Genesis 12

Genesis 12:2

Genesis 12: The Call Of Abram

Abram is introduced to us in this chapter without much detail into his life outside of a brief genealogy we get from Genesis 11 and insight into his age and his wife's barren womb. Other than that we don’t know who he is or why God chose him, but his call is a remarkable one. The Call of Abram at first reading seems like one we all would love to live through, but do you notice the sacrifice it requires? Do you notice the weightiness of it? God calls Abram (who he will soon rename as Abraham) to leave everything and everyone he’s known for most of his life. God tells Abram to leave his country, his people and his father’s house to go to a foreign land that he knows nothing about. God doesn’t even tell him where the land is or what it is called, he just tells him that he will show it to him. I imagine Abram may have had questions or possibly some hesitation, but unfortunately we don’t get insight into his thought process. What we do see, however, is that he responds in obedience to the Lord. He packs up everything he owns along with his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot and heads out with nowhere in mind, just trust and faith that God will lead him..

Abram teaches us here what walking by faith and not by sight truly means. His immediate response to obey shows us that he truly trusted in God and more than that, he loved the Lord. This reminds me of John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey my commands.”  How deep is our love for God? If we consider how often we have kept his commandments and obeyed his instructions would our answers be the same? 

Don’t beat yourself up if the answer is less than pleasing because Abram wasn’t perfect by far and he failed many times in his walk with God. When Abram reached Egypt he told his wife Sarai to lie to Pharaoh and tell him that she was his sister. This wasn’t a full lie, but a lie nonetheless. So you see even Abram, who is the father of our faith, had flaws but that didn’t stop God’s grace from resting on him. Even in our imperfections God chooses us to share in His eternal promise, His love and His glory.

“I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12: 2-3

Prayer:

Lord just like Abraham make me quick to respond to your instruction and eager to praise and worship your name through every unknown path you send me to. Let my obedience not only be a blessing to me, but let it also be a blessing to many generations to come. 

Amen.

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