Abram and God

Go - The Command

In Genesis 12:1-2, we see God’s command to a man named Abram. He is commanded to go from his home.

Genesis 12:1–2 ESV

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. 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.

Prior to this, God led Abram’s father, Terah, and his family out of the land of Ur. Ur was located in what we know of now as southern Iraq on the Euphrates river. Terah and his family travelled up to Haran about 600 miles or so away from the land which they had been in for quite some time.

Most likely, this is still the area of land that all of the biblical events took place in so far. So Noah’s family and the building of the ark, the tower of Babel was likely nearby, Cain and Abel, the garden of Eden, all of it.

Now God has led them away from this land to a new land that he will show them.

What I find interesting here is not only the blind command and faith of Abram, but also, it was generational. It started with the faith of Terah.

If Terah had not been obedient, then there would’ve been less opportunity for Abram to be obedient.

Also, Terah was only partially obedient because we see in Gen 11:31-32, Terah stopped before getting to Canaan. They were supposed to go all the way.

Genesis 11:31–32 ESV

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. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

How often in life is that how we are? We are called to a mission, but about half way through or so we decide to “settle” and we then miss out on reaching our promised land.

So Abram is now called to go and finish the calling that his father started. At this point, Abram was 75 years old! I’m a few years from 75, but I could imagine that at 75, you don’t want to just pack up everything you own and move hundreds of miles away, right?

Yet, Abram did. He led his immediate family and all his hired hands, and all his livestock across the ANE to Canaan. When they got there, God told him that one day his offspring would have that land. Then he told him to keep walking. Abram settled briefly in the mountains north of Jerusalem, then headed south again. To settle in the Negeb region.

Now the towns and cities and regions mean very little to most of you. Most of you haven’t spent time studying the historical significance of these regions and what was going on there at the time. And that’s okay.

The main point of tracking this journey is 1) seeing the obedience of Abram and 2) seeing these locations pop up again in other parts of scripture.

So what are we being called to do that we need to be blindly obedient to?

Bless - The Condition

God provided Abram with a condition of his love and leadership.

Genesis 12:2–3 ESV

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. 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.”

God gave this condition laid out in front of Abram so Abram knew that God was serious. Anyone who came before him was either going to help him and be blessed or attempt to harm him and be cursed.

Looking back at the blessings and curses that have happened thus far, we know that God doesn’t take either lightly. He blesses big or he curses big.

I would expect this made the decision to be faithful a little easier. Still terrifying, but a little easier.

Faith - The Consummation

Genesis 15:1–7 ESV

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Genesis 15:18–21 ESV

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Hebrews 11:9–12 ESV

By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.