The Beginning and Meaning of Everything that Matters COVENANT Genesis 12:1-25:11 | Abraham 12:1-9 God Establishes a Relationship with Abraham 12:10-13:1 ?? Genesis 12:10-13:1 God has just commanded Abram to go, and made significant promises to him. What happens next? Abram reasons (unfaithfully) in going down to Egypt (Gen. 12:10-16) He reasoned based upon what he saw and acted in keeping with his own interests—self-preservation. Is it possible to reason accurately, but not rightly? Is it possible to reason based more on what we see, than on what we know? Is it possible to even deceive ourselves into thinking that our reasoning is the way God will fulfill His word in our lives? God proves He is faithful to His word, nonetheless (Gen. 12:17-13:1) When we reason out of FEAR rather than FAITH… We can prioritize self-preservation We can be accurate about our circumstances We can act based upon our reasoning We can experience what we conclude is confirmation of our actions We can end up reasoning and acting inconsistent with our faith in God Proverbs 3:5-6 Three Levels of Application: God > Abram | > Israel | > Us Figure No. 1