Build an Altar

Genesis 12:1-5 English Standard Version

Genesis 12:1

1. Now the Lord said to Abram,

a. “Go from your country and

b. your kindred and

c. your father’s house

d. to the land that I will show you.

Genesis 12:2

And 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.

Genesis 12:3

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:4

1. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him,

a. “Go from your country (v.1)

2. and Lot went with him.

a. your kindred (v.1)

3. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

a. your father’s house (v.1)

i. Acts 7:2 And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

ii. Acts 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’

iii. Acts 7:4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.

iv. Genesis 11:31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

v. Genesis 11:32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12:5

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Genesis 12:11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance,

Genesis 12:12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

Genesis 12:13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

Genesis 12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

Genesis 12:16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

Genesis 12:20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Genesis 13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

Genesis 13:2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Genesis 13:3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

Genesis 13:4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 13:5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,

Genesis 13:6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,

Genesis 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Genesis 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

Genesis 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

Genesis 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

Genesis 14:11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.

Genesis 14:12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

Genesis 14:13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.

Genesis 14:14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Genesis 14:15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.

Genesis 14:16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lordhas prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 12:8

1. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.

a. Bethel – house of God

b. Ai - ruins

2. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.