with events which shaped history. From this point forward, we will see God dealing with the lives of men. We are now nearing the end of the third dispensation which will close with Abraham, and the beginning of the fourth dispensation which will open with Abraham. This tells us of Abraham's importance.

"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. 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" (Genesis 12:1-3). Of course, from Abraham, we have today's nation of Israel. They do not have the entire land that was promised. They gain some; they loose some, but in time God will make good on his promise.

So Abraham left the land of his birth, but not entirely in obedience to what God had told him to do, because he took with him his wife Sarah, his father Terah, and guess who? Right. His nephew Lot, whom we will see again at the city of Sodom. Are you wondering why God instructed Abraham to leave his family behind? Actually the answer is given way forward in the Book of Joshua Chapter 24:2 - they served other gods. Even Abraham, up to now, lived in idolatry, but not in poverty. By way of archaeology, we have learned that Ur of the Chaldees, from which Abraham came, was a very lucrative civilization.

As Abraham was wandering through the land, pitching his tent, and building altars unto the Lord, a famine occurred, and food was short. When one feels hunger pangs, he will go to extremes to find food. So Abraham counseled with Sarah, then he took his family, flock, and all of his belongings into the land of Egypt.

Hmmm. Well, why didn't God feed Abraham? Was the famine natural or did God send it purposely to test Abraham? Another big question. Well, let me say this. Abraham was already in the land of blessing. Had he stayed, it would seem that by faith, God would have provided for him, his family and his flock. But when Abraham left the land that God was to give to him, he did so in disobedience. Disobedience never brings blessings.

While in Egypt something happens to cause Pharaoh to kick Abraham, Sarah, and all of his family, and herds out. And guess where they ended up? Right back where they had left - to the land of promise.

Abraham and Lot separate, with Lot going to Sodom, with his family and belongings. Now everyone has heard the story of Lot and his wife, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Mrs. Lot looking longingly back at their home in the burning city of Sodom. And for turning to look, in disobedience, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Well, we have really come a long way, and this dispensation is going to close now. In closing, it will usher in the beginnings of the present day conflict we see between Israel and the Palestinians.

I have indicated the time period of dispensation three from the Covenant made with Noah to the call of Abraham. Dispensation four will cover the time period continuing from Abraham to the Exodus from Egypt.

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