The Call of Abram

Last week ‘s lesson was entitled a welcoming invitation. The Spirit and the bride say , Come. And let him that heareth say , Come. And let hm that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.We learned that no one should add to this words of the angel’s prophecy or take away from it. We can take away from this verse that God considers it a serious issue to distort the Word of God. A dual warning is given against adding to it or subtracting from it. How great will be the judgment of those who despise this book and does not heed this warning .

A lot of time people will shy away from reading Revelation , but probably no other book of scripture more sharply contrasts the blessed lot of the saints with the fearful future of those who are lost. No other book of the bible is more explicit in it’s description of judgment on the one hand and the Saint’s eternal joy on the other. What a tragedy that so many pass by this book and fail to fathom its wonderful truths, thereby impoverishing their knowledge and hope in Christ Jesus .Gods people who understand and appreciate these wonderful promises can join with John in his prayer , Come, Lord JESUS . As stated in Hebrew 9:28 we know that Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many , and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation .

This week’s lesson we learn about the promise God made to Abram who he renamed Abraham.

The main Thought:And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said , Unto thy seed will I give this land:and there builded he an altar unto the Lord ,who appeared unto him . (Genesis 12:7, KJV)

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE: The reality of our circumstances does not always match our expectations . How do we respond when circumstances and expectations conflict ? conflict? Abram put his confidence in God, and God reassured him .

LESSON AIM: TO understand that Go graciously makes promises and dutifully keep promises.

LIFE AIM : To learn the importance of patience and honesty in deepening our relationship with our promise making/keeping God.

READ TEXT

I. OUTLINE The Duality of God’s call:A Promise made(12:1-5, 7)

1 VERSE Genesis 12:1 “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”

After the flood Genesis 6-10. the descendants of Noahs’s son Shem Gen.11:10-25. This genealogy culminated with Terah , the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran Gen. 11:26 “And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.” Terah outlived Haran , the father of Lot Gen. 11:27-28 “Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.” Terah’s other sons Abram and Nahor were both married . However , Abram and his wife Sarai were unable to conceive Gen.11:29-30 “And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child.”

The family lived in Ur of the Chaldees Gen. 11:31 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.” This ancient Mesopotamian city was located on the banks of the Euphrates River Modern archaeological discoveries have provided insight into the city’s wealth, culture and pagan religious practices. The family’s connections to the city likely ran deep and at one time they took part in the city’s pagan religious practices, See Joshua 24:2 “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.” However the family did not stay in Ur. Terah led Abram , Sarai and lot toward Canaan , a land bordering the western edges of the Mediterranean sea Gen. 10:19, but Terah did not complete the journey . He settled and died in Haran, which is a important city on a major trade route between Mesopotamia and Canaan, Gen. 11:31-32 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.” In this narrative the direction of the book changes. This passage records how God called Abram out of pagan world and made astounding promises to him , promises that later became part of the formal Abrahamic Covenant. Get thee out was a trying precept. He was tried whether he loved his native soil and dearest friends, and whether he could willingly leave all, to go along with God. His country had become idolatrous, his kindred and his father’s house were a constant temptation to him, and he could not continue with them without danger of being infected by them; therefore nsaid Get thee out, lk-lk—Vade tibi, Get thee gone, with all speed, escape for thy life, look not behind thee. THIS FIRST imperative was to get out or leave your country and go to a land, which was a promise the land of his future posterity.

2 Verse Gen.12:2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” This passage of scripture mentions the second imperative which is literally be a blessing . It is imprecisely rendered in many versions , including the niv as a prediction you will be a blessing , but literally it is the imperative or command “ Be a blessing .” Abram’s leaving started a chain of reactions . If Abram would get out of Haran , God would do three things for him, so that he could then be a blessing in the land , which is the second imperative, and he had to be that blessing so that God would do three more things for him . This symmetry should not be missed for it strengthens the meaning . Abram’s calling had a purpose :his obedience would bring great blessing. Three promises were based on God’s call for Abram to leave his land: 1. A great nation. 2. A blessing for Abram and 3. A great name. These promises would enable him to be a blessing which again I’ve already alluded to is the second imperative.The Lord had only spoke to Abram about being the head of one nation , It turned out that many nations came out of Abraham because of Ishmael Gen. 16:4 “And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.” And Esau Gen. 25:21-23 “And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger. Abram name was changed to Abraham in Gen. 17:5 “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” God gave Abram a greater name . Abraham obeyed , and it is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as a striking instance of his faith .

