Gen. 12:1-9 The Call of Abram

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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."

12:1 had said. God had spoken to Abram "while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran." (Ac 7:2). Leave...show you. Abram must leave the settled world of the post-Babel nations and begin a pilgrimage with God to a better world of God's making. (see 24:7)

2"I will make you a into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

12:2,3 God's promise to Abram has a sevenfold structure: (1) "I will make you into a great nation," (2) "I will bless you," (3) "I will make your name great," (4) "you will be a blessing," (5) "I will bless those who bless you," (6) "whoever curses you I will curse," and (7) "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." God's original blessing on all mankind (1:28) would be restored and fulfilled through Abram and his offspring in various ways and degrees, these promises were reaffirmed to Abram. (v. 7; 15:5-21; 17:4-8; 18:18-19; 22:17-18;) to Isaac (26:2-4), to Jacob (28:13-15; 35:11-12; 46:3) and to Moses (Ex 3:6-8; 6:2-8). The seventh promise is quoted in Ac 3:25 with reference to Peter's Jewish listeners (see Ac 3:12)--Abram's physical descendents--and in Gal 3:8 with reference to Paul's Gentile listeners--Abram's spiritual descendents.

4So 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. 5He 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.

12:4 Abram left as the LORD had told him. see Heb 11:8. Prompt obedience grounded in faith characterized this patriarch throughout his life (see 17:23; 21:14; 22:3). Lot went with him. See 13:1,5. Lot at first was little more than Abram's ward. seventy-five years old. Although advanced in age at the time of his call, Abram would live for another full century (see 25:7; see also note on 5:5).
12:5 people they had acquired. Wealthy people in that ancient world always had servants to help them with their flocks and herds (see 15:3; 24:2). Not all servants were slaves; many were voluntarily employed.

At this point I would like to introduce to you History. If you will notice, there are many things which occur in the lives of the people throughout the Bible which do not fare well with people of today. (In reference to the people they had acquired.)

This is realized, yet the Bible is a record of the history of the people at that time, as well as God's Word, which cannot be changed. It shall not be changed to be politically correct, not will it hide it's sin.

One of the purposes may be for you to see what sin actually looks like so you may avoid it. When you create an entire universe, come back and maybe we'll talk. Until then, I already know that man is flawed. If you will read Genesis 3, you will also know!

6Abram 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. 7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he bulit an altar there to the LORD, Who had appeared to him.

12:6 site of the great tree of Moreh. See perhaps 35:4; Jds 9:6,37. A famous sanctuary was located at Shechem in central Canaan, and a large tree was often a conspicuous feature at such holy places. But Abram worshipped the LORD there, not the local deity.
12:7 The LORD appeared. The LORD frequently appeared visibly to Abram and to others, but not in all His glory (see Ex 33:18-20; Jn 1:18). an altar. The first of several that Abram built at places where he had memorable spiritual experiences (see v. 8; 13:18; 22:9). He acknowledged that the land of Canaan belonged to the LORD in a special way (see Ex 20:24;Jos 22:19).

8From 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. 9Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

12:8 Bethel. Just north of Jerusalem, it was an important town in the religious history of God's ancient people (see, e.g., 28:10-22;35:1-8; 1Ki 12:26-29). Only Jerusalem is mentioned more often in the OT.
12:9 Negev. The dry wasteland stretching southward from Beersheba. The same Hebrew word is translated "south" in 13:14.

We don't know exactly how much time was spent near the great tree, or at least I do not know. I do know that Abram was moving in faith to a place the LORD has not yet revealed.

Can you imagine having such faith? At that period of time, no one was particularly Godly. I think it would help if I also wrote my notes. Here goes.

...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from Whom all things came and for Whom we live; and there is but one LORD, Jesus Christ, through Whom all things came and through Whom we live.
1Ch 8:6 NIV

Originally posted 1/14/2006 @ 7:43 pm