1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
With this story of Abram's call, God begins His long term project to bring the world back to Himself by working with creation and humanity in particular. There will be tremendous ups and downs, disappointments, great victories, tense moments, and most of all, a God who makes promises and keeps them even when we don't. There will be people of incredible, though sometimes imperfect faith, and those who have a faith that sometimes falters, but God remains steady. Genesis 12-50 is the beginning of God's salvation that reaches all of us.
Comments, questions, applications...
Prayers,
Matt
I love the "go where I'll show you..."
ReplyDeletev. 1 reminds me of the story of Ruth, except that she didn't have a specific call from God that we're told about.
ReplyDeletevv. 2-3 reminds me every good thing is from God
the rest reminds me that people can have great faith/trust in God and do amazing things; that I though I may not build an altar, I should commemorate the good things God has done in my life; though Abram had pretty amazing encounters with God, we have encountered Jesus; following God sometimes means leaving big important things behind.
One more thing...this passage drives home to me that what God is doing in one person can have huge significance for many others, even if it's way down the road that anybody recognizes it.
ReplyDeleteMan , I love this . God said pick up and go and he did . What a hero . Later God says give me what is most precious to you , and he does .Such an inspiration to all of us.Thanks , God for giving us Genesis and Abraham .
ReplyDeleteAnd he " called on the name of the Lord " . Second time we hear these words . That impacts me . I do believe God wants us to call on Him .I'm going to try and remember to do so .
ReplyDelete"...as the Lord had told him..." (v. 4) I hope that can be said of me
ReplyDelete