3 Verse Gen.12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This passage of scripture is the results Abram will obtained for being obedient 1. God will bless those who blessed him . 2. curse anyone who would treat him lightly and 3. bless the families of the earth through him . TO bless or curse Abram was to bless or curse Abram’s God. How much more for us today after the cross. This third promise takes on its greatest fulfillment in the fact that Jesus Christ became the means of blessing to world. This promise points to the Messiah in whom all promises are yea and amen. Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world . He is a family blessing , and by him salvation is brought to the house. How are all the families of the earth blessed? In Christ Jesus See Lu.19:9 “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”

See Gal. 3:8 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” And Gal. 3: 16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” and also Rom. 9:5 “Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” It was Abram’s honour to be his father by nature . It will be our honor to be his brethren by grace. see Mt. 12:50 “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

4 Verse Gen.12:4 “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” There were several obstacles that Abram would have to overcome to fulfill the promise. First, Abram was 75 years old, well beyond conventional childbearing age. Secondly , the land that he was promised was inhabited . Abram would receive more than he would have, had he remained in Haran . The land God promised is Canaan. It is this promise that is being referred to or called the Promise Land. God makes the promise for the land at this juncture , He does not fulfill that until hundreds of years later when the Israelites entered the land after having been slaves in Egypt for 440 years .

5 Verse Gen.12:5 “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” While God’s call was specifically for Abram, the call included more than him alone. He took his wife, others that had been born during their stay in Haran . He also took his wealth . Gen. 13:2 .Abram was disobeying God by taking Lot , he was suppose to leave his land and brethren, Acts 7:2-4 “And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.” It could be that Abram felt like a father to Lot who had lost his father, Haran which was Abram’s brother .It may have been as simple as Abram feeling responsible for Lot and trying to be a positive influence. What did Abram accomplish by disobeying God, Lot wound up in Sodom and saw at least two of his daughters and son-in -laws destroyed. Gen. .19:14. ; His wife turned into a pillar of salt Gen.19:26. ; and his remaining two daughters pregnant by incest Gen. 19:36. Things will always go better in the long run if we do what the Lord tells us to do when he tells us to do it. God’s will is always best .His plans for us are always better than our own . We should not lean to our on understanding .SEE Proverbs 3:5

6 verse Gen.12:7 “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” This is the first time the Lord had told Abram specifically what land he would inherit.The exact borders were not defined at the time , but he had the general idea. This verse states the Lord appeared unto Abram ,the actual Hebrew word means to see. literally or figuratively . I don’t know that we can be certain but it would seem that this was a visual manifestation of the Lord to Abram. Abram act of building an altar in response to God’s words was of significance .Other cultures even his kindred that he left built alters to their pagan gods. See Deut. 12: 2-3 “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.” But Abram did not reuse a pagan altar, Instead Abram built a new altar to the Lord . By doing so Abram announced that he was worshipping the one true God. Gen. 8:18-20 “And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

II. OUTLINE The Reassurance in God’s Call: a PROMISE Reminded. (15:1-7)

1 Verse Gen. 15:1 “After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

One would have expected that Abram having had such an extraordinary call to Canaan some great event should have followed upon his arrival there, that he would have been introduced with all possible marks of honour and respect, and that the kings of Canaan should immediately have surrendered their crowns to him, and done him homage. But no; he comes not with observation, little notice is taken of him, for still God will have him to live by faith, and to look upon Canaan, even when he was in it, as a land of promise; therefore observe here,

I. How little comfort he had in the land he came to; for, 1. He had it not to himself: The Canaanite was then in the land. He found the country peopled and possessed by Canaanites, who were likely to be but bad neighbours and worse landlords; and, for aught that appears, he could not have ground to pitch his tent on but by their permission. Thus the accursed Canaanites seemed to be in better circumstances than blessed Abram. Note, The children of this world have commonly more of it than God’s children. 2. He had not a settlement in it. He passed through the land, v. 6. He removed to a mountain, v. 8. He journeyed, going on still, v. 9. Observe here, (1.) Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and obliged often to remove their habitation. Abram sojourned, first in a plain (v. 6), then in a mountain, v. 8. Abram had just fought a large army to rescue Lot Gen. 14:14-16 and now the land promised is occupied . Because of this recent battle and finding the land was occupied God appeared to Abram and told him not to fear, because he was his shield. He would protect and defend him .God would travel with him and keep him from danger. As a shield God would encounter the danger first while Abram could hide behind him, God would be his covering and defend him. God would be his reward .It may seem that God is indebted to Abram , by this verse but this is not what it means . if we go back to chapter 14 we see Abram refuse his rightful share of the victors bounty . Once a nation was defeated in ancient times the victorious nation would raid their land for riches. Abram denounced his reward for being victorious in battle SEE Gen 14:22-23 “And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:” But in this verse the Lord is confirming that Abram will be compensated .God told Abram I am thy exceeding great reward. In me you have and will have every thing you need. God can reward one with things money cannot buy ,

2 Verse Gen.15:2 “And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram responded to God’s statement regarding his being his exceeding great reward. He asked what will you give me . Abram had already seen elements of God’s fulfillment come to pass. God had increased Abram’s assets, showed him Canaan , and helped him battle. Abram complains because he has not recieved the promise of the heir . Abram didn’t see any value in the things God had already accomplished in his life because his servant would be the recipient of his estate if he died without an heir . Abram was boldly honest with God in this passage about his disappointment .This is an example of an intimate relationship between God and Abram. Abram was honest with God and shared with him what was troubling him .Even though God knows all things , as believers we should share our honest feelings with God in prayer . We should never complain of God ,but complain to him as a faithful compassionate friend.

3 Verse Gen.15:3 “And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” Abram proceed further to tell God he has not fulfilled the promise yet of giving him an heir or seed to inherit his estate. God had already told him that he would make of him a great nation (Gen. 12:2), and his seed as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:14-16); but he had left him in doubt whether it should be his seed begotten or his seed adopted, by a son of his loins or only a son of his house. “Now, Lord,” says Abram, “if it be only an adopted son it must be one of my servants, which will reflect disgrace upon the promised seed, that is to descend from him

.4 Verse Gen.15:4 “And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” To the first part of the complaint God gave no immediate answer, because there was fretfulness in it , but when he speaks again more calmly in vs, 3 God answered him graciously . God gave him a promise of a son from his loins or bowels . God tells him Eliezer would not be his heir, .

5 Verse Gen.15:5 “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” To further clarify what he meant by this promise God used an illustration in this passage of scripture, Abram feared he should have no child at all, but God assured him that the descendants from his loins should be so many as not to be numbered. Abrams’s seen according to his flesh , were like the dust of the earth Gen. 13:16, but his spiritual seed are like the stars of heaven, not only numerous but glorious , and very precious. This is the Abrahamic covenant which is the fourth covenant under the dispensation of promise.God dealt with man during this time based on the promise he had made. This covenant is also unconditional . It has no ending . Therefore it remains in operation now along with the Davidic covenant which is under the dispensation of grace and is the current dispensation we\re under. The Abrahamic covenant is called the dispensation of promise because God made it to a select group of people ,Doctrinally this covenant applies to the Hebrew race which came forth from Abraham, Issac and Jacob(Iarael). Abraham begat Issac and Issac begat Jacob who begat twelve Hebrew tribes. Matt. 1:1-2.Gentiles only receive this promise by receiving Abrahams’s promise seed Jesus Christ. See. Gen. 12:2-3. Even though God made this covenant with Abraham , it was sealed between God the father and Jesus who stood in Abrams place . Therefore it is immutable. See Gen.15:8-18 “And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity…” This covenant was reiterated again in Gen. 17:2-8. Even though the Abrahamic covenant remains in effect the dispensation of promise ended after the Exodus at MT. Sinai, The dispensation of Law was ushered in at Mt . Sinai during the execution of the Mosaic Covenant.

6 Verse Gen. 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” This passage of scripture alludes to Abram firm belief of the promise God now made him, and God’s favourable acceptance of his faith. Abram initially showed in the previous verses 15:2-3 that he has some doubt about having an heir, But now Abram believed the Lord , he was fully persuaded , and the Lord rewarded his belief and counted him righteous because of it . The assigned value for Abram’s faith is righteousness . Righteousness can only be achieved in two ways :by works or a gift from God. Since no one is good enough to accomplish righteousness on their own , God must account for us. The apostle Paul provides back ground on the nature of salvation . As righteousness came to Abraham through faith all people who follow his example and demonstrated faith will be counted as righteous,, See Romans 4:1-8 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. See also Romans 4:13 “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” See also Romans 4:16-24 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was …” See also James 2:21-23 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” If Abram that was so rich inbn good works was not justified by then m but by his faith, much less can we that are poor in good works , All those who demonstrate faith in God are considered “children of Abraham” or Abraham seed., See. Gal.3:7 “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”

7 Verse Gen. 15:7 “And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.” God declares his purpose concerning his reason for bringing Abram out of his country . God reminds Abram here of three things 1. I am the Lord Jehovah and therefore I may give it to thee for I am sovereign Lord of all , and have a right to dispose of the whole earth. 2. I can give it to thee ,what ever opposition may be made by the sons of Anak. God never promises more than or what he can’t perform as men often do, 3. I will make good my promise to thee , I’m not a man that I should lie. .God is saying I brought thee hither on purpose to give thee this land to inherit it , not only to possess it , but to possess it as an inheritance,.

In conclusion , God made this promise to Abraham regarding leaving his country and promising him a land and making him a great nation when he was seventy five .In Gen, 17:24-25 Abram must have been ninety-nine and Ishmael was thirteen when they circumcised hiand , so he had to be about 85 when his faith was accounted for righteousness,.In essence God ‘s timing is never our timing and age or time does not limit or stop God from accomplishing what he desires to accomplish .He even told Abram that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt for 400 years so it was a long time before they would actually inherit the land., but if God said it he shall perform it. God has given us also promises as we studied earlier in Revelation. He promised us that he’d never leave us or forsake us and he was going away to prepare a place for us and in the end we will forever be with him throughout the ages of ages in the new heaven and the new earth,.God called Abram out of his country of familiarity and comfort to travel to a place he’d shew him . , But he told us whither he goeth , we knew and the way we knew , but he promise us he go away and prepare a place for use then come again and receive us unto himself. We have to appropriate these promises just as Abram did by faith . For without faith it is impossible for man to believe God, and God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Num. 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”