Abram’s Call – Genesis 12:1-9
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.
What does the passage say?
V. 1-4 God calls seems to be abrupt. He calls Abram and tells him the reason for this Call. ‘To Make Abraham a blessing so that he will bless all people on earth.’ (v. 2-3 NIV)
V. 4-5 Abraham with no hesitation, at least, there seems to be no minimal delay, packs up everything with his family and leaves the land of Harran. Abram’s decision is more radical than we might understand. He is leaving his homeland, where his family might have settled for generations. At this place, they have security. At this place, they have all friends and families. They are leaving their comfort zone to follow God’s direction with no certainty.
V. 6-8 As Abram travels, God makes them stop by the land of Canaan. God tells Abram that his descendants will settle in this land, which seems to be impossible, with all the Canaanites in the land. Do you remember, the Israelites with great numbers, after the Exodus, thinks that it was impossible for them to take over the land. How much more absurd this promise might have been to Abram. However, God is a God, who is faithful, who tells Abram to build an altar in the land, and later gives this land to his decedents.
What does this mean to me/us
We are in a covenantal relationship with God. As God promised Abram to be a blessing to the world, we are also bound by this promise.
However, we need to believe in God’s faithfulness and follow God’s way. I guess that is the reason Abraham is known to be the ‘Father of Faith.’
There was no reason for him to respond to the call of God. He could have ignored the prompting or whisper of God to leave his homeland. But he believed in God’s faithfulness, and went ahead and followed God. As Abram took a leap of faith, we need to do the same, when God asks us something. Because of his faithfulness and because of the covenantal relationship we have with God. Our commitment to follow God’s ways will lead us to live our lives according to God’s purpose.
What does this MEAN to you?
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