Just before His negotiations with Abraham about Sodom, the Lord has a brief conversation with Himself.

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and might nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.

Genesis 18:17-19, ESV

God lays our several facts about His plans for Abraham. First, all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham. Second, Abraham will become a great and mighty nation. Third, this man and his family were chosen for this destiny which will come about by one generation teaching the next the way of the Lord. In other words, God’s mission of blessing the nations begins with parents making disciples of the children in their household. Moses reemphasizes this mission in Deuteronomy.

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

By including God’s way in everyday conversations as we live life, we help our children see what our hearts value. God wants parents to help their children step into faithfulness and carry the covenant into the future.

His plan continues in the same way today. He is looking to bless the nations with salvation through Christ. He wants His church to make disciples in their own households and then out in the world. This simple plan has been unfolding since the time of Abraham. The nations will be blessed if we continue that mission today!