Men Of God: Part One: God's Promises to Abraham, By Christina

Men Of God: Part One

God's Promises to Abraham
 
By Christina 
 

Abraham (his name was originally Abram but God changed it to Abraham) and his wife Sarah (her original name was Sarai but God changed her name as well) were both elderly and always been unable to have children. In Genesis 17, God spoke to Abraham and told him that if he obeyed Him, He would make him the father of many nations. It meant that he would have many generations following him. Of course, Abraham was confused because Sarah and he were so old and unable to have children that it didn't seem possible. But God promised him a son named Isaac.

A year later, despite her old age, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Some time later, God told Abraham to take his only son Isaac and use him as a burnt offering. I'm sure this probably really confused Abraham at the time since God promised Abraham many generations and Isaac was his only child. (He did have another son, Ishmael, but he wasn't Sarah's son…you can read about him in Genesis 16 and Genesis 17:18-25.) However, Abraham obeyed God and prepared Isaac as a sacrifice but God sent an angel to stop him and provided a sheep for the offering instead.

Isaac married and had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Both of them got married and had children as well. Jacob had twelve sons which were called the twelve tribes of Israel who were God's chosen people. God's promise to Abraham became true and the generations eventually led all the way to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.

David: A Man After God's Own Heart

David started off as a nobody. He was a shepherd, which was one of the lowest jobs someone could have. However, he was chosen by God through Samuel to be king. He trusted in God and defeated Goliath, the Philistine giant. This is such a great example of how God can use anyone to do anything for His glory.

David dealt with some challenges in his lifetime. "Whatever (King) Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul's officers alike" 1 Samuel 18:5 NLT. Because he became successful, Saul eventually became so jealous of him, he tried to kill him but God protected him. Later on, David committed adultery with a married woman. The woman's name was Bathsheba and she became pregnant. David had her husband killed so he wouldn't find out about what happened. David married Bathsheba and she gave birth to their son but God allowed the baby to become sick and die. God still used David even though he wasn't perfect